Chaim Rutenberg grew up in Muncie, New York, a follower of his heart from a very young age. He always tried to do the right thing, but not necessarily in a manner that his family and community expected. So when he heard a talk by Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz in Muncie, and Ketzaleh didn’t ask for money, but instead asked for Aliyah, Chaim was touched. And that was the beginning of a journey that eventually landed Chaim in Israel. And while Chaim and his wife did go back and forth, they are now...

Dr. Michael Tobin grew up on Long Island, in New York, a big baseball fan who looked up to Willie Mays more than anyone else. Suffice it to say, Israel was not on his radar screen at all. But Jewish and Israel-focused messages were reaching him whether he liked it or not (Wait until you hear about his 20-mile run on Yom Kippur in the 70s), and things reached a crescendo when Michael and his Lebanese Christian girlfriend – and eventual wife, Deborah, decided to bike around the world, including...

Josh Wander grew up outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a suburb called McKeesport. He grew up in a pretty seriously Zionistic home – as Zionism was defined back then – and the more Torah he learned, the more he felt pulled to Israel. Josh has led a colorful life that even included a run as candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh – even as he was sure he and his family would soon be returning to Israel to live their lives. It’s a wild story. These days, Josh lives with his family in an town...

Ari Singer grew up in Manhattan, New York, a child of two Holocaust survivors - whose stories are amazing in their own right. While his upbringing in New York was going fine - he was a student at Manhattan Day School - his parents decided to end their family's exile in 1973, and Ari, then 13, made the big move to a 25-year old country that was just weeks away from the start of the Yom Kippur War. Ari and his family have been tested since 1973 as well, but there is an infectious "let's...

Gary Epstein grew up in a strongly Jewish and Torah-observant home, but – as he says – Aliyah was nowhere near the forefront of his mind for many, many years. In the early 2000s, he saw that perhaps the Israeli business world could use the help of his law firm, so he began spending more time in Israel. And Aliyah was still not on his radar screen. Then, he had two children make the big move and yet, still, Aliyah was not on his mind. So what did it? Why is Gary Epstein a happy oleh? Goel...

Hezy Bentzur has become somewhat of a celebrity in the world of Aliyah, since he’s the owner of iAnglo English-speaking new car lease and buying service, which is used by many Olim looking for their first car in Israel. But man, oh man, his story is so much more – so much cooler – than just coming here and building a successful business. Join Goel on a wild ride that starts in Texas, makes stops in Oklahoma and Arkansas, and eventually takes Hezy and his family home to the Land of...

Now, I know that I’ve always interviewed people who have been in Israel long enough to have perspective, but Michoel Weichbrod’s perspective is so clear, so direct and so focused on Torah that he brings with him many, many centuries of perspective on living in Israel, even though he’s only been here for a few years. I met with him recently in his Ramat Bet Shemesh home, and we talked about his story, as well as the larger issue of Aliyah among the Haredi community in the US. Here’s Michoel...

Rabbi Elan Adler is a formerly American rabbi with a fantastic sense of humor, a wonderful story and an inspiring career renewal since making the big move. Rabbi Adler was a successful community rabbi in Baltimore, but eventually, the strong feelings his wife Rivka had for so many years hit him like a ton of bricks, and he knew that Israel was the place for him to continue his family’s life. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/return-again/support

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki told me that he’s been clear on Israel as his destiny for as long as he can remember. So why is it that he came to Israel as a kid, and went back to Canada, and then, when his parents made Aliyah, he decided to stay back in Canada? And why did he make aliyah, only to leave again to spend 5 years in the US? Well, it’s an incredible story of his commitment to life in Israel – and to the Jewish nation – that led to all those things happening, and I was pleased to sit with...

Ari Abramowitz grew up in Houston, Texas, to a proud Jewish family that believed in the importance of supporting Israel. But for Ari, born Aryeh Yehuda Abramowitz, doing so from afar was never going to be enough. That said, his road to living his life here was not totally smooth, and I had the privilege of joining him on Arugot Farm recently, where he and his family live, to take in the breathtaking views and hear his Aliyah story. --- Support this podcast:...

Lenny Solomon grew up "a modern Orthodox Jew from Queens," and eventually became a Jewish music sensation, playing for audiences around the globe. He's the only Jewish performer to ever play all 50 US states. So what would make him move to Israel? Find out more from Lenny himself. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/return-again/support

Rav Gidon Weitzman grew up in the United Kingdom – first in London and then in Cardiff, a town in Wales. He came to Israel as a teenager and dove in head-first into a life of Torah learning and spirituality. He’s now doing important work for Machon Puah, but there have been many stops along the way – including Kansas City, Missouri – and Rav Gidon had some serious wisdom to share. I greatly enjoyed the conversation in his Modiin home. --- Support this podcast:...

I met Danny Bibbins on a recent vacation I took, and when I heard his story, I just had to figure out a way to have him share it with you, even though it required a 2-plus hour trip up to Kibbutz Tirat Zvi up in the north. It was a ride well-spent. And his story IS great, but it was his perspective on life that truly inspired me.   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/return-again/support

Danny Hain grew up in a small town in Virginia – Danville, and was a member of one of the only religiously-observant families in that tiny community. His life eventually took him to medical school, and he became quite a successful physician. All seemed to be going well, and he and his wife decided to move their life to Israel, so they could raise their children in the Land promised to our forefathers and foremothers. Well, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed at the time, and the family endured a...

Stuart Schnee grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, went to college at Rutgers and seemingly, was living a fairly straight-forward American life. But a couple of childhood trips to Israel, as well as a few "moments" changed his perspective, and his life, forever. This episode also includes a short monologue by Goel about the current situation in Israel. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/return-again/support

Football, Israel and Torah!? Are you kidding me?! When I heard about today’s guest, Chaim Cohen – coach of the Judean Rebels Israeli football team, I just had to meet him and speak with him about his Aliyah!  And that’s just what happened. I visited him in his Ramat Bet Shemesh home, where we talked about his story, about football, about how a kid who chose his college in part so that he could get AWAY from Jewish people wound up in Israel, and about what ultimately led him home to...

David Katz grew up in Cleveland in a pretty Israel-oriented family. And yet, he insists that he’s still not really made Aliyah. Well, in his mind that may be the case, but he and his wife Devorah are the brains and action behind the well-known national Pat BeMelach brand of crackers and bakery in Efrat, and since selling that business they’ve moved on to another concept that I found fascinating. David and I sat at his kitchen table for this one, and I really enjoyed his candid,...

David HaIvri grew up in New York, in a family of 4. Israel and Aliyah were nowhere near their consciousness, but then David’s father got the bug.  Fast forward a few years, and the family moved to Israel, where they struggled mightily to make a go of it. David is a major Aliya success story, but it was not as rosy for the rest of his family, all of whom eventually went back to the US. So how did David succeed when the rest of his family couldn’t make it happen? Well, let’s just say that...

What should we make of Olim who decide to spend a chunk of time outside of Israel? What are the pros and cons, and what might it do to someone's Aliyah? Ezra Jasper, who recently spent five months in the US with his wife, Or Ya, joins Goel to discuss this important topic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/return-again/support

Mark Tobin moved to Israel with his wife and family almost 25 years ago, after a beautiful courtship that had Israel at its center, as well as stops in Brooklyn and Boca Raton. I had planned on interviewing Mark a few months ago, and we kept having to postpone for one reason or another. Eventually, we were all set, and yet again, I had to cancel. That was just a few days before Mark’s wife Dodi, z"l, died tragically after battling cancer. But Mark is a strong believer in the importance of...

Mati Gill moved to Israel with his family at the age of 11 for the proverbial “Let’s try it out” year. Except he and his siblings didn’t realize it at the time. They thought it was a one-year adventure, after which they’d return to their Columbus, Ohio, community. The year was coming to an end, and Mati’s parents held a family meeting: Should we stay in Israel or go back to Columbus? Mati’s siblings felt one way, and Mati felt the other way. Guess who’s opinion won the day? Today, Mati is...

So you’ll say, Who’s Sorra Landau? Well, I’ll tell you.  I originally wanted to interview her because she’s the mother of Binny Landau, a popular singer in Israel today, known for songs such as Kedem – which you were just listening to, Armono Shel Melech and Mishkan. Truly beautiful songs. But as I began my conversation with Sorra, I realized she was much more than that, and has a story of her own, as well as a lot of wisdom that she’s built over her many years in Israel. Sorra grew up in...

Tal Brody grew up in Trenton, New Jersey, and was a scholastic basketball star, named to the Newark Star-Ledger All-state team as a senior, before choosing The University of Illinois as his college of choice. He want on to star for the basketball team there as well, and was eventually drafted by the then-Baltimore Bullets of the NBA in 1965. He was headed for a pro basketball career in the world’s best league. Instead, he decided to play in Israel for a year, and that began an incredible...

Malkah Fleisher grew up in Sherman, Texas, in a strongly Jewish but non-observant family – the only Jewish kid in her high school. Through various twists and turns, she finally arrived in Israel in 2003, and has been impacting the Jewish people ever since.  I found Malkah’s story fascinating and meaningful. Not that I should be surprised. After all, she’s married to Yishai Fleisher, who I also interviewed about six months ago. I sat with Malkah recently in her Efrat home, to listen to her...