He Walked Away from Success to Fix What Nobody Else Would

I almost feel like if was started by a woman that just got up from Shiva and the husband didn't have life insurance, I almost feel it would be so successful. Clrol always needs a tragedy or like someone needs something and it's everything's an emergency for something to actually bank some sense into people's heads. And I wasn't that. I was just a regular guy who my friend lost his brother-in-law. That's why I started this. But it the sense of urgency wasn't there. And somehow things only work in our communities when there's a tremendous sense of urgency. So after a while it was like you can't even imagine what I went through like stories. >> It's a little bit sad to me that you're saying that and I want to get into it. So let's welcome back everybody to the None of Your Business podcast. I'm your host Michael Greenfield and we are sponsored of course by the Prime Source team. As you've learned, if you have a nursing home, assisted living home, hotel, or any kind of operation that's feeding people or servicing them, and you want to cut your expenses, talk to someone at Prime Source. Thank you to all our subscribers, our followers. We're missing English today, but we have Hartstein. Welcome to the program. It's a delight to have you. >> Thank you, Michael. Great to be here. >> Thank you. I appreciate it. We already started talking and uh you know, we're getting into the whole depth of your background of life insurance and uh for ABM. I remember this campaign. I remember it being a big deal and then I remember it not being a big deal anymore. So, I'd like to know what happened and what that background is. But before we get started, I need to ask you about your background, who you are, where'd you grow up, where you're from, where your family from. I love just giving a little bit of a flavor to who you are. And you can do it as long as you want. >> Thank you. >> So, she's not here. >> Um, my name is Hartstein. I just turned 40. I grew up in Bar Park. I went to Yeshiva Suns Elementary School and then I went to four different high schools. Um I always joke that everybody was fighting over me so I had to give everyone a fair chance. >> That's nice of you. >> Yeah. >> Which ones can you name them? >> Yeah. So for ninth grade um I went to a place called Miss Seagate or Tendler. The next uh year I went to a small yeshiva in Bar Park. Um it's called Leif Tyra. It was like a really small yeshiva. I lasted there to Khaneka. >> Okay. >> Then I went to Fsburg High School. Um a couple of my brothers learned there and they were very successful and it was really the manal was amazing. But when I went there to my luck um he was retiring in the middle of the year. It's complicated para but the new administration was like yeah we're uh this is not for you. You know you're not a with us. I see the school shifted gears and you weren't for them anymore. >> Right. Rabbi Spirit had took me cuz he he knew that I needed the extra push. >> Got it. >> Back then, just to give a little context, you're talking about um 25 years ago, it was very uncommon to have Yeshivas. It was either you fit the mold or you didn't fit the mold. So, I didn't fit the mold at all. I had no patience to sit. So, I had no patience to learn, you know, wasn't just I wasn't a bad guy. It was just I wasn't I was the youngest, right? So my parents were both um um children of Holocaust survivors growing up in Burough Park where everybody dreamed that all my five kids are going to look exactly the same. It didn't fit. >> They definitely dress them the same by the way. They try really hard. >> Exactly. So everyone right so that was my third yeshiva and at the end of the year and then ended up in a shashy for two years was fine. Then I went to other yeshiva. high school I went to bismarish then I went to London for bismarish which was amazing Newman who turned out to be my uh I married his great niece much later on uh he was amazing and then I went to Israel I came back I went to a small um post yes called Rabbi Corbman very small yes I think it's still around and then I went to work I was single I think I was >> 21 was your first job >> yeah okay >> I I wanted to go work earlier but you know obviously The system didn't let you. >> The system was uncomfortable, but um I went to work at 21 years old. I got my first job was selling eyeglasses for a guy in B park. I sold them wholesale. Then I sold furniture. And then through the furniture, we we sold to a lot of nonprofit organizations. And then somebody asked me, oh, you know, do you have any apartments for us? We're a non for-p profofit. We're looking for rentals. And I got into that business. And then that became full-time. And then I went into real estate and I I then I met my wife. I was 26 years old. I met my amazing Kyle. I got married. We ended up we rented an apartment in Brooklyn, few blocks away from my in-laws on East 17th and we moved to East 26th. And then um three and a half years in we moved we bought our first house in Muny um on Sherry Lane. And then >> for how much? >> I paid $570,000. >> Okay. Not bad. for a but it was like a 1 acre tent sherry. >> It was a on unobstructed acre. Beautiful. I had I put in a pool. It was really really nice. It was just the two of us. >> We did not have any children at that time >> and Bashem um a few months in my wife right away my wife started expecting our first child. um Hudari was born and then shortly thereafter we realized that Sher Lane was not young enough for our family and my wife started making noise about having to move back to Brooklyn. So I got really scared. So I put it into gear and I started searching for a different home and I found a very nice colonial on Roel and which is right off Limekill and I we went to see it and we bought it and then we had we're there 10 years. We have four beautiful children, three boys and a girl and I couldn't be happier. >> Beautiful. You became a Muny person. >> Love it here. >> That's it. You became a Muny person. You're working. Things are good. Life is happening. I want you to skip forward to where you got involved in this whole uh life insurance thing and what changed in your life. But um I'm remembering that you have someone who's a sister that is was a was a social media personality. >> My my sister is a very very famous person. >> Leia Forester, right? >> Yeah. >> And for some reason I remember like tickle Tuesday >> and uh >> so Leia's great. We actually had her booked once on this show and it never ended up happening. So, we're going to have to That might be your guest that you might have to request at the end. That's great. Okay, fine. I I for some reason it hit me now, but uh >> we're four boys and a girl. >> I was going to ask you. Oh, you're four boys and a girl. >> Yeah, I'm the youngest. It's Mishi, Sandy, Leia, Yasi, and myself. >> Beautiful. Beautiful. Any other anyone else that's out there like as big as you and her or it's just the two of you? >> I don't consider myself. >> Come on. You're making a name out there. You're doing a lot of good things. We'll talk about it in a minute. >> No, no, it's uh all my siblings. I got my brother Maiishi is tremendous Sandi my brother Yasi Zbi in Lakewood every each in their own right >> could stand on their own two feet any day of the week. >> Love it. Love it. It's obviously a family of giving and just doing good and >> it's awesome. >> So take me to the time where suddenly something happened in your life and you're like whoa what's happening this is a problem that needs to be solved and you paused your life. What happened? So, I'm in real estate 13 years. Typical guy in shu that sits in the back and complains about every third thing. Um, went to always every 6 months I was in another shel. This wasn't good enough for me. That wasn't good enough for me. Regular from Jew neighborhood with five shooles. Each shel has 40 people type of guy. And in March of 2025, um, a very dear friend of mine, really close friend of mine, lost his brother-in-law. And it was public. It was a terrible car accident. His brother-in-law was very young. And the family, you know, they were sitting Shiva. And uh, I'm watching this up close. It's my neighbor. And it's not just my neighbor. We, this family shared two neighbors. a neighbor across the street from me that was a brother-in-law from one side from this wife's side and my friend on my right side was the brother-in-law from the husband's side and two days into the shiva a fundraising link went out for the family and I felt that that you know I I the first question I had was where was the life insurance you know for a guy like that it would have been like 40 bucks a month 50 bucks a month at his age to have a term life insurance policy and I started having discussions with people and there was a lack of awareness on how inexpensive it was and how easy it was to get. So I jumped right into it. I said I am starting this and with all the fundraisers in general it used to bother me but this hit home. So I jumped into it and I literally overnight opened up an organization called BFA where we just bring awareness to how important and easy it is to get life insurance. And that's what we did. I stopped my life. It was in March, April, May. We launched and I started running around to Rabanim getting videos from Rabbi Bender to Rabbi First from Chicago to anyone you could think of. And I went to Yeshivas and said, "Could you please try to get the parents to sign on? Elementary school parents are so young. Now is the time to get life insurance." I went to Schul's speaking and I spoke to you off air about shelling for Charlotte. how amazing Yudi Herzburg is. Yudi Herzburg went around to his shel and single-handedly together with Yakov Zenberg's friend, they split the shel and they made sure that everybody in Pomona East had life insurance because his brother Bahashi Khan was extremely supportive of it. But those are the kinds of things we were doing and we did it for months and months and we um I spent a