Best Hell Did I Just Watch Podcasts (2025)

Switzerland is home to more than 370,000 nuclear bunkers – enough to shelter every member of the population. But if the worst should happen, would they actually work? By Jessi Jezewska Stevens. Read by Rachel Handshaw. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

1
Avodah Zarah 16: Arms Dealers 1:20

Play Pause

14h ago1:20

1:20

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 15: Selling Weapons 1:21

1d ago1:21

1:21

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 14: the lost tractate 1:43

2d ago1:43

1:43

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
From the archive: ‘You can’t be the player’s friend’: inside the secret world of tennis umpires 45:59

2d ago45:59

45:59

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2022: new technology was supposed to make umpiring easy. It hasn’t worked out that way By William Ralston. Read by Simon Vance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadp…

1
Avodah Zarah 13: finding a rebbe 1:32

3d ago1:32

1:32

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 12 -- Even in Private 1:17

4d ago1:17

1:17

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
My husband and son suffered strokes, 30 years apart. Shockingly little had changed 30:35

4d ago30:35

30:35

I was told my husband would never talk again, while physiotherapy was dismissed entirely. My son was failed in similar ways, but for the brilliance of some medical staff who refuse to believe a stroke is the end By Sheila Hale. Read by Phyllida Nash. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

1
Avodah Zarah 11: The Story of Onkelos 1:12

5d ago1:12

1:12

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 10: the broken Vav 1:07

5d ago1:07

1:07

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
‘The Mozart of the attention economy’: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star 35:24

7d ago35:24

35:24

He’s spent 24 hours immersed in slime, two days buried alive – and showered vast amounts of cash on lucky participants. But are MrBeast’s videos simply very savvy clickbait – or acts of avant garde genius? Written and read by Mark O’Connell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

1
Avodah Zarah 9: Redeeming a Field 1:34

8d ago1:34

1:34

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 8: Nothing is as Valuable as a Torah Scroll 1:55

9d ago1:55

1:55

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 7: How to pray 1:36

9d ago1:36

1:36

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
From the archive: ‘A nursery of the Commons’: how the Oxford Union created today’s ruling political class 29:49

9d ago29:49

29:49

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2022: at the Oxford university debating society in the 80s, a generation of aspiring politicians honed the art of winning using jokes, rather than facts By Simon Kuper. Read by Andrew McGregor. He…

1
Shevuos 6: Don’t Enable 1:26

10d ago1:26

1:26

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 5: Thanks to the Golden Calf 1:20

11d ago1:20

1:20

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
‘Outdated and unjust’: can we reform global capitalism? 34:05

11d ago34:05

34:05

President Trump’s tariffs have plunged the world economy into chaos. But history counsels against despair – and the left should seize on capitalism’s crisis of legitimacy By John Cassidy. Read by Chris Reilly. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

1
Avodah Zarah 4: Pray for the Welfare of the Government 1:42

12d ago1:42

1:42

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 3: Heaven and Hell 1:32

14d ago1:32

1:32

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Avodah Zarah 2: Embracing a Torah Scroll 1:20

14d ago1:20

1:20

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Extremely loud and incredibly scouse: how Jamie Carragher conquered football punditry 46:06

14d ago46:06

46:06

Football coverage no longer stops after the final whistle. And in this new era, the former Liverpool defender reigns supreme By Kieran Morris. Read by Felipe Pacheco. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

1
Shevuos 49: The Four Protections 2:10

15d ago2:10

2:10

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Shevuos 48: how do we rule? 1:24

16d ago1:24

1:24

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
From the archive: Burying Leni Riefenstahl: one woman’s lifelong crusade against Hitler’s favourite film-maker 49:37

16d ago49:37

49:37

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2021: Nina Gladitz dedicated her life to proving the Triumph of the Will director’s complicity with the horrors of nazism. In the end, she succeeded – but at a cost Written and read by Kate Connol…

1
Shevuos 47: attach yourself to greatness 1:32

17d ago1:32

1:32

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Shevuos 46: wages we remember 1:27

18d ago1:27

1:27

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
‘You can let go now’: inside the hospital where staff treat fear of death as well as physical pain 38:52

18d ago38:52

38:52

In a Danish palliative care unit, the alternative to assisted dying is not striving to cure – offering relief and comfort to patients and their families By Line Vaaben. Read by Freya Miller. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

1
Shevuos 45: To Appease the Mind 1:34

19d ago1:34

1:34

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Shevuos 44: A Pawn as Charity 1:28

21d ago1:28

1:28

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Shevuos 43: The Actual Reality 1:21

21d ago1:21

1:21

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
An English gentleman, a crooked lawyer: the secrets of Stephen David Jones 54:02

21d ago54:02

54:02

With his brilliant mind and impeccable credentials, it’s little wonder that wealthy clients trusted him with their fortunes. Then they started to get suspicious By Hettie O’Brien. Read by Simon Vance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

1
Shevuos 42: Stealing from the Temple 2:09

22d ago2:09

2:09

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Shevuos 41: The Arrogant Borrower 1:24

23d ago1:24

1:24

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
From the archive: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: three days with a giant of African literature 59:05

23d ago59:05

59:05

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2023: The Kenyan novelist’s life and work has intersected with many of the biggest events of the past century. At 85, he reflects on his long, uncompromising life in writing Written and read by Ca…

1
Shevuos 40: Rabbinc Oath 1:28

24d ago1:28

1:28

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Shevuos 39: Who Was Included in the Covenant 1:21

25d ago1:21

1:21

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Death, divorce and the magic of kitchen objects: how to find hope in loss 28:45

25d ago28:45

28:45

As they pass through different hands, cooking utensils can magically connect us to loved ones who are no longer with us By Bee Wilson. Read by Colleen Prendergast. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

1
Shevuos 38: taking an oath on tzititzis 1:40

26d ago1:40

1:40

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Shevuos 37: A Goses is still alive 1:22

28d ago1:22

1:22

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance – episode 1 26:51

28d ago26:51

26:51

Three years ago British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips investigates what happened in the first episode of a new six-part investigative podcast series. Find episode 2 – and all future…

1
Shevuos 36: The Meaning of Amen 1:09

29d ago1:09

1:09

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
A deadly mission: how Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira tried to warn the world about the Amazon’s destruction 30:36

29d ago30:36

30:36

The Guardian journalist and the Brazilian Indigenous expert were killed while investigating the impact of deforestation. In this extract from the book Phillips was writing at the time of his death, he reflects on his encounters with the rainforest and its people – and why it is so vital to save this precious place By Dom Phillips. Read by Felipe Pa…

1
Shevuos 35: Coming after the Name 1:22

30d ago1:22

1:22

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
Shevuos 34: What do we remember 1:21

1M ago1:21

1:21

By Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld

1
From the archive: Alan Yentob: the last impresario 47:39

1M ago47:39

47:39

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2016: For decades, Alan Yentob was the dominant creative force at the BBC – behind everything from Adam Curtis to Strictly Come Dancing. He was a towering figure in British culture – so why did ma…

1
‘We know what is happening, we cannot walk away’: how the Guardian bore witness to horror in former Yugoslavia 31:34

1M ago31:34

31:34

During the decade-long conflicts, the major powers dithered as Serb militias carried out their brutal campaigns of ethnic cleansing. Guardian reporters became more passionate and more outspoken in their condemnation, attracting praise and criticism By Ian Mayes. Read by Owen McDonnell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/long…