israel360

You wouldn't know that every step Nataly Zukerman takes is a deliberate act of will. She walks with a limp, but there's no other indication that she was the victim of a catastrophic back injury at age 12 that nearly left her paralyzed. Now an actor in Tel Aviv, Nataly brings her audience with her on an exploration of beauty, perfection, disability, and "othering." Nataly told us her very personal story of self-discovery, intimacy, and subjects that are rarely addressed when talking about people with disabilities.

In this latest collaboration with JewishBoston, we discuss one of the most... well... longest movies ever made. Cecil B. DeMille’s magnum opus “The Ten Commandments” was released in 1956, and the world has cringed ever since. Join us Miriam, Ashley, Dan and Jesse try to make sense of Charlton Heston’s continuity beard, Yul Brynner’s polyester aesthetic, the predictably awful portrayal of female characters and the myriad perplexing additions to the plot that were definitely not from the Torah. Come for the bad special effects, stay for the remarkable wigs!

When you love Israel, must you check your Zionism at the door to be part of the progressive and feminist movements? Amanda Berman, founder of Zioness says, "hell no." Hear Amanda discuss her group, anti-Semitism among the leadership of the Women's March, the upcoming March for Our Lives on March 24 and more on this fascinating, funny, and fast-moving podcast.

Israel's national security is its more enduring and urgent challenge. No nation on earth has a more dire need to stay ahead of the curve in a region where enemies large (Iran) and small (Hamas) endanger so many lives. Chuck Freilich has spent his career implementing and studying Israel's national security. His multi-year study of Israel's national security doctrine revealed some flaws as well as opportunities. Chuck discusses his findings and his new book, "Israeli National Security: A New Strategy in an Era of Change."

Udi Goren had an age-old solution to personal stress - a walk. In his case, a really long one. Over 600 miles, actually. With a heavy pack, camera bag, and a hiking partner, Udi set out from Israel's far northern border and hiked all the way south over the next 2.5 months, becoming the first professional photographer to hike and document the entire Israel Trail. Hear Udi on our new podcast and see the photos at www.israel360.org

Want to be inspired? Listen to Lian Najami, a young adult from Haifa who became the first Arab-Israeli to be offered a Rhodes Scholarship.

Team Israel wasn't expected to make much noise at last year's World Baseball Classic. That was before they beat Cuba, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Netherlands. In fact, this scrappy group of overachievers did the unthinkable in moving on from the "Group of Death" to the second round. Ryan Lavarnway, who hit over .560 in four games, was dominant. We talk to Ryan about baseball, Israel, and the forthcoming documentary, "Heading Home" the story of Israel's surprising and inspiring baseball team.

Rabbi Susan Silverman, talks to israel360 and JewishBoston.com about what activists in Israel are doing to help as many as 20,000 African men who could be forcibly deported from Israel this month. Read Susan's bio here: http://rabbisusansilverman.com/

Find out more about the deportation issue here: https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-israels-new-plan-to-deport-africans-details-abound/

Tu B'ishvat, which begins the eve of January 30, is also known as the new year of the trees. What better time to check in on Israel's environmental successes and challenges with one of the country's true green pioneers, Dr. Alon Tal, who speaks to israel360 and JewishBoston from Tel Aviv.

The Last Jedi was perhaps the most controversial Star Wars yet. That's because the prequels weren't controversial, they just sucked. We look into hidden Jewish themes in what we thought was a great movie in this spoiler-filled podcast.