The Avrum Rosensweig Show

Books do more than tell stories. They preserve memory, shape identity, challenge assumptions and help us understand our place in the world. For the Jewish people, the written word has always carried an even deeper responsibility. Books have enabled our history, values and collective memory to survive across centuries and continents. Yet even the most meaningful book needs someone who understands how to carry it beyond the page—into the hands of readers, the attention of the media and the heart of a community. I am honoured to welcome Yehudit Singer-Freud to my podcast, founder of Singer Publicity and a passionate advocate for Jewish authors, Jewish ideas and the enduring power of literature. For more than fifteen years, Yehudit has helped authors, award-winning writers and prominent Israeli personalities introduce their work to English-speaking audiences around the world. Her career began in New York at distinguished institutions including the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Consulate General of Israel. At YIVO, surrounded by archives, manuscripts and antique books, Yehudit discovered that the written word does more than document history—it can safeguard the identity and memory of an entire people. Today, through Singer Publicity, she creates personalized campaigns for books exploring Jewish life, culture, history, ideas and Israel. She guides writers through the complexities of publishing, develops thoughtful publicity strategies, secures media and podcast opportunities and helps authors build lasting platforms. But Yehudit’s work begins with something deceptively simple: listening. Before developing a campaign, she listens carefully to the author’s story, purpose and hopes. She understands that behind every manuscript is a human being who has invested part of their soul in bringing an idea into the world. At a time when Jewish voices are too often misunderstood, marginalized or ignored, Yehudit’s work has taken on even greater significance. She is not merely promoting books; she is helping preserve memory, defend truth and ensure that important Jewish stories continue to be heard. On this episode of The Avrum Rosensweig Show, we explore the changing world of publishing, the challenges confronting Jewish writers, the art of bringing a book to the public and the urgent fight to keep Jewish literature alive. Please welcome Yehudit Singer-Freud. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #YehuditSingerFreud #SingerPublicity #JewishLiterature #JewishBooks #JewishAuthors #JewishStories #JewishPublishing #JewishHistory #JewishIdentity #PreservingJewishMemory #KeepJewishLiteratureAlive #SupportJewishWriters #BooksThatMatter #PowerOfBooks #PublishingIndustry #AuthorPublicity #LiteraryLegacy #StoriesThatShapeUs #TheAvrumRosensweigShow #AvrumRosensweig

Books do more than tell stories. They preserve memory, shape identity, challenge assumptions and help us understand our place in the world. For the Jewish people, the written word has always carried an even deeper responsibility. Books have enabled our history, values and collective memory to survive across centuries and continents. Yet even the most meaningful book needs someone who understands how to carry it beyond the page—into the hands of readers, the attention of the media and the heart of a community. I am honoured to welcome Yehudit Singer-Freud to my podcast, founder of Singer Publicity and a passionate advocate for Jewish authors, Jewish ideas and the enduring power of literature. For more than fifteen years, Yehudit has helped authors, award-winning writers and prominent Israeli personalities introduce their work to English-speaking audiences around the world. Her career began in New York at distinguished institutions including the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Consulate General of Israel. At YIVO, surrounded by archives, manuscripts and antique books, Yehudit discovered that the written word does more than document history—it can safeguard the identity and memory of an entire people. Today, through Singer Publicity, she creates personalized campaigns for books exploring Jewish life, culture, history, ideas and Israel. She guides writers through the complexities of publishing, develops thoughtful publicity strategies, secures media and podcast opportunities and helps authors build lasting platforms. But Yehudit’s work begins with something deceptively simple: listening. Before developing a campaign, she listens carefully to the author’s story, purpose and hopes. She understands that behind every manuscript is a human being who has invested part of their soul in bringing an idea into the world. At a time when Jewish voices are too often misunderstood, marginalized or ignored, Yehudit’s work has taken on even greater significance. She is not merely promoting books; she is helping preserve memory, defend truth and ensure that important Jewish stories continue to be heard. On this episode of The Avrum Rosensweig Show, we explore the changing world of publishing, the challenges confronting Jewish writers, the art of bringing a book to the public and the urgent fight to keep Jewish literature alive. Please welcome Yehudit Singer-Freud. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #YehuditSingerFreud #SingerPublicity #JewishLiterature #JewishBooks #JewishAuthors #JewishStories #JewishPublishing #JewishHistory #JewishIdentity #PreservingJewishMemory #KeepJewishLiteratureAlive #SupportJewishWriters #BooksThatMatter #PowerOfBooks #PublishingIndustry #AuthorPublicity #LiteraryLegacy #StoriesThatShapeUs #TheAvrumRosensweigShow #AvrumRosensweig

There are writers who tell stories—and there are writers who use stories to explore the wounds, struggles and hopes of an entire people. Today, I am honoured to welcome Dr. Emmet Hirsch, a physician, medical researcher, former Israeli artillery officer and gifted novelist whose remarkable career has been devoted to healing the human body while exploring the deepest reaches of the human heart. Born in Chicago and raised in a deeply committed Jewish family, Emmet spent his formative years in Jerusalem after his father—a Reform rabbi, civil-rights activist and participant in the historic Selma march—became head of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Emmet attended high school and university in Israel and later served as an artillery officer in the Israel Defense Forces. Today, he is a practising obstetrician-gynecologist in Evanston, Illinois, and a clinical professor at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. His research has focused particularly on premature labour, infection and inflammation, and he has authored or contributed to more than 65 scientific publications. But Dr. Hirsch’s search for truth and healing extends far beyond medicine. He is the author of The Education of Doctor Montefiore, a hilarious and poignant novel about the people, institutions, vanities and moments of selflessness that shape a young physician. His newest novel, The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, is a powerful literary and historical thriller set against the turbulent birth of the State of Israel and the complex relationship between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. At its centre is Joseph Friedmann, a Jewish child abandoned in a Catholic convent in Lebanon. There, he encounters antisemitism, betrayal and profound trauma. He eventually makes his way to Palestine, fights in Israel’s War of Independence and later returns to Lebanon as an Israeli spy. Yet this is far more than a story of war and espionage. It is the story of one man’s passage from abandonment to belonging, innocence to violence, secrecy to self-confrontation, and trauma toward redemption. It asks what happens when someone must conceal his true identity in order to survive—and what emotional price must be paid for living behind a mask. The novel honours the Jewish longing for safety, homeland and sovereignty while also recognizing the pain, suffering and humanity found on every side of conflict. Inspired. It raises difficult and enduring questions: Can we escape the wounds of childhood without first confronting them? Can a divided land become a shared home? And can Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the wolf dwelling with the lamb ever become a reality? Please join me in welcoming the distinguished and multitalented Dr. Emmet Hirsch. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #EmmetHirsch #TheWolfShallDwellWithTheLamb #HistoricalFiction #JewishLiterature #IsraeliHistory #BirthOfIsrael #IsraelWarOfIndependence #JewishIdentity #IsraelAndLebanon #MiddleEastHistory #HistoricalThriller #EspionageFiction #TraumaAndHealing #IdentityAndBelonging #FaithAndIdentity #JewishSovereignty #PhysicianWriter #IsraeliAuthor #TheAvrumRosensweigShow #AvrumRosensweig

