Elul, Teshuva, and Forgiveness with Esti Marcus, LCSW

Yocheved Davidowitz hosts "A Deeper Conversation" - a podcast that delves into the  topic of Tefillah (prayer) and connecting to Hashem (G-d). Yocheved is a teacher and therapist, and she joined me to talk about prayer as a means of connecting with  the month of Elul and the Yamim Noraim (high holidays), which ultimately brings us to a closer relationship to G-d. 

Avigail Hasson aka @themodestbohemian was born in the Phillipines and came to the US as a young child. Due to various life circumstances, she found herself questioning the meaning of her existence as a young adult, which set on the path to discovery of HaShem and Judaism. Today she is a proud Orthodox Jewish Woman, wife, and mom, who focuses on beautifying Judaism through the mitzvah of Tznius (modesty). 

What do the "days of awe" mean to you? As children we are taught a rudimentary version of these important Jewish concepts, and as we mature, so does the depth of our understanding of these ideas. Esti Marcus, LCSW and trauma therapist, joins me to discuss the Torah and psychological perspective on the teshuva process, and how it can be applied to all of the relationships on our lives. 

Dr. Aviva Goldstein is a Jerusalem based family and individual counselor who specializes in counseling gap-year yeshiva and seminary students - however her wisdom is applicable to kids of all ages, and her insight is so valuable to parents of kids at every stage. 

Jezliah grew up as the daughter of a pastor in a Sabbath-observing Christian church in Texas. When she was a teenager, her mom made some discoveries that literally turned their lives around. Jezliah's singing and dancing have always been a major part of her life, and her talents have helped her find her place in the Jewish community which she now calls her own. 

One year ago I spoke with Ilana Ybgi, Yaffy Newman, and Batyah Delmoor about their expriences being frum Women of Color. For this episode, Ilana and Yaffy joined me again (Batyah was unable to join due to other obligations), this time to talk about what the past year has been like with racism in the spotlight, along with their experiences with antisemitism on the rise. 

Noa Levy has been travelling the world since she was young, but over the years her journeys have become more adventurous - from walking African Safaris to the Taj Mahal and Malaysia, her incredible experiences and life lessons help form many of her unique life views. 

Dr. Alisa Minkin is a pediatrician who is passionate about advocating for health in the frum community and beyond. She covers a huge range of topics on the JOWMA Preventative Health podcast, and uses innovated methods to educated and inform. 

These past couple of years, following the news has felt like a roller coaster. Between COVID, the US presidential elections, and most recently the Israel-Gaza conflict, there has been a lot to follow, but the biased coverage and spin that most news outlets engage in can be confusing and frustrating.  Bracha Halperin saw the need for unbiased, non-inflammatory, factual reporting, and took it upon herself to fill this void. It's come with many challenges, but knowing that her work is having a strong impact on so many people keeps her going. 

Chanie Fingerer is a Labor and Delivery nurse and Legal Nurse consultant, who is on a mission to educate women about pregnancy, birth, and the post-partum phase, so that they can be their own best advocates as they go through these experiences.