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Lens & Land: Dispatches from Israel - The Podcast

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by Dave Bender

12 episodes

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Podcast Overview

From beekeeping to battlefield reporting, from baking challah to photographing Israel’s hidden corners — welcome to Lens and Land: Dispatches from Israel. Miri and I share our unique life in Tzfat: beekeeping, war coverage, culinary experiments, our local library, and the stories behind the lens. Subscribe for a new way to see the Land — one frame, one flavor, one memory at a time. She Frames The Home & Hive. He Frames The Image & Story. <a href="https://davebender.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">davebender.substack.com</a>

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Publishing Since

10/28/2025

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Recent Episodes

July 8, 2026

The Milestone We Never Wanted: 1,000 Days on the Edge - ZoomCast

Milestones in a war are arbitrary, cruel things. They don’t mark victories; they merely tally endurance. We just crossed 1,000 days. One thousand days of a multi-front war of attrition, of incoming sirens, of a horizon permanently altered by smoke and anxiety.[If the video above isn't viewable]: For the last few years, Adele and I have used our weekly and monthly <a target="_blank" href="https://davebender.substack.com/s/zoom-and-podcasts">ZoomCasts</a> to beam the unvarnished reality of Israel’s border communities out to anyone willing to look. No corporate media filters. No sanitized government talking points. Just the friction of daily survival. But this milestone hit differently. The questions we forced ourselves to confront weren’t about strategy or geopolitics. They were intimate, sharp, and uncomfortable.How much can a person absorb before the foundation cracks?When does resilience mutate into simple exhaustion?The truth is, the toll isn’t just measured in broken buildings or evacuated towns. It’s measured in the quiet, cumulative burnout of the people trying to document it. Speaking into the void week after week takes a piece of you.Here are a few characteristic quotes that capture the core of that 1,000-day conversation:Adele:“Survival isn’t just about ducking for cover anymore; it has turned into this long, grinding struggle against absolute burnout. We want to rebuild, but you have to face the fact that resilience isn’t some infinite resource.”Dave:“There’s a constant internal friction between trying to document this disaster as a journalist and actually living it as a security volunteer. When the macro-reality gets this heavy, you have to pull back and focus on what’s right in front of you just to keep your foundation from cracking.”Miri:”Are people coming back to Safed? Not necessarily. Some are sitting on their suitcases, and some say they’re coming back but haven’t made a move. I see the data directly through the [<a target="_blank" href="https://www.geigerlibrary.org">Tzfat English Library</a> where both Miri and Dave volunteer] registrations—the Anglo community just isn’t rushing back yet.””The kibbutz movement has been soliciting heavily, even busing young families up toward Kiryat Shmona and Tel Hai to try and sell the potential of the north. But after the latest round of escalation, even the young couples who took the tours are electing not to do it. They are doing everything they can to make it appealing, but the reality on the ground makes it a hard sell.”Living on the edge forces a hyper-focus on what is immediate and real. When the macro-reality becomes too heavy, the micro-reality is what saves you. For me, that sanity is found in the physical, grounding weight of the everyday: checking the hives at Neshika, spending quiet hours with Miri, navigating the subtle shifts in the landscape through a camera lens, and focusing on family. It isn’t a retreat; it’s a tactical withdrawal to preserve what matters.We moved from weekly to monthly broadcasts. Not because the story is over—far from it—but because to keep telling it truthfully, we have to survive it first.The war rolls into day 1,001+. We are still here. We are just changing how we fight the fatigue.[A note from the field: this post may be updated or amended as events develop. My sincere thanks to those who follow, comment, and share these dispatches. Your support keeps the lights on and the cats fed while I’m out navigating the dynamic range of the Galilee. Because the standard Stripe plumbing doesn’t reach us here in Israel, I’ve set up a direct alternative for those who wish to support this work. If you’re inclined to help keep the lens focused, you can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YX324K9MDK6MC&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">contribute via PayPal</a>. Much appreciated. — DB]Thanks for reading Lens & Land: Dispatches from Israel ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Thanks for reading Lens & Land: Dispatches from Israel ! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://davebender.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">davebender.substack.com</a>

June 23, 2026

Pre-Harvest Hive Check: Hunting for Liquid Gold 🍯- Beekeeping

Episode 4 of our weekly field notes brings us to the most critical moment of the season: <a target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/shorts/3DSNl4YOAUk?si=DFXaDCrPPVgyaojL">https://youtube.com/shorts/3DSNl4YOAUk?si=DFXaDCrPPVgyaojL</a>In today's update, <a target="_blank" href="http://Neshikha.com">Neshikha</a> beekeepers Miri and Dave get the smoker going and prep for a vital pre-harvest hive inspection before choosing which frames we'll likely harvest in coming weeks to prepare and bottle for our raw, unprocessed honeys. From hive management to raw honey extraction, not to mention the festival and marketing circuit, we’re sharing the grit and beauty of professional apiary life in Israel's northern Galilee.🔴 Subscribe to @neshikabees for weekly updates from the apiary and kitchen.📩 Dive deeper into our stories, recipes, and life on the northern border on our YouTube channel: <a target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/@neshikabees?si=LeiEJpojDr8Yxqp5">https://youtube.com/@neshikabees?si=gGhRS-y18AE8bIh1</a>#Beekeeping #HoneyHarvest #ArtisanalHoney #NorthernIsrael #Neshika Honey[A note from the field: this post may be updated or amended as events develop. My sincere thanks to those who follow, comment, and share these dispatches. Your support keeps the lights on and the cats fed while I’m out navigating the dynamic range of the Galilee. Because the standard Stripe plumbing doesn’t reach us here in Israel, I’ve set up a direct alternative for those who wish to support this work. If you’re inclined to help keep the lens focused, you can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YX324K9MDK6MC&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">contribute via PayPal</a>. Much appreciated. — DB]Thanks for reading Lens & Land: Dispatches from Israel ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Thanks for reading Lens & Land: Dispatches from Israel ! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://davebender.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">davebender.substack.com</a>

