The Schmooze: Chats with Jewish Greats

In this episode of The Schmooze, Ben Gordon shares his powerful journey as a business leader, philanthropist, and advocate for the Jewish community. He reflects on lessons from building successful companies, leading through challenge, and applying his signature “I Framework” to stay focused on what truly matters. Ben also offers thoughtful insights on combating antisemitism, strengthening Jewish life, and showing up with purpose. This conversation is full of clarity, inspiration, and practical guidance for anyone striving to lead with courage and impact.

In this episode of The Schmooze, Eric Adler shares powerful insights on making the most of graduate school by staying curious, being open to not knowing, and truly using classes as a chance to learn and grow. From his career path and years in education to his work with the SEED Foundation and venture investing, Eric reflects on taking risks early and building a meaningful life and career.

In this episode of The Schmooze, Meir Zimmerman sits down with Brian M. Feuer, a leader with over 25 years in institutional investing, M&A advisory, and high-stakes negotiation.

Brian spent 20 years at McKinsey & Company, where he built and led two major enterprises: the Special Situations Investments Group—overseeing complex venture, private equity, and liquidity-focused deals—and the Global Commercial Negotiations Team, which negotiated on behalf of the Firm and trained partners and clients worldwide. After retiring in 2021, he continued advising across the venture and investment space and co-founded dVin LLC.

Listen to Meir and Brian's conv...

In this episode, Jamie Kleinman sits down with Jay Myers, Vice President of Acquisitions for Myers Erickson Properties, to explore his inspiring journey from the luggage industry to a successful career in real estate. Jay shares how entrepreneurship, hard work, and the ability to recognize opportunities shaped his path, while also reflecting on his Jewish heritage and the values that guide his family foundation’s philanthropy. From business pivots to giving back, Jay’s story is one of resilience, vision, and purpose—both in his professional endeavors and his personal life.

Cindy Shapira has dedicated her career to advancing higher education and strengthening Jewish life through leadership and philanthropy. In this episode of The Schmooze, she reflects on her path—from chairing Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education to serving in top roles across Jewish Federations and national boards. We dive into her lessons on mentorship, identity, and the power of showing up to drive lasting impact.

From startups to IPOs, Gary Alpert has spent two decades building and scaling mission-driven companies transforming healthcare. In this episode of The Schmooze, Gary shares his journey from co-founding WetFeet to leading at Brightline, Livongo, and Castlight Health. We dive into lessons on leadership, staying anchored to purpose, and creating impact at the intersection of innovation and care.

Dr. Jeffrey R. Solomon is Senior Advisor to Chasbro Investments, the family office of Charles Bronfman. For two decades, he was the President of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, a group of foundations operating in Canada, Israel and the United States. He currently sits on the Boards of the Leichtag Foundation in San Diego, the Jim Joseph Foundation in San Francisco and the KIND and Lubetzky Family Foundations in New York. He served as the Chair of Leading Edge, an organization aimed at talent acquisition and retention in the Jewish community and serves as Co-Chair of the Peaceworks...

Leading Through Innovation

Mike Newman’s path from law school to CEO in enterprise video is anything but typical. In this episode, the former MediaPlatform leader shares his journey—from co-founding Accordent Technologies to scaling cloud-native video solutions for global brands. We dive into his lessons on leadership, growth, and staying grounded in a rapidly evolving industry.

In this episode of The Schmooze, we sit down with Michael Friedlander, Senior Director of Strategy and Transformation at PepsiCo. Michael is an outcomes-based IT Executive with a proven track record of working on mergers and acquisitions and successfully transforming business processes by implementing highly effective technology solutions within multinational companies.

In this episode of The Schmooze, we sit down with Beth Feldman, Senior Vice President of Communications for The CW Network and Nexstar Media. Throughout her career she has launched hit talk shows, primetime series, and well-known brands by developing groundbreaking media campaigns that generate media exposure and drive consumer and viewer awareness.

