TYH Nation / Thank You Hashem

Long Beach Series | Intro | See The Good Campaign | A hundred years ago, Jews weren't allowed to buy property in Long Beach. Today, it's home to one of the strongest Jewish communities on Long Island. After restrictive housing policies disappeared, Jewish families helped transform the city into a vibrant center of Jewish life. Even after challenges like Hurricane Sandy, the community continued to rebuild with incredible resilience and emunah. Join us as we explore the people, places, and stories that helped shape the Long Beach Jewish community into what it is today.

Israeli wine isn’t just getting good… it’s becoming world-class. For Josh Greenstein, Israeli wine is about much more than what’s inside the bottle. It’s about telling the story of the Land of Israel. Today, Israeli wineries are earning international awards and recognition from some of the world’s leading wine critics. But Josh believes the real miracle isn’t the scores. It’s watching the land flourish once again, just as the prophets described. The next time you’re in Israel, visit a winery. Bring home a bottle… And bring home the story with it.

What makes Israeli wine different from every other wine? Ask the people who make it. For the team behind Tabor Winery, every harvest is more than agriculture. It’s watching biblical prophecy come alive. They spend their days working the hills of Israel and seeing firsthand the blessing that comes from the Land itself. Whether you’re opening an easy Sauvignon Blanc or saving a special bottle for Shabbos… Every bottle carries a story that began thousands of years ago.

Mark Weiss was making pizza… until his radio changed everything. On the morning of September 11th, Mark Weiss, owner of Dairy Palace, was preparing school lunches when his Hatzalah radio suddenly went off. Minutes later, while driving toward Manhattan, he watched the second plane strike the Twin Towers. In that moment, he realized America was under attack. Years later, what stays with Mark isn’t just that tragic day. It’s the privilege of helping others and seeing people he treated decades ago still living full, healthy lives. A powerful reminder that the greatest legacy isn’t what we make… It’s the lives we touch.

How does a kosher pizza shop stay open for nearly 40 years? Ask Mark Weiss. Since opening Dairy Palace with his father, Mark has become much more than a pizza shop owner. He’s built a place where generations of Staten Islanders have come to eat, connect, and feel at home. Outside the restaurant, he volunteers with Hatzalah and lives by one simple philosophy: Don’t be a taker. Be a giver. His advice? Ask Hashem to give you more opportunities to help other people.

Just outside Jerusalem, Kfar Kedem brings the Second Beis Hamikdash period to life. From making goat cheese to raising animals like they did thousands of years ago, it's a chance to experience daily life as our ancestors knew it.

Did you know the largest Young Israel in the world is on Staten Island? What began as a handful of families moving across the Verrazzano Bridge has grown into one of the strongest Orthodox communities in New York. Today, more than 600 families call Young Israel of Staten Island home. Beyond the beautiful sanctuary and stunning artwork, it’s something even more important: A place where generations have built Torah, family and community together.

Island cemetery every year… but why? Most people know about Reb Shayale of Kerestir. Far fewer know that his brother, Reb Yehuda Steiner, is buried right here on Staten Island. The story goes that when one man couldn’t make his annual trip to Kerestir, Reb Shayale appeared to him in a dream and told him to visit his brother instead. It’s a beautiful reminder that sometimes the holiness we’re searching for isn’t across the ocean… It’s right in our own backyard. Have you ever visited?

Matthew was born with a stroke that changed the course of his life. Twenty three years later, he says every challenge leaves you with a choice: drown or keep floating.

Most people have no idea this exists… When people think of Jewish New York, Staten Island usually isn’t the first place that comes to mind. But hidden across the Verrazzano Bridge is one of the city’s most unique Jewish communities. From the largest Young Israel in the world, to the kever of Reb Shayale’s brother, to a kosher pizza shop that’s become an institution, Staten Island is filled with stories waiting to be told. Have you ever explored the Jewish side of Staten Island?