lot of money on awareness on videos um advertising on many different platforms doing podcasts and we got thousands of people signed on to life insurance. Um we partnered with the brokerage um not partnered in the you know money sense just where the referrals went to and we got many thousands of people signed on and many people that will never know the impact because they got it you know somewhere else and they got life assurance and hashem we get emails on a daily basis still um so that's what we did with the was an amazing campaign >> so you you became passionate about this right and we were talking earlier by the way it wasn't off air As soon as we sit down the cameras are rolling. So we were we will uh inclusive of that conversation in terms of making a difference when you said earlier about tragedy when something happens >> what do you think it is people are paying attention more or your passion is there more meaning like if the tragedy happens to a person directly a lot of organizations have started from people that got affected by it. I always had the feeling in general that people give to what they're afraid of, right? In general, like you know, you're you'll donate to easier to something that, you know, uh is something that you can relate to more. And especially those that start organizations, I find that they're they're starting it because they experience it themselves. You you maybe were lacking that perhaps. In other words, you said earlier that who's who's successful because of tragedy? The people giving, the people wanting to do it. Like could we talk about that for a second? I'm just curious to learn about that because there's so many people who have see needs in in in Clius role and pick themselves up and do it and also pausing your life to do it. You're obviously passionate about the robot to speak about it. So what part let's go back to that part that you were saying about the tragedy part of it. >> You know that Dar Sharon was founded by a person that lost a few of his own children because the lack of testing for genetic diseases and they wouldn't take no for an answer. And today dar shad I mean you can't do anything right they'd still move forward nothing happens without dar sh became but it was it took the passion of somebody that lost children to do shar I feel that if had ban been started by somebody who had gotten up from shiva and saw that was raising millions of dollars for her because her husband didn't have life insurance I feel like it would have been something that would have been 10 times more successful because I don't think people would have said no to her. My challenge was that I was going to communities and I was going to Rabon and I was calling them all day and the sense of urgency just wasn't there. You know, I used to joke that Arav can speak about and more learning and more sedaka, you know, at any time of the day without without any preparation. But when I, you know, wanted this to be discussed in sure, it was something that they really didn't know how to handle it. Whether a lot of rabbon didn't have life insurance themselves, whether their married children didn't have it, whether it's something they never thought about, but here I am bringing it up and they really didn't know how to handle it. And then as much as some wonderful people in communities that did take the initiative, there was only so much I can do, right, where I can bring the horse to the water, but I can't force it to drink, right? And I have my own personal life also. But you have people in communities like how many times, you know, I I how many times I try to get people to take the initiative that Yodi took in his community, but most communities, you can't find that person that's ready to jump in and call everybody and do it. So unfortunately there are in clust it's it's maybe in the world at large you have to be like in a in a real tragic situation or a dire situation for someone to wake up and actually take you know the initiative. >> Did anybody fight you on the life insurance thing saying I don't need it. It's not necessary. Why spend the money? Hashem will take care of us. If you activate this then God won't look out for you the same. Nobody put up any of those >> 99.9%. So you're saying so there would have been a success rate if you would continue doing it. So it's >> correct. >> Right. I see. Okay. And and the messaging in general on this topic and let's wrap this up for for for now is just you know why wait till it's too late so to speak. Get term life insurance cuz it's so cheap and you might as well. And >> that's not why wait. It's when it's too late then you're in big trouble. Right. You have to understand when it's not just the money is that money sits somewhere. It's overseen by a Rob. It's overseen by like people in the community that now are you're married to them. >> Is it more of an initiative for Abanim that you do this for? For Abam and yeshivas or whatever it's just anybody. >> I I actually think yeshivas should employers and yeshivas have a unique opportunity that they can make sure that their employees have. Rebeender makes sure you can't work in Dar without life insurance. Said this to me on camera. You can't be in Kyle in Dar without a life insurance policy of I believe it's a million dollars. I think that his yeshiva pays half and he pays half but you have to have it. I tried with healthcare. I said to the nursing home owners, I'm like, you have hundreds of people working for you, men and women. Why don't we do something where you know offer it as a as a perk? You're offering all these other benefits like let's do something together. It was a process. Everything took time and I didn't have that much time but uh um I I think it's when it's too late it's it's really too late. >> Got it. You're self-funding this awareness. This is your thing and you're >> I did but that's what you were doing at >> then but I selfunded the first a lot of but then then I fundraised >> the initial part of it taking it off and kudos to you for doing it and raising the awareness. >> I I think it's a it's a it's definitely commendable thing. It's >> it was a it was it was it was >> and it continues to be however it was too difficult. It didn't come from a place of tragedy. The response wasn't the I mean the exact what you're looking for. So you pivoted, but was there a break and then you pivoted because you're wearing a shirt that says something else? >> So what happened was um I was very in I was strong in the life assurance. We were pushing it and then the summer came along of 2025, right? And this phenomenon in the world called Zora Mamani was running for New York City mayor. And I was watching I was watching his election. I was totally enamored by what was going on and I was watching what he was doing. I was watching what everybody else was doing and it really was the same sherish. It was the same concept of the life assurance. I was watching Claudia Shaw react to a crisis to a 10 alarm fire in New York City. Why? People weren't registered to vote. people weren't involved and everyone was running around registering people at the same time while trying to get the the voter trying to get people to turn out to vote like in the summer when Eric Adams who was the New York City mayor was polling at 7%. Right? So you had Cuomo SWA and Adams and then you had Mdani but Mdani he rose much later. his poll numbers started going up much closer to the primary, much closer to the election. They were still having fundraisers for Eric Adams when he was pulling at 7%. Who is advising these communities to do that? Jewish communities. I don't get it. Like, you should have immediately changed course and back Cuomo. Although Cuomo was not a good candidate. That was another problem. But that's what you had. You didn't have anybody else. So, what are you being busy with Adams for? Great friend to the Jewish community. love him, but he has no chance. So, I was looking at the literally and then also then you have all these influencers, Instagrammers that are also they represent the Jewish community as well. And I'm literally watching how everybody's on a different path, right? And there's this one group called the DSA, which is Democratic Socialist of America that are quiet. They're silent but deadly. They know exactly what they're doing. They're extremely organized, but they're not making a lot of noise. They're quietly quietly building a massive infrastructure and a massive apparatus. And I told my friends, I said, "This guy's winning election." Don't say it publicly. I'm like, "Okay, fine." But he's winning. And then I actually did a podcast before, right before the election. We were talking about uh uh middle class finances and we were talking about getting young people involved in generally in things. And I said at the end, I said uh I said, "This guy's going to win because he's got to figure it out with the young people. He has a a massive following of young people who have all the energy in the world. And on the night that he won his election, his general election, Zoramani, I watched cuz that's what I did. I was watching and I already had decided at that point, I'm starting something. I didn't know what it was. I said, I'm starting something to get young people involved in civics in the Jewish community, in politics, and know what's going on. And watching the election and I was in Florida, I'll never forget it. And I and they kept on, you know, on TV. They kept going back and forth to the both campaigns cuz both sides were waiting to hear the result. Mdani's place had people that no one knew. No wealthy people, no ask on him, just regular people, all young, extremely young. And then Cuomo's campaign had all the old people, all the people that everyone knew. They've been in politics forever. Oh, that guy, another another guy. And I'm like, that's what's wrong with it. and they're not getting the message. And then Cuomo loses and who gets on the stage to make his concession speech. He's surrounded by all people that we know that have been in politics forever. And Mdani wins and he gets on stage and he's himself. Nobody was behind him. No big donors, right? Nobody. And I realized the political landscape has changed and either we're going to figure it out and go along with it or not. And at that moment, Kisra was born. And Kusro was going to provide advocacy for the Jewish community on a New York state and New York City level, not national. Everybody wants runs to Washington, but how much could you actually accomplish in Washington, right? They pass, I think, 30 bills in Congress a year, and there's a thousand people trying to get the same time with that one Congress member or senator. I said, "We need more representation in New York State because there are almost a half a million Orthodox Jews living in New York State." And I believe today more than ever we are aligned on 99% of the issues as Jewish people. And that's when I decided to do this. I felt this was a big need. I didn't even know what I'm going to decide. And then you know we could talk about what happened from then until now. But that that's when it was born. I >> I want to unpack it again. Call Hakkavode to you right. mad respect for seeing something that's a need or at least thinking that it's a need and attacking it and doing it in your way and I'm learning from it. Uh you know, yes, my brother is a background of politics. >> Who's your brother? >> U you know, so he's he's out there and he's um he's he's doing his thing and he understands politics more than most people. I for one am not uh that person, but I I understand and appreciate the value of doing something when there's a need and really trying to hone in on that, but I have a couple of questions that I need to unpack this with. So before I go there, there's something live happening now in the world and it's like an interesting conversation and you just said something about wasting time and spending time in in Washington versus New York. First of all, I'm thinking what most people are probably thinking. You're wasting your time in New York also. So, we'll get to that in a minute, but the daylight savings time thing that's happening right now, and there's a whole push and uh you know, you're involved in that, I'm imagining, right? You're you're really No, you have an opinion on it. >> I look there's there's I I've get a million messages. I'm for it. What's the big deal? We'll have more We'll have more time in the day. Then I have from people that wake up late. >> Okay. >> And then you have people that wake up early that say this is no good. And then you have people that my kid's going to go to yeshiva when it's dark. So my answer to everybody is the same. you have a problem with it, go advocate for it, go make your voices be heard. Right now, it's it passed Congress. It this is discussion has been going on since the 70s, right? Remember, was involved. Yeah, it's all over. It passed in 2022. It passed the Senate. Something similar. It never made it to the House and now it vice versa. It passed the House, right? And a good involved with this for years, right? They've been advocating for it. But I feel like and I actually spoke to I don't know if do you know Rabbi Steckler from HK? >> Sure. >> So I met with him a few weeks ago. He's all over this. He wants to be involved in this. I texted him last night. I said would you be interested in sending a bus of boys to all to uh Washington? And he said yes this year >> but those two weeks from between camp ends is they're they're away till September 11th. My opinion is whatever you have something to say, say it. >> Okay, that's a great that's that's a great marketing move. But you I'm sure have a thought on this which I want to get to. But shout out to Rabbi Stackler. I mean he has built a welloiled machine of a school that I'm a proud parent of by the way. So yes, >> I didn't know that. >> And uh it's an amazing system, an amazing school. He is phenomenal person and he's another person that you could recommend on the on the podcast. We'd love to have him here. He's the >> he's he's happily. >> So yeah, Rabbi Rabbi Steckler, for those that don't know, have has built a phenomenal high school system for boys. Every year it grows in value and numbers and education and in just everything. It just continuously grows and outnumbers itself. And you know, shout out to the entire staff and system that they have there. So that's amazing stuff. But I I hear what you're doing to me. I I I see what you're doing. Meaning you're saying if you have a problem, go advocate. That's your That's your message in general. I'm asking you on a personal note, daylight savings time. What's your thoughts? >> No thoughts. Doesn't Doesn't matter to you. Care less. Could care less in general. But you care what other people are saying, right? You care what in general if if if Mosha Feinstein wrote about it, then we should care about it. >> So I said I I said because Clauus, it's a Clausil issue, then we should go as Claus and advocate for it. I'm happy to arrange and run. >> What's the Clauius issue? I'm asking you then. Maybe it's not your problem. >> I told you it's it's two two issues >> of waking up later or waking up early. That's it. I understand. But we're talking about >> it's that's exactly it that in certain times you're not going to be able to before 8 8:00. >> Okay. We didn't you didn't say that. That's what I'm saying. What's the specific issue? >> You're not going to be able two things. >> 8:00. So what? So you can't get to work at 9. You're saying in certain in certain states? Yeah. >> That's what the challenge is. >> That's the challenge that you can't do before 8:00 in the morning. >> So in order to get to work at 9:00 in certain areas around the world at certain times, >> you won't be able to den. And then also the Shabas buses are going to end up going in in the pitch dark. >> Okay. What about Shabas? Also affects Shabas Friday night. I guess sunset. >> They didn't even talk about that. >> Is that an issue though? Wouldn't that be >> You make early shabas. >> I understand. >> Make shabas all year. >> I understand. For people who need to leave early. Okay, got it. Yeah. >> So it is a problem for Clus or it's not a problem for cluster. >> I believe it is. >> Okay. That's what I was asking you earlier. >> That's my personal opinion. I'm not either arenally there the have said I I I I haven't seen very much I haven't seen today's I haven't seen an opinion I know the Israel has been heavily advocating against this legislation so if they they have a moatas if they have been advocating against it then you have to assume that this is a issue >> okay that's that's I'm learning from you so if auda has a challenge with something then we should assume that it's a challenge for claus >> has a okay so this is an auda polio issues. It's not a Schlimy Arstein issue. >> No, not at all. >> Right. Not at all. >> Not at all. >> So, what are your issues then? >> I have no issues. >> What are your ch What are the challenges that you're you're trying to educate? I'm talking about in terms of >> So, let's So, let's go back. >> Yeah. By the way, kudos to you. Have no issues. Wow. >> I have no issues. I I People have issues. I have I'm much more focused on solutions now, not issues. >> Right. But solution to an issue or a challenge, obviously. >> So, let let let's go back. So we we took on two issues. We decided we I decided I'm going to Albany. That's what I decided. Why am I going to Albany? Cuz I want more Jewish presence in Albany. And when you go to Albany, >> you have to have an issue. You you can walk up to Albany and take a meeting and say, "Hi, how are you? Uh my name is Arstein. What does want today?" So there's two things that people go for, two big things. So, every year in January, the governor has to propose a budget for the state of New York. Do you know what the budget is this year in the state of New York? >> Tell me. >> You want to guess? Let's make a little fun. >> $5 billion. >> $5 million. >> Could you guess again, please? >> $5 trillion. >> No, no, no. >> The budget this year was about $260 billion. Okay. >> Okay. The second to the largest budget in the country after California. >> Okay. >> New York spends a lot of money. So the governor has to propose her budget in January. From January to March, the Senate, there's a New York State Senate and New York State Assembly. It's like Congress and United States Senate. It works the same way. Jersey has the same thing. They each house passes their version of what they want a budget to look like. No one ever agrees. Neither of the three. And after that, it was called back in the day it was called three men in a room. Now it's women. You have the majority leader of the Senate which is Andrea Stewart Cousins. You have the speaker of the assembly who is Carl Histi and you have the governor which is Kathy Hokll. They get into a room and they negotiate the final budget. The budget has to pass the Senate and the Assembly for it to become the budget by the governor. So it's all negotiations. What happens? So January and February, tons of advocates come up to Albany to advocate for money for themselves. I have a library. I want money. I have a food pantry. I have money. And you see hundreds and hundreds of different causes that are coming literally to ask like fundraising. It's exactly what it is. And they go to their local member and then they'll go around if it's a statewide thing. So that's one part of advocacy. Okay. Cl Israel is very involved in that part of advocacy. It's transactional. We need funding for yeshivas. We need all kinds of funding and there are some amazing organizations including teach NYS which is run by Sydney Oldfield. They advocate for security funding and STEM funding and arts and culture in schools. Amazing. That goes on at that time of the year. So Claus became very transactional with that. We want money for busing, transportation, security grants, all kinds of stuff. When it comes to legislation, I felt my personal feeling was there wasn't enough advocacy on Jewish issues with the rise of anti-semitism today and the fact that most from people live in the state of New York. So I went up to Albony and I took on a very complicated issue and I learned from that experience. The issue was you but you grew up in Muny >> Brooklyn. >> In Brooklyn but you live here a long time. Yeah. >> So you're part of the East Rampo school district. >> Yes. >> Are you familiar with East Rampo School District the challenges it's had over the years? >> Sure. Somewhat. >> Right. Yes. >> So, East Ram Post School District going back to when I was a kid. >> Okay. >> Had a lot of problems, right? We the the from people took over majority of the board. >> Yes. >> The 40,000 private school kids versus 10,000 public school kids. And over the years, the East Rampo school board got a monitor. Then they have a monitor with veto power. And it's it's a lot of problems. And I said, I would like to build I would like to bring a solution to the East Rampo school district problem. And I literally said that. And I called up a couple of local politicians and they told me to stay away from it and that's ex gave me fuel to continue and I went up there and I started making a ruckus. I started taking meetings with every assembly member and senator on the education committee >> with the objective of >> of of trying to create a separate school district within East Rambo, another school district >> in order to >> in order to have that the public school community can have their own school district and the private school community can have their own school district >> so that there's no more fighting and none of that. >> Okay, >> that was my objective. Noble cause >> very very complicated extremely complicated the east part >> some would say waste of time >> correct correct but I had to see that for myself I still don't feel it's a waste of time I feel like it maybe take too long to actually I had a call with NAACP and the ACLU and >> after three trips to to Albany we got away from that we focused on a very simple issue the issue was we wanted at that time there was a bill that was introduced that said you need to have you should have a 25 ft buffer zone outside a house of worship which is a shul a mosque church I said 25 ft wasn't enough that was my opinion and I asked my volunteers and they said we agree with you 25 ft maybe in New York is a lot or but outside of New York Westchester New Rockland five towns so I went up and I said we should do a 100 and the governor at that time had already expressed her um you know her support of 25 ft and I felt it wasn't no anywhere near enough. So I went up there and I got push back. What are you doing? You're not going to get anything. You don't understand what you're doing. This is such a hot topic. It's a first amendment issue. But anybody that told it to me was mainstream old school politicians. Not politicians. People that worked in the call that told me you don't know how things are done. And I was looking for something different. Yeah. and I'm not afraid to learn, but I don't like the way things were done. I don't like that everything is done behind the scenes. I don't like that everything is done behind closed doors. And I think that the public has a right to know more. So I went up I went up once. I went up twice. And after the third time, there was an assemblyman. His name is George Alvarez from the Bronx, 78th district that said, "I will propose your bill." I I believe doesn't have a shul, not a shul in his district. He's a Christian. He's a man of faith. And he said he's going to propose. All of a sudden, now I have a bill, right? So I I'm fired. >> Oh, I'm sorry. What's the point of the 75 ft? What am I saying? >> You should You should not be able to protest. >> Okay. >> Within a 100 feet of a house of worship. >> Oh, I missed that part. >> You should not be able to protest. The the bill that was on the table was should be 25 ft. >> You're saying if there are people that want to protest on the house of worship, they shouldn't stand too close to the church or the synagogue or whatever it is, house of worship. >> Correct. Right. Because you're fighting for churches also. I'm imagining >> it's a house of Yeah. Any houseship or a mosque. >> Any house of worship. Correct. >> In order to get what we I would say need it. It applies to everybody. So, this is something that you decided again is something that's worthwhile even though people might be telling you you're wasting your time. No, I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it different. I'm going to do it better. And you found a guy who actually proposed it into a bill. >> Correct. So, you need >> that's where it's up to now. >> No, no, no, no. >> Okay. In the story, >> you in the story. >> Yeah. >> So, you need a bill you need a bill in the assembly. You need a bill in the Senate. >> And then if if it passes, you need it signed by the governor. So, we had our assembly bill. So, I took my assembly bill and I organized. By the way, just so you understand, when I went to Albany, I got people literally, I mean, the first trip I took was with a kid, a guy Mayor Hoffman, who's was my volunteer in the beginning, never got paid. And he just believed in the cause. And then another kid, Shia Goldberger and Kesky Wagner, these guys just literally got into the car with me on January 20th and said, "We're coming with we're coming with you to Albany." I had meetings set up. You have to call these offices. You have to get their schedules, emails. You have to follow up. There's so much work that goes into it. And they literally went with me and we spent the entire day and every half hour office to office to office to we lit we took a half hour for lunch like nothing and we had this is how we did our trips and sometimes a night before my Albany trip with my entire itinerary I didn't have I didn't have people everybody's last minute like Arstein knows this is what he wants to do but everybody else is like and I would literally call and beg people to come and that's how these trips happen. So now it's March 12th and we have our bill. So we're going back March 17 and now getting five guys, six guys, sometimes seven guys and it's picking up steam. And we spent two visits getting what's called co-sponsors, which is support. People put their name on a bill means we believe in it. >> Other assembly members, >> other assembly members. We got 18 co-sponsors within a few weeks. And at that time, we got our Senate sponsor because the Senate has 6 63 senators. The Assembly has 150 members. So much harder to get something done in the Senate because there's so much fewer. And out of the 63 senators, you have 41 Democrats, which is almost a supermajority. So you really, if you want something to pass, you want to get it in the Democrat majority because unfortunately a lot of Republican bills don't move. And we got our Senate sponsor from Long Island, Monica Martinez. Wonderful lady. I built an amazing relationship with her office this year and then we got a couple of co Senate co-sponsors and then all of a sudden the governor passed her budget. She passed this very late this year and we got 50 ft. So when they told me now obviously when they announced it everybody ran to take credit, right? You know the bill was signed at the gal for med counsel. >> Cool. >> Yeah. Your brother was right there and all the politicians stood behind the governor. Right. Same politicians that told me it's never going to happen. Right. Don't mess around with this 25 feet. Get get the 20 quote. Get the 25. You'll come back next year for 50. Right. The governor signed 50 feet. And you know what? I didn't get any credit for it, but every single one of our advocates texted me that night and said it was us. So, they all felt like they did something. Now, we know Hashem keeps us safe, right? 25 ft, 50 ft, 75 ft. It's not the point. The point was that if you set out to do something, you yeah, as a Jew in today's world can have a tremendous impact if you're willing to speak up in a respectful manner. >> I agree with you and I'm learning a lot about this, but just quickly and it's just on my mind. Hashem is looking out for us, but the things that you're doing is more about us controlling the outcome. Life insurance, getting up there in politics when a democratic society. So, how do you pick what you're going to where does it where do you cross over where Hashem got this versus I got this? I'm just curious who you are as a person. I want to learn from you. >> I I I it's it's saying right we a lot of this is right. So voting there's not a guttle in the world that's that's going to tell you that it's I'm saying I think they even say it's a to vote it's a to vote you you have we have an opportunity in America most there are plenty countries that you vote means nothing right in in dictatorships right we have we have to vote now I'll tell you a funny story in 1981 there was a little city in Vermont called Burlington Vermont I think a population of about 37,000 And there was an election for mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and about a little over 8,000 people voted in that election. And the mayor won by 10 votes. Would you like to guess who the mayor of Burlington, Vermont was in 1981? I'll tell you who we got from that vote. Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders won his vote, his election by 10 votes. And look at what Bernie Sanders is today. He's the grandfather of socialism, right? He's running that whole movement. Voting is so important. I'll tell you even more. You talk about people think, oh, like I said, people are very transactional. Can we actually change the outcome of this election? Will our vote matter? That's the question. There are school board seats in areas like New Relle, Scarsdale, Westchester that they work really, really hard in those communities to get people to come out to vote. The last election, I think it was an uncontested election. nobody ran against, but they still came out and voted because they wanted to show that we vote no matter what. And now they told me, I had a call earlier today with people from that community. They told me that candidates are coming to their community now for the first time because they know that that community could be relied upon to come vote, right? When you vote in high numbers, right, you will be recognized. That's our it's of of of so when I pick an issue that's why I told you before I'm much less issueoriented I'm much more educationoriented know what's going on around you understand you live in a town of Ramipo what's the responsibilities of a town supervisor what does a county executive do what does an assembly what could an assembly member do for you right we had a story on our block we had a drain that was the cover was too big it was like there for months right I emailed the mayor of Wesley ills. I said, "It's not safe." He emailed me back. Well, it's within our legal right. I wrote back, "Okay, so what happens if something happens, right?" I I kept going back and forth with him. Guess what? A couple of days later, it was you bother enough. Respectfully, it gets done. Got done. They put a guard there. I >> I got it. I understand. I And and I accept your answer and I appreciate it. And um >> you know, it's just something I'm thinking as you're as you're speaking in terms of where do I put my efforts into? And um I'm almost like feeling like let's talk about this. What's your next objective going to be? And why is it not the most pressing issue that everybody has in politics versus what we can do? You said earlier ags is what's killing us financially at the end of the day, right? I I think you would agree with that, right? So you had to pick the number one issue. Um, you know, anti-semitism is obviously a challenge and what you mentioned before and you know the the 50- foot buffer, 25 foot buffer. I mean, your strength I think that you should just put all your energy into school vouchers and that's it. Maybe you you'll get more done. I know there's a small amount of voucher. I think something that's about to pass. Maybe you can educate me a little bit on what's happening now. There's like a,000 or $1,500 something that recently happened. But why not focus on the things that matter really really more to the most people you're picking up on. And it's your right, by the way. You can think of any issue you want and work on it, but I'm curious, you know, why not focus on those things and maybe you can educate us on what's happening with the whole school voucher world right now. >> So, first of all, I'm not that familiar. I know that um the governor had mentioned she was going to opt into this program that multiple organizations are working on for a very long time. I know there was a Catholic uh organization teach coalition was very heavily involved in this advocacy that was involved. >> When does it happen? This >> it's for next year. and it doesn't take it if first of all the governor did not opt in yet, >> right? >> She said she will. >> Okay. >> It's not been done officially. >> Okay. >> Well, let's just be very clear, right? If she opts in, it doesn't start till 2027. I don't know exactly how it works. It's anybody that I ask says it's very complicated. So, I still don't have the answer. I know that it's a $1,700 tax credit dollar for dollar per family. That's that's what I understand. So, it's it's from my understanding is even a $40,000 tax bill, a $40,000 tuition bill, a $50,000 tuition bill, it's $1,700, but there's a whole that if there's a something SJ I I I don't even know. I I'm not qualified to speak more. I know it's $1,700, >> but it's something happening in terms of a credit, correct, >> for the for per kid. >> Correct. >> As a voucher, >> per kid, per family, per tax return. >> $1,700 a year. >> Correct. Oh my. >> Oh yeah, exactly. That's what I said. >> Which is probably why I wanted you to fight for that rather than 25 ft. >> I'm going explain to you why. >> So So and and by the way, on that note, watch the schools raise their tuition by $1,700. >> What about your brother? Maybe David could >> I don't know. I'm just >> Where's David? Tell David to send out a tweet. David, >> put out another tweet. Come on, David. >> I'm very curious about why you're spending all your time doing this, but I I don't to me it's baffling. >> So I'm explain to you. >> Yeah. >> You are a father. You have children, you're paying tuition, you understand right now what what affects you and your friends, right? So, you're like, why don't you advocate for something that can actually help me? I want to build something. I recognize that we will have a lot more pain before we have good while we're building our infrastructure. The DSA has been quiet for 10 years. And now for the first time on June 23rd, they won three congressional primaries. They beat two incumbents, which was unheard of. Brad Lander beat Dan Goldman and uh I forgot her name from the Bronx, Upper Manhattan, beat a long time, a fiveterm congressman, the head of the Hispanic caucus. Okay. Um and then Claire Valdez won an open seat. But they've been building for 10 years and only now are they putting out their people on Fox News or CNN to actually get interviewed. They weren't doing interviews for years as they were growing. Even after my one, the DSA was quiet. I can advocate for anything, but then I'm going to get caught up in the advocacy. And that's the problem with a lot of advocacy groups. Why do you see so much publicity about this new federal program that you mentioned? Because everybody's running to take credit for it. We we did it. We did it. Governor, first of all, didn't opt in yet, right? But there's so many organizations that worked on it, right? It's a collective effort. But when you get caught up in the advocacy, you can never win. Like for example, my buffer zone. I got caught up in the buffer zone. Everybody else took credit for it. Right. Right. I want to educate the next generation so that we actually have a ground game and we have people ready to go at a moment's notice. The way to do that is to build it. The way to build it is by advocating for issues that high school kids can actually understand. If you explain, I invite you to go to a class of 11th graders and try to explain to them a they're not paying tuition. It's not going to speak to them. It's not going to excite them. and B, go explain to them how New York State works with teachers unions and who's going to fight you on this legislation and why it's not a school choice state and why they're most states are not. Florida is, Ohio is or most even the Republican states are not school choice states, right? The teachers union are the most powerful union. You take a dollar out of their pocket, they're going to go nuts, right? That's the whole fight in New York. So, I can go fight for school vouchers and spend the next 5 years because it's not going to be less than that fighting for school vouchers. But then what am I really building, right? Hashem keeps us safe. We can't really fight anti-semitism. Well, you know what we could do? We could create proud Jews. We're going through a time right now where there are many, many students, I know this firsthand cuz I go to the schools, right, that feel very lost. I'm not talking about the yeshiva kids, right? Because those those yeshivas, they go to yeshiva. They're insulated. >> They're very insulated. But if you go to a school where their parents are professionals and they go to they know after school I'm going to Israel, but then I'm going to become a lawyer and a doctor. I'm going to go to the city. I'm going to go to university. >> They're like, I heard this firsthand in I heard it in Albany. Today we were happy to come to Albany to be a proud Jew, not an Israel Jew. I'm not an Israel Jew. I'm 16 years old. Why do I have to combat anything? What 16-year-old wants to combat anything? A 60-year-old just wants to get up in the morning. He wants to go be taiv with his friends. He wants to go to camp. He wants to have a good time. Right? So when you go to Albany and you say, "Oh, I'm on social media and I see how bad it is." But when I get to actually it's not so bad. There's actually people to speak to. Right? That's how you get people involved. From that you will build people to get school vouchers in 5 10 years. But you can't just go out and start fighting for school vouchers, right? It's a process. You have to really build a team of passionate people and you can't build it with with young people. If I wanted to go fight for school vouchers, right? Who am I getting to join the effort? Which which 35-year-old has the time to stop their life, right? Even if they have the finances, I meet with wealthy people all the time, right? They just want to write what? Okay. So, when are you going to be finished? What could you show for it? It's like a business to them, right? But it's not like that, right? So, I hope I answered your question with the school. Yeah, you really answered it by saying something else also which is you learned from your experiences of uh you know the failures and successes and you pivoted and you're now educating the younger generation and that is your organization. That is essentially what you do. So you had to go through those processes of fighting for the 25 ft versus the 50t or the this or that. Now you're you learn from that which is I admire it. I admire that what you're telling me your response to me is great. That's awesome. I'm happy that you're doing that. Please stop fighting for the 25 feet, right? Fight for the education in the future so you can build up some sort of uh army at least in a voting army. You're you're helping create a voting block in the near future for Jewish people because at the tender young age of 18, they get a sudden power that they have. So if you start from when they're 16, you're on to something. So kudos to you. >> Thank you. >> I like what you're doing. I I like the the the push that you're doing and I like the push back that you're getting from me and that you're