In this episode of Here I Am, Shai sits down with Nate Shalev, co-founder of Shalom Dykes, an organization creating safe, inclusive, and joyful spaces for Jewish LGBTQ dykes. Nate shares their decade-long journey organizing with the NYC Dyke March, a community that once championed inclusion for all, and how everything shifted after October 7th when conversations about Israel within the march's leadership broke down, anti-Zionism was embedded into the organization's values, and Jewish members were effectively pushed out.

Rather than counter-protesting, Nate channeled that loss into building something new. Shalom Dykes launched with no idea who would show up, only to draw hundreds, then 600, then 2,500 signatures on an open letter. Nate reflects on what it means to need your community's safe spaces while being told you no longer belong in them, the painful double life of watching a wife check hostage lists each morning while colleagues with no personal connection to the conflict demanded performative statements, and why building joyful, visible Jewish queer community is itself an act of resistance and hope.

Guest: Nate Shalev, Co-founder of Shalom Dykes

Consider DONATING to help us continue and expand our media efforts. If you cannot at this time, please share this video with someone who might benefit from it. We thank you for your support!

https://gofund.me/30c00151c

BUY MERCH!

https://hereiam.threadless.com/

SUPPORT SHAI ON PATREON!

https://www.patreon.com/shaidavidai/about?utm_source=campaign-search-results

🔔 Subscribe now and never miss an episode

📢 Follow us on social media:

Instagram: hereiamwithshaidavidai

Tik Tok: hereiamwithshaidavidai / hereiamwithshaidavidai

🎧 Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform:

RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/hereiamwithshaidavidai/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/here-i-am-with-shai-davidai/id1757483524

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6pI03BMwAuQDbYIy4Zp6ah?si=2bd1c3f8a11c46cd

#HereIAmPodcast #ShaiDavidai #NateShalev #ShalomDykes #JewishLGBTQ #QueerJews #DykeMarch #NYCDykeMarch #JewishCommunity #LGBTQ #TransJewish #NonBinary #JewishPride #QueerPride #Zionism #JewishIdentity #October7 #Antisemitism #QueerCommunity #JewishQueer #LGBTQJews #CommunityBuilding #JewishDykes #Inclusion #Belonging #QueerSpaces #JewishSpaces #GrassrootsOrganizing #LGBTQRights #TransRights #JewishActivism #QueerActivism #DykeVisibility #JewishJoy #QueerJoy #Coalition #SafeSpaces #JewishResilience #LGBTQCommunity #Pride #IsraeliLGBTQ #TheAguda #QueerJewish #JewishResistance #BuildingCommunity

Credits:

Producers: Shai Davidai, Abbie Sophia, Adamit Productions, Allison Fuller, Josh Tepper, Bonnie Berkovits

Filmed @ The CAVE Soundstage in Hackensack and edited by Adamit Productions

In this episode of Here I Am, host Shai Davidai sits down with Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, senior rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (KJ) on Manhattan's Upper East Side and author of Despite Everything: A Chronicle of Jewish Resilience in the Aftermath of October 7th.

Rabbi Steinmetz shares what it means to be a "loving Jew" and how he balances embracing all Jews while navigating deep communal disagreements. Drawing on nearly 20 years leading a congregation in Montreal, he offers a unique perspective on the rise of antisemitism in Canada, warning that the U.S. may be heading down the same path if university-driven ideologies continue to go unchallenged among elites.

The conversation dives into the tension rabbis face between staying above politics and stepping into the arena when Jewish survival is at stake, how synagogues should handle platforming anti-Zionist voices, and the importance of grounding yourself in truth when faced with bad-faith propaganda. Rabbi Steinmetz also reflects on how to engage young Jews who live in modern "cocoons," disconnected from community, history, and the generations before them, urging them to "become a butterfly" and reconnect with something larger than themselves.

Guests: Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz

Consider DONATING to help us continue and expand our media efforts. If you cannot at this time, please share this video with someone who might benefit from it. We thank you for your support!

https://gofund.me/30c00151c

BUY MERCH!

https://hereiam.threadless.com/

SUPPORT SHAI ON PATREON!

https://www.patreon.com/shaidavidai/about?utm_source=campaign-search-results

🔔 Subscribe now and never miss an episode

📢 Follow us on social media:

Instagram: hereiamwithshaidavidai

Tik Tok: hereiamwithshaidavidai / hereiamwithshaidavidai

🎧 Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform:

RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/hereiamwithshaidavidai/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/here-i-am-with-shai-davidai/id1757483524

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6pI03BMwAuQDbYIy4Zp6ah?si=2bd1c3f8a11c46cd

#HereIAmPodcast #ShaiDavidai #RabbiChaimSteinmetz #KehilathJeshurun #JewishIdentity #JewishUnity #JewishResilience #JewishCommunity #October7th #StandWithIsrael #AntiSemitism #NeverAgain #JewishLeadership #AmericanJewry #ModernOrthodox #JewishActivism #JewishPride #JewishHope #CriticizeLikeAMother #GetOutOfTheCocoon #LearnToHugAgain #JewishSurvival #AdamitProductions #Podcast #NewEpisode #LinkInBio

Credits:

Producers: Shai Davidai, Abbie Sophia, Adamit Productions, Allison Fuller, Josh Tepper, Bonnie Berkovits

Filmed @ The CAVE Soundstage in Hackensack and edited by Adamit Productions

Anila Ali, founder of the American Muslim Multi-Faith Women's Empowerment Council, joins Shai to share her journey as a Pakistani-American Muslim woman fighting extremism from within. From growing up in Pakistan's Sufi-influenced culture, to witnessing radical ideology infiltrate American mosques after 9/11, to speaking at the March for Israel in front of 300,000 people post-October 7th, Anila has faced death threats, lost family, and received an Iranian fatwa against her. She discusses why 80% of the world's Muslims are non-Arab, how the Muslim Brotherhood hijacked mainstream Islam, and why building authentic interfaith Abrahamic partnerships is the path forward.

Guest: Pakistani Muslim Activist Anila Ali

Consider DONATING to help us continue and expand our media efforts. If you cannot at this time, please share this video with someone who might benefit from it. We thank you for your support!

https://gofund.me/30c00151c

BUY MERCH!

https://hereiam.threadless.com/

SUPPORT SHAI ON PATREON!

https://www.patreon.com/shaidavidai/about?utm_source=campaign-search-results

🔔 Subscribe now and never miss an episode

📢 Follow us on social media:

Instagram: hereiamwithshaidavidai

Tik Tok: hereiamwithshaidavidai / hereiamwithshaidavidai

🎧 Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform:

RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/hereiamwithshaidavidai/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/here-i-am-with-shai-davidai/id1757483524

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6pI03BMwAuQDbYIy4Zp6ah?si=2bd1c3f8a11c46cd

#hereiamwithshaidavidai #shaidavidai #AnilaAli #AMMWEC #muslimwomen #islamicreform #ModerateMuslims #interfaithdialogue #AbrahamicUnity #abrahamaccords #AntiExtremism #muslimbrotherhood #CAIR #FightingExtremism #MuslimZionist #MarchForIsrael #october7th #911 #islamismus #womenempowerment #pakistaniamericans #SouthAsianMuslims #indusvalleycivilization #sufiislam #religiousfreedom #freespeech #muslimamericans #AntiSemitism #JewishMuslimAlliance #MultiFailth #WomenInIslam #RachelGoldberg #standwithisrael #moralclarity #CampusExtremism #counterterrorism #MuslimReformers #religiousextremism #wahhabism #IslamicSupremacism #freedomofreligion #americanmuslims #podcast #youtube

Credits:

Producers: Shai Davidai, Abbie Sophia, Adamit Productions, Allison Fuller, Josh Tepper, Bonnie Berkovits

Filmed @ The CAVE Soundstage in Hackensack and edited by Adamit Productions