Rabbi On The Sidelines

Yakir Kanefsky, Ilan Barnea, and Maddy Ganz, college students from University of Maryland, Washington University, and Duke University speak with Rabbi Sherman about the upcoming National Hillel Basketball Tournament. How does sports inspire these leaders of the next generation to engage their Judaism on campus?

John Eisenberg, author of 11 books, speaks to Rabbi Sherman on his most recent book, Rocket Men. What is the history of the black quarterback in the NFL? How does this story fit into the racial history of America and what challenges still exist today?

Jared Armstrong, Israeli-African-American basketball player, founder of JAB basketball, speaks with Rabbi Sherman about his struggle to gain Israeli citizenship, his experience in Israel on and after October 7th, and how his mission of using his voice and a basketball to make a difference with the next generation.

Ravit Markus, producer, director, and writer of Nina is an Athlete, joins Israeli Paralympic badminton player Nina Gorodetzky, to hear her story of becoming a paraplegic and having the faith to enter the sports world, working hard to become an Olympian and balancing life as a mother and school counselor. What does this mean after October 7th?

Three days before the Super Bowl, Rabbi Sherman is joined by Gary Myers, NY Times best selling author of Brady Vs Manning, NY Daily News NFL journalist, and author of "Once A Giant." Myers, who is a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame takes us behind the scenes of the NFL, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and searches for moments of faith from America's most popular sport.

Yoav Bruck, 3 time Israeli Olympic swimmer an owner of ISSTA Sports Travel and Kenes Tours speaks with Rabbi Sherman on the deep connection between his career as an internationally acclaimed Israeli swimmer and his mission to bring people to Israel to see the land. He shares with us how the lessons he learned in the pool relate to our lives.

Dr. Jeff Gurock, Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University, and expert in Jews and sports, speaks with Rabbi Sherman about his new book on hall of fame broadcasting legend Marty Glickman. What antisemitism did Glickman face during his time as an Olympic athlete that shaped his career as an athlete, as a broadcaster, and as a Jew? What role do Jews play in sports today that affect American...

Kurt Streeter, award winning journalist, ESPN The Magazine, LA Times, and NY Times, speaks with Rabbi Sherman on the journey to bring redemptive stories to the reading public. How has his experience in writing on crime and religion informed his voice on sports? What will sports journalism look like in the years ahead?

Prime Time Adam Schein, TV host of Time To Schein, podcast host of Rise and Schein, daily talk radio on Sirius XM, explains to Rabbi Sherman what it means to use your authentic voice in the public sphere. In the sports world, Adam Schein is not afraid to shy away from controversial topics, and proudly shows his Jewish identity while telling stories that uplift his audience. Rabbi Sherman and Adam...

Tracy Wolfson, CBS lead sideline reporter, who has covered the biggest games of the Super Bowl, Final Four, and College Football Playoff speaks with Rabbi Sherman on how to set career and life goals, the thrill to interview the world's greatest athletes and coaches in their highest and lowest moments, and the role faith and belief play in the world of sports.

Noam Yitzchaki, of the Israel Tennis and Education Center joins Rabbi Sherman to share the story of how the tennis center allows all children in Israel to dream for a better future. From inclusion of athletes with disabilities to bridging countries after the Abraham Accords to saving children at risk, the Israel Tennis and Education Center has brought together Jews, Christians, and Muslims, from a...

Coach Ryan Coleman, of the Shalhevet Firehawks, and his all star-players, Yalee Schwartz and Arielle Grossman, join Rabbi Sherman to share their journey of becoming the first Jewish basketball team in the California to win a state championship. How has this team bonded over sports and religion? What message do they send the next generation of basketball players? What has Coach Coleman learned from...

Seth Davis, CBS Sports studio analyst, author at The Athletic, senior writer at Sports Illustrated, author of New York Times best selling book, speaks with Rabbi Sherman about his experience meeting top coaches and athletes, what makes them succeed and how they deal with failure. Where does faith fit into their lives? How do they overcome their adversity and challenges while also celebrating their...

