The Upstander Ripple Effect
The Upstander Ripple Effect is a podcast featuring stories of how one act of standing up for justice can have an infinite impact. It’s where stories of courage and resilience during the Holocaust—one of the darkest chapters in human history— come alive to inspire a new generation of upstanders today. Come for a dose of motivation to activate your own unique character strengths to become an upstander right now, and stay for a fresh look at today’s headlines that will leave you feeling hopeful and empowered to start your own ripples of positive change.
The Upstander Ripple Effect – the first podcast from the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center.
Episodes
40 episodes
Where Black History meets Women's History
“We make mistakes, and we will continue to make mistakes. The beauty of that is that we get to fix it, you know. But how we atone for that, how we move forward is what matters.” - Shawnee Turner In this episode of The Upstande...
We are interconnected - Marking both MLK Day and Holocaust Remembrance Day
“It is an interesting time to think about how these two days are established to remember and honor separate histories, but in so many ways, separate histories that are so interconnected, that have so many shared themes and shared lessons.” ...
Your Brain is Wired to Seek Out Bad News - Here's The Good News You Need Anyway with WVXU's Lucy May
“In a time that feels very dark and hopeless, they're finding hope in the humanity of others, not just what they're doing, but what they see communities doing to help.” - Lucy May, Cincinnati journalist, on one of the stories of t...
When AI Meets Memory - Season 2 Episode 3
As artificial intelligence of the future is applied to events of the past, how do we make sure truth and authenticity is the focus? “We remove the human element out of it when we say, robot, go do this for me.” - Jackie Co...
Political violence and our common humanity with Sean Comer - Season 2 Episode 2
When political division and violence dominate the headlines, how can we hold on to our shared humanity? Host Jackie Congedo is joined by guest Sean Comer, Vice President of the Leadership Center at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and founde...
To Bear Witness: Stories from Auschwitz to Cincinnati. The life of Werner Coppel
“Because it was brought here to Cincinnati, I think it also gives way to this idea that, you know, the Holocaust is, is international history, right? It's European history, global history, but it's our local history too.” – Directo...
To Bear Witness: Stories from Auschwitz to Cincinnati. The lives of Henry Meyer & Bella Ouziel
“We hear that in a lot of survivor stories... saying you're trained as something, that you're not, in a way, to survive.” - Trinity Johnson, Director of Holocaust Programs & Museum Experiences at the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & H...
Self-Awareness - Season 2 Episode 1
“Bias doesn’t just live in the people we don’t like. It lives in the mirrors that we look in every day in our homes.” – Kevin Aldridge Season 2 of The Upstander Ripple Effect kicks off with a powerful conversation ...
To Bear Witness: Stories from Auschwitz to Cincinnati. A trip to Poland
Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. opens at Cincinnati Museum Center in October 2025. For those who have never visited the camp, it represents an unparalleled learning opportunity. “The people are not present… but there are t...
To Bear Witness: Stories from Auschwitz to Cincinnati. The lives of Roma Kaltman & Rozalia Berke
She said, "Will you take me as a sister?" And we said, "Yes, you will be our third sister.” And that's how we went through the war to be known as the three sisters." We were always holding hands together so we wouldn't be separated.
To Bear Witness: Stories from Auschwitz to Cincinnati. The lives of Henry Carter & Leo Wilich
Step behind the scenes, into the archives of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, in Union Terminal, to explore the lives of Henry Carter and Leo Wilich—Auschwitz survivors who rebuilt their lives in Cincinnati. ...
To Bear Witness: Stories from Auschwitz to Cincinnati
A landmark collection of artifacts and photos from Auschwitz is coming to Cincinnati in October 2025.“I've paid attention to it as it's been in different places, and talked to the curator and talked to partners who have had it, knowing ...
Episode 14: Upstanders Rise (Season finale)
The last show of Season One is officially in the books! In this episode, we wrap up the first season of The Upstander Ripple Effect with gratitude, reflection, and—of course—inspiration. Jackie and Kevin dig into some of the headline-m...
Episode 13: "Perspective" featuring Lisa MacVittie & Dr. Christian Gausvik
Attacks on Jewish communities. Corporate retreats from Pride Month. Rhetoric heating up on all sides. What does it take to pause, reflect, and truly see the world through someone else’s eyes? In this episode of The Upstander Ripple...
Episode 12: "Empathy" featuring Conrad Weiner & Tulane Chartock
In this episode of The Upstander Ripple Effect, hosts Jackie Congedo and Kevin Aldridge dive deep into the idea of empathy—what it really means, why some people are questioning its value, and how it plays a powerful role ...
Episode 11: "Resilience" and Jackie hosts from Jerusalem
Host Jackie Congedo, CEO at the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, joined this episode from her hotel in Jerusalem, where she was with leaders from Holocaust education centers around the world, studying and collaborating. &...
Authentic Resilience with Fatima Doman
“How can we all stand up for each other? Help each other more? Help each other thrive?...I believe that we're more resilient when we're building resilience together.” - Fatima Doman on being upstanders and becoming more resilient ...
Episode 10: Special Episode - Nuance in the current political environment with Dr. Sarah Crane
“If fear is what's driving us right now, let's find out what people are afraid of, and let's have a conversation. Let's have a talk. Let's talk about that first. Let's lean into that courageously and have some honest conversations about, wh...
Learning and Perspective on the Holocaust with Dr. Sarah Crane
This episode explores the evolving landscape of Holocaust remembrance with Dr. Sarah Crane, Visiting Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Cincinnati and Scholar in Residence at the Holocaust & Humanity Center.&nb...
Episode 9: "Keeping Memory Alive" feat Bob Mermelstein & Joyce Kamen
What do we choose to remember and why? What memories should we work to keep alive? Jackie and Kevin explore that in this episode. “I think it's important for us to understand, too, why it's important to keep these stories, thes...
Leadership with Dr. Gail Fairhurst
One way we can be upstanders is to embrace our ability to be leaders. Dr. Gail Fairhurst has studied communication and leadership extensively, and joins us to share her best insights on how we can lean into leadership in our everyday lives. &nb...
The Positivity Project with Jeff Bryan
In this episode of The Upstander Ripple Effect, Jeff Bryan, co-founder of the Positivity Project, shares how his military background and studies in positive psychology inspired a nationwide initiative to teach character strengths in schools.&nb...
Episode 8: "Gratitude" featuring Henry Fenichel and Emily Kendall
This episode brings a heartfelt exploration of gratitude, fittingly marking the final episode of 2024. "Gratitude is the kinetic energy behind the ripple effect." – Jackie Congedo, host and CEO of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocau...
Mindfulness with Stacy Sims
Being the best version of ourselves, so we can be upstanders for the world around us, takes time and intention. Stacy Sims, Executive Director and Founder of The Well, joins us in this episode to help us understand the importance of mindfulness...
Episode 7: "Building Community" featuring Rob Herman, Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland
This episode tackles the daunting task of building community in a deeply divided post-election landscape head-on. "I think it is the essential project of this moment and it’s something Ithink is going to be very hard for both si...
