Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey It was the spring of 1948, and in just a few short weeks, the British were scheduled to ship out, leaving Palestine to the Arabs and Jews who had been waging war against each other for six months. But beyond the bombs and the bullets, another war raged behind the scenes. One that continues to this day. The war for the soul of the Jewish state. This is the story of Israel’s declaration of independence – and of its ongoing evolution as a modern state. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10VpS6Bh1JQ-4HTxatuSJHq4y9 ..read more

Today, the Etzion bloc is home to more than 20,000 Jews. But back in 1948, roughly 500 Jews lived in the tiny parcel of land nestled between Hebron and Jerusalem. The four isolated, vulnerable kibbutzim of the bloc were an easy target for Arab attacks. But the Jews of Etzion weren’t going down without a fight. And the Palmach – the Haganah’s elite strike force – would do anything to keep these tiny communities strong and well-supplied. Like sending a convoy of 35 fighters weighed down with supplies through miles of hostile territory.  But war is hell. And the story of Gush Etzion, and the ..read more

The modern state of Israel is only 75 years old. But the Israeli identity was forged long before the partition vote of 1947 or the War of Liberation in 1948, in the earliest decades of the 20th century. The three figures we’ll talk about today were not Israelis. They died before they ever saw an independent Jewish state. But their stories shaped the country we know today. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JoCjNZV__Qwpu0k9Sth16tMQ8bhlTqe_ogsFBpvLjFk/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this epi ..read more

November 19, 1977. It was perhaps the most unusual Shabbat in Israel’s history. Because after the havdala service, Israeli families glued themselves to their TVs or radios, waiting anxiously for a visitor they never dreamed would arrive. Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, had come to Jerusalem to speak of peace. What happened next changed the Middle East forever. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VLl6H1mbapNkhWq8aNnMFylTQ9w__9WDxIsqvlniORs/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is gen ..read more

You’ve heard their name. Watched their propaganda videos. Seen their bloody handiwork up close and personal. But how well do you really know the story of Hamas? This episode delves into the surprising history of Israel’s charming next door neighbor. It’s a deep dive into their history, their ideology, their legacy. Because if we want to truly understand Israeli history, we’ve got to face the parallel history that has developed alongside it. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DBe4s5ArwlF7ACLUoztotb9EarUYqK7nd1Z0pCXyMR4/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  Unpacking Israeli His ..read more

Kfar Qassem is a small bucolic city northeast of Petach Tikva. It is also the little-known site of the first salvo of the Suez Canal Crisis. On October 29, 1956 – as Israel prepared for war with Egypt – an IDF commander made a decision that would permanently scar Israel’s Arab community. Today, we tell the story of the 49 Israeli citizens murdered at Kfar Qassem. This episode is dedicated to them.  Ibrahim Abdalhadi Himad Isaa, 35 Abed Muhammad Abdalhadi Isaa, 9 Abdallah Ahmad Himad Isaa, 15 Talal Shaker Abdallah Isaa, 8  Abdallah Sliman Isaa, 90  Ahmad Muhammad Sous Freij, 35 ..read more

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. ~~~~   Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer and this episode is generously sponsored by Neil an ..read more

Unpacking Israeli History introduces another podcast from Unpacked: Jewish History Unpacked. Whoever said history was boring clearly never heard these stories Join hosts Yael and Schwab each week as they take a dive into some deep cuts of Jewish history. From the Jewish Da Vinci Code to mass suicide pacts, explore true stories that feel larger than life. This episode tells the story of Josephus Flavius. It's maybe one of the wildest characters in Jewish history, and that's saying something. That's largely because unlike most historians, he didn't just chronicle the story; as Yael tells Schwab ..read more

Eden Melaku 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 Do ..read more

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 po ..read more