The Jewish Story

The 1950's were a formative time in Israeli history. The Cold War was getting hot, internal politics were volatile, and then it seemed as if the War of Independence had not quite ended. To Israel's leaders, there was nothing more important than maintaining a strong posture, even though this may have meant that they were marching steadily toward another war. Help continue making Jewish history a re...

The focus of our story has returned to the land of Israel, where it is once again a time of controversy. Despite the population growth, the economic hardships and the security challenges, the most divisive political issue of the early 1950's was whether to accept reparations from the reborn German state. Here is an exploration of whether pragmatic survival or idealism should be the guiding lights...

Sometimes you have to speak from the heart. Here are a few thoughts, feelings, about our current situation. There is a tremendous potential in every crisis, the question is - can we see beyond the horizon? Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on Patreon. For more information visit elmad.pardes.org/ravmike. Please let us know your comments and thought...

The Jewish Story is narrative therapy for a nation, but how can it also serve each of us in our quest to be actors in our lives instead of objects? Listen in to this great Purim Torah, an exploration of what the conversation between Mordecai and Esther can teach us about owning our own story. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon. For more...

We spoke about the suburbs and the shadows, now it is time to talk about Zionism. The 'Golden decade' was a time of reorganization in general, and particularly in relation to the newborn State of Israel. Here is an episode whose characters will seem strikingly familiar today - non-Zionists, Zionists and anti-Zionists. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting...

The decade after World War Two was a Jewish decade for America. Not only did the Jews achieve the suburban dream, but their culture stepped right into the middle of the American mainstream. Nonetheless, there were two things which dimmed this Golden Decade - the Red Scare and the shadow of the Shoah. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon. F...

1945 to 1955 is known as the 'Golden Decade' of American Jewry. Here is the first of three episodes which aims to fill in the Jewish Story on the western side of the Atlantic. The question for today is - did the move to suburbia make the Jews white? Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon. For more information visit elmad.pardes.org/ravmike....

In part two of this exploration of Israel's seventy year constitutional crisis we take a look at the revolution of 1992 and how it contributed to today's battles. As a special bonus I included a little bird walk along the lines of the Torah's commandment for a king. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon. For more information visit elmad.par...

If I asked you whether Israel has a constitution are you sure that you would know the answer? This episode is the first half of answering the question by delving into the history of Israel's 1949 Constituent Assembly. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon. For more information visit elmad.pardes.org/ravmike. Please let us know your comments...

Here is a live interlude from Rav Mike - his annual class in memory of his father, Charles Feuer ob'm. It is an exploration of the Hanukah light as it has been gradually released through the challenges of history, theology and personal experience. You can view the recording of this lecture on Rav Mike's Youtube Channel or below: If you are interested in listening to more from Rav Mike, or you want...

Every value has a boundary and every state a border, which means that often we have to fight to maintain them. Here is the story of Israel's struggle against infiltration in the 1950's and the moral complexity of retaliatory raids. Not an episode for the faint of heart. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon. For more information visit elmad...

In the middle of the 16th century the town of Tzefat became a new center of Jewish life. This class introduces one side of that renewal though the story of R' Yosef Karo, author of the Shulchan Aruch and the Bet Yosef. This lecture is part of the 5780 Pardes Community Education Fall session, October 28, 2019 - January 2, 2020. This episode of The Jewish Story Live was tapped live during the record...

Walking With Your Inner Spirit: six opportunities, practices and encounters experiencing the Divine within. This is a new podcast series from Yiscah Smith releasing weekly with the first episode during the first week of Hanukah 5780. Be sure to subscribe to the Pardes Live and Mini-Series channel to get weekly episode downloads. Please let us know your comments and thoughts about the podcast, writ...

Special Edition Q&A session with Rav Mike on Democracy in America and Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, and what the future holds for Jews. No matter where you turn, it seems that democracy is in crisis. Here is an interview with Rav Mike which touches on the global situation as well as what is happening in the state of Israel. The question at hand is - whit...

In 1949 Israel was in the dangerous position of winning the battle and losing the war. Though ceasefire agreements were in place, peace remained elusive. This episode opens an examination of the questions of international legitimacy, national cohesion and border conflicts which characterize the state even today. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him o...

There are times in the history of peoples and nations when the decisions made shape the future. The three years after Israel's foundation saw its population double through immigration, the way in which the immigrants were received set the mode for many years to come. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon. For more information visit elmad.pa...

In the first two years after Israel's independence the Jewish population doubled. Such massive immigration put an almost fatal stress on the resources and social fabric of the young state. Before we can discuss the practical implications we need to consider the meaning of kibutz galuyot - the in-gathering of the exiles. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporti...

The High Holy Days are also know as the Days of Awe which can be awesome, or awful. Here is a look at how to tie the work of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot together into an approach to building a world whose horizon is big enough to hold our dreams. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon. For more information visit elmad.pardes.org/rav...

Part I of the evolution of American Zionism presented America as an environment of formation for American Zionism, part two adds the other element of evolution - competition. The struggles between American Zionists and first the European Zionist leadership and then the heads of the new State of Israel still define our political landscape today. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story...

The Jewish Story Season 3 is here! Season 3, episode 1, opens with a long awaited introduction to the American chapter of the Jewish Story. This first segment traces the back story of the three waves of Jewish immigration to American and explores the tension between assimilation and ethnic solidarity. Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on patreon....

Declaring a state is a matter of moments, but birthing it can be a much more prolonged process. The last episode in season two is a look at a series of decisions taken by Ben Gurion in the months following independence and how they still shape the State of Israel today. The story of the borders, the Arab refugees and the Altalena raise more questions than they answer, but that is just an invitatio...

1948 was a year of Biblical proportions, which means the stories told about what happened often have more power than the events themselves. This is part one of a two-part treatment of this momentous time with which we will close season two. Listen in for the civil war which precedes the War of Independence and the origins of the narrative conflict we are still fighting today. Please let us know yo...

Before a person or a people can enjoy true freedom, first they must break t heir chains. This is the story of how the underground war finally broke the back of the British occupation and how the United Nations stepped in to pick up the pieces. Please let us know your comments and thoughts about the podcast, write us at: elmad@pardes.org.il. If you are subscribed on iTunes, and if you enjoyed the p...

Once World War Two ended all the promises of the allies were put to test - would they find a solution to the Jewish problem now that the war was won? This episode describes the escalation of the struggle against the British in the land of Israel in the wake of the greatest disaster the Jewish people have ever suffered. Please let us know your comments and thoughts about the podcast, write us at: e...

As European Jewry was consumed by the Shoah, the Zionists in the land of Israel gradually came to see the British blocking the gates of Israel as their main enemy. The episode explores the split between the Irgun and the Lechi, the rise of Menachem Begin as a leader and the internecine war which almost doomed their struggle. Please let us know your comments and thoughts about the podcast, write us...