The 1960s were a revolutionary period in American history, and since the Jews were so deeply involved it is a turning point in the Jewish Story as well. This episode begins our slow march toward 1967 with a look at how the twin spirits of prophecy and pragmatism moved Jewish leadership during the Civil Rights…
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In the first decade of the state, Prime Minister Ben Gurion was haunted by one thought – that a second holocaust could come at the hands of Israel’s enemies. In order to stave off this fear he relentlessly pursued nuclear weapons. The question is whether this pushed destruction off or brought it closer?
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No matter where you turn, it seems that democracy is in crisis. Here is an interview with Rav Mike which touches on the global situation as well as what is happening in the state of Israel. The question at hand is – whither democracy?
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Sometimes in life, and in history, it is time to step back and reflect. I have seen five rounds of conflict since I moved to Israel, all of them inconclusive. For me this raises the question – war, what is it good for? photo from: www.flickr.com/photos/105105658@N03/30502660157Rav MikeJewish HistoryWar
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The Holocaust was so dark and vast that the Jews struggled to integrate it into their consciousness, despite the hundreds of thousands of survivors in their midst. One of the turning points in even addressing this issue was the capture and trial of Adolf Eichmann, architect of the Final Solution. He was taken and tried,…
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The memory of the the Holocaust is dark and traumatic enough that it threatens to overwhelm even the light of the present. Here is the first part of an exploration of Holocaust memory in Israel’s open decade, as seen through the lens of one of the darker stories of the early state – the Kastner…
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Life offers so few opportunities to stop and reflect that we need to seize every chance. What better time to look back at the questions with which we began this season than in Israel’s tenth year. Here is an episode which once again takes a look at questions which drive the three dimensions of the…
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Sukkot is a time to sit in the Sukkah and reflect, so here are a few thoughts from my Sukkah. This is an exploration of what it means for the state of Israel to be a kingdom and and it what means to be a client state. Picture from www.flickr.com/photos/adforce1/2462794123podcast
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The High Holy Days are also know as the Days of Awe which can be awesome, or awful. Here is a look at how to tie the work of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot together into an approach to building a world whose horizon is big enough to hold our dreams.
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The Sinai campaign was many things – a preemptive strike against Israel’s enemies, the last gasp of colonialism in the Middle East and a complete failure of international law. This episode explores the 1956 war from all these angles.
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