The Grief Journey By Mayrim

Mrs. Faigie Horowitz: The Silent Grief of Grandparents

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2433238/fan_mail/new] The Silent Grief of Grandparents   Mrs. Faigie Horowitz never planned on starting a support group for grandmothers who lost a married child.  But then, within just three days, she met three different women living through that exact loss. One woman could barely speak about it. One was drowning in unbearable pain. And the other quietly said, “I follow my daughter’s lead.” Three grandmothers. Three reactions. One heartbreak that almost no one talks about. That was the moment Mrs. Horowitz realized: this grief needed a space of its own. And when she shared the idea of creating a support group for these grandmothers, the response was immediate: “Yes. This is needed.” In this deeply moving podcast episode, Mrs. Horowitz speaks about the complicated and often invisible grief of grandparents after the loss of a child who left behind a spouse and children. She also shares a powerful idea rooted in research: children who feel connected to their family story are often more resilient, confident, and emotionally grounded. It makes sense. Why do we still tell over Yetzias Mitzrayim generation after generation?  Because stories shape identity. Similarly, when a parent dies, children are often left longing to know: What was my parent like? What made them laugh? What mattered to them? Sometimes those conversations feel too painful to ask directly. But through stories, memories, and connection to the larger family narrative, grandchildren can still feel deeply connected to where they come from — and to the parent they lost. YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA  Questions or feedback? Email me at: podcast@mayrim.org

Rabbi Leo Dee: What if this is the way Hashem wanted it to be?

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2433238/fan_mail/new] After Rabbi Leo Dee lost his wife and two daughters in a terrorist attack, people asked many “what if” questions.  What if you hadn’t moved from England?  What if the whole family had been in one car? “Every one of those what-ifs went through my mind many times,” he shares. But then another question emerged: What if this is the way Hashem wanted it? Obviously this is the way it was meant to be. Does it hurt? Terribly. But it wasn’t a mistake. Rabbi Dee made the conscious choice not to remain trapped in his grief, forgetting those around him. His three surviving children still needed their father. And so, through tears and pain, he told them:  “We just lived Chapter One of our lives. Now we turn the page to Chapter Two.” There may always be pain. But they will live with as much simcha as they can. Is it always easy? No. Is it possible? Yes. Do you want to hear how? Click below.   YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA  Questions or feedback? Email me at: podcast@mayrim.org

Mrs. Chaya Lasson: No Regrets Left in the Room

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2433238/fan_mail/new] No Regrets Left in the Room Mrs. Chaya Lasson didn’t set out to become a voice for end-of-life care. But somewhere along the way, she stepped into a role she came to deeply love — director of Bridges Palliative Care. In many frum circles, the word hospice carries weight. It feels final. Frightening. Almost like surrender. But Chaya gently challenges that perception. Hospice, she explains, is not about giving up. It’s about comfort. About dignity. About bringing medical expertise into a moment when suffering can be eased. And often, when a patient becomes more comfortable, something shifts. Strength returns. Sometimes even enough to resume curative treatment. Her work isn’t only medical. It’s legacy work. She guides families through difficult conversations — not only about pain and comfort, but about the practical realities we tend to avoid: DNRs, advance directives, medical power of attorney, wills. Conversations that feel overwhelming. Or even frightening. Not morbid — but real. So that when the time comes, there are fewer unspoken words. Fewer rushed decisions. And fewer regrets left sitting in the room.   YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA  Questions or feedback? Email me at: podcast@mayrim.org

Mr. Rob Airley: Into A Burning Building

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2433238/fan_mail/new] Mr.  Rob Airley looks  at a picture of his son, Binyamin, and asks the question no parent should ever have to ask: Why? Why did you run into that burning building? But he also knows the answer. Binyamin had always put others first. Chesed wasn’t something he did—it was who he was. Even though he didn’t have to go in, he ran forward to help save his fellow soldiers. There were hidden terrorists inside the building. Binyamin was killed. October 7th changed the world. For chayalim—and for the parents of chayalim—fear and anxiety took on a new meaning. So did bravery. Binyamin served in a combat unit, and his parents were deeply proud of him, even as they lived with constant fear. Today, the Airley family is preparing to send their next son to fight for Klal Yisrael. In this episode, we hear Binyamin’s story and learn about Beit Binyamin—the legacy that ensures his life continues to inspire. YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA  Questions or feedback? Email me at: podcast@mayrim.org

Mrs. Ester Katz Silvers: A Train Crash in the ’60s

Your feedback is what keeps us going. Whether it’s positive, constructive, or somewhere in between — we appreciate it all. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations for our podcast, please share them with us! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2433238/fan_mail/new] It was the 1960s, in Wichita, Kansas. Back then, it was a small town with very few Jews, and the Jewish families stuck together as a close-knit community. One morning, Ester walked into the kitchen and saw her parents sitting at the table with an open newspaper between them. They were both looking at her — the kind of look that silently says, you tell her. “What happened?” Ester asked. “There was an accident,” her parents said. “A car–train accident. Four boys were killed.” One of them was a boy who worked in her father’s store — just two years older than Esther. In those days, no one talked about death. You didn’t process it. You didn’t sit with it. You simply went on. And so Esther went on too. Sometimes she thought about the boy, but she told herself to move forward, just like everyone else did. It wasn’t until many years later, when Ester wrote her first book, that she found herself writing about a train accident — slowly, unknowingly processing a loss that had stayed with her for over twenty years. Life later brought Ester to Shilo, in Eretz Yisroel, where she and her family were forced to face death again — this time through terror. Her children lost friends. Madrichim were niftar. Loss was no longer distant or unnamed. And this time, Ester did not turn away. Her parting message is simple: let them talk. Today, we have far more resources and support than in the past — but the most important thing remains the same. Children need space to speak, to ask, to remember, and to be heard. YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK24OSmIYG_XWzeplhfmb8LJcWKphITh&si=untn3fmHLLaEEFNm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relief-from-grief-by-mayrim/id1788349916 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AvWNp0DrHqE5AVYJHooiK?si=ufpIObuGRumS5uFXmvrpgA  Questions or feedback? Email me at: podcast@mayrim.org