51: “Alone, Together” – Part I: Mazal Tov!

The wait, ladies and gentlemen, is finally over: Israel Story is back, and is kicking off Season Five with “Alone, Together” – a brand new miniseries about Israel in the time of corona.

The global pandemic has—to state the obvious—reshaped our lives, refocused our priorities, and forced us to reevaluate countless things we’ve long taken for granted. Israel was, of course, hit too, in ways that are at once unique and just like the rest of the world. We’ve had curfews and lockdowns, shifting social distancing guidelines, layoffs, isolation, discrimination, economic hardship, illness and death. We’ve also had births and bar mitzvahs, weddings and birthdays, and have witnessed unusual displays of solidarity, resilience and kindness.

Throughout the miniseries, we’ll look back at the last few months and share stories that are simultaneously utterly Israeli and completely universal.

COVID-19 has been a gloomy period, for different people and in different ways. But, perhaps counter-intuitively, we are going to start our miniseries with some cheer and brightness in an episode that is all about celebrations. Or, perhaps more accurately, corona celebrations.

The episode was mixed by Sela Waisblum and sound-designed and scored by Joel Shupack and Yochai Maital with music from Blue Dot Sessions and the Underscore Orkestra. The end song, “Tears for Barcelona” by David Broza is the first single released from his upcoming album.