She Was Adopted at Birth on the Other Side of the World. Her Birth Sister Somehow Lives Up the Street.

She Was Adopted at Birth on the Other Side of the World. Her Birth Sister Somehow Lives Up the Street.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2550043/fan_mail/new] Some people spend their whole lives searching for where they came from. Sarit Saffer-Allal spent hers perfectly content not knowing — until one birthday changed everything. Born in South Africa and adopted at just two weeks old into a warm, observant Jewish family, Sarit always knew she was adopted. She had a loving upbringing, a strong Jewish identity, and no particular urgency to open the box. Then she turned 35, looked at her two kids, her only known blood relatives, and quietly asked herself: who am I really? What followed is one of the most extraordinary stories the Carpool Guys have ever heard. Sarit opened her adoption file, discovered her birth name was Gina Thompson, learned her birth mother had hidden the pregnancy entirely, and found out she had a brother she never knew about. Then, through a single Facebook message, she discovered something nobody saw coming. A half-sister. Adopted in South Africa. Also into a Jewish family. Also in Toronto. Living less than two kilometers away, or as the guys needed it translated, up the street. In this conversation, Sarit opens up about what it felt like to read someone else's biography that turned out to be her own. She talks about confronting a birth mother who denied her existence, flying to New Zealand to meet a birth father who welcomed her with open arms, and navigating the beautiful chaos of suddenly having an entirely new family, while making sure her adoptive family, who chose her and raised her, knew they were never being replaced. And underneath all of it runs a quietly profound thread: what does it mean to be Jewish when you were chosen to be? When your birth mother was not Jewish, your adoptive parents converted you, and your half-sister ended up on the same street living the same life? For Sarit, this journey answered that question once and for all. She did not stumble into Judaism. She was placed there. And she owns it completely. Also in this episode: Dave nearly gets arrested at the Israel on Fifth parade while photobombing a news crew, Jon's Israel parade video attracts 9,000 views and 91 comments of varying hostility, a mouse gives a peace sign, Asher shows up late, Jessica Tish is everyone's hero, Dave dreams of Saratoga, Jon loves a good garage sale, and Asher got stung by a thousand bees at the bay. Question of the Week from Dave Tannenbaum: If you could get lost for a day and go anywhere, 24 hours, travel time included, where would you go? 🎙️ Rate and review The Carpool Guys on Apple Podcasts. Five stars only, please. 📩 carpoolguyspod@gmail.com [carpoolguyspod@gmail.com] 📱 @carpoolguyspod 🔗 linktr.ee/carpoolguyspod ⏱️ Chapters with Timestamps 1:02 — Dave Nearly Gets Arrested at the Israel on Fifth Parade 8:15 — Jon's Israel Parade Video: 9,000 Views and 91 Comments of Chaos 17:30 — The Mayor Who Didn't Show Up and Jessica Tish Is Our Hero 20:15 — Shout Outs: Happy Anniversary Avi + In Memory of Daniel Chernikov 23:00 — Introducing Sarit Saffer-Allal: NCSY Colleague and an Incredible Story 25:10 — Sarit's Background: Born in South Africa, Raised in Israel, Living in Toronto 28:00 — The 35th Birthday That Changed Everything 30:15 — Opening the Adoption File: Reading Someone Else's Biography 40:15 — Did Sarit Ever Get the "Choose Your Judaism" Moment? + She Chooses Live on Air 44:45 — "We Found a Sister and She Lives in Canada" — The Message That Changed Everything 57:00 — The Birth Father in New Zealand: A Total Surprise Who Welcomed Her Completely 1:02:30 — What This Journey Did to Sarit's Jewish Identity 1:05:00 — October 7th and the Moment She Knew She Was Chosen to Be Jewish 1:07:00 — Expanding Your Heart: Adding Family Without Replacing Family 1:13:00 — Dave's Question of the Week: Get Lost for a Day — Where Do You Go? Please rate and review The Carpool Guys! You can email us at carpoolguyspod@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @carpoolguyspod Send us a question, a comment, birthday wish, shoutout, or anything else fun and positive, and maybe we'll feature your addition on the next episode of The Carpool Guys Podcast!

Nap Time Anyone? We Can't Stop Laughing About How Tired We Are...All The Time!

