The Shroud: A Daughter’s Act of Love

What if preparing for death could also be an act of love? In this deeply moving episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry speaks with filmmaker Ilana Trachtman and fiber artist Rachel Kanter, whose story is at the heart of the documentary Shroud. Rachel is making her mother’s burial shroud. For Rachel, a fiber artist accustomed […].... READ STORY

What Matters Most: Diane Button on Living, Dying, and the Conversations We Need to Have

What matters most when we are faced with illness, aging, loss, and the end of life? In this episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry speaks with Diane Button, author of What Matters Most, about the questions that often become clearer as we confront mortality — and why having these conversations before a crisis can make […].... READ STORY

A New Chapter in End-of-Life Care: Medical Aid in Dying Comes to New York 

On August 5, New York begins implementing one of the most significant changes to end-of-life care in its history. As the 13th state to authorize Medical Aid in Dying, New York now offers eligible terminally ill adults another option at the end of life—one rooted in personal autonomy, compassion, and carefully defined legal safeguards. In […].... READ STORY

Death as Teacher: Finding Meaning in the Life We Have

An Exit Strategy Conversation with Dr. Charlotte Grinberg What if thinking about death could help us live more fully? In this thought-provoking episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry welcomes Dr. Charlotte Grinberg, physician, writer, and advocate for bringing conversations about mortality into everyday life. Inspired by her widely shared essay in The Free Press, Dr. […].... READ STORY

Returning to the Earth: A Conversation on Green Burial with Lily Sage Weinrieb

As more people seek environmentally conscious choices throughout their lives, many are also considering how those values can shape their final arrangements. In this episode of Exit Strategy, host Stephanie Garry sits down with Lily Sage Weinrieb, Funeral Director at Plaza Jewish Community Chapel and Green Burial Specialist, to explore the growing interest in green […].... READ STORY

The Gift of Planning Ahead: A Conversation with Anthony Caratozzolo

Talking about death isn’t easy. Planning for it can feel even harder. Yet one of the most meaningful gifts we can leave our loved ones is clarity. In this episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry sits down with Plaza Jewish Community Chapel’s Certified Preplanning Consultant and Funeral Director, Anthony Caratozzolo, to discuss what funeral pre-planning […].... READ STORY

The Doctor and the Chaplain: Healing Beyond Medicine

A Conversation with Dr. Jessica Zitter What happens when a physician learns that healing involves more than medicine? In this episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry speaks with Dr. Jessica Zitter—critical care physician, author, filmmaker, and advocate for compassionate end-of-life care—about her powerful documentary, The Chaplain & The Doctor. The film chronicles Dr. Zitter’s transformative […].... READ STORY

Eric Goldstein on Legacy, Leadership, and Letting Go

As he prepares to close an extraordinary chapter as CEO of UJA-Federation of New York, Eric Goldstein joins Exit Strategy for a deeply personal and reflective conversation about leadership, legacy, and what it means to step away after guiding one of the most influential Jewish organizations in the world through moments of challenge, heartbreak, renewal, […].... READ STORY

The Myth of Self

What if the self isn’t as fixed as we believe? In this episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry speaks with Rabbi Jonathan Blake about how rethinking identity—through a Jewish and philosophical lens—can transform the way we approach mortality. Together, they explore how loosening our grip on the idea of a singular, bounded self may open […].... READ STORY

What Remains: Rachel Seidman on Preserving Lives Through Story

In this episode of Exit Strategy, Stephanie Garry sits down with Rachel Seidman to explore the profound role of storytelling in how we remember, honor, and make meaning of a life. Together, they discuss how personal narratives shape legacy, the emotional and ethical dimensions of capturing someone’s story, and what it means to preserve memory […].... READ STORY