Podcasts about Gesher

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. 2 Samuel 14 Spencer Cary Download TranscriptGood morning. What a wonderful morning. Baptisms are a time to truly be thankful that God redeems any of us and that we get to enjoy the benefits of what it means to follow him, belong to him in the context of the church community. What a blessing. We're continuing to walk through 1 and 2 Samuel. We're in 2 Samuel chapter 14 today.We'll spill into chapter 15 as well. We've got quite a bit of story to get through. Let me give us a little bit of a recap from last week. It'll be on page 303 in the Black Bible. So if you're going to grab a Bible nearby, you can follow along with us.Last week, really last week in the next few chapters, we're kind of living in the aftermath of David's sin. What we saw last week is that his son Anon desired his half-sister Tamar, and then he assaulted her. And we saw the devastation of that spill into two years of Tamar's brother waiting for his opportunity to exact revenge, and then we saw Absalom kill Amnon. And we are in the aftermath of that tragic story, and we're going to see more of this continue into a story today that has also elements that are laden with sin. And my hope as we walk through this story today that in the darkness of this really section of 2 Samuel, we would actually discover some really wonderful hope.Some really, really wonderful hope. So let me pray for us, and then we're just going to jump straight into the story. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you, in the middle of sin and brokenness, in the middle of darkness, in the middle of all sorts of suffering, because of the effects of sin, you bring wonderful hope. God, I pray that we would be reminded of that today as we walk through a story that continues in this section that is difficult. And we ask that you would open our eyes to what is true, and that we might leave here as not just hearers of the word, but we would also be doers of the word.We ask this in faith, in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, so pick up in verse 1. Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, knew that the king's heart went out to Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoa, and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, Pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.Go to the king, and speak thus to him. So Joab put words in her mouth. So Joab sees how much this situation with Absalom has affected David, and he wants to do something about it. Joab is the commander of his army. It's David's nephew. He loves David.And he wants to ease his pain, and he figures out a way to do this, that he's going to do pretty much what Nathan the prophet did, which is to come and act out a story. I don't know why David keeps falling for these, but he does. Like he apparently appreciates theatrics, but he just... Joab sees what happened with Nathan the prophet, and says, I'm going to do the same thing. I'm going to find this wise woman. He goes and sends for a woman from Tekoa, which is not far away from Jerusalem.And then basically says, you're going to be someone who's mourning, who is sad. And then he gives her a script that she's going to go act out before the king to illustrate a point. So this is the script. Verse 4. When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, Save me, O king. Which is a dramatic entry into something that actually would have been very normal for their time.The Israelite kings were meant to be Judges for the people. That you could come and bring your dispute to the king, that he would hear it and give a ruling on it. This is a normal practice. And she says, Save me, O king. Verse 5. And the king said to her, What is your trouble?She answered, Alas, I'm a widow. My husband is dead. And your servant had two sons. And they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them. And one struck the other and killed him.And now the whole clan has risen against your servant. And they say, Give up the man who struck his brother that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed. And so they would destroy the air also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave my husband, neither name nor remnant, on the face of the earth. So, that's the script that Joab writes for her. And it is indeed sad.It is a woman who has been widowed. She has two sons. Her sons are in the field. They're fighting, and the other one, one of them kills the other. So it's devastating to lose a son.Now, the remaining son, her clan, is wanting capital punishment. They want him to be put to death. And she's hiding him. And they're demanding this. And she's coming to the king. So that she could be spared more of this grief so that her husband would have a name, have a remnant that's left behind.That's the situation. Then the king said to the woman, Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you. And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, On me be the guilt, my Lord the king, and on my father's house let the king and his throne be guiltless. The king said, If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again. Then she said, Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.He said, As the Lord lives, not one hair on your son shall fall to the ground. So she gets David. She reels him in. And she gets him to agree to, invoking the name of the Lord, a protection upon this fake son. So he's going to, no one's going to lay a hand on him.So this is David, y'all. David just so clearly can assess the situation that's outside of himself. He just so clearly sees it. He's like, I'm going to intervene. And she's got him. Verse 12.Then the woman said, Please let your servant speak a word to my Lord the king. He said, Speak. And the woman said, Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision, the king convicts himself inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again. And that's the point of Joab's script. To get David to reckon with the fact that Absalom cannot come back to Jerusalem.She got him. Joab wrote this well. She says, You've convicted yourself. It is you who have made sure that Absalom cannot come home. And then she continues. Verse 14.We must all die. We are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life and he divides his means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. Now I've come to say this to my Lord the king because the people have made me afraid and your servant thought, I will speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform this, the request of his servant. For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.And your servant thought, The word of my Lord the king will set me at rest for my Lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you. So she basically says, Listen, we're all like water spilled to the ground. We're all going to die one day. And as for this banished one, Absalom, why punish him any longer? But she ties it back to her story, this script, and says, See, you should bring him home.You have the power, David. You can make this right. Bring him home. And after boldly correcting their king, she very wisely begins with some flattery. She says, The king is like the angel of God that has discerned good and evil, which is very wise at this point because you've just put the king on blast. Maybe you should say some kind words about who he is.Verse 18, And the king answered the woman, Do not hide from me anything I ask you. And the woman said, Let my Lord the king speak. The king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? The woman answered and said, As surely as you live, my Lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my Lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab commanded me. It was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.In order to change the course of things, your servant Joab did this. But my Lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth. Which is just really laying on thick at the end. Which, again, is very smart at this point. Her fate is in his hands. She says, Yes, you figured it out.Joab is the one who gave me this script. He's the one that put the words in my mouth. In order that you might reckon with the situation with Absalom. So at this point, I just, as I'm reading this, I feel like David going forward should probably ask a few more questions before he just jumps into giving judgments. This is the second time this happened. We don't know if this happens over and over again.But David keeps falling into this. And people keep using these type of situations to illustrate points so that David's eyes can be open to his situation. Now Joab seems to be here, present for all of this. And he turns to him in verse 21. Then the king said to Joab, Behold now I grant this.Go, bring back the young man Absalom. And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, Today your servant knows that I found favor in your sight, my Lord the king, and that the king has granted the request of his servant. So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. And the king said, Let him dwell apart in his own house. He is not to come into my presence.So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king's presence. So this ruse, it works. Joab sees how much David has been in distress. He illustrates this whole living parable before him. It makes the point. And David says, Okay, bring him home.He can go back to Jerusalem. He can go back to his home. He's not going to come back to my presence. So he goes. He gets him. He brings him back.And what we're going to see is that bringing Absalom back is going to create some real problems for David in this kingdom. So verse 25. Now in all Israel, there was no one such to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, there was no blemish in him. And when he cut the hair of his head, for at the end of every year, he used to cut it. When it was heavy on him, he cut it.He weighed the hair of his head 200 shekels by the king's weight. They were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. Which that last part, it's just a beautiful nod to his sister, Tamar, who would not have children after everything that happened to her. And he named a daughter after him. But we get a description of Absalom.Absalom was praised by the nation for being a handsome man with beautiful hair. He is good looking. I mean, he is basically Fabio. Or if that reference is lost on you because it's too old, Gaston. Whatever, whatever you can try to picture, it says there's no, there's no blemish on him. He's beautiful.Beautiful. And his hair is beautiful. His hair is so thick, it's so luscious, that every year when he cuts it, he weighs it, which is weird, but he does. He weighs it and it's 200 shekels by the king's weight. Five pounds is about what that is. So he's a beautiful person, beautiful man.He's handsome. It's not just handsome, he's overwhelmingly handsome. He's the kind of handsome that when you show up in Hollywood with no discernible talent to act, they just hand you a role. And you know it when you see it. He's very handsome, which means, if you understand, take a step back and understand the context of Absalom. This man was born on third base, y'all.He's a prince, which means he has status and he has money and he's famously handsome. So, he's extremely blessed. And the question is, okay, with all of this blessing, what is he going to do with it? And what you see is he chooses evil. And that is where all this story is going. Verse 28.So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem without coming into the king's presence. Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. Okay. So Joab, one would think, you know what?You got away with murder. Maybe just live in luxury in your home in Jerusalem. Is that enough? No. He goes to Joab, he sends for Joab and says, I want, I want a present, I want a moment with the king. And Joab ignores him.And then he sends a second time. And he says, I want to be in the king's presence. And Joab ignores all of this. Now, it does not appear from the context here that what Absalom wants is reconciliation with dear old dad. What we're going to see is that all of this is politically motivated. So he sends for Joab, he gets rejected, he gets ignored.And then we're going to see what kind of character is bound up in Absalom. Verse 30, then he said to his servants, see, Joab's field is next to mine and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire. So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. Have you ever been in a situation where like you've you've reached out to your boss and you've asked for a raise but they just put. The meeting off and then you reach out again to ask for a raise and then he just put the meeting off and then you set his desk on fire.That's Absalom. He's the crazy ex who keys the car. I'm going to I'm going to get your attention somehow. Burn his field down. So he does.He has a tantrum. He burns the field. And guess what? When you use emotional sabotage, it sometimes works. And he comes. Verse 31, then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his at his house and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent word to you. Come here that I may send you to the king to ask why have I come from Gesher. It would be better for me to still be for it would be better for me to still be to be there still. Now, therefore, let me go into the presence of the king and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death. So it works.And Joab shows up and he's like, Crazy, what are you doing? What is the point of all of this? And he says, You didn't come. I have a message for the king. It would be better for me not to be in this house. I might as well be in exile in Gesher.But no, I want to be in his presence. And you know what? Send for him. Let me go. Because if he wants to kill me, he can kill me. But I'm getting my audience with the king.So his temper tantrum works. Absalom goes. Verse 33. And Joab went to the king and told him and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king and the king.Kissed Absalom. In the end of 14, before you get into 15, kind of feels like the eye of the hurricane. Because there's a moment where the sun is shining and things are, okay,. They've reconciled. He kisses them. He embraces them.That maybe this is the moment where things just get good again. That maybe, like, it's just, they're going to have, you know, moments together out in the field. Hunting and it's going to be wonderful. Maybe, just maybe, things are good but it's, it's the eye of the hurricane. And as the sun passes, the storm quickly approaches. And in verse 1 of chapter 15, we're going to see that what he is shooting for is a play for power.After this, Absalom got himself a chariot and horses and 50 men to run before him. So, pause there. The more you read the Old Testament, the more you'll pick up on some themes. One of those themes is that trusting in chariots and horses is bad. That using chariots and horses to flex your might, your power, and your greatness is a bad idea. This is what Egypt did.This is what the surrounding nations did. It doesn't mean they couldn't ever have chariots. It doesn't mean they couldn't ever have horses. It doesn't mean that those are in and of themselves bad but those are military weapons that the people of God are not meant to trust in because they are meant. To trust in the power of God but you positioning yourself on a chariot for all to see as we're going to see this is all a play. For power and majesty for himself.So, as soon as we read that there's some context there I think the eye has passed and there's trouble abroon. So, he basically outfits himself with a tank, a rocket launcher and a crew of 50 men and then we're going to see. How he positions himself amongst the people. Verse 2 Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate and when any man had a dispute to come before the king. For judgment Absalom would call to him and say from what city are you? And when he said your servant is of such and such tribe in Israel