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2550043/fan_mail/new] Why Are We Always So Tired? The Exhausted Jewish Life Edition Somebody had to say it. We are exhausted. All the time. Every single day. And not in a "ran a marathon" kind of way... in a "stared at a dinner menu for four minutes and still couldn't decide" kind of way. Fresh off their most successful episode ever featuring Allison Blass, Jon, Asher, and Dave are back together- and Asher is fresh off a trip to Israel for nephew Meir Simcha's bar mitzvah. But jet lag quickly gives way to a much bigger conversation: why does it feel like everyone around us is running on empty? The guys dig into the real reasons modern exhaustion hits differently — the constant connectivity, the WhatsApp messages that start before 7am, the total disappearance of boredom, the dual curriculum school day, the shul commitments, the community obligations, and the creeping anxiety of a world that never really turns off. Plus Dave's infamous half-a-block bike ride that ended with him passed out in a Brooklyn garbage room. And the debut of a brand new segment: the guys go around the room and share what is on their minds this week, from aliens and AI to the Hanta virus and the eternal question of which is scarier: Independence Day or Terminator. Also: snoring during bar mitzvah speeches, AIM away messages, The Brick app (purchased, never used), Trump's Shabbos proclamation, Dave's "David Days," essential worker pride, and the most important question in Jewish history — which Parsha would you most want to live through? Question of the Week from Anonymous in Commack: If you could live through any Parsha, which would it be? We want to hear from you — are you exhausted? What is draining you most right now, and how do you combat it? Email us at carpoolguyspod@gmail.com [carpoolguyspod@gmail.com] or drop a comment on YouTube. 🎙️ Rate and review The Carpool Guys on Apple Podcasts — five stars only, please. Four and a half if you must. 📩 carpoolguyspod@gmail.com [carpoolguyspod@gmail.com] 📱 @carpoolguyspod 🔗 linktr.ee/carpoolguyspod ⏱️ Chapters with Timestamps 0:00 — Cold Open: Snoring at a Bar Mitzvah. Avi Was Not Happy. 0:27 — Welcome Back + Shoutout to Allison Blass 2:00 — Welcome to New Listeners + Now on Amazon Podcasts and Podbean 3:47 — New Segment Debut: Around the Room — Naming Rights Contest Announced 17:10 — Today's Topic: Why Are We Always So Tired? 20:26 — The Phone Problem: There Is No Off Button Anymore 23:48 — Is the Jewish Lifestyle More Exhausting Than Everyone Else's? 26:31 — The Anxiety Tax: Always Waiting for the Next Shoe to Drop 27:47 — No Escape From Work: WhatsApp Does Not Have an Away Message 31:22 — Dave Falls Asleep During Bar Mitzvah Speeches — Full Story 33:37 — Asher Falls Asleep on Someone's Couch — Also a Full Story 43:11 — Dave Days: Twice a Year, No Explanation Needed 43:41 — Question of the Week: Which Parsha Would You Want to Live Through? 51:38 — Closing: Comment on YouTube, Email Us Your Exhaustion Stories Please rate and review The Carpool Guys! You can email us at carpoolguyspod@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @carpoolguyspod Send us a question, a comment, birthday wish, shoutout, or anything else fun and positive, and maybe we'll feature your addition on the next episode of The Carpool Guys Podcast!

When Life Takes an Unexpected Turn: Allison Blass on Parenting a Child with Cancer, Faith, and Finding the Funny

