Return Again

Now, I know that I’ve always interviewed people who have been in Israel long enough to have perspective, but Michoel Weichbrod’s perspective is so clear, so direct and so focused on Torah that he brings with him many, many centuries of perspective on living in Israel, even though he’s only been here for a few years.

I met with him recently in his Ramat Bet Shemesh home, and we talked about his story, as well as the larger issue of Aliyah among the Haredi community in the US.

Here’s Michoel Weichbrod, returning again.

Rabbi Elan Adler is a formerly American rabbi with a fantastic sense of humor, a wonderful story and an inspiring career renewal since making the big move.

Rabbi Adler was a successful community rabbi in Baltimore, but eventually, the strong feelings his wife Rivka had for so many years hit him like a ton of bricks, and he knew that Israel was the place for him to continue his family’s life.

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki told me that he’s been clear on Israel as his destiny for as long as he can remember. So why is it that he came to Israel as a kid, and went back to Canada, and then, when his parents made Aliyah, he decided to stay back in Canada? And why did he make aliyah, only to leave again to spend 5 years in the US?

Well, it’s an incredible story of his commitment to life in Israel – and to the Jewish nation – that led to all those things happening, and I was pleased to sit with Rav Pesach recently to hear all about it.

Lenny Solomon grew up "a modern Orthodox Jew from Queens," and eventually became a Jewish music sensation, playing for audiences around the globe. He's the only Jewish performer to ever play all 50 US states.

So what would make him move to Israel?

Find out more from Lenny himself.

I met Danny Bibbins on a recent vacation I took, and when I heard his story, I just had to figure out a way to have him share it with you, even though it required a 2-plus hour trip up to Kibbutz Tirat Zvi up in the north. It was a ride well-spent. And his story IS great, but it was his perspective on life that truly inspired me.  

Danny Hain grew up in a small town in Virginia – Danville, and was a member of one of the only religiously-observant families in that tiny community. His life eventually took him to medical school, and he became quite a successful physician. All seemed to be going well, and he and his wife decided to move their life to Israel, so they could raise their children in the Land promised to our forefathers and foremothers. Well, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed at the time, and the family endured a serious challenge before finally turning the corner and proceeding with their plan.

Lots of wisdom in this episode from Danny, and wait until you hear what he has to say during the rapid-fire questions.

Stuart Schnee grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, went to college at Rutgers and seemingly, was living a fairly straight-forward American life. But a couple of childhood trips to Israel, as well as a few "moments" changed his perspective, and his life, forever.

This episode also includes a short monologue by Goel about the current situation in Israel.

Football, Israel and Torah!? Are you kidding me?! When I heard about today’s guest, Chaim Cohen – coach of the Judean Rebels Israeli football team, I just had to meet him and speak with him about his Aliyah! 

And that’s just what happened. I visited him in his Ramat Bet Shemesh home, where we talked about his story, about football, about how a kid who chose his college in part so that he could get AWAY from Jewish people wound up in Israel, and about what ultimately led him home to Israel. 

What should we make of Olim who decide to spend a chunk of time outside of Israel? What are the pros and cons, and what might it do to someone's Aliyah? Ezra Jasper, who recently spent five months in the US with his wife, Or Ya, joins Goel to discuss this important topic.

Mark Tobin moved to Israel with his wife and family almost 25 years ago, after a beautiful courtship that had Israel at its center, as well as stops in Brooklyn and Boca Raton.

I had planned on interviewing Mark a few months ago, and we kept having to postpone for one reason or another. Eventually, we were all set, and yet again, I had to cancel. That was just a few days before Mark’s wife Dodi, z"l, died tragically after battling cancer.

But Mark is a strong believer in the importance of Aliyah, so when he asked me again recently, “So when are we doing the podcast?” I jumped at the opportunity. And Mark did not disappoint.

The conversation was fun, uplifting, interesting and, at times, devastating. I think we all can learn a lot from Mark’s story, and from Mark.

For this conversation, Mark sat in the same chair Dodi had sat in for her interview, as he was gracious enough to allow me into his Bet Shemesh home.

Tal Brody grew up in Trenton, New Jersey, and was a scholastic basketball star, named to the Newark Star-Ledger All-state team as a senior, before choosing The University of Illinois as his college of choice. He want on to star for the basketball team there as well, and was eventually drafted by the then-Baltimore Bullets of the NBA in 1965. He was headed for a pro basketball career in the world’s best league.

Instead, he decided to play in Israel for a year, and that began an incredible journey that is still unfolding today.

This was an amazing interview, filled with great stories, an incredible life-decision and, more than anything else, a beautiful illustration of what a positive outlook can do for a person … and for the nation of Israel.

I sat with Tal in his apartment last week, and we talked about all of these things, and lots of others. And yes, I just had to get his thoughts on today’s NBA, too, even though it has nothing to do with Aliyah.

Malkah Fleisher grew up in Sherman, Texas, in a strongly Jewish but non-observant family – the only Jewish kid in her high school.

Through various twists and turns, she finally arrived in Israel in 2003, and has been impacting the Jewish people ever since. 

I found Malkah’s story fascinating and meaningful. Not that I should be surprised. After all, she’s married to Yishai Fleisher, who I also interviewed about six months ago.

I sat with Malkah recently in her Efrat home, to listen to her story, laugh, and even shed a tear as she told me about visiting the Kotel for the first time, bringing along with her all of her ancestors. It’s a description not to be missed. 

Here’s Malkah Fleisher, Returning Again.

Stu Schrader grew up in New Jersey, but that’s not where it became clear to him that Israel was where he wanted to build his life. It was a mid-80s visit to a well-known biblical city during his post-high school year in Israel that clarified his goals.

I sat with Stu recently, and we talked about everything from terror attacks to raising kids to sukkot on a cramped balcony. Stu has some important opinions he shares and lots of food for thought for all of us.

Rav Ari Kahn grew up in Brooklyn, the son of a Rabbi who had always yearned to live in the Land, but for various reasons wasn’t able to make his dream a reality. But for Rav Ari, who’s been in Israel since 1984, growing up in that household gave him clarity about making Aliyah someday, and when he and his wife got married, they both knew where they would build their life.  Of course, there was still the need to figure out what that life would be, and that’s what Rav Ari and I discussed when I sat down with him last week in his Givat Zeev home. 

Be sure to stick around for the rapid-fire questions, which evolved into a pretty serious discussion about the future of the Israeli nation.

Oh, and did Rav Ari's parents ever get to Israel? Listen and you'll find out for yourself...

Ezra Jasper, who just completed his IDF service, joins Goel to talk about the highs and lows, and challenging experiences - of serving his country as a soldier and officer in the IDF.

Dave Silverman grew up in Boston – a Jewish “Townie” in an Irish Catholic neighborhood.  One of just six Jews in his high school, Israel was the farthest thing from his mind as he played football, had fun with his friends and did the usual American thing. Then, he got sucker-punched at the end of 12th grade, and everything changed, even though he didn’t quite realize it at the time.   

I recently visited Dave – who’s now been in Israel for almost 50 years – in his home, where I navigated his wonderfully-confusing Boston accent and listened as he walked me through his incredible story. 

That accent is no joke, so you may need to concentrate extra hard for this episode, but it’s well worth it.

Myrna Bennett and her husband Jim, zichrono livracha, grew up in San Francisco, and when they decided to make a stop in Israel on their way to spending some time in Europe, the Land made a greater impact on them than they had expected. Fast-forward some 55 years later, and Myrna Bennett finds herself part of a wonderful Haifa community, with three sons, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all of whom live in Israel. 

Oh, and one of those three sons is Israel’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett.

Myrna was gracious enough to allow my wife and me into her home, where she truly opened up to us, talking about her story, showing us family photos and an AMAZING diary her father kept, and we were even there for a surprise phone call from Naftali. Well, it was a surprise to us. Myrna wasn’t surprised at all … Israel's prime minister calls his mother everyday to say he loves her. And apparently, she loves him more, at least according to Myrna.

One extra note: Myrna's husband Jim passed away in 2015, but it was crystal-clear during the interview that he was an absolute equal partner in the Bennetts' amazing story, and that he lives on in so many ways. I wish I could have met him. - Goel

00:00 - Intro
06:32 - Meeting Jim and Visiting Israel
15:31 - Kibbutz Life
25:19 - Setting Up Shop in Haifa
35:00 - Montreal and Embracing Torah
44:41 - Back to Israel
54:35 - Naftali Calls During the Conversation
1:05:02 - My Son, The Prime Minister
1:16:23 - Rapid-fire Questions

Rav Judah Mischel grew up in Monsey, NY, the child of parents who were pushing Aliyah for as far back as he can remember. But talking Aliyah and making Aliyah are two separate things. And it took some important circumstances and experiences until Judah was able to make the big move.

This conversation was a lot of fun, and we got into some pretty interesting discussions about the differences among generations, the words we use to describe things and understand things, and what it meant to end the exile for the Mischel family.

Rav Simcha Hochbaum grew up on Staten Island, in New York. Beginning in the second grade, when he heard about Avraham’s Aliyah in parashat Lech Lecha, he became focused on the idea of returning to the Land of Israel. He and his wife Leah were able to make that happen in 1995, moving to the Hevron, the city of our forefathers and mothers. Parents of six wonderful children, they still live in Hevron, and that’s where I sat with him recently to Return Again to his Aliyah story.

This is part two of a conversation with Eric Esses, originally from Houston and now from Neve Daniel.

01:00 - Finding a Community ... Finding a Home
16:42 - Career and a Life Mission
33:52 - Raising Children in Israel
48:52 - Rapid-fire Questions

Part One of a Two-Part Episode

Eric Esses grew up in Houston, Texas, in a Conservative Jewish family. When his older brother returned from a Federation-sponsored summer trip to Israel and had rave reviews, Eric knew he'd be following in his brother's footsteps two years later. What Eric didn't know was that his summer tour would mark the beginning of a fascinating, exciting and fulfilling journey for him, eventually leading to his decision to make Aliyah. 

00:00 - Introduction
05:17 - A Life-Altering Teen Trip to Israel
11:31 - Junior Year of College at Hebrew U.
22:08 - The Impact of that Junior Year in Israel
31:55 - Return to University of Texas, but Focused on Israel
43:18 - Working for the AZYF (American Zionist Youth Foundation)
55:01 - Moving to Israel
1:08:41 - Finding His Eshet Chayil

Ari Greenspan grew up the son of a US Army rabbi, and he was sure he’d follow in his father’s footsteps and become a rabbi himself. But when he was standing outside the old Jerusalem train station, he quite literally had an epiphany, and that moment in time set his life on a completely different path, a path that led him to Israel and that has impacted Jews all around the world in many significant ways.

Ari is known to some as one half of the “Ari and Ari” team that travels to far-flung Jewish destinations in search of historical nuggets. But he’s also a member of the founding team at Ptil Tekhelet, the organization that reintroduced the mitzva of tekhelet to the Jewish world after it was lost for 1300 years. Just before Rosh Hashana, I sat with Ari in his Efrat home to Return Again to his Aliyah story.

00:00 - Introduction
03:44 - Ari's Paradigm Shift
10:56 - Making Plans
18:16 - Putting Down Roots
24:47 - Can Being a Dentist Make Ends Meet?
33:16 - Children and Family
44:33 - Living Jewish History
54:41 - Discovering the Jewish World
1:06:36 - Rapid-fire Questions

Rabbi Ken Spiro grew up a Reform Jew in New Rochelle, New York. As you’ll hear, his Jewish life in childhood consisted of little more than Hebrew school, Passover Seders and Chanuka presents. At the end of high school, something interesting began to happen. So here we are, decades later, and Rabbi Ken Spiro has not only been living in Israel for close to 40 years, but he’s impacted the lives of Jewish people all around the world through his important work with Aish HaTorah. 

Also a tour guide – and a podcaster himself - Rav Ken is a proverbial wellspring of information about Jewish and world history, and what it all means for the Jewish people today. I had the opportunity to sit with him recently in his Old City apartment in Jerusalem to Return Again to his Aliyah story.

00:00 - Intro
02:38 - Where It All Began
08:46 - Childhood With Little Jewishness
13:16 - Arrival in Israel
21:11 - Army and Becoming Israeli
28:29 - Evolving Hashkafa
37:37 - Raising Children
56:30 - The Challenge of the Hareidi World
1:04:51 - Israel ... A Work in Progress
1:12:20 - Rapid-fire Questions

Dennis Mitzner is a fascinating guy. Originally from Finland, he’s been involved with Israel and Israel-related issues since he was a teenager in Helsinki.

He started spending time in Israel when he worked on a kibbutz – wait until you hear what his job was! – at 19, and then came back here in 2007 to work on his master’s degree at Tel Aviv University. He made Aliyah for good in 2011.

Dennis and his wife have two children, 4 and 2, and they live in Tel Aviv. That’s where I sat with him this week to Return Again to his Aliyah story.

00:00 - Intro
04:14 - Finnish Jewry
12:19 - Growing Up in Finland
20:30 - Why Aliyah?
28:21 - Life on a Kibbutz
34:50 - Entering and Leaving the Academia Bubble
44:33 - Finding His Groove ... And His Wife
1:05:26 - Kids and Languages at Home
1:13:29 - What COVID Has Done
1:25:00 - Rapid-fire Questions

Leah Aharoni is founder of the Arev Leadership Institute. She’s also a successful and impactful business consultant for woman-owned and women-focused companies. She and her husband, Goel – YES, GOEL – have seven children, from 5 years of age to 25.

Leah grew up in the former Soviet Union until she was 13 (apologies for saying in the pod itself that Leah left Russia at 11), and then moved to the US – Riverdale, NY, specifically, before an amazing turn of events brought on by her boundless curiosity led her to make Aliyah in 1993. Today, Leah, Goel and their family live in the Binyamin town of Kochav Yaakov, and that’s where I sat with her recently to Return Again to her Aliyah story.

00:00 - Intro
02:18 - From Russia to Riverdale
08:30 - Israel Becomes a Goal
16:06 - Leah Meets Her Future Husband - By Chance?
23:12 - Simultaneous Community and Career Journeys
31:37 - The Power of the Jewish Soul
40:06 - The Beautiful Voice Inside Each of Us
45:38 - Israeli (Yemenite!) and American Cultures - Do They Clash In the Home?
52:37 - Rapid-fire Questions

Menachem Herman is a giant in Jewish music. 

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he grew up in a musical family – presumably with his guitar nearby at all times. Menachem made Aliyah in 1980, landing at the Diaspora Yeshiva, where he began to play with the Diaspora Yeshiva Band. Songs we all know – and maybe even assumed came from much further back than the 70s and 80s – such as Ivdu Et Hashem B’Simcha, Malchutcha and Hu Yiftach – were Menachem’s world – in addition to learning Torah at the Yeshiva. 

From there, he simply grew to become one of the leading sounds in Chassidic rock music. Throughout the 80s, 90s, 2000s and all the way up to today, Menachem has played all over the world for Jews looking for music that touches the heart and soul. 

Today, Menachem continues to compose and play his music. Menachem and his wife live in Mitzpe Yericho, a gorgeous community on the edge of the Judean hills overlooking the Judean Desert.

00:00 - Intro
02:03 - Growing Up in Winnipeg
18:28 - On the Right Path
29:33 - Culture Shock
37:04 - Discovering Breslev
47:06 - Getting Back to Music
56:16 - Education in Israel
1:07:15 - Aliyah Advice and Perspective
1:17:56 - Rapid-fire Questions

Yishai Fleisher was born in Israel, the child of Jewish Refuseniks of the Soviet Union. He grew up in the US, and returned at 17 to serve in the IDF. He then went back to the US for university, and then, finally, returned to the Land for good in 2003. 

Yishai and his wife Malka have three children and live in Efrat, a suburb near Jerusalem.

Yishai has been a radio personality, writer, educator and broadcast program director, but more than anything, Yishai Fleisher is a spokesperson for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. Today, he serves as International Spokesperson for the community of Hevron, and that’s where we sat to talk, in the Avraham Avinu Synagogue in the city of our forefathers and foremothers.

0:00 - Intro
4:14 - Childhood in Israel
12:22 - Childhood in the US
18:52 - Yeshiva, Army and Injury
31:12 - From Loneliness to Purpose
43:16 - Activism
57:33 - Life and Family
1:11:05 - Rapid-fire Questions

Avraham Hermon - 22-year Oleh, originally from Allentown, PA, joins Goel to talk about the fascinating journey that has led Hermon to living with his family in Har Bracha, manufacturing his own beer, and running marathons in costume, all for the sake of developing a stronger and stronger relationship with the Land of Israel.

0:00 - Intro and Childhood
6:00 - Arrival in Israel
13:25 - Meeting Rav Kook and Other Impactful Israelis
21:35 - Aliyah Becomes a Done Deal
31:12 - Getting Settled, in Both Life and Career
43:28 - The Decision to Build a Life in Har Bracha
50:40 - A Scary Moment When Avraham and His Wife's Lives Were on the Line
59:30 - Rapid-fire Questions

Chaim Wizman moved to Israel 25 years ago, and has led a fascinating, eclectic life since then. An attorney by training, Chaim has done the following since making Aliya:

• Lectured to students at Aish Hatorah for eight years
• Founded a running club that boasts more than 50 members of all skill levels, from several sub-3-hour marathoners to, well, me
• Opened a running and biking shop, and experienced it getting robbed
• Served as the head of sports-related fundraising for Alyn – the childrens’ rehab hospital in Jerusalem, and has more recently played a similar role in Geerz – an organization that trains children in Mountain Biking for the sake of building their confidence

Chaim and his wife Sara have six children and, more importantly, two grandchildren.

The Show Rundown:

• 0:00: Intro
• 6:07: Settling In
• 23:57: Running and Sports
• 50:05: Children and Challenges
• 64:15: Rapid-fire Questions