This Week Unpacked introduces another podcast from Unpacked: Unpacking Israeli History. Season 4 just launched, and we're running the first episode here, entitled Ma'alot: 30 Seconds That Devastated A Nation. It was supposed to be a fun field trip. A little celebration in honor of Israel’s 26th birthday. Over a hundred religious high school students, exploring northern Israel and sleeping under the stars. But the three Palestinian terrorists who sneaked in from Lebanon had other plans. This...

This Week Unpacked introduces another podcast from Unpacked: Unpacking Israeli History. Season 3 just launched, and we're running the first episode here, entitled Hebron: When Tensions Erupt.   In the summer of 1929, Jews and Arabs alike found themselves caught in an unbearably bloody battle. The aftermath of a deadly riot showed the Jews of British Mandatory Palestine that the British couldn’t protect them, leading them to unite under the banner of Zionism. In this episode, Noam unpacks the...

This week, Rivky and This Week Unpacked say goodbye.   Check out our other podcasts: Unpacking Israeli History: https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/unpacking-israeli-history/ The Power Of: https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/the-power-of/ Nice Jewish Girls: https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/nice-jewish-girls/

Jews aren’t allowed to pray at the Temple Mount, but why? Who “owns” the Temple Mount? We unpack the debate over the site and why this is such a hotbed of controversy. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked ~~~~ Sources: https://www.timesofisrael.com/jews-are-disguising-themselves-as-muslims-to-pray-on-temple-mount-report/ ...

My colleague Sarah Himeles attended the Israeli-American Council conference this weekend in Florida. Here are 8 big ideas we’re taking away from it. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked ~~~~ Sources: https://www.israeliamerican.org/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/former-idf-general-bombing-ap-tower-in-gaza-in-may-conflict-was-an-own-goal/

The seventh round of the Iran nuclear talks stalled last week and American officials say they are preparing for a scenario in which there is no return to the Iran deal. This week, we unpack the conversation in Israel regarding these events. How will Israel respond to Iran’s quickly accelerating nuclear program, and is the U.S. willing to step in militarily? ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked ~~~~ ...

https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/the-power-of/ What if we told you that Jewish texts written thousands of years ago had something to say about our personal experiences today? Join Dr. Noam Weissman each week for honest and relatable conversations with a diverse range of guests. Each episode in this 10-part series offers new approaches for how to navigate your own life. Brought to you by Unpacked, a division of OpenDor Media. 

The civil war in Ethiopia has ignited a fierce debate over whether Israel should bring Ethiopians seeking aliyah to the Jewish state. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Unpacking Israeli History about the Ethiopian aliyah: https://jewishunpacked.com/ingathering-of-exiles-from-ethiopia-to-israel/ ~~~~ Sources Sources: ...

For the first time in over three years, Israel passed a new budget! Mazal tov!! So, now we ask: what’s in the budget and what do the government priorities reveal? ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked ~~~~ Sources https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/large-scale-subway-system-planned-for-central-israel-633175 ...

Minor clashes periodically break out between Women of the Wall, protesters, and the Israeli police, as the Women of the Wall hold their monthly services as the Western Wall. Who are these “Women of the Well,” and why are they in the center of such an intense controversy?

Benny Gantz, Israel’s Defense Minister, recently declared that the country was designating six Palestinian NGOs (or “nongovernmental organizations”) as terror groups. Why? Are these NGOs really connected to terrorist organizations? And what do Israelis think about these designations? ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked See more about Entebbe: ...

There are now 100,000 trained and ready fighters in Hezbollah, according to its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. This week, we explore: what is Hezbollah? What is its history, and its relationship with Israel? And how worried should we be? ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked See more about the Lebanon War: https://jewishunpacked.com/sabra-and-shatila-what-happened-and-why-it-matters/ ~~~~ Sources ...

