Chutzpah Girls. - 100 Tales of Daring Jewish Women Co-Authored by Julie Silverstein and Tami Schlossberg Pruwer This book comes at the right time. We need inspiration. We need to hear about our Heroines and tap into the inner strength that these women all share. It's in our DNA! I predict this book will be an international best seller. This episode was a lively conversation with the authors. Tune in to hear their story, the story of the book, and get inspired! Pre-order now...

Zac is a rabbi and community leader based in Berkeley, CA. As the founder and CEO of Shefa, Zac is pioneering a movement to integrate safe and supported psychedelic use into the Jewish spiritual tradition, advocating for the healing of individual and inherited traumas, and inspiring a Jewish religious and creative renaissance in the 21st century. He is a qualified instructor of MBSR and is trained in ketamine-assisted care through Inbodied Life. In this Interview, we explore Zac's mystical...

This conversation happened just before Rosh Hashanah We touched on so many great topics. My favorites: Love almighty, how to pray, what does L'hitpalel actually mean, and how to humbly ask what does Hashem want from us? Rabbi David Aaron [www.rabbidavidaaron.com],is a spiritual visionary, master educator, and published best-selling author who has invested 4 decades delving into life’s greatest challenges and sharing transformational secrets to living a happier, more fulfilling empowered...

Le Shana Tova 5785!! I am thrilled to debut Season 5 of The Holy Sparks Podcast with a fresh new guest and long time friend: Rabbi Peretz Mochkin Peretz, meaning "to breakthrough," is a rabbi deeply versed in Chasidic mysticism with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in crafting individualized rituals that promote personal growth and transformation. Having served in various capacities with Chabad and other religious organizations, Peretz now focuses on meeting people where they...

Rabbi Dr. Greg Marcus is an independent and unaffiliated Rabbi who creates safe and engaging spaces that make Jewish texts accessible to beginners and seasoned students alike. Rabbi Greg has a Ph.D. in Biology from MIT, worked ten years as a marketer in the genomics industry, and almost ten years as a stay at home parent. He recently received ordination from the Academy of Jewish Religion, California, and works as a grief counselor and funeral officient. His latest book is The Spiritual...

This conversation is part of the UCLA mini-series which started with Rabbi Toba Schaller of Hillel UCLA. Eli Tsives has blown up on social media and national news as a stand out activist for Jewish Students on campus at UCLA and Beyond. Tune in to hear his fascinating story about living in Shanghai and the Bay Area. We also talk about his training with Stand with Us, his experiences on and off campus and what he is doing to stand up this semester for Jews on campus. This is a great...

Rabbi Toba Schaller was born in Wyoming and grew up in small-town Texas. Since then, she has lived and worked in Jewish communities big and small all over the country. She is proud of her ability to find a place wherever she lands, be it the busy streets of LA or the honkey-tonk of her hometown. She believes that this is a unique gift that helps her build community and help others find their place, too. Rabbi Toba holds an MA in Religious Education and well as rabbinic ordination from...

Nissim Black is an American-Israeli Rapper/Singer and influencer who is taking the world by storm. Growing up in the inner city of Seattle, Nissim Black saw firsthand the struggles and challenges that many people face on a daily basis. But he didn't let that define him. Instead, he embraced his passion for music and used it as a vehicle to spread positivity and increase awareness of God through mainstream mediums. With a musical style that ranges from Rap to Pop to World music, Nissim Black's...

Elevator Pitches for God - 70 1-page Essays by thought Leaders on why they Believe. On this unique episode, I sit down with Ron Kardos and Bruce Licht, the editors of this new best-selling book. You'll hear why they felt it was time for this book, some amazing holy moments in the creation of this book, and some stories about the authors. You can pick up your copy here https://ep4g.com/ To help us keep going and spread the word please go to Holy Sparks DONATIONS http://igfn.us/form/haHSSQ

Welcome to Season 4 Episode 5 of THE HOLY SPARKS PODCAST Hillel Fuld is a tech blogger and entrepreneur turned full-time 24/6 Activist. his posts have received over 1 Billion Impressions since October 8th. We talk about Jewish History, WW3, Anti-semitism, Israel, Radical Islam in the West, College Campuses. His message will wake you up This Episode is INTENSE. Do not listen around your...

Doreet Jehassi started making and selling Yemenite Jewish breads out of her home kitchen 6 years ago. She now offers a variety of savory and sweet wraps, baked goods, dips, and other Yemenite/Israeli specialties for pickup and delivery at The Ma’lawah Bar, which operates out of her new brick-and-mortar restaurant in Palo Alto. On this episode of The Holy Sparks Podcast, join me on an audio ( and visual on YouTube) tour of the San Francisco Bay Area's new Kosher restaurant - The Ma'laweh...

On this week's episode, I sit down with my friend Zack Bodner, President and CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto. We explore his latest book, Why Do Jewish? We talk about his time at AIPAC, the role of the JCC in the Jewish tapestry, Israel, and a compelling vision for the Jewish People. to find out more about Zack and pick up a copy of his best-selling book go to https://www.zackbodner.com/ To make a tax-deductible donation to the Podcast go to http://igfn.us/form/haHSSQ

Benny Mor is the founder and CEO of Vasco Assets. This financial institution has been bringing financial opportunities to community members and abroad for over 35 years and counting. He is a native Israeli, served in the army, and his grandfather built a synagogue in Jerusalem almost 100 years ago! His family has been in Israel for over 100 years He had a unique perspective on the reasons behind the current war that YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD! Listen to learn about his solution to a major...