May 6, 2026

Warm and Pieces: Tactical Leftovers on the Israeli Homefront @NeshikhaKitchen - Cuisine

There’s an idea out there, that, at a certain age, one should settle into more predictable rhythms—taking up birdwatching, perhaps, or perfecting the art of the indignant letter to the editor. Yet, between the demands of the hives and the persistent background hum of life in a conflict zone, we’ve found our latest adventures in the kitchen, performing tactical maneuvers with whatever happens to be in the fridge.Call it a “Foodie Fight.” (Sorry...)In our house, the “holiday panic” described by glossy American magazines isn’t a seasonal event; it’s a standard Friday afternoon. Whether we are hacking a slab off a “Great Pumpkin” at the local greengrocer with a machete to make Pumpkin Pull-Apart Rolls (enriched with honey water from our own Neshikha hives, ‘natch), or debating the artistic merits of a clementine peel “still life” over a November Shabbat lunch, the conversation is always—as our <a target="_blank" href="https://open.substack.com/pub/davebender/p/shelaborate-and-mansplain-tell-all">coming podcast</a> suggests—a mix of “shelaborating” and “mansplaining.”Yeah, ok, I went there - but, hey - I can explain! (…kiiiiding).And so, our latest foray into high-concept/low-budget gastronomy involved a salvage operation: the <a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/9-Q_rrWhJok?si=rTNAIZAMsQkUGSwi">Wiener Wellington</a>. This was a creative upcycling of Yom Ha’atzmaut Independence Day leftovers and luncheon meats that had no business being pressed into service (...there I go again) in a puff-pastry lattice:In our latest “After-Action Review,” about that video, the critique was rigorous [<a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBeluGQFnpA&t=26">00:26</a>]. We looked past the humble origins of the ingredients to focus on the essential moisture provided by the mushroom duxelles and the necessary elevation of the mustard sauce [<a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBeluGQFnpA&t=185">03:05</a>]. The verdict?A solid 8 out of 10—a respectable showing for a dish born of necessity and a bit of kitchen whimsy [<a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBeluGQFnpA&t=204">03:24</a>].Some couples travel the world or carp at the nightly news; we find our “white rabbits”—those hidden jokes and mysteries—planted in the pigments of a savory roll or the crust of a hot dog lattice. In a world that is anything but quiet, making a respectable mess in the kitchen remains our preferred method of staying sane.After all, even in a war zone, the pastry - and not our minds - should be flaky, the homefront honey should be <a target="_blank" href="http://neshikha.com">local</a>, and the wit - like our ridiculously greal local wines - should remain exceptionally dry.The Takeaway: It’s “fancy deli roll” territory, but it’s ours.Now, having successfully defended the kitchen against the tyranny of boring leftovers, we find ourselves dangerously un-preoccupied. We have the knives, we have the lighting, and we have a frankly alarming amount of honey. What we need is a target. We’re asking you to act as our culinary scouts: drop a comment below and tell us what culinary target we should attack next.Whether it’s a complex local heirloom recipe that requires three days and a specialized clay pot, an international classic we have no business attempting, or the latest “stupid-but-brilliant” TikTok trend that we can adapt for a kosher kitchen—lay it on us. We’re ready to risk our dignity (and our appliances) for your entertainment and our Shabbat post-repast bliss.The “After-Action” Files:<a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/oBeluGQFnpA">Watch: The Wiener Wellington Verdict</a> – The final taste-test and structural analysis.<a target="_blank" href="https://open.substack.com/pub/davebender/p/lens-and-land-closing-the-holiday">Watch: Closing the Holiday Panic Gap</a> – Pumpkin rolls and Galilee “machete” shopping.<a target="_blank" href="https://open.substack.com/pub/davebender/p/shelaborate-and-mansplain-tell-all">Listen: Shelaborate & Mansplain</a> – A preview of our “Words and the Bees” podcast.[A note from the field: this post may be updated or amended as events develop. My sincere thanks to those who follow, comment, and share these dispatches. Your support keeps the lights on and the cats fed while I’m out navigating the dynamic range of the Galilee. Because the standard Stripe plumbing doesn’t reach us here in Israel, I’ve set up a direct alternative for those who wish to support this work. If you’re inclined to help keep the lens focused, you can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YX324K9MDK6MC&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">contribute via PayPal</a>. Much appreciated. — DB]Thanks for reading Lens & Land: Dispatches from Israel ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Thanks for reading Lens & Land: Dispatches from Israel ! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://davebender.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">davebender.substack.com</a>

12 total episodes available

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What is Lens & Land: Dispatches from Israel - The Podcast?: From beekeeping to battlefield reporting, from baking challah to photographing Israel’s hidden corners — welcome to Lens and Land: Dispatches from Israel. Miri and I share our unique life in Tzfat: beekeeping, war coverage, culinary experiments, our local library, and the stories behind the lens. Subscribe for a new way to see the Land — one frame, one flavor, one memory at a time.

She Frames The Home & Hive. He Frames The Image & Story. <a href="https://davebender.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">davebender.substack.com</a>
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Information about guest appearances is not available.

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