Unorthodox in Israel

This week, Unorthodox is publishing daily dispatches from Israel.

On Monday, we head to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities most brutally attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7.  Unorthodox host Liel Leibovitz, producer Josh Kross, and Tablet writer Armin Rosen meet up with Chen Kotler, a lifelong Kfar Aza resident, who shows them the devastation firsthand.

On Tuesday,  we visit Roy Shimshon at his dog sanctuary in Moshav Tidhar in southern Israel, where he is caring for nearly 100 dogs, most of whom have been separated from their owners since Oct. 7. His story gives voice to those who can’t speak for themselves: the animals left behind when their owners were killed, kidnapped, or displaced from their homes.

On Wednesday, we catch up with cookbook author Adeena Sussman and take a trip to the Shuk HaCarmel, southern Tel Aviv’s famous open-air market, to get a taste of how Israel’s famed food scene has been impacted by Oct. 7 (and, of course, sample the delicious local wares).

On Thursday, we meet some of the non-Jews who make up the Jewish state. We visit El Masar Elementary School in Daliyat El Carmel and speak with Druze students, parents, and teachers affected by the war. We also meet Tareq Nassar and Mona Suliman of the Sinsila Center Beekeeping Project in East Jerusalem, which encourages Muslim women to cultivate profitable and climate-friendly beehives on their rooftops. Plus, a special visit to a 700-year-old Coptic Christian tattoo shop in Jerusalem’s Christian quarter, where one of our producers gets some ink.

On Friday, Tanya Singer delivers the fruits of the Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along, bringing handknit hats to IDF soldiers, crocheted dolls to hospitalized children, and handmade cards to Israelis across the country. Along the way, she encounters all sorts of crafters and creators, and reveals the common threads of resilience and generosity that make the tapestry of the Jewish people so strong.

For information about all the individuals and organizations featured this week and ways to support them, click here.

For more eyewitness accounts from Israel, listen to the Testimonies Archive, a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation.

Unorthodox’s reporting from Israel was made possible thanks to support from the Natan Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, and Tablet.

Write to us at [email protected], or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.

Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.