Not in Heaven (The CJN Podcast Network)
Explore every episode of Not in Heaven
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Oct 2024 | Watermelon Shtreimel | 00:49:27 | |
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. Credits
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| 14 Mar 2025 | Is Trump the New Achashverosh? | 00:40:29 | |
On March 13, nearly 100 protesters were arrested for storming Trump Tower in New York City. Their cause? Not government cuts, Medicaid, migrant rights or the cost of living. They were protesting in the name of Mahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old pro-Palestinian student who became a lead organizer of the campus protests at Columbia University last spring. Even though Khalil is a legal permanent resident who holds a green card and is married to an American citizen, he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last weekend, and is currently under threat of being deported for being a threat to U.S. foreign policy. The move has sparked outrage, with many people on both sides of the Israel-Palestine debate arguing that it's a blatant attempt to silence dissenting voices, undermine free speech and threaten legal immigration routes. On today's episode of Bonjour Chai, the hosts look at the unfolding case and how best to protect the right to protest in both the U.S. and Canada. Credits
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| 04 May 2023 | Secular? I Hardly Even Know Her | 00:55:57 | |
On April 19, Mark Oppenheimer—formerly a host of the popular Jewish podcast Unorthodox and an editor at Tablet—penned an open letter to Jessica Grose, a New York Times columnist who wrote a piece describing how she appreciates certain cultural-religious aspects of Judaism without accepting organized religion as a whole. Oppenheimer took issue with Grose's stance, ultimately suggesting she try going to synagogue, meeting with rabbis and embedding herself in the Jewish community for a little while to see how she likes it. In a rebuttal published by The CJN, our own Phoebe Maltz-Bovy took issue with what she saw as proselytizing. Long story short, we decided to hash this whole thing out live on air. Oppenheimer joins Bonjour Chai as a guest host to verbally duke it out with Phoebe—and, while he's here, he'll discuss the relevance of Judy Blume, about whom he's writing a biography, and who's having a moment, between a new documentary and a film adaptation of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 18 Aug 2023 | Zaftig Barbie | 01:03:02 | |
In their long-awaited return to podcast form, Avi and Phoebe catch up on their summer break—including their thoughts on the blockbuster Barbie movie and its many Jewish links. After that, with so much mainstream discussion around feminism and body image dominating the media, they speak with Rabbi Minna Bromberg, the founder of Fat Torah, an organization that aims to end weight stigma in Jewish spaces and train Jewish leaders to confront fatphobia in their community. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 01 Sep 2022 | Shul is Such a Drag | ||
Last week, we convened a panel to discuss the role and effectiveness of day schools in 2022. The response to that episode was huge and mostly positive—so we wanted to do a follow-up. Avi sits down with Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, to discuss what qualifies as success and how much social differentiation we really want. Plus, David reports on Pride Shabbat in B'nai Tikvah in Calgary, including a drag performance and the intersection between drag and Judaism. Also: we're kicking off our first-ever Canada-wide Sermon Slam! We want to feature rabbis doing what they do best—the High Holiday sermon. Over the next several episodes, we'll be devoting space to rabbis their best four-minute excerpt of a past sermon, culminating in a final round in October. Email us at bonjour@thecjn.ca if you are a rabbi who wants to participate, or you want to nominate your rabbi. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 10 Feb 2022 | Hate is Just a Four-Letter Word | ||
This week, Conservative MP Kevin Waugh introduced a private member's bill to amend the criminal code by prohibiting Holocaust denial. It came the same week NDP MP Peter Julian introduced a similar amendment that would ban hate symbols like swastikas and Confederate flags. That both sprung up shortly after the trucker convoy arrived in Ottawa—in which swastika-bearers and Holocaust deniers mixed with activists protesting vaccine mandates—is no coincidence. But would any of this legislation actually work? Does it violiate freedom of expression? Would it actually lead to a reduction in hate crimes? Waugh joins from his office in Ottawa to explain his bill. Then the hosts speak with Julius Grey, a prominent Jewish human-rights lawyer in Quebec, about the legal implications. Plus, for Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, Ilana chats with Maayan Ziv, a photographer with muscular dystrophy who is a prominent activist for inclusivity in the arts, technology and infrastructure. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 04 Feb 2022 | Wait, Whoopi Goldberg Isn't Jewish? | 00:58:44 | |
The Olympics kick off this weekend, but sports are far from the biggest story. Instead, international media attention has turned to the persecution of China's Uyghur population, a Muslim minority of about 12 million suffering genocide at the hands of the Chinese government. For many, this is not just a humanitarian crisis, but a deeply Jewish issue: a million Uyghurs are being held in concentration camps, organized by a government trying to erase their cultural identity. Rabbi Anthony Knopf joins from England to explain why Jews need to pay attention—and what they can do to help. Plus, the hosts discuss the Whoopi Goldberg controversy and the rise of Jewish Orthodox libertarianism that's coalesced with the trucker convoy in Ottawa. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 25 May 2023 | A Good Rabbi is Hard to Find | 00:43:26 | |
Back in March, Tablet published an article called “Wanted: More Rabbis", about how non-Orthodox seminaries are trying to adapt to changing communal needs and shrinking enrollment. It got us thinking: Does society really not have enough rabbis, or do we have too many? With synagogue attendance in decline, rabbis are different today than they were 50 years ago—different expectations, different roles, different needs. To discuss the changing face of the Canadian rabbinate, we're joined by Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin, a rabbi at Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 09 Dec 2021 | Moderate Mrs. Maisel | 00:55:20 | |
