Stories Of Hope With Tzipora Grodko

In this episode of Stories of Hope, Rabbi Jamie and Ilana Cowland share the journey that shaped their life’s mission. From London to Israel, they reflect on the pivotal moments that led them to dedicate their lives to bridging gaps within the Jewish world . Rabbi Jamie explains how he realized traditional kiruv models were no longer reaching people the same way , which ultimately led to the creati...

In this unforgettable episode of Stories of Hope , Clair and Yitzchok share a journey that defies every expectation. From adoption and identity struggles to secret university studies, dangerous relationships, deportation, and a deep spiritual unraveling, Clair’s path took her across continents and cultures before ultimately bringing her back to her roots . Yitzchok’s story runs parallel: divorce,...

In this episode of Stories of Hope, Yisroel and Devorah Feder share the part of marriage most people hide. Married young, disconnected from the start, and eventually separated, they open up about years of struggle, loneliness, public judgment, and the quiet pain their family carried. With honesty and humility, they talk about what it feels like to believe your marriage is broken beyond repair, and...

In this deeply honest and moving episode, Yisroel Kerner and Elana Kerner share their personal journeys through dating, identity, mental health, and finding each other in Israel. From navigating labels and social pressure to speaking openly about depression, therapy, and self-acceptance, they unpack what it really means to be “ready” for marriage. Their story challenges the boxes people are placed...

This episode of Stories of Hope is a raw and deeply moving conversation with Hadassah and Yossi Chen, who share their journey through unimaginable grief, faith, marriage, and growth after the loss of their daughter, Navi. They speak honestly about navigating childhood illness, loss, bitachon, and how pain can either break a person, or transform them. This is not just a story of loss, but a story o...

In this deeply honest episode, Deena Flaks and Kalman Flaks share their raw, unfiltered journeys through years of dating, heartbreak, faith, doubt, and resilience—before finally finding each other later in life. Deena opens up about dating from 19 to 36, going out with over 200 people, navigating pressure, intuition, burnout, and the quiet fear of “maybe something is wrong with me.” Kalman shares...

They waited. They struggled. They almost walked away—more than once. After 12+ years of painful dating, self-doubt, fear, therapy, and deep inner work, Michal and Nadav finally found each other in the most unexpected way. This is not a fairy tale.  It’s a raw, honest conversation about loneliness, faith, surrender, rejection, healing, and why the journey doesn’t end when you get engaged. If you’ve...

In this powerful episode, Simi Polonsky, shares her journey through love, devastating loss, widowhood, remarriage, divorce, and rebuilding life with faith and honesty. She speaks openly about grief, anger at Hashem, motherhood, shame, resilience, and what it truly means to choose life when nothing feels certain. This conversation explores how to live with hope without waiting for things to work ou...

What happens when two ambitious, thoughtful Jews—raised with identity but not observance—begin asking deeper questions about truth, purpose, and God? In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Jenna and Justin share their journeys back to Judaism, from college campuses and law school to Israel, yeshiva, marriage, and parenthood. They open up about the beauty and the struggle of becoming reli...

What does it mean to create hope while still living in pain? In this deeply honest and powerful conversation, Haddasa Manela shares her extraordinary journey of building and leading Bonei Olam of Florida while navigating more than a decade of infertility and loss. Instead of waiting for her own “happy ending,” Hadassah chose to act — raising millions of dollars, funding treatments for countless co...

In this deeply moving and honest conversation, Chana and Meir Horowitz share a story that unfolds at the intersection of love, loss, faith, and resilience. They take us through their very first dates, their vastly different backgrounds, and the powerful connection they felt almost instantly — only to have everything change when Chana’s mother suddenly passed away in the middle of their dating jour...

What happens when two young adults — both raised secular in Montreal — suddenly feel like something is missing ? And what happens when one of them, at only 21, is diagnosed with a massive tumor and told she has Hodgkin’s lymphoma? In this deeply moving episode of Stories of Hope, Amanda and Aaron share their intertwined journeys of loss, searching, healing, faith, and love. Their story begins with...

When Malka and Yaakov walked into the studio, no one knew the magnitude of the story they were about to reveal. What began as a routine pregnancy quickly spiraled into fear, medical crises, heartbreak, and impossible decisions — including being told by doctors and rabbinic leadership to terminate. But something inside Malka said no . In this raw, emotional and deeply moving episode, the Slatus fam...

