Chopped Liver on the Beach

This week, Benji and Avi enter the mysterious and fascinating world of international diamond dealing. They sit down with Elliot and Dov Tannenbaum, the father and son team that runs Leo Schachter Diamonds, one of the world's largest diamond manufacturers.

We cover a lot of ground here: the history, the characters, the secrets of the trade, and the unique challenges ahead. We also find out why Benji once spent a week peering into a shower drain. 

- For a taste of 47th Street in the late 1980s check out the hamish documentary, "Dealers among Dealers."

- For the worst camp song ever written, referenced by Benji in the intro, take a listen. 

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A few episodes ago (episode 3), Benji and Avi discussed the thorny topic Haredim not serving in the IDF. During their discussion, Benji told a few not-too-flattering stories about Moishy, one of his Haredi cousins.

Now we get to hear from Moishy about what's really going on today in the Haredi community. 

The introduction is in English, but the conversation with Moishy is in Hebrew.

Please note that at minute 1:13 there's an English recap of the conversation for our our English-speaking audience. Avi insisted on doing this while Benji was adamantly against it! He can be lazy sometimes.

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Turns out Benji and Avi don't speak English. Or at least not modern-day SoFlo dialect. In this episode, Benji and Avi sit down with their youngest guests yet, Eliana and Aly, who took an hour out of their Israel summer program to try to explain to two very slow learners what it's like to be a teenager navigating social media and the modern world.

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There are only a handful of pediatric oncology bone marrow transplant specialists in Israel, and our guest, Dr. Aviva Krauss, is one of them. She's skilled, brilliant, caring, and passionate about saving children's lives. She's also at the breaking point. 

Join us as we shine a light on what can only be described as a scandal. A medical system that punishes you if you happen to be among the best of the best.

Fear not, there's humor here, but also a call to action. Something's got to change.

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What’s it like establishing a first-of-its-kind water park in the Holy Land? What’s it like dreaming a big dream and making it happen – on the mean shores of Tiberias?  Which city has the rudest Israelis? Which tourists are the most polite? In this episode Benji and Avi sit down with the man behind Aqua Kef, Ami Ohayon, a French oleh who rolled up his sleeves and got his hands dirty (well, clean actually) to provide a first-class inflatable water park experience to Israelis and tourists of all stripes. 
Thanks to Ami for sharing his journey with us! And click here to learn more about about Aqua Kef.

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Benji and Avi discuss the thorny issue of army service as it relates to Israel's Haredi community. 

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Benji and Avi are both fathers of combat soldiers in the IDF who have been on active duty during the war. In this episode, they discuss the pride and the fear that have characterized the past months - and the humor in between. 

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In this, their world premier episode, Benji and Avi, two middle-aged American guys living in Israel, discuss what moving to Israel has been like. There are insights in this episode that will literally change your life - probably for the worse. 

This episode was recorded on June 8, 2024. 

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