Here I Am With Shai Davidai

In this special episode of Here I Am, social media manager Allison Fuller flips the script and interviews host Shai Davidai. Shai opens up about his journey from growing up in Israel and Romania to becoming one of the most visible voices fighting antisemitism after October 7th. He shares how a "split screen" reality of horror in Israel and celebrations of Hamas on his campus at Columbia pushed him to speak out, guided by three words: "Why not me?" The conversation explores his identity as both a proud atheist and deeply committed Jew, why he got Hebrew tattoos as an act of visible resistance, and his belief that hatred should be treated like an addiction rather than a valid emotion.

Shai reflects on nearly 100 episodes of interviews and identifies four traits shared by every activist who's sat in his chair: conviction, curiosity, courage, and community. He urges listeners to be part of that community, whether loudly on the front lines or quietly supporting those who are, and closes with his guiding principle for the podcast and for life: no hate, no lies. The episode also highlights the podcast's fundraising efforts and recommends donating to Brothers for Life, an organization supporting wounded Israeli combat soldiers.

Guest: Shai Davidai

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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 Jewish advocate, organizer, and "campus mom" Valerie Gerstein, who shares her firsthand experience confronting antisemitism as a graduate student at Columbia University. Valerie, a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and lifelong Jewish community leader, enrolled in Columbia's nonprofit management master's program in her 40s in 2022, only to witness a dramatic shift on campus after October 7th. She recounts facing anti-Jewish bias in the classroom even before the attacks, including a professor who chose Yom Kippur to assign anti-Israel readings when no Jewish students were present, and details how her complaints were ignored at every institutional level.

Valerie ultimately became one of the named plaintiffs in a landmark civil rights lawsuit against Columbia, which recently resulted in a settlement. She discusses the personal cost of speaking up, from losing friends to needing a bodyguard, and the wins secured through the case: scholarships for students who've lived or studied in Israel, adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and the appointment of a Title VI coordinator. A powerful conversation about standing proud, showing up for the next generation, and refusing to be silenced.

Guest: Valerie Gerstein

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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, 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
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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
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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
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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