Haaretz Podcast
362 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★ - 129 ratingsFrom Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.
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Episodes
From COVID to the end of Bibi, Israel's top stories in 2021
December 28, 2021 11:00 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBIn Israeli history, 2021 will be remembered as the end of an era. After 12 years, Benjamin Netanyahu lost power – something many Israelis found unimaginable. But this big development was only one event in a tempestuous year. There were multiple waves of COVID-19 , a vaccine campaign and a world-leading push for a booster shot. U.S. President Joe Biden entered the White House with a very different attitude toward Iran than his predecessor. In May, Israel experienced a traumatic 11 days that ...
In Israel, 2021 will be remembered as the end of an era
December 28, 2021 11:00 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBIn Israeli history, 2021 will be remembered as the end of an era. After 12 years, Benjamin Netanyahu lost power – something many Israelis found unimaginable. But this big development was only one event in a tempestuous year. There were multiple waves of COVID-19 , a vaccine campaign and a world-leading push for a booster shot. U.S. President Joe Biden entered the White House with a very different attitude toward Iran than his predecessor. In May, Israel experienced a traumatic 11 days that ...
The year Israel got rid of Netanyahu, and other top stories
December 28, 2021 11:00 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBIn Israeli history, 2021 will be remembered as the end of an era. After 12 years, Benjamin Netanyahu lost power – something many Israelis found unimaginable. But this big development was only one event in a tempestuous year. There were multiple waves of COVID-19 , a vaccine campaign and a world-leading push for a booster shot. U.S. President Joe Biden entered the White House with a very different attitude toward Iran than his predecessor. In May, Israel experienced a traumatic 11 days that...
Why Israel’s decision to shut out Diaspora Jews will rankle for years
December 20, 2021 16:26 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBWilliam Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Organizations, joins the podcast to talk about what it means for Diaspora Jews to be barred from Israel for nearly two years. He sits down with host Allison Kaplan Sommer on the day Israel officially declared the United States a “red” country in its ongoing battle against COVID and the omicron variant, barring travel between the two countries. Later in the episode, Haaretz Opinion Editor Esther Solomon explains why it is im...
Israel shut its doors again, and U.S. Jews are getting angry
December 20, 2021 16:26 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBWilliam Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Organizations, joins the podcast to talk about what it means for Diaspora Jews to be barred from Israel for nearly two years. He sits down with host Allison Kaplan Sommer on the day Israel officially declared the United States a “red” country in its ongoing battle against COVID and the omicron variant, barring travel between the two countries. Later in the episode, Haaretz Opinion Editor Esther Solomon explains why it is i...
What’s missing from Netflix’s cowardly collection of ‘Palestinian Stories’
December 17, 2021 08:38 - 21 minutes - 20 MBJournalist, activist, poet and Haaretz’s new Europe correspondent, Rajaa Natour, tells host Simon Spungin why Netflix’s collection of “Palestinian Stories” is not a watershed moment for Palestinian cinema or the Palestinian struggle, but a cowardly attempt to cash in on the never-ending narrative of victimhood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Secret Israeli files reveal massacres of Palestinians
December 14, 2021 11:32 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBIsraeli historian Adam Raz joins the podcast to discuss his explosive report on declassified documents from 1948, showing how Israel's early leadership grappled with the moral and political questions arising from a series of massacres against Palestinians. What did the government know in real time, how were the soldiers responsible treated, and why did David Ben-Gurion try to bury the subject? The conversation starts at time code 17:45. Earlier on this episode, we hear from Prof. Gisela Dach...
The secret Israeli files revealing massacres of Palestinians
December 14, 2021 11:32 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBIsraeli historian Adam Raz joins the podcast to discuss his explosive report on declassified documents from 1948, showing how Israel's early leadership grappled with the moral and political questions arising from a series of massacres against Palestinians. What did the government know in real time, how were the soldiers responsible treated, and why did David Ben-Gurion try to bury the subject? The conversation starts at time code 17:45. Earlier on this episode, we hear from Prof. Gisela Dach...