This year in Israel is a sabbatical year, also known as a shmita year. We’ll explain what that is, and what the practical implications are for Jews all over the world. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked ~~~~ Sources https://drive.google.com/file/d/19MiVPVA19C6GJB9KufhQiM_1JV7amB_l/view https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-israelis-who-buy-farmland-to-let-it-lie-fallow/ ...

Ron Arad, an Israeli Air Force navigator, has been missing since 1986. Recently, the Mossad carried out an operation to find out any new information about his fate. In this week’s episode, we explore Israel’s philosophy to never give up, and never leave a soldier behind. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Teaching about this topic? Check out our relevant educator resources here:...

After hundreds of Iraqi leaders spoke out for normalizing relations with Israel, and potentially joining the Abraham Accords, but then very quickly retracted their call. Rivky tells the whole story, including the history of Jewish Iraq, and asks, what should we make of this story? ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Teaching about this topic? Check out our relevant educator resources here:...

After the U.S. House of Representatives voted for Iron Dome funding, calls for the death of bipartisan support for Israel were heard from Jewish media all over the country. But...is it true? And, backing up - why does Israel even get foreign aid from the U.S.? Is it different than other types of aid? And what are people saying about it? Rivky breaks down everything you need to know. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube:...

For September, we're doing something different. Presenting, Unpacking Israeli History. Begin and Ben Gurion had some epics battles, but one of the biggest ones happened in 1952, as these two Israeli giants battled about whether to take German reparations after the Holocaust. In this episode, Noam looks all the way back at this crazy story, and leaves us asking, who was right? ~~~~ Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Alan Fisher and Barbara Sommer, and Jon and Rachie...

For September, we're doing something different. Presenting, Unpacking Israeli History. On Nov 10, 1975, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 3379, determining that Zionism is "a form of racism and racial discrimination.” That’s quite a loaded description! In this episode, Noam Weissman breaks down what led to this infamous resolution, the UN’s relationship with Israel, and what it means to us, almost 50 years later. ~~~~ Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Alan...

For September, we're doing something different. Presenting, Unpacking Israeli History. Have you heard about Israel's secret nuclear weapons in Dimona? Yeah, we haven't either. In this episode, Noam digs deep into how Israel's not-so-secret nuclear program came to be, and asks, does the nuclear program make Israel safer?   ~~~~ Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Alan Fisher and Barbara Sommer, and Jon and Rachie Teller. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked:...

For September, we're doing something different. Presenting, Unpacking Israeli History. You might have heard of the Beta Israel, the community of Israel’s Ethiopian community. In this episode, Noam Weissman tells their story - not only their rich Jewish heritage and history, but also the story of how they got to Israel, in Operation Solomon, and their integration into Israeli society over the last thirty years. It’s thrilling, inspiring, but also complicated, and difficult at times. In other...

For September, we're doing something different. Presenting, Unpacking Israeli History. When Air France Flight 139 took off from Tel Aviv on the morning of June 27th, 1976, no one could have suspected that the soon-to-be-hijacked flight was about to lead to one of the world's most daring and risky rescue missions. In the first episode of season two, Noam Weissman unpacked Operation Thunderbolt, Israel's successful secret operation to rescue the passengers, and asks, does this story have...

As Americans process the rapid fall of Afghanistan’s government, desperation and chaos in Kabul, and implications for U.S. security, Israelis are discussing how this impacts the Jewish state. We unpack the history of the Taliban and Israeli reactions to the U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Check out Unpacking Israeli History:...

A recent survey by the Jewish Electorate Institute found that 25% of American Jewish voters agreed that Israel is an apartheid state, and 22% agreed that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. Is this an accurate picture of the American Jewish community, and how did we even get to this point? ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Teaching about this topic? Check out our relevant...

Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Immediately afterward, his mother revealed that her son is unable to get married in Israel because he is not Jewish according to traditional Jewish law. We unpack the history of Israel’s marriage laws and Israeli perspectives on whether these laws should change. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked ~~~~ Sources ...