Israel Hour Radio - Israeli Music Podcast
Want to create a stronger connection with the land of Israel? Israeli music will bring you closer to Israel than ever before. For more than 25 years, Josh Shron's Israel Hour Radio has presented the very best in Israeli music - with news, discussion and FUN in English! Tune in each week for a front row seat to the latest in Israeli culture, and connect with others who share your passion for Israel!
Episodes
June 29, 2025 • 60 mins
The war with Iran is over (for now), and there's lots of hopeful talk in the news these days: an end to the war in Gaza, expansion of the Abraham Accords, and who knows what else? Despite never knowing a day of peace, Israelis have always been hopeful that it was just around the corner. Of course, Israeli music reflects that hope in so many tunes, past and present. This week on Israel Hour Radio, Josh latches on to that hope, brin...
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June 22, 2025 • 63 mins
Amidst the backdrop of war with Iran...amidst the euphoria of America's (hopefully) successful strike on Iran's nuclear program...amidst a week of sirens, safe rooms, and stress...the Israeli music scene continues to thrive. While Israelis found themselves running to shelters at all hours of the day and night, Israeli radio stations did their best to maintain a sense of normalcy, keeping us entertained with the voices of our favor...
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June 15, 2025 • 62 mins
Israel is at war. Israelis are running to shelters multiple times throughout the day and night. Despite a growing string of simply miraculous events, many lives have been lost and many homes and structures have been destroyed. And yes, we are all a little on edge. But no matter what our enemies destroy, they can't destroy our spirit - the greatest weapon Israelis possess! Join us for Josh's firsthand perspective into the past few ...
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May 18, 2025 • 67 mins
Recorded mere hours after Yuval Raphael brought immense pride to her country, this week's podcast finds us all in great spirits. So while still basking in glow of Israel's SECOND PLACE finish in this year's Eurovision, we figured today is a good day to hop into the Israeli Music Time Machine, whisking us back to the last time Israel won the contest. It also happened to be a fantastic year for Israeli music! Welcome to the Israeli ...
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May 11, 2025 • 67 mins
Eurovision week is finally here! As Yuval Refael prepares to represent Israel in Switzerland with bravery, grace, and honor, we take the opportunity to dive into one of our favorite topics: the Pre-Eurovision (aka 'Kdam')! Back before reality singing contests were a thing, Israel would select its song for the Eurovision with a special 'Pre-Eurovision' contest - in which Israel's best and brightest singers would compete for the hon...
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May 4, 2025 • 63 mins
Happy 77th birthday, Israel! After the frightening wildfires plaguing Central Israel on Yom HaZikaron 2025, this year's Independence Day certainly started off unlike any other. But that didn't stop us from celebrating Israel's 77th in grand fashion! Join Josh Shron as he recaps this year's best musical moments...from new songs, viral videos, and amazing performances at this year's 'unusual' Torch Lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl. ...
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April 27, 2025 • 71 mins
The pain of Yom Hazikaron - Israel's Memorial Day - has always been very real and very raw, affecting nearly every home in Israel in some way. But this year, it just feels different. The sad songs take on new meaning. The painful stories are just too numerous. And just this week, we buried more soldiers as part of our 77+ year struggle for existence. Although EVERY day can feel like Yom Hazikaron in Israel, this year hits differen...
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April 6, 2025 • 58 mins
Passover is upon us once again. And once again, this year's observance includes equal parts celebration and desperation. As we celebrate the Jewish holiday of freedom, we can't help but think of the 59 hostages who are not at all free. We think of the men and women of the IDF who will not be at their families' seder tables this year. We remember those who have lost their lives since last Pesach, as well as ALL those missing from t...
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March 30, 2025 • 58 mins
It seems like everywhere you go in Israel these days, you constantly hear the word 'Amen'. 'May we hear good news!' 'Amen!' 'Wishing your son success and safety in the IDF!' 'Amen!' This is not, of course, a new phenomenon. 'Amen' is a word that often comes up in Israeli music as well. Off the top of your head, many of you can likely come up with a few right off the bat. Well, if you can think it, we're playing it today. Enjoy 60 ...
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March 23, 2025 • 58 mins
As war, protests, political disputes, and daily rocket fire continue in our homeland, Israel's entertainment scene continues to thrive. Maybe that's one reason why we continue to be ranked among the happiest countries in the world! Today, we're proud to keep you up to date with the latest and greatest in Israeli music, with the songs blaring on radios and Spotify playlists throughout the country. You'll hear new tunes from Shlomo ...
