Homeland: Ten Stories, One Israel

Homeland introduces another podcast from Unpacked: Unpacking Israeli History. Season 4 just launched, and we're running the first episode here, entitled Ma'alot: 30 Seconds That Devastated A Nation. 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.

You asked, and we answered. This week, Homeland's writer, Adi Elbaz, and producer, Rivky Stern, do a special "behind the scenes" episode, where they answer some of your questions about Homeland. Some questions include: which character did you relate to the most? Why were there no Palestinian or Israel Arab characters? Do you think immigrants are really integrated into Israeli society? And much more. ~~~~ This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Crain-Maling Foundation, the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, and the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust.

Eden has blue hair, an obsession with manga, and a rich family history. She’s the daughter of parents who survived unimaginable hardships to live in the world’s only Jewish state. But once they made it to Israel, things didn’t exactly go as planned… ~~~~ For more on Ethiopian Jews, check out these resources: On Ethiopian Jews in General: Video: The Story of Ethiopian Jewry Fast facts Anu Museum Overview What Is Sigd? Ethiopian Jewish Women On Operations Moses, Joshua, Solomon: Film: Exodus 91 Before the operations During the operations Unpacking Operation Solomon Anu Museum Documentary: 1, 2 Podcast: Ingathering of Exiles On Discrimination: Overview Bloon donation scandal Birth control scandal Police brutality 1, 2 ~~~~ This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Crain-Maling Foundation, the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, and the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust.

Amalia Bar-Oz never met her great-grandmother. But she knows that great-grandma Hesya was a fighter. That when the pogroms ripped her life apart, she found a new hope in her ancestral homeland… ~~~~ Resources: On Life in the Shtetl and Pogroms in the Russian Empire: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3 Podcast on Kishinev, Video on Kishinev Video on Shtetl Life On Early/Proto-Zionist Movements: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3 Video On Kibbutzim: Video: What Life is Like on an Israeli Kibbutz Article 1, 2, 3, 4 Homepage of the first kibbutz (in Hebrew) ~~~~ This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Crain-Maling Foundation, the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, and the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust.

Shaya Silber is many things. Haredi. An IDF soldier. And tired of being constantly stereotyped. In this episode, he peels back the curtain on the vibrant and complex Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community in Israel. ~~~~ For more on the Haredi community, check out these resources: The Torah Dome Is Studying Torah A National Service? Haredim and Israeli Society ~~~~ This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Crain-Maling Foundation, the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, and the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust.

Matan Berenbaum-Williams is Black and American by birth. Jewish by heritage. Israeli by choice. And a Zionist in his soul. His is a story of finding yourself in the most unexpected of places… and of building a home in a place where you belong. ~~~~ For more information on the Black Jewish community, check out these resources: Connecting with Black Jewry in Israel The Unknown History of Black Jews in America ~~~~ This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Crain-Maling Foundation, the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, and the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust.

Alain Checroun has a story to tell. His birthplace, Morocco, was once home to nearly 300,000 Jews. But after the creation of the state of Israel, hundreds of thousands of Moroccan Jews made their way to the world’s only Jewish state. Like all immigration stories, Alain’s is a story of resilience. Of challenges. Of triumphs. And ultimately, it’s about the joys of coming home. ~~~~ For more information on Mizrahi Jewry in general and Moroccan Jewry in specific, see the following sources: The Jews of Morocco from the Jewish Virtual Library: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-of-morocco Jews Under Moroccan Skies: https://www.amazon.com/Jews-Under-Moroccan-Skies-Thousand/dp/1935604244 Inside Jewish Morocco (A JDC Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ti-e2bY0mE Moroccan Jews Celebrating Normalization Deal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOXwF5IAurk The Story of Israel’s Black Panthers: https://jewishunpacked.com/the-story-of-israels-black-panthers/ Valley of Tears: https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GX6rsqgAIJMPCwgEAAACB On the Wadi Salib Riots: https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2013-06-16/ty-article/july-9-1959-wadi-salib-riots/0000017f-f7b1-d044-adff-f7f9dbb80000 and https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt21h4xqw.9?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents Mizrahi Jews: https://unpacked.education/video/mizrahi-jews-the-jews-of-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/ Mizrahi Music: https://jewishunpacked.com/how-mizrahi-music-took-over-israeli-pop/ ~~~~ This show was made possible by support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Crain-Maling Foundation, the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, and the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust.