hmTv at HMTC Podcasts

Send us Fan Mail In this milestone 50th episode of Habits of a Whole Heart on hmTv, host Arnie Herz speaks with Ira Kohler, author of Once a Paratrooper , about his extraordinary journey from Long Island college life to serving as a lone soldier in the IDF. In Part 1 of this powerful conversation, Ira reflects on the values, identity, and sense of purpose that led him to leave the comfort and fami...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 561 of The Butterfly Effect on hmTv, host Gilad Avrahami and co-host Bernie Furshpan explore conformity, the bandwagon effect, fear of missing out, and groupthink, examining how people are often pulled into beliefs, behaviors, movements, and social trends simply because others around them are doing the same. Building on their previous discussion about critical mass, Gil...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 560 of Raised by Survivors on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes Marlene Steiner, a dear friend and daughter of Holocaust survivors, for a deeply personal conversation about memory, survival, trauma, resilience, and joy. Marlene shares her mother’s harrowing story of being forced from Rădăuți, Romania, and marched toward Ukraine, where families were torn apart and surv...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 559 of Raised by Survivors on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes Irene Dunkel Rivera, a retired educator, assistant principal, professor, and daughter of two Holocaust survivors. Irene shares how her parents’ experiences in Łódź, Warsaw, the ghettos, Auschwitz, Majdanek, and the Jewish Labor Bund shaped her understanding of justice, identity, memory, and human responsi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Voices of Diversity on hmTv , host Sherona Varulkar welcomes psychotherapist, author, and eating disorder specialist Eve Eliot for a deeply personal conversation about identity, family history, grief, resilience, and healing. Eve shares the remarkable story of her Sephardic Jewish grandparents, who came to America from Greece and built a new life in Brooklyn wit...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 557 of Raised by Survivors on hmTv, host Bernie Furshpan welcomes Caryn Bachar for a heartfelt conversation between two childhood friends who grew up in the shared world of Holocaust survivor families in Brooklyn and Queens. Together, Bernie and Caryn reflect on what it meant to be raised by survivors, from the anxiety, overprotection, food, humor, accents, and deep fam...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 556 of Legacy Chronicles: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future on hmTv, host Donna Rosenblum welcomes Dr. Lenny Kristal for a moving conversation about growing up as the son of Holocaust survivors and the responsibility of carrying memory forward. Lenny shares the powerful stories of his parents: his mother’s escape from Nazi-occupied Vienna after Kristallnacht, and hi...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 555: Inheriting Memory with Rebecca Sparacio and Guest Alex Teplish, Part 2 on hmTv In Part 2 of Inheriting Memory , host Rebecca Sparacio continues her conversation with Alex Teplish, exploring how his grandparents’ Holocaust survival stories inspired a lifetime of education, advocacy, and remembrance. Alex discusses the creation of his award-winning graphic novel, Survivor: A...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 554: Inheriting Memory with Rebecca Sparacio and Guest Alex Teplish, Part 1 on hmTv In this powerful episode of Inheriting Memory , host Rebecca Sparacio speaks with Alex Teplish about growing up as a third-generation Holocaust survivor in a Russian-speaking Jewish family from Odessa, Ukraine. Alex shares how his grandparents’ survival stories were woven into everyday family li...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of this powerful conversation on It’s All About the Children , host Carin Bail continues her discussion with Holocaust survivor, educator, and speaker Sami Steigman about Holocaust memory, education, antisemitism, and the urgent need to reach young people with truth and moral clarity. Sami shares why he refuses to be defined by trauma, poverty, homelessness, or loss, emp...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 552: It’s All About the Children with Carin Bail & Sami Steigman, Part 1 on hmTv In this powerful episode of It’s All About the Children , host Carin Bail sits down with Holocaust survivor, educator, and speaker Sami Steigman for a deeply meaningful conversation about memory, education, resilience, and the responsibility of passing history to the next generation. Sami refle...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 551: Ordinary Heroes with Bernie Furshpan and Guest Mitchell Bickman on hmTv What does it take to raise a generation that can recognize truth, reject hate, and choose empathy? In this powerful episode of Ordinary Heroes , Bernie Furshpan sits down with Mitchell Bickman, Director of Social Studies K-12 for the Oceanside School District, for a timely conversation about Holocaust...