The Israel Connection (Beth El Congregation of Baltimore )

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Esti Zenati is joined by Jewish writer, activist and co-host of the We Should All Be Zionists podcast with Dr. Einat Wilf. They talk about Blake's activism experience and why he has chosen to be active in the fight against antisemitism, Zionism, his recent aliyah and more! 

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Esti Zenati is joined by a special guest, Dr. Einat Wilf. They discuss the importance of Zionism, the right path to peace in the Middle East, and her latest book, We Should All Be Zionists.

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Esti is joined by her own 9-year-old daughter, Jazz, and Beth El's Executive Director, Ben Wachstein, to talk about Esti & Jazz's trip to visit their family in Israel this summer and Jazz's upcoming first time at a sleep away camp. Stay tuned for a trip & camp recap in August!

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Esti Zenati and Ben Kreshtool talk to our special guest, Idan Tzameret, owner of Kitchen Design by Idan on Falls Rd in Baltimore and Beth El member, about the experience he had with antisemitism in early May, his life as an Israeli, including his years in the IDF, and the current war.

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Esti Zenati and Ben Kreshtool discuss the ongoing antisemitism crisis on college campuses, the Israeli hostages and more. 

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Esti Zenati is joined by friend and past co-worker in Israel, Dan Rozett, Director of Community Relations & Israel Engagement at the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey. They talk about Dan's current experience at his job, his past as an IDF combat, and the alarming rise in antisemitism throughout the USA and the world. 

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Esti is joined by three Israeli Shinshinim: Ronnie, Eshel and Tamarina. They talk about this amazing program and the girls' experience as Shinshinim in Baltimore during the current war in Israel.

The Shinshinim program is a collaboration between the Jewish Agency of Israel and The Associated. The Jewish Educational Services manage this program. 

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Dr. Larry Weiss spent several months in Israel, serving as a medical volunteer with Magen David Adom. This week, Dr. Weiss joins Esti Zenati on The Israel Connection to discuss his experience.

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Esti is joined by Rabbi Steven Schwartz and Rabbi Dana Saroken who just returned from a mission to Israel. We discuss the mission and share some of the stories from the people we met during our time in Israel. We also reflect on the devastating news released yesterday about the confirmed murder of 32 of the hostages being held in captivity. 

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It has been 100 days since the attack on Israel and there are still over 130 people being held in captivity. 

Esti and Ben share the stories of several of the hostages and their families. We also discuss what you can do to help bring them home. 

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52 hours in Israel - Rabbi Dana Saroken discusses her recent trip to Israel and Esti Zenati reflects on life in the United States since October 7.

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Esti Zenati is joined by special guest, Jonah Platt. Jonah is an actor, artist, Jewish advocate for Israel and the Jewish people, and the host of his newly released podcast, Being Jewish with Jonah Platt. Jonah and Esti talk about being Jewish in today's climate, Hollywood's silence when it comes to Israel & the "ceasefire" letter debacle, and Jonah's new podcast and how it came to be. 

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Esti Zenati is joined by Dalia Ziada, Egyptian award-winning writer and political analyst specializing in governance, geopolitics, and defense policy in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. They discuss Dalia's support for Israel and its fight against radical Islam, the Arab world's relationship with Israel, Dalia's partnership with Hillel International and more.

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Esti is joined by one of the new Baltimore Shinshinim, Yahel, for this Part I of the conversation with the 2024-2025 Shinshinim. They talk about Yahel's experience in Baltimore, growing up in Israel and her personal connection to the October 7 attack and the hostages. 

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In this Part II of The New Shinshinim episode, Esti is joined by Baltimore Shinshinim, Shachar and Itamar, for a fun conversation! They talk about their road to becoming Shinshinim, their personal connections to October 7th and how it affected their lives. And lastly, they share their favorite Israeli things, from places to snacks and Israeli music.

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Esti is joined by Howard Libit, Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council. They talked about the important role the Jewish Council plays within the Jewish community, the rise in antisemitism and The Associated Antisemitism Task Force. Howard shares his experience working with representatives from other religions and also his experience in Israel prior to the war. And of course, don't forget the new segment, My Favorite Israeli Thing, we talk Golda Meir, the Western Wall and the best Shawarma in Israel! 

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Esti talks to guest, Mitch Gold, founding member of FIDF Baltimore and member of the FIDF National Board. They talk all things FIDF and Mitch shares his experience in Israel during the past year and as a child, living in Be'er Sheva with his family in the 1960's and during the Six Day War.

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Esti is joined by Hen Mazzig, a globally recognized speaker, educator, author, and digital influencer who has become a trusted voice on Jewish issues and Israel, appearing as an expert in media across four continents, including outlets like BBC, CNN, The Washington Post, SkyNews, New York Times and more. They talk about Hen's personal experience advocating for Israel for many years and being one of the most known voices in the pro-Israeli world, Mizrachi & Sephardi Jewry and growing up in Israel. 

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Esti Zenati is joined by guest co-host, Ben Kreshtool, and special guest, comedian Modi Rosenfeld! They talk about Modi's career in comedy, his favorite places to perform in Israel and his current US tour, Pause for Laughter.

Modi will be performing in Baltimore at The Lyric on Sunday, March 2. Get your tickets at modilive.com.

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 Esti Zenati hosts attorney Ran Bar-Yoshafat, who also serves in the IDF reserves as a combat Special Forces soldier. Ran shares his experience fighting in Gaza, Northern Israel, and Judea & Samaria since October 7, 2023, all while balancing life as a newlywed and a first-time father, having spent over 250 days on the battlefield. They also discuss Ran's role as a speaker on US college campuses, focusing on his experience at UC Berkeley, where rioters interrupted and shut down his event. 

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Esti Zenati is joined by special guest, Moran Stela Yanai. Moran was held hostage by Hamas for 54 days, after being kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, and released on November 29, 2023, during the first hostage release deal. They talk about Moran's October 7, her experience in captivity and her hopes and dreams for the near future, for herself and for the remaining hostages.

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Esti Zenati is joined by Israeli-American Winter Olympian AJ Edelman for an insightful conversation about his journey to Israel and his path to the Winter Olympics. AJ shares his experience making aliyah to Israel in 2016, his journey to the 2018 Winter Olympics, and his preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics with his Bobsled team, BobTeam Edelman. The discussion also delves into AJ's advocacy for Israel over the past year and a half, highlighting the personal and professional impact his advocacy has had on his life and career.

To support BobTeam Edelman and learn more, go to: israelbobsled.team

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Esti Zenati is joined by guest, Elkana Cohen, author of the book OCT 7: The War Against Hamas Through the Eyes of an Israeli Commando Officer, which is based on Elkana's diary entries during the war in Gaza. Esti and Elkana talk about his personal experience of what it's like serving in the IDF since October 7, 2023 and being on the battlefield in Northern Gaza for over a year, experiencing major losses of close friends and becoming a father for the first time.  

Elkana's book mentioned above is available for purchase in the US on Amazon.com. 

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Elkana's friends who were killed on or after October 7, 2023: Avi Buzaglo, Ben Bronstein, May Naim, Gaya Halifa, Yotam Ben Bassat, Aryeh Shlomo Ziering, Omri Michaeli, Roy Yosef Levy, Eliad Ohayon, Yehuda Natan Cohen, Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, Sergey Shmerkin, Matan Meir, Yosef Chaim Hershkowitz, Yedidya Asher Lev, Eyal Meir Berkowitz, Gal Meir Eisenkot, Tzvika Lavi, Etan Nach, Liav Elosh, Daniel Ben Harosh, Maoz Fenigstein, Shauli Greenglick, Shay Shamriz, Dvir Pima, Dan Weidenbaum, Itay Seif, Yarden Zackai. May their memory be a blessing forever.