Conversations with B’nai B’rith

Chef, kosher food expert and author Paula Shoyer joins the B'nai B'rith podcast with CEO Dan Mariaschin to talk about her new book, " The Instant Pot Kosher Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Nourish Body and Soul " – the first Instant Pot cookbook to feature kosher food. Shoyer shares her favorite recipes, her newfound sense of gratitude for ingredients and how cooking has changed since March 2020. Known a...

With her new book, “ The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos ,” author Judy Batalion has written one of the most important stories of World War II. When the Nazis occupied Poland, many Jewish women joined the resistance and risked their lives to sabotage the regime. Batalion, who spent 12 years putting the book together, joins the B'nai B'rith podcast w...

Dr. Stephen Berk, professor of history at Union College, joins the B'nai B'rith podcast with CEO Dan Mariaschin to explore his “Towering Figures Who Changed the World” virtual program series, hosted by Ayelet Tours . As Ayelet's scholar-in-residence, Dr. Berk has hosted 24 installments since the virtual series began in November 2020, giving talks on people who have changed the course of modern his...

Dr. Ernest Abel, author of the book, " Lincoln's Jewish Spy: The Life and Times of Issachar Zacharie ," speaks with CEO Dan Mariaschin about the incredible life of Issachar Zacharie, a Civil War era Jewish doctor who treated the likes of Henry Clay, General George McClellan and even President Abraham Lincoln! Dr. Abel delves into Zacharie's improbable bond with President Lincoln and how he became...

Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion. But how many of us really understand the nuances of early Judaism and the foundation of what we now know as the Bible? Dr. Alison Joseph, biblical scholar and senior editor of The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, joins CEO Dan Mariaschin to explore the earliest period of Jewish civilization and speak about Volume 1 of the Librar...

Josh Halickman, better known as "The Sports Rabbi," speaks with CEO Dan Mariaschin about the state of the sports world during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in Israel. Halickman discusses his unique journey in sports reporting and breaks down the future of Israeli sports, including Deni Avdija, Manor Solomon and the Israeli national baseball team that is set to compete for gold at this sum...

Musicologist Dr. Tina Fruhauf joins CEO Dan Mariaschin to guide us through the rebirth of German-Jewish music after the Holocaust. Her new book, " Transcending Dystopia: Music, Mobility, and the German-Jewish Community, 1945–1989 ," is the first book-length study on Jewish music in postwar Germany. Dr. Fruhauf delves into her new book and her discoveries about the cultural transformation of the Je...

Author Peter Jennings and photographer Tom Sandler join CEO Dan Mariaschin to speak about Sandler's mother, Ruth Lowe, one of the most enduring musical talents of the 20th century. Lowe wrote Frank Sinatra's 1940 hit, "I'll Never Smile Again," which established Lowe both as a prolific songwriter and a pioneer as one of the first Jewish women to break into a typically male-dominated industry. Jenni...

Vice President of Programming Rhonda Love provides updates on B'nai B'rith's emergency relief efforts amidst the coronavirus pandemic, West Coast wildfires and Gulf Coast hurricanes. Love speaks with CEO Dan Mariaschin about how B'nai B'rith is meeting the needs of disaster victims around the world and our ongoing commitment to public service. *From October 2020*

Clinical psychologist Dr. Erica Miller joins CEO Dan Mariaschin to share her tips for staying resilient in uncertain times. An author of three books on overcoming adversity and living enthusiastically, Dr. Miller's incredible life experiences – from surviving the Holocaust to joining the Israeli Air Force to serving substance abuse and domestic violence populations – give her a wealth of insight o...

Sanford Greenberg stops by the B'nai B'rith podcast to talk with CEO Dan Mariaschin about his new memoir "Hello Darkness, My Old Friend." Inspired by big dreams and his lifelong friendship with Art Garfunkel (of Simon & Garfunkel), Sanford transcends his own limitations (losing his sight) to change the world and develop a passion for public service and philanthropy.

Journalist and media expert Eliana Gurfinkiel joins CEO Dan Mariaschin to talk about the decision of many Jews in France to make Aliyah and how they ultimately fare in Israeli society. Gurfinkiel and Mariaschin also discuss how French Jews are overcoming anti-Semitism and alienation in France and what French officials are doing to combat attacks on Jewish citizens and their long-standing instituti...

