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Three years after October 7th, Jon, Asher, and Dave set aside the usual format to commemorate the day with personal reflections and two interviews about hope, courage, and Jewish unity.
The episode opens with the hosts sharing where they were on October 7th, 2023. Dave remembers getting the news in fragments from the security guards outside shul and deciding whether to go ahead with a scheduled community program. Jon recalls the next morning in shul, when an accidental alarm sent a room of parents and children to the floor and made the distance to Israel feel very short. Asher describes waiting for information with family in Israel, including parents who had made Aliyah only weeks earlier. Dave also reflects on a chesed mission to Israel, where he visited soldiers in hospitals and saw the unity of the Jewish people up close.
Sam Kramer is a longtime friend of the show and a former West Hempstead resident who made Aliyah and now lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh. On the night after October 7th, she helped start a WhatsApp group to share positive and hopeful stories. It grew into Israel Good News Only, now about 30,000 members across 26 WhatsApp communities, with a newsletter as well. Sam shares how the group began, why membership grows on the hardest days, her view on the media's portrayal of division in Israel, and how the work deepened her love for the Jewish people. She closes with a charge for listeners: look at what you already have to give, and use it.
Rabbi Ben Menorah made Aliyah as a child, served in the IDF, and became a campus rabbi at Binghamton University with his wife Ellie. He tells the story of October 7th on Simchat Torah weekend in Binghamton, the decision to fly to Israel, and rejoining his reserve unit on the northern border. He speaks candidly about the first nights waiting for an attack, the weight of leaving his family and community, the toll of the war on soldiers, and the loss of friends and neighbors. He also shares why he believes the answer for the future is Ahavat Yisrael, and recommends Nivut, an organization that supports lone soldiers and veterans.
The episode closes with the Question of the Week: How has October 7th changed you? Each host shares an honest answer, and we invite you to share yours.
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Chapters with Timestamps
2:17 Dave's Memories: News Through the Security Guards
13:13 Introducing the Two Interviews
14:30 Sam Kramer Joins the Conversation
15:01 How Israel Good News Only Began and Grew to 30,000 Members
19:11 A Recent Miracle in Israel and What It Reflects About the Country
25:50 The Stories Behind the Group: Miracles, Unity, and Soldiers Coming Home
39:36 Sam's Charge: Use What You Have to Give
44:32 Rabbi Ben Menorah Joins the Conversation
47:08 October 7th on Simchat Torah Weekend in Binghamton
51:59 Flying Back to Israel and Rejoining His Unit
55:08 A Community That Showed Up With Support
1:02:05 Walking to Shul Past the Homes of the Fallen
1:03:43 Reflections on the Beeper Operation
1:05:12 Looking Forward: Strengthening Ahavat Yisrael
1:08:08 Supporting Lone Soldiers and Veterans Through Nivut
1:10:40 Question of the Week: How Has October 7th Changed You?
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