Yalla, Let's Go!

Erica Marom, Abbey Onn
  • 4.4 (7)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Biweekly

Exploring what it really means to make Aliyah and build a life in Israel: the good, the challenging, and everything in between.

  1. 6d ago

    Abbey Onn, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nevo, on Why One in Three Olim Leave Israel, Raising American Kids for the Israeli Army, and Her Fight to Bring Family Back from Gaza

    In this special episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica Marom turns the microphone on her own co-host — Abbey Onn, Executive Director and co-founder of Nevo Network, the fellowship and professional community that has become the leading network for olim in Israeli high tech. Abbey moved from Fairfax, Virginia to Herzliya 11 years ago, and for the first time she is the one in the guest seat. Abbey traces her path from directing Hillel's Hurricane Katrina response — 3,000 Jewish students rebuilding the Gulf Coast — to leadership development at Harvard's Kennedy School, to a hard professional landing in Israel with two toddlers and no network. She explains the data point that built Nevo: one in three English-speaking olim leave within three years, and how Nevo pushed retention above 90%. She also speaks, with extraordinary clarity, about October 7th, when five members of her family were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and about the months she spent as the English-speaking voice of the hostage families — speaking to Secretary of State Blinken, leading the Zoom with President Biden, and meeting with 17 senators. The conversation continues with: From Fairfax to Herzliya: Hillel, Brandeis, Harvard, and 17 suitcases Telling Michael Eisenberg his idea was wrong — and pitching him Nevo instead Why one in three English-speaking olim leave, and how Nevo changed the number The Herzog Prize and a government grant to expand beyond tech October 7th: Carmela and Noya Dan, and the fight to bring Ofer, Sahar and Erez home Raising Israeli-American kids, and preparing an American son for the IDF Why she sends her Israeli kids to American summer camp Loving Israel and doubting the decision, at the same time Aliyah advice: learn Hebrew, then go meet people for coffee This is an honest, unguarded conversation about belonging, advocacy, and what it costs — and gives — to build a life here. Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel. #AbbeyOnn #NevoNetwork #Israel #Aliyah #OlimInTech #IsraeliTech #October7 #NirOz #Hostages #YallaLetsGo #LifeInIsrael #Herzliya #JewishIdentity #MakingAliyah #IsraeliAmerican KEY TOPICS  0:00 - Intro 1:10 - Meet Abbey Onn: Yalla, Let's Go! Co-Host in the Guest Seat 2:12 - From Fairfax, Virginia to Israel: Brandeis, Hillel, and Hurricane Katrina 3:42 - Why She and Oded Made Aliyah: Family, Pace of Life, and 15 Feet of Boston Snow 6:55 - Running a Nonprofit While Raising Two Toddlers in a New Country 7:25 - Meeting Michael Eisenberg of Aleph and the Idea That Became Nevo 8:48 - Telling Michael Eisenberg His Idea Was Wrong 9:12 - One in Three English-Speaking Olim Leave Israel Within Three Years 9:56 - Building Nevo Network: From 66% Retention to Over 90% 10:24 - Why Nevo Focuses on Tech, and Why Doctors Are Next 11:17 - Winning the President's Award for Extraordinary Impact on Olim 11:48 - Why Belonging Is the One Thing Olim Are Missing 12:24 - How to Get Involved With Nevo Network 12:41 - Raising Kids in Israel: A Children-Led Society 13:51 - Small Kids, Small Problems: Preparing an American Son for the IDF 15:22 - Raising Israeli-American Kids Between Two Identities 16:16 - Hebrew With Each Other, English With Ima: Language at Home 17:30 - Why She Sends Her Israeli Kids to American Summer Camp 19:04 - October 7th: Five Family Members Taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz 21:10 - The Video of Erez and the Phone Call That Changed Everything 22:25 - Speaking to Secretary of State Blinken and Leading the Zoom With President Biden 24:07 - Losing Carmela and Noya Dan, and the Fight for the Hostages 26:36 - The Weight of Passing This Jewish Legacy to Her Children 27:24 - How She Told Her Kids the Truth About October 7th 29:32 - A Heart Connection She Can't Explain, and the Doubt She Carries 30:35 - Why She Feels Safer and More Herself in Israel Than in the US 31:57 - Would She Ever Move Back to America?  33:00 - Aliyah Advice #1: You Cannot Stay in Israel Without Hebrew 33:55 - Aliyah Advice #2: Your Full-Time Job Is Meeting People for Coffee 34:54 - At 120, Looking Back: A Life Lived Outdoors 35:26 - Rapid Fire: Prichiot, Lidaskes & Nachsholim RESOURCES Follow Abbey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbey-onn/ Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go  Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc  Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yallaletsgopodcast/  Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://x.com/aleph ‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/ ‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/ CREDITS Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn  Executive Producer: Sarah Bard Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar  Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg Design: Nimrod Sapir

