Unpacking Israeli History
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Join self-confessed history nerd Dr. Noam Weissman on a journey through the fascinating and sometimes controversial events and personalities that have shaped Israel’s past and present. Each week, Noam explores the layers of Israeli history, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the cultural forces at play—drawing on a variety of sources and perspectives. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply looking to better understand this complex region, you’ll find a nuanced, authentic, and thought-provoking take on Israel—free from oversimplification and political spin.
Afleveringen
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Breaking: Who Won Israel's Election?
29 oktober 2026 · 51 min
Who really won Israel’s election? is the Netanyahu era coming to an end or has he survived another day? Noam Weissman and political analyst Eli Kowaz break down the results, the winners and losers, the role of the Arab parties, and who could form Israel’s next government. Three years after October 7, what does the vote reveal about Israeli society—and Netanyahu’s political staying power? Lees meer
You can follow Eli Kowaz's work and subscribe to The Middle Ground at Kowaz.com.
Check out Unpacking Israeli History's recent election episodes:
Eight Elections that Shocked Israel
Why Israeli Elections Never Produce a Clear Winner
This episode is generously sponsored by Andrea and Larry Gill. To sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History, o to be in touch, email noam@unpacked.media.
Connect with Noam on Instagram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
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This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold …
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Is Israel Solving the Wrong Problems?
27 oktober 2026 · 44 min
What makes Israel a startup nation, and what could take it to the next level? Venture capitalist and author Judah Taub joins Noam Weissman in Tel Aviv to explore Israel’s boldest moonshot opportunities. From defense innovation and desalination to affordable Jewish education and diaspora continuity, they discuss how big ideas, Jewish peoplehood, individualism, and collective responsibility could shape Israel’s future. Lees meer
You can learn more about Judah Taub's work at judahtaub.com.
This episode is sponsored by Friedkin Philanthropies and the Koret Foundation, and is inspired by ISRAEL 21c. To sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History, or to be in touch, email noam@unpacked.media.
Connect with Noam on Instagram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
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This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Wondering Jews…
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8 Elections That Shocked Israel
20 oktober 2026 · 39 min
Israel votes on October 27th, and Noam couldn’t think of a better way to count down than by ranking Israel’s eight biggest political earthquakes. He covers the most dramatic moments; Menachem Begin’s earth-shaking 1977 upset, Netanyahu’s razor-thin 1996 debut and the four-elections-in-two-years chaos of 2019 to 2021. It’s all here: upsets, rivalries, one speech that rewrote Israeli politics, and Noam’s own prediction about what happens next. Lees meer
This episode is sponsored in memory of Melvin S. and Blanche E. Bernstein.
If you want to sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History, email noam@unpacked.media. Connect with Noam on Instagram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
Here's a link to sources.
Link to Menachem Begin's 1981 speech (in Hebrew).
How Iraq’s nuclear program forged Israel’s “Begin Doctrine”
Why Israeli Elections Never Produce a Clear Winner
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This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Wondering Jews
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Blood and Honey: The Incredible Story of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai
13 oktober 2026 · 50 min
Named for a hero of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Kibbutz Yad Mordechai embodies the story of Jewish resistance and renewal. From its desperate stand against Egyptian forces in 1948 to its survival on October 7, 2023, the kibbutz has repeatedly faced destruction and chosen to rebuild. Its bronze statue of Mordechai Anielewicz symbolizes enduring defiance, while its thriving beehives and honey represent the sweetness of life reclaimed from tragedy, a powerful testament to resilience, solidarity, and hope. Lees meer
Links to Unpacking Israeli History's series on Masada.
Masada: The siege that became a legend (Part 1)
Masada: The making of a myth (Part 2)
Link to sources.
This episode is generously sponsored in honor of Dr. Andrew and Marci Spitzer. It is also sponsored by, and made in partnership with, Jewish National Fund-USA. If you want to sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History email noam@unpacked.media. Connect with Noam on Instagram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
Since 1901, Jewish National Fund-USA has strengthened the land and people of Israel through bold initiatives that secure the country’s North and South. By preserving heritage sites like The Yad Mordechai "From Holocaust to Revival" Museum, Jewish National Fund-USA invests in Israel’s future, driving tourism, generating jobs, and helping communities thrive. Find more information about visiting The Yad Mordechai "From Holocaust to Revival" Museum and other parts of Israel below.You belong in Israel. Find your Jewish National Fund-USA tour or mission: https://www.jnf.org/travel/?utm_source=partner_opendor&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=boruchin&utm_content=ep5_yad_mordechai
Educators can explore Israel on Jewish National Fund-USA's special mission: https://www.jnf.org/travel/tour/index/educators-mission-to-israel-2026?utm_source=partner_opendor&utm_medium=podcast&utm_cam…
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Can Israel Have All the Land and Still Have Peace?