There are writers who tell stories—and there are writers who use stories to explore the wounds, struggles and hopes of an entire people. Today, I am honoured to welcome Dr. Emmet Hirsch, a physician, medical researcher, former Israeli artillery officer and gifted novelist whose remarkable career has been devoted to healing the human body while exploring the deepest reaches of the human heart. Born in Chicago and raised in a deeply committed Jewish family, Emmet spent his formative years in Jerusalem after his father—a Reform rabbi, civil-rights activist and participant in the historic Selma march—became head of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Emmet attended high school and university in Israel and later served as an artillery officer in the Israel Defense Forces. Today, he is a practising obstetrician-gynecologist in Evanston, Illinois, and a clinical professor at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. His research has focused particularly on premature labour, infection and inflammation, and he has authored or contributed to more than 65 scientific publications. But Dr. Hirsch’s search for truth and healing extends far beyond medicine. He is the author of The Education of Doctor Montefiore, a hilarious and poignant novel about the people, institutions, vanities and moments of selflessness that shape a young physician. His newest novel, The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, is a powerful literary and historical thriller set against the turbulent birth of the State of Israel and the complex relationship between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. At its centre is Joseph Friedmann, a Jewish child abandoned in a Catholic convent in Lebanon. There, he encounters antisemitism, betrayal and profound trauma. He eventually makes his way to Palestine, fights in Israel’s War of Independence and later returns to Lebanon as an Israeli spy. Yet this is far more than a story of war and espionage. It is the story of one man’s passage from abandonment to belonging, innocence to violence, secrecy to self-confrontation, and trauma toward redemption. It asks what happens when someone must conceal his true identity in order to survive—and what emotional price must be paid for living behind a mask. The novel honours the Jewish longing for safety, homeland and sovereignty while also recognizing the pain, suffering and humanity found on every side of conflict. Inspired. It raises difficult and enduring questions: Can we escape the wounds of childhood without first confronting them? Can a divided land become a shared home? And can Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the wolf dwelling with the lamb ever become a reality? Please join me in welcoming the distinguished and multitalented Dr. Emmet Hirsch. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #EmmetHirsch #TheWolfShallDwellWithTheLamb #HistoricalFiction #JewishLiterature #IsraeliHistory #BirthOfIsrael #IsraelWarOfIndependence #JewishIdentity #IsraelAndLebanon #MiddleEastHistory #HistoricalThriller #EspionageFiction #TraumaAndHealing #IdentityAndBelonging #FaithAndIdentity #JewishSovereignty #PhysicianWriter #IsraeliAuthor #TheAvrumRosensweigShow #AvrumRosensweig

SPONSORSHIP: The Strauss family dedicates this episode to their mother and her health and all Jews everywhere. _________________________________________________________________________________ What happens when life doesn’t break you once—but seven times? On this powerful episode of The Avrum Rosensweig Show, Avrum speaks with Nir Peled, author of Beyond 100%: Rebuilding Life After It Breaks. Born and raised in northern Israel, Nir is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, a former IDF soldier and a successful technology executive. He has also survived seven life-threatening events: a car bombing in the Sinai Desert, a severe allergic reaction that ended his military career, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a violent kidnapping and robbery in the Amazon, cancer, a serious motorcycle accident and a massive stroke at age 49 that took away his speech, mobility and sense of identity. But Nir’s story is not simply about what happened to him. It is about what he chose to do afterward. Beyond 100% began as Nir’s private recovery journal and evolved into a deeply personal memoir and practical roadmap for anyone rebuilding after trauma, illness, loss or failure. Through his three pillars of body, mind and spirit, Nir challenges the belief that recovery means returning to “normal.” Instead, he shows how life’s most painful experiences can lead us beyond who we once were—to greater strength, meaning and purpose. In this unforgettable conversation, Nir discusses survival, surrender, identity and the small, practical steps that can make an overwhelming recovery feel possible. He also shares how his Israeli upbringing, IDF service and the quiet wisdom of his Holocaust-survivor grandmother helped shape his extraordinary resilience. When life falls apart, the question is not only, “How do I get back up?” It is also, “Who can I become because I did?” Watch, subscribe and share this inspiring conversation with someone who needs strength, perspective and hope. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #NirPeled #Beyond100Percent #TheAvrumRosensweigShow #AvrumRosensweig #SevenNearDeathExperiences #SurvivalStory #Resilience #RebuildingLife #LifeAfterTrauma #StrokeSurvivor #CancerSurvivor #IDFVeteran #HolocaustLegacy #IsraeliStrength #BodyMindSpirit #OvercomingAdversity #FindingPurpose #PostTraumaticGrowth #InspirationalPodcast #NeverGiveUp