Israel's shocking, secret files documenting massacres
December 14, 2021 11:32 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBIsraeli historian Adam Raz joins the podcast to discuss his explosive report on declassified documents from 1948, showing how Israel's early leadership grappled with the moral and political questions arising from a series of massacres against Palestinians. What did the government know in real time, how were the soldiers responsible treated, and why did David Ben-Gurion try to bury the subject? The conversation starts at time code 17:45. Earlier on this episode, we hear from Prof. Gisela Dac...
How Trump-supporting Haredim boosted aliyah stats
December 10, 2021 09:33 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Judy Maltz and Adrian Hennigan to discuss: Immigration in the shadow of the Coronavirus pandemic; the never-ending race to become head of the Jewish Agency; and why an Israeli video-on-demand service has just added Sally Rooney’s hit TV show ‘Normal People’ to its catalog – despite calls to boycott the BDS-supporting author. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gaza was once a Christian city. Only 800 Christians live there today
December 06, 2021 13:57 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBAll across the Middle East, Christian communities are in decline. In Gaza, once an early Christian city, there are only 800 Christians left. In Iraq, Christians whose lands were taken over by the Islamic State were forced to convert – or die. Author Janine di Giovanni joins Haaretz Weekly to discuss her book “The Vanishing: Faith, Loss, and the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets," which documents this process. We ask her: Why are Christians leaving the region, what impact d...
Why Christians communities are vanishing from the Middle East
December 06, 2021 13:57 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBAll across the Middle East, Christian communities are in decline. In Gaza, once an early Christian city, there are only 800 Christians left. In Iraq, Christians whose lands were taken over by the Islamic State were forced to convert – or die. Author Janine di Giovanni joins Haaretz Weekly to discuss her book “The Vanishing: Faith, Loss, and the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets," which documents this process. We ask her: Why are Christians leaving the region, what impact d...
Why Christians and Christianity are vanishing from the Middle East
December 06, 2021 13:57 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBAll across the Middle East, Christian communities are in decline. In Gaza, once an early Christian city, there are only 800 Christians left. In Iraq, Christians whose lands were taken over by the Islamic State were forced to convert – or die. Author Janine di Giovanni joins Haaretz Weekly to discuss her book “The Vanishing: Faith, Loss, and the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets," which documents this process. We ask her: Why are Christians leaving the region, what impact d...
Why Christian communities are vanishing from the Middle East
December 06, 2021 13:57 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBAll across the Middle East, Christian communities are in decline. In Gaza, once an early Christian city, there are only 800 Christians left. In Iraq, Christians whose lands were taken over by the Islamic State were forced to convert – or die. Author Janine di Giovanni joins Haaretz Weekly to discuss her book “The Vanishing: Faith, Loss, and the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets," which documents this process. We ask her: Why are Christians leaving the region, what impact d...
From Gaza to Iraq, why Middle East Christians are disappearing
December 06, 2021 13:57 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBAll across the Middle East, Christian communities are in decline. In Gaza, once an early Christian city, there are only 800 Christians left. In Iraq, Christians whose lands were taken over by the Islamic State were forced to convert – or die. Author Janine di Giovanni joins Haaretz Weekly to discuss her book “The Vanishing: Faith, Loss, and the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets," which documents this process. We ask her: Why are Christians leaving the region, what impact ...
The Israeli test: will vaccines defeat the Omicron variant
November 28, 2021 15:27 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this week's episode, we hear from two of Israel's top COVID experts about vaccines, the new omicron variant and medications against the virus. Our guest in the studio, Dr. Oren Kobiler of Tel Aviv University, explains how the new variant arrived, and says that while we should take it seriously, there is "no need to panic." We ask him if vaccines will hold the line against this mutation, and seek his views on shutting Israel's border to tourists. In the second part of the episode, we bri...
