The world changed on 10/7. It's too soon to know exactly how this war will play out. But in this episode, Noam offers some thoughts on how and why people choose “sides” in a conflict like this – and how to respond to the misinformation, denialism, hatred, and extremism that poisons the discourse. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sfIlw07IpRwqctUMhdJdwXiauZkgkkNZa3Ns3ZY_L1w/edit?usp=sharing

This episode is a re-release, with the understanding that everything has changed. You’ve heard their name. Watched their propaganda videos. Seen their bloody handiwork up close and personal. But how well do you really know the story of Hamas? This episode delves into the surprising history of Israel’s charming next door neighbor. It’s a deep dive into their history, their ideology, their legacy. Because if we want to truly understand Israeli history, we’ve got to face the parallel history that has developed alongside it. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DBe4s5ArwlF7ACLUoztotb9EarUYqK7nd1Z0pCXyMR4/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this week’s episode is sponsored by Adam Neuman.

October 6, 2023 marks the 50-year anniversary of the first day of the Yom Kippur War – perhaps Israel’s most traumatic war. This miniseries unpacks that trauma, guiding our listeners through the lead-up to the war, the battles, the behind-the-scenes geopolitical maneuvering, and the painful aftermath. The final episode of our series explores wider geopolitical implications of the war and reflects on the war’s legacy. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1okcCstf6CJAouiWPPUjSUHA0Pmq3SbxZ-I8gnz7A2pA/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  This Yom Kippur War mini-series is generously sponsored by Risa and Simcha Dauer.

After the victory of the Six-Day War in 1967, it seemed like Israel was invincible. Less than a decade later, the country was taken by surprise by the outbreak of war on Yom Kippur 1973. Noam Weissman explores why — despite warnings — Israel’s leadership seemed so unprepared, why America urged Israel not to attack first and why this national catastrophe ultimately led to a strengthening of relationships with both the U.S. and Egypt. ~~~~ This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is sponsored by Andrea and Larry Gill. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Teaching about this topic? Check out our relevant educator resources here: https://unpacked.education/video/the-yom-kippur-war-when-israel-almost-fell/ https://unpacked.education/video/the-yom-kippur-war-how-israel-turned-the-tide/ ~~~~ Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/yom-kippur-war https://mwi.usma.edu/timeless-lessons-october-1973-arab-israeli-war/ https://books.google.com/books?id=n_9gIR6Fi3UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Yom+Kippur&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjo2Mn7psPWAhWqhlQKHRX4C8kQ6AEIKDAA#v=snippet&q=We%E2%80%99ll%20have%20one%20hundred%20tanks%20against%20&f=false http://www.jewishagency.org/secret-service/content/25324 https://erenow.com/modern/israel-concise-history-nation-reborn/15.php https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24402464 https://www.google.com/url?q=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/151161087.pdf&sa=D&ust=1593682967472000&usg=AFQjCNEOS_bqDj5L9vZ_6wc1JdAAWuiH4g http://www.jewishagency.org/secret-service/content/25324 https://erenow.com/modern/israel-concise-history-nation-reborn/15.php https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/2018/09/the-yom-kippur-war-should-be-remembered-as-a-great-israeli-victory/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-yom-kippur-war-when-israels-arabs-didnt-rise-up/ ~~~~ Unpacked is a division of OpenDor Media

*** Don’t miss the 3-part miniseries on the YK war, starting September 6th *** Between 1989 and 2000, over a million Jews from the former Soviet Union arrived in Israel, fundamentally changing the nature of the country. But the road from the USSR to the Middle East was long, winding, and painful. This is the story of how a group of American students and Soviet dissidents wrenched back the Iron Curtain, guaranteeing the religious freedom of over one million Jews. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VSbxCEDWZv3bs8Sm8elQELJpDysL0p4hch3SWo_gaWI/edit

*** Don’t miss the 3-part miniseries on the YK war, starting September 6th *** Maybe you’ve heard of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held for five years by the terrorist group Hamas. And maybe you’ve heard about the lengths that Israel went to to get him back, like swapping over a thousand prisoners for one missing man. But Shalit isn’t the first Israeli POW to be redeemed at a high price. In this episode, Noam asks Why does Israel pay such a high price to return captured soldiers? And, even more poignantly, Is doing so good for the Jewish state? ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HbAQrIlyEX8ivxrX0CkP_CPzgVd3U1_W_UCTkBt6n-4/edit

*** Don’t miss the 3-part miniseries on the YK war, starting September 6th *** It’s the world’s most famous property dispute. And among the most deadly. The residents of this sleepy East Jerusalem neighborhood have spent the past four decades in court. And their battle has set Israel on fire – literally. So who, if anyone, is right? And what’s the story of Sheikh Jarrah? ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16E0WhmIy70n3Pb35_dlZUZm0wvScmyCmtiEGSDQ7Psc/edit

*** Don’t miss the 3-part miniseries on the YK war, starting September 6th *** John Demjanjuk seemed like any other middle-aged immigrant living the American dream in the Ohio suburbs. Until the US Department of Justice accused him of being an SS guard, stripped him of his citizenship, and extradited him to Israel to stand trial for war crimes. In Israel, he stood accused of ghastly abuse. And still, doubt persisted: could this stereotypical guy-next-door really have been the infamously sadistic SS guard at Treblinka? Was this a case of mistaken identity? And what is the line between justice, vengeance, and the law? ~~~~ Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19U0j4G961PuGuFchjagiCuhrjgCWPeytkvNkcbBQfW4/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~ This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Dorit Naftalin & Harry Nelson, and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher.

