Rabbi Daniel Sher On Jewish Rituals, Collective Grief Post-10/7, And The Palisades Fire

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In this episode, I am honored to sit down with my Rabbi and dear friend, Daniel Sher, from Kehillat Israel (KI) in the Pacific Palisades. Rabbi Sher has been a steadfast anchor for our congregation, even as he navigates his own "obliterated place" — having personally lost his family home and all their belongings in the devastating Palisades fire. We sit down to discuss the profound psychological genius embedded within Jewish mourning rituals, from the complete surrender of Shiva to the gradual re-entry of Shloshim. Rabbi Sher shares a beautiful framing of grief as a series of heavy items we carry forever in our pockets; we do not hold them out for the world to see at all times, but their weight permanently alters how we carry ourselves. We also talk about his perspective on rebuilding a community after a disaster with deep intentionality, choosing never to "waste our tragedies." Our conversation also turns to the complex, painful realities facing the Jewish people in the wake of October 7th. We explore the profound alienation of feeling iced out by former allies in social activist circles, the historical burden of being a "universally welcoming tradition forced to choose between safety and welcome," and the true definition of "chosenness"—not as a gold star of privilege, but as a sacred obligation to carry the weight of historical burden while fiercely choosing to see the light anyway. Connect with Rabbi Daniel Scherr: * Kehillat Israel Podcasts [https://kipodcasts.fireside.fm/hosts/rabbisher] Connect with Kaye Steinsapir: * Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ksteinsapir] * Instagram: @teammollyofficial [https://www.instagram.com/teammollyofficial/] * Substack: Transforming Pain Into Purpose [https://open.substack.com/pub/kayesteinsapir] * The Molly Steinsapir Foundation [https://mollysteinsapir.com/]

Michael Geller On The Loss Of His Brother, Mom And Hometown

In this episode, I was joined by another member of our extended Pacific Palisades family, Michael Geller. Like any family, we don’t share all the same political views. Mike and I vote differently. But it doesn’t matter. When we sat down, our superficial differences melted away. We became so immersed in conversation about life and loss that we never discussed the LA mayoral race (which we’d been debating online). Mike is an OG Palisades dude. He was born and raised in the town that our family joined in 2011. He grew up surfing, riding motorcycles and idolizing his older brother and best friend, Damon. Our audience will remember Episode 5 with Damon’s wife, Lili Geller. Mike took us back to the night when he was surfing with Damon under a full moon and suddenly couldn’t find him. When he paddled in, Damon was face down on his board, not breathing. Despite doing everything humanly possible to save his big brother, Mike said goodbye to Damon on the beach, where they’d surfed together throughout their lives. It was the first time Mike had been face-to-face with death. Two weeks later, Mike and his wife, Jaimie, held her father’s hands as he died from a rare form of leukemia. Jaimie and Mike have been together since they were teenagers. Her father was an extremely important person in Mike’s life. Mike found himself in an obliterated place because of these profound losses, which was further complicated by the ensuing Covid-19 pandemic. When light finally started to emerge through the darkness, Mike, Jaimie, and their three sons built their dream home. They’d recently moved in when the Palisades fire burned it to the ground. The Gellers also lost their business, Jaimie Geller Jewelry, in the location where Mike’s family had been in business since 1982. Mike takes us inside the fire's immediate aftermath, sharing the surreal story of recovering his business safe — full of melted gold and jewels — just days after the destruction. We talk frankly about the exhausting, ongoing battles with insurance adjusters, the false myth that our community is "just fine" and doesn't need help, and the incredible grassroots support that is allowing Jaimie Geller Jewelry to reopen this July. Last December, Mike’s mother passed away following a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. After a grueling medical trial, she utilized the California End of Life Option Act to choose her final day. Mike once again finds himself in an obliterated place, asking, “How much more can I take?” We’re all carrying more pain than most people realize. The human experience is to suffer. It’s infinitely more bearable when we lock arms and lift each other up during the long journey home. Connect with Michael Geller: * Website: https://www.thecameronboycefoundation.org/www.jaimiegellerjewelry.com [http://www.jaimiegellerjewelry.com] [http://www.jaimiegellerjewelry.com/] Connect with Kaye Steinsapir: * Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ksteinsapir] * Instagram: @teammollyofficial [https://www.instagram.com/teammollyofficial/] * Substack: Transforming Pain Into Purpose [https://open.substack.com/pub/kayesteinsapir] * The Molly Steinsapir Foundation [https://mollysteinsapir.com/]

11. juni 20261 h 23 min

Rabbi Daniel Sher On Jewish Rituals, Collective Grief Post-10/7, And The Palisades Fire

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