Podcasts about Eilat

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Miriam's Reef Adventure: Finding Courage in Eilat Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2026-02-24-08-38-20-he Story Transcript:He: השמש זורחת בעוצמה מעל המים הצלולים של ים סוף.En: The sun shines brightly over the clear waters of the Yam Suf.He: השונית הצבעונית קורצת לתלמידי הכיתה, כשהם יורדים מהאוטובוס בחוף אילת.En: The colorful reef beckons to the class students as they get off the bus at the beach of Eilat.He: מרים, אבי ותליה חגגו את חג פורים עם תחפושות צבעוניות וצחוקים בדרך הארוכה.En: Miriam, Avi, and Talia celebrated the holiday of Purim with colorful costumes and laughter on the long journey.He: כמובן, פורים היה זמן מושלם לטיול חקר ימי.En: Of course, Purim was a perfect time for a marine exploration trip.He: מרים הייתה מוקסמת מהשונית.En: Miriam was captivated by the reef.He: היא אהבה את הדגים הצבעוניים ואת האלמוגים, ותמיד חלמה להיות ביולוגית ימית.En: She loved the colorful fish and corals and always dreamed of becoming a marine biologist.He: היום היא קיבלה הזדמנות לחלוק את הידע שלה עם הכיתה, אבל פחד האימה שלה מדיבור מול קהל עמד בדרכה.En: Today she had the opportunity to share her knowledge with the class, but her dreadful fear of public speaking stood in her way.He: אבי ותליה היו החברים הכי טובים שלה, והם תמיד תמכו בה.En: Avi and Talia were her best friends, and they always supported her.He: הם הציעו לה להתאמן לדבר מולם לפני ההצגה הגדולה.En: They suggested she practice speaking in front of them before the big presentation.He: בזמן שהשאר התחפשו לתחפושות יצירתיות, מרים התחפשה למדריכת טבע.En: While everyone else dressed in creative costumes, Miriam donned the attire of a nature guide.He: באווירה הקלה של החג, היא אספה אומץ.En: In the light-hearted atmosphere of the holiday, she gathered her courage.He: היא התאמנה להציג את מה שלמדה על דג נדיר שמצאה: דג סוסון ים זעיר ויפהפה.En: She practiced presenting what she had learned about a rare fish she discovered: a tiny, beautiful seahorse.He: כאשר הגיע הרגע הגדול, המורה הזמין את מרים לדבר.En: When the big moment arrived, the teacher invited Miriam to speak.He: נשימותיה היו עמוקות ועיניה נצצו בנחישות.En: Her breaths were deep, and her eyes sparkled with determination.He: היא התקדמה בבטחון קל לפנים הכיתה, וליבה דפק במהירות.En: She moved forward with light confidence to the front of the class, her heart racing.He: כשהחלה לדבר, הפחד התפוגג מעט מעט.En: As she began to speak, her fear slowly faded away.He: היא הציגה את דג סוסון הים בהתרגשות שלא ניתן היה להסתיר, והכיתה האזינה בקשב רב.En: She introduced the seahorse with excitement that was impossible to hide, and the class listened attentively.He: כאשר סיימה, הכיתה פרצה במחיאות כפיים.En: When she finished, the class erupted in applause.He: המורה חייך בגאווה ואמר לה, "כל הכבוד, מרים!En: The teacher smiled proudly and said to her, "Well done, Miriam!He: עשית עבודה נהדרת.En: You did a great job."He: " האומץ שלה זכה בהערכה וכבוד.En: Her courage earned her appreciation and respect.He: מרים חשה תחושה גדולה של הקלה וביטחון עצמי חדש.En: Miriam felt a great sense of relief and newfound confidence.He: היא הבינה שהיא יכולה להתגבר על הפחד שלה.En: She realized she could overcome her fear.He: בסוף היום, כשהאוטובוס חזר לחוף בטוח, אבי ותליה נתנו לה חיבוק חזק ואמרו, "אנחנו גאים בך.En: At the end of the day, as the bus returned safely to the shore, Avi and Talia gave her a strong hug and said, "We're proud of you."He: " מרים חייכה והרגישה שהיא יכולה לעשות כל דבר.En: Miriam smiled and felt she could do anything.He: עתה, היא ידעה שהפחד אינו יעצור אותה יותר.En: Now, she knew that fear would no longer hold her back.He: השונית צבעה את חייה לא רק בצבעים, אלא גם באומץ ובתקווה חדשה.En: The reef had colored her life not only with hues but also with courage and new hope. Vocabulary Words:brightly: בעוצמהbeckons: קורצתcaptivated: מוקסמתdreadful: פחד האימהmarine biologist: ביולוגית ימיתattire: תחפושתlight-hearted: אווירה הקלהgathered: אספהtiny: זעירdetermination: נחישותconfidence: בטחון קלsparkled: נצצוracing: דפקexcitement: התרגשותimpossible: שלא ניתןerupted: פרצהapplause: מחיאות כפייםproudly: בגאווהappreciation: הערכהrelief: הקלהnewfound: חדשrealized: הבינהovercome: להתגברhold back: יעצורhues: צבעיםcourage: אומץhope: תקווהshore: חוףhug: חיבוקBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Mystery on the Eilat Shores: A Hanukkah Adventure Unveiled Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-12-31-23-34-02-he Story Transcript:He: השמש זרחה על חוף הים של אילת, והשמים היו בהירים ומלאים באור.En: The sun rose over the beach in Eilat, and the sky was clear and full of light.He: על החול החם, שמשיות צבעוניות וטיילת עמוסה בתיירים שחגגו את חנוכה.En: On the hot sand, colorful umbrellas and a promenade were crowded with tourists celebrating Hanukkah.He: נועם וטלי, האחים הצעירים, טיילו לאורך החוף בנתיב המחבר את תחנת השחייה שלהם עם הגלים הרכים של ים סוף.En: Noam and Tali, the young siblings, strolled along the beach on the path connecting their swimming station with the gentle waves of the Red Sea.He: "נועם, תראה!En: "Noam, look!"He: " קראה טלי בהתרגשות.En: Tali called out excitedly.He: משהו בים תפס את עיניה.En: Something in the sea caught her eye.He: גל גדול נסוג, והותיר אחריו קופסה אטומה.En: A large wave receded, leaving behind a sealed box.He: הם ניגשו בזהירות, עוקבים אחר קווי הגלים במבט סקרן.En: They approached cautiously, tracing the lines of the waves with curious eyes.He: נועם, נער סקרן ואמיץ, הביט בטלי ואמר, "בואי נמצא מה יש בפנים.En: Noam, a curious and brave teenager, looked at Tali and said, "Let's find out what's inside."He: " טלי, מעריצה את אחיה הבוגר, הצטרפה אליו מיד.En: Tali, admiring her older brother, immediately joined him.He: לפתע שמעו קול מאחוריהם.En: Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them.He: זה היה אלי, קצין חיל הים לשעבר, שעמד עם אותם זיכרונות עצובים מסיפורים ישנים של ים.En: It was Eli, a former navy officer, standing with the same sad memories of old sea stories.He: "הישמרו מזה, ילדים," הזהיר בקול מתון.En: "Be careful of that, kids," he warned in a calm voice.He: "זמן הים יכול להיות מפתיע.En: "The sea's timing can be surprising."He: "נועם, למרות ספקותיו לגבי אלי, החליט לשתף איתו פעולה.En: Despite his doubts about Eli, Noam decided to cooperate with him.He: "מה אתה חושב שיש בפנים?En: "What do you think is inside?"He: " שאל בחשדנות.En: he asked suspiciously.He: אלי התכופף, בדק את הקופסה ואמר, "אולי זה יותר מסתם חפצים שנשטפו לחוף.En: Eli bent down, examined the box, and said, "Maybe it's more than just objects washed up on the shore."He: "בזמן שעבדו כולם לפתוח את הקופסה, טלי גילתה פתאום ניירות מסודרים היטב בפנים.En: As they all worked to open the box, Tali suddenly discovered papers neatly arranged inside.He: "נועם, תסתכל!En: "Noam, look!"He: " אמרה בטון גאה.En: she said proudly.He: הם בחנו את הניירות, שהכילו רמזים רבים למקום הסודי שבו היו צריכים לבקר.En: They examined the papers, which contained many clues to a secret place they needed to visit.He: כאשר התקרבו אל סוף הצפונות, ניגשו אליהם אנשים זרים וטענו שהחבילה שייכת להם.En: As they neared the end of the clues, strangers approached them claiming the package belonged to them.He: נועם, טלי ואלי עמדו יחד, מוכנים לקבל החלטה.En: Noam, Tali, and Eli stood together, ready to make a decision.He: בעזרה של אלי, הם הבינו שהחפצים היו אמנות היסטורית שיועדה לתצוגה במוזיאון מיוחד, ולא משהו מסוכן כפי שחששו קודם.En: With Eli's help, they realized the items were historical art meant for display in a special museum, not something dangerous as they had feared before.He: נטרפים בהשגה מוצלחת, נועם וטלי למדו להוקיר את חוכמתו של אלי, וגם את יכולותיהם האישיות.En: Thrilled by the successful discovery, Noam and Tali learned to appreciate Eli's wisdom, as well as their own abilities.He: טלי הרגישה בטחון חדש, ונועם ראה בה שותפה מלאה בהרפתקה.En: Tali felt a new sense of confidence, and Noam saw her as a full partner in the adventure.He: החוף המשיך להישטף באור השמש, שטוף בזיכרונות מתוקים של חנוכה ושיתוף פעולה מוצלח.En: The beach continued to be bathed in sunlight, soaked in sweet memories of Hanukkah and successful collaboration. Vocabulary Words:rose: זרחהpromenade: טיילתsiblings: אחיםstrolled: טיילוreceded: נסוגcaught: תפסapproached: ניגשוcautiously: בזהירותcurious: סקרןtracing: עוקביםcourageous: אמיץadmiring: מעריצהmemories: זיכרונותwarned: הזהירcooperate: לשתף פעולהsuspiciously: בחשדנותexamined: בדקclues: רמזיםstrangers: זריםclaimed: טענוbelonged: שייכתdecision: החלטהhistorical: היסטוריתdisplay: תצוגהthrilled: נטרפיםappreciate: להוקירconfidence: בטחוןadventure: הרפתקהbathed: נישטףcollaboration: שיתוף פעולהBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Ambassadors and diplomats from 15 European Union nations took part in a beach clean up at the Rishon Le’zion beach yesterday as part of a campaign run by the Tzalul environment association in Israel. Mor Gilboa, the CEO of Tzalul, said that they have organized dozens of beach clean ups along the Israeli Mediterranean coast and Eilat. He told reporter Arieh O’Sullivan that their goal is to boost awareness against littering and pushing for legislation against disposable plastics on beaches. (photo: courtesy) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the Israeli economy react to the war against Hamas?  Hear from a major player on the ground – Dr. Eugene Kandel, former economic adviser and Chairman of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, discusses Israel's financial resilience after the war against Hamas. Having made aliyah from the Soviet Union in 1977 with his family, Dr. Kandel covers the stock market rebound, missed economic opportunities with Jordan and Egypt, and the success of the Abraham Accords.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Take Action: Elected Leaders: Demand Hamas Release the Hostages  Key Resources: AJC's Efforts to Support the Hostages Listen – AJC Podcasts: Architects of Peace The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Manya Brachear Pashman:   Professor Eugene Kandel served as economic adviser to the Prime Minister of Israel from 2009 to 2015, and with Ron Sor is a co-founder of Israel's Strategic Futures Institute. He is also chairman of the Tel Aviv stock exchange, the only public stock exchange in Israel, known locally as the Bursa. He is with us now to talk about the impact of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza on Israel's economy, the potential and impact so far of the Abraham Accords, and how history could one day view October 7 as a turning point for Israel's democracy.  