Looking at Palestine from Zion

In the Spring and Summer of 1949 Israel offered repatriation of Gazan refugees. This episode includes that story and a critique of Ilan Pappe's recounting this historic episode. Links Time Magazine story https://time.com/archive/6602801/middle-east-no-talk-no-peace/ Walter Eytan's letter to the chairman of the conciliation committee. https://ecf.org.il/media_items/358?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1fCnUEgTYscYUUhH_5mdUgRRMXb3dsZV1oBsZcyRuVhh6uea0NU5PiNW8_aem_Hh0tTZeobsjwNpnlSvr7hA Survey of Proposals to the Conciliation Committee https://ecf.org.il/media_items/358?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1fCnUEgTYscYUUhH_5mdUgRRMXb3dsZV1oBsZcyRuVhh6uea0NU5PiNW8_aem_Hh0tTZeobsjwNpnlSvr7hA Review of Neil Caplan's work on the Lausanne Conference: https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JCS/article/view/15205/16274 Lessons of the Failed Gaza Initiative from the Begin-Sadat Center: https://besacenter.org/lessons-from-the-failed-gaza-initiative-of-1949/

Some Responses to Rashid Khalidis's Iron Cage

The Amazing Story of the Jews of Urfa and their place in Israel's story. For a virtual tour of Abraham's cave in Urfa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vz5RGw9H_I For the full interview of Harun Bozo from Centropa's Library of Rescued memories: https://www.centropa.org/en/biography/harun-bozo

A look at one of the Succot liturgy's prayers and its longing for restoration and redemption of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.

This episode explores an 11th century Western European scholar's take and a 12th century Spanish/North African scholar's understanding of Jewish morning on the four yearly fast days. We see that aspirations for Jewish self-determination and autonomy were ingrained in Jewish discourse a millennium before Zionism. The passage from the Talmud around which this episode revovles is Tractate Rosh Hashanah 18b. Rashi's comments are to that passage. The passage quoted from Maimonides/Rambam is from his commentary to the Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:3.

Critics of Israel are claiming that Ashkenazi Jews are illegitimate and therefore Israel is illegitimate too. But Sefardi Jewish Scholars don't see it that way.

The Letter quoted her comes from Rabbi Messas' three volume collection of his letters known at Otzar HaMichtavim אוצר המכתבים. The letter cited is in volume three, page 163 letter #1,769.

Here is a link to the facebook post which I based this episode upon. The reading from O Jerusalem was collected from scattered passages in a number of places from the book.

This episode takes on the claim that Jews were tolerated and thrived under Islam and therefore there is no need for a Jewish state in the region.

For citations of the quotes you can see the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065086977184 The passages from Hillel Cohen and Rashid Khalidi and Abu Iyad can be found: Abu Iyad: My Home My Land pg. 33-34 Khalidi: The Iron Cage pg. 60-62 Cohen: 1929 (Hebrew Version) pg. 152-155

I share my response to Pappe's claim that population transfer was a deeply embedded pillar of the Zionist program and ideology. He leaves out major figures and important works to reach his conclusions that I find libelous.

An exploration of the discussion of the practice of tearing (קריעה) upon seeing the cities of Judah in their destruction as a contra to the common anti-Zionist claim that Jewish communal identity was solely religious before the end of 19th century. In fact we can see longing for Jewish sovereignty in classic works of halachah (Jewish law) hundreds of years before the advent of modern Zionism.

This episode begins an analysis of Ilan Pappe's book The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. It documents the ethnic cleansing of Jews that took place during the three decades that preceded Israel's War of Independence (which Palestinians commonly call the Nakba) and during the war itself. Selected Bibliography: Shabtai Zecharia, Unkown Jerusalem (Hebrew Book) Reuven Gafni: A Hebrew Spot in Beit Shean (Hebrew Book); Lone Jewish Medical Personnel in Arab Towns; The Jewish Presence in Jericho during the British Mandate Period (Hebrew Article); The Jewish Presence in Nazareth (Hebrew Article); Jewish Communities on the Periphery (Hebrew Article); Emek Arazim (Hebrew Article). Elad Ben Dror, The Last Guardian of the First Hebrew Village, Yitzchak Ben Tzvi and Peki'in (Hebrew Article) Hillel Cohen, 1929 (I used the Hebrew Book though there is an English translation)

An introduction to a podcast that explores Palestinian narrative, history, literature, and more from a religious Zionist perspective. Articles and Books quoted: Facing the Truths of History by Rabbi Dr. J.J. Schacter Revising or Devising Israel's History by Prof. Shlomo Slonim Righteous Victims by Benny Morris