R' Benjamin Newman

Rabbi Ben Newman is a Jewish‑Buddhist teacher, musician, and storyteller who has spent 20 years weaving Kabbalah with Zen and Tibetan mindfulness. Ordained in 2006 (Academy for Jewish Religion), he later studied at Nanzan University in Japan and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Ben founded Shtiebel—an experimental Jewish community in New York’s Rivertowns—and previously directed Jewish contemplative programs at the Shames JCC.

Through books, music, and his podcast The Neshamah Project, he helps busy, neurodiverse seekers find “quiet that hums.” When he isn’t chanting with his guitar, Ben is exploring the Hudson Valley with his wife, Rabbi Shoshana Leis, and their two children, Aristotle and Isaiah.