Stories Of Hope With Tzipora Grodko

On this week's Stories of Hope, a woman who spent years being told by shadchanim she didn't fit the mold sits down with a man who rebuilt his life from scratch after a divorce left him raising seven children alone. Ali and Natan's paths could not have looked more different, one moving toward Orthodoxy through a bar in Jerusalem, the other moving through it and out the other side of a small religious community that made it clear divorced people weren't welcome to stay. What brought them together was a J-Swipe match neither of them expected to lead anywhere. This is a conversation about the parts of the frum world that don't get talked about enough, the loneliness, the pressure to fit a mold, and what it actually takes to build a family after everything falls apart. Ali and Natan get honest about blending nine kids, the terror of a first marriage with zero warning, and the moment a shopping cart full of unfamiliar groceries made it all feel real. Their story doesn't wrap up neatly, and that's exactly the point.

Sarah and Shua Lefkowitz share a story unlike any other on Stories of Hope, one that begins in profound loss and unfolds into a marriage built on what Shua calls expansive love. Sarah spent ten years navigating dating with an unshakeable sense of certainty about where her life was headed, telling friends and family about a very specific vision for her future husband years before she ever crossed paths with him. Shua, meanwhile, walked through the hardest chapter of his life after losing his first wife, learning along the way what it looks like to hold grief and joy in the same hand. Together they open up about blending two families, honoring a beloved memory while building something entirely new, and the surrender it takes to trust that the life you actually have, even one that looks nothing like what you planned, might be exactly the one you were meant for. For anyone who has ever wondered if they missed their window, or whether their story just doesn't fit the mold, this conversation offers a different way to think about waiting, loss, and hope. To Contact Sarah and Shua: Sarahclefkowitz@gmail.com RabbiLef@gmail.com This week's episode is brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► Ness Vacation Homes EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness. https://nessvacationhomes.com/

Rachel and Shilo's story starts with a camping trip and an offer to help pitch a tent that got firmly turned down. From there, a summer of friendship slowly turned into something neither of them expected, and Shilo shares something very personal that he's never spoken about publicly before. Five years and three kids later, Rachel and Shilo open up about what it took to get to the chuppah, what keeps their marriage strong, and the big leap of faith they're about to take next. It's a story about what happens when you stop asking whether someone matches on paper and start paying attention to who they really are. To contact Rachel and Shilo: shilojackz@gmail.com rachelzylb@gmail.com @LeaveHouseHeadHome on Youtube and Instagram This week's episode is brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► Ness Vacation Homes EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness. https://nessvacationhomes.com/

Rachel spent years believing that meeting the right person would feel like a movie, complete with instant certainty and butterflies. But after decades of dating, she realized that butterflies were never what made someone right for her. When she finally met Asher at 47, what she felt instead was comfort, respect, emotional intelligence and a connection that continued to grow. In this episode, Rachel and Asher open up about heartbreak, loneliness, second chances and the very different journeys that eventually brought them together. Their story explores what real love actually feels like, why it may not arrive the way you imagined and how something far deeper can grow when you stop looking for the movie moment. This week's episode is brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh

Maya and Avi Cohen open up about a side of infertility that almost never gets talked about in the jewish community.. Shortly after Maya was diagnosed with MRKH, she tried to end things with Avi rather than hold him back from having a family of his own. Avi refused to walk away, standing by her through years of uncertainty about what their future would even look like. Maya and Avi share what it took to get to where they are now, from the shame Maya carried for years to the surrogate who became like family, and the community that showed up for them in ways they never expected. It's an honest, moving conversation about faith, marriage, and refusing to give up hope. This week's episode is brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► Western Wall Prayers Submit your name, and the names of your loved ones, to be prayed for at the Kotel. https://www.westernwallprayers.org?a_aid=689ea0c620351