We’re back! Get ready...for Season 5, for more twists, turns, triumphs, and tragedies that define Israeli history. Are you ready? Yalla, let’s do this!

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey It was the spring of 1948, and in just a few short weeks, the British were scheduled to ship out, leaving Palestine to the Arabs and Jews who had been waging war against each other for six months. But beyond the bombs and the bullets, another war raged behind the scenes. One that continues to this day. The war for the soul of the Jewish state. This is the story of Israel’s declaration of independence – and of its ongoing evolution as a modern state. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10VpS6Bh1JQ-4HTxatuSJHq4y9P1HyT9KhGSiFk-TqFk/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  This Israel@75 mini-series is generously sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel - North American Council, and Ari and Jody Storch.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey Today, the Etzion bloc is home to more than 20,000 Jews. But back in 1948, roughly 500 Jews lived in the tiny parcel of land nestled between Hebron and Jerusalem. The four isolated, vulnerable kibbutzim of the bloc were an easy target for Arab attacks. But the Jews of Etzion weren’t going down without a fight. And the Palmach – the Haganah’s elite strike force – would do anything to keep these tiny communities strong and well-supplied. Like sending a convoy of 35 fighters weighed down with supplies through miles of hostile territory.  But war is hell. And the story of Gush Etzion, and the brave convoy that supplied it, is both a tragedy – and a story of brotherhood, heroism, and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1REJt_UGndGrngPsww3Ra4PLBcKJB67xBM6Sd3TVG_nE/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  This Israel@75 mini-series is generously sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel - North American Council, and Ari and Jody Storch.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey You probably know the story of Israeli independence: Ben Gurion declared a Jewish state on May 14, 1948. The next day, multiple Arab armies invaded. And though the war was long and brutal, the Jewish state emerged victorious. That story is true. But it’s incomplete. Because the war for Israel didn’t start on May 15, 1948. It started back in November of 1947, the morning after the UN voted to partition Palestine into two states. And if you want to understand Israeli history, you have to understand the six bloody months that preceded its creation… ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KEyXoESRtJWiULNjtXUXMokGHKtKRIj62Fmz29cXx3I/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  This Israel@75 mini-series is generously sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel - North American Council, and Ari and Jody Storch.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey The modern state of Israel is only 75 years old. But the Israeli identity was forged long before the partition vote of 1947 or the War of Liberation in 1948, in the earliest decades of the 20th century. The three figures we’ll talk about today were not Israelis. They died before they ever saw an independent Jewish state. But their stories shaped the country we know today. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JoCjNZV__Qwpu0k9Sth16tMQ8bhlTqe_ogsFBpvLjFk/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer and Alan Fisher.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey November 19, 1977. It was perhaps the most unusual Shabbat in Israel’s history. Because after the havdala service, Israeli families glued themselves to their TVs or radios, waiting anxiously for a visitor they never dreamed would arrive. Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, had come to Jerusalem to speak of peace. What happened next changed the Middle East forever. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VLl6H1mbapNkhWq8aNnMFylTQ9w__9WDxIsqvlniORs/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer and Alan Fisher.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey You’ve heard their name. Watched their propaganda videos. Seen their bloody handiwork up close and personal. But how well do you really know the story of Hamas? This episode delves into the surprising history of Israel’s charming next door neighbor. It’s a deep dive into their history, their ideology, their legacy. Because if we want to truly understand Israeli history, we’ve got to face the parallel history that has developed alongside it. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DBe4s5ArwlF7ACLUoztotb9EarUYqK7nd1Z0pCXyMR4/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this week’s episode is sponsored by Adam Neuman.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey Kfar Qassem is a small bucolic city northeast of Petach Tikva. It is also the little-known site of the first salvo of the Suez Canal Crisis. On October 29, 1956 – as Israel prepared for war with Egypt – an IDF commander made a decision that would permanently scar Israel’s Arab community. Today, we tell the story of the 49 Israeli citizens murdered at Kfar Qassem. This episode is dedicated to them. Ibrahim Abdalhadi Himad Isaa, 35 Abed Muhammad Abdalhadi Isaa, 9 Abdallah Ahmad Himad Isaa, 15 Talal Shaker Abdallah Isaa, 8 Abdallah Sliman Isaa, 90 Ahmad Muhammad Sous Freij, 35 Ali Uthman Ali Tah, 30 Muhammad Abed Samaha Asi, AKA Abu Samaha, 50 Ghazi Mahmoud Darweesh Isaa, 20 Muhammad Abdalraheem Isaa, 50 Fathi Uthman Abed Isaa, 12 Uthman Abed Himad Isaa, 30 Saleh Mahmoud Naser Amer (age unknown) Mahmoud Abdalghafer Rayan, 35 Mahmoud Abdalrazeq Sarsour, 16 Ali Nimer Nuwwara Freij, 17 Saleh Salameh Ahmad Amer, 40 Salim Ahmad Basheer Budeir, 50 Abdallah Abdalghafer Budeir (age unknown) Abed Salim Saleh Isaa (age unknown) Atta Yacoub Abed Sarsour, 26 Riyad Raja Hamdan Dahoud, 8 Jamal Salim Muhammad Tah, 11 Jumma Muhammad Abed Sarsour, 17 Mousa Thiab Abed Freij, 18 Abdalkarim Salim Nuwwara Freij, 14 Saleh Mustafa Ahmad Isaa, 17 Abdalraheem Ismir Budeir, 25 Ahmad Muhammad Jouda Amer, 17 Jumma Tawfik Ahmad Isaa, 16 Mahmoud Khader Jaber Sarsour, 27 Yousef Muhammad Ismail Sarsour, 52 Muhammad Salim Khader Sarsour, 15 Muhammad Ali Thiab Sarsour, 35 Abdallah Muhammad Abed Sarsour, 14 Safa Abdallah Usus Sarsour, 45 Amne Qasem Tah, 50 Khamise Faraj Muhammad Amer, 50 Zaghlouleh Ahmad Basheer Isaa, 45 Hilwe Muhammad Odeh Budeir, 65 Fatme Dahoud Sarsour, 30 (nine months pregnant) Unborn child of Fatme Dahoud Sarsour Fatme Mustafa Khamran Isaa, 18 Fatme Mahmoud Budeir (Age unknown) Fatme Saleh Ahmad Sarsour, 14 Rashika Faek Ibrahim Budeir, 14 Zeinab Abdalrahman Ahmad Tah, 45 Latife Dahoud Khamran Isaa, 12 Bakriya Mahmoud Ismail Tah, 14 Mahmoud Muhammad Habib Masarwa, 25 ~~~~ Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y38W4EVV9CKKwHNHSC_nV6T1DNXSM-NeFZ3WMG1XZkA/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~ This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey It was supposed to be a fun field trip. A little celebration in honor of Israel’s 26th birthday. Over a hundred religious high school students, exploring northern Israel and sleeping under the stars. But the three Palestinian terrorists who sneaked in from Lebanon had other plans. This is the story of the Ma’alot massacre. It’s a story of horror and blood. But it’s also a story of hope and resistance. A reminder that every hour of our lives matters. ~~~~   Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer and this episode is generously sponsored by Neil and Pam Weissman. ~~~~   This episode is dedicated to the memory of the victims: Hasibah Shala, 27  Yosef (Jojo) Cohen, 45 Fortuna Cohen, 38 (7 months pregnant) Unborn child of Fortuna Cohen Moshe Eliahu Cohen, 4 Sylvan Zerach, 27 Ilana Turgeman, 15  Zvia Mor-Yoseph, 15  Rachel Aputa, 16  Yocheved Mazoz, 15  Sarah Ben-Shim’on, 15  Yona Sabag, 15  Yafa Cohen, 17  Shoshana Cohen, 17 Michal Sitrok, 16  Malka Amrosy, 15 Aviva Saada, 15  Yocheved Deri (age unknown) Yakov Levi, 17  Yakov Kabla, 17  Rina Cohen, 15 Sarah Madar, 15  Tamar Dahan, 16 Sarah Sofer, 15  Lilly Morad, 16 David Madar, 17  Yehudit Madar, 16  Sources and Citations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KMKO3YYqYpzceUaJuZ9pEXpTfnzVqLdh7fAFseqHovU/edit?usp=sharing