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 550: Influential Origins With Alan Mindel and guest Youssef Elazhari What happens when curiosity replaces assumption—and a single journey reshapes everything you thought you knew? In this compelling episode, Alan Mindel sits down with Youssef Elazhari, Moroccan AI researcher, entrepreneur, and Moroccan Affairs Director for Sharaka, to explore a deeply personal and eye-opening s...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 549: Raised by Survivors with Bernie Furshpan and guest Betty Pilnik on hmTv What does it mean to inherit not just a story—but the emotions, fears, and resilience that come with it? In this deeply personal episode of Raised by Survivors, Bernie Furshpan sits down with Betty Pilnik for a conversation that begins with a chance reunion—and unfolds into a powerful exploration of fa...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 548: The Israeli Bond with Gal Swisa Cohen & Emily Rahmilov In this deeply moving episode of The Israeli Bond , Gal Swisa Cohen welcomes back Emily Rahmilov for a conversation that is as personal as it is unforgettable. Emily shares her firsthand account of October 7th, 2023—waking to explosions in her hometown of Ofakim, racing against sirens with her family, and the terri...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 545: Habits of a Whole Heart with Arnie Herz and guest Bernie Furshpan What does it really mean to live a life that matters? In this deeply reflective episode, Arnie Herz welcomes back hmTv founder Bernie Furshpan for a powerful conversation about purpose, impact, and the extraordinary growth of the Humanity Matters podcast platform—now approaching 550 episodes in just one year...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 546: Habits of a Whole Heart with Arnie Herz and guest Jonathan Blau Why do smart people make poor financial decisions—and how can they change? In this insightful and practical episode, Arnie Herz sits down with wealth advisor and Crazy Wealthy podcast host Jonathan Blau to explore the powerful intersection of money, mindset, and human behavior. Jonathan challenges conventional...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 547: The Israeli Bond with Gal Swisa Cohen and guest Arnie Herz What does it mean to build bridges in a divided world—and who takes responsibility for that mission? In this thought-provoking episode, Gal Swisa Cohen sits down with Arnie Herz—AJC Board of Governors member, global advocate, and host of Habits of a Whole Heart —for a candid conversation about diplomacy, identity,...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 544: Unmasked, Unfiltered, Unapologetic with Bali Lerner and guests Tanner Brandimarte & CJ Hutter What happens when the people who usually ask the questions become the ones answering them? In this compelling episode, Bali Lerner sits down with Suffolk County PBA members CJ Hutter and Tanner Brandimarte—active police officers and co-hosts of the On Patrol podcast—for an unf...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 543: History Repeats (Part 2) Host: Liam Carballal Guest: Richard Acritelli How do brilliant minds justify unimaginable evil—and what happens when the world looks the other way? In Part 2 of this gripping conversation, Liam Carballal and historian Richard Acritelli go deeper into the aftermath of the Holocaust, examining the psychology of Nazi leadership, the disturbing reality...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 542: History Repeats Host: Liam Carballal Guest: Richard Acritelli What happens when history stops being words on a page—and becomes something you can smell, see, and never forget? In this powerful Part 1 conversation, Liam Carballal sits down with historian Richard Acritelli to explore the brutal realities faced by American soldiers at the end of World War II—and the moment th...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 541: Legacy Chronicles with Donna Rosenblum and guest Willi Handler on hmTv What does it mean to carry a legacy shaped by survival, silence, and resilience? In this deeply moving episode of Legacy Chronicles , Donna Rosenblum sits down with author Willi Handler to explore the powerful story of his parents—Holocaust survivors from Poland and Romania—and the lasting impact their...

Send us Fan Mail Ordinary Heroes (hmTv) In this powerful episode of Ordinary Heroes , Bernie Furshpan sits down with Dr. Mishy Lesser for a deeply honest conversation about truth, history, and the courage to act. Dr. Lesser challenges the way history is often taught, exposing the dangers of “twistery”—distorted narratives that erase Indigenous voices and realities. Together, they explore why confr...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 539: Ordinary Heroes What if the most powerful lessons in life weren’t taught in a classroom—but behind a camera? In this inspiring episode of Ordinary Heroes , Bernie Furshpan sits down with Rob Zahn, longtime director of one of the nation’s most historic high school television programs in Great Neck, New York. What began as a pioneering media initiative in the 1950s has becom...

Send us Fan Mail Ep 537: Unmasked Unfiltered Unapologetic What does it really mean to serve, to sacrifice, and to stand up when it matters most? In this powerful episode, Bali Lerner sits down with Ira Kohler—American-born lone soldier, IDF paratrooper, and author of Once a Paratrooper: The Story of a Lone Soldier in the Gaza War . Ira shares his deeply personal journey from Long Island to the fro...