As we circle in toward the end of season five, it is time to check back in with American Jewry. The 1980s were a time of economic and social security for the Jews of the US, and the overall growth of their religious communities was boosted by a surprise source – the kollel. It was…
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Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim) is a time when past and present come sharply together, and have the potential to define our future. Social activist and former Jerusalem city council member Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz joins me to discuss the potential of the holy city and this momentous day.
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Menachem Begin has been part of our exploration of the Jewish Story since the uprising against the British back in 1944, and the Lebanon War was the last chapter in which he took an active role. In order to give a fitting wrap up to such an important character, here is an interview with Dr….
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The RRG Bet Midrash Torah Cafe hosts Rav Mike Feuer for a live word of Torah on Yom Haatzmaut – Israel Independence Day. How does history create obligations, and why is it important to rejoice? If you want to discover the connection between gratitude and redemption, listen all the way to the end of this…
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The assassination of Christian Lebanese Phalangist leader Bashir Gemayel was an explosion which rocked the region, and the massacres at Sabra and Shatila which followed in its wake horrified the world. This episode touches on a rabbinic debate over the morality of war, the political struggle over its consequences and sets the stage for a…
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Crossing into Lebanon to destroy PLO started as a successful mission, and when the IDF destroyed the Syrian SAM belt in the Bekaa Valley through Operation Mole Cricket 19 it looked like victory was assured. Nonetheless as Defense Minister Ariel Sharon pursued Yasser Arafat of the PLO (and his dreams of a peace treaty) into…
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We are all actors in the Jewish Story, and part of the art of becoming a main character is knowing how to seize the moment. Here is an interview with former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman which explores how he came to be in his position, the contributions he made and his vision for…
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The unity government wasn’t born yesterday, it has a long history in Israel. Tune in to this ongoing exploration of the evolution of Israel’s electoral system to learn about the government shared by ex-underground fighter Yitzhak Shamir of Likud and Shimon Peres of Labor through the 1980s, how it held together Mizrachi pride, religious tension…
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Sometimes a listener question can cause a whole interlude. Here is an exploration of Jewish leadership and its roots in the Jewish story. Along the way we touch on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. There is also an opening attempt at defining leadership and a chance to ask…
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Operation Peace for the Galilee begins with Israeli jets pounding Yasser Arafat’s PLO bases in southern Lebanon, but there is always a backstory. In this episode learn about the complicated history Lebanon’s civil wars fought between Christians, Moslems and Druze. Meet Ariel Sharon in his new role of Defense Minister, ever the bulldozer and now…
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