Episodes
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Maor and Yossi Levy join Rabbi Yoshi to tell the story of the community of Kibbutz Eilon, just a few miles from the border with Lebanon. Their family, along with tens of thousands of other Israelis, has had to evacuate their home due to almost constant shelling from Hezbollah. Maor and Yossi share how the experience of the last many months has affected their family. Stay tuned and be inspired.
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Join Rabbi Yoshi for a conversation with one of his childhood mentors and teachers, Rabbi Michael Zedek. Rabbi Zedek talks about his journey to the rabbinate and his new book, "Taking Miracles Seriously."
Learn more about Rabbi Zedek's teaching and work at: https://rabbimichaelzedek.com/ -
Missing episodes?
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Arielle Yael Mokhtarzadeh is a first generation Iranian American Jewish leader and advocate. She serves as Co-President of 30 Years After, a nonpartisan nonprofit committed to ensuring the Iranian American Jewish future by cultivating identity, convening community, and catalyzing leadership. She also serves on the Board of the Magbit Foundation, a nonprofit that provides interest-free loans and scholarships to Israelis pursuing higher education. Arielle currently works in the Office of the COO at OpenAI and previously served as an Associate Director of Global Programming at the Milken Institute. She is a proud alumnus of UCLA, where she studied Communications, Public Affairs, and Israel Studies, and served as Undergraduate Student Body President.
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Rabbi Yoshi sits down with Hallel Abramowitz-Silverman, an Israeli activist and advocate. She first gained the attention of the public with her work with Women of the Wall that ended up with a widely reported case at the Israel Supreme Court in 2013. She talks about her service in the IDF focused on combatting online hate directed toward Israel.
@justhallel -
Geoff Winston is an Israel educator and tour guide who has worked with Rabbi Yoshi many times over more than two decades. He led Rabbi Yoshi's recent solidarity mission to Israel this past February. Learn about his path to aliya, his reflections on October 7th, and the hope he finds in this moment.
https://wisela.org/wisetravel/ -
Yuval Davidovits, Rabbi Yoshi's cousin, grew up in Israel and the United States. He recently completed his service as an officer in the Israel Air Force. He reflects on his time in the U.S., his army service, and his time in the reserves over the past several months.
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Sharon Fidelman served as a naval "tatzpitanit" in the IDF. Her job was to monitor Israel's sea border with Gaza using radar and surveillance equipment. Less than a year after completing her service, Sharon witnessed in real-time soldiers in a similar role being slaughtered by Hamas terrorists. She shares her reflections on October 7, describes her experiences of loss and confusion, and offers us reasons to hope.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/sivan-shaarbany-21-curly-haired-partygoer-who-loved-salt-pepper/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDCjjzZm1l0 -
Join Rabbi Yoshi in conversation with Kenny Hamilton, an entertainment entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California. Kenny has been in music and entertainment for 14 years now, focusing on music management, social media/ influencer marketing, and hospitality. His journey from an intern on a college radio station to Justin Bieber's bodyguard to a powerhouse in music and sports management is inspiring. His persistence and pluck is inspiring as is the story of his path to Judaism.
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Ari Dayan is a composer, artist, and performer who has become an "accidental Israel advocate." Born to Israeli parents who had settled in Tarzana, Ari is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. Follow Ari @witchofthewestcoast
(The Eretz Nehederet video mentioned in the podcast can be found HERE.) -
Rabbi Yoshi had the opportunity to speak to three current students at Princeton University's Center for Jewish Life along with the CJL director, Rabbi Gil Steinlauf. Stephen Bartell, Davi Frank, and Seth Kahn, all current Princeton students, share their stories of navigating challenges on the Princeton Campus in the wake of the October 7 attacks.
https://hillel.princeton.edu/ -
Amanda Berman is the founder and executive director of the Zioness Movement where she works to empower and activate Zionists on the progressive left to stand proudly in social justice spaces as both Jews and Zionists. She is a civil rights attorney who has worked to fight antisemitism legally. Learn about how Zioness is working to educate and empower. To learn more and to support their critically important work, visit www.Zioness.org. -
Join Rabbi Yoshi in conversation with his daughter, Naomi, who is a sophomore in a dual degree program at Barnard/Columbia and the Jewish Theological Seminary. She shares her perspective on the disturbing rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric on the Barnard/Columbia campus.
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On October 7, Amit Ben Shlomo and Roee Arazi, members of the Givati Brigade, were called up for reserve duty in the Israel Defense Forces. A few months into this horrible war, Roee was badly wounded. Amit rescued him and helped to ensure that he was evacuated safely. Hear their amazing, inspiring story and learn how Beit HaLohem, the Israeli Wounded Veterans Organization, helped Roee deal with his physical, mental, and emotional rehabilitation.
To learn more about Beit HaLohem and how you can help with their extraordinary work, visit https://www.israeliwoundedveterans.org/. -
Yasmeen Ohebsion, a senior at Tulane University, joins Rabbi Yoshi in conversation about antisemitism on college campuses today. Yasmeen, a leader in the Tulane Jewish community, recently testified in front of Congress about her own experiences of antisemitism at Tulane. She shares her personal insight into how antisemitism continues to impact her life and the lives of other college students, both in the classroom and around campus.https://tulanehullabaloo.com/65669/news/student-testifies-before-congress-voicing-antisemitism-issues-on-campus/
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Audrey Birnbaum grew up in New York in the late 1960s, the child of a Holocaust survivor. When her father, Jack, died in 2018, Audrey discovered hundreds of pages of notes he'd taken which served as a type of memoir of his experience in the Shoah. These notes, her own memories, and her research resulted in her first book: American Wolf: From Nazi Refugee to American Spy. The book was recently named a finalist for the 2023 Jewish Council National Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust Memoir category.
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Jessica Elter tells her harrowing October 7th story. She explains that she was supposed to be at the Supernova Music Festival with her boyfriend, Ben Shimoni, but at the last moment, decided not to go. Listen to the extraordinary tale of his heroism and her courage and strength. To learn more about Jessica, Ben, and some of the other people mentioned in this episode, click the links below.
https://twitter.com/kann_news/status/1718984491761270983?s=42&t=I4_94Dtxzrfw9LvjyKJs9w
https://www.timesofisrael.com/gaya-halifa-24-a-gentle-peaceful-soul-who-loved-music/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ben-shimoni-31-music-loving-angel-who-saved-9-from-supernova/ -
Professor, columnist, and host of "The Dan Schnur Political Report," Dan shares even-handed analysis on pressing political issues, from domestic policy to geopolitics.
Rabbi Yoshi gets his take on the 2024 election, the situation in Israel, Jewish values, and the role kindness and empathy play today — no matter which "side of the aisle" you're on. -
In his latest "Search for Meaning" podcast, Rabbi Yoshi speaks with Susie Lubell (left), a self-taught artist and illustrator whose work has been included in galleries and private collections around the world. A friend of Rabbi Yoshi for more than 30 years, she made aliyah in 2011 and lives outside Jerusalem. They discuss her art, ketubot, and how she holds out hope despite the turbulent times.
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When this is over there will be an encyclopedia of heroism because there were thousands of heroic moments..."
In his latest "Search for Meaning" podcast episode, Rabbi Yoshi speaks with Yitzhak Sokoloff, an Israeli political analyst and founder of educational travel company, Keshet. Sokoloff, a resident of Efrat in the Etzion bloc and of Yerucham, re-enlisted in the IDF at age 69 immediately after the October 7 massacre. Yitzhak speaks about the twin goals of destroying Hamas and saving the hostages — and the potential consequences if Israel can't achieve both.
Rabbi Yoshi recorded this episode on his most recent trip to Israel, which happened to fall during the short-lived cease-fire. His only chance to speak at length with Yitzhak was on their drive together from Tel Aviv to a military base near the Gaza border, where they learned how soldiers use reconnaissance drones to avoid the loss of civilian life and protect IDF soldiers. -
Recorded in front of a live audience at Stephen Wise Temple, "Forward" Editor-in-Chief Jodi Rudoren spoke with Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback on a new episode of "The Search for Meaning" podcast. The veteran reporter, editor and digital innovator spent more than two decades at "The New York Times," including nearly four years as its Jerusalem bureau chief. A sought-after speaker, she provided insights on the war in Gaza and the importance of the Yiddish word, rachmanus – empathy.
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