Otherwise Occupied

Otherwise Occupied

By Ami KaufmanSociety & CultureNewsPoliticsPlaces & Travel
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Otherwise Occupied episodes

  • Tamer Nafar: 'Israelis need to recognize our pain from 1948'

    I’m pretty excited about this week’s guest on the show - Tamer Nafar!

    Widely regarded as the first rapper in Arabic - Tamer is famous for so many things in Israel, where do I even start? He's the lead singer of one of the most popular hip hop bands in the region and the world, DAM, he’s also got an amazing solo career going on, and to top it off - he's an actor and screenwriter, most notably starring in the award winning film Junction 48.

    He says whatever is on his mind, knowing it will piss off a lot of people, and he’s never scared of the backlash he knows he’s going to get. He’s critical of Israel and its policies towards Palestinians, of course, but also has critique for Arab society and specifically - the male gender. 

    A lot of Israelis who aren’t hip hop fans also know him well because his name pops up in the news every once in a while - probably the most famous story happened a few years ago at the Israeli version of the Oscars, the Ophir prize, when Culture Minister Miri Regev walked out of the room because Tamer read a poem by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. That of course made a lot of noise.

    So, this episode is going to be different - because Tamer had the great idea to base the discussion on his music - so, we’ll be hearing some of the songs, too - quite the feat for a technophobe like me! 

    We talk about how he got into hip hop, starting first in English and Hebrew before moving to Arabic; growing up alongside the violence in Lyd, his dream for what this region should look like, singing about politics and social issues, his acting career, and a whole lot more.

    I really hope you enjoy this one.

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    1 hr 46 min
  • Zehava Galon: Netanyahu cares only about his own survival and avoiding prison

    My guest today is Zehava Galon.

    I’m pretty sure a lot of my listeners know who Galon is - she has been one of the most well known politicians in Israel for decades now, a symbol of the Israeli Left. 

    The list of causes Galon has fought for would take me forever to read through, she is a champion of progressive values, fighting for gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and of course, Palestinian rights, and much much more.

    A couple of years ago she left parliament and her position as leader of the left wing party Meretz to form a new think tank, called Zulat, we’ll talk about that, about her vision for the future of this region, some pretty scathing critique she has for Bibi Netanyahu and his coalition partner Benny Gantz, we’ll even talk about her amazing talents on Twitter.

    (Photo: Ronen Ackerman)

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    53 min
  • Ruthie Blum: "I'm a right wing bohemian - living like a leftist, but with ideas on the right"
    Listen now | My guest today on the podcast is Ruthie Blum! Ruthie is originally from New York, and is the daughter of journalists and authors Midge Decter and legendary editor in Chief of Commentary Magazine, Norman Podhoretz. Since she immigrated to Israel in the late 70’s, she’s become a very well known journalist and pundit in her own right, and as you’ll probably hear - despite my attempt to listen to ALL my guests no matter what - I agree with maybe 1 percent of what she says.

    Get on the email list at amikaufman.substack.com

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    1 hr 11 min
  • Yaron Ten-Brink: "Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the biggest criminals Israel has ever seen"

    As the pandemic rages out of control in Israel, I’m happy that my guest today is someone who shares my frustration. Yaron Ten-Brink, one of Israel’s leading journalists.

    Yaron became very well known when he began writing a daily TV columns in the most widely circulated newspaper, back then, Yedioth Ahronoth. Since then he’s held very senior editorial positions in print but also had a stint in TV, editing and producing top shows during prime time, and he and I also had the opportunity to work together on the Morning show of i24NEWS a few years ago.

    He currently edits the Tel Aviv edition of TimeOut magazine, and is a prolific tweeter, mostly on issues concerning the Israeli PM Netanyahu, and I feel like he’s one of those people who really influences the discussion on social media. 

    So, we talked a lot about the media in Israel, how it compares to other places like the States, how Bibi compares to Trump, and lastly - we even talk about cheese! 

    Enjoy!

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    1 hr 15 min
  • Aziz Abu Sarah: "I chose not to hate the soldier who killed my brother"

    On today’s episode of Otherwise Occupied I talk to Aziz Abu Sarah, an old friend with an amazing story. And just look at that punim! We talk about his childhood in a West Bank village outside of Jerusalem, how he became radicalized after the tragedy that hit his family, and how he changed direction - turning into one of the most prominent peace activists in this region. I hope he inspires you as much as he has inspired me.

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    1 hr 16 min
  • Introduction to Otherwise Occupied
    Hi everyone,

    If you’re getting this email, it means I thought you might be interested in the podcast I’m starting. However, if I was wrong and this is something you don’t want in your inbox - I apologize, and please feel free to unsubscribe.

    But - you’ll be missing out on some great content! I’ll be interviewing some fascinating people from this region, basically anyone and everyone between the River and the Sea. You can read more in the About page, but even better: listen to the podcast right here (above), where I lay things out.

    Later on down the road, the podcast episodes will be available on your favorite directories, iTunes, Spotify and others - don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted.

    If you hope this thing takes off, like I do - I could use some help. Please spread the word: subscribe and share with your family and friends. I’d really appreciate it.

    See ya soon!

    Transcription

    Hi, everybody, my name is Ami Kaufman and I am a journalist working for the past almost 20 years in Israel. I am so excited to start this podcast, otherwise occupied. It's been something I've been dreaming about since. Well, the beginning of the pandemic, so yeah, not so long. But hey, I've been, you know, procrastinating like all of y'all, so give me a break.

    Anyway, what is Otherwise Occupied? Let's tackle that one first. I suppose the name somewhat hints at the situation in this region. And when I mean this region, I'm talking about the river and the sea, meaning the Jordan River in the East and the Mediterranean Sea, in the West. And in this podcast, I plan on talking to everyone and anyone I can - who is in that specific region.

    So depending on where your favorite demographer places themselves on the political map, most experts would agree that the ratio between Jews and non Jews in this area is about, you know, 50:50. And that's including the Gaza Strip, if you're wondering, and since that's going to be the case, in my opinion, at least for the foreseeable future, I want to get to know the people that make up this place, better. Jews, Arabs, activists, politicians, journalists, artists, straight folk, LGBTQ folk, everyone.

    This podcast is about listening. I'll be making my views clear here and there. Don't get me wrong, but this is about getting to know people. Not arguing with them, not trying to convince them. Other people can do that on other platforms. I want to get down to the bottom of what makes people tick in this place. What's important to them, what's the most urgent thing they want to tackle? What needs to change first? And most importantly, I'll be asking them each and every one of them, this question: what do they think is in the future for this region, between the river and the sea? And what is their dream for it? Which is different. Divided, united, separated, together - what kind of entity or more than one entity do they think will work? I think the answers have potential to be very interesting.

    So that's pretty much it. If you think you want to listen to me in my guests chat, all you have to do is subscribe to my newsletter and podcast on Substack. That's amikaufman.substack.com. And you'll get it to your email each time a new episode comes out. You'll also be getting some posts I'll be writing about stuff happening in Israel, my opinions, analysis - okay, my rants on this and that whatever with a focus on social media.

    That's it. One more thing. I need your help in spreading the word. So if you could email the link to a few of your friends, if you could follow me on Twitter, share the podcast on social media. I would really, really appreciate it.

    All right, guys. So, if you're not otherwise occupied, I hope you give it a listen. Bye bye.

    Get on the email list at amikaufman.substack.com
    4 min

About Otherwise Occupied

From the publisher's feed

Ami Kaufman is a veteran broadcast and print journalist in Israel. On "Otherwise Occupied" he chats with the fascinating people living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, regardless of…