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PODCAST

Connecting Jewish Grandparents

Sharona Hassan - Grand Plan

Welcome to Connecting Jewish Grandparents, your guide to intentional Jewish grandparenting and building deep connections with your grandchildren. Each episode shares practical advice, inspiring stories, and timeless traditions to help you create a meaningful family legacy. Whether you’re a grandparent, parent, or part of the ”sandwich generation,” Connecting Jewish Grandparents offers tools to strengthen family bonds across generations.Topics include: grandparenting tips, Jewish family traditions,

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

30:06

Tu B'shvat: Practical Ways to Grow

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2026/01/25

In this special Tu b’Shvat episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona is joined by Nina Woldin from Chai Mitzvah to share practical, joyful ideas for celebrating Tu b’Shevat with grandchildren.Many Jewish holidays require planning, preparation, and a lot of energy. Tu b’Shvat is different. It is light, flexible, and ideal for building intergenerational connection without pressure. This episode offers concrete tips Jewish grandparents can use right away, whether grandchildren live nearby or

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11:56

Bo: The First Mitzvah of Freedom

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2026/01/17

In Parashat Bo, the Jewish people receive their first commandment while they are still enslaved. Surprisingly, it is not about escape or survival. It is Rosh Chodesh, the sanctification of time. Freedom begins with the ability to claim ownership over one’s time. In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, we explore how this Torah insight speaks to modern grandparenthood. Many grandparents experience a quiet loss of autonomy, whether through constant childcare, blurred boundaries, or the

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17:36

Vaera: Clarity in a World of Uneven Realities

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2026/01/12

Parashat Vaera shows us something striking. The Egyptians and the Israelites live in the same place, yet experience completely different realities. Plagues fall on one while the other remains untouched. In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, we explore how this Torah insight speaks to modern life. From social media comparisons to conversations with friends whose children or grandchildren seem to be thriving, many grandparents quietly wonder why their own reality feels so different. This

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17:42

Shemot: Working Towards Freedom

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2026/01/04

Parashat Shemot opens the story of Exodus with a quiet truth. The Israelites did not recognize their enslavement all at once. It unfolded gradually, through comfort, fear, and loss of choice. In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, we explore how Shemot helps us notice where we may feel stuck or disconnected in our own lives. Not only as grandparents, but as people living in a fast, distracted world. Through Torah wisdom and practical reflection, this episode asks: Where might I feel

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16:10

Vayechi: Blessing Our Real Offspring, Not the Family...

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/12/28

What happens when the family we imagined is not the family we received?In this episode, we turn to Parashat Vayechi and Yaakov’s final blessings to explore one of the most tender challenges of parenthood and grandparenthood. Learning how to bless the children and grandchildren we actually have, not the ones we once dreamed of. Yaakov does not offer equal or idealized blessings. He sees his children clearly, with honesty, disappointment, love, and courage. Through the crossed hands of Ephraim and

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17:50

Vayigash: Moving to Your Grandchildren: Gift or...

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/12/22

Moving closer to your grandchildren is often framed as the ultimate act of love. But what happens when that gift slowly becomes a loss of freedom, identity, or voice? In this episode on Parashat Vayigash, we examine Yaakov’s descent to Egypt as both a reunion and the beginning of bondage. What starts as safety, abundance, and family closeness quietly turns into dependency and constraint. It is a story many grandparents recognize today. This conversation explores the unspoken emotional costs of

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10:13

Hanukkah: How do we find light amid the darkness?

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/12/14

This week’s podcast is a special Hanukkah episode for grandparents who are holding both joy and grief at the same time. Hanukkah is not a holiday of easy happiness. It is a holiday of fragile light, lit precisely when the world feels uncertain. In this episode, we explore what grandparents uniquely offer during moments like these: emotional safety, ritual, continuity, and love. We talk about how simple acts, lighting candles, music, comfort foods, sharing stories, and creating warmth, shape how

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22:28

Vayeshev: Guarding Your Family's Dreams

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/12/07

Discover the deeper meaning of Yosef’s dreams and Yaakov’s powerful choice to “guard the matter.” This Vayeshev episode explores how grandparents can protect and nurture the dreams that shape a family’s identity. Learn how to hold hope through uncertainty, how to model resilience for your grandchildren, and how to turn your inner dreams into a living legacy they will carry forward. If you want to raise grandchildren who feel rooted, inspired, and connected, this episode will guide you through Torah

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26:58

Vayishlach: The Powerful Method for Reconciliation

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/11/30

This week’s episode (19) explores Parashat Vayishlach and the extraordinary reconciliation between Jacob and Esau (Yaakov and Eisav). Their reunion offers a powerful method for healing conflict in our own families today. We break down the three-step process hidden in the parasha: creating emotional safety, seeking help and reframing internally, and offering a meaningful gesture that honors the other person’s dignity. Drawing on both Torah wisdom and modern research on conflict repair, Sharona speaks

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17:57

Vayetzei: Long-Distance Grandparenting

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/11/23

Grandparenting from a distance is not just a logistical challenge. It is an emotional and spiritual one too. In this episode on Parshat Vayetzei, I explore what Jacob’s lonely journey teaches us about long-distance grandparenting.How do we stay present when we cannot show up physically? Inside this episode you will hear: • A Torah perspective on distance and legacy • The emotional reality of being a faraway grandparent • Practical ideas for staying connected across miles • A new way to think about

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20:41

Toldot: The Family You Come From

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/11/16

In this week’s episode, we explore Parashat Toldot through the lens of Family of Origin how the emotional patterns, communication styles, and unspoken rules we grew up with still shape the way we grandparent today. Using the stories of Yitzchak, Rivkah, Yaakov, and Eisav, we look at how inherited family dynamics influence relationships with our adult children, our children in law, and our grandchildren. This episode offers practical insights on breaking old patterns, strengthening connections, and

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13:25

Chayei Sarah: Shaping Your Family's Future

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/11/09

In Parashat Chayei Sarah, we say goodbye to Avraham and Sarah, our first Jewish grandparents. But at the time of their passing, their influence on Yitzchak is unclear, leaving us to wonder: How do we know if our legacy is lasting? This episode explores the challenge every grandparent faces — not always knowing how our children absorb our love and values, yet still having the chance to shape future generations. We discuss how to intentionally leave a meaningful legacy, with practical tips and

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18:49

Vayera, Making Moments More Meaningful

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/11/04

Parashat Vayera begins with Avraham running to welcome three mysterious guests. He prepares food, creates comfort, sets a table, gives his whole heart. And the angels barely speak in return. This week I share the story of Ana, a grandmother I am coaching. Her son asked on Friday if his family could come for Shabbat. She ran through her house to get everything ready. The cooking, the beds, the toys, the small details. She worked so hard to welcome them, just like Avraham, but she still worried that

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13:20

Lech lecha: Transformation In Your Name

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/10/28

In this week’s episode of The Grand Plan Podcast, Sharona explores how a single name can hold generations of meaning. When Avram becomes Avraham, his new name carries a mission, to become a father of many nations. What can this ancient transformation teach us about identity, legacy, and the names we choose and are given, especially as grandparents? Through personal stories, including Sharona’s own “Bubby on the move,” this episode invites you to reflect on how names shape who we are and what we pass

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25:51

What We Carry Through the Storm | Noach, Legacy, and...

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/10/20

What do we choose to carry through life’s storms? In this episode of The Grand Plan, Sharona reflects on Parashat Noach and the role of grandparents in preserving family stories, traditions, and values for the next generation. Discover how the story of Noach teaches resilience, gratitude, and intentional legacy, and learn simple ways to create your own “ark” of love, memory, and connection for your grandchildren.What is your grandparenting personality? Quiz → https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz Book a

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13:36

Episode 13 - Sukkot: Struggle and Success in Joyful...

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/10/05

In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores how the festival of Sukkot teaches us to embrace both struggle and success as essential parts of Jewish legacy. Our greatest family stories aren’t just about comfort or achievement, they’re about overcoming challenges, finding meaning, and passing those lessons on to the next generation.✨ What struggles in your life have become part of your family’s legacy? ✨ How can grandparents and parents share stories of resilience with

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19:43

Rav Kook's 3 Steps to Teshuva That Will Change You...

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/09/27

This episode is not just for Grandparents. EVERYONE will benefit from this perspective shift, as we finish Rosh Hashana and face the New Year. Many of us think of teshuva (repentance) as heavy, guilt-filled, or narrowly about fixing our wrongs. But Rav Kook, in his masterwork Orot HaTeshuva (Lights of Repentance), offers a radically different vision: teshuva is the pulse of life itself, a return to our deepest, Divine selves, a universal force of spiritual growth, and a joyful awakening that brings

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12:43

Connecting Jewish Grandparents - Episode 11 :The...

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/09/14

What does the sound of the shofar awaken in you? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores the deep meaning of the shofar on Rosh Hashana, the Kingship of the Almighty, the awakening of the soul, and the personal call to step into your role and potential as a grandparent. Through stories and reflection, you’ll discover: ✨ How crowning G-d as King parallels embracing your role as a pillar of continuity in your family. ✨ The shofar as a spiritual “wake-up call” for

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10:09

Connecting Jewish Grandparents - Episode 10: Cheshbon...

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/09/11

As we prepare for Rosh Hashana, Judaism invites us to pause and reflect through a practice called Cheshbon HaNefesh (חֶשְׁבּוֹן הַנֶּפֶשׁ), literally “soul-accounting.” In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores how grandparents and parents can use this timeless practice of spiritual reflection and self-inventory to shape their legacy with intention. Together, we’ll ask: Where have I lived my values this year? ] Where do I want to grow in the year ahead? How can I share

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21:31

Episode 9: Circles of Influence & Joy: How Do...

Connecting Jewish Grandparents ·

2025/09/03

How much influence do grandparents really have in their grandchildren’s lives? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona shares her background in Social Work and explores Systems Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Spheres of Influence to reveal how grandparents impact not just the home, but the entire ecosystem surrounding their family.From the microsystem of family rituals and weekly calls, to the macrosystem of Jewish values and traditions, grandparents play a powerful role in shaping

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28 results

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