The Promised Podcast

In this partially archival yet still very fresh edition of the Promised Podcast, we rebroadcast two segments from prior episodes, followed by a brand new third segment for your aural pleasure. Starring in this episode, in no particular order, are Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman, Bradley Burston, Miriam Herschlag, Gilad Halpern, and Noah Efron. Aging Alone A report prepared by the Government R...

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. Book Learnin' The Palestinian Authority publishes its first new schoolbooks in 18 years, and they contain scorched-earth rejection of Jewish presence in Palestine, so much so that the European Union cut Palestinian a...

In this very special, collectors' edition of the Promised Podcast, we rebroadcast a conversation with one of our favorite writers, the brilliant and enchanting magical-realist writer Etgar Keret, soon after the publication of his 2015 memoir, The Seven Good Years . The interview was done by the wonderful Ilene Prusher, long-time fill-in Promised Podcast panelist, and one-time TLV1 program director...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron, and Gilad Halpern discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. "A New Chapter in the Sad Book of Our Lives": The Oslo Accords at 25 25 years ago this week, Yitzhak Rabin, Yassir Arafat and Bill Clinton gathered on the White House Lawn and made us believe that maybe a century of...

In an inspiring demonstration of environmental consciousness, this week the Promised Podcast mixes new discussions with gently repurposed discussions from our archives, producing an episode with the vintage grace of a fine wine and the bracing freshness of just-squeezed orange juice. The G Word A while back, in honor of the High Holidays, Haaretz polled all 120 Members of the Knesset, asking each...

Don Futterman, Noah Efron, and roving freelance journalist Naomi Zeveloff discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Send These, the Homeless, Tempest-Tost, the Bill! Trump says to the UN that America won't pay anymore for food, medicine, schools or homes for Palestinian refugees. PM Netanyahu says, yahoo, but...

Don Futterman, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Just the Vax Should it be illegal for kids in Israel to go to school, if they haven't gotten their vaccines? The Great, Digital Sort Rich Israelis surf real estate sites, poor ones gamble on-line – Is the internet te...

Chair of Tel Aviv University's Dept. of Public Policy Alon Tal, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Avoidably Detained The Shabak holds up journalist Peter Beinart at Ben Gurion Airport for a "cautionary conversation" about the perils of anti-Occupation activism. Are...

This episode of WhyWhyWhy! features true stories on the theme of "Sweat" as told by Anna Levine, Ephraim Rinsky, Susan Warchaizer, Libby Weiss, Mira Fox, and Israeli basketball legend Tal Brody. Subscribe to the WhyWhyWhy! podcast in your favorite podcast app . The next live WhyWhyWhy! storytelling event will be held Sept. 3rd ( details ) and will feature the theme, "Good Deeds, Bad Deeds." Pitch...

Twenty 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 law...

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. A Big, Beautiful Wall? In building a massive 10 meter high wall all along the northern border with Lebanon and Syria, are we surrounding ourselves with ghetto walls of our own de...

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag, Allison Kaplan Sommer, 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 this week's extra segment.   Blood Are Druze Israelis first among second-class citizens? Sweat (and Splendor) Was the rise of a Sephardi Ultra-Orthodox in 1983 the turning p...

Don Futterman, Allison Kaplan Sommer, 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. Radical Tail Wagging a Moderate Dog? Polls show that Likud voters are socialist, gay and lesbian supporting, religious pluralists, who are far to the left of their...

Don Futterman, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Check out the extra segment. It's Finally Nice & Legal! Israel is a Jewish State! Israel passes its long embattled "Nation-State" law, declaring that this is definitely, but definitely, a Jewish state. It probably wo...

Don Futterman, Allison Kaplan Sommer, 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 this week's extra segment . Pole Position The Prime Ministers of Israel and Poland issue a joint declaration about WWII, asserting that Poles mostly treated Jews benignly. Historians of the Holocaust express out...

Gilad Halpern, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. On this week's extra segment, we invite Gabriel Noah Brahm to join us to discuss academic boycotts of Israel . Avi Gabbay's Excellent Imposture (With Apologies to Stephen Herek) Labor Party Head Avi Gabbay pays shado...

Outgoing International Director of Haaretz Charlotte Halle, Allison Kaplan Sommer, 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 this week's extra segment. Put Away for Take Away? First Lady Sara Netanyahu is indicted for charging taxpayers $100,000 for fancy take-out (while also charging the t...

This episode of WhyWhyWhy! features stories on the theme of "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" as told by Judah Ari Gross, Margot Saffer, Don Futterman, Adam Nice, Varda Spiegel, Avinof Frumer, Marcia Freedman, and Naomi Henoch. The next live event will be held on July 23rd ( details ) and will feature the theme, "Sweat." Pitch us stories about your sweaty situations ! Or just come to have a beer and li...

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag, 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 the extra segment .   Benjamin Netanyahu's New World Order According to reports, PM Netanyahu used the threat of Iran's nuclearization to build, strengthen and solidify relatio...

Outgoing International Director of Haaretz Charlotte Halle, 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. Hear the extra segment on Patreon .   Terror with a Tail! The flaming kites lofted by Palestinians into Israel have caused tens of millions in damage and left wasted millions of s...

Noah Efron, Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag, and Ha'aretz columnist Bradley Burston 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 .   Cabel News A Labor Party stalwart breaks ranks and says that some of the settlements should be annexed to Israel, as a first...

Noah Efron, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Don Futterman discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.   Junior Partners in the Jewish People? Israelis tell pollsters that the opinions of American Jews about what happens here matter, but not too much. What does this say about relations between the two biggest Jewish c...

Noah Efron, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Don Futterman discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Click here to listen to the extra segment.   Republikud & Labocrats? Should Israel's election system be rejiggered to do away with all the pesky, small parties? Most Israeli say yes. The Great Sort, Sort Of Are Israe...

This episode of  Why why why!  features stories on the theme of "Chutzpah"as told by Gwen Dreilinger, Mel Lidman, Alon Tal, Chavi Karkowsky, Judy Maltz, and Ibrihim Ahadi. Next month's event will be held on June 4th ( details ) and will feature stories on the theme, "Talkin' About a Revolution!" Pitch us stories about revolutions  you've seen, fomented or undergone: personal, political, cultural,...

Noah Efron, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Don Futterman discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Click here to listen to the extra segment. Sixty-One Dead With a good deal of angst of our own, we ask the questions we often ask in the face of this sort of horrid perplexity: What ought we think? What ought we do?...