School Rabbi Who Started a Children's Podcast: "I Just Took the Plunge"

Anyone who has had the chance to listen to the 'Maaseh veNishma' podcast, and heard the captivating and engaging voice of Alnatan (Bar-Eli), might assume he's a skilled actor bringing characters to life and drawing children into the story. However, the truth is quite different.

Alnatan never studied acting, although he always loved "telling stories," he never imagined himself in such a role. In fact, he is an educator who has taught students for years and currently serves as a school rabbi at the school in Susiya.

The idea for this unique podcast series, aimed at children and recently celebrating its 100th episode, came to him several years ago, and since then, things have seemed to unfold on their own.

Director, Teacher, Narrator

On how it all began, Alnatan recounts: "After military service, I made sure to maintain fitness by running. I sought interesting content to listen to during my activity, tried listening to Torah lessons, but it was hard to concentrate while running. Lectures and some music didn't connect well for me either. A few years ago, I happened to speak with my brother, a computer professional, who told me, 'There's something new called a podcast, have you heard of it?' My answer was no, but once he sent me a link and I tried it, I felt connected from the first moment."

Since that day, he started regularly listening to different podcasts, not out of a desire to create, but simply for enjoyment. "I used to regularly listen to episodes on topics that interested me like history and economics, and I enjoyed it a lot," he says.

At that time, Alnatan was working as a class teacher at a school in Susiya. One day, a student approached him and innocently suggested, "The teacher tells such beautiful stories, maybe you should record yourself?" Alnatan mentions this with a smile. "I have no idea how this idea came to the child's mind, but I connected to it immediately. He was right; I always loved stories, and they've been a significant tool in my teaching. To this day, I often use them. I thought it actually sounded interesting and maybe worth taking the plunge to share what was then almost unknown—a podcast tailored for children."

You too can listen to Alnatan. The engaging and emotional 'Maaseh veNishma' stories await your listening. Click here for the first episode and let your imagination soar. Join the children's world for 10 ₪ for the first month and get full access to all the great content! Click here to join.

The next step was in a professional recording studio, where Alnatan prepared two recorded stories; the result was successful albeit not yet professional enough. "I knew that to find exactly what I was looking for, I'd need a lot of experiments and repetitions, so I decided to purchase the recording equipment myself. My brother Amiad, as I mentioned, a computer professional, took on all the technical aspects of building the website and servers, and off we went."

Alnatan emphasizes that at that time he didn't consider the financial aspect for a moment. "I simply believed it was the right thing, that children also need podcasts with value-driven content suitable for them and their level."

The media world today is rich and varied, why would children listen to a podcast when they can watch a movie that provides them with a visual experience?

"That's exactly the point. There are many families that allow their children to use the internet and watch movies and other content, and even when they're protected and monitored, we all understand that this arrangement has costs. Instead of seeing your children and talking to them, you see them all day in front of screens, and even if the content itself isn't bad, this engagement is unhelpful. As an educator, I notice that children who watch a lot lack the ability to imagine things that aren't visual, to understand abstract things. It's clear that the impacts are significant.

"That's why I see great value in creating solutions, and even if they're not perfectly definitive, they certainly can contribute a lot. That's how I set my goal: to create as many podcast episodes as possible that, on one hand, will have trendy and youthful content matching children's desires, and on the other hand, a parent should know they can play it for their child without any worries.

"For example, in my private home, the children know that we allow them to watch the computer only at specific times, and even then they can choose a movie from a very limited selection, but they listen to podcasts a lot, and that's definitely one of their regular activities."

Adults listen to podcasts while driving or during sports activities, etc., when might a child have opportunities to listen?

"That depends on the children's habits and the parents' desires. Of course, travel times can be excellent for listening for children too, but also times like a relaxed family afternoon, when the children, for example, are drawing or playing and listening in the meantime, and of course, before bed. I think most parents today remember themselves as children who used to listen to cassette tapes before going to sleep, and that's exactly what I'm offering. Stories that help the child relax and ease into sleep, providing them with a short period of peace before dozing off."

And what is the length of each episode?

"The average length of each episode is about fifteen minutes, although some episodes are slightly longer or shorter. I try to release a new episode every two weeks, and it makes me happy to see that there are children who've been following us throughout the period, sticking with us even now after passing the 100th episode."

Waiting for the New Episode

It seems that Alnatan's creativity knows no bounds, as when asked about the content of the stories, he explains: "Initially, I took stories from the Sages, folk tales, and famous fables, adapted them for children, and added names for the characters and descriptions to make them colorful, suitable, and interesting.

"Later, I collaborated with children's and youth author Chaim Eckstein, as I knew he had captivating and value-driven youth series. I felt he could create stories for our podcast programs. Since his involvement, we've also started publishing serialized stories, where each includes a series of episodes. I hear afterward from children that they're eagerly awaiting the next episode."

Alnatan also emphasizes that he strives, together with Eckstein, to focus on quality, clean materials with life messages. "Our messages aren't direct because we don't believe that's the way, but there are many indirect messages embedded in the stories, such as children speaking respectfully to their parents, prayers, and so on."

Do you have an estimate regarding the age of children listening to the programs?

"Initially, we're targeting episodes for ages kindergarten through 5th-6th grade, but we often hear about adults listening to the programs. There were even grandmothers who sent feedback to thank us, and of course, there are always children who contact us just to find out 'what happened at the end of the story.'"

A particularly touching case he remembers was a woman who called and shared that her husband had cancer, and one of the hardest things for her children was that they were used to their father's nightly stories before bed, and suddenly it all stopped. That mother shared that from the moment she discovered the podcast programs, she plays them for her children. It's not like dad, but at least they have the feeling that the routine continues, and the daily story goes on.

Recently, Alnatan decided to take the podcasts a step further by starting workshops for creating podcasts. "The workshops are intended for children, mainly those familiar with podcast programs, and want to see behind their scenes. I bring recording equipment to the workshops, reveal secrets from the studio, explain how to choose an idea, perform, and narrate characters, give many interesting tips to children who love to create, and of course, at the end, we record a podcast together."

There's also a personal aspect to this: "I'm already used to walking down the street and sometimes, when I open my mouth, children stop in excitement: 'Is that you from the podcast?' These are children from virtually all sectors and from all over the country, it illustrates the influence's magnitude and moves me greatly."

You too can listen to Alnatan. The engaging and emotional 'Maaseh veNishma' stories await your listening. Click here for the first episode and let your imagination soar. Join the children's world for 10 ₪ for the first month and get full access to all the great content! Click here to join.