8 oktober 2026 · 52 min
What do Israelis who live in the West Bank really believe, and what do outsiders misunderstand about them? Noam Weissman sits down with Rabbi Yehuda HaKohen, a West Bank rabbi and settler, for a candid conversation about Religious Zionism, Jewish identity, the settler movement, Palestinian identity, and competing visions for Israel’s future. Lees meer
This episode is sponsored by Andrea & Larry Gill. If you want to sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History email noam@unpacked.media. Connect with Noam on Instagram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
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This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Wondering Jews
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After the Massacre: Remembering October 7
6 oktober 2026 · 39 min
Three years after October 7, Noam Weissman visits the Tkuma car graveyard, Kibbutz Be’eri, and Netiv Ha’Asara to ask how Israelis remember tragedy while rebuilding their homes and lives. Through conversations with survivors and community members, this episode explores grief, resilience, Zionism, Jewish memory, and the responsibility to tell the stories of those who were lost, as well as those determined to carry on. Lees meer
Here are links to episodes about the October 7th massacre by Hamas from our archive.
Behind October 7: Gaza’s History from 1967 to 10/7
The Nightmare of October 7, 2023 (part 2)
The Aftermath of October 7 (part 3)
This episode is sponsored by Andrea & Larry Gill. If you want to sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History email noam@unpacked.media. Connect with Noam on Instagram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
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This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Wondering Jews
-
What Would Rav Kook Think of Religious Zionism Today?
1 oktober 2026 · 59 min
In the third and final episode of our series on religious Zionism, Noam Weissman explores how every major debate within religious Zionism, from West Bank settlements and the Haredi draft to the relationship between faith, ethics, and nationalism, leads back to Rav Abraham Isaac Kook. Lees meer
Noam is joined by scholar Yehudah Mirsky, author of Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution, to discuss the mystic, chief rabbi, and foundational thinker whose complex legacy continues to shape Israeli religious and political life.
This episode is sponsored by Jewish Lives, a prize-winning series of biographies from Yale University Press. To learn more about Rav Kook's life, identity, and legacy, you should check out Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution by Yehudah Mirsky at www.jewishlives.org and you can use the special promo code KOOKPOD to get 30% off.
If you want to sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History email noam@unpacked.media. Connect with Noam on Istragram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
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For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold …
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The Fight for the Soul of Religious Zionism
30 september 2026 · 1 uur 1 min
UPDATED: In part 2 of his series on Religious Zionism, Noam traces a movement as it moves from the sidelines to the center of Israeli life, and asks what happens when religious certainty collides with political reality. The story moves through the founding of Gush Emunim, the theological rupture of Oslo, the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and the earthquake of the 2005 Gaza disengagement. It ends by examining where the movement stands today. This is a story about land, redemption, and the danger of being too certain you know God's plan. Lees meer
Here is a link to sources.
Special thanks to Yair Ettinger, author of Frayed, for his help with this episode.
This episode is sponsored in memory of Leo M. Bernstein. Thank you to The Bernstein Foundation for their generous support and partnership.
If you want to sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History email noam@unpacked.media. Connect with Noam on Instagram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
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For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Wondering Jews…
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What Actually is Religious Zionism?
22 september 2026 · 52 min
In Part 1 of our series on Religious Zionism, Noam Weissman traces how Jewish longing for Zion evolved into a religious movement that reshaped Zionism. From early rabbinic thinkers to Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the founding of Israel, and the Six-Day War, this is the story of how religion and Zionism became intertwined. What happens when a dream of redemption collides with the realities of a modern Jewish state, and what does that mean for Israel today? Lees meer
Here is a link to sources.
Special thanks to Yair Ettinger, author of Frayed, for his help with this episode.
This episode is sponsored in memory of Leo M. Bernstein. Thank you to The Bernstein Foundation for their generous support and partnership.
If you want to sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History email noam@unpacked.media. Connect with Noam on Istragram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
-------------
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Wondering Jews
-
Don’t Leave Zionism to the Extremists – with Yossi Klein Halevi
15 september 2026 · 51 min
What does it mean to be a Zionist? Yossi Klein Halevi has asked, and lived that question in radically different ways. He tells Noam Weissman about his journey from the Jewish Defense League and the Zionist right to the settler movement and political center, and explains how his views on Israel, the Palestinians, democracy, and Jewish identity have evolved. Lees meer
Yossi Klein Halevi
If you like this podcast, you’ll love SAPIR, the quarterly journal of ideas edited by Bret Stephens. Subscribe for FREE at sapirjournal.org/noam.
If you want to sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History email noam@unpacked.media. Connect with Noam on Instagram at Noamlweissman_. And check out our episodes on Youtube.
This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
-------------
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Wondering Jews
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- Categorieën
- Religie , Spiritualiteit , Maatschappij , Cultuur , Geschiedenis , Jodendom
- Verschijnt
- Elke week
- Lengte
- Meestal 50 min
- Afleveringen
- 205
- Eerste aflevering
- 25 augustus 2020
- Taal
- Engels