Imagine being the right-hand man to the biggest traitor in American history... and still earning George Washington's trust. David Salisbury Franks, a proud Jewish leader, was caught in the middle of Benedict Arnold's betrayal. Instead of running, he demanded the chance to prove his innocence. George Washington believed him. That honesty led Franks to become one of America's diplomats, carrying vital documents to France that helped bring the Revolutionary War to its conclusion. A powerful reminder that integrity can change history.

What if we told you one of the greatest heroes of the American Revolution was Jewish? When George Washington ran out of money before the Battle of Yorktown, Haym Salomon stepped in to help finance the fight for American independence. But his story is only part of a much bigger one. Nearly half of the Jewish population in America supported the Revolutionary War effort, with Jewish soldiers, financiers, merchants, and community leaders helping shape the birth of this country. Jewish history is American history.

Most people think success builds champions. Omar Barak thinks failure does. After losing one of the biggest matches of his life, not once, but twice to the same opponent and he had every reason to quit. Instead, he got back to work. Those losses became fuel. The result? Competing on the international stage for Israel, wrestling at the European Championships, and earning the opportunity to compete at the Division I level. The Torah teaches: "A righteous person falls seven times and rises again." The difference isn't whether you fall. The difference is whether you get back up.

In 1790, the Jewish community of Newport asked President George Washington a simple but powerful question: Would Jews truly be safe in America? His answer changed history. "The Government of the United States... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." Washington even quoted the prophet Micah, envisioning a nation where every person could sit beneath their own vine and fig tree in peace. More than 230 years later, thriving Jewish communities across America are living proof of that promise. Thank You Hashem for the freedom to live openly as Jews and for the leaders who helped make that possible.

Every Jew has a light inside. Sometimes it's shining brightly. Sometimes it's covered in a little dust. The goal isn't to become someone else. The goal is to uncover who you already are. In this conversation, two creators from different generations discuss purpose, leadership, and why bringing light to others starts with finding it within yourself. Because when you discover your spark, you give other people permission to find theirs. Thank You Hashem for all the young Jewish talent that is continuing the effort to spread light on the internet!

Just outside the walls of the Old City is a 200 meter suspension bridge with incredible views of Jerusalem. If you can handle the heights, you'll be rewarded with one of the city's best vantage points.

People say Jewish life on the Lower East Side is disappearing. Then you walk into Chabad of the Lower East Side and realize the story is still being written. On the corner of Hester Street, a rabbi told us about meeting a Jewish man who said he didn’t believe in God. A few minutes later, he was putting on tefillin. Because sometimes all a Jew needs is someone who believes in them first. Inside the Chabad house, there are couches instead of stiff rows of seats. Tefillin displays. Seforim. A picture of the Rebbe watching over it all. The entire space feels warm, open, and alive. And maybe that’s the deeper lesson of this place. Judaism isn’t only about seeing who someone is on the outside. It’s about seeing the neshama underneath. The pure part of every Jew that never disappears. The Lower East Side may not look the way it once did. But maybe it’s still one of the greatest stomping grounds for Jewish awakening in New York City. Thank You Hashem.

Most people walk through the Lower East Side thinking they're looking at Jewish history. Rabbi Stone sees something very different. The Rebbe rarely spent time talking about the past, even the darkest parts of Jewish history. His focus was always on the future. The next Jew. The next child. The next mitzvah. That's why Chabad built its entire mission around going out and meeting people where they are. And on the Lower East Side, that mission is still alive. Thousands of Jews still live here, and every Sunday countless others come back to reconnect with their roots, bringing their children to see where their parents and grandparents once lived. But Chabad isn't here just to preserve a memory. It's here to build a future. Because while history asks us where we've been, Judaism asks a different question: Where are we going next?

Some of your children's books may have been illustrated right here in the small village of Tekoa. We stopped by the studio of Naama, an illustrator and author who believes there is an artist inside every person.

One of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev's greatest gifts was his ability to find the good in every Jew. Not because everyone was perfect. Because everyone was worthy of being seen. We never know what someone is carrying. What struggles they're facing. What battles they're fighting quietly. That's why one participant shared a lesson she learned from her father: Before judging someone, try standing in their shoes. Sometimes being kind is more important than being right. And sometimes seeing the good changes everything. See The Good Campaign x TYH