Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey It was the spring of 1948, and in just a few short weeks, the British were scheduled to ship out, leaving Palestine to the Arabs and Jews who had been waging war against each other for six months. But beyond the bombs and the bullets, another war raged behind the scenes. One that continues to this day. The war for the soul of the Jewish state. This is the story of Israel’s declaration of independence – and of its ongoing evolution as...

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey Today, the Etzion bloc is home to more than 20,000 Jews. But back in 1948, roughly 500 Jews lived in the tiny parcel of land nestled between Hebron and Jerusalem. The four isolated, vulnerable kibbutzim of the bloc were an easy target for Arab attacks. But the Jews of Etzion weren’t going down without a fight. And the Palmach – the Haganah’s elite strike force – would do anything to keep these tiny communities strong and...

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey You probably know the story of Israeli independence: Ben Gurion declared a Jewish state on May 14, 1948. The next day, multiple Arab armies invaded. And though the war was long and brutal, the Jewish state emerged victorious. That story is true. But it’s incomplete. Because the war for Israel didn’t start on May 15, 1948. It started back in November of 1947, the morning after the UN voted to partition Palestine into two states. And if...

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey The modern state of Israel is only 75 years old. But the Israeli identity was forged long before the partition vote of 1947 or the War of Liberation in 1948, in the earliest decades of the 20th century. The three figures we’ll talk about today were not Israelis. They died before they ever saw an independent Jewish state. But their stories shaped the country we know today. ~~~~   Sources:...

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey November 19, 1977. It was perhaps the most unusual Shabbat in Israel’s history. Because after the havdala service, Israeli families glued themselves to their TVs or radios, waiting anxiously for a visitor they never dreamed would arrive. Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, had come to Jerusalem to speak of peace. What happened next changed the Middle East forever. ~~~~   Sources:...

You’ve heard their name. Watched their propaganda videos. Seen their bloody handiwork up close and personal. But how well do you really know the story of Hamas? This episode delves into the surprising history of Israel’s charming next door neighbor. It’s a deep dive into their history, their ideology, their legacy. Because if we want to truly understand Israeli history, we’ve got to face the parallel history that has developed alongside it. ~~~~   Sources:...

Kfar Qassem is a small bucolic city northeast of Petach Tikva. It is also the little-known site of the first salvo of the Suez Canal Crisis. On October 29, 1956 – as Israel prepared for war with Egypt – an IDF commander made a decision that would permanently scar Israel’s Arab community. Today, we tell the story of the 49 Israeli citizens murdered at Kfar Qassem. This episode is dedicated to them.  Ibrahim Abdalhadi Himad Isaa, 35 Abed Muhammad Abdalhadi Isaa, 9 Abdallah Ahmad Himad Isaa,...

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 is the story of the Ma’alot massacre. It’s a story of horror and blood. But it’s also a story of hope and resistance. A reminder that every hour of our lives matters. ~~~~   Unpacking Israeli History is...

We’re back! By popular demand, Unpacking Israeli History is back for another season. Get ready for the twists, turns, triumphs, and tragedies that define Israeli history. So strap in. Because for the next 8 weeks, we’re going to shine a light on some of the wildest stories you can imagine. Are you ready? Yalla, let’s do this!

Unpacking Israeli History introduces another podcast from Unpacked: Jewish History Unpacked. Whoever said history was boring clearly never heard these stories Join hosts Yael and Schwab each week as they take a dive into some deep cuts of Jewish history. From the Jewish Da Vinci Code to mass suicide pacts, explore true stories that feel larger than life. This episode tells the story of Josephus Flavius. It's maybe one of the wildest characters in Jewish history, and that's saying something....

Emily Cohen isn’t shy about approaching strangers. But when it comes to telling her own story, she’s a little more skittish. In the final episode of the season, Emily grapples with what it means to be proudly Jewish and Zionist in the Diaspora. ~~~~  For more background on this episode, check out these resources: Film: Unsafe Spaces 2021 Online Antisemitism Report Card University of Texas and antisemitism “Diaspora,” West Side Gravy ~~~~  This show was made possible by support from the...

Ortal Levy came to Israel from France because of a story. The stories she heard at home. At school. The story of the Jewish people. ~~~~  Resources: Who is Making Aliyah? On Mizrahi Jews On the murder of Sarah Halimi On Tunisian Jews ~~~~  This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Crain-Maling Foundation, the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, and the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust.

Amalia Bar-Oz never met her great-grandmother. But she knows that great-grandma Hesya was a fighter. That when the pogroms ripped her life apart, she found a new hope in her ancestral homeland… ~~~~  Resources: On Life in the Shtetl and Pogroms in the Russian Empire: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3 Podcast on Kishinev, Video on Kishinev Video on Shtetl Life On Early/Proto-Zionist Movements: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3 Video On Kibbutzim: Video: What Life is Like on an...

