14 episodes

When a bus breaks down off an Israeli highway and leaves its passengers stranded, Emily, American journalism student, decides to put her skills to the test...much to the chagrin of her fellow travelers. As she eventually coaxes each person to share their story, Emily uncovers the rich and complex history that every Israeli holds. Each episode is a deep dive into a new character’s world; from Morocco to Russia, all paths lead to Israel in this narrative style pod.

Homeland: Ten Stories, One Israel Unpacked

    • Religion & Spirituality
    • 5.0 • 25 Ratings

When a bus breaks down off an Israeli highway and leaves its passengers stranded, Emily, American journalism student, decides to put her skills to the test...much to the chagrin of her fellow travelers. As she eventually coaxes each person to share their story, Emily uncovers the rich and complex history that every Israeli holds. Each episode is a deep dive into a new character’s world; from Morocco to Russia, all paths lead to Israel in this narrative style pod.

    From Casabalanca, With Love

    From Casabalanca, With Love

    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.

    • 39 min
    Prisoners of Zion

    Prisoners of Zion

    Galina Abramovich-Azoulay has a story to tell. Specifically, the story of Jewish life in the Soviet Union… and the sometimes-difficult adjustment to a new life in Israel. Along with roughly one million other Jews, Galina’s family joined the Soviet Aliyah, transforming the world’s only Jewish state.
    ~~~~ 
    To learn more about Soviet Jewry, check out these resources:
    When They Come For Us, We’ll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry https://g.co/kgs/qmSq4e
    Welcome and Our Condolences: https://go2films.com/films/welcome-and-our-condolences/
    Jewish Virtual Library Portal on Soviet Jewry: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-in-the-former-soviet-union 
    Is Zionism Racism? Understanding Soviet Propaganda: https://jewishunpacked.com/is-zionism-racism-un-resolution-3379/ 
    ~~~~ 
    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.

    • 38 min
    Motherland

    Motherland

    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.

    • 42 min
    The Capital of Peace

    The Capital of Peace

    As a teenager growing up in Australia, Nachi Gelman didn’t pay much attention to politics. Not even those Oslo Accords that everyone around him seemed to be talking about. But then he met Hadassah Even-Chen. And she pulled him into a life he couldn’t have imagined…
    ~~~~ 
    To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, check out these resources:

    Understanding the Oslo Accords

    The Rabin Assassination: Podcast, Video


    What are settlements? 5-part video series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5


    Settlement Evacuations: Yamit, Gush Katif


    ~~~~ 
    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.

    • 40 min
    Warrior

    Warrior

    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.

    • 46 min
    Hunting Season

    Hunting Season

    Roey Pinto’s family has been in Jerusalem for generations. They’ve lived under Ottoman rule and British administration and finally under an Israeli government. But self-determination takes sacrifice. This is the story of what one family gave up for a state.
    ~~~~ 
    For more information on the events of this episode, check out these resources:

    Sykes-Picot and San Remo (1916 - 1920)

    The Balfour Declaration (1917)

    The Hebron Massacre (1929)

    Black Saturday (1946)

    The Altalena Affair (1948)

    The True Story Behind the Beauty Queen of Jerusalem


    ~~~~ 
    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.

    • 58 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
25 Ratings

25 Ratings

rociogarden ,

Casablanca

What an incredible podcast! I’m hooked. I am not Jewish but since I was a little girl packing up my baby dolls to leave Egypt, I’ve been drawn to Israel and it’s people. I’m a Christian who seeks to honor and celebrate Jewish holidays with my five children as a way to respect God’s chosen people and to instill a love for story, meaning, and purpose in my children. This is such a timely podcast in the aftermath and horror of Oct 7.

Am Yisrael Chai.

jrrt1459 ,

Another great podcast from Unpacked

This was so good that I binge-listened to the entire thing in two days. Each story is fascinating and it's beautiful how they're interwoven. I would love to hear a second season, or even a different podcast, talk about two additional stories of people from Israel:
- People who have no Jewish heritage who convert and then make aliyah, and
- People who make aliyah when they are older, like 40+

Israelhour_fan ,

interesting!

I really like this idea. It feels like a story. But it’s “true” in the sense that it represents real events. I think it’s a great way to learn history. It feels more like I’m experiencing it, or meeting the characters. I feel more connected to the history this way. I look forward to more!

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