There are so many Jewish personalities and big people in the world. They all have a story on how they became who they are today.
Deep, unboundedly interesting, fun and uplifting, Meaningful People Podcast is a weekly opportunity for Nachi & Momo to talk to the Jewish world's meaningful people.
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Données mises à jour le 28/09/2026
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THROWBACK: The Unbelievable Story Of Rivka Shotkin
dimanche 27 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:03:14
In this special throwback episode,Nachi Gordon sits down with Rivka Shotkin, a 16 year old from Passaic and the youngest guest in Meaningful People history. On January 31, 2021, a family ski trip in Tannersville ended when Rivka missed a turn on her last run of the day and went straight into a tree, breaking 11 bones, puncturing both lungs, and severing her spinal cord. She walks us through waking up in the ICU nine days later, three months of rehab during COVID without being able to see her family, and landing back in the hospital with septic shock just five days after finally coming home.
What makes this one special is how Rivka talks about all of it. She opens up about how unhappy she was before the accident, the strange sense of peace she felt that weekend, why she now calls her injury a gift, and what she wants the community to understand about treating people in wheelchairs. It's funny, honest, and genuinely inspiring.
This episode is sponsored by:
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4:02 Welcome to the Studio and Growing Up in Passaic
7:23 The Ski Trip to Tannersville That Changed Everything
10:10 Airlifted to Albany and Waking Up Nine Days Later
13:20 Learning Rivka Was Paralyzed and Eli Portell's Advice
15:49 Anger, Dark Humor, and Taking It in Stride
18:04 Three Months of Rehab During COVID
22:07 Punishment, Test, or Gift?
23:33 Coming Home, a Wedding Cake, and Septic Shock
27:29 How to Accept What You Never Signed Up For
29:45 Unhappy Before the Accident and a Strange Premonition
31:57 Choosing Happiness and Strength From Rivka's Parents
34:59 Brain Surgeon Dreams and How to Treat People in Wheelchairs
38:20 Emunah, Hashgacha, and Not Being Afraid of the Pain
42:36 Rivka's Second Rosh Hashanah
46:17 Camp Simcha and Rivka's Support System
49:06 Poetry, Dreams, and Determination
LIVE PANEL: The Conversation About Abuse We Can't Avoid
samedi 19 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:24:45
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.
Charlie Harary on Toxic Parents, Estrangement & Teshuva
dimanche 13 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:19:31
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:
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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
Yudi & Chumi Herzberg: The Story of Charlotte
samedi 5 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:46:00
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:
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Inside the Billion-Dollar World of Jewish Charity | Yossi Hoch & Simcha Shain
samedi 29 août 2026 • Durée 01:10:24
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.
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R' Benjamin Goldschmidt: The Crazy Story Behind a $35 Million Shul
samedi 22 août 2026 • Durée 01:25:33
Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt grew up in Moscow as the son of the city's chief rabbi, trained in Bnei Brak and Ponovezh, and spent a decade as assistant rabbi at Manhattan's Park East Synagogue — until he was abruptly and very publicly fired. In this raw conversation with Nachi Gordon, he opens up for the first time about that moment: the New York Post headline, the car crash he got into reading about himself, and the isolation of losing not just a job but an entire community.
Out of that low point came Altneu, the congregation he and his wife built from nothing — starting with 40 people in their living room, then two and a half years of renting a different Manhattan venue every single week, never knowing until Thursday's email where Shabbos would be. Rabbi Goldschmidt walks through how that instability became the shul's strength, the breaking point that nearly ended the project, his father's advice that turned it around, and how it all led to buying a $35 million building on the Upper East Side. He also gets into what it's like leading a congregation through today's political climate in New York, and the loss of a beloved member that shook the whole community.
This episode is sponsored by:
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The Husband Coach: Why Your Wife May Resent You
samedi 15 août 2026 • Durée 01:14:31
Josh Livingstone is a husband coach who works almost exclusively with men, and in this episode he explains why so many well-intentioned husbands still leave their wives feeling unheard. He and Nachi unpack what he calls the real root of most marital friction: it's not a lack of communication, it's a failure to translate. Josh walks through the "headache test," the reason a wife asks her husband to do something 50 times, and why a woman getting controlling in a marriage is often a symptom of not feeling safe rather than a desire for power. He also explains why "I'm sorry you feel that way" is one of the worst things a husband can say, and lays out the right way to apologize: full ownership first, discussion second.
Josh shares stories straight from his coaching practice, including a wealthy client who was convinced a two-week trip to the French Riviera would fix his marriage, only to learn his wife just wanted a ten-minute walk around the block with him at night. He breaks down his four-step CORE method for turning insight into real change at home, and gets into why so many husbands were never actually taught how to show up for their wives in the first place. It's a candid, practical conversation about masculinity, leadership, and what it actually takes to make a marriage work.
The Husband Coach Website
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Download my free guide "8 Steps to Connect" for husbands.
