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It was the 1960s, in Wichita, Kansas. Back then, it was a small town with very few Jews, and the Jewish families stuck together as a close-knit community.

One morning, Esther walked into the kitchen and saw her parents sitting at the table with an open newspaper between them. They were both looking at her — the kind of look that silently says, you tell her.

“What happened?” Esther asked.

“There was an accident,” her parents said. “A car–train accident. Four boys were killed.”

One of them was a boy who worked in her father’s store — just two years older than Esther.

In those days, no one talked about death. You didn’t process it. You didn’t sit with it. You simply went on. And so Esther went on too. Sometimes she thought about the boy, but she told herself to move forward, just like everyone else did.

It wasn’t until many years later, when Esther wrote her first book, that she found herself writing about a train accident — slowly, unknowingly processing a loss that had stayed with her for over twenty years.

Life later brought Esther to Shilo, in Eretz Yisroel, where she and her family were forced to face death again — this time through terror. Her children lost friends. Madrichim were niftar. Loss was no longer distant or unnamed.

And this time, Esther did not turn away.

Her parting message is simple: let them talk.
Today, we have far more resources and support than in the past — but the most important thing remains the same. Children need space to speak, to ask, to remember, and to be heard.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

Many of us know the song Ima Tagidi Li. It’s sung in moments of joy, trust, and quiet faith. What most people don’t know is that Mrs. Miriam Israeli wrote this song years earlier, after the birth of her oldest daughter — when her family was still growing, when children were being added one by one — a time when the thought that she would one day bury a child simply did not exist. But the unthinkable eventually became her reality.

Throughout his illness, and after his petirah, Mrs. Israeli continued to compose and sing — songs of hope, songs of emunah. Because when a parent loses a child, the only way to keep going is with emunah. Miriam’s emunah and bitachon had been deeply ingrained in her from her parents.

In this episode, Miriam shares her journey with honesty and gentleness — what it means to keep believing, to keep living, and to keep singing, even after the unthinkable has happened.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

Do you remember where you were that Thursday night, Lag BaOmer, almost five years ago, when the stampede happened in Meron? Forty-five kedoshim were killed.
 And Dovi Steinmetz was one of them.

That night, Feige Steinmetz stayed awake, frantic, trying to reach her son.
 She called him over one hundred times.

“Dovi, if you don’t call me back, I’ll kill you,” she said—half joking, half desperate, like only a mother can be.  But he couldn’t call back. He had already been niftar.

And so began Feige’s journey through grief.

She spent time searching for answers—meeting with gedolim, asking questions, hoping to understand why. Eventually, she came to a painful acceptance: some questions will never be answered.

But her son is never far from her heart.

“Grief is always with me,” Feigie says. “Some days I tell it, Okay, today you’re in control. And other days, I tell it, Today, I’m taking control back.”

In this episode, listen to a bereaved mother share her story—
 a story filled with deep pain, intense love, and quiet growth.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

Grief can feel like a minute and forever.
In this episode, a mother shares her journey with a son who lived with cystic fibrosis, underwent a double lung transplant, celebrated his bar mitzvah, and was niftar shortly after.

We talk about the quiet choices that shape a family in loss: keeping life fair for siblings during endless hospital stays, preserving normalcy with schoolwork and chores, and refusing to erase a child’s presence from the home. She shares simple line, that is anything but simple. It is not bad, it’s sad; hold pain and joy in the same heart. She talks about how yearly milestones, and daily tefillah can hold you when answers can’t.

For those unsure where to begin, she offers small, doable steps: such as saying a perek of Tehillim tied to a child’s age, and treating each mitzvah as a deposit in a loved one’s “account.” Along the way, her husband’s book, Eight Paths of Purpose, emerges as a gentle field guide for hard seasons.

If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who might need it, subscribe for more meaningful stories, and leave a review so others can find us.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

You may have read her story in Ami Magazine — the kind of story that supposedly “doesn’t happen.”
But it did.
To Elisheva Stein.

Losing two children and a husband is a reality most people can’t even imagine, let alone believe could truly happen.
And yet, when you speak to Elisheva, she tells you something so simple, so startling:
“I buy every book. I read. Books on emunah, books on Tehillim… I just try to live with joy, to live connected to Hashem.”

Sometimes she admits that she looks upward and asks her own neshama,
 “Why did you agree to all this?”
But listening to Elisheva doesn’t pull you down.
It lifts you.
It makes you realize how extraordinary Klal Yisroel is — how we move through the deepest pain with dignity, faith, and quiet strength.

So come listen to Elisheva.
 Be moved. Be strengthened.
 But don’t call her “inspirational.”

