Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories

Life lessons from welcoming thousands of visitors to the first ghetto in the world, making connections, and lighting up souls.

Since the dreaded diagnosis, Dina and Rabbi Yitzi have emerged as a power couple whose faith, determination, wonder, and joy have inspired millions.

How Divine providence, a car crash, a Shabbat table, and countless twists and turns brought two souls to Torah and to each other.

Smadar Morag was acting, acting, and riding a wave of fame, but Judaism filled a hole in her soul she never knew existed.

Rishe Deitsch, longtime editor of Chabad women's magazine, shares about her challenging childhood, her own triumphs, and what she's most proud of in her life.

Rabbi Yechiel Krisch details how his scientific expertise deepens his understanding of Torah and strengthens his faith, and how he maintains his proud Jewish identity in secular environments.

A legendary Chassidic personality shares how the Rebbe remained a presence in her life ever since she first met him as a toddler in Paris.

Seeking connection, Yehudah fell in with gangs and crime. During his 24-year sentence, he discovered Judaism. Now married, Jewish, and educated, he is a social worker who empowers others to soar.

Bassie Garelik shares about growing up in a Chassidic home in Pittsburgh and putting down roots with her Soviet-raised husband in far-off Italy, a task in which the Rebbe guided them every step of the way.

How Holly Cohen decided to marry a Chassidic man and embrace her role as founder of Tamim Academy, which has branches from Burlington, Vermont to Victoria, BC, and more are opening every year.

Rabbi Dr. Hertsel Simantov's life is anything but typical. Hear how he was raised in Kabul, educated in Israel, and ended up in Japan with the blessing of the Rebbe.

Ari and Elie Kligman are college baseball players with MLB aspirations. Learn how Chabad helps them balance Shabbat, Torah, kosher and competitive sports.

Leibel Lazaroff was shot while protecting a police officer at the Bondi massacre. Hear him and his mother share their journey so far.

Chani Wolf shares how she and her husband are lighting up souls in Fairbanks, Alaska, where winter feels like one endless, snowy night.

Hear from Keren how the Rebbe personally cared for her family after they left the Soviet Union and how she eventually discovered the beauty of Judaism.

Moshe and Laurie Lans are a military couple--he in the Army and she in the Navy--currently stationed in Germany. They're also observant Jews, who use every opportunity to bring Judaism to their surroundings.

Rabbi Chananya Duthy's journey to Judaism is full of surprise twists and turns, with G-d's hand visible just beneath the surface, including guiding him to becoming a rabbi in the city he originally discovered Judaism.

The Rebbe gave Sheldon Baer tefillin and told him to wear them every day. They saved his life in battle.

Molly was a successful producer, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. Then a Shabbat candle in Brazil turned her world upside down and introduced her to the Rebbe, who changed her life.

Yehudis Karbal has been a psychotherapist for over 40 years. She needed all of her training and a good deal of Torah insight to make it through her personal challenges.

Artist Yitzchok Moully shares his journey from an Australian commune to Crown Heights, his Chassidic-inspired art, and how creativity ignites Jewish pride and resilience.

A doctor of theoretical chemistry and professor at Boston University, Dr. Abrams opens up about how he found his way to Jewish observance and now paves the path for others to follow.

Marriage, praise, and professional success could not give Shterna Ginsberg what she was looking for. Honest discovery and inner work unlocked the doors to her "awesome self."

After she saw her Soviet-bred Jewish father embrace Judaism, she and her siblings followed. A performer since childhood, she now sings only for women and inspires audiences all over the world.

Shimon's past as a bullied orphan prepared him to become a champion of underdogs and an empowering leader, who was knighted for his efforts.

Aryeh Siegel embraced Eastern meditation and Hindu practices before realizing how harmful they are. Now, he’s on a mission to save people from TM (Transcendental Meditation) and introduce them to kosher practices.

Reflecting on her 50 years in education, Mrs. Teichtel shares how the Rebbe guided her toward education and uplifted her after losing a child in a hospital accident.

Learn how Sal and Nina Litvak discovered the beauty and depth of Judaism and have become a beacon of learning, inspiration, and guidance for millions.

Rabbi Yitzchak Lerman talks about losing his home, synagogue, and worldy possessions but remains grateful that his family survived unscathed.

The child of a Muslim father and Jewish mother, Yosef embraced his Jewish heritage and made the Torah his guiding light.

With G-d at her side, Gitty Zee is unstoppable. Even spina bifida and blindness have not stopped her from living life to the fullest and empowering others to do the same.

Rabbi Schochet shares his journey of defying expectations, embracing authenticity, and learning to crawl out of the shadow of his towering father.

Now a grandmother many times over, Frumma Kulek looks back at how she found hope, acceptance, family, fufilment, and love when she was a teen mom stuck in an abusive relationship.

Hear Silvia Fishbaum share how her second attempt to escape communist Czechoslovakia succeeded and how she uses her personal experience to educate the world about Judaism and Antisemitism

Gavriel and his late wife's Bible studies led them to embrace Judaism, which entailed driving 10 hours just to get kosher meat!

Born in India to Persian Jews, Sarah Karmely was guided by the Rebbe to become an author, teacher, guide, and mentor to thousands, with lots of miracles and drama along the way.

Rabbi Danny Yiftach was among hundreds of Persian Jewish children airlifted by Chabad to safety. Today he serves the Persian Jewish community in California and back in Iran.

As a young Jew, he inked his Jewish identity onto his skin. Then he deepened his connection to Judaism and adopted a full Jewish lifestyle--including educating others on the prohibition of getting a tattoo.

How three college credits turned into three years in yeshiva and a lifetime of service, spiritual growth, and joy.

Rabbi Yosef Gerlitzky of Tel Aviv shares an on-the-ground update from the Home Front, as well as memories of his time as an emissary of the Rebbe to visit Iran and around the world.

Hear how a former Christian minister married a convert, struggled to raise their Hassidic family, and grew through the mental illness and loss of their son.

Sara's journey took her through rock concerts, a Christian cult, and much more before she finally found her soulmate and calling as a Chabad leader and teacher in Manhattan.

Today, she is a world-renowned expert and author on challah. It all began when she found herself in Japan, expected to bake challah for hundreds. She has since found spirituality, tradition, and her own identity in baking and taking challah.

How a Jewish woman’s whirlwind journey—through six countries, guided by her mother’s quiet strength—led her from rural China to Israel and Europe.

How one woman discovered Torah, battled depression, discovered her gift for comedy, became a medical clown, and healed herself and others one viral impression at a time.