DJ couple Eli and Aviva Vogel share the winding, faith-tested road that led them from a bus ride to seminary interviews to nearly six years of marriage. Aviva grew up in a tight-knit Lakewood family as the only girl among brothers, always hoping for a best friend and partner in a spouse. Eli grew up in Philadelphia, drifted away from religious observance, and found his way back through a chance encounter with a pamphlet on personal prayer and a life-changing stint learning in a yeshiva in Tzfat, funded by a stranger's generosity. They first crossed paths on that bus to seminary interviews, reconnected after Eli returned to Israel, and built a serious relationship through long, honest conversations about their values and their future together. But getting to the chuppah wasn't simple. Aviva's family pushed back hard against the match, a well-meaning rabbi warned her family away from Eli, and Eli was even advised at one point to date other girls just to prove he could move on. The couple held on through a 40-day prayer cycle, multiple rabbinical blessings, and the sudden passing of the rabbi who had first supported them, before a piece of decisive advice from Rav Shalom Kamenetsky pushed them to marry right away. Their story is a real look at what it costs, and what it's worth, to fight for a relationship the people around you don't yet understand. This week's episode is brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► Ness Vacation Homes EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness. https://nessvacationhomes.com/ _________________ ► Western Wall Prayers Submit your name, and the names of your loved ones, to be prayed for at the Kotel. https://www.westernwallprayers.org?a_aid=689ea0c620351

Hila and Nadav Fluss met through Shagririm Balev, a friends-set-up-friends dating initiative that has quietly produced hundreds of engagements in just a few years, and their story shows exactly why the model works. Hila grew up between Israel and South Korea chasing music, theater, and a life she wasn't ready to trade in for marriage, while Nadav spent nearly eight years dating without finding anything serious, always chasing the "Disney moment" instead of the right person. Raised across Israel, the Philippines, Holland, South Africa, and the U.S. as the son of a diplomat, Nadav eventually realized that the spark he kept waiting for wasn't the point, and that real relationships are built through communication and effort rather than instant magic. Together, Hila and Nadav open up about the self-work that got them there: Nadav's realization that he needed to stop leaving the moment things got emotionally difficult, and Hila's decision to evaluate partners rationally before letting herself get swept up in excitement. They talk candidly about the fear of commitment so many daters carry, the value of having a trusted ambassador in your corner instead of facing an overwhelming sea of options alone, and what it actually took to go from "he seems like a good guy" to building a life together with a baby now on the way. Anyone who feels stuck in a pattern of dating without direction, or who wonders whether waiting for a feeling is holding them back from a real relationship, will find a lot to sit with in this conversation. This week's episode is brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► Shagririm Balev A friends-set-up-friends dating initiative already responsible for hundreds of engagements, matching singles through trusted ambassadors instead of overwhelming apps. https://ecp.ou.org/shagririm-balev-usa/ _________________ ► Shefa Living Mountain View by Shefa Living is a new, master-planned Torah-centered community in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, built on halacha, achdus, and authentic Yiddishkeit. 350 acres, with a shul, mikvah, yeshiva, and eruv on-site. https://go.jcn.io/slsoh _________________ ► Tu B'Av Together This Tu B'Av, join Yad L'Achim for an unforgettable two-day event: a first-ever women's panel on Tuesday night, followed Wednesday by a global men's program, with half a million people worldwide praying together for shidduchim. Submit names for free to be prayed for by talmidei chachamim in Meron. https://tubavtogether.com/

Maya Rockowitz was 24 and two semesters into a master's program in social work, when she lost her father suddenly and without warning, on a Shabbos that she now recognizes was filled with signs she couldn't have understood in the moment. In this raw and deeply personal conversation, Maya opens up about that Shabbos, about being the one who found him, and about the year and a half since, navigating grief while trying to build a life, date, and eventually get married without the person she calls her rock. Maya and her host talk candidly about what it actually means to grieve while dating, the pressure to put on a brave face, and why suppressing pain only pushes people further from the person they love. Maya shares the small rituals that keep her connected to her father, the friends who showed up and the ones who didn't, and the hard-won belief that grief isn't something you move on from, it's something you learn to move with. Anyone who has experienced loss, is single and struggling to navigate life without someone they need, or simply wants to understand how to better support a grieving friend will find something here worth holding onto. This episode was brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► Shefa Living Mountain View by Shefa Living is a new, master-planned Torah-centered community in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, built on halacha, achdus, and authentic Yiddishkeit. 350 acres, with a shul, mikvah, yeshiva, and eruv on-site. https://go.jcn.io/slsoh

