As the ongoing genocide in Gaza now spreads to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the mass bombing of Lebanese citizens, this podcast is the first of a series of regular Friday features that examines current events to give them meaningful historical context. In this episode we explore the history of Israel's sense of national identity from 1948 onwards. As Yishuv and Diaspora Jews (the later having survived genocide in Europe) encountered one another in the late 1940s and early 1950s deep seated anxieties and prejudices towards the new arrivals often surfaced, along with fears about what their presence meant for the future of Israel and its identity.

This podcast draws from The Fear and the Freedom by Keith Lowe, which you can buy here

Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each week

If you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:

If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership here

Or

You can support the podcast via Patreon here

Or you can just say some nice things about it here

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.

▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive Content

Become a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory

▸ Join the Community & Continue the Conversation

Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcast

Substack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com

▸ Read Articles & Go Deeper

Website: explaininghistory.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.