Noah tells the story of one song that is also, in a way, the story of Israel itself.

The “A Song for Peace” Edition

In this very special episode of sustainably recycled stuff devoted to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, hear about the evolution of the great piyyut and prayer, u’netanah tokef, and hear how members of the crew make sense of the strange and beautiful holiday from their strange and beautiful perspectives. Jeremy Benstein, “The Bikes and Vibes of Yom Kippur in the first modern, Jewish city” Miriam Herschlag, “Sins for the Internet Age” Noah, “And to think that I saw it on Yom Kippur” All that and indie songs of Yom Kippur!

The “Atone Home” Edition

In this very special holiday Turducken of a podcast, we’ve stuffed into our own carcass an interview that Allison did for the Haaretz Weekly podcast with Noah and his comrade-in-politics Inbal Orpaz on why they are running for city council and what they stand for.  The tryptophan alone is reason enough to listen!

The “Noah is What?!?!?” Edition

After a momentous week, after many momentous months, the Promised Podcast wishes you and yours a new year of every good thing!

New Year's Wish from the Promised Podcast

Maybe no one is a better symbol of how Israel is changing (and did more to cause this change) than Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, who died at 83 in 2020.

The “The Memory & the Blessing” Edition

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —It Ain’t the Economy, Stupid!— Israel may be the most expensive country in the world, and that fact has zero-zilch-nada impact on politics here. How come? —Elul, 5783— Elul is a month of soul-searching. What could we have done better, politically speaking? —Yair Netanyahu Pays the Price— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: The court orders first son Yair Netanyahu to pay 130,000 NIS in damages to a woman he defamed on Twitter. Should people have to pay cash money for their scumbaggery on social? All that and songs of Elul, to put us in the mood!

The “Contrition” Edition

Linda Gradstein, Noah Efron, and scholar-public intellectual-podcaster Masua Sagiv discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Extremism in the Name of Moderation— Extremism in the name of moderation is no vice? —Won’t Anyone Think of the Children?!?— What’s it like to be a kid living through the tumult and angst of Israel in 2023? —Does the Road to Coexistence Run Through “Silicon Wadi”?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Does one road to coexistence pass through “Silicon Wadi”? All that and meat from a machine, Netta Barzilai’s Ha-Tikva, and some great new music by wunderkind Itamar Ramati!

The “Won’t Anyone Think of the Children?!?” Edition

Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Out of Dodge?— A recent poll shows that almost one in three Israelis are thinking about leaving the country. But are all these folks really about to leave? —General Malaise— What happens when the army gets political? —What to Do With Someone Like Yair Netanyahu?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Is Yair Netanyahu a trollish Dr. Hyde to his father’s sometimes more refined Dr. Jekyll? All that and a tenth-anniversary tribute to TLV1 and the odd, amazing music of Itay Blau, only some of which was recorded live in a cave.

The “General Malaise?” Edition

Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Shikma— Does it matter that the first-among-equals leader of Israel’s biggest-ever protest movement is a woman (and a renowned particle physicist and a mother of five)? —Gal, or, Toward a Grand Unified Theory of Gal Gadot— Why is Gal Gadot, among Israelis, the most beloved Israeli since maybe Moshe Dayan? It needs to be explained, once and for all. —Thoughts on Disrupting Politicians’ Vacations— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Protesters disrupt politicians’ vacations, scaring their kids and vowing there’ll be no R&R for the people behind the judicial reform. Is that cricket? All that and a slam poetry tribute to all things parve, and some great new music by Oren Lotenberg!

The “Wonderwomen” Edition

Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —National Unity?— Does the idea of tossing out of the government the far-right parties, and swapping in the center-left, makes a lick of sense? Is this even possible anymore? —Save Us from Ourselves, Joe Biden !?!— Is Israel’s left sending to DC a droid with the message: “Help us, Joe Biden. You’re our only hope”? —News Consumption Overload— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: What happened to all the news? All that and a tribute to one of Israel’s great feminist pioneers, Esther Ellam, who died this week. Plus, the punky pop (or is it poppy punk) of Yishai Berger!

The “Dei Ex Machina?” Edition

Linda Gradstein, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —What Happened?— The government passed the law that limits the court’s ability to limit the Ministers and cabinet. So why did the two sides fail to reach compromise, even though all sides said that’s what they wanted? —What Happens Now?— Now that the law limiting the court’s ability to limit the Ministers and cabinet passed, where do we go from here? —What Does Tisha B’Av Mean to Us, Especially After this Week— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Has Tisha B’Av taken on new meanings in these schismatic times? All that and the 101st birthday of Tirza Hodes, who helped invent Israeli folk dance, and the music of the Yama Ensemble!

