Behind the Bima

In this deeply moving episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg and Rabbi Philip Moskowitz sit down with Mark Halawa, who grew up Arab and Muslim in Kuwait, immersed in a culture where Jews were demonized, and ultimately chose a radically different path.

Mark shares the quiet, human moments that began unraveling everything he thought he knew: curiosity, kindness, questions, and a single act of generosity that planted a seed. What followed was not a political statement, but a spiritual journey... one rooted in learning, truth-seeking, and courage.

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:

• Growing up Muslim in Kuwait and being taught to hate Jews
• The unexpected encounters that challenged those beliefs
• The rabbi, the apple, and the moment that changed everything
• Choosing Judaism through learning, not rebellion
• What it costs... and gives... to rebuild an identity from the ground up

This is a powerful episode about transformation, faith, and what can happen when someone is truly seen.

This bonus episode of Behind the Bima addresses a question many people asked — and some criticized:

Why invite an Arab Muslim to speak at a synagogue?

Rabbi Efrem Goldberg is joined by Loay Alshareef, an Arab Muslim educator who speaks openly about antisemitism within the Arab and Muslim world, the narratives he was raised with, and the personal consequences of challenging them publicly.

Rather than aiming for comfort or consensus, this conversation focuses on truth, moral responsibility, and the cost of silence. Loay discusses what it means to speak honestly within his own community, why clarity matters more than approval, and how real dialogue differs from performative gestures.

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 Episode Discusses:

• Growing up in the Arab world and the narratives taught about Jews
• Antisemitism within Arab and Muslim societies
• The personal cost of publicly challenging one’s own community
• Truth-telling versus performative interfaith dialogue
• When avoiding discomfort becomes a moral failure
• The difference between honesty and coexistence slogans
• Speaking with clarity even when it risks backlash
• Why some conversations must happen publicly, not privately

This is not a conversation about interfaith optics. It’s about values, courage, and the responsibility to say difficult things out loud.

What does paying attention over time teach you about people?

In this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg and Rabbi Philip Moskowitz are joined by Rebbetzin Shoshana Schachter for a thoughtful conversation about dating, raising children, and the relationships that shape our lives.

Drawing from decades of lived experience, Rebbetzin Schachter reflects on how emotional awareness and restraint influence the way we approach dating and parenting. She speaks about the importance of watching people carefully, allowing relationships to unfold over time, and understanding that judgment is often formed not through answers, but through attention.

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 Episode Discusses:

• Dating and emotional awareness
• Paying attention as relationships develop
• Restraint in parenting and family dynamics
• Learning when to respond and when to hold back
• Watching people carefully over time
• How judgment is shaped through experience
• Why wisdom often comes from observation, not advice

This is not an episode about solutions or prescriptions. It’s about learning to notice, and what that noticing teaches you about people, family, and yourself.

What does it mean to be trusted with other people’s growth?

In this episode of Behind the Bima, we sit down with Rabbi Moshe Don Kestenbaum, a renowned educator and mentor, to explore the quiet but weighty decisions that parents and teachers face every day.

Rather than offering formulas or slogans, Rabbi Kestenbaum speaks honestly about discernment—knowing when to guide, when to step back, and how to bring out the best in children and students without crushing their individuality. Drawing from decades in education, he reflects on responsibility, restraint, and the long-term impact of the choices educators make in moments that often go unnoticed.

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 Episode Discusses:

• Knowing when to speak—and when silence is more powerful
• Bringing out the best in students without overmanaging
• Parenting and teaching as long-term responsibility
• Why trust is the heaviest burden educators carry
• Letting children grow without fear-driven control
• Modeling judgment, not just rules

This is a conversation for anyone who teaches, parents, mentors, or leads, and feels the pressure of getting it right.

Alex Clare built a global music career, reaching hundreds of millions of listeners worldwide. But behind the spotlight, he was searching for something deeper.

In this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg sits down with Alex Clare for a thoughtful conversation about fame, faith, and the cost of choosing a values-driven life. Alex reflects on his journey through music, his return to Torah, and the challenge of integrating creativity, responsibility, and authenticity after public success.

This is not a story about leaving one world for another. It’s about redefining purpose, respecting the power of one’s gifts, and discovering depth when the applause fades.

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.

Topics discussed include:

• Life at the height of a global music career
• The questions success doesn’t answer
• Teshuvah and returning to Torah
• Integrating creativity with faith and responsibility
• Redefining purpose without abandoning talent
• Staying authentic after the spotlight fades

This is not a story about leaving one world for another. It’s about redefining purpose, respecting the power of one’s gifts, and discovering depth when the applause fades.

