36: "Mixtape" Part I – Our Hope?

36: "Mixtape" Part I – Our Hope?

Author: Israel Story May 25, 2018 Duration: 36:36

Welcome to 'Mixtape,' our very first mini-series. Over the course of the next four episodes, we will go on a musical journey through anthems, songs of yearning, of war, of peace, and hear the stories behind some of Israel's most iconic tunes.

Let’s face it – when it comes to Israel, everything is complicated. Politics are complicated, religion is complicated, democracy is complicated, the conflict is complicated. Even our complications are complicated. These are the things that take us out to the street. That make us shout, and cry. That fill us with hope, and – just as often – plunge us into utter despair. But there is (seemingly) one island within Israeli society that escapes complexity, and brings us together more than it divides us: Israeli music. Or so, at least, we thought.

In this special mini-series, we set out to explore Israeli society – warts, rifts and fuzzy togetherness alike – through the stories of some of the country’s most iconic tunes.

The original music in this mini-series was composed, arranged and performed by the Mixtape Band, led by Ari Wenig and Dotan Moshanov, together with Ruth Danon, Eden Djamchid and Ronnie Wagner-Schmidt. The final song is a 1950s Tunisian rendition of HaTikvah sung by M. Cohen. The episode was recorded by Russell Castiglione and Josh Piel at the Dubway Studios in New York, and mixed by Sela Waisblum. It is based on Israel Story’s latest live show tour, “Mixtape.”

Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.

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
118: Wartime Diaries - Faiz Abu Sabehan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:20
Over the last five weeks we’ve spoken to many families of hostages. That’s how we met Faiz Abu Sabehan, whose 53-year-old brother-in-law, Farhan al-Qadi – a father of eleven – has been kidnapped into Gaza. Faiz is a Bedo…
117: Wartime Diaries - Mishka Ben-David [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:57
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 ho…
116: Wartime Diaries - Agi Mishol [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:55
77-year-old Agi Mishol is one of Israel’s most prominent, beloved and widely-read poets. Over the years she’s won practically every literary prize here, and Amos Oz once said that her poems “know how to tell a tale, to s…
115: Wartime Diaries - Sahar Vardi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:42
Today we’ll hear from Sahar Vardi, a Jewish-Israeli peace activist who lost a dear friend, Khalil Abu Yahia, in Gaza.The end song is Tamaly Maak (“I Am With You”) by Tzachi Halevy.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Inst…
114: Wartime Diaries - Louish Rijal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:58
Among the thousands of people who had the terrible misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time on October 7th, there were also – as we now all know – many foreigners. People who had little, or no, connection…
113: Wartime Diaries - Angela Buchdahl and Shlomo Nisanov [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:23
The nature of the attacks on October 7th, together with certain subsequent reactions around the world, have blurred the lines between Jews in Israel and Jews in the diaspora. Last week, the UJA Federation of New York bro…
112: Wartime Diaries - Gidon Lev [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:22
There’s a lot of Holocaust rhetoric in the air. ‘Never Again’ slogans have resurfaced, Netanyahu has said – on several occasions – that Hamas militants are worse than the Nazis, and just this week the Israeli delegation…
111: Wartime Diaries - Noga Friedman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:19
45-year-old Ido Rosenthal from Moshav Ben Shemen served in an elite commando unit and was killed on the first day of the war. His wife, Noga, a sociology doctoral student at Ben Gurion University, has since been sharing…
110: Wartime Diaries - Matti Friedman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:11
The war caught everyone by surprise, of course, and since it broke out at the tail end of the chagim, many Israelis were abroad. What do you do in that case? Do you rush home? Do you continue your trip? Do you wait it ou…
109: Wartime Diaries - Alon Shalev [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:03
Many people sprung into action since October 7th. And yet, at the very same time, many Israelis feel… lost. Not everyone knows what to do, nor does everyone feel useful, capable or relevant. And that feeling resonates wi…