Guest: Gavi Welbel, Co-Founder of Zumwalt Acres

About Zumwalt Acres: Zumwalt Acres is an ecological farm in Sheldon, Illinois, founded by twin sisters Gavi and Remi Welbel in 2020. As sixth-generation stewards of their family’s land, they’ve transformed a conventional farm into a regenerative agriculture hub rooted in Jewish values and climate-forward practices. The farm grows food regeneratively for farmers’ markets and local food pantries, hosts an annual apprenticeship program for young people aged 18-27, and conducts climate research on carbon sequestration methods. They also cultivate specialty mushrooms, bridge conventional and regenerative farming communities in rural Illinois, and honor Jewish agricultural traditions.

Explore The Good People Fund:

www.goodpeoplefund.org

Read The Good People Fund’s “2025 Journal of Good” for more stories of inspiration and impact:

https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/journal-of-good/

Guest: Evie Litwok, Founder of Witness to Mass Incarceration

Evie Litwok walked out of federal prison in 2014 with $30 and a Greyhound ticket. The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Evie founded Witness to Mass Incarceration to help formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives with dignity and support. Her work is deeply informed by her family’s experience of survival and her commitment to bearing witness to injustice. Witness to Mass Incarceration provides practical reentry support like laptops and phones for newly released individuals, offers vocational training, documents the stories of incarcerated people, connects formerly incarcerated business owners to build economic empowerment, and advocates to change conditions inside prisons, particularly around sexual violence and abuse. The Good People Fund gave Evie her very first grant, making this transformative work possible.

Witness to Mass Incarceration is supported by the Good People Fund, which invests in innovative grassroots organizations making a difference in their communities.

Explore The Good People Fund:

www.goodpeoplefund.org

Read The Good People Fund’s “2025 Journal of Good” for more stories of inspiration and impact:

https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/journal-of-good/

In this episode of Good People Talk, Julie Fisher, associate executive director of The Good People Fund, speaks with Matt Fieldman and Charmaine Rice, co-founders of Rekindle, a Good People Fund grantee bringing Black and Jewish leaders together for dialogue, friendship, and shared action. Matt and Charmaine share what inspired them to create Rekindle and how they’ve built brave spaces for difficult conversations about race, identity, and history. They trace Rekindle’s remarkable growth from a single Cleveland cohort to a national movement spanning 20 cities, exploring what it means to rekindle the historic Black-Jewish alliance forged during the Civil Rights Movement. The conversation delves into how Rekindle fellows are bringing this work back to their own communities, how Matt and Charmaine navigate polarization and division with hope and courage, and ultimately, what gives them hope for the future.

Explore The Good People Fund:

www.goodpeoplefund.org

Read The Good People Fund’s “2025 Journal of Good” for more stories of inspiration and impact:

https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/journal-of-good/

In this moving episode of Good People Talk, Julie Fisher, associate executive director of The Good People Fund sits down with Mo Al Samawi, Founder of Abrahamic House and author of The Fox Hunt, to explore a life shaped by hardship, faith, and extraordinary moral courage.

Born and raised in Yemen, Mo grew up navigating disability, social isolation, and the deep impacts of conflict. His worldview began to shift through unlikely encounters — books, social media, and relationships with people from different faiths — ultimately transforming hatred into compassion. That personal transformation became the foundation for Abrahamic House, a groundbreaking interfaith fellowship where young adults of different religions live together, build friendships, and create community through shared experiences and courageous dialogue.

Explore The Good People Fund:

www.goodpeoplefund.org

Read The Good People Fund’s “2025 Journal of Good” for more stories of inspiration and impact:

https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/news-and-publications/journal-of-good/