In what will likely be our season finale, Rabbi Pont offers teachings that he spoke about to the congregation at Marlboro Jewish Center on recent Shabbat mornings. Three short sermons about food from a Shiva house, Mother's Day and the recent horrifying murders of two Israeli embassy workers.

When we teach our children about the Holocaust, it is largely from the perspective of those who survived. But what about the million or more Jews who lived in communities that were completely destroyed. Thus began the quest of this week's guest, Julie Brill, whose family was from Belgrade, Serbia one of those places whose entire Jewish community was destroyed in the early days of the War. 

Julie details her family's history, and her journey to memorialize all those who died in Belgrade, in her new book, Hidden in Plain Sight: A Family Memoir and the Untold Story of the Holocaust in Serbia.

In this week's conversation, Julie and the Rabbi dive deep into the book, into the horrors that happened to Julie's family, and reason why Julie worked so hard to tell this story.

As we get ready for Passover, here are a couple of teachings that Rabbi Pont recently offered to his congregation at Marlboro Jewish Center!

We all know that what it means to be a Jew has changed since October 7th, 2023. From the most observant to the least, Jewish life is different than it was before. In his new book, For Such a Time as This, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue offers a poignant explanation of what it means to be Jewish today. 

This week, Rabbi Cosgrove joins his friend of thirty years, Rabbi Pont, for a meaningful conversation about this, about searching for our Esther moment in modern times, and about what it means to get back to being a Genesis Jew post October 7th. 

In was April, 2008. A small group of tired, homesick campaign staffers are quickly trying to put together a small Passover Seder. And who walks in...then-Senator Barack Obama. And thus began a meaningful journey to the first Seder ever held in the White House, by the first African American President of the United States, organized by one of those original campaign staffers, Eric Lesser.

This remarkable story is re-told in the just released children's book, Next Year in the White House by Richard Michelson and this week Rabbi Pont got to catch up with Richard and Eric for a fascinating conversation. A perfect pre-Passover listen!

By all accounts, Dr. Alex Kor’s life has been a miracle. The son of two Holocaust survivors who narrowly escaped death, Alex has traveled from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Auschwitz and many places in between on his journey to share the story of his parents, Eva Moses Kor and Mickey Kor, with anyone and everyone who will listen. After a recent trip to lecture at Marlboro Jewish Center, Rabbi Pont caught up with Alex to learn more about his life, the survival stories that both of his parents endured, and his recent book, A Blessing, Not a Burden.

It's Valentine's Day and even though it is not a Jewish holiday, love is most definitely in the air! This week, Rabbi Pont talks to Alla Fine, President & CEO of Alla Fine Coaching and developer of the brand new dating app, AppatMe which matches AI and psychology to the love finding process. If you are looking for love or just want to hear about how to keep your love story going, don't miss this week's episode just in time for Valentine's Day.

When you download and activate the app at www.appatme.com between February 13-15, you’ll unlock the opportunity to explore and experience a world designed for meaningful connections. We hope you enjoy the journey—and who knows? Your perfect match may be just a click away.

There are few Holocaust survivor stories like that of the family of Dan Grunfeld, who joins Rabbi Pont this week. The son of Olympic gold medalist, NBA veteran and 30-year NBA executive Ernie Grunfeld, Dan is the author of By the Grace of the Game, the remarkable story of his family's perserverance and strength interwoven with  the discovery of a game that unknowingly held the power to heal wounds, build bridges, and tie together a fractured Jewish family. As we approach International Holocaust Rememberance Day, this is an episode not to be missed.

Happy Hanukkah! As we celebrate over the next eight nights, Rabbi Pont has a quick message about the meaning of Hanukkah and the many blessings it provides.

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.