Emotional Revelations and Unseen Journeys: Popular Magazine Stories from the Past Month

From Brisk Yeshiva to the United Arab Emirates: Rabbi Yissachar Dov Krakowski, a true charedi, roams the Gulf states like a native, meeting princes and photographing with heirs. In an exclusive interview, he reveals how a yeshiva student from Jerusalem connects with top officials in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Read more here.

Rabbi Yissachar Dov Krakowski in the UAE

DJ Miri Patel is a renowned DJ whose father became religious when she was 8. During her teens, she gave up weekend parties for Shabbat observance, but life has been smiling on her ever since she brought Hashem into her life. Read more here.

(Circle: Miri Patel)

The creator Efrat Nava Cooperman was raised on a secular kibbutz in the northern Negev. She didn't know what Yom Kippur was, and for Passover, there was both chametz and matzah on the table. Shavuot primarily symbolized agriculture, but she always searched for true spirituality, and eventually, she found it. Read more here.

(Circle: Efrat Nava Cooperman)

Artist Eyal Shitrit: "I took upon myself to pray, and to my surprise, I began earning three times more." Eyal Shitrit, who also works in digital content production and marketing, shares in an unusually candid interview ahead of the release of his first book about the spiritual reckoning he did after many parties where he DJed. Read more here.

Eyal Shitrit

Simcha Goldin in an emotional interview: "It’s been 6 years since Hadar HY”D has been left in Gaza." The Hamas ambush, the dramatic chase, revelations from the tunnel, the promises of military leaders, the international struggle, government hurdles, and the longing. Simcha Goldin painfully reveals how the strongest country in the Middle East abandoned his son Hadar HY”D. Read more here.

Simcha Goldin (Photo: Yonatan Sindel / Flash 90)

Stand-up comedian Yaakov Chamo: "If you haven't danced yet, at least start laughing." During the first wave of the corona, Yaakov Chamo was in isolation like all of Israel, but when a comedian gets bored, something good comes out of it. Mainly a joyous holiday vibe at its best. So if you haven’t danced yet, at least start laughing. Yaakov Chamo in a hilarious interview. Read more here.

Yaakov Chamo

Learning on Zoom all year? For some, it's a way of life: Naama Oishi in a fascinating interview from Kaluga, Russia. In this cross-continental interview, Naama Oishi, a Chabad emissary in Kaluga, Russia, shares about life as emissaries in a frozen country, the Jewish challenges they face, and virtual learning and friendships—not just during corona. Read more here.

(Circle: Naama Oishi)

Itzik the Clown: "If you knew how healthy your smile is, you wouldn't stop laughing." The wonders of laughter, personal psychology, memorable encounters, unforgettable dramas, unusual hours: Itzik Ozeri reveals in an interview what gives him the strength to wake up every morning with a small song in his heart. Small but mighty. Read more here.

Itzik Ozeri

Yuri Yalon, son of a former chair of the 'Shinui' movement: "I try to spread love for Hashem." Yalon, a journalist at 'Israel Hayom,' shares in a special interview about the immense sense of triumph he feels on German soil, how he spreads Judaism, and his boundless love for Jerusalem. Read more here.

Yuri Yalon

Michal Tehilla: "He bit me on the head with force, then looked up and said: 'Mom, I love you.'" There were days they cried incessantly and days they laughed endlessly. Days of emptiness and sadness, and days of satisfaction and a sense of mission. The only thing that got them through was faith. Read to believe it. Read more here.

Moshe Tehilla (Photo: Private album)

Total upheaval: Despite all the suspicious signs leading up to it, Rachel Lichtenstein received her blindness with a sense of total upheaval. After a hard adjustment period, she shook off the pain and embarked on a journey to uplift and instill faith even in those who have faced the worst. A captivating interview. Read more here.

(Illustration photo: shutterstock)

Beloved artist Yoni Gerstein talks about his life's transformation: from the National School of Fine Arts in Paris to the halls of "Netivot Olam" in Bnei Brak. From international art galleries to a groundbreaking artistic genre in the charedi community: R' Yoni Gerstein, the first visual artist in the charedi world, shares his long journey and reveals this year’s favorite: illustrated Mishnayos on Tractate Sukkah.Read more here.

Yoni Gerstein

Ruthie Twill from Mexico City: "Occasionally there’s an alarm, and everyone runs outside quickly." Non-Jewish helpers sleeping in adjacent rooms at home, Shabbat parties on Friday night, a huge sukkah in the yard, and hand sanitizer on the stroller handle. And when do they clean the shoes? Ruthie Twill, a mother of 13 from Mexico, shares her story. Read more here.

On vacation at the Conjunto in Cuernavaca

Yuval Dayan: "I want to be a mom who puts home first." The coronavirus pandemic hit Yuval Dayan suddenly, interrupting her concert schedule. In a special interview, she reveals her biggest concern since the outbreak, what advice she has for those considering reality TV, and why modest dressing is important to her.Read more here.

Circle: Yuval Dayan (Photo: Ohad Romano)

Gal Biderman and Keren Adler: "The whole show builds on the weirdest reactions we got." What happens within a family when one child decides to return to Judaism? Gal Biderman and Keren Adler turned it into a touching comedy show, directed by their secular friend Tali Beak-Keshet, with words everyone feels but fears to say.Read more here.

Gal Biderman, Tali Beak-Keshet, and Keren Adler

"A miracle happened within 3 hours": A fascinating glimpse into life at the Goren Corona Hotel. The owners and CEO of the Goren Corona Hotel share their hotel's miracle story, their personal transformations, their diverse guests, the kishke in the cholent, and both happy and unhappy people.Read more here.