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SPEAKER 4
הסיפור הזה מתחיל בשלט מסתורי שנקלה בכניסה לאתר ההנצחה בלטרון. על השלט מודפס שם של יחידה שאיש לא מכיר.
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SPEAKER 1
מה המספר ראשי?
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SPEAKER 4
519. אתה מתה? דרגה. תגיד, מה קורה פה בעצם? אנחנו מקימים יחידה חדשה בצהל. יחידת עוף החול. אוף החול על פי המיתולוגיה היא ציפור אש שחיה שנים רבות עד שהיא עולה בלהבות ואז נולדת מחדש היא התקווה שאחרי המוות בדיוק כמו הסיפור הזה שעוד יהיה הפוך להגדה

Turns out that there IS life after death ... at least for tanks ...

One of the IDF's newest units, the Phoenix, created by men who were discharged decades ago out of tanks that had long since been declared no longer usable. Plus a link to the "Two State Delusion."

For a while now, Israelis have been reading and hearing about a strange, new tank unit called the Phoenix unit. Like the bird for which it is named (in Hebrew, oaf ha-chol, the bird of the sand), the unit was created by a hi-tech executive, long since out of the army, who decided to revive old tanks, long since out of service. (There’s also a story in Times of Israel.)

The story—of the men and their tanks, and how they did when they were finally sent into battle—is in the video above.


Israelis are facing an unfolding crisis, but also an important opportunity to rebuild. If you would like to share our conversation about what they are feeling and what is happening that the English press can’t cover, please subscribe today.


Towards the end of the video, like everything else in Israel these days, the conversation touches a bit on politics. As the narrator of the video notes, it’s a story of “citizens taking responsibility for something that was not their responsibility, in contrast to politicians who aren’t even doing that. Perhaps our next generation of leaders will come from here.”

He asks one of the creators of the unit, “It’s not going to stop in the army?”

“No, people will understand that there is no one else. You want change? Don’t talk about it. Do something. Do it. Don’t talk about it in some group where you sit with your friends or get pissed off … You want to make a change, make a change.”

The hope, obviously, is that the confidence and belief in itself that the Israel of old had can and will—like the mythological phoenix—rise once again from the ashes.


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From time to time, when we find something of interest (whether we agree with it or not, in whole or in part), we share links to enrich our collective larger conversation. I thought that the following piece in Tablet Magazine by Elliot Abrams was very worth passing on. No matter where one stands on the two-state-solution, and especially if one is instinctively in favor, one needs to engage the questions that he raises.

Again, you can read the article here.


Discussion about this podcast

כל הכבוד

to the Phoenix Unit. You reminded me of 1948 when a little spit, a few rubber bands, and a lot of אמונה resulted in total victory against “impossible” odds.

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Old forgotten tanks restored and brought back to life. Weathered & long-retired reserveniks return from afar for one last battle. Somewhere in LA, a writer is pitching a story like this to a producer. Thanks for sharing!

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Incredible and inspiring, Chazak, Chazak! Am Israel chai!

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Wow! Reminds me of Nachshon ben Aminadav....

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The tank video alone is worth the price of a year subscription

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founding

The pioneers made the desert bloom. Today's Israelis make the Phoenix rise. Thank you for these stories. They renew my faith in Israel and Israelis.

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Rak b'Yisrael:)!

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I'm curious if this change in podcast format is permanent?

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I needed this!

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This is Ellen Newman, long time subscriber. I mentioned your podcast to my dear friend Uriel Cohen. He is the CEO of Yad Tamar an organization in Israel that offers support to cancer victims and their families. Recently they have expanded to deal with PTS. I thought he would be a wonderful person to interview, especially at this time. He has a heart of goal and has had a varied and interesting background (look him up) His contact # 972 5230 0003030.

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Feb 5·edited Feb 5

Incredible, rising from the ashes! Abram's piece asks all the difficult questions and should be required reading for all.

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And that is why I love the Israeli spirit!

Am Israel Chai 🎗️💙🇮🇱💙🎗️

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Awesome!! 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱

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Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis
Israel from the Inside is for people who want to understand Israel with nuance, who believe that Israel is neither hopelessly flawed and illegitimate, nor beyond critique. If thoughtful analysis of Israel and its people interests you, welcome!