Absalom would say to him see.Your claims are good and right but there is no man designated by the king to hear you then Absalom. Would say oh that I were judge in the land that every man with a dispute or cause might come to me. And I would give him justice and whenever a man came near to pay homage to him he would put out. His hand and take hold of him and kiss him thus Absalom did to all Israel who came to the king. For judgment so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel and it's clear at this point that what Absalom. Is doing is he's positioning himself for a place on the throne because the king is the one who makes judgments.Like this this is the king's responsibility and Absalom seems to be getting in the middle of that and he seems to be. Taking what the king does and he says oh where are you from what's your problem oh oh no oh I'll give you justice. Oh I just wouldn't it be great if you had a king that listened to you wouldn't it be great if you had someone who could make. Good judgments for you and you could all receive judgments oh if there was just someone I guess I'll be the one. That does this and you can almost see him in his chariot in his stupid chariot with his wind blowing through his hair. Riding up to the gate posting up the people swarming him and he's just like oh I can help you and the people begin they.Listen this is what the people do they fall for cheap tricks every nation doesn't matter what nation what era what time. People fall for cheap tricks they just do and this is something that is working with every judgment with every hair toss. With every swooning kiss that he gives to the people he starts to capture their hearts and y'all he's lying. I mean you think about this he's lying this is we we just saw that David does give judgments. He met with a woman from Tekoa but Absalom's in the shadows he's he's politically maneuvering. He's out now in front of the people he's doing things that are shady they're falling for fool's gold they're falling.For a man who murdered his brother without one ounce of regret one ounce of repentance. One ounce of sorrow we see none of it they're falling for a man who burns down fields. To get people's attention they're falling for a guy who positions himself on chariots. To show his power they're falling for a guy who this is the really evil part of this. That's lost on us culturally he's dishonoring his father y'all which is a massive sin in the bible. He's dishonoring him not just his father but the anointed king of Israel and if you can remember how in first Samuel.How David the future king of Israel went about treating Saul the present anointed king. Of Israel and all the deference that he gave towards him you can see the difference. That approaches this is wickedness this is evil and he's positioning himself for a shot at the throne with every million. Dollar style with every wink with every nod with every judgment and now the storm is raging and a civil war. Is brewing verse 7 and at the end of four years Absalom said to the king please let me go. And pay my vow which I have vowed to the Lord in Hebron for your servant vowed a vow while I lived.At Geshur in Aram saying if the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem. Then I will offer worship to the Lord the king said to him go in peace so he arose and went to Hebron. So David led him out of his sight which is not really the main point of the story I get so annoyed. With David sometimes when I'm reading this because I'm just like what are you doing how are you not. Seeing what's happening here how are you not in attention to your kingdom and not seeing what he's doing. But he does that's him out of his sight verse 10 but Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel.Saying as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet then say Absalom is king at Hebron with Absalom went 200 men. From Jerusalem who were invited guests and they went and their innocence and knew nothing and while Absalom was offering. The sacrifices he sent for Ahithophel the Gilanite David's counselor from his city Gilom. And the conspiracy grew strong and the people with Absalom kept increasing so that's where we pause today. Is that what he has done is he's taken he's enacted a plot to take the throne by force from his father and God's anointed king. And he's going to Hebron with some supporters with some bystanders who don't know what's going on and with a plan.And a conspiracy that we're going to see play out so to recap let's think about this story in context. Absalom is born with everything he's born on third base he has good looks he is a prince. He literally gets away with murder he gets away with it and then is restored he's allowed. To be back in Jerusalem where he gets to continue to live in royalty he should just. Be content he should just be satisfied and what does he do with all this blessing it's not enough it's not enough. For him he wants more he wants a throne that is not his to take he starts to dishonor.His father he lies he plots he schemes and he plans to take his throne which by the way. The only way you take the throne from a sitting king is by killing the king so this plan is moving towards. He wants to kill his father and that means what we're seeing is a story that plays out like a tragedy. And built into this tragic story is a self-centered prince who wants to be his own king and we're going to witness. Absalom do some truly evil stuff he has all the blessings and in the end he chooses himself. He chooses self-interest even if it tears the nation apart which it is.And the reality is if we can have enough foresight to take a step back from all of this we are just like Absalom. We are just like Absalom we in this room are born on third base just like Absalom. And you might say oh you don't know I'm ugly and it's like maybe that's subjective. It's not the point not the point of the comparison I'm trying to make we're just like Absalom. And that we have so many blessings that we've been given so many luxuries y'all. We live better than the kings of old the people of royalty from ages.Past we live better than them we have food that we can. Summon we have an abundance of food we have food that goes. Bad we don't know what a famine is like here in our. Nation that even if you're struggling there are places you can go. To get it we have food we have running water. That is clean we have our own chariots that never grow tired.You can get in a car and you can drive people used to have to. Walk for miles and miles and miles or ride a horse for miles. And miles and miles and it would take days and days and you. Could do it in a matter of hours if you go through the list of all the. Things that we have in fact that you have a machine in your. Pocket that is one of the most powerful machines that's ever been made.With that machine you can summon food to be delivered. Groceries to be delivered a car we have blessing upon blessing. Upon blessing the things that we think are just common needs. It's like no it's comparatively we are blessed. In more ways than we could possibly and on top of. The material blessings of this present world in this place.In this area the Columbia area we have access to spiritual. Blessings that are wonderful y'all I can take a rock. And throw it and get close I can throw it a couple. Times and get close to a church down the street where they're. Preaching the gospel right now where Chet Andrews at State Street is preaching. And that's keep driving and you're going to see on a hall.Avenue where Dow is preaching it's like. We have people that are preaching the gospel in this city you have. Access to Christian community in this city you have community. Groups and small groups and maybe we are blessed beyond. We have access to the word of God that you can read it in front. Of you right now you can pull it up on your phone you probably.Have maybe some of you have it in your car you have. It at your house we have every spiritual blessing some of. Us who belong to Jesus Christ who are Christians we have. Access to our creator y'all that he has we can. Pray to him and he listens that we have no middle. Man other than Jesus Christ it's wonderful access.To our triune God we're not born on third base. We're born rounding third base on our way. To home we are so wonderfully blessed and like Absalom. It's not enough we want more money we want more power we want. More success we want more praise we want more and better friends. We want better looks we want a better life it's never.Enough it's never enough we want more and then we'll do. Actions that are similar to Absalom many of us know how to politically. Maneuver you know how to at the workplace position yourself to compete for a job. Like it's a throne that you're fighting for your life for you know how. To position yourself ahead of another co-worker you know how to make. Business deals work the way that you come out on top we know how to.Play the game at the workplace we know how to play the. Game in our social spheres some of us know how to maneuver. And put ourselves and say I really want to be closer with this person. But I need to get in between this person and this person I need. To make this friendship work better and it's like all. That political maneuvering reveals the same heart it's not enough it's never.Enough and we'll do some of the same things behind the scenes. To get what we want for our own good we'll. Act just like Absalom we can be erratic we can throw temper. Tantrums we can act like petulant children we know how to. Yell in an argument to get what we want some of. Us know how to break things to get what we want.And you might say I would never I am cool calm. And collected I would never yell to get what I want. But you might know how to give a cold shoulder you might. Know how to be passive aggressive we know how to. Do this we know how to act in order to get what we. Want for our own interest we do things just like.Absalom we fortify our lives just like he did with he did. It with a horse and a chariot and a squad of 50 people because he. Wanted to trust in his own strength as opposed to in all. Of this trusting and the strength of God as opposed to trusting. That what God wants and what God desires for this kingdom is what. Is good he doesn't it's not enough but he trusts in his own self.And we do the same thing we'll find ways to trust in our own. Selves we'll do it through a savings account we'll do it through. Work ethic and working endless hours one of the ways that shows. Up in my life is just prayerlessness this idea that I can work. And work and strive and do and do and do and do and do. And not run to the Lord and I've just seen over and over again.That the prayerlessness in my own life is symptomatic of a greater problem. That I trust in my own strength and not the Lord but we. Have the same streak that runs through Absalom that's in us this self. Centeredness and wanting more and not being content content we're just. Like Absalom and yet in so many ways we're blind to it we can't. See it so if that is reality and I'd argue that for the majority of us if not all of us.In some form or fashion it is then where's the hope if that's the problem then what's the. Remedy like what what do we actually how do we not live. Like this Absalom type lives I want us to go to Philippians chapter. 2 It's on page 1135 1135 in the black bibles because. Bound up in this wicked story that we've read that we're going to. Continue to see play out and that's the backdrop of the darkness of our own lives.And the ways that it aligns with this story is some incredible hope. This is Paul writing to the church to Philippi addressing this directly. He says in verse 3 chapter 2 do nothing from selfish. Ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than. Yourselves which I read that and the times where I have the clarity. To see that Absalom prideful self-interested streak in me.I'm like okay I'm in you've got me do nothing. From selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant. Than yourselves I'm in how I want that then verse 4. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also. To the interest of others that's like okay again you've. Got me I'm in I don't want to look to my own interest.Only I want to be a man that lives for the interest. Of others I'm in but how do I get there verse 5 have this. Mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though. He was in the form of God did not count equality. With God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking. The form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found.In human form he humbled himself by being obedient to the. Point of death even death on a cross and the. Remedy for self centered souls and the way to fix. Our prideful beset sin in our lives is through. Jesus Christ it is by trusting and a God who left. The glory of heaven to take on human flesh and dwell among us.Who subjected himself to be murdered by his own creation for our own interest. That we might not be sprinting into an eternity of destruction. Under the wrath of God forever but he might bring us from. Darkness into a kingdom of light by choosing to surrender in the same. Way that Stephen declared in the baptism waters today. That the only hope we have for the self centered and self.Interested soul is through the work of Jesus Christ entrusting. In him and not ourselves and then every day in following Christ. Day by day we continue to come back to the hope of the. Gospel of a God who loved us so much that he. Gave himself for us that he might mold us. And conform us into his image into being people that are.Not so interested in our own lives but live for the. Sake of others hope is Jesus Christ that's the only. Means that we get there it is through faith and daily. Repentance of dying to our own selves and doing it every. Single day as we grow to be more like Christ. So when we read stories like this it's a warning and what.We're going to see is absolutely just absolutely wrecked his own. Life and so many people the pain and the. Fallout of his sin is massive and it's a warning. Of what it means when we trust in ourselves and we care about. Our own lives and thank you God that he's given us stories like. This to remind us not only the seriousness of sin but the wonderful.Gift of a savior and as we get ready to sing one final song in worship. My hope is that we would begin to reckon with our own sin and then. Run to Jesus Christ asking him to both reveal our self-interest to feel our. Pride reveal all the self-centeredness within us but also celebrate that he. Came and that he died and that he gave his life so that I. Wouldn't be a slave to myself and worshiping my own self but I might live.To worship in Christ and the fruit of that would show up in so many other. Ways so we'll get the opportunity to do that in worship here in a moment. We'll have the opportunity in groups to do that this week as we get to live. This out and this is a care week where we get to maybe confess. Our own sin and our own self-interest and we pray that. God would stir that work in us and then we'll worship and sing heavenly father I pray.That you might open our eyes to the reality of our own. Absalom like sin within God I just I so. Need you I so feel it myself this concern for self. This lack of contentment that it's never enough and I think there's others like. Me here that need you that desperately need you to go to. Work and may we trust in you and you alone and not.Ourselves and may you regularly graciously confront our sin and remind. Us beautifully of our savior you and may that change. The way we live our lives in Jesus name amen the band's. Going to come up we're going to sing this final song together and as we. Sing and celebrate and make much of Jesus Christ for what he has done for us. My hope is that this wouldn't just be things that we hear but we.Would actually begin to put into practice in our lives and as we leave here. Begin to take practical steps in running towards Jesus and watching him change. Us to be a people that live not to ourselves but for the sake of others.

