Ray Kirstein
State of Belief Producer

Ray Kirstein

Ray Kirstein has served as producer for The State of Belief since 2010. That’s somewhere in the area of 750 episodes and counting. Previously, Ray held diverse positions in radio including production, program director, and announcer at several country music stations, and leadership roles at Sirius Satellite Radio and the Air America Radio Network. (He’s also worked for the State Department at one point but that’s still kind of hush-hush.)

This all began early in his life with helping his parents produce a Lithuanian-language radio program for expats in Ray’s hometown of Rochester, NY. (First time on the air? Age 3, reciting a poem as the easter bunny…) The experience of building community using the spoken word in that setting has been a component of every job on his resumé – and nowhere more so than at Interfaith Alliance.

Ray’s been living in Germany since 2012, and loves being in nature, exploring new places in Europe, and telling everyone who will listen about how amazing his little dog is.

What We Know About Christian Nationalism with Robert P. Jones
State of Belief
March 21, 2026

What We Know About Christian Nationalism with Robert P. Jones

Yes, America is polarized... But Robby points out it's an asymmetric polarization, with barely a third of us holding Christian Nationalist view.

The Downward Arc of Donald Trump, With Ruth Ben-Ghiat
State of Belief
March 7, 2026

The Downward Arc of Donald Trump, With Ruth Ben-Ghiat

An expert on authoritarianism explains the ways strongmen consolidate power - and how they lose it

The Epstein Files as a Mirror, With Rabbi Jay Michaelson
State of Belief
February 28, 2026

The Epstein Files as a Mirror, With Rabbi Jay Michaelson

Unpacking the recent revelations, conspiracy theories, and the urgent moral reckoning we face. Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson is back on The State of Belief to explain the antisemitism triggered by this case, as well as by the ongoing war in the Middle East.

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