Get tickets https://www.92ny.org/event/ghosts-of-a-holy-war for Ghosts of a Holy War : A Conversation with Yardena Schwartz, Dr. Noam Weissman and 92NY's Rabbi David Ingber. 19 May Tuesday. 7:30 PM ET How did an ancient story of mass suicide become the cornerstone of Israeli national identity? In Part 2, Noam traces Masada's unlikely revival, from forgotten footnote to rallying cry in the shadow of the Holocaust. But the story rests on a single source: Josephus, a man who surrendered to Rome and...
May 12, 2026•50 min
A mountaintop. A siege. A mass death that became legend. But what if the story of Masada isn’t what we think it is? In this episode, we go back 2,000 years to the final days of the Jewish revolt against Rome, where a group of rebels made a choice that would echo through history. Along the way, we unpack the factions, the violence, and the devastating collapse of Judean society, and we ask a simple but unsettling question: How much of this story is history, how much is myth, and what does it mean...
May 05, 2026•45 min
When Rachel Goldberg-Polin buried her son Hersh, she heard part of herself go into the ground with him. Recorded live before nearly 1,000 people at Temple Judea in Miami, Rachel joins host Noam Weissman to discuss her new memoir, sharing how writing became a way to survive unbearable grief and asking what it means to keep going when the person who was your whole world is gone. Drawing on Jewish theology, Viktor Frankl, and a prophetic journal entry Hersh wrote as a teenager, Rachel wrestles with...
Apr 29, 2026•1 hr 8 min
Scott Galloway is one of the most influential voices in the world. He's a professor, bestselling author, and podcaster with millions of followers. What most people don't know: he's also proudly Jewish. Recorded live in London, Noam sits down with Galloway for a rare, unfiltered conversation about his Jewish awakening after October 7th, why Israel keeps losing the story war, and why he's no longer staying quiet. Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Notes-...
Apr 28, 2026•1 hr 11 min
Hasan Piker weaponized Albert Einstein on Pod Save America to condemn Zionism. But he left out most of the story. Noam addresses Piker's troubling statements about Einstein by tracing his full relationship with Zionism, exposing how a confident but incomplete portrait collapses under the weight of the full historical record. The Problem with Hasan Piker's Einstein Story , by Yair Rosenberg: https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/deep-shtetl/ Check out our past episodes of Unpacking Israeli Hist...
Apr 23, 2026•35 min
Why did Israel's enemies, Sinwar, Khamenei and Nasrallah, all believe Israel was on the verge of collapse? Israeli philosopher Micah Goodman joins Noam to reveal the deep misreading of Israeli society at the heart of that miscalculation. They unpack why Israel's hybrid of radical individualism and fierce collectivism is its greatest strategic asset, and why the world keeps getting it wrong. Here is a link to Micah Goodman's work: https://micahgoodman.com/en/books/ Note: This episode was recorded...
Apr 21, 2026•1 hr 13 min
Host Noam Weissman sits down with Ittay Flescher, educator and education director at Seeds of Peace in Jerusalem, for an honest conversation about whether Israeli Palestinian peace is still possible after October 7th. Ittay, author of The Holy and the Broken , walks Noam through the major frameworks for resolving the conflict, from the two state solution to his preferred model, a confederation. Noam presses on trust, polling trends, and the enormous risks any peace proposal carries. Ultimately, ...
Apr 14, 2026•58 min
We're revisiting one of our most important episodes: the story of Operation Opera, Israel's 1981 surprise airstrike on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor, because the questions it raises feel more urgent than ever. As Israel confronts Iran, what do you do about a threat that isn't fully here yet but you believe is coming? Begin faced that exact dilemma, defied the entire world, and established the Begin Doctrine in the process. With Passover approaching, a holiday about the courage to act before it's...
Apr 07, 2026•38 min
In this special live episode from Atlanta, Noam Weissman sits down with journalist and author Yardena Schwartz to explore two of the most contested places on earth: Al-Aqsa and Hebron. Drawing on Yardena's book Ghosts of a Holy War , they unpack six pivotal but underknown moments in the conflict's history, from the 1903 Kishinev pogrom to the 1977 Mahapach. Along the way, they trace how disinformation, religious identity, and competing claims to sacred ground shaped the crisis we see today. Plea...
Mar 31, 2026•1 hr 7 min
A listener question about Israel's currency sends Noam on a fascinating journey through Jewish history. From secretly printing Israel's first bills in New York to battling hyperinflation to the surprising decision to put poets on today's shekel. Four currencies, 78 years, and one remarkable story about what a country's money says about its soul. Here is a link to Jewish History Nerds: The Roman Coins that Celebrated the Fall of Judea https://unpacked.media/juda-capta-the-roman-coins-that-celebra...
