Search for Meaning with Rabbi Yoshi

In this urgent follow-up to their conversation from June 2025, Rabbi Yoshi sits down again with Ambassador Gary Grappo — former U.S. Ambassador to Oman, Chief of Staff to the Middle East Quartet, and one of America's most seasoned diplomatic voices — to make sense of the Iran MOU signed just days before this recording. Together they examine what the deal actually does and doesn't do, why the Strait of Hormuz provision troubles so many observers, and what meaningful nuclear verification would require from a regime that has never won a war and never lost a negotiation. Ambassador Grappo speaks candidly about what disappoints him in this moment — a war he believes was unnecessary, a strategy that attacked Iran at its strongest rather than its most vulnerable point, and an MOU so loosely worded that either side can walk away from nearly any commitment it contains. And yet he finds reason for genuine, if cautious, hope: the Iranian government has never been weaker since 1979, its economy is in desperate straits, and the pressure from ordinary Iranians on their leadership to deliver relief may yet prove to be the most powerful force in the room. Drawing on nearly four decades of experience in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Israel, and Oman, Ambassador Grappo brings clarity, candor, and hard-won realism to one of the most consequential moments in the modern Middle East.
Recorded June 24, 2026. Released July 3, 2026.

In this episode of Search for Meaning, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback speaks with author Ralph Shayne about his graphic novel Hour of Need: The Daring Escape of the Danish Jews during World War II, illustrated by Danish comics artist Tatiana Goldberg.
Inspired by the childhood experience of Shayne’s mother, the book tells the remarkable story of the 1943 rescue of Denmark’s Jewish community. When the Nazis moved to deport Danish Jews, ordinary citizens—neighbors, teachers, clergy, fishermen, and members of the resistance—risked their lives to help more than 7,000 Jews escape across the Øresund Strait to safety in Sweden. 
Developed in partnership with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Hour of Need brings this extraordinary chapter of Holocaust history to life through powerful storytelling and evocative illustrations. 
In their conversation, Rabbi Zweiback and Shayne explore family memory, Jewish identity, the moral courage of ordinary people, and the unique power of graphic storytelling to bring history to new generations. The episode also reflects on the enduring lessons of Denmark’s rescue effort—and what it means for societies today when individuals choose courage over indifference.
Learn more and explore the resources connected to this story:
Book: Hour of Need: The Daring Escape of the Danish Jews during World War II
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Hour-of-Need/Ralph-Shayne/9781499813579

Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org
Educators' Guide

Reza Farahan is known to millions as the breakout star of Shahs of Sunset. In this candid and moving conversation, Reza joins Rabbi Yoshi to discuss his new book, Memoirs of a Gay Shah, and the remarkable journey that shaped him—from fleeing Iran as a child during the revolution, to navigating life as the son of a Jewish father and Muslim mother, to coming out as a gay man in a deeply traditional culture. 
Together, they explore identity, belonging, resilience, and the search for authenticity. Reza reflects on the loneliness of growing up feeling caught between worlds, the pain of rejection, the transformative power of embracing his Jewish identity, and the impact of October 7 on his connection to the Jewish people and Israel. Along the way, he shares hard-earned wisdom about perseverance, gratitude, and his conviction that even life’s greatest hardships can become unexpected gifts. 
As Pride Month invites us to celebrate the dignity and worth of every human being, Reza’s story is a powerful reminder of the courage it takes to live truthfully and the freedom that comes from embracing every part of who we are. His journey—from secrecy and fear to self-acceptance, love, and purpose—offers hope to anyone who has ever wondered whether they truly belong. 
This is an honest, heartfelt conversation about courage, self-discovery, and what it means to live fully and unapologetically as yourself. Happy Pride. 
https://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Gay-Shah-Persian-Bubble/dp/1464218277

In this episode of Search for Meaning, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback welcomes Rabbi Michael Zedek back to the podcast on the occasion of his second book, People Are Like…: Stories for Young Readers and Readers Who Wish to Stay Young. A beloved teacher, storyteller, and rabbi, Rabbi Zedek joins Rabbi Yoshi for a warm and thoughtful conversation about the wisdom hidden in everyday life—and why some of life’s deepest truths are often best conveyed through simple stories.
Drawing from the book’s memorable parables about porcupines, dogs, redwood trees, monkeys, and more, the two rabbis explore themes of empathy, connection, resilience, kindness, and spiritual growth. Rabbi Zedek reflects on what children can teach adults, how stories shape moral imagination, and why compassion and community remain at the heart of a meaningful life.
The conversation also touches on Rabbi Zedek’s decades of leadership, teaching, interfaith work, and public dialogue, including his many years hosting Religion on the Line. Filled with humor, heart, and gentle wisdom, this episode is both uplifting and deeply grounding.
https://ascendbooks.com/publications/people-are-like/

In this episode of Search for Meaning, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback sits down with actor and painter Lisa Edelstein and artist Robert Russell to discuss their powerful new exhibition, A Palace in Time, at the Skirball Cultural Center.
Inspired by Abraham Joshua Heschel’s timeless vision of Shabbat as “a palace in time,” the exhibition explores memory, ritual, Jewish identity, family, love, and the holiness embedded in ordinary moments. Through Russell’s luminous still lifes of ritual objects and Edelstein’s evocative paintings drawn from family photographs, the couple creates an intimate meditation on what we choose to remember—and why.
Their conversation with Rabbi Yoshi touches on the relationship between art and spirituality, the emotional impact of October 7, the role of nostalgia in Jewish life, and the experience of creating art as partners in both marriage and creativity. Together, they reflect on how beauty, ritual, and storytelling can help us navigate grief, deepen connection, and reclaim moments of sacred presence in an anxious world.
Thoughtful, moving, and deeply human, this episode is an exploration of how art can become both memory and sanctuary.