SPONSORSHIP: The Strauss family dedicates this episode to their mother and her health and all Jews everywhere. _________________________________________________________________________________ What happens when life doesn’t break you once—but seven times? On this powerful episode of The Avrum Rosensweig Show, Avrum speaks with Nir Peled, author of Beyond 100%: Rebuilding Life After It Breaks. Born and raised in northern Israel, Nir is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, a former IDF soldier and a successful technology executive. He has also survived seven life-threatening events: a car bombing in the Sinai Desert, a severe allergic reaction that ended his military career, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a violent kidnapping and robbery in the Amazon, cancer, a serious motorcycle accident and a massive stroke at age 49 that took away his speech, mobility and sense of identity. But Nir’s story is not simply about what happened to him. It is about what he chose to do afterward. Beyond 100% began as Nir’s private recovery journal and evolved into a deeply personal memoir and practical roadmap for anyone rebuilding after trauma, illness, loss or failure. Through his three pillars of body, mind and spirit, Nir challenges the belief that recovery means returning to “normal.” Instead, he shows how life’s most painful experiences can lead us beyond who we once were—to greater strength, meaning and purpose. In this unforgettable conversation, Nir discusses survival, surrender, identity and the small, practical steps that can make an overwhelming recovery feel possible. He also shares how his Israeli upbringing, IDF service and the quiet wisdom of his Holocaust-survivor grandmother helped shape his extraordinary resilience. When life falls apart, the question is not only, “How do I get back up?” It is also, “Who can I become because I did?” Watch, subscribe and share this inspiring conversation with someone who needs strength, perspective and hope. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #NirPeled #Beyond100Percent #TheAvrumRosensweigShow #AvrumRosensweig #SevenNearDeathExperiences #SurvivalStory #Resilience #RebuildingLife #LifeAfterTrauma #StrokeSurvivor #CancerSurvivor #IDFVeteran #HolocaustLegacy #IsraeliStrength #BodyMindSpirit #OvercomingAdversity #FindingPurpose #PostTraumaticGrowth #InspirationalPodcast #NeverGiveUp

There are moments that divide history into a before and an after—and there are people whose lives become forever trapped at that dividing line. My guest today is Virginia “Ginny” Buckingham, author of the deeply personal memoir, On My Watch. Before September 11, 2001, Ginny was one of Massachusetts’ most accomplished young public servants. She served as chief of staff to two governors and, at just 35 years old, became the first woman to lead the Massachusetts Port Authority, which oversees Boston’s Logan International Airport. Then came 9/11. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175—the two planes that struck the World Trade Center—had departed from Logan. In the anguish and confusion that followed, America searched desperately for answers. Politics searched for someone to blame. And Ginny Buckingham became a target. She was publicly condemned, politically abandoned and eventually forced to resign. Two years later, she was personally named in a wrongful-death lawsuit. The 9/11 Commission would ultimately establish that Logan’s security checkpoints had operated according to the federal regulations in place at the time. But public vindication could not erase the private wounds. Ginny endured years of guilt, self-doubt and post-traumatic stress. As she writes, she was not shattered instantly, like hand-blown glass, but gradually—like a bottle cast into the sea and slowly broken apart by the relentless movement of the waves. She lost her career. She lost her sense of identity and worth. And she nearly lost her life. Yet love remained: a husband who stood beside her, children whose presence called her back from the darkness, and a faith that taught her to examine what was truly hers—but never to confess to another person’s evil. On My Watch is not simply another book about September 11. It is a story about what happens when the world assigns you a story that is not true—and how you find the courage to reclaim your own life. It is about scapegoating, the dangerous human impulse to transform fear into blame. It is about learning that responsibility must be grounded in truth, not in false guilt. And it is about a different kind of resilience—not forgetting, not simply “moving on,” but moving forward and using even an unjust burden to bring light to others. Today, Virginia Buckingham stands again—on her watch, in her truth. Ginny Buckingham, welcome to The Avrum Rosensweig Show. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #VirginiaBuckingham #OnMyWatch #September11 #NineEleven #LoganAirport #BlamedForTheUnthinkable #Scapegoating #ReclaimingTheTruth #WhenGuiltImpersonatesTruth #ResponsibilityNotBlame #SurvivingPublicBlame #LeadershipInCrisis #Resilience #TraumaRecovery #PostTraumaticGrowth #FaithAndHealing #CourageToRebuild #FindingMeaning #UntoldStories #TheAvrumRosensweigShow

