Conversations with B’nai B’rith

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.   Watch this episode on the B’nai B’rith International YouTube channel. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @bnaibrith. Follow us on the B’nai B’rith International Facebook page. Follow us on Twitter/X at @bnaibrith.

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.   Watch this episode on the B’nai B’rith International YouTube channel. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @bnaibrith. Follow us on the B’nai B’rith International Facebook page. Follow us on Twitter/X at @bnaibrith.

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.   Thanks for listening! Subscribe to the B'nai B'rith podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Please leave us a rating!   Stay connected with B'nai B'rith on Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube.

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.   Thanks for listening! Subscribe to the B'nai B'rith podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Please leave us a rating!   Stay connected with B'nai B'rith on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube.

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.   Thanks for listening! Subscribe to the B'nai B'rith podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Please leave us a rating!   Stay connected with B'nai B'rith on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube.