# Escape from Tel Aviv

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-jacob-shapiro-podcast-5326035/escape-from-tel-aviv
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-jacob-shapiro-podcast-5326035/escape-from-tel-aviv.md
Podcast: [The Jacob Shapiro Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-jacob-shapiro-podcast-5326035)
Published: 2026-03-10T20:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://jacobshapiro.com/podcasts/escape-from-tel-aviv
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/0927dfaf-9a9e-4108-9d94-2fca5d965b80.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-jacob-shapiro-podcast-5326035/episodes/escape-from-tel-aviv
Duration seconds: 2505

## Resource

Jacob sets down the grand strategy for a gripping personal story, catching up with his high school friend Avi Swerdlow, who landed in Israel the day before the new Gulf War erupted. Avi recounts waking to sirens, sheltering with his mother, and navigating a closed airspace in a circuitous scramble to get home - a reminder that geopolitics is always personal. Note: If you know anyone in a Gulf or Middle Eastern state who has had to scramble in a similar way, or is experiencing the war on the ground, please connect us! We would love to feature their story. -- Timestamps: (00:00) - Hello (01:10) - Meet Avi Swerdlow (01:58) - Siren Wake Up Call (02:57) - Did You See It Coming (05:53) - Flights Canceled Fast (07:57) - Airbnb Safe Room Help (10:29) - Embassy Alerts and STEP (12:29) - Planning Land Escape (14:07) - State Dept Evac Call (16:30) - Airport Chaos and Shelter (22:12) - Boarding DHS Evac Flight (24:08) - Arrival in Athens (24:17) - Athens to Rome Reset (25:25) - Historic Moment Reflections (26:28) - Evacuation Costs and Embassies (27:30) - Inside the DHS Plane (31:26) - Landing in Athens and Relief (34:00) - Fellow Passengers Georgia Detour (35:04) - Would You Go Back (36:27) - Work and Family Back Home (38:06) - Egypt Plan and Risk Tradeoffs (39:46) - Other Routes and Final Wrap -- Referenced in the Show: -- Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.com Jacob Shapiro LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-l-s-a9337416 Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShap Jacob Shapiro Substack: jashap.substack.com/subscribe -- The Jacob Shapiro Show is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com -- Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to aud…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-jacob-shapiro-podcast-5326035/episodes/escape-from-tel-aviv/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-jacob-shapiro-podcast-5326035/escape-from-tel-aviv.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.