From Puerto Rico to Satmar: Malkie Wiener's Improbable Journey
Meaningful People
Meaningful Minute
4.8 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 6 September 2025
⏱️ 77 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this inspiring episode, Malkie Weiner shares her extraordinary life story: from her Catholic upbringing in Puerto Rico, to her family’s unexpected spiritual search, their conversion to Judaism, and their eventual integration into the Hasidic community of Williamsburg.
Malkie opens up about:
🌍 Growing up between two worlds: Puerto Rican roots & New York life
🙏 Her father’s spiritual quest that led the family to Judaism
✡️ The challenges and beauty of converting and becoming part of Klal Yisroel
💔 Facing antisemitism as a child and finding strength in her faith
👩👧 Building her own Jewish family and embracing her Jewish identity
This is more than just a personal story. It’s a testament to resilience, faith, and the beauty of Jewish unity across all backgrounds.
This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors:
►Blooms Kosher
Bring you the best Kosher products worldwide.
______________________________________
► Touro
Are you going back to Israel for Shana Bet or Shana Gimmel? If you’d like to get a jump start on your college degree while you’re still learning, Touro Israel is the place for you.
You can take classes toward your degree while learning and living in Yerushalayim and seamlessly transfer to a Touro New York campus when you return. Bachelor’s-level Touro courses are offered in a whole range of fields, including accounting, business, education, psychology, science, speech and more.
Classes start after Sukkos and are conveniently scheduled to accommodate your Yeshiva or Seminary schedule. You’ll receive one-on-one guidance and personalized support to help you plan your next steps and you’ll also have access to top faculty and career advisors. All this in a warm environment that aligns with your Torah values!
So get a head start today. Visit rmi.touro.edu/israel
______________________________________
► Colel Chabad Pushka App - The easiest way to give Tzedaka
_______________________________________
► Lalechet
We're a team of kosher travel experts, here to carry you off to your dream destination swiftly, safely, and seamlessly in an experience you will forever cherish.
https://www.lalechet.com
___________________________________________
►Rothenberg Law Firm
Personal Injury Law Firm For 50+ years!
Reach out Today for Free Case Evaluation
____________________________________
► Town Appliance - Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp
https://www.townappliance.com
https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp
______________________________________
► Meaningful Minute Plus
Meaningful Minute is releasing its first-ever feature film: Homeless — a powerful story about exile, identity, and return.
https://plus.meaningfulminute.org/
______________________________________
► Faith It Till You Make It
Join Rabbi Ari Bensoussan’s course on Bitachon sponsored by Censible Marketing!
Your guide to keeping your faith in today's complicated world!
www.Meaningfulminute.org/censible
____________________________________________________
► Subscribe to our Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
https://apple.co/2WALuE2
https://spoti.fi/39bNGnO
Or wherever Podcasts are available!
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | When I was seven years old, I'm in this school. |
| 0:02.3 | The teacher, she tells me, you dirty Jew, get up. |
| 0:05.7 | Go to the front of the room and she says, |
| 0:08.0 | everybody, this is a Jew and they killed our God. |
| 0:11.3 | I want all of you to get up and tell her something nasty. |
| 0:15.4 | Every child in that room got up, including my three best friends. |
| 0:20.1 | I gathered myself and I said, Hashem is one. |
| 0:23.6 | There's only one God. She got so angry with me. She lost it. She started to slap me as hard as she could in front of the entire classroom. |
| 0:33.6 | Malky winner's story is unlike anything you've heard before. Born to a Puerto Rican father, a New York mother, raised Catholic, and yet her life would become |
| 0:41.7 | one of the most remarkable Jewish journeys you'll ever hear. |
| 0:44.8 | Malchi grew up in Puerto Rico, a childhood marked by searching, conversion, and unthinkable |
| 0:49.0 | anti-Semitism. |
| 0:50.0 | Parents risked everything just to keep Shabbas. |
| 0:52.5 | And through it all, a little girl growing up caught between two worlds. |
| 0:57.0 | When I was around three years old, my father started to question everything. |
| 1:00.0 | He breaks away from the Catholic religion. |
| 1:03.0 | He picks up this book when it says ideas of the Talmud in Spanish. |
| 1:07.0 | My father brings this book home and the book is highlighted from cover to cover. |
| 1:11.6 | He finds the shul. |
| 1:12.6 | The rabbi of the shul at the time was Rabbi Felch. |
| 1:14.6 | My father goes to the Shabbos service and he said, this is it. |
| 1:18.6 | This is the place. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Meaningful Minute, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Meaningful Minute and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.