Podcast
Exit Strategy
Hosted by Stephanie Garry, Executive Vice President, Plaza Jewish Community Chapel · EN
What’s one thing we’re all good at? How about not talking — or even thinking — about end-of-life issues.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Myth of Self
5d ago00:34:54Tap to summarizeWhat if the self isn’t as fixed as we believe? In this episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry speaks with Rabbi Jonathan Blake about how rethinking identity—through a Jewish and philosophical lens—can transform the way we approach mortality. Together, they explore how loosening our grip on the idea of a singular, bounded self may open the door to greater connection, meaning, and even a different relationship with death. https://www.wrtemple.org/about/leadership/senior-rabbi-jonathan-blake/ https://www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/ The post The Myth of Self appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →What Remains: Rachel Seidman on Preserving Lives Through Story
3w ago00:16:29Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry sits down with Rachel Seidman to explore the profound role of storytelling in how we remember, honor, and make meaning of a life. Together, they discuss how personal narratives shape legacy, the emotional and ethical dimensions of capturing someone’s story, and what it means to preserve memory in the face of loss. Rachel shares insights from her work, offering a thoughtful perspective on how stories can both ground us in grief and connect us across generations. This conversation invites listeners to consider not just how we say goodbye—but how we ensure a life continues to be felt, remembered, and understood. Our Story: A Guide to Recording and Sharing Your Family History, HERE! Rachel F. Seidman is an award-winning curator and a professional oral historian who works at the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. Previously, Seidman directed the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where she also taught history. She has also taught at Duke University and at Carleton College. In 2019 Seidman was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Turku, Finland. She holds a PhD in history from Yale University, and a BA from Oberlin College. She is the author of Our Story and Speaking of Feminism. plazajewishcommunitychapel.org The post What Remains: Rachel Seidman on Preserving Lives Through Story appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →Choosing Life—Even in Death, A Sacred Conversation: Organ Donation and Jewish Values
Apr 500:26:35Tap to summarizeAfter we’re gone, what remains—and what can we still give? In this compelling episode of Exit Strategy, host Stephanie Garry speaks with Rabbi Joshua Rabin and Mara Bragg about organ donation as a final, radical act of compassion. It’s a conversation about legacy, courage, and the choices that define us—right to the very end. https://www.organdonationalliance.org/profile/rabbi-joshua-rabin/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SvPpRzD35U https://educator.jewishedproject.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/Shomer%20Project%20Resource%20for%20JEP%20by%20Mara%20Bragg%20.pdf https://www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/ https://www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/exit-strategy/ The post Choosing Life—Even in Death, A Sacred Conversation: Organ Donation and Jewish Values appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →Endings, Accountability, and the Stories That Outlive Us
Mar 600:17:09Tap to summarizeIn this deeply personal and thought-provoking conversation, Exit Strategy host Stephanie Garry sits down with filmmaker Justin Schein to explore legacy, family history, and the complicated moral inheritance we carry. Through the lens of his documentary work, (Death and Taxes and Left on Purpose) Justin reflects on uncovering long-buried truths within his own family story — including wealth, silence, responsibility, and the question of what repair truly looks like. Together, they examine how storytelling can serve as a form of reckoning, how accountability reshapes legacy, and what it means to confront the past with honesty and courage. Death and Taxes is now screening across the country in educational and Jewish communities. If you are interested in screening the film with your community, please reach out to deathtaxesfilm@gmail.com. Shadowbox Films https://www.shadowboxfilms.com/work Plaza Jewish Community Chapel https://www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/ The post Endings, Accountability, and the Stories That Outlive Us appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →At the Gate: Talking about Life’s Estimated Time of Departure
Feb 1100:22:49Tap to summarizeIn this heartfelt and thought-provoking conversation, Exit Strategy host Stephanie Garry sits down with author and academic Dr. Willy Donaldson to explore his memoir Estimated Time of Departure. Donaldson shares his personal journey navigating conversations with his aging parents about their wishes, fears, and life stories — conversations many of us avoid until it’s too late. https://cnu.edu/faculty/williamdonaldson.html Plaza Jewish Community Chapel 25th Anniversary events: Plaza Jewish Community Chapel 25th Anniversary events: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/25th-anniversary Contact Exit Strategy: exitstrategy@plazajewish.org The post At the Gate: Talking about Life’s Estimated Time of Departure appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →Bearing Witness: Mary Lou Falcone on Love, Loss, and Legacy
