(EDITOR NOTE – This episode was filmed on 04/02/25. During this time, Boaz Hepner was sleeping at UCLA hospital, during a 13 day hospitalization of his child. Running home to do this episode was surreal, though a welcome break)

"Resilient" is an award-winning documentary that explores the widespread PTSD in Israel following October 7th. Boaz speaks with 13 guests—including filmmaker Chava Floryn, participants of the film, and experts on trauma and resilience—to unpack its powerful message and the stories behind it.

*Correction: In this episode, it was incorrectly stated that Chava Floryn is not a filmmaker. In fact, Chava is an award-winning documentarian with over 100 short films to her name, including a TV pilot and three documentaries. Her most recent film, Resilient, has won 7 awards to date—5 for Best Picture, 1 for Best Musical Score, and 1 for Best Cinematography.

Boaz was joined by:

Soraya Deen – CEO, Muslim Women Speakers

Chava Floryn – Filmmaker, Author, Somatic Healer

Barbara Heller – Actor, Writer, Podcaster

Peter Himmelman – Musician. Author. Visual Artist

Maayan Hoffman – Executive Editor, ILTV News & Correspondent, The Media Line

Rabbi YY Jacobson – World Renowned Speaker

Rona Lalezary – Mindset Trainer and International Public Speaker

Micki Lavin-Pell – Marriage, Family, Sex and Trauma Therapist

Or Meir Ooliel – Musician and October 7 Survivor

Orli Peter – CEO, Israel Healing Initiative

Howard Rosenman – Producer

Gil Troy – Author of ''To Resist the Academic Intifada''

Tehran Von Ghasri – Comedian & Social Commentator

Timestamps:

0:02:46 – Guest Introductions Begin

0:17:05 – End of intros

0:18:06 – Boaz asks Chava: “Why did you go make a documentary after Oct 7?”

0:25:59 – Gil Troy gives historical context for Israel’s resilience

0:29:46 – Rabbi YY Jacobson on discussing trauma with children

0:34:13 – Gil chimes in

0:36:41 – Peter Himmelman on Jewish strength through humor and history

0:40:05 – Gil exits; Micki on healing through helping

0:43:48 – Peter and Orli Peter: “Is empathy love, or something else?”

0:49:18 – Boaz (as a nurse): “How do you stay empathetic without burning out?”

0:50:01 – Maayan & Chava on trauma programs from IDF and government

0:55:43 – Boaz to Or: “Do survivors like you feel seen by the system?” (+Chava, Maayan, Orli)

1:02:57 – Rona chimes in

1:04:24 – Or opens up about needing therapy

1:06:10 – Tehran chimes in

1:09:53 – Soraya chimes in

1:13:50 – BREAK

1:14:47 – Boaz to Soraya: “Why join a Jewish-centered conversation?”

1:21:23 – Tehran chimes in with Peter

1:27:00 – Maayan on her deep bonds with non-Jewish allies

1:30:55 – Boaz to Barb: “How do we process grief without imploding?”

1:39:41 – Micki chimes in

1:41:38 – Chava on a family visiting LA post-trauma

1:45:24 – Or recounts his October 7th survival story

1:56:14 – Tehran and Peter chime in

2:01:35 – Soraya chimes in

2:03:07 – Tehran to Soraya: messaging of love from Muslim allies

2:07:04 – Peter’s story about an Uber driver from India

2:09:00 – Rona on Mental Health Is Real

2:14:05 – Howard Rosenman speaks

2:19:40 – Final thoughts: “What gives you hope?”

2:29:25 – Boaz final thoughts

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(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 02/19/25. Tragically, on 04/20/25, guest Christian Gribneau died unexpectedly.)

After a 3-part series on the diversity of the Jewish population, Boaz Hepner spoke to a panel of Wikipedia experts. A wide array of investigative journalists, Wikipedia editors, and more, this conversation was about the assumed role of Wikipedia's neutrality, and how far it appears to have veered from that path. Especially when analyzed by its stance on the Israel/Palestinian conflict, and Zionism.

Panelists:

-- Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir – University of Haifa

-- Aaron Bandler – Jewish Journal

-- Yfat Barak-Cheney – World Jewish Congress

-- Jordan Cope – StandWithUs

-- Christian Gribneau – Justapedia Foundation

-- Mathilda Heller – The Jerusalem Post

-- Ohad Merlin – The Jerusalem Post

-- David Swindle – The Algemeiner

-- Jonathan M Weiss – Wikipedia Editor

-- Betty Wills – Justapedia Foundation

-- David Wiseman – Online Reputation Expert

Chapters:

3:27 – Bios

11:43 – Boaz reads listener-Wikipedia exchange

17:57 – Jonathan on current editing activity

19:26 – Jordan asks about left-right balance

22:55 – Dr. Shlomit expands on Hamas coverage

25:45 – Wikipedia vs Al Jazeera?

