Adam Mallerman launches an English radio station in Israel

Listen up. Community worker Adam Mallerman has launched an English-speaking radio station — in Israel.

Broadcast online, RustyMikeRadio is believed to be the only English radio station in Israel. The aim, says Jerusalem-based Mr Mallerman, 44, is to cater to English-speaking Israelis who do not speak Ivrit well enough to engage with the Hebrew media and follow Israeli stations such as Galgalatz and Reshet Bet.

He tells People: “Jews are always trying to find ways to connect to Israel, and I think this will do it.” The station airs discussions on a range of news-worthy topics such as the country’s education system, arts reviews and sports, and plays a mix of music from the past 40 years. The former north London regional director of Tribe — the United Synagogue’s youth arm — Mr Mallerman made aliyah last August after spending 26 years doing youth work. He says: “When I moved, no one was hiring because of the credit crunch so I though I would have to do something different and I had the radio idea.” He is joined by fellow oleh Richard Freedman, who hosts a daily show on Radio Kol Rega in Afula and presents the RustyMikeRadio afternoon slot.

Mr Mallerman was previously the presenter of London Jcom’s youth-aimed show J-Jam but says RustyMikeRadio will probably appeal to those aged 30-60. “Although the station is a business, the aim isn’t to get rich but to serve the community.”