Our wishes for a year of health, of joy, of goodness

“It’s been a terrible year,” so many people have said, even on our podcast, in recent weeks.

Yes, it’s been frightening at times, worrisome, sad. But it has also been inspiring, filled with partnership and camaraderie among many different kinds of Israelis who have awakened to their deep—and shared—love for this country.

In regular times, Israel from the Inside is devoted to highlighting the “mosaic” that makes up Israeli life. Israel isn’t only conflict or politics or rabbinate—any of those topics that usually make the press. Israel is also about literature, poetry, music, a rich history and a sparkling, heterogenous group of citizens who do extraordinary things. That is what we try to highlight.

During these past ten months, though, we’ve also had to pivot to politics, to judicial reform, to democracy—all while seeking to present a wide array of different views. The faces you see above are but a small fraction of the people who have shared their time, their wisdom and their passion with us—and this is a moment to thank them, and to thank you for joining us in listening to them and learning from them.

This is also a moment for me to thank the extraordinarily talented and devoted co-producer and editor of Israel from the Inside, Haley Weinischke, who is my partner in everything this project does and shares.

The Hebrew phrase that we use at this time of the year is shannah tovah, which does not mean “Happy New Year,” but rather, “a year of goodness.” That is our wish to all of us—may this be a year of joy, of health, of shared love, and particularly now, of goodness.

Shannah Tovah.