Podcasts by The Jewish Story
My mission is to tell a redemptive story in which the whole world can find its place.
Further podcasts by Rav Mike
Podcast on the topic Religion und Spiritualität
All episodes
TJS S5E15 Bombing the Iraqi nuclear reactor from 2022-02-20T07:32:03
Israel's leadership came to be part by never forgetting the principal of "when one comes to kill you, rise early and kill first." Menachem Begin's 1981 bombing of the Iraqi reactor Osirak on the di...
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TJS S5E14 The evacuation of the Sinai from 2022-02-13T05:36:05
People like to talk about the price of peace, but they rarely define what peace actually means. This makes evaluating the price impossible. In April of 1982 Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula...
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TJS S5 Interlude - a conversation on violence with R' Yehuda Hakohen from 2022-02-06T05:31:27
There are some conversations which Am Yisrael is just not having. As a follow up to some of the issues raised in the last few episodes Rav Mike is joined by R' Yehuda Hakohen of the Vision Movement...
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TJS S5E13 The Jewish Underground, part II from 2022-01-30T14:01:41
Today the media loves to discuss "settler violence," but it is rarely interested in its historical origins. This episode picks up the story of Yehuda Etzion and Menachem Livni who had set out to tr...
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TJS S5E12 The Jewish Underground part I from 2022-01-23T07:27:45
In politics as in physics - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Menachem Begin's signing of the Camp David Accords did not produce a singular response, but it did send shock w...
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Interview with David Ben Moshe from 2022-01-09T19:02:15
Sometimes one man's story sits at the intersection of so many threads it becomes a horrible knot. By the same virtue its potential is boundless. Here is David Ben Moshe's story in his own words, pl...
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TJS S5 Interlude - interview with Daniella Weiss from 2022-01-09T05:38:33
It is rare that someone who begins a movement is still leading strong fifty years later. Daniella Weiss was part of the original settlement of the Shomron in the early 70s, and remains a militant f...
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TJS S5 Interlude Don't lose the thread from 2022-01-02T12:03:16
Is anyone else feeling a little frayed around the edges? Here is an interlude where I give some insight on how to avoid snapping under the pressure of our world, and even how to fray with grace. Se...
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TJS S5E11 The Camp David Accords from 2021-12-26T09:32:14
The domestic political upheaval of 1977 was followed quickly by an international earthquake in 1978 when Israel and Egypt agree to make peace. Here is the story of how shifts within two societies, ...
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TJS S5E10 The 1977 election aftershocks from 2021-12-19T07:08:44
Begin's victory in 1977 was the beginning of revolutionary change for Israel, not the end. Some who rejoiced will be bemused, others who were skeptical will be surprised. This episode explores the...
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TJS S5E9 The upheaval election of 1977 from 2021-12-12T05:38:08
There are few events in the history of Israel's democracy which have had a greater impact than the elections of 1977. When all the votes were counted three decades of Labor Zionist rule had come to...
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TJS S5 Interlude: Empires come, empires go from 2021-12-05T16:16:55
Many people look at the world today and feel the foundations of American power shaking - and most are afraid. Here is an episode about empires, made in the spirit of Hanukkah. Rav Mike takes a look...
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TJS Interlude - Hanukkah: Who knows eight? from 2021-11-27T17:45:20
Have you ever wondered why exactly Hanukkah lasts eight days? You may be familiar with the 'jar of oil' answer, but this interlude will give you a lot more to think about. Tune in to Rav Mike's ann...
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TJS S5E8 The raid on Entebbe from 2021-11-18T16:53:28
Heroism is a precious quality, and one strong enough to change the world. Here is the story of the Israeli mission to free hostages on Entebbe, perhaps the most heroic mission of its time. At its h...
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TJS S5E7 Yitzchak Rabin's first term - part II from 2021-11-12T07:53:18
Rabin faced conflicts on all three fronts of Jewish history - within Am Yisrael, between Israel and the nations, and as a people in their land. This episode focuses on the third, as the Arab/Israel...
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TJS S5E6: Yitzhak Rabin's first term from 2021-10-30T16:34:26
When most people think about Yitzchak Rabin as Israel's Prime Minister they focus on the Oslo Accords and his tragic murder, but many are unaware that Rabin's assassination ended his second term. H...
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TJS S5E5 - Gush Emunim from 2021-10-21T16:31:10
Many things within Israeli society were threatened with collapse in the wake of the Yom Kippur War, and perhaps the most profound danger was a loss of spirit. This episodes explores the rise of the...
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TJS S5 Interlude - interview with Gil Troy from 2021-10-14T15:42:12
Historian and author Gil Troy joins me for a follow up to the 'Zionism is Racism' episode. We talk 'Moynihan's Moment,' the rise of the PLO, the mental health crisis on American campuses and much m...
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TJS S54 Zionism is racism from 2021-10-07T19:39:10
If Israel is meant to be a light to the nations, then how they see us offers illuminating insights. In this episode we meet the Non-Aligned Movement, Israel's relationship with Africa, President Mo...
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Interlude Sukkot 5782 seeking joy from 2021-09-23T13:55:08
Sometimes its seems that joy is the most desirable and least available aspect of human experience. In this episode Rav Mike seeks out some insights from Sukkot, the festival of joy, on how we can e...
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TJS S5E3 Feminism and American Judaism from 2021-09-14T16:54:10
The feminist movement and Jewish American life came together in the 1960s and 70s - each influencing the other. In this episode we touch on Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique, the religious activism...
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TJS S5 Interlude Crowning the King 5782 from 2021-09-02T12:58:42
Sometimes a simple question sparks the deepest thoughts. This episode is in answer to a simple question - what is the story of Rosh Hashanah. It explores the nature of kingship and the crown in Jew...
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TJS S5E2 Let My People Go - the ongoing fight for Soviet Jewry from 2021-08-26T15:13:22
talks about Russian Jewish refuseniks, why they were denied exit visas to immigrate to Israel, and how the Communist regime eventually let them go. Learn about US President Richard Nixon's détente ...
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TJS S5E1 A portrait of American Jewry, circa 1974 from 2021-08-19T13:52:16
The changing culture of American Jewry after the Yom Kippur War in Israel and the Vietnam War meant leaving old neighborhoods, a surge in Zionism and new developments in the Jewish community like t...
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TJS Live - Survival Zionism part VI from 2021-08-13T10:55:28
Here is part six of the live series on Survival Zionism. This episode returns to the land of Israel to look at the struggle for liberation which preceded the war for independence. If you like the l...
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TJS Live - Survival Zionism part V from 2021-08-05T09:50:43
Here is part five of the live series on Survival Zionism. This episode returns to the US to look at the impact of these fateful years on American Jewry. If you like the live style, sign up for this...
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TJS Live Survival Zionism part IV from 2021-07-22T14:01:05
Here is part four of the live series on Survival Zionism. This episode tells the story of the Warsaw Ghetto. If you like the live style, sign up for this year's TJS Live weekly class at:
jewish...
TJS Live Survival Zionism part III from 2021-07-15T12:13:38
Here is part three of my live series on Survival Zionism. This episode takes us to Europe in the war years and explores the evolution of the Final Solution, which served as the great selection of E...
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TJS Live Survival Zionism part II from 2021-07-08T17:24:20
Here is the second installment in my LIVE series exploring survival Zionism. This episode explores many of the roots of the Arab Israeli conflict and how they contributed to the formation of a new ...
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TJS Live Survival Zionism I from 2021-07-02T00:07:23
You know about labor Zionism, revisionist Zionism, practical Zionism and religious Zionism - but have you heard of survival Zionism? Here is the first episode in a six part LIVE series on the cruci...
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TJS S4E21 Epilogue from 2021-06-17T03:56:05
Every chapter comes to an end sometime, and with this epilogue season four draws to a close. Listen in for some reflections and where we have been and where we are headed in the season to come, as ...
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TJS S4E20 The domestic aftermath from 2021-06-10T16:07:55
The shock waves of the Yom Kippur War ripple through Israeli society down to our day, but the days immediately after tell a story all their own. This episode explores the rise of Israel's first pro...
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TJS S4E19 The international aftermath from 2021-06-03T15:42:51
Every war has a winner, but sometimes identifying who that may be is not a simple task - nor a neutral one. This episode explores the international aftermath of the Yom Kippur war, explaining how t...
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TJS S4 Interlude: Despite it all from 2021-05-19T17:29:07
Here is a rant on the current struggle in Israel and Gaza. There is something in it for everyone, both to provoke and inspire. Make sure you don't miss the message at the end!
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TJS S4E18 Yom Kippur War VI The end game from 2021-05-13T14:47:21
Some people play a perfect role in the Jewish Story, and in this episode that will be US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and General Ariel Sharon. As the fighting reaches its conclusion, each wi...
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TJS S4 Interlude Yom Yerushalayim (live) from 2021-05-07T08:14:16
Here is a LIVE Yom Yerushalayim class given in honor of the 10th yartzheit of Fruma Raizel bat Genendel and Nehemia haKohen. It explores the relationship between Yom Ha'atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim...
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TJS S4E17 Yom Kippur War V: Down but not out from 2021-05-02T03:55:31
This is the story of how close the end really came during the Yom Kippur War. Even as Israel's tanks held out in the north, turning a stretch of the Golan into 'The Valley of Tears,' the forces in ...
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TJS S4E16 Yom Kippur War IV: A stunning blow from 2021-04-23T07:37:08
A surprise blow is always the hardest to absorb, even if it's not so powerful. The first strike of the Yom Kippur War will be massive, and it will come close to stunning the entire nation of Israel...
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TJS S4 Interlude Yom Ha'atzmaut: whom do you serve? from 2021-04-14T13:33:10
Like Bob Dylan said, everybody's gotta serve somebody and like the Sages said - it will be your stomach, your country or your Gd. Here are some thoughts on our independence and our mission for this...
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TJS S4E15 Yom Kippur War III - breaking the concept from 2021-04-08T16:13:03
Sometimes the ideas we hold most dear are those which prevent us from seeing t hat which is most important. Here is an episode about the 'concept,' the security analysis paradigm which stopped Isra...
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Conversation with Yehudah HaKohen - politics, liberation and the tribes of modern Israel from 2021-03-30T08:20
Here is a raw take from a great pre-chag conversation. Apologies for the lack of polish - sometimes this holy day takes all you've got!
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TJS S4E14 Yom Kippur War part II The Cherbourg Boats from 2021-03-18T14:04:30
Long before there was a start-up nation the Jews were the can do people, but a constant crisis-solving posture poses problems of its own. Here is part two in our effort to build the context for the...
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TJS S4 Interlude: Haggadah - interview with Mark Gerson from 2021-03-13T17:35:05
Telling the story of the Exodus is something so simple that we do it every year, and so complicated that we never get it quite right. With all the effort we put into preparation for a kosher Pesac...
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TJS S4E13 Yom Kippur War part I - the context for surprise from 2021-03-04T15:59:27
If we call what happened in the 1967 a war of the spirit, then what occurred seven years later was a struggle of psychology. Here is the first episode leading up to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It expl...
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TJS S4 Interlude: Vengeance, an conversation with Thane Rosenbaum from 2021-02-18T10:48:20
The desire to get even is as old as Cain and Abel, so what new could possibly be said about it? Here is an interview with author Thane Rosenbaum where we explore the nature of vengeance, its relati...
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TJS S4 Interlude Adar: doing more with joy from 2021-02-11T12:51:09
It is Adar once again, believe it or not! Here at the end of a Covid-crazy year the call to increase joy can also be heard as a call to do more joyfully. Here are some thoughts about how to embrace...
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TJS S4E12 The 1972 Munich Massacre from 2021-02-07T08:01:56
The whole world watched in horror as the murder of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games raised the bar on international terror to previously inconceivable heights. The events ca...
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TJS S4E11 Black September from 2021-01-28T15:43:23
There is a narrative battle which has been raging for decades between Arab and Jew in the land of Israel, and sometimes it breaks out into open warfare. This is the story of the abortive attempt by...
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TJS S4 Interlude: Interview with Rena Rossner from 2021-01-18T16:12:26
The power of fairy stories goes well beyond entertainment. In this interlude author Rena Rossner joins me to explore myth, story and the power of fairy tale. Along the way we touch on God, history ...
