by Cindy | Feb 15, 2024 | Culture, Featured Slider, Influencers, tikun olam
By Debra Rich Gettleman
Todd Shotz is like the Jewish Kevin Bacon. No matter who you are, if you’re Jewish, you are somehow connected to him in less than six degrees. We found shared connections with dear friends in La Jolla, after about 42 seconds.
Maybe his gift of creating community wherever he goes is because he’s just the warmest, most delightful fellow you’ll ever meet. You can literally imagine developing a lifelong friendship from colliding with his shopping cart in the supermarket or sitting next to him at a shiva minyan Smart. Funny. Hamish. that’s Todd Shotz in a nutshell.
And that’s just the surface. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a wildly successful TV and film producer, Jewish educator, Hollywood consultant, and Bar Mitzvah businessman. He hobnobs with celebrities and was part of the production team behind “Recipe for Change: Standing Up to Antisemitism.” The YouTube special, which was recognized by the TV Academy with the Daytime Emmy, is hosted by Idina Menzel, Ilana Glazer & Moshe Kasher and brought together an impressive lineup of celebrities and thought leaders to discuss the rise of antisemitism and celebrate Jewish heritage, identity, & culture. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the link. You’re very welcome.
I spoke to Todd while he was in Italy for a Bar Mitzvah for one of his students. Todd founded a company called “Hebrew Helpers,” a nationwide Jewish Studies program that provides personalized education to students of all backgrounds and affiliations. For their Bar/Bat Mitzvah programs, they pair students with local mentors who guide them through the B’nai Mitzvah process from start to finish. They can assist students in preparing for traditional synagogue services and also specialize in creating personalized private services all over the globe.
Hebrew Helpers can guide B’nai Mitzvah families in planning the details of the service, including structure and content. But that’s not all. They can supply the officiant (which often ends up being the mentor.) They can design personalized prayer books, help you pick an exotic venue, and even assist in hiring musicians. They also provide specialized learning for students who have not found success fitting into traditional B’nai Mitzvah training programs. They’re kind of like party planners, but with purpose. They are passionate about Hebrew language learning and working through the meaningful study and prep that comes with B’nai Mitzvah training. But, at the same time, they can set you up for a service anywhere in the world. They’ve already created meaningful services for families in Prague, London, Venice, Hawaii, and Tahoe to name a few hot spots.
So how did all this begin? Well, Todd grew up in Elkins Park, right outside of Philadelphia. His earliest Hebrew school training included leaning trope. So, by the time he was 14, he was tutoring younger kids. They also had a Torah Club at his synagogue that believed in building a community of Torah readers and he snagged his first paid position there.
Flash forward to New York City where Todd worked on Broadway as a company manager. And while he loved theatre, it wasn’t quite footing his bills. Trying to find a way to make ends meet, Todd recounts, “My mom kept saying to me, ‘You have this skill that no one has. You can teach trope and Torah.’”
Like all good Jewish boys, Todd actually listened to his mother and started teaching on the side. He got so busy, he had to hire other teachers and without realizing it, his company began to form.
Well, you can take the boy out of the theatre. But you can never take theatre out of the boy and when Todd was offered the role of tour manager for “Kiss Me Kate” a 55 week tour that hit 27 cities across the US, He couldn’t refuse. “It was great,” he shares. “And it opened my eyes to the rest of the country.” At 27 years old Todd had traveled a bit with his parents. But he recognized, “I knew what New Yorkers were like. And I was just going to live in New York for the rest of my life. It was that sort of tunnel vision. But I really loved so many of these other cities.”
After two months in LA, Todd knew he’d been bitten by the Hollywood bug. At the urging of his brother, who was there pursuing a film and television career, Todd decided to move to LA.
He took his time to find the right position. He used his networking prowess to learn about the biz and started applying for jobs in film and TV. He simultaneously put a small ad in the Jewish Journal touting his Bar Mitzvah lessons. He got calls. Word of mouth spread, and Todd’s visibility grew.
He also landed a great job at Bruce Willis’s Production Company. It helped land the job when he interviewed the President of the company who turned out to be a friend of a friend. Their 20-minute tête-à-tête went on for an hour and a half during which they kibbitzed in Hebrew and made plans to go to services together. I’m telling you; this guy is a born connector.
“I love a small world story,” Todd tells me. “And I think it’s comforting to know that you basically can meet family wherever you go. Whatever that means to you. You’re mishpocha, you know? The extended mishpocha.”
