117: Wartime Diaries - Mishka Ben-David

Author: Israel Story November 10, 2023 Duration: 20:57

Religion Religion & Spirituality Judaism Spirituality

Mishka Ben-David might seem – at first – like a harmless and cuddly grandpa, but the truth is that he’s lived many secret lives. He has somehow managed to seamlessly transition from community organizing to academia to horse breeding to an illustrious career as a senior Mossad agent. Today, however, he spends most of his time writing. Over the years he has authored 21 books – a combination of spy novels, love stories, philosophy treaties, and literary criticism. Many of them are local best-sellers and have been translated into surprising languages such as Turkish and Korean. In 2017 he published “The Shark,” a dystopian tale which begins with a Hamas attack on Kibbutz Kfar Azza that is eerily similar to — and in fact almost exactly predicts — the horrors of October 7th.

The end song is Halo Noda (“Isn’t It Known?”) by Danny Sanderson.

Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Israel Story

Hosted by Mishy Harman, Israel Story is an award-winning weekly podcast that moves beyond headlines to explore the nuanced, surprising, and deeply human realities of life. Each episode is built around true, meticulously crafted narratives about ordinary people, revealing the complex tapestry of Israeli society in ways that news reports rarely capture. These are extraordinary tales found in everyday moments-a portrait of a community, a personal dilemma, or a forgotten piece of history, all told with empathy and a journalist's eye for detail. The podcast, produced in partnership with The Jerusalem Foundation and The Times of Israel, offers an intimate auditory experience that connects listeners to the spiritual, religious, and cultural heartbeat of a place through the voices of those who live there. It’s a listening journey that challenges preconceptions and illuminates shared humanity. For Hebrew episodes, you can find them under סיפור ישראלי.

Author: Israel Story Language: English Episodes: 221

Official website RSS

Podcast Episodes

[not-audio_url]

[/not-audio_url]

97: Wartime Diaries - Itai Kramer

15.10.2023

Duration: 13:16

This episode includes graphic descriptions of violence.At age 50, Itai Kramer is no longer obligated to serve in the reserve forces, yet he volunteered anyway. Itai tells us about what went through his mind when he decid…

[not-audio_url]

[/not-audio_url]

96: Wartime Diaries - Ariel Markose

13.10.2023

Duration: 14:16

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been called up to reserve duty. But what about the families they leave behind?Episode artwork courtesy of Noa Kelner.The end song is Ima (“Mother”) by Yehuda Levi and Ninet Tayeb.St…

[not-audio_url]

[/not-audio_url]

95: Wartime Diaries - Sasha Ariev

12.10.2023

Duration: 13:30

Everything in this corner of the world has changed since Saturday, October 7. All around us, friends, family, colleagues, people have died. People are missing. People have been kidnapped. There’s a lot of uncertainty and…

[not-audio_url]

[/not-audio_url]

64: Tell Saki – Part II

02.10.2023

Duration: 54:18

It’s been fifty years since the Yom Kippur War. And as such, we want to share our Tell Saki project, which first came out in 2021. Over the course of two episodes, we go back to the horrors of the war, and specifically t…

[not-audio_url]

[/not-audio_url]

03.07.2023

Duration: 34:30

Our series continues with Yitzhak Meir (“Itche Meiyer”) Levin, the foremost Haredi rabbi to have signed the Declaration of Independence.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and by signing up for our ne…