Behind the Bima

*Interview is in Hebrew*

What does Ishay Ribo really want from his music?

In this special bonus episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg sits down with Ishay Ribo for a personal conversation about music, emunah, creativity, and influence.

Ishay shares why he sees his music as a shlichus, what he hopes people take home from a concert, and how music can break down walls between Jews who might otherwise have little in common. He also reflects on Israel and Diaspora Jewry, the spiritual awakening since October 7, and why he's increasingly questioning our relationship with social media.

In this episode:

Note: This episode contains discussion of sensitive topics.

Why do so many people feel disconnected today?

Rabbi Yakov Danishefsky joins Behind the Bima for a thought-provoking conversation about attachment, relationships, vulnerability, and the growing challenge of genuine connection in modern life.

Drawing from both Torah and psychology, Rabbi Danishefsky explains why many of us spend our lives pursuing achievement, productivity, and self-improvement while overlooking the very thing we need most: meaningful relationships. He explores how attachment shapes our connection to Hashem, to other people, and to ourselves, and why disconnection often sits beneath many of the struggles people face.

The conversation also explores loneliness, marriage, friendship, therapy, personal growth, failure, resilience, and Rabbi Danishefsky's work helping people navigate addiction and other deeply personal struggles. From the roots of destructive behaviors to the challenge of genuine vulnerability, he offers a compelling perspective on what people are really searching for beneath the surface.

This episode is sponsored by Michele Dimont IMO Chayim, on his 5th yahrzeit, and in recognition of the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund, the Segula Fund, which Chayim started to help community couples bear the high costs of infertility treatments.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.

Note: This episode contains discussion of several controversial topics and stories. 

Why does Dovi Neuburger make us laugh at ourselves?

Dovi Neuburger goes Behind the Bima for a candid conversation about comedy, community, and the frum world through the eyes of someone who has learned how to turn familiar moments into unforgettable jokes.

Dovi reflects on his journey into stand-up, the rise of his social media audience, the anxiety and overthinking behind comedy, and the difference between making fun of Judaism from the outside and laughing at our own world from within. He also shares what it was like growing up as a Rrabbi’s son, how that shaped his view of community criticism, and why the best jokes often reveal something true.

The conversation also explores social media, crowd work, boundaries in satire, stories that are “truer” than reality, family support, the impact of laughter in Israel after October 7th, and what comedy can give people in difficult times.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.

Why does Jewish music feel so different today?

Chaim Ghoori goes Behind the Bima for a fascinating conversation about the rise of a new style of Jewish music, one marked by vulnerability, authenticity, emotional honesty, and a deep yearning for connection.

Chaim reflects on his journey from early life, to his days at the Yeshiva of Waterbury, to becoming part of a new wave of Jewish music marked by vulnerability, authenticity, and emotional honesty. He explores why so many young people are connecting to music that speaks openly about struggle, growth, belonging, and a relationship with Hashem. 

The conversation also explores mentorship, community, recovery work, emotional vulnerability, October 7th, and the power of feeling truly seen.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.

Why do so many teenagers push away the people who care about them most?

Rabbi Yossi Bensoussan joins Behind the Bima for one of the most emotionally honest and practically grounded parenting conversations the podcast has had in years. Drawing from decades of crisis intervention, addiction counseling, and working with struggling teens and families, Rabbi Bensoussan argues that many children aren’t rebelling because they want to destroy relationships… but for a deeper reason.

The conversation explores shame, vulnerability, emotional safety, addiction, expectations, masculinity, therapy culture, and the hidden fear driving so much teenage behavior: the fear of disappointing the people they love most.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.

Rebecca Lieberman goes Behind the Bima for a deeply personal conversation about the life and legacy of her father, Senator Joe Lieberman.

The episode moves from the chaos of the 2000 presidential campaign to the quieter moments that defined him most: Shabbat dinners untouched by politics, long walks with family, deep listening, bipartisan friendships, and an unusual ability to remain grounded inside public life. Rebecca reflects on what it was like growing up inside one of America’s most recognizable political families while watching her father navigate politics with moral clarity, religious conviction, and genuine humility.

The conversation also explores the state of American culture today: rising antisemitism, social media polarization, performative politics, and whether the kind of leadership Joe Lieberman represented can still survive in modern America.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.

Rabbi Josh Broide returns to Behind the Bima!

After decades helping build Jewish life in Boca, Rabbi Broide reflects on what it’s actually been like starting over in Modi’in during one of the most volatile periods in Israel’s recent history. The conversation moves from missile sirens and wartime uncertainty to the quieter parts of Israeli life that rarely make headlines: crowded kiddushes, spontaneous Torah learning, one-seder Pesach, and the feeling of waking up every morning in a Jewish state.

The Rabbis also tackle one of the most emotionally charged conversations in the Jewish world right now: how should aliyah actually be discussed? Does fear motivate people — or push them away? Funny, personal, and thoughtful, this episode explores the emotional reality of building a life in Israel while remaining deeply connected to the Jewish world in America.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.

On this episode of Behind the Bima, the Rabbis sit down with Shlomo Levinger, a professional mentalist whose work blends performance, psychology, and precision.

What looks impossible on stage isn’t about supernatural ability. It’s about structure, timing, and understanding how people think. Shlomo pulls back the curtain on what mentalism actually is, and why the experience matters more than the method behind it.

At the same time, he shares what it takes to build this into a real career—from early gigs to larger stages—and the decisions that come with it. That includes the opportunities he’s walked away from, and how being an observant Jew shapes the way he approaches his work, his image, and his boundaries.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.

In this episode, we discuss:

On this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg is joined by Rav Nissan Kaplan for a conversation that goes to the heart of chinuch today: what it means to be a Rebbi, and what talmidim are actually looking for.

As expectations shift and access to information becomes limitless, Rav Kaplan offers a grounded perspective on what hasn’t changed… and what has. The conversation explores the role of connection in Torah transmission, what defines real success in yeshiva, and how a Rebbi shapes not just how a student learns, but who he becomes.

Rav Kaplan also speaks candidly about personal loss and the way emunah is lived, not theorized, through tefillah, honesty, and continuing forward without simplifying the complexity of pain.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.

This conversation explores:

On this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg and Rabbi Philip Moskowitz sit down with Ami Kozak, whose impressions and satire have become a sharp lens on how people speak… and what they actually mean.

What makes those impressions resonate isn’t just the humor. It’s recognition. The way people talk about Israel, about Jews, and about each other often carries assumptions, framing, and subtext that go unnoticed until they’re reflected back.

This conversation explores how satire exposes those patterns, why certain narratives gain traction, and what it means to have a public voice in a moment where attention, influence, and credibility are often misaligned.

This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.