The Jewish Experience

People often refer to Jeffrey Gurian as a “Renaissance Man”, because he’s involved in so many things. He’s a doctor, lecturer, and motivational speaker, but he’s also a comedy writer, performer, director, author, producer, and radio personality, and not always in that order. In this episode, Dr. Gurian shares with Rabbi Wildes how he was able to write multiple books while in the hospital with Covid, how he was able to cure his stutter, the biggest impediment to happiness in people’s lives, his experience working with the biggest comics in the world, the real reason Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, the healing power of meditation and positive thought, and much more. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

There are very few people as informed as Dr. Yishayhu on Israeli geopolitics and he has extensive experience in the field, including time spent as an advisor at the highest levels of the Israeli government. In this episode, Dr. Yishayahu explains Israel's precarious position in regards to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, how the instability in eastern Europe may actually benefit Israel in their conflict with Iran, whether the West should institute a no-fly-zone in Ukraine, and more. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

This week, Rabbi Wildes sits down with social media superstar Lizzy Savetsky. Lizzy spreads positive messages surrounding the topics of Israel advocacy, matchmaking, women's empowerment and more to her nearly 200,000 Instagram followers. Lizzy shares how she balances her social media presence with her everyday life, which Instagram comments irritate her the most, why she enjoys matchmaking, her message to empower young women, and more. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

2 of the 3 million refugees created by the Russian invasion into Ukraine have fled to Poland. Rabbi Mark Wildes speaks with the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich on how the Polish Jewish community is responding to the crisis. "For hundreds of years, Jews have fled out of Poland, but now Jews are fleeing to Poland." Donate here: https://fjc.org/news/crisis-in-ukraine/ Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

Rabbi Mark Wildes is joined by Jacqueline Murekatete, founder of the Genocide Survivors Foundation. Jacqueline shares her harrowing story of how she survived the Rwandan Genocide, her thoughts on the current situation in Ukraine, and more. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

Imam Abdullah Antepli, a scholar in cross-religious dialogue and associate professor at Duke University, shares his transformative journey from antisemitism to understanding through Islam. He highlights the shared heritage of Islam and Judaism, advocating for dialogue to bridge community divides in America. The conversation covers the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect and education in fostering peace. Antepli also discusses the positive impact of recent interfaith initiatives, showcasing real progress in community relations.

Raised in Brooklyn, Inna Vernikov is a small business owner and a practicing lawyer. Inna grew up as one of three children in a family of Ukrainian immigrants, being taught the value of integrity and hard work by her mother, a bookkeeper, and her father, a businessman. As a business owner and attorney, Inna has overcome adversity and has always been there for the people. Supporting local schools and education, Inna has volunteered her time participating in “Career Day” for public school students, advising and inspiring classes of middle schoolers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Inna volunteered her time at the local Masbia Soup Kitchen and donated meals to law enforcement officers at the New York City Police Department’s 61st precinct in Brooklyn, as well as essential workers at Staten Island University Hospital. Faced with the persistent failure of government on local issues and local communities, Inna began getting involved in politics and government. Inna joined the campaign of former Senator David Storobin, was Special Assistant to former Assemblyman Dov Hikind, and spent her time registering voters on the street with the United Jewish Voters Alliance, while simultaneously running her business. Inna currently helps mobilize assistance to those in need throughout the 48th City Council District, and has received recognition for the results of her work. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

Sivan Rahav-Meir is a media personality and lecturer. Married to Yedidya, the mother of five. Lives in Jerusalem. Went on shlichut with her family 2019-2020, when she served as World Mizrachi's Shlicha to North America. She works for Israel TV news, writes a column for Yediot Aharonot newspaper, and hosts a weekly radio show on Galei Zahal (Army Radio). Her lectures on the weekly Torah portion are attended by hundreds and the live broadcast attracts thousands more listeners throughout the world. Sivan lectures in Israel and overseas about the media, Judaism, Zionism and new media. She was voted by Globes newspaper as most popular female media personality in Israel and by the Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

In this episode Rabbi Wildes speaks with Naomi Nachman. As cooking has always been her passion, in 2004, Naomi started her own kosher personal chef business, The Aussie Gourmet, to pursue cater weekly and Shabbat/Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities and beyond — including Alaska and Israel. Naomi is often sought after to give cooking demonstrations and produce kosher Chopped competitions throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan as well as across the country, where she shares her immense enthusiasm for food. Naomi has her own cooking show on Kosher.com called Sunny Side Up. Naomi also hosts her own weekly show, “Table for Two with Naomi Nachman” on The Nachum Segal Network – which covers all food-related topics. In addition, Naomi writes a monthly column for the Mishpacha magazine covering food trends, and is also a contributing editor to The Jewish Home newspaper distributed in Long Island, Baltimore and California writing weekly articles and recipes. Naomi has also been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, a cooking CD and a variety of newspaper articles covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. In 2017 Naomi published her debut cook Perfect For Pesach with Artscroll. Naomi published her second cookbook Perfect Flavors in November, 2018 Artscroll. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

Lori Palatnik is a writer and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio. She is the Founding Director of The Jewish Women's Renaissance Project, an international initiative that brings thousands of women to Israel each year from 18 different countries on highly subsidized programs to inspire them with the beauty and wisdom of their heritage (www.jwrp.org). She is a much sought-after international speaker, having lectured in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Central America, South America, South Africa and Israel, including featured talks at Yale, Brown and Penn. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik, and is the busy mother of five children, ages 25 to 15. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/