What Makes Us a Family

In this episode, Barbara Dab, community leader from Nashville, joins Dalia Lahmany from Israel and Peter Federace from the Czech Republic to reflect on how the Hadera-Eiron Partnership2Gether connects communities across different histories and geographies. They share stories of visiting Jewish communities in Europe, engaging with Israeli peers, and discovering the depth of global Jewish solidarity...

In this episode, Allison Jacobs, P2G Hadera-Eiron Co-chair and Shlomit Zimring, Israeli Lay Leader, dive into the heart of the Hadera-Eiron Partnership2Gether initiative — exploring how this living bridge between Israel, the Southeastern U.S., and the Czech Republic has become a model of mutual responsibility, cultural exchange, and people-to-people connection. Together with Ravid Fleisher, P2G Pr...

In this heartfelt conversation, Michal Pirani from Harish, Israel, and Ken Stiles from Greensboro, North Carolina, share the story of how they went from strangers to close friends through the L2G – Local2Global program. They reflect on the deep bond they built through personal stories, poetry, shared Jewish values, and even moments of tragedy—like the October 7th attacks. Despite living thousands...

In this episode, Jessica Cohen Banish from Nashvile, TN, Maya Fux from Hadera, Peleg Orenstein from Pardes-Hanna Karkur,, and Rachel Landis from Charleston, SC - reflect on what it means to grow up Jewish in very different contexts. Maya and Peleg participated in an in-person youth delegation to the U.S. communities, where they stayed with host families and built meaningful relationships with thei...

What happens when people from different countries, backgrounds, and generations come together around the kitchen table? In this flavorful episode, Avigail Sharim, Itay Landsman, Rich Mancill, and Yasmine Rana share how recipes, stories, and smells became a powerful way to explore identity, memory, and connection. Through reflections on childhood dishes, emotional recipes, and the meaning of hospit...

In this powerful episode of What Makes Us a Family, hosted by Paige Wajsman, we bring together voices from Jacksonville, Florida, and Moshav Maor, Israel, to explore the infinite ways of living Jewishly — across continents, denominations, and generations. Hazzan Jesse Holzer shares how music, creativity, and community outreach have helped keep Jewish life vibrant in Jacksonville, while Dr. Efrat H...

In this intimate episode, Noga Hila Motana, Rinat Asa Greenberg, and Maxine Kaufman explore what happens when women from very different backgrounds—Israel and the U.S., religious and secular, young and experienced—come together for a real conversation. Through the L2G – Local to Global program, they created a space for honest dialogue about identity, culture, tradition, and the search for belongin...

In this moving episode, Randi Weiss hosts Andrea Wedner from Pittsburgh and Dr. Shirel Bakbani-Elkayam from Israel—two women whose lives were forever changed by acts of terror. Andrea shares her harrowing survival of the Tree of Life synagogue attack in 2018, while Shirel recounts her family’s experience during the October 7th attacks in Israel. Together, they reflect on how personal tragedy, comm...

In this episode, Suzie Palak-Becker and Keren Naim—partners in the L2G (Local to Global) program—share the story of Hineni , an extraordinary art project that bridges personal and collective memory through creativity and human connection. Together they discuss how artists from Israel and Jewish communities around the world collaborated to commemorate the victims of October 7th, transforming grief...

In this thoughtful follow-up episode, Erica Aronson, Karen Lieberman, Nina Kaufman, and Maia Talmor reflect on their experience in the L2G – Local to Global delegation—weeks after returning home. Speaking from across continents, they unpack what the visit meant to them: the challenges, the connections, and the subtle shifts in perspective that only come with time. Through honest conversation, they...

What Makes Us a Family is the official podcast of Partnership2Gether (P2G) Hadera-Eiron, powered by The Jewish Agency for Israel. Through personal stories, heartfelt conversations, and shared experiences, we bring to life the deep connections between the people of Hadera, Pardes-Hanna Karkur, Menashe and Alona regional councils in Israel, with the Jewish communities in the southeastern United Stat...