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TJS S4E10 War of Attrition part III - an honorable peace from 2021-01-11T12:57:58
The battlefield and the boardroom come together for the last episode in the series on the War of Attrition. Meet new Prime Minister Golda Meir as she balances war and politics in her new policy of ...
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TJS S4E9 War of Attrition part II: the diplomatic front from 2020-12-31T16:59
Every major conflict is fought on many fronts. This second installment on the War of Attrition explores the diplomatic front. We will encounter Yitzchak Rabin as the new Israeli ambassador and get ...
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TJS S4 Interlude 10th of Tevet: it's not too late from 2020-12-24T17:01
Every fast day is an chance for cheshbon nefesh, for making an accounting of life and the world. The Tenth of Tevet offers an additional, unique opportunity - to think about immanent dangers. Here ...
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TJS S4 Interlude Hanukkah 5781: Letting the light out from 2020-12-09T11:52:36
Rav Mike's annual shiur in honor of the yartzheit of his father, Charles M. Feuer, ob"m. Gratitude is one of the keys to happiness, especially in dark times. Join Rav Mike as he explores the connec...
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TJS S4E8 War of Attrition part I from 2020-12-04T11:47:48
Changing our conceptions is one of the hardest things in life to do, for countries as well as individuals. Israel's stunning victory in 1967 brought many blessings, but it also posed certain chall...
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TJS S4 Interlude: Interview w/ Rabbi Berel Wein from 2020-11-26T15:48:45
It is not every day that you get to speak with a legend, much less interview one. Here are some precious words I had with the Alter rebbe of Jewish History, Rabbi Berel Wein. We touch on the natur...
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TJS S4E7 Israel post 67 part III Settling Hebron from 2020-11-19T16:10:33
The return to Israel can have two meanings - a return to the Land and a return to essential self. The birth of a settlement movement striving for redemption was one of the most significant results ...
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TJS S4E6 Israel post 1967 part II - A Greater Israel from 2020-11-13T06:55:38
One can look at life as one long string of decisions, whether for individuals or nations. Israel had a number of decisions to make in the wake of the Six Day War and none was more pressing than whe...
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TJS S4 Interlude - Interview with Yossi Klein Halevi from 2020-11-06T05:09:47
This week I host author and thought leader Yossi Klein Halevi. Our conversation touches on his personal experience of Meir Kahane and the early struggle for Soviet Jewry, the challenges of writing,...
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TJS S4E5 Israel after 1967 part I: In new territory from 2020-10-25T11:13
Abundance is always a blessing, so long as one has the capacity to receive it. In the weeks and months after their victory in June of 1967, the Israeli government struggled to absorb the meaning an...
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TJS S4 Interlude: Interview with Dr. Michael Oren from 2020-10-14T05:24:48
In this interlude I am joined by special guest Dr. Michael Oren. The topic at hand is how the Six Day War helped shaped the special relationship between Israel and the United States. Along the way ...
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TJS S4 Interlude: Sukkot from 2020-10-07T09:32:49
If you feel a bit like the world might be falling apart, then look to the sukkah for how to hold it together. Here are a few holiday thoughts on faith, joy and how to build a better world. Chag sam...
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TJS S4E4 The early struggle for Soviet Jewry from 2020-10-02T06:40:14
It is a truism that struggle brings out unexpected powers from within us, and what's true in life is true in history as well. The struggle to liberate Soviet Jewry will be a formative element of ou...
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TJS S4 Interlude Ten days of teshuva from 2020-09-18T08:40:15
Here is a thought to help focus your practice during these powerful days. May we all be blessed with a sweet, healthy and productive year! Shana tova, Rav Mike.
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TJS S4E3 American Jewry after 1967 part III, the Ocean Hill-Brownsville strike from 2020-09-13T06:19:22
There are stories which are turning points in a larger tale, and there are those which prove to be tempests in a tea cup. The story of the 1968 NYC school strike could be read as both. Either way, ...
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TJS S4 Interlude R' Yitz Greenberg and the God of History from 2020-09-06T07:12:35
How we chew and swallow what history shoves down our throat can define us as individuals and nations. Here is an interview with R' Yitz Greenberg, foundational thinker on post-Holocaust theology. I...
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TJS S4E2 American Jewry after 1967 part II From Auschwitz to Jerusalem from 2020-08-30T06:52:13
As each decade passes, the Holocaust retreats in time and grows in memory and this is not a linear process - some years count more than others. This episode looks at American Jewry's relationship t...
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TJS S4E1 American Jewry after 1967 part I The Wisdom of the Moment from 2020-08-23T08:24:49
History is all about telling the story after the fact, but there is a particular wisdom to be gained in the heat of the moment which is easily lost in hindsight. The first episode of season four be...
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TJS Interlude Disengagement. an interview with Daniella Levy from 2020-07-27T13:24:49
Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip was fifteen years ago, but to me it feels like yesterday. In this interlude, author Daniella Levy joins me to discuss the fiction work which she wrote to ...
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TJS Live: Heralds of Zion III Leon Pinsker from 2020-07-16T06:05:59
Class three in the 'Heralds of Zion' series. This time we explore the formation of Eastern European Enlightenment within the Pale of Settlement, along with the rise of nationalist thought across Eu...
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TJS Live: Heralds of Zion IV Theodore Herzl from 2020-07-16T06:05:57
Class four in the Heralds of Zion series. In this class we explore the life of Theodore Herzl. Along the way we discuss assimilation, antisemitism and the major events which led up to the birth of ...
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TJS Live: Heralds of Zion I R' Alkalai and R' Kalischer from 2020-07-16T06:05:56
The first in the 'Heralds of Zion' series. After introducing the two essential elements of Zionism, we explore its roots in classical religious thinking and how modernity forced an evolution even i...
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TJS Live: Heralds of Zion II Moses Hess from 2020-07-16T06:05:55
Class two of the 'Heralds of Zion' series. This class explores the tension between particularism and universalism as it found expression in the utopian socialist movements of the 19th century. In t...
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TJS Live: Heralds of Zion V Ahad Ha'am, Nordau and the New Jew from 2020-07-16T06:05:54
The last installment in the Heralds of Zion series. This class explores the differences between Political and Cultural Zionism, along with introducing the personalities of Asher Ginsberg and Max No...
