The Israel Conversation

The news is moving quickly, and there's a lot to digest. What is happening to the Kurds in Syria? Who are they? How is this new attack from Turkey going to affect the region? What are Israelis saying about all this? Why is this relevant to us? After discussing the Sukkot holiday season in Israel, Alan and Mike explain the story behind the headlines and why this story matters. Join us!

This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is the best!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

After Rosh HaShana, Israeli media focused on several stories. These included a domestic murder, Arab Israeli protests and several fluid scenarios in the Middle East. What does the murder of Michal Sela tell us about Israeli society? What do Arab protests over insufficient policing tell us about minorities in Israel? What do the shifting diplomatic sands in the region mean for Iran and Israel? How do these stories connect? Alan, Mike and Matt discuss these weighty matters. Join us!

This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is the best!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

If coalition building wasn't consuming the headlines, the possible torture of an alleged terrorist ringleader would be getting more attention. Alan, Mike and Benji discuss the case of Samer Arbid, the man accused of being responsible for the murder of 17 year old Rina Shnerb last August. What happened in this case? What is a "ticking time-bomb" case, and why is it treated differently by Israeli security forces? Does torture raise the same questions as the security barrier? What are the ethical and legal guidelines for torture of a suspect? Who decides what's allowed and what isn't? How does this connect back to the brewing coalition talks? For this and more, join us!

Latest News on the Case (as of recording)

This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is the best!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

Dr. Steve Klein joins us to help explain the fascinating but complicated role that Arab parties play in Israel politics. Often minorities get overlooked, but in this unusual week, Israelis are talking about an ever evolving demographic. What about this past week was so unusual? Why don't Arab parties usually want to join government coalitions? How do social and cultural issues complicate the politics? Are there political parallels to this situation in other countries? Are there other similar complicated parties in Knesset? What are the subdivisions in the Arab demographic and how do express their voices politically?

Its an important episode addressing an often overlooked topic that requires unpacking. Join us!

Information on Steve's upcoming Winter mini-course at Hebrew U - Minorities in Israel

Dr. Steven Klein is an adjunct professor at both Tel Aviv University and Ben Gurion University. He is an editor at the Haaretz newspaper and a frequent contributor of op-eds to Haaretz and other news outlets. He earned his Doctorate in Conflict Management and Negotiation from Bar Ilan University. He resides in the central city of Modi’in.

This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is the best!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

Welcome new team member Rajel Leghziel to help us figure out what just happened. The results are (mostly) in, so what will happen now? What do we find our students asking the most? Why shouldn't we ask "who won"? Also, did Liberman just win? What might happen in the next several weeks? Was this a good outcome for Israeli democracy? Rajel is a great new addition to the podcast, with a new voice and perspective and this is her inaugural episode. Join us!

For Makom's full package of election materials, perfect for teachers or students, go to this link.

This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is the best!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

Knesset elections are this coming Tuesday! Alan and Mike gained wisdom and insight from Haviv Rettig Gur, Senior Political Analyst at Times of Israel. After explaining what that job is, and why he does it, we challenged him to make sense out of the pre-election chaos. Why has politics become all about shenanigans, instead of policy discussions? How is that shaping our culture? What are the parties really arguing about? What are they agreeing on? How will the next coalition process work, and what happens if they fail? Will we really annex the Jordan valley? Most importantly, should we be optimistic about Israeli democracy?!

Whether you are a political junkie or a neophyte, Haviv explains things in a way that is accessible and fascinating. DON'T MISS THIS EPISODE!!!!

Haviv's byline at the Times of Israel

For Makom's full package of election materials, perfect for teachers or students, go to this link.

This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is the best!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

After debating Israel's new tactic of faking out Hizbullah with staged casualties, Alan, Mike and Benji weight the value of gap year Israel study. What role should it play in Israel education? Why are the number of gap year students so small outside of the Orthodox community? Are the Orthodox using the experience wisely? How has the experience changed over the last 30 years? What can we expect in the future? Interested in security on the northern border and Israel education? Join us!

[This is the repaired version of this episode! Sorry about this week's glitches! :(]

Matt's Times of Israel Blog

This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is the best!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

We are so thrilled to be back recording at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is the best!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

Are you as exhausted as we are? Between Omar and Tlaib's bad faith Israel trip, Israel barring congressional representatives and Trump questioning Jewish loyalty, its been a pretty crazy week. Alan, Mike and Matt try to find the teachable moments in the current political bruhaha.

Welcome back, Matt! Thanks for bringing us a load of news from the States.

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!

After this summer's protests, the Ethiopian Israeli community was a major topic of discussion. How did those clashes with police come to be?How far has the Israeli Ethiopian community come in their decades of aliya? How are they treated by their fellow Israelis? What is it like to be a minority among other Jews? What is yet to be accomplished?

Pnina Agenyahu sat with Alan and Mike to discuss police profiling and the complexity of being Jew of color in Israel. She shared her views on the accomplishments and challenges of this important demographic. Also, she explained why we need to discuss these issues with more understanding, frequency and urgency.

Please join us for this moving and important conversation!

Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman.

Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you think! We are happy to take topic requests and questions. And please rate and review us on Apple. Recommend us to your friends!