    Abbey Onn, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nevo, on Why One in Three Olim Leave Israel, Raising American Kids for the Israeli Army, and Her Fight to Bring Family Back from Gaza

  2. Sep 1

    Yoni Heilman, CEO of TAMID Group, on Making Aliyah Twice, Why Columbia Can't Stop His Israeli Club, and What 400+ Days of Reserve Duty Costs a Family

    In this episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Yoni Heilman — CEO of TAMID Group, IDF reservist with more than 400 days of miluim since October 7th, and the show's first guest to have made aliyah twice — for a conversation about coming back for good in the middle of COVID, writing from inside the war, and why life in Israel is never just fine: it's either amazing or crisis. Yoni was born in New York and spent his early years in Israel, leaving him with what he calls bicultural personality disorder: feeling like both a foreigner and a native in both countries. His career has crossed every sector — IDF soldier, US Congressional staffer, Knesset intern, Birthright Israel, a startup — before a group of undergraduates recruited him to run TAMID Group, the nonprofit connecting business-minded students on nearly 60 campuses (20 to 30 percent of them not Jewish) to Israel's startup ecosystem. He opens up about the WhatsApp group he started for his wife on the first night of the war that became SAPIR Journal's Diary of an IDF Soldier, the Columbia chapter president who kept building through the encampments, the summer cohort evacuated by boat, and the check-in agent who invited his family to her Seder the day they left Israel with an expired passport. Also in the episode: Making aliyah twice: looking backward the first time, looking forward the second Why TAMID works: business, not politics — "we're not advocates, we're activists" Are ambitious students more or less interested in Israel since October 7th? Not canceling the summer programs: a cohort evacuated by boat, and 130 students who flew in during the war with Iran "I'm a sharpshooter." "How old are you?" "38." "Okay, take care." 400+ days of miluim and the trap door under his life Raising kids who will serve in the same army he serves in What "never again" really means: agency, not just safety Why Modi'in, why there's no third aliyah coming, and feeling safer in Israel than in America At 80, looking back: grandchildren for whom Israel will be native This is a raw, honest conversation about aliyah, service and belonging — and why life in Israel is never just fine. Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel. #YoniHeilman #TAMID #Israel #Aliyah #IDF #Miluim #October7 #SapirJournal #Modiin #YallaLetsGo #LifeInIsrael #MakingAliyah #JewishIdentity #StartupNation #AmericanJews

    Yoni Heilman, CEO of TAMID Group, on Making Aliyah Twice, Why Columbia Can't Stop His Israeli Club, and What 400+ Days of Reserve Duty Costs a Family

  3. Aug 18

    Nadav Keyson, CEO & Co-Founder of Riverside, on Getting a First Job in Israel, Building a Successful Startup, and Embracing Overconfident Israelis

    In this episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Nadav Keyson — CEO and co-founder of Riverside, the podcasting and video platform behind Taylor Swift's New Heights interview, Hillary Clinton's recordings, and Aleph's own Invested podcast — for a conversation about building a global company from Tel Aviv, moving from Amsterdam with his brothers, and why he has never once considered leaving. Nadav grew up in Amsterdam and moved to Israel four and a half years ago, joining the brothers who had already made the move. He and his brothers Gideon and Yonatan built Riverside out of the ashes of an online video debate platform for Dutch politicians, and chose Tel Aviv over Amsterdam and the United States for the company's first office. He opens up about the Israel Police using Riverside to document witness testimonies after October 7th, the first paying customer who turned out to be a scam, what makes Israeli hiring different from Dutch hiring, and why the smartest people here go to startups instead of corporates. Also in the episode: From Amsterdam to Tel Aviv: moving toward something, not away from something Riverside's origin story: the online video debate platform for Dutch politicians Building a company with your brothers — and dividing product from tech October 7th: how the Israel Police used Riverside to record witness testimonies Taylor Swift, New Heights, Hillary Clinton — and the first paying customer who scammed them Hiring in Israel vs. the Netherlands: authority, risk appetite, and where talent goes Why he has never considered moving Riverside to the US Aliyah advice: lose the excuses, get the immigrant mentality, land the first job At 70, looking back: a fuller, more meaningful life — and a bigger company This is a sharp, practical conversation about building a global company from Israel — and why he wouldn't build it anywhere else. Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel.

    Nadav Keyson, CEO & Co-Founder of Riverside, on Getting a First Job in Israel, Building a Successful Startup, and Embracing Overconfident Israelis

  4. Aug 4

    Daniil Chernov, Co-Founder of Reboot Startup Nation, on Moving with a Job, Building a Community for 14K Russian Olim, and the 1,000 Rides That Followed October 7

    In this episode of Yalla, Let’s Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Daniil Chernov — Russian-born oleh, co-founder of The Reboot Startup Nation, Nevo Network board member, and an analytics leader who has worked at some of Israel’s biggest tech companies — for a conversation about arriving with a job but no network, building community from scratch, and what eight years in Israel taught him about impact. Daniil grew up in a small city near Moscow, studied theoretical physics, decided it was too theoretical, and moved into tech. He made aliyah in 2018 while working at Gett — an arrival so smooth he calls it his “golden aliyah” — and then discovered that having a job is not the same as having a professional network. He and Katerina Greenstein launched The Reboot Startup Nation the day before Russia invaded Ukraine, and pivoted overnight from serving Russian-speaking olim already in Israel to absorbing an entire new wave of them. After October 7th, he turned that same community into Israel Delivery Aid, a volunteer logistics operation that ran roughly 1,000 rides carrying gear, food, water, mattresses, and evacuees across the country. Also in the episode: Making aliyah from Moscow in 2018 with Gett — and why he calls it a “golden aliyah” The specific loneliness of arriving with a job but no professional network Launching The Reboot Startup Nation the day before the war in Ukraine began Israel Delivery Aid: 1,000 volunteer rides organized out of a tech community after October 7th Co-founding with a Ukrainian partner while Russia and Ukraine were at war Moderating 14,000 community members through the hardest conversations Why he has more ability to create impact in Israel than he ever had in Russia Hit by a car on an electric scooter — and what the Israeli healthcare system did next His wife Ksusha and the reality of building a music career in Israel Aliyah advice: learn Hebrew, even if it’s only the alphabet This is a practical, funny, and quietly moving conversation about networks, generosity, and what one person can actually build in a country this small. Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel. #DaniilChernov #TheRebootStartupNation #RussianAliyah #Israel #Aliyah #IsraeliTech #NevoNetwork #October7 #TelAviv #RussianOlim #YallaLetsGo #LifeInIsrael #CommunityBuilding #TechCommunity #MakingAliyah KEY TOPICS  0:00 – Intro 0:56 – Meet Daniil Chernov: Russian Oleh, Israeli Tech Leader, and Community Builder 2:19 – Life Story in One Minute: Theoretical Physics to Israeli Tech 2:59 – Making Aliyah from Moscow in 2018 with Gett: The “Golden Aliyah” 4:02 – Two Very Different Aliyahs: His Experience vs. His Wife’s 5:16 – The LinkedIn Party That Showed Him He Had No Network in Israel 6:00 – Launching The Reboot Startup Nation the Day Before the Ukraine War 6:08 – Building a Russian-Language Tech Community for Olim in Israel 8:11 – After October 7th: How Israel Delivery Aid Was Built 9:30 – 1,000 Volunteer Rides: Gear, Food, Water, and Evacuations 11:39 – Co-Founding With a Ukrainian Partner While Russia and Ukraine Were at War 11:57 – Moderating 14,000 Community Members Through the Hardest Conversations 13:26 – Why He Has More Impact in Israel Than He Ever Had in Russia 14:32 – How Israelis Help Strangers: One Cold LinkedIn Message 15:28 – Hit by a Car on an Electric Scooter in Tel Aviv 15:59 – The Doctors’ Protest, the Ambulance, and the Emergency Room 17:29 – Waiting a Week for Surgery: Inside the Israeli Healthcare System 19:25 – Shoulder Surgery, Private Clinics, and Insurance Through Work 19:48 – Would He Ever Leave Israel? Not Back to Russia 20:52 – His Wife Ksusha and the Israeli Market for Non-Mizrahi Music 22:13 – What He Loves Most About Israel: Freedom and People Who Show Up 23:03 – Aliyah Advice: Learn Hebrew, at Least the Alphabet 23:34 – How Good Is His Hebrew After Eight Years? 23:59 – Rapid Fire: Entrecote in a Tortilla, Tachles & “Who Is a Jew?” RESOURCES Follow Daniil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniilchernov/ Learn more about The Reboot Startup Nation: https://www.israel-reboot.com/ Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go  Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc  Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yallaletsgopodcast/  Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://x.com/aleph ‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/ ‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/ CREDITS Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn  Executive Producer: Sarah Bard Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld, Myron Shneider Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar  Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg Design: Nimrod Sapir