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2550043/fan_mail/new] When Life Takes an Unexpected Turn: Allison Blass on Parenting a Child with Cancer, Faith, and Finding the Funny Some episodes stop you in your tracks. This is one of them. Allison Blass — longtime listener, friend of the show, and one of the funniest people to ever sit across from the Carpool Guys — joins Jon, Asher, and Dave to share the story of her daughter Perry's cancer diagnosis, treatment, and remarkable recovery. What begins as a frightening story of a six centimeter mass discovered on a Friday afternoon twenty minutes before Shabbos becomes something else entirely: a masterclass in parenting under pressure, faith in the hardest moments, and the kind of stubbornness that saves lives. Peri, Allison's oldest child, was diagnosed with one of the rarest malignant tumors on record — one of only twenty cases ever documented. She went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a week in the ICU with fungal pneumonia, hair loss, wild food cravings, and a surgery she woke up from demanding a double burger from Smash House. She was walking within hours, home by Shabbos, and is now a completely healthy teenager heading to high school next year. But this episode is about so much more than the medical story. Allison opens up about what it means to keep your other children grounded when one child needs everything. She talks about the friends who showed up without being asked and the ones who said "let me know if you need anything" — and why that phrase, though well intentioned, puts the burden on exactly the wrong person. She shares how her family turned every moment of the process — the hair donation, the chemo mug, the smash room — into a kiddush Hashem. And she delivers one of the most important lessons this show has ever aired: when someone you love is going through something devastating, it is not their job to comfort you. Also: gherkins, sushi rolls, an accidental antipsychotic mix-up, a son who slept for fifteen hours, Megan Trainor's Walk of Shame playing in an operating room, Disney turkey legs, and the best shirt ever made. Allison, thank you for your vulnerability, your humor, and your heart. Peri — you are extraordinary. Ad meah v'esrim. 🎙️ Rate and review The Carpool Guys on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people find the show! 📩 carpoolguyspod@gmail.com [carpoolguyspod@gmail.com] 📱 @carpoolguyspod 🔗 linktr.ee/carpoolguyspod ⏱️ Chapters with Timestamps 0:57 — Jon Is Back! Welcome Home After Surgery 4:29 — Introducing Allison Blass: Longtime Listener, First Time Guest 6:02 — Meet Allison: Giant Bear, Banned from Little League, Parent of Three 8:32 — Setting the Scene: Who Is Peri and Where Does the Story Begin? 9:08 — Allison's Career and Life Before the Diagnosis 10:05 — The First Signs Something Was Wrong: December 2024 15:58 — How Do You Tell Your Daughter She Needs Surgery? 25:10 — Perry's Mindset: Control, Preparation, and a Double Burger From Smash House 29:12 — April 9th: When the World Really Turned Upside Down 30:20 — Hearing the Word Malignant: "Everything Went Quiet" 32:30 — Turning Every Moment Into a Mitzvah: Hair Donation to Chai Lifeline 41:00 — What Allison Learned About Perry She Didn't Know Before 49:27 — NED: No Evidence of Disease — Perry Is on the Road to Survivorship 52:05 — Who Showed Up and Who Didn't: What You Learn About People in a Crisis 54:30 — "Don't Say If You Need Me" — The Most Important Lesson of the Episode 56:33 — How to Actually Help Someone Going Through a Hard Time 1:00:22 — The Hardest Part Is Now: Learning to Trust Again After Treatment Ends 1:08:06 — Allison's Message to Parents at the Beginning of This Journey 1:08:54 — Question of the Week: What Non-Kosher Food Do You Wish Was Kosher? 1:17:45 — Thank You Allison — Closing Brachos for Peri and the Blass Family&< Please rate and review The Carpool Guys! You can email us at carpoolguyspod@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @carpoolguyspod Send us a question, a comment, birthday wish, shoutout, or anything else fun and positive, and maybe we'll feature your addition on the next episode of The Carpool Guys Podcast!

"Adulting" The Terrifying and Hilarious Moment You Realize You’re the Adult in the room (And You are Clueless What to Do)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2550043/fan_mail/new] Dave and Asher Hold It Down: Adulting, and the Things We Still Can't Figure Out Jon's out. The substitute teachers are in charge. In this episode, Dave and Asher fly solo for the first time in nearly two years of podcasting — and somehow manage to hold it together. Mostly. They spend most of the episode wrestling with one deceptively deep question: at what point did you realize YOU were the adult in the room? And does knowing that actually make you feel like one? From colonoscopies to root canals and Gatorade-plus-antacid pre-fast routines, Dave and Asher take an honest — and very funny — inventory of what it means to be in your 40s. They talk about watching athletes you grew up idolizing retire and become millionaires while you're still figuring out the thermostat. They talk about mentoring the next generation at work while privately Googling how to hang a picture frame. They talk about laundry — a lot — and the creative workarounds that keep households running when you're too proud to admit you never really learned. But underneath all the humor is something genuinely real: the weight and beauty of being the generation in the middle. Old enough to be the ones people turn to. Still young enough to remember when we thought the adults had it all figured out. Plus: substitute teacher stories, a very eventful little Tyke's car incident, a parent-teacher conference confession, LeBron vs. Jordan, a prank from Toys R Us, and the world's most relatable Seder question. Jon — we miss you. Come back soon. 🎙️ Rate and review The Carpool Guys on Apple Podcasts — it genuinely helps more people find the show! 📩 carpoolguyspod@gmail.com [carpoolguyspod@gmail.com] 📱 @carpoolguyspod ⏱️ Chapters with Timestamps 00:00 — Cold Open: Dave Asks His Wife About His Maturity. She Laughs. 00:27 — Welcome to the Carpool Guys Podcast 01:02 — Jon Is Out — Dave and Asher Go It Alone 01:22 — Substitute Teacher Stories: Mrs. Bach, Mrs. Henry, and a Saved Life 05:47 — Dave's Career Started as a Sub — Shout Out to Rabbi Hammer 07:16 — Smart Boards, Coaching Boards, and the HANC Basketball Championship 08:34 — Orange Juice, Decaf Coffee, and the Post-Fast Routine Debate 09:30 — The Bagel, Tuna, Herring, and OJ Breakfast Club 10:49 — The Big Question: When Did YOU Become the Adult in the Room? 12:10 — Colonoscopies, Pillboxes, Gout, and the Reality of Getting Older 14:09 — Root Canals, Dental Inheritance, and the First Cavity at 30 15:00 — When Athletes You Grew Up With Are Now Retired Millionaires 17:36 — LeBron vs. Jordan: The Eternal Debate 18:16 — Taking Pictures WITH Athletes vs. Taking Pictures OF Your Kids With Athletes 19:49 — Adulting at Work: You Don't Need All the Answers 21:00 — Mentoring the Next Generation: The Shift From Sink-or-Swim to Sit-Down-and-Talk 24:30 — Supervising Interns for the First Time: It's a Little Scary 25:47 — The 15-Year Window of Adulthood and What Comes After 27:09 — Taking Care of Your Health Differently: Recovery, Moderation, and Lactaid 28:01 — The Adulting Moment: Adding an Antacid to the Pre-Fast Routine 29:02 — Things Our Parents Did That We Wish We Knew How to Do 29:33 — The Picture That Fell Off the Wall and the Les Please rate and review The Carpool Guys! You can email us at carpoolguyspod@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @carpoolguyspod Send us a question, a comment, birthday wish, shoutout, or anything else fun and positive, and maybe we'll feature your addition on the next episode of The Carpool Guys Podcast!

