2024 has been a challenging year for Jews around the world. Acts of violence against Jews have brought out fears that another Kristallnacht could happen again in our lifetimes. With the rise of antisemitism around the world there has never been a more important time to learn the stories as told by survivors of Kristallnacht and the Holocaust.

This week Rabbi Pont speaks to one such survivor. Esther Adler, z"l, shares her story as told to her friend Lexi Sherman, who met Esther during her participation in The Joseph Gringlas Stories that Live Program, a unique fellowship that connects college students with Holocaust survivors to create meaningful relationships. Sadly, Esther passed away just days before Rosh Hashana this year but in her memory we will make sure her stories lives on. 

A few months ago Marlboro Jewish Center added to its team of fearless Jewish leaders with the hiring of its Director of Congregational Learning, Leo Fuhrman. Leo comes to MJC with a variety of educational, leadership and life experiences all of which he is ready to use to help our youth find their Jewish identities and be proud. How is he going to do that? By helping our community make Jewish memories one experience at a time. Don't miss this fascinating conversation between Rabbi Pont and Leo to learn more about how Leo is going to transform education in our community.

This week Rabbi Pont is joined by Sara Polon (a.k.a. Soupergirl) and Marilyn Polon (a.k.a. Soupermom), the mother/daughter team behind the delicious, kosher, vegan, and responsibly sourced soup brand, Soupergirl. Listen in to hear how a budding stand-up comedian turned her passion for fixing our broken food system into a soup company with the help of her worried Jewish mother. The story is fanscinating and the soup is delicious. Find out where you can get a bowl at https://www.thesoupergirl.com. 

This is a Holocaust survivor story you haven't heard. It is the story of Cantor David Wisnia, a man whose vocal talent saved him from certain death at Auschwitz. Featured in the new award-winning documentary, How Saba Kept Singing, David's story from a child in the Warsaw Ghetto to a survivor who shares his voice at the 75th anniversary celebration of the Liberation is one not to be missed. This week, Rabbi Pont speaks with David's grandson, singer/songwriter Avi Wisnia, about the truly remarkable man who was his Saba.

During a first of its kind meeting of Holocaust survivors in Israel Syd Mandelbaum realized that he had to change the world. What followed is a lifetime dedicated to ridding the world of hunger. Enter Rock and Wrap it Up, an organization that takes food from concerts, stadiums, schools and feeds thousands of hungry people every year. Don't miss this episode about someone who has truly set out to make the world a better place.

The fourth season of For the Love of Judaism kicks off with a special episode in honor of the 23rd anniversary of September 11th, 2001. In this episode, Rabbi Pont interviews retired New York City firefighter Dave Smentkowski whose experiences on 9/11 and in the days and years that followed will give chills to all of us as we remember tha fateful day.

It has been an amazing third season of For the Love of Judaism. To send us off into the summer Rabbi Pont shares two recent sermons, one about his trip to the Nova Festival Exhibit in New York and the other about Father's Day and the many ways fathers impact our lives. Two very different sermons but both with inspiration to carry us through to September.

Lots of kids are into sports but few get to live out their dreams as an NFL beat reporter for ESPN. This week's guest, New York Giants beat reporter Jordan Raanan, is one of those lucky few. Don't miss this far reaching conversation about what it is like to travel the country with an NFL team, the importance of relationships in the pursuit of your dreams, and what Jordan thinks is coming down the road for NFL fandom. 

Last month Rabbi Pont's daughter Emma graduated from the University of Michigan School of Nursing. As was reported across many news outlets, U of M's graduation ceremony was one of many that was disrupted by protestors.  

A replay of a recent sermon, this episode features Rabbi Pont as he shares his experience in Ann Arbor from the perspective of a proud father and a proud Zionist.

On this Yom HaShoah, the Day of Remembrance,  we recall the six million who died at the hands of the Nazis. Among them was Greta Grunberg, a mother of two young boys who befriended a young German girl named Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Greta lived in the same building, had breakfast together nearly every day and lit Shabbat candles, even after it was made illegal by the Nazis.

Some 82 years after Greta was deported from Germany, Elizabeth Umlandt, now 88 years old, remembers her friend and still holds on to the picture of Greta and her husband in hopes that their descendants will come and claim the picture the way Greta wanted.