able to answer and stand up for yourself, which is great. But what I didn't realize is that you pivoted. You learned from it. Meaning I'm like thinking, okay, what's this guy going to go to next? Like, so you realize from that and that's something that it's it's pretty amazing actually, you know, between us as we're talking here that you learned from it. You went through this process. You had to go through the the life insurance thing. You had to go through the challenges and the, you know, one failure and one success and seeing what the heck am I doing here? Right. So that's really something that I that I'm I'm picking up on. >> I'll even tell you more. I remember. Right. So I started in January and at that time I I my dream was always to go to school. >> Oh, this is brand new. >> Brand new. Oh, >> this is fresh. >> I didn't know this. >> This is brand new. This is we we built the brand. I learned from the life insurance to launch when you have something done. >> You could have, you know, preliminary discussions. But um so we had this dream in November. I actually reached out to some people in politics. I said, you know, I'm starting this. I'm just letting you know, you know, um, we launched in end of December, we launched the brand, we launched the website, and we launched with a lot of videos, wonderful videos, a very strong video about this. And in January, we started going to Albany. But my dream was always to go to schools. But you're middle of the year. How do you get a school, let alone a big school, to allow you to first of all, who are you? What are you going to talk to the students about? How do we trust you? Right? So um I remember like today I was I was first of all I registered people parties I went over to people do you want to register to vote that's how it started and I met a friend of mine and I said can I I'll shout him out you know Levven >> sure >> so Leven lives on my block dear friend of mine dear friend of mine and Levven um I met him I said can I come register your daughter Bachva to vote like I said you could you could register at 16 my whole also my whole philosophy is if you register if you go to the schools register everyone is 16 17 then you know everyone's registered so you don't have to chase them when they're 18 19 wherever they are so I said can I register your daughter to vote and he said sure I'll I'll let her know dropped off the bat pine and then I was talking to him about what I'm doing and I said I would love to speak to a group a class he goes he says I think you should go to Havas Bach's school to speak I'm going to he tells me I'm going to call the principal Mr. Eisenberg. He calls up the principal and he says, "Um, schmoly would like to take a group to Albany, a class. Do you mind?" She says, "Let me hear more about it." And I spoke to her. I came down to the students and I remember like I asked the whole class, "Does anybody know who your state senator is?" And one girl said, "Yeah, Michael Ler." I said, "Wait till Michael Lola finds out he's been demoted to state senate." Right? But um it showed me on on the education side. And you know, we prepped the class and this is before we had a legislation. This was just an education trip. We took the class up to March 10th. You have to understand, I took up 22 girls plus staff. I've never done this before. Logistics, food, where do I set them up? A room, how do I split up the group? Do I can I take 25? You can't take 25, right? There are many assembly members that have small offices, right? We did all that. We split the group. I was there myself. Everyone got a name tag and a sweatshirt and a backpack and and just we I got them a coach bus. It was it was the most we got a photographer. We made a sick video out of it. So that was when my first >> Who's paying for all this? >> So I So we got some small donations when we started. I never fundraised. It's a good question. My wife is ready to >> take my head off on this >> because this is not something that's going to, you know, cost less as you go. It'll cost more. >> We're only growing, >> right? So, we're we're fundraising. We we could use a lot of help. We it's it's not the you know what the problem is? It's not it's not a charity. So, when you go to somebody and you say, "I I am paying for this guy." You know, it's always the same story. I need $500. They're about to turn the guy's electric off, right? Everybody understands that, right? The rubber is making he needs 60 grand, right? Or this is not that. This is something that people have to buy into, right? And understand. And even now I have these calls with foundations and they want to know, okay, so how many people are you going to what are you going to do next year? And I'm like, slow down again. You're talking about it like it's a business. Like I have all the answers. I have a business plan and I have a budget and I have a three-year plan and a three-year budget. It's all fine and dandy, but I'm on totally uncharted waters here. So I need a lot of I'm working on it. If anybody's listening and they want to get involved, this is going to be >> if they want to volunteer or if they want they want to volunteer, if they want >> financially, you have a base now. You have a place where you're doing this out of or >> I have a two room office in West Nak. My office >> you're still working and doing other things meaning like you're business and >> I'm trying this is taking a lot of time. So I want to just go back to the school. So when I took the school I realized that >> you're talking about pivoting schools is where it's at, >> right? Because that's what the DSA does. They go to the schools they go they start pedaling their ideologies in college. So I said okay great. I'm going I'm focusing on schools. I needed a second school. Talk about pivoting, right? And not getting discouraged. I had a yeshiva that I invested a lot of time in. And we did a lot of civics in the yeshiva and we brought down people, wonderful people. They were supposed to go to Albany with me and a few weeks before they canceled that trip. They said that it was Pistol Tyra. They decided against it. So I had two options. I could either fight or I could pivot. Here I am. I have an itinerary based on the district that the school was in. Senate assembly in and around the district. You're talking about when I get a class to come to the Senate. You reserve the Senate for when session starts. The senator that represents the district recognizes the entire class in the Senate. This is all stuff that I arranged months before. A caterer for lunch, a coach bus, right? It's two weeks before. Fine. I'm pivoting. The school said to me that any monetary issues, you know, we'll we'll cover. They understood, but I didn't want to go tell all these people that were not coming. So, I ran and found another school. And I realized it was the biggest braha because when I walked in and I say it publicly, when I walked into yeshiva nishma from Wineburgger in Inward, I walked into him and I and and I spoke to him and I said, "Would your school be willing to go with me to Albany on May 6th?" And he said, 'If you can if you can get well, his mineransky said, "If you can get our boys to wake up at 6:00 in the morning, go talk to them. It's not People told me it's never going to happen, right?" I walked into yeshiva and I got up in front of the class and I said, "Boys, I want you to know something. I went to four high schools. We're the same. I wish that there was a yeshiva like Nishma Satra when I was growing up. I could have used the yeshiva like that. It wasn't." I said, "There's always going to be a big of that's going to be sitting and learning and holding up the world that way, but there's also going to be a large amount of people that are not." I said, "You are our future leaders, right?" I said, "We need more advocacy. We need more strong We need strong Jews. That's you." I said, "I need you in Albany." At that time, I had the bill. I need your help. I came once. I came twice. I started educating the class. After the third time, we had 20 boys signed up to come to Albany. and most showed up and they came and they made a tremendous Kashm and that taught me. That's my lane. My lane is no more the the schools that are going to push back on the terra. It was too difficult cuz then what am I doing again? I'm convincing. I don't want to have to convince, right? And then I went and I cold emailed. I wanted to do one more trip. Session ends in June, first week of June. I cold emailed MTA Shiv University's high school and literally cold emailed them. and he responded to me, "Let's talk about it." And fast forward, I came to the school three or four times and I got 25 or 26 boys to come to Alb with me on May 20th and it was a very busy time. They were voting on the budget, but every every group, we split the group up into three or four groups, had a leader and we had Zoom calls following up with the leaders. At the end of those trips, at the end of that trip, I think half the group found their voice. And that was an amazing trip because we got we got I took them I was able to get an appointment with the speaker of the assembly, Carl Histi. And at that time, that's when I it it I really really again I I I confirmed that this is my approach schools, but those type of schools. Next year, and I could say it publicly, I could tell you who they are, we're doubling our schools. We're going to MTA. We're going to the girls school in Queens Central. We're going to DRS. We're going to SKA. We're going to S. We're going to Hank. All those schools are signed up. But next year, we're much more organized. We're getting the assembly members and the senators from those districts to come to the schools during the fall and have real conversations with the classes. Besides that, we're registering these hundreds of kids to vote. And every class is going to go to Albany with us. So, from three schools, we're now doing six schools. And we have other schools that reached out. I don't have the capacity to do it. I don't have