It pains me: Gad Saad reflects on the unfulfilled potential of a pluralistic Lebanon The CJN 2024-09-30 | Gad Saad, the Canadian professor and social media icon with well over a million followers online, grew up in Lebanon as one of a rapidly decreasing number of Jews in the 1970s and '80s. He routinely faced genuine, unabashed Jew hatred, hearing "Death to the Jews" chants in the streets—and witnessing his own school friends talk about killing Jews. Fast-forward to this week, and Israel is preparing a probable ground invasion of southern Lebanon, shortly following their remarkable pager attack (thecjn.ca/podcasts/hezbollah-pager-attack-was-an-audacious-deterrence-message-to-iran-one-expert-says) on Hezbollah members and assassination of longtime organization leader Hassan Nasrallah. As Lebanon makes headlines around the world, Saad sat down with Rivka Campbell, host of The CJN's podcast about Jews of colour, to share stories of the Lebanon he remembers before his family fled for a safer life in Canada. He explains why he always felt close to his Lebanese roots and how he hopes the country can return to a pluralistic, accepting state. In 2024-2025, Saad is a visiting professor and global ambassador at Northwood University. He joins us from his home city of Montreal.Credits • Host: Rivka Campbell • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Westside Gravy (westsidegravy.com) Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Rivkush (thecjn.ca/rivkush)
Struggling to afford your first home? This Jewish-backed investment firm wants to help The CJN 2024-10-16 | On the night of Oct. 16, Jews around Canada will welcome the holiday of Sukkot, having erected temporary wooden or cloth structures outside their synagogues and homes. While celebrating in their makeshift shacks, many will tell stories of the huts that ancient Israelites lived in after their exodus from Egypt.Meanwhile, in modern-day Canada, a different kind of exodus is happening across the country: young Jewish families, along with Canadians of all stripes, are finding themselves priced out of the housing market, fleeing their native cities to find affordable homes in ever-farther destinations. While the cost of a sukkah kit may seem steep these days, in the hundreds or low thousands, it pales it comparison to the national average cost of a house: nearly $650,000.As a result, housing organizations are stepping in to find creative solutions. One such company with deep Jewish roots is Ourboro, whose COO, Eyal Rosenblum, is the son of Israeli immigrants. The company essentially buys a stake in your house by lending you up to $250,000 for your down payment. Whatever the percentage of the down payment is, that’s what you’ll have to pay them back once you sell. The idea has caught on, with real estate developer Miles Nadal having joined Ourboro as a key investor. Eyal Rosenblum joins The CJN Daily to explain how this concept can help some Canadians afford homes sooner, and why his Jewish values align with the idea.What we talked about • Read more about Ourboro (ourboro.com) , and how it works to help homebuyers afford a 20 percent downpayment on their first home. (See the math (ourboro.com/see-the-math) ). • Learn (ourboro.com/press-release-sept-12) why real estate investor Miles Nadal’s Peerage Capital backs Ourboro. • Why strangers in B.C. are co-owning housing together, on The CJN Daily. (thecjn.ca/podcasts/this-jewish-entrepreneur-offers-an-unorthodox-solution-to-canadas-housing-crisis) Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Sylvan Adams speaks out after anti-Israel vandals smashed the McGill building with his name on it The CJN 2024-10-15 | On Oct. 7, 2024, more than a thousand anti-Zionist protesters marched through downtown Montreal toward McGill University as part of a “Week of Rage” to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza. Despite a heavy security presence at McGill, some protesters managed to storm onto the campus, smashing through barricades and vandalizing the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute on Pine Ave.The site—still under construction—is named for Adams, the Canadian-Israeli billionaire who, in 2022, donated $29 million to the Montreal university, then called the largest-ever gift to a Canadian campus. His philanthropy focuses primarily on athletics, both in his home province of Quebec and in Israel; in response, pro-Palestinian groups have accused him of “sportswashing” Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.As a major donor, Adams has been paying close attention to how McGill has managed the year-long campus protests, including the first tent city encampment in Canada, set up in April. He has harsh words for Montreal’s mayor, who he blames for letting Jew-hatred run rampant in the city. And, although he can’t take his money back from McGill, Adams is trying to influence the university’s actions in his own way. He joins The CJN Daily to discuss all this and more—including his criticism of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Adams' dreams of reuniting Pink Floyd (minus Roger Waters) to play in Israel one day.What we talked about • Read more about Sylvan Adams’ $29 million donation in 2022 to fund a sports sciences institute at McGill University, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/mcgill-and-tel-aviv-u-team-up-in-sports-science-research-thanks-to-a-29m-donation-from-sylvan-adams) • Learn why McGill won a 10-day court injunction to block protesters from disrupting campus, beginning on Oct. 8, 2024, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/week-of-rage) . • How Concordia's Jewish students won an injunction that ended Oct. 12 blocking violent protests, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/jewish-university-students-are-coming-back-prepared-for-a-fight-at-concordia-and-beyond) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Dishy Vicar The CJN 2024-10-11 | Whenever there's a new mainstream TV show with a Jewish bent, Jewish audiences share a familiar reaction: excitement over representation, followed by dread over how bad that representation will be. The latest example is Nobody Wants This, the new Netflix rom-com series about a sex-advice podcast host (Kristen Bell) who, despite not being Jewish, falls for a hot young rabbi (Adam Brody). Gasp! One key theme in the show is the nuance and viability of interfaith relationships, which, for Bonjour Chai co-host Phoebe Maltz Bovy, brought to mind the writer Meghan Daum. A prolific writer, Daum once penned a 1996 GQ piece called "American Shiksa", which appears in her 2001 collection of essays, My Misspent Youth (meghandaum.com/new-page) , and which describes the common Jewish-guy-meets-non-Jewish-girl love story from the female perspective. On this week's episode, Daum joins to recall the origins of that article and helps dissects Netflix's new take on the age-old trope.And after that, the hosts turn south to examine how Donald Trump spent the one-year Oct. 7 anniversary... by visiting the grave of Lubavitcher Rebbe and allegedly offering to sign siddurs. Credits • Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz (https://x.com/BovyMaltz/) ) • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) • Music: Socalled Support The CJN • Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack (bonjourchai.substack.com) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (thecjn.ca/bonjour) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Samidoun: Why Jewish leaders and Pierre Poilievre want it declared a terrorist squad The CJN 2024-10-10 | You may have heard recently about Samidoun, an extremist, anti-Israel, organization with a branch in Vancouver, ostensibly working to liberate Palestinian prisoners convicted of terrorism in Israel and elsewhere. This week, Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the federal Conservatives, demanded the government declare Samidoun a terrorist organization—as several other countries have already done. Doing so would block Samidoun’s ability to fundraise and would make it a crime for anyone to support it.Jewish leaders have long urged the same thing, citing evidence that Samidoun’s Canadian-based founders are members of a militant anarchist terrorist group known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP is outlawed in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Israel and many other countries for carrying out dozens of suicide bombings, assassinations and airplane hijackings.But Samidoun’s status in Canada fell under scrutiny this week, after the group organized protests to coincide with the anniversary of Oct. 7. Some supporters tried to set fire to a Canadian flag, calling, “Death to Canada, death to USA and death to Israel.” Meanwhile, authorities in British Columbia were forced to lift bail conditions that had prevented Samidoun’s Vancouver-based director, Charlotte Kates, from participating in any protests for a period of six months. Kates was arrested in April after giving an antisemitic speech that praised the Oct. 7 massacre. But charges had not yet been laid before the bail deadline expired on Oct. 8. Kates is married to Khaled Barakat, suspected of being a high-ranking member of the PFLP, who also was granted Canadian citizenship.On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we’re joined by Gerald Steinberg, who founded the pro-Israel research institute NGO Monitor, to explain more about Samidoun’s terrorist ties and outline its operations on Canadian campuses.What we talked about • Read when Vancouver police arrested Charlotte Kates of Samidoun in May 1, 2024 after she praised the Oct. 7 massacre during a public rally in Vancouver, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/vancouver-hate-arrest) • Read NGO Monitor (ngo-monitor.org/ngos/samidoun) ’s fact sheet about Samidoun in Canada. • Watch B’nai Brith’s video compilation (https://x.com/bnaibrithcanada/status/1658856584158535682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1658856584158535682%7Ctwgr%5E5c2664c20bc4afcc8fd5d743d0fa51676873d63f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=thecjn.ca/news/vancouver-hate-arrest) of Samidoun director Charlotte Kates speeches in Toronto and elsewhere supporting convicted terrorists and suicide bombers, and sign a petition (ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-5110) demanding Ottawa act. Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
We carry this pain. It doesnt break us: how Canadian Jews marked Oct. 7s anniversary The CJN 2024-10-09 | In Montreal, 8,000 people watched wreaths laid on the stage. In Toronto, 20,000 people recited the Kaddish prayer. An interfaith choir sung in Ottawa. All across Canada, tens of thousands of Canadians gathered to observe the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel and remember the Jewish victims who had Canadian ties.The Oct. 7 anniversary also sparked political controversy in the House of Commons, when Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the Liberal government’s stance on Israel’s right to defend itself, and for not doing more to curb the explosion of antisemitism we’ve seen in Canada after Oct. 7. While the prime minister was absent from Question Period—he spoke to Ottawa’s Jewish community in person later that evening—all lawmakers in the House of Commons agreed to observe a moment of silence for the 1,200 Israeli victims of that dark day.On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, you’ll hear the politicians trade accusations across the floor of Parliament, and also hear some of what Jewish Canada sounded like from coast to coast, as Jews and non-Jewish allies marked the solemn anniversary of Oct. 7.What we talked about: • Read Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement (pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2024/10/07/statement-prime-minister-mark-one-year-hamas-terrorist-attacks-against) on Oct. 7, 2024 and also watch his remarks and those of Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre speaking at the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’ (cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/oct-7-attack-commemoration-pm-trudeau--pierre-poilievre-deliver-remarks?id=1954c741-e272-4063-ac59-62c5425dc87c) s evening vigil. • Watch the Montreal Jewish community memorial rally here. (youtube.com/live/vhyutfo00g4?feature=shared) • Watch the Toronto Jewish community rally here. (youtube.com/live/5cibgOx_QIo?feature=shared) • Watch the Vancouver rally here (youtu.be/OGJdQ1un5_M?feature=shared) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
[S1E4] Secrets The CJN 2024-10-08 | As rumours begin to spread about the zombies, Kat decides to take action. SupportHelp us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate (http://thecjn.ca/donate) Credits • Writer: Michael Fraiman • Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman • Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation (ashkenaz.ca) and Dandelion Theatre • Music: Bret Higgins • Technical production and sound design: Armaan Dutta and Calum Anklesaria Cast • Miranda Wiseman ... Kat Blackburn • Ilana Zackon ... Tema Cardoso • Joshua Kilimnik ... Jacob Cardoso • Justin Otto ... The Zombie, Michal Symanski, Jim Jackson & others • Ralph Small ... Avrum Cardoso • Eva Almos ... Chava Cardoso, Bubbie, Anna & others • Nat Bushnik ... Inga Symanski & others • Sepehr Reyboud ... Amir Hassan • Max Ackerman ... Otto Becker & others
Jacob Samuel wants audiences to know hes Jewish—and to make that tension funny The CJN 2024-10-08 | Jacob Samuel has a couple references to his Judaism in his stand-up routine. In the past, whenever he brought it up, it usually created a moment of tension before a laugh. But in the year since Oct. 7, especially in his hometown of Vancouver, he's noticed a shift. It's harder to talk about his Jewish identity onstage. He brings it up later, or takes out a couple jokes if the laugh isn't big enough.Yet Samuel, who won a Juno award for his debut comedy album in 2021, is determined to keep telling audiences he's Jewish. As he tells The CJN's arts podcasters on Culturally Jewish, that visibility is important, even with antisemitism on the rise. And getting people comfortable enough to laugh along with him is critical.Samuel is will be hitting the road this month (byjacobsamuel.com) , performing in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal before returning to B.C. for a headline show at the Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver.Credits • Hosts: Ilana Zackon and David Sklar • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Sarah Segal-Lazar (sarahsl.com) Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Culturally Jewish (thecjn.ca/culture) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
There was literally nothing to come back to: Oct. 7 survivor Thomas Hand shares his story with ... The CJN 2024-10-07 | Kibbutz Be’eri survivor Thomas Hand spent nearly a month last year believing his youngest daughter Emily, then 8, had been killed by Hamas terrorists who stormed their Israeli farming community on Oct. 7 and slaughtered over 100 residents. Hand would later learn that Emily had actually been one of the 30 Kibbutz Be’eri residents kidnapped into Gaza that day. The girl was held for 50 days-not in a tunnel, as it turns out, but in private apartments together four other Kibbutz members and also with Noa Argamani, the Nova music festival hostage, until the cease-fire/ prisoner exchange in November 2023 saw Emily among those released.Hand, 64, and his daughter, now 9, are trying to rebuild their lives. They and others from Be’eri have moved into a new temporary home at Kibbutz Hazterim, near Beersheba, away from their own bullet-riddled house, while the kibbutz rebuilds.Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, Hand and his daughter flew to Canada, to Vancouver, to share their story, and also some memories of Canadian victim Vivian Silver, a neighbour on the kibbutz. On this episode of The CJN Daily, Thomas Hand joins host Ellin Bessner, with some tough words for the Canadian government, which he accused of “giving Hamas a reward for the violence caused to Israeli citizens.”What we talked about: • Read more about the memorial projects being assembled for the victims of Oct. 7, including Vivian Silver, of Kibbutz Be’eri, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/oct-7-projects) • Learn more (rebuildbeeri.org) about Kibbutz Be’eri’s fundraising campaign to return home in 2026. • Here’s a list of memorial events being held for Oct. 7 across Canada, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/events/oct-7-events) . • Example Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
From devastation to creation: How artist Devon Spier found spiritual meaning through affliction The CJN 2024-10-02 | Devon Spier has long COVID. The artist, poet and spiritual guide has spent days bedridden, feeling ill and angry at God. But that forced pause gave her time to reflect on her life, art and beliefs, and she began to realize more emphatically how God, for her, exists in liminal spaces—in the wilderness, in small moments of peace and beauty between devastation and pain.These thoughts led her to create a new exhibit that blends art, design, poetry and spirituality. "18 Plus One" is on display at the Gerrard Art Space in Toronto from Oct 2 - 9, ahead of a fuller exhibit at the JCC Ann Arbor in Michigan from December 2024 to February 2025.Spier joins Ralph Benmergui—who is, like Spier, also not a rabbi but kind of vaguely close to one—on Not That Kind of Rabbi for a fulsome conversation about artistic expression, humanistic empathy and the meaning of God.Credits • Host: Ralph Benmergui • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Yevhen Onoychenko Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Not That Kind of Rabbi (thecjn.ca/ntkr) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Watermelon Shtreimel The CJN 2024-10-02 | The cover illustration of the fall issue of The Canadian Jewish News Magazine drew hundreds of responses from readers across the country.The image depicted a fictional family gathered for Rosh Hashanah. This family included a matronly woman in an apron wearing a yellow ribbon in support of bringing the hostages home; a young girl with a dog tag necklace in support of the Israel Defense Forces; two bearded men in a heated discussion; someone looking at footage of an explosion posted to Instagram on their smartphone; one woman clutching her forehead in apparent disappointment or frustration; and, most controversially, a young woman sporting a keffiyeh and watermelon earrings—a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Hamutal Dotan, joined Rabbi Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy for a robust discussion of the logic behind the drawing. After that, they discuss Phoebe's and Avi's articles inside: one on what Judaism has to say about Zion as a historic homeland for Jewish people, and one on the new philosemitism that's arisen since Oct. 7.Read a condensed transcript of this conversation here. (thecjn.ca/perspectives/opinions/cover-talk) Credits • Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz (https://x.com/BovyMaltz/) ) • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) • Music: Socalled Support The CJN • Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack (bonjourchai.substack.com) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (thecjn.ca/bonjour) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Ottawa just overhauled its grant program for security upgrades. Some Jewish leaders call it a ‘ga... The CJN 2024-10-01 | Just before Canadian Jews gather to observe the New Year on Wednesday, the federal government has announced some long-requested changes to a program that has helped nearly 500 synagogues, schools and community centres pay for panic buttons, security cameras, fencing and other vital safety equipment to date. Until now, Jewish leaders have long complained that Public Safety Canada’s Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) had too much red tape and hasn’t covered nearly enough of the financial burden for keeping Jews safe to worship, study and play–especially in the face of rising antisemitism.The new program–now called Canada Community Security Program–may also have more money to hand out, although how much is unclear. Ottawa said $65 million. and $16 million this year. Most importantly, Ottawa says it will now pay 70 percent of the costs to install security equipment, up from 50 per cent. And the same goes for hiring temporary security guards from Sept. 24, 2024, until after the High Holidays have ended. Daycare centres, cemeteries and Jewish offices are now also eligible to apply.Ottawa will also raise the cap to fund big reno projects from $100,000 to $1.5 million.On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we find out why some Jewish leaders are already calling the government announcement a “game-changer.” We speak with Jason Murray, head of the security advisory committee for Vancouver’s Jewish federation; Gary Gladstone, a consultant to many Jewish groups applying for these grants; and Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, Canada’s special advisor to the Prime Minister on antisemitism, who has been advocating for these changes.What we talked about • When Montreal’s Jewish Community Council asked Ottawa to fix the SIP program after school shootings post-Oct. 7, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/montreals-jewish-community-says-it-needs-more-funding-for-security-and-less-red-tape) • Read the federal government’s announcement (publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/cntrng-crm/crm-prvntn/fndng-prgrms/cnd-cmmnt-scrt-prgrm/index-en.aspx) on Sept 24, 2024 outlining changes to the Security Infrastructure Program, now called the Canada Community Security Program. • After Vancouver’s Schara Tzedeck synagogue was lit aflame, the congregation left the burned front doors unfixed for a long time. Here’s why on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/schara-tzedeck) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Live, Laugh, Liberate The CJN 2024-09-27 | Last week, Toronto's public school board came under fire after footage emerged on social media showing students partaking in a public protest for Indigenous water rights... that also happened to feature pro-Palestinian chants and signs. A provincial investigation ensued (thecjn.ca/news/grassy-narrows-tdsb) to learn how it happened and why teachers allegedly encouraged students to get involved in the demonstrations, but while those slow bureaucratic gears turn, parents—especially Jewish ones—are unhappy. Bonjour Chai hosts Avi and Phoebe ask: should students ever be taken to a public protest as part of a school curriculum, even if parents agree with the cause? After that, they dig into the Indigo boycott/buycott fiasco, sparked after Indigo mounted a legal challenge against a grassroots movement claiming they kill kids (thecjn.ca/news/indigo-boycott-court-hearing) . The movement began because Indigo CEO Heather Reisman operates a separate charity that supports Israelis without families (who are in all likelihood lone soldiers), but has spiralled into Jews and allies proudly supporting Canada's singular monolithic bookstore entity as a badge of honour. Remember when people used to proudly support their local indie bookstore?Finally, Ta Nehisi Coates has re-entered the public discourse, years after breaking ground with his argument for reparations for Black Americans. His topic this time? Israel-Palestine, something that's being marketed as a "taboo" subject for discussion by a public intellectual. Except... it really isn't. Everyone's talking about it. So what's going on? Credits • Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz (https://x.com/BovyMaltz/) ) • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) • Music: Socalled Support The CJN • Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack (bonjourchai.substack.com) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (thecjn.ca/bonjour) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