There are moments that divide history into a before and an after—and there are people whose lives become forever trapped at that dividing line. My guest today is Virginia “Ginny” Buckingham, author of the deeply personal memoir, On My Watch. Before September 11, 2001, Ginny was one of Massachusetts’ most accomplished young public servants. She served as chief of staff to two governors and, at just 35 years old, became the first woman to lead the Massachusetts Port Authority, which oversees Boston’s Logan International Airport. Then came 9/11. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175—the two planes that struck the World Trade Center—had departed from Logan. In the anguish and confusion that followed, America searched desperately for answers. Politics searched for someone to blame. And Ginny Buckingham became a target. She was publicly condemned, politically abandoned and eventually forced to resign. Two years later, she was personally named in a wrongful-death lawsuit. The 9/11 Commission would ultimately establish that Logan’s security checkpoints had operated according to the federal regulations in place at the time. But public vindication could not erase the private wounds. Ginny endured years of guilt, self-doubt and post-traumatic stress. As she writes, she was not shattered instantly, like hand-blown glass, but gradually—like a bottle cast into the sea and slowly broken apart by the relentless movement of the waves. She lost her career. She lost her sense of identity and worth. And she nearly lost her life. Yet love remained: a husband who stood beside her, children whose presence called her back from the darkness, and a faith that taught her to examine what was truly hers—but never to confess to another person’s evil. On My Watch is not simply another book about September 11. It is a story about what happens when the world assigns you a story that is not true—and how you find the courage to reclaim your own life. It is about scapegoating, the dangerous human impulse to transform fear into blame. It is about learning that responsibility must be grounded in truth, not in false guilt. And it is about a different kind of resilience—not forgetting, not simply “moving on,” but moving forward and using even an unjust burden to bring light to others. Today, Virginia Buckingham stands again—on her watch, in her truth. Ginny Buckingham, welcome to The Avrum Rosensweig Show. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #VirginiaBuckingham #OnMyWatch #September11 #NineEleven #LoganAirport #BlamedForTheUnthinkable #Scapegoating #ReclaimingTheTruth #WhenGuiltImpersonatesTruth #ResponsibilityNotBlame #SurvivingPublicBlame #LeadershipInCrisis #Resilience #TraumaRecovery #PostTraumaticGrowth #FaithAndHealing #CourageToRebuild #FindingMeaning #UntoldStories #TheAvrumRosensweigShow

There are rabbis who teach Torah. There are scholars who study history. And there are scientists who explore the wonders of the natural world.