This episode features Ali Durban, co-founder of Gesher School, who shares the remarkable story of establishing and growing a unique multitherapeutic, faith-based special school that now supports children from primary through to age 16. Ali discusses the early challenges, the move to a larger site, and how Gesher's innovative project-based curriculum was shaped by global research and community insight .She also talks about her current work, building employer-ready environments for neurodiverse young people, digitising Gesher's life-skills curriculum, and leading programmes that help schools embed meaningful inclusion and belonging.A powerful episode for anyone passionate about SEND education, neurodiversity, or inclusive leadership.-Credits:This podcast has been produced by Geldards LLP. Edited by Dreamlancers.Music is 'Sunshine' by lemonmusicstudio.Want more from Geldards SEN? Be sure to follow our social media channels!All links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/geldardssen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.geldards.com/children-and-their-education/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on social media: @GeldardsSEN on Instagram & Facebook.

Jewish tradition is that sinat hinam, baseless hatred of one another was what led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Two years ago, Israel was experiencing tremendous, perhaps unprecedented, disunity. After the October 7 Hamas attack and massacre, we experienced unprecedented unity. Today, Israel is torn and divided on many issues. But the issues are the symptom. The problem is deeper, relating to unconditional love, trust, respect, and listening. How to overcome them sometimes seem insurmountable. Rabbi David Fine and JJ Sussman help to unpack the core of the issues and how, through small steps, we can reach the ultimate goal of unity.PLEASE DONATE TO THE GENESIS 123 FOUNDATION ISRAEL EMERGENCY FUND AT WWW.GENESIS123.CO To read Rabbi David Fine's article that prompted this conversation please use this link: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-856954 To follow his work at Barkai visit www.israelrabbis.org. Follow JJ Sussman and Gesher, Building Bridges By Building Common Ground - https://gesherusa.org Gesher's 5 Rules For Constructive Dialogue - https://youtu.be/ImfqptTha_k?si=Ms6VgCGNFaNCxE1u To join us making special events like this possible, please give generously at https://genesis123foundation.revv.co/soldierssocialwelfareGet information about how you can join FOOTSTEPS at https://genesis123.co/footsteps/For information about and how to register for Root & Branch, please go to www.RootandBranchIsrael.comConnect with the Genesis 123 Foundation at www.Genesis123.co and learn how you can host Shabbat in your community.FB - www.facebook.com/Genesis123Foundation Twitter - @Genesis123FIG - Genesis_123_FoundationFind out how you can be part of Run for Zion and bless Israel with every step at www.RunforZion.com.

For over two years, I, Chaz Volk, successfully released one episode of Jewish content per week. Each episode averaged 30 minutes, offering Torah insights and glimpses into Jewish diasporic cultures. This endeavor was nothing less than a passion project—one that I balanced alongside my day-to-day work life. My primary goal was to learn. Coming from a conservative/secular Jewish background, my knowledge was limited. It still is, humbly speaking. However, I am proud to say that I have grown tremendously since the show's inception. I write this with a deep sense of care and pride, knowing how far I've come from my initial understanding. The show opened doors, connecting me with rabbis, coaches, actors, professionals, musicians, and content creators. I had the unique opportunity to learn from so many incredible voices, exploring the theology of Judaism through its many lenses. The show itself achieved notable success, ranking as the 17th-largest Jewish podcast in the world from 2023 to the present. Occasionally, I even received public recognition for my work. Despite not considering myself a thought leader (seriously, I've only ever been a student), I was able to foster a community. The learning experience was so personally fulfilling that it ultimately inspired me to study Torah full-time at Aish HaTorah, embracing the rich Jewish tradition of yeshiva. While in Israel, I had the honor of recording in-person interviews at a studio in the Old City. Unfortunately, that studio shut down, forcing my show into an unexpected hiatus. But as Hashem would have it (because there's no such thing as luck—only Hashem), I was invited to speak for Aish's "Gesher" program. I was granted one-time access to a rabbi's camera and microphone equipment, seizing the opportunity to publicly share my story. In my speech, I revealed the two other reasons I created this show: To make it clear, once and for all, that there is NO SUCH THING AS A BAD JEW Revenge Why revenge? Tune in to find out. 00:00 Parshas Mishpatim 06:52 Historical Context of Slavery Laws 10:12 Hebrews' Mindset  13:52 A Shameful Quarrel 16:23 Final Moments 18:34 Variations of Judaism 24:33 The Dream 25:53 Disconnection 30:32 THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BAD JEW 34:08 Divine Justice 34:40 A Revenge Story About Chaz Volk: Chaz Volk grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, where he began his Torah studies until becoming Bar Mitzvah at Temple Etz Chaim. From a young age, he was keenly aware of his uniqueness and often found himself the token Jew in non-Jewish settings. In middle school, Chaz experienced his first encounter with antisemitism—an experience that, rather than distancing him from his heritage, only strengthened his connection to his Jewish identity. Later, he attended San Francisco State University, where he became deeply involved with SF Hillel as both a volunteer and an intern. From early on, he recognized the university's social climate and its stance on Jews and Zionism. Chaz eventually became the lead plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit Volk v. CSU Board of Trustees—a case that he and his legal representation won. Since then, he has proudly embraced his Jewish identity and actively participated in Jewish communities across Southern California. Most recently, Chaz experienced an emotional awakening during an organized trip to Israel. There, he adopted new Jewish practices that remain an integral part of his life today. Currently, he is a volunteer and frequent participant in Aish HaTorah's programming. Through this show, he aims to promote Aish's programs, events, and resources while sharing valuable Jewish teachings. Connect with Bad Jew: BadJew.co https://linktr.ee/badjew BadJewPod@gmail.com Ig @BadJewPod TikTok @BadJewPod

#Israel Trip 2025   00:14 Exposure to the outside world vs. sheltered in yeshiva 02:35 How to keep enthusiasm for Torah 06:00 Animus towards someone from an enemy country 10:30 Factors in choosing a program after your gap year 11:40 When is it time to leave yeshiva? 12:44 How can a baal teshuva raise children… Continue reading Q&A – Aish Gesher 5785

The kids of Gesher 2024 perform the Mean Girls musical.

How do we EMPOWER our SEN learners?  What if by accomodating for their unique needs, we were able to create a more student-centered environment for ALL learners?  Provided alternative methods of assessment. Allowed for hands-on projects. Built learning around common themes. Emphasized life skills as much as academic ones.  That's exactly what Co-Founders Ali Durban and Tamaryn Yatu have assembled at Gesher School; a through way school for children from ages 4-16 with mild to moderate needs. In this episode, we learn as student-centered practitioners: How to design and build more inclusive environments How to design learning experiences that engage and ignite our diverse learners The science behind neurodiverse learners and their needs How to assess learning that moves beyond paper/pencil tests How to create student-centered environments that create JOY and empowerment Connect with Ali on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-durban-6228233/ Connect with Tamaryn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaryn-yartu-b5074751/ Learn more about Gesher: https://gesherschool.com/ Access their database of projects: https://gesherschool.com/school-life/projects/ Pre-Order "Where is the Teacher: The 12 Shifts for Student-Centered Environments." www.transformschool.com/whereistheteacher  Take the 12 shifts Scorecard: www.transformschool.com/12shiftsmastermind  Ali's Bio: Ali Durban is a parent and co-founder of Gesher, an all-through school designed especially for children who are differently able and who learn differently. Gesher School has been awarded Ofsted outstanding twice since it opened in 2017. Ali is also the founder of the Gesher Assessment Centre, which offers a bespoke multi-disciplinary assessment, diagnosis and report service for children and young people who may have ADHD, Autism or a range of varying learning differences. Ali's journey from exhausted SEND parent to co-founder of a thriving school community has transformed her into a ringleader for system-wide transformation. Ali currently chairs a SEND council for the Foundation of Education Development which is creating a 10-year plan and vision for UK education. Ali also sits on the Education Council for the Autism Centre of Excellence. Gesher School welcomes you to register for The Bridge, Gesher's professional journal for the learning and continuous development of schools and staff.  Tamaryn's Bio: Tamaryn is originally from Cape Town, South Africa, where she completed a Bachelor of Education Foundation Stage and worked within a specialist environment catering for children with a range of learning differences and a focus on early intervention. Tamaryn has always had a passion for teaching as inclusively and creatively as possible and therefore moved to London to explore different learning environments within this specialist field. As a SEND specialist, Tamaryn hs honed her skills over the years to support inclusive practice within several schools both locally and internationally. Through a transformative education approach, I have used Project Based Learning and dynamic learning designs to create innovative and purposeful curriculum programmes. Tamaryn has been a part of the Gesher journey since the very beginning, and became Headteacher at Gesher in April 2021.  She planned and oversaw the school's move to a new site alongside the Governors, staff and various external organisations, including 'planning learning spaces' as we evolved into the secondary phase. A big part of this work included the development of our learning spaces to deliver our authentic hands-on curriculum for our students while meeting a range of needs. This year my focus will be to continue to develop the school's provision alongside my new co-head while we work to make a systemic change in the education system through sharing best practices and advocating for our students.    

