The Promised Podcast

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and IDI spokeswoman Tova Cohen discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.

Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon

—“Hope Is Patience With the Lamp Lit” (With Apologies to Tertullian)—

A voice in the wilderness. Should we listen?

—“Cabinet of Wonders”—

Is Donald Trump’s new cabinet more pro-Israel than most Israelis?

—Freshman Leninism at Berkeley—

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: We talk about the fufera that developed over a Berkeley course description. We ask, “WTF?”

Plus, Nir Oz votes to go home and Eden Hasson comes out.

Miriam Herschlag, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.

Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon

—Jabalia, Again—

Israel conquers northern Gaza for a third deadly time.

—The “J” is Silent—

Is Amsterdam a harbinger?

—Limping Towards the Light—

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: We talk about the essay written by Rachel Goldberg-Polin that was recently published on the Times of Israel.

Plus, a tribute to Prof. Aharon She’ar Yashuv,  the Orthodox Rabbi son of an Waffen SS officer father. And music for these troubled days.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.

Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon

—Gallantry—

Is it o.k. to sack the guy in charge of your army, while generals in Iran are planning to attack?

—Trumpery—

Prime Minister Netayahu tweets to once-and-future US President Donald Trump that his “huge victory” in “history’s greatest comeback” is “a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.” But what will Trump’s win mean to the Middle East?

—12 Hours That Shook, Well, Us—

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: How did we handle the Gallantry & Trumpery one-two punch, and how do we now gather our broken selves and move forward?

All that and more music of our times.

Miriam Herschlag and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.

Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon

—Days of Repentance, This Time With Bombs—

What are we to make of Israel’s weekend attack on Iran?

—All We Know—

What Wikipedia has to say about Israel and Zionism is changing before our eyes, and not for the better.

—Other Peoples' Elections—

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Two of every three Israelis polled say they’re pulling for Trump to win. Is this true and, if so, why?

All of that and more music of our times.

Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron discuss one topic of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.

Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon

Making Sense of Sinwar, asking four questions:

1. Now that Yahya Sinwar is dead, should Israel take the win or fight on?
2. In light of the fact that Yahya Sinwar was killed in Rafiah, can we conclude retrospectively that going into Rafiah was a good idea?
3. Is the unremitting and uncompromising focus with which Israel pursued Yahya Sinwar – at the cost of hundreds of Israeli lives and tens of thousands of Palestinian lives – a demonstration of its alpha-and-omega security policy, first set out by Zev Jabotinsky 101 years ago, called “The Iron Wall”?, and
4. What should we think and feel about the very violent death of that very violent man, Yahya Sinwar?

—Simchat Tora One Hebrew Calendar Year After Oct. 7th—

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: One Hebrew calendar year after Hamas’ attack on Israel, our religious communities have thought long and hard about the appropriate way to celebrate Simchat Tora.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Tova Cohen discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.

Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon

—Best Laid Schemes (Lea’e Us Nought but Grief An’ Pain), With Apologies to Robert Burns (And to Mice)—

Bringing down the Azrieli Towers? Conquering Israel top-to-bottom by 2025? Minutes of Hamas meetings sets out the groups grim vision.

—What’s So Funny ’Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?—

Has “peace” left the building?

—Jed Bartlet Is in the Sukkah!—

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Who, this year, would be our “Ushpizin” in our (notional or real) Sukkah.

All of that and Sukkot suddenly turning up everywhere.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.

Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon

—Regional Inferno?—

Israel’s war with Gaza may soon become an all-out regional war. How do you say “Yikes!” in Farsi?

—Accounting of the Soul—

What should we have in mind, this Yom Kippur, when we thump our chests in repentance?

—Prayer in the Square?—

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Our hot take on last night’s Supreme Court ruling regarding the legality of organized gender-separated public prayer in liberal Tel Aviv.

All of that and marking a year of the nightmare of October 7. Plus, music that moves us from the memorials.

A New Year and a year since. What are we remembering when we remember October 7?

Elul is here and people all over the country are keeping the before-the-high-holidays tradition of saying Selihot, asking for forgiveness and offering atonement. All this as rockets and planes fly, and bombs fall.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.

Hear the Extra-Special Special Extra Segment on Patreon

—Major Pager Rager—

A stunning attack-by-pager left dozens of Hezbollah militiamen dead and thousands maimed and wounded. What are we to make of a thing like that?

—Commemoration Vexation—

How do you memorialize October 7, when October 7 hasn’t ended yet?

—Testicles in the Twitterverse?—

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Hezbollah pagers explode, social media memes erupt, but not all Israelis are laughing.

All this and the music from the remarkable new record רוח באה מדרום (Wind Comes from the South).