any manpower and I don't have the finances to do it. So, I'm not taking on more than I can handle. But to to what you said about the pivoting, we found our lane and we're sticking to it. And when I have conversations with people, I try to tell people it's less about the numbers now cuz what happens is you get hundreds of kids through your system and you then go to Israel next year where those kids are and you have an event, right? Or you do events throughout the year in neighborhoods. You go to Bergenfield on Jabas. You go to Scarsdale, you go to West Hamstead, you go to right five towns, you go to different neighborhoods and you do a shabas where you can go to different youth minimum and talk to the students. It's not something that's one and done, you know. So this is exactly we found our lane. >> Wow. I I I love it. I love what you're doing. I love the the pivoting and adapting and um I do wish you continued success on this and uh no financial burden. >> Amen. And um peace amongst you and your wife. >> No, no, she's good. >> I'm joking. But you know, listen, behind every great man is a greater woman. I know that you can't do this on your own, so that's uh kudos to um all the support that you're getting from your family. What have you learned from all this that you're doing so far? What what stood out for you? First of all, I'm curious, did any of these kids embarrass you? Did any of these kids actually you're like, you know, they're noisy or they did you have those challenges yet? And more importantly, what have you learned from it? And what are what are you picking up on from these boys and these girls that you're talking to? What are their concerns? >> So, you asked me a few questions, right? Um, >> first of all, did anyone embarrass you? Well, let's get over that. >> So, you have to go with the mindset of that you're going with high school students and everyone in the building knows that they're high school students, right? There are advocates in Albany from every neighborhood in New York State, from Harlem, from the Bronx, from Rochester, from Syracuse. So, absolutely not. These students were themselves. Yes. Did I Did I have to relax some of them at some point? Okay. But I learned for next year, right? But nobody embarrassed us. Absolutely not. Because variah is that Senator Shelley Mayor who was the chair of the New York State Education Committee told me that every time you come with students I want to see you. That's what she told me. So nobody embarrassed me. They were they made a tremendous and I'm really really excited for next year. What I learned was that New York State is a very interesting place. It's it's a state of 19 million people approximately, but it's a big state. So you go from deep deep in Long Island, there's 150 assembly districts, right? When you go up to Albany, you see certain politicians that represent certain districts and those districts have certain values. Just because someone is a Democrat doesn't mean that they're a certain type of Democrat. And the Democratic Party is having an issue now because all the socialists are coming in with big momentum and they're part of one party. They're part of a conference and they're part of a majority, but everyone's needs are different. So, I learned that a not everyone's the same. I take away the the party um affiliation and I focus on the person. Who am I meeting with and what right what could we do here, right? Um and I also learned that you can talk to everybody. And I learned that everybody could accomplish in their own which way. Whether this person's going to knock on a door for an election, whether this person is going to make phone calls, whether this person is just going to be there, right? You need five people in a room, he's just going to be there, or that person's going to run the show. >> Yeah. >> That that's what I learned. >> And and and most importantly for me, what I want to learn from this is what you learned from the teenagers. What is it that what are you seeing or hearing from them that they're appreciating about what you're doing? Like do you ask them like what are their concerns or something that do they get a chance to talk to the people there and like make a difference in their in their you know outlook in terms of you know any challenges happening in their world. Does that happen? Do you learn from that? >> Yeah. So >> share some of that with me. >> Okay. So, first of all, I shared with you before that I heard firsthand of a boy asking um talking about the fact that he was just a proud Jew and how hard he's having he's having such a hard time with Israel, right? Um which basically also taught me that this is not just him. This is a problem throughout when we go into a room with a politician, assembly member, senator, sit around the table. So, I also learned a lot, right? So, I could take 10 boys to 10 boys or 10 girls to a meeting. Probably better to do five or six and split into more groups. Harder to manage, but it depends who your group is. It depends how much training you get. Um, this year I had my bill. I picked my legislation. Why? I didn't have my schools, right? So I had to pick the issue and then they came up to fight for the bill which they knew this is what we're going for and they understood it next year. Exactly what you said. I want them to pick the issue and it doesn't have to be a Jewish issue. Why? Cuz I've been getting a lot of requests from schools also from heads of schools. How do we build with other communities? We're a small district, right? We're a small community, right? And there's so many others. So, I was even thinking like I threw out the idea of scooters, electric scooters. Everybody is fed up with electric scooters, right? What? Maybe the boys want to advocate for something strict to regulations. Maybe make it mandatory to have a course at the age of 16 to learn how to ride one. Whatever it is, I don't know. I don't >> I'm sure the kids are going to love that. What are they coming up with is what I'm asking. What are the kids? Did you ask them anything yet? >> I have. >> You haven't done it yet? I haven't been to the schools, but I can tell you that in Albany, they sit around the table, >> right? >> And every single politician wants to talk about anti-semitism. >> And they all get involved. These kids go around the table, you hear their stories. Everybody has an uncle who got hurt, got screamed at, got spit at. Everybody on a subway, there have been a bunch of subway stories, right? And they're just getting involved in the conversation. >> And they go home and they were like, "This was great." We have students on camera saying this was unbelievable. They would all come back, right? We we even had a bunch of students that were in Muny Vavas. I think they were in Chestn Ridge and they asked how far does Hardstein live and the guy's like he lives in the other side of town. Like we wanted to walk there. Like that they feel like they're part of something. They feel like they're part of a club. >> Yeah. Kudos to you. I said it before. It's >> so I I want to I want to your answer. I would like I'm we're going to work on getting them much more involved in the actual issues this year while we grow with them cuz without them there is nothing. >> Right. Got it. If go back to your teenage self, >> you know, if somebody's coming to you and asking you to wake up at 6:00 a.m., there's no heck way in the world that you were waking up at 6 a.m. But what was an issue that they would have asked you that you would have said, go back to your teenage self and you would have said, you know what, I wish I would have spoken about this issue when I was growing up. Was there anything on your mind as a teenager back then that someone could have tapped into that would have said to you, you know, you should have thought about that? Um, interesting. Personally, I would have loved, you know, was I think the first maybe even still the only one. He has this vocational program. Are you familiar with what his vocational program? So, he teaches in DHV. They teach kids how to be plumbers, electricians. He's been doing this for years. I always wanted to do something like D teach a trade. And when you go up to Albany, you could you can ask for things like arts and culture funding. It's a big thing. Like private schools can't like you said, there's no voucher system, but you can get extra funding for arts and culture. I would have absolutely loved a program in Yeshiva that at least it should be an option that if I don't want to learn all day, I should be able to learn how to do something with my life and keep me busy. woodworking, whatever it is for my 16-year-old self. Um, so that's what that's what I would have said. And I I know students that have gone up and advocated for funding for that park, right? I know in Flatbush, there have been students from the Syrian community that have heavily been involved from on the city level to get funding to redo a park so they could play basketball on a on a nice court. So that's >> smart. >> Yeah. Smart. >> Something they could relate to, >> right? Exactly. Like if you would have asked me, I would have said make my town safer because I was scared literally to walk to school, you know, because uh it was in a safe neighborhood, you know, right? >> That's more of a local issue, but it's it very interesting to me just hearing perspectives of what a teenager would want and what they're learning from. So I hope we do this again next year and I'd love to follow up and hear what kind of feedback >> maybe you'll come speak at one of the schools. >> I' I'd be happy to be happy. >> We'd love to have you. you can get me involved and uh in any capacity that I can spread this idea that you're doing. I love it. We're going to have to wrap up soon, but first, do you have any questions for me? >> How come you never had your brother on the podcast there? >> I did. I did in the beginning. You know, we're almost at a hundred episodes. So, we've done this every week for almost two years >> and uh Yeah, it's