Rena and Shaya Weinstein are logging in from opposite corners of an extraordinary life: Rena serving as an active-duty JAG officer in the United States Air Force stationed in England, and Shaya, a physical therapist originally from Teaneck, NJ, along for one of the most unpredictable rides in Jewish marriage. From a chance meeting at a Chabad Shabbat lunch in Miami to a breakup that sent them to opposite sides of the globe, Rena to Wichita, Kansas, Shaya to Israel, their story is a testament to timing, trust, and the belief that nothing is too hard for God, not even Kansas. Together they open up about keeping Shabbos alone in the middle of a wheat field, dating long distance across a six-hour time difference, and building a marriage that's spanned Kansas, Israel, Cambridge, and the English countryside, with a baby now along for the journey. Their conversation is a powerful look at resilience, communication, and finding purpose in the most isolating chapters of life, with a message for anyone waiting for their own plans to finally align: God knows your zip code, and nothing is too hard for Him. This episode was brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► JWed Over 4,000 verified Jewish marriages started on JWed. For over 25 years, JWed has helped serious singles find the right person. https://www.jwed.com/?campid=1871

Rifki Holtzberg, born without legs in Brooklyn, shares her journey of adapting to life and overcoming challenges. She credits her parents for instilling confidence and independence. Rifki discusses her experiences in high school, where lack of accessibility made her feel different. She works full-time in marketing and enjoys party planning, despite physical limitations. Dating has been difficult, with people often judging her based on her appearance rather than her personality. Rifki actively participates in her family's Chabad activities, hosting around 200 people weekly. She drives independently using modified cars and remains hopeful for the future, relying on faith and family support. Ads: Pz Collel Chabad Arkia ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _______________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _______________ ► Arkia Fly smarter with Arkia, Israel's trusted airline for easy, reliable flights across Israel and to top international destinations. Book your next trip and travel with comfort and convenience: https://www.arkia.com/en/content/about-arkia

Adam and Kaley's journey to marriage is anything but ordinary. From heartbreak, illness, and years of waiting to a series of seemingly impossible events that brought them together, they share how faith, healing, and personal growth shaped the path that led them to each other. Their story explores navigating loss, overcoming doubt, finding purpose through unexpected challenges, and learning to trust Hashem even when life doesn't make sense. Together, they reflect on what it's like to date later in life, the fears that come with commitment after years of searching, and the lessons they've learned about relationships, self-worth, and building a meaningful marriage. Whether you're single, dating, or simply looking for inspiration, this conversation offers a powerful perspective on patience, resilience, and the belief that every step of the journey can prepare you for what's ahead. https://KaleyZ.com https://adambetzalelart.com https://CasaBetzalel.com This episode was brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► Arkia Fly smarter with Arkia, Israel's trusted airline for easy, reliable flights across Israel and to top international destinations. Book your next trip and travel with comfort and convenience: https://www.arkia.com/en/content/about-arkia _________________ ► Date2Bais A shidduch system designed to actually move things forward, built for Jewish singles ages 30-45. Carefully selected matches, new opportunities, and a real path from match to meeting. Early members get priority access. Date2Bais.com/sf18

Dr. Lightman has spent decades caring for children and families, but in this conversation he shares what he believes is fueling so much anxiety in today’s shidduch world. From plastic surgery and extreme dieting to mental health stigma, résumé culture, and parental pressure, he argues that too many people are chasing an image of perfection instead of focusing on character, values, and genuine compatibility. Drawing from his experience as a pediatrician, he discusses the real impact these pressures have on young people and why trust, honesty, and confidence matter far more than appearances. The conversation also explores difficult topics that many families avoid: anxiety medication, eating disorders, fertility fears, medical disclosures in dating, and the growing pressure surrounding age and marriage. Along the way, Dr. Lightman shares stories from his life—from growing up in South Africa and serving in the military to raising a family of seven—and offers a perspective rooted in faith, resilience, and the belief that every person has inherent value beyond what can ever fit on a résumé. This episode was brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again. https://app.pz.deals/install/soh _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh _________________ ► Arkia Fly smarter with Arkia, Israel's trusted airline for easy, reliable flights across Israel and to top international destinations. Book your next trip and travel with comfort and convenience: https://www.arkia.com/en/content/about-arkia _________________ ► Woodridge Trauma Institute An intensive two-week therapy program for deep, lasting healing from trauma and long-standing emotional wounds, offering the depth of inpatient treatment while participants return home each day. Led by Dr. Eli Kauffman, limited openings remain in their August cohort. https://woodridgetrauma.com

