Who’s the Bully? Decoding Bob Dylan’s song about Israel

Is Bob Dylan’s song Neighborhood Bully a pro- Zionist anthem? Hear the inside story of the celebrated singer-songwriter’s `concerts in Israel and his 1980s song Neighborhood Bully. Is it a witty defense of a beleaguered Jewish State, or just misinterpreted poetry? Plus Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers rock out in Jerusalem, Ariel Zilber and more.

Bob Dylan’s 1983 album Infidels on the wall with other records decorating Buchman’s Diner in Jerusalem. Credit: Ben Bresky, 2026

NOTES:

• Neighborhood Bully lyrics - BobDylan.com

• Story behind Dylan’s awkward Time magazine interview

• Bob Dylan Chabad Telethon

• Concert Review - Bob Dylan, Ramat Gan, 2011

• Dylan interview with Kurt Loder, Rolling Stone magazine, 1984

• MTV Rock Israel with Tom Petty and Diaspora Yeshiva Band in Jerusalem

• Israel Strikes Iraqi Nuclear Reactor - Jewish History Moment podcast

• My interview with Ariel Zilber from 2005