Meaningful People

Meaningful Minute
  • 4.8 (2K)
  • Judaism
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 19m ago

    Arnold Roth: My Daughter's Killer Is Free-A Father's Fight for Justice

    This is not a typical episode. Nachi Gordon sits down in Yerushalayim with Arnold Roth, whose 15 year old daughter Malki was murdered in the Sbarro pizzeria bombing on August 9, 2001. Arnold shares who Malki was, the last "I love you" she exchanged with her mother, and the twelve hours the family spent searching for her before the 2 a.m. phone call from her brothers.   But the story doesn't end there. Ahlam Tamimi, the woman who planned the attack, was sentenced to 16 life terms, freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal, and has been living openly in Jordan ever since, where she even hosted her own TV show. She is the only woman on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list, with a $5 million reward on her head, and Jordan still refuses to hand her over. Arnold explains why he calls the silence of governments and American Jewish leadership a betrayal, and what each of us can do about it.   Sign the petition to extradite Ahlam Tamimi: https://www.change.org/p/we-urge-the-president-and-secretary-of-state-of-the-united-states-to-do-everything-necessary-so-that-jordan-which-has-thwarted-this-process-for-years-finally-complies-with-its-treaty-obligation-and-with-fundamental-notions-of-justice   Learn more about the Malki Foundation: https://www.kerenmalki.org   This episode is sponsored by:   ► PZ Deals   Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app.   https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp   _________________   ► Colel Chabad Pushka App   The easiest way to give Tzedaka.   https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful   _________________   ► Touro   Serious about your education and your Torah learning? Touro's Lander College for Men/Beis Medrash L'Talmud offers over 20 majors and pre-professional tracks, including finance, computer science, accounting, biology, psychology, pre-law, pre-dental and pre-med, plus honors pathways into New York Medical College and Touro College of Dental Medicine. Join the Open House on November 8.   https://lcm.touro.edu/openhouse   _________________   ► Ness Vacation Homes   Eden Gardens' largest luxury home collection. Handpicked, high end homes available exclusively through Ness.   https://nessvacationhomes.com/   _________________   ► Daily 613   Daily 613 is writing Sifrei Torah in memory of the victims of October 7th. Every letter is a letter of remembrance, and the more that is raised, the more Sifrei Torah will be written. Be part of the next one.   https://causematch.com/daily613   _________________   ► Nishmasi   A new project from Rabbi Efrem Goldberg to strengthen your emunah. Eight WhatsApp communities, including shidduchim, fertility, finance, illness and more, with daily messages from Rabbi Goldberg tailored to your chapter in life. Find your community and join today.   https://nishmasi.org   _________________   ► 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/Townappliance_whatsapp Timestamps:   0:00 Intro: Not a Typical Episode 3:53 Arnold Roth on Who Malki Was and Her Last Summer 9:05 August 9, 2001: The Sbarro Bombing 11:19 Twelve Hours Searching for Malki 16:26 The Shiva and Silence From the Israeli Government 19:48 A Zionist Let Down: Ahlam Tamimi Walks Free in Jordan 24:16 How Tamimi Planned and Carried Out the Attack 29:49 The Arrest, 16 Life Sentences, and a Secret Court Transcript 32:31 No Real Interest From the US as Tamimi Becomes a Prison Celebrity 36:12 The Shalit Deal: Tamimi at the Top of Hamas's List 39:22 Tamimi's TV Show in Jordan and Arnold Roth's Trip to Washington 43:35 2017: The US Charges Tamimi and Posts a $5 Million Reward 46:33 Jordan Declares Its Extradition Treaty Invalid 49:11 "A Foremost Priority": The Biden Administration Letter That Went Nowhere 51:58 If the US Really Wanted Tamimi, They Would Get Her 53:26 Billions for Jordan and the Silence of American Jewish Leaders 1:00:36 Everyone Knows Where Tamimi Lives, and the King of Jordan's VIP Treatment 1:03:06 "A Betrayal": What Arnold Roth Would Say to Tamimi 1:04:42 What Justice Would Change, and Losing Son-in-Law Naftali 1:09:58 The Malki Foundation and Nachi's Call to Sign the Petition

