In this episode, Benji and Avi cover a lot of ground - missiles flying over Raanana (and sometimes landing there), the US elections, the replacement of Israel's defense minister, bigamy, Molotov cocktails and much more. It's another normal week in an abnormal world. Enjoy!

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In the days leading up to Yom Kippur, Benji and Avi were looking for ways to avoid asking themselves the tough questions that a serious introspection would demand - and they found it! In this, our pilot Q&A episode, we answered questions sent in by listeners. From the situation in Israel to ET the extraterrestrial, we covered a lot of ground. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. If you have questions you'd like us to address in a future Q&A, please send them in using the link below.

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In this episode, Benji and Avi sit down with Rabia Melchem. Rabia is an IDF reserve soldier, a successful AI and data science product engineer, a husband, a father and a Druze Israeli. The Druze have always been a dynamic and important part of Israel, and their contribution to the country has come into even sharper focus during the past year of war. Without pulling any punches, Rabia helps us understand more about the experience of the Druze community in Israel, and about his own journey from his hometown village in the north of Israel to Ramat Gan.

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In this episode Benji and Avi sit down with Daniel Sevitt, bibliophile and, well, left-wing optimist. We talk books, politics, and the private lives of dragons. The conversation is mostly civil, as you would expect from a conversation with a gentlemanly British book nut.

Daniel has an incredible YouTube channel called GuiltyFeat, which you can find here. He has made more than 200 videos, including this awesome one where Daniel talks about books he got for his bar mitzvah.

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In this episode Benji and Avi sit down with Ohad Merlin, Middle East correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, and expert on the media landscape in the Arab world. We do a deep dive into the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar, and the myth that Israeli tourists always steal hotel towels.

Turns out we live in a pretty tough neighborhood.

If you’re feeling depressed after this episode, here’s a Sesame Street blast from the past featuring Bob McGrath, the coolest person who ever lived in Teaneck, NJ. Once you go down that Sesame Street rabbit hole, enjoy The Alligator King and I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon! You’ll feel better…

Here is one of Ohad's videos explaining aspects of Jewishness in Arabic that are mentioned in the podcast.

You can find Ohad on X at https://twitter.com/mohadisrael , and on Telegram at https://t.me/MerlinMeadken (there's a WhatsApp link there as well).

All of his Jerusalem Post articles can be found here:
https://www.jpost.com/author/ohad-merlin

Ohad's LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/ohad-merlin-5457b4187?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

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In this episode, Benji and Avi get the lowdown about the educational system from the best high school teacher in Raanana, the one and only Rebecca Perlin Sadinoff! Like most high-school teachers in Israel, Rebecca is on strike (so she couldn’t tell us she was busy). Rebecca explains what’s wrong with children’s education in Israel – but also what’s right with it. We all agree the kids are great – but how? We go into the belly of the beast to understand the current strike, what helicopters and skateboards have to do with school, and much more.

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In this episode, Benji and Avi had the privilege of sitting down with Raanana’s own Eli Ziering. Eli's brother, Aryeh Ziering of blessed memory, was killed in action on October 7th near Kibbutz Zikim in Israel's South. Aryeh was a major in the IDF's elite Oketz unit, and an all-around wonderful person whom we knew and loved. Eli wanted to share what her experience of becoming a bereaved sibling has been like. The grief, the pain, and even finding the humor through it all.

It's a poignant perspective that is all her own and we’re sure it will touch your heart as it did ours.

Special thank you to IDF lone soldiers Shlomo Warren, Maya Behiri, Emmauelle Stern, and Danielle Dror from the Gar'in Tzabar program for sharing the music at the end of the episode.

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In this episode, Benji takes us on a journey to Italy – where he is a mini-celebrity! – to uncover some family secrets from World War II. He is helped by a motley crew of wonderful Italians who are as dedicated to uncovering the truth as he is.

Spoiler alert:
For the Italian speakers out there, here is one of the TV news segments that aired in 2021, and here is one of the articles published after Benji's trip.

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