In the latest episode of his podcast, “The Long Short Way,” California shliach Rabbi Mendy Bistritzky sits down with a member of his community on his 81st birthday to hear a personal story of hardship, resilience, and a remarkable return to a frum life.

Rabbi Bistritzky serves as shliach to Saugus and the North Santa Clarita Valley, where he and his wife Mirel have been building a Chabad House to serve the thousands of Jewish families in one of Los Angeles County’s fastest-growing communities. Having both grown up in the area, the Bistritzkys bring a personal connection to their shlichus.

As an extension of that mission, Rabbi Bistritzky launched “The Long Short Way” – a podcast produced by Chabad of Saugus featuring heartfelt conversations about personal growth, faith, and the unexpected paths that lead people back to Hashem.

In the most recent episode, Rabbi Bistritzky interviews Errol Gerson, who grew up in South Africa. At age six, Errol was left at an orphanage that claimed to be an Orthodox institution but subjected its children to years of physical and emotional abuse. Despite it all, he never lost his inner connection to yiddishkeit.

“When we went to shul, I felt a warmth and a glow that something was good,” he recalls. That quiet knowing carried him through decades of distance from observance, immigration to America with $300 and no plan B, a period of homelessness, and years of wandering before finding his way back.

His journey to Yiddishkeit, he shares, was built on gratitude and truth. Starting each day with Modeh Ani, learning about bitachon, and the willingness to confront his past have been the cornerstones of his transformation.

“Don’t wait until you’re 81 to understand that Hashem not only loves me, but wants what’s best for me,” he says. “The question is – what am I going to do about it?”

To view all episodes of The Long Short Way, click here.

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