Hey everyone, it's Jackie Goldschneider.

I'm Jen Fessler.

And we are to Jersey Jays and happy almost New Year's to everyone.

Happy almost New Year's. I'm actually quite excited that we are saying goodbye to

2024.

I am too, but why are you?

I mean, I think this, I'm very, very hopeful for 2025.

It's been a hard year. I think it's been a hard year for everyone.

It's been a hard year for our country.

It's been not to start out as Debbie Downer, but, you know, it's been so divisive.

What's happening in Israel has plagued us both, I know, and it's been so divisive what's happening in israel has plagued us both i know and it's

still happening all year i'm hopeful for some peace and some exciting change in the new year yeah i'm

with you um but it hasn't all been bad but yes i i must say as a Jewish woman, I have carried a weight on my shoulders every single day. And not that the anti-Semitism that's like destroying the world right now has impacted me so greatly. But I think living in a town that has a hostage, so there's a hostage from my town,

and it's, I think about that family all the time. And I just, I'm really sad. I'm sad.

I think about, you know, when I look at the girls that are being held hostage, they,

they look like the same as my daughter, you know, and it's really hard to take, you know, when I look at the girls that are being held hostage, they look like the same as my daughter.

You know, and it's really hard to take myself out of that and say this is about other people because

it's not. Like, I'm Israeli. And it's just been hard. It's been hard to, to know that's still

happening every day. We haven't really spoken about it a lot here.

I know, because it's politically divisive, which it shouldn't be.

I mean, there should be no political divisiveness to the fact that, like, you support freeing these innocent hostages.

And that you're against anti-Semitism.

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