Dr. Kandel, welcome to People of the Pod. Eugene Kandel:   Thank you. Thank you for having me.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Before we begin, your family came to Israel in 1977. Can you share your family's Aliyah story? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, when I was 14, my family was living very comfortably in the Soviet Union. My father was a quite known writer, playwright, a script writer. And around him was a group of Jewish people of culture that were quite known in their domains, mostly Jewish. And so at some point in 67 he sort of had this vision and started studying Hebrew. But 1970 and then by ‘73 when I was 14 years old, he came to me and said, Look, your mom and I decided to immigrate to Israel. What do you think about it, and I said, I don't know what I think about it. Okay, you know, if we want to immigrate, let's immigrate. I never felt too much belonging there. So unfortunately, Soviet authorities had other ideas about that. So we spent four years as refuseniks. My father, together with Benjamin Fine, were the editors of the underground publication called Tarbut. And for people who did not live there, they put their names on it. So this was, these were typewritten copies of Jewish culture monthly. And there were two names on it. You could go to jail for this. My father was always pretty brave man for his petite size, because during the Second World War, he was very, very hungry, to say the least. So he didn't really grow very much. But he's very big inside.  And so the following four years were pretty tough on them, because he couldn't work anywhere. Just like in McCarty years in this country, people would give work to their friends and then publish it under their own name. That's what he did for his friends, and they would share the money with him, or give him most of the money. There were very, very brave people. And then, you know, there was an incident where they wanted to send a message to my father to be a little less publicly outspoken. And so two KGB agents beat me up.  And that started a whole interesting set of events, because there was an organization in Chicago called Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry. Pamela Cohen. And I actually met Pamela when I was studying at the University of Chicago. And thanked her. So they took upon themselves to harass Soviet cinema and theater and culture officials. And so they were so successful that at some point, the writers league from Hollywood said that nobody will go to Moscow Film Festival unless they release us because they do not want to associate with people who beat up children. I wasn't a child, I was 17 years old, but still. And that sort of helped. At least, that's how we think about it.  So it's worthwhile being beaten up once in a while, because if it lets you out, I would take it another time. And then we came to Israel in a very interesting time. We came to Israel four hours after Anwar Sadat left. So we came to a different Israel. On the brink of a peace agreement with Egypt. And so that was it.  We came to Mevaseret Zion, which was an absorption center. A small absorption center. Today I actually live probably 500 yards from where we stayed. Sort of full circle.  And today, it's a significant, it's about 25,000 people town. And that's the story, you know, in the middle, in between then and now, I served in the military, did two degrees at Hebrew University, did two degrees at the University of Chicago, served as professor at the University of Rochester, and then for 28 years, served as professor of economics and finance at the Hebrew University. So I keep doing these circles to places where I started. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You say you arrived four hours after Sadat's visit to Israel on the brink of a peace agreement with Egypt. Did that peace agreement live up to expectations? Eugene Kandel:   Well, it depends what are your expectations. If your expectation will continue in the war, it definitely did, because, you know, for the last, you know, whatever, 48 years, we didn't have any military activity between Israel and Egypt. And we even have security collaboration to some extent. But if you're thinking about real peace, that would translate into people to people peace, business to business peace, it did not generate that at all. Because there was a very, very strong opposition on the street level and on the intellectuals level.  It actually started to break a little bit, because today you can find analysts on Egyptian television that are saying that we are, we are stupid because we don't collaborate with Israel. It is allowed today, It's allowed to be said in, you know, 20-30, years [ago], that person would have been ostracized and would never be allowed to speak.  So there is some progress, but unfortunately, it's a huge loss for the Egyptian economy. For Israeli economy, it is probably also a loss, but Israeli economy has a lot of alternatives in other countries. But Egyptians don't seem to be able to implement all the things that Israelis implemented a long time ago. You know, whether it's water technologies, whether it's energy technologies. Lots of lots of stuff, and it's really, really unfortunate that we could have helped Egyptian people, the same people who rejected any relations with us. And that's a pity. Manya Brachear Pashman:   The next peace agreement that came was with Jordan in 1994, quite some time later. Did that peace agreement live up to expectations, and where were you in 1994? Eugene Kandel:   1994, I was a professor at the University of Rochester, so I wasn't involved at all. But again, it was a very, very similar story. It was the peace that was sort of forced from above. It was clearly imposed on the people despite their objections, and you saw demonstrations, and you still see. But it was clear to the leadership of Jordan that Israel is, in their case, is absolutely essential for the survival of the Hashemite Dynasty. In the end the Israeli intelligence saved that dynasty, many, many times.  But again, it wasn't translated into anything economic, almost anything economic, until in the early 2000s there were some plants in Jordan by Israeli businessmen that were providing jobs, etc. But I was privileged to be the first to go to Jordan together with American officials and negotiate the beginning of the gas agreement.  We were selling gas to Jordan, because Jordan was basically going bankrupt because of the high energy costs. Jordan doesn't have its own energy, apart from oil shale. Sorry, shale oil. And for some reason they weren't able to develop that. But Israeli gas that we are selling to them as a result of what we started in 2012 I believe. Actually very important for the Jordanian economy. And if we can continue that, then maybe connect our electrical grid, which is now in the works, between the water-energy system.  And now maybe there is a possibility to connect the Syrian grid. If we have an agreement with Syria, it will help tremendously these countries to get economic development much faster. And it will help Israel as well, to balance its energy needs and to maybe get energy, provide energy, you know, get electricity, provide gas. You know, there's all these things where we can do a lot of things together. If there is a will on the other side. There's definitely will on the Israeli side. Manya Brachear Pashman:   In addition to gas, there's also water desalination agreements, as well, right? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, there was a Red to Dead project, which was to pump the water all the way from the Red Sea along the Arava Valley. And then there is a 400 meter, 500 meter drop. And so to generate electricity through that desalinate that water that you pump, and then send that water to Egypt, send the electricity that was generated and not needed to Israel and then dump this salt stuff into the Dead Sea. Frankly, I don't know where this project is. Nobody talks about it for the last seven, eight years. I haven't heard.  Now there are different projects where you would get energy generated in Jordan and sold to Israel in Eilat, for example, because it's difficult for us to bring electricity all the way South. And so if the Jordanians have large fields of photovoltaic energy they can sell, they can satisfy the needs of a lot, and then in return, we can desalinate water and send it to them. So there's all kinds of projects that are being discussed. Manya Brachear Pashman:   But Israel does provide water to Jordan, correct? Eugene Kandel:   There are two agreements. One agreement, according to our peace agreement, we are supposed to provide them with a certain amount of water. I don't remember the exact amount. But that's not enough, and so we also sell them water. So think about it. There is a sweet water reservoir called Tiberius, Kinneret, in the north, and we sending water from there into two directions according to the agreement. We're sending it to Amman, pumping it up to the mountains, and then we're sending it throughout the Jordan Valley, all the way along the Jordan River, to the Jordanian side. So it's quite striking when I used to go between Jerusalem and Amman, it's actually an hour and a half drive. That's it. You go down, you go up, and you're there.  And so when you're passing the Israeli side, you see the plantations of date palms that are irrigated with drip irrigation. So very, very economically, using the brackish salt water that is pumped out of the ground there. You cross two miles further, you see banana plantations that are flood irrigated at 50-centigrade weather, and the water that comes from them comes on an open canal. So basically, 50% of the water that we send this way evaporates. Growing bananas in that climate and using so much water, it's probably, if you take into account the true cost of water, it's probably money losing proposition, but they're getting the water. The people that are the settlements on that Bank of Jordan River, are getting it for free. They don't care. And if somebody would just internalize that, and instead of sending the water down in an open canal, would send the whole water up to Amman, where there is a shortage of water, enormous shortage of water. And then you would take the gravity and use that water to generate electricity, to clean that water, the sewage, clean it and drip irrigate plantations, everybody would make enormous amounts of money. Literally enormous amounts of money. And everybody's lives would be better, okay? And I'm not talking about Israelis. It's within Jordan. And you can't say that there's no technology for that, because the technology is two miles away. You can see it.  