112: Wartime Diaries - Gidon Lev
Israel Story
Israel Story
4.8 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 2 November 2023
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There’s a lot of Holocaust rhetoric in the air. ‘Never Again’ slogans have resurfaced, Netanyahu has said – on several occasions – that Hamas militants are worse than the Nazis, and just this week the Israeli delegation to the UN wore yellow stars at the Security Council. All of this is, of course, controversial, and many people – including many Holocaust survivors – have different feelings on the matter.
Gidon Lev from Ramat Gan probably isn’t exactly what you imagine when you think of a Holocaust survivor. For many years he lived in Kibbutz Zikim on the Gaza border, where he milked some 200 cows a day. Nowadays, he’s a veritable TikTok celebrity, with nearly half a million followers, and – quite accurately – refers to himself as a “rascal.” When the war broke out he experienced a lot of trauma, and took shelter in Ein Gedi, on the shores of the Dead Sea.
The end song is Pachot Aval Ko’ev (“Less, But It Hurts”) by Yehuda Poliker.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to this podcast, so I know you care about the war in Israel right now. |
| 0:08.0 | Then you've been reading the headlines, massacre and Gaza, genocide perpetrated by Hamas, |
| 0:14.0 | no, by Israel. |
| 0:16.0 | But if you've been listening to this podcast long enough, you know one thing. |
| 0:20.0 | This stuff seems complicated, and honestly you shouldn't just pick a side or decide your opinion |
| 0:26.0 | without really learning, without really knowing what you're talking about. |
| 0:31.0 | And that's where this podcast comes in. |
| 0:34.0 | Check out Unpacking Israeli History. |
| 0:37.0 | They have episodes with topics ranging from what is Hamas anyway, |
| 0:42.0 | to whether Israel should rant some captured soldiers, |
| 0:45.0 | and the history of Israel and its disengagement from Gaza in 2005. |
| 0:51.0 | Unpacking Israeli history cuts through the noise |
| 0:54.0 | and helps you understand Israel's present through understanding Israel's history. |
| 0:59.0 | So, educate yourself. |
| 1:02.0 | Learn the history behind the headlines. |
| 1:05.0 | Find Unpacking Israeli History, wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:10.0 | So, I'm gin on less, almost 89 years old, |
| 1:22.0 | and I've lived in Israel approximately 65 years. |
| 1:28.0 | I'm a Holocaust survivor, an ex-Kibbutznik, a Democrat, liberal, all the good things. |
| 1:39.0 | Maybe I'm not so good. |
| 1:45.0 | Hey listeners, it's Mishi. |
| 1:48.0 | So, as you know, during these incredibly difficult days, |
... |
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