The Frieda Vizel Podcast

Video link to this episode:
https://youtu.be/Biqnh3CZIFo

I have so many thoughts and feelings about illness and being ex-Hasidic. About losing community support, about how my mother is fighting for her health, about returning to be at her bedside and wanting to be there but also fearing the ptsd of some rituals. This video cropped out of my high holiday season time spent with my mother. 

Many thanks to my editor Steve Milligan for the beautiful edit.https://www.instagram.com/shootitsteve/
Many thanks to the wonderful Youtuber Yiddishkeit for helping so much with this video. Follow him  @_yiddishkeit 
Thanks to all the kind and diligent medical professionals​
Thanks to Chesed 24/7, Satmar Bikur Cholim, and all the other wonderful Jewish charity organizations. 
Thanks to my family, for arranging everything and the love

The period that my mother was in the hospital was the most unbelievably surreal and draining. It felt like one long, terrifying dream. I'm so grateful to everyone whose kindness touched us during that time.

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Video link to this conversation: https://youtu.be/n8g9RwmGwF8

Dan is a Jewish interpreter who immigrated from the Soviet Union. He believes his Soviet past taught him important lessons about recognizing when society takes a wrong turn. He reached out to me to share his story, and I invited him for an in-depth interview. We discussed his Soviet upbringing, his life journey, and his experiences as a Jewish interpreter. Dan has thoughtful criticisms of contemporary human rights organizations (alongside genuine appreciation for their work) and feels it's important to share his unique perspective.

If you would like to get in touch with Dan, you can reach him here:
[email protected]

This video focuses specifically on our discussion about Dan's work as a Jewish interpreter. You can watch our complete interview here:
From a Soviet upbringing to Jewish identity | Dan’s story
https://youtu.be/Nmw9jZM2aYU

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/Nmw9jZM2aYU

The story of a Jew who grew up in the Soviet Union and learned little about his Judaism but some other hard lessons that would shape his life.

Dan is a high-level interpreter and a thoughtful, intelligent man. He reached out to me after noticing how different his experience as a Soviet Jew was from mine. I grew up deeply engaged with my Jewishness, while he grew up almost entirely disconnected from it. Our conversation convinced me that Dan's story needed to be documented and shared, so I invited him onto my podcast. What I heard was remarkable: the horrors his family endured, the gripping archival material he inherited documenting his grandparents' ordeals, and his unique perspective from working inside contemporary human rights organizations and other governmental bodies. Dan believes the progressive mission, which he sees as well-intentioned, is nonetheless misguided and heading toward dangerous territory. He also reflects candidly on the antisemitism he's encountered in his work as a translator in a world increasingly hostile to Israel.

If you would like to get in touch with Dan, you can write to him at: [email protected]
Want more on Soviet Jewry?

My interview with Anna Shternshis
https://youtu.be/hKN0_75EuqE
My interview with Igor Golyak
https://youtu.be/E5_n3p3Oto0
Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/4MPf67ftXME

Jacob Kornbluh is a Hasidic reporter covering the Mamdani beat at a moment when Zohran Mamdani has become a lightning rod in Jewish communities. For many, Mamdani represents fear, anger, political anxiety, and deep uncertainty about where New York is headed. And in the middle of that storm is Kornbluh.

Recently featured in The New York Times, Kornbluh occupies a complicated position. He reports on power while belonging to a community that often feels scrutinized by power. During COVID, some Hasidic critics accused him of “reporting on” the community to city officials. That tension hasn’t disappeared. If anything, it’s intensified.

I went into this interview not knowing what to expect. As a Hasidic man speaking with me, and about issues that feel raw and personal. This conversation surprised me and left me with an invite to travel across the world to a wedding. You never know!

You can follow Jacob Kornbluh here:
📰 Reporter at The Forward
https://forward.com/author/jacob-kornbluh/
🐦 Twitter / X
https://twitter.com/jacobkornbluh
🗞 His recent feature in The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/nyregion/jacob-kornbluh-mamdani-hasidic-jewish-reporter.html?unlocked_article_code=1.I1A.Lkpv.51t0435BwIlj&smid=url-share

As always, I’m curious what you think. Please leave a comment!
Frieda.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this full Pearl repost: https://youtu.be/Uo5mf0_1izY

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.