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March 16, 2025 • 65 mins
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present Israel's official entry to Eurovision 2025, "New Day Will Rise" by Yuval Rafael. And while we're at it, it's been a while since we've done an hour of Israeli Eurovision songs, so let's do that today, shall we? But this time, we're going to skip the beloved Israeli classics from the 70s and 80s, focusing instead on our entries over the past 25 years, since 2000. With a lot of big hits a...
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March 9, 2025 • 59 mins
We all know - all too well - that the past 17 months have been painful and emotional to say the least. But with Purim on the way, it's a good time to allow ourselves to smile and laugh. Purim reminds us that sometimes, when life looks as dark as can be, the most incredible miracles suddenly come to life. That things are not always what they seem. That life can change dramatically at the drop of a hat. So this Purim, we're giving o...
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February 9, 2025 • 62 mins
The news cycle has so many ups and downs these days, that it can be hard to remember the specific highs and lows. Back on February 8, 2025, Hamas released three hostages: Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi, and Or Levy. Sure, we were overjoyed that they were back home with their families, but we felt downright sick upon seeing their emaciated bodies and pained expressions. As we try to process these emotions...it's suddenly time to go on t...
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February 2, 2025 • 68 mins
Ready to go back to the year of "We Are the World", New Coke, Live Aid...and a heck of a lot of amazing Israeli music? Buckle your seatbelts, 'cuz we're going back FORTY years...all the way to 1985! In the midst of today's period of sadness, emotion, and national trauma, we need a week of upbeat music...and the Israeli music of 1985 sure fit the bill. If you're a fan of Ofra Haza, Yardena Arazi, Meir Banai, Ilanit, Shalom Hanoch, ...
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January 26, 2025 • 64 mins
We've had a big 30th anniversary celebration, devoted a show to 'counting down' to the new year, and celebrated our first hostages coming home. So what haven't we done lately? Share new Israeli music. Well, let's rectify that today, shall we? This week, we present the most popular Israeli songs of the past few weeks, many of which reflect the challenging times in which we continue to find ourselves. You'll hear songs of joy over t...
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January 19, 2025 • 63 mins
The day we recorded this podcast was a pivotal day in the State of Israel. After 471 days in captivity, the first Israeli hostages were finally released from the dungeons of Gaza - and Emily, Doron, and Romi were finally on their way home. With the freedom of our hostages, and the simultaneous release of countless terrorists, it was an emotional day, to say the least. There was little we could do but play songs about 'home', amids...
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January 12, 2025 • 63 mins
Happy New Year! For our first official show of 2025, let's do something light and fun for a change. Have you ever noticed how many Israeli songs have numbers in their titles? Well, one of our listeners decided to create a massive spreadsheet with all of the 'number songs' he could find. So this week, we present a unique hour of 'countdown' songs...all songs featuring numbers in their titles! From ten to one, we'll play songs to he...
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December 29, 2024 • 69 mins
An episode 30 years in the making! On Chanukah 1994, Josh Shron and his then-girlfriend (now wife) Mairov Dubrovsky wandered into the WRSU Studios as Rutgers University students, and began their radio careers by playing 'Hora' by Avi Toledano. That episode flourished into a full fledged obsession over Israel and its culture, and Josh hasn't looked back. This week, Mairov and Josh are BACK where it all began 30 years ago, at WRSU S...
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December 8, 2024 • 67 mins
It's week 2 of Josh's 30th anniversary celebration, in which he plays back his favorite songs from each of his 30 years on Israel Hour Radio! This week, enjoy a fun playlist of Josh's favorites from 2010 through 2024, including many now-classic songs guaranteed to get you singing along. In his 30 years on the air, Josh has celebrated Israel through music and culture, amassing a large following of English speakers who share his pas...
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December 1, 2024 • 68 mins
On Sunday, December 4, 1994, Josh Shron walked into the studios of WRSU Radio, cracked open the microphone, and never looked back. Ever since, he's celebrated Israel through music and culture, amassing a large following of English speakers who share his passion for our homeland. All month long, Josh celebrates 30 years at the helm of Israel Hour Radio, by looking back at some of the memorable moments along the way. Beginning this ...
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