And it just puzzles me. Why wouldn't that be done by some entrepreneurs, Jordanian entrepreneurs. We could really help with that. We could even help by buying the water from them back. The water that we give them, we can buy it back. Because in Israel, the water is very expensive. So we could finance that whole thing just by sending the water back, but that would be probably politically unacceptable, I don't know. But it's really, really . . . for an economist, it's just a sad story. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Missed opportunities. Well, let's go back. I introduced you as the chair of the Tel Aviv stock exchange, the Bursa. And I am curious. Let's talk about the economy. Does Israel treat its stock market the same way we do? In other words, are there opening and closing bells at the beginning and end of every day? How does the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange work compared to the United States? Eugene Kandel:   Well, we do have the opening bell, but it's usually reserved for some events. We don't have the events every day. Usually, if there's a new listing, or there's somebody celebrating, like, 20 years of listing, we have all kinds. Recently, we had Mr. Bill Ackman came and gave a speech and opened the trading together with us.  There are events around Jeffries Conference. But it's much more, you know, ceremony, I mean, it's not really connected to anything. Trading starts whether you press the button or don't. But Israeli stock exchange is unique in the following sense: it is an open limit book. What means that there is, you know, buyers meet sellers directly, and it works like that, not only in stocks, which is similar to what it is everywhere, but it's also in bonds, government bonds, corporate bonds, and in derivatives.  So in that sense, we do have our ceremonies, but the interesting thing is, what is happening with the exchange in the last two years. Accidentally, I joined two years ago as the chairman, and over the last two years, the stock exchange, the indices of Israeli Stock Exchange were the best performing out of all developed countries, by far. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Did that have something to do with the war? Eugene Kandel:   Well, it should have been, you know, in the opposite direction, but, the war is, not this length of war, not this intensity of war . . . but if you look back over at least 25 years, the Israeli economy responds very robustly to military conflict. Usually they're much shorter. If you look at even quarterly returns of the stock exchange, you would not know that there was a war in the middle, definitely not annual. If you look over the last 25 years, and you look at this stock, annual returns of the indices, you would not know that there was anything wrong, apart from our 2003 crisis, and Corona. Even the great financial crisis, you would not see it. I mean it was basically past us, because we didn't have a financial crisis in Israel. We had repercussions from, you know, the rest of the world's financial crisis, but we didn't get our own. And so we do have resilience built in, because we're just so used to it. However, having said that, it's the first time that we have such a long and intensive war on seven, whatever fronts. So it is quite surprising that just like any other time, it took about three months for the stock market to rebound after October 8. It was a big question whether to open the market on October 8. We struggled with it, and we decided that we do not want to give anybody the right to disrupt the Israeli economy.  I mean, it was a really tough decision, because there was certain people were saying, Well, how can you do that? It's a national tragedy. And of course, it was a national tragedy. But closing the market would have meant two things.  First of all, it would have shown the world that our economy can be interrupted. It would have given the benefit to those people that did these atrocities, that they managed to do more damage than they already did. And we didn't want to do that. And it didn't collapse. It went down, of course, but it rebounded within less than three months. By the end of that year, it was back on the same level. And then it did this comeback, which was quite phenomenal. And it's an interesting question, how come? Because during that time, we had some cases where Israel was boycotted by investors, very few, by the way, but we also saw many, many new investors coming in.  You could look at the war from the negative side. Of course, huge costs. But with all that, it was about 10% of annual GDP, because we are, you know, we're a big economy, and we borrowed that very easily because we had a very strong macro position before that. So we now 76% debt to GDP ratio. It's much lower than majority of developed countries. But we still had to borrow that. It was a lot of money, and then the defense budget is going to go up. So there is this cost.  But vis a vis that, A, Israeli technology has been proven to be unmatched, apart from maybe us technology in certain cases, but in some cases, even there, we have something to share. And so we have huge amounts of back orders for our defense industries. During the war, and they were going up when some of the countries that are making these purchases were criticizing us. They were learning from what we did, and buying, buying our equipment and software, etc.  And the second thing, we removed the huge security threat. If you look before October 7, we were quite concerned about 150,000 missiles, some of them precise missiles in Hezbollah's hands, an uninterrupted path from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah, constantly replenishing. We would bomb them sometimes in Syria, but we didn't catch all of them. We had Hamas, we had Hezbollah, we had Syrians, we had Iranians. We had, you know, not, you know, Iraqi militia. So, Hezbollah doesn't exist. Well, it exists, but it's nowhere near where it where was at. And the Lebanese Government is seriously attempting to disarm it. Syria, we all know what happened in Syria. We didn't lift a finger to do that. But indirectly, from what happened in Hezbollah, the rebels in Syria became emboldened and did what they did. We know what happened with Hamas. We know what happened with Iran. Okay, Iran, even Europeans reimposed the sanctions. So that's the side effect.  So if you look at the Israeli geopolitical and security situation, it's much, much better. And in that situation, once the war is over and the hostages are returned, and hopefully, we will not let this happen again, ever, to work hard so we remember that and not become complacent. It's an enormous, enormous boost to Israeli economy, because this security premium was quite big.  So that is on the positive side, and if we play smart, and we play strategically, and we regain sort of good relations with some of the countries which are currently very critical of us, and somehow make them immune to this anti Israeli antisemitism propaganda, we can really get going. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You mentioned investors. There were more investors after the war. Where were those investors coming from, internally or from other countries?  Eugene Kandel:   It's interesting that you asked this question, because in 2020, early 2024 a lot of Israeli institutions and individuals moved to S&P 500, and they got really hammered. Twice. Because A, S&P 500 was lagging behind the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. So there was some other players coming in, because otherwise, when you move money, usually, you should see a drop, but you saw an increase. That meant that there are others came in. But the more interesting thing is that shekel was very weak when they bought dollars, and now shekel is about 15% stronger, so they lost 15% just on the exchange rate. And so a lot of money that went to S&P came back in the last six, eight months. So the internal money came back.  But on top of internal money, we looked at the behavior of foreign investors right after October 7. They didn't flee the country. Some of them sold stocks, bought bonds. And then so Israeli institutions made money on that, because Israeli institutions bought stocks from them at about 10%, 15% discount, and then when it rebounded, they made money. But that money didn't leave, it stayed in Israel, and it was very costly to repatriate it, because the shekel was very weak. And so buying dollars back was expensive. And the money slowly went into stocks. And then people made quite a lot of money on this. Manya Brachear Pashman:   The last topic I want to cover with you is external relations. You mentioned Syria, the potential of collaborating with Syria for water, gas. Eugene Kandel:   Electricity. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Electricity. And I presume that you're referring to the possibility of Syria being one of the next members to join the Abraham Accords. That has been mentioned as a possibility. Eugene Kandel:   Maybe. But we can, we can do something much less. Manya Brachear Pashman: Outside of the Accords. Eugene Kandel:   Outside of the Accords, or pre-Accord, or we can, we can just create some kind of collaboration, just we had, like as we had with UAE for for 15 years before the Accord was signed. Was a clear understanding.  Maybe. But we can, we can do something much less outside of the Accord, or pre-Accord, or we can, we can just create some kind of collaboration, just we had, like as we had with UAE for for 15 years before the Accord was signed. Was a clear understanding.  You know, I was in UAE, in Dubai on the day of signing of the Accord. I landed in Dubai when they were signing on the on the green loan, on the White House lawn. And we landed. It was amazing. It was the degree of warmth that we received from everybody, from ministers in the economy to ministers that came to speak to us, by the dozen to people in the hotel that were just meeting us. They issued, for example, before signing the Accord, there was a regulation passed by by UAE that every hotel has to have kosher food. We don't have that in Israel. I mean, hotels mostly have kosher food, but not all of them, and, and it's not by law.  This was, like, clear, we want these people to feel comfortable. It was truly amazing. I've never, I could never imagine that I would come to a country where we didn't have any relations until today, and suddenly feel very, very welcome. On every level, on the street, in restaurants. And that was quite amazing, and that was the result of us collaborating below the surface for many, many years. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Parity of esteem, yes? Suddenly. Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, they didn't feel they did exactly the important part when the UAE businessman or or Ambassador order you feel completely no chip on the shoulder whatsoever. They feel very proud of their heritage. They feel very proud of their achievements. They feel and you feel at the same level. They feel at the same level, just like you would with the Europeans. We always felt that there was something like when, when, Arab delegations, always tension. I don't know whether it was superiority or inferiority. I don't know. It doesn't matter, but it was always tension in here. I didn't feel any tension. Was like, want to do business, we want to learn from you, and you'll to learn from us. And it was just wow. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Same in Bahrain and Morocco? Eugene Kandel:   I haven't been to Bahrain and Morocco. I think Bahrain wants to do business. They were very even, sort of some of, we sent the delegation to Bahrain to talk about sort of Israeli technology and how to build an ecosystem in the same with Morocco. I think it's a bit different. I think it's a bit different because we didn't see much going on from from these two countries. Although Morocco is more advancing much faster than Bahrain. There are a lot of interesting proposals coming out of it.  There's a genuine desire there. In the last two years, of course, it was difficult for for anybody to do anything in those but interestingly, when almost no European airlines or American airlines were flying to us, Etihad and Emirates were flying to Israel. They were flying. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Past two years? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, they would not stop. And you're just like, wow. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So would you say the Abraham Accords have had a significant impact on Israel's economy at all? Eugene Kandel:   I do not know. I mean, I don't have data on that by the sheer number. I mean, the the number of Israeli tourists Sue UAE, it's probably 10 or 20 to one to the vice versa. So we've been Israelis flooding UAE. In terms of investments, there are some technology investments. There's some, some more infrastructural investors, like they bought 20% of our gas field. There are collaborations between universities and research centers. So it's hard to measure, but you have to remember that there was a huge amount of trade and collaboration under the surface. So it surfaced. But that doesn't mean that there was an effect on the economy, just people suddenly saw it. So you don't know what the Delta was. If the same amount of business was suddenly coming out of Jordan, we would have seen, you know, big surge. So I'm not sure how much . . . I don't mean to say that there was no impact. I'm just saying that the impact was much more gradual, because there was so much already, right? But I'm sure that it is continuing, and the fact that these airlines were continuing to fly, indicates that there is a demand, and there's a business. Initially a lot of Israelis thought that there was, this was a money bag, and they would go there and try to raise money and not understanding culture, not understanding. That period is over. I mean, the Emiratis conveyed pretty clearly that they not. They're very sophisticated investors. They know how to evaluate so they do when they make investments, these investments make sense, rather than just because you wanted to get some money from somebody. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, thank you so much.  Eugene Kandel:   Thank you.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   If you missed our last episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with AJC's Director of Congressional Affairs Jessica Bernton. We spoke shortly after receiving the news that a deal had been reached and the hostages from the October 7 Hamas terror attack might finally come home after two years in captivity. That dream was partially realized last week when all the living hostages returned and the wait began for those who were murdered.  

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Desert Detour: A Journey of Trust and Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-09-29-07-38-20-he Story Transcript:He: השמש הבהילה בעליות של מדבר הנגב.En: The sun threatened the hills of the Negev Desert.He: האוויר היה חם ויבש, והשטח העצום נראה ללא סוף.En: The air was hot and dry, and the vast terrain seemed endless.He: אלא שהשקט נשבר מדי פעם בצלילי רכב נוסע.En: However, the silence was occasionally broken by the sound of a passing vehicle.He: זה היו אליאור ושירה בדרכם לאילת כדי לחגוג את סוכות עם חברים.En: It was Elior and Shira on their way to Eilat to celebrate Sukkot with friends.He: אליאור מלא באנרגיה, אך קצת בטוח מדי בעצמו.En: Elior was full of energy, but a bit too confident.He: "אנחנו יכולים להגיע לשם עוד היום," הוא אמר בהתרגשות.En: "We can get there today," he said excitedly.He: אך תוך זמן קצר, הוא החל לחוש חולשה קלה.En: But shortly after, he began to feel slightly weak.He: שירה, זהירה ויסודית, הביטה בו בדאגה.En: Shira, cautious and thorough, looked at him with concern.He: "אתה שתה מספיק מים?En: "Have you had enough water?"He: " היא שאלה.En: she asked.He: "אני בסדר," הוא ענה, מתעלם מהסימנים הראשונים להתייבשות.En: "I'm fine," he replied, ignoring the initial signs of dehydration.He: הם המשיכו בנסיעתם, המוסיקה ברכב ליוותה את נוף המדבר המתגלגל.En: They continued their journey, with music in the car accompanying the rolling desert scenery.He: אך אליאור התחיל להרגיש יותר ויותר לא טוב.En: However, Elior began to feel increasingly unwell.He: השמש העמוקה של סתיו חיממה את הגוף, והצמא הלך וגבר.En: The deep autumn sun warmed the body, and the thirst grew stronger.He: "נהיה קרוב לקיבוץ בקרוב, אולי כדאי לעצור שם," הציעה שירה בחשש.En: "We'll be near a kibbutz soon, maybe we should stop there," suggested Shira with trepidation.He: אליאור נד בראשו, "אנחנו קרובים, נמשיך.En: Elior shook his head, "We're close, let's keep going."He: "אך הבריאות של אליאור הידרדרה.En: But Elior's health deteriorated.He: ההחלטה הייתה בלתי נמנעת כששירה הבחינה בזיעה הקרה שכיסתה את פניו.En: The decision became unavoidable when Shira noticed the cold sweat covering his face.He: היא ידעה שעליה לפעול מיידית.En: She knew she needed to act immediately.He: הם פנו לקיבוץ הקרוב.En: They turned to the nearest kibbutz.He: בקיבוץ, התקרב אליאור במהירות למרכז הרפואי.En: At the kibbutz, Elior quickly approached the medical center.He: אנשי המקום קיבלו אותו בברכה והעניקו לו את המים והעזרה שהצליחו להקל עליו.En: The locals welcomed him warmly and provided the water and help that managed to relieve him.He: אחרי זמן קצר, אליאור התחיל להחלים.En: After a short time, Elior began to recover.He: "שירה, הייתי צריך להקשיב לך," הוא אמר בקול שקט אך כנה.En: "Shira, I should have listened to you," he said in a quiet yet sincere voice.He: הוא הבין שהביטחון שלו היה יותר משהיה נכון לנקוט בו.En: He realized that his confidence had been more than he should have relied on.He: הם נשארו לילה בקיבוץ, וביום המחרת קיבלו הסעה לאילת בזכות חברים חדשים מהקיבוץ שהציעו להם טרמפ.En: They stayed the night at the kibbutz, and the next day received a ride to Eilat thanks to new friends from the kibbutz who offered them a lift.He: כשהגיעו לאילת, אליאור ושירה חגגו את סוכות תחת סוכה פתוחה לזוהר הכוכבים, עם חבריהם הישנים והחדשים.En: When they arrived in Eilat, Elior and Shira celebrated Sukkot under a sukkah open to the starlight, with their old and new friends.He: אליאור למד להעריך את זהירותה של שירה ולהקשיב לאינטואיציה שלה.En: Elior learned to appreciate Shira's caution and to listen to her intuition.He: המסע אמנם לא הלך כמתוכנן, אך הוא הציב אותם במקום הנכון בזמן הנכון.En: The journey may not have gone as planned, but it placed them in the right place at the right time. Vocabulary Words:threatened: הבהילהterrain: שטחendless: ללא סוףoccasionally: מדי פעםvehicle: רכבconfident: בטוחexcitedly: בהתרגשותslightly: קלותdehydration: התייבשותscenery: נוףaccompanying: מלווהincreasingly: יותר ויותרdeteriorated: הידרדרהunavoidable: בלתי נמנעתtrepidation: חששconcern: דאגהact: לפעולmedical center: מרכז רפואיrelieve: להקלrecover: להחליםsincere: כנהlift: טרמפstarlight: זוהר הכוכביםintuition: אינטואיציהappreciate: להעריךcaution: זהירותintuition: אינטואיציהenergy: אנרגיהabsorb: לספוגtrepidation: חששBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Monte Judah breaks down Trump's shift on annexation, the U.N.'s push for a Palestinian state, and Houthi drone attacks on Israel in this week's update.00:00 – Introduction & Headlines00:40 – President Trump Opposes Annexation of Judea and Samaria02:10 – U.N. Passes Resolution Supporting Palestinian State04:05 – Houthis Launch Drone Attacks on Eilat, Israel Retaliates06:00 – Prophetic Significance: Nations Turning Against Israel08:15 – The Illusion of Peace vs. Biblical Prophecy10:10 – Encouragement for Believers: Holding to Faith in Yeshua12:00 – Closing Remarks & Shabbat ShalomStay informed on Israel, the Middle East, and biblical prophecy with Messianic World Update — exclusively on LionandLamb.tv. Each week, Monte Judah breaks down the latest headlines, connecting world events to Scripture from a Messianic perspective. From shifting political alliances to the growing pressures on Israel, see how prophecy is unfolding in real time and why it matters for believers today.Watch Messianic World Update every Friday on LionandLamb.tv!

