Good People Talk

Beth Weinstock walked into that classroom carrying grief … but also a driving purpose. In 2021, her college-aged son Eli accidentally ingested fentanyl and died. Yet six months later, Beth and her daughter, Olivia, co-founded BirdieLight — a Good People Fund grantee — to honor Eli by spreading awareness about fentanyl in drugs to students, parents and educators. — “Stories of Hope” is...

At an oasis of calm and healing called Ruca’s Farm — a Good People Fund grantee — IDF veterans like Gideon are finding relief from trauma and a path toward light. Here, social visionary Nir Lahav, who grew up on a kibbutz in northern Israel, is combining his own love for the land with a deep commitment to the welfare of Israel’s veterans, giving them space for needed healing and growth. >&#8221...

Samara, incarcerated and suffering from advanced lymphoma, received a compassionate release from prison, a move that arguably saved her life due to the intervention of Medical Justice Alliance — a Good People Fund grantee. MJA mobilizes volunteer clinicians as expert medical witnesses for advocates seeking care or outright release for clients facing often life-threatening illnesses, says Dr. Mark...

Jereme is a Black pastor and salvage company manager. Aaron is a white, Orthodox Jewish human resources executive. A friendship seems unlikely … but a tight one formed from their participation in Rekindle — a Good People Fund grantee joining members of the Black and Jewish communities to rebuild their historic relationship and accelerate positive change. Their connection through Rekindle evolved i...

Besides heading The Israel Lemonade Fund — a Good People Fund grantee — Shari Mendes serves on an Israel Defense Forces reserve unit dedicated to caring for the bodies of female IDF soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. In this episode — presented as we mark one year since October 7 — Shari describes her experiences and observations on and after that day … the imperative to honor and dignify t...

Shari Mendes is a breast cancer survivor — who during her journey of treatment and recovery, met patients facing severe financial struggle exacerbated by loss of work and other factors. Responding, she founded Israel Lemonade Fund — a Good People Fund grantee — to help breast cancer patients in financial crisis, offering one-time grants covering basic living costs and alleviating distress. Marking...

Good People Fund (un)conference keynote speaker Ruth Messinger is a prominent social change advocate, and former President and current Global Ambassador of the American Jewish World Service. In this special pre-(un)conference episode, Ruth speaks about the Jewish and moral imperative to repair the world … the challenges facing visionary leaders … and what she’s planning to impart in her keynote ad...

Tag Meir (“Light Tag”) — a Good People Fund grantee — was founded in 2011 by Gadi Gvaryahu to counter racism in Israel, and has grown to lead a coalition of more than 50 organizations across political, religious and cultural spheres to mobilize voices for coexistence, support victims of hate crimes, and more. Since October 7, the work of Tag Meir is especially crucial as tensions rise in the count...

Come November, at The Good People Fund’s (un)conference in New York, singer-songwriter John Beltzer will bring us into his unique zone of good … leading attendees as we give our voices to a song personalized for a child facing a serious medical challenge. Since 1996, John’s Songs of Love Foundation has touched the lives of tens of thousands of children and teens in this way. By crafting free...

With antisemitism rising exponentially and perniciously on cyber platforms, Fighting Online Antisemitism — a Good People Fund grantee based in Israel — uses its corps of 3,000 trained volunteers around the world and AI to monitor online spaces, report antisemitic content, and move to eliminate it. In this very timely episode of Good People Talk, Fighting Online Antisemitism Founder and Executive D...

Since Oct 7, colleges are flashpoints of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. TribeTalk, a Good People Fund grantee, is equipping Jewish college students with knowledge, resources and confidence to navigate through this challenging reality … and giving college-bound students information on what to expect when they arrive on campus. Jude Sydney and Robin Friedman are co-founders of TribeTalk. In this epi...

In our severely challenged world — as we look to define and grasp hope — Rabbi Debra Orenstein sat with Good People Fund Director of Engagement Julie Fisher to talk about her own journey to hope … the value of hope to our mental and physical well beings … practical tips for all of us to embrace and elevate hope … and much more. Rabbi Debra is spiritual leader at Congregation B’nai Israel in Emerso...

Amy Ever, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, is the Founder and CEO of A Courageous Voice — educating and equipping children, parents, teachers and community leaders with the knowledge and tools to end the scourge of child abuse, neglect and exploitation rooted in both on- and offline spaces. Amy talks about her journey from trauma to impact with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger. The Go...

Three of our visionary grantees in Israel vividly describe how they’re meeting new challenges since the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, and staying true to their passions and missions elevating good and hope — and uplifting the communities they serve with renewed resolve. While in Israel in March, GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger and GPF Director of Engagement Julie Fisher sat with Avraham Ha...

We’re at our 50th episode of Good People Talk! Marking this milestone moment, we’ve handed the microphone over to special guest host — Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief of the Forward and former Jerusalem Bureau Chief of The New York Times — as she discovers The Good People Fund’s secret sauce for building and sustaining a community of Good People creating positive change in a challenged and conflicte...

Blyth Taylor Lord founded Courageous Parents Network in 2014 — some years after her daughter, Cameron, and her nephew, Hayden, both died from infantile Tay-Sachs. Blyth turned her grief into purpose. CPN — a GPF alum grantee — uses education, advocacy and community to equip and empower parents of children with serious medical conditions. She speaks with GPF Exec. Director Naomi Eisenberger. This i...

For youth across the spectrum of developmental, physical and learning abilities, the war presents unique challenges. Beth Steinberg and Miriam Avraham — both mothers of children with Down syndrome — are the Founding Directors of Shutaf (“partner” in Hebrew) — practicing an inclusionary model of informal programming for kids, teens, and young adults across abilities. In this conversation with Good...

Kavod v’Nichum (“Honor and Comfort”) — a GPF grantee — brings Jewish end-of-life discussions and practices into the light by elevating and advancing Chevrot Kadisha — holy societies that support individuals, families and communities during a sacred life cycle event. Sarit Wishnevski, Kavod v’Nichum’s Executive Director, joins Naomi Eisenberger, GPF Co-Founder and Executive Director, to discuss the...

Since its founding, Road to Recovery has driven thousands of Palestinians — mostly children — from crossing points to Israeli hospitals for critical medical care … and back again. Road to Recovery Chair Yael Noy joins GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger to discuss how the organization and its volunteers are adjusting to new realities on the ground … and committing to hope.   This is Voices fr...

Shlomit Somech-Lehmann is CEO of Al Baqour, a Good People Fund grantee using innovative approaches to early childhood education to empower Israel’s challenged Bedouin community in Israel’s Negev. In this very personal conversation with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger, Shlomit shares stories of loss and hope from October 7 and the weeks since. This is Voices from Israel … a companion podca...

Brit Ha’Leviot — a Good People Fund grantee in Israel — works to protect and promote the rights and well-being of trans and gender diverse youth and their families, and educate institutions like schools, and greater Israeli society. Co-Founder Merav Livni Keish speaks to GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger about how the organization is adjusting to meet unprecedented needs since Oct. 7, and k...

In this second episode of Voices From Israel, Good People Fund Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger welcomes and introduces Julie Fisher as GPF’s new Director of Engagement. Julie was the Founder and Director of the Consortium for Israel and the Asylum Seekers, and describes challenges to the asylee population in Israel before and since Oct. 7, and how the nonprofit sector is helping this vulnerab...

Sahar — a Good People Fund grantee — has for more than two decades offered volunteer-based online support to Israelis experiencing mental and emotional distress. Since the horrific attack on Israel on October 7, the organization has geared up to meet unprecedented need for its services. In this first episode of Voices from Israel, GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger speaks with Sahar CEO Yael...

As The Good People Fund (un)conference approaches, our guest is featured speaker Jon Adam Ross — a New York-based artist, activist and educator, and co-founding artist and Executive Director of the In(HEIR)itance Project. In this dynamic episode, Jon describes the power of harnessing our stories and narratives to fuel and deepen our work and advance positive change. He speaks with GPF Executive Di...

After Irwin Rosenstein (z”l) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and later dementia, his wife Carol discovered that music making eased his condition and uplifted his spirits. So the two founded Music Mends Minds — a Good People Fund grantee based in Los Angeles — to create musical support groups benefiting individuals with Alzheimer’s, dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases … as well as...