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Disrupting Hate (Ep. 459)
 Host: Ken Schachter | Guest: Jessica Levin

In this important episode of Disrupting Hate on hmTv, Ken Schachter speaks with Jessica Levin, Executive Director of the TEL Institute, about a powerful but often overlooked idea: antisemitism cannot be understood unless people first understand the Jewish story.

Founded with writer Dara Horn, the TEL Institute is developing educational curriculum designed to address antisemitism not as a simple prejudice, but as a recurring historical lie that has adapted itself across centuries. Levin explains why many educational systems focus almost exclusively on Jews as Holocaust victims, and how that limited framing unintentionally leaves students unable to recognize modern forms of hatred.

The conversation explores the Institute’s eight-lesson framework, which teaches Jewish civilization as a 3,000-year narrative of ideas, dissent, resilience, and survival. Levin discusses how tyrannical societies historically reacted to Jewish nonconformity, how media across different eras amplified misinformation, and why social media today accelerates the same patterns. The episode also tackles one of the most debated issues on campuses and in public discourse: the relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, and why education, not slogans, is the only durable response.

Rather than trying to win arguments, the TEL Institute aims to cultivate skepticism, curiosity, and critical thinking so students can recognize propaganda and resist manipulation. The goal is simple but ambitious: make understanding who Jews are as common as learning about the Holocaust.

A thoughtful and timely conversation about education, identity, and the challenge of confronting hatred in the modern information age.

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Habits of a Whole Heart
Episode 458 (Part 2): From Conflict to Clarity – Practical Tools for Resolving Disputes
Host: Arnie Herz
Guest: Simeon Baum

Conflict is unavoidable. Destructive conflict is not.

In Part 2 of this thoughtful conversation, mediator and trainer Simeon Baum returns to move from philosophy into practice. After exploring the inner mindset of a mediator in Part 1, this episode focuses on the real-world mechanics of resolving disputes, whether between spouses, business partners, coworkers, or even parents and children.

Drawing on more than three decades of mediation experience and thousands of cases, Simeon explains why traditional win-lose thinking often traps people in expensive, emotionally draining battles. He shares how the legal system can unintentionally fuel division, and how a collaborative approach can open pathways to resolution that litigation rarely achieves.

Through stories, including the classic “two sisters and the oranges” example and an actual business partnership mediation, Simeon demonstrates a powerful principle: most disputes are not really about what people say they are about. Beneath positions lie interests, needs, fears, and goals. When those are heard and understood, solutions expand dramatically.

Arnie and Simeon also discuss emotional escalation, the role of lawyers, and why redefining “winning” is the turning point in nearly every successful mediation. Listeners will learn how deep listening, empathy, and curiosity help people move out of entrenched anger and toward creative agreements that allow everyone to move forward.

This episode offers practical insight you can apply immediately, from family disagreements to workplace tensions to major negotiations. The takeaway is simple but profound: when people feel heard, they become capable of change, and when they become capable of change, resolution becomes possible.

Habits of a Whole Heart is part of the Humanity Matters series on hmTv, produced at the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center, bringing conversations that help listeners live with greater awareness, purpose, and understanding.

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Habits of a Whole Heart
Episode 457 (Part 1): Listening Before Solving – The Inner Life of a Mediator
Host: Arnie Herz
Guest: Simeon Baum

Before conflicts can be resolved, something more important has to happen first: someone has to truly listen.

In this first of a two-part conversation, Arnie Herz welcomes renowned mediator and trainer Simeon Baum, president of Resolve Mediation Services, for a deeply reflective discussion about the inner foundations of conflict resolution. Long before legal strategy, negotiation tactics, or settlement agreements, Simeon explains, mediation begins with presence.

Tracing his journey back to adolescence during the Vietnam War era, Simeon shares how discovering the Tao Te Ching, practicing Zen meditation, and studying comparative religion reshaped his understanding of success, shifting him from competition toward collaboration. These spiritual and philosophical influences would later become the backbone of his professional life, helping him guide thousands of disputes toward resolution.

Together, Arnie and Simeon explore the power of stillness, mindfulness, and empathy, and why a mediator’s greatest tool is not persuasion but awareness. They discuss how deep listening reduces defensiveness, restores agency to people in conflict, and allows empathy to emerge naturally. The conversation also connects ancient wisdom traditions with modern psychology, leadership, and even medicine, showing how reflection and presence can transform not only disputes, but daily living.

This episode is less about legal technique and more about how to be human in difficult moments. Whether you are navigating family tension, workplace disagreements, or internal struggles, Simeon offers a simple but profound message: clarity comes when we slow down enough to hear.

