Makom Israel Teachers Lounge

Always get as much Hillel Halkin content as you possibly can. If you want to know why, listen to our current episode. Alan rejoined Mike for this one. They discussed Ahad Ha'am's arguments with Herzl, but it's really about why the history of Zionism is so relevant to us today. Normally we discuss current events, but a scholar like Hillel reminds us that we need to be informed by our past. Don't miss this one!Hillel HalkinHis Amazon PageMasa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Well, there goes the government. It looks like we're headed to the 5th elections in under 4 years. How did this happen? Why did this happen? What happens next? Mike is joined by Calev Ben-Dor and new team member Mordechai Cohen. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Ummm... WHAT?! What the heck is happening? Is the Israeli government about to change the status of West Bank settlements in a political fight? What does that mean for the almost half a million Jews who live there? Why are right wing parties endangering the settlement movement? Will this receive international attention? What is the plan here? How will all of this mess turn out. Mike and Liel try to figure out what's going on while explaining it to you... and themselves. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Why are posts about Israel on social media so distorted and strange? What can we do about it? How should Israel educators discuss these issues with their students? Social media and PR expert Emily Schrader joined Liel and Mike for a discussion filled with thought provoking insights and perspective. This episode is a must listen! Join us! Emily Schrader This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Why is the current government coalition in constant chaos? What does that mean for Israel's present and future? How do we follow these stories? Rajel Leghziel joined Matt and Mike to explain. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

With all the challenges facing the current coalition, can the government possibly last? What does it represent in terms of civility in politics? Why does civility matter so much to the health of democracy? Calev joined Mike and Matt to discuss. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

What does it mean that member of Knesset Amichai Chikli has been declared a renegade? What does that show us about Israeli democracy? And what do the "Yoms" (HaShoah, HaZikaron and HaAtzmaut) mean to us? What do they tell us about Israel and our people? Calev discussed these topics with Liel and Mike. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

When Idit Silman left the government coalition, she gave a strange reason. She said it was the implementing of the Supreme Court's ruling on Chametz in Israeli hospitals. What was that ruling? What are the rules on Chametz in Israeli institutions? What role does that Rabbinate play? How should Israel resolve the tension between its Jewish and Democratic identity? Liel and Mike invited Tani Frank, Director of the Center for Judaism and State Policy, to help explain these issues. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

How is the current wave of terrorism different from past ones? Is this another intifada? What is Israel doing about it? What exactly makes terrorism different from "freedom fighting"? To address these questions, and more, Mike and Matt invited Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian to the podcast. Mannie is the Times of Israel's military correspondent, and he brought information, explanation and insight to this troubling situation. Join us! Emanuel Fabian at TOIThis episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Israelis woke up on Wednesday morning to discover that the Government coalition dropped down to 60. Why did that happen? Why is it happening now? What does it mean for the future? Rajel Leghziel joined Liel and Mike on Thursday morning to explain the situation. It may seem confusing at first, but we help make sense of it all. Join us!TOI News and AnalysisThis episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, famously moved to kibbutz Sde Boker to promote settling the Negev. This week, it hosted a summit of representatives from the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt and the USA. What would Ben-Gurion think about all of this? (including the hotel they stayed at!) Calev joined Liel and Mike to discuss this landmark event. Join us! Negev Summit 2022Sde BokerThe HotelThis episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

After brief regional updates, Alan, Calev and Mike discuss Ukrainian President Zelensky's speech to Knesset members. What did he get wrong? Why did he say what he said? How should Israeli leaders react? When is using the term "Genocide" accurate and helpful? For this and more, join us! Zelensky SpeechBe'er Sheva News Sharm-el-Sheikh News This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been the focus of our thoughts and conversations. Long time listeners know the Times of Israel's senior analyst, Haviv Rettig Gur, as a friend of the podcast who helps us make sense of complex topics. In this extra long episode, Leil and Mike talk with him about what the conflict means to Israel and the world, and what it might mean for the future. What are the lessons that we must take from what has happened so far?We start this important episode with a powerful Masa Moment from Zachary Caplan, an MITF fellow from Bat Yam, and his unique perspective on the war. You don't want to miss this essential episode. Join us! Haviv at TOIThis episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

A few weeks ago, Knesset Member Bezalel Smotrich visited the UK. The Board of Deputies of British Jews, UK Jewry’s mainstream umbrella organization, greeted him with the following tweet: “We reject the abominable views and the hate-provoking ideology of Bezalel Smotrich. We call on all members of the British Jewish community to show him the door. Get back on the plane, Bezalel, and be remembered as a disgrace forever.” Why were they so negative and uninviting? How should we best characterize Smotrich and his "Religious Zionism" party? How much tolerance should we have for intolerance? Liel, Mike and Calev discuss these questions about the identity of the Jewish State. Join us! TOI Article on the UK ReactionThis episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Masa WebsiteFacebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

What challenges does the war in Ukraine pose to Israeli diplomats? How does Israel balance its relationships with both Ukraine and Russia? What is Jewish life in Ukraine like? What is Israel's responsibilities towards those Jews? Mike and Liel were fortunate to have Lazar Berman, the Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter, as a guest to explain what this conflict means. (and also - what it doesn't mean) Join us for this important and timely episode! Since 2004, Masa has been at the forefront of bringing Jewish young adults from around the world for long-term immersive programs in Israel. No matter the situation Masa will do everything in its power to continue our mission. The situation in Ukraine will not hinder us. Our programs continue to remain open for everyone and we want our listeners to know Masa is here to provide assistance for young Jewish adults to come to Israel. During troubling times such as these, Masa continues to be committed and supportive of young Jewish adults in the global communities, as

Middle East expert Calev Ben-Dor joined Liel and Mike for a news roundup. They covered regional diplomacy, the Whoopi Goldberg race weirdness and Amnesty International UK's declaration that Israel is an Apartheid state. Fun times? You be the judge! Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Facebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Should non-Jews be cast to play Jews in movies? Is Jewface a thing? Matt and Sharon joined Liel and Mike to discuss this question. Spoiler alert: three out of four of the participants thought this raised interesting questions. Mike was the fourth, and went on a bunch of rants. Just so you know. Join us! Golda's grandson ok's Helen Mirren TOI article from last year This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Facebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

We were very confused by the angry protests over JNF tree planting in the Negev. What could be less controversial than planting trees? We invited Elianne Kremer of the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality to explain it to us. She gave us the background and discussed the difficulties facing Israel's Bedouin minority. She also sent us the information links below. Join us!TOI ArticleHi all,Many thanks for hosting me, I really enjoyed it.Please see here our website on reports and position papers, including our annual home demolitions report, human rights report, the statistical gap among the Bedouin communities and so forth. I would like to share with you some informative slides we have produced with This is Not an Ulpan, which you can find here...Looking forward to hearing from you regarding a tour in the Naqab ;)All the best,ElianneThis episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Facebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about

What is Gush Katif day? It occurs annually on the 22nd of Shevat, which falls on Monday, January 24th, this year. Leil and Mike invited Yoav Yaron, a fellow educator who was born and raised in Neve Dekalim in Gush-Katif. What was it like growing up there? Why is it so important for Israelis and Zionists to learn about their communities and the disengagement? What are the remaining relevant controversies? For this, and much more on this important topic, join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Facebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

What is life like in Jewish communities in India? What is life like in Israel for Jews from India? This week, Masa Israel Teaching Fellow Maayan Shapurkar joined Liel and Mike to answer these questions and many more. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!Facebook pagePlease rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.