The Promised Podcast

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --And the Bush Was Not Consumed: On the Surprising Longevity of the Balfour Protests-- The protests in front of Prime Minister Netanyahu's home have lasted almost twice as long as "Occupy Wall...

Twenty two years ago, a week after Israel celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, a 26 year-old former drag-queen and trans woman won the world's biggest song contest, The Eurovision. She also forever changed the way we Israelis see ourselves. In this very special edition of The Promised Podcast, Noah tells her story, and explains why he thinks that in this moment of anxiety and dreadful Nation-State...

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag goes to the demonstrations shaking Jerusalem and the country at their foundations, with her daughter as a guide. Patreon Segment: Skiing the Slopes of the United Arab Emirates For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, Allison, Ohad and Noah ponder the shocking, stunning, amazing breakth...

Maybe no one is a better symbol of how Israel is changing (and did more to cause this change) than Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, who died this week at 83. Music Elohai – Kobi Oz Hakitzoti – Elitzur Goldsmith Support the show by becoming a Patron

From deep in summer doldrums, Noah tells the story of one song that is also, in a way, the story of Israel itself. Support the show by becoming a Patron

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Don Futterman discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to this week's Patreon segment --First and a Half Israel-- Are the people demonstrating each night in front of the Prime Minister's home a new political class, changing all we thought we knew about Israeli poli...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --Reflections on the Revolution in Jerusalem-- Israelis' trust in their leaders has dropped by half in just one month, and each night brings new scenes of police water-cannoning protestors outsid...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --And It's One, Two, Three, What Are We Fightin' For? (with apologies to both Country Joe and the Fish)-- Huge, angry demonstrations demand that Netanyahu do something about Israel's economic crisis. But what?...

Tel Aviv Review  impresario Gilad Halpern, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --From COVID Heroes to COVID Zeros-- How'd Israel go from being COVID heroes to COVID zeros? --Tamar in Tehran-- A twenty-something, computer-hacker genius, Mossad spy goes native i...

Journalist and soon-to-be features editor for the Committee to Protect Journalists, Naomi Zeveloff, wunderkind critic 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. --Does Size Matter?-- Would a small, "symbolic" annexation of lands in the West Bank sidestep the worst consequences...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --You're Gay, You Wanna Revolution?-- A new documentary aims to explain the surprising success of the LGBTQA community in Israel. Why are so many LGBTQA folks hating on it? --You Stay to Start...

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. --"The Revolt of Diaspora Jews"?-- Are we seeing a "revolt" of Jews in England, America and elsewhere in the diaspora against Netanyahu's planned annexation of territory in the West Bank? --Rest in Peace?-- It's like...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --Unsettled!-- Settler leaders oppose Israel's annexation of any towns in the West Bank? Is this bizarro world? Are dogs cats? Is up down? --Through American Eyes-- Why was Bernie Sanders the m...

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. --God & Country-- Are the ultra-Orthodox the big winners in Israel's new government? Does that make the rest of us losers? --18 Years of Death, Misery and Despair: There's an App for that Now!-- A new app/site lets Is...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.   --J'Accuse?, Non, J'Accuse!-- As his corruption trial begin, PM Netanyahu's supporters take to the streets to say their leader is a latter day Dreyfus, persecuted by a cabal of leftist judges...

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.   --The Vision of No Vision-- Prime Minister Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister Gantz set out their visions for the future in the first meeting of Israel's new government, which are narrow and dryly technocratic....

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.   --Big Government-- Israel's new government is the largest in history, with 36 ministers. But can we expect big things from it?   --Court TV?-- When Supreme Court hearings are broadcast on TV,...

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.   Non-Judgmental The Supreme Court rules that Benjamin Netanyahu is allowed to form the next government, and serve at its head, even though he goes to trial in two weeks for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Why? W...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.   --Gradually, and then Suddenly
-- Who killed Israel's Labor Party?   --Art or Death
-- Should the government support the arts like it supports the hospitals and the army, because art is an ex...

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. --The Coalition Proposition: A Road to Perdition?-- Is the coalition agreement that PM Netanyahu and Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz just signed the end of democracy as we know it, the salvation of Israel, or maybe, ju...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --No Go Tiations-- Why, O Why, can't Israel form a friggin' government? --Six Physicists, Two Computer Scientists, an Engineer, an Economist and a Psychologist-- Coronavirus doesn't distinguish...

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. --Not With a Bang, but With a Tweet-- Labor head Amir Peretz tweets that he's merging his party into Blue & White, killing off once and for all the party of David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin. Should we mo...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --What Gantz Wants, or Is Gantz a Shvantz?-- Benny Gantz promised one thing -- ONE THING! -- in the last election campaign: that he would never, ever join a government under Prime Minister Netany...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Wunderkind critic Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. --Chair Today, Gone Tomorrow-- While we were washing our hands and not touching our face, did Israeli democracy just almost shatter into pieces? --Too Loyal Opposition?-- Most politicians, journa...

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 this week's extra segment --An Astonishing Thing Happened This Week (When We Were Mostly Paying Attention to Other Things)-- Blue-&-White leader Benny Gantz is given the "mandate" to form Israel's government...