Caleiv and Chana Jeantine join us for an unforgettable conversation about one of the most unlikely journeys to Judaism you'll ever hear. Caleiv, the son of Haitian immigrants and a gifted musician who grew up playing piano in his father's gospel church, and Chana, raised in a small Seventh-Day Adventist community down south, met at church, married within a matter of months, and set out to build a life centered entirely around God. What began as a simple commitment to wake up and study the Tanach together every single morning slowly turned their whole world upside down. The more they learned, the more the contradictions piled up, until they could no longer ignore what the text was plainly telling them. Their search cost them their church, took them through a messianic detour, and eventually led them to the doors of Chabad of Augusta, where they showed up every Shabbat for two years before formally converting. They open up about the fear, the heartbreak, and the sense of betrayal that came with walking away from everything they were raised to believe and why they're convinced that if you sit down and truly study the words with intention, you never know where they might lead you.

Ari and Gitty Klein, the family behind the iconic Klein’s Ice Cream brand, join us for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever had. Ari shares the remarkable story of how his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who lost his wife and eight children in the Shoah, rebuilt his life from nothing and founded what would become one of the most recognizable kosher food brands in America. But the heart of this episode is something even bigger. Both Ari and Gitty made the extraordinary decision to donate a kidney to complete strangers, later inspiring their son to do the same. They discuss the fears, emotions, family conversations, and life-changing moments that came with giving someone a second chance at life, and why they believe every person has the ability to make an impact, even if it looks different than theirs. This episode was brought to you in part by: ►PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again https://app.pz.deals/install/soh ______________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh ______________ ► Resunize Shidduch resumes shouldn't live in random screenshots, notebooks, and lost scraps of paper. Resunize keeps every resume, note, and piece of feedback organized in one clean place. https://resunize.com/mm

In this week's episode of Stories of Hope, Ariel and Koby Gold sit down for one of the most courageous and important conversations we've ever had on this podcast. Koby opens up about his lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression, the childhood isolation that shaped him, and the terrifying manic episode that landed him in a closed psychiatric ward in Israel, while his wife Ariel was home alone with a three-week-old baby. From the first signs of hypomania during a family trip to California, to the sleepless nights where Koby genuinely believed he was Moshiach, this episode holds nothing back about what bipolar disorder really looks like inside a marriage. But this episode is so much more than a mental health story. It's a story about a wife who chose to stay, a husband who chose to fight, and a couple who discovered that you don't get over the hardest things in life, you get through them, together. Ariel and Koby speak honestly about the loneliness of mental illness, the danger of stopping your medication when you start feeling better, the role of faith in the darkest moments, and what it actually takes to rebuild after something that shakes everything. If you or someone you love has ever felt alone in their struggle, this episode will make you feel seen. This episode was brought to you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again https://app.pz.deals/install/soh ______________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh ______________ ► Resunize Shidduch resumes shouldn't live in random screenshots, notebooks, and lost scraps of paper. Resunize keeps every resume, note, and piece of feedback organized in one clean place. https://resunize.com/mm

In this week's episode of Stories of Hope, Yossi and Dave Levinger, two brothers who haven't started dating yet, sit down for one of the most refreshingly honest and entertaining conversations we've ever had on the podcast. From the pressures of the shidduch world and the expectations of matchmakers to what it really means to be "ready" to date, the brothers open up about their decision to move out of their parents' house, build financial independence, and become the best versions of themselves before entering a serious relationship. What starts as a fun, lighthearted conversation quickly becomes a deep and honest look at self-awareness, confidence, identity, and the courage to be yourself even when the world is telling you to stay in the box. The episode also dives into the weight of family expectations, the question of kollel vs. working, the role of parents in dating decisions, and why so many young people start dating before they're truly ready. Yossi and Dave bring humor, rawness, and real talk that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt pressure to fit a mold, whether you're pre-dating, mid-dating, or just trying to figure out who you are and what you actually want. This episode was brought you in part by: ►PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again https://app.pz.deals/install/soh ______________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh

In this week’s episode of Stories of Hope, Sarah Sheindel and David share the deeply personal story of how they found each other after years of heartbreak, uncertainty, and feeling like marriage might never happen. David opens up about spending nearly two decades dating without ever finding the right connection, while Sara shares the reality of re-entering the dating world as a divorced single mother of four children, including a daughter with severe medical needs. Together, they speak honestly about rejection, resilience, self-worth, and the pressure people feel when they think they’ve “fallen behind” in life. What makes their story so powerful is not just that they eventually got married, but how unexpected their journey was. From dating apps and difficult conversations to learning how to become a stepfather and blending a family together, this episode is filled with raw vulnerability, humor, hope, and perspective for anyone navigating dating, divorce, loneliness, or self-doubt. Sara and David’s story is a reminder that life rarely unfolds the way we imagine, but sometimes the things we thought disqualified us are exactly what lead us to the right person. To contact David: @yusimmattressco | yusimmattress@gmail.com To contact Sarah Sheindel: @sarahkorenblit This episode was brought you in part by: ►PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again https://app.pz.deals/install/soh ______________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh ______________ ► JWed Over 4,000 verified Jewish marriages started on JWed. For over 25 years, JWed has helped serious singles find the right person. https://www.jwed.com/?campid=1871

In this week’s episode of Stories of Hope, Naomi Nachman and her husband Zvi Nachman share the incredible story of how one spontaneous decision changed the course of their lives forever. From Naomi leaving Australia alone at 21 with barely any money and a one-way dream to building a life in New York, to the unexpected Thanksgiving night where the two first met, this episode is packed with wisdom about dating, risk-taking, marriage, faith, and refusing to settle for mediocrity. The conversation dives deep into the pressures of modern Jewish dating, financial expectations surrounding marriage, raising independent children, and the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone to build the life you truly want. Naomi also opens up about how she accidentally became one of the first major kosher food influencers, building a career that took her from personal chef to cookbooks, cruises, media, and worldwide recognition. This episode is honest, inspiring, funny, and filled with practical life lessons about ambition, bitachon, family, and creating your own path. This episode was brought you in part by: ► PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again https://app.pz.deals/install/soh ______________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh

In this week’s episode of the Stories of Hope, we sit down with Zeldy Broyde and Malky Mayerfeld to explore one of the most difficult and least understood topics: surviving sexual abuse and finding a path forward. Through raw honesty and lived experience, Zeldy shares how her own pain led to the creation of Ray of Hope, now a lifeline for thousands of survivors. This conversation goes beyond awareness. It is about breaking silence, rebuilding identity, and redefining what healing actually looks like From navigating dating and relationships to confronting shame, rejection, and the fear of never being loved, this episode offers a perspective most people never hear. It challenges assumptions, reframes what it means to be a survivor, and shows how deep pain can coexist with growth, meaning, and even joy. Whether you are struggling, supporting someone who is, or simply trying to understand, this is a conversation that can change how you see others and yourself. This episode was brought you in part by: ►PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again https://app.pz.deals/install/soh ______________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh ______________ ► OKclarity The only online platform that lets you browse & connect with vetted mental health and wellness professionals who serve the Jewish community. Find a pro who gets your vibe and your values. Visit: https://content.jcn.io/Okclarity To join as a professional visit: https://content.jcn.io/OKclarity

In this episode of Stories of Hope, Samantha shares an incredibly raw and powerful journey through life’s most unexpected challenges, from heartbreak and loss to raising children with unique abilities. What begins as a story about dating struggles and an unlikely JSwipe success quickly unfolds into something much deeper: a conversation about faith, resilience, and what it really means to build a family when life doesn’t go according to plan. Through it all, Samantha’s perspective is both honest and uplifting. She opens up about navigating grief, parenting children with special needs, and maintaining a strong marriage and sense of purpose through it all. Her story isn’t about everything working out perfectly, it’s about learning how to move forward, find meaning, and embrace the life you’re given with strength and gratitude. This episode was brought you in part by: ►PZ Deals Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again https://app.pz.deals/install/soh ______________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/soh