Jan 1200:36:18Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Exit Strategy, host Stephanie Garry speaks with Mary Lou Falcone about her powerful book and companion documentary exploring love, caregiving, and loss at the end of life. In I Didn’t See It Coming, Mary Lou shares the personal journey that led her to document an intimate end-of-life experience, and how storytelling became an act of devotion, witness, and remembrance. Together, they reflect on the complexities of caregiving, the courage it takes to make private grief public, and the ways stories preserve legacy long after death. This conversation invites listeners to consider what remains after loss—and how meaning is shaped through presence, memory, and love. More about Mary Lou Falcone https://maryloufalcone.com/about/ Plaza Jewish Community Chapel: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org Plaza Jewish Community Chapel 25th Anniversary events: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/25th-anniversary Contact Exit Strategy: exitstrategy@plazajewish.org The post Bearing Witness: Mary Lou Falcone on Love, Loss, and Legacy appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →The Intersection of Grief and AI
Dec 1700:24:32Tap to summarizeAs Exit Strategy closes out 2025, we dedicate these episodes to the memory of our producer, Glenn Rosenkrantz, with gratitude for his creativity, care, and partnership. In this episode, we confront a question that once belonged to science fiction: What if the dead could still speak to us? Albert Han of the Thomson Reuters Foundation joins Exit Strategy host Stephanie Garry to explore how artificial intelligence is entering the most intimate spaces of grief. Together, they examine the emotional, ethical, and spiritual implications of creating AI avatars that allow loved ones to remain “alive” — present, responsive, and ongoing — long after death. What does this mean for mourning, memory, and our ability to let go? More about Albert Han: https://www.context.news/profile/albert-han Plaza Jewish Community Chapel: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org Plaza Jewish Community Chapel 25th Anniversary events: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/25th-anniversary Contact Exit Strategy: exitstrategy@plazajewish.org The post The Intersection of Grief and AI appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →Reaching for Legacy
Dec 300:15:09Tap to summarizeHow far would you go to create a long lasting legacy keeping your presence alive in impact and spirit? The reach for remembrance takes many forms, and is the focus of a compelling new film — Forever Endeavor — capturing how legacy is embraced across the spectrum of human experience … from the unimaginable to the relatable. Filmmaker Mary Anne Rothberg of Provenance Productions speaks with Exit Strategy host Stephanie Garry about the genesis and journey of the film, screened earlier this year as part of Plaza Jewish Community Chapel’s 25th anniversary year programming in partnership with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. Forever Endeavor trailer: https://provenanceproductionsnyc.com/forever-endeavor/ More about Mary Anne Rothberg: https://provenanceproductionsnyc.com/about/ Plaza Jewish Community Chapel: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org Plaza Jewish Community Chapel 25th Anniversary events: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/25th-anniversary Contact Exit Strategy: exitstrategy@plazajewish.org Forever Endeavor will be screened virtually as part of AARP’s Movies for Grownups program on February 3 at 8 pm ET: https://watch.aarp.org/aarpmfg/play/692fc000cd57fbbcd66ef1df The post Reaching for Legacy appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →Exit Strategy Live! The Joy of Funerals
Nov 600:27:05Tap to summarizeFunerals are singular moments to collectively honor and mourn our dead — but with room to practice our relationship to life and mortality … and with ourselves and others … in any which way. At Exit Strategy’s first-ever taping before a live audience at Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, host Stephanie Garry interviews Alix Strauss, author of the groundbreaking book, The Joy of Funerals, and a renowned trends, culture and lifestyle journalist who has appeared in The New York Times and other prominent publications. The event includes a Q&A and a reading from the book. More about Alix Strauss and The Joy of Funerals: www.alixstrauss.com Plaza Jewish Community Chapel: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org Plaza Jewish Community Chapel 25th Anniversary events: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/25th-anniversary Contact Exit Strategy: exitstrategy@plazajewish.org The post Exit Strategy Live! The Joy of Funerals appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Transcribe →From Deep Grief, a Mission: Supporting Families Facing Infant Loss
Oct 300:31:11Tap to summarizeKimberly Novod’s world changed suddenly, unexpectedly and dramatically. Her son Saul arrived prematurely and died after 20 days in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Louisiana. From her deep grief grew a driving purpose … to cement a legacy for her son by founding Saul’s Light, an organization making immense impact by elevating awareness of prematurity and perinatal loss — and adjacent issues — and providing resources and support for families who find themselves in the practical and emotional uncertainty of NICUs. Kimberly speaks with Exit Strategy host Stephanie Garry to mark Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in October. Kimberly will be a featured speaker at “Grieving the Unseen: Care, Ritual, and Response to Perinatal Loss,” a virtual program co-presented by Plaza Jewish Community Chapel on Monday, October 27 at 10 am ET. For more information and to register: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/bereavement-conferences/grieving-the-unseen-care-ritual-and-response-to-perinatal-loss Saul’s Light: www.saulslight.org Plaza Jewish Community Chapel: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org Plaza Jewish Community Chapel 25th Anniversary events: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org/25th-anniversary Contact Exit Strategy: exitstrategy@plazajewish.org The post From Deep Grief, a Mission: Supporting Families Facing Infant Loss appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
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