And the crazy thing is that Todd Shotz made me feel like I was part of his family during our hour-long interview. I had originally set aside 20 minutes. But neither of us wanted to end the conversation. So, on we went.
He told me about Rabbi Sharon Brous, who had founded the leading-edge congregation of IKAR in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, Todd grew up with her husband in Philadelphia. She asked him to create IKAR’s Bar Mitzvah program. Todd’s schedule was already overloaded so he started hiring people and Hebrew Helpers was born.
Hebrew Helpers is not your systematic B’nai Mitzvah program. Mentors don’t just teach you to memorize your Torah portion and say a few prayers. It’s a holistic learning program that meets young people where they are. Todd insists mentors dig deep to know their students in a personal way.
“For us,” he relates, “We’re reinventing the system every time we meet a new family. Of course, we have standards and of course we do have certain benchmarks.” But it’s not just about memorizing and showing up on the big day. “We do really good quality education.” Todd asserts, “It’s a very thoughtful process.”
Todd Shotz most recently produced a Hollywood feature film, “The Grotto,” written and directed by Tony Award-winning actress Joanna Gleason. In 2019 he produced the documentary “Latter Day Jew” about a gay Mormon comedian who converted to Judaism after beating cancer. He also produced “Lazy Eye,” written and directed by his partner in LA-based production company T42 Entertainment, Tim Kirkman. “Lazy Eye” brought Todd the qFlix Producer Award and screened at top LGBTQ+ film festivals around the country.
If you think you don’t know the global film producer/Hebrew Helper, Todd Shotz, think again. He’s a cousin or a friend, or he went to school with your brother-in-law, or he’s that guy you met at a theatre convention back in the day. Google him. Follow him. Make him part of your mishpacha.
by Cindy | Feb 6, 2024 | Culture, Featured Slider, Israel, jewish news, October 7, Terrorism
A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news
By Sivan Rahav Meir
Translated by Yehoshua Siskin
Invitation to the Western Wall
These days, when there is so much advice going around on how to cope, here’s another suggestion: Come to the Western Wall. Just come. Last week, I witnessed the profound impact of visiting this holy site.
Every week, I connect with hundreds of women via Zoom for a study session. Last week, though, we gathered in person at the Western Wall. For many, it was their first visit since the onset of the war. One woman from Kiryat Shmona expressed her feelings: “How could it be that I haven’t come until now? I feel incredibly strengthened!”
Shortly before we arrived, soldiers from the Golani Brigade, stationed at Mount Dov on the northern border, came to pray and give thanks. They were joined by soldiers from the Shura army base and Zaka volunteers, who had endured harrowing days and nights identifying bodies of the fallen. A couple of weeks earlier, a massive gathering of 50,000 people assembled here to pray for the safety and release of the hostages. Nearly every day, a new group arrives — survivors of the Nova festival, evacuees from the south and the north, wives of reservists, and just everyday Israelis.
During our visit, a woman from Spain approached Racheli Hadad, the supervisor of tours at the Western Wall, and myself. A Jewish woman, feeling a deep need to be at this holy site during these times, had simply purchased a plane ticket and come.
Soli Eliav, director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, shared a touching story. Recently, five youths who were suffering from trauma, accompanied by their mentor, found comfort for the first time in the presence of the Wall’s ancient stones. “There’s something in Jerusalem that soothes and heals,” he observed. “It connects us to the essence of our current actions and all that is unfolding around us. It’s no coincidence that so many chapters of Psalms describe the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Like the pilgrims of old, may we too ascend to Jerusalem with great joy.”
Celebrating in Trying Times
In these uncertain and difficult times, many grapple with how to joyously mark special occasions. The Yarchi family from Talmon found a unique way to celebrate their son Amitai’s bar mitzvah by sharing it with a displaced family from the Gaza periphery. Shira Yarchi, Amitai’s mother, shared her thoughts:
“As Amitai approached his bar mitzvah, we wanted to imbue the event with a deeper sense of meaning, connection, and unity. We reached out to a family from the Gaza-border community of Kibbutz Magen, which had been evacuated to a Dead Sea hotel and who were also celebrating a bar mitzvah. This led to a joint celebration.
