Free as a Bird

Stories that are ostensibly about birds, but are really about the heights to which the human spirit can soar — and the depths to which it can plunge

These are – it goes without saying – tumultuous times here in Israel. But especially now, we believe it is important to double down on our focus on people – ordinary people, living extraordinary lives. Because at the end of the day, once we’re all done fighting, protesting and calling each other names, we will still live together. And, given that, we might as well know who we’re living with.

So during this season of Israel Story we will meet clowns at demonstrations and air force pilots in captivity; we’ll attend a tragic funeral in Beer Sheva and sit in on an incredibly awkward first date in, of all places, our own recording studio; we’ll play therapeutic rounds of Dungeons & Dragons and place mega expensive (and complicated) long distance phone calls. And we’ll also have one giant, and still secret, audio project for Israel’s 75th Independence Day.

This season we’ll cry together, laugh together and get angry together. But whatever the emotion might be, we’ll be together. And that – at least to us – feels very good.

We chose to open our season with a theme that actually isn’t grounded here. A theme that can spread its wings, fly far, far away and provide us with a zoomed out view of ourselves.

Free As A Bird has three stories that are ostensibly about birds, but are really about the heights to which the human spirit can soar, and the depths to which it can plunge.

About Israel Story: Israel Story is the award-winning podcast that tells extraordinary tales about ordinary Israelis. Often called “the Israeli ‘This American Life,’” we bring you quirky, unpredictable, interesting and moving stories about a place we all think we know a lot about, but really don’t. Produced in partnership with The Times of Israel.

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