A new trailer for the very Jewish, very popular TV show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel recently dropped, announcing its next season for February. Notably, the lead actor, Rachel Brosnahan, is not Jewish. Is that okay? Should non-Jews play Jewish characters on film and TV? Two Jewish actors approach the issue from opposite sides and duke it out. Plus, the hosts debate Canada’s diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Olympics, and the recent convoluted controversy around the Toronto District School Board attempting to censure a Jewish trustee for speaking out against antisemitic teaching materials. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 24 Jun 2021 | It's Not Easy Being Blue and White, Either | ||
June 24 is the Fête nationale du Québec, also known as Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. It's one of the province's biggest holidays, despite being largely unknown by non-Francophone Canadians. Nevertheless, it creates a perfect opportunity to discuss the role of Jews in Quebec: how they've integrated, what daily life is like and how Zionism has (or hasn't) resonated with Quebec nationalists. Pierre Anctil, a Canadian historian and professor at the University of Ottawa, joins to discuss. Plus: the hosts discuss a provocative essay by Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy in Tablet called "The Un-Jews", and Rabbi Boris Dolan of Dorshei Emet talks about the perfect Shabbat song. Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 10 Jan 2025 | You Had Me at Goodbye | 00:56:25 | |
With Justin Trudeau's announced resignation as prime minister and Liberal leader this week, media pundits wasted no time in penning their reflections, looking back at nine years of how Trudeau changed the Canadian political landscape. One such pundit is Jonathan Kay, an editor at the online magazine Quillette, whose article, "Shame on Us for Ever Believing Him", describes the evolution of Trudeau's brand from optimistic patriot to "Canada’s Chief DEI Officer," embracing American-style culture wars and identity politics. And he'd know: Kay openly ghostwrote part of Trudeau's memoir Common Ground, spending ample time with the future prime minister in the run-up to the 2015 election. Kay now returns to Bonjour Chai to describe the Trudeau he knew and how the political landscape has shifted among the left in recent years—especially among Canadian Jewish voters. Credits
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| 05 Jul 2024 | Settling for Biden | 00:56:25 | |
It was true before Oct. 7, but especially afterwards: an increasing number of progressive-minded people are viewing Jews as settlers in Israel. "Go back to Europe," some especially antisemitic ones chant at rallies. But it begs the question: if Jews are settlers in Israel, where aren't we settlers? Ben Wexler, a writer and academic who recently graduated from McGill University, has been thinking about this question a lot. He recently published an essay in the French Jewish magazine K. Les Juifs, l'Europe, le XXIe siècle, titled "The Eternal Settler". In it, Wexler discusses the troubling rise in antisemitic violence, often carried out under the guise of decolonization and conflated with criticism of the Israeli government. To explore the topic more, Wexler joins to discuss colonization, settler identity and the perception of Jews as settlers. And after that, he joins hosts Avi and Phoebe in talking global political trends: the rightward shift of France, the United States and Canada may be good for Israel... but is it good for the Jews? Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 16 Dec 2021 | Bon Jew, Bad Jew | 00:59:18 | |
In late November, Michael Toledano, a Jewish documentary filmmaker, was arrested while recording from behind the blockades of Wet'suwet'en activists in British Columbia. His arrest made headlines across the country, prompting many Jewish Canadians to ask: What has the relationship between these two communities looked like throughout history? From bigotry to ghettoization, genocide and colonialism, there are many parallels—and also many distinctions. David Koffman, assistant professor of history at York University and an expert in Canadian Jewish history, joins to discuss. Plus: The hosts wrap up 2021 in Jewish culture and debate the right way to respond to Christmas greetings. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 11 Nov 2022 | I'll Read What She's Reading | ||
With winter holidays approaching, there's only one thing everyone wants keeping them warm by candlelight on a dark winter's night: a Jewish romance novel. You may laugh, but the subgenre is huge, spanning from rabbis to regency. What's the deal? Are Jews reading this—or is it for curious gentiles? Tamar Fox, an author and editor, joins to explain the plots, the meaning and what the books actually do well. After that, Instagram comedian and hazzan Orel Gozlan stops by to outline the impact of French Jewish comic Gad Elmaleh, who recently announced his conversion to Catholicism. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 14 Jun 2024 | Bonus: "Labour of Love", from recollections with the Jewish Public Library | 00:56:51 | |
We're taking the week off for Shavuot. Instead, we're airing a new episode of a podcast miniseries from our friends at the Jewish Public Library, called recollections. Avi and Phoebe will be back next week. May 2024 marks the 110th anniversary of the Jewish Public Library. Our opening season is a celebration of our Jewish Leftist roots in Montreal. In this podcast, we weave together interviews with scholars, activists, teachers, and fellow archivists that discuss topics such as Jewish immigration to Canada, Jewish languages and culture, labour and feminist movements in the 20th century, and the diversity of political ideologies that existed within the 'left'. Labour organizing, unions, and activism: Episode 3, "Labour of Love", highlights the impact language, culture, and Jewish identity had on Montreal's progressive labour history with a special focus on famed organizer Lea Roback. Thank you to our featured guests, in order of appearance: Pierre Anctil, Ester Reiter, Sam Bick, Moishe Dolman, Aaron Krishtalka, Melanie Leavitt, Eiran Harris, Lea Roback, Eddie Paul, and Shannon Hodge. recollections with the JPL is a production of the Jewish Public Library Archives and Special Collections. Visit JPL Curates to see licensing info, guest bios, related materials from the JPL Archives and Special Collections, and our further reading guide featuring works from JPL's catalogue.
