
From the Yarra River to the Mediterranean Sea
This podcast seeks to be a conversation starter for those who seek to break beyond the binaries and labels of pro-Israel and pro-Palestine, exploring what it means to be pro-peace. Ultimately, it seeks to comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable.
Season 1 of From the Yarra was hosted by Hannah Baker and Ittay Flescher, a conversation between two Jews in Melbourne and Jerusalem about war and peace. It was recorded between December 2023 - October 2024.
Season 2 of 'From the Yarra' is coming soon, featuring exclusive conversations with Ittay Flescher about his new book, 'The Holy and the Broken.'
From the Yarra River to the Mediterranean Sea
Episode 2.1: Where did it all begin?
Welcome back to From the Yarra River to the Mediterranean Sea.
This is the first of a two part episode where we deep dive into the history of Israel/Palestine.
In part 1, we discuss:
- why we were only taught one half of the Israeli/Palestinian narrative at our Jewish day schools and the impact that has had on this current war;
- who is "indigenous" to the land;
- the first wave of Jewish immigration to Palestine from Russia in the 1880s and how those settlements were established;
- the term "colonialism" and whether or not Zionism should be considered a colonialist movement; and
- the establishment of the Israeli State in 1948 and the fact that to the Palestinians, this is called the Nakba.
For those who'd like to read more about the history of both nations, we recommend reading Israel/Palestine by Alan Dowty.
Is Zionism a form of settler colonialism?
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/herzls-troubled-dream-origins-zionism
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/theodor-herzl-and-trajectory-of-zionism/
Please send any questions, feedback, or comments to us at: fromtheyarra@gmail.com
Special thanks to our sound engineer Benjamin Levitt for all your work bringing this together.