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In this episode of Putting the Brakes on Bullying on hmTv, host Samantha Sosnik sits down with Bernie Furshpan for a candid and important conversation about narcissism, narcissistic behavior, and its connection to bullying. Samantha shares deeply personal reflections from her own upbringing, describing the lasting impact of growing up in a home marked by chaos, manipulation, intimidation, gaslighting, and emotional abuse.

Together, Samantha and Bernie explore the warning signs of narcissistic behavior, including love bombing, charm used as control, lack of accountability, emotional manipulation, isolation, rage, and the inability to show genuine empathy. They also discuss the difference between grandiose and covert narcissism, how victims can become trapped in unhealthy relationships, and why support from trusted friends, therapy, and personal courage can be essential steps toward breaking free.

This powerful episode reminds listeners that recognizing red flags early can help prevent deeper harm, and that no one deserves to live under fear, control, or emotional abuse. It is a conversation about awareness, healing, boundaries, and reclaiming your life from those who use intimidation as a weapon. 

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In Part 2 of this powerful Habits of a Whole Heart conversation on hmTv, host Arnie Herz continues his discussion with Ira Kohler, author of Once a Paratrooper: The Story of a Lone Soldier in the Gaza War. Ira recounts the harrowing events of October 7, 2023, when he and his fellow IDF paratroopers were transported by helicopter to the Gaza envelope and suddenly found themselves under attack.

Ira shares the extraordinary story of surviving a rocket strike and emergency helicopter landing, coming under terrorist gunfire, and then entering Kibbutz Be’eri to fight terrorists and help rescue families trapped in their homes. He reflects on the thin line between life and death, the meaning of courage under fire, and the profound responsibility of saving lives when every second matters.

The conversation also explores Ira’s grief over the loss of close friends, including Omer Neutra, Yair Vitan, and Amir Naim, and his commitment to preserving their legacies. Through his story, Ira offers a deeply moving reminder of service, sacrifice, Jewish resilience, purpose, and what it means to live for something greater than oneself. 

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In this milestone 50th episode of Habits of a Whole Heart on hmTv, host Arnie Herz speaks with Ira Kohler, author of Once a Paratrooper, about his extraordinary journey from Long Island college life to serving as a lone soldier in the IDF. In Part 1 of this powerful conversation, Ira reflects on the values, identity, and sense of purpose that led him to leave the comfort and familiarity of home to serve the Jewish people in Israel.

Ira shares how his upbringing, love for Israel, and deep connection to Jewish history shaped his decision to enlist. He discusses the meaning of having a Jewish homeland, the responsibility he felt as a young American Jew, and why serving in the IDF became a personal calling he could not ignore. The conversation explores courage, purpose, sacrifice, Jewish continuity, and the importance of telling personal stories that become part of a larger people’s memory.

This episode sets the stage for Part 2, where Ira and Arnie continue the conversation and delve into Ira’s experiences during October 7th and his service in Gaza. 

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In this episode of Habits of a Whole Heart on hmTv, host Arnie Herz speaks with Professor Peter Decherney, award-winning documentary filmmaker, photographer, author, and Director of the Penn Global Documentary Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Together, they explore the power of photography and documentary filmmaking to reveal hidden stories, preserve memory, deepen human connection, and illuminate the beauty and complexity of communities often overlooked.

Peter discusses his work documenting Jewish communities in Ethiopia and Uganda, including his book Endless Exodus: The Jewish Experience in Ethiopia and his films about African Jewish communities, such as The Cave Synagogue and Days Between Rest. The conversation touches on listening without judgment, the role of students in global storytelling, the importance of authenticity in an age of AI, and how art can become a pathway toward empathy, truth, and a more whole-hearted humanity.

Learn more about Peter Decherney’s work and the Penn Global Documentary Institute at pennglobaldocs.org.

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In Episode 561 of The Butterfly Effect on hmTv, host Gilad Avrahami and co-host Bernie Furshpan explore conformity, the bandwagon effect, fear of missing out, and groupthink, examining how people are often pulled into beliefs, behaviors, movements, and social trends simply because others around them are doing the same.

Building on their previous discussion about critical mass, Gilad and Bernie discuss how small individual choices can grow into powerful collective behavior, for better or for worse. Through relatable examples, from restaurant lines and dance floors to social media activism, peer pressure, politics, and Nazi Germany, they examine why people conform, why critical thinking matters, and how quickly belonging can become more important than truth.

This episode challenges listeners, especially young people, to pause before joining the crowd, question what they are supporting, resist hate-driven groupthink, and remember that even small actions can create meaningful change. 

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In Episode 560 of Raised by Survivors on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes Marlene Steiner, a dear friend and daughter of Holocaust survivors, for a deeply personal conversation about memory, survival, trauma, resilience, and joy.

Marlene shares her mother’s harrowing story of being forced from Rădăuți, Romania, and marched toward Ukraine, where families were torn apart and survival often came down to impossible choices. She also reflects on her father’s experience in a concentration camp, her own childhood in Romania, Israel, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and the lasting impact of being raised by parents who carried both deep trauma and extraordinary strength.

Together, Bernie and Marlene explore intergenerational trauma, antisemitism, family values, immigrant life, food memories, Brooklyn childhoods, and the importance of choosing life, humor, kindness, and gratitude despite unimaginable pain. This episode is a powerful reminder that survivor families carry not only sorrow, but also resilience, love, and the responsibility to keep making the world better. 

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In Episode 559 of Raised by Survivors on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes Irene Dunkel Rivera, a retired educator, assistant principal, professor, and daughter of two Holocaust survivors. Irene shares how her parents’ experiences in Łódź, Warsaw, the ghettos, Auschwitz, Majdanek, and the Jewish Labor Bund shaped her understanding of justice, identity, memory, and human responsibility.

Together, Bernie and Irene reflect on what it means to be raised by survivors, the lasting impact of intergenerational trauma, and the urgent need to preserve family stories before they disappear. Their conversation explores education, antisemitism, social media, intolerance, and the importance of speaking directly to young people so they understand that the Holocaust was real, personal, and still deeply relevant.

This powerful episode is a reminder that silence is dangerous, education is essential, and every generation has a responsibility to stand against hate wherever it appears. 

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In this episode of Voices of Diversity on hmTv, host Sherona Varulkar welcomes psychotherapist, author, and eating disorder specialist Eve Eliot for a deeply personal conversation about identity, family history, grief, resilience, and healing.

Eve shares the remarkable story of her Sephardic Jewish grandparents, who came to America from Greece and built a new life in Brooklyn with extraordinary determination. She reflects on growing up in Bensonhurst, being raised largely by her grandparents while her mother battled cancer, and the emotional silence that shaped her childhood. She also discusses her father’s World War II service, her stepmother’s powerful Zionist story, and the complex blend of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish identity within her family.

The conversation also explores how Eve’s early experiences with illness, anxiety, food, body image, and emotional pain led her to become a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders. With honesty and humor, she speaks about the importance of self-healing, the power of therapy, and the need to protect the inner world of the heart in a time when the outside world can feel overwhelming.

This moving episode is a story of immigration, memory, loss, humor, identity, and the lifelong journey toward healing.

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In Episode 557 of Raised by Survivors on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes Caryn Bachar for a heartfelt conversation between two childhood friends who grew up in the shared world of Holocaust survivor families in Brooklyn and Queens.

Together, Bernie and Caryn reflect on what it meant to be raised by survivors, from the anxiety, overprotection, food, humor, accents, and deep family bonds, to the powerful lessons of resilience, education, Jewish identity, and moral responsibility. Caryn shares her parents’ wartime experiences, including her father’s time in the Russian army and her mother’s traumatic survival story from Poland, where violence and loss shaped the rest of her life.

The episode also explores how survivor families built community, how children became the treasured center of their parents’ lives, and how the next generation inherited both love and responsibility. Bernie and Caryn discuss Israel, antisemitism, misinformation, diversity within Jewish life, and the urgent need to teach young people critical thinking, empathy, and respect.

Warm, honest, emotional, and at times funny, this episode is a powerful reminder that being raised by survivors means carrying memory forward while choosing grit, compassion, education, and hope.

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In Episode 556 of Legacy Chronicles: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future on hmTv, host Donna Rosenblum welcomes Dr. Lenny Kristal for a moving conversation about growing up as the son of Holocaust survivors and the responsibility of carrying memory forward.

Lenny shares the powerful stories of his parents: his mother’s escape from Nazi-occupied Vienna after Kristallnacht, and his father’s survival through the Starachowice ghetto, slave labor, Auschwitz, Mauthausen, and liberation at Theresienstadt. He reflects on how his father’s trauma, resilience, humor, and silence shaped his own understanding of family, memory, and identity.

The conversation also explores Lenny’s journey to Holocaust education, including his transformative March of the Living experience, his connection to HMTC, and his work as a docent helping students confront history with empathy and courage. Lenny also discusses how songwriting became a personal way to process legacy, especially through his song “Never Again.”

This episode is a heartfelt reminder that memory is not only inherited. It is carried, examined, taught, and transformed into action.

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