The Promised Podcast

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Sally Abed and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on https://www.patreon.com/posts/52610627   —"A Coalition Exposition"— Eight documents tell us tons about what Israel's new government plans to do, and plans not to do,...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/promisedpodcast   —"Who Are You, Naftali Bennett?"— Is Israel's incipient prime minister, Naftali Bennett, the hard-line ideo...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —"I Have Been Able to Form a Government!"— Just before the deadline passes, Israel has maybe the oddest government in the country's history, including a...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Sally Abed and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Still Crazy, After All These Tears— A cease fire has taken affect, dust has settled, dead have been buried, and rubble has begun to be cleared. But what, if any...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —The Problem of Power— Trevor Noah and John Oliver say that death counts alone are enough to see that Israel is wrong, and fighting an "unfair fight." W...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman, Sally Abed and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —"F*cked Up, Horrible Chickens"— Rockets and missiles from the south and mob violence most everywhere else: Why did Israel just dissolve into bloods...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida, Sally Abed (for a bit) and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —(Qui Est-Ce Que) J'Accuse?— Forty-five people are crushed to death by a crowd at an all-night revelry at Mount Meron. Who or wh...

Sally Abed, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Our Bennett-factor— The liberal, center-left newspaper Haaretz endorses Naftali Bennett, a privatize-anything-that-moves and annex-anything-God-promised-to-us-in-...

Don Futterman, Noah Efron and Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —"Unity is the Thing We Seek"— Opposition leader Yair Lapid says he wants a right-left-and-center "National Unity Governmen...

In celebration of Yom Ha-Atzma'ut, Israeli Independence Day, stories about what the day means to us, from our family to yours! Plus, classic songs from the old Israeli songbook, performed by a new generation.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —What Now?— The President just asked the Prime Minister (who is standing trial for corruption) to form Israel's next gov...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —Way Out— Israel's political stalemate can maybe be solved by a law disqualifying PM Netanyahu (and anyone else standing trial for felonies) from heading a new...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman, Sally Abed and Noah Efron talk about Israel's elections this week: What should we make of the surprising success and kingmaker role of the Islamicist Ra'am party? The Kahanists in the Knesset? The better-than-anyone-predicted showing of Benny Gantz and the Blue & White party? The relative failure of the right-winger who wanted to replace Netanyahu, Gideon Sa'a...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —A Pre-Election Reflection— This election campaign was maybe the weirdest in Israel's history. What the hell just happened? —Red Ties, Blue Ties— N...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Lion in Winter— The number of Israelis who think Benjamin Netanyahu is most fit to be Prime Minister has tumbled over the past few weeks. Why and what's it m...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Right Thinking Men— Gideon is on the outs with Bibi, Naftali says he won't hang with Yair, Avigdor says Arye, Moshe & Yaakov can f*ck off, Bibi says Be...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Idol in the Sanctuary— Are ultra-Orthodox attacks on Labor Party candidate, Reform Rabbi Gilad Kariv, legitimate political scrabbling, or some weird sort of...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida, Sally Abed and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Likud, 2021: What's Left of the Right?— Some longtime Likudniks lament that the party ain't what it used to be. If that's true, then what i...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Lapidary Matters— So maybe Yair Lapid is more than a pretty-boy empty suit? —Day in Court— The International Criminal Court says that Palestine is a state an...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and  Standing Together 's Sally Abed discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Failure to Launch— Why did so many men starting so many center-left parties end up with electile disfunction? —Anyone But Them— The bigges...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —New Labor, Again?— Did we eulogize the Labor Party too soon? —Acting Big?— PM Netanyahu unveils a plan to give most Israelis a pile of free cash, just...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Helsinki, Helsinki— Israel's top bioethics board says that PM Netanyahu's deal to give Pfizer data on everyone who got the vaccinated is illegal, becau...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Bezalel and Naftali Love You Very Much— Is there no room anymore for "religious Zionist" parties in the Knesset? —Lift My Eyes Unto the Hills— Idealists...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Party Time!— Five new center-left parties launched last week, and there are more on the way this week. Why are lefty parties sprouting like mushrooms a...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. —DNR for Labor?— Is pulling the plug on Israel's Labor Party the only decent thing to do? —In Seeking Peace, Might Less Be More?— Would Israelis and Palestinians be better off, if Americans stopped trying to broker gr...