#Israel Trip 2024 #Eretz Yisroel – Shmini Atzeres 5784   20:07 Gun Ownership 23:21 Proofs of Hashem 24:45 The Future of American Jewry 31:28 Concentration Camps 36:15 Sinas Chinam 43:00 Mental Health 48:58 Balancing Joy and Suffering 53:06 Connecting with Non-Religious Jews 54:49 Preparing for Summer Camp Role  

The Game Changers podcast celebrates those true pioneers in education who are building schools for tomorrow. In this fifth conversation of Series Fifteen, we talk with Ali Durban. Ali Durban is the co-founder of Gesher, an ambitious all-through school designed especially for children who are differently able and who learn differently. Gesher School has been awarded Ofsted Outstanding twice since it opened in 2017. Ali is also the founder of the Gesher Assessment Centre, which offers a bespoke multi-disciplinary assessment, diagnosis and report service for children and young people who may have ADHD, Autism, or a range of varying learning differences. Ali's journey from exhausted SEND parent to co-founder of a thriving school community has transformed her into a ringleader for system-wide transformation. Ali currently co-chairs a SEND council for the Foundation of Education Development which is creating a 10-year plan and vision for UK education. Ali also sits on the Education Council for the Autism Centre of Excellence. The Game Changers podcast is produced by Joshua Jeffries, supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil and Adriano via LinkedIn and Twitter. Let's go!

This week, we chatted with Jason Charnas from Gesher Human Services. They help thousands of people in areas of career development and training, and they also have a program helping those with disabilities find employment. We got into resume writing and their philosophy in helping showcase work history. The best part—they do it for free! We aren't big fans of companies that charge for this. We also got into IT training and certifications that will attract employers in this market. Jason was a great interview and we hope you enjoy the listen! (Referenced episode: Episode 443 with Paul Blatt, Gesher Human Services)

In a tremendous display of Achdus in these difficult times, Mevaseret and Aish Gesher joined together for a morning seder. Rav Burg addressed both Yeshivas in an opening shmooze on the topic of Rav Chanina ben Tradyon's tragic death. As he is leaving this world, Rav Chanina ben Tradyon reveals the secret of Klal Yisrael's ultimate victory.

Welcome to a special edition of "Behind the Bima," where we delve into the ongoing war in Israel from the perspectives of key individuals on the ground and abroad. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand the complexities and the human stories behind the headlines.Show Segments:Introduction: A brief overview of the current situation in Israel and what listeners can expect from the episode.Ambassador David Friedman: Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman shares what he saw and witnessed during the outbreak of the war.Eli Beer: Founder of United Hatzalah, Eli Beer, talks about the challenges and triumphs of emergency medical response during the time of war.Mayor Aliza Pilichowski/Rabbi Josh Spodek: A unique perspective from Mayor Aliza Pilichowski and Rabbi Josh Spodek on how local communities are coping and what initiatives are being undertaken for citizen safety.JJ Sussman: International director of Gesher, JJ Sussman shares insights and gives his perspective.R. Shuey Biston: R. Shuey offers wisdom and comfort, discussing the role of faith and community during these trying times.

Recorded live at Bet Am Bet by Radio Kol Ramah.

Orit Lasser was born in Israel but spent her teenage years with her family in New Jersey, where she attended Bruriah High School. She has a first degree in Education with focus on Tanakh and Oral Law, and a second degree in NPO Management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She learned for three years in Midreshet Lindenbaum and in various different frameworks and Beit Midrash programs.  Orit has worked in both formal and informal education in various different roles; as a Judaic Studies teacher and class teacher, and as the founder and principal of the Be'er Mamad Elementary school in Jerusalem for three years. She worked for the Bat Ami National Service organization; as the Education Director of the Nemanei Torah V'Avodah; for the IDF Nativ conversion program; and for the Gesher organization on a community project in partnership with the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs. For 9 years before joining Herzog College, she worked for the Jewish Agency in their partnerships department and as content manager for the Shlichut (emissaries) department. Orit is responsible for developing a new Tanakh curriculum together with UnitEd at Herzog College. *Orit would like to dedicate this interview to her grandmother, -    דינה בת ברכה Mrs. Daphne Josman, zichrona l'vracha. She was born, raised, and married in South Africa, and made Aliya to Israel when she was 50 years old. All of her family came along and moved to Israel and most of the third generation were lucky to grow up in Israel. Orit feels that so much of who I am, is because of her, and in her light. Gems:Involve yourself in a community.Teach students to love Torah.If you can explain concepts to children, then you know you understand it yourself.Give room for your students to discover big ideas.Allow students to express their ideas.Encourage students to ask questions.Students enjoy leading others.Torah must be alive within the home.Show children how the Torah is relevant within our lives.Learning Torah is done with joy and love.Create opportunities for experiential learning.Include families in learning as much as possible.Education is finding what's special deep inside each student and brining it out.Help the student take out all of the things he's been given by G-d and help him use it for his ultimate purpose.The classroom should be interactive with students learning on their own in a creative way.Use technology but build another level of understanding and dialogue with technology.With education, the more you give, the more you get.As a new educator, the beginning is very tough, but stick with it.It takes time to figure out what works for you.Once you havea real connection with your students it makes a difference.Everything that goes to our mind goes to our hearts first.Our Torah teaches us about life.It never goes out of style.Amazon We receive a small commission for any items purchased through my Amazon link.Parenting On Purpose This course will help you better understand your child and build a deeper connection.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Delivered at Aish-Gesher #Israel Trip 2023   14:17 Rebbeim in the Mir 18:58 The Role of a Rebbe vs a Gadol 23:33 R' Noach Weinberg 31:40 R' Yitzchok Berkowitz 37:04 Maintaining a Connection with a Rebbe 37:58 Kiruv – Learning from R' Noach 42:12 The Impact of Kiruv 43:47 Life after Yeshiva 46:59 When Should… Continue reading Connection with Gedolei Torah (with Q&A) – Aish Gesher

Chanie Kirschner is the director of Gesher Judaic Studies Program, an afternoon Judaic studies program for children in grades K-6. She holds a Masters in Jewish Education and has over 20 years of experience both in formal and informal Jewish education. She created Gesher to provide an affordable, yet comprehensive Judaic studies program for elementary-age students not in Jewish day school in Boca Raton, FL. Gesher has now solidified its' presence in the national Jewish community and has expanded course offerings to meet the needs of more students. Chanie is passionate about education, bringing Jewish studies to life, and connecting with her students. After teaching in the classroom in Modern Orthodox day schools in New Jersey and in Florida for many years, she and her husband decided to homeschool their 4 children, and appreciates the opportunity to do so and still be able to educate other Jewish children as well. You can find out more info about Gesher at www.gesherprogram.com and read her blog about homeschooling at www.mamaneedsrecess.com.Gems:Pay attention to the needs of your students.The days are long, but the years are very short.Homeschool is like tutoring which is one-on-one education for your children.Never take time for granted.You don't have to be a teacher to homeschool.We learn from our students while they learn from us.Education is a life-long endeavor.We are teachers, but also students.There are opportunities for education all around.Bridge the connection between what children are learning and make it personal for them.Make Torah personal and come alive for yourself and your students.Talk about G-d/Hashem every day.Don't give up!The core of Jewish living is at home.Amazon We receive a small commission for any items purchased through my Amazon link.Parenting On Purpose This course will help you better understand your child and build a deeper connection.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Chanie Kirschner, homeschool mom and creator of the Gesher Judaic Studies Program, joins us to discuss how her program helps families choosing to home school. Gesher can be found at: https://gesherprogram.com/ https://gesher.thinkific.com/ https://mamaneedsrecess.com/ https://www.facebook.com/gesherprogram/ https://www.instagram.com/gesherprogram/

Paul Blatt was back to talk about the combining of two local non-profit organizations JVS Human Services and Kadima. The organization also has a new name: Gesher Human Services. Gesher Human Services ("gesher" means "bridge" in Hebrew) offers career counseling and job placement for job seekers with obstacles to employment, supportive housing for individuals with severe mental illness, financial education, day programs for adults living with developmental disabilities and/or mental illness, counseling for families in crisis, assistance and support coordination for adults living with mental health challenges, enrichment activities and more. Gesher provides valuable services to the Metro Detroit area, last year helping over 12,000 people.

Benji, Amy and Charlotte discuss musicals, acting and more in this radio chat show.

Join host Benji and Gesher camper Harry Posner as they discuss the very latest in the world of sport.

Join our Gesher campers for their radio show, discussions ranging from favourite pizzas to sport.

This week, we speak with Zvi Schreiber, CEO of Freightos, and Ezra Gardner, CEO of Gesher I Acquisition Corp. The two companies entered into a $436 million business combination last month. Freightos provides a freight-shipping marketplace that works much like a flight-booking website. Zvi Schreiber talks about why the freight shipping space remains largely un-digitized and how the visibility his digital platform has achieved has spun into financial derivatives and sustainability metrics. Ezra also gets into why Gesher I made sure early in its process that it lined up enough committed capital for its transaction, and what advice he has for other SPAC teams in the current climate.  

Live soundtrack of the Gesher play Legally Blonde - The Musical. Directed by Hofa'ah staff. Recorded live in Bet Am Bet by radio Kol Ramah.