Krembo is bringing the tastes of Jewish baking to the Bay Area. Krembo is the ONLY Parve (non-dairy) Kosher bakery in Northern California. Krembo was developed over a period of 10 years by Fran Lent, Mary Coe and Esty Marcus. It started with Fran baking in her kitchen in Encino, California as a young girl and always enjoying eating desserts. Listen to the story of Fran Lent, the owner and founder, and why they have the best gluten-free Challah you've ever tasted! to place orders and learn...

This is a special edition of THE HOLY SPARKS PODCAST. I started a series to help UC Berkeley students, college students and their parents called THE REAL HISTORY OF ISRAEL. This is Part two and is based around a class on the 1967 war. Rabbi Gil Leeds has been the Chabad on Campus Rabbi at UC Berkeley for 20 years and has a unique perspective on what's happening now on and off campus. Listen to hear 4 different arguments on why Jews have an historical claim to the land of Israel. please...

UC Berkeley Professor Ron Hassner has been living in his office on campus for a little over a week now. He is "Sitting- In" for Jewish Students on Cal's Campus. Listen in to find out why. This is his story. If you have Jewish students on campus or are one, listen up, there's some great wisdom here. Support Chabad on Campus at Uc Berkeley here https://www.jewishucb.com/ Make a tax deductable donation to the Holy Sparks Podcast to help us keep producing content here! Holy Sparks...

Lisa Biton was born and raised in Northern California.  She holds a BA in Classical Studies and European History from Santa Clara University and a MAT from USC.  Lisa studied abroad at Ben Gurion University in Be'er Sheva in 2005 and fell in love with the land of Israel - and her Israeli husband.  She made aliyah in 2009 to the southern city of Kiryat Gat. Lisa has worked for AMHSI since 2010, as both a general studies teacher and an Israel Studies teacher. Since 2022, Lisa has served as the...

Part two of my mini-series featuring the righteous women of the holy land. Elana Rozenfeld is a cantor, performer, teacher, songwriter and theatre artist, who grew up teacher in musical theatre, jazz, chazzanut (traditional cantorial singing) and Yeshiva music, while also having a secret love of all things Sephardic. After receiving her BFA at the Tisch School of the Arts in NYU, focusing on solo performance, she entered the HL Miller Cantorial School at JTS to develop mastery of her Jewish...

Chaya holds an Ivy League BA in Religious Studies and MA in Clinical Psychology. She also did extensive doctoral work at Oxford University on the topic of ‘Experiential Torah Learning’. As co-director of Jerusalem’s Shalev Center for Jewish Personal Growth, Chaya offers therapy, classes as well as healing workshops & retreats both in Israel and internationally. She has published 2 books, "Lit" - Poetry for the Jewish Holidays, as well as "Babel's Daughter", based on her acclaimed...

The Holy Sparks Podcast Season 3 Episode 8 Rabbi Gershom Sizomu is the Chief Rabbi of Abayudaya Community of Uganda and serves as the Av Beit Din (head of rabbinic conversion) for sub-Saharan Africa. He is 3rd generation rabbinic leader of the community, as his grandfather was an apprentice of the founder, Semei Kakungulu. Rabbi Gershom studied at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies from 2003-2008 including a year at the Shechter Institute in Jerusalem. He is the father to 5 children from...

In this Special Episode of The Holy Sparks Podcast, I interviewed Adi Hayun Perez who lives locally here in San Francisco. I’m Her family grew up on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the first Kibbutzim to be raided by Hamas Terrorists on October 7th. In this interview you will hear about life growing up on Kfar Aza, what happened on October 7th, and how Adi's sister's family miraculously escaped. ------ Story Ima [mom] is it the end of the world...? This is the question Yahav Hadar, just seven...

David Habib is the managing funeral director at Sina Memorial Chapel in the South Bay. He joined Sinai Memorial in 2005. He holds an MBA from Notre Dame De Namur University and is active with several Jewish community organizations on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. David is fluent in Hebrew, English, and French. He was Born in Israel, lived in the Netherlands, came to California, then chose to move back to Israel to serve in the IDF. He has a unique global perspective on what is happening...

In this interview, we unpack the Multi-faith Vigil from this past Saturday evening. If you are looking to have a community Vigil this will give you some insight as to the process, and some ideas you can implement in your community right now. https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/10/16/israelis-in-the-bay-area-plead-for-the-release-of-loved-ones-taken-captive-by-hamas/ - one of our speakers Adopt the Hadar Family (Adi’s sister):...

Raised in Jerusalem, ordained in NY, and now living in Palo Alto, Rabbi Amitai Fraiman is the Director of the Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC aimed at strengthening the relationship between Diaspora Jews and Israel based on a peoplehood-oriented Zionism. R' Fraiman is also the founder of שזור/Interwoven, an organization specializing in telling the story of American Jewry to Israelis. Amitai is an ELI speaker, a musmach of YCT, and a graduate of NYU's Wagner- Skirball dual...