    Daniil Chernov, Co-Founder of Reboot Startup Nation, on Moving with a Job, Building a Community for 14K Russian Olim, and the 1,000 Rides That Followed October 7

  5. Jul 21

    Gili Fleekop, aka Gili From Philly, on Making Aliyah Against Her Mom's Wishes, Raising $400K for Soldiers After October 7, and Why She Never Negotiates

    In this episode of Yalla, Let’s Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Gili Fleekop — known online as Gili from Philly — co-founder of TikTok marketing agency Pink Chili, former social media lead at ironSource, and founder of Unit 107, the volunteer-run supply initiative that raised close to $400,000 for Israeli soldiers after October 7th. Gili shares her journey from the Philadelphia suburbs — raised by an Israeli mother and an American father — to building a life in Israel after a year of service with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. She opens up about landing her breakthrough role at ironSource after more than 50 rejections, teaching herself social media from scratch, and turning her personal TikTok following into a fully-inbound marketing agency with her co-founder Noam. She also talks about mobilizing hundreds of volunteers to support reservists after October 7th, marrying her husband Gavriel at the Great Synagogue of Rome, and why she sometimes considers a move back to the US over her fears about the state of Israeli AI and tech. The conversation continues with: Growing up in “mini Israel”: Philadelphia’s tight-knit Israeli-American community Getting rejected by ironSource, then talking her way back in Teaching herself social media and building a following of over 50,000 on TikTok Co-founding Pink Chili, a fully-inbound TikTok agency for tech companies Founding Unit 107 and mobilizing 400 volunteers to support reservists Marrying Gavriel at the Great Synagogue of Rome Her concerns about Israel’s position in the global AI race Aliyah advice: be fearless and never take no for an answer This is a candid, high-energy conversation about hustle, faith, and finding your niche by betting on yourself. Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel. #GiliFleekop #GiliFromPhilly #PinkChili #Israel #Aliyah #TikTok #IsraeliTech #Unit107 #October7 #IronSource #Entrepreneur #TikTokMarketing #YallaLetsGo #LifeInIsrael #WomenInTech KEY TOPICS  0:00 - Intro 1:34 - Pulse Check: Abbey's Overwhelming, Wonderful Israeli Summer 2:18 - Mazal Tov! Planning a Rome Wedding From Tel Aviv 3:32 - Gili's Life Story: Philosophy, the Joint, and Finding Her Path 4:48 - Growing Up in an Israeli-American Home in the Philly Suburbs 6:30 - Fake It Till You Make It: Her Path to ironSource 9:09 - Learning Instagram and TikTok From Scratch, Overnight 9:54 - Giving Herself a “PhD” in Social Media 10:57 - When ironSource TikToks Became a Recruiting Machine 11:02 - Quitting Together: Launching Pink Chili With Co-Founder Noam 12:53 - Building a TikTok Agency as an American-Israeli Founding Duo 14:07 - Going Viral and Staying Authentic on TikTok 14:59 - The Law of Attraction: Filling a Room of 200 to Land Clients 16:44 - Is TikTok as Lucrative in Israel as in the US? 17:37 - October 7th From America: Founding Unit 107 19:54 - Marrying a Reservist and Why Supporting Soldiers Is Her Mission 21:11 - Philly as “Mini Israel”: Chef Mike, Zahav, and the Soom Sisters 22:52 - Would She Leave Israel? Her Fears About Israeli AI 24:33 - Aliyah Advice: Be Fearless and Never Take No for an Answer 25:30 - What She Loves Most About Life in Israel 26:57 - At 80, Looking Back: The Business Only Israel Could Give Her 27:27 - Rapid Fire: Bamba, Tachles & the Ambassador in Ulpan RESOURCES Follow Gili on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilifleekop/  Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go  Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc  Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yallaletsgopodcast/  Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://x.com/aleph ‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/ ‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/ CREDITS Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn  Executive Producer: Sarah Bard Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld, Myron Shneider Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar  Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg Design: Nimrod Sapir