The “What Happened? What Happens Now?” Edition

Sally Abed, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Fortress of Democracy?— Does anyone really think it would be a good idea for Israel’s Supreme Court to fire Benjamin Netanyahu? —Jenin, Again— Two weeks ago, thirteen people died in an IDF operation in Jenin that, today, is all but forgotten. —And No Religion, Too!— A major documentary seeks to understand the soul of secular Israelis. —Our Summer Eats, Drinks, and Favorite Places that Help Ease the Heat— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: What do we drink, what do we eat, and where do we go to mark the advent of “high summer”? All that and Elisha Shelem, demonstrations everywhere, and the music of cellist Ayala Ziv!

The “Heat of Summer” Edition

Miriam Herschlag, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Phase Change?— As summer heats up, there’s an escalation of the protests and counter-protests. Looks like it’s going to be a scorching summer. —Israel’s “Constitutional Moment”?— Is it time for Israel finally to write a founding document, a constitution, 75 years after the country was created? —Tradition, Tradition … Tradition!— Are more and more Israelis religion-fluid and Yiddishkeit-queer? A new report says it is so. —Should We Keep Our Purchases Out of Our Protests?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Do we want our shopping malls to have political opinions, or are we better off keeping our buyin’ separate from our decryin’? All that and Yitzhak Rabin on the eve of the Yom Kippur War, a newscaster newscasting with advanced ALS, and the amazing music of 21 year old indie phenom, Alma Gov!

The “It Ain’t the Heat, It’s the Fluidity” Edition

As the massive protests enter their seventh month, the Promised Podcast looks at the place of protest in Israeli society. (This episode contains time-tested content from the vault, so you know it’s good!)

The “Good Trouble” Edition

In the waning days of Pride Month, the Promised Podcast ransacks its archives for memorable LGBTQ+ moments and music!

The “Just a Little Longer” Edition

Prodigal Wunderkind Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —What’s More Reasonable Than Reasonableness?— Prime Minister Netanyahu decided to move forward the judicial reform by passing a law limiting when and how judges can rule based on what seems “reasonable” to them. What, in Israel, has ever been reasonable? —No More Heroes Anymore?— Now that the writer-prophets, the Ozes and the Yehoshuas, are no longer with us, are we sailing on a ship without a moral compass? —A Fresh Perspective— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: It’s like the whole country is in a weird and dark mood. How does Ohad see things as an outsider looking in? All that and the weird interconnectedness of everything Israeli, a top drawer research organization finding Tel Aviv-Jaffa to be the happiest city on earth, and the music of rising young star Inbal Bibi!

The “Paragons of Reason?” Edition

Sally Abed, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Selectile Dysfunction— There was a weird Knesset vote this week that elected a representative from the opposition to the Judicial Selection Committee but no representative from the coalition, and still somehow led to a breakdown of talks at the President’s Residence. So what the hell happened and what does it mean? —101 and Counting— More than 100 Palestinian citizens of Israel murdered by Palestinian citizens of Israel so far this year (and the year is not yet half over). What’s happening? —A True Display of Mixed Israeli Society— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Three stars of the team that came in third last week in the Under-20 World Cup Football (Soccer) are Palestinians. Is that a fact that means something that matters? All that and the first Tel Aviv Pride Parade twenty-five years ago, a trip to Sinai and the changing face of Rocky Horror!

The “You Be the Judge” Edition

Ace reporter Linda Gradstein, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —On Foreign Shores?— Israeli ministers and MKs are drowned when they try to speak overseas, by Israeli protestors. Is that cool? —The Past is Never Dead. It’s Not Even Past— Three-quarters of a century ago, sixteen Jewish soldiers were killed when their boat was destroyed by Jewish soldiers in a Jewish State that was 37 days old. Why does this story still matter so much to so many, 75 years later? —How Bad Is Inflation, Actually?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Inflation can topple governments. But do we even notice it, really? All that and 50 years since The Voice of Peace first broadcast “from somewhere in the Mediterranean”, a renowned actress jumping off a Tel Aviv bridge to save a life and the official LGBTQ anthems of years gone by!

The “Ships in the Night” Edition

Ace reporter Linda Gradstein, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Food Fight!— Can the government’s war on Coca Cola be resolved by diplomatic means? —Can You Dig It?— Is the best thing Israeli archeologists can do, doing nothing? —Our Love for Yulia the Monk Seal— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Why do we love Yulia the monk seal so damn much? All that and the return of Yulia the monk seal, a reflection upon the death of the great centenarian Rabbi Gershon Edelstein and the music of The Golem of Prague!

The “Food Fight!” Edition

Ace reporter Linda Gradstein, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Spending, Rending, Upending— Opponents say the two-year budget Netanyahu’s government just passed is “a looting of the public coffers.” Do they have a point? —Demonstration Stagnation?— Are the protests petering out? —Gimme Gimme Shuk Treatment— Does the shuk really need a boutique and a swinging hot spot? —Our Incredible Shuk Stories— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: We love the shuk! All that and the centennial of the “Battalion of the Defenders of the Language,” a Noa Kirel update and the charming music of Maor Shooshan.

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