New Books in Israel Studies
Education & Explainer
About
This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: newbooksnetwork.com Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies
Episodes
- Gideon Reuveni, "The Great Repair: Emotions, Memory, and the German–Jewish Settlement after the Holocaust" (Cornell UP, 2026)
Gideon Reuveni
- Karolina Przewrocka-Aderet, "Polanim: From Poland to Israel" (Academic Studies Press, 2026)
This episode features journalist Katarzyna Przewrocka-Aderet discussing her book "Polanim: From Poland to Israel." The book examines the experiences of Jewish migrants from Poland to Israel, focusing on their memories, the impact of histor…
- Yiddish in Israel: A History
This episode discusses Rachel Rojanski's book, "Yiddish in Israel: A History," which offers a new perspective on the relationship between Yiddish and Israeli Hebrew cultures. It explores the Yiddish press, theater, literature, and high cul…
- The Shtetl: Myth and Reality with Samuel Kassow
Samuel Kassow discusses the historical and imagined shtetl, analyzing its significance for Eastern European Jewish identity. He addresses how the shtetl was viewed by Zionists and Jewish leftists, cherished by others as a symbol of Jewishn…
- David Frankfurter ed., "Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic" (Brill, 2019)
This episode discusses the volume "Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic," edited by David Frankfurter. The book addresses ancient terminologies, texts, artifacts, and contexts related to magic across the Mediterranean and Near East, offerin…
- Matti Friedman, "Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai" (Spiegel & Grau, 2022)
Matti Friedman recounts Leonard Cohen's 1973 journey to the Sinai during the Yom Kippur War. The book explores Cohen's interactions with soldiers and the war's impact on his music career.
- Adam S. Ferziger. "Agents of Change: American Jews and the Transformation of Israeli Judaism" (NYU Press, 2025)
Historian Adam S. Ferziger speaks with Drora Arussy about Ferziger's book, "Agents of Change," which examines the influence of American Jews, particularly Orthodox rabbis and educators, on the transformation of Israeli Judaism and religiou…
- Elizabeth E. Imber, "Uncertain Empire: Jews, Nationalism, and the Fate of British Imperialism" (Stanford UP, 2025)
Elizabeth Imber discusses her book "Uncertain Empire," examining how Jews within the British Empire engaged with imperialism and anticolonial movements concerning Palestine's political future between 1917 and 1948.
- Ofer Ashkenazi and Thomas Pegelow Kaplan, "Rethinking Jewish History and Memory Through Photography" (SUNY Press, 2025)
Ofer Ashkenazi and Thomas Pegelow Kaplan, both professors of history, discuss their research and publications concerning Jewish photography, particularly in Nazi Germany, and its implications for understanding Jewish history and memory. Th…
- Thane Rosenbaum, "Beyond Proportionality" (Wicked Son, 2025)
Thane Rosenbaum, a novelist and law professor, discusses his book "Beyond Proportionality." The book examines legal standards and the principle of proportionality, concluding that Israel's war in Gaza is lawful and just, with collateral da…
- Aviva Guttmann, "Operation Wrath of God: The Secret History of European Intelligence and Mossad's Assassination Campaign" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Aviva Guttmann
- Ilana Rosen, "Israeli Documentary Poetry: Coming of Age with the State" (Academic Studies Press, 2025)
Ilana Rosen discusses her book "Israeli Documentary Poetry: Coming of Age with the State," which examines poems from Israel's first two decades. The study analyzes themes including Holocaust memory, transit, displacement, schooling, Mizrah…
- Yardena Schwartz, "Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Arab-Israeli Conflict" (Union Square, 2024)
Yardena Schwartz discusses her book, "Ghosts of a Holy War," examining the 1929 Hebron massacre and its lasting influence on the Arab-Israeli conflict. The interview connects historical incitement to contemporary events, stressing the impo…
- Yardena Schwartz, "Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Arab-Israeli Conflict" (Union Square, 2024)
Yardena Schwartz discusses her book, "Ghosts of a Holy War," examining the 1929 Hebron massacre, its historical context, and its lasting effects on the Arab-Israeli conflict. The interview connects 1929 events to contemporary issues, empha…
