In this episode Benji and Avi sit down with Ohad Merlin, Middle East correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, and expert on the media landscape in the Arab world. We do a deep dive into the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar, and the myth that Israeli tourists always steal hotel towels.

Turns out we live in a pretty tough neighborhood.

If you’re feeling depressed after this episode, here’s a Sesame Street blast from the past featuring Bob McGrath, the coolest person who ever lived in Teaneck, NJ. Once you go down that Sesame Street rabbit hole, enjoy The Alligator King and I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon! You’ll feel better…

Here is one of Ohad's videos explaining aspects of Jewishness in Arabic that are mentioned in the podcast.

You can find Ohad on X at https://twitter.com/mohadisrael , and on Telegram at https://t.me/MerlinMeadken (there's a WhatsApp link there as well).

All of his Jerusalem Post articles can be found here:
https://www.jpost.com/author/ohad-merlin

Ohad's LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/ohad-merlin-5457b4187?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

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In this episode, Benji and Avi get the lowdown about the educational system from the best high school teacher in Raanana, the one and only Rebecca Perlin Sadinoff! Like most high-school teachers in Israel, Rebecca is on strike (so she couldn’t tell us she was busy). Rebecca explains what’s wrong with children’s education in Israel – but also what’s right with it. We all agree the kids are great – but how? We go into the belly of the beast to understand the current strike, what helicopters and skateboards have to do with school, and much more.

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In this episode, Benji and Avi had the privilege of sitting down with Raanana’s own Eli Ziering. Eli's brother, Aryeh Ziering of blessed memory, was killed in action on October 7th near Kibbutz Zikim in Israel's South. Aryeh was a major in the IDF's elite Oketz unit, and an all-around wonderful person whom we knew and loved. Eli wanted to share what her experience of becoming a bereaved sibling has been like. The grief, the pain, and even finding the humor through it all.

It's a poignant perspective that is all her own and we’re sure it will touch your heart as it did ours.

Special thank you to IDF lone soldiers Shlomo Warren, Maya Behiri, Emmauelle Stern, and Danielle Dror from the Gar'in Tzabar program for sharing the music at the end of the episode.

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In this episode, Benji takes us on a journey to Italy – where he is a mini-celebrity! – to uncover some family secrets from World War II. He is helped by a motley crew of wonderful Italians who are as dedicated to uncovering the truth as he is.

Spoiler alert:
For the Italian speakers out there, here is one of the TV news segments that aired in 2021, and here is one of the articles published after Benji's trip.

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This week, Benji and Avi enter the mysterious and fascinating world of international diamond dealing. They sit down with Elliot and Dov Tannenbaum, the father and son team that runs Leo Schachter Diamonds, one of the world's largest diamond manufacturers.

We cover a lot of ground here: the history, the characters, the secrets of the trade, and the unique challenges ahead. We also find out why Benji once spent a week peering into a shower drain.

- For a taste of 47th Street in the late 1980s check out the hamish documentary, "Dealers among Dealers."

- For the worst camp song ever written, referenced by Benji in the intro, take a listen.

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A few episodes ago (episode 3), Benji and Avi discussed the thorny topic Haredim not serving in the IDF. During their discussion, Benji told a few not-too-flattering stories about Moishy, one of his Haredi cousins.

Now we get to hear from Moishy about what's really going on today in the Haredi community.

The introduction is in English, but the conversation with Moishy is in Hebrew.

Please note that at minute 1:13 there's an English recap of the conversation for our our English-speaking audience. Avi insisted on doing this while Benji was adamantly against it! He can be lazy sometimes.

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Turns out Benji and Avi don't speak English. Or at least not modern-day SoFlo dialect. In this episode, Benji and Avi sit down with their youngest guests yet, Eliana and Aly, who took an hour out of their Israel summer program to try to explain to two very slow learners what it's like to be a teenager navigating social media and the modern world.

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There are only a handful of pediatric oncology bone marrow transplant specialists in Israel, and our guest, Dr. Aviva Krauss, is one of them. She's skilled, brilliant, caring, and passionate about saving children's lives. She's also at the breaking point.

Join us as we shine a light on what can only be described as a scandal. A medical system that punishes you if you happen to be among the best of the best.

Fear not, there's humor here, but also a call to action. Something's got to change.

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