Conversations with B’nai B’rith

On this episode of the Conversations with B’nai B’rith Podcast, Honorary CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with Tulane University Professor Joel Dinerstein about his new book, “The Last of the Ellis Island Jews: A Brooklyn Memoir,” and the lost world of 20th century Jewish New York.

Growing up in 1960s and ’70s Brooklyn, Dinerstein was the youngest child of immigrant parents in a working-class Jewish neighborhood. As that Brooklyn fades from living memory, his tragicomic memoir chronicles a disappearing world and presents a microcosm of social change, race, urban diversity and rock ’n’ roll.

The two discuss his parents, who escaped Russia's pogroms as children, everything Brooklyn gave to American Jewish culture and how a kid from Flatbush came to write the first history of “cool.”

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From Eastern Europe’s shtetls to Manhattan’s “Yiddish Broadway”: How did Yiddish theater come to be, and how did it capture the immigrant experience? What led to its long mid-20th century decline—and what’s fueled its modern revival?

“Immigrant Songs: Yiddish Theater and the American Jewish Experience,” the first major documentary film produced by the Milken Archive of Jewish Music, tackles these questions and more.

On this episode of the Conversations with B’nai B’rith Podcast, Honorary CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with Dr. Jeff Janeczko, curator of the Milken Archive and director of “Immigrant Songs.” Together, they trace how Yiddish theater grew from melodrama into a serious art form, and how its music blended the synagogue and the shtetl with European classical and American popular song into something distinctly American and Jewish.

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During World War II, Polish-Jewish immigrant Arthur Szyk so effectively attacked the Nazis that Hitler reportedly put a bounty on his head—yet Szyk never fired a shot. Driven by an unrelenting passion for freedom and dignity, he used his art to show Americans what was happening to the Jews of Europe during the Holocaust, to challenge segregation years before that was safe ground for an artist, and so much more.

After his death in 1951, Szyk quickly faded from public memory. That we know so much about his work today is thanks to one man: Irvin Ungar. Ungar has devoted the past three decades to scholarship on Szyk, championing his legacy across the U.S., Europe and Israel.

On this episode of the Conversations with B’nai B’rith Podcast, Honorary CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with Ungar about his new book about their intertwined lives, “Reviving the Artist Who Fought Hitler: My Life with Arthur Szyk,” and Ungar’s quest to restore this singular figure in 20th-century art.

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Four thousand years of Jewish history distilled into one short, compelling book. That’s no small feat—especially at a moment when that history is being debated, distorted and weaponized by voices across the political spectrum.

On this episode of the Conversations with B’nai B’rith Podcast, Honorary CEO Dan Mariaschin sits down with author Jared Stone to discuss “A Brief History of Israel and the Jewish People: From Abraham to October 7—and a Nation Reawakened.” Together, they trace the definitive arcs of the Jewish story—from biblical origins and exile to the rise of Zionism, the Holocaust and the founding of Israel. It is an essential historical framework written for anyone from students and educators to policymakers and general readers.

About the Author
Jared Stone is the author of “A Brief History of Israel and the Jewish People,” a historical primer endorsed by Rabbi David Wolpe, Dara Horn, Gil Troy and Yossi Klein Halevi, and used by congregations, day schools and community organizations nationwide. The book forms the foundation of Davar, a national initiative for Zionism and Israel literacy. Jared graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University in 2025 with a degree in Politics, having written his senior thesis on early Revisionist Zionism.

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Think about the toys that defined your childhood, or your children’s, or your grandchildren’s. The board games on a rainy afternoon. The action figures. The dolls. Chances are, the companies behind those toys were built by Jewish entrepreneurs—immigrants and their children who arrived in America with little more than ambition and an instinct for what might capture a child’s imagination.

On this episode of the Conversations with B’nai B’rith Podcast, CEO Dan Mariaschin sits down with author Michael Kimmel to discuss his fascinating new book, “Playmakers: The Jewish Entrepreneurs Who Created the Toy Industry in America.” Kimmel, himself a descendant of the founders of the Ideal Toy Corporation, tells the stories behind those toys—and the remarkable men and women who built them.

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At just 21 years old, Ira Kohler left his home in Plainview, Long Island, moved to Israel and enlisted in the IDF’s elite Paratrooper Brigade as a Lone Soldier. Less than two years later, he found himself on the front lines of Oct. 7th—engaged in face-to-face combat with Hamas terrorists, witnessing the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri and surviving a rocket strike on his helicopter mid-flight. He would go on to serve more than 100 days in Gaza.

On this episode of the Conversations with B’nai B’rith Podcast, CEO Dan Mariaschin sits down with Kohler, author of “Once a Paratrooper: The Story of a Lone Soldier in the Gaza War”—an unflinching, on-the-ground account of what it means to serve, to sacrifice and to grapple with questions of identity and responsibility in a time of crisis.

Kohler also reflects on the loss of his close friend Omer Neutra—a fellow Long Island native killed on Oct. 7, whose body was taken into Gaza by Hamas—and what it means to carry that story alongside his own.

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By the end of World War II, Holocaust survivors had lost their families, their homes and their entire way of life. Their response was quintessentially Jewish: they turned to stories. Drawing on a long history of self-narration, survivors gathered together to write yizkor—or memory—books, remembering all that had been destroyed and honoring the vanished worlds they had left behind.

On this episode of the Conversations with B'nai B'rith Podcast, CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with historian Jane Ziegelman about her rich, illuminating new book, “Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World.” They explore the history of yizkor books and their role in keeping alive the memory of the Jewish communities destroyed in the Shoah—including Luboml, Ziegelman's own family's ancestral shtetl.

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Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World

For generations, American Jews have embraced a narrative of refuge and opportunity. But does anti-Semitism only surface in moments of national crisis, or has it been woven into the country’s fabric from the very start?

On this episode of the Conversations with B’nai B’rith Podcast, CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with distinguished historian and author Professor Pamela S. Nadell about her powerful new book, “Antisemitism, An American Tradition.”

Together, they trace this history from colonial America to the present, confronting what it reveals about anti-Semitism as an enduring and pernicious force in American life. Their conversation explores how these prejudices have permeated every generation—from the 17th-century arrival of Jewish settlers in New Amsterdam to the Civil War and the eugenics movement of the 20th century.

This discussion also addresses the contemporary “high tide” of anti-Jewish hatred, examining how anti-Semitism is amplified by social media algorithms in ways fundamentally different from earlier eras. Professor Nadell offers vital perspective on how understanding this long tradition can help the Jewish community confront and combat these modern challenges.

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More about Antisemitism, an American Tradition

Sid Caesar didn't just perform comedy—he invented the blueprint for it. Author David Margolick joins us to discuss the legendary "King" of early television.

Comedy has always played a profound role in shaping American culture, and Sid Caesar stands at the center of that history. On this episode of the Conversations with B’nai B’rith Podcast, CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with award-winning author David Margolick about his new book, “When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy.”

Together, they explore Caesar’s meteoric rise, his legendary writers' room (which launched icons like Mel Brooks and Neil Simon), and how he redefined what television could be. They examine how his sketches laid the groundwork for everything from Saturday Night Live to The Carol Burnett Show and the modern sitcom, while discussing why his work remains a vital influence on generations of writers and comedians today.

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More about “When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy.”

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠? B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with David Fishof, founder of Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp, about the origins of Rock Camp, his experiences working with rock legends like Ringo Starr, Roger Daltrey and The Monkees, the role Judaism plays in his professional and personal life, and much more.

Fishof also executive produced the 2021 documentary “Rock Camp: The Movie," and has been a pioneer in the entertainment world for more than four decades.

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Tune in as we delve into a fascinating, little known piece of Jewish history in the Southern United States – of course, with a B’nai B’rith connection!

Lawyer and author Marlene Trestman speaks with B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin about her upcoming book, “Most Fortunate Unfortunates,” which explores the story of the long-shuttered Jewish Orphans’ Home of New Orleans – the first purpose-built Jewish orphanage in the nation.

More information about "Most Fortunate Unfortunates" and the history of the Jewish Orphans' Home of New Orleans can be found here.

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In a special conversation, B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with Academy Award-winning director Guy Nattiv about his new movie, "Golda," which stars Dame Helen Mirren as former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.

In "Golda," Nattiv and screenwriter Nicholas Martin shed new light on Meir’s life, and frame Meir’s incredible triumphs and failures in the 19 critical and intense days of her country’s worst military crisis, the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Nattiv takes us through his decision to have Mirren play the “Iron Lady of Israel," Meir's legacy today, and why he and Martin decided to focus on such a short amount of time in her life – especially when considering her lifelong dedication to the Jewish state's establishment and protection.

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CEO Dan Mariaschin talks with Alberto Dorfzaun, B’nai B’rith member and president of K. Dorfzaun, the most trusted name in the Panama Hat industry based in Cuenca, Ecuador.

K. Dorfzaun was founded in 1939 by the first generation of the Dorfzaun family who arrived in Ecuador – among the 3,000-4,000 Jews who fled there, escaping the horrors of World War II and the Shoah.

