Us Among the Israelis

Israel is known as a startup culture, but why? And more than that, how do Israelis see themselves in this story? Is the startup story a new trend, or rather the latest iteration of underlying cultural character?

Carrie and Aliza speak with Guy Stiebel, who has spent his career selling Israeli startups to Americans, to understand just what is that secret sauce in Israeli character that's made Israel synonymous with startup culture.

How does lobbying in Israel work? In the absence of financial contributions, how do lobbyists influence elected officials? Could the Israeli parliament actually function without lobbyists? And why is every Israeli mandated by law to have a yellow traffic vest in their car? 

Carrie and Aliza speak with Rachel Gur, lawyer, former Parliamentary advisor and current lobbyist to understand how lobbyists shape legislation and how knowledge is the greatest currency they have.

Who is the Haredi - or Ultra-Orthodox - Jewish community? Why has the Haredi community made headlines from New York to Jerusalem for bucking coronavirus response restrictions? How does the concept of pikuach nefesh - the Jewish legal principle placing preservation of life above all else - come into play?

Carrie and Aliza speak with Pnina Pfeuffer, Haredi Jew and CEO of progressive organization the New Haredim, about the essential tension: do we save the body or do we save the soul?

Us Among the Israelis is an engaging, insightful, and totally unexpected look at what it’s like to live in the world’s most interesting country. From getting used to living in a country where everyone serves in the army to making peace with customer service in a country where no one ever stands in line, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Aliza Landes, two American immigrants to Israel, explore the mysteries, frustrations, and joys of life in Israel.  

This podcast is part of The Joshua Network. For more information, visit us at thejoshuanetwork.com or email us at [email protected]

How did Israel vaccinate the majority of its population in just three months? And what does the Israeli model for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic via vaccination teach us? Carrie and Aliza talk to bioinformatician Ben Reis about how Israel became the pandemic's most vaccinated nation.

Us Among the Israelis is an engaging, insightful, and totally unexpected look at what it’s like to live in the world’s most interesting country. From getting used to living in a country where everyone serves in the army to making peace with customer service in a country where no one ever stands in line, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Aliza Landes, two American immigrants to Israel, explore the mysteries, frustrations, and joys of life in Israel.  

This podcast is part of The Joshua Network. For more information, visit us at thejoshuanetwork.com or email us at [email protected]

How is it that Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest serving Prime Minister in Israel’s history? Why is Bibi's base of support Mizrachim when he himself is Ashkenazi? What are the long standing tensions between Israeli Ashkenazi and Mizrachi communities that drive Bibism? Carrie and Aliza chat with Lebanese-Iraqi Israeli Anat Tsaig about how it came to be that a bunch of Jewish Israelis from places like Iraq and Yemen are fans of the Polish guy from Tel Aviv.

Us Among the Israelis is an engaging, insightful, and totally unexpected look at what it’s like to live in the world’s most interesting country. From getting used to living in a country where everyone serves in the army to making peace with customer service in a country where no one ever stands in line, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Aliza Landes, two American immigrants to Israel, explore the mysteries, frustrations, and joys of life in Israel.  

This podcast is part of The Joshua Network. For more information, visit us at thejoshuanetwork.com or email us at [email protected]

How did the Mizrachim, Jews who came from Arab countries, reshape Israeli culture? And why are so many of the country's biggest stars Mizrachi? Carrie and Aliza chat with author Matti Friedman about how a society founded largely by western European Jews learned to embrace the Mediterranean vibes. 

Music heard in this episode:

Margalit Tzanani - Naari Shuva Elay (Come Back My Boy)

Eyal Golan - At Sheli Ani Shelach (You are mine, I am yours)

Kobi Peretz - Feel The Magic

Joe Amar - Lishkat Avodah (Labor Department)

Eli Luzon - Eizo Medinah (What a State)

Omer Adam & Eden Ben Zaken - Kuku Riku

Eyal Golan and Sarit Hadad - Until the End

Us Among the Israelis is an engaging, insightful, and totally unexpected look at what it’s like to live in the world’s most interesting country. From getting used to living in a country where everyone serves in the army to making peace with customer service in a country where no one ever stands in line, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Aliza Landes, two American immigrants to Israel, explore the mysteries, frustrations, and joys of life in Israel.  

This podcast is part of The Joshua Network. For more information, visit us at thejoshuanetwork.com or email us at [email protected]

How do you get anything done in a country seemingly allergic to customer service? And does being one or two degrees of separation from almost anybody else around you a good thing or a bad thing? Carrie and Aliza talk to professional bureaucracy manager Liad Arussy about cutting through Israel's layer after layer after layer of red tape.

Us Among the Israelis is an engaging, insightful, and totally unexpected look at what it’s like to live in the world’s most interesting country. From getting used to living in a country where everyone serves in the army to making peace with customer service in a country where no one ever stands in line, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Aliza Landes, two American immigrants to Israel, explore the mysteries, frustrations, and joys of life in Israel.  

This podcast is part of The Joshua Network. For more information, visit us at thejoshuanetwork.com or email us at [email protected]

Why is Israel embarking on its fourth election in two years? Why so many political parties? And how can you run a country with such a chaotic political system? Carrie and Aliza sit down with journalist Haviv Gur to unlock the magic of Israeli politics.

Us Among the Israelis is an engaging, insightful, and totally unexpected look at what it’s like to live in the world’s most interesting country. From getting used to living in a country where everyone serves in the army to making peace with customer service in a country where no one ever stands in line, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Aliza Landes, two American immigrants to Israel, explore the mysteries, frustrations, and joys of life in Israel. 

This podcast is part of The Joshua Network. For more information, visit us at thejoshuanetwork.com or email us at [email protected]

Us Among the Israelis is an engaging, insightful, and totally unexpected look at what it’s like to live in the world’s most interesting country. From getting used to living in a country where everyone serves in the army to making peace with customer service in a country where no one ever stands in line, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Aliza Landes, two American expats, explore the mysteries, frustrations, and joys of life in Israel.