Meaningful People

Nachi Gordon hosts a live panel on sexual abuse in the frum community, recorded at an event presented by Ray of Hope and Amudim right before Rosh Hashanah. He's joined by Amudim founder Zvi Gluck, Amudim's Director of Education Avi Landa, Amudim Clinical Director Dr. Miriam Lankry, and Ray of Hope founder Zelda Brody, who opens the evening by sharing her own story of abuse and the years of silent suffering that led her to build Ray of Hope. Using live audience polling throughout the night, the panel works through how well the community actually handles abuse, how young the conversation about bodies and boundaries with kids should start, and what to say and what never to say when someone discloses to you. From there the conversation moves into harder territory: which warning signs actually mean something, why going to a rav first is often not the full answer, when police need to be the first call, and how survivors navigate marriage, dating, and family relationships with relatives who still stay close to their abuser. Zvi, Avi, Miriam, and Zelda spend real time on why so many people still stay silent out of shame, push back hard on the idea that abusers often get more communal support than their victims, and close out the night on what they'd want every survivor in the room, and everyone listening at home, to walk away knowing.

This week, Nachi Gordon sits down with Charlie Harari for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually means to love someone, honor your parents, and do teshuva. Charlie unpacks how modern therapy culture has replaced the role of a rebbe for a lot of people, and argues that real love isn't validation, it's pointing someone toward Hashem even when that's uncomfortable to hear. From there the conversation moves through honoring parents even when the relationship is hard, why teshuva is really about identity rather than behavior, and why tragedy seems to shake people awake to Hashem faster than blessing does. Charlie also talks about Kelil, the app and upcoming book he co-wrote to help people work through jealousy, honoring parents, and other areas of avodas Hashem that are hard to figure out on your own. This episode is sponsored by: ► PZ Deals Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app. https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful _________________ ► Values Over Valuables A campaign encouraging people to live a value based life instead of buying whatever they can afford. Watch the video and take the pledge. https://valuesovervaluables.org _________________ ► Bench American-style food, treats, and gifts from vendors across Jerusalem, delivered straight to your kid in Israel. A taste of home when you can't be there yourself. https://benchjlm.com _________________ ► Ness Vacation Homes Eden Gardens' largest luxury home collection. Handpicked, high end homes available exclusively through Ness. https://nessvacationhomes.com/ _________________ ► Rothenberg Law Firm Personal Injury Law Firm for 50+ years! Reach out today for a free case evaluation. https://shorturl.at/JFKHH _________________ ► Town Appliance Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp. https://www.townappliance.com https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp

As we mark 25 years since September 11, we're revisiting Ari Schonbrun's extraordinary story of survival. Ari worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower. A series of seemingly ordinary delays left him running late that morning, placing him on the 78th floor when the first plane struck. Thrown to the ground by the impact and surrounded by smoke, fire, and chaos, Ari began searching for a way out. That search brought him to Virginia, a severely burned coworker who begged him not to leave her. Ari made her a promise and helped her down dozens of flights of stairs, refusing to abandon her even as they fought to escape with their lives. In this deeply moving conversation, Ari recounts the decisions, strangers, and extraordinary moments of Divine Providence that led them out of the tower, and how surviving September 11 forever changed his faith, his priorities, and the way he understands why he was spared. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:04 Not Taught in School 4:50 A Beautiful Tuesday Morning 11:25 First Plane Hits 14:08 A Woman Screaming for Help 17:03 Finding a Way Out 19:04 A Phone Call in the Stairwell 21:36 Is There a Paramedic in the Building? 25:32 Finds Out it's a Terrorist Attack 29:20 Breaking Down in His Brother's Arms 32:38 Go Hug the People You Love 34:40 Twenty People, A Hundred Messages 35:45 Daddy's Got to Work 38:00 One Mitzvah at a Time 43:33 Only Four Survived 47:20 The Smoky Taste the Next Morning 50:44 Find Your Mission 57:33 Can You Come In at 11? 59:30 Cantor Fitzgerald's Promise 1:01:19 Whispers and Bricks