27:57 – Consensus sources explained

29:05 – Is JPost a “trusted” source?

35:48 – When did bias begin?

39:01 – David on his investigations

40:21 – Dr. Shlomit: pre/post-October 7

53:41 – Ohad gives Eurovision example

55:08 – Jordan on legal liability

56:40 – Betty on lawsuits

58:27 – Anonymity and accountability

1:02:01 – Mathilda replies

1:03:13 – Betty on Wikipedia's monopoly

1:03:55 – Dr. Shlomit: sue Google, not Wikipedia

1:05:15 – David: no clear solution

1:07:24 – Betty on Justapedia as alternative

1:10:27 – Aaron clarifies Section 230

1:13:29 – Yfat: “train has left the station”

1:15:51 – Christian offers optimism

1:17:51 – Break

1:18:23 – Return

1:18:52 – Bible as a source?

1:19:38 – Aaron on the Wikipedia "Blacklist"

1:21:42 – David replies

1:22:26 – Arabic Wikipedia discussion

1:23:47 – Banners since Oct 7

1:25:30 – Day 1 confirmation

1:26:54 – Jordan: recent changes

1:28:10 – Betty on school radicalization

1:30:30 – Farewell to Jordan

1:31:02 – Wikipedia as a movement

1:33:44 – Wikipedia vs UNRWA

1:35:19 – Fixing Wikipedia?

1:36:10 – Christian on article visibility

1:39:12 – Yfat: digital literacy

1:41:39 – Risks of AI as solution?

1:43:15 – Betty: Wikipedia mirrors media

1:44:26 – Jon: Wikipedia reflects public bias

1:45:08 – Did Wikipedia change over time?

1:46:40 – David on antisemitism's rise

1:47:27 – Betty on universities

1:47:52 – Wikipedia-critical article downgraded

1:49:52 – Mathilda on editor bans

1:53:20 – Aaron responds

1:56:19 – Boaz summarizes

1:58:42 – Are foreign actors involved?

2:03:03 – Can editors be less anonymous?

2:05:07 – Shlomit: anonymity = no accountability

2:08:20 – David explains “sock/meat puppets”

2:09:42 – Jon replies

2:10:20 – Canvassing on Wikipedia

2:11:07 – Jon elaborates

2:12:13 – Yfat replies

2:13:50 – Boaz lightens the mood

2:14:32 – Final thoughts: How do we fix bias?

Final Answers:

2:16:03 – Ohad

2:19:17 – David Wiseman

2:21:07 – Mathilda

2:23:18 – David Swindle

2:24:47 – Christian

2:27:32 – Betty

2:29:53 – Jon

2:32:13 – Yfat

2:33:18 – Dr. Shlomit

2:37:54 – Aaron

2:40:49 – Boaz's final thoughts

2:44:48 – Goodnight​

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(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 01/05/25)

As a natural follow-up to the conversation with Black Jews, Boaz Hepner and Nate Looney gathered 14 Jews of color from a variety of different backgrounds, and had a conversation about their lived experiences. Not everyone labeled themselves the same way, and not everyone even wants to be labeled. A great conversation, showing just how eclectic and diverse the Jewish community actually is.

When asked to provide a label, this is how each guest self-identified:

Amy Albertson "Chinese-American Jew" 

Lani Anpo "Native American Jew or Indijewness"

BournRich - "A Jew living the African American experience"

Emily Bowen Cohen - "Muscogee-Jewish"

Jenny Cohen - "Mexican Jew"

Abraham Hamra - "Syrian Jew"

Eliana Jolkovsky - "Korean-American Jew"

Mari Katz O'Leary - "Hispanic Jew"

Iola Kostrzewski - "Black Sephardic Jew"

Aimee Lacaden - "Pacific Islander, European, Jewish"

Matthew Nouriel - "Iranian Jew"

Tabby Refael - Iranian American Jew"

Raymond Roker - "Bahamian-American & Ashkenazi"

Elizabeth Younger - "Choctaw Native American Jew"

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 12/01/24)

An essential conversation with leaders of the Black Jewish community. My second time with Nate Looney as co-moderator, as we sat with 7 amazing people, some of whom would call themselves Black Jews, and some of whom would avoid the label altogether. The 7 of them had a fantastic conversation with us, as we described their lived experiences and identities.

Join us as we spoke with:

Biggah - Online Educator

Chaya Lev - Dancing Vibemaker

Rachel Moon - Social Media Influencer and Activist

April Powers - Global Head of DEI, Antisemitism

Dr. Yehudah Pryce - Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Elisheva Rishon - That Modest Fashionista Thought Leader

Ashira Solomon - Host of the Black and Jewish Podcast

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David Bowie sang, "We can be heroes, just for one day." But imagine being a hero every day. For an act that costs you no money, and just a little time. Organ donation. It's something we don't think about enough, but why?

Did you know you could donate stem cells or bone marrow and be back to work the next day? Did you know you could donate just a part of your liver, and it will grow back? Did you know that if you donate one of your kidneys, if you ever need one yourself, OR if a family member does, you'll all be on the top of the list? And those are just the ones you can donate while still alive and healthy!

Not all of us become doctors and nurses to save lives (okay, I did), but these are tangible things we can do with little downside, but all of the upside in the world for the person on the receiving end.

I sat with 8 incredible individuals discussing their roles in this adventure:

Jay Feinberg, Leukemia survivor, and Founder + CEO of Gift of Life Marrow Registry.

Mike Gabler, heart valve specialist (and winner of CBS's Survivor).

Bonnie Lilien, kidney recipient (from Rabbi Jason Weiner).

Dr. Nick Nissen, liver transplant surgeon at Cedars Sinai.

Scot Pollard, NBA champion, and recent Heart transplant recipient.

Dr. Laurel Schramm, pediatrician, and recent liver donor.

Rabbi Jason Weiner, kidney donor (to Bonnie Lilien) and head Chaplain at Cedars Sinai.

Abraham Zilkha, 2 time donor to the same recipient via Gift of Life.

And for easy reference, here are the 2 sites to signup:

Gift of Life (Bone Marrow Registry) https://www.giftoflife.org/

Renewal (Kidney donation) https://www.renewal.org/

At the very least listen to this enjoyable conversation, and see if it inspires you. I bet it will.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 10/10/24)

Some say that the Jewish and Black communities share such a deep history that their bond is unbreakable. We marched together during the Civil Rights Movement, but where are we today?

For the first time, I had the pleasure of filming with a co-moderator—Nate Looney, who kept me on track and guided the conversation brilliantly.

Enjoy the discussion with these 12 powerful Black voices, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 8/21/24)

Truthiness. A word made famous by Stephen Colbert. But the TRUTH is, that what I see as fact, someone else sees as fiction. And vice versa. How do we navigate our news, especially in this digital world, with any confidence?

I had the pleasure of speaking to these 6 people, who continue to contribute their expertise to the world of fact versus fiction.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No doubt, I will be criticized by left-wing, anti-Israel people for having Palestinian guests who don't walk the usual anti-Israel and frequently pro-Hamas line. I will also be criticized by right wing, pro-Israel people for giving a voice to Palestinians who also have criticisms and complaints about Israel.

But this is how we move forward, this is how we make progress, and these brave Palestinians have my respect and gratitude for their time, empathy, thoughtfulness, and self-sacrifice in this wonderful episode. As much hate as I will receive for doing this, they receive it tenfold.

They just want peace, a true peace, a 2-state solution, not a river to the sea intifada, and I hope you'll take the time for this wonderful conversation.

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Boaz speaks to 12 former "Survivor" players about topics that cover Israel, the war, antisemitism around the world, and more.

And for fans of the show, don't you worry, there's certainly some discussion of the show included!

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Apparently I CAN put an entire episode together in 24 hours. With a little help from my friends.

Michael Sinensky contacted me Wednesday morning, "WE NEED TO HELP DEFEAT THE ANTISEMITIC SQUAD!" I fully agreed, but it takes me weeks to months to create my episodes. I told him there's no story if we don't have a candidate to talk to. And it won't be a commercial; it's a conversation about antisemitism in American politics. He agreed.

Michael worked his magic. Within an hour he had Don Samuels campaign on the phone with me, and we had a plan for an episode the next day. He got Jordan Cope to speak for StandWithUs, Alexander J Minn to speak about Don's assistance with UC Irvine, and the deservedly world famous Emily Austin.

I worked a bit of my own magic, and got The Simon Wiesenthal Center's Rabbi Abraham Cooper, and Arizona State Representative Consuelo Hernandez. And to edit the work professionally in a hurry, PokerGO's Mike Burgher came to the rescue. And just like that, we had a phenomenal Round Table!

Enjoy the conversation, subscribe to the Chosen Links channel on YouTube, and check out Instagram for the reels that are sure to go viral!

And let's get Don Samuels elected for the Democratic party next week, and unseat Ilhan Omar!

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