Teller From Jerusalem

Summary: President Lyndon Johnson and the United States were bogged down in Viet Nam and could not commit itself to any other area of the globe and risk another confrontation with the Soviets. The tenor of Cairo and Damascus, leaving no confusion as to their intentions. Nasser's threats resulted in elation throughout the Arab world, as mass demonstrations erupted in acclaim of Egypt's action to pr...

Summary: Syria taunted Nasser that he was hiding behind UN troops; the Syrians and Palestinians were the only ones fighting against Israel. Nasser, looking to improve his image in the Arab world, and justify Soviet belief in him, carried out on May 15, 1967, six acts that collectively made war in the Middle East inevitable.  Credits: Arab-Israeli War 1967  Real Time History Egypt Blockades the Str...

In 1964, Israel completed its National Water Carrier, leading the Arab states to worry about the economic growth this would mean for Israel. They understood that water meant agriculture, agriculture meant food security, food security meant Israel could absorb more immigrants, more immigrants meant a larger population, and a larger population meant a stronger army and a state that would be more dif...

Hitler's Big Lie found fresh expression with Hamas supporters claiming the absurdity that Israel is perpetrating genocide in its right to defend itself, executed in a legal and humane way. An accusation launched by none other than an organization that has in its charter and all of its rhetoric the desire to destroy Israel and every Jew living therein. In this episode we explore how Hitler and the...

In a PS to our coverage of the Eichmann Trial we elaborate about the testimony of Dr. Foldi's description of the last time he saw his daughter in a red coat who was separated from him upon their arrival at Auschwitz.  Ever since, "the girl in the red coat" a nameless, faceless child became a representative , a composite metaphor for the millions of children who perished in the Holocaust. She was a...

Rabbi Abraham Cooper is the Associate Dean of Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. For decades he has been at the forefront of fighting antisemitism globally and promoting the cause of human rights. These efforts have taken him around the world scores of times to speak with world leaders. Thus, when he speaks, he marshals expertise and experience that has no peer.  Sound credits Yerachmiel Begu...

Aside from demonstrating that Israel felt responsible for the entire Jewish People, and accordingly would bring a mass-murderer to trial for an act that had been perpetuated before the State was formed, and not on its turf, extracting him from a third country half a world away, Israel's prime minister had an educational agenda that would be accomplished through the trial. Israel's youth had never...

The Talmud teaches that God's seal is truth; lying displays that you care more what your fellow man thinks than what the Lord thinks of you. A half a truth is a whole lie and partial truths should not be rationalized or legitimized. One of the attributes of The Valorous Woman that Solomon extolls is "the heart of her husband trusts in her." Trust can only be earned by being a consistently honest p...

In a daring and bold action, Israel's Mossad captured Adolph Eichmann, the man most responsible for the Nazi genocide of European Jewry. How the Mossad managed to locate Eichmann in the Nazi haven of Argentina and secret him out undetected is described in detail in this episode. Also described are the emotions that gnawed at the minds of all Israelis. Could even a fraction of justice ever be exact...

Israel's lighting campaign in the Sinai in 1956 resulted in a routing of the Egyptian forces and capture of the entire Sinai Peninsula in less than 100 hours. The threat of Egypt deploying its brand-new military hardware from the Soviet Union had been averted. But in a fluke of history, President Eisenhower, instead of siding with his natural allies, Britain, France and Israel, sided with the Sovi...

The Israeli paratrooper drop at the Mitla Pass wasn't only military, it was also diplomatic theater. By landing troops near the Suez Canal, Israel created the pretext that the British and French desperately needed to enter the war. Regardless, however, of the diplomatic component, Israel now had to open a supply line across the enormous desert floor to reinforce the paratroopers at Mitla, deep ins...

Way back in Season One (episode 28 – really worth listening to!) famous lecturer and New York Times best-selling author, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin came on the show to explain "moral imagination." When the opportunity arose, I sat him down to get another vital installment concerning what should be a critical component of our character. Our sagacious guest discusses a widow marrying a second husband an...

The military operation to capture the Sinai Peninsula faced several substantial obstacles. First, there was the terrain itself, the Sinai Peninsula was 24,000 square miles of pure desolation. The desert consisted of rolling sand dunes in the north that could swallow vehicles and exhaust troops within hours. In the south were the nearly impassable mountain ranges which created natural fortresses. T...

Egypt purchased state of the art weaponry from the Soviet Union that obliterated any balance of power between Israel and her Arab adversaries. Egypt would have the armament, it already had the desire, to wipe out Israel. Israel naturally turned to its trusted ally, the United States, but the days of Harry Truman were over. The new President, Dwight Eisenhower, together with his State Department wh...

After Israel's stunning and unpredictable victory (especially from the Arab perspective) in the War of Independence, there was a colossus of bruised pride in the Arab World. To answer the heretofore imponderable, "How could Israel have been victorious?" a narrative emerged, "We did not lose because Israel was strong, but rather because our leaders were weak." The search began for strong military m...

Life throws curveballs all the time, and not everyone has the consistency or the disposition to turn lemons into lemonade. Rabbi Dovid M. Cohen, previous pulpit rabbi in Manhattan, is currently the CEO of the Algemainer Jewish Media outlet. Everyone is different and everyone copes differently. Rabbi Cohen, a licensed therapist, shares with us how he has dealt with his own challenges and some of th...

As already explained in an earlier episode (Season Five Episode 6) the Fedayeen terrorist raiders would sneak into Israel, murder, sabotage, set fire, steal, and slip back across the border to Egypt and Jordan. This was death by a thousand cuts to Israel. And then things deteriorated precipitously when in September of 1955, Nasser announced that Egypt has signed a massive arms deal with Czechoslov...

Nazi propaganda, how do we properly commemorate the murder of millions, the creation of the ghettos.  Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

Stories of Heroism During the Holocaust Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc  

Resistance during the Holocaust; Breaking the myth that Jews went to their death like sheep to the slaughter.  Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc  

Rabbi Aharon Zulberg, and the other people he credits, was still scratching his head as to what significant thing South African Jewry might do on behalf of their brethren affected by the war. His synagogue, "The Bais" teamed up with the Jewish National Fund of South Africa to offer respite for hostages released from the terror tunnels of Gaza and in urgent need of relaxation and tranquility. What...

  Rabbi Aharon Zulberg from Johannesburg, South Africa, like so many other Jews worldwide (and other very fine people, think of Dr. Julie Snyder from Beaufort, SC who jumped into action when she heard that knee pads were needed for soldiers – featured in our podcast "An Outpouring of Kindness" at the time the October 7 War broke out) wish to contribute to those affected by the war in Israel. Rabbi...

Popular self-help author and speaker Sara Pachter, shares her best insights to make life more enjoyable and rewarding. All of her suggestions are wise and easily implementable.    Credits Od Yishama Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Ben Azadi The Brain Coach Easy Ways to Calm Down When you are Angry, Witapedia Thomas Mulligan Do Doorways Actually Make us Forget Things SciShow Psych Vincent (Starry, Starry Ni...

The assault on Jews in college campuses and even in front of synagogues mandates a firm reaction, especially in light of the fact that the government national and local has been quick to condemn, but has offered no other relief. Some bright Jewish minds have rallied on behalf of those under threat, relying primarily on title six of the Civil rights Act of 1964. So far these suits have not borne a...

  Rabbi Mark Goldfeder is a rising meteor on the world scene because of his personal academic and legal achievements and the work that he has done - initially checking - and at this point defeating antisemitic initiatives. He is also the founder and director of National Jewish Advocacy Center. The rise in antisemitic incidents has become an urgent crisis, which requires a bold new approach. The NJ...