Press
The Jerusalem Post
The program was nominated in the BBC Student Radio AwardsRead the full article ↗
About the show
An hour of Israeli music every month.
On air since 2005.
Hebrew songs, English chat. Monthly on TLV1, listener-funded since 2020.
The show
How it started
When Apple opened iTunes to podcasts in mid-2005, Kol Cambridge was already six months old. It had launched that January as a one-hour weekly slot on Cambridge University Radio (CUR1350). The show went out live; DJ Antithesis also recorded each episode and posted it online from day one.
That made Kol Cambridge the first podcast in the world about Israel. The audience grew fast and far beyond Cambridge: listeners on every continent who’d never had access to Israeli music presented in English.
The show quickly became the most popular on the station, got nominated for a BBC Student Radio Award and within a year had picked up a residency on London’s Shalom FM and a guest show on MIT Student Radio.
The Cambridge run wound down when DJ Antithesis graduated and left the UK. The show was off air through the Geneva years, then came back on TLV1 in 2013, recording from Tel Aviv.
Many of the original listeners from 2005 are still around, and many of the biggest names in Israeli music have ended up in the studio since. The show has been co-hosted at various points over the years, with regulars like Hadag Hadag and Idanon Raichel; the current co-host is Rav Kav.
TLV1 funded the show through to 2020, when the station refocused away from music programming and Kol Cambridge moved to a fully listener-funded model on Patreon.
Today’s show is a mix: pop, mizrahi, rap, the occasional electronic detour, a guest interview if one’s around. Hebrew songs, English chat.
DJ Antithesis introduces each song in English with a sentence or two about why it matters, what it sounds like, or where it fits into the wider scene.
If you’ve never heard a word of Hebrew in your life, you’ll be fine. If you’ve been living in Tel Aviv for ten years, you’ll still find a track you didn’t know.
On the road
Beyond the booth
The radio show is only half the story. Three off-air highlights: a 2015 tour of South Africa for Limmud Johannesburg and Cape Town, a 2023 hafla at a Roppongi nightclub in Tokyo and a 20th-anniversary bash at Capella, Tel Aviv in 2025.
Club nights in Cambridge and London, rooftop parties in Tel Aviv and a wedding gig along the way. Patrons get access to the recorded sets from these events.
Press
What the papers say
Press
Times of Israel
Kol Cambridge looks at the best of Israeli musicRead the full article ↗
Press
Fathom Journal
The longest-running Israeli music podcastRead the full article ↗
Press
Cape Jewish Chronicle
Boogying to the Kol Cambridge Disco until the wee hours of Sunday morningRead the full article ↗
Press
The Jewish Chronicle
the only show that originates in the UK is Kol CambridgeRead the full article ↗
Press
The Jewish Chronicle
Attracting more listeners than any other programmeRead the full article ↗
Press
The Jewish Telegraph
Top spot in the station's listening figuresRead the full article ↗
Press
The Canadian Jewish News
The Kol Cambridge podcast is a great find...highly recommendedRead the full article ↗
The host
DJ Antithesis
DJ Antithesis grew up in Kingston and read Hebrew and Israeli Studies at Cambridge. After graduating he ran the Federation of Zionist Youth, then spent some time in Geneva on the way to aliyah. He moved to Israel in 2010 and lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and three kids.
When he isn’t on the show, DJ Antithesis is a musician in his own right and a licensed tour guide in Israel. A lot of the tour work is with visiting international musicians: he’s guided Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons and Alanis Morissette around the country, among others.
Frequently asked
Stuff people ask
Do I need to speak Hebrew?
No. The show is presented in English, and DJ Antithesis introduces every song. The point is to make Israeli music accessible to people who don’t speak the language.
How often does the show drop?
Monthly. We don’t commit to a specific day, but a new episode lands every month. The cadence has varied over the years (weekly at first, then twice-weekly, then twice-monthly), settling into the current monthly rhythm around 2020.
Why "Kol Cambridge"?
“Kol” (קול) is Hebrew for “voice”, as in “the voice of…”. The show was founded at Cambridge University Radio in 2005. The name stuck even after the move to Tel Aviv.
Is the show on Spotify?
No. Spotify doesn’t host music podcasts (they removed support a few years back). You’ll find us on Apple Podcasts, the direct RSS feed, and via TLV1. Patrons get a Spotify playlist of each episode’s tracks at the Ben Yehuda tier.
Where can I find older episodes?
The last few years are public on the archive page. The full back catalogue lives in the patron-only vault. Unlock with the Ben Yehuda tier and up.
Can I sponsor the show?
Maybe. We’re listener-funded by default and we’d want any partnership to feel right for the show, but we’re open to a conversation. Drop a line via the contact form (pick the Press topic) or email [email protected] to start.
How we survive
On air since 2005, kept independent by listeners
Kol Cambridge is crowdfunded by listeners. Five tiers, each named after a corner of Tel Aviv. Pick the one that fits your budget. Every tier keeps the show on air and ad-free.
46
Current patrons
live from Patreon
$365
Pledged per month
before fees
22
Years independent
since Jan 2005
310
Episodes published
one per month, always
רח׳ פלורנטין
ش. فلورنتين
FLORENTINEST.
$2/mo
- Exclusive patron only content via patreon - behind the scenes, music video of the month, early releases and more.
- Patron credit on the Kol Cambridge website
Most popular
רח׳ אלנבי
ش. النبي
ALLENBYST.
$5/mo
- Birthday shout-out
- Exclusive access to quarterly Israeli music mix
- And everything in the previous tier
רח׳ בן יהודה
شارع بن يهودا
BEN YEHUDAST.
$10/mo
- Spotify playlists of each episode
- Access to the entire podcast archive (including shows from before our time on TLV1)
- Digital versions of Antithesis's two EPs
- And everything in the previous tiers
רח׳ מאיר דיזנגוף
ش. ديزنغوف
DIZENGOFFST.
$50/mo
- Special shout-out on every show
- Coffee with Antithesis if visiting Tel Aviv
- And everything in the previous tiers
שד׳ רוטשילד
جادة روتشيلد
ROTHSCHILDBLVD.
$100/mo
- Visit the studio for a recording session (if dates work!)
- Free tour planning service for any trips to Israel
- Discount on guided tours by Antithesis
- And everything in the previous tiers
Named patrons · with their permission
Ze'ev Wallach and Naomi LeiseroffJeffrey DavidsonAron SilverstoneKen CooperAaron StoneJSJill HaleviJohn HergeleJon & DenaScott BakalEmma RubinLevi RubinEllen KraussGreg AlpersteinMichalAaronLisa ZalesYoni Dolgin+ many anonymous
Kol Cambridge is listener-funded
46 patrons strong · ad-free since 2005