Because she’ll tell you, “What should I do? I wasn’t given a choice. So I try to do my best with what Hashem gave me.”

Sorry, Elisheva… but to me, that is inspirational.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

Yossi was thriving in his yeshiva in Florida. But like any bochur, he was ready for bein hazmanim. Within the first few days of being home, though, his father noticed that Yossi was walking strangely. And after that, things seemed to get worse and worse.

It was during COVID, and getting an appointment with a specialized pediatric neurologist was not easy. But, as only a mother can, Sarah called one doctor after another, persevering until she managed to get Yosef seen by a doctor at CHOP Hospital.

Once he was there, things declined rapidly. The diagnosis of a brain tumor was not a surprise—but what shocked everyone was how quickly Yosef was deteriorating. This young, healthy teenage boy, who had barely ever caught a cold, was suddenly losing all function.

Sarah was the most devoted mother, lovingly caring for her son through it all.

It has now been three years since his petirah. Sarah continues to work on deepening her connection to Hashem, understanding the mind-body connection, and supporting others who find themselves in harrowing situations.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

This episode begins with Miriam Ribiat sharing about her newly released book, Forever in Our Hearts.  Sarah immediately lights up. “Yes—I love that title!” she exclaims. “You see, I lost my baby. She was stillborn in my ninth month. But she’s alive forever inside of me. I light a Shabbos candle for her and bake challah l’iluy nishmas her. So yes, she may not be alive in this world, but she’s alive forever in my heart.”

Sarah opens up about her journey through pregnancy, the devastating news of a very sick baby, and her growing emunah as she faced Hashem’s plan. She speaks about the deep pain, the isolation, and the strength it took to rise again.

Listen as Sarah shares how she slowly rebuilt her connection with Hashem—one tefillah, one step, one breath at a time.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

 Gila Hammer was a bright light who drew everyone in with her warmth and kindness. When she died from suicide at just 18 years old, her father, Rabbi Shalom Hammer, founded Gila’s Way — a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention and education. As Rabbi Hammer says, “The only way I know to confront death is by helping to save lives.”

In this moving episode, Rabbi Hammer shares his story — from the tragedy that changed his life to his work supporting traumatized IDF soldiers — and how he channels his pain into purpose through Gila’s Way, bringing awareness, hope, and healing to others.

To find out more about Gila's Way you can visit the website at: Gilasway.com

To speak to Rabbi Hammer or to schedule a speaking tour you can email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

The morning after her baby passed away, Yaffa looked out the window and saw the sun shining. She couldn’t understand how the sun can shine when there was an empty crib in her home and baby clothes that would never be worn again.

With time and a lot of inner work, she and her husband came to a new perspective. Yaffa describes life as an optical illusion: when you focus on only one part of the picture, it can hurt unbearably. But when you pull back and the picture shifts you can see something greater at play. Instead of feeling that they “lost” their son, they came to realize that they had gained 14 precious months with him. As Yaffa says, it is better to have had him for that time than for him never to have been born.

Today, Yaffa is an LCSW who works extensively with clients on their trauma. She shares with us how trauma affects the body and mind—and how recognizing when you’re “stuck” can be the first step toward healing. With the right communication skills and openness to accept help or support from organizations, people can move forward in ways they never imagined.

Yaffa misses her baby, who would be around 22 years old today. She feels the pain at times, but she doesn’t allow herself to stay stuck there. Instead, she chooses to look for faith and continue forward, finding the light in life even through loss.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us!

Devorah was just five years old when she finally became a big sister. She adored her tiny newborn sibling, swaddled in pink, and stepped naturally into the role of the best big sister.

At first, Devorah didn’t think it was unusual that her house was filled with nurses and therapists coming and going. To her, that was simply what a newborn needed. But as she grew older and noticed her friends’ relationships with their sisters, she realized that her own little sister, Chanie, was different. The things her friends did with their siblings were things she would never be able to do with Chanie—because Chanie was born with special needs.

Still, Devorah's love never dimmed. She cared for Chanie, played with her, and shared her life with her. Their bond was unshakable. When Chanie was sick and in the hospital, Devorah spent as much time by her side as she could. Chanie would call, “Devorah, when are you coming?” And Devorah always came.

Although their parents were equally dedicated, the sisterly connection between Devorah and Chanie was uniquely powerful. And when Chanie was niftar, Devorah was devastated. They may never have done the same things as other sisters, but their fierce love was beyond comparison.

Today, Devorah’s home still holds Chanie’s presence. Pictures of her sister hang on the fridge. And when Devorah lifts her baby daughter—named Chanie—she whispers, “You are named after this special sister of mine. You share her name. You have a glorious namesake.”

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA

Questions or feedback? Email me at: [email protected]