Podcast
Behind the Bima
Hosted by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg · EN
Rabbis Efrem Goldberg and Philip Moskowitz from Boca Raton Synagogue, shmooze about contemporary issues. Every week features an unscripted and lively discussion, special guests, and a behind-the-scenes look at leading a large and dynamic Jewish community.
33episodes
Episodes
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Joe Lieberman's Legacy: Rebecca Lieberman
1w ago00:43:17Tap to summarizeRebecca 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. In this episode: Joe Lieberman’s 2000 vice presidential campaign Growing up in a national political family Shabbat as an anchor in public life Bipartisanship and political friendship Rising antisemitism in America Social media and political polarization Joe Lieberman’s resilience after defeat Orthodox Judaism in national politics John McCain and cross-party relationships Leadership, integrity, and public service
Transcribe →Rabbi Broide RETURNS: Rabbi Josh Broide
2w ago00:54:38Tap to summarizeRabbi 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. In this episode: Rabbi Josh Broide’s transition from Boca to Modi’in Living through missile sirens and wartime Israel The emotional reality of aliyah after October 7 Israeli resilience and community culture The “aliyah snob” debate One seder vs. two sedarim Israeli shul culture and late-night learning El Al travel stories and airplane-seat debates
Transcribe →The Mentalist Who Broke the Rabbis: Shlomo Levinger
3w ago01:13:04Tap to summarizeOn 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: What mentalism actually is (and what it isn’t) Why performance matters more than the method The psychology behind how audiences experience mentalism Building a career from small gigs to larger stages Turning down opportunities that didn’t align with Torah values Navigating the industry as a frum performer
Transcribe →Is Torah Not Enough Anymore? Rav Nissan Kaplan
May 500:41:04Tap to summarizeOn 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: The evolving role of a Rebbi in today’s generation Why connection has become central to chinuch Defining success in yeshiva beyond learning The relationship between Torah learning and personal growth Living with loss, tefillah, and emunah Why growth happens through consistency, not moments
Transcribe →When Comedy Gets Serious: Ami Kozak
Apr 2801:16:21Tap to summarizeOn 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. Topics discussed: How impressions reveal patterns in how people speak and think The language and framing around Israel in public discourse Satire as a way to show ideas rather than argue them When to engage bad-faith voices... and when not to The risks of platforming and false equivalence
Transcribe →How Does Rav Gav Do It?
Apr 2101:20:15Tap to summarizeOn this episode of Behind the Bima, the Rabbis sit down with Rav Gav, a beloved and dynamic educator from Aish who has spent decades teaching in seminaries across Israel and engaging students around the world. Known for his humor, energy, and unfiltered honesty, Rav Gav brings a perspective that is both deeply grounded and refreshingly real. Together, we explore what today’s students are actually struggling with, how educators and parents often misunderstand them, and why the key to growth isn’t control—it’s connection. From navigating crisis in Israel to answering life’s biggest questions about faith, identity, and purpose, Rav Gav shares what he’s learned from years on the front lines of Jewish education. With stories, sharp insights, and plenty of laughter, this conversation challenges assumptions and reframes what it really means to teach, parent, and inspire in today’s world. 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: Seminary life during wartime and how students process crisis Why students across the spectrum are often asking the same questions The myth of short attention spans vs. ineffective teaching “Parenting vs. ranting” and what kids actually need from parents Support, boundaries, and how real connection is built Educator-student relationships and maintaining proper boundaries The broader question of identity and “modern Orthodoxy”
Transcribe →Israel vs. Diaspora - Can We Survive the Divide? Yael Leibowitz
Apr 1401:00:09Tap to summarizeIf Israel is so central to Jewish life… what does that mean for the millions of Jews in the diaspora? In this episode of Behind the Bima, the Rabbis speak with Yael Leibowitz about the growing tension between Israel and the diaspora, and the deeper question of what holds the Jewish people together. Drawing from her own journey from the United States to Israel, Yael reflects on how lived experience reshapes identity, perspective, and even the way we read Tanakh. Through the lens of Ezra-Nehemiah, the conversation explores a moment in Jewish history when not everyone returned, and what that meant for leadership, community, and continuity. Rather than offering simple answers, the episode examines how Jewish life has always required holding competing realities at once, and what happens when that balance begins to strain. 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: The widening experiential gap between Israeli and diaspora Jews Living through crisis vs. observing it from afar The challenge of maintaining Jewish unity across distance Aliyah as an ideal vs. diaspora as a lived reality The emotional and cultural differences between communities Ezra-Nehemiah and the reality of a partial return Rebuilding Jewish life without full national unity Foreign leadership as part of Jewish history (Cyrus and beyond) How Tanakh reflects real-time Jewish challenges, not abstractions The risk of oversimplifying complex Jewish questions
