Matti Friedman on the Stories that Built a People
About this episode
Matti Friedman discusses the impact of foundational stories on identity and courage, reflecting on historical events and his experiences as a journalist in Israel.
In this conversation, Matti Friedman reflects on the power of foundation stories to shape how we understand ourselves and where we come from – from Noah’s Ark, to the origins of the Bible, to Hannah Senesh and the other parachutists who landed in Nazi Europe during World War II. We also talk about what happens when we look more closely at these myths and encounter the flawed, human figures behind them - and why that often deepens, rather than diminishes, our admiration for their courage. Along the way, we also discuss Matti’s particular perspective as a Western-born journalist living in Israel, Michel Houellebecq’s Submission, and the gift of reading poetry in uncertain times. Matti’s latest book, Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe, has been awarded the Natan Notable Book award for Winter 2026 and was released last week. In Out of the Sky, Matti Friedman unravels one of the strangest episodes of World War II: In 1944, a team of young women and men who had escaped the Holocaust made the inconceivable choice to parachute back into Nazi-occupied Europe under the cover of a British military operation. Matti Friedman is the author of five works of nonfiction that have…
People in this episode
Host: Tali Rosenblatt Cohen
Guest: Matti Friedman
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe, Submission
Places: Israel, Nazi Europe
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