Israel Uncensored

21
Sep
2020

Understanding the Fast of Gedalia

On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, Josh explains why today (the 3rd of Tishrei) is a fast named after the murdered Babylonian-appointed Jewish governor Gedalia Ben Ahikam. While there is certainly some controversy to the episode, ultimately his death started a chain of events leading to the end of a Jewish presence in Israel for many years. Also on the show, the latest on Israel’s coronavirus lockdown, plus the US has a straight moral compass when it comes to Iran, while other countries try to let the Mullahs off their hook for exporting terror across the globe.

Photo Credit: https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0005978.html

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
16
Sep
2020

Closing Time to Start 5781

Israel has issued a three week corona virus lockdown as we head towards Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. Who is to blame for the skyrocketing pandemic numbers in Israel? On this week’s Israel Uncensored, Josh Hasten weighs in on that, plus an Israeli delegation is on its way to Washington D.C. to sign a historic normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates. At the same time Bahrain has become the latest Arab country to formally open ties with the Jewish State. Shana Tovah to all!

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
08
Sep
2020

Closure No Closure

As Israel was about to implement a closure on it’s “red communities,” with coronavius cases spiking out of control, the government yesterday decided to implement a “night curfew” instead in Israel’s most hard-hit towns and communities. On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, Josh berates the government for playing politics as thousands of new cases of COVID-19 are being confirmed daily. What will happen during Rosh Hashannah and the high holidays, when some are insisting on holding services in synagogues despite the infections? What about the mass protests still taking place against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? All of these questions and more, as Israel is in the midst of it’s hottest September in 118 years.

Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_and_green_traffic_signals,_Stamford_Road,_Singapore_-_20111210.jpg

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
31
Aug
2020

A Novel Which Sheds the Truth on Israel

On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, an interview with Ira Mosen, author of the new novel “First Among Nations,” which tells the story of diverse communities in Israel who come together for one goal – helping Israel vie for a World Cup championship. Mosen whose family made aliyah two years ago, works as a doctor and sees examples of coexistence in Israel very often, but finds that those stories are not shared by a media focused only on conflict in this country.

Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_in_Han…cation_in_Israel

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
24
Aug
2020

Hiking Israel to Heal, while Repairing the World

On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, an interview with Aryeh Green, Chief Strategy Officer at Gigawatt Global, an amazing Israeli company, which develops renewable energy projects in Africa. Green, who was the founder and director of MediaCentral, providing services for the foreign press in Israel, has been at the forefront of Israel’s public diplomacy efforts for decades. At the same time, he discusses his book “My Israel Trail: Finding Peace in the Promised Land,” which details his remarkable 800-mile solo hike throughout the country.

Photo Credit: www.maxpixel.net/Nature-Israel-Ra…il-Eilat-4953917

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
17
Aug
2020

The Netanyahu Doctrine – Israel and the UAE

On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, an interview with Danny Seaman, Director of the Movement for Governability and Democracy “Meshilult,” to get his take on the announced Israel/UAE peace deal. Seaman says that the agreement represents the “Netanyahu doctrine,” the Prime Minister’s policy of establishing relations with other countries with common goals in mind. In this case, it’s the Arab Sunni world’s desire to find partners willing to take on the Iranian threat. At the same time, Seaman says that the agreement proves wrong those who believe the key to peace in the Middle East is an Israeli concession-based deal with the PA.

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
02
Aug
2020

The Zionist Minute

On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten an interview with Israel activist Rabbi Avi Schwartz. Schwartz’s latest project is called “The Zionist Minute,” a series of short educational video segments made by high profile figures on what Zionism means to them. In addition, Schwartz, whose father was a Palmach war hero in Israel’s War of Independence, discusses how he is educating teens to be future Zionist leaders in the footsteps of the Palmach’s teachings and traditions.

Photo Credit: Flickr / zeevveez

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
21
Jul
2020

The Unstoppable Jerusalemite

On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, an interview with author Jodi Samuels upon the release of her new book Chutzpah, Wisdom, and Wine. In the book Samuels shares her journey from Johannesburg to Jerusalem via New York, as a community leader, world traveler, special needs advocate, outreach initiator – hosting hundreds of people in her home for events and Shabbat meals, and much more!

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
14
Jul
2020

Ethiopian Israeli Heritage

On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, a very special interview with Ashager Araro, the founder of Battae (“my house” in Amaharic), the Ethiopian Israeli Heritage Center in Tel Aviv. Araro, who was born in the desert as her parents literally walked to Israel on foot from Ethiopia, with her mom being nine months pregnant, shares her family’s heroic personal story of Zionism. Like many new ventures Battae, which opened in 2019, is suffering the pinch caused by the Coronavirus, and as a result Araro has founded a campaign in order to continue her mission to educate about Ethiopian Israeli heritage.

Photo Credit: Benny Vainer

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored
07
Jul
2020

Feeding the Hungry in Israel During Corona

On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, an interview with Joseph Gitler, Founder and Chairman of Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank. During the Corona crisis, the organization had to adjust its model in order to provide thousands of prepared meals for those in need, including those vulnerable populations who couldn’t leave their homes. For the past 17 years Leket has rescued immeasurable amounts of food to assist the hungry throughout the country.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons / Colenyj

Posted by Josh Hasten in Israel Uncensored