At the height of the Cold War, Ulrike Poppe just might have been the most surveilled woman in the world. But it was only after the wall fell that things really got interesting. Be sure to check out Luisa Beck, reporting on all things German at The Washington Post, as well as the work of reporter Andrew Curry, whose article in Wired first got us interested in Ulrike’s story. And if you’re interested in Stasi Records Agency, can you visit their English-language website to learn more. Produced by Luisa Beck with production assistance by Joe Rosenberg Original score by Renzo Gorrio Artwork by Teo Ducot Snap Classic - Season 9 Episode 15 The beat doesn’t happen without YOU. Support Snap storytelling... stories you won't hear anywhere else.

When Dr. Ayaz Virji first set foot in Dawson, Minnesota, he didn’t know what to expect. He was a brown Muslim man walking into a predominantly white rural town. But much to his surprise Ayaz and his family fit right in. Dawson quickly became home and his neighbors became like his extended family. Then came the presidential election of 2016. A very big thank you to Ayaz and Mussarat Virji, and to Mandy France and Doug Peterson for sharing their story with Snap! For more, please make sure to check out Ayaz Virji’s book, Love Thy Neighbor: A Muslim Doctor’s Struggle for Home in Rural America. Produced by Nancy Lopez, original score by Renzo Gorrio Artwork by Teo Ducot Season 11 - Episode 18 The beat doesn’t happen without YOU. Support Snap storytelling... stories you won't hear anywhere else.

A son tries to make contact with his dad, who’s deteriorating in the throes of dementia. He makes new connections and discoveries, and as he says goodbye to his father, he is granted a long-awaited wish. Snap Judgment presents, “Lucky Penny,” a special spotlight on The Truth Podcast, from PRX’s Radiotopia. Content Advisory: This episode contains strong language and drug use. Listener discretion is advised.  Thank you to everyone at The Truth for sharing this story with us here at Snap! CAST David Deblinger - Adam/FatherNeil Tyrone Pritchard - ElijahMaggie Burke - MotherTomoko Miyagi -KyokoLouis Kornfeld - ObstetricianDavid Aaron Baker - Palliative Physician Written by David Deblinger Produced by Jonathan Mitchell Original music by Fred Johnson Associate producer: Cara Ehlenfeldt Associate editor: Davy Gardner This episode is based on a stage production originally directed and developed by Ben Snyder at Labyrinth Theater Company Artwork by Teo Ducot Season 11 - Episode 17

Some stories that seem the furthest away hit closest to home. Team Snap presents more lockdown advice from around the world, even from the places you least expect. Listen to the fifth installment of "Letters from Lockdown." Philippines Father Picx is a Catholic priest from the Philippines. Every year he spends months alone in his hermitage, but his first experience with real solitude wasn’t on a retreat... it happened in a place called the Dragon Room. Greece Noah and Freya met in a refugee camp in Greece. But after they fell in love, and wanted to start a new life together, they found it wasn’t quite so easy to leave. Watch Noah recite his poem + learn about Freya’s business. Michigan Alison wanted to take a nice long soak and found herself trapped for days. Special thanks to Juuni in Michigan for helping us out during the pandemic. Libya Rafram is a visual artist who grew up in Jerusalem and traveled to Libya 10 years ago to photograph synagogues and Jewish graveyards. Rafram says he was granted permission from the Libyan government and police, but on the last day of his visit... Rafram was kidnapped. These days, Rafram lives in Tunis, and usually posts pictures of his culinary adventures on Instagram. But he’s currently on a social media break for 170 days, to mark 10 years since he spent 170 days in prison. “Freedom is priceless, and real freedom is happening inside us,” he wrote in his last post. Thank you, Father Picx, Noah, Freya, Alison, and Rafram, for sharing your stories with us! Produced by Shaina Shealy, Naomi Zeveloff, Liz Mak, Anna Sussman, and John Fecile Music by Renzo Gorrio, additional production by Pat Mesiti-Miller Artwork by Sanaa Khan Digital Producer: Marisa Dodge Season 11 - Episode 16 The beat doesn’t happen without YOU. Support Snap storytelling... stories you won't hear anywhere else.

When a little girl goes missing in the desert, one woman is driven to find her, no matter what. And a mother makes her own Ebola suit - MacGyver style - to save her son's life.  Happy Mother's Day to all you Snap Moms!  STORIES Hunted When a little girl goes missing in the desert, one woman is driven to find her, no matter what. Find out all about Hannah’s amazing story, and find resources for domestic abuse survivors on her website. Produced by Anna Sussman, original score by Renzo Gorrio Outbreak What do you do when a life-threatening disease makes it too dangerous to save the person closest to you? Dr. Phillip Ireland was a physician at JFK Hospital in Liberia during the virulent outbreak of Ebola in 2014 when families were torn apart by the runaway virus. Produced by Jake Halpern with additional assistance from Mark Ristich, Anna Sussman, Adizah Eghan, and Eliza Smith. Original score by Renzo Gorrio.  Special thanks to Yale NGN. Artwork by Teo Ducot **SEND ORLI SOME LOVE** Orli is an 11-year-old spending a lot of time in the hospital listening to Snap. She is one of the biggest Snappas in the land! Send Orli some love at Love@snapjudgment.org and we will forward it on. <3

Who better to seek advice from than a mother? This week, Team Snap brings you the fourth installment of, "Letters from Lockdown,” featuring moms around the world. Happy Mother's Day to all the Snap Moms out there! Liberia In the Liberian city of Monrovia, there was one neighborhood, notoriously the poorest neighborhood in the city, that was completely locked down during the Ebola crisis. Bendu Kanu Pajibo is a mother of three and has lived in that neighborhood her entire life. Find out she managed to keep her smile.  Columbus After years struggling to get US papers, Edith Espinal finally had no choice but to hide from the government in the only place she felt safe.  Learn more about Edith’s story, and support her case. Her team also put together a COVID-19 Stay of Removal, sign the petition.  Chicago This isn’t the first time Ameena has been worried about her kids going outside. A violence interrupter talks life and death in Chicago. Hear her message to all the parents out there. Learn more about Ameena and check out these Chicago organizations: Pause for Peace and Protector of the Bread Food Pantry.  Thank you, Bendu, Edith, and Ameena, for sharing your stories with us! Produced by Shaina Shealy, Naomi Zeveloff, Anna Sussman, Liz Mak, Ana Adlerstein, John Fecile Music by Renzo Gorrio, additional production by Pat Mesiti-Miller Artwork by Sanaa Khan Digital Producer: Marisa Dodge Season 11 - Episode 14 The beat doesn’t happen without YOU. Support Snap storytelling... stories you won't hear anywhere else.

V grew up hearing about her parent’s epic love story... but she never knew about the song behind it. BIG thanks to V and her mom for sharing their story with us here at Snap. Produced by Liz Mak, original score by Pat Mesiti-Miller  Artwork by Teo Ducot Season 11 - Episode 13 The beat doesn’t happen without YOU. Support Snap storytelling... stories you won't hear anywhere else.

While most of the world continues to shelter-in-place, Team Snap brings you the third installment of, "Letters from Lockdown.”  STORIES Jericho Osama Iliwat spent days in solitary confinement inside an Israeli prison during the First and Second Palestinian Intifadas. Learn how peace reached him in the midst of conflict. Today, Osama runs a cell phone shop in Jericho, is a peace activist, and leads international tours in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. He advocates for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians and speaks to international groups with an organization called Combatants for Peace.  Rwanda In the 90s, Eric Murangwa was the star goalkeeper of Rwanda’s most beloved football team, Rayon Sport. He was also a Tutsi - at the time when death squads were hunting Tutsis. Find out where - and with who - Eric took refuge. Eric now runs a charity called Ishami Foundation, which brings people together through sport.  He’s currently raising money for vulnerable families affected by coronavirus during the genocide commemoration in Rwanda. Help him reach his goal.  Brooklyn Estee grew up in an ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn where her then-husband isolated her from friends, family, and activities for nearly two decades. Hear how Estee’s spirit could not be contained by four walls.  Today, Estee lives in Jerusalem with her eight children and recently remarried a very kind man. She teaches Zumba Extreme at the Jerusalem YMCA. Hear more of Estee’s story in the Snap archives. Thank you, Osama, Eric, and Estee for sharing your stories with us! Produced by Shaina Shealy, Naomi Zeveloff, Liz Mak, and Anna Sussman Music by Renzo Gorrio, additional production by Pat Mesiti-Miller Artwork by Sanaa Khan Digital Producer: Marisa Dodge Season 11 - Episode 12 Our team is working quickly to put together more pieces of advice from people all over the world - stay tuned for more. And if you have advice from a past lockdown you’d like to share with Snap Nation - reach out to us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook - or email pitches@snapjudgment.org  The beat doesn’t happen without YOU. Support Snap storytelling... stories you won't hear anywhere else.