Thousands of years ago, when Israel split into two rival kingdoms, Malkhut Yisrael (led by a king from the tribe of Yosef) was the stronger kingdom more connected to the nations of the world.
Malkhut Yehuda (led by a king from the tribe of Yehuda) was smaller and less influential, but it’s the kingdom that drove Jewish history forward. We are, after all, called “Jews” (יהודים) today because most of us descend from this Kingdom of Judea (יהודה).
For centuries, tension existed between the leaders of these two kingdoms – each believing themselves to be the rightful leader of the Hebrew tribes – and to this day, the forces of Yehuda and Yosef are still vying for leadership over Israel. Nearly every political, social and cultural challenge currently confronting the State of Israel can be understood as an expression of the friction between these forces.
Eurovision is just one example of the struggle between Yosef and Yehuda – the desire to be a successful and accepted member of the international community in conflict with the desire to be true to the values and destiny of our people.
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Guests: Danit Felber
Hosted by: Yehuda HaKohen
