Unpacking Israeli History

Unpacking Israeli History

Join self-confessed history nerd Dr. Noam Weissman on a journey through the fascinating and sometimes controversial events and personalities that have shaped Israel’s past and present. Each week, Noam explores the layers of Israeli history, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the cultural forces at play—drawing on a variety of sources and perspectives. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply looking to better understand this complex region, you’ll find a nuanced, authentic, and thought-provoking take on Israel—free from oversimplification and political spin.

Episodes

Hard Conversations About Israel: 4 Real-Life Case Studies with Toba Hellerstein (Part 2)

January 13, 2026 • 69 mins
In this follow-up conversation, Noam Weissman and emotional attunement expert Toba Hellerstein move from theory to practice—using real-world case studies to explore how people are actually talking about Israel right now. Drawing on listener emails and educator questions, they tackle common scenarios like responding to social media posts about “ending the occupation,” navigating influential podcasts, addressing concerns about Gaza w...
Mark as Played

Israel Open Mic: What Does “Israel’s Right to Exist” Mean?

January 6, 2026 • 34 mins
In this Open Mic episode, Noam responds to a listener, Aviva's question: what does it even mean to say “Israel has a right to exist”—and who gets to decide that “right”? Noam argues that the debate is really about Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. He makes the case that the more urgent conversation is about how Israel exists, not whether it exists. The episode uses the 2025 NYC mayoral debate as a jumping-off point to e...
Mark as Played

Ma'alot Revisited: When Terrorists Came for the Children

December 30, 2025 • 31 mins
Noam revisits one of the most devastating episodes in Israeli history—the 1974 Ma’alot school hostage massacre—and explains why, after October 7, this story feels more urgent and unbearable than ever. What began as a joyful field trip marking Israel’s 26th birthday—over a hundred religious high school students exploring northern Israel—turned into a nightmare when three Palestinian terrorists crossed in from Lebanon. This episode t...
Mark as Played

Intelligence Operations that Shaped Israel’s Story with Ronen Bergman, LIVE in LA

December 23, 2025 • 55 mins
How do you get people who don’t talk to talk? In this special live Unpacking Israeli History, Noam Weissman sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and Israeli intelligence expert Ronen Bergman (author of Rise and Kill First) for a smart, funny, and deeply human look at the Mossad, Shin Bet, and Israel’s security establishment. Recorded in front of a packed audience at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, Bergman explains how he ...
Mark as Played

The Bondi Beach Massacre and the Meaning of Peoplehood

December 16, 2025 • 24 mins
Complete our 2025 survey: ⁠⁠https://unpacked.bio/uihsurvey⁠⁠ Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: ⁠⁠https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 In the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre, Noam tells three Hanukkah stories about Jews choosing light anyway, a menorah in Bergen-Belsen, hostages lighting candles in captivity, and a defiant window in Nazi Germany. Then an epilogue from Billings, Montana,...
Mark as Played

When Sadat Came to Jerusalem (re-release)

December 9, 2025 • 41 mins
Complete our 2025 survey: https://unpacked.bio/uihsurvey Book for the Jerusalem Marathon "Return, Reconnect, and Run for Resilience" tour: sababatravel.com Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 In a moment when debates feel existential, it’s worth remembering that history can still turn sharply. That’s why we’re revisiting one of our favorite episo...
Mark as Played

The Hebron Massacre and the Myths Fueling Today’s Conflict — with Yardena Schwartz (Part 2)

December 2, 2025 • 68 mins
Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Noam Weissman talks with journalist and author Yardena Schwartz about her book Ghosts of a Holy War and how the 1929 Hebron massacre helped ignite the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They trace the century-long thread of the cry “Al-Aqsa is in danger”—how Grand Mufti Hajj Amin al-Husseini weaponized it in 1929, tied it ...
Mark as Played

Revisiting the Hebron Massacre: Myths and Their Deadly Repercussions (Part 1)

November 25, 2025 • 38 mins
This week, we’re revisiting one of the most overlooked yet consequential chapters in the Arab–Israeli conflict: the 1929 Hebron Massacre. In just two days, 67 Jews were murdered and an ancient community was destroyed—all sparked by a lie about Jewish plans to take over Al-Aqsa, a false rumor whose fear and fury have echoed for generations. Understanding this story is essential to understanding the region itself. We’re re-releasi...
Mark as Played

Israel Open Mic: Understanding the Green Line and Israel’s Presidency

November 18, 2025 • 32 mins
In this Israel Open Mic episode, Noam answers two listener questions: What is the Green Line, really? And why does Israel have a President if the Prime Minister holds the power? He breaks down the history behind Israel’s 1949 Armistice Line, its role before and after 1967, and why it still shapes debates today. Then he explains the surprisingly limited—but symbolically important—role of Israel’s President. Clear, concise, and drive...
Mark as Played

30 Years After Rabin with Haviv Rettig Gur (Part 2)

November 11, 2025 • 56 mins
Thirty years after Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, Noam Weissman sits with Journalist Haviv Rettig Gur to unpack what changed on November 4, 1995—and what didn’t. Was Oslo doomed, or did Rabin’s murder briefly revive it? How did incitement shape the 1990s—and how is Rabin taught (or not) in Israeli schools today? We revisit Rabin the general and statesman, the rise of Netanyahu-era politics, and why Left/Right labels no longer map c...
Mark as Played

