Stories Of Hope With Tzipora Grodko

Caleiv and Chana Jeantine join us for an unforgettable conversation about one of the most unlikely journeys to Judaism you'll ever hear. Caleiv, the son of Haitian immigrants and a gifted musician who grew up playing piano in his father's gospel church, and Chana, raised in a small Seventh-Day Adventist community down south, met at church, married within a matter of months, and set out to build a life centered entirely around God. What began as a simple commitment to wake up and study the Tanach together every single morning slowly turned their whole world upside down.

The more they learned, the more the contradictions piled up, until they could no longer ignore what the text was plainly telling them. Their search cost them their church, took them through a messianic detour, and eventually led them to the doors of Chabad of Augusta, where they showed up every Shabbat for two years before formally converting. They open up about the fear, the heartbreak, and the sense of betrayal that came with walking away from everything they were raised to believe and why they're convinced that if you sit down and truly study the words with intention, you never know where they might lead you.

Ari and Gitty Klein, the family behind the iconic Klein’s Ice Cream brand, join us for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever had. Ari shares the remarkable story of how his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who lost his wife and eight children in the Shoah, rebuilt his life from nothing and founded what would become one of the most recognizable kosher food brands in America.
But the heart of this episode is something even bigger. Both Ari and Gitty made the extraordinary decision to donate a kidney to complete strangers, later inspiring their son to do the same. They discuss the fears, emotions, family conversations, and life-changing moments that came with giving someone a second chance at life, and why they believe every person has the ability to make an impact, even if it looks different than theirs.
This episode was brought to you in part by:
►PZ Deals
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► Colel Chabad Pushka App
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► Resunize
Shidduch resumes shouldn't live in random screenshots, notebooks, and lost scraps of paper.
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In this week's episode of Stories of Hope, Ariel and Koby Gold sit down for one of the most courageous and important conversations we've ever had on this podcast. Koby opens up about his lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression, the childhood isolation that shaped him, and the terrifying manic episode that landed him in a closed psychiatric ward in Israel, while his wife Ariel was home alone with a three-week-old baby. From the first signs of hypomania during a family trip to California, to the sleepless nights where Koby genuinely believed he was Moshiach, this episode holds nothing back about what bipolar disorder really looks like inside a marriage.

But this episode is so much more than a mental health story. It's a story about a wife who chose to stay, a husband who chose to fight, and a couple who discovered that you don't get over the hardest things in life, you get through them, together. Ariel and Koby speak honestly about the loneliness of mental illness, the danger of stopping your medication when you start feeling better, the role of faith in the darkest moments, and what it actually takes to rebuild after something that shakes everything. If you or someone you love has ever felt alone in their struggle, this episode will make you feel seen.

This episode was brought to you in part by:

► PZ Deals

Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again

https://app.pz.deals/install/soh

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► Colel Chabad Pushka App

The easiest way to give Tzedaka.

https://pushkapp.cc/soh

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► Resunize

Shidduch resumes shouldn't live in random screenshots, notebooks, and lost scraps of paper.
Resunize keeps every resume, note, and piece of feedback organized in one clean place.

https://resunize.com/mm

In this week's episode of Stories of Hope, Yossi and Dave Levinger, two brothers who haven't started dating yet, sit down for one of the most refreshingly honest and entertaining conversations we've ever had on the podcast. From the pressures of the shidduch world and the expectations of matchmakers to what it really means to be "ready" to date, the brothers open up about their decision to move out of their parents' house, build financial independence, and become the best versions of themselves before entering a serious relationship. What starts as a fun, lighthearted conversation quickly becomes a deep and honest look at self-awareness, confidence, identity, and the courage to be yourself even when the world is telling you to stay in the box.

The episode also dives into the weight of family expectations, the question of kollel vs. working, the role of parents in dating decisions, and why so many young people start dating before they're truly ready. Yossi and Dave bring humor, rawness, and real talk that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt pressure to fit a mold, whether you're pre-dating, mid-dating, or just trying to figure out who you are and what you actually want.

This episode was brought you in part by:

►PZ Deals

Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again

https://app.pz.deals/install/soh

______________

► Colel Chabad Pushka App

The easiest way to give Tzedaka.

https://pushkapp.cc/soh

In this week’s episode of Stories of Hope, Sarah Sheindel and David share the deeply personal story of how they found each other after years of heartbreak, uncertainty, and feeling like marriage might never happen. David opens up about spending nearly two decades dating without ever finding the right connection, while Sara shares the reality of re-entering the dating world as a divorced single mother of four children, including a daughter with severe medical needs. Together, they speak honestly about rejection, resilience, self-worth, and the pressure people feel when they think they’ve “fallen behind” in life.
What makes their story so powerful is not just that they eventually got married, but how unexpected their journey was. From dating apps and difficult conversations to learning how to become a stepfather and blending a family together, this episode is filled with raw vulnerability, humor, hope, and perspective for anyone navigating dating, divorce, loneliness, or self-doubt. Sara and David’s story is a reminder that life rarely unfolds the way we imagine, but sometimes the things we thought disqualified us are exactly what lead us to the right person.
To contact David:
@yusimmattressco | yusimmattress@gmail.com
To contact Sarah Sheindel:
@sarahkorenblit
This episode was brought you in part by:

►PZ Deals
Download The PZ Deals App and Never Pay Full Price Again
https://app.pz.deals/install/soh
______________
► Colel Chabad Pushka App
The easiest way to give Tzedaka.
https://pushkapp.cc/soh
______________
► JWed
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For over 25 years, JWed has helped serious singles find the right person.
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