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In Episode 644 of It’s All About the Children on hmTv, hosts Carin and Sami welcome 16-year-old student activist Ryan Golditch for Part 1 of an engaging conversation about Jewish identity, political involvement, courage and the responsibility to speak out.

Ryan reflects on participating in the March of the Living and explains how visiting Auschwitz and other Holocaust sites gave him an understanding that no textbook or classroom lecture could provide. He also discusses advancing academically, his interest in public policy and his work establishing Rhode Island’s first high school Turning Point USA chapter.

The conversation explores the challenges Ryan has faced because of his political beliefs, including cyberbullying, doxxing, damaged friendships and efforts to silence his organization. Despite the opposition, Ryan remains determined to defend his values, confront antisemitism and misinformation, and encourage other young people to become informed, engaged upstanders.

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In Episode 643 of Ordinary Heroes on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes acclaimed actor, author, and advocate Tovah Feldshuh for a powerful conversation about Jewish identity, storytelling, courage, and resilience.

Tovah reflects on her childhood, her extraordinary career spanning more than five decades, and her acclaimed portrayals of historic figures including Golda Meir and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She discusses the actor’s responsibility to preserve truth, move audiences, and bring history to life.

The conversation also explores the alarming rise in antisemitism, changes within the entertainment industry, the importance of Jewish pride, and the need to speak courageously while building alliances through compassion. Tovah also shares details about her new documentary, memoir, and the Feldshuh Fund for Women’s Health.

This candid and deeply personal episode reminds us to remember who we are, stand firmly against hatred, perform meaningful acts of service, and become shining examples of our shared humanity.

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In Episode 642 of The Dana Download on hmTv, host Dana Arschin Kraslow speaks with educator and Holocaust legacy advocate Lea Sigiel-Wolinetz, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors.

Lea shares the remarkable survival stories of her parents, her experience growing up as an only child in a survivor family, and how she came to embrace her responsibility as a member of the second generation. She also discusses her work preserving the history of the Jewish community of Częstochowa through the World Society of Częstochowa Jews and Their Descendants and her involvement in supporting the creation of the POLIN Museum in Warsaw.

The conversation also explores the story of Rutka Laskier, a Jewish teenager whose Holocaust diary inspired the musical Rutka. Lea explains how Rutka’s words continue to connect with young people and why diaries, interviews, and personal testimony are essential tools for preserving memory.

This moving episode highlights the power of education, storytelling, legacy, and one woman’s lifelong commitment to ensuring that the voices of Holocaust survivors and their descendants are never forgotten.

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In Episode 641 of Disrupting Hate on hmTv, host Kenneth Schachter speaks with Professor Adam Fuller, author of The Armed Jew: The Case for Jewish Gun Ownership and director of the Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies at Youngstown State University.

Professor Fuller discusses why he became what he calls an “October 8 gun owner” following the Hamas attacks of October 7 and the continuing rise of antisemitism. The conversation explores why American Jews have historically been less likely to own firearms, the cultural and religious attitudes surrounding self-defense, and examples of armed Jewish resistance throughout history.

From the Maccabees and the Bielski partisans to Jewish soldiers, gangsters, lawmen, and gunslingers of the American West, Fuller challenges the stereotype of Jews as passive victims. He also examines Jewish law and rabbinic teachings on the obligation to protect life, Israel’s civilian gun policies, and the responsibilities that come with firearm ownership.

This thought-provoking episode considers the complex intersection of Jewish identity, personal security, history, faith, public safety, and responsible preparedness.

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In Episode 640 of Education in Motion on hmTv, host Donna Rosenblum welcomes Matt Loew, Assistant Principal for Humanities at Syosset High School, for an in-depth conversation about the power and continued importance of Holocaust education.

Matt shares his journey from classroom teacher to educational leader and explains how Syosset integrates Holocaust and tolerance education across multiple grade levels and academic disciplines. The conversation highlights the school’s Holocaust Resource Day, which has grown from a traditional assembly into a multi-day educational experience incorporating survivor testimony, music, student artwork, classroom discussions, and student-led reflection.

Donna and Matt discuss Syosset’s partnership with the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, the preparation of student docents, and the transformative impact of hearing directly from Holocaust survivor Rosalie Simon. They also explore how testimony from Consolee Nishimwe, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, helps students recognize recurring patterns of hatred, persecution, courage, and resilience.

This thoughtful episode demonstrates how Holocaust education can serve as a lens for understanding humanity, developing empathy, encouraging civil discourse, and inspiring students to become upstanders through the everyday choices they make.

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In Episode 639 of Education in Motion on hmTv, host Zachary Graulich, Director of Education at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, welcomes Nikhil Shah, a recent Syosset High School graduate and recipient of the Claire Friedlander Upstander Award Scholarship.

Nikhil discusses his work as a student docent for Syosset High School’s annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program and the transformative impact of hearing firsthand testimony from Holocaust survivor Rosalie Simon. He also shares how that experience inspired him to interview Rosalie and help preserve her story through The New Historia.

The conversation explores Nikhil’s leadership with Breaking Borders, an initiative that brings students from different Long Island communities together for respectful dialogue about political polarization, segregation, and other difficult issues. Nikhil also explains how a visit to Raynham Hall Museum led him to join the board of Remember Liss, an organization dedicated to preserving the story of an enslaved Black woman connected to the American Revolution.

Through his experiences in Holocaust education, historical preservation, civil discourse, and student leadership, Nikhil demonstrates how curiosity can become action. This inspiring episode reminds young people to remain true to their values, ask questions, pursue their interests, and recognize that they are never too young to make a meaningful difference.

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In Episode 638 of The Israeli Bond on hmTv, host Gal Swisa Cohen welcomes Ira Kohler, a Long Island native who moved to Israel and enlisted in the IDF as a lone soldier.

Ira shares his journey from growing up in a close Jewish community to serving in the 890th Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade. He reflects on the challenges of military training in Hebrew, the deep bonds formed among soldiers, and the sense of responsibility that led him to serve.

The conversation turns to October 7, 2023, when Ira was called into battle and deployed to southern Israel, including Kibbutz Be’eri. He speaks candidly about fear, courage, loss, survivor’s guilt, and the emotional impact of serving for more than one hundred days inside Gaza.

Ira also remembers his friend and fellow lone soldier, Omer Neutra, and discusses his book, Once a Paratrooper: The Story of a Lone Soldier in the Gaza War. Through his writing and public speaking, Ira hopes to preserve the stories of those who served, challenge misinformation, and help audiences understand the human beings behind the headlines.

This powerful episode explores service, sacrifice, Jewish identity, resilience, and the vital bond between Israel and American Jewry.

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In the concluding episode of The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv, host Richard Acritelli continues his powerful conversation with Rena Kesten about the extraordinary life and legacy of her grandfather, Colonel Sekunda, a Jewish armored commander in the Soviet Army during World War II.

Rena reflects on her grandfather’s postwar military service in Germany, his return to Ukraine, and the emotional scars he carried after years of combat. Although his soldiers affectionately called him “Father” and he helped lead Soviet forces from the Eastern Front into Berlin, antisemitism prevented him from receiving the full recognition he deserved.

The conversation examines the economic chaos and political repression of postwar Soviet life, the erasure of Jewish military contributions, and the dangerous myth that Jews did not fight against Nazi Germany. Rena also shares her efforts to bring her grandfather’s rare photographs and remarkable story into classrooms, museums, and the broader historical record.

Through family memories, preserved artifacts, and firsthand reflections on communism, immigration, and the American dream, this episode honors a courageous officer whose leadership helped defeat the Third Reich and whose story deserves a permanent place in history.

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In Part 3 of The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv, host Richard Acritelli continues his conversation with Rena Kesten through a remarkable collection of photographs documenting her grandfather’s service as a Jewish Soviet tank commander during the final Battle of Berlin.

The images reveal destroyed streets, armored units, Soviet officers planning attacks, damaged German tanks, soldiers moving through trenches, and Rena’s grandfather standing beside the tanks he commanded. Rena also shares how he survived the war without being wounded, developed strong relationships with senior commanders, and used courage, discipline, and even music to reassure the soldiers under his command.

The conversation takes a deeply personal turn as Rena explains how her grandfather helped evacuate military families ahead of the German invasion of Ukraine. His decision saved numerous women and children, while relatives who remained behind were murdered at Babi Yar.

The episode also explores the aftermath of victory, the rapid shift from wartime alliance to Cold War suspicion, Soviet antisemitism, and the photograph of Rena’s grandfather with American soldiers that he was forced to remove from the family album to protect himself.

Through rare artifacts and family testimony, this episode preserves the story of a courageous Jewish officer whose leadership helped defeat Nazi Germany and save lives both on and beyond the battlefield.

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In Part 2 of The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv, host Richard Acritelli continues his conversation with Rena Kesten, exploring the remarkable military history of her grandfather, Colonel Sekunda, a Jewish armored commander in the Soviet Army during World War II.

Rena recounts how her grandfather led his soldiers out of German encirclement during the opening days of Operation Barbarossa, survived the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, and rose from captain to colonel while commanding a tank brigade of approximately 60 tanks and 1,300 soldiers.

The episode also examines the antisemitism he faced within the Soviet system. Despite being twice nominated for the prestigious Hero of the Soviet Union award, he was denied the honor because he was Jewish. Through rare military documents, photographs, and family artifacts, Rena reveals his role in the liberation of Belarus, the Soviet advance through Poland and Germany, and the final Battle of Berlin.

This powerful conversation restores an overlooked Jewish military leader to the historical record while highlighting courage, leadership, sacrifice, and the importance of preserving family memory before it disappears.

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