- Andrew Tobolowsky, "Israel and its Heirs in Late Antiquity" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Andrew Tobolowsky
- Elana Gomel, "The Pilgrim Soul: Being a Russian in Israel" (Cambria Press, 2009)
This episode features Elana Gomel discussing her book "The Pilgrim Soul: Being a Russian in Israel." The book analyzes the narratives and identities of the Russian community in Israel, connecting them to Soviet history and exploring cultur…
- Krista N. Dalton, "How Rabbis Became Experts: Social Circles and Donor Networks in Jewish Late Antiquity" (Princeton UP, 2025)
Krista Dalton's book, "How Rabbis Became Experts," explores how social relationships and donor networks in Jewish Late Antiquity shaped the perception of rabbis as experts. The book analyzes rabbinic writings from the second to fifth centu…
- Toine van Teeffelen, "The Birthplace of Jesus Is in Palestine: A Memoir" (Wipf and Stock, 2024)
Toine van Teeffelen
- Yitzhak Conforti, "Zionism and Jewish Culture: A Study in the Origins of a National Movement" (Academic Studies Press, 2024)
The episode features Yitzhak Conforti discussing his book "Zionism and Jewish Culture: A Study in the Origins of a National Movement." Conforti explains that Zionism was not monolithic, highlighting debates around its nature, location, lan…
- Derek J. Penslar, "Zionism: An Emotional State" (Rutgers UP, 2023)
Derek Penslar
- David Kraemer, "Embracing Exile: The Case for Jewish Diaspora" (Oxford UP, 2025)
David Kraemer
- Orit Rozin, "Emotions of Conflict, Israel 1949-1967" (Oxford UP, 2024)
This episode discusses Orit Rozin's book "Emotions of Conflict, Israel 1949-1967," examining the emotional challenges faced by Israeli citizens and the political strategies used to shape their feelings. The analysis offers insights into Is…
- Rhys Machold, "Fabricating Homeland Security: Police Entanglements Across India and Palestine/Israel" (Stanford UP, 2024)
Rhys Machold discusses his book "Fabricating Homeland Security," examining the global industry of surveillance and territorial control. The book explores the entanglement of policing practices between India and Israel/Palestine, particular…
- Ofra Amihay, "The People of the Book and the Camera: Photography in the Hebrew Novel" (Syracuse UP, 2022)
Ofra Amihay's study examines the intersection of photography and literature in Hebrew novels. The book explores how authors use visual elements, including actual images, to disrupt narratives, address social and political issues like gende…
- Margaret Peacock, "Frequencies of Deceit: How Global Propaganda Wars Shaped the Middle East" (U California Press, 2025)
Margaret Peacock discusses her book, "Frequencies of Deceit," examining how global propaganda wars and dissimulation on Middle Eastern radio from 1967 onwards fostered a loss of faith in Western solutions and contributed to the rise of pol…
- Nir Arielli, "The Dead Sea: A 10,000 Year History" (Yale UP, 2025)
Nir Arielli
- Violent Majorities 2.3: Long-Distance Ethnonationalism Roundup (LA, AS)
In this episode of Violent Majorities, Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian explore long-distance ethnonationalism. They discuss the factors influencing Jewish American support for Israel and the rise of Hindu ethnonationalism, considering t…
- Amit Levy, "A New Orient: From German Scholarship to Middle Eastern Studies in Israel" (Brandeis UP, 2024)
Amit Levy's "A New Orient" examines the history of Zionist and Israeli Middle Eastern Studies, tracing its German academic roots and the transformation of scholarship from textual study to direct engagement during the Jewish-Arab conflict.…
- David Graves, "New Realism in Contemporary Israeli Painting" (Austin Macauley, 2023)
David Graves, author and lecturer, discusses his book "New Realism in Contemporary Israeli Painting." The book examines a group of Israeli artists creating intensified realism, contrasting with postmodern trends.
- Violent Majorities 2.1: Peter Beinart on Long-Distance Israeli Ethnonationalism (LA, AS)
Peter Beinart joins Ajantha Subramanian and Lori Allen to discuss his book "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza," which uses Jewish ethics to challenge Zionist narratives and the Israeli settler-colonial project. They also discuss s…
- Yitzchak Etshalom, "Amos: The Genius of Prophetic Rhetoric" (Maggid, 2024)
Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom joins the podcast to discuss his book, "Amos: The Genius of Prophetic Rhetoric," focusing on the prophet Amos's critique of power abuses and his use of poetic language.
- The Hyphen Unites: Avi Shlaim on Arab-Jewish Life
Avi Shlaim discusses his memoir "Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew," exploring his Iraqi/Israeli/British past and the concept of the Arab Jew. He reflects on coexistence, the migration of Iraqi Jews to Israel, the role of Zionism, and h…
- Yaacov Yadgar, "To Be a Jewish State: Zionism as the New Judaism" (NYU Press, 2024)
Yaacov Yadgar
- Azad Essa, "Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel" (Pluto Press, 2023)
Azad Essa
- Middle East on the Brink: Escalation, Diplomacy, and the Search for Stability
John Torpey talks with Win Dayton, a retired U.S. diplomat, about escalating tensions in the Middle East, including Gaza and Lebanon. Dayton shares insights from his diplomatic career on U.S. foreign policy and prospects for regional stabi…
- Writing on the Wall: A Conversation with William Kolbrener
William Kolbrener, co-founder of the "Writing on the Wall" platform, explains its mission to unite diverse voices through poetry and art to fight antisemitism. The initiative, based at Bar-Ilan University, offers creative responses to hate…
- Hannah Pollin-Galay, "Occupied Words: What the Holocaust Did to Yiddish" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024)
Dr. Hannah Pollin-Galay discusses her book "Occupied Words: What the Holocaust Did to Yiddish," examining how the Holocaust led to the creation of new Yiddish words to describe extreme experiences. The book analyzes this linguistic transfo…
- Parker Palmer on the Israel-Gaza War
This episode features Parker Palmer discussing faith, hope, and healing in the context of the Israel-Gaza war. The conversation examines the conflict's impact on Israelis and Palestinians, and its reflection of tensions within American soc…
- Roni Henig, "On Revival: Hebrew Literature Between Life and Death" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024)
Roni Henig analyzes "Hebrew revival" in early 20th-century literature, critiquing the Zionist narrative of language revitalization. Her book, "On Revival: Hebrew Literature Between Life and Death," explores how writers perceived Hebrew as…
- The Failed Concepts That Brought Israel to October 7
The essay "The Failed Concepts That Brought Israel to October 7" by Shany Mor critiques several intellectual and policy frameworks that contributed to the October 7 attack. It examines failures related to Netanyahu's leadership, religious…
- Avi Shlaim, "Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew" (Oneworld, 2024)
Avi Shlaim discusses his memoir "Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew," which recounts his family's forced exile from Iraq to Israel in 1950. The book explores the heritage of Arab-Jews caught between conflicting ideologies.
- Eran Ortal, "Battle Before the War: The Inside Story of the IDF's Transformation" (Dado Center, 2023)
Brigadier General Eran Ortal discusses his book, "Battle Before the War: The Inside Story of the IDF's Transformation," which details the IDF's efforts to prepare for future conflicts by integrating technological and societal changes. The…
- Hannan Hever, "Hebrew Literature and the 1948 War: Essays on Philology and Responsibility" (Brill, 2019)
Hannan Hever discusses their book, "Hebrew Literature and the 1948 War: Essays on Philology and Responsibility," which analyzes the portrayal of the Palestinian Nakba in modern Hebrew literature and its linguistic reflection of Israeli nat…
- Shane Burley and Ben Lorber, "Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism" (Melville House, 2024)
Shane Burley and Ben Lorber discuss their book "Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism." They address the rise of antisemitism, its connection to exclusionary nationalist movements, and the importance of buildi…
- Seth J. Frantzman, "The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza" (Wicked Son, 2024)
Seth J. Frantzman
- Sivan Zakai and Matt Reingold, "Teaching Israel: Studies of Pedagogy from the Field" (Brandeis UP, 2023)
Sivan Zakai and Matt Reingold discuss their book "Teaching Israel: Studies of Pedagogy from the Field." The conversation covers learner-centered approaches, diverse educational settings, and the challenges of teaching about Israel's histor…
- Aviad Moreno, "Entwined Homelands, Empowered Diasporas: Hispanic Moroccan Jews and Their Globalizing Community" (Indiana UP, 2024)
Aviad Moreno discusses his book "Entwined Homelands, Empowered Diasporas: Hispanic Moroccan Jews and Their Globalizing Community," examining the unique, Hispanophone diaspora of Jews from northern Morocco.
- Oren Kroll-Zeldin, "Unsettled: American Jews and the Movement for Justice in Palestine" (NYU Press, 2024)
Oren Kroll-Zeldin's book "Unsettled" explores young American Jews involved in the Palestine solidarity movement, detailing their strategies to challenge mainstream pro-Israel institutions and connect social justice activism with Jewish val…
- Cary Nelson, "Hate Speech and Academic Freedom: The Antisemitic Assault on Basic Principles" (Academic Studies Press, 2024)
Cary Nelson's book, "Hate Speech and Academic Freedom," explores how antisemitism affects core academic principles such as freedom of speech, hiring standards, and ethical conduct, addressing issues of increased urgency in academia.
- Notes from the Field: A Personal View of the War on Gaza
Dr. Eli Karetny discusses the shifting moods within Israeli society following the October 7th attacks, the heightened militarization, and the impact on Bedouin-Israeli relations amidst the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war.