David Glauber is an innovative international attorney with many years of Legal, Public Policy, Regulatory and Compliance experience.

In this episode of The Schmooze, we sit down with Bill Shafton, a seasoned in-house lawyer who led Grindr’s legal team from its founding days to its public debut on the NYSE. Bill shares insights from his journey through high-growth tech, regulatory challenges, and litigation strategy. Beyond his legal expertise, Bill opens up about his passion for music and how it has shaped his personal and professional journey

Jason Lubin is a manager-producer and the principal at First Story Entertainment, which he founded in 2018. The lit management company represents a diverse roster of talented writers and directors with fresh voices in all genres for Film and TV. The company’s clients have been staffed on shows on multiple networks including Showtime, CW, Apple+, and Netflix, and have sold series to Disney and HBO Max.

With over 15 years of experience in the tech sector, Neal is passionate about investing in and supporting innovative companies that impact communities and solve real-world problems. As a Managing Partner at Interlock Capital, he helped find, evaluate, fund, and support the best technology companies through our venture fund and angel investor syndicate.With over 15 years of experience in the tech sector, Neal is passionate about investing in and supporting innovative companies that impact communities and solve real-world problems. As a Managing Partner at Interlock Capital, he helped find, evaluate, fund, and support the best technology companies through our venture...

Stacy Schusterman is chair of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, whose mission is to pursue more just and inclusive societies in the United States and Israel.

Stacy’s philanthropic vision is deeply rooted in Jewish values, including the pursuit of justice (tzedek), repairing the world (tikkun olam) and treating all people with dignity and respect (derekh eretz).

Schusterman Family Philanthropies is advancing work started by her parents, Charles and Lynn Schusterman, more than 35 years ago to support joyful, diverse Jewish communities and build understanding of, connection to, and support for Israel in the U.S...

Michael Kaufman founded Kaufman Lynn Construction (KL) in 1989 with three employees, including himself. Over the past 34 years, having completed over 1,000 projects, he has grown his company into one of the largest construction companies in Florida with operations throughout the Southeast. In 2020, Michael sold KL to its 250+ associates through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), sharing the company’s success.

In his daily role, Michael is focused on KL’s regional growth, client satisfaction, and the brand’s continued recognition as a dedicated construction and community partner, and top place to work. Michael is a member of a variet...

Moses Libitzky is Chief Executive Officer of Libitzky Property Companies. Moses has over 40 years of commercial real estate expertise, specializing in mixed-use industrial rehabilitation. He has successfully directed over 100 projects with long term operation.

Moses attended Brandeis University where he obtained a B.S. in Physics with a sub-specialty in Computer Science. Moses started his professional career by founding a computer company, Abacus Data Systems.

Moses’ other passion is his work with the Libitzky Family Foundation, its mission is to create a culturally rich, supportive, inclusive and strong Jewish community. He also serves as the Pr...

Director of Executive Leadership Jamie Kleinman with Alan Meltzer. Alan Meltzer founded The Meltzer Group, (rebranded to NFP in 2018), in 1982 as a single insurance agent. He has since grown the company to the point where it is consistently recognized as the largest insurance consultant and one of the most philanthropic in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Alan’s strong core values and work ethic were the driving forces behind The Meltzer Group’s exponential growth – and remain today as cornerstones of the firm.

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Joshua Gould talks about his career journey and what students can learn from his experience. Listen here to hear his wisdom!

With over 20 years of experience in the language technology, defense and contingent workforce industries, Joshua is passionate about connecting people and businesses across borders and cultures. As the Group Chief Executive Officer at thebigword, he leads a global team of over 400 employees and 15,000 linguists, delivering translation, interpretation, and localization solutions to clients in over 250 languages and dialects.

Director of Executive Leadership Jamie Kleinman. Jacki Karsh is a six time Emmy-nominated multimedia journalist, covering Los Angeles County for LA36's LA County Channel. Jacki reports on social and humanitarian issues impacting Angelenos. Her pieces focus on the County-wide homelessness crisis, political developments, impactful scientific innovation prison reform, transformative infrastructure, and community initiatives.

