Our guest is Chaim Oren, an expert on resilience, wellbeing and high performance, who advises professional sportspeople and leading CEOs on fulfilling their human potential.

When it comes to strengthening personal resilience, Chaim quotes Victor E. Frankl, Auschwitz survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning: “If you have the why you can endure any how”.

Frankl, who conceptualised “logotherapy” a therapeutic approach to find personal meaning in life, believed anyone, anywhere could “rise up to any challenge”. “If you develop a life meaning you can overcome any difficulties, dangers and hardships".

Chaim is the son of two Holocaust survivors who arrived in British mandate Palestine on the Exodus ship in 1947. His late uncle Dov Shilansky, the 12th speaker of the Knesset, was a close confidant of Menachem Begin. He’s famous for saying, "we don't have another choice, we must fight for our life. I won't put up my head in the handing rope again."

We develop our conversation into how Israel comes together in times of existential crisis and how the intense unity has followed on from intense political divisions, created by the upheaval to reform the judiciary. Stories of great personal courage have emerged amid Hamas’ savagery and brutality on October 7th.

Listen now for a story of incredible heroism from an everyday Israeli, Rachel Edri, who kept Hamas fighters at bay for hours and hours and saved her own and her father’s lives. Chaim has a wealth of anecdotes and quotes in a rich conversation.

I hope you enjoy Chaim Oren’s company as much as I did.

Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education.

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