In this episode, Benji and Avi sit down with Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel's special envoy for combating antisemitism. We discuss Michal's childhood playing hide-and-seek with senior politicians in the Knesset, her immigration experiences, life as an MK, and Israel's long-forgotten war against color TV. Michal shares her deep insight into the post-October 7th outbreak of of global antisemitism, and how we can confront it.

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In this episode, Benji and Avi sat down with Alex Haruni, owner of the fabulous Dalton Winery in the north of Israel and all around great guy. We talked with Alex about wine in general, what's special about making wine in Israel, and the particular challenge of making wine in Israel when rockets are falling in your vineyards. We learned as much as we drank (a lot)!

While describing his riveting and globe-spanning family history, Alex discussed the fascinating story of the crypto-Jews of Mashhad. An illuminating article on the subject, written by his aunt, can be found here.

Thank you to our sponsor: The Keter Travel Passover 2025 program at the Isrotel Design Gomeh hotel in Migdal, Israel on the shores of the Kinneret. For more information or to book your rooms at the program, contact Mike Smigel at mikesmigel@gmail.com or visit the Keter Travel website at www.ketertravel.com.

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In this episode, Benji and Avi cover a lot of ground - missiles flying over Raanana (and sometimes landing there), the US elections, the replacement of Israel's defense minister, bigamy, Molotov cocktails and much more. It's another normal week in an abnormal world. Enjoy!

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In the days leading up to Yom Kippur, Benji and Avi were looking for ways to avoid asking themselves the tough questions that a serious introspection would demand - and they found it! In this, our pilot Q&A episode, we answered questions sent in by listeners. From the situation in Israel to ET the extraterrestrial, we covered a lot of ground. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. If you have questions you'd like us to address in a future Q&A, please send them in using the link below.

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In this episode, Benji and Avi sit down with Rabia Melchem. Rabia is an IDF reserve soldier, a successful AI and data science product engineer, a husband, a father and a Druze Israeli. The Druze have always been a dynamic and important part of Israel, and their contribution to the country has come into even sharper focus during the past year of war. Without pulling any punches, Rabia helps us understand more about the experience of the Druze community in Israel, and about his own journey from his hometown village in the north of Israel to Ramat Gan.

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In this episode Benji and Avi sit down with Daniel Sevitt, bibliophile and, well, left-wing optimist. We talk books, politics, and the private lives of dragons. The conversation is mostly civil, as you would expect from a conversation with a gentlemanly British book nut.

Daniel has an incredible YouTube channel called GuiltyFeat, which you can find here. He has made more than 200 videos, including this awesome one where Daniel talks about books he got for his bar mitzvah.

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In this episode Benji and Avi sit down with Ohad Merlin, Middle East correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, and expert on the media landscape in the Arab world. We do a deep dive into the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar, and the myth that Israeli tourists always steal hotel towels.

Turns out we live in a pretty tough neighborhood.

If you’re feeling depressed after this episode, here’s a Sesame Street blast from the past featuring Bob McGrath, the coolest person who ever lived in Teaneck, NJ. Once you go down that Sesame Street rabbit hole, enjoy The Alligator King and I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon! You’ll feel better…

Here is one of Ohad's videos explaining aspects of Jewishness in Arabic that are mentioned in the podcast.

You can find Ohad on X at https://twitter.com/mohadisrael , and on Telegram at https://t.me/MerlinMeadken (there's a WhatsApp link there as well).

All of his Jerusalem Post articles can be found here:
https://www.jpost.com/author/ohad-merlin

Ohad's LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/ohad-merlin-5457b4187?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

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In this episode, Benji and Avi get the lowdown about the educational system from the best high school teacher in Raanana, the one and only Rebecca Perlin Sadinoff! Like most high-school teachers in Israel, Rebecca is on strike (so she couldn’t tell us she was busy). Rebecca explains what’s wrong with children’s education in Israel – but also what’s right with it. We all agree the kids are great – but how? We go into the belly of the beast to understand the current strike, what helicopters and skateboards have to do with school, and much more.

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