On this episode of our podcast, CEO Dan Mariaschin and Center for Senior Services Associate Director Janel Doughten sit down with Tiffany Woolf and Noam Dromi, co-creators of the digital series "Dispatches from Quarantine." Episodes of "Dispatches" focus on the life of older legends like Norman Lear, Ellyn Burstyn, Larry King and the late Carl Reiner. Woolf and Dromi speak about the inspiration fo...

Together with the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM), we recently launched a creative video contest to engage high school and undergraduate university students around the world in the fight against anti-Semitism. On this episode, host CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with B'nai B'rith's own Program Director for Strategic Engagement Sienna Girgenti and CAM Director Sacha Roytman-Dratwa about the contest...

Authors Einat Wilf and Adi Schwartz join host CEO Dan Mariaschin to break down their new book, "The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace." Mariaschin speaks with Wilf and Schwartz about how they view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and why they view the notion of Palestinian “right to return” for Arab refugees to be an existential threat...

Professor Sarah Fainberg joins host CEO Dan Mariaschin to talk about the coronavirus' impact on Russian foreign policy, the state of anti-Semitism in Europe and the latest developments in Ukraine. Fainberg also discusses how her father's role as a dissident in the Soviet Union informed her career and worldview.

Host CEO Dan Mariaschin talks with Wynn Wheldon, author of "The Fighting Jew: The Life and Times of Daniel Mendoza." The two speak about Wheldon's biography of Mendoza, boxing champion of England from 1792-1795 and Jewish sporting superstar who was well ahead of his time.

Professor Yossi Shain joins host CEO Dan Mariaschin to discuss the ideas and inspiration behind Shain's best-selling book, "The Israeli Century and the Israelization of Judaism." Shain is one of the world's leading scholars on diasporas. In their conversation, Mariaschin and Shain discuss what Shain means by "Israelization," how Israeli Jewish identity has changed in the 21st century and the futur...

Professor Nancy Sinkoff joins host CEO Dan Mariaschin to discuss her new book, "From Left to Right: Lucy S. Dawidowicz, the New York Intellectuals, and the Politics of Jewish History." In her book, Sinkoff examines the life of Lucy Dawidowicz, intellectual and pioneer historian in the field that is now called Holocaust studies. Mariaschin and Sinkoff speak about her decision to write about Dawidow...

Renowned cartoonist Ben Katchor sits down with host CEO Dan Mariaschin to discuss his new book, "The Dairy Restaurant." In their conversation, Mariaschin and Katchor explore the history and cultural significance of dairy restaurants, establishments that used to be cornerstones of New York's Jewish community. They also talk about what inspired Katchor to write about dairy restaurants, as well as th...

Host CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with The Jerusalem Post's Omri Nahmias and Director of B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Alan Schneider about how Israel’s rival political leaders Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Speaker of the Knesset Benny Gantz came to an agreement to form a unity government during the coronavirus pandemic.

Seth Frantzman, Oped Editor and Middle East affairs analyst at The Jerusalem Post joins host CEO Dan Mariaschin to discuss his new book, “After Isis: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East.” In their conversation, Frantzman talks about how his experiences reporting in the Middle East have shaped his analysis of events on the ground in an area known as a “tough neighborhood.” Mariaschin...

Israeli author and entrepreneur Irina Nevzlin joins host CEO Dan Mariaschin to speak about her new book, "The Impact of Identity – The Power of Knowing Who You Are," which offers a new approach to living a more enjoyable and meaningful life in an era of too much information. Nevzlin discusses her inspiration for writing the book and what advice she has for people looking for a new way of viewing t...

Deborah Dash Moore, editor in chief of the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, talks about the Library’s recently published sixth volume in its series on Jewish culture and civilization, “Confronting Modernity 1750 to 1880.” Moore is the Frederick G. L. Huetwell Professor of History and Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan and is the author of several books, incl...

Israel is at the forefront of innovative research and treatment when it comes to coronavirus. Yoel HarEven, the director of the international division and resource development at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, joins CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin on the B’nai B’rith International Podcast for a discussion on the coronavirus response at his hospital, in Israel more broadly, and the sharing of best practi...