Enes Kanter Freedom, NBA veteran and human rights activist, speaks with Rabbi Sherman a year after he visited Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and led a Unity clinic with Jewish, Muslim, and Christian children. What has he learned by using his voice to make change? How can a basketball bring people together who otherwise would not interact? How did his visit to Israel impact his work?

Joe Alexander and Barak Swarttz speaks with Rabbi Sherman to explain how the worlds of basketball and Israel intersect in a deep way. Joe was the 8th pick in the 2008 NBA draft and then became a Maccabi Tel Aviv star after making aliyah and rediscovering his Jewish roots. Joe and Barak explain how other young kids in America can dream of a professional basketball career in the land of Israel. This...

Jason and Randy Sklar, known as the Sklar Brothers, hosts of The View From The Cheap Seats podcast, and the show, Cheap Seats on ESPN Classic, speak with Rabbi Sherman about the intersection of comedy, sports, and faith. The Sklar Brothers teach us how to use humor in our lives to not take ourselves so seriously, while also learning deep lessons of life from humorous situations. Is a game just a g...

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the chaplain of the Loyola Chicago Ramblers basketball team speaks with Rabbi Sherman about her newly released book, "Wake Up With Purpose: What I've Learned In My First One Hundred Years." Sister Jean explains the value that religion can bring to the world of sports, the power of prayer and the ability to talk to God, and the way in which spiritual healt...

Jason Benetti, FOX Sports, ESPN, and Chicago White Sox broadcaster, speaks with Rabbi Sherman about the lessons he has learned about himself through his journey with cerebral palsy, how his band director set him up for his journey to the broadcast booth, and what it is like to make the big call for an invisible audience.

Prof. David Hollander, Clinical Professor with the Tisch Institute for Global Sport at NYU, and author of "How Basketball Can Save The World," speaks with Rabbi Sherman about the real life lessons that are derived from the 13 principles of basketball from which James Naismith created the game. How do these 13 principles relate to solving the problems of loneliness, immigration, racism, and more? &...

Father Robert Hagan, of Villanova University, speaks with Rabbi Sherman about the spirituality he brings to the Villanova University campus, in particular to the basketball and football teams. He has cut down the nets in 2016 and 2018, and has guided young athletes both on and off the court, during their time in college and beyond. What lessons do we learn from the locker room sanctuary?

Josh Altman, reality TV star of Bravo's Million Dollar Listing, author of It's Your Move and The Altman Close, and place-kicker of Big East Champion Syracuse University Orange, speaks with Rabbi Sherman about his own faith journey, the powerful lessons that sports has taught him through both his highs and lows in the real estate industry, and the tools for success for the next generation to work h...

Len Elmore, University of Maryland All-American, NBA veteran, Harvard trained attorney, long time college basketball broadcaster, and Columbia University professor of athletes and activism, speaks with Rabbi Sherman about the transformative power athletes can have in society at large. What responsibility do athletes have to be involved in causes of justice? What is the difference between community...

Meyers Leonard, NBA veteran and University of Illinois star, speaks with Rabbi Erez Sherman, about his spiritual transformation after hurting the Jewish community with difficult words in March 2021. Meyers explains his process and how the Jewish community has helped him heal and bring more love into the world. Just a day after Leonard's exclusive interview on ESPN's Outside The Lines with Jeremy S...

Gary Belsky, ESPN The Magazine, New York Times Best Selling Author, "On The Origin Of Sports" speaks with Rabbi Sherman on the power of storytelling. What stories do we tell and for what purpose? How do our stories raise others up? Belsky also explains how the sports we know and love came into being and if this history has impact on how we watch sports today.

Coach Bob McKillop, of Davidson basketball, and Steph Curry’s college coach, Graham Honaker, author of Unbracketed, and Alex Kor, son of Holocaust survivor Eva Kor, speaks with Rabbi Sherman how college basketball can be a platform for Holocaust education through immersive experiences. How do we learn to be leaders by telling the stories of our past?