Production and editing by Ezell Carter and Ellen Belshaw Research support by Leah Graham, Sam Pappas, Maya Pasternak, and Eddie Paul Mastering by Josh Boguski Theme song and music by Danijel Zambo Sound effects provided by Pixabay and the JPL Archives Thank you to our sponsors, the Azrieli Foundation and Federation CJA | |||
| 04 Mar 2021 | Same-Sex Marriage Revolution | 00:48:47 | |
Episode NotesOn the debut episode of Bonjour Chai, we bring on Rabbi Steven Wernick of Beth Tzedec to discuss his conservative temple's recent bombshell move: marrying same-sex couples. Plus, we discuss the controversy around a street in Ajax, Ontario, that is for some reason named after a Nazi. This episode is sponsored by Atelier Lou (atelierlou.com) and Securassure (securassure.ca). What We Talked About
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Bubbe Golda is a creation of Adina Katz. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a production of The Jewish Learning Lab and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 14 Sep 2023 | Shakshuka like a Polaroid Picture | 01:03:55 | |
As Rosh Hashanah draws near, we wanted to take our annual look back at the biggest news stories of 5783. To get a sense of what topics dominated the Jewish news landscape, Avi and Phoebe invite Marc Weisblott, managing editor of The CJN, to dissect the media trends, from Israeli politics to the neverending mission of ending Jew hatred. But before that, the panel tackles the biggest news story of the final week of 5783: shakshuka lady. Launching off Phoebe's column on the politically charged debate, they examine whether the 29-year-old TikTokker, who all but taunted parents by showing off how she learned to make shakshuka because she doesn't have kids, is emblematic of a wider discussion about public perceptions of singlehood—especially in the Jewish community. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 27 Apr 2023 | Defenders of the Faith | 00:41:15 | |
Israel's 75th birthday has been a monumental one for a myriad reasons. A day that should have celebrated three-quarters of a century of having a Jewish homeland has instead been marred by arguably the deepest divisions the state has ever endured, nonstop political protests and controversial legislation looming on the horizon. On today's episode, we ponder the post-celebration future of Israel. What comes next? Plus, King Charles is having his coronation soon. How should Jewish Canadians feel about this, if they feel anything at all? Bonjour Chai producer Zac Kauffman guest hosts. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 01 Apr 2021 | The Vaccines Will Bring the Messiah | 00:48:26 | |
We're in the thick of Passover, which means Mimouna is right around the corner. What's Mimouna, you (likely Ashkenazim) might ask? It's the end-of-Passover celebration, celebrated by Sephardic Jews around the world. Avi, Ilana and Melissa chat with Instagram comedian Orel Gozlan to learn more about it. Find Orel on Instagram @orelgozlan. Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. "What Bubby Golda Says" is by Adina Katz. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a production of The Jewish Learning Lab and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 10 Nov 2023 | The Sermon on the Mount Herzl | 00:58:37 | |
If you'd asked Diaspora Jews earlier this year, in the wake of the mass protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial reforms, how they felt about their relationship to the Jewish state, an unusually high number would have said something along the lines of "fraught". Indeed, the rift caused by Israel's latest right-wing governing coalition sparked fervent international debate—until the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. So now that Israel is settling into what could become a long-term engagement in Gaza, it's worth asking how that international relationship has changed. Jews around the world have largely set political differences aside and come out overwhelmingly in support of the Holy Land, but how long will that last? And how do Israelis on the ground feel about this? To find answers, Bonjour Chai co-host Phoebe Maltz Bovy sat down with Lahav Harkov, a senior political correspondent at Jewish Insider based in Israel._ After that, Avi Finegold introduces the long-awaited winner of this year's Great Canadian Sermon Slam, Rabbi Lisa Grushcow of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Montreal. She joins for a deep discussion on her rabbinic duties this past month and what the Torah can teach us about handling trauma. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 24 Mar 2022 | Blankets and Bedding | 00:50:51 | |
It's been a month since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, forcing 10 million Ukrainians to leave their homes, including nearly four million refugees. Many have fled to neighbouring Poland, which is where a number of Canadian Jewish community and non-profit leaders have flown to personally engage with and witness the tragedy unfold. Back on Canadian soil, numerous charities and NGOs, including Jewish ones such as B'nai Brith, continue to hold donation drives where they accept old clothing, blankets, shampoo, personal hygiene products, flashlights and more. These are understandable reactions to a global crisis. But they may not be helping as much as people think. It's become evident that refugees in Poland have ready access to many items being donated, and flying boxes of old clothing from Canada to Europe may not be the best use of anyone's time, money or resources. Goods can be purchased in Europe and transported much more efficiently, affordably and with less of a carbon footprint. Meanwhile, the abundance of rabbis and community leaders travelling to the border has been criticized as mere "disaster tourism." To dig into these issues, we're joined by Kate Bahen, the managing director of Charity intelligence Canada, a watchdog organization that provides transparency and resources for Canadians looking for the smartest ways to donate their dollars. Plus, our resident rabbi explains to David what it means that he's a kohen in the modern world, we catch up on updates from past episodes, and the hosts discuss an age-old question: is daylight saving time good for the Jews? What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 26 Jul 2024 | Chickens for KFC | 00:47:28 | |
This week, the hosts of Bonjour Chai are digging into the explosive world of U.S. politics. It began with President Joe Biden announcing on July 21 that he would, after significant pressure and plummeting poll numbers, drop his bid for re-election as the Democratic nominee for president. The next day, Vice-President Kamala Harris all but secured her spot as his replacement, raising historic amounts of money for her campaign within 24 hours. Immediately, questions were raised about her stance on Israel and Palestine, as well as her possible VP pick, Josh Shapiro. Then, on July 24, Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, happened to be in Washington, D.C., for a visit. He met with Biden for 90 minutes and Harris for 40, all while angry crowds protested outside, raising effigies and Israeli flags slathered in painted blood. Netanyahu himself gave a mostly predictable speech to Congress, ensuring politicians how closely aligned Israeli and American interests are. To help dissect the chaos, including ramifications for both American and Canadian Jews, Avi and Phoebe are joined for a second time by Gabby Deutch, senior national correspondent at Jewish Insider. Read her coverage here and follow her on Twitter. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 18 Nov 2021 | Community Ensures Continuity | 01:03:34 | |
Some news: we're launching a Slack channel. If you want to join our community in a tangible way—at least until we can start hosting live events—and chat with Avi, Ilana and David about Jewish topics (or anything at all), email bonjour@thecjn.ca to get the exclusive invite. You can also now follow and engage with us on Twitter @bonjourchai. To navigate this world of online community-building, we invited Jesse Brown, host of the popular Canadaland podcast, to join the show. He shares his thoughts on how social media plays a role in building Jewish communities, the role of institutional gatekeeping online and how podcasting is in fact very much like Judaism. Plus, we discuss the third book in our month-long book club, Gary Barwin's Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted: The Ballad of Motl the Cowboy. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 18 Jun 2021 | It's Not Easy Being Green | 00:25:13 | |
Ever since another round of conflict began in the Middle East in May 2021, the Green Party of Canada has been rocked by infighting and a leadership crisis. Jenica Atwin, an MP from New Brunswick and the Greens' latest addition to the House of Commons, who has described Israel as an "apartheid" strate, recently crossed the floor to join the Liberals, after clashing with a Zionist advisor to Leader Annamie Paul. But what's really going on? Is the biggest fault line truly Canada's relationship to Israel? What are the ideological distinctions between the party's factions in the wake of Elizabeth May stepping down as leader? To help understand what's going on, Avi is joined today by Jeremy Appel, an Alberta-based progressive journalist who's covered the Greens for years. Related links:
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 14 Apr 2022 | The First Annual Great Canadian Seder | 01:24:21 | |
It's the first annual Bonjour Chai Passover extravaganza! In this super-special edition, we bring you stories from 20 prominent Canadians about what Passover means to them. Pull up a chair, break off some matzah and join us at the virtual seder table alongside Evan Solomon, Zach Hyman, Bob Rae, Ya'ara Saks, Melissa Lantsman, Nathan Englander, Lisa Rubin and a whole slew of rabbis, CJN podcasters and community leaders, swapping stories and reflecting on the meaning of freedom in these unique times. Our guest list, in order of appearance:
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 21 Mar 2024 | The Royal Steaks | 01:01:41 | |
Editor's Note: This episode was recorded one day before Kate Middleton revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer, and thus the episode makes no reference to her health issues. We wish her a speedy recovery. Kate Middleton, an English princess, made international headlines this past week for allegedly disappearing for a few weeks from the outside world. In an apparent effort to assuage public concerns, the British Royal family released a photo of her and her children—but the photo was visibly edited in numerous places. The Royal public relations department admitted to this, leading to further conspiracy theories about where the princess really is. None of this is particularly Jewish. But it did raise some interesting parallels with the story of a popular Jewish royal, Queen Esther, central to the story of Purim, who had to hide her Judaism. It also made Bonjour Chai co-host Avi Finegold flick on his rabbi brain to think about how sacred Jewish texts and theology convey truth and transparency: how there is a clear, organized order in talmudic conversations and debates, a provenance that is missing as computer-altered images and artificial intelligence become mainstream. For a special Purim edition of Bonjour Chai, Avi and Phoebe Maltz Bovy find the Jewish angles to the story of the maybe-missing princess, and then discuss Canada's ongoing legal changes that threaten to profoundly affect kosher slaughter and supply in this country. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 10 Jun 2021 | The Habs are the Only Good News in Canada | 00:49:11 | |
Few Canadians understand both the First Nations and Jewish communities as well as Nakuset. The prominent activist, at a young age, was taken from her home in the Sixties Scoop and adopted by a wealthy Jewish family in Montreal. Today, she joins the podcast to discuss Canada's reckoning with its recent history of brutality against First Nations people, especially in the light of the mass grave of children discovered at a Kamloops residential school. Plus: We discuss the terrible hate crime that killed four Muslim people in London, Ont. In the first 24 hours, there was a flurry of fears among Canadian Jews that the alleged perpetrator—Nathaniel Veltman, at times erreously reported as Veldman or Feldman—could have been a member of the community. (It has been all but confirmed that he is not.) In the wake of the tragedy, our hosts ask: Does it even matter if he was Jewish? What impact did the Islamophobic attack have on the Jewish community? And what would it have meant if Veltman actually were Jewish? Related links
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 13 Dec 2024 | The Z Word | 01:03:05 | |
This week, the New Israel Fund of Canada, JSpace Canada and Canadian Friends of Peace Now released a survey of 588 Jewish Canadians that aimed to figure out the community's relationship to Israel. In short: it's complicated. The survey, managed by Leger, found that 94 percent of respondents agreed Israel "has the right to exist as a Jewish state"—yet only 51 percent self-identified as "Zionist". This startling contradiction could reveal how tarnished the brand of Zionism has become, regardless of Jewish Canadians' opinions on Israel itself, and dispels the myth of the Jewish community being monolithic about its opinions towards the Holy Land, its voting patterns and its values. Can Zionism be saved? Or should we all just ditch labels and talk about the issues? To learn more about the key takeaways, we invited Ben Murane and Maytal Kowalski, the executive directors of the New Israel Fund of Canada and JSpace Canada, respectively, to come on Bonjour Chai and explain their motivations for commissioning the survey and how we can digest the data. Listen to that interview above. After that, Avi and Phoebe dig into the anthology book On Being Jewish Now, which Phoebe had previously not read—then was called out for—and has since read every page of. Avi read it, too, and they dig into the politics of not paying Jewish writers for their work while purporting to support Jewish artists. Credits
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| 12 Jan 2023 | J’Accuse…! | 00:56:49 | |
In the final days of 2022, Michael Marrus, an author, historian, and foremost scholar of Holocaust studies in Canada, died at age 81. He authored eight books on Jewish history, edited a set of 15 volumes entitled Historic Articles on the Destruction of European Jews, and was a member of the Order of Canada. But the final years of his career were coloured by a comment he made to a Junior Fellow at Massey College within the University of Toronto. The remark was quickly decried as racist—and the ensuing outrage and fallout pushed Marrus to resign from the college six days later. On the first 2023 episode of Bonjour Chai, the weekly current affairs podcast from The CJN, we officially welcome Phoebe Maltz Bovy to the co-host chair. She and Avi Finegold dive into the topic of how best to think about figures with complex and sometimes chequered legacies. They also discuss Phoebe’s recent piece on the late Irving Layton, a giant of 20th century Canadian poetry, and the allegations of bad behaviour towards the women in his life. What we talked about:
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 18 Mar 2021 | Quaran-seder: Part Deux | 00:45:16 | |
Next week, Jews around the world will face their second year of Passover in self-isolation. Should the halachic rules change in the wake of these exceptional circumstances? Relevant links:
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. "What Bubby Golda Says" is by Adina Katz. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a production of The Jewish Learning Lab and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 20 Jul 2023 | Klaus Barbie | ||
By now, you've probably seen the takes: "Barbie is secretly Jewish," "Meet the Jewish woman who created Barbie," yadda yadda. Let's be honest: there's nothing especially Jewish about Barbie. It's a very gentile-looking doll that, despite her various impressive careers (astronaut, doctor, Olympic athlete), represents a physically impossible body type attached to a pleasingly vacant smile. But while Barbie's secret Jewish life may simply be a dream for Jewish doll lovers, the same could be said of any young person's favourite character, franchise or, even, as Avi and Phoebe discuss on today's episode of Bonjour Chai, the Torah itself: a canvas on which audiences will expand, build and tell their own stories. After dissecting the real Jewish underpinnings of the new Barbie film, the hosts analyze the deeper meaning behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s latest antisemitic conspiracy theory and introduce a new way for you, dear listener, to get hot takes from the Bonjour Chai: our new Substack newsletter. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 07 Mar 2024 | The Students Doth Protest Too Much | 00:51:12 | |
In the last month, several high-profile features have come out, in publications such as Time and The Atlantic, giving mainstream, non-Jewish audiences a glimpse into what life has been like for North American Jews since Oct. 7. One major point of coverage: pro-Palestinian (or anti-Israel) protests. The pictured painted by these articles and others, including here at The CJN, is one of constant fear, heightened tensions and feelings of isolation. Antisemitism is indeed on the rise, no question. But is daily life as bad for Jews as these articles make it seem? Or are social media doom-scrolling and binge-reading articles about antisemitism only exacerbating these feelings of dread? Our guest host this week is Gabby Deutch, a senior national correspondent at Jewish Insider. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 29 Sep 2022 | Return to Teshuvahland | 01:11:40 | |
We are smack in the middle of teshuvah season, when Jews usually focus on repentance in the lead-up to Yom Kippur. But the Hebrew root of the word comes from the idea of returning—implying that teshuvah, in fact, happens after you realize you've strayed from the path you should be on and return to where you were, or where you always wanted to go. In this way, teshuvah can be a lifelong journey. We wanted to speak with a few Canadian Jews who are embarking on those journeys personally to learn how they're handling it and what the process looks like. We're joined by speaker and author Melanie Notkin; Ruth Chitiz, assistant director of Hillel at York University; and Casriel Silver, who works in real estate. After that, we're continuing our Sermon Slam with speeches from Rabbi Steven Wernick, Rabbi Stephen Wise, Rabba Rachel Kohl Finegold and Rabbi Philip Scheim. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 11 Apr 2025 | The Fourth Annual Great Canadian Seder | 00:59:40 | |
It's that time of year again, when all of us at Bonjour Chai reach out to noteworthy, interesting, prominent Canadian Jews to share their thoughts, stories and memories of Passover. This is the fourth annual Great Canadian Seder, featuring political musings on national borders, Donald Trump and Israeli hostages; nostalgia for a bygone Canada; and one very unique love letter to Moses. Plus, to kick things off, we're sitting down with the new hosts of this soon-to-be-rebranded podcast, Rabbi Matthew Leibl and Yedida Eisenstat,. Stay tuned later this month for the launch of Not in Heaven, a podcast discussing the future of Jewish communal life, right in this same podcast feed. In this year's seder, you'll hear from:
Credits
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| 23 Nov 2023 | The Two-Naomis Solution | 00:46:55 | |
While playing ‘Jewish geography’ highlights the ways Canadian Jews are connected, thinking about the geography of Jews reveals some of the community’s most important divisions. In recent weeks, suburban Jews have trekked down to city centres for rallies and marches—not far from the working-class immigrant neighbourhoods where their forbears settled in Canada. This week on Bonjour Chai, co-host Phoebe Maltz Bovy and CJN managing editor Marc Weisblott analyze how the urban-suburban divide continues to shape Jewish life in their respective native cities of New York and Toronto. After that, they discuss Canadian activist and writer Naomi Klein’s most recent book, Doppelganger, which examines the ways Klein’s life has become strangely intertwined with that of Naomi Wolf, whose politics could not be more different. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 10 Sep 2021 | Consider us the Canadian Jewish 'As it Happens' | 00:55:53 | |
Years ago, Mishy Harman wondered about his fellow Israelis. There seemed to be so many differences within the country—political, ideological, sociological—and yet he didn't personally know anybody who wasn't like himself. He wanted to change that. That desire to meet different people propelled him to create Israel Story, a long-form radio documentary show modelled after This American Life. Now heading into its sixth season, it tells nuanced, diverse Israeli stories that shed light on the country beyond the geopolitics. Harman joins Avi and Ilana to discuss the show's origins and indulge in the world of Jewish podcasting. Plus: With widespread vaccination bringing congregants back to shul, some are still wary of being indoors with a crowd. It begs the contrarian question: Will they ever feel safe enough to return to synagogue again? Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 20 Dec 2024 | Freeland of Expression | 00:43:04 | |
This week's abrupt resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland from cabinet has rocked the federal government. It happened the same day Sean Fraser, the minister of housing, infrastructure and communities, stepped down; both he and Freeland join a long and growing list of cabinet members and Liberal backbenchers either resigning their cabinet positions, deciding not to run again in the next election, or outright calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down. They're not alone: all signs point to the federal Conservatives crushing the Liberals in next year's election. Multiple recent byelections, including the heavily Jewish Toronto-St. Paul's in midtown Toronto, have swung from red to blue in recent years. And it's against that backdrop that Hal Niedzviecki, the author and founder of the recently-in-the-news, now-defunct Broken Pencil magazine, posted on social media, "For the first time in my life I'll be voting Conservative." One week after discussing the Israel-induced implosion at Broken Pencil on this very podcast, we invite Niedzviecki to discuss the changing political climate, how the progressive left is losing support, and his side of what happened at the indie publication he founded in 1995. Credits
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| 25 Nov 2021 | Crass Commercial Hanukkah | 00:50:22 | |
In the last decade, executives at the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime have realized that Hanukkah exists. Now every year seems to bring a new heaping spoonful of shmaltz for Jewish audiences and anyone bored of watching the same Christmas stories told with new wide-eyed actors. Recent entries have been Mistletoe & Menorahs and Love, Lights, Hanukkah!, while this year's Eight Gifts of Hanukkah puts its own semitic spin on the format. But how should we feel about these movies? Are they a sincere effort to educate Middle America about the Seleucid Greek takeover of a small province of Jews and their successful revolt and rededication of the temple? Or is it a shallow attempt at forcing onscreen diversity? We discuss. Plus: Hear about the final book in our month-long book club, Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories: From This Broken Hill, Volume 2 by Michael Posner. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 07 Oct 2021 | Mixed Use Does Not Equal Mixed Dancing | 00:49:05 | |
Housing affordability is not a uniquely Jewish issue, but Jews face a unique challenge. Practising Jews, in particular, have certain geographic requirements—being close to synagogues, kosher markets and other community members—that make housing especially unaffordable. As home prices across Canada soar, ground zero remains its major urban centres—and therein, Jewish communities tend to be pricier than the city average. What are the implications for young Jews priced out of the market? What changes need to happen to ensure Canadians can afford their homes in decades to come? What does a breaking point look like—or have we reached it already? To help answer these questions, , we're joined by Zev Mandelbaum, CEO of Altree Developments in Toronto. Show Notes
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 13 Feb 2023 | Sitdown special: Mark (Moishe) Bane | 01:02:47 | |
We're starting a new occasional series with Bonjour Chai: extended interviews that dive deep into a person or idea that matters to the Jewish community. In this debut episode, Avi sits down with Mark (Moishe) Bane, who was—when they spoke late last year—the president of the Orthodox Union, the largest umbrella organization of Orthodox congregations in North America, perhaps best recognized as the ones behind the "OU" kosher symbol. The native Montrealer, who stepped down in January after six years at the helm, opens up about the role of synagogue in adult life, the political leanings of the OU and what makes his home city's Jewish identity unique. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 11 Nov 2021 | Circumspect About Circumcision | 00:56:16 | |
Ritual circumcision for Jews came under heavy fire in October. First, an article came out in the New York Times in which writer Gary Shteyngart recalled his own botched circumcision and how it pains him to this day. That same week, by coincidence, an organization called Bruchim went live. Their mission: advocating on behalf of Jews who don't feel comfortable with circumcision. It's a sensitive subject. But Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon, our guest this week and a founding member of the board of Bruchim and filmmaker who created a documentary about circumcision, doesn't shy away from these discussions. Plus: We have a guest appearance by Margaret Atwood, who explains why she loves the Book of Job, and the hosts dig into the second book in our month-long book club: Gideon's Bible by Rick Salutin. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 08 Sep 2022 | No Campaign, No Gain | 00:51:00 | |
It's campaign fundraising season across the country, as Jewish organizations hold banner events with big-name speakers to bring in machers and dollars for major projects. Toronto's Federation is hosting Stephen Harper and George Bush, while Vancouverites are joined by Mayim Bialik and Fran Drescher—the latter focusing on Vancouver's forthcoming JWest, a new community centre and residential complex in Vancouver that will be one of the most expensive Jewish building projects Canada has ever seen. But with so many in-person events postponed during the pandemic, we wanted to ask whether the enormous price tag for putting on these extravagant galas is truly worth it. To break down why these events matter and scrutinize their value, we're joined by two guests: Ezra Shanken, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, and Elizabeth Gomery, a founding partner at Philanthropica, a consulting agency. Plus, Avi will recap his weekend at The CJN's booth at the Ashkenaz Festival, and David recaps a treasure trove of Jewish board games found at a Goodwill in Calgary. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 05 Dec 2024 | Pushy Pencils | 00:28:59 | |
The war between Israel and Hamas has claimed yet another casualty in the Canadian arts world: Broken Pencil, an independent magazine that has covered zine culture since 1995, has been shut down. Founder and publisher Hal Niedzviecki wrote on their website that "the values of the zine and small press community have shifted," adding that "the relentless pursuit of ideological purity and identity politics has overshadowed the core mission of Broken Pencil." He cited calls for his resignation, a petition for the publication to join the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, and pushes to cover what's happening in Gaza as reasons for his eventual decision. This leads to a few obvious questions. Does a Canadian publication that covers the zine world have a responsibility to focus on Gaza? Can people not hold complex views on creators and the things they create—or must everything we enjoy be ideologically syncronized? Avi and Phoebe discuss on the latest episode of Bonjour Chai. And before that, they dig into the role of activism in literature, pressures faced by Jewish fiction writers and the efficacy of antisemitism summits. Do they do anything—and do we really need another one? Credits
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| 13 May 2021 | Nobody Wins Unless Everybody Wins | 00:47:07 | |
May 11 marked two big events for watchers of Jewish demographics in North America: in Canada it was Census Day, whereby Jews could identify themselves as Jewish in the long-form census; and in the United States, the Pew Research Center released a sprawling survey into American Jewry. What lessons can be gleaned from new demographic insights? What are the key takeaways from the Pew study? Why is Canada failing to perform similar behavioural studies here? To help analyze the data, we're joined by Robert Brym, a professor of sociology at the University of Toronto. Plus, we discuss Canada's role in the current conflict between Israel and Gaza. Relevant links:
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 03 Feb 2023 | You can’t spell "messianism" without "mess" | 00:45:40 | |
If you've ever wondered why it seems like there are more Chabad houses than Starbucks in Canadian cities, there's a reason: With their enormous menorahs and frequent sidewalk stalls, the Chabad movement easily represents the most prominent Jews in the public square. On campus, on the street, in smaller communities and online, their ubiquity is undeniable. How did they get there? Why is this small Hasidic sect succeeding while other denominations are losing ground—especially when so many Jews who take part aren't even Orthodox? We talk to sociologist Samuel Heilman about the roots of this phenomenon and what it means for the future of Canadian Jewry. Plus, Phoebe and Avi discuss tidiness, piles of books and the Jewish angles of Marie Kondo's recent confession. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 11 May 2023 | Live from Shaar Hashomayim: What's the secret to Chabad's success? | 00:55:33 | |
Last Sunday, the Bonjour Chai team recorded a live podcast at Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal, as part of their day of learning about the future of Judaism. We invited Rabbi Shmuly Weiss, director of the Rohr Chabad house at McGill University, to guest host and give some insight into the inner workings of Chabad: how they're operating, what they've learned and what the implications are for Jews around the world. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 07 Oct 2022 | MK Pop | 01:25:59 | |
In the last couple months, the Miami Boys Choir—a pop group comprising Orthodox Jewish kids that's been around since the 1970s—began inexplicably trending on TikTok. Since mid-August, every video uploaded has been heard more than 100,000 times; often that number is over a million, or close to it. But the reasoning behind the sudden fame is harder to discern. Are teenagers actually getting into Orthodox pop? Or is this just an ironic fad destined to fade by Hanukkah? The hosts at Bonjour Chai wanted to dig deeper. They learned the choir actually has roots in Canada, when director Yerachmiel Begun was studying in a yeshiva in Toronto and produced three albums with what was then called the Toronto Boys Choir. He subsequently moved to Miami, formed a choir there and began releasing albums under that title—even after eventually settling in New York. The group has since become a powerhouse in Jewish music, releasing a string of hits over the years and launching the careers of many Jewish singers. The hosts dissect the trend among themselves, then invite on Mordechai Levovitz, a singer in the choir who wound up on Broadway and is now the clinical director for JQY, an organization that supports and empowers Jewish queer youth. After that, by popular demand, you'll hear more contributions to our Sermon Slam, this time from Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, Rabbi Josh Schwartz, Rabbi Dan Moskovitz, Rabbi Ilana Krygier Lapides and Rabbi Shalom Schachter. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 21 Jul 2022 | The Hillels are Alive with the Sound of Wedding Music | 01:02:47 | |
In 2016, Hillel Montreal was absorbed into Federation CJA as part of their GenMTL program. Then things went a little sideways. Hillel went from having a non-stop campus presence to seeing students quit committees in frustration. Staff members showed up less, and eventually there were fewer staff members, period. Numerous students complained that the organization became overly focused on pro-Israel activism, and if they didn't buy in, they felt there wasn't a place for them at Hillel. Now, after two years of a state of COVID-related flux, Hillel is making a big push to return to campus visibility. On July 6, they made a post on their Instagram page proclaiming, "We're back!" To understand what they're back from, and how recent changes indicate a shift in campus life for Jewish students across Canada, Avi sat down with three students to understand what's been happening and what they hope the future of Jewish campus life looks like. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 12 Oct 2023 | Awoke O Zion | 00:53:16 | |
Nearly one full week after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and sparked a new war, Canadian politicians and institutions have had plenty of time to react, respond with statements and join solidarity rallies. For the most part, support for Israel has been unilateral. But, as always, there are exceptions, mostly—in this case—from left-wing politicians and organizations who seem to be more focused on talking to each other on social media than to the Jewish community. So with some hindsight into the immediate aftermath of the events, but while we're still thick in the war, Avi and Phoebe analyze the institutional reactions—and also the retractions. Joining us is Brenda Fine, a professor of mathematics and statistics who lives in Vancouver and tweets as @moebius_strip. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 01 Dec 2023 | Give Peace a Chance | 00:28:36 | |
Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people from across the continent congregated in Washington, D.C., for a massive rally in support of Israel during their ongoing war against Hamas. Those who attended the event said it was the first time they could relax and exhale after weeks of feeling isolated and defensive. Perhaps inspired by this American moment of solidarity, Canadian Jewish organizations began planning a similar rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 4. And while it will likely have a similar effect—uniting Canadian Jews and allies of Israel during a moment of crisis—its focus is deliberately one-sided. The question remains: Can this kind of massive movement extend beyond communities, uniting Jews and Muslims, anyone who believes in both Israel's and Palestine's right to exist, at one time? On Nov. 27, Taylor C. Noakes, a Montreal-based journalist, published an open letter to Mayor Valérie Plante on the website Cult MTL, imploring her to organize a peace rally in a city marred by molotov cocktails and gunshots recently fired at Jewish institutions. Noakes joins Avi Finegold on this week's Bonjour Chai to discuss why he feels Montreal, home John Lennon's famous "bed-in for peace", would be perfect for a rally to cool temperatures on both sides. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 12 Sep 2024 | The Bari Files | 00:46:41 | |
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
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| 04 Nov 2022 | Noah to Shoah | 00:49:02 | |
In 2019, 70 Holocaust survivors joined the March of the Living trip to Poland. In 2022, that number plummeted to eight. Separately, but relevantly, Israel recently announced it would stop sending students on school trips to concentration camps in Poland, in the wake of Poland’s memory laws prohibiting educators from talking about Polish involvement in the Holocaust. The conclusion is clear: we’re coming into an era where contact with the Shoah’s primary sources—the actual people and actual places—is quickly diminishing. What will that mean for the future of Shoah education, Jewish communal identity and Jewish collective memory? What challenges does it pose? What opportunities might it open up? To ring in Holocaust Education Week and dissect these two topical issues, we're joined by two guests. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, the chief curator of the core exhibition at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and a professor emerita at New York University, comes on the show to discuss the future of heritage tourism. After that, author Nathan Englander reads an excerpt from his short story, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank", and discuss its relevance today. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 23 Mar 2023 | Morah-Core | 00:43:12 | |
The "tradwives" trend has taken off lately—a lifestyle fad wherein "traditional wives" espouse their happiness in cooking, cleaning, keeping working husbands happy, and raising children with a constant smile. And with Passover coming up, we wanted to dive deeper into the phenomenon, and how it intersects with a new fashion fad Vogue dubbed "Torah-teacher aesthetic": what should we make of the intersection between genuinely Orthodox women who identify as "traditional" and tradition being touted as a modern style? To dissect the issues, Avi and Phoebe are joined by writer Jesse Martin-Miller for a deep dive into these trends and why people are talking about it. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 02 Apr 2023 | The Second Annual Great Canadian Seder | 01:23:46 | |
We’re proud to host our second annual Great Canadian Seder! Politicians and proletarians, cantors and comics, all coming together to share stories, songs, wisdom and musings from across the country. This year, we're joined at our virtual seder table by:
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 19 Aug 2022 | Hole-y Sheet | ||
Until 2017, if you were queer and Jewish and looking for someone the same, you had to settle for one of the few Jewish dating apps—or a queer one—and hoped to match with someone that was both. Joanna Halpern Zisman wanted to change that. So the Toronto-based software engineer created Yente over the Rainbow, the world's first dating site for LGBTQAI+ Jews. To celebrate the love still lingering in the air after Tu B'Av, Halpern Zisman and her partner, Laine, join to discuss their site, its goals and how it blends modern algorithms with traditional matchmaking. After that, we'll hear from Frieda Vizel, a tour guide in New York who, earlier this year, translated and transcribed a recording of a sex talk given to a Hasidic groom just before his wedding. The transcription sheds a fascinating light on a subculture whose notions of sex and relationships differ greatly from mainstream Judaism. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 23 Sep 2021 | Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head | 00:29:24 | |
We're nearly at the end of a frantic late-summer blitz, combining a tight 36-day federal election campaign with Jewish high holidays, the beginning of the school year and Avi's daughter's bat mitzvah. As fall rolls in, the hosts enjoy a leisurely chat with political correspondent Josh Lieblein, who breaks down the coming and goings of what was, as Seinfeld fans like to put it, "an election about nothing." Dig a little deeper, however, and you'll find a lot of political shifts between Liberals and Conservatives that portend a more seismic election next time around. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 15 Mar 2024 | Can't Get No Satisfaction | 00:50:36 | |
Malky Berkowitz wants a divorce. But the 29-year-old Orthodox woman, who lives in Kiryas Joel, north of New York City, can't get a _get—_a Jewish Orthodox divorce—because her husband won't allow it, even after four years of Berkowitz fighting for one. Her case is just one of many taken up by Adina Sash, a feminist Orthodox activist in Brooklyn who posts online as @FlatbushGirl. But as Sash kept posting about Berkowitz, she found Berkowitz's story resonated more strongly with her audience than others. As time passed, and Berkowitz remained an agunah—_a "chained woman" whose husband denies her a _get—community support snowballed. "Free Malky" caught on: Sash organized rallies, commissioned an an airplane to fly a banner over New York and, most recently, organized a "sex strike", where women in support of the cause stopped going to the mikvah. (After menstruating, married Orthodox women must visit a mikvah to cleanse themselves before they can have sex with their husbands—so no bath means no sex.) The story has garnered international headlines, drawing comparisons to the ancient Greek play Lysistrata and casting a spotlight on Sash, both positive and (when Orthodox men hear about it) extremely negative. Bonjour Chai's own Phoebe Maltz Bovy had many questions from a secular feminist perspective, so we invited Sash to join the show to explain the societal problems, Orthodox women's perceived agency and what life is like inside these insular communities. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 07 Jun 2024 | Bot Rabbis for Jesus | 00:46:25 | |
Israel had some strange bedfellows in the news this week. The New York Times unveiled that country's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs created social media bots that posted AI-generated comments to influence American lawmakers and the general public; meanwhile, a rally against antisemitism in Manhattan drew headlines when it was revealed that the organization behind the rally was a Messianic Jewish group that aims to convert Jews to believe in Jesus. While the stories are different, the underlying theme is the same: Israel is increasingly isolated around the world, with ever-sinking public opinion and international allies growing distant. When good PR is hard to come by, you end up with AI-created bots and Jews for Jesus as suddenly noteworthy friends. Avi and Phoebe discuss these topics on this week's episode of Bonjour Chai, with special guest Rabbi Michael Skobac of Jews for Judaism, an organization created in direct response to Jews for Jesus. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 16 Mar 2023 | Home Base | 00:44:53 | |
The new urban, decentralized, personal style of Judaism is perhaps best exemplified by Base, an organization that first sprung up in 2015 out of New York. Rabbinic couples open up their homes for High Holidays, Shabbat meals and discussion groups, inviting mostly young adults to attend and find a physical place to connect with their Judaism. It's of a piece with the broader rising impulse of revitalizing urban spaces and creating more "15-minute cities"—cities where everything you need, from groceries to banking, is a 15-minute walk away. To learn more about the Jewish angles of the trend, Avi sat down with Rabbi Jesse Paikin, a Toronto native who loved Base enough to move to Washington, D.C., to become the group's executive director. Plus, we discuss Phoebe's musing COVID-19 turning