The Promised Podcast

The Jerusalem Post's Hannah Brown and Noah Efron talk about (1) the criminal harassment of Abu Rida and the Hassan families in Qusra, (2) the surprising results of the Likud primaries and what they augur, and (3) Avi Nesher's profound and affecting new movie, "Our Loves," about October 7th, and the day that came before and the day that came after.
For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: We've always suspected that "movie reviewer" is the best job ever. Hannah Brown, who reviewed for the New York Post and the Jerusalem Post, explains why we were right about that all along!
Plus: Down in the dumps with Gershom Scholem, neanderthal hip-joints, sheltering on the spectrum and tomorrow's scholars, today! All that and the brilliant recording debut of Allison's girl, Naomi Sommer!!!!

Linda, Judah, and Noah talk about (1) The new parties springing up in the "middle" of Israel's electoral map, between the Netanyahu bloc and the anti-Netanyahu bloc: What do they augur?, and (2) The likely addition as number two on the "United Arab List" party of Yoav Segelovitz, a Jew who made his name in the army and police: What's it mean and what's it, too, augur? (So much auguring!)
For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: A right wing newspaper editor writes that maybe we shouldn't let people who don't live in the country fly in to vote, and gets shouted down. But maybe he has a point?
Plus: What happens after you win twelve and a half million in the lotto, a day in Sderot, and what to do with the kids in the dog-days of August. Plus one of the all-time great punk albums about being pregnant in wartime!

In this very special episode, Noah shares love letters he heard walking the streets of Tel Aviv with Lucy the Dog, on a new "Love Letters" app made by genius Russian-Israeli director Semyon Alexandrovsky.

Linda and Noah talk about (1) What has become of the "Religious Zionism Party," after its sort-of primaries made it a settler-only affair?, and (2) What are the ties that bind the different sorts of people who hope to give Benjamin Netanyahu four more years in office?
For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Challenger for the premiership Gadi Eisenkot buys campaign billboards in Cyprus, and lots of people cry foul. Can the election be won by persuading ex-pats to fly to what was once their home to cast a vote? Also, why is the adjective "Cypriot" so very appealing?
Plus: Expecting a baby grandchild that they never expected when they were hostages in Gaza, a millennia-old edition of the Book of Isaiah, and young girls praying under trees in a park in Tel Aviv. Plus, an astonishing new record of heartbreak and loss by Netta Barzilai.

On Tisha B'Av, Allison Kaplan Sommer, Judah Ari Gross, and Noah Efron talk about (1) this week's primaries in the "Democrats Party" and what they say about Israel's only leftist Zionist party going forward, and (2) whether or not (on this day when we commemorate the laying waste of ancient Israel on account of all the "baseless hatred" people had one for the other back then) our contemporary politics are infected by the same sort of ugly and gratuitous enmity.
For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shares on all the sites a campaign video maybe suggesting that his challenger General Gadi Eisenkot cares more about Palestinians than he does about his own son, who died fighting in Gaza. In this election, is everything permissible?
Plus: Marking 400 years since the birth of Shabbetai Tzevi, enjoying unity at Anu and in a yard watching the World Cup Finals. Plus, music of these odd days.