Transcribe →BONUS EPISODE: Eli Sharabi | The Meaning of Freedom
Mar 2900:59:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg sits down with former hostage Eli Sharabi for a deeply moving conversation about October 7th, captivity in Gaza, survival, loss, and the long road back. Sharabi speaks with remarkable clarity about what it meant to endure the unimaginable, what helped him survive, and how he has chosen to live after returning to a world forever changed. He reflects on fear, faith, grief, and the inner strength that remained even when everything else was stripped away. As Pesach approaches, this conversation carries an added weight. Not because it is a retelling of ancient slavery and freedom, but because it forces us to confront those ideas in real time, through one man’s testimony of darkness, endurance, and the meaning of being free. The conversation also explores: • Eli Sharabi’s firsthand account of October 7th and being taken hostage • What daily life in captivity looked like • The psychological and emotional toll of surviving underground • The role of faith, family, and inner discipline in staying alive • How he thought about hope, dignity, and identity under impossible conditions • What he wants the world to understand about Hamas, Gaza, and what he witnessed • Grief, healing, and rebuilding life after returning home • Why freedom feels different after it has been taken away 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. A powerful conversation about captivity, resilience, and what remains when everything else is taken.
Transcribe →The Chinese-Speaking Chassid Who Worked for the Treasury: Mitchell Silk
Mar 2401:20:01Tap to summarizeHow does a Chassidic Jew end up shaping global economic policy... and speaking fluent Chinese along the way? In this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg sits down with Mitchell Silk, former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, for a conversation about global finance, China, and the unlikely path that brought him from Torah life into the highest levels of government. Fluent in Chinese and deeply immersed in Asia’s financial world, Silk spent decades working at the intersection of international law, finance, and geopolitics. Yet throughout his career, from years living in Hong Kong to serving in Washington, he remained deeply committed to his identity and values as a Chassidic Jew. The conversation offers a rare inside look at how global economic policy is shaped, the importance of understanding China’s role in the world economy, and what it means to bring faith and identity into rooms where decisions affecting the global financial system are made. The conversation also explores: • How Mitchell Silk first became fascinated with China • Learning Mandarin and building a career across Asia • The path from international law to the U.S. Treasury Department • What it was like serving in Washington as a visibly observant Jew • The role of China in global economic policy • Bringing Torah values into leadership and public service 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. A fascinating look at the intersection of faith, leadership, and global influence.
Transcribe →The Secret of Great Jewish Educators: Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Senter
Mar 1701:20:16Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg and Rabbi Philip Moskowitz sit down with Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Senter, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Aderes HaTorah in Jerusalem, for a conversation about Torah education, resilience, and the responsibility of shaping the next generation. Drawing on his own family legacy, the influence of his rebbeim, and years of guiding talmidim, Rabbi Senter reflects on what students really need from a rebbe. He speaks about building a yeshiva that feels more like a family than an institution, why great teachers love their students, and how chinuch must balance challenge, warmth, and clarity. The conversation also explores the pressures facing today’s boys, the role of resilience in growth, the tension between different educational philosophies, and why helping talmidim feel proud of who they are matters so deeply. 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: • What separates a teacher from a true rebbe • Why great educators love their students, not just their subject • Building a yeshiva that feels like a family • How to teach resilience without crushing a student • The balance between challenge, warmth, and expectations • Different approaches to chinuch and when each is needed • Helping talmidim develop pride in who they are • The role of parents in choosing the right yeshiva environment • Why discomfort and growth are often connected This is a conversation about what it takes to shape not only better students, but stronger, deeper, and more resilient Jews.
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