The lack of unity among the Jewish people is as obvious as it is troubling. We all know that it's a problem, and has been a problem for as long as there have been Jews. But the normal way of addressing it is by saying that unity is achievable… just as soon as everyone agrees with my way of seeing things. Obviously, this isn't a method that is destined to succeed. Sometimes it seems that the gaps are too big, the disagreements too intense, the self-righteousness of all sides too entrenched. JJ Sussman, the International Director at Gesher, says that all is not lost. He asserts that dialogue can do wonders, and - here's the interesting part - he's seen some of those wonders with his own eyes. Like when a well-known secular Jew explained the Chareidi refusal to serve in the Israeli army to a Los Angeles family, and was emotional when recounting that for the first time, despite his continued opposition to that way of thinking, he was able to articulate and perhaps even understand where the other side is coming from. Join Scott Kahn for his interview with JJ Sussman to learn more. And check out the whole (unedited!) YouTube video at https://youtu.be/4bt60uVqphM. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Moshe Kinderlehrer is the publisher and co-founder of the Jewish Link of New Jersey – Expanded Edition, and the Jewish Link Media Group. After nearly two decades in the nonprofit and fundraising field, he launched his first paper in 2013, the bi-weekly Jewish Link of Bergen County. With G-d's help, it was an immediate success and from this first paper, which soon became a weekly and was renamed the Jewish Link of New Jersey in 2014, he expanded his media and print efforts by founding the Jewish Link of the Bronx, Westchester and CT in 2015. He has helped launch papers in Rockland County (Monsey Mevaser), the Philadelphia area (Philly Jewish Link), and the DC/Maryland area (Kol HaBirah). He is also affiliated with the Queens Jewish Link and Bukharian Jewish Link, and is working on other media and print-related businesses as well.Prior to entering the Jewish media world, Moshe enjoyed an extensive career in the nonprofit and fundraising arena with his last job serving as a Director of Institutional Advancement at Yeshiva University with responsibility for the Azrieli Graduate School of Education, the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and the YU High Schools. Before YU, he served in senior fundraising roles at American Friends of Leket Israel, Friends of Jerusalem College of Technology, OHEL, Gesher, as an independent nonprofit consultant, and as a consultant for NYC-based nonprofit consulting firm Perry Davis Associates. Moshe is an ordained Orthodox rabbi and served as the assistant rabbi at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue from 1998-2000. Moshe can be reached at:Email: moshek@jewishlinknj.comOffice Phone: 201-366-9102

[01:48] Finding your hashkafa in the Yeshiva World [06:52] Are parts of the Torah post Mosaic? [12:17] Emotions and feelings in making important decisions [14:35] Moving to Eretz Yisroel [17:15] Meta-halacha [18:04] Chassidus [23:05] Talmud Torah for a working Ben Torah [24:38] How to get a geshmak in learning [26:11] Is a baal habus only… Continue reading Q&A – Aish (Gesher)

[01:48] Finding your hashkafa in the Yeshiva World[06:52] Are parts of the Torah post Mosaic?[12:17] Emotions and feelings in making important decisions[14:35] Moving to Eretz Yisroel[17:15] Meta-halacha[18:04] Chassidus[23:05] Talmud Torah for a working Ben Torah[24:38] How to get a geshmak in learning[26:11] Is a baal habus only bidieved?[27:15] Most important seder when working[28:24] Using our common Sense[30:25] Trusting your sechel[31:41] Mental Health vs Halacha[34:31] Therapy vs Mussar[36:22] Agadata[38:05] When a boy wants to go back to yeshiva but his parents don't want him to.[40:04] Getting a geshmak in Tefillah[41:53] Help getting up for davening[43:57] Balance in Avodas Hashem[46:03] Psychological Observations in the Gemara[48:11] Forming a proper hashkafa[50:42] Working on Hasmada[52:11] Doubting your decisions  Visit eshelpublications.com for more shiurim, live shiurim, seforim and more.For questions, comments, or for sponsorship opportunities email us at office@eshelpublications.com

Another episode featuring Gesher with a surprise phone call.

Jonah Seidenfeld (not pictured),Harris Cohen, Sam Feldman, and Rafi Rockman talk to Kol Ramah about skipping Bechirot and what goes on in Chug.

We sit down with Gesher. Give us donuts plz.

Live soundtrack of the original cast, edited. Performed by Gesher 2021 produced with Tzevet Hofa'a and our own Ramah Berkshires Band.

About Mark: Mark Ivanir has been working as a professional film and television actor in Los Angeles since 2001. His first major film role was in Steven Spielberg's 1993 Oscar-winning epic SCHINDLER'S LIST. He rejoined with Spielberg twice, first for a cameo appearance in Terminal, then again for his much anticipated Tintin. A pivotal role in Robert Deniro's 2006 film, The Good Shepherd, landed Mark a role in Barry Levinson's What Just Happened, this time acting alongside Deniro. Currently, Ivanir awaits the release of four studio features: Johny English Reborn (starring Rowan Atkinson), Everybody Loves Whales (staring Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell, John Krassinsky), A Late Quartet (co starring Philip Seymor Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Christopher Walken) and 360 (co starring Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Rachel Weitz and Ben Foster). He has booked over 35 Guest Star and Guest Lead roles on television shows such as: 24, Monk, CSI NY, Law and Order, Fringe, CSI Miami, Nikita and many others. Ivanir's road to Hollywood was circuitous at best. Born in the communist Ukraine (former USSR), he immigrated to Israel with his family in 1972. While serving in the Israeli Army he participated in the then clandestine mission to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel. His military experience and expertise has been tapped for various roles including De Niro's CIA thriller THE GOOD SHEPHERD. After completing his stint in the Military, Ivanir turned down several job offers from Israel's Secret Service and gave up studying medicine to pursue a higher vocation—clowning. He completed two years in a Circus school, traveled throughout Europe performing on the streets, and ended up working in a Parisian Circus – Cirque Pawelles. After leaving the circus, Mark entered into formal theatrical training, studying at Israel's top acting school Nissan Nativ, later co-founding a theatre company made up of actors from the former USSR called Gesher Theatre. Within two years, Gesher became Israel's top theatrical outfit and was hailed by the London Times as “one of the six best theatre companies in the world.” Tapping his command of Russian, English, and Hebrew, Mark performed many different roles, translated and adapted eight plays for the company, and performed everywhere from Lincoln Center to the National Theatre in London as well as major stages in Paris, Rome, and Berlin. After being cast by Spielberg in SCHINDLER'S LIST, Ivanir moved to London to study with Philippe Gaulier and the actors of the Theater De Complicite. During this stint, he landed roles in THE MAN WHO CRIED (with Johnny Depp) and SECRET AFFAIR which encouraged him to relocate to Hollywood. Ever since Ivanir has been working consistently in major studio film and television projects in eclectic roles spanning from a Russian spy to an Israeli producer to a German elephant trainer. Mark's advice to an actor who's struggling: Diversification Think outside the box Use your own special skills Knowing your lines really well even for an audition

Rabbi Ilyse Kramer is a long-time educator and former director of life long learning at Gesher in Harrisburg, PA. She is currently the director of Kesher: Connection at Columbia Jewish Congregation in Columbia, Maryland. She has extensive educational experience with both children and adults.  Best way to reach students is to ask them what they think.Give students content that is meaningful.Encourage students to think.Learn to tell a compelling story.Show that you really care about your students.Allow students to ask tough questions.Your job is not to answer all their questions, it is to plant the seeds for continued learning. Students are not receptacles for receiving knowledge, involve them in the process.We also need to continue learning.Amazon We receive a small commission for any items purchased through my Amazon link.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/JewishEducationExperiencePodcast)

How many stories of great wisdom can we pack into one episode? Join world renowned story teller Rabbi Benji Levene as he sets sail with us on a voyage of great tales jam packed with wisdom.  We had so many stories to choose from we just might do a Part B of this one! If you are feeling low this episode will for sure pick you right up and remind you what you're doing here on this planet.  

D/L Link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/5g28ua9x2j2ysk3/22.12.2020%20-%20Rarekind%20With%20Gesher%20.mp3?dl=0 Catch Rarekind on Mode 17:00 - 19:00 Every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Listen live on Mode.London or Radio Cult Socials Twitter - @rarexkind @Moderadiolondon @GesherMusic Instagram - @rarexkind @jordan._gesher @moderadio.london

JJ Sussman is the International Director of Gesher, and organization that builds a cohesive Israeli society and a more united Jewish people by embracing the vibrancy, diversity, and shared heritage of the Jewish people. Prior to joining Gesher, JJ worked in the Israeli hi-tech sector at firms and companies including Jerusalem Global, SanDisk, Israel Seed Partners, M-Systems, and others. Listen as we talk about his important work and the impact of the pandemic on the non-profit, as well as the for-profit sector. Aaron Katsman is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel. Call 02-624-0995 for a consultation on how to handle U.S. brokerage accounts from Israel. This video is for education purposes only and is not intended to give investment, legal or tax advice. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, FSI. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not of Portfolio Resources Group Inc., or its affiliates. Neither PRG nor its affiliates give tax or legal advice.

On today's Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, an interview with JJ Sussman, International Director at Gesher, an organization which facilitates respectful dialogue between all diverse segments of Israeli society. Sussman discusses how his organization has shifted its model as a result of Coronavirus where physically bringing people together is nearly impossible. Sussman talks about the relevance of Gesher's work, especially now as Jews around the world are getting set to commemorate Tisha Be'av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, which symbolizes disunity. The goal is that one day soon, there will be Ahavat Chinam - unconditional love between Jews, as opposed to baseless hatred. Photo Credit: Frits Ahlefeldt

Number of coronavirus cases in Israel reaches 76. Blow to Blue and White as Gesher leader nixes minority government with Joint List support. President Rivlin receives official results of March 2 vote.

