Ancient Land, Modern Tales

 

Welcome to Israel Story – the award-winning podcast that tells extraordinary tales about ordinary Israelis. Often called “the Israeli ‘This American Life,'” we bring you quirky, unpredictable, interesting and moving stories about a place we all think we know a lot about, but really don’t.

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Latest Episodes

  • A Day at the Y
    • Episode 67
    • 1:12:14
    • 2021

    A Day at the Y

    On June 7, 2021 the entire Israel Story team – nine radio producers – descended upon the Jerusalem International YMCA….

  • Game Changer
    • Episode 66
    • 49:45
    • 2021

    Game Changer

    With the fate of the 2020 – now 2021 – Tokyo Olympic Games still up in the air, our season finale tells the story of a dream to introduce a sport to a nation, and a nation to a sport. But it is a dream made up of as many tears of pain and disappointment as it is of joy and triumph.

  • The Stories We Killed
    • Episode 65
    • 25:28
    • 2021

    The Stories We Killed

    Like everything else in life, stories die. And, more often than not, we are the killers. Today we give you a behind-the-scenes peek into some of the stories you didn’t get to hear this year.

  • Tell Saki – Part II
    • Episode 64
    • 53:37
    • 2021

    Tell Saki – Part II

    We conclude our two-part Tell Saki story by returning to the soldiers after the battle and following their respective journeys – full of pain and regret, but also full of longing and camaraderie – in the years since the Yom Kippur War.

  • Bonus: The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God, Revisited
    • Short Episode
    • 22:10
    • 2021

    Bonus: The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God, Revisited

    As a little respite from the intensity of war explored in our two-part Tell Saki series, we replay a short piece of fiction by our beloved Etgar Keret. And, as a special bonus, we include highlights of a conversation we held with Etgar during lockdown.

  • Tell Saki – Part I
    • Episode 63
    • 1:00:18
    • 2021

    Tell Saki – Part I

    We embark on a two-episode journey back to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and specifically to one small hill – a dormant volcanic tell – in the southern Golan Heights. There, we follow a group of young IDF soldiers who, trapped in a small bunker for thirty-six hours, went to hell and back.