Mar 24, 2026•39 min
In Part 2 of our series on the history of the kibbutz, Noam Weissman explores how these communal villages helped shape Israel’s borders, identity, and culture. From frontier defense and the battles of 1948 to privatization and change, the kibbutz movement evolved dramatically, yet its core ethos of community and collective responsibility still endures. Here is the link to learn more about Kibbutzim: https://kibbutzvolunteers.org.il/program Here is a link to sources used in the episode: https://d...
Mar 17, 2026•36 min
As war between Israel and Iran intensifies, Noam Weissman sits down with journalist Haviv Rettig Gur to unpack what’s really driving the conflict. Is this about stopping Iran’s nuclear program, American strategy, or Israeli politics? Using a “Pick Your Theory” framework, they examine the biggest explanations, and what this historic moment means for Israel and the Middle East. This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored in memory of Leo Bernstein and also by Andrea and Larry...
Mar 12, 2026•55 min
What is a kibbutz, and why did it play such an outsized role in Israeli history? In Part 1 of this two-part series, Noam Weissman traces the origins of the kibbutz movement back to Degania, the first kibbutz, founded in 1910 by young Jewish pioneers of the Second Aliyah. He explores the ideals that shaped early kibbutz life—socialism, egalitarianism, collective labor, and a deep connection to the land—along with radical experiments in communal living. This episode examines how the kibbutz helped...
Mar 10, 2026•35 min
Missiles in the sky. Purim on the calendar. As Israel confronts Iran, Noam steps back from the headlines and turns to the Book of Esther, a story of genocide threatened, courage summoned, and history reversed at just the right moment. From ancient Persia to October 7th, Jewish history has followed a pattern: catastrophe, response, rebuilding. This episode is not a news update. It is a reflection on timing, resilience, unity, and what it means to live through history. Do we respond with sackcloth...
Mar 03, 2026•25 min
In the finale of our five-part series on the Jewish people’s ancient relationship to the Land of Israel, we move into the modern era, when Israel’s deepest challenges emerged not only from its borders but from within its own society. Noam traces the political, social, and moral upheavals that reshaped the country, carrying the story into the tensions of recent decades and the trauma and solidarity of October 7th. Noam reflects on Zionism as an unfinished project; one that calls for renewed purpo...
Mar 03, 2026•52 min
In this special episode, Noam Weissman sits down with Middle East expert and former Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed to unpack the forces driving the Israel–Iran–U.S. confrontation. From the Sunni–Shiite split to Iran’s 1979 Islamic takeover, Avi explains how theology, grievance, and ideology shaped the Islamic Republic. He explores how Tehran’s proxy network, from Hezbollah to the Houthis, turned the Israeli–Palestinian conflict into a driver of regional escalation. They also confront ...
Mar 01, 2026•50 min
The dream came true. And then reality arrived. In the 4th episode of our epic series tracing the Jewish relationship to the Land of Israel, Zionism shifts from vision to governance as Israel fights to survive. Noam Weissman explores the country’s turbulent early decades, absorbing waves of immigrants, forging a new national identity, and confronting wars that reshaped the region and tested the dream. This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Debra and Avi Naider and Jo...
Feb 24, 2026•50 min
As the modern world takes shape, the Jewish longing for Zion turns political. In Part 3 of this five-part series on the history of Israel, Noam Weissman explores how Zionism becomes a bold answer to an ancient question: what would it mean to go home? By 1948, that question becomes a state, reshaping history. This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Debra and Avi Naider and Jody and Ari Storch. To sponsor an episode or to be in touch, please email noam@unpacked.media. ...
Feb 17, 2026•51 min
After the Second Temple falls in 70 CE, the Jewish story shifts from sovereignty to survival--and Zion becomes a memory carried through exile. In Part 2 of this five-part series on the history of Israel, Noam Weissman traces the path from the Bar Kokhba revolt and Rome’s crushing response to the rise of rabbinic Judaism, the Talmud, and the rituals that kept Jerusalem alive in daily Jewish life. From Jewish life under early Islam through the trauma of the Crusades and centuries of persecution, a...
Feb 10, 2026•43 min
Zionism didn’t begin in the 19th century. It didn’t start with pamphlets, politics, or Theodor Herzl. In Episode 1 of a five-part series, Noam Weissman goes back—way back—to uncover the prehistory of an idea, tracing how Zion became more than geography or borders. Long before modern ideology, it was a promise, a memory, and a direction Jews faced even when they were nowhere near it. This isn’t a political argument—it’s the opening chapter of a much older story. And it’s only the beginning. This ...
Feb 03, 2026•53 min
In Part 2 of this two-part Unpacking Israeli History series on Israeli humanitarian aid, Noam Weissman follows IsraAid as it responds to the trauma and displacement inside Israel after October 7—building emergency schools, delivering psychological first aid, and supporting devastated communities. Then the story turns to an unprecedented chapter: IsraAid quietly helping facilitate aid and essential services for civilians in Gaza, navigating Israeli security concerns, international NGO bureaucracy...
Jan 27, 2026•38 min
After October 7, stories about Israeli humanitarian aid can sound like hasbara —a Hebrew term for public diplomacy or advocacy meant to improve Israel’s image. So in Part 1 of this two-part series, Noam Weissman asks a harder question: why does Israel keep rushing into disaster zones, often at real risk and with little strategic payoff? The episode traces Israel’s early “soft diplomacy” under Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir, then turns to IsraAid, Israel’s leading humanitarian NGO, through its work in...
Jan 20, 2026•54 min
In this follow-up conversation, Noam Weissman and emotional attunement expert Toba Hellerstein move from theory to practice—using real-world case studies to explore how people are actually talking about Israel right now. Drawing on listener emails and educator questions, they tackle common scenarios like responding to social media posts about “ending the occupation,” navigating influential podcasts, addressing concerns about Gaza without triggering antisemitic labels, and supporting Jewish stude...
Jan 13, 2026•1 hr 10 min
In this Open Mic episode, Noam responds to a listener, Aviva's question: what does it even mean to say “Israel has a right to exist”—and who gets to decide that “right”? Noam argues that the debate is really about Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. He makes the case that the more urgent conversation is about how Israel exists, not whether it exists. The episode uses the 2025 NYC mayoral debate as a jumping-off point to explore Jewish peoplehood, modern self-determination, and double stan...
Jan 06, 2026•35 min
Noam revisits one of the most devastating episodes in Israeli history—the 1974 Ma’alot school hostage massacre—and explains why, after October 7, this story feels more urgent and unbearable than ever. What began as a joyful field trip marking Israel’s 26th birthday—over a hundred religious high school students exploring northern Israel—turned into a nightmare when three Palestinian terrorists crossed in from Lebanon. This episode tells the story of Ma’alot in all its horror and bloodshed, but al...
Dec 30, 2025•31 min
How do you get people who don’t talk to talk? In this special live Unpacking Israeli History, Noam Weissman sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and Israeli intelligence expert Ronen Bergman (author of Rise and Kill First ) for a smart, funny, and deeply human look at the Mossad, Shin Bet, and Israel’s security establishment. Recorded in front of a packed audience at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, Bergman explains how he persuaded hundreds of operatives to open up, why secrecy and ego ...
Dec 23, 2025•56 min
Complete our 2025 survey: https://unpacked.bio/uihsurvey Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 In the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre, Noam tells three Hanukkah stories about Jews choosing light anyway, a menorah in Bergen-Belsen, hostages lighting candles in captivity, and a defiant window in Nazi Germany. Then an epilogue from Billings, Montana, when a community answered antisemitism with thousands of menorahs in...
Dec 16, 2025•24 min
Complete our 2025 survey: https://unpacked.bio/uihsurvey Book for the Jerusalem Marathon "Return, Reconnect, and Run for Resilience" tour: sababatravel.com Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 In a moment when debates feel existential, it’s worth remembering that history can still turn sharply. That’s why we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes: the story of the weekend Anwar Sadat came to Jerusalem. November 19, 1...
Dec 09, 2025•41 min
Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Noam Weissman talks with journalist and author Yardena Schwartz about her book Ghosts of a Holy War and how the 1929 Hebron massacre helped ignite the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They trace the century-long thread of the cry “Al-Aqsa is in danger”—how Grand Mufti Hajj Amin al-Husseini weaponized it in 1929, tied it to his alliance with Nazi Germany, and how those myths continue to f...
Dec 02, 2025•1 hr 8 min
This week, we’re revisiting one of the most overlooked yet consequential chapters in the Arab–Israeli conflict: the 1929 Hebron Massacre. In just two days, 67 Jews were murdered and an ancient community was destroyed—all sparked by a lie about Jewish plans to take over Al-Aqsa, a false rumor whose fear and fury have echoed for generations. Understanding this story is essential to understanding the region itself. We’re re-releasing this episode now because next week, Noam sits down with journalis...
Nov 25, 2025•38 min