'Biggest change since COVID started': What's Omicron and how to beat it
November 28, 2021 15:27 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this week's episode, we hear from two of Israel's top COVID experts about vaccines, the new omicron variant and medications against the virus. Our guest in the studio, Dr. Oren Kobiler of Tel Aviv University, explains how the new variant arrived, and says that while we should take it seriously, there is "no need to panic." We ask him if vaccines will hold the line against this mutation, and seek his views on shutting Israel's border to tourists. In the second part of the episode, we bri...
Will Israel's booster shots defeat the Omicron variant
November 28, 2021 15:27 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this week's episode, we hear from two of Israel's top COVID experts about vaccines, the new omicron variant and medications against the virus. Our guest in the studio, Dr. Oren Kobiler of Tel Aviv University, explains how the new variant arrived, and says that while we should take it seriously, there is "no need to panic." We ask him if vaccines will hold the line against this mutation, and seek his views on shutting Israel's border to tourists. In the second part of the episode, we br...
How to beat the Omicron variant, according to top Israeli expert
November 28, 2021 15:27 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this week's episode, we hear from two of Israel's top COVID experts about vaccines, the new omicron variant and medications against the virus. Our guest in the studio, Dr. Oren Kobiler of Tel Aviv University, explains how the new variant arrived, and says that while we should take it seriously, there is "no need to panic." We ask him if vaccines will hold the line against this mutation, and seek his views on shutting Israel's border to tourists. In the second part of the episode, we bri...
“It never occurred to me to boycott Israel. Until Arkansas told me I couldn’t”
November 26, 2021 16:12 - 33 minutes - 31 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Alan Leveritt, the publisher and owner of the Arkansas Times, who finds himself inadvertently on the frontlines of the battle against Israeli-sponsored legislation against the BDS movement. PLUS: Gideon Levy on his dinner with Benjamin Netanyahu and the furious responses it provoked among the Israeli left. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The sexual abuse scandal blowing up the Haredi world
November 22, 2021 11:56 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBA famous ultra-Orthodox author of children's books, Chaim Walder, was accused by multiple women of sexual abuse. Their disturbing accounts, first reported in Haaretz, are creating shock waves in Haredi communities, from Jerusalem to Brooklyn. Senior analyst Anshel Pfeffer joins the podcast to discuss the story, starting at time code 11:00. Earlier on this week's episode, we ask: Why did Turkey arrest two innocent Israeli tourists and accuse them of espionage, and why did 'Sultan' Recep Tay...
“Bennett’s feel-good speeches to U.S. Jews won’t silence criticism of Israel’s policy on Palestine”
November 19, 2021 02:46 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBAhead of the Israeli National Security Conference which is being hosted by the Nazarian Center for Israel studies at UCLA – in partnership with Haaretz – Prof. Dov Waxman joins host Simon Spungin to look ahead at the gathering and to discuss some of the issues that will be coming up: the shadow war with Iran and the Iranian nuclear threat; Israel, the Palestinians, and the region; and the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Click here to register free for the conference: https://www.even...
The Evangelical-Israeli who met MBS in his palace tells all
November 15, 2021 10:57 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBIn this week's episode, we hear from an evangelical Christian and Israeli citizen, Joel Rosenberg, on his unusual meetings with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the king of Jordan and president of Egypt, all documented in a new book he just published. Why did these Arab leaders invite him to their palaces, and how can Joe Biden get a big diplomatic win in the Middle East? Listen to the full conversation, starting at time code 10:20. Earlier on the show, Haaretz correspondent Allison Kapla...
Israeli gays pay the price for cyber-arms aimed at queer communities
November 11, 2021 15:42 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by human rights lawyer and LGBTQ+ activist Eitay Mack for a deep dive into the Israeli gay community’s #metoo moment, conversion therapy and the price the LGBTQ+ community in Israel is paying for its alliance with companies that sell technology used to repress gays elsewhere. Support groups: The Aguda - The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel; Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties feel the ground shaking under their feet
November 09, 2021 13:08 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBViolence broke out again last week at the Western Wall, as female activists gathered to pray at the holy Jewish site and were met with an ultra-Orthodox mob. Why is the battle over women's prayer there making headlines in Israel again, and how is it related to the ultra-Orthodox parties being out of power for the first time in a decade? Jewish World correspondent Judy Maltz discusses the latest developments with host Amir Tibon. Also on this week's episode, Haaretz's U.S. correspondent, Ben...