Jacki is also a host and producer for the entrepreneurial multimedia platform Business Rockstars, where she interviews entrepreneurs, startups and CEOs. She has previously reported for CityTV Santa Monica, Young Hollywood, and Westside TV. Her farmer's market segment called "Market Report" has over...

Ari Ackerman is a successful serial entrepreneur, strategic investor and proud philanthropist. His entrepreneurial history includes being the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bunk 1, the enormously popular technology company that allows parents to see online pictures and send emails to their children at camp. In March 2017, he successfully sold Bunk1 to the private equity firm Aquiline Capital Partners.

Before Bunk1, his career included stints in product management at Procter & Gamble and marketing at Cendant Corporation. Additionally, he worked for four years on Capitol Hill for a member of Congress and on the Banking and Financial Services...

Lee is CEO, writer at the Garfinkel Group LLC, specializing in marketing and entertainment.He is currently working for a few select clients as well as political and public service assignments.Lee was most recently CEO of FCB Garfinkel, the NY office of FCB. He was previously Chairman of Havas WW, NY.

He also served as DDB New York’s Chairman and Chief Creative Officer where he won new assignments on Bud Light, Diet Pepsi, Philips Global, Subaru (It’s What Makes a Subaru, a Subaru), Lipton, United Technologies, and Electrolux. Lee was also the architect behind Ampl...

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Alexis Shapiro talk about her career journey and what students can learn from her experience. Listen here to hear her wisdom!

Alexis Shapiro is the General Counsel of Forward Financing, where she oversees all legal functions of the Company.

Prior to joining Forward Financing in April 2018, Alexis was a partner at the Boston-based law firm Goodwin Procter, where she advised companies and their officers and directors on strategies for avoiding liability and complex business disputes, with a particular emphasis in the financial services industry. Prior to Goodwin, Alexis...

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Benjie Cherniak talks about his career journey and what students can learn from his experience. Listen here to hear his wisdom!

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Gary Swart talk about his career journey and what students can learn from his experience. Listen here to hear his wisdom!

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Mara Goldstein talks about her career journey and what students can learn from her experience. Listen here to hear her wisdom!

On this episode of “The Schmooze” Larry Namer talks about his over 50 years of entertainment experience. He is best known as the founder of E! Entertainment Network, a network that continues to shape pop culture today and has launched the careers of many of today's pop culture superstars from Howard Stern to The Kardashians.

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Peter Steckelman talk about his career journey and what students can learn from his experience. Listen here to hear his wisdom!

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Eric Schwartz talks about his journey from NYU Stern to Sony Entertainment. His biggest piece of advice to any current student is to take your interest and turn it into a career.

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Michael Rosenzweig talk about the unplanned moments in his life, including when he transitioned into the non-profit world. Listen here to hear his wisdom!

On this episode of “The Schmooze” Michael Adler talks about his background in software engineering and emphasizes that the beginning of the journey doesn’t always look like the present. Michael also shares his career advice stating that sometimes staying at a company long-term will ultimately have a better reward than leaving. Listen to hear some great advice and stories from Michael!

On this episode of “The Schmooze” Clifford Viner talks about both the importance of having a successful career as well as having a work-life balance - growing a family in the midst of success. Listen to his interview exclusively here!

Marina Lewin, COO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, sat down with Rabbi Matt Rosenberg to chat about her upbringing in the small town of Easton Connecticut, her illustrious 30+ year career in banking, and her journey to COO for the Foundation of Jewish Camp. Listen to the new episode here on "The Schmooze."

David Golden, Managing Partner at Revolution Ventures, sat down with our own Matt Rosenberg to discuss everything from his Minnesota upbringing to his illustrious career both on Wall Street and at Revolution Ventures. Tune in now!

