Cultural Podcasts

From The Canadian Jewish News By MARK MIETKIEWICZ

What are you listening to on your iPod? If you have space to spare on your MP3 player, there is wonderful free, Jewish content that you can download and enjoy anywhere. From practically any flavour of Israeli music to Jewish culture, the podcasts are waiting for you. I’ll tell you where to find them – and then wash down the column with a refreshing shpritz of seltzer.

When Israelis turn on the radio, do you think most of them are listening to Erev shel Shoshanim or Yerushalayim Shel Zahav? Then you’re in for a surprise. Those classics have their appeal, but like music lovers everywhere, Israelis have wide and varied tastes. That’s why the “Kol Cambridge – Music from Israel” podcast is a great find. This weekly, two-hour, student-run show from England airs songs from all the genres including pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, Klezmer and Chassidic – as well as some oldies thrown into the mix. The only thing these songs share in common is that they are all in Hebrew. The show’s hosts are pleasant and knowledgeable and the Kol Cambridge website provides a playlist of songs aired so you can always double-check what you’re listening to. Highly recommended.