Racist Jew vies for French presidency, shocking and splitting Jewish voters
November 05, 2021 14:16 - 28 minutes - 26 MBProf. Michel Wieviorka, from the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, and France 24 journalist, Shirli Sitbon join host Simon Spungin to discuss the rise and rise of Éric Zemmour – the leading noncandidate who is already disrupting next year’s French presidential election with his hashtag provocations, his anti-immigrant rhetoric, and his outrageous rewriting of French history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
'Biden has only one real option on Iran. Israel will have to live with it'
November 02, 2021 09:02 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBIn this week's episode, guest Danny Citrinowicz, a leading Israeli expert on Iran, talks about the expected renewal of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and world powers. He warns that for the Biden administration there is only one realistic option on the table – and Israel will have to adjust to it, even if it doesn't want to. Later in the show, Haaretz West Bank correspondent Hagar Shezaf breaks down Defense Minister Benny Gantz's recent designation of six Palestinian human rights grou...
Can Israeli climate tech undo decades of neglect?
October 29, 2021 04:47 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBHaaretz’s Ruth Schuster joins host Simon Spungin to discuss Israel, the COP26 conference and pie-in-the-sky climate tech; the lost Church of the Apostles and Crusader camps; and the scientific truth about benefits of intermittent fasting – for mice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
'Kissinger said the Arabs will get tired of fighting Israel. He was right'
October 25, 2021 18:00 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBWithin the space of a few days, Turkey announced that it had arrested a supposed spy ring operated by Israel's Mossad, and informed the ambassadors of the U.S., France and Germany that they should expect a deportation order from Ankara. What is all the noise about? We discuss the latest developments with Louis Fishman, an expert on Turkish politics who divides his time between Istanbul and Tel Aviv. Starting at the 11:30 mark, we hear from Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel a...
Platitudes and pledges: What’s behind Sweden’s war on antisemitism?
October 21, 2021 22:59 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Stockholm-based journalist David Stavrou to discuss the International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism hosted by the Swedish city of Malmo; and by Judy Maltz, to discuss the multi-candidate race to become the next chair of the Jewish Agency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Trump's 'shadow government' convened in Jerusalem. We were there
October 18, 2021 15:30 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBIn this week's episode, we discuss intriguing findings from the Pandora Papers leak regarding Israel – from offshore companies in tax havens that finance settlement purchases, to the business empire of Israel's richest politician. Uri Blau, a member of the investigative journalistic consortium that uncovered the documents, joins host Amir Tibon for a fascinating conversation (starting at time code 11:30). Also on the show, Allison Kaplan Sommer takes us inside last week's Trump administrati...
The secret offshore accounts bankrolling Israeli settlements
October 18, 2021 15:30 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBIn this week's episode, we discuss intriguing findings from the Pandora Papers leak regarding Israel – from offshore companies in tax havens that finance settlement purchases, to the business empire of Israel's richest politician. Uri Blau, a member of the investigative journalistic consortium that uncovered the documents, joins host Amir Tibon for a fascinating conversation (starting at time code 11:30). Also on the show, Allison Kaplan Sommer takes us inside last week's Trump administratio...
How millions from offshore accounts bankroll Israeli settlements
October 18, 2021 15:30 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBIn this week's episode, we discuss intriguing findings from the Pandora Papers leak regarding Israel – from offshore companies in tax havens that finance settlement purchases, to the business empire of Israel's richest politician. Uri Blau, a member of the investigative journalistic consortium that uncovered the documents, joins host Amir Tibon for a fascinating conversation (starting at time code 11:30). Also on the show, Allison Kaplan Sommer takes us inside last week's Trump administratio...
