I may have grown up in Israel and spent my early adulthood there, but the land that was my home for most of my life still alludes me. For such a small country, the gamut of the Israeli experience and the breadth of its culture and history is pretty large.
As the country turns 75 — and faces the tensest moment of internal conflict that I’ve witnessed in my lifetime — I find myself turning to Israeli TV when I miss my homeland and the many unique people and experiences that make it what it is. Luckily for me, the Israeli TV industry is getting richer and greater by the day, bringing us new and more ambitious shows, and judging by the slew of awards and attention these productions are getting at international festivals, I’m not the only one who appreciates it.
While one of the most popular Israeli shows of all times, “Shtisel,” recently left Netflix, there are plenty of others you can watch right now that help give an understanding of what it means to live in Israel, and to be an Israeli.
Unfortunately, many series about minority experiences in Israel still aren’t available to U.S. viewers, and exciting new shows like “Chanshi” and “Fire Dance” haven’t yet made it stateside, but here are some shows currently available to stream whenever you’re looking for a taste of Israel.
“Fauda” (Netflix)
“Fauda” just gave us one of its most complex and ambitious seasons on Netflix this January. Helmed and starring Israeli star Lior Raz, the show about a unit of covert operatives is, at least now that “Shtisel” is off streaming services, the most popular of Israeli shows currently available to watch in the U.S., and for good reason. Henry Winkler is a fan, and so are we.
If you’re looking for more tense Israeli TV on Netflix, we also recommend “When Heroes Fly” and “Black Space.”
“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” (Netflix)
This melodramatic show about a cursed family is neither an authentic document of Israeli history nor an accurate representation of its source material, but it is absolutely worth watching for the amazing acting and the tastes, smells and sights of Jerusalem in the early to mid 1900s. Full of Ladino dialogue and music, it’s the story of the beautiful Luna (Swell Ariel Or) whose family is cursed to be unfortunate in love. Also starring Michael Aloni and Hila Saada, the show has an incredible cast and astounding cinematography. The second season recently finished airing in Israel, and it’s even more dramatic than the first. I hope it makes it here soon.
“Checkout” (ChaiFlicks)
No show truly embodies Israel like “Checkout” to me, mostly because I really believe that going into an Israeli grocery store is one of the best ways to experience the minutiae of Israeli culture. “Checkout” takes place in a grocery store in Yavneh helmed by an idealistic, Steve Jobs-loving manager, Shira (Noa Koler) and a team of incredibly diverting employees and clients. It offers a lot of exaggerated comedy and moments of tiny, funny truths about the Israeli experience.
This incredible show starring Aviv Alush features the story of Rabbi Yosef Morad, who helps agunot — women who are refused divorces — become “unchained” from their husbands. It also follows the tender tale of the rabbi’s relationship with his wife, played by the wonderful Avigail Kovary. The issue of agunot goes well beyond Israel, and this show is an illustration of how harsh the reality for some of these women is. It also delves into a lot of complex Israeli societal dynamics.
If the world of agunot is one you want to further delve into, I also highly recommend “Gett,” which is currently free to stream on Tubi.
“Srugim” (Amazon Prime)
This “classic” Israeli show from 2012 is about the dating lives of religious Jews and features a lot of familiar faces from Israeli TV. And while the world of dating has changed since then, it’s still remarkably illuminating and relatable — a great show to watch ahead of Netflix’s “Jewish Matchmaking.”
“Valley of Tears” (HBO Max)
No war has shaped the Israeli psyche more than the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and this heartbreaking show is not only well done, but a window into those events that forever changed the nation. It’s not an easy watch, to say the least, but it is terrific TV.
If you’re into more Israeli historical military movies, “Beaufort” is a great one, available to stream on ChaiFlicks.
“The Devil’s Confessions: The Lost Eichmann Tapes” (Amazon Prime)
This incredibly revealing documentary will not only change the way you’ve thought about one of the most infamous Nazis in history, but will show you a moment that changed Israeli perception around Holocaust survivors. We always think of Israel as a country that was built to avoid another Holocaust, but the truth is that survivors were not always (and still aren’t always) venerated by Israeli society, and the Eichmann trials were a moment where the tide changed. Read our full review here.
“Our Boys” (HBO Max)
“Our Boys,” a joint Keshet and HBO production from 2019, tells tale of the 2014 kidnappings of three Israeli teens, and the retaliation, kidnapping and killing of a Palestinian teen, spurring the tensions that led to the 2014 Israel-Gaza war.
“Rehearsals” (Hulu)
This show takes you into the intricacies of Israeli theater, but it’s also a testament to how good Israeli TV can be! Read our review here.
“Asylum City” (Chaiflicks)
In the early 2000s, an influx of Sudanese and Eritrean refugees entered Tel Aviv, fleeing conflicts in their home countries and making it an asylum city of sorts — to the consternation of some of its residents. This thriller is about the murder of an Israeli activist, but it’s also a glimpse into what refugees living in the city endure.
“Tehran” (Apple TV+)
Here’s another excellent covert operative show that illuminates the stories of Israeli minorities — this time, Persian Jews. “Tehran” stars the excellent Niv Sultan as Tamar, a Persian Israeli intelligence operative charged with going undercover in the Iranian capital. The second season of the show starred the amazing Glenn Close, and season three, which was announced back in February of this year, will star Hugh Laurie.
If you’re an Apple TV+ subscriber, you also don’t want to miss the masterful and tense “Losing Alice,” starring “Shtisel’s” Ayelet Zurer.
The story of Eti Alon, a young unassuming mother who embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars from her job at an Israeli bank — causing it to collapse — entranced the nation in the early 2000s. You can watch a dramatization of this criminal case on Topic now, from Yes Studios (the home of “Shtisel,” “Beauty Queen of Jerusalem,” “Fauda” and more) starring an excellent cast.
Topic has a bunch of other great Israeli shows you can binge on its platform, including the incredible “Prisoners of War” — you can watch them all here.