In this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg and Rabbi Philip Moskowitz sit down with Rabbi Daniel Glatstein to explore what it actually demands to teach seriously over time. Having taught nearly 13,000 classes across years of public responsibility, Rabbi Glatstein reflects on the discipline, preparation, and restraint required to sustain meaningful teaching without dilution.

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.

Rather than discussing techniques or shortcuts, they turn to deeper questions: how standards are maintained, why boundaries protect depth, and what happens when teaching is treated as a lifelong obligation rather than a moment of inspiration. The episode offers a rare look at the inner weight carried by those who take Torah — and leadership — seriously.

Topics discussed include:

• What teaching at scale truly demands
• Discipline versus inspiration in sustaining impact
• Why boundaries are essential, not limiting
• Humility, consistency, and long-term responsibility
• Preserving seriousness in an age of speed and reach

This is a thoughtful and grounded conversation about Torah, leadership, and what it takes to build something that lasts.

In this episode of Behind the Bima, the Rabbis speak with Eli Beer, founder of United Hatzalah, about leadership under pressure and responsibility in moments when lives are at stake.

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.

As Israel continues to confront war, trauma, and exhaustion, this conversation examines what it means to lead an organization built for crisis, and what sustains those who never step off the front lines.

The discussion explores emergency response during national trauma, the emotional toll on volunteers, the challenge of leading with integrity, and the role of faith and discipline in sustaining responsibility over time.

This is a serious, grounded conversation about leadership when urgency is real and consequences are immediate.

In this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg speaks with Michele Weiss, Mayor-Elect of University Heights, Ohio, about leadership, Jewish responsibility, and what it means to step forward at a moment when many feel pressure to step back.

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.

Michele shares her personal journey into public service, the challenges of running for office as a visibly Jewish candidate, and the realities of leading a community during a time of rising antisemitism and civic tension. The conversation explores how Jewish values shape leadership, the responsibility of local government, and why courage at the municipal level matters more than most people realize.

Together, they discuss:

• What motivated her to run — and what almost stopped her
• Leading with integrity in a polarized environment
• The role of Jewish identity in public service
• Antisemitism at the local level — and how leaders respond
• Why local leadership often carries the greatest moral weight
• Building trust across communities
• What this moment demands from Jewish leaders

This is a grounded, human conversation about responsibility, courage, and leadership where it matters most... close to home.

In this compelling episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg sits down with Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, for an unfiltered look behind the scenes of the United Nations—and the global fight against antisemitism, disinformation, and moral inversion.

Hillel lives and works on the front lines of international diplomacy, confronting some of the world’s most powerful regimes inside the UN system itself. From exposing systemic bias against Israel to challenging human rights abusers who cloak themselves in moral authority, he shares what it really means to “delegitimize the delegitimizers.”

The conversation explores:

• Why success at the UN often means exposure, not victory
• How dictatorships weaponize the UN’s moral legitimacy
• The strategy behind exposing antisemitism on a global stage
• What changed dramatically after October 7
• Why lies travel faster than truth in international institutions
• How UN Watch achieved a historic first: U.S. sanctions against a UN official
• What keeps him going in a system that feels stacked against truth
• The personal journey that led him from Montreal to Geneva, and why he stayed

This is a rare behind-the-scenes conversation with one of the Jewish world’s most effective, articulate defenders, offering clarity, context, and moral courage at a moment when all three are desperately needed.

In this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg sits down with Congressman Randy Fine, one of the most outspoken defenders of the Jewish people and the State of Israel in American politics today.

This episode is sponsored by Eli & Eva Genauer in observance of the Yahrzeit of his grandfather, Moshe Yehuda ben Binyomin HaLevi Genauer, on the 8th of Kislev.

Congressman Fine shares the powerful story behind his decision to wear a kippah every day on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first member of Congress in history to do so. What began as a conversation with his teenage son became a defining public statement of Jewish pride at a time when many feel pressure to hide.

The conversation explores:

• Standing visibly Jewish in an era of rising antisemitism
• The personal cost—and responsibility—of moral clarity
• Growing up Jewish in Kentucky and confronting hate early in life
• Florida’s role as one of the safest states in America for Jews
• School choice, Jewish day school security, and public policy
• Israel after October 7 and the changing political landscape
• Leadership, courage, and the price of speaking plainly

This is a candid, unscripted discussion about identity, responsibility, and what it means to lead as a Jew in historic times... exactly the kind of conversation Behind the Bima was created to host.