Roey Pinto’s family has been in Jerusalem for generations. They’ve lived under Ottoman rule and British administration and finally under an Israeli government. But self-determination takes sacrifice. This is the story of what one family gave up for a state. ~~~~  For more information on the events of this episode, check out these resources: Sykes-Picot and San Remo (1916 - 1920) The Balfour Declaration (1917) The Hebron Massacre (1929) Black Saturday (1946) The Altalena Affair...

Shaya Silber is many things. Haredi. An IDF soldier. And tired of being constantly stereotyped. In this episode, he peels back the curtain on the vibrant and complex Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community in Israel. ~~~~  For more on the Haredi community, check out these resources: The Torah Dome  Is Studying Torah A National Service? Haredim and Israeli Society ~~~~  This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Crain-Maling Foundation, the Adam and Gila...

As a teenager growing up in Australia, Nachi Gelman didn’t pay much attention to politics. Not even those Oslo Accords that everyone around him seemed to be talking about. But then he met Hadassah Even-Chen. And she pulled him into a life he couldn’t have imagined… ~~~~  To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, check out these resources: Understanding the Oslo Accords The Rabin Assassination: Podcast, Video What are settlements? 5-part video series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,...

Matan Berenbaum-Williams is Black and American by birth. Jewish by heritage. Israeli by choice. And a Zionist in his soul. His is a story of finding yourself in the most unexpected of places… and of building a home in a place where you belong. ~~~~  For more information on the Black Jewish community, check out these resources: Connecting with Black Jewry in Israel  The Unknown History of Black Jews in America ~~~~  This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the...

Galina Abramovich-Azoulay has a story to tell. Specifically, the story of Jewish life in the Soviet Union… and the sometimes-difficult adjustment to a new life in Israel. Along with roughly one million other Jews, Galina’s family joined the Soviet Aliyah, transforming the world’s only Jewish state. ~~~~  To learn more about Soviet Jewry, check out these resources: When They Come For Us, We’ll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry https://g.co/kgs/qmSq4e Welcome and Our Condolences:...

Alain Checroun has a story to tell. His birthplace, Morocco, was once home to nearly 300,000 Jews. But after the creation of the state of Israel, hundreds of thousands of Moroccan Jews made their way to the world’s only Jewish state. Like all immigration stories, Alain’s is a story of resilience. Of challenges. Of triumphs. And ultimately, it’s about the joys of coming home. ~~~~  For more information on Mizrahi Jewry in general and Moroccan Jewry in specific, see the following sources: The...

When a bus breaks down off an Israeli highway and leaves its passengers stranded, Emily, American journalism student, decides to put her skills to the test...much to the chagrin of her fellow travelers. As she eventually coaxes each person to share their story, Emily uncovers the rich and complex history that every Israeli holds. Each episode is a deep dive into a new character’s world; from Morocco to Russia, all paths lead to Israel in this narrative style pod. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you to our...

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~  On the night before Shavuot, 1981, Prime Minister Menachem Begin shocked his cabinet by announcing they would be launching a surprise attack on a nuclear reactor in Iraq, known as Osirak. It was a gamble, one that the outside world, not to mention in Israel itself, most people didn't approve of. In this episode, Noam takes us on a tour of Begin's decision, the aftermath, and how it still impacts Israel today. ~~~~  This season of...

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~  Who should serve in the Israeli military? It doesn’t sound like a particularly spicy question, does it? Because the obvious answer is… “Israelis.” Like, duh. Case closed, next question. But in this episode, Noam breaks down why Haredim, a massive force in Israel, don't serve. He goes through the history and asks, how does this choice impact the country? VOTE IN OUR POLL HERE: jewishunpacked.com/israeliarmy    ~~~~  This season of...

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~   The relationship between Jews and their host countries, for the past several thousand years, is complicated. And Iraq is no exception. While Jews have lived there for thousands of years, today, virtually no Jews are left in the country. This week's episode tells that story, through the lens of the Farhud, the devastating 1941 massacre in which Iraqis murdered, raped, mutilated, looted, and destroyed Baghdad’s Jewish community. ...

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~  You may have heard about the first Gulf War - basically the entire world vs. Saddam Hussein. But though 34 countries - 34! - entered the alliance against Iraq, Israel didn't. So why on earth did missiles begin to rain down on Israel? In this episode, Noam breaks down how the 1991 Gulf War affected ordinary Israelis, tested the US-Israel relationship, and even challenged the long-held Zionist ethos.   ~~~~   This season of Unpacking...

Qibya is one of the saddest and most difficult events in Israeli history. A military unit enters a village, and when the raid is over, 43 homes had been demolished, and 69 civilians – mostly women and children – had been killed. This week, Noam asks, what happened here, and how does it impact the story we tell ourselves about Israel?   ~~~~   This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and this episode...