Andrew Epstein, a Los Angeles bred lawyer, and General Counsel at Demandbase, sat down with Maddy Demchick and chatted about his upbringing, his college choices, and the importance of federal privacy law in his work environment. Listen here now on this new episode of “The Schmooze.”

Eric Gertler, Executive Chairman of U.S. News & World Report, sat down with "The Schmooze" to talk about the fast pace of technology, how social media is changing the landscape of companies and so much more! Listen here on this new episode of "The Schmooze."

Bob Feiner, Senior Vice President at Dell Technology Services, spoke with Maddy Demchick about his background, his education, and his long history at Dell. Bob joked with Maddy stating that he’s “probably been at Dell longer than [we’ve] been alive” and given his extensive work at the company, we wouldn’t be surprised if that were true. Bob also give insight on how to approach interviews, giving our audience ‘need-to-know’ facts on what to do during and before an interview. Listen here on this new episode of “The Schmooze.”

Gary Schottenstein chatted with Rabbi Dave about his Real Estate business in Ohio (and how sustainable the business of real estate is), his family, and his connection to his Jewish identity. Listen here on this new episode of “The Schmooze.”

Gil Borok, successful philanthropist, President, and CEO of Colliers, sat down with our own Maddy Demchick to talk about his journey to success. Gil also gave us an inside look at his life, giving a shout out to his favorite show. Hint: the final season just aired. Listen here on this new episode of “The Schmooze.”

Ron Kahn, Co-head Lincoln’s Valuations and Opinions Group, shares his experience of building a practice through genuine and open connections and interactions. Listen now learn more about this trailblazer’s journey.

Ashton Rosin, Operating Partner & Head of Capital Formation; Lowercarbon Capital, sat down with Maddy Demchick to talk about her work as it pertains to the ever-pressing issue surrounding climate change. Listen here on this new episode of the “The Schmooze.”

Aaron Alter sat down with “The Schmooze” and chatted about the Hawaiian Airlines and the integral part the airline plays in Hawaiian lifestyle. Listen now to hear more about law as it connects to the travel industry!

Rob Goldstein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Las Vegas Sands (LVS), gives us an inside look into the sports betting world, the gaming business, and his own gambling hacks. Listen here on this new episode of the “The Schmooze.”

Seth Jaffe, EVP & Chief Legal Officer at Levi Strauss talks about the origins of the company, and he supplies some helpful tips for law students in their journey to becoming a lawyer. Click here to listen to a new episode of “The Schmooze” out now!

Dr. Ralph (Chancellor Emeritus; Duke University, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine, and Executive Director; Duke Center for Personalized Health Care) and Vivan (Former Senior Partner; McKinsey and Company) talked about the United States healthcare system, the problems, and the changes that have been made in healthcare since the pandemic. Listen to this revenant and impactful podcast here, on “The Schmooze!”

Dr. Ralph Snyderman (Chancellor Emeritus; Duke University, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine, and Executive Director; Duke Center for Personalized Health Care) and Vivan Riefberg (Former Senior Partner; McKinsey and Company) talk about the United States healthcare system, the problems, and the changes that have been made in healthcare since the pandemic. Listen to this relevant and impactful podcast here, on “The Schmooze!”

When asked to give advice to our followers, Steven told them to "only make original mistakes." Listen to here to hear more of Steven's wisdom, life lessons, and more!

While Josh and Andrew have different careers, they share their common love of Star Wars! Check out the latest episode of The Schmooze where we chat with Josh (EVP, Head of Americas Operations at Pimco) and Andrew (Chief Revenue Officer at the American Airlines Center)!

True or false: the Chief Marketing and Communications Director of the New York Times brought Axe Body Spray to the USA. (Spoiler alert: it's true and it's all David Rubin's fault).

Today we chat with Rabbi Dave Sorani, the CEO and founder of The Jewish Grad Student Initiative. Hear what he has to say about dropping out of law school, starting a nonprofit, and the secret to creating great relationships (hint: it involves caffeine).