    Gili Fleekop, aka Gili From Philly, on Making Aliyah Against Her Mom's Wishes, Raising $400K for Soldiers After October 7, and Why She Never Negotiates

  6. Jul 7

    Fay Goldstein, Co-Founder & CEO of Bardin, on Talking Her Way Into the IDF at 27, Raising Money from the Gaza Border, and Becoming Israeli on Purpose

    In this episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Fay Goldstein — co-founder and CEO of Bardin, and an olah from the United States — for a candid conversation about talking her way into the IDF at 28, building a startup during wartime, and what it really means to become Israeli. Fay grew up in a Chabad family that moved constantly across the US before settling in Florida, and first connected to Israel through religious seminary and the Tel Aviv beach and party scene she snuck out to see. She made aliyah at 27, then convinced the IDF's head of recruitment to let her draft at 28 — a decade older than her fellow soldiers — after being told she was “a liability.” After her service, she left politics for tech, working in a startup and in VC before founding Bardin, a company she built while serving reserve duty and guiding tech missions through southern Israel in the wake of October 7th. Also in the episode: Growing up in a nomadic Chabad family and finding Zionism before religion Talking her way into the IDF at 28 with a handwritten exemption override Raising angel investment from the Gaza border while on reserve duty How guiding tech missions after October 7th led to her first investors Leaving VC and startups behind to become a founder herself Rejecting the “lost olah” identity and choosing to become fully Israeli Building chosen family and community as an immigrant without family in Israel Aliyah advice: learn Hebrew and seek out community beyond other olim This is a conversation about grit, identity, and what it means to build both a life and a company in Israel, on your own terms. Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel. #FayGoldstein #Bardin #Israel #Aliyah #IDF #TechInIsrael #StartupIsrael #October7 #OlahChadasha #JewishIdentity #YallaLetsGo #LifeInIsrael #WomenFounders #MakingAliyah #IsraeliTech KEY TOPICS  0:00 - Intro 0:55 - Meet Fay Goldstein: Bardin Co-Founder and CEO 2:42 - Life Story in 60 Seconds: 27 Houses and a Chabad Upbringing 4:01 - Why She Made Aliyah: Zionism Before Religion 6:32 - Talking Her Way Into the IDF at Age 28 8:24 - “You're a Liability”: The Exemption Letter From Yossi Matzliach 8:55 - Building Bardin: An AI Startup Born From ChatGPT 9:18 - Raising Money From the Gaza Border During Reserve Duty 11:42 - How Reserve Duty Led to Her First Angel Investors 12:10 - Leaving VC and Startups to Become a Founder 13:11 - Building Chosen Family and Community as an Olah 15:08 - Rejecting the “Lost Olah” Identity 18:25 - Aliyah Advice: Learn Hebrew and Find Real Community 20:30 - Rapid Fire: Chicken Kebabs, “Em,” and the Golan RESOURCES Follow Fay on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faygoldstein/  Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go  Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc  Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yallaletsgopodcast/  Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://x.com/aleph ‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/ ‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/ CREDITS Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn  Executive Producer: Sarah Bard Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld, Myron Shneider Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar  Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg Design: Nimrod Sapir