The millions worth offshore accounts bankrolling Israeli settlements
October 18, 2021 15:30 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBIn this week's episode, we discuss intriguing findings from the Pandora Papers leak regarding Israel – from offshore companies in tax havens that finance settlement purchases, to the business empire of Israel's richest politician. Uri Blau, a member of the investigative journalistic consortium that uncovered the documents, joins host Amir Tibon for a fascinating conversation (starting at time code 11:30). Also on the show, Allison Kaplan Sommer takes us inside last week's Trump administratio...
Saudi sportswashing and an Israeli reporter’s Qatari dilemma
October 15, 2021 15:59 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Anshel Pfeffer and Uzi Dann to discuss the Saudi Arabian takeover of a English Premier League football team, whether or not to attend the World Cup in Qatar next year and why Israeli soccer stadia are still bastions of racism and xenophobia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
LISTEN: Former Mossad chief's stark warning about Israel and China
October 12, 2021 09:54 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBFormer Mossad chief Efraim Halevy discusses Israel's strategy toward Iran and warns that Jerusalem's relationship with China could come at a heavy price. Halevy, who was appointed to lead the Mossad during Benjamin Netanyahu's first term as prime minister, accuses his ex-boss of pushing Tehran closer to obtaining a nuclear bomb. Listen to his full conversation with host Amir Tibon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Netanyahu’s Polish pandering paved the way for the restitution crisis
October 08, 2021 15:49 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz correspondent Ofer Aderet and Gideon Taylor, the head of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, to discuss the crisis between Israel and Poland over a new law that prevents Holocaust survivors from regaining property seized after World War II. PLUS: Adrian Hennigan discusses “Jewface” in Hollywood and on television. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
LISTEN: The Afrikaners who found a new home in Israel
October 04, 2021 10:58 - 36 minutes - 33 MBOn this week's episode, we dive into the fascinating phenomenon of Afrikaners who were born and raised as Christians in South Africa, yet decided to become Jews and make aliyah to Israel. Judy Maltz and host Amir Tibon present their voices and stories. In addition, former lawmaker Stav Shaffir, the chairwoman of Israel's Green Party, talks about her attempts to reach out to like-minded progressives in the U.S., and offers new ways for Israel's post-Netanyahu government to rebuild ties with t...
How a Palestinian prison break challenged Zionism’s narrative monopoly
September 30, 2021 18:23 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBHost Simon Spungin talks about grassroots activism with Dina Kraft and Sally Abed – the hosts of Groundwork, a new podcast about Jews and Palestinians working in Israel’s mixed cities for a better future. How the escape and recapture of six Palestinians from an Israeli prison could shake up the discourse within Israel – if the Palestinian narrative is given space alongside the Zionist one. PLUS: Jotam Confino on Angela Merkel’s legacy in terms of German-Israeli relations and the fight agains...
LISTEN: When will Saudi Arabia also make peace with Israel
September 14, 2021 08:31 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBOne year exactly after Israel signed historic normalization deals with two Gulf countries, and on the day Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Egypt, we try to find out what's next for Israel's ties with the Arab world. Gili Cohen, diplomatic correspondent for Israel's Kan Broadcasting, talks about the secrets behind the Abraham Accords with hosts Amir Tibon and Allison Kaplan Sommer. In addition, Member of Knesset Gilad Kariv, the first Reform Rabbi to get elected in Israel, joins the pod...
Bennett, Biden and the ghosts of leaders past
August 30, 2021 16:10 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz’s Anshel Pfeffer and Amir Tibon to discuss the first meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and U.S. President Joe Biden. We ask: Was the meeting a success? Who were the winners and losers? Is this a fresh start for bilateral relations between Jerusalem and Washington? And, now that he’s safely back in Israel, what challenges await the prime minister and his cobbled-together coalition - and why did Defense Minister Benny Gantz meet with Palesti...
Why failed Iranian talks could be Israel’s worst-case scenario
August 23, 2021 18:28 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by senior U.S. analyst Alon Pinkas and senior military commentator Amos Harel to look ahead to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s upcoming visit to the White House – the first meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and the new Israeli leader. We discuss what issues will be on the agenda (Iran and China), and which ones the sides have already agreed not to mention (Palestine). We also look at the significance of an invitation from Cairo for Bennett to meet with Egy...
As Biden meets Bennett, failed Iranian talks could be Israel’s worst-case scenario
August 23, 2021 18:28 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by senior U.S. analyst Alon Pinkas and senior military commentator Amos Harel to look ahead to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s upcoming visit to the White House – the first meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and the new Israeli leader. We discuss what issues will be on the agenda (Iran and China), and which ones the sides have already agreed not to mention (Palestine). We also look at the significance of an invitation from Cairo for Bennett to meet with Eg...
Spencer Tunick’s stark warning: A decade after naked photoshoot, the Dead Sea still is dying
August 20, 2021 08:43 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by photographer and artist Spencer Tunick, who is best known for organizing large-scale naked photoshoots – including a 2011 project at the Dead Sea, where he photographed 1,200 naked Israelis. Ten years on, Tunick is set to return to the Dead Sea for another art installation – in conjunction with the Dead Sea Revival Project and the Dead Sea Museum – to emphasize the importance of and the need to restore and preserve the Dead Sea. To volunteer and donate, click ...
How German submarines helped Netanyahu poison Israel's vaccination well
August 16, 2021 14:53 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz’s Anshel Pfeffer and political scientist and public opinion expert Dahlia Scheindlin to discuss the latest on Israel’s delta wave of the coronavirus. We ask: Should Israelis be getting a third shot of the vaccine? What role is former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu playing in the dangerous anti-vaxx movement? And how will his successor, Naftali Bennett, handle the growing number of infections? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Israeli settlers call the shots as Palestinian fatalities mount
August 09, 2021 17:45 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz’s West Bank correspondent Hagar Shezaf to discuss the ongoing killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces in the West Bank – including 11 children in the first seven months of 2021 – and the relationship between the IDF and the settlers. We ask: Is the IDF’s finger getting lighter on the trigger when it comes to policing Palestinian demonstrations? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Snow in Brazil, denial in Israel: Why extreme weather is the new normal
August 06, 2021 07:07 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz’s environment correspondent, Zafrir Rinat, and by science and archaeology editor Ruth Schuster to discuss the intense heatwave that has been cooking Israel, the new Israeli government’s ‘green’ legislation and why mitigation and adaptation are the best way for countries to deal with the climate emergency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Israel’s Olympic hero challenged a nation’s identity
August 02, 2021 17:19 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Noa Landau and Anshel Pfeffer to discuss Artem Dolgopyat’s historic Olympic gold medal in gymnastics – his country’s second ever and its first in one of the core Olympic disciplines. Will Dolgopyat, who is not halakhically Jewish and cannot marry in the country, lead to a national rethink on the relationship between religion and state? PLUS: What’s behind the government’s rush to give citizens a third COVID vaccine shot? See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...
The cost of kosher: How Israel plans to end the rabbis’ stranglehold
July 30, 2021 07:10 - 39 minutes - 36.1 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by Judy Maltz and Samuel Sokol to discuss the government’s far-reaching plans for reform the system by which food is certified as kosher in Israel. What’s wrong with the old system? Who stands to benefit from the reform? PLUS: Why is Ben & Jerry’s ice cream no longer kosher in some places? And why women running their own synagogues can’t call themselves rabbis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Pegasus spyware became part of Israel’s diplomatic arsenal
July 26, 2021 16:37 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBHost Simon Spungin is joined by senior intelligence analyst Yossi Melman, opinions editor Esther Solomon, and tech and cyber editor Omer Benjakob. We discuss the fallout from the Pegasus Project and ask: What limitations does and should Israel place on the export of these technologies? Did Benjamin Netanyahu act as a travelling salesman for the NSO Group? And will international pressure lead to a change in Israeli policy? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.