We’re back! By popular demand, Unpacking Israeli History is back for another season. Get ready for the twists, turns, triumphs, and tragedies that define Israeli history. So strap in. Because for the next 8 weeks, we’re going to shine a light on some of the wildest stories you can imagine. Are you ready? Yalla, let’s do this!

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~ On the night before Shavuot, 1981, Prime Minister Menachem Begin shocked his cabinet by announcing they would be launching a surprise attack on a nuclear reactor in Iraq, known as Osirak. It was a gamble, one that the outside world, not to mention in Israel itself, most people didn't approve of. In this episode, Noam takes us on a tour of Begin's decision, the aftermath, and how it still impacts Israel today. ~~~~ This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and this episode, is generously sponsored by Jack Zager and Ellen Kahan, and by Pam and Neil Weissman, in memory of their parents, Mama Bashe and Saba Royal Rockman, and Safta Alice and Saba Irving Weissman.

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~ Who should serve in the Israeli military? It doesn’t sound like a particularly spicy question, does it? Because the obvious answer is… “Israelis.” Like, duh. Case closed, next question. But in this episode, Noam breaks down why Haredim, a massive force in Israel, don't serve. He goes through the history and asks, how does this choice impact the country? VOTE IN OUR POLL HERE: jewishunpacked.com/israeliarmy ~~~~ This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and this episode is generously sponsored by Lisa and Phil Baratz, and by the Center For Advancement of Jewish Education. ~~~~