Content note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of recovering and identifying human remains in a wartime setting. The conversation is handled with sensitivity and spiritual depth, but may not be suitable for all audiences, particularly younger listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

Rabbi Tzvi Wohlgelernter served in the IDF's Yasar unit, tasked with recovering the bodies of hostages and fallen soldiers to ensure they receive a dignified Jewish burial. In this episode, he walks us through the extraordinary mission to recover Ron Gvili, the final hostage to return home from Gaza, and the profound Torah, emotional, and spiritual dimensions that carried him through it.

From navigating mass graves in an open cemetery on the outskirts of Gaza City, to standing alongside an Israeli pop star in the dead of night, to weeping alongside his fellow soldiers when the last piece of the puzzle finally fell into place, Rabbi Tzvi shares a story of sacrifice, faith, and what it means to feel truly part of the Jewish people.

He also speaks openly about mental health, rabbinic leadership during wartime, and the Rav Kook that suddenly came alive when he experienced Klal Yisrael in his bones.

The Yasar Unit: What They Do and Why It Matters

The Mission to Recover Ron Gvili

The Moment of Discovery

A Tale of Two Dentists: From Auschwitz to Gaza

Leading a Community While Living a Secret

Mental Health in a Time of War

Rav Kook's Kol Dodi and Feeling Klal Yisrael

Guest: Uri Lorkis, JLIC Director at University of Michigan & Startup Coach

What does coaching Israeli startup founders have in common with guiding college students through their spiritual journey? Uri Lorkis discovered the answer isn't just similar, it's transformative.

Uri shares his unconventional path from IDF paratrooper to JLIC director, and reveals why the biggest challenge facing both his students and his startup clients is exactly the same: how to be effective instead of affected. He introduces his powerful "lifeboat to real boat" framework for spiritual growth and explains why closing the sefer is when the real learning begins.

The Lifeboat Metaphor

Being Effective vs. Affected

When the Sefer Closes, Learning Begins

JLIC Yale co-director Rabbi Dr. Alex Ozar joins Rabbi Don Cantor to talk through a question that comes up constantly on college campuses: How do you actually guide students who genuinely care about Shabbat but also really want to be part of their college community?

Alex isn't interested in just saying "don't go" and leaving it at that. He walks through the sources, from the Shulchan Aruch on weekday speech to debates about studying secular subjects on Shabbat, to show that halacha itself grapples with the messiness of being human. The real question isn't just "is this allowed?" It's: When you know students are going to go anyway, what's your job as their rabbi?

Alex shares his approach: Be clear about what you actually think is best. But then help students think seriously about what they're doing and why. Push them to ask whether they're really experiencing oneg Shabbat or just giving in to FOMO. And maybe, just maybe, that kind of honest wrestling with the question becomes the path to real growth.

This conversation goes way beyond football. It's about how we meet people where they are while still holding up ideals worth striving for.

Key Topics:

In this episode of the Torah JLIC Podcast, hosts Don and Alex sit down with Tal Attia, JLIC's Chief Operating Officer, to explore what goes into building JLIC's exceptional staff of campus directors across North America and Israel.

The Journey to JLIC Leadership

What Makes a Great JLIC Director

The Recruitment Philosophy

Retention and Growth

Core Values

"If you think you're gonna get up and give a drash every Friday night, you're sorely mistaken... No matter how amazing your shiur or event might be, you're going to be creating a 10 times bigger impact if you empower a student to create that shiur or that event."

"We throw you in the deep end. Next thing you know, you are the directors and the rabbinic leaders of a campus community. It could be as many as 600 students who are looking to you for your leadership."

In this episode, Rabbi Alex Ozar (JLIC Yale) and Rabbi Don Cantor (Richmond Jewish Learning Experience, formerly JLIC Johns Hopkins) continue their exploration of Jewish consolation during times of national tragedy. Drawing from the seven Haftarot of consolation and provocative midrashim, they unpack what it means for a broken people to seek comfort and why human messengers aren't enough.

The Failure of Prophets as Comforters

Practical Application for Today

Don and Alex explore the concept of consolation (nechamah) during difficult times, examining what true comfort means in Judaism and how communities can provide genuine solace during periods of collective pain.

Key Insight: The Hebrew "Nachamu" means "comfort [my people]" - it's a command to provide consolation, not merely receive it. Consolation is fundamentally human work, not just divine intervention.

A dialogue from Pesikta d'Rav Kahana shows God commanding prophets to comfort the people, but the people respond they've been abandoned. The prophets report back that words alone aren't enough - divine presence is required.

A king offers his childless wife a divorce and any precious object from his palace. At their farewell party, she has him carried to her father's house while he sleeps. When he wakes confused, she explains: "You said I could take the most precious thing - there's nothing more precious to me than you."

Key Message: What matters most in relationships is presence, not words or arrangements. True consolation requires showing up in person.

In this episode, Rav Shlomo Brukirer shares his transformative journey from a young yeshiva student helping peers struggling with substance abuse to becoming a communal rabbi dedicated to serving college students. Drawing from a life-changing Talmudic teaching about praying for those who suffer, Rav Brukirer explores how ordinary work can become holy through intention and service to others.

The conversation weaves together personal stories, Talmudic wisdom, and practical insights about building inclusive Jewish communities where every person feels seen and valued.

🔹 Holiness in Everyday Work

🔹 The Power of Being Seen

🔹 Talmudic Wisdom on Leadership

In this special episode, Rabbi Don Cantor takes the microphone as guest to explore deep questions about faith, trust in God, and how these concepts apply to real-world challenges. Through textual analysis and personal reflections, Rav Don and host Rabbi Alex Ozar delve into what it truly means to have faith in God beyond simplistic notions that "everything will work out."