The "Egypt Within Us" Edition

·1 hr 29 min·5 clips

A viral Farsi video imagines an Iranian tourist falling in love with Tel Aviv while their governments exchange missiles daily.

The episode begins with a detailed description of a viral video posted by the Tel Aviv municipality, presented entirely in Farsi, which imagines an Iranian tourist's enthusiastic visit to Tel Aviv. This serves as a provocative hook contrasting fantasy with the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. Host Noah Efron introduces guests Linda Gradstein, a veteran journalist, and Judah Ari Gross, managing editor of eJewish Philanthropy. The first major discussion focuses on settler violence in the West Bank. Efron presents IDF data showing a sharp increase in attacks, from 60 in January to 100 in March, resulting in Palestinian deaths and injuries. He references essays by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and former Jewish underground member Haggai Segel, who condemns the violence. The guests analyze why the violence persists, citing structural issues like military occupation, ineffective policing under Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the psychological difficulty for soldiers to arrest fellow Jews. They debate the moral and political implications, with Gradstein calling it a 'desecration of God's name' and both acknowledging the international condemnation. The second discussion centers on reinterpreting the Passover Exodus story for the current year. Judah Ari Gross discusses themes of transformation and resilience, referencing the traditional 'V'hi She'amda' liturgy. Linda Gradstein emphasizes the challenge of avoiding cycles of revenge. Noah Efron shares his view, influenced by philosopher Michael Walzer, that Israel is in a prolonged 'wilderness' period, not yet having reached its promised destination. The episode includes personal segments where guests share 'Vodacountry' stories: Gross on opening his Seder to stranded friends, Gradstein on her rushed return to Israel for the war and a café in Metula serving coffee only in disposable cups due to sirens, and Efron on a Zoom seminar where a physicist named Gabi Pell described a depression-treatment helmet called an 'H-coil,' named for the Kabbalistic concept of 'chesed' (loving-kindness). The episode concludes with April Fool's Day trivia.

As heard by us

A municipal travel fantasy opens onto a serious argument about violence, welfare, and political language.

The Promised Podcast starts with a municipal fantasy of a Tehran-to-Tel Aviv route, built around an Iranian man's arrival in Israel, a food-and-sea tour, and a night that rolls through restaurants, bars, and clubs.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a Tehran-to-Tel Aviv travel fantasy, then stay as the room darkens into violence in the territories and what might pull at-risk youth away from it.

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