2024 NHL and MLB postseason preview: Here are the Jewish athletes to watch The CJN 2024-09-26 | The leaves have begun falling and NHL season is around the corner, so the Menschwarmers are back with a hockey season preview. Will Zach Hyman thrill Edmonton fans with another 50-goal season? With Jack Hughes make the MVP leap? Will the Bruins ever re-sign Jeremy Swayman? We don't have any of these answers, but we have fun asking them.Then, we move from the beginning of one sport season to the end of another. With baseball wrapping up, we look at the postseason picture with Harrison Bader, Alex Bregman and Max Fried all in the mix to make it to the World Series. Credits • Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (cheez-p.bandcamp.com) (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing (freemusicarchive.org/music/chZ_/The_Clones_of_Dr_Funkenstein/cheeZ_p_-_08_-Organ_Grinder_Swing) ") Support The CJN • Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers (https://x.com/menschwarmers) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Menschwarmers (thecjn.ca/menschwarmers) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
82-year-old rabbi acquitted of decades-old sex-crime accusations in Montreal The CJN 2024-09-26 | Rabbi Shlomo Leib (Leon) Mund walked out of a Montreal courthouse a free man on Sept. 25, after a Court of Quebec judge acquitted the 82-year-old rabbi of two sex-crime charges dating back to when the high-profile religious leader taught at an Orthodox school and offered unlicensed marriage counselling in the 1980s and 1990s.The CJN can’t identify the complainant due to a court-ordered publication ban on their identity. But the case made headlines in Canada and Israel in the spring of 2022 after Mund was arrested at the Toronto airport. The widower has since been living under house arrest in Toronto for nearly two and a half years while his case wound through the Quebec legal system.The court heard the alleged victim testify how, when they were seven or eight years old, Mund allegedly sexually assaulted them in the back seat of his car near the rabbi’s former Montreal home in 1997. Mund always denied the accusations. In the 29-page ruling, the judge noted the complainant's “inconsistent statement to [their] husband” about what happened, which “undermines [their] credibility and the reliability of [their] testimony.” The court also heard suggestions the alleged victim hoped to get justice for other members of the family and for Jewish women in the city’s Orthodox community who say the rabbi had also sexually assaulted them.The CJN Daily‘s Ellin Bessner was at the courthouse for the verdict. On today’s episode, she speaks with lawyers for both sides, as well as officials with the ZA’AKAH organization, which supports child sexual abuse victims in the Orthodox community. You’ll also hear from Ruth Pinsky Krevsky, who approached Montreal police about her own allegations of inappropriated behaviour by Rabbi Mund years ago—but was never called to testify during this trial.What we talked about • Read our original story on the arrest and charges laid against Rabbi Shlomo Leib (Leon) Mund in April 2022, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/an-elderly-montreal-rabbi-has-been-arrested-for-sex-crimes-against-a-minor-that-go-back-25-years) . • Hear our interview with the complainant in May 2022 on why she came forward after 25 years, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/i-dont-know-if-justice-will-ever-be-served-for-him-survivor-speaks-out-against-79-year-old-canadian-rabbi-accused-of-sex-crimes) • Read what the judge wrote in the R. vs. Mund verdict and hear from the new survivor who has come forward now, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/sexual-abuse-orthodox-community) Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
A new exhibit of dreamlike family portraits recall bygone Jewish life, tinged with trauma The CJN 2024-09-24 | Arnie Lipsey has spent decades working in animation. But on the side, years ago, he began painting on canvas, using archival family photos for inspiration. He began colourizing and adapting them, eventually reinterpreting them entirely through a modern lens. That often resulted in jarring, traumatic scenes quietly unfolding behind his smiling family members: spiralling tornados, fiery trains, even the barbed-wire fences of a concentration camp.The result is an unsettling, engrossing new series of 30 paintings in a new series on display at the Museum of Jewish Montreal until December 2024. The Past Is Before You (museemontrealjuif.ca/the-past-is-before-you) blends fond memories and childlike innocence with a traumatic family story of escape from Nazi Europe. Lipsey joins The CJN's arts podcast, Culturally Jewish, to explain his process and share some of the real-life history behind the art.Credits • Hosts: Ilana Zackon and David Sklar • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Sarah Segal-Lazar (sarahsl.com) Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Culturally Jewish (thecjn.ca/culture) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
‘Erodes the public trust’: Elected officials react to TDSB field trip rally with anti-Israel chants The CJN 2024-09-24 | Ontario Premier Doug Ford has blasted the Toronto District School Board for allowing some teachers to “indoctrinate” students with anti-Israel chants during a recent field trip that was ostensibly a learning event about justice for Canada’s Indigenous people. :"It's disgusting," Ford told reporters on Monday. Meanwhile, Ford’s education minister, Jill Dunlop, also slammed what she called “activist” public school teachers, who she said compromised student safety and breached the trust of the parents who had signed permission forms.The event in question involved 15 public schools, which brought students to the annual Grassy Narrows River Run on Sept. 18. The rally and march spreads awareness about the First Nation community in remote Northwestern Ontario that has spent decades fighting for justice after a local factory poisoned their water system with mercury.But parents have reported that a few teachers with a pro-Palestine agenda used the event to spread their own message about a totally separate issue: the Middle East conflict. In videos posted online, they can be seen using a megaphone to lead their students in chanting anti-Israel slogans; some participants in the event are wearing keffiyehs, and carrying banners calling for "From Wabigoon (the lake near Grassy Narrows) to the Dead Sea, We will all be free."Shelley Laskin is a school board trustee who represents the heavily Jewish Ward 8 (Eglinton-Lawrence and Toronto-St. Paul’s). Laskin joins The CJN Daily to explain why she demanded a special public school board meeting be held this Wednesday, Sept. 25, to look into the incident that “erodes the public trust” in Canada’s largest school board.What we talked about • Read about the TDSB's reaction to the incident in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/tdsb-grassy-narrows) . • Read how the TDSB adopted an anti racism policy that includes anti-Palestinian racism but, at first, didn’t include antisemitism, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/hundreds-rally-outside-toronto-school-board-offices-to-protest-a-racism-report-that-doesnt-mention-antisemitism) • Watch the TDSB special meeting live on Wednesday Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. (tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Live-Webcast-of-Meetings) Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Exploding Hezbollah pagers audacious deterrence message from Israel to Iran: one expert says The CJN 2024-09-23 | The fallout in the Middle East continues after last week’s “audacious” covert cyber attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, when thousands of suspected operatives linked to the Iran-backed terror militia saw their army-issued pagers suddenly explode. Israel hasn’t confirmed or denied it was behind the sabotage of the booby-trapped devices, nor was the spy service taking credit for the following day’s second act: when scores of Hezbollah walkie-talkies caught fire. The explosions killed at least 37 people in Lebanon and parts of Syria, including a few children and a woman, but military analysts say the events have left thousands of Hezbollah members severely maimed and unable to fight.Condemnation for the pager attacks has come from the United Nations, and also from Canada, and France, and even from a former Director of the CIA, who says it was terrorism. Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah said the attacks crossed the red line and vowed to retaliate. But can he, really, with so many soldiers in hospital and his surviving generals scrambling to find a safer way to communicate without cell phones, pagers or walkie talkies? Why did Israel launch its sleeper operation now? Was it a prelude to an escalation? And what will Iran–who funds Hezbollah–do?To answer these and other questions, we’ve turned to Alex Wilner, a professor at Carleton University’s Norman Patterson School of International Affairs, one of Canada’s top experts in deterrence by denial, strategic studies, terrorism and counterterrorism. Wilner joins this episode of The CJN Daily to explain what message Israel was really sending and what to expect next.What we talked about • Read more about why supporting the exploding pagers operation on his social media cost veteran Canadian diplomat his job at Ottawa U last week, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/artur-wilczynski) • Hear how a Toronto-raised IDF soldier, Ben Brown, (thecjn.ca/podcasts/ben-brown-hezbollah) was seriously wounded by an explosion from a Hezbollah rocket near his army base, on The CJN Daily. • Why Hezbollah rockets have forced 60,000 Israelis to be displaced from northern Israel’ border with Lebanon since October. 7, on The CJN Daily. (thecjn.ca/podcasts/this-is-what-we-call-the-silent-tragedy-of-the-north-will-israels-border-with-lebanon-soon-be-engulfed-in-a-full-blown-war-with-hezbollah) Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Lucky Jews The CJN 2024-09-19 | On a recent trip to Poland, the writer Tanya Gold visited the Auschwitz concentration camp memorial site. In her lengthy travel essay on the visit, "My Auschwitz Vacation (harpers.org/archive/2024/09/my-auschwitz-vacation-tanya-gold-tourism) ", published in the September 2024 edition of Harper's Magazine, she details the numerous absurdities of the Disneyfied extermination camp, from its notable lack of Jews to the oft-overlooked nearby castle, waterfall and theme park. On today's episode of Bonjour Chai, Tanya Gold joins to discuss her deeply personal journey, intermingled with the shifting lens of Holocaust memory in Poland, rising antisemitism in Europe, and the trap of focusing Holocaust education on death instead of life. After that, hosts Avi and Phoebe discuss exploding Hezbollah pagers (are the jokes and memes hypocritical?) and the swift implosion of the storied British publication, the Jewish Chronicle. Credits • Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz (https://x.com/BovyMaltz/) ) • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) • Music: Socalled Support The CJN • Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack (bonjourchai.substack.com) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (thecjn.ca/bonjour) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
New Canadian documentary spotlights Oct. 7 victims murdered on The Killing Roads The CJN 2024-09-19 | Canadian documentary producer Igal Hecht says he hates his new Oct. 7 film, The Killing Roads. The documentary retraces the final moments of 250 Israelis who were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists along highways 232 and 34, near Gaza. Hecht also feels this is the best work he has ever done. The film releases to the public online, for free, on Oct. 1. An in-person preview screening is set for Toronto on Sept. 30. (eventbrite.ca/e/the-killing-roads-exclusive-preview-of-the-documentary-by-igal-hecht-tickets-1015049288747) The Toronto-based filmmaker made the movie with his cameraman Lior Cohen because he felt not enough attention has been paid to these highway victims, who met their ends in their cars, on bicycles or on foot. The victims were weekend campers, athletes, and many music festival-goers fleeing for their lives along the 70-kilometre stretch of highway between Sderot and Israel’s southern border with Gaza. It’s also where Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was wounded and then kidnapped into Gaza.The Killing Roads pieces together new interviews with survivors of Oct. 7, bereaved relatives and first responders, along with hours of video taken on that day—by both the terrorists themselves and their victims. It also includes graphic, never-before-seen video from Israeli ambulance dashcam recordings, although Hecht decided to blur the victim’s faces out of respect for those involved.Igal Hecht joins this episode of The CJN Daily to share why his film is different than the catalogue of Oct. 7 documentaries out so far, and what he hopes this Canadian-made movie will accomplish.What we talked about • Learn more about new The Killing Roads (thekillingroads.com) movie and watch it for free online beginning October 1 at 8 p.m. EDT. Or attend the free preview in-person screening on Sept. 30 (eventbrite.ca/e/the-killing-roads-exclusive-preview-of-the-documentary-by-igal-hecht-tickets-1015049288747) in Toronto. • How Canadian photographer Skye Klein survived the Nova music festival and the killing road on Oct. 7, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/canadian-photographer-survived-the-oct-7-hamas-music-festival-attack-now-hes-telling-his-story) . • Watch Igal Hecht’s coverage of the May 2021 conflict in Israel between Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the IDF, shot exclusively for The CJN (youtube.com/watch?v=dcwDC8sBOi8) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Trailblazing artist Neshama Carlebach opens up about her next spiritual goal: the rabbinate The CJN 2024-09-17 | Growing up in the Orthodox movement, Neshama Carlebach would hear it a lot: "It's a shame your father never had sons." The father in question, the acclaimed Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, instead had two daughters—and the implication was that his legacy as a prolific songwriter, whose repertoire includes the popular 1965 folk anthem "Am Yisrael Chai", would die with him. Neshama didn't let those comments stop her—in fact, the opposite became true. After growing up in Toronto, Neshama ended up following in her father's footsteps, first becoming an acclaimed singer, teacher and songwriter, and now embarking on a years-long journey to becoming a rabbi. Her theological studies changed tone after Oct. 7, sparking a new desire in her to be "a rabbi who fights" for her community. But what's remained consistent has been her stubborn defiance of societal expectations. Neshama joins Ralph Benmergui on Not That Kind of Rabbi to discuss her life and music, and explain what it's like raising two sons to carry on the Carlebach legacy in an increasingly antisemitic world. Credits • Host: Ralph Benmergui • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Yevhen Onoychenko Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Not That Kind of Rabbi (thecjn.ca/ntkr) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Arnie Aberman will return his honorary UofT degree over the school’s handling of antisemitism The CJN 2024-09-17 | Dr. Arnie Aberman received his honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Toronto in June 2015. He is one of more than 1,500 people who have received honorary degrees from UofT since the school began the tradition in 1850, but Aberman believes he is the first and only person to give it back—as his symbolic form of protest against rising antisemitism on campus and his anger at how his former employer is failing to keep students safe, be they Jews or non-Jews.Aberman actually has three other honorary PhDs from other universities, plus an Order of Canada for his contributions to the medical field. But UofT’s award was special, because it came after an illustrious career in which Aberman held just about every top post at the institution’s medical school over the past 30 years: chair of medicine, dean of medicine and chief of medicine at hospitals in Toronto, including Mount Sinai, Sunnybrook, Princess Margaret, Toronto General and Toronto Western. But the retired physician, 80, no longer wants anything to do with UofT's degree, after he watched the pro-Palestine encampment remain up for two months on campus—just steps away from the medical building.Aberman has now informed UofT’s president of his intention to return the honorary degree in the coming days. Aberman joins this episode of The CJN Daily to explain his decision and what he hopes will happen next.What we talked about • Read more on U of T Jewish doctors boycotting their university in protest of the school’s handling of rising antisemitism and anti-Israel actions on campus, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/uoft-doctors-antisemitism) . • Learn why an Ontario court ordered the U of T encampment dismantled on July 2, 2024, in on July 2, 2024, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/uoft-encampment-evicted) • Hear why UBC medical professor Dr. Ted Rosenberg quit after 30 years because of his university’s handling of antisemitism after Oct. 7, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/ted-rosenberg-ubc) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Ottawa reopens study of releasing Nazi war criminal files after omitting Holocaust experts The CJN 2024-09-16 | After the debacle in 2023, when Parliamentarians gave a standing ovation to an elderly Ukrainian Waffen SS veteran, pressure mounted on Ottawa to speed up publishing the names of long-classified files containing the identities of hundreds of suspected Nazi war criminals welcomed by Canada after the Second World War. The files were prepared in the 1980s for the so-called Deschenes Commission, which studied Canada’s postwar immigration screening problems, especially when it came to former soldiers from Nazi-occupied Europe.It was believed the government would publish them in May 2024, to help commemorate Jewish Heritage Month. But that didn’t happen. In June and July, researchers from Library and Archives Canada held consultations with a small list of stakeholders to discuss privacy issues with the files.A decision was expected this week. But that could be delayed further, after media reports surfaced slamming the bureaucrats for not consulting with a key group: Holocaust survivors and educators. They also missed academics, Polish Canadians and others who want the files released. The CJN has learned the consultations are being reopened as experts from the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Canada, including one of the group’s Holocaust survivors, are scheduled to have a hearing this Thursday.On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we’re joined by Sam Goldstein, former legal director for B’nai Brith Canada, the human rights organization that has been at the centre of the campaign to release these files. Goldstein explains why he thinks the government is stonewalling—and what should happen next.What we talked about • Read more from February 2024 when Ottawa released more of the Deschenes Commission report’s first part, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/newly-released-documents-from-the-deschenes-commission-show-canadas-reluctance-to-prosecute-nazi-war-criminals) . • Why B’nai Brith Canada and others want the full records of suspected Nazi war criminals released, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/will-canada-finally-release-top-secret-papers-on-suspected-nazi-war-criminals-living-in-the-country) from Oct. 2023. • Read B’nai Brith Canada’s statement (ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/441/ETHI/Brief/BR12251659/br-external/B'naiBrithCanada-e.pdf) to the House of Commons committee on Access to Information, Feb. 14, 2023. • Why the Speaker of the House of Commons resigned after arranging a Parliamentary standing ovation for an elderly former Ukrainian Waffen SS soldier, in The CJN. (thecjn.ca/news/anthony-rota-the-speaker-of-the-house-of-commons-has-resigned-after-honouring-a-ukrainian-who-fought-with-nazis) Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
