Nachi Gordon sits down with Julia Blum, a singer, songwriter and Yale graduate who grew up performing in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, in a home where God simply wasn’t part of the conversation. After a college interview left her unable to answer one question, “who are you?”, a trip after graduation brought her to the Kotel and to a Shabbos table in the Old City, where one dropped platter changed the course of her life.
Julia shares what she found at Neve Yerushalayim, the choices she made about Shabbos, tznius and kol isha, why she stepped away from the stage for decades to be there for her kids, and what brought her back to music today.
This episode is sponsored by:
► PZ Deals
Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app.
https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp
_________________
► Colel Chabad Pushka App
The easiest way to give Tzedaka.
https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful
_________________
► Ceremian Financial
Advice built on experience. Moshe Alpert and Ceremian Financial are fiduciary financial advisors offering wealth management, financial planning, retirement planning, and estate and legacy planning for families, professionals and business owners, so you can have real peace of mind that your finances are taken care of. Schedule your first conversation today.
https://ceremianfinancial.com/
718-644-1594
_________________
► Dream Raffle
Win a brand new, fully furnished $1.3 million apartment in Yerushalayim! Use promo code MPP for $10 off and double tickets.
_________________
► Aura House
A sleek, flame free cold air diffuser that fills your home with a five star hotel scent, with no parabens or phthalates. Use code MEANINGFUL15 for 15% off.
_________________
► Town Appliance
Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp.
https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:59 Growing Up a Child Performer in Los Angeles
8:07 Yale, Harvard and Knowledge Without Meaning
11:11 The Princeton Interview and the Questions No One Talks About
15:47 Growing Up Jewish Without Religion
23:12 Traveling Alone and a Home Without God
29:55 Skipping Paris for Israel and a Shabbos Meal in the Old City
33:34 The Dropped Platter That Changed Julia Blum’s Life
36:08 The Mom Who Went to Yale and the Road to Neve Yerushalayim
40:47 Brainwashing Warnings and Planning an Escape From the Taxi
42:56 The First Day at Neve: Lech Lecha and Opening a Chumash
48:04 Learning Shabbos and Giving Up Broadway
51:58 Tznius: “I Have a Body, I’m Not a Body”
54:25 Kol Isha and Julia’s Struggle With Hashem
56:28 Singing for a Sisterhood of Girls and Women
59:29 Always an Outsider: “I Dreamed of Being a Bais Yaakov Girl”
1:01:13 Stepping Away From the Stage for Her Family
1:03:12 Rav Moshe Weinberger and Julia’s Return to Music
1:07:55 Each Child Gets Their Own Journey
1:11:39 How Julia’s Parents Reacted to Her Becoming Frum
1:15:18 Closing and Meaningful Minute Plus