The Promised Podcast

Linda Gradstein, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. —For the Time Being, Anyway— The cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah: It ain't victory and it sure ain't peace. —ICC You— Why does the world court want to put our prime minister in the slammer? Plus, An Ethiopia...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Tova Cohen 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   —"Hope Is Patience With the Lamp Lit" (With Apologies to Tertullian)— A voice in the wilderness. Should we listen? —"Cabinet of Wonders"— Is Donald Trump's new cab...

Miriam Herschlag, Don Futterman 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   —Jabalia, Again— Israel conquers northern Gaza for a third deadly time. —The "J" is Silent— Is Amsterdam a harbinger? —Limping Towards the Light— For our most unreas...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman 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   —Gallantry— Is it o.k. to sack the guy in charge of your army, while generals in Iran are planning to attack? —Trumpery— Prime Minister Netayahu tweets to once-...

Miriam Herschlag 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   —Days of Repentance, This Time With Bombs— What are we to make of Israel's weekend attack on Iran? —All We Know— What Wikipedia has to say about Israel and Zionism is changing befo...

Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron discuss one topic 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   Making Sense of Sinwar, asking four questions: Now that Yahya Sinwar is dead, should Israel take the win or fight on? In light of the fact that Yahya Sinwar was killed in Rafiah, can...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Tova Cohen 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   —Best Laid Schemes (Lea'e Us Nought but Grief An' Pain), With Apologies to Robert Burns (And to Mice)— Bringing down the Azrieli Towers? Conquering Israel top-to-b...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman 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   —Regional Inferno?— Israel's war with Gaza may soon become an all-out regional war. How do you say "Yikes!" in Farsi? —Accounting of the Soul— What should we ha...

A New Year and a year since. What are we remembering when we remember October 7?

Elul is here and people all over the country are keeping the before-the-high-holidays tradition of saying Selihot, asking for forgiveness and offering atonement. All this as rockets and planes fly, and bombs fall.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Linda Gradstein 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   —Major Pager Rager— A stunning attack-by-pager left dozens of Hezbollah militiamen dead and thousands maimed and wounded. What are we to make of a thing like t...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Miriam Herschlag 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   —Not Too Brotherly, Not Much Love— How did the "Philadelphi Corridor" become a matter of life and death? —Errors of Omission and Commission— The government h...

For 331 days, Rachel Goldberg-Polin went everywhere, spoke to everyone and did everything to save her son, Hersh.

703 IDF soldiers have fallen since October 7th. Each was an entire world. This is a small bit of the story of one of them, Zachariah Haber.

Linda Gradstein, Allison Kaplan Sommer 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   —Bennett, Done That— Israel's next prime minister will be … Naftali Bennett? —Jewish Life During Wartime— Why does war make more-secular Israelis more secular...

Miriam Herschlag, Allison Kaplan Sommer 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   —TIME Is on His Side?— Prime Minister Netanyahu gives his longest interview since October 7. What's it tell us? —Time Is on HIS Side?— How is this man growin...

Miriam Herschlag, Linda Gradstein 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   —Dead to Rights?— When, if ever, is it o.k. to assassinate deadly enemies? —Now, in the Awful Quiet of the Moment— Six-packs of water and go bags: Are we doing thi...

Allison Kaplan Sommer 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   —Will Israel and Hezbollah (and Who Knows? Maybe Iran) Go to War?— Will Hezbollah's murder of twelve kids in Majdal Shams lead to all out war? —Druze Clues— What is it like to...

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Linda Gradstein 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   —Move Over, Winston— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to congress, again. What did he say to the senators and congresspeople, and what didn't he say?...

Allison Kaplan Sommer 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   —The Valley of the Shadow of Deif— Can you do a cost-benefit analysis of assassinating a man personally responsible for thousands of Israeli deaths? —Unboxing Gaza?— What's it...

Miriam Herschlag 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   —God Will Avenge His Blood?— The IDF has allowed, for the first time ever, military gravestones to add "הי״ד" — "God will avenge his blood" — after the name of a slain soldier. Ven...

In a very special, tribute-to-America episode, the sax-and-fiddle player (Alon Tal), the lead-singer-and-keyboardist (Bill Slott), and the bass-player (Noah Efron) of the fondly-remembered band, "Liquid Plumr" 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   —B...

Linda Gradstein, Allison Kaplan Somer 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   —Exemption Preemption— A bombshell unanimous Supreme Court decision says that, until the Knesset passes a law that says otherwise, Haredi men of army age need...

Linda Gradstein, Don Futterman 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 Special on Patreon   —The Other War— The war with Hezbollah up north seems to be getting hotter and more deadly with each passing day. Will missiles rain down on Tel Aviv? And when can th...

Linda Gradstein, Allison Kaplan Sommer 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   —Home— Four hostages were rescued from the depths of Gaza. We need a new word for absolute joy mixed with absolute worry mixed with absolute sadness. —Gantz,...