But few have entered all three worlds—and challenged the assumptions of each—as courageously as Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin. Known internationally as “the Zoo Rabbi,” Rabbi Slifkin has devoted his life to understanding the animals of the Bible, the relationship between Torah and science, and the place of intellectual honesty within religious faith. As a young boy growing up in England, he dreamed of having his own zoo. People laughed. But that childhood dream eventually became the Biblical Museum of Natural History in Israel—a remarkable institution where lions, vultures, locusts, giraffes and other creatures bring the biblical world vividly to life. Yet Rabbi Slifkin’s journey has involved far more than animals. His willingness to confront difficult questions about evolution, the age of the universe and the scientific knowledge of our sages placed him at the centre of one of the most explosive controversies in modern Orthodox Judaism. Several prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbis denounced and banned his books. He was accused of promoting heretical ideas. But he refused to be silenced. Rabbi Slifkin continued to write, teach and defend a rationalist Jewish tradition—one that believes sincere questions do not weaken faith, but can deepen it. In this conversation, we explore the fascinating animals of the Torah, including the surprising question of whether a giraffe is kosher. We discover how lions, vultures, olives and other elements of biblical nature preserve the Jewish people’s ancient connection to the Land of Israel—and challenge the accusation that Jews are foreign colonizers in their ancestral homeland. But our discussion also enters more controversial territory. Rabbi Slifkin delivers a forceful warning about Israel’s future. He speaks candidly about the Haredi community, military service, education, employment and the growing burden being placed upon those Israelis who defend the country and sustain its economy. Can Israel survive when a rapidly expanding segment of its population is discouraged from serving in the army, entering the workforce or receiving a basic secular education? Can religious conviction excuse a person from sharing responsibility for the society that protects and supports them? And what happens when preserving a community’s identity becomes more important than confronting reality? This is a conversation about animals—but also about courage. It is about the courage to question, the courage to challenge authority and the courage to pursue truth even when doing so comes at a painful personal cost. Does Judaism demand that we choose between Torah and science, tradition and reason, or faith and intellectual honesty? Or can each help us understand the other—and ourselves—more deeply? It is my great pleasure to welcome the director of the Biblical Museum of Natural History, the author of The Lions of Zion, and one of contemporary Judaism’s boldest and most provocative voices, Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin, to The Avrum Rosensweig Show. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #RabbiNatanSlifkin #TheZooRabbi #TorahAndScience #RationalistJudaism #BiblicalNaturalHistory #BiblicalMuseum #AnimalsOfTheTorah #FaithAndReason #IntellectualHonesty #JudaismAndEvolution #TorahAndCreation #JewishThought #ModernOrthodoxy #HarediSociety #IsraelAtWar #IDFService #ResponsibilityToIsrael #ProtectingCreation #AvrumRosensweigShow #WhereTorahAndCreationMeet

 

 

There are rabbis who teach Torah. There are scholars who study history. And there are scientists who explore the wonders of the natural world. But few have entered all three worlds—and challenged the assumptions of each—as courageously as Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin. Known internationally as “the Zoo Rabbi,” Rabbi Slifkin has devoted his life to understanding the animals of the Bible, the relationship between Torah and science, and the place of intellectual honesty within religious faith. As a young boy growing up in England, he dreamed of having his own zoo. People laughed. But that childhood dream eventually became the Biblical Museum of Natural History in Israel—a remarkable institution where lions, vultures, locusts, giraffes and other creatures bring the biblical world vividly to life. Yet Rabbi Slifkin’s journey has involved far more than animals. His willingness to confront difficult questions about evolution, the age of the universe and the scientific knowledge of our sages placed him at the centre of one of the most explosive controversies in modern Orthodox Judaism. Several prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbis denounced and banned his books. He was accused of promoting heretical ideas. But he refused to be silenced. Rabbi Slifkin continued to write, teach and defend a rationalist Jewish tradition—one that believes sincere questions do not weaken faith, but can deepen it. In this conversation, we explore the fascinating animals of the Torah, including the surprising question of whether a giraffe is kosher. We discover how lions, vultures, olives and other elements of biblical nature preserve the Jewish people’s ancient connection to the Land of Israel—and challenge the accusation that Jews are foreign colonizers in their ancestral homeland. But our discussion also enters more controversial territory. Rabbi Slifkin delivers a forceful warning about Israel’s future. He speaks candidly about the Haredi community, military service, education, employment and the growing burden being placed upon those Israelis who defend the country and sustain its economy. Can Israel survive when a rapidly expanding segment of its population is discouraged from serving in the army, entering the workforce or receiving a basic secular education? Can religious conviction excuse a person from sharing responsibility for the society that protects and supports them? And what happens when preserving a community’s identity becomes more important than confronting reality? This is a conversation about animals—but also about courage. It is about the courage to question, the courage to challenge authority and the courage to pursue truth even when doing so comes at a painful personal cost. Does Judaism demand that we choose between Torah and science, tradition and reason, or faith and intellectual honesty? Or can each help us understand the other—and ourselves—more deeply? It is my great pleasure to welcome the director of the Biblical Museum of Natural History, the author of The Lions of Zion, and one of contemporary Judaism’s boldest and most provocative voices, Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin, to The Avrum Rosensweig Show. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @avrumrosensweigshow   Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram:   / avrumrosensweigshow   TikTok:   / avrumrosensweig   #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow

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