Remembering Yitzhak Rabin on the 30th Anniversary of His Assassination (re-release ) Part 1

November 4, 2025 • 27 mins
Thirty years after Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated at a peace rally in Tel Aviv, we revisit one of the most defining moments in Israeli history. Originally released in Season 1, this episode now features new reflections from host Noam Weissman. It traces Rabin’s journey from Palmach fighter to Oslo peace architect, explores the divisions and extremism that led to his murder, and asks: did the assassination kill the pe...
Mark as Played

Eli Sharabi: Surviving Hamas and Choosing Life

October 28, 2025 • 40 mins
In one of the most powerful episodes of Unpacking Israeli History, host Noam Weissman sits down with Eli Sharabi, survivor of 491 days as a Hamas hostage, to share his story of faith, endurance, and unimaginable loss. In his bestselling memoir Hostage, Eli recounts life 50 meters underground—facing starvation and terror while clinging to small acts of hope. He speaks about refusing to abandon his Jewish identity, finding strength ...
Mark as Played

How It Feels to be Israeli Right Now: A Conversation with Sarah Tuttle-Singer

October 21, 2025 • 47 mins
So much of what we read about Israel is politics and war. But this episode explores a different angle: what does it feel like to live through this moment? Noam sits down with writer and Times of Israel editor Sarah Tuttle-Singer, author of Jerusalem Drawn and Quartered, for a raw, empathetic conversation about daily life in Jerusalem after October 7. They talk about euphoria and grief around hostage returns, the “toxic resilience” ...
Mark as Played

An Empty Chair for 251 Hostages: Two Years After October 7

October 13, 2025 • 20 mins
Two years after October 7, 2023, host Noam Weissman reflects on how Israel—and he himself—have been haunted by absence and by loss. Now the last living hostages are home and a ceasefire begins. Noam shares the story of an empty chair at his family’s Shabbat table. The chair began as a symbol of hope for the 251 hostages. It became a mirror of a nation’s grief, endurance, and faith that “a new day will rise.” Please get in touc...
Mark as Played

Two Years Since October 7th: A Conversation with Amir Tibon (Re-release)

October 6, 2025 • 41 mins
It's been two years since October 7, 2023—the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. To commemorate, Noam revisits a powerful conversation (originally aired on Wondering Jews) with award-winning journalist Amir Tibon, author of The Gates of Gaza and a survivor of the attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. They discuss the day itself, Noam Tibon’s rescue, the ongoing hostage crisis, and what heroism, memory, and rebuilding means for Isra...
Mark as Played

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib: Palestinian Statehood and the Power of Recognition

October 3, 2025 • 78 mins
Gaza-born activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib joins Noam Weissman for the series finale and a fierce, heartfelt debate on Palestinian statehood. While they grapple with the meaning and limits of Palestinian statehood, Ahmed shares his vision of “radical pragmatism,” shifting from resistance to nation-building. Ahmed and Noam take a look back at the history and possible transitional paths forward in a conversation grounded in friendship a...
Mark as Played

Einat Wilf: Palestinian Statehood and Why Peace Failed

October 1, 2025 • 75 mins
Noam Weissman sits down with Dr. Einat Wilf — former Knesset member, public intellectual, and one of Israel’s sharpest voices — for a provocative conversation about Palestinian statehood. Once a passionate believer in Oslo’s “land for peace,” Wilf’s experiences led her from optimism to skepticism about whether a two-state solution is possible. She argues the conflict is rooted not in borders or land swaps but in the refusal to acce...
Mark as Played

Samer Sinijlawi: Building Palestinian Statehood from the Ground Up

September 30, 2025 • 64 mins
In our two-part series on Palestinian statehood, we traced the history and politics behind decades of failed attempts. But for Palestinian activist and political leader Samer Sinijlawi, the real story isn’t just about UN votes or diplomatic resolutions. It’s about whether Palestinians and Israelis can build a shared future with their own hands. In this candid conversation, Noam and Samer explore why lasting peace must be created fr...
Mark as Played

Michael Koplow: The Broken History and Fragile Future of Palestinian Statehood

September 29, 2025 • 69 mins
In this bonus episode, Noam talks with Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum. Michael traces the history of Palestinian statehood efforts, explains why each one failed, and shares why he doubts the UN’s recent recognition vote will change realities on the ground. Still, he hasn’t given up on two states, and he has devoted his career to making it happen. This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is gener...
Mark as Played

Palestinian Statehood: Why Peace Failed (1967 to 2025) Part 2

September 25, 2025 • 44 mins
In Part 2 in a series on Palestinian statehood, Noam Weissman picks up in 1967, showing how the Six Day War reset borders and assumptions—sparking debates over land, security, and sovereignty. From Oslo to the Second Intifada, Gaza disengagement to October 7, 2023, the episode traces failed peace efforts, missed opportunities, and deepening mistrust. With a growing number of countries now pushing recognition of Palestine at the U...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    Stuff You Should Know

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    SmartLess

    SmartLess

    "SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Mobile

Wearables

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.