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TJS S3E33 Six Day War part VII On the Seventh Day from 2020-07-02T15:12:08
Just as surely as Shabbat follows the six days of the week, there was a day after the Six Day War. When the guns ceased and the discussion began, the framing of Israel's victory became the new batt...
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TJS S3E32 Six Day War part VI The power of determination from 2020-06-26T07:15:06
There are certain qualities which, when they manifest, define one's story -determination is one of them. Here is the story of the conquest of the Golan and the close of the war, events which will d...
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TJS S3E31 Six Day War part V - something miraculous from 2020-06-19T04:28:51
What do you see as the greatest miracles in Jewish History? In many ways, how you answer indicates your understanding of history altogether. This episode deals with the first three days of the war,...
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TJS S3E30 Six Day War IV The waiting from 2020-06-11T13:06:42
Going into battle may take bravery, but waiting demands a certain type of courage as well. This episode lays out the final steps of the build up to war, known in Israeli history as "the waiting, a...
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TJS S3 Interlude - George Floyd and the burden of history from 2020-06-04T12:52:48
I can't watch what is happening in silence, but nor am I willing to simply be a cheerleader for chaos. Here are some thoughts on structural violence and what can all learn from the murder of George...
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TJS S3E29 Six Day War III Israel dwells alone from 2020-05-24T12:49:56
The countdown to war is progressing, and the pieces are almost all in place. As the pressure mounts, some of the fundamental flaws which lie at the heart of the Zionist project are exposed. The qu...
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TJS S3E28 The Six Day War II - The point of no return from 2020-05-12T16:36:23
The causes of war may be many and the road to its outbreak long, but every conflict has a tipping point. In this episode the noose seems to close around Israel. As Egypt's re-militarizes the Sinai ...
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TJS Interlude - Yom Haatzmaut Interview 2020 from 2020-04-28T09:50:29
Here is an interview of me by Rabbi Yonatan from the RRG Beit Midrash at Hebrew University in which we reflect on Israel Independence day from the historical and spiritual perspectives. If you want...
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TJS S3E27 Six Day War I - beginnings near and far from 2020-04-24T05:47:19
Who can say when historical events like the Six Day War actualy began, and what were their causes? It is a daunting task, but not one which we can shirk, nonetheless. Here is the first episode in ...
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TJS S3 Interlude - Making every day count from 2020-04-17T06:59:37
The exodus from Egypt was only the first step on the road to Sinai. The bridge between Egypt and Sinai, between liberation and revelation, is embodied in the practice of counting the Omer. Here i...
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SPECIAL LIVE! Pesach 5780 The Haggadah as narrative therapy from 2020-03-31T05:55:39
We tell stories to make sense of our lives, to give them meaning and direction, and the more challenging life is - the harder it is to craft a believable plot. The Sages taught us that “in every ge...
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TJS S3 Interlude - the many faces of mercy from 2020-03-25T07:03:01
Sometimes you have to speak from the heart. Here are a few thoughts, or really feelings, about our current situation. There is a tremendous potential in every crisis, the question is - can we see b...
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TJS S3E26 Eli Cohen, hero of Israel from 2020-03-18T07:02:51
Historians may argue about whether one person can shift the course of history, but everyone agrees that a hero can change the world. Here is the story of Eli Cohen, hero of Israel.
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TJS S3 Interlude Purim - Own your story from 2020-03-05T18:40:52
The Jewish Story is narrative therapy for a nation, but how can it also serve each of us in our quest to be actors in our lives instead of objects? Listen in to this great Purim Torah, an explorati...
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TJS S3E25 Shifting identities in early Israel from 2020-02-27T07:37:06
The present is always built on the ruins of the past, the only real question is - how do we integrate this reality into our identity? This episode looks at the begins of a shift in Israeli identity...
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TJS S3E24 Levi Eshkol - a new face of leadership from 2020-02-17T14:02:05
Old politicians never die, they just fade away. The era of Ben Gurion ended in 1963 and it appeared that his replacement, Levi Eshkol, could not live up to his legacy. This episode introduces a new...
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TJS S3 Interlude: some more questions from 2020-02-11T14:11:22
Why stop once with a good thing? Here is another interlude answering listener questions on Israel as a Jewish State. Hold out to the end hear what Rav Mike thinks about 'Free Palestine' t-shirts.
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TJS S3 Interlude - Redemption Rant from 2020-02-04T10:37:26
Sometimes you just have to let loose, so here is a rant in response to some listener questions. It touches on the Trump Plan, the current political crisis and even sea level. Most of all this is ab...
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TJS S3E23 Spirit of the Sixties part IV: The radical break from 2020-01-24T09:34:23
For a few brief weeks, it looked like 1968 would be a revolution in America on par with 1967 in Israel. This episode explores the role of radical Jews in trying to push America toward the birth of ...
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TJS S3E22 Spirit of the 60s part III: the revolution starts tonight from 2020-01-15T06:22:14
At the Sixties progressed they became more intense. In particular, the tone of the civil rights movement shifted from integration to separation and from evolution to revolution. This episode will e...
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10th of Tevet - Hope under siege from 2020-01-07T07:44:36
If we want to access the invitation which this day extends, then we need to know what we are fasting for. Here is a brief exploration of the three elements which make up the Tenth of Tevet.
TJS S3E21 The spirit of the 60s part II from 2020-01-05T17:43:45
1964 was the Freedom Summer in America, and it saw a wave of white, Jewish volunteers leaving the comfort of their suburban existence to fight the battle against racism in the rural south. This epi...
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TJS S3 Interlude Hannukah - releasing the light within from 2019-12-22T06:34:15
Here is a live interlude from Rav Mike - his annual class in memory of his father, Charles Feuer ob'm. It is an exploration of the Hannukah light as it has been gradually released through the chall...
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TJS S3 E20 The Spirit of the 60’s part I: pragmatism and prophecy from 2019-12-16T08:53:14
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 19...
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TJS S3E19: The Samson Option from 2019-12-06T06:36:36
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 rele...
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TJS S3 Interlude Government - a crisis of faith from 2019-11-27T18:17:23
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 que...
