Behind the Notes podcast is produced by Neranenah, a concert and cultural event series based in Atlanta with roots in Jewish culture and musical traditions. The conversations and music featured in our episodes will explore Jewish contributions to American arts and culture.
Country music and Judaism may seem like an unlikely pairing—but for singer-songwriter Joe Buchanan, they’ve become one extraordinary calling. A Texas-born musician, Buchanan began exploring Judaism after discovering his wife’s Jewish heritage. Since converting to Judaism, he has forged a unique musical path, blending authentic Texas country with Jewish faith, tradition and joy. Join Buchanan for a conversation about his spiritual journey, how Judaism transformed his life and songwriting, his mission to bring Jewish joy through music, and his latest album, Heaven & Earth. In conversation with Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah.
11 Jun 2026
Laurence Malson
Join Broadway historian Laurence Maslon, host of the NPR radio series Broadway to Main Street, for a conversation about the Jewish composers and lyricists who helped create the modern American musical. In conversation with Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah.
The documentary Great Performances – Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy, narrated by Broadway legend Joel Grey is streaming on PBS (https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/broadway-musicals-a-jewish-legacy-about-the-film/1476/).
This program is part of The Pulse: Moments That Matter, a series of frank conversations on culturally relevant topics with musicians, comedians and other entertainment industry professionals to illuminate how being Jewish has shaped their experiences, both personally and professionally.
2 Feb 2026
Anne Sebba
In 1943, German SS officers at Auschwitz-Birkenau demanded that an orchestra be assembled among the female prisoners. The Nazis’ insistence on hearing music is what ultimately saved the lives of most of the women and girls tasked with playing instruments. Join Anne Sebba, author of The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival, for a conversation about this little-known story, the impact the orchestra had on its members and the response from other prisoners. In conversation Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah.
This program is part of The Pulse: Moments That Matter, a series of frank conversations on culturally relevant topics with musicians, comedians and other entertainment industry professionals to illuminate how being Jewish has shaped their experiences, both personally and professionally. Sponsored by MomentLive! and Neranenah.
22 Dec 2025
Alan Silberberg
Cartoonist Alan Silberberg—author of Meet the Latkes—has been doodling since childhood, a passion that eventually led to a degree in “Cartoon-Communication Education.” His latest book is The Bagel Who Wanted Everything. Join Silberberg for a heartfelt conversation about his path from screenwriting to children’s book author and how personal loss inspired his turn to Jewish picture books, ultimately deepening and renewing his connection to Judaism. In conversation with Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah.
23 Jul 2025
The Dutch Louis Armstrong: How Jazz Music Saved Louis Bannet from the Nazis with Ken Shuldman and Joe Alterman
Violinist and trumpeter Louis Bannet was a celebrated jazz musician in Holland, often called “the Dutch Louis Armstrong.” Once the war began, he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where he faced a chilling ultimatum: pass an audition for the camp orchestra or be sent to his death. Join Ken Shuldman, author of Jazz Survivor: The Story of Louis Bannet, for a conversation about Bannet’s life before, during and after the Holocaust and how jazz music saved his life. In conversation with jazz musician Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah.
2 May 2025
David Amram
Composer David Amram has been playing music professionally for 74 years and the 94 year old has no plans of slowing down. Amram shares stories about his childhood on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, his time in the 7th Army Symphony while stationed in Germany, his friendships and musical collaborations with greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Jack Kerouac, and Langston Hughes, the connections between jazz and Judaism, and his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. In conversation with jazz musician Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah.
This program is part of The Pulse: Moments That Matter, a series of frank conversations on culturally relevant topics with musicians, comedians and other entertainment industry professionals to illuminate how being Jewish has shaped their experiences, both personally and professionally. Sponsored by MomentLive! and Neranenah.
18 Feb 2025
Sam Reider
Sam Reider is a Latin GRAMMY-nominated pianist, accordionist, composer, and educator from San Francisco, California. His work brings together various streams of American music, from jazz and folk tunes to popular song and contemporary composition. He has appeared as a bandleader and soloist at major festivals and venues around the world and his performances and original compositions have been featured on NPR, PBS and the BBC. Reider has performed, recorded and collaborated with a range of artists including Jon Batiste, Jorge Glem, Sierra Hull, Laurie Lewis, and Paquito d’Rivera. From his genre-bending acoustic ensemble The Human Hands to his duo collaboration with Grammy-nominated Venezuelan artist Jorge Glem, Reider’s unique compositional voice and melodicism runs throughout his eclectic projects. His 2022 solo piano record of original music Petrichor received four stars and made the Best of 2022 in Downbeat Magazine. Reider and Glem’s album Brooklyn-Cumaná was featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk and was nominated for Best Instrumental Album in the 2023 Latin GRAMMY Awards. In addition to his work as a performer, Reider is a prolific composer and arranger and has written for a variety of ensembles and soloists including the San Francisco Girl’s Chorus, Time for Three, Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, Del Sol Quartet, and Tessa Lark.
14 Feb 2025
Jonah Platt
Jonah Platt, a true entertainment multi-hyphenate, is an actor, writer, producer, singer and host of the new hit podcast Being Jewish with Jonah. Join Platt for a wide-open conversation about growing up Jewish and the influence it has had on his career, including his upcoming project producing and co-staring alongside Ginnifer Goodwin in the feature film The Mensch and co-writing the musical adaptation of Lois Lowry’s best-selling novel, The Giver. In conversation with Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah,
This program is part of The Pulse: Moments That Matter, a series of frank conversations on culturally relevant topics with musicians, comedians and other entertainment industry professionals to illuminate how being Jewish has shaped their experiences, both personally and professionally.
14 Feb 2025
Mike Gerber
Jews have been a major presence in America's jazz, as musicians and as jazz facilitators, and in Kosher Jammers, Gerber tells that story with a rigour worthy of academia but with a feature writer's creative flair. Besides drawing on a plethora of second-hand sources, Kosher Jammers is absolutely packed with first-hand material, from interviews, phone calls and emails with jazz figures, Jewish and otherwise -- including possibly the last ever interview with swing era icon Artie Shaw.
Among the many other interviewees are black jazz figures such as saxophonist Buddy Collette and the critic Stanley Crouch, as a key theme running through the book is the relationship between Jews and African Americans in jazz. The impact on jazz of tunes written by Jewish "Great American Songbook" composers such as George Gershwin, Harold Arlen and Johnny Green is also covered, And the book features an extensive study of the Jewish-jazz phenomenon, whereby musicians from Ziggy Ellman in the 1930s to contemporary artists, notably John Zorn, have sought to create jazz that draws on Jewish music influences and themes.
Gerber drives home the point that, even had there never been a single Jewish jazz musician, Jews will still have contributed massively to the development of jazz in the United States, as managers, impresarios, venue owners, label founders and writers.
17 Sept 2024
Robert Klein
A Wide-Open Conversation with Robert Klein and Joe Alterman
Award-winning comedian Robert Klein grew up in a Jewish family living in the Bronx surrounded by music. While studying at Yale’s School of Drama, he auditioned for Chicago’s famed improvisational troupe Second City. In 1975, Klein was the first comedian to appear in a live concert on HBO where his set included a bit about antisemitism. Join Klein for a wide-open conversation about his childhood; his thoughts on the history of the Jewish people, antisemitism, the Holocaust, and Israel; his decades-long career as a performer; as well as the connection between music and comedy, including some of Klein’s “harmonica shtick.” In conversation with Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah.
This program is part of The Pulse: Moments That Matter, a series of frank conversations on culturally relevant topics with musicians, comedians and other entertainment industry professionals to illuminate how being Jewish has shaped their experiences, both personally and professionally. Sponsored by Neranenah (https://neranenaharts.org/) and MomentLive! (https://momentmag.com/momentlive/zoominars/) as well as Moment’s Antisemitism Project (https://momentmag.com/about-moment/antisemitism/), supported by the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation.
12 Jun 2024
Episode 6: David Marienthal and Alison Hinderliter
Mister Kelly’s nightclub, owned by Jewish brothers George and Oscar Marienthal, launched the careers of legendary performers like Barbara Streisand, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, Steve Martin and Tim Reid. The Chicago club “smashed color and gender barriers to put controversial voices on stage and transformed entertainment in America in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.” David Marienthal, son of George Marienthal and executive producer of the film Live at Mister Kelly’s and Alison Hinderliter, curator of Chicago’s Newberry Library exhibition “A Night at Mister Kelly’s,” discuss the Marienthal brothers’ success and how their clubs changed show business. In conversation with Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah. Sponsored by MomentLive! and Neranenah.
11 Jun 2024
Episode 5: Matisyahu
Throughout singer/songwriter Matisyahu's almost 20-year career, “Jewish heritage remains a central theme throughout his life and music.” Known for his hit song One Day, which he performed at the November 2023 Israel Rally in Washington, DC, Matisyahu will talk about his religious and musical journeys. He will also share what it was like to be on the road post October 7 with his recently released album Hold the Fire and having several venues cancel his performances because of his support for Israel. In conversation with Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah.
This program, sponsored by Moment Magazine's MomentLive! and Neranenah, is in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month.
6 Dec 2023
Episode 4: MODI
Join us for an engaging conversation featuring the charismatic Israeli-born comedian MODI. In conversation with Neranenah's Joe Alterman, MODI delves into the healing power of laughter amidst challenging times. Discover how his Jewish roots and comedic influences like Jackie Mason shaped his career, and his thoughts on being likened to legends like Robin Williams and Richard Pryor. This program is part of The Pulse: Moments That Matter, a series of frank conversations on culturally relevant topics with musicians, comedians, and other entertainment industry professionals to illuminate how being Jewish has shaped their experiences, both personally and professionally.
Sponsored by MomentLive! and Neranenah.
24 Oct 2022
Episode 3: Judy Gold
This conversation with comedy icon Judy Gold is funny and heartwarming. You'll learn about how her Jewish upbringing shaped her, her background in music, and her take on the major-minor Jewish connection. We're excited to delve into comedy for this episode and hope you are, too!
14 Sept 2022
Episode 2: David Broza
Neranenah’s Joe Alterman has a delightful and wide-ranging conversation with Israeli music legend, David Broza. Broza has released over 40 albums under his name - many of which are multi-platinum. Today, Broza shares his thoughts with us about Israeli music, Jewish music, Otis Redding, getting to know one's heroes, the concept of music genres, and so much more.
18 Aug 2022
Episode 1: Ben & Leo Sidran
Neranenah’s Joe Alterman has a fascinating conversation with two true renaissance men: musician, producer, arranger, composer, and podcast host Leo Sidran, and his iconic father - legendary writer, pianist, journalist, and producer Ben Sidran. Ben’s book “There Was A Fire: Jews, Music & The American Dream” has been an inspiration and guiding light for the entire Neranenah organization.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
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5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 8 / 100
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YouTube
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Engagement
32
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