Our Friend From Israel

Mark Ivanir wanted to be an actor since he was five-years-old, but he made several pitstops along the way. First, he served as an Israeli spy who went undercover on a secret mission to rescue Jews out of Ethiopia. Then he took some time off and joined a circus – juggling and performing pantomime on the streets of Paris. Eventually, he returned to his first love and his start in Hollywood couldn't have gone better: One of his first roles was in Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List." Since then, he has worked non-stop, appearing in more than 50 movies and television shows – and has starred alongside Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon and Robert De Niro. His latest role pairs him with yet another A-list star: two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank. They make up two of the five astronauts on the first human mission to Mars in a compelling new Netflix series called "Away." The journey is set to keep the astronauts 20 million miles away from their families for three years. Jason Katims, the show's executive producer

Ira Glass single-handedly invented a radio genre with his audio documentary series "This American Life." Now in its 25th year, the show has more than 5 million weekly listeners. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When Mishy Harman, a Jerusalem native, first heard "This American Life," he knew the format was ripe for adaptation. And so he launched "Israel Story." The podcast has grown from a hobby between a few friends to a production that now includes 16 people – including musicians and editors. It boasts listeners from 194 countries and has upwards of two million downloads a year. The show recently kicked off its fifth season with stories from Israel including a mysterious clock heist that went unsolved for a quarter-of-a-century and nationwide protests over cottage cheese. Any culture is best explained by the stories people tell about it. Mishy Harman and his team are doing just that. We had a great conversation with Harman about the cross-country road trip that inspired his popular sh

Hagar Ben-Ari is an Israeli bass player who stumbled into one of the most sought-after gigs in television. As if that wasn't enough, she's also opened for Prince and the Rolling Stones. So how did a girl who grew up in a small town in Israel end up hanging out on a nightly basis with celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks? You're about to find out. In this episode, we chatted about: - Her musical upbringing and how she used to harmonize with a telephone ringtone - How she got the gig at James Corden's show just two days before it launched - Her favorite part about working on the show - Her longtime girl of opening a music academy for girls - And much more... Just a quick note: We recorded this interview shortly before the corona outbreak, when Hagar was still going into the studio to tape the late night show. Earlier this spring, James Corden and the band started working remotely from home, with Hagar and her bandmates video conferencing in to play music each night. For behind the scenes access to ou