    Fay Goldstein, Co-Founder & CEO of Bardin, on Talking Her Way Into the IDF at 27, Raising Money from the Gaza Border, and Becoming Israeli on Purpose

  7. Jun 24

    Jillian Goldberg Came to Israel for a One-Year Master's Degree, Now She's a Cyber Defense Exec and an Israeli Ninja Warrior

    In this episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Jillian Goldberg — olah from Cincinnati, former CRO of Israeli automotive cybersecurity startup EcoMotion, Teach For America alum, powerlifter, and Israeli Ninja Warrior contestant — for a wide-ranging, deeply honest conversation about reinvention, belonging, and building an unlikely life in Israel. Jillian came to Israel for a one-year master's degree at Tel Aviv University and never left. She joined her professor's startup as its first non-technical employee, grew into the global CRO, and quietly built and sold cyber products to the U.S. Army — all while becoming a powerlifter with Israeli national records, competing on Ninja Warrior, and playing on the national flag football team. After October 7th, she jumped into crisis communications for hostage families, working closely with the U.S. government before anyone had heard of the Hostage Forum. Also in the episode: From inner-city Dallas classrooms (Teach For America) to Israeli cybersecurity startup CRO Building and selling U.S. Army cyber products from Tel Aviv — before defense was sexy October 7th hostage communications: doing the work before the Hostage Forum existed Israeli Ninja Warrior: competing on a course she'd never seen before Marrying into an Ashkenazi-Mizrahi family: Ariel, Ladino, and trial by fire Why Israel gave her opportunities America never would — and what she still misses This is a bold, funny, and deeply personal conversation about reinvention, resilience, and the life you build when you show up with everything you've got. Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel. #JillianGoldberg #Israel #Aliyah #IsraeliTech #October7 #HostageAdvocacy #Cybersecurity #TeachForAmerica #YallaLetsGo #LifeInIsrael #WomenInTech #Powerlifting #NinjaWarrior #MakingAliyah KEY TOPICS  0:00 - Intro 1:07 - Jillian Goldberg: Olah from Cincinnati, Former CRO, Powerlifter, Israeli Ninja Warrior 3:09 - From Teach For America Teacher in Dallas to Master's Degree at Tel Aviv University 5:52 - First Non-Technical Hire at EcoMotion: Growing into Global CRO of an Israeli Cybersecurity Startup 6:01 - Why She Made Aliyah: One-Year Master's Program, Ten Years Later Still in Israel 7:01 - Israeli Ninja Warrior, Israeli National Powerlifting Records, and the National Flag Football Team 9:53 - Career-Building in Israeli Tech: Nevo Network, Olim Networking, and Growing into CRO 11:50 - From Startup CRO to Investor: What She Learned from the Founder's Seat 13:35 - October 7th Hostage Communications: Working with Families and the U.S. Government Before the Hostage Forum 16:44 - Psychological Cost of October 7th: Six Months Without Crying and a Year of Rebuilding 18:23 - American Olah in Israeli Tech: How Speaking American Became a Career Advantage 20:25 - How She Met Her Israeli Husband at a CrossFit Gym in Tel Aviv 22:04 - Ashkenazi-Mizrahi Marriage: Merging an American Reform Jewish Family with a Libyan-Bulgarian Israeli Household 23:55 - Has She Ever Considered Leaving Israel? Her Honest Answer 25:26 - What She Loves About Israel: Shared Identity With Every Person on the Street 26:06 - Aliyah Advice: Jump In, Ask for Help, Don't Be Afraid to Fail 27:10 - At 80, Looking Back: The Friendships in Israel That Became Family 27:47 - Rapid Fire: Krembo, Tachles & NFL Sunday RESOURCES Follow Jillian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-m-goldberg/  Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go  Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc  Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yallaletsgopodcast/  Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://x.com/aleph ‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/ ‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/ CREDITS Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn  Executive Producer: Sarah Bard Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld, Myron Shneider Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar  Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg Design: Nimrod Sapir