In this raw, deeply emotional interview, Kayla shares her near-death experience, religious trauma, postpartum depression, and the moment she thought she no longer believed in Judaism. At the same time, Shmuel — a rabbi — reveals what it was like to stay married while watching his wife lose her faith. Together, they walk us through: ✨ Kayla’s clinical death and what she experienced on “the other s...

On this week’s episode of Stories of Hope, host Tzipora Grodko sits down with Ronni and Gavriel Rabin — a couple whose love story feels like it was written in Heaven. She was a divorced grandmother rediscovering herself. He was a widower, a Vietnam veteran, a convert to Judaism, and absolutely not looking for love. But one unexpected phone call — sparked by a charity donation — set off a chain of...

In this profoundly moving conversation, Chaya and Shmily Morgenstern open up about their journey through love, loss, and resilience. From navigating the Chasidic dating world and living with Kallmann syndrome to surviving a near-fatal car accident and rebuilding life after traumatic brain injury, their story is one of courage, faith, and unshakable authenticity.  Together, they reveal how vulnerab...

In this deeply personal and inspiring conversation, Allie and Yehudah open up about their unique journeys through faith, love, and perseverance. Allie shares the emotional reality of navigating years of dating in a close-knit community—watching her siblings marry, facing loneliness, and ultimately finding peace and strength within herself. Yehudah, a South African-born Israeli Air Force officer, r...

In this heartfelt Stories of Hope episode, host Tzipora Grodko sits down with Shushy and Ben Turin — better known as Cooking in Heels and Eating in Flats — to share the incredible story of how fate, faith, and a delayed EL AL flight brought two unlikely souls together. What began as an innocent Wi-Fi request at an airport turned into a 12-hour conversation that changed both their lives. From Shush...

Shani thought her story was over. Yochanan was a single dad rebuilding from heartbreak. Two people, both done with hope — until one weekend in Israel changed everything. This is the real story of faith, loss, and second chances. You can contact Shani and Yochanan via email:  Spollack@aish.edu Or Yochananpollack@gmail.com   This episode is sponsored by: ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to...

This week on Stories of Hope, Tzipora sits down with Dani and Raizel Namdar, better known as That Jewish Family, the couple behind the viral account sharing their journey of faith, family, and adventure. From growing up as Chabad shluchim in opposite corners of the world to finding each other through the shidduch system, Dani and Raizel open up about their unlikely love story, what they’ve learned...

What does it take to move from the chaos of late-night clubs and DJ booths to a life of Torah, meditation, and deep inner peace? In this inspiring conversation, Rabbi Dov Ber Cohen shares his remarkable journey—from England’s underground music scene to years of wandering Asia in search of meaning, before finding his true home in Israel. Rabbi Dov Ber opens up about the transformative power of medi...

What happens when two devoted Christian musicians discover that their path leads not deeper into church life, but straight to Torah and Am Yisrael? In this inspiring conversation, Yosef Daniel and Jezliah Villarreal share their remarkable story—from growing up in Sabbath-keeping churches in Texas and facing the expectations of ministry families, to encounters with Jewish festivals, Messianic movem...

After years of heartbreak, waiting, and struggle, Shoshi and Johnny share their incredible story of hope, recovery, and miracles. She thought marriage and children might never come. He hit rock bottom:  divorce, bankruptcy, and addiction. But when they reconnected after 17 years, everything changed. From pain to healing, from surrender to gratitude, their story shows that miracles do happen and th...

Dini and Itzik Weinberg open up about their incredible journey of faith, family, and resilience. From their humble beginnings in Jerusalem to building a thriving life and business together in New York, their story is filled with challenges, sacrifices, and powerful lessons.  In this conversation, they share what it was like to navigate divorce and second marriages at a young age, how they blended...

Jessica and Lenny’s story is one of resilience, faith, and the beauty of divine timing. Jessica grew up moving around the world as the daughter of a US military family, eventually becoming more observant. Lenny grew up in Philadelphia in a secular Russian family and found his way to Judaism through friendships, trips to Israel, and years of learning in yeshiva.  Both navigated challenges in dating...