127: Wartime Diaries - Shalom Weil

127: Wartime Diaries - Shalom Weil

Author: Israel Story December 5, 2023 Duration: 20:48

As of today, more than 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the war. Each one of those deaths, of course, not only marks the end of a life, but also shatters a family, a community, a tribe. And that ripple effect, that communal grieving, was palpable following the death of reservist Yossi Hershkovitz, the 44-year-old Principal of the Religious Zionist Pelech School for Boys in Jerusalem, who was killed on Friday, November 10th. 


Like Yossi, his dear friend and colleague Shalom Weil, has devoted his life to education. Over the years Shalom has taught, founded schools and served as a principal. And ever since the war broke out he’s been working tirelessly to build educational frameworks for those impacted by it most - the families of victims, survivors, evacuees. We however asked him to come into the studio not to talk about his own admirable work, but rather about his soulmate, Yossi, who had replaced him as the Principal of the Pelech School for Boys.


The end song is Blues Cnaani ("Canaanite Blues") by Ehud Banai.

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.


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: Language: English Episodes: 221

Israel Story
Podcast Episodes
97: Wartime Diaries - Itai Kramer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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…
96: Wartime Diaries - Ariel Markose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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…
95: Wartime Diaries - Sasha Ariev [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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…
64: Tell Saki – Part II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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…
63: Tell Saki – Part I [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:59
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…
94: A Life After Death - Part II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:25
In part two of “A Life After Death,” Gal describes the days and months following Noah’s death - the funeral, the grief and the hope of creating a new life. Stay connected with us on Facebook, the platform formally known…
93: A Life After Death - Part I [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:29
On a warm winter day in February 2018, Gal Zaychner’s worst nightmare came true: Her 11-month-old son, Noah, didn’t wake up from his nap time.Our episode tells the tragic story of a victim of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome…
92: Signed, Sealed, Delivered? Meir Argov [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:00
Our series continues with Meir Argov (Grabovsky), a World War II veteran and a Petach Tikvah-based labor organizer who loved chazanut, or cantorial music, and was Israel’s first - and longest serving - chairman of the Kn…
91: Signed, Sealed, Delivered? Herzl Rosenblum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:30
Our series continues with Herzl Rosenblum (AKA Herzl Vardi), a Revisionist and prize-winning journalist who stood at the helm of the Yedioth Ahronoth daily for 38 years and penned no less than 11,400 editorials. Stay con…
90: Signed, Sealed, Delivered? Yitzhak Meir Levin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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…