How It Feels to be Israeli Right Now: A Conversation with Sarah Tuttle-Singer

Unpacking Israeli History

Unpacked

Judaism, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

So much of what we read about Israel is politics and war. But this episode explores a different angle: what does it feel like to live through this moment? Noam sits down with writer and Times of Israel editor Sarah Tuttle-Singer, author of Jerusalem Drawn and Quartered, for a raw, empathetic conversation about daily life in Jerusalem after October 7. They talk about euphoria and grief around hostage returns, the “toxic resilience” many Israelis carry, and the small acts of kindness that still break through. Sarah describes how she vacillates between hope and rage and urges American Jews to come visit Israel to talk a wide-range of people and experience what life is really like. This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Debra and Avi Naider. BREAKING: Deep Concern Grows for Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, and Roger Waters https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/sarah-tuttle-singer/ Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered: One Woman's Year in the Heart of the Christian, Muslim, Armenian, and Jewish Quarters of Old Jerusalem Please get in touch at noam@unpacked.media. Check us out on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand. ------------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewish History Nerds⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, I'm Noam Weissman, and this is Unpacking Israeli History.
0:03.0	The podcast that takes a deep dive into some of the most intense, historically fascinating,
0:07.0	and often misunderstood events and stories linked to Israeli history.
0:11.9	This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Debra and Avi Nader.
0:16.9	To sponsor an episode of Unpacking Israeli History,
0:18.8	just to say, what's up? Be in touch at Noam at Unpacked. Media.
0:23.4	Before we start, as always, check us out on Instagram,
0:26.0	on TikTok, on YouTube, all the places.
0:27.6	Just search Unpacking's Early History
0:28.9	and hit the follow or subscribe button.
0:32.3	Okay, Yala. Let's do this.
0:37.2	I'm notherzimba. Al-ha-Tamak to be a good. Let's do this. We, the people of Israel, are prepared and anxious to meet the representatives of our neighbors without any preconditions.
0:57.0	There are people in Israel elsewhere.
0:59.6	Say it's impossible to make peace between the Arabs and Israel or the Jewish people.
1:04.6	I think they're wrong.
1:08.8	So much of what we read about Israel right now is political or it's military,
1:14.5	ceasefires, hostages, deals, negotiations, that's what we read about.
1:18.0	But what's harder to capture is the emotional reality.
1:21.9	What does it actually feel like to live through this moment?
1:26.2	My guest today, Sarah Tuttle Singer, has a way of writing
1:29.4	about life in Israel that's unfiltered and deeply human. She has empathy, she has compassion.
1:34.9	She also sometimes feels rage and feels so much frustration. I wanted to take a breath from the headlines
	...

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