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Israel continues bombing Gaza, Houthis launch a drone strike on the Israeli city of Eilat, Israel conducts airstrikes in Doha, Qatar, the Gaza aid flotilla is being swarmed by Israel according to crew, and European states are recognizing Palestinian statehood. A lot is going on in terms of the Middle East and especially Israel Palestine. James M. Dorsey of the Turbulent World blog/Substack, a longtime scholarly commenter on the Middle East, returns to break it all down and discuss a number of topics including the two-state solution vs. the one-state solution vs. the one-state reality, Gulf and Arab states now seeing Israel as a bigger security threat than Israel, Israel's attack on a compound in Gaza that killed members of the Doghmush clan and its implications, Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard's Knesset run, problems with the Palestine Authority, Israel's West Bank annexation plans, and much, much more. To listen to the podcast or read the transcript, go to https://jamesmdorsey.substack.com/p/israels-bombing-europe-recognizes

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Support the work of The Israel Guys: https://theisraelguys.com/donate/ Check out our new film, premiering October 5th: https://theisraelguys.com/temple-mount-location/ On the sidelines of the UN this week, former President Trump met with a number of Arab nation leaders, presenting what he is calling a “21-point peace plan” He reportedly promised Arab leaders he would block Israeli annexation of the West Bank and pressed Hamas to free captives without delay. The UN also adopted a “New York Declaration” to revive peace talks, though tensions flared as Macron urged U.S. pressure, Arab leaders warned about annexation, and Israeli diplomats accused the UN of bias for holding a key Gaza meeting on Rosh Hashanah. Despite the war in Israel for the last two years, Jewish immigration has surged: over 50,000 immigrants have moved to Israel since October 7, with thousands more young volunteers arriving through Masa Israel Journey. On the ground, Israel faced new security challenges after a Houthi drone slipped past Iron Dome defenses in Eilat, striking near a hotel, injuring 48 people, and prompting an IDF emergency response. Follow Us On X: https://x.com/theisraelguys  Follow Us On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theisraelguys Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theisraelguys

Your daily news in under three minutes. At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

WHAT HISTORICAL LESSONS FROM PREVIOUS WARS CAN BE APPLIED TO ISRAEL'S CURRENT CONFLICT WITH HAMAS?HEADLINE 1: Israel's anti-missile laser system is nearly operational.HEADLINE 2: Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack at the Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.HEADLINE 3: A Houthi drone evaded Israeli air defenses and slammed into a hotel in Eilat.--FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow, filling in for Jonathan Schanzer, provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Executive Director of the Hudson Institute's Public Interest Fellowship Garrett Exner.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"The United States Should be Prudent Regarding al-Sharaa's Turn" - Jonathan Schanzer and Ahmad Sharawi, The National Interest"Human Rights Are the Key to a Free Iran" - Janatan Sayeh, RealClearWorld"US designates 4 Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations" - Bridget Toomey, FDD's Long War Journal

For review:1. Houthi Drone Hits Hotel in Southern Israeli city of Eilat. Some damage, no injuries. 2.  IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in S. Lebanon. The strikes had targeted several weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force.3. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Wednesday that ongoing negotiations with Israel to reach a security pact could lead to results “in the coming days.”4. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad appeared in a TV interview on Wednesday, his first public appearance since the Israeli strike targeting the terror group's leaders in Qatar last week. His appearance was the latest sign that the attack had failed to kill the terrorist organization's leadership.` 5. US Vetoes UNSC Resolution on Gaza.US Policy Advisor (to UN) Morgan Ortagus: “It (the Resolution) fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel's right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.”6. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was set to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in London on Wednesday night- in a last-ditch effort to revive negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage-release deal.7. Former UK Prime Minister Blair's Plan on Post-War Gaza.8. Israel's high-powered laser interception system, dubbed “Iron Beam,” has been declared operational after completing development and final tests, and is set to be delivered to the military by the end of the year, the Defense Ministry and manufacturer Rafael said on Wednesday.

A drone launched from Yemen struck near a hotel in Eilat after warning sirens sounded, while Israel carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon; two Israelis were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at the Allenby Crossing on the Israel–Jordan border before the assailant was neutralized; four IDF soldiers were killed and three others wounded in a roadside bomb explosion during operations in southern Gaza's Rafah.Thank you to Perri Schwartz for contributing scripts to today's show. Israel Daily News website: https://israeldailynews.orgIsrael Daily News Roundtable: https://www.patreon.com/shannafuldSupport our Wartime News Coverage: https://www.gofundme.com/f/independent-journalist-covering-israels-warLinks to all things IDN:⁠ https://linktr.ee/israeldailynews⁠Music: Tik Tak; Erika Krall https://open.spotify.com/track/3nmndTL7UoCZaeTx8Y5QwX?si=28b454fba2ae4bd5

Palestinian terrorists murder six Israelis and wound a dozen more in Jerusalem attack, Air Force downs Houthi drone near Eilat, IDF continues destroying high-rises in Gaza City See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For review:1. A drone launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels evaded Israeli air defenses and smashed into the Ramon Airport terminal in southern Israel on Sunday. The unmanned aerial vehicle struck the passenger terminal at the airport north of Eilat, causing damage, according to airport authorities.2. President Trump Warns Hamas to Accept Terms for Hostage - Ceasefire Deal.According to the reported proposal, Hamas would release all 48 hostages, living and dead, on day one, while Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian terrorists with blood on their hands, and thousands of other prisoners.In addition, the IDF would call off its conquest of Gaza City and would remain outside the city, according to the report.The two sides would engage in talks over the end of the war under the personal oversight of President Trump, and the ceasefire would continue as long as negotiations last.3. Lebanon's cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the Army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the Army had limited capabilities. But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the Army's progress. 4.  President Zelensky Responds to Russian President Putin: "He can come to Kyiv."5. China said Saturday that its military monitored the passage of Australian and Canadian warships through the Taiwan Strait, criticizing their presence in the sensitive waterway as “causing trouble.”6. Marines from the 3rd Marine Division trained with the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) in recent weeks after the system arrived July 10 in Japan, the Marine Corps said. 7. The Air Force and Sierra Nevada Corporation have started flight tests on the service's next-generation “doomsday plane.”Flight tests for the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Control, or SAOC, are being held at the Aviation Innovation and Technology Center in Dayton, Ohio, the company said in a Wednesday release.

Jordan: Ever Hayarden (עבר הירדן); Terumah, Ma'aser, Arlah; South; East; Yom Tov Sheini (Rambam and Ritva, Ever HaYarden, Eilat). See seforim by Rabbi Cohen at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.kashrushalacha.com⁠

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: From Shadows to Sunlight: Sibling Bonds in Eilat's Embrace Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-07-09-22-34-02-he Story Transcript:He: מבעד לשמש הקופחת של הקיץ, מתן, טליה ושירה הגיעו להרי אילת.En: Under the scorching summer sun, Matan, Talia, and Shira arrived at the Eilat mountains.He: כל אחד מהם גרר מזוודה קטנה, וביניהם שררה שתיקה מלאה במחשבות פרטיות.En: Each of them dragged a small suitcase, and a silence filled with private thoughts prevailed among them.He: ההרים היו יפים ושקטים, ברקע נשמעו רק הציפורים ונשימות הרוח.En: The mountains were beautiful and quiet; in the background, only birds and the breathing of the wind could be heard.He: המתנה הגדולה של השמש הרגישה כמו חיבוק מאמא טבע.En: The great gift of the sun felt like a hug from Mother Nature.He: מתן הביט מסביב, חש אחריות כבדה על כתפיו.En: Matan looked around, feeling a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.He: הוא היה האח הגדול, ובשבילו היה חשוב מאוד לחזק את הקשר המשפחתי.En: He was the older brother, and it was very important for him to strengthen the family bond.He: הריחוק ביניהם התעצם עם השנים, ובפעם הראשונה מזה הרבה זמן, כולם נפגשו יחד.En: The distance between them had grown over the years, and for the first time in a long time, they all met together.He: טליה, התבוננה בנוף הנפלא, אך בפנים היא עוד התאוששה מפרידה כואבת.En: Talia gazed at the wonderful landscape, but inside she was still recovering from a painful breakup.He: היא לא סיפרה לאחיה כמה היא פגועה, ליבה עוד זכר את הכאב.En: She hadn't told her brothers how hurt she was; her heart still remembered the pain.He: שירה, הקטנה ביניהם, קיפצה מאחוריהם בחיוך נמרץ - אך לעיתים הרגישה שלא רואים אותה, שהיא רק הצל של אחיה הבוגרים.En: Shira, the youngest among them, was bouncing behind them with an energetic smile—but at times, she felt unseen, as if she were just the shadow of her older siblings.He: מתן הציע טיול רגלי למחרת בבוקר.En: Matan suggested a hike the next morning.He: "נטייל יחד בטבע, זה יהיה טוב לנו," הוא אמר.En: "Let's walk together in nature; it will be good for us," he said.He: הוא קיווה שהשקט של המדבר יהפוך למצבור תחושות וחוויות משותפות לכולם.En: He hoped the quiet of the desert would transform into a collection of shared feelings and experiences for all of them.He: בבוקר, כולם יצאו לטיול עם תרמילים ומים.En: In the morning, they all set out for a hike with backpacks and water.He: זה היה יום בהיר, אך לפתע, עננים החלו להתקדר מעליהם.En: It was a clear day, but suddenly, clouds began to darken above them.He: רוח חזקה התחילה לנשוב, וגשם זלעפות פרץ בהפתעה.En: A strong wind started blowing, and a torrential rain burst forth unexpectedly.He: הם נאלצו למצוא מחסה במערה קטנה בהרים.En: They had to find shelter in a small cave in the mountains.He: בתוך המערה, בצל הגשם המרסק, האבנים הקרירות והשקט של העולם, היו שם סוף סוף רק הם.En: Inside the cave, under the crashing rain, the cool stones, and the world's silence, they were finally just them.He: מתן, עם נשימות עמוקות, הבין שזה הזמן לדבר.En: Matan, with deep breaths, realized it was time to speak.He: "אני מרגיש שאני תמיד צריך לשמור עליכם," התחיל, קולו נשבר.En: "I feel like I always need to protect you," he began, his voice breaking.He: "אבל אולי איבדתי את הדרך.En: "But maybe I've lost my way."He: "טליה התחילה לדבר, "אני כל כך קיוויתי לשלום עם עצמי.En: Talia started to speak, "I so hoped for peace with myself.He: עם כל מה שקרה לי.En: With everything that happened to me."He: " קולה רעד.En: Her voice trembled.He: שירה, שהתיישבה לידם, לחשה: "אני פשוט רוצה לראות את כולנו יחד.En: Shira, who sat beside them, whispered: "I just want to see all of us together."He: "בחושך של המערה, החלו האחים לשתף ולבטא את שאת ליבם.En: In the darkness of the cave, the siblings began to share and express what was in their hearts.He: מתן הבין שעליו לשחרר את הרגשתו שעליו להיות האח הכל יכול.En: Matan realized that he needed to let go of the feeling that he had to be the all-capable brother.He: טליה מצאה שלום בלשתף את כאבה, ושירה גילתה סוף סוף את מקומה המיוחד בתוך המשפחה.En: Talia found peace in sharing her pain, and Shira finally discovered her special place within the family.He: הגשם הפסיק.En: The rain stopped.He: הם יצאו החוצה, השמש שוב חזרה להאיר בחום.En: They went outside, the sun once again shining warmly.He: מתן, טליה ושירה הרגישו קרבה חדשה שלא הייתה שם לפני.En: Matan, Talia, and Shira felt a new closeness that wasn't there before.He: הם חיבקו אחד את השני, וליבם היה מלא אהבה וחום.En: They hugged each other, and their hearts were full of love and warmth.He: כשחזרו למקום האירוח בהרים, הכל הרגיש אחרת.En: When they returned to their lodging in the mountains, everything felt different.He: הם הבטיחו להישאר בקשר קרוב יותר, לא משנה מה יקרה.En: They promised to stay in closer touch, no matter what happens.He: הלבבות נפתחו, והם ידעו שהמשפחה חשובה מכל דבר.En: Their hearts were open, and they knew that family was more important than anything else.He: מתן למד לפעמים להיות פגיע זו המעלה הגדולה ביותר, והחיבור המשפחתי שלהם רק התחזק מהקשיים.En: Matan learned that sometimes being vulnerable is the greatest virtue, and their family connection only strengthened from the hardships.He: כך, אל מול הנוף הפתוח והמרשים של אילת, הם הרגישו שותפות אמת ואחדות.En: Thus, facing the open and impressive landscape of Eilat, they felt true partnership and unity. Vocabulary Words:scorching: קופחתdragged: גררprevailed: שררהresponsibility: אחריותbond: קשרgazed: התבוננהlandscape: נוףbreakup: פרידהheart: ליבהenergetic: נמרץtransform: יהפוךshared: משותפותclouds: ענניםdarken: להתקדרtorrential: זלעפותshelter: מחסהtrembled: רעדwhispered: לחשהshadow: צלcapable: כל יכולvulnerable: פגיעvirtue: מעלהimpressive: מרשיםunity: אחדותrealized: הביןspecial: מיוחדsilence: שקטexpress: לבטאdiscovered: גילתהresilience: עמידותBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Uncovering Eilat's Secrets: A Dive into the Past Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-07-08-22-34-02-he Story Transcript:He: החום של אמצע הקיץ באילת לא השפיע על נועה, איתן ושירה.En: The heat of mid-summer in Eilat did not affect Noa, Eitan, and Shira.He: הם היו נרגשים לצאת לצלילה בשונית האלמוגים המרהיבה.En: They were excited to go diving at the magnificent coral reef.He: השמש ברקעים את המים הכחולים, והשונית הייתה מלאה באלמוגים צבעוניים ודגים ססגוניים שהשתובבו בין הצמחים התת-ימיים.En: The sun sparkled on the blue waters, and the reef was full of colorful corals and vibrant fish playing among the underwater plants.He: "מוכנים?En: "Ready?"He: " שאלה נועה, עיניה הובילו את חבריה אל המים הבוהקים.En: asked Noa, her eyes guiding her friends to the shimmering water.He: היא חשה את התחושה של חיפוש אחר הרפתקה חדשה מתעוררת בה.En: She felt the sensation of seeking a new adventure awakening within her.He: "אני מוכן, אבל בואו נשמור על מסלול הבטיחות," אמר איתן.En: "I'm ready, but let's stick to the safety route," said Eitan.He: מחקרים ביולוגיים לימדו אותו להיות זהיר, והוא תמיד היה זהיר יותר מכולם.En: His biological studies taught him to be cautious, and he was always more careful than everyone else.He: "אל תדאג, איתן," צחקה שירה.En: "Don't worry, Eitan," laughed Shira.He: "אנחנו לא נאבד את עצמנו.En: "We won't lose ourselves."He: "השלושה התחילו לשחות בין האלמוגים, ראש חניוטיהם הנחמדות מעל הכל.En: The three began swimming among the corals, their friendly snorkels above all.He: נועה, שנחה אחרי דג זעיר, פתאום קראה לחבריה: "בואו נעמיק קצת.En: Noa, who was resting after a tiny fish, suddenly called to her friends: "Let's go a bit deeper.He: אולי נמצא משהו מעניין.En: Maybe we'll find something interesting."He: "איתן היסס.En: Eitan hesitated.He: "זה לא בתוכניות שלנו.En: "That's not in our plans.He: יכול להיות מסוכן.En: It could be dangerous."He: "אבל החברים עקבו אחרי נועה, נכנסים לאזור עמוק יותר של השונית.En: But the friends followed Noa, entering a deeper area of the reef.He: פתאום, תיבת עץ עתיקה, מקושטת בפיתוחים מסובכים, התגלתה לפניהם.En: Suddenly, an ancient wooden chest, adorned with intricate carvings, appeared before them.He: היא הייתה קבורה חלקית בחול והדהימה את השלושה במראה שלה.En: It was partially buried in the sand and amazed the three with its appearance.He: "מה זה?En: "What is this?"He: " שאל איתן, עיניו רחבות מהתרגשות וחשש גם יחד.En: asked Eitan, his eyes wide with excitement and fear simultaneously.He: "זו תיבה עתיקה!En: "It's an ancient chest!"He: " אמרה נועה בהתפעלות.En: said Noa in admiration.He: "בואו נוציא אותה!En: "Let's take it out!"He: "אבל איתן רעד: "האם זה רעיון חכם?En: But Eitan trembled: "Is this a smart idea?He: אנחנו לא יודעים מה יש בפנים.En: We don't know what's inside."He: "שירה חשבה לרגע, אז הציעה בעדינות: "נכון, אולי כדאי להיזהר, אבל הנה הזדמנות לשינוי.En: Shira thought for a moment, then gently suggested: "True, maybe we should be careful, but here's a chance for a change.He: אנחנו צריכים פעולה משותפת.En: We need a collective effort."He: "לאחר רגע של מחשבה, נועה שכנעה: "נעשה זאת בזהירות.En: After a moment of thought, Noa persuaded: "Let's do it carefully."He: " השלושה עבדו יחד והצליחו להרים את התיבה.En: The three worked together and managed to lift the chest.He: כשהגיעו אל המים הרדודים, פתחו אותה בזהירות.En: When they reached shallower waters, they opened it cautiously.He: בתוך התיבה היו מטבעות זהב ישנים וכלים משונים, עדות לעבר הרחוק של אלמוגי אילת.En: Inside the chest were old gold coins and strange tools, evidence of the distant past of Eilat's coral reefs.He: הם חלקו מבטים תוהים ואוחזים בניצחון שקט.En: They shared wondering glances, holding onto their quiet triumph.He: "אנחנו נגיש את זה לרשויות," אמר איתן, מלא בהערכה לתגלית, בעוד נועה הבינה את גודל האחריות שבלקיחת סיכונים מושכלים.En: "We will report this to the authorities," said Eitan, filled with appreciation for the discovery, while Noa realized the magnitude of the responsibility in taking calculated risks.He: וכך, השמש התחילה לשקוע באופק הכחול, והשלושה ידעו שהם למדו היום שיעור ייחודי: איזון בין התרגשות ובטיחות יכול להצעיד אותם למקומות שטרם נגלו.En: And so, as the sun began to set on the blue horizon, the three knew they had learned a unique lesson today: balancing excitement and safety can lead them to places yet undiscovered. Vocabulary Words:heat: חוםaffect: השפיעmagnificent: מרהיבהsparkled: ברקעיםvibrant: ססגונייםsensation: תחושהawakening: מתעוררתcautious: זהירsnorkels: חניוטיהםtiny: זעירdeeper: נעמיקdangerous: מסוכןancient: עתיקהwooden: עץadorned: מקושטתintricate: מסובכיםcarvings: פיתוחיםpartially: חלקיתamazed: הדהימהadmiration: בהתפעלותtrembled: רעדcollective: משותפתeffort: פעולהcautiously: בזהירותstrange: משוניםevidence: עדותwondering: תוהיםtriumph: ניצחוןauthorities: רשויותappreciation: הערכהBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Welcome to Inside the Epicenter, where we bring you real stories from the heart of Israel. In this episode, cohost Lynn Rosenberg is joined by Judy Pex, a ministry leader based in Eilat, to discuss what it’s like to live—and serve others—during intense and uncertain times in Israel. Lynn shares firsthand accounts of daily life under the threat of sirens in Jerusalem, while Judy offers insights from Eilat, highlighting how routines, faith, and community become anchors during crisis. Together, they explore the challenges faced by families, ministry workers, and displaced people, as well as the importance of scripture, connection, and practical support. Tune in for an honest and hope-filled conversation about staying steady in your heart and serving others during a season of great upheaval. (00:02) "Judy's Shelter Ministry Journey"(04:34) Finding Faith in Uncertainty(09:42) Tensions and Threats in Israel(12:34) Moved to Hostel Room for Safety(15:55) Travel Disruptions and Psalm Reflections(17:53) Faith, Scripture, and Resilience(29:04) "Unity Through Differences"(30:06) "Heart's True Content Revealed When Shaken"(33:51) "Trusting People Over Divine Aid"(37:43) Closing Thoughts and Prayer Requests(41:07) Praise and Gratitude to Jesus(42:59) Supporting Israel's Displaced Families Learn more about The Joshua Fund: JoshuaFund.comMake a tax-deductible donation: Donate | The Joshua FundStock Media provided by DimmySad / Pond5 Verse of the Day: Psalms chapter 73: 22-24. Nevertheless, Lord, I am continually with you. You hold my right hand, you guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I may tell of all your works. Pray for the church to be bold and to see the opportunitiesPraying for the believers to be calm, to come together, to grow in their faith and grow in community, and also to keep our eyes on the Great Commission, that those around us need to know the hope that is in us.Related Episodes:Joel at Refuge Church Pt.2 God Shaking Israel: A Biblical Perspective on Recent Events #296SPECIAL EPISODE: Trump SHOCKS world by ordering B-2 bombers to ATTACK Iranian nuclear sites #295SPECIAL EPISODE: Fmr VP Mike Pence "Trump & Israel must FINISH THE JOB of crushing Iran" #294Israel at War: Urgent Updates and The Humanitarian Response in the Epicenter #293Donate a generous monthly gift to The Joshua Fund to bless Israel and Her Neighbors now and for the long haul. Become an Epicenter Ally today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Shavuot – Episode 4 In the previous episode we established the real possibility that the Hebrews arrived on the 3rd day of the 3rd month.   If this is the case then it seems as if יהוה Yahvay, the Lord, God, lead His people to His mountain to receive a new covenant at His mountain, Mt. Sinai, 50 days after Passover, after the first day of Unleavened Bread.  The Hebrews enter a new covenant relationship with the Lord.  This is an amazing event in that a new nation is born, a chosen people, and it's like a new beginning, a new start.  It reminds me of the Year of Jubilee - every 50 years it is the year of Jubilee. The Year of the Jubilee involved a year of release from indebtedness (Leviticus 25:23-38) and all types of bondage (vv. 39-55). All prisoners and captives were set free, all slaves were released, all debts were forgiven, and all property was returned to its original owners. (Like a new start) In addition, all labor was to cease for one year, and those bound by labor contracts were released from them. One of the benefits of the Jubilee was that both the land and the people were able to rest. (Accessed at https://www.gotquestions.org/Jubilee.html July 25,2022)  In this session we will see the awesome connection this has to the feast of Shavuot (Weeks) or Pentecost in Jesus' day.  Jesus rose from the dead on a Biblical feast, the feast of first fruits, the Sunday after Passover.  Then 50 days later the 120 disciples received the Holy Spirit and these 120 as the "light to the nations" spoke in tongues of the Salvation of the Lord, the "Yeshua" of יהוה Yahvay.  It was the New Covenant of the Lord at the mountain of the Lord, Jerusalem.   Peter became so inspired, he does a short sermon in Acts 2 and as a result 3000 were baptized on the 50th day, Shavuot or Pentecost.  Did he received the promised power to be the witness to the nations?  You better believe it.  So, the number 50 even takes on even more significance.  Now it seems to be related to the days of Messiah and the coming of the רוח הקודש Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit.   The Jubilee presents a beautiful picture of the New Testament themes of redemption and forgiveness. Christ is the Redeemer who came to set free those who are slaves and prisoners to sin (Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:1; 3:22). The debt of sin we owe to God was paid on the cross as Jesus died on our behalf (Colossians 2:13-14), and we are forgiven the debt forever. We are no longer in bondage, no longer slaves to sin, having been freed by Christ, and we can truly enter the rest God provides as we cease laboring to make ourselves acceptable to God by our own works (Hebrews 4:9-10). (Accessed at https://www.gotquestions.org/Jubilee.html July 25,2022)  God has clearly done something on purpose.  He has connected the New Covenant at His mountain, Mt. Sinai, to the New Covenant at His mountain, Jerusalem.  The giving of the Ten Commandments is intimately connected to Pentecost or Shavuot.   I taught this is a class.  Here's a link to the chapter from my class book.  If you need the bibliography email me and I will get it to you.  Link to the article from Light of Menorah on Shavuot - https://www.dropbox.com/s/2rs9dwl481eb9s1/Chapter%204%20-%20The%20Spring%20Feasts%20-%20the%20End%20of%20the%20Beginning.pdf?dl=0 Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  Ferret - someplace just north of Eilat, Israel in the Wilderness What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0    

In this uplifting episode of IsraelCast, host Steven Shalowitz sits down with professional basketball player Jared Armstrong, whose inspiring journey has taken him from Philadelphia to the southern Israeli city of Eilat. Jared shares how his love for basketball and deep sense of purpose led him to Israel, where he plays professionally and runs JAB Camp—an initiative that brings together youth from diverse backgrounds through basketball, education, and dialogue. As a Black Jewish athlete, Jared reflects on his unique identity, his advocacy work following October 7, and his efforts to bridge communities both in Israel and the U.S. through sport. Hear how he's using the game he loves to teach life skills, build connections, and inspire the next generation to pursue their dreams with purpose and resilience.

