Grace For Impact

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is the senior Rabbi at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, in New York City, where he leads a reform congregation. In this episode, Rabbi Hirsch and I discuss his Zionism, which embodies liberal values, including the right of the individual to self determination, free speech, open debate and equality for all. He points out the illiberalism of many self proclaimed liberals today in their outspokenness and in their silence. He also discusses the emotional and intellectual connections between Judaism and Israel for Jews living in the diaspora. 

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

MEP Assita Kanko unapologetically describes how she worked her way from the repressive society in which she was raised in Burkina Faso to now being the Belgian Member of European Parliament. She’s not in the political business to be liked. She’s in it to fight for what’s right.

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

Türkü Avcı is a Turkish writer, commentator, and student of Political Science and Communication at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Born and raised in Turkey, she developed a deep interest in Middle Eastern affairs from a young age and sought to experience Israel firsthand in order to understand the region beyond the narratives she encountered at home. In 2021, despite warnings that she might face hostility or rejection, she moved to Jerusalem—a decision that shaped her worldview and strengthened her commitment to dialogue and bridge-building.

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

Gadi Hitman returns to the podcast, nine months later, to discuss the current Iran war - Iran’s major miscalculations, what kind of leader Iran would need for actual progress, Israeli resilience and more. 

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

Tali Aynalem proudly carries many identities, including Jewish, Israeli, Ethiopian & American. We met to discuss the misconceptions and misinformation she is trying to clear up as it relates to people’s stereotypes of her and her heritage. 

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

Soraya Deen discusses her role in trying to combat antisemitism and Muslim extremism, through engagement in Muslim communities, through dialogue and education. 

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

Dalia Ziada is an Egyptian writer, Middle East geopolitics expert and Washington coordinater and research fellow at ISGAP. With the unprecedented rise of antisemitism in the West, Dalia works to preserve the values of the west.

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

Founder & CEO of IBSI, the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, dedicated to strengthening ties between people of African descent and the Jewish state through education and advocacy. Pastor Washington is also an, author & professional musician.

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

Aviva Klompas is the author of “Stand Up Nation.” In this extraordinary book, Klompas shares accounts and examples of the numerous individuals and organisations that have framed Israel’s resilience not merely as a reaction to crisis, but as the continuation of a national character defined by creativity, moral urgency, and a commitment to uplift communities far beyond its borders.

For more, you can follow the show on Instagram @Graceforimpactpodcast

Produced by Peoples Media

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

Grace for Impact podcast began as my response to October 7th, a day of unspeakable brutality that left me profoundly shaken, searching for solid ground beneath my feet. As an Israeli, American, and British citizen, my sense of place in the world was suddenly upended. As a mother, my sense of certainty about the world I was raising my children into was deeply destabilized.

In the immediate aftermath, turning to stories of Israeli resilience reversed the spiral. In the depths of grief and helplessness, I found something unexpected: hope. Not the passive kind, but the kind built through responsibility and choice.

What started as a space to explore these human stories has grown into a platform for voices across backgrounds and beliefs, people guided by universal humanity, who understand that resilience doesn’t just help us survive, it shows us how to lead when the world fractures.

With a background as a criminal prosecutor, my understanding of justice has been shaped by the complexity of the human spirit, its capacity for cruelty, as well as its capacity for healing. As a mother, that reckoning feels even more urgent. Because the values we defend, the silence we break, and the examples we set are how we shape the world our children will inherit.

Grace for Impact podcast highlights people who choose action over despair, courage over indifference, and moral clarity over apathy, so that even when humanity is shattered, we can show the next generation that rebuilding is possible, and that change does happen.

I hope these stories move you as they’ve moved me and remind us that when grace is chosen, impact follows.

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