Julie Benko- From Standby to Standing Ovation

Julie Benko- From Standby to Standing Ovation

In this episode, we sit down with Broadway actor and singer Julie Benko for a conversation about patience, timing, and the long road from the wings to center stage. Together with Rabbi David Ingber, Benko traces her journey from a childhood steeped in music and Jewish theater to years of training at NYU Tisch and working largely as an understudy in major productions. She reflects on the extraordinary turning point that made her Broadway lore — stepping into Funny Girl more than 180 times — and what it meant to suddenly navigate visibility, pressure, and acclaim. The conversation moves between theater and music, including her collaboration with her husband Jason Yeager and her new album Euphonic Gumbo, a love letter to New Orleans. Touching on Jewish identity, her current role as Emma Goldman in Ragtime, and the realities of balancing art, partnership, and motherhood, Benko offers thoughtful reflections on readiness, resilience, and what it truly means to arrive. Learn more about Julie’s work: https://www.juliebenko.com/ [https://www.juliebenko.com/] Stream Julie’s new album https://c44.lnk.to/EuphonicGumbo [https://c44.lnk.to/EuphonicGumbo] Follow Julie on IG https://www.instagram.com/jujujuliebee/ [https://www.instagram.com/jujujuliebee/] Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber [https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber] 92NY Bronfman Center Events  [https://www.92ny.org/whats-on/events/jewish-life-adults?hierarchicalMenu%5BEventMenu.lvl0%5D%5B0%5D=Jewish%20Interest&refinementList%5B10b_dd_AgeYears%5D%5B0%5D=adults]     Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Audio Editor: Sean Kennedy Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster.

Georgette Bennett- From Fractured Origins to Full Life

In this episode, we sit down with award-winning sociologist, humanitarian leader, and author Dr. Georgette Bennett. In dialogue with Rabbi David Ingber, Bennett reflects on her detour-filled life as the daughter of Holocaust survivors, born into a bombed-out Hungarian apartment—a beginning that shaped her perspective on the world. She traces her winding path from a career in criminology and community policing in New York City to her transformative turn toward interreligious leadership. As the founder of the Tanenbaum Center and the Multifaith Alliance, Bennett shares how she mobilized hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Syrian war victims by bridging divides between historical enemies, driven by the biblical mandate not to “stand idly by.” Exploring themes from her new book, Half-Jew – Full Life, the conversation dives into the extraordinary story of her cousin-in-law, Gary “Pips” Phillips, who chose to identify as Jewish as the Nazis rose to power. Together, they discuss the dangers of binary thinking and the resilience required to build a full life from the ashes of history. Learn more about Georgette’s work https://bennettny.com/ [https://bennettny.com/] Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber [https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber] 92NY Bronfman Center  Events [https://www.92ny.org/whats-on/events/jewish-life-adults?hierarchicalMenu%5BEventMenu.lvl0%5D%5B0%5D=Jewish%20Interest&refinementList%5B10b_dd_AgeYears%5D%5B0%5D=adults]   Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Audio Editor: Sean Kennedy Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster.

Dan Senor - From Strategist to Storyteller

In this episode of Detours and Destinations, Rabbi David Ingber sits down with writer, political advisor, and podcaster Dan Senor to explore a life shaped by the intersection of identity, power, and ideas. Senor reflects on his path — from growing up in the shadow of Holocaust memory, to his time on the ground in Iraq during a defining moment in U.S. foreign policy, to becoming a bestselling author with Start-Up Nation and The Genius of Israel. Now, as the host of the successful podcast Call Me Back, he examines the role of narrative in shaping public understanding, particularly in the context of the U.S.–Israel relationship. Against the backdrop of October 7 and its aftermath, this episode grapples with questions of global instability, rising antisemitism, generational divides within American Jewry, and the future of Israel’s place in the world. Ultimately, it is a conversation about navigating uncertainty — personally and collectively — and about the destinations we are still struggling to define. Learn more about Dan’s work https://www.dansenor.com/ [https://www.dansenor.com/] Check out Ark Media’s podcasts https://arkmedia.org/ [https://arkmedia.org/] Follow Dan on X https://x.com/dansenor?lang=en [https://x.com/dansenor?lang=en] Dan Senor’s IG https://www.instagram.com/dansenor/ [https://www.instagram.com/dansenor/] Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber [https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber] 92NY Bronfman Center  Events [https://www.92ny.org/whats-on/events/jewish-life-adults?hierarchicalMenu%5BEventMenu.lvl0%5D%5B0%5D=Jewish%20Interest&refinementList%5B10b_dd_AgeYears%5D%5B0%5D=adults]   Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Audio Editor: Sean Kennedy Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster.

Dana Arschin – From Breaking News to Bearing Witness

In this episode, we sit down with three-time Emmy Award–winning journalist Dana Arschin for a conversation about legacy, responsibility, and the moment when reporting becomes personal. In dialogue with Rabbi David Ingber, Arschin traces her path from a childhood on Long Island to a distinguished career in broadcast journalism at News 12 and FOX 5 News, where her on-air reporting and documentary work earned wide recognition. She reflects on the turning point that reshaped her professional and personal trajectory: becoming the first-ever Storyteller at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County. Arschin shares her commitment to preserving the story of her grandfather, an Auschwitz survivor, and to carrying forward the voices of other survivors. Moving between journalism and memory, this conversation explores what it means to transform inherited history into living purpose – and how storytelling can become both vocation and sacred responsibility. Learn more about Dana’s work as a storyteller for the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance center hmtcli.org/stories [https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fhmtcli.org%2fstories&c=E,1,dOqUgsXfjckTym1p724BTrAMsMNTrRm4mApqOJ3U6B-s9aCMERuJtYo0BmRWfPRPa2WbWyyccP3GGmgh1y4VGmiHIk-6H71KmQoB4-R7QA,,&typo=1] Follow Dana on social media: IG: @dana_arschin FB: DanaArschinStories X: @DanaArschin Check out Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber [https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber] 92NY Bronfman Center Events [https://www.92ny.org/whats-on/events/jewish-life-adults?hierarchicalMenu%5BEventMenu.lvl0%5D%5B0%5D=Jewish%20Interest&refinementList%5B10b_dd_AgeYears%5D%5B0%5D=adults]   Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Audio Editor: Sean Kennedy Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster.

Debora Cahn – From Script to Screen

In this episode, we sit down with Emmy-nominated writer and showrunner Debora Cahn, creator of Netflix’s hit series The Diplomat, for a wide-ranging conversation about storytelling, power, and the human drama behind global politics. Together with Rabbi David Ingber, Cahn traces her path from training as an actress at Harvard to shaping some of television’s most influential political dramas, including The West Wing, Grey’s Anatomy, and Homeland. She reflects on how growing up as a descendant of Holocaust survivors shaped her understanding of the world and human behavior, and how real-world diplomacy inspired the creation of The Diplomat. Exploring the blurred lines between personal relationships and geopolitical stakes, Cahn discusses writing political drama in an age when reality often outpaces fiction. The conversation touches on mentorship, gender in writers’ rooms, and what fiction writing can teach us about leadership, compromise, and destination–both on screen and in life. Check out Debora Cahn’s Filmography https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1263223/ [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1263223/] Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber [https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber] 92NY Bronfman Center Events  [https://www.92ny.org/whats-on/events/jewish-life-adults?hierarchicalMenu%5BEventMenu.lvl0%5D%5B0%5D=Jewish%20Interest&refinementList%5B10b_dd_AgeYears%5D%5B0%5D=adults]   Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Audio Editor: Sean Kennedy Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster.