#israeli-economy
61 episodes
#5568: Israel's Pragmatic Center: Housing, Groceries, and the 2026 Vote
Israelis say housing and cost of living decide their vote — but the campaign is about everything else. Can the pragmatic center break the pattern?
#5552: Why Ireland and Israel Feel Poorer Than Their GDP Says
Ireland ranks 2nd in the world by GDP per capita. Israel's prices rank 5th highest. Neither number tells you how wealthy life actually feels.
#5445: Israel's Periphery: Why It's Not About Distance
What "peripheria" really means in Israel — and why a $10B Intel fab sits in a town that still tops unemployment.
#5444: Carmei Gat: The Buchman of the Negev?
A planned neighborhood on Kiryat Gat's edge is pulling in Anglo olim with prices that undercut Beit Shemesh and Modiin.
#5423: Underground Burial in Jerusalem: 24,000 Graves, 3 Elevators
Jerusalem ran out of ground for its dead — so it built a multi-storey car park where the parking spaces are graves.
#5373: Why the Same Face Cream Costs 2.5x More in Israel
Same La Roche-Posay cream: $17 on Amazon, 160 shekels in Jerusalem. Here's where the markup actually happens.
#5309: What Imports-to-GDP Actually Tells You
Imports-to-GDP doesn't measure trade balance — it measures openness. Here's what the 50% line really separates.
#5273: Why Bosch Tools Cost More in Israel
A broken Dremel leads to a pricing mystery: why does an exclusive importer charge more than the retailers it supplies?
#5267: When Rights Exist Only on Paper
A warranty, a lease, and a long drive: why laws that exist don't always protect the people they name.
#5223: Jerusalem's Ghost Towers and the Diaspora Buyer
10,340 unsold apartments, 15,000 ghost homes, and luxury towers pre-sold to buyers who visit twice a year. What is Jerusalem becoming?
#5098: Jerusalem's Digging Problem: Who Pays for Progress?
Jerusalem is tearing itself apart to rebuild. Residents pay top taxes but get no signage, no end dates, no recourse. Do other cities do better?
#4908: Torah Study or Full-Time Job? The Haredi Economy
Is lifelong yeshiva study a Jewish ideal or a 200-year-old innovation? The math isn't adding up.
#4817: US vs Israel: The Shrinking Cost-of-Living Gap
US prices are up, wages flat. Israeli purchasing power has grown. The gap is narrowing faster than you think.
#4653: Does the Sectoral Transition Actually Create Wealth?
Is moving from farms to factories to services a law of economics — or just a pattern? And what does Israel's tech boom reveal about who actually be...
#4608: The Real Merchant Stack: From Wine Shops to ERP
Tracing the real tech stack behind retail — from a Jerusalem wine shop to a regional chain — and how Israel's new invoice clearance rule changes ev...
#4607: SAP to the Wine Shop: How ERP Tiers Actually Work
Why a wine shop runs on a payment terminal, a mid-market firm runs Priority, and SAP runs the world — without ever being cool.
#4601: Why Essential Services Break at 4 PM
A SIM activation, a medication refill, and a system that only works for the median life.
#4393: Should You Repair or Sell Your Old Car?
How to decide whether to fix your aging car or sell it, using real Israeli market numbers.
#4377: The Club Card That's Actually a Credit Trap
Why a hardware store "membership" in Israel often means a 30% APR credit card — and why regulators haven't stopped it.
#4348: Beating Israel's Banking Oligopoly: Real Options
Israeli banks charge 5% per transaction. Here's how to get a US dollar card, better rates, and real customer service.
#4231: 7 Bills to Fix Israel's Cost of Living
A practical reform program targeting food, housing, and competition in Israel's most concentrated markets.
#4149: How a Tobacco Shop Becomes Your Mailman
How AliExpress parcels move from Shenzhen to a Tel Aviv tobacco shop for $3 — and who gets paid along the way.
#4129: The Invisible Market for Used Equipment in Israel
Why Yad2 prices are broken — and how to buy equipment for 1/3 the price by just walking in and asking.
#4107: The Hidden Billions of Rental Churn
What does it cost society when millions are forced to move every few years? We built the model nobody else has.