Karen Gafter
- From:
- Bogota, Colombia
- Age:
- 32
- Career:
- Life Coach Happily Married Mother of Abigail, 4 and Itamar, 21 months
The Interview
Karen, can you share your family's Jewish story?
First, thank you for this opportunity, because the truth has been with me in difficult moments and talking to my mentor (Daniela Mendoza) is a highlight of my week.
My whole family is Jewish. They escaped the war and arrived in Colombia from Poland
What kind of Jewish home did you grow up in, and what kind of Jewish education did you receive?
My home was "Traditional/Orthodox." The institutions and synagogues where I went were Orthodox but more traditional in practice. I studied at a Jewish school and was active in the Jewish community of Colombia. I came to Israel with a Masa program and stayed.
How did you hear about The Podcast Fellowship?
A friend (David Rosenthal, a TPF student) mentioned it to me.
Would you have started TPF without the $15 stipend offer?
Money is a great incentive not to postpone my personal growth, and the time with the mentor helps to integrate it into my life.
Sometimes I find rabbis I didn't know thanks to TPF and I start following their content. Listening to one of these rabbis changed my life.
Which one?
Rav Daniel Katz's Elevation Project on Jewish Mediation
How has Podcast Fellowship helped you grow as a Jew?
Wow. It helped me take back my spirituality.
No matter how busy or complicated my life is at the moment,
I listen to the podcast and it is a time for me to connect with Judaism and Hashem.
Where do you stand in your Jewish observance today?
I am traditional but spiritual.
Karen, can you sum up your experience with The Podcast Fellowship in one quote?
"(TPF has) taught me that there is always time to learn and connect with my Jewish roots."