  2. 5d ago

    Singles Have Never Had More Options. So Why Can't Anyone Choose? | Matchmaker Rivkah Fox

    The shidduch system says stay in your lane: same hashkafa, same schools, and wait for the shadchan to call. Rivkah Fox thinks that's exactly what's keeping so many people single. With Blind Fate, the matchmaking platform she started on Instagram, she's throwing out the boxes and labels with anonymous bios, blind video dates and caricature resumes, and setting up couples the system would never put together, like a yeshivish guy with smicha and a modern Orthodox Ramaz grad who are now married with kids. Hundreds of singles in eight countries have gotten married through her setups, and instead of pushback, rabbanim and even a Rebbe's gabbai are calling her for help. Nachi Gordon pushes her on all of it: whether crossing hashkafa lines puts someone's Yiddishkeit at risk, why she calls image the biggest problem in the shidduch world, how she gets paid without becoming a debt collector, and the week an entire family turned on her over one green check on the Loop app.   This episode is sponsored by:   ► PZ Deals   Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app.   https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp   _________________   ► Colel Chabad Pushka App   The easiest way to give Tzedaka.   https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful   _________________   ► Ness Vacation Homes   Eden Gardens' largest luxury home collection. Handpicked, high end homes available exclusively through Ness.   https://nessvacationhomes.com/   _________________   ► 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   _________________   ► 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/Townappliance_whatsapp

    Singles Have Never Had More Options. So Why Can't Anyone Choose? | Matchmaker Rivkah Fox

  3. Sep 27

    THROWBACK: The Unbelievable Story Of Rivka Shotkin

    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:   ► PZ Deals   Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app.   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/Townappliance_whatsapp     Timestamps:   0:00 Intro: Meet Rivka Shotkin, MPP's Youngest Guest Ever 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

  4. Sep 19

    LIVE PANEL: The Conversation About Abuse We Can't Avoid

    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.

  5. Sep 13

    Charlie Harary on Toxic Parents, Estrangement & Teshuva

    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:   ► PZ Deals   Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app.   https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp   _________________   ► Colel Chabad Pushka App   The easiest way to give Tzedaka.   https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful   _________________   ► Values Over Valuables   A campaign encouraging people to live a value based life instead of buying whatever they can afford. Watch the video and take the pledge.   https://valuesovervaluables.org   _________________   ► Bench   American-style food, treats, and gifts from vendors across Jerusalem, delivered straight to your kid in Israel. A taste of home when you can't be there yourself.   https://benchjlm.com   _________________   ► 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/Townappliance_whatsapp

  6. Sep 8

    He Escaped From the 78th Floor on 9/11

    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 57:33 Can You Come In at 11? 59:30 Cantor Fitzgerald's Promise 1:01:19 Whispers and Bricks

  7. Sep 5

    Yudi & Chumi Herzberg: The Story of Charlotte

    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:   ► PZ Deals   Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app.   https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp   _____________________   ► Colel Chabad Pushka App   The easiest way to give Tzedaka.   https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful   _____________________   ► Aura House   A sleek, flame free cold air diffuser that fills your home with a five star hotel scent, with no parabens or phthalates. A perfect wedding gift. Use code MEANINGFUL15 for 15% off.   https://aurahouse.com   _____________________   ► Values Over Valuables   A campaign encouraging people to live a value based life instead of buying whatever they can afford. Watch the video and take the pledge.   https://valuesovervaluables.org   _____________________   ► Voice 37 by Isaac Honig   An all natural vocal booster made with organic herbs that lasts 12 to 24 hours, made for singers and especially for chazzanim heading into the Yomim Noraim. Available on Amazon.   https://clyor.com/voice37 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N26UG0V/   _____________________   ► 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/Townappliance_whatsapp   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

  8. Aug 29

    Inside the Billion-Dollar World of Jewish Charity | Yossi Hoch & Simcha Shain

    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. Help Shuvu grow This episode is sponsored by:   ► PZ Deals   Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app.   https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp   _________________   ► Colel Chabad Pushka App   The easiest way to give Tzedaka.   https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful   _________________   ► 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   _________________   ► 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/Townappliance_whatsapp 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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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Meaningful Minute
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    328
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Meaningful People Podcast 2020
  • Show Website
    Meaningful People

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