Did you ever wonder why IT diagrams always use a cloud to show an element where stuff goes in and comes out, but we're not 100% sure what happens inside? That was originally called a "TAMO Cloud" - which stood for "Then A Miracle Occurred". It indicated an area of tech that was inscruitable, but nevertheless something we saw as reliable and consistent in it's output. For IT pros who hold a strong religious, ethical, or moral point of view, our journey has had its own sort of TAMO Cloud - where grounded technology and lofty philosophical ideals blend in ways that can be anything from challenging to uplifting to humbling. In this series, we sit down with members of the IT community to explore their journeys - both technical and theological - and see what lessons we can glean from where they've been, where they are today, and where they see themselves in the future. This episode features my talk with friend, co-religionist, programmer, and recurring Technically Religious guest Ari Adler. Leon:                                     00:00                     Welcome to our podcast where we talk about the interesting, frustrating and inspiring experiences we have as people with strongly held religious views working in corporate IT. We're not here to preach or teach you our religion. We're here to explore ways we make our career as it professionals mesh, or at least not conflict, with our religious life. This is Technically Religious. Leon:                                     00:21                     Did you ever wonder why it diagrams always use a cloud to show an element where stuff goes in and comes out, but we're not 100% sure what happens inside? That was originally called a TAMO cloud, which stood for Then A Miracle Occurred. It indicated an area of tech that was inscrutable, but nevertheless something we saw as reliable and consistent in its output. For IT pros who hold a strong religious, ethical or moral point of view, our journey has had its own sort of TAMO cloud, where grounded technology and lofty philosophical ideals blend in ways that can be anything from challenging to uplifting to humbling. In this series, we sit down with members of the IT community to explore their journeys, both technical and theological and see what lessons we can glean from where they've been, where they are today, and where they see themselves in the future. My name is Leon Adatto, and with me today is Ari Adler. Ari:                                         01:11                     Hi. Leon:                                     01:13                     All right. Before we dive into the topic, uh, let's do a little bit of shameless self promotion. Ari, tell us a little bit about who you are, where you work, where we can find you, all that stuff. Ari:                                         01:23                     Currently I'm working helping to make applications at Rockwell Automation here in Cleveland, Ohio. I have really in my career up to this point, been mostly focused on the front end, specifically working with the angular framework that's Google. And right now I am working in the research and development department in Rockwell for a really important application of theirs. Um, and yeah, it's really great rewarding work and I'm part of an amazing team. Leon:                                     01:51                     Fantastic. Okay. And if people wanted to find you online, can they do that? Are you anywhere or are you just invisible? Ari:                                         01:56                     I am visible. I have a LinkedIn, um, account. So that would, that would definitely work. Um, AriAdlerJSProgrammer, JS doesn't stand for Jewish Stud but rather Java script. Leon:                                     02:10                     Okay. Uh, but now it does from now on, I will never be able to unthink that. So, uh, for those people who might be scribbling madly, "J S does not stand for...", Uh, we'll have the links in the show notes, so don't worry about that. And finally, how do you... Religiously, how do you identify it? Ari:                                         02:28                     So, um, I'm definitely part of the Orthodox community. Leon:                                     02:32                     Okay. And we'll get into more about that in a, in a minute. And just to round things out, a little bit of promotion for myself, I'm Leon Adato, I'm a Head Geek. Yes. That's actually my title at SolarWinds, which is neither solar nor wind. It's a software vendor based in Austin that makes monitoring software. You can find me on the Twitters @LeonAdato. I write and pontificate about things both technical and religious at https://www.adatosystems.com. And I also identify as an Orthodox Jew. So let's dive right into it. Tell us a little bit more about the kind of work that you're doing today. Nothing specific. Cause I know you're working on a very top secret project that can't... Actually, it's not top secret but you know, we don't try, we try not to talk about those kinds of things here on the show. Just in case there are nondisclosure issues. But tell us what kind of work you're doing today. Ari:                                         03:21                     The project I'm involved with is using a lot of newer types of frameworks, mainly using node.js, which is a very, very powerful, um, way of setting up servers and running the back end. Um, and the language is mainly with TypeScript and my particular role has always basically been with my career working with the front end, with the, with the creating UIs. Uh, the user interfaces. Generally been done using a framework called angular, which is a very robust, full, involved framework. It's quite complex and I've used a new, a lot of different capacities, whether it be dealing with splitting large amounts of data, or getting user input. And without going into any more detail about the project I'm doing, it is definitely a very, very important and highly recommended framework. If you do have to make a web application. It's, you know, it's well known and there's very good documentation and tutorials that are easily defined. But that is mainly the tech that I'm, I've been using. Leon:                                     04:35                     So I, I presume that you were born knowing how to work with angular, that you came out of the womb, in fact with a keyboard in your hands and you know, all that's up is that, no, that's not how he's, he's looking at me and just like staring. Okay. So where did you, if you didn't start off, you know, coding from, from birth and how did you start out, you know, what was your starting point? Ari:                                         04:57                     Well, there was, there was, there was a little "A", on my diapers... Leon:                                     05:01                     Right. So that was a for angular or...? I think it was for "Ari" Ari:                                         05:04                     Well, it had the little symbol there for angular in it. Yeah. Yeah. Leon:                                     05:08                     No, he was the chosen one. Ari:                                         05:10                     I wasn't born with it. Angular is actually, a lot of people don't realize this. Like, if you ever have to write a job description and you want somebody to work for angular, don't ask for 10 years of experience or the framework that only you know, came out with the, uh, with the production version and May, 2016. Leon:                                     05:30                     So that's, that's a pro tip to anybody in HR who's listening to this, who's, you know, writing job descriptions is find out how long the technology has been out for before you say, "must have, you know, 16 years experience with, you know, windows 2016. Ari:                                         05:45                     A framework, which has only been out for six months. Right. Leon:                                     05:48                     Okay. So where did you start at? Ari:                                         05:50                     I did not start out in tech. Um, I actually taught for a few years in middle school and an elementary school. I taught in Queens and Brooklyn before we relocated to Overland park, Kansas. I taught at the Hebrew Academy there. Um, and um, from there we moved to Cleveland and I met, um, inspiring young man named Leon Adato and I, um, joined the a a course to learn, um, the, the tech world. And, you know, I'm hoping at some point in my, as I continued in my career I might find a way to go and I do have a master's degree in education. I'm hoping that at some point maybe a cross paths a little bit, I know that there is a lot of it has been done and I'm sure there's plenty that can still still be done in this field without getting into too much detail cause I haven't really thought it out so fully yet. Right now I'm kind of busy with work and, and family life. But I, you know, as soon when I get to a certain stage where it's things quiet down a little bit, education and technology I think are two things that very much can go hand in hand. Um, I view tech as a tool and it's something that obviously can be very distracting and very harmful if done in the wrong ways, but if used correctly can really help solve a lot of problems. And I know educationally speaking, there's a lot of challenges that, that kids have in their... There are, there is a lot of things. I know that Math Blaster, I had to even that when I was a kid, there's really no end to what it could do to help. Just even writing algorithms that can help figure out for a particular child what, what they're missing and what pieces would help them improve. You know, there's, you know, whatever the future is, is exciting and uh, I hope to be, to be part of it. Leon:                                     07:41                     Okay. So you didn't... you started out in education and you mentioned a little bit about the, there was the program that has been mentioned on Technically Religious before. What I affectionately refer to is "Frum Guys Who Code", but it was really, um, Gesher. Uh, it was uh, the Gesher Upper Level prefers a short program to get, uh, get some folks started on technology. Ari:                                         08:05                     It was a bootcamp. You can call it a bootcamp. Leon:                                     08:05                     Yeah, yeah, that's a, that's uh, probably the best way to describe it. But getting from there to here. So you, you did a bootcamp, you took some online courses. Um, but how did you get from there, from, "Hey, I just learned how to program in JavaScript!" Or whatever to where you are now in Rockwell. What was, what did that path look like Ari:                                         08:27                     From the program. So I met people, you know, who had different companies that were looking for help. Um, and I met, uh, I w I worked in a small software development company here in Beachwood, Ohio. They, they really used the, um, the, um, JavaScript stack there. Um, they was called the MEAN stack, um, stands for mango DB express, JS, angular and node.js. And um, that's kind of, even though Cleveland overalls tends to be much more of a microsoft.net town, you know, this company was very much invested with the MEAN stack. He, they, they felt like it was, you know, a lot of promise and a lot of it could excitement. Um, and it was at least then it was pretty new. Now it's become a lot more mainstream, but you know, you're not going back that many years. But it's ancient history as far as the tech world is concerned. Leon:                                     09:20                     Right, it's been 15 minutes. So that epoch is over now, right? Ari:                                         09:27                     Um, I learned a lot of the ropes from there. And then, um, from that, I, I, I've moved on, I'm working for or worked for Park Place Tech, um, for stint. And then after that I got, um, I got my placement at Rockwell. So I've been at Rockwell really since March. I'm in a different division than it was when I started. Um, yeah, it's really been an amazing ride and I'm still learning tons. Um, you know, one thing that I've needed to do recently, which I was never asked to do and I know a lot of developers, you know, really either dread this or just avoid completely is learning to write them unit tests, which is something that I'm Angular itself. If you read the documentation, they think it's very important. Um, and I, it's really something that I wanted to improve at. And um, I think I have, um, Leon:                                     10:15                     Well you do, you do a couple dozen of them or 20 or 30, and you start to get good at it. Ari:                                         10:19                     Yeah. But there, there's all different, yeah. Things. And you know, it's, it's a, it really is a complex area, you know, to a certain degree, in order to really do it well, you have to almost be developer, not just a tester, cause you have to really know how the code works. Um, and the company definitely recognize that and they wanted, um, to get developers in the testing a role also. So that's actually what I'm trying to really be the most current, uh, you know, area. But you know, it's, I, you kind of have to wear all hats and which is, you know, brings you back to education. A big part of what I love about tech and I, I feel like almost any job really, if someone has this mindset and it's not just professional, but really how you live your life is solving problems. Right. You know, don't get, when I was in the classroom and you know, there, there was, I needed to accomplish a certain thing. I didn't view that. You know, any child would be like, uh, you know, was anything, was, was beyond their capabilities. As long as they had the right encouragement. And you could connect with them in the right way. And I was very successful in the classroom. Um, and tech is basically the same thing. I'm definitely blessed with the team now that, that definitely has that, that viewpoint. But anybody who is focused on "Why I can't do something" versus "How can I accomplish, uh, what it is that has to get done" is really, um, they're really looking at it the wrong way. And this is true, in almost any aspects of like, I know we're going to get into the religious aspect, but, you know, it's, uh, it's just, it's, it's really that, uh, that there is a focus on solving, solving problems and making things better and always improving and never, you know, getting caught up in the, uh, in the problems. But rather, how can I make this better? How can I get this to work? Leon:                                     12:08                     All right. So that is actually a perfect dovetail. So you said at the top of the episode that you identify as an Orthodox Jew. Tell me a little bit about, more about what that looks like. Um, as I've said before, uh, especially on these TAMO cloud segments, labels are imprecise. They're difficult. A lot of people sort of bristle at the idea of being pinned in to one particular kind of thing. When you say that you identify as an Orthodox Jew, what does that mean for you? How does that look? Ari:                                         12:33                     So it's funny you asked me this. Honestly, I haven't had that much exposure to a lot of elements of the Orthodox Jewish world a little bit before I came to Cleveland. No, I, I always defined myself as like a, uh, individual thinker. I feel, and this is very much downplayed, at least I feel like in my own circles, I'm assuming it's true and for many other communities that, um, I feel like people, you know, th the main job that anybody has as a religious person, my feeling is that like, you know, obviously that comes with believing in a higher power, right? Believing in God and therefore what that comes with and what scientists don't constantly have to struggle with this idea is that we have free will, right? We, we, we have the right to be able to go into choose right from wrong. Um, and society at large obviously feels that we otherwise you couldn't have a justice system and so forth. So as much as people want to, to, um, deny the kinds of a higher being, if it doesn't, uh, suit them, we, we, you know, most people definitely believe in freewill. I don't know how that can work if you don't think that, you know, there's a guy who ever came from monkeys or whatnot, like, you know, everything just happened on its own. For sure as a society overall, we believe in and free will and people have to really, therefore by definition come to their own decisions for themselves. That means that we constantly have to be choosing, right? Free will lends to choosing and, and if a person is choosing without knowing anything, they're going to be making a lot of mistakes. Therefore, people always have to be learning in order to be able to, and it's very different. It's very difficult. It's very challenge cause we're always faced with new things and new problems. But if you have that solid foundation of education and always learning... And the problem is that if somebody doesn't know how to learn, if they don't understand for their own, because you can't always just rely on asking somebody else that's, that's not really possible. Right. You know, we're constantly faced with decisions and choices the same way that free will is a constant factor in our lives from when we wake up to when we go to sleep. It's really something that really has to be to, you know, I, I feel like that that getting people to be independent thinkers and independent learners is really, really critical. And I think this is something that's is, it's downplayed to a large degree. I'm not going to get into why. Therefore, I kind of view myself as, I don't want to call like independently Orthodox, but very much from the mainstream that to a certain degree, being part of a of a larger group is good, but it should be really understood what limitations that that can bring that if people feel like, well, as long as I, I stick with the Joneses, I'm, I'm going to be pleasing God. I think that they're making a major fallacy with that viewpoint because I think that the, a person always has to be looking at themselves and, and thinking that I'm really the only person who can improve me if they're hiding behind society a large, I think that that is something that is, um, is a real, real danger. Leon:                                     15:49                     So you're saying that herd, herd immunity does not work when it comes to perhaps heaven? Ari:                                         15:54                     Yeah, exactly. So, you know, I, I don't know if that like fully answered the question of how, how I define myself religiously, but someone who, I guess I call myself a learning Jew. Leon:                                     16:05                     Okay, fine. That's fine. So, uh, the question then moves into, is that how you grew up? Is that the Judaism that you were used to or is that the experience that you were used to in your younger life? And again, I've said this before on other episodes that when we're growing up in our parents house or wherever we were growing up, whatever was happening in the house where we grew up, that's what we did because that was what was around us. So we then left and came to a point where we realized to your, to your point that there's a moment where you can choose and that's when you start to formulate your own experience. So what did your, what did, what did your growing up world look like? Ari:                                         16:50                     So both of my parents were not raised Orthodox. They kind of, they kind of needed to become more religious at a later stage in life and they didn't get, um, in as much as of or nearly as much as the formal education that I was blessed with. So, obviously it wasn't really possible to be, you know, to have been, been raised in a way - As often happens when people don't get the education in their youth - it's hard to catch up. I lost my father at a young age, so like it was very much, I was kind of to a certain degree, I mean my, my mother is, you know, she should live in, be well is, you know, really an amazing person. Um, but you know, she'd be the first to tell her she's no Rabbi. Right. And she's, she's always learning and going to classes, but you know, obviously, you know, with her background is coming from quite as a secular place. Um, so, you know, she's, she's who's also seeking and learning and, but she, she doesn't have the same kind of background, not having any kind of like formal education in, in her younger years. So, you know, my house is very different than the house I, I grew up in as a child, therefore. Um, so I definitely grew up in a, in an Orthodox home. Um, but there's, there's lots of different levels to what that could mean. Leon:                                     18:14                     When I talked to other people about this, what's called Baal Teshuva, you know, people who came to Orthodox Judaism later in life, and my wife, my family and I are, are in that community. It's very much, it's very similar to the immigrant experience. Where you come to this foreign country called the "Orthodox community" and now at whatever age you arrive there, you have to learn a whole set of rules and expectations and language and behavior and jargon and things like that. And you do the best you can and you learn to code switch and you learn to adopt that, but you're never quite natively fluent the way that a child who's born into that country or community is. So that for, in a lot of ways that that experience you're describing is similar to growing up when your parents are immigrants and you were born in that country. So you have a level of a perception and a level of fluency that they're not going to have because again, they, to your point, they weren't, they weren't born with it. How did you get from there to here? You know, when you were, so you were grown, you were born into a Baal Teshuva family and now your house looks very different. What was the formative element, aspects of that from point there to point here? Ari:                                         19:25                     Because I went to, um, a Jewish school, so I was able to get much stronger education and I carried that with me post high school, going on to a Yeshiva. I studied for many years. So that was able to give me a much stronger background and a much stronger foundation in understanding the religion and what, you know, what we believe God expects of us. Um, and so in a nutshell that that really is the, uh, you know, the reason. Just through education, through, through the more understanding I was able to, um, hopefully be able to make some, let's call it better choices. Some, uh, you know, some, uh, have a little little more control over from a religious standpoint what my home should look like, what, what I should value, what I want to give over to my children. Like, like I was saying before, and you know, knowledge is power and no matter what stage somebody comes in to the game, you know, it's, it's, it's not really important about, again, like being socially, you know, accepted by the peers. Because like, like I was saying before, it's, it's, so... The main thing is really individual and you know, sometimes people get like a little bit caught up in, "Well, you know, do I fit in with this, with society at large?" But again, that's not, that's not the point of the every religion to in with society. It's about making the right choices and recognizing our, our free will, the best way that we know how to, um, and ultimately anyone you know, is going to believe that, that it's up to God to kind of judge us as to where we wound up. And now, honestly, we were with ourselves, why we did what we did. And that's really very important foundation, I'm assuming, to any religion for sure. For mine. Leon:                                     21:10                     Okay. So we've talked about the technical and we've talked about the religious. So now I want to blend the two. I'm curious about any situations where in taking your strong religious point of view along with this technical career which you've moved into in the last couple of years, if there's been any conflicts or any challenges that have come up between those two things. Any points of friction? Ari:                                         21:33                     So that's a very interesting question. Inherently I don't see any conflict at all between the religious world and the technical world, but I find a lot of conflicted people in, in it. On both ends of the spectrum. You have a lot of people in the religious world who shun, or are very, are very anti, a lot of aspects of the technical world. And I found a lot of people in the, in the, in the technical world tend to be pretty anti-religious. Um, you know, my first day at one job I, I am overheard a fellow person on my team. They were having a conversation, I think I had mentioned something, whatever, but you know, we were talking about, you know, being, being bored or whatnot. And one of the person just blurted out, "I haven't, I haven't been bored since the last time I stepped into a church." And I think he said after that, that was when he was like eight years old or whatnot. So, you know, he, he obviously probably didn't consider himself to be too, too religious. I didn't, you know, follow up in the conversation. But I, I, I've certainly met a good deal of people who kind of, let's say to a certain degree, substitute their religious life with, with the tech. I think that that's, although I kind of understand that a certain level, why they mentally would be able to do that. I think that they're gonna leave a huge vacancy just in, in their own souls. I mean, in, in, in, in their own completeness as a human being. Cause I, you know, I mean, I, I, you know, assuming that we were all created by God, so there's this idea that the whole reason why there is concept of religion is, is not just, no, it's not, not a scam. People have the, this, this natural yearning for, for, for spirituality to be part of a higher purpose and to have a real meaning in life. Um, which is something that, which with a technology can kind of like give somebody maybe to sort of be a sense of purpose. Not really, but it could give someone the facade of that. I like, to use the example you could have, you know, I, I have a, a young baby at home and you know, from a young age, human nature gives us a... Really, from birth or even in the woman shown the this natural desire to, to suck, which is obviously it's a necessary thing for a baby to be able to nurse or bottle feed or whatnot. If, if the baby can't get access to food when it's hungry, it's gonna suck on what's ever there or there be a rock nearby or a sticker, a, you know, a teething toy. Right? It's just gonna because it, that natural, it's got a suck on something. So if it can't suck on something that's going to help it gonna suck on something that can't help it. But I think it's kind of like the same idea over here. That like people do feel like they have to be part of something bigger and they want to have a meaning and, and a sense of purpose. And that's not the idea of, you know, when, when the, the original Turing machines, and you go through the history of computer, it was not meant to be sucked on. It was not meant to nourish the spiritual side and the fact that you get so many people that I think to a certain degree are using it in that way I think is a real, I mean, it's a real shame and it's, you know, really something that is, um, I had never really heard or spoken about, but I think it very much exists for my own personal, uh, you know, meetings, people from all different spectrums and so forth. Like, um, what I was saying before. The two really have, you know, can, can very much augment one another. No, no question. They really are two separate things, but to a certain degree you have, you know, I, I don't know if like religions can sometimes feel, feel threatened by tech and you know, I, I certainly know people who definitely feel that way. And you definitely have the reverse that people like wind up going the other way that they feel like "Iif I have tech I don't really need religion." Um, and again, like neither one of those things make too much sense to me. Technology is a tool to just, you know, help us and you know, become better at what we, you know, at who we are and what we do. Leon:                                     25:55                     So that's the, the, again, the friction points or the challenges that you found between your religious life and the technical, but how about the happy surprises? Were there any benefits or anything about your religious life that brought almost like a superpower or a secret trick that you didn't think was going to be useful but in your technical life, it turns out it was really, really helpful. Speaker 2:                           26:17                     Um, yeah, sure. Most of the way I, I, I analyze and think comes from my religious studies. So it's really, it's given me a tremendous advantage coming into the, the technical world. I think there's certainly a lot of people with a lot of just raw intelligence. Brain power, which is really, really great. But, you know, I think to a certain degree I have the ability to kind of look at things sometimes from a little bit of a different perspective and being able to analyze things a little bit of a different way. Being the fact that I've been able to intensively learn things at a high level from both a religious aspect and a technical aspect. So I think that they can really, um, aid and abet my critical thinking skills and my analyzing skills in my, um, creative thinking skills, which is something that, you know, it was really a lot of, of overlap in both, both areas. Leon:                                     27:19                     This has been a great conversation. I'm just curious, any final thoughts, anything that you want to leave the listeners with? Ari:                                         27:24                     Yeah. Well. Um, I think that the, the, this idea of the, um, anyone who's listening to this podcast, obviously you're probably very much, um, care very much about these two topics of religion and technical, uh, this, you know, field. IT. Um, you know, I, I think that it's, um, it's, it's really great to kind of put the two together and like a whole in a wholesome way to, to go, you know. Because some, like, like I was talking about before, since sometimes those things are viewed as being mutually exclusive to a certain certain degree or at least not friendly. You know, I, I don't, I don't know if that is necessarily true. And I'm, this, this is really, this is really, you know, it's, uh... Religion means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and the importance and what the capabilities are with the technical world also means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. So, you know, a podcast like this, putting the two together and get, getting people's thoughts, thoughts, and either ideas. It's really, it's truly, uh, it's, it's a wonderful accomplishment and I think a very worthwhile endeavor. Leon:                                     28:32                     Thank you. All right. All right. It's been fantastic having you here. Ari:                                         28:35                     Thank you. It's been great talking to you, Leon. Leon:                                     28:39                     Thanks for making time for us this week. To hear more of Technically Religious visit our website, http://www.technicallyreligious.com where you can find our other episodes, leave us ideas for future discussions and connect us on social media.

On today's Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, an interview with JJ Sussman International Director of the Gesher Organization. Gesher, Hebrew for "bridge," tries to close the gaps between Jews from different religious and political backgrounds. This goal is especially relevant as we are in the midst of the nine day mourning period leading up to Tisha B'av which commemorates the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem, with our sages teaching that the 2nd Temple was destroyed as a result of baseless hatred and slander between Jews. Sussman says that his organization encourages Jews who might have disagreements to find common ground and should meet each other face to face, as opposed to behind the keyboard, in order to build those bridges.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires musical production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", with performances by Gesher 2019 youth. הפקה מוסיקלית של מחנה רמה בברקשירס של "צ'יטי צ'יטי באנג באנג". מופיעים ושרים הנוער של גשר 2019.

Actress Neta Riskin, who plays Giti Weiss on “Shtisel,” talks about the hit Israeli show.   Join the cast and writer of the hit Israeli television show “Shtisel” for a sneak peak into the creation of the series and view clips to learn how the show has impacted them, the Charedi community and Israel as a whole. Over two consecutive evenings organized by Gesher, “Shtisel” stars Dov Glickman, Ayelet Zurer, Michael Aloni and Neta Riskin plus show creator and writer Ori Elon appear in conversation. On June 4, Larry Tanz, vice president of international original series at Netflix, moderates; on June 5, Sinai Temple Senior Rabbi David Wolpe does. 7 p.m. both evenings. $54 general admission, $100 premium, $250 VIP. Buy your tickets before they sell out!   Follow David Suissa on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Former Intel executive vice president Dadi (David) Perlmutter explains why he wants to go from running a 50 billion dollar company to passing bills in the Knesset. Continuing his "Meet the Candidate" series, Gil Hoffman speaks to Perlmutter, who is second on the Gesher list of MK Orly Levy-Abecassis. Perlmutter admits he is taking a risk by running in a party that may not cross the electoral threshold, but he says he believes in her leadership. He succeeded in his investment in Mellanox, the multinational supplier of computer networking products that was sold for 6.9 billion dollars on Monday. The show concludes with Hoffman explaining the political impact of new legal developments in Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu's criminal cases.

Join us as we chat with Janet B. Fattal and Joyce Gittlin as we talk grief and carrying on from tragedy. Michele struggles with surviving in the snow. Diana explains why Teddy Roosevelt is dead to her and we learn to always go with the skid. Grab your wine from our fantastic sponsor Winc! www.winewomenwordspodcast.com

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Israeli society comprises many different constituencies, and the complexities that emerge are legion. Religion and state issues, conflicting values around the army and the Zionist project in general. All of this and more often silos the population, and fractures a nation that could benefit immensely from solidarity. Since the 1970s Gesher has stepped into this breach, creating initiatives and programs that promote dialogue, understanding and unique solutions to Israel's thorniest internal challenges. Its long-serving Chairman of the Board, Daniel Goldman, has the passion and optimism needed to drive the organization forward. Hear his story of professional achievement and dedication to Jewish unity in this episode. -------------------- ABOUT THIS PODCAST Jews You Should Know introduces the broader community to interesting and inspiring Jewish men and women making a difference in our world. Some are already famous, some not yet so. But each is a Jew You Should Know. The host, Rabbi Ari Koretzky, is Executive Director of MEOR Maryland (www.meormd.org), a premier Jewish outreach and educational organization. MEOR operates nationally on twenty campuses and in Manhattan; visit the national website at www.meor.org. Please visit www.JewsYouShouldKnow.com, follow us on Twitter @JewsUShouldKnow or on Facebook. Have feedback for the show, or suggestions for future guests? E-mail us at JewsYouShouldKnow@gmail.com. Want to support this podcast? Visit Patreon.com/JewsYouShouldKnow. A small monthly contribution goes a long way!! A special thank you to Jacob Rupp of the Lift Your Legacy podcast for his invaluable production assistance.

Gesher Tzar Meod - Yosef Goldman by Camp Ramah in the Berkshires

The Gesher G show featuring banot of B25 with camp news and call ins!

Edited soundtrack - Great Play Gesher Chai!

Simcha celebration hosted by Gesher for their Rosh Edah and our camp Mashgiach! The Hofa'a band featuring Alicia Bageley.

Wonderful Saturday night concert in the Ba'amat hosed by Gesher. Nigunal'e vising from Jezreel Valley, Israel!

The yearly Gesher play, based on "The Beauty and the Beast", was held in Beit Am Bet on July 5th, 2017. Kol Ramah was there to capture the sounds of the show. Here is the 60 minutes podcast for you.

Daniel Goldman, the chairman of Gesher, an Israeli civil society organization dedicated to building bridges and mending rifts in Israeli society, and a student of diaspora communities' relationship with the State of Israel, offers a comparative view on the changing patterns of affinity for Israel among American and British Jews.     Song: Shlomi Bracha - Ahava This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Kiddush Cup is a friendly sports competition for Tzeirim between Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, Crane Lake and Camp Eisner. Hear Micah Fisher's interviews and observations. Close your eyes and it is as if you were there. Edited by Ben Horn, Gesher ozer (CIT) in Radio.

CEO of Holocaust Educational Trust Karen Pollock reflects on the life of Elie Wiesel, photographer Dorothy Bohm talks about an exhibition of her work based on London in the 1960s, Ali Durban & Sarah Sultman tell us about their new school Gesher and on the Schmooze we discuss the threat of Hizbollah to London Jewry.

The O’Reilly Hardware Podcast: Evolving expectations for privacy.In this episode of our newly renamed Hardware Podcast, I talk with Ari Gesher, engineering ambassador at Palantir Technologies, and Kipp Bradford, research scientist at the MIT Media Lab.Gesher is the co-author of The Architecture of Privacy: On Engineering Technologies that Can Deliver Trustworthy Safeguards. Bradford is co-author of Distributed Network Data: From Hardware to Data to Visualization, and he's spoken twice at Solid. Discussion points: The difference between security and privacy Ari's notion of what it means to be "polite" in a world where everything is recorded The need and rationale for standards and protocols for IoT devices Links to stuff mentioned in this episode: The Heartbleed security bug that appeared in OpenSSL The Justine Sacco Twitter incident William Langewiesche's Vanity Fair articles on the Air France and ValuJet crashes

The O’Reilly Hardware Podcast: Evolving expectations for privacy.In this episode of our newly renamed Hardware Podcast, I talk with Ari Gesher, engineering ambassador at Palantir Technologies, and Kipp Bradford, research scientist at the MIT Media Lab.Gesher is the co-author of The Architecture of Privacy: On Engineering Technologies that Can Deliver Trustworthy Safeguards. Bradford is co-author of Distributed Network Data: From Hardware to Data to Visualization, and he's spoken twice at Solid. Discussion points: The difference between security and privacy Ari's notion of what it means to be "polite" in a world where everything is recorded The need and rationale for standards and protocols for IoT devices Links to stuff mentioned in this episode: The Heartbleed security bug that appeared in OpenSSL The Justine Sacco Twitter incident William Langewiesche's Vanity Fair articles on the Air France and ValuJet crashes

Earlier today, Rabbi Sacks spoke at the Unity Conference in Jerusalem, a joint initiative between the families of Eyal Yifrah, Gil-ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel, the three teens kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in the summer of 2014, together with the Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat and Gesher. - See more at: http://unityprize.org/en/prize/about#sthash.st6QRFIW.dpuf

Getting Customer Feedback When Your Product Doesn't Live On The Web | Ari Gesher by Lean Startup

Palantir is a traditional software company in that it ships software that runs on its customers' networks. That makes it hard to get direct feedback on which features need iteration. Ari will talk about the strategies the company has taken, ranging from the automated to the person-to-person, to gather the valuable information that guides their product–and company–development.

Don, Noah, and Allison discuss three topics of incomparable importance, and end with an anecdote each about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Behind the Curtain We discuss the imminent elections and our expectations. For whom will we be casting our ballots? Why do we support that list? What do we think (or perhaps hope) will be the eventual outcome? Surprise! No Prize! Generally considered the country’s highest honor, the Israel Prize is awarded annually on Independence Day. This year the prize will be awarded in only three of its four categories. Why did this occur? Who is to blame? Thou shall not be a total dick An NGO called Gesher (or Bridge) recently produced a video which, as part of a “new ten commandments” they’ve formulated, encourages more friendly interactions among politicians. The video includes MKs saying and writing nice things about colleagues across the aisle.   Playlist: All music by La Vache Qui Rit (הפרה הצוחקת) in honor of their show this week at Ha-Azor: Opa Cupa (Gypsy Serbia) Besena Rovena (Gypsy Albania) Tchavo (Gypsy Manouche) Disapozhkelekh (Trad. Ukraine)

?????With all the “coonery-bafoonery” and rachetness going on in the world, The GaptoothDiva decided to do some real talk discussion with one of the most honest and sincere individuals in her life, Bridget Selby of Gesher International. Bridget is a Virginia native and UVA graduate. She has taught elementary and middle school students and owned and operated a nanny service in California for 5 years. She is the Revelationz@Sunset consulting team member. She is also currently establishing Gesher (meaning "bridge" in Hebrew) International, which is essentially a networking hub that "bridges" people, places, resources, and opportunities to the passionate and underserved. Gesher also collaborates with and supports other businesses, ministries, and other "people serving" entities involved in such things as education, mental health and wellness, childcare, and food procurement. Its goal is to make communities aware of resources so people can help care for and heal themselves, pursue dreams, and live life instead of just surviving. GaptoothDiva Featured Artist of the Week Yung OG's members include Artavian Gilliam (born on June 10, 1981, in Richmond, VA) and Dontevous Williams (born September 16, 1984, in Augusta, GA). The Yung OG's are powerhouse rappers which use their powerful songwriting abilities as well as off the top freestyles abilities to create an impressive string of hit singles. Artavian Gilliam (Tave Getem) and Dontevous Williams (DirtyRed) met each other in March 2010 where they had a lyrical battle which made each gain respect for the other's skills. They then formed the group Yung OG's. The Yung OG's are unsigned artist but have been requested to perform at many clubs such as: Harlem Café, Skyy Lounge, The Red Room Lounge, and Vision Makers Convention Center. The group is working on their first album as well as a mixtape which is set to be out January 2011.