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Food Addiction, Obesity & the Lies We Tell Ourselves | Mendel Krashunsky
samedi 8 août 2026 • Durée 58:59
Mendel Krashunsky is the founder of the Frum Health Club, a worldwide movement pushing Yidden to finally take their health seriously. He opens up about losing his father, an oligarch who lived a life of total luxury, to a preventable illness at just 38 years old, and how the grief sent Mendel into his own spiral of emotional eating that left him 70 pounds overweight and battling GERD before he'd even turned 20.
From there, Mendel and Nachi dig into why health gets treated as optional in frum life, even though it's a mitzvah straight from the Torah, covering ultra-processed food, GLP-1s like Ozempic, how to talk to kids about it, and the viral 10,000-steps-a-day challenge that's grown into a global movement with tens of thousands of followers. It's a raw, practical conversation about food, faith, and why taking care of your body isn't a contradiction to Yiddishkeit, it's part of it.
Join the Frum Health Club 30-Day Step Challenge!
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Claire Zeitler: The Orthodox Jewish Woman Who Discovered Her Father Was a Arab Prince
samedi 1 août 2026 • Durée 01:17:05
Claire Blumenthal Zeitler was adopted into an Orthodox Jewish family as a baby — until, a year after her wedding, her biological mother tracked her down and revealed something nobody could have prepared her for: her biological father is part of the deposed royal family of Bahrain. In this deep dive with Nachi Gordon, Claire walks through the whirlwind of discovering she's half-Arab, the isolation of hiding it from her Chassidish community, and the identity crisis that followed — a woman raised frum and Ashkenazi who suddenly had to reckon with being 50% something she'd always been taught to fear.
What follows is a wild journey: years spent chasing that other half of herself through the Old City, a Palestinian university, and life in Egypt and Dubai — dating across cultures and even studying as the first identified Jew at a Palestinian school. Then came October 7th, a devastating gut-check that forced her to confront who she really is, and the slow, incremental return to Shabbos, to her family, and ultimately to Israel. It's a raw, unbelievable story about identity, belonging, and finding your way home — literally and spiritually.
This episode is sponsored by:
► PZ Deals
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_________________
► Colel Chabad Pushka App
The easiest way to give Tzedaka
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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
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► 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
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► Rothenberg Law Firm
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https://shorturl.at/JFKHH
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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
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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.
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EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness.
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro: A Shul With No Address
2:57 Growing Up in Moscow as the Chief Rabbi's Son
8:47 Sent to Bnei Brak and Ponovezh at Twelve
11:40 Choosing the Rabbinate and the Lakewood "Freezer" Years
18:28 Becoming a Rabbi at Park East at Twenty-Four
23:52 A Decade as Assistant Rabbi at Park East
26:52 Getting Fired: The Sudden, Public Fallout
33:47 Losing a Job, Losing a Community
36:19 His Father's Parallel Story and the Birth of Altneu
44:20 Building a Shul on Wheels Across Manhattan
54:48 The Breaking Point and His Father's Advice
59:05 Buying a $35 Million Building on the Upper East Side
1:01:28 Building Altneu's Identity and Culture
1:10:01 From the Pulpit to Politics: Life in Manhattan Today
1:17:50 Confronting Antisemitism and What Makes a Movement Survive
1:22:00 Remembering Wesley
1:24:37 Closing
The Husband Coach WhatsApp Status
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Follow The Husband Coach on YouTube
https://www.YouTube.com/@TheHusbandCoachOfficia
This episode is sponsored by:
► PZ Deals
Download the app and never pay full price again!
https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp
_________________
► Colel Chabad Pushka App
The easiest way to give Tzedaka
https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful
_________________
► 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/Townappl
_________________
► Colel Chabad Pushka App
The easiest way to give Tzedaka
https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful
_________________
► KTYT – Win $1,000,000 for Your Shul
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► 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.
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► Ness Vacation Homes
EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness.
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► El Al
From the Hebrew announcements to the Israeli atmosphere onboard, flying EL AL feels like Israel before you even land. With nonstop flights to Israel and Jewish comfort from takeoff to landing, there's nothing like hearing: ברוכים הבאים לישראל. Book your next flight with EL AL:
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Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp.
https://www.townappliance.com
https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp
_________________
► KTYT – Win $1,000,000 for Your Shul
Take on a Kabbalah to stay quiet during a specific part of davening, and you're entered to win $1,000,000 for the shul, yeshiva, mikvah, or Torah project of your choice. Head to KTYT.org, make your Kabbalah, and pick which part of davening you're committing to.
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EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness.
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► El Al
From the Hebrew announcements to the Israeli atmosphere onboard, flying EL AL feels like Israel before you even land. With nonstop flights to Israel and Jewish comfort from takeoff to landing, there's nothing like hearing: ברוכים הבאים לישראל. Book your next flight with EL AL:
