Good People Talk

In this moving episode of Good People Talk, Julie Fisher, associate executive director of The Good People Fund sits down with Mo Al Samawi, Founder of Abrahamic House and author of The Fox Hunt, to explore a life shaped by hardship, faith, and extraordinary moral courage. Born and raised in Yemen, Mo grew up navigating disability, social isolation, and the deep impacts of conflict. His worldview began to shift through unlikely encounters — books, social media, and relationships with people from different faiths — ultimately transforming hatred into compassion. That personal transformation became the foundation for Abrahamic House, a groundbreaking interfaith fellowship where young adults of different religions live together, build friendships, and create community through shared experiences and courageous dialogue. Explore The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund’s “2025 Journal of Good” for more stories of inspiration and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/journal-of-good/

Rabbi Elhanan Miller is the Israel-based Founder of People of the Book, a Good People Fund grantee harnessing the power of original video and social media to advance coexistence between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East … and beyond. With hundreds of thousands of followers, and a reach into unlikely spaces, he is using creativity and vision to build new narratives and understandings … and change realities. He speaks with Good People Fund Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger. This episode is the first of Good People Talk’s “Bridge Building” series, focusing on Good People Fund grantees creating and elevating dialogue, common purpose and hope. Explore The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund’s “2025 Journal of Good” for more stories of inspiration and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/journal-of-good/

Everyday Boston is a Good People Fund grantee that is weaving shared storytelling into the civic fabric of Boston. The intention is to elevate empathy, dismantle barriers, forge connections and build stronger community within and among neighborhoods in a multicultural city with its own history of fracture. “Stories can link us when almost nothing else can,” says Cara Solomon, Everyday Boston’s Founder and Creative Director. “Stories are our connective tissue.” — “Stories of Hope” is a special series of Good People Talk!, where audio storytelling brings the impact of our Good People Fund grantees alive. — Read The Good People Fund 2025 Journal of Good for more stories of inspiration, hope and impact: www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/ — Thank you to our narrator, Jordan Rich of Chart Productions.

Almog was 20 when he embraced his gender identity, nearly 13 years ago. Public consciousness of transgender issues — and support for individuals and families — was far from present. For Merav Livni Keish — Almog’s mother — silence was no option. She began talking to people, uncovering others’ experiences. She dug deep into the medical world, accumulating facts and realities. Eventually, she founded Brit Ha’Leviot, a Good People Fund grantee promoting the rights and wellbeing of transgender individuals and their families … and educating Israeli society about gender diversity. — “Stories of Hope” is a special series of Good People Talk!, where audio storytelling brings the impact of our Good People Fund grantees alive. — Read The Good People Fund 2025 Journal of Good for more stories of inspiration, hope and impact: www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/ — Thank you to our narrator: Stephanie Garry

It was five years ago that three mothers of college-bound students founded TribeTalk, a Good People Fund grantee. Their mission … to empower Jewish students with tools, information and resources to evaluate college environments … and also to address antisemitism and anti-Israel bias on campus and beyond. “We are providing a shield for Jewish students to move through their spaces,” says Jude Sydney, one of the founders, along with Michelle Black and Robin Friedman. “They will be street smart, informed, tactical and practical.” — “Stories of Hope” is a special series of Good People Talk!, where audio storytelling brings the impact of our Good People Fund grantees alive. — Read The Good People Fund 2025 Journal of Good for more stories of inspiration, hope and impact: www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/ — Thank you to our narrator, Jordan Rich of Chart Productions, and our voice artist Ari Sapers-Sydney

MyChild’sCancer — founded by Oded Grinstein in 2010 and a Good People Fund grantee — is a result of his family’s arduous and ultimately successful journey through pediatric cancer. It is a growing, grassroots ecosystem of emotional, logistical and informed support for parents navigating pediatric cancer. It empowers and equips them as advocates for their child’s care, survival and recovery. Oded refers to MyChild’sCancer as a basement start-up, connecting disparate dots for parents when questions come faster than answers. “These are game changers,” he says. — “Stories of Hope” is a special series of Good People Talk!, where audio storytelling brings the impact of our Good People Fund grantees alive. — Read The Good People Fund 2025 Journal of Good for more stories of inspiration, hope and impact: www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/ — Thank you to our narrator: Stephanie Garry

He was 16 and on a well-worn path of societal isolation, educational stagnation, and other barriers to promise. One of 14 children in an Arab-Bedouin family in Israel’s Negev region, Ahamad was immersed in a cycle of inertia common to his generation. A New Dawn in the Negev — a Good People Fund grantee — is embracing possibility and elevation … not constriction and stagnation. “The invisible students, the invisible youth, they have to know someone is looking at them … I have the responsibility to the next generation to bring them the light of tomorrow,” says Founder and CEO Jamal Alkirnawi, an Arab-Bedouin social worker. — “Stories of Hope” is a special series of Good People Talk!, where audio storytelling brings the impact of our Good People Fund grantees alive. — Read The Good People Fund 2025 Journal of Good for more stories of inspiration, hope and impact: www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/ — Thank you to our narrator: Jordan Rich of Chart Productions

The graffiti was vile, sprayed on buildings in Tur’an, a mainly Arabic village in Israel’s Galilee region. Soon after, a delegation from Tag Meir went to meet council members and residents as an act of solidarity and compassion. Gadi Gvaryahu, founder of Tag Meir, was there. “It starts with graffiti … if it is ignored, it ends with much worse … and it has.” As a Good People Fund grantee — Tag Meir trains educators, engages in public campaigns, advocates in policy-making spheres, and sometimes offers legal and financial help to victims of racist acts. — “Stories of Hope” is a special series of Good People Talk!, where audio storytelling brings the impact of our Good People Fund grantees alive. — Read The Good People Fund 2025 Journal of Good for more stories of inspiration, hope and impact: www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/ — Thank you to our narrator, Stephanie Garry, and voice artist Glenn Rosenkrantz

Dr. Rutie Pilz-Burstein is the Founder and CEO of Sport – Bridge to Education, a nonprofit organization using sports to empower Israeli children and young adults in risk situations … enabling them to break cycles of failure and take alternate paths toward responsibility and success. She describes how a vision became a reality and the lives being uplifted and changed. Rutie speaks with GPF Co-Founder and Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

Dr. Mark Fenig — Founder and Executive Director of Medical Justice Alliance, a Good People Fund grantee — describes alarming inequities and injustices in medical care afforded incarcerated individuals in the US … and how he was moved by ethics and conscience to change that reality, advocating for compassionate or medical care releases on a case by case basis. He speaks with GPF Associate Executive Director Julie Fisher. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

Refugees, asylees and immigrants — and grassroots organizations providing them with critical services and community — are challenged as never before as xenophobia and official policies create an increasingly oppressive environment. Shoshana Barzel of New Neighbors Partnership, Kristen Bloom of Refugee Assistance Alliance, and Kari Miller of International Neighbors lead Good People Fund-supported organizations navigating this evolving reality. The three social visionaries speak with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger about what they are seeing, how they are pivoting … and why we all must pay attention. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

As a Latina woman, Yurani Sandoval knows well the cultural, familial and personal challenges to work-life balance and achievement. She founded Women Palante — a Good People Fund grantee — to empower other Latinas to find their voices and entrepreneurial success by building skills, networking, and importantly … practicing self-care, awareness and purpose. Good People Fund Associate Executive Director Julie Fisher speaks to Yurani about her trajectory as a Latina in the United States, the vision she established for Women Palante, and its significant, growing impact elevating Latina women leaders. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

At Kaima Hukuk — a non-profit organic farm in Israel’s Galilee region — teens and young adults seeking alternative educational and social frameworks are finding connection, purpose and promise. Founder Asaf Zaiden speaks to Good People Fund Associate Executive Director Julie Fisher about the vision and impact of Kaima Hukuk and how lives are being changed there. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

Considering societal trends and schisms threatening the robust functioning of American democracy, Civic Spirit — a Good People Fund grantee — works with educators and students in faith-based schools across the country to bolster civic fluency, skills and engagement. Civic Spirit’s Executive Director, Rabbi Charles Savenor, speaks with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger about the organization’s origins, and its growing and critical impact. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

Jamal Alkirnawi is a leader in the Bedouin community in Israel and the Founder and Executive Director of A New Dawn in the Negev, a Good People Fund grantee. The organization uplifts Bedouin youth facing socio-economic challenges in the region, and with a Bedouin-Jewish core, promotes equality, co-existence and peace. “I have the responsibility for the young people … to bring them the light for tomorrow,” Jamal tells GPF Associate Director Julie Fisher in this episode revealing how vision and passion leads to impact. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

Shoshana Barzel founded New Neighbors Partnership in 2020, establishing clothing partnerships for newly resettled families in New York City. The clothing partnerships are the foundation of long-term community support networks, an invaluable anchor for refugee, asylee and asylum-seeking families. Shoshana speaks with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

Esty Shushan is a Haredi woman who founded Nivcharot — a Good People Fund grantee — to promote the status and rights of ultra-Orthodox women in Israel through education, advocacy and cultivation of women leaders. In conversation with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger, Esty describes her personal journey finding her voice as a social visionary, and the remarkable and growing impact of the organization she leads. The Good People Fund: www.goodpeoplefund.org Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

Individual and collective trauma affects our potential to do good in the world as social visionaries, especially now in a broken landscape. So, how we seek awareness, perspective and healing is critical. Rabbi Igal Harmelin — who is active in the trauma field and spoke at The Good People Fund (un)conference last fall — talks with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger about the imperative to address our individual and collective trauma, and the primacy of self-healing and community in the process. — For more information on the (un)conference and The Good People Fund, visit goodpeoplefund.org — Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/ — For more information about Rabbi Igal Harmelin, visit www.igalharmelin.com

The first-ever Good People Fund (un)conference brought nearly 70 GPF grantees from throughout the US and Israel to New York in November — for two intensely rewarding days sharing experiences, origin stories, professional development and more … and shattering the isolation inherent in visionary leadership. In this post-(un)conference episode of Good People Talk, GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger spoke with two GPF grantees who were there — Erin Stieglitz of Bagel Rescue in Atlanta and Dr. Rutie Pilz-Burstein of Sport – Bridge to Education in Israel — discussing their takeaways and the value of this gathering of Good People. — For more information on the (un)conference and The Good People Fund, visit goodpeoplefund.org — Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/

Merav filled her tote bag with fresh fruits and vegetables, a typical scene at a farmer’s market anywhere. But this one in West Jerusalem is different: food is rescued, prices are non-existent, and individuals and families facing food insecurity — like Merav’s — are welcomed and respected. The whole environment, created by JLM Food Rescuers — a Good People Fund grantee — is a seed planted to grow personal and collective power and change lives and communities. — “Stories of Hope” is a special series of Good People Talk, where the art of audio storytelling brings the impact of our Good People Fund grantees into bold relief and movement. — Read The Good People Fund 2024 Journal of Good for more stories of inspiration, hope and impact: https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/annual-reports/ — Thank you to our narration team: Jordan Rich of Chart Productions, Itay Peled, Daniella Seltzer, Shoshi Margolin