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Wartime Diaries: Omer Ohana
The war has brought many new people into the limelight: For nearly three months we've been hearing countless stories of casualties, hostages, survivors and family members, many of whom have entered our hearts and never left. In some cases we feel like we’ve gotten to know these unsung heroes personally. One of the first big stories of the war, in that initial crazy week after October 7th, was that of 30-year-old Sagi Golan from Herzliya - a decorated officer in an anti-terrorism unit, who was killed in action in Be’eri in the early hours of October 8th. His story made headlines because Sagi was supposed to have married his partner, Omer Ohana, two weeks later, and his death brought to the fore - once again - the matter of the army and LGBTQ rights. Though the IDF has recognized same-sex partners of fallen soldiers as being eligible for full financial and emotional support since the mid-1990s, the matter had never been enshrined in law. So in the weeks after Sagi’s death, Omer led a successful campaign to legally secure the rights of same-sex and common law partners of fallen soldiers.
The end song is Zachiti Le'ehov ("I Won The Privilege to Love") by Ivri Lider.
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Wartime Diaries: Gadi Ezra
18:44||Season 7When war needs you in two very different capacities, how on earth do you decide what to do?The end song is Ana Efneh ("Where Shall I Turn?") by Erez Lev Ari.
A Year Later: Ariel Markose
01:40||Season 7Today we’re releasing something new for us - a short video - in which we returned to Ariel Markose, exactly one year after profiling her on "Wartime Diaries." You can find the video here
Wartime Diaries: One Year
01:11:20||Season 7Families, lovers, fighters, and more: one year of Wartime Diaries.The end song is B'Shana Haba'ah ("In the Next Year") by Shiri Maimon.
Wartime Diaries: Sapir Bluzer
14:34||Season 7A parent being called to war impacts the entire family. So she stepped up.The end song is Imma ("Mom") by Shiri Maimon.
Wartime Diaries: A Tale of Two Bus Stops
15:01||Season 7Two bus stops in two neighboring towns capture how war can unify, and how it can divide.The end song is Autobus Mispar Echad ("Bus Number One") by Shlomo Artzi.
Wartime Diaries: Toby Einhorn
10:51||Season 7Seeking love. Called to war.For our Tu B'Av special, we wanted to get a bird's eye view of the local, post-October 7th dating scene. So we went to visit Rebetzin Toby Einhorn, who runs a one-stop-shop for all matters of the heart.Image courtesy of Jenny Peperman.The end song is Shir HaShadchanit ("Matchmaker, Matchmaker") from the Hebrew adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof.
Wartime Diaries: Maryam Younnes
18:41||Season 7Despite all the experts and pundits out there, few know Hezbollah as well as the members of a small, and often forgotten, community living in Israel.This community has found itself in an impossible position: Their adoptive country (Israel) is at war with their sworn enemy (Hezbollah), but is also - as a by-product - bombing their hometowns and villages in Southern Lebanon, where many of their friends and family members still reside. Welcome to the Middle East. As always, it’s complicated. In today's episode, we hear from Maryam Younnes, whose father was an SLA commander who relocated to Israel back in May 2000.The end song is Shir Matzav ("A Song of the Situation") by Mika Karni.
Our Friend Shai
10:30||Season 7On Monday evening Jerusalem lost one of its cornerstones, and we lost a very close friend. While you haven't heard Shai Doron - the President of the Jerusalem Foundation - on our show, he was a major force behind all that we do: He encouraged us, gave us a home, helped us build our studio, envisioned our series of live-storytelling events in Jerusalem, and enthusiastically supported our activity. Shai believed in Jerusalem's endless potential, saw its diversity as its main asset, and worked tirelessly to build a better - and shared - society. We will miss him terribly.
Wartime Diaries: Michael Vivier
15:52||Season 7For the last nine-and-a-half months, we’ve been experiencing different kinds of battlefields: There are actual battlefields, where people fight and are wounded and killed. And then, of course, there are secondary battlefields - on college campuses, in the court of public opinion, on social media, on TV, in newspapers, via text messages. And while no one has, thankfully, been killed on those battlefields, they are - in disturbing ways - no less vicious. This reality is so pervasive that for many it’s become the haunting soundtrack of the entire period. But today we want to share one small story, one of countless similar ones that have crossed our radar - about trolling, virtual bullying and Israel bashing. The end song is Kol Ha'Olam Kulo ("The Whole Wide World") by the Djamchid Sisters.