Rav Simcha Sterzer grew up in Williamsburg – Brooklyn, and was a yeshiva rebbe for more than 40 years. On a visit to Israel in 1992 his life changed forever, thanks to his wife saying, “I could live like this.” The 93-year old Rav Sterzer speaks with inspiring simplicity, and Goel greatly appreciated being able to sit with him in his home recently.…

Dr. Deena Wasserman grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a rabbi, but actually, also the great, great granddaughter of another rabbi – quite a famous rabbi. For Deena, Aliyah was always on the radar screen, but the question was: When and How? Layer on top of it the question of making Aliyah as a physician, and the path to returning …

Gilla Jasper grew up in southern Connecticut – a town called Stamford, and knew from her earliest days that her father had moved to Israel from Iran in 1958, living there for 5 years before leaving for college in the US. So Israel was central to Gilla’s upbringing, but Aliyah was not. What turned the tide? This is an episode about Goel and his fami…

Eliyokim Cohen grew up a proud Jew, first in Framingham, Massachusetts, and then in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a solid upbringing, but things started to go sideways for Eliyokim in college. Eventually, he found himself with 35 police weapons pointing at him after a 45-minute car chase. Something clearly needed to change. And change it did, as Eliyoki…

Hayim Leiter grew up in Philadelphia. Sure, his family was Zionistic. You know. Loved Israel, rooted for the IDF. But well, let’s just say it wasn’t at the top of the list for him in the same way that surfing was. He surfed off the coast of New Jersey… Rhode Island … California. But along the way, he began a dance with the Land of Israel that led h…

Chaim Rutenberg grew up in Muncie, New York, a follower of his heart from a very young age. He always tried to do the right thing, but not necessarily in a manner that his family and community expected. So when he heard a talk by Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz in Muncie, and Ketzaleh didn’t ask for money, but instead asked for Aliyah, Chaim was touched. An…

Dr. Michael Tobin grew up on Long Island, in New York, a big baseball fan who looked up to Willie Mays more than anyone else. Suffice it to say, Israel was not on his radar screen at all. But Jewish and Israel-focused messages were reaching him whether he liked it or not (Wait until you hear about his 20-mile run on Yom Kippur in the 70s), and thin…

Josh Wander grew up outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a suburb called McKeesport. He grew up in a pretty seriously Zionistic home – as Zionism was defined back then – and the more Torah he learned, the more he felt pulled to Israel. Josh has led a colorful life that even included a run as candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh – even as he was sure h…

Ari Singer grew up in Manhattan, New York, a child of two Holocaust survivors - whose stories are amazing in their own right. While his upbringing in New York was going fine - he was a student at Manhattan Day School - his parents decided to end their family's exile in 1973, and Ari, then 13, made the big move to a 25-year old country that was just…

Gary Epstein grew up in a strongly Jewish and Torah-observant home, but – as he says – Aliyah was nowhere near the forefront of his mind for many, many years. In the early 2000s, he saw that perhaps the Israeli business world could use the help of his law firm, so he began spending more time in Israel. And Aliyah was still not on his radar screen. …

Hezy Bentzur has become somewhat of a celebrity in the world of Aliyah, since he’s the owner of iAnglo English-speaking new car lease and buying service, which is used by many Olim looking for their first car in Israel. But man, oh man, his story is so much more – so much cooler – than just coming here and building a successful business. Join Goel …

Now, I know that I’ve always interviewed people who have been in Israel long enough to have perspective, butMichoel 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 Ra…

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 …

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 incredi…

Ari Abramowitz grew up in Houston, Texas, to a proudJewish family that believed in the importance of supporting Israel. But for Ari, born Aryeh Yehuda Abramowitz, doing so from afar was never going to be enough. That said, his road to living his life here was not totally smooth, and I had the privilege of joining him on Arugot Farm recently, where …

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.

Rav Gidon Weitzman grew up in the United Kingdom – first in London and then in Cardiff, a town in Wales. He came to Israel as a teenager and dove in head-first into a life of Torah learning and spirituality. He’s now doing important work for Machon Puah, but there have been many stops along the way – including Kansas City, Missouri – and Rav Gidon …

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 itrequired 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 t…

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 w…

David Katz grew up in Cleveland in a pretty Israel-oriented family. And yet, he insists that he’s still not really made Aliyah. Well, in his mind that may be the case, but he and his wife Devorah are the brains and action behind the well-known national Pat BeMelach brand of crackers and bakery in Efrat, and since selling that business they’ve moved…

David HaIvri grew up in New York, in a family of 4. Israel and Aliyah were nowhere near their consciousness, but then David’s father got the bug. Fast forward a few years, and the family moved to Israel, where they struggled mightily to make a go of it. David is a major Aliya success story, but it was not as rosy for the rest of his family, all of …

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. T…

Mati Gill moved to Israel with his family at the age of 11 for the proverbial “Let’s try it out” year. Except he and his siblings didn’t realize it at the time. They thought it was a one-year adventure, after which they’d return to their Columbus, Ohio, community. The year was coming to an end, and Mati’s parents held a family meeting: Should we st…

So you’ll say, Who’s Sorra Landau? Well, I’ll tell you. I originally wanted to interview her because she’s the mother of Binny Landau, a popular singer in Israel today, known for songs such as Kedem – which you were just listening to, Armono Shel Melech and Mishkan. Truly beautiful songs. But as I began my conversation with Sorra, I realized she wa…

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…

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,…

Rav Shaul Leiter grew up in New York in the '60s, an authentic child of that fascinating decade. And when he was out for a run one day, wearing nothing but a pair of running shorts and with his long hair in a ponytail, he had no idea that his life was going to change forever, eventually leading him to Israel in 1979. He wound up in Tzfat where he, …

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 su…

Rav Shlomo Katz grew up partly in Los Angeles and partly in Israel, and it was the combined experiences in both countries that led him on the path that brought him to the world of music, torah and, eventually, the community he and Shirat David are working to build in Efrat. That is where I sat with Rav Shlomo recently. We started with a niggun, and…

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…

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.

Eleora Moche-Epstein grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, part of a family that was strongly Zionist. She went to Jewish schools, Jewish, Israel focused camp, and living what could be called the “usual” American Jewish upbringing. So what's the big deal, right? Of course, she'd wind up in Israel! But Eleora's story is anything but usual. She and her f…

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 di…

David Lange grew up in Perth, Australia, assuming his life’s work would be dedicated to building wealth - and a family - in Australia. In high school, he had some experiences that would nudge him in the direction of Israel, but it was meeting his future wife Erika – later Ahava Emunah – zichrona livracha, that sealed the deal for a future in Israel…

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 …

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 in…

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…

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 …

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 impa…

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 cl…

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 Univers…

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…

Dr. Dodi Tobin was a Jewish educator who taught for the Matan Women's Institute for Torah Studies. She grew up in Skokie, Illinois, and then, following her first five years of marriage to her husband, Marc, they made Aliyah together with three of their four children. Dodi was part of the founding team of Nefesh B’Nefesh, has been teaching Torah for…

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 ba…

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 h…

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 Childh…