“During a visit to the Dead Sea, we met the Levin family, including their son, Yuval. Our families instantly connected and formed a bond. The following Friday, both boys, Amitai and Yuval, attended my father’s synagogue in Ra’anana, where they donned tefillin (phylacteries) together, marking a significant milestone in their lives.”
Yuval’s mother, Maayan, added her perspective: “Ever since the war began, we’ve been displaced from our home. Organizing Yuval’s bar mitzvah was bittersweet. But when the Yarchis proposed a joint celebration, it was a gesture that touched our hearts. The boys have so much in common, and celebrating together, especially the moment they put on tefillin, brought an added layer of significance to the entire event.”
Mazal tov, Amitai and Yuval. Your first mitzvah was performed together, in a special partnership. Welcome, as men, to Am Yisrael!
Voice of Courage from the Rehab Ward
During a recent visit to the rehabilitation department at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, I encountered profoundly inspiring individuals.
Amichai Shindler, who lost both hands while rescuing Kibbutz Kerem Shalom from the terrorists on October 7, expressed his optimism with a smile: “I am waiting to get prosthetics for my hands so that I can hug my children.”
Yehonatan Ben Hamo, who lost his leg to an RPG missile in Gaza, shared his philosophy: “You know the saying, ‘I came to give strength and left strengthened’? That’s my goal for everyone who visits me. I aim to empower them. My role extends to offering support and reassurance to all the newly injured people who arrive here.”
These statements embody the remarkable spirit prevalent among the wounded and their families. Despite enduring significant challenges and pain, they radiate hope, a zest for life, and even humor.
From the Dungeons of the KGB to Tunnels of Hamas
I had the privilege this week of speaking with Natan Sharansky, a prominent figure who endured nine years in a Russian prison due to his opposition to the Soviet regime and his active advocacy for emigration rights, particularly for Jews seeking to make Aliyah.
Earlier, Yaron Or, father of Avinatan Or, currently held hostage in Gaza, had shared his thoughts in a media interview, saying, “These days, my mind often turns to my son and to Sharansky, from whom I draw considerable strength.” Moved by those words, Sharansky reached out to Yaron, offering words of solidarity and resilience:
“When I was in prison, I derived strength from many sources, first and foremost, my wife Avital. I felt her presence even though we never met during that period. The Jewish nation was also a source of great strength; knowing that people were praying for me helped me hold on.
“I always kept with me a copy of Psalms, written by King David, and that, too, gave me strength. I felt as if King David’s words were directed specifically to me and my distress.
“After enduring many years in confinement, the realization dawned on me that it wasn’t just King David who empowered me; I was empowering him! The previous generations were observing my struggle and I was upholding their legacy. I couldn’t let them down. I was connected to our glorious past and to the promise of our even more glorious future; I was part of our magnificent story! This held true as a prisoner of Zion in Russia and it resonates just as strongly regarding the hostages currently held captive in tunnels in Gaza. We are all small yet significant parts of a grand and enduring story.”
Greetings from New Jersey
We recently spent Shabbat in Tenafly, New Jersey, together with the local Israeli community. Just minutes before Shabbat, we were joined by Ran and Orly Gilboa, parents of Daniela Gilboa, who is being held hostage by Hamas. They had just arrived from significant meetings in Washington. Suddenly, the name “Daniela bat Orly” – one of the Israeli hostages I’ve been praying for – took on a deeper, more immediate meaning.
At the Shabbat meal, which drew hundreds of participants, Rabbi Yitzhak Gorshevitz, the Chabad emissary of Tenafly, invited everyone to dedicate the “Eshet Chayil” song to Daniela, as a prayer for her swift return. “Eshet Chayil” or “A Woman of Valor,” is a chapter from Proverbs traditionally sung every Shabbat. It is an ode to the mother, the wife, and the women of the nation, verse by verse, in the order of the aleph-bet. On this occasion, the Rabbi urged us to direct this heartfelt song towards Daniela, sending these powerful words from New Jersey all the way to Gaza:
“A woman of valor, who can find… Her candle burns throughout the night… Strength and dignity are her clothing… Let us praise her for her achievements…”
This marked the start of a profoundly meaningful and stirring Shabbat. In a conversation with Orly, I asked her what was the source of her strength during these difficult times. She shared that it was precisely these acts of solidarity and mutual responsibility from around the globe, prayers and good deeds from people who are strangers, yet deeply connected on the soul level, that provided her with the fortitude to endure each day.
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