56: "Alone, Together" Part VI - Six Feet (Under)

56: "Alone, Together" Part VI - Six Feet (Under)

Author: Israel Story September 8, 2020 Duration: 39:36

Israel's one thousandth COVID-19 casualty passed away this weekend. And for all of us, death has sadly been an ever-present part of life over the past six months. In the penultimate episode of our "Alone, Together" series, we bring you two stories about dying in times of Corona.  


Over the course of this series, we’ve shared many stories of Israelis dealing - in completely different ways - with COVID-19. We’ve heard people express fear, disappointment, shame, anger, hope and acceptance. We’ve told tales of coexistence and discrimination, nightmares and dreams, resilience and panic. But one thing shared by everyone we have encountered in the series thus far is that they have all - thankfully - survived the pandemic. Some got sick, others didn’t, but all lived to tell the tale. 


That, however, isn’t true of everyone. More than 1,000 Israelis have died of the disease as of early September 2020. In a country of roughly nine million, that’s about 0.0112% of the population. The mortality rate of infected patients is hovering around 0.6%. And while, both those figures are lower than most other countries, there is no doubt that COVID-19 has claimed many victims in Israel. And in our episode today we explore what it looks like to die of, or during, COVID-19. 


Yochai Maital and Joel Shupack scored and sound-designed this episode, with music from Blue Dot Sessions, Esther Abrami, and Papalin. The end song, “No More Corona,” is by Shai and Galit Dagan. 


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…