This week, Nachi Gordon sits down with Yudi and Chumi Herzberg to talk about the life, story, and legacy of their daughter Charlotte, who passed away in a car accident on June 2. Yudi and Chumi walk through what made Charlotte so uniquely herself, the note she left her mother the night before the accident, and how they found out and told the rest of their kids. They also talk candidly about the ups and downs since then, including recognizing the driver as a close family friend, and how they came to see the tragedy as coming entirely from Hashem rather than from any person to blame. The conversation turns toward Shalom for Charlotte, the movement Yudi and Chumi built out of the accident, aimed at inspiring people to make peace in their own relationships. They share some of the thousands of stories that have poured in since Charlotte passed, from decades long feuds ending to siblings reconnecting, and talk about what it has meant to watch their daughter's legacy grow into something so much bigger than themselves. This episode is sponsored by: ► PZ Deals Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app. https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp _____________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful _____________________ ► Aura House A sleek, flame free cold air diffuser that fills your home with a five star hotel scent, with no parabens or phthalates. A perfect wedding gift. Use code MEANINGFUL15 for 15% off. https://aurahouse.com _____________________ ► Values Over Valuables A campaign encouraging people to live a value based life instead of buying whatever they can afford. Watch the video and take the pledge. https://valuesovervaluables.org _____________________ ► Voice 37 by Isaac Honig An all natural vocal booster made with organic herbs that lasts 12 to 24 hours, made for singers and especially for chazzanim heading into the Yomim Noraim. Available on Amazon. https://clyor.com/voice37 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N26UG0V/ _____________________ ► Ness Vacation Homes Eden Gardens' largest luxury home collection. Handpicked, high end homes available exclusively through Ness. https://nessvacationhomes.com/ _____________________ ► Rothenberg Law Firm Personal Injury Law Firm for 50+ years! Reach out today for a free case evaluation. https://shorturl.at/JFKHH _____________________ ► Town Appliance Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp. https://www.townappliance.com https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:48 Charlotte's Personality and Big Feelings 8:55 The Note Charlotte Left the Night Before the Accident 15:49 Reliving June 2: How the Accident Unfolded 19:27 Yudi's Hope at the Scene and the Ride to the Hospital 23:19 Telling Their Other Children What Happened 25:27 Hatzalah, Neighbors, and the Community's Response 29:20 Recognizing the Driver as a Close Family Friend 33:18 Being on the Same Page as a Couple 35:09 Grief During and After Shiva 44:46 Seeing Hashem Clearly Through the Tragedy 47:46 Why They Chose the Name Shalom for Charlotte 52:18 Adjusting to Life After Shiva Ended 1:00:18 Turning Their Story Into Chizuk for Others 1:04:57 Rabbi Robino Eisenberger's Message on a Predestined Life 1:13:35 Stories of Shalom Pouring In From Around the World 1:20:29 The Goal of 100,000 Acts of Shalom 1:25:02 Visiting Charlotte's Grave 1:27:03 Preparing for a Simcha and Living Life Fully Today

This week, Nachi Gordon sits down with philanthropists Yossi Hoch and Simcha Shain to talk about the world of tzedakah, from the pressure donors carry to the changing psychology of giving. They open up about what has shifted since their parents' generation, how technology and platforms like Charidy have reshaped fundraising, and why some of the most established organizations now struggle to compete with flashier, newer causes. Along the way they share candid stories about donors who quietly write six figure checks and others who give up their Shabbos soda money, and why both matter equally. The conversation turns personal as Yossi and Simcha discuss the hidden shame that comes with losing the ability to give, the toll of unfulfilled pledges, and what it really means to give with a full heart rather than a full wallet. They also dig into Shuvu, the organization educating thousands of children across Israel, including former hostage Bar Kuperstein, and share the story of how each of them first got involved. It's a wide ranging, honest look at what tzedakah costs, what it gives back, and why every dollar, no matter the size, counts. Help Shuvu grow This episode is sponsored by: ► PZ Deals Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app. https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful _________________ ► Amudim - What Comes Next, Live in New York Join Nachi Gordon moderating a powerful panel on healing from abuse, crime, and trauma. Free event, limited seating. https://amudim.org/next _________________ ► Shopify Guru Store looks great but not selling the way it should? Shopify Guru's Daniel gets under the hood and makes it actually work, no developer needed every time you want to make a change. Call 732-534-1404 or go to shopifyguru.io. https://go.jcn.io/sgmp _________________ ► Ness Vacation Homes EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness. https://nessvacationhomes.com/ _________________ ► Rothenberg Law Firm Personal Injury Law Firm For 50+ years! Reach out today for a free case evaluation. https://shorturl.at/JFKHH _________________ ► Town Appliance Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp. https://www.townappliance.com https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp Timestamps: 0:00 Intro: The $7 Postdated Check That Changed a Life 2:09 Meet Yosi Hach and Simcha Shain 3:38 A Billion Dollars a Year in Tzedakah 5:03 How Communal Wealth Has Changed 6:04 Technology's Impact on Fundraising 8:27 The Rise of Charidy and Online Giving 12:12 Donor Psychology: Has Giving Gotten Too Easy? 14:19 The Shrinking Value of $100 18:01 Can a Family of Five Live on $300K? 20:00 Tuition, Tax Credits, and Housing Costs 23:51 Advice for a 22 Year Old Starting Out 26:13 Investing in Yourself 29:35 Fundraising War Stories and the Hidden Stress on Donors 36:52 A Personal Story of Loss and Gratitude 39:17 Chesed, Unfulfilled Pledges, and Giving with a Full Heart 49:20 The Origins and Growth of Shuvu 55:19 Shuvu's Alumni, the War, and How Simcha Shain Got Involved 1:04:19 Mike Tress, Parting Advice, and Vetting a Charity