"The State of the Spirit (and the Spirit of the State)" Edition

To mark the Days of Awe, Allison, Don and Noah discuss a trinity of topics aimed to divine the state of the spirit and the spirit of the state here in Israel. We ponder the state of religion & irreligion, spirituality & superstition, creed & cult in the Jewish State, even as God looks down upon us and ponders whether or not to inscribe The Promised Podcast in the Book of Many Downloads, or instead, in the Book of Too Few Facebook Likes, heaven forefend! The religiouser we get, the happier we feel? A poll commissioned by Haaretz has found that ultra-Orthodox Jews are happier than Orthodox Jews, who are in turn happier than traditional Jews, who are in turn happier than secular Jews. What's the explanation? Gimme that ol’ time irreligion! That same poll has found that 70 percent of Israeli Jews believe in God, and 98 percent of Israeli Arabs, meaning – among other things – that lots of ostensibly secular Jews have begun to believe in God. Are atheist Zionists becoming an endangered species? Taming theists with technology? Research indicates that ultra-Orthodox Jews are using the internet in rapidly growing numbers. Can frumkeit and Facebook really mix? Or will the wiring of the ultra-Orthodox lead to their assimilation into the great unwashed mass of instagramming idiots?   Songs by Tuna, one of Israel’s great rappers, in honor of his new album, "Gam Zeh Ya’avor"! Lama Lo AchshavGam Zeh Ya’avorOlam Meshuga (with Nechi Nech)Rock Shloshim