    Jillian Goldberg Came to Israel for a One-Year Master's Degree, Now She's a Cyber Defense Exec and an Israeli Ninja Warrior

  8. Jun 9

    Jewish Insider's Melissa Weiss on Building a Newsroom from Tel Aviv, the Challenges of Dating Israeli Men, and Her 20-Year Road to Aliyah

    In this episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Melissa Weiss — executive editor of Jewish Insider and olah from the United States — for a candid conversation about journalism in wartime Israel, building community as a single immigrant, and why she has never once considered leaving. Melissa grew up in a small, secular Jewish community in upstate New York before discovering Israel through youth groups, Birthright, and winter break trips. After living in South Korea, Washington DC, New York, and Mexico City, she made aliyah four years ago — and hasn't looked back. She now leads Jewish Insider's Israel operations from Tel Aviv, covering US-Israel politics, campus antisemitism, and the war, often while sirens are going off overhead. Also in the episode: From the Catskills to Tel Aviv: Melissa's unlikely path to aliyah Building Jewish Insider from Israel — covering DC politics from a Tel Aviv time zone Reporting during October 7th, the Iran war, and life between bomb shelters and deadlines Making friends, finding community, and dating as a single Anglo immigrant in Israel The bureaucracy, the beauty, and the Shabbat smells from her mirpeset Aliyah advice: rolling with the punches when nothing is intuitive At 80, looking back: finally doing the one thing she always wanted to do This is a warm, funny, and deeply honest conversation about purpose, resilience, and what it means to build a life in Israel from scratch. Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel. #MelissaWeiss #JewishInsider #Israel #Aliyah #TelAviv #JournalismInIsrael #October7 #IsraeliLife #AngloCommunity #JewishIdentity #YallaLetsGo #LifeInIsrael #WomenInJournalism #MakingAliyah #WarCorrespondent KEY TOPICS  0:00 – Intro 0:57 - Meet Melissa Weiss: Executive Editor of Jewish Insider and Tel Aviv Olah 3:02 - From the Catskills to Tel Aviv: Melissa's Path to Aliyah 4:04 - Why She Finally Made Aliyah After 20 Years of Thinking About It 5:48 - From Advocacy to Journalism: The Israel Project, Campus Coalitions, and Jewish Insider 7:33 - Running Jewish Insider's Israel Operations: Building a Newsroom Across Time Zones 8:24 - Covering DC Politics from Tel Aviv: How She Stays Plugged In 9:54 - Journalism Under Fire: Reporting October 7th, Iran, and Wartime Israel 12:17 - Sending the Newsletter From the Bomb Shelter: Normalizing the Abnormal 13:05 - Building Community as a Single Anglo Immigrant in Tel Aviv 15:35 - Dating in Tel Aviv: Apps, the Beach, and Israeli Men 17:57 - Has She Ever Considered Leaving? Her Answer. 18:10 - What It Means to Wake Up Every Day with Purpose 20:10 - What Grates on Her About Life in Israel 21:38 - The Go-To Girl: Building a Reputation as a Resource for Fellow Olim 23:00 - Aliyah Advice: Roll With the Punches, Lose the Expectations 24:44 - At 80, Looking Back: She Did the One Thing She Always Wanted 25:26 - Rapid Fire: Pomelo, Mamash & the Mount of Beatitudes RESOURCES Follow Melissa on X: https://x.com/melissaeweiss   Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go  Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc  Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yallaletsgopodcast/  Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yallaletsgopodcast  Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://x.com/aleph ‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/ ‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/ CREDITS Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn  Executive Producer: Sarah Bard Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld, Myron Shneider Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic, Yotam Kushnir Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar  Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg Design: Nimrod Sapir

    Jewish Insider's Melissa Weiss on Building a Newsroom from Tel Aviv, the Challenges of Dating Israeli Men, and Her 20-Year Road to Aliyah
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4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Exploring what it really means to make Aliyah and build a life in Israel: the good, the challenging, and everything in between.

Information

  • Creator
    Erica Marom, Abbey Onn
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Show Website
    Yalla, Let's Go!