pretty amazing. So, he's been in the beginning. He should come back now, though, and tell me like Yeah. Yeah. >> lost a lot of weight. >> He's looking good. He's feeling good. He's doing good. He's It's It's not easy being a CEO of nonforprofit organizations. >> I've met counsel from the big ones. Absolutely. Big big ones. There's a lot of good. Yeah. >> Is there anyone else that you think I should have? That's that's always a final question I like to ask. >> You mentioned a few people. >> Yeah. Robert Bender. >> Yeah. That you want I don't know how you're going to get him, but >> what do you mean you're going to ask him? >> Yeah. He's >> I'll email him. That's email. >> That's the only way I don't have his number. >> Wow. That's That's how I communicate. You know that he responds to every email. >> Really? >> Yeah. I'm gonna give you his email. It's ybenderd.org. >> Okay. >> Bender responds to every single email. I guarantee you within 24 hours. >> Okay. We have a lot of listeners, by the way. You can bombard him now with emails. Okay. >> Public >> saying he's okay with reaching out to him. >> I'm saying it's he >> Bender. >> You're welcome. >> Rabbi Bender will respond. I think it's the most beautiful thing. Bender will respond to your email. Yeah. >> Within 24 hours. >> Well, because he doesn't get any phone calls. >> Okay. Could be. But uh I mean we're all busy with WhatsApps and texts and emails and calls. It's just never it never ends. >> Who else could you bring on the show? >> Who would you who if you started a podcast tomorrow, who would you interview? >> Myself is not here. He would have enjoyed that. >> Hey, listen. I want to shout out a couple of our super fans. So there's, you know, I have a nephew of mine that listens to every podcast and he always gives me great critique. So Josh Greenfield, shout out to you. We have a couple of other amazing uh, you know, followers. One of them was the person that recommended you and that's Laser Schwarz. >> So shout out to you Laser. Speaking of getting what you need out of politics, Laser I mean he is now advocating for others with the experience that he went through on fighting for his dad. So that is a whole podcast in of itself which is amazing. >> You see that's a perfect example of somebody taking their own experiences and challenges and not you know there's two ways to go about it. You could either be very quiet about it or you could actually change the world. And you see that a lot in government. You see people that are involved in certain uh causes because they were affected. Like you have uh people that the chair of the alcohol and substance abuse committee is because he's a recovering alcoholic. He's not embarrassed about he's very open about his challenges. And when we go to Albany, I encourage him like to speak to the students about overcoming challenges. Like you're young, you get it. Like so that's a perfect example of someone that my god he the amount that he worked to get that done but it wasn't he didn't keep it private and and he's using it now to help others. >> Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So uh he used that energy and uh good for him and whoever else that he's helping which is which is amazing. I want to thank all our subscribers, our listeners, our supporters, the comments. it. We're having a great time doing this and we're growing and learning so much and I've learned a lot about you. I don't want to let you go though before I'm just thinking of one more thing in my head. So, give me an organization that you think of that is like you're proud to be part of, you know, Khalis, like the Jewish people that has impressed you, something that someone started recently because you're starting a new organization. We're at the cusp of you making a very big impact on this world in terms of bringing the teenagers and educating them on I I've heard of other needs that people talk about for teenagers. But before I let you go, I'm just curious. Is there a an organization that you think is still needed? Like something's missing out there. I don't think any anyone ever thought of doing what you're doing, right? So that's there's a need or b has there been an organization recently that happened and you're like, "Wow, that's that was a big need and you're impressed with it." Anything like that happen? I mean there are certain organizations that I'm proud to be part of like Tom Kashabas. I mean in Rock County. Yeah. >> You can't be a prder Jew than what they do. >> I was talking about something new that came up like you know it's it's hard to find these new things but there are coming up. >> It's it's just a lot of work to to do this. >> Right. Right. >> Um I I I am not aware of anything that's new. I also I'll be honest. I I when it comes to organizations, I feel like every a lot of organizations are another spin-off of money. We need money for this. We need money for Kyle. We need money for food. It's all money related. It's transactional, right? And I wonder what your brother would say to this, but politics is similar to the sense where you get into a room with a guy, you're having a problem, you need his help and that's it. And then you never meet the guy again. But what if you come into the guy and you say, "I don't need anything. I'm just coming to say hello. I'm coming to introduce you to what we're doing." And their answer is, "What can I do for you?" And I said, 'You can come speak at one of our schools. Like, really? And you spend two, three years building that relationship. What do you think is going to happen when you actually need something, right? They're going to know you as a friend, not as a person that just needed something. And I feel that with all the organizations in Cloud, first of all, none of them ever come back and say, "We needed a million dollars last year. We're good. We don't need any more money." No. If you needed a million last year, you now need to, right? The problem never actually gets fixed. We keep throwing more money at everything. I'm trying to do something that's going to change things that actually cost very little money to run because it's much more manpower and ideas. But a lot of organizations and that's why I get discouraged. It's just another form of money. And then the the more the more people give, the more they're in this club. And then people say, "Oh, there's so many asim." Well, they're really not a scunt him. They just give money to things. They don't really fix things. They don't actually put the time in, right? And what are we teaching the next generation that the guy that gave $50,000 is now the superstar? What about the guy? What that's 1%. What about the 99% that can't give that money? What are they? What could they do? I want to be able to give to people that could do with their time. So I wish like there's a lot of organizations that I'm very proud to be part of collects and pylum. I think these are tremendous organizations that do a tremendous amount of good but a lot of organizations are just another form of money for just something else. Not actually doing something building something for the future. >> Right. Right. I hear Listen, you're >> putting out a lot of fires. That's it. We're always putting out fires. >> Coming from a good place. But before you turn around, you're also going to need money to support something that you're doing. >> You're 100% right. You're 100% right. >> That is the challenge, >> right? But I don't I don't want to put out fires. >> I want to be in a position where we have a welloiled machine. >> Yeah. >> To actually take on issues as opposed to always being in crisis mode. I could tell you many people threw tons of money into the last election. First of all, I know people that spent a fortune on Cuomo and lost. That's that's the challenge. Also, you're putting money into something because you're desperate. you think money is going to save you and it didn't. Um, and the last election also a few weeks ago, people put tons of money and every single one of their candidates lost. So, they really lost where I'm saying, let's put money into the future. Let's put money into the the future, our future, which is our youth. And I think that with the world we live in with everything became about money, we're forgetting about our youth, >> right? >> We're just forgetting them. When I grew up, I'm saying I mean just go back to the days of Guris in in in during the war. Mike Tres was 21 years old when he started in aa he was the president. He had a bunch of 14-year-olds saving people, right? Cuz that that's what the Jewish people were. We forgot about that, right? Our generation, Michael, you and I growing up, what did we have that we could have participated in at 20 years old? >> Per, >> right? And now there's there's no more P. >> It's sad, by the way. >> P is gone. Very sad >> right so everything that had to do with the youth is gone but the youth are her most tre prized possession >> if we don't invest in the youth >> and every manal and every high school teacher can tell you that >> they're perfectly aged 15 16 17 that's what we're trying to do build on the future >> I love it I did meet someone in shul this week teenage boy who's advocating to making an organization where they educate the 12th graders the first year based me the second it depends on what type of school about finding finances about responsibility about social security number about credit cards about which no one does also in in these types of things. So yes definitely focusing and that's what they're saying that's what the young generation is saying I'm hearing from the young generation that they don't want their kids to be on social media. I'm hearing from the young generation that they need help with education on finances or help on you know etc. So you're you're a part of the solution and you know you're not in high school anymore being part of the problem. So kudos to you and uh yeah, it's amazing. Love it. Thank you for joining us. I appreciate it. >> Thank you for having me, Michael. Appreciate it.