Unpacking Israeli History

You would have thought that bringing Nazis to justice would have been something the world could agree on, but the Mossad’s capture of the infamous Nazi Adolf Eichmann prompted a fiery international debate that proved otherwise. Noam Weissman explores the truth about the stranger-than-fiction capture of one of the architects of the Final Solution and debates the ethical and moral questions raised b...

Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, predates the establishment of the Jewish state by decades. Zionist leader Theodor Herzl hated it and many of Israel’s citizens refuse to sing it. So, how did this unlikely song take the national anthem top spot? What were the alternatives? And are there any plans to change it? Join Noam Weissman as he deconstructs the music, melody and meaning behind Hatikvah. ...

Just a month after its establishment, the State of Israel was on the brink of civil war, with two of its greatest leaders — David Ben Gurion and Menachem Begin — facing off in the ultimate power struggle. Noam Weissman unpacks an event that continues to reverberate through Israeli society to this day. Join him as he asks how the Zionist dream nearly imploded and who deserves the credit for ending...

No incident in Israeli history has been more hotly contested than that of April 9, 1948, in the small Arab village of Deir Yassin. Noam Weissman tries to uncover what really happened on that fateful day and asks why, with so many battles, so much war and so many disputes, this event will haunt Israel forever. ~~~~ The Unpacking Israeli History Podcast series is sponsored by Andrea and Larry Gill T...

If you’ve learned anything about the spread of Modern Hebrew, you probably heard that it’s all thanks to one man - Eliezer Ben Yehuda - that Israel’s national language is Hebrew and not Yiddish (or even German!). Not to spoil a good story with fact, but that’s not exactly how the rebirth of Hebrew went down. Far from being a crusade of one, it took an entire nation to revive a language that had be...

In a bizarre twist of history, the humble chestnut played a big role in the ultimate creation of the State of Israel. To understand why, Noam Weissman examines the curious origins of the Balfour Declaration and asks why the 67-word letter from a British foreign minister continues to get people riled up more than 100 years after it was published. ~~~~~ The Unpacking Israeli History Podcast series i...

After over 70 years of existence, it’s impossible to imagine the Jewish State being located anywhere other than Israel. But in the early days of Zionism, there was a push to establish a homeland in a non-Promised Land in East Africa. This week, Noam Weissman gets to the heart of the Uganda Plan and discusses why the movement’s leaders felt they needed to come up with a solution — any solution — to...

How is it possible that an espionage trial in France in the mid-1890s set into motion events that (tangentially) led to the rebirth of the State of Israel after 2,000 years? Noam Weissman demystifies the oft-repeated but often misunderstood story of the Dreyfus Affair. He also explains why this extraordinary — but also ordinary — example of antisemitism cuts to the heart of questions surrounding J...

Explore the controversial, fascinating and confusing moments of Israeli history with host Noam Weissman. Join him each week as he unpacks another captivating story that you may have missed in history class. The Unpacking Israeli History Podcast series is sponsored by Andrea & Larry Gill Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/...