The Bari Files The CJN 2024-09-12 | The Toronto International Film Festival is going on, and while it only has a handful of Jewish-themed or Israeli-produced films, those films have drawn some of the biggest spotlights. Chiefly among them has been The Bibi Files, a new work-in-progress documentary that received its world debut this week, and which shows never-before-seen leaked footage of people admitting to bribing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister himself amplified the film's popularity even more when he tried to block the Toronto screening in Israeli courts mere days before the event itself. (It remains unclear how, even if the Israeli court agreed with Netanyahu, they would have prevented an American film by an Australian director from screening in a Canadian festival.) Yet while The Bibi Files got the most press attention, it didn't face the largest crowd of protests—that honour may go to Bliss, an actual Israeli film that is apolitical in nature, which debuted on the night of Sept. 11. That happened to be the same night Bari Weiss delivered a keynote address at the campaign launch of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto—an event which also received an ample crowd of angry protesters. Podcast producer Michael Fraiman joins Avi and Phoebe on Bonjour Chai to talk about these issues and more, including the minor political controversy that erupted when an NDP candidate in Montreal distributed leaflets depicting his smiling face before a Palestinian flag. Credits • Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz (https://x.com/BovyMaltz/) ) • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) • Music: Socalled Support The CJN • Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack (bonjourchai.substack.com) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (thecjn.ca/bonjour) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
St. Catharines century-old synagogue is securing its future—with or without members The CJN 2024-09-11 | The small Jewish community in St. Catharines, Ont., is marking a significant milestone this week. Exactly 100 years ago, on Sept. 14, 1924, two cornerstones were laid for the foundation of what would become the current building housing Congregation B'nai Israel synagogue. The event was front-page news at the time.No one could have predicted that, a century later, city council would vote to designate the synagogue building an important heritage property, proving the contribution of the city's Jewish community to civic life. Getting that heritage label has been a key part of Howard Slepkov's plan to secure the future of the house of worship where he is president, and which has been the spiritual home to his family dating back three generations.Slepkov, an author and professor, was also over the moon when more than 300 people filled St. Catharines' performing arts centre on Aug. 25 for the synagogue's centennial concert, with performances by renowned cantors and a local klezmer band. And there's more to come, as efforts are underway to raise enough money to keep the shul's lights on—even if it turns into a museum some day.On today's episode of The CJN Daily, we're joined by Slepkov, whose grandparents were among the community's founding Jewish families, and also by Bernice Caplan, 92, who has lived in St. Catharines since she arrived as a teenager 74 years ago.What we talked about • Learn more about the Congregation B'nai Israel (jewishstcatharines.com) synagogue in St. Catharines • Read more about the St. Catharines’ Jewish community in The CJN archives from 2016 (thecjn.ca/news/exhibit-highlights-history-of-st-catharines-jewish-community) , 2018 (thecjn.ca/news/niagara-shul-hopes-to-sell-destination-simchas-to-city-dwellers) and 2021 (thecjn.ca/news/niagara-falls-jewish-community-explores-what-its-future-looks-like-after-selling-its-synagogue) • Breathing new life into a small community, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/breathing-new-life-small-community) Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
[S1E3] Villains The CJN 2024-09-10 | You do not even know who Inga is. SupportHelp us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate (http://thecjn.ca/donate) Credits • Writer: Michael Fraiman • Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman • Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation (ashkenaz.ca) and Dandelion Theatre • Music: Bret Higgins • Technical production and sound design: Armaan Dutta Cast • Miranda Wiseman ... Kat Blackburn • Ilana Zackon ... Tema Cardoso • Joshua Kilimnik ... Jacob Cardoso • Justin Otto ... The Zombie, Michal Symanski, Jim Jackson & others • Ralph Small ... Avrum Cardoso • Eva Almos ... Chava Cardoso, Bubbie, Anna & others • Nat Bushnik ... Inga Symanski & others • Sepehr Reyboud ... Amir Hassan • Max Ackerman ... Otto Becker & others
A new Winnipeg staging of Tuesdays with Morrie brings the menschdom The CJN 2024-09-09 | When Tuesdays with Morrie was first published in 1997, it elevated Jewish author Mitch Albom to a level of literary stardom that reverberated beyond the book world. The story—which detailed Albom's frequent visits with his former professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was dying of ALS—has since been adapted into a TV movie and an off-Broadway production in 2002 before a New York City revival earlier this year. And now, a new staging is bringing this two-hander play to the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre—starring The CJN's own arts podcaster, David Sklar. David took a few moments out of rehearsal to sit down with his director, Mariam Bernstein, to talk about the Jewish themes inherent to the story. But before that, Ilana Zackon catches us up on her busy summer, which included a stop at the KlezKanada retreat in rural Quebec and the Ashkenaz Festival in downtown Toronto, and later offers up some nationwide arts listings, including a couple controversial films about the Middle East debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. Credits • Hosts: Ilana Zackon and David Sklar • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Sarah Segal-Lazar (sarahsl.com) Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Culturally Jewish (thecjn.ca/culture) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Brooklyn Book Banning The CJN 2024-09-05 | Joshua Leifer made headline last month when he was slated to do a public talk at a Brooklyn bookstore about his debut book, Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life, and discovered, an hour before the event was scheduled to start, that the event had been unilaterally cancelled by an employee who didn't want to host a Zionist onstage. (The Zionist in question wasn't even Leifer—it was the Reform rabbi who would be interviewing Leifer, who, like Leifer, is quite progressive.) Leifer swiftly took to social media, and the story caught fire as the latest example of "cancel culture" silencing Jews in the real world. To explain the real story of what happened and the fallout he's faced, Leifer joins Bonjour Chai to discuss the messy middle he's found himself in—how, despite writing a book that is critical of Israel, he's suddenly found himself supported by pro-Israel organizations and the Jewish community writ large. And after that, he sticks around to help explain the recent wave of mass protests in Israel that erupted after six hostages were found murdered in Hamas tunnels. While North American spectators on both pro- and anti-Israel sides would like to map their viewpoints onto Middle Eastern politics, the realities are quite different—and more nuanced. Credits • Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz (https://x.com/BovyMaltz/) ) • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) • Music: Socalled Support The CJN • Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack (bonjourchai.substack.com) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (thecjn.ca/bonjour) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
The Paralympics have a rich Jewish history—and inspiring modern stars The CJN 2024-09-05 | With the Summer Olympics in the rearview mirror, all eyes are now on the Paralympic Games, spotlighting the world's most impressive athletes with disabilites. Yet few know that it was a Jewish postwar doctor, Ludwig Guttmann, tasked with treating Second World War veterans with spinal cord injuries, who founded a small competition in Britain that would evolve into the modern-day Paralympics. One sports history fan who knows the story well is Alana Schreiber, a journalist with New Orleans Public Radio, vocal advocate for adaptive sports, and former guest on Menschwarmers (thecjn.ca/podcasts/the-secret-jewish-history-of-americas-oldest-pro-baseball-park) . she returns to the show to gab with host Gabe Pulver about the Jewish origins and inspiring Jewish athetes who continue the tradition of defying expectations today, including track star Ezra Frech, Canadian boccia phenom Alison Levine, and the eight Israeli athletes who are bringing home medals in swimming, rowing and wheelchair tennis. Also in this episode: Gabe and co-host James chat about the NFL season coming up, Olympic wrestler Amit Elor's fight against online antisemitism, and the anniversary of the Munich massacre. Hear former Canadian Olympian Allan Leibel recall living through the Munich Games in real-time. (thecjn.ca/podcasts/a-canadian-jewish-olympian-recalls-witnessing-the-1972-munich-games-50-years-later) Credits • Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (cheez-p.bandcamp.com) (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing (freemusicarchive.org/music/chZ_/The_Clones_of_Dr_Funkenstein/cheeZ_p_-_08_-Organ_Grinder_Swing) ") Support The CJN • Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers (https://x.com/menschwarmers) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Menschwarmers (thecjn.ca/menschwarmers) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
What it’s like inside the Hamas tunnels where six hostages were murdered The CJN 2024-09-05 | Maj. (Ret.) John Spencer is an American army veteran who heads the Modern War Institute at the U.S. Military’s prestigious West Point Academy in New York State. His books and courses about fighting historic urban and tunnel wars have been widely quoted–he’s even interviewed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-who name dropped the former combat officer’s research during his speech to Congress in July. The Israel Defence Forces like his work so much, they’ve brought Spencer with them three times inside some of the captured Hamas tunnels under Gaza.Although Spencer wasn’t present last weekend when the IDF discovered the bodies of six executed hostages under Rafah, he understands why the IDF is now claiming the entrance to that tunnel was hidden in the bedroom of a Palestinian child’s room. Despite the heinous war crime that has rocked Israel and people around the world, Spence feels Israel is actually winning the war against Hamas.He’ll be speaking next week in Winnipeg (on Sept. 11) and in Toronto (on Sept. 12) at events sponsored by Tafsik and other pro-Israel groups. His topic? “The Myth of Genocide in Gaza”. John Spencer joins The CJN Daily to share his eyewitness accounts the terrorists’ tunnels, and why tunnels between Egypt and Gaza are what’s holding up a cease-fire deal that some believe could free the hostages.What we talked about • Learn more about Maj. (ret.) John Spencer (johnspenceronline.com) and buy tickets (tafsik.com/event/john-spencer) to his speaking tour in Toronto (tafsik.com/event/john-spencer) on Sept. 12 and on Sept. 11 in Winnipeg (tafsik.com/event/presented-by-tafsik-and-blue-and-white-coalition-john-spencer) . • Watch (instagram.com/reel/C_gL5setAM5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) the IDF spokesman video filmed outside a children’s bedroom leading to the Hamas tunnel where the six executed hostages’ bodies were found. • Hear the advice for IDF troops going into the Gaza tunnels, from veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/nobody-can-go-through-those-tunnels-and-come-back-the-same-person-idf-veterans-speak-on-yom-ha-zikaron) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) info@thecjn.ca • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Jesse Brown lost 9% of his supporters after he began spotlighting antisemitism. Heres why he won... The CJN 2024-09-04 | In the aftermath of Oct. 7, Jesse Brown—who has risen to prominence as a media critic and muckraker with his Canadaland (canadaland.com) podcast and digital media company—once again stirred up controversy online. But it wasn't a big news investigation that sparked outrage; it was a series of posts about antisemitic attacks on Canadian Jewish-aligned institutions, from synagogues and community centres to bookstores owned by Jews.Brown was shocked at the response he got from his own progressive supporters. As he saw it, he was doing what he'd always done: report in objective terms about the ongoing harassment of an ethnic minority on Canadian soil. But not everyone saw it that way. Every day, by the dozens, his supporters dropped off, boycotting him and pressuring his advertisers to do the same.Ralph Benmergui invited Brown onto Not That Kind of Rabbi to hear what it's been like going through this public flogging—and also chat about the evolution of news media and where podcasting fits into everything.Credits • Host: Ralph Benmergui • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Yevhen Onoychenko Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Not That Kind of Rabbi (thecjn.ca/ntkr) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Jewish university students are coming back prepared for a fight—at Concordia and beyond The CJN 2024-09-04 | Dozens of Jewish students at Concordia University joined the Montreal Jewish community Tuesday night Sept. 3, 2024, for a vigil in memory of the six Israeli hostages whose bodies were discovered after they had been executed. The event—held on campus right outside the Concordia student centre—came just a few days after four Jewish students and two pro-Israel clubs officially sued Concordia and its president, demanding better protection as the new academic year gets underway.The lawsuit, filed Aug. 30 in Quebec’s Superior Court, details 10 months of antisemitic and anti-Israel harassment, intimidation and both physical and psychological violence, which the students have been subjected to on campus ever since Oct. 7. They are demanding the school enforce its own codes of conduct policies fairly, kick out the protesters who violate them, and stop ignoring the toxic situation for Jews on campus.On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we’re joined by two guests. Neil Oberman is a Montreal-based lawyer (and federal Conservative candidate) who is representing the four Concordia students, and Mitch Consky is The CJN’s new campus reporter; the two share their views on how Jewish university students are better prepared this fall to face a rough reception. • Read the new lawsuit (thecjn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Originating-Application-FINAL-2024-08-30-1.pdf) filed by four Jewish students and two Jewish clubs against Concordia University and its president • Learn more about the original lette (thecjn.ca/news/a-legal-letter-demands-an-end-to-bullying-and-aggression-against-jewish-students-at-concordia-university) r sent to Concordia nine months ago, the riot (thecjn.ca/news/clash-at-concordia) in November 2023, and the blockade (thecjn.ca/news/after-concordia-wouldnt-let-a-student-group-hold-an-israel-related-event-on-campus-they-moved-to-federation-cjas-building-where-protesters-blocked-the-entrances) outside Federation CJA HQ in March, in The CJN archives • Read Mitch Consky’s stories about how Jewish students are prepared (thecjn.ca/news/jewish-organizations-start-september-ready-to-tackle-antisemitism-on-university-campuses) for the new year, and about McGill’s president (thecjn.ca/news/deep-saini) ’s recent webinar with Anthony Housefather, special advisor to the Prime Minister on Jewish issues and antisemitism, in The CJN What we talked about • Read the new lawsuit (thecjn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Originating-Application-FINAL-2024-08-30-1.pdf) filed by four Jewish students at Concordia University plus two Jewish clubs against their school and its president • Learn more about the original lette (thecjn.ca/news/a-legal-letter-demands-an-end-to-bullying-and-aggression-against-jewish-students-at-concordia-university) r sent to Concordia nine months ago, the riot (thecjn.ca/news/clash-at-concordia) in November 2023, and the blockade (thecjn.ca/news/after-concordia-wouldnt-let-a-student-group-hold-an-israel-related-event-on-campus-they-moved-to-federation-cjas-building-where-protesters-blocked-the-entrances) outside Federation CJA HQ in March, in The CJN archives. • Read Mitch Consky’s stories about how Jewish students are prepared (thecjn.ca/news/jewish-organizations-start-september-ready-to-tackle-antisemitism-on-university-campuses) for the new year, and about McGill’s president (thecjn.ca/news/deep-saini) ’s recent webinar with Anthony Housefather, special advisor to the Prime Minister on Jewish issues and antisemitism, in The CJN. Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ). info@thecjn.ca • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Toronto cousin of murdered hostage Carmel Gat: A loss that could have been prevented The CJN 2024-09-02 | Toronto resident Maayan Shavit is set to fly to Israel on Monday to attend the funeral of her cousin Carmel Gat, one of the six Israeli hostages found executed two days ago in a Hamas tunnel under Rafah.Carmel, an occupational therapist and yoga instructor, was kidnapped while visiting her parents’ home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Terrorists also took Carmel’s brother, sister-in-law and their young daughter hostage. They then tied up their mother, 67-year-old Kinneret Gat—a teacher and tour guide—and paraded her through the kibbutz before killing her.Although the Gats are not Canadian, their fate has resonated strongly with Toronto’s Jewish community, thanks to the tireless advocacy of their cousin, who has lobbied Canadian politicians and spoken at countless rallies and public events here since Oct. 7.On this episode of The CJN Daily, we speak with Maayan Shavit just hours after she learned the tragic news about her cousin. Shavit opens up about who she feels is to blame for what she called “a loss that could have been prevented,” and why she won’t stop fighting for the others who are still being held in Gaza.What we talked about • Watch the vigil (instagram.com/reel/C_ZSezWpeIX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) which was live-streamed by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto at 8 p.m. Sunday Sept. 1, 2024. • Read more about the efforts of Maayan Shavit to keep her cousin Carmel Gat’s plight on the front pages, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/100-days) . • How Canadians with families hostage in Gaza reacted to the release of 105 hostages in November, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/canadians-whose-families-are-still-captive-in-gaza-watch-with-hope-as-the-first-group-of-hostages-is-released) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) info@thecjn.ca • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
[S1E2] Moishe The CJN 2024-08-31 | The gang makes a quick escape from Sachsenhausen. But somebody follows them.SupportHelp us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate (http://thecjn.ca/donate) Credits • Writer: Michael Fraiman • Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman • Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation (ashkenaz.ca) and Dandelion Theatre • Music: Bret Higgins • Technical production and sound design: Armaan Dutta Cast • Miranda Wiseman ... Kat Blackburn • Ilana Zackon ... Tema Cardoso • Joshua Kilimnik ... Jacob Cardoso • Justin Otto ... The Zombie, Michal Symanski, Jim Jackson & others • Ralph Small ... Avrum Cardoso • Eva Almos ... Chava Cardoso, Bubbie, Anna & others • Nat Bushnik ... Inga Symanski & others • Sepehr Reyboud ... Amir Hassan • Max Ackerman ... Otto Becker & others
[S1E1] Grave Robbers The CJN 2024-08-31 | Have you heard what's happening at Sachsenhausen? SupportHelp us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate (http://thecjn.ca/donate) Credits • Writer: Michael Fraiman • Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman • Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation (ashkenaz.ca) and Dandelion Theatre • Music: Bret Higgins • Technical production and sound design: Armaan Dutta Cast • Miranda Wiseman ... Kat Blackburn • Ilana Zackon ... Tema Cardoso • Joshua Kilimnik ... Jacob Cardoso • Justin Otto ... The Zombie, Michal Symanski, Jim Jackson & others • Ralph Small ... Avrum Cardoso • Eva Almos ... Chava Cardoso, Bubbie, Anna & others • Nat Bushnik ... Inga Symanski & others • Sepehr Reyboud ... Amir Hassan • Max Ackerman ... Otto Becker & others
Classically Avi The CJN 2024-08-30 | It's time to head back to school—but this year, for some Jewish students in North America, school is going to look a little different. Some will be receiving what's known as a "classical" education: a curriculum based on a return to fundamentals, a focus on time-tested great books and a rejection of mandates that emphasize diversity and inclusion.There are plenty of classical schools popping up, including Jewish ones. The Emet Classical Academy (emetclassicalacademy.org) in Manhattan is welcoming its first-ever cohort of students this fall, with its founders kickstarting their work earlier than expected due to parents and students feeling unsafe in the public system. Rabbi Mark Gottlieb, the chief education officer of the Tikvah Fund, which operates the school, joins to explain why his team felt compelled to create a new space for Jewish students of all backgrounds.And before that, Rabbi Eric Grossman, head of school at the Akiva School in Montreal, sits down with Avi and Phoebe to talk more broadly about this trend toward classical education in Jewish circles and beyond. To wit: if most of Jewish education is based on the Torah and Mishnah, how much more classical can you get?Credits • Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz (https://x.com/BovyMaltz/) ) • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) • Music: Socalled Support The CJN • Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack (bonjourchai.substack.com) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (thecjn.ca/bonjour) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Adiel Cohen channels his Yemini heritage to fight for Israel—on two fronts The CJN 2024-08-28 | Adiel Cohen remembers Oct. 7 like it was yesterday. He was at his sister's house in Northern Israel when he woke up to hear his phone buzzing with rocket alerts and notifications. His first-ever panic attack washed over him as he realized he would quickly be called back into the army—which happened immediately after Shabbat. That night, Cohen filled a backpack with a few essentials and travelled south on the eerily quiet roads. After his time fighting in the south, he returned to his studies at Tel Aviv University, but didn't stop fighting for his country. Instead of prepping rocket launchers near Gaza, he took to TikTok and Instagram to argue against anti-Zionists describing his home country as a land of colonizing Europeans. For Cohen, this line of attack is particularly egregious, as one of his biggest inspirations is his grandmother, who came to Israel from Yemen decades ago. Cohen joins Rivkush, The CJN's podcast about Jews of colour, to talk about the history of Yemeni Jews, share his war stories and explain why watermelon is actually a very Israeli fruit. Credits • Host: Rivka Campbell • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Westside Gravy (westsidegravy.com) Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Rivkush (thecjn.ca/rivkush) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
