The Promised Podcast

Two years ago, this week, Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin and Libi & Orly Goldberg-Polin buried their son and brother Hersh. The rest of us did, too. In this episode, we hear Rachel Goldberg-Polin during those 328 days when Hersh was in those tunnels alive, until he wasn't.

Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron talk about (1) a new "working man's ultra-Orthodox party" that wants science in the classroom and Haredim in the boardroom and the barracks, and (2) a new poll showing that most Israelis feel like they need to hide who we are when we travel abroad.
For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: The Prime Minister's son, Yair Netanyahu, was spirited out of Miami, where he lives, after the Mossad learned that Iranian agents had planned to assassinate him. Well, what can you say to that?!?
Plus: the rediscovery of the Altalena after 78 years in the briney deep, and the memories likely to get dredged up with the ship, and wine and gifts, and branch new breezy summer music for the late-summer heat.

The Jerusalem Post's Hannah Brown and Noah Efron talk about (1) the criminal harassment of Abu Rida and the Hassan families in Qusra, (2) the surprising results of the Likud primaries and what they augur, and (3) Avi Nesher's profound and affecting new movie, "Our Loves," about October 7th, and the day that came before and the day that came after.
For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: We've always suspected that "movie reviewer" is the best job ever. Hannah Brown, who reviewed for the New York Post and the Jerusalem Post, explains why we were right about that all along!
Plus: Down in the dumps with Gershom Scholem, neanderthal hip-joints, sheltering on the spectrum and tomorrow's scholars, today! All that and the brilliant recording debut of Allison's girl, Naomi Sommer!!!!

Linda, Judah, and Noah talk about (1) The new parties springing up in the "middle" of Israel's electoral map, between the Netanyahu bloc and the anti-Netanyahu bloc: What do they augur?, and (2) The likely addition as number two on the "United Arab List" party of Yoav Segelovitz, a Jew who made his name in the army and police: What's it mean and what's it, too, augur? (So much auguring!)
For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: A right wing newspaper editor writes that maybe we shouldn't let people who don't live in the country fly in to vote, and gets shouted down. But maybe he has a point?
Plus: What happens after you win twelve and a half million in the lotto, a day in Sderot, and what to do with the kids in the dog-days of August. Plus one of the all-time great punk albums about being pregnant in wartime!

In this very special episode, Noah shares love letters he heard walking the streets of Tel Aviv with Lucy the Dog, on a new "Love Letters" app made by genius Russian-Israeli director Semyon Alexandrovsky.