On today's episode of Inside the Epicenter, we chat with Judy Pex, co-founder of The Shelter guest house in Eilat, Israel. Judy shares how she and her husband, John, have welcomed travelers, refugees, and volunteers for 40 years. We'll discuss the impact of their Friday night Shabbat meals, their work with Sudanese refugees and Israeli evacuees, and Judy's journey as an author. Join us for an insightful look into the power of hospitality and community. 03:37 "Journey to Faith and Israel"09:24 Returning to Israel: 1976 Journey13:11 "Inspired by Shelter Volunteers"14:02 "Impactful Experience at the Shelter"17:21 New Immigrants Share Shabbat Hospitality22:04 Prayer and Reflection for Israel23:39 Multilingual John's Refugee Encounter29:27 Fostering Sudanese Boys' Journey30:56 Evocative Novel Transports to Israel35:56 "Writing for Believers and Unbelievers"39:51 "Becoming Trail Angels at Shelter"43:07 Evacuees Bond in Shelter Experience46:22 "Welcoming Adventures in Jesus' Name"48:45 Volunteering and Community in Israel Learn more about The Joshua Fund: JoshuaFund.comMake a tax-deductible donation: Donate | The Joshua FundStock Media provided by DimmySad / Pond5 Bible verse Psalm 91:"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." Prayer request "Will you join us in praying for the people of Israel and her neighbors as they need more than ever to seek shelter and refuge in the Lord Almighty? Pray that they would cry out to God and that he would answer them. We know that God promises he's not far away. He's right at hand and is the God who answers prayer." Related Episodes.Episode #198: "Hospitality in the Holy Land"Episode #145: "The Christian Exodus: Stories of Belief in Modern Israel"Episode #221: "Ministries in Crisis: Serving During Times of Conflict"Episode #175: "Cultural Clashes and Community Building" Referral Links https://www.joshuafund.com/learn/latest-news/join-us-on-our-alaska-cruise Donate a generous monthly gift to The Joshua Fund to bless Israel and Her Neighbors now and for the long haul. Become an Epicenter Ally today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The consumer lending space has seen a great deal of innovation in the past decade or more. But the number of completely new lending concepts that cross my desk has reduced to a trickle in the past couple of years. That is why I was excited to see an idea that was completely original and compelling.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Veetahl Eilat-Raichel, the CEO and Co-Founder of Sorbet. While you could think about Sorbet as an unsecured consumer lender, because that broadly defines them, they have discovered a completely untapped niche: PTO (Paid Time Off). Most employees accrue PTO that has real value and Sorbet has figured out how to tap into that value to create a lending product.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of Sorbet.The size of the unused PTO marked in this country.The percentage of employees that accrue PTO.How their PTO advances work.How they integrate with payroll systems.When the issued their first loan.Their unique capabilities to underwrite PTO.What they consider to be their technological moat.What happens if someone uses all their PTO and then leaves their job.The two types of personas that uses Sorbet.The average loan size and the range of interest rates charged.What they have learned in the data so far.How they are going to market.How they are educating the market on the concept.What they learned from the earned wage access space.The three revenue streams they have.Their biggest challenge in growing the business today.How they are funding their loans.The early pivot they made that transformed the company.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Natalie welcomes two guests to the show today; 1) Sarah Koren, former Critical Care Nurse Specialist from Philadelphia who made aliyah in 1988; and Ezra Fleishman, Teacher, who made aliyah from Brooklyn just before Sukkoth, about a week ago. Sarah is a Team Leader for the Republicans Overseas and is in charge of Pennsylvania. She discusses her aliyah which began in the WUJS program in Arad, and her subsequent careers as a Critical Care Nurse first in Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat, and later in Hadassah Ein Kerem and Sheba. Regarding her current work with the Republican Party, Sarah explains the challenges involved with Absentee voting and more. She emphatically declares that this U.S. Presidential Election is the most important one in our lifetime. Natalie next welcomes Ezra Fleishman to the program who moved with his wife to Ramat Beit Shemesh to be near his two daughters. He describes the ease of living in this Anglo "bubble" and how there are Rabbis who give sermons in English, classes are in English, and shopkeepers speak English. Returning Home 20OCT2024 - PODCAST

If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoys a popularity comeback as a result of Israel's military operation against Hezbollah and the assassination of the group's chief Hassan Nasrallah, he is likely to be tempted to call early elections, Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn said on the Haaretz Podcast. "It's a tried and true Netanyahu trick when he sees that his adversaries are weak," Benn noted, pointing to the reasons why doing so may be in the Israeli leader's interest, including "getting rid of" his far-right coalition partners Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and his dependence on them. Benn, a veteran commentator on military and security affairs, said that the decapitation of Hezbollah leadership and its current paralysis represents a significant military victory for Israel. Nasrallah, he said, was a victim of hubris and his downfall came as a shock to allies and enemies alike. "Nasrallah was the symbol of Arab resistance to Israel and the United States," Benn said. "Over the years, he acquired a mythological image, even in Israel, as the man who understands Israel better than the Israelis themselves. But at the end of the day, even he was taken by surprise." The planning and execution of the ongoing offensive against Hezbollah stands in sharp contrast to the failures and missteps of October 7 and difficulties in Gaza when fighting Hamas, said Benn. "The IDF prepared for this attack for 18 years after the humiliation of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, when the IDF was caught unprepared for the kind of war that was waged. So for many years, the focus of Israeli intelligence, of Israeli drills, of operational planning, was Hezbollah." While applauding the operation against Hezbollah, Benn warned that Israel still faces a substantial threat from the "ring of fire" Iran has built around the country. "The Houthis in Yemen are still able to fire missiles at Israel... and the port of Eilat is still closed under the Houthi blockade. Pro-Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq are still there and Iran is still there. And most of the Hezbollah fighting force is alive and can be regrouped, even if not tomorrow or the next day."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. The United States, France, and some of their allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah while also expressing support for a truce in Gaza, according to a joint statement of the countries released by the White House Wednesday following an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon. We begin by speaking about the apparent IDF achievements of the stepped-up airstrikes over the past week and then turn to the truce proposal and reactions to it. Alongside the massacre of 1,200 and abduction of 251 hostages on October 7, Hamas head Yihya Sinwar attempted to launch a regional war. As such a war appears increasingly realistic, Borschel-Dan asks Horovitz if Israel is playing into Sinwar's hands. We end today's episode by discussing this past year of journalism and how complicated responsible reporting is in this region. Horovitz explains some of the challenges facing news outlets and how some respected news sources are not rising to them. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: A fateful, devastating year; a little about ToI's work; a thank you to ToI Community US, France lead joint call for immediate 21-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah Drone from Iraq hits Eilat port, causing damage and lightly injuring two Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod Waves. IMAGE: Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a meeting of the Security Council, September 25, 2024, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. Muhammad Deif, together with his deputy Rafa'a Salameh, were targeted in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday morning as they were reportedly present in an above-ground building between the al-Mawasi designated humanitarian zone and the city of Khan Younis. Before we turn to the operation, we hear about its targets? Four IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, during a rocket attack Saturday on the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, as cross-border skirmishes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued to flare. Fabian updates us on the conflict in the north. The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it struck facilities belonging to the Syrian Army overnight in response to the launch of two drones from Syria at Israel's southernmost city of Eilat the day before. What do we know about the group behind the drones? The government will vote today on extending mandatory service for male Israel Defense Forces soldiers to three years, as well as women who serve in combat and some roles. Fabian explains the changes and talks about how the Defense Ministry is beginning to work on conscripting haredi men -- starting next month. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Netanyahu says ‘not absolutely certain' Deif killed, ‘cracks' appearing in Hamas IDF strike targets Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif; group claims at least 90 killed 4 IDF troops hurt, including 1 seriously, as north peppered with rockets and drones IDF says it hit Syrian military facilities in response to drones targeting Eilat Ministers to vote Sunday on extending male mandatory IDF service to 3 years Defense minister says IDF will start drafting ultra-Orthodox men next month Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.  IMAGE: Palestinians inspect the damage at a site hit by an Israeli operation targeting Hamas's shadowy military commander Mohammad Deif in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant headed to Washington this morning for a meeting that he calls “critical for the future of the war.” What are the main goals? The IDF confirmed that it shot down an apparent Hezbollah drone over the Lower Galilee. It was shot down by air defenses in an area that houses a major factory belonging to the Rafael defense contractor. Also overnight, Israeli fighter jets shot down a drone heading toward Israel from the eastern direction. The announcement comes after the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed to have launched a drone at Israel's southernmost city of Eilat early this morning. On Saturday, the IDF struck several targets, including a Hamas military site in Gaza City's Shati neighborhood. Reports in Hebrew and Arabic media said the Shati attack targeted senior Hamas commander Raad Saad, head of Hamas operations. We hear who he is and the status of the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Also on Saturday, Israel said it had killed a top Hamas operative in Lebanon, Ayman Ghatma, who was responsible for supplying weapons to Hamas in Lebanon as well as to the al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya terror group. We hear about the tangled Lebanon-based overlap between Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. An Israeli civilian Amnon Muchtar, 67, of Petah Tikva was shot in his vehicle by unknown gunmen in the West Bank city of Qalqilya on Saturday and later died of his wounds. Fabian describes the incident, which is being labeled as a terror attack, and puts it into context with other recent conflicts in the area. For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Heading to US, Gallant says meetings ‘critical for the future of the war' Israeli strike said to target Hamas operations chief Raad Saad in Gaza; unclear if he died IDF kills top Hamas man in Lebanon; US said to promise Israel full support if war erupts Israeli man shot and killed in his car in West Bank's Qalqilya in apparent terror IDF says it is investigating soldiers who tied Palestinian detainee to hood of car THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.  IMAGE: Israel Defense Forces operating in Gaza, June 22, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.