Famous for its history and quality, the K. Dorfzaun Panama toquilla straw hat’s traditional weaving became part of UNESCO’S Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012 as an important world artifact.

Alberto Dorfzaun is former president of the Jewish community in Quito, Ecuador, and a descendant of Holocaust refugees.

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Harvey Lisberg speaks with B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin about his revealing, entertaining and moving new memoir, "I'm Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman's Hermits and Many More!"

Lisberg shares the highs and lows of managing Rock 'n' Roll legends, eccentric snooker (pool) superstars and famous athletes, growing up Jewish in Manchester, England, and the ever-changing complexities of the music business.

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The B’nai B’rith Podcast is now “Conversations with B’nai B’rith"!

Dr. Edyta Gawron speaks with CEO Dan Mariaschin about B'nai B'rith's storied history in Poland before and leading up to World War II, the history of Jews in modern Poland and the cultural impact of "Schindler's List" on Polish society today.

Dr. Gawron is an assistant professor at the Institute of Jewish Studies, part of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and is an expert on the 20th century history of Polish Jews, Holocaust studies and the contemporary Jewish Diaspora. She recently spoke during a conference in Warsaw marking 100 years of B'nai B'rith in Poland.

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Big news! The B’nai B’rith Podcast is now “Conversations with B’nai B’rith"!

In this episode, University of Munich Prof. Cornelia Wilhelm joins B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin to discuss her in-depth study of the German refugee rabbis who immigrated to the United States after 1933 and their impact on Jewish American communities in the 20th century.

Prof. Wilhelm's painstaking research also inspired her to create the impressive “German Refugee Rabbis in the United States, 1933–1990” digital database, which can be found at https://mira.geschichte.lmu.de.

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Eitan Bergman, Executive Director of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS), and Emily Bowman, EUJS Policy Officer, speak with B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin about life for young Jews in Europe.

Their conversation focuses on the perceptions and experiences of students facing anti-Semitism on European university campuses, and how the EUJS (as an organization) engages with the European Union in its efforts to combat anti-Jewish hate and foster Jewish life and culture.

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World-renowned and highly respected cantor Joseph Malovany has dazzled audiences with his musical talents for nearly his entire life, despite his humble beginnings in Tel Aviv. In fact, his musical talents were so exceptional that his mother sold her wedding ring and used that money to purchase a piano for him so he could hone his skills – a gamble that certainly paid off.

In our first episode of 2023, B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with Malovany about his lifetime of achievements as a cantor, tenor soloist and distinguished representative of world Jewry. Malovany served as Cantor of New York’s Fifth Avenue Synagogue for from 1973 until his retirement, recently attaining the title of Cantor Emeritus.

Malovany has also held numerous distinguished academic positions, like the post of Distinguished Professor of Liturgical Music at Yeshiva University; received countless prestigious awards, including receiving the Cross of Merit – Commander of the Legion of Honor from Poland’s President; taught his craft to countless students; and performed in front of world leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, as well as audiences around the globe from Warsaw to Vilnius to Paris to New York and beyond.

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Since its founding in 2005, AJIRI – the American-Jewish International Relations Institute – has been forward-thinking about combating anti-Israel bias at the United Nations.

Now an affiliate of B'nai B'rith, AJIRI-BBI works directly with B’nai B’rith’s long-standing Office of U.N. Affairs to overcome anti-Israel efforts engrained at the United Nations, securing important vote changes – with fewer countries now supporting the annual U.N. resolutions that renew mandates and funding for the U.N.’s anti-Israel propaganda apparatus.

B’nai B’rith has been accredited at the U.N. since its founding in 1945. Read more about our work at the world body here.

In this episode, B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin sits down with AJIRI-BBI Chair Rick Schifter and Executive Director Gil Kapen to discuss anti-Israel bias at the United Nations and why combating it is critical to the future of the Jewish state.

Learn more about AJIRI-BBI at https://ajiri.us.

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Author and military historian Bruce Henderson speaks with B'nai B'rith CEO Dan Mariaschin about his brand-new book, "Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in World War II," and his 2017 New York Times bestseller "Sons and Soldiers: The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned with U.S. Army to Fight Hitler."

In “Bridge tothe Sun," Henderson captures an unforgettable story of patriotism through the eyes of Japanese American U.S. soldiers who helped save countless American lives during World War II – even as their families were being imprisoned in internment camps back home.

“Sons and Soldiers" highlights the epic, previously untold story of the Ritchie Boys. Jewish families sent their young sons away from danger to safety in America, knowing they may never meet again. When these young men came of age, they became American soldiers determined to return to Europe to fight for their adopted homeland and for the families they had left behind.

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