#political-history
128 episodes · Page 3 of 6
#2969: Who Controls Israel's Courts? The Judicial Reform Fight Explained
Why 600,000 Israelis protested a legal doctrine you've never heard of — and why the fight isn't over.
#2968: The Government That Existed Before the State
How the Yishuv built a fully functioning state within a state decades before 1948.
#2966: When Did We Stop Making Our Own Clothes?
Mass-produced clothing is only about 150 years old. Your great-great-grandparents likely wore handmade clothes.
#2957: The Fourth Ring of Jerusalem
How a 1,700-year-old community in Jerusalem is fighting for survival — and what the Cow Garden land dispute reveals.
#2951: Herzl's Unbuilt Utopia: The Man Behind the Dream
The secular dandy who founded modern Zionism — and the state he imagined vs. what got built.
#2946: How a Kahanist Teen Became Israel's Police Chief
The story of Itamar Ben-Gvir's rise from Kach activist to National Security Minister.
#2933: How 400 Yeshiva Students Became 66,000 Exemptions
How a 1947 letter to 400 students grew into the political backbone of Israel's governing coalitions.
#2931: David Ben-Gurion: The Man Behind the Myth
The neurotic insomniac who read Plato at dawn, built a state, and shaped Israel's DNA.
#2930: How the Rabbis Saved the Bible's Most Dangerous Book
The book that says "everything is pointless" was almost cut from the Bible. Here's how the rabbis reinvented it.
#2921: The Man Behind the Politics: Netanyahu's Personality
What drives Benjamin Netanyahu? Former aides reveal the man behind the political force.
#2907: How Medieval Queens Shaped Jewish Policy Before 1306
How four French queens used dower lands and household budgets to protect—or restrict—Jewish communities before the 1306 expulsion.
#2879: Are Most Chinese People Actually Atheist?
Only 14% of Chinese adults identify as atheists. The reality of belief in China is far more complex.
#2869: China's Special Puzzle Pieces: Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan
How "one country, two systems" works differently for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan — and what's changed.
#2849: Fixing Israel's Broken Link Between Voters and Government
How Israel's party-list voting crowds out local issues — and what Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland do differently.
#2838: Can Random Citizens Fix Broken Democracies?
What if the best way to fix democracy isn't voting, but picking lawmakers by lottery? Real experiments from Ireland to Belgium.
#2813: How Jerusalem Day Went From Thanksgiving to Sovereignty Display
The holiday began as a rabbinic day of thanks. Now 70,000 people march through the Muslim Quarter. How did it shift?
#2787: Mapping Israel's Ideological Think Tanks
Van Leer, IDI, INSS, Kohelet, JCPA — what these institutes actually do, who funds them, and how they shape policy.
#2742: Where Ancient Jerusalem’s Walls Actually Were
The City of David was only 12 acres. Here’s how Jerusalem’s boundaries shifted over 3,000 years.
#2723: Why No Country Has Ever Reached Communism
The real difference between socialism and communism — and whether either has ever produced a successful society.
#2697: When Trust in Your Country Feels Like a Bad Relationship
What happens when the state you fund feels like it's deceiving you — and you can't opt out.
#2680: The 200-Year Loophole That Shaped UK Tax
How a 1799 tax carve-out let billionaires avoid UK taxes for centuries — until Akshata Murty broke it.
#2662: Did Judaism Ever Have Monks?
Did Judaism ever have monks? The Essenes and Therapeutae challenge the standard answer.
#2661: Monasticism's Great Migration
Catholic monastic life collapsed in the West but is growing fast in Africa and Asia. Here's the surprising global picture.
#2654: The Bachelor Brothers Who Built a University
Two brothers, a silk collapse, and a land donation that became the University of Connecticut.