These JNF Canada donors are split about the embattled charity’s future The CJN 2024-08-28 | When news broke of the Jewish National Fund of Canada losing its charitable status on Aug. 10, the move meant the Canada Revenue Agency also stripped the venerable Jewish charity of its ability to issue tax receipts to donors. This poses a serious challenge to the historic Zionist fundraising organization–which received $20.2 million in donations in 2023: will supporters still want to give money to JNF Canada for environmental and resilience projects in Israel if they can no longer write the philanthropy off on their Canadian income tax forms?Some donors are taking a wait and see approach, but want answers as to why JNF Canada admits it kept quiet for years about its problems with the federal tax auditors who warned them about "repeated and serious non-compliance" with Canadian tax rules dating back to at least 2014, and earlier. But other philanthropists say the bureaucrats didn't treate JNF Canada fairly, and they expect the charity will win both of its appeals in court: to block the suspension, and to eventually overturn it.On today's episode of The CJN Daily, we're joined by two prominent JNF Canada donors: Jonathan Goodman of Montreal, who is raising $10 million for JNF Canada's new Climate Solutions Prize to boost "green technology", and also by Mary Ellen Herman of Toronto, who donated half the cost of an accessible playground built in southern Israel.What we talked about • Learn more (jnf.ca/projects/overview/?id=155) about the accessible playground JNF Canada helped build in Kiryat Malachi with the donation by philanthropist Mary Ellen Herman and family • Read The CJN’s previous coverage of JNF Canada’s Climate Solutions Prize launched by Montrealers Jonathan Goodman and Jeff Hart, in thecjn.ca (thecjn.ca/news/climate-solutions-prize) • Read why JNF Canada has known for nearly a decade it was at risk of losing its charitable status, in thecjn.ca. (thecjn.ca/news/jnf-canada-revoked-by-cra) • Why JNF Canada hasn’t yet wound down its Canadian charitable operations just yet, in thecjn.ca (thecjn.ca/news/jnf-canada-fights-back) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
JNF Canada CEO Lance Davis blasts CRA after charitable status revoked The CJN 2024-08-27 | The CEO of the embattled Jewish National Fund of Canada, Lance Davis, insists he is now “running a very tight ship” in the wake of the Canada Revenue Agency’s recent decision to strip (thecjn.ca/news/jewish-national-fund-and-neeman-foundation) the historic Zionist fundraising organization of its charitable status.Davis, who became JNF Canada’s CEO in 2017, maintains that many of the government's longstanding concerns had already been addressed in years past. In an interview with The CJN Daily, Davis blasted the CRA for deliberately choosing the harshest punishment for the venerated Zionist charity, which has sent more than $200 million to beautify Israel and help vulnerable people there. He also argues the CRA rushed to pull the trigger on its status too early, given how JNF's legal dispute is still before the courts.However, documents obtained by The Canadian Jewish News paint a more nuanced picture of why the CRA lost its patience after a decade of "major concerns" about "repeated and serious non-compliance” with Canada’s Income Tax Act rules. As reported in The CJN's print feature (thecjn.ca/news/jnf-canada-revoked-by-cra) that digs into the paperwork, the auditors quietly told the Jewish charity several times that it needed to clean up its act, and by 2019, JNF Canada knew Ottawa was moving to revoke. Yet the charity still got five more years to comply.Lance Davis joins The CJN Daily to explain JNF Canada's point of view, then we're joined once again by charity law expert Mark Blumberg who helps explain how the charity got to this point, what could have prevented this scenario and why the government stopped waiting.What we talked about • Read why JNF Canada has known for a decade it was at risk of losing its charitable status, in TheCJN.ca (thecjn.ca/news/jnf-canada-revoked-by-cra) • Read the CRA's documents (dropbox.com/scl/fo/yh1pv4jy1z7bc82mecjli/ABhIxQNxdLDpMShyARdfTfY?rlkey=0dwkxmzx2hxuuz8t3eqlpxnwa&e=2&st=bwptsej8&dl=0) for yourselves outlining its case vs. JNF Canada since 2014 • JNF Canada said it was 'blindsided", on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/jnf-blindsided-after-ottawa-fully-revokes-charity-status-whats-next) back on Aug. 13 Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) info@thecjn.ca • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Rabbi Victor Gross is reimagining religion as a force of unity—not division The CJN 2024-08-20 | When Rabbi Victor Gross was looking for a home to grow his congregation in Boulder, CO, he knew he didn't want a dedicated building. It wasn't just the cost, but the environmental impact of operating a space that's only used a few hours a week. Instead, he looked for a church to rent out Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. He asked church leaders two questions: Was the church open and affirming to everyone? And could the churchgoers and clergy not proselytize to Jews? After many honest rejections, they found a partner in a Lutheran church, establishing a concrete example of what's been dubbed "deep ecumenism". It's a level beyond interfaith work that sees members of different religious communities dialoguing, working together and praying in the same space—a true form of acceptance and tolerance. This is just one way of drastically reimagining the future of not just Judaism, but all organized religions, as many synagogues shutter and congregations dwindle across the world. Rabbi Gross joins his former student, Ralph Benmergui, on Not That Kind of Rabbi to explain more about deep ecumenism and how religion can be used as a force of unity—rather than division. Credits • Host: Ralph Benmergui • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Yevhen Onoychenko Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Not That Kind of Rabbi (thecjn.ca/ntkr) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Three arrested after Jewish senior attacked Sunday at pro-Israel rally in Toronto The CJN 2024-08-20 | Toronto police have arrested and charged three people—including two pro-Israel protesters—in connection with a violent incident at a weekly community rally in Toronto that saw an 88-year-old Jewish volunteer beaten and thrown to the ground. It happened on Sunday, Aug. 18, at the event held on Bathurst Street at Sheppard Avenue West.Video from the attack shows a car come to a stop beside the crowd of approximately 100 people waving Israeli flags. A young passenger exits the car, scuffles with the senior citizen, beats him, then picks him up and slams him into the street. He fell centimetres away from the wheels of a Toronto city transit bus that happened to be stopped at a red light. The senior was badly cut and bruised, and had to be taken to hospital with what police have called "non-life-threatening injuries".Police have charged three people, but will not be releasing more details while the investigation is underway. However, the organizer of the pro-Israel rally tells The CJN Daily that, aside from the attacker, police charged two members of his group, too, after some people reacted violently when they saw what had been done to the elderly gentleman.Guidy Mamann joins the show to explain what exactly happened—and why he won't cancel the weekly rallies he helps organize.What we talked about • Read the Toronto Police Service social media post (twitter.com/TPSOperations/status/1825307035874824536) about the arrests and charges • Learn more about pro-Israel rallies that popped up across Canada after Oct. 7, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/pro-israel-rallies-calling-for-the-release-of-hostages-become-more-public-while-hate-crime-incidents-and-arrests-surge-across-canada) • Meet the Canadians knitting for IDF soldiers and running for the hostages, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/meet-the-canadians-knitting-for-idf-soldiers-and-running-for-hostages) Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Justice: A Holocaust Zombie Story. An original fiction podcast coming Aug. 31 The CJN 2024-08-19 | The CJN Podcast Network is debuting its first original fiction audio drama, Justice: A Holocaust Zombie Story, on Aug. 31 at the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto.The plot centres on a young Canadian woman, Kat, who discovers her Jewish heritage in her 20s and quickly packs her bags to meet her estranged family in Berlin—only to be thrust into the middle of a burgeoning global crisis when zombified Holocaust victims begin rising from the mass graves of former concentration camps. While the German government panics and antisemitic conspiracy theorists run amok with online hate, Kat realizes nobody is listening to the victims themselves, one of whom is not only peaceful—but mysteriously drawn to her.Support The CJN: thecjn.ca/donate**Credits**Directed by Michael Fraiman and Max AckermanWritten by Michael FraimanStarring Miranda Wiseman, Ilana Zackon, Joshua Kilimnik, Justin Otto, Ralph Small, Eva Almos, Nat Bushnik and Sepehr ReyboudMusic by Bret HigginsTechnical production and sound design by Armaan Dutta
Justice: A Holocaust Zombie Story - Trailer The CJN 2024-08-16 | When Kat discovers her Jewish heritage in her 20s, she quickly packs her bags to meet her estranged family in Berlin—only to be thrust into the middle of a burgeoning global crisis when zombified Holocaust victims begin rising from the mass graves of former concentration camps. While the German government panics and antisemitic conspiracy theorists run amok with online hate, Kat realizes nobody is listening to the victims themselves, one of whom is not only peaceful—but mysteriously drawn to her.Justice: A Holocaust Zombie Story is an original seven-part fiction audio drama, produced by The CJN Podcast Network in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation (ashkenaz.ca) and Dandelion Theatre. Join us at our free launch event, a live staged reading of excerpts from the production, at the Ashkenaz Festival in downtown Toronto on Aug. 31, 2024, at 6 p.m. Details here (ashkenaz.ca/event/justice-a-holocaust-zombie-story) . To support creative storytelling and independent journalism, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) . CreditsWritten by Michael Fraiman. Directed by Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman. Starring Miranda Wiseman, Ilana Zackon, Joshua Kilimnik, Justin Otto, Ralph Small, Eva Almos, Nat Bushnik and Sepehr Reyboud. Music by Bret Higgins. Technical production and sound design by Armaan Dutta.
Did Jewish summer camps do enough to support kids mental health this summer? The CJN 2024-08-15 | As Jewish overnight camps' summer 2024 sessions come to a close this week across most of Canada, several camp communities in Ontario have had to deal with sudden tragedies: the unexpected death of a councillor at one camp, and an accident at a different camp that took the lives of several cleaning employees.In each case, camp directors quickly called for outside help, which included bringing in alumni to offer support, inviting in a therapy dog, holding yoga sessions and even arranging candlelight memorial prayers at the waterfront.How well are Jewish summer camps prepared to deal with these crises? Did they give the support that was needed? Should parents race to bring their children back home when something tragic happens, or leave them up at camp, where they're among friends?The CJN will not be naming the victims out of respect for their families, but Toronto grief counsellor Lynda Fishman has some advice about the important role that summer camps can play in developing a child's resilience in the face of hardship. She spoke to The CJN Daily a year ago, in July 2023, to explain why so many Jewish summer camps began adding mental health experts last year; today, we're re-airing that episode today to help families navigate these tragedies.What we talked about • Therapist Lynda Fishman’s advice on how summer camps can actually help campers and staff deal with tragedies, on Everything Jewish Toronto’ (facebook.com/share/p/kN6HdCWpW1ovTkPf) s Facebook page • How Jewish summer camps in 2024 prepared to face the topic of Oct. 7 and antisemitism at home, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/camp-during-wartime) • After nine months of war, some Israeli kids are finding respite at Jewish summer camps in Canada, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/canadian-camps-for-israeli-kids) Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
JNF Canada ‘blindsided’ after Ottawa fully revokes charity status. What’s next? The CJN 2024-08-14 | The official revocation notice of the Jewish National Fund of Canada’s charity status, published in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 10, caught many by surprise—especially JNF officials themselves. Lance Davis, CEO of JNF Canada, says the venerable Jewish charity was “blindsided” by the Canada Revenue Agency’s move because it came so quickly, despite efforts to negotiate a solution. It also came only two weeks after JNF Canada said that, if no deal was reached, it would appeal the government’s “biased” findings to the Federal Court of Appeal.Experts say losing the charitable status means JNF Canada can no longer issue tax receipts for donations; it has one year to wind down business, dispose of all its financial assets or pay 100 percent tax on the millions in its accounts, and go out of business.JNF Canada says it is now going to apply for an immediate judicial review to stop the clock on what its spokespeople call Ottawa’s “draconian” approach. Meanwhile opponents of the six-decade-old pro-Israel charity—including the NDP, the Green Party, Independent Jewish Voices and Just Peace Advocates—have been loudly proclaiming victory after years of complaints that the charity’s Canadian donors have been funding projects in the West Bank and directly helping the IDF. (JNF Canada says they stopped doing this in 2016.)On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we ask if JNF Canada was a victim of politics—or the author of its own misfortune. Our guest is charity law expert Mark Blumberg.What we talked about • Read (apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/chrtydtls?selectedCharityBn=107534877RR0001&isSingleResult=false&dsrdPg=1) why the CRA revoked the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund of Canada on Aug. 10, 2024. • Read (apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/chrtydtls?selectedCharityBn=810956565RR0001&isSingleResult=false&dsrdPg=1&q.stts=0007) why the CRA revoked the charitable status of the Ne’eman Foundation of Canada on Aug. 10, 2024 • Learn more about the start of JNF’s battle with the Canada Revenue Agency, from 2014 (thecjn.ca/news/jewish-national-fund-of-canada-audited-over-using-donor-money-for-idf-linked-projects) to today (thecjn.ca/news/jewish-national-fund-and-neeman-foundation) , in The CJN • Read about JNF’s financial reports on Mark Blumberg’s charity watchdog portal charitydata.ca (http://charitydata.ca) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ). info@thecjn.ca • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
From the archives: How to mark the Tisha bAv holiday of mourning after Oct. 7 The CJN 2024-08-12 | On the night of Aug. 12, Jews around the world will mark the holiday of Tisha b’Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av. It's considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. On this date, it's believed the First Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.And nearly 500 years later, Roman Emperor Titus and his legions destroyed the Second Temple, in 70 CE, to stop a successful ongoing Jewish military revolt.As we hold our breaths to see if—or when—Iran and Hezbollah decide to strike against the State of Israel, we thought it would be good to hear from one of Israel’s leading philosophers during this dark time.Ellin Bessner is taking a two-week holiday starting today, so we're bringing you some of our favourite conversations instead. Here’s Ellin's conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi, scholar, journalist and podcaster with the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He visited Toronto earlier this year to speak about the impact of Oct. 7 on Jewish history.Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
No, Ethan Katzberg is not Jewish—but here are all the Olympic medalists who are The CJN 2024-08-12 | The Canadian Jewish world erupted with cheers when a young, musclar, mustachioed British Columbian named Ethan Katzberg won a decisive gold medal in hammer throw at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A Katzberg! Named Ethan! Whose father's name is Bernie! Alas, after doing extensive research—contacting the local Jewish community in his native Kamloops, investigating his family history, scouring social media for clues—The CJN's Jewish sports podcasters, the Menschwarmers, conclude that Mr. Katzberg is not in fact a member of the tribe. (His official media attaché on the ground, Caroline Sharp of Athletics Canada, confirmed to The CJN she is "quite sure that he's not Jewish.") But fans of Jewish and Israeli athletes need not fret. Even though Ethan Katzberg is almost certainly not Jewish, there are enough openly Jewish athletes worth celebrating. Israel won a record-setting seven medals, while Diaspora athletes excelled specifically for the United States and Australia in fencing, wrestling, rowing, water polo, swimming and more. In this Olympic roundup, hosts James and Gabe recap a thrilling two weeks of international competition and analyze where the Jewish community fits in. Credits • Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (cheez-p.bandcamp.com) (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing (freemusicarchive.org/music/chZ_/The_Clones_of_Dr_Funkenstein/cheeZ_p_-_08_-Organ_Grinder_Swing) ") Support The CJN • Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers (https://x.com/menschwarmers) • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Menschwarmers (thecjn.ca/menschwarmers) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
Who kicked this ‘devastated’ Jewish volunteer out of London’s JCC? The CJN 2024-08-09 | On July 25, the London Police Service picked up a very upset Darlene Zaifman-Guslits by her arms and legs, and carried her away from the front door of the Jewish Community Centre. The London resident had just been issued a trespass notice for refusing to leave the building where her community was hosting a speech by Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre, about antisemitism.Whether she was booted out because some of her family members took part in a peaceful protest outside the venue that evening, together with members of Independent Jewish Voices, unions, and pro-Palestinian activists, or whether it was because of what she was wearing, it isn’t clear. And no one–not the police, not the JCC, and not Poilevre’s people–is taking responsibility for making the call to kick her out.Zaifman-Guslits comes from a prominent Jewish family with deep roots in the city: she has run meal programs for the needy, she’s taught Hebrew lessons, and her Holocaust survivor parents helped found the Jewish day school inside the very building she was turfed from. She’s now consulted a lawyer.On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Darlene Zaifman-Guslits joins to share why she feels so betrayed and whether mainstream Jewish communities are marginalizing people with progressive views.What we talked about • Watch the video of Darlene Zaifman-Guslits being denied entry, and evicted for trespassing at the JCC London, on Instagram. (instagram.com/reel/C93e25zMjyn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) • Why the Jewish Federation in London, Ont. is actively seeking new immigrants, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/go-west-young-jew-hamilton-london-and-windsor-are-growing-their-numbers-with-people-priced-out-of-toronto) . • When London’s Jewish leaders attended a vigil to remember the four members of a Muslim family murdered by being run over by a truck, in The CJN archives (thecjn.ca/news/jewish-representatives-to-attend-vigil-for-muslim-family-killed-in-car-attack) . Credits • Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) ) info@thecjn.ca • Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) • Music: Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) Support our show • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/daily) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
The CJN Daily: Canada’s kosher meat packers won in federal court. How will this affect the Jewish... The CJN 2024-08-08 | Avi and Phoebe are taking a little summer vacation and will return soon. In the meantime, we're presenting an episode of The CJN Daily that Avi was on earlier this summer about kosher slaughter in Canada. Last week, the Federal Court of Canada sided with Jewish communities in Montreal and Toronto in their dispute with the federal government over new biological guidelines covering how cows are slaughtered. On July 24, the judge granted kosher meat producers a temporary injunction (fct-cf.gc.ca/Content/assets/pdf/base/T-511-24-Jewish-Community-Council-Order-and-Reasons-July-24-2024.pdf) , effectively pausing the enforcement of new guidelines that are aimed at ensuring animals don’t feel undue pain when they’re killed. Jewish groups such as Montreal Kosher and the Kashruth Council of Canada argued in court that the guidelines not only were bad science, but were not in keeping with ritual practice, and were too costly. Which is why the judge felt he needed to act quickly so as to preserve the religious freedoms enjoyed by Canadian Jews who’ve been legally permitted to use handheld ritual slaughter methods for generations. The judge’s ruling took religion and culture into consideration, including how trained shochetim carry out a vital religious service for the Canadian Jewish community, and also the importance of eating meat on Jewish holidays. But do Jews really need to eat meat? How many shochet jobs are actually at direct risk? And, perhaps most important to the majority of kosher-keeping Canadians, will the price for kosher meat go down? Rabbi Avi Finegold, host of The CJN’s weekly current affairs podcast Bonjour Chai, joins The CJN Daily to share his insight, and we’ll also hear from Shimon Koffler Fogel, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, who were directly involved in the case.What we talked about • Why the Federal Court granted a temporary injunction July 24 allowing _shechita _to resume without subsequent bolt-stunning, in The CJN (thecjn.ca/news/canadas-jewish-community-wins-court-reprieve-halting-new-federal-kosher-slaughter-rules) • Hear why MK Kosher and COR went to Federal Court over the CFIA’s new shechita _guidelines, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/jewish-organizations-are-suing-the-canadian-government-over-new-kosher-slaughter-rules-they-say-are-not-a-ban-but-could-destroy-the-industry) _ • Read more about the science behind kosher animal slaughter and Canada’s new slaughtering guidelines for cattle, on The CJN Daily (thecjn.ca/podcasts/whats-making-the-kosher-meat-at-the-passover-seder-different-this-year) CreditsThe CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner (twitter.com/ebessner) on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine (dovbecklevine.com) . We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network (thecjn.ca/podcasts) . To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here (thecjn.ca/donate) . Hear why The CJN is important to me. (thecjn.ca/podcasts/givingtuesday)
Mary Darling reflects on conflict and division from the Bahai headquarters in Haifa The CJN 2024-08-07 | While Israel remains on the brink of war with Lebanon in the north, one of the country's most iconic sites—the famous Baha'i Gardens and shrine—sit less than an hour away. That a religion based on unity among humankind, which views all religions and tribes as branches from the same tree, should have its headquarters so close to a warzone is tragically ironic. The irony is not lost on Mary Darling, a Canadian TV producer of Baha'i faith and longtime friend of Not That Kind of Rabbi host Ralph Benmergui. During these tense times, Ralph wanted to speak to spiritual people outside the Jewish community to learn their perspective on religion, peace and conflict. Can the world transition from creeping nationalism to a global community? Can the United Nations play a role in global governance? Or is all this just a cute idea from an offbeat peacenik group of people? Mary Darling joins to discuss the issue directly from Haifa, where she was visiting the Baha'i headquarters.Credits • Host: Ralph Benmergui • Producer: Michael Fraiman • Music: Yevhen Onoychenko Support The CJN • Subscribe to The CJN newsletter (thecjn.ca/newsletters) • Donate to The CJN (thecjn.ca/donate) (+ get a charitable tax receipt) • Subscribe to Not That Kind of Rabbi (thecjn.ca/ntkr) (Not sure how? Click here (thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to) )
