From October 7th to the 2025 Eurovision Competition - Yuval Raphael's story is astounding... She is not just a survivor in a tough business (the music industry), but she literally survived the Nova Festival to perform in the Eurovision Festival 2025, which happened this week. Come listen to her story. You can view it in her own words here: https://youtu.be/ve0T0qzWLrM?si=BZXK6XoiavnSL0o7.

What is the Omer and why does it matter in 2025. Join us today for a discussion about the relevancy of the Counting of the Omer in our world today - and what is the meaning of "Lag Baomer."

Words can be potent tools. They can build and they can destroy. Words can make someone's day or leave them depressed and dejected. This episode covers a topic that was near and dear to Judith Altmann, a Holocaust Survivor who passed away this week at age 100. She used her power of words for decades after the Holocaust with children at various ages in public schools to tell her story and ensure that she would bear witness to what occurred, and that she'd pass that along. The power of her words was a powerful testament to her life and her experiences.

In a country blessed with such wealth and plenty, we often forget that this was forged in blood. In Israel on, Yom HaZikaron, quite literally, every single car, train, bus and person stops in their tracks when the sirens sound - and the country stops for a few minutes to honor the fallen. It is a deeply meaningful event to observe. We reflect this week on Israel's way of reconginzing its fallen - especially now, after October 7.

An old ditty I learned (and lived) in medical school was, "See One, Do One, Teach One." It was intended to provide a straightforward method for remembering how to perform medical procedures and other tasks during medical training. But this ditty has application to our lives as Jews. Listen in to our discussion about "See One, Do One, Teach One."

When a friend or loved one is diagnosed with cancer, things can change. Relationships that were rock-solid - often for a lifetime can often morph. Friends or relatives can do one of two things: lean in to help or push away as if the cancer is contagious and push the cancer patient away. Today, we explore what Judaism says about helping a friend or a loved one through their cancer journey.

The reason that Passover/Pesach has survived though the centuries more or less the same way it was practiced centuries ago is because one of it's main foci is that of teaching children. The Seder is, first and foremost, an exercise dedicated to teaching children. In today's society, teaching children complex topics such as the Pesach story can be challenging. Listen in for suggestions on making your Seder memorable and relevant to kids!

With Passover/Pesach just a few weeks away, we wanted to provide some tips for your Seder that often get overlooked. At the end of each Haggadah are a variety of songs - many of which are geared to children. Many today are familiar with some of the more well known songs like CHad-Gad-Yah, (One Little Goat) or Echad, MiYodeyah (Who Knows #1?). Today, we will explore some of the background of these songs and introduce you to a few you might not know.

Judaism devotes tremendous effort to telling stories and engaging the youth in the history and backgrounds of our people. While day school is one approach, not everyone has the opportunity (or the wherewithal) to attend private school. In many families, Hebrew Schools, Jewish Youth, and summer Camps help with those challenges. This is even more critical in the 21st Century. Come listen to the journey of a leader in our community recount her background and how that has created a pathway for her life. Rachel Steinmetz is the Director of the summer camp at the Stamford JCC. She will tell us her story about her journey and how that's affected her life in the 21st Century.

Tess Brown is a young mother in our community. When her son was just 6 months old, she started to notice he was missing milestones. After a workup, he was found to have profound deafness from a congenital condition. This podcast documents the journey Tess and her husband have traveled raising a 24-month-old child with deafness, and their journey towards technical tools to help him - and how the Jewish Community is an integral part of their journey. Tune in for this inspiring story.