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TJS S3 Interlude: War, what is it good for? from 2019-11-22T03:54:27
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,...
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TJS S3E18: The Eichmann Trial from 2019-11-15T03:51:01
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...
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TJS: S3E17 The Kastner affair from 2019-11-07T08:13:13
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 o...
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TJS: S3E16 Israel at age ten from 2019-10-29T17:20:38
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. ...
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TJS S3 Interlude: Kingdom or client state? from 2019-10-15T18:36:20
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 t...
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TJS S3 Interlude: 5780 A New Horizon from 2019-10-07T12:43:45
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 buildi...
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TJS S3E15 Israel among the nations part III: Operation Kadesh from 2019-09-26T17:52:05
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...
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TJS: S3E14 Israel among the nations part II: War Approaches 1955 from 2019-09-15T11:29:27
The clock is counting down toward the 1956 Sinai Campaign. Before we can tell that story the threads of the Cold War, infiltration and post-colonial politics have to come together.
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TJS: S3E13 Israel among the nations part I The Lavon Affair 1954 from 2019-09-05T19:31:42
The 1950's were a formative time in Israeli history. The Cold War was getting hot, internal politics were volatile, and the it seemed as if the War of Independence had not quite ended. To Israel's ...
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TJS S3E12 The Reparations Controversy from 2019-08-26T13:03:28
The focus of our story has returned to the land of Israel, where it is once again a time of controversy. Despite the population growth, the economic hardships and the security challenges, the most...
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TJS S3 Interlude: 9th of Av from 2019-08-07T07:36:09
Some timely questions for a difficult day. How do we reach redemption if we don't know what it looks like? How do we transform suffering into a source of positive identity? And what does it look li...
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TJS S3 Interlude: Am Yisrael and the postmodern challenge from 2019-07-29T13:28:28
Taking a break from the flow of history to think about a pressing current issue. Where does the breakdown of classic understandings of identity and authority associated with the postmodern age leav...
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TJS S3E11 1945-55 part III The reorganization of American Zionism from 2019-07-19T05:54:35
We spoke about the suburbs and the shadows, now it is time to talk about Zionism. The 'Golden decade' was a time of reorganization in general, and particularly in relation to the newborn State of I...
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TJS S3E10 1945-55 part II Shadows on the Golden Decade from 2019-07-05T09:46:44
The decade after World War Two was a Jewish decade for America. Not only did the Jews achieve the suburban dream, but their culture stepped right into the middle of the American mainstream. Nonethe...
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TJS S3E9 1945-55 part I Did the Jews turn white? from 2019-06-28T09:36:05
1945 to 1955 is known as the 'Golden Decade' of American Jewry. Here is the first of three episodes which aims to fill in the Jewish Story on the western side of the Atlantic. The question for toda...
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TJS S3E8 Seventy years of constitutional crisis - part II 1992 from 2019-06-21T07:23:02
In part two of this exploration of Israel's seventy year constitutional crisis we take a look at the revolution of 1992 and how it contributed to today's battles. As a special bonus I included a li...
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TJS S3E7 70 years of constitutional crisis part I - 1949 from 2019-06-13T16:01:22
If I asked you whether Israel has a constitution are you sure that you would know the answer? This episode is the first half of answering the question by delving into the history of Israel's 1949 C...
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TJS S3 Interlude Jerusalem Day 5779 from 2019-05-28T05:20:08
Every once in a while you have to get out of the house, and even out of the box. Where better to do that than Jerusalem, and who is a better partner than Yehudah Hakohen. Here is a free-flowing con...
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TJS S3E6 The limits of retaliation from 2019-05-24T07:59:07
Every value has a boundary and every state a border, which means that often we have to fight to maintain them. Here is the story of Israel's struggle against infiltration in the 1950's and the mora...
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TJS S3E5 1949 Boundary issues - part I from 2019-05-12T17:31:48
In 1949 Israel was in the dangerous position of winning the battle and losing the war. Though ceasefire agreements were in place, peace remained elusive. This episode opens an examination of the qu...
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TJS S3 Interlude Independence 5779 Independence or self-actualization? from 2019-05-05T11:54:38
There is no word for independence in Biblical Hebrew, and the roots of the modern word can teach us much. This might right be called the day when we celebrate 'self-actualization,' but that leaves ...
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TJS S3 Passover Interlude: The Exodus, a story beyond belief from 2019-04-16T08:34:44
The commandment around which seder night revolves is the telling of the story of the Exodus. Many people today struggle with questions of historicity, meaning - did this really happen? Here is an e...
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TJS S3E4 Sink or Swim - mass immigration and the in-gathering part II from 2019-04-06T18:35:45
There are times in the history of peoples and nations when the decisions made shape the future. The three years after Israel's foundation saw its population double through immigration, the way in w...
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TJS S3E3 Mass Immigration and Ingathering the Exiles - part I from 2019-03-27T19:25:49
In the first two years after Israel's independence the Jewish population doubled. Such massive immigration put an almost fatal stress on the resources and social fabric of the young state. Before w...
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TJS S3 Purim 5779: The Oldest Hatred, a practical analysis from 2019-03-19T10:35:25
Hatred of the Jews is the oldest and most pervasive form of prejudice which humanity knows. In this episode Rav Mike uses the comments of Haman to ask not only why we are hated, but also what we c...
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TJS3 Interlude What is a Jew? from 2019-03-11T14:16:23
It is time to move away from the divisive question of who is a Jew to ask something more essential - what is a Jew? The first half of this episode offers Rav Mike's thoughts on the subject. The se...
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TJS S3E2 The Evolution of American Zionism part II: Two conflicts which shaped American Zionism from 2019-03-04T14:17:44
Part I presented America as an environment of formation for American Zionism, part two adds the other element of evolution - competition. The struggles between American Zionists and first the Euro...
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TJS S3 E1 The Evolution of American Zionism, part I from 2019-02-21T18:23:59
Season 3 opens with a long awaited introduction to the American chapter of the Jewish Story. This first segment traces the back story of the three waves of Jewish immigration to American and explor...
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TJS S3 Prologue - The questions which drive the Jewish Story post-1948 from 2019-02-13T11:01:39
It is time to get a new season started. This prologue introduces the idea that every story has a topography on which it unfolds. In particular, it is a framing of the season ahead through questions...
