Episode 059 - The Mother of Naftali, H"yd: A Conversation with Racheli Fraenkel

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

It was 3 AM on an otherwise ordinary Thursday night when Racheli Fraenkel and family received a knock at their door that would change their lives. Their eleventh-grade son, Naftali, had been returning home from his boarding school along with a friend, Gilad Shaar, but never showed up. Within hours authorities realized that these two boys, along with a third - Eyal Yifrach - had been captured by Hamas terrorists.

The 18 days that followed were a whirlwind of activity, with the entire Jewish world gripped by the news of the missing "Three Boys." #BringBackOurBoys became a rallying cry for prayer gatherings, social media campaigns and a nearly unprecedented outpouring of love and display of Jewish unity.

Tragically, the three youngsters, it was later learned, had been murdered in the first moments of their capture. But the actions and sentiments their story triggered profoundly impacted the Jewish world.

Racheli Fraenkel is a private, soft-spoken woman, a Torah teacher and mentor to many other women as a yoetzet halacha (Jewish legal advisor in areas of family law). Through this experience, however, she has chosen to share widely and publicly of her own process in navigating this profound loss. Along the way, she has inspired - though she herself disdains the term - thousands of listeners and observers. Her dignity, humility, honesty and vulnerability have drawn people to hear and learn from her. Jews You Should Know listeners are now privileged with that same opportunity.

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ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Jews You Should Know introduces the broader community to interesting and inspiring Jewish men and women making a difference in our world. Some are already famous, some not yet so. But each is a Jew You Should Know.

The host, Rabbi Ari Koretzky, is Executive Director of MEOR Maryland (www.meormd.org), a premier Jewish outreach and educational organization. MEOR operates nationally on twenty campuses and in Manhattan; visit the national website at www.meor.org.

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Have feedback for the show, or suggestions for future guests? E-mail us at JewsYouShouldKnow@gmail.com.

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A special thank you to Jacob Rupp of the Lift Your Legacy podcast for his invaluable production assistance.