Unpacking Israeli History
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Unpacking Israeli History
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 a...
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165 episoder
The Kibbutz Movement : From Frontier Defense to Modern Israel (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our series on the history of the kibbutz, Noam Weissman explores how these communal villages helped shape Israel’s borders, identity, and...
The Iran War Explained with Haviv Rettig Gur
As war between Israel and Iran intensifies, Noam Weissman sits down with journalist Haviv Rettig Gur to unpack what’s really driving the conflict. Is...
The Kibbutz Movement: Israel’s Radical Social Experiment (Part 1)
What is a kibbutz, and why did it play such an outsized role in Israeli history? In Part 1 of this two-part series, Noam Weissman traces the origins o...
Special Episode: For Such a Time as This: Purim, Persia, and the Iran War
Missiles in the sky. Purim on the calendar.
As Israel confronts Iran, Noam steps back from the headlines and turns to the Book of Esther,...
What Became of Zionism?: The History of Israel (Part 5 of 5)
In the finale of our five-part series on the Jewish people’s ancient relationship to the Land of Israel, we move into the modern era, when Israel’s de...
Emergency Episode: Inside the Attack on Iran with Avi Melamed
In this special episode, Noam Weissman sits down with Middle East expert and former Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed to unpack the forces dri...
When Zionism Became a State: The History of Israel (Part 4 of 5)
The dream came true. And then reality arrived.
In the 4th episode of our epic series tracing the Jewish relationship to the Land of Israe...
The Formation of "Modern" Zionism: The History of Israel (Part 3)
As the modern world takes shape, the Jewish longing for Zion turns political. In Part 3 of this five-part series on the history of Israel, Noam Weiss...
When Zionism Went Into Exile: The History of Israel (Part 2)
After the Second Temple falls in 70 CE, the Jewish story shifts from sovereignty to survival--and Zion becomes a memory carried through exile. In Part...
Before Zionism Had a Name (Zionism 1 of 5)
Zionism didn’t begin in the 19th century. It didn’t start with pamphlets, politics, or Theodor Herzl. In Episode 1 of a five-part series, Noam Weissma...
IsraAid After October 7: An Unprecedented Humanitarian Mission in Israel and Gaza (Part 2)
In Part 2 of this two-part Unpacking Israeli History series on Israeli humanitarian aid, Noam Weissman follows IsraAid as it responds to the trauma an...
Why Does Israel Rush into Disaster Zones? IsraAid and Soft Diplomacy (Part 1)
After October 7, stories about Israeli humanitarian aid can sound like hasbara—a Hebrew term for public diplomacy or advocacy meant to improve Israel’...
Hard Conversations About Israel: 4 Real-Life Case Studies with Toba Hellerstein (Part 2)
In this follow-up conversation, Noam Weissman and emotional attunement expert Toba Hellerstein move from theory to practice—using real-world case stud...
Israel Open Mic: What Does “Israel’s Right to Exist” Mean?
In this Open Mic episode, Noam responds to a listener, Aviva's question: what does it even mean to say “Israel has a right to exist”—and who gets to...
Ma'alot Revisited: When Terrorists Came for the Children
Noam revisits one of the most devastating episodes in Israeli history—the 1974 Ma’alot school hostage massacre—and explains why, after October 7, this...
Intelligence Operations that Shaped Israel’s Story with Ronen Bergman, LIVE in LA
How do you get people who don’t talk to talk? In this special live Unpacking Israeli History, Noam Weissman sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning jou...
The Bondi Beach Massacre and the Meaning of Peoplehood
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When Sadat Came to Jerusalem (re-release)
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The Hebron Massacre and the Myths Fueling Today’s Conflict — with Yardena Schwartz (Part 2)
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Revisiting the Hebron Massacre: Myths and Their Deadly Repercussions (Part 1)
This week, we’re revisiting one of the most overlooked yet consequential chapters in the Arab–Israeli conflict: the 1929 Hebron Massacre. In just two...
Israel Open Mic: Understanding the Green Line and Israel’s Presidency
In this Israel Open Mic episode, Noam answers two listener questions: What is the Green Line, really? And why does Israel have a President if the Prim...
30 Years After Rabin with Haviv Rettig Gur (Part 2)
Thirty years after Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, Noam Weissman sits with Journalist Haviv Rettig Gur to unpack what changed on November 4, 1995—and w...
Remembering Yitzhak Rabin on the 30th Anniversary of His Assassination (re-release ) Part 1
Thirty years after Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated at a peace rally in Tel Aviv, we revisit one of the most defining moments in Israeli...
Eli Sharabi: Surviving Hamas and Choosing Life
In one of the most powerful episodes of Unpacking Israeli History, host Noam Weissman sits down with Eli Sharabi, survivor of 491 days as a Hamas host...
How It Feels to be Israeli Right Now: A Conversation with Sarah Tuttle-Singer
So much of what we read about Israel is politics and war. But this episode explores a different angle: what does it feel like to live through this mom...
An Empty Chair for 251 Hostages: Two Years After October 7
Two years after October 7, 2023, host Noam Weissman reflects on how Israel—and he himself—have been haunted by absence and by loss. Now the last livin...
Two Years Since October 7th: A Conversation with Amir Tibon (Re-release)
It's been two years since October 7, 2023—the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. To commemorate, Noam revisits a powerful conversation (origi...
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib: Palestinian Statehood and the Power of Recognition
Gaza-born activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib joins Noam Weissman for the series finale and a fierce, heartfelt debate on Palestinian statehood. While they...
Einat Wilf: Palestinian Statehood and Why Peace Failed
Noam Weissman sits down with Dr. Einat Wilf — former Knesset member, public intellectual, and one of Israel’s sharpest voices — for a provocative conv...
Samer Sinijlawi: Building Palestinian Statehood from the Ground Up
In our two-part series on Palestinian statehood, we traced the history and politics behind decades of failed attempts. But for Palestinian activist an...
Michael Koplow: The Broken History and Fragile Future of Palestinian Statehood
In this bonus episode, Noam talks with Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum. Michael traces the history of Palestinian stat...
Palestinian Statehood: Why Peace Failed (1967 to 2025) Part 2
In Part 2 in a series on Palestinian statehood, Noam Weissman picks up in 1967, showing how the Six Day War reset borders and assumptions—sparking deb...
Palestinian Statehood: Why It Never Happened (1918 to 1967) Part 1
Why did Israel become a state but Palestine didn’t? Now that a rising number of nations, including Britain and France, have announced that they plan t...
Live from New York with Dan Senor: The Pursuit of Peace
BOOK NOW FOR OUR LA SHOW - Nov 12 at Sinai Temple with special guest Ronen Bergman. Last stop for 2025! Use the coupon code UIH20 to get a discount on...
Reflections on Charlie Kirk
Noam Weissman reflects on the Charlie Kirk assassination and what Israeli history—from Rabin to Gaza—teaches about polarization, sacred listening, and...
Is it Genocide? The Gaza War Debate with Historian Gil Troy
Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza? Host Noam Weissman and historian Gil Troy dive into the explosive debate in an important and difficult conversa...
The Neturei Karta: Haredi Jews who reject the State of Israel
Who are the Neturei Karta? A recent Humans of New York article brought the fringe sect of ultra-Orthodox, anti-Zionist Jews into the spotlight. Now No...
Facts vs. Feelings: Rethinking How We Talk About Israel with Toba Hellerstein
What wins hearts and minds — facts, or feelings? This week, Noam Weissman sits down with Toba Hellerstein, author of American Perceptions of Jews and...
The Hilltop Youth and Settler Violence with Yirmiyahu Danzig (Part 2)
In Part 2 of a series on settler violence, Noam Weissman talks with Yirmiyahu Danzig (@that_semite) about the Hilltop Youth, Palestinian life in Area...
Settler Violence: Hard Truths with Haviv Rettig Gur
Noam Weissman sits down with journalist Haviv Rettig Gur to tackle one of the most heated topics in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: settler violence...