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TJS Interlude: Three things which divide the stories of American and Israeli Jews from 2019-01-30T08:08:25
Everybody is talking about the relationship between American and Israeli Jewry - is the romance over? are we headed for a breakup? This relationship will be central to the Jewish Story in season th...
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TJS2 Epilogue: The re-emergence of Jewish political theology and messianism in 1948 from 2019-01-18T10:35:48
What better way to wrap up season two than to talk about the messiah? Here is an exploration of the power of the messianic idea and its centrality to Jewish thought. It also includes the introducti...
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TJS S2 Interlude: Who is Rabbi Mike Feuer and why is he telling the Jewish story? from 2019-01-10T09:01:14
Every story has a teller, and a good listener knows that you can't really separate the two. In this podcast, Rav Mike sits down with his old friend and founder of Aleph Male, Eitan Ben Avraham, and...
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TJS S2E40: Made in 1948 - Three historic decisions that shaped the birth of modern-day Israel from 2019-01-01T11:37:43
Declaring a state is a matter of moments, but birthing it can be a much more prolonged process. The last episode in season two is a look at a series of decisions taken by Ben Gurion in the months f...
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TJS S2E38 The Fight for Liberation Which Preceded Freedom from 2018-12-23T18:07:12
Before a person or a people can enjoy true freedom, first they must break t heir chains. This is the story of how the underground war finally broke the back of the British occupation and how the Un...
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TJS S2 E39: Pre-Independence 1948 - The Battle for the Roads and the birth of Narrative War from 2018-12-18T11:37:14
1948 was a year of Biblical proportions, which means the stories told about what happened often have more power than the events themselves. This is part one of a two-part treatment of this momentou...
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After the Hanukkah Miracle: 3 Disasters that Wiped Out the Maccabees and How Israel Can Avoid Them from 2018-12-05T09:05:43
One could say that the Maccabees won the battle but lost the war. How is it that the heroes of the Hannukah story went from the heights of spiritual power to the depths of corruption in less than 1...
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The Jewish Story - S2:E37 Survivalist Zionism - How the Zionist Struggle Looked After the Holocaust from 2018-11-27T17:07:34
Once World War Two ended all the promises of the allies were put to test - would they find a solution to the Jewish problem now that the war was won? This episode describes the escalation of the st...
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The Jewish Story S2:E36 The Revolt Against British Rule and the Struggle Within the Underground from 2018-11-27T17:00:16
As European Jewry was consumed by the Shoah, the Zionists in the land of Israel gradually came to see the British blocking the gates of Israel as their main enemy. The episode explores the split be...
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TJS II Episode 35: The Warsaw Ghetto and the Rise of Jewish Resistance from 2018-10-23T12:31:46
By 1942 there was no escape from Europe for the Jews, and even if they had managed to run - who would take them in. This second episode on the Holocaust explores the message of the Warsaw Ghetto Up...
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TJS II Episode 34: The Heart of Darkness from 2018-10-11T09:15:42
There are things which need to be spoken about no matter how difficult and questions which need to be asked, no matter how unanswerable. Here is the first of twp episodes which engage the role of t...
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TJS II Episode 33: The Arab Revolt from 2018-10-03T12:31:01
The 1930's saw the hate triangle of Arabs, British and Jews explode into an unprecedented scale of violence known as the Arab Revolt. The revolt brought on yet another cycle of repression and polit...
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TJS II Episode 32: Under Pressure from 2018-10-03T12:26:26
In the 1930's the ideological divides between the Revisionist and Labor Zionists grew, and cracks began to appear within the community of the Yishuv. Meanwhile, pressure on European Jewry was incre...
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TJS II Episode 2: Hope Eternal from 2018-09-30T10:27:40
One of the hallmarks of the early modern era is mobility, which means we will be jumping around a bit. This episode follows the story of the exiles upon their arrival in Italy. They take with them ...
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TJS II Episode 4: Epistemological Breakdown from 2018-09-13T18:50:23
Epistemology is not about what you know, but about how you know anything all. The word may seem unsettling, but that is nothing compared to the breakdown which Europeans suffered as the foundations...
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TJS Season Two Prologue: The Third Temple from 2018-09-13T18:50
You can tell a historian by where he begins and ends his story.Here is a prologue to season two, which begins at the Expulsion from Spain and ends at the rise of the State of Israel. The question i...
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TJS II Episode 1: The New Homeland from 2018-09-13T18:49:58
As the Jews of Ashkenaz moved eastward, they brought their customs and language with them. What they found waiting in Poland was a refuge that would allow them to prosper for hundreds of years.
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TJS II Episode 3: The Power of Print from 2018-09-13T18:49:56
The printing press helped spark a knowledge explosion which changed the world, and of course, less than fifty years after Gutenberg printed his Bible, Jewish presses were already transforming the f...
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TJS II Episode 5: The Merchant Queen from 2018-09-13T18:49:53
Gracia Mendes was the most powerful Jewish woman since Queen Esther. Defying princes and Popes she amassed a fortune, supporyitng the poor, patronizing culture, and building an underground railroad...
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TJS II Episode 6: Tradition and Authority from 2018-09-13T18:49:51
Though the early modern era was a time of throwing off tradition for many Europeans, in the city of Tzefat its power was alive and well. This is the story of how R' Yosef Karo became the greatest l...
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TJS II Episode 7: The Lion's Roar from 2018-09-13T18:49:49
The Golden Age of Tzefat had more to it than the writing of authoritative legal texts. There was also a flowering of kabbalistic thought which returned the experience of the Divine to its central p...
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TJS II Episode 8: The Hope of Israel from 2018-09-13T18:49:47
Hope is a powerful force. The conversos who escaped from Iberia and built a new life were driven by the hope for freedom, prosperity and ultimately redemption. But even once the New World colonies ...
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TJS II Episode 9: The False Messiah from 2018-09-13T18:49:45
The appearance of Shabbetai Zvi evoked a tidal wave of messianic hope which swept Jews and Christians in its wake. Was his advent just a case of the "perfect storm" conditions in history, or was th...
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TJS II Episode 12: Movement and Controversy from 2018-09-13T18:49:43
Within two decades after the Baal Shem Tov's death, a movement sprung up from his revolutionary thoughts. This new current of Jewish life did not emerge without controversy; and as the chasidim and...
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TJS II Episode 10: A Blessing and a Curse from 2018-09-13T18:49:42
Baruch Spinoza the was the most famous philosopher the Jews ever produced, but he had to leave the fold in order to speak his truth. He crowned reason king of creation at the same time as the mythi...
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TJS II Episode 11: A Light Out of Darkness from 2018-09-13T18:49:40
The institutions of the middle ages have already run their course, and the way ahead into modernity is far from clear for Polish Jewry. Out of this darkness and confusion a new light will emerge, i...
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TJS II Episode 13: Emden, Eybeschuetz and Enlightenment from 2018-09-13T18:49:35
Just when you think the Sabbateans have had their last say in the story, one of the greatest conflicts of 18th century rabbinic culture breaks out. This episode explores the controversy between R' ...
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TJS II Episode 14: The German Socrates from 2018-09-13T18:49:33
Moses Mendelssohn was a critical philosopher of the German Enlightenment and the most controversial figure of the Jewish Enlightenment. Whether you think that he was a light to his generation or a ...
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TJS II Episode 15: The Berlin Enlightenment from 2018-09-13T18:49:31
Mendelssohn's story continues, but one man does not a movement make. The Berlin Haskalah was a whole generation of transition, one which struggled with the boundaries of Torah, society and identity...
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TJS II Episode 18: National Jew and International Jew from 2018-09-13T18:49:29
The struggle between the parochial and the cosmopolitan is a defining tension of the 19th century - for Europe as a whole and the Jews in particular. In this episode we will update our understandin...
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TJS II Episode 16: The Emperor and the Jews from 2018-09-13T18:49:28
As the Emperor of France spreads the ideals of the revolution through Europe, the question arises - is emancipation a right, a privilege or a threat? Every action had an equal and opposite reaction...
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TJS II Episode 17: Scientific Judaism from 2018-09-13T18:49:26
The remarkable persistence of Am Yisrael as an ethnic entity, despite the best efforts of emancipation, is what poses the Jewish Question to European society. And while Europe is asking what to do ...
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TJS II Episode 19: The Ultimate Ism from 2018-09-13T18:49:21
It's time to talk about nationalism. Here is a presentation of the underpinnings of nationalist thought along with a look at what is happening in the Pale of Settlement. The episode ends with a gro...
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TJS II Episode 20: Heralders of Zion from 2018-09-13T18:49:19
In the second half of the 19th century the Jewish problem was pressing, and it took the form of antisemitism. When faced with such a problem, it is not surprising that many leaders took a problem-s...
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TJS II Episode 21: The Awakening from 2018-09-13T18:49:16
Return to the land of Israel had been a dream for almost 2000 years, and in the late 19th century it began to become a reality. It took a special man to transform the notion of national rebirth fro...
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TJS II Episode 22: One of the People from 2018-09-13T18:49:14
At the First Zionist Congress, Herzl awakened the Jews of Europe to their national political life. But Asher Zvi Ginsberg, better known as Ahad Ha'am, tried to teach them that the soul of the peopl...
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TJS II Episode 23: The New Jew from 2018-09-13T18:49:12
Did you ever wonder how the Jews went from being the martyrs of Europe to the military power of the Middle East in less than fifty years? This episode uncovers the roots of the extraordinary transf...
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TJS II Episode 24: The Religion of Labor from 2018-09-13T18:49:09
The end of the 19th century was a time of dramatic ideological struggle - cosmopolitanism vs. nationalism, socialism vs. capitalism. Early Zionist thought shows such incredible diversity that every...
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TJS II Episode 25: One More Dunam One More Goat from 2018-09-13T18:49:06
There are times in history which define us even now, and in the state of Israel the Second Aliyah is second to none in that respect. This episode tells of the chalutzim, the idealistic pioneers who...
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TJS II Episode 26: Rumors of War from 2018-09-13T18:49:04
The world is starting to shake with the rumbles of the the coming world war. The destruction which is to come will sweep away much of the old, and open new horizons for the budding Zionist project....
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TJS II Episode 27: The Anglo-Zionist Alliance from 2018-09-13T18:49:01
World War One brought massive destruction and great change. When the smoke cleared from this great conflagration, the British Empire was left in control of the land of Israel. This seemed to be goo...
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TJS II Episode 29: The Conflict Within from 2018-09-13T18:48:57
Each successive wave of immigrants that came up to the land brought with them their blessings, and their challenges. As the population grew, so did the nature of power politics. In the 1920's two l...
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TJS II Episode 30: Stories of Blood and Fire from 2018-09-13T18:48:56
Patterns are hard things to break, and we can learn much about ourselves by how they come about. Here is a look at the cycle of riots which rocked the Yishuv in the 1920's, and set the mold for Ara...
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TJS II Episode 31: Interwar Jewry from 2018-09-13T18:48:53
Though the land of Israel is the hinge around which the Jewish Story turns, there are many Jews whose future does not lie in Zion. This episode widens the scope of our story to consider the life of...
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TJS I Episode 1: The Time Between the 1st and 2nd Temples - Daniel, The Mythic Link from 2018-09-12T07:40:49
The opening episode of the Jewish Story! Rav Mike touches his perspective on history and then tells the story of Daniel as the link between the age of prophecy and the age of wisdom.
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TJS I Episode 2: The Return To Zion, Re-building the Walls of Identity, Religion, and Jerusale from 2018-09-12T07:40:49
In Episode 2 of The Jewish Story, Rav Mike explores the walls built by Ezra and Nechemia, and the power which exclusivity over our story gives in the shaping of identity.
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TJS I Episode 4: The Greek Encounter from 2018-09-12T07:40:48
The encounter between Greek and Jewish culture was love at first sight. The two cultures were bridged by language, and one of its great products of their fusion was the Septuagint - the Greek trans...
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TJS I Episode 5: The Channuka Revolt from 2018-09-12T07:40:47
In this episode Rav Mike describes the rise of Hellenistic Judaism as the background for the Channukah story. Judah and his brothers rose in revolt because they understood that identity is a matter...
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TJS I Episode 6: The Hasmonean Kingdom from 2018-09-12T07:40:41
Rav Mike discusses the rise and fall of the Hasmonean dynasty, from a kingdom of priests to Hellenestic kingdom. Also hear how Judean society began to tear along lines which will define things for ...
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TJS Episode 7: Herod and the Two Faces of Kingship from 2018-09-12T07:40:39
Herod the Wicked or Herod the Great? In this episode Rav Mike talks about Herod's kingdom, the final phase of Judea preceding the destruction of the Second Temple. Herod's complex personality match...
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TJS Episode 8: Hillel Prince of the Torah from 2018-09-12T07:40:37
In this episode Rav Mike discusses the persona of HiIlel the Elder. Hillel was named Nasi, prince, at the same time as Herod was king. In addition, Jesus of Nazareth was born in his lifetime. Toget...
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TJS I Episode 9: The Eve of Destruction from 2018-09-12T07:40:35
We are on the eve of destruction. As the national vessel begins to fray at the seams and the Temple's burning looms, the cultural battle within the text of the Torah erupts. When the smoke clears f...
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TJS Episode 10: Through the Flames from 2018-09-12T07:40:33
In this episode, R' Mike describes the destruction of Jerusalem from without and from within. In order to do so he compares the perspectives of the great Jewish historian Josephus and the leading S...
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TJS Episode 11: The Indigestible Element from 2018-09-12T07:40:31
The ruins of the Temple were still smoldering when Judea burst into the flames of rebellion once again. In this episode Rav Mike discusses the final two rounds of the Roman Jewish wars. Filled with...
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TJS Episode 12: The Portable Homeland from 2018-09-12T07:40:29
R' Yehudah HaNasi redacted the Mishna but he inherited its form and content from R' Akiva. In this episode, R' Mike explores the nature of the mishna and traces its development in the hands of R' A...
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TJS Episode 13: The Rivers of Babylon from 2018-09-12T07:40:27
It is the end of an era. In this episode Rav Mike explores rabbinic chronology, textual evolution and socio-political context in order to illustrate the shift between the time of the Tanaim and the...
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TJS Episode 14: Fixing the Conversation from 2018-09-12T07:40:25
Identity is always a battle. In this episode Rav Mike explores the struggle between Christianity and Judaism in late antiquity, as well the inner struggle of Am Yisrael to preserve its unique voice...
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TJS Episode 15: The Rising Cresent from 2018-09-12T07:40:23
The rise of Islam will offer new opportunities and pose new challenges for the survival of Am Yisrael. On one hand, the struggle to claim the title of true Israel which dominates life in the Christ...
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TJS I Episode 16: Ism and Schism from 2018-09-12T07:40:21
It as been quite a long while since R' Yochanan fled the Roman siege of Jerusalem, but now after seven hundred years the Jews have been united under what can be definitively called Judaism. But the...
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TJS I Episode 17: Rav Saadia Gaon from 2018-09-12T07:40:20
There is a debate whether great individuals shape history or history shapes them, but there is no argument about the role which R' Saadia Gaon played in shaping the Jewish Middle Ages. A mastery of...
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TJS I Episode 19: Call of the Spirit, Call of the Flesh from 2018-09-12T07:40:16
The 10th and 11th centuries of Jewish life in Al Andalus were so rich and productive that they were known as the Golden Age. The Jews struck root deeply in the soil of Muslim culture, and produced ...
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TJS I Episode 20: My Heart is in the East from 2018-09-12T07:40:14
Yehudah Halevi was the poet of a generation, and perhaps the most celebrated poet of medieval Spain. He also swam against the tide of philosophical rationalism and invited his readers to experience...
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TJS I Episode 21: From Moshe to Moshe from 2018-09-12T07:40:12
The Rambam was the second famous Moses in Jewish History. His accomplishments in Jewish law and philosophy tower over his contemporaries, and are pillars of of the Torah to this very day. Nonethele...
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The Jewish Story: 50th Jerusalem Day from 2018-09-12T07:40:05
The Jewish Story: 50th Jerusalem Day by Rav Mike
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TJS Epilogue Season 1 from 2018-09-12T07:40:02
The Expulsion from Spain marks a turning point in Jewish history. In addition to a national trauma which evokes the memory of the Temple's destruction, it challenges the model of identity which has...
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The Jewish Story: Independence Day from 2018-09-12T07:40:01
The Jewish Story: Independence Day by Rav Mike
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TJS I Episode 22: The Birth of Ashkenaz from 2018-09-12T07:39:58
The origins of Ashkenazi Jewry are bound up with the rise of Christian Europe. As the kingdoms of the Middle Ages began to take shape, teachers like Rashi gave form to a kingdom of the Torah which ...
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TJS I Episode 23: Depths Out of Darkness from 2018-09-12T07:39:51
The twelfth century was a time of spiritual expansion as the Tosafists transformed the Talmud and the Pietists of Ashkenaz awakened new depths of the soul. Darkness grew as well, as the Crusades ro...
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TJS I Episode 24: Into the Mystic from 2018-09-12T07:39:49
In the thirteenth centuries the stories of Ashkenaz and Spain begin to draw together. This is the great age of Christian expansion, which brings on book burning and religious disputation. It is als...
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TJS Episode 25: The Coming Storm from 2018-09-12T07:39:46
When faced with the choice between the cross and the sword, the Ashkenazi communities of the middle ages chose martyrdom. Why was the decision of their Spanish contemporaries so different?
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TJS I Episode 26: The Storm Breaks from 2018-09-12T07:39:45
When the storm broke in 1391, thousands were dead and even more converted. A new model of identity was born in the century before the expulsion, and it poses challenges that are present down to our...
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TJS Episode 27: The Converso Problem from 2018-09-12T07:39:43
The forced conversion of tens of thousands of Jews may have seemed like a great victory for Christianity, but in reality these conversos were a ticking bomb in the heart of Christian culture. In th...
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TJS I Episode 28: The Expulsion from Spain from 2018-09-12T07:39:42
A lot more happened in 1492 than Columbus sailing the ocean blue. Upon their marriage, Ferdinand and Isabella are determined to make newborn Spain a unified country, which means that there is no pl...
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