Never Through Egypt… Until They Did: Rabbi Ouriel Hazan & Eli’s Story

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2550043/fan_mail/new] Leaving Egypt: A Father & Son Take on Coming Home for Pesach What do you do when your son is in yeshiva in Israel, sirens are going off daily, Pesach is approaching fast, and every flight home keeps getting canceled? You find another way. Even if that way goes through Egypt. In this episode, Asher and Jon sit down with Rabbi Ouriel Hazan, head of school at HANC West Hempstead, and his son Eli, a student at Mevaseret Yeshiva in Israel, who recently made it home to New York through one of the most memorable journeys you'll hear this year. From Eilat to the Egyption border crossing, through the Sinai Desert in a speeding van during a hailstorm, past a head-on collision, through Sharm el-Sheikh airport, and on to Rome before finally landing at JFK, Eli crossed four continents in 40 hours to be home for Pesach. But this episode is about a lot more than the travel story. Rabbi Hazan opens up about the emotional weight of parenting from a distance during wartime, the WhatsApp chat chaos that gripped every yeshiva parent group, the moment he flipped from "we are absolutely not sending him through Egypt" to "we are sending him through Egypt," and why he kept the whole plan secret from his own parents, including his Egyptian-born father, who had strong feelings about Egypt. Eli shares what yeshiva life actually looked like during the Iran war, what it felt like to run to the mamad, what it meant to experience those moments alongside his fellow Jews in Israel, and why — despite everything — he can't wait to get back. It is funny, honest, a little nerve-wracking, and deeply moving. A story about family, faith, decisive parenting, and one unforgettable ride through the Sinai Desert. 🎙️ Rate and review The Carpool Guys on Apple Podcasts , Spotify, and YouTube... it helps more people find the show! 📩 Email us at carpoolguyspod@gmail.com [carpoolguyspod@gmail.com] 📱 Follow us on Instagram @carpoolguyspod ⏱️ Chapters with Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome to the Carpool Guys Podcast 00:43 — Good Pods Glory: The Guys Hit Number One on Jewish Podcasts 02:30 — Introducing Rabbi Ouriel Hazan and Eli Hazan 04:15 — Rabbi Hazan's Year in Israel and the Original Pesach Plan 07:00 — Life at Mevaseret When the Iran War Broke Out 10:30 — The Rebbe Van Shows Up: Yeshiva Life During Wartime 13:00 — Sleep Deprivation, Sirens, and the Emotional Toll 16:00 — The Parent WhatsApp Chat Chaos Begins 19:30 — When Delta Cancels and Plan B Becomes Necessary 23:00 — "We Are Absolutely Not Sending Him Through Egypt" (or... are we?) 26:30 — The Concierge Service, the Cancellation, and the Last Two Spots 30:00 — Eli Finds Out He's Going to Egypt... Tomorrow 33:00 — The $500 Cash, the Bribes 37:00 — Crossing the Border: Nine Desks, VIP Tours, and Armed Escorts 42:30 — The Sinai Drive: 90 MPH, No Cell Service, Hail, and a Head-On Collision 49:00 — Sharm el-Sheikh Airport: Bag Ransom, Boarding Passes, and a Yankee Hat 55:00 — Rome Layover, Nine Hours, and Crackers for Dinner 57:30 — The Reunion and a Sigh of Relief 59:30 — The Bigger Conversation: Judgment, Social Media, and Choosing Without Guilt 01:02:00 — What This Generation Has Witnessed and What It Means 01:04:00 — Chag Sameach and Closin Please rate and review The Carpool Guys! You can email us at carpoolguyspod@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @carpoolguyspod Send us a question, a comment, birthday wish, shoutout, or anything else fun and positive, and maybe we'll feature your addition on the next episode of The Carpool Guys Podcast!