Part 1 focuses on the philosophy and life experiences that shaped Simeon’s approach. Part 2 will move into practical tools listeners can use to handle real-world conflict.

Habits of a Whole Heart is part of the Humanity Matters series on hmTv, produced at the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center, bringing thoughtful conversations that help listeners live with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding.

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Habits of a Whole Heart (Episode 456, Part 2)
Host: Arnie Herz
Guest: William Spencer
Series: Humanity Matters / hmTv

In Part 2 of this engaging conversation, Arnie Herz continues his discussion with William Spencer, moving beyond the remarkable bicycle journey from London to India and into the deeper lessons it sparked for the rest of his life.

After returning home transformed, William shifted his focus from technology and career success to understanding people. Today he works with leaders and organizations, helping them develop awareness, trust, and authentic communication. Drawing from experiences on the road and decades of consulting, he explains why most conflicts in workplaces, families, and even societies are not really about issues, but about not feeling heard.

William and Arnie explore powerful ideas about vulnerability, listening, leadership, and the hidden emotional climate inside organizations. They discuss how self-awareness changes the way we relate to others, why fear shuts down cooperation, and how genuine human connection can bridge even deep differences.

This episode is less about an adventure story and more about what the adventure revealed: happiness does not come from accumulation or control, but from presence, attention, and relationship. It’s a thoughtful conversation about living intentionally and building healthier communities, one interaction at a time.

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Habits of a Whole Heart (Episode 455, Part 1)
Host: Arnie Herz
Guest: William Spencer
Series: Humanity Matters / hmTv

What would make a 22-year-old with a good job, a comfortable life, and a clear future suddenly quit everything… and ride a bicycle from London to India?

In this remarkable first conversation, Arnie Herz sits down with longtime friend William Spencer to explore the journey that reshaped his understanding of purpose, happiness, and human connection. After a life-changing leadership program prompted him to question whether success and comfort were enough, William set off in 1977 on a year-long solo cycling expedition across Europe and the Middle East, carrying only what he could fit into a few small bags.

Along the way, he discovered something unexpected: the less he owned, the more alive he felt. From sleeping in a tent under the rhythms of sunrise and sunset to being welcomed into the homes of strangers across cultures and religions, the trip revealed powerful lessons about desire, resilience, vulnerability, and the fundamental goodness in people.

William shares dramatic stories from the road, including cycling through countries like Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan during political upheaval and even crossing a border during a coup simply because the guards had no rules for travelers on bicycles.

This episode is an invitation to reconsider what we truly need to live a meaningful life and how stepping outside comfort can awaken gratitude, perspective, and connection to humanity.

Part 2 will continue the conversation, exploring how these experiences shaped William’s later work as a consultant, teacher, and mentor.

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Habits of a Whole Heart (hmTv)
Episode 454 – Ron “Yogi” Brent (Part 2)
Host: Arnie Herz

How do you actually live a more aware life, not just talk about it?

In Part 2 of Arnie Herz’s conversation with Ron “Yogi” Brent, the discussion moves from philosophy to practice. Yogi explains the origins of Know Your Muse, a creative and contemplative process designed to help people discover their inner source of inspiration. Through art, reflection, and guided awareness exercises, participants begin to recognize something surprising: creativity is not limited to artists. It is the foundation of every meaningful action, decision, and relationship.

Arnie and Ron explore how aesthetic experiences, whether a painting, music, or even human interaction, can transmit energy and insight. They discuss why stillness is necessary for clarity, how daily habits shape consciousness, and why many people feel disconnected in a noisy, reactive culture. The conversation also addresses practical steps listeners can take immediately, including reflective practices, observing thoughts, and intentionally reducing the constant pull of media and distraction.

At its heart, this episode offers a hopeful message: even in a chaotic world, a person can cultivate an inner steadiness. By developing awareness and reconnecting with creativity, individuals can better understand their purpose and positively influence the lives around them.

A thoughtful and grounding follow-up that turns spiritual ideas into practical guidance for everyday living.

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Habits of a Whole Heart (hmTv)
Episode 453 – Ron “Yogi” Brent (Part 1)
Host: Arnie Herz

What happens when someone walks away from the dream life most people chase?

In Part 1 of this deeply reflective conversation, Arnie Herz sits down with longtime friend Ron “Yogi” Brent, a spiritual teacher, scholar of Eastern philosophy, and co-founder of Know Your Muse. After a profound awakening in his early twenties, Ron left behind a fast-paced lifestyle in Beverly Hills for the solitude of the mountains, beginning a lifelong exploration of meditation, consciousness, and meaning.

Together, Arnie and Ron explore what an awakening actually is, why words can barely describe it, and how experiences of stillness, awareness, and perception can completely reorder a person’s priorities. They discuss the Yoga Sutras, the nature of reality, and the idea that awareness is not a vague concept but a trainable skill, one that shapes empathy, relationships, leadership, and purpose.

The conversation also connects spirituality with real life: careers, family, crisis, and even near-death experiences. Arnie reflects on how his own health crisis changed his understanding of what truly matters, while Ron explains “awareness cultivation” and why learning to observe our own thoughts may be the most important habit a person can develop.

This episode lays the philosophical foundation for practical tools to follow in Part 2, offering listeners a thoughtful invitation to slow down, pay attention, and live with greater clarity and intention.

A powerful discussion about consciousness, values, and the everyday practice of becoming more fully human.

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Habits of a Whole Heart (hmTv)
Episode 452: Doron Keren – Beneath the Lightless Sky (Part 2)
Host: Arnie Herz

In this moving continuation of Habits of a Whole Heart, Arnie Herz sits down again with Doron Keren to explore the meaning behind his grandfather’s Holocaust memoir Beneath the Lightless Sky. After recounting the dramatic survival story in Part 1, this episode turns to the deeper lessons that emerge from living 14 months hidden inside the sewers of wartime Lvov.

Doron shares how translating his grandfather Ignacy Heger’s manuscript transformed his understanding of family, identity, and responsibility. The conversation highlights the power of maintaining dignity, faith, and compassion even in the harshest conditions, and examines the remarkable courage of Polish sewer worker Leopold Socha, whose decision to help a Jewish family evolved into an act of moral conviction.

Together, Arnie and Doron discuss bystanders, rescuers, and the dangers of dehumanization, drawing clear connections between Holocaust history and choices people face today. The episode challenges listeners to recognize that history is shaped not only by governments and armies, but by individual decisions, empathy, and moral courage.

Habits of a Whole Heart, part of the Humanity Matters series from the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center on hmTv, invites audiences to move beyond remembrance and consider what responsibility looks like in their own lives today.

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Habits of a Whole Heart (hmTv)
Episode 452: Doron Keren – Beneath the Lightless Sky (Part 2)
Host: Arnie Herz

In Part 2 of Habits of a Whole Heart, Arnie Herz continues his deeply meaningful conversation with Doron Keren, grandson of Holocaust survivor Ignacy Heger and the translator and publisher of the memoir Beneath the Lightless Sky. Moving beyond the historical events, this episode focuses on the enduring lessons carried forward from one family’s survival beneath the streets of wartime Lvov.

Doron reflects on how reading his grandfather’s words reshaped his own identity and responsibility as a second-generation witness. The discussion explores the moral courage required not only to survive physically, but to preserve dignity, faith, and humanity in unimaginable conditions. Arnie and Doron examine the extraordinary actions of Polish sewer worker Leopold Socha, whose decision to help a Jewish family evolved from a transaction into an act of conscience, illustrating how ordinary individuals can make life-altering moral choices.

Together they confront timeless questions: Why do some people become rescuers while others remain bystanders? How does dehumanization begin? And what warning signs should we recognize in our own society today?

This episode challenges listeners to see Holocaust history not as distant memory but as a study of human behavior and responsibility. It is a powerful conversation about empathy, moral courage, and the daily choices that shape both character and history.

Habits of a Whole Heart is part of the Humanity Matters series from the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center on hmTv, inviting audiences to move from remembrance to action.

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hmTv | Humanity Matters Series
Episode 450 – The Israeli Bond (Part 3 – Finale)
Host: Gal Swisa Cohen
Guest: Amit Yaacov

In the final installment of their three-part series, Gal Swisa Cohen and IDF reserve captain Amit Yaacov move from explanation to the hardest question of all: what now?

After examining the history of the Haredi draft debate and the practical challenges inside the IDF, Part 3 confronts the emotional reality that has intensified since October 7. With reservists serving repeated tours, families carrying the burden of war, and Israeli society feeling the strain, the issue is no longer only legal or political. It has become deeply personal.

Amit shares the perspective from within the serving population, describing the sense not of anger, but of unequal responsibility. The conversation explores Jewish values, shared sacrifice, and why many Israelis are not demanding that others suffer, but asking that the burden of protecting the country be shared. At the same time, Gal emphasizes the fears inside the Haredi community and the need to understand a society built on preserving identity and religious continuity.

Rather than offering simple answers, the episode focuses on possible paths forward: meaningful national service options, real incentives and accountability, improved military frameworks, and above all, dialogue. The series concludes with a recognition that the debate reflects a larger struggle within Israel itself—how a diverse society balances faith, democracy, and collective responsibility while still remaining one people.

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