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Segment #1:  Crunch Time is here 

It’s crunch time as Pesach is rapidly approaching and we kick off this week’s show with Yishai, being joined by his friend and colleague, Rabbi Shimshon Nadel.  Together, they discuss the intensity of not only cleaning one’s home for the holiday but also the importance of taking time to look inside during the holiday.  Yishai talks about his recent experience baking matzo and also his personal connection to the baking of unleavened bread along with how the Pesach holiday should be used as a time to deflate oneself and reevaluate.  Rabbi Nadel and Yishai talk about how Passover Seder should be rethought and how it should become less of a textual event and more one of true feeling of fire and night.  Halachic questions such as how to lean to the left comfortably during the Seder are mentioned and the first segment ends with Yishai talking about Pesach being a pilgrimage holiday and how important it is for the consciousness that Jerusalem is the center of the Jewish universe to exist in the hearts and minds of the Jewish People.

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Segment #2:  A Jewish Heart From the Windy City

In the second segment of this week’s show, the current state of the Jewish people in the United States is explained and analyzed and to do that, Yishai is joined by Jack Berger, a self-described “Jew from Chicago” who has spanned the spectrum when it comes to all things Jewish in The Windy City.  Topics for this segment include how younger Jews, especially in more liberal movements, are becoming less and less connected to both Judaism and Israel, how large Jewish institutions are being built in cities in North America where there currently is little Anti-Semitism but where it could crop up in the near future, and how if one wants to support a large and thriving Jewish community, they should support the largest and most thriving, which is in the State of Israel.  The thought that the current generation will be the one that allows Jonathan Pollard to die in captivity in a United States prison is discussed, including how Pollard was almost released and how important it is to ensure that his release happens sooner rather than later.  Yishai talks about the issue of Jerusalem and how it is not considered the capitol of Israel in the eyes of the United States government and how this can be corrected in the future.

Segment #3:  It’s Not Good to Hate

The beautiful community of Migron sits upon the rolling hills of the Benyamin region of Samaria and this week’s third segment is focused on how this community has become a hot topic across Israel.  Yishai presents three main reasons to why it is such an important issue and to reinforce why those reasons are important.  Aviela Deitch, a Migron resident and a spokesperson for the community, who resides in the community with her husband and six children, joins Yishai.  Deitch talks about the reasons that they decided to move to Migron and also the experience of an expulsion, as it was seen first-hand.  Deitch talks about the history of the community of Migron, how it is not usable farmland and how the land was formerly state land owned by the the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which became Israeli property following the Six Day War in 1967.  Deitch continues by talking about how the community was established with not only the blessing of the Israeli government but also with full support including utilities and mobile homes.   Issues with the lawsuit brought forth by Peace Now, a leftist Israeli organization, that catapulted Migron into the limelight are discussed as are the some of the dubious legal proceedings that have happened between the citizens of Migron and the Israeli Supreme Court.  The segment ends with Yishai talking about the potential expulsion of the residents of Migron set to take place this summer and how it will affect the Deitch family and others that live in this community.

Segment #4: Reconnecting heart and mind

This week’s show is wrapped up with Yishai presenting a recent speech, given by his friend and colleague Yehuda HaKohen at Machon Meir Yeshiva in Jerusalem.   Topics include how the Jewish people were not expelled to the four corners of the Earth but rather to five, the fifth being Zion.  The thought that a Zionist is not only one who loves his homeland but also his brothers and sisters are presented as is how Theodor Herzl and other Zionist leaders restored the heart to the Jewish People by bringing Jews home.  The thought of the curse of fear is discussed and explained throughout this segment.  The segment and the show ends with HaKohen emphasizing lucky we are to live in the time we live in the history of the Jewish People and how love can be the most empowering trait a human can exhibit.

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Moshe Herman has been actively involved in Israel activism since founding the first pro-Israel student organization at Boise State University in 2007. He has been a member of several panels and discussion groups with topics ranging from interfaith dialogue in the Middle East to Israel’s importance as a Jewish state and holds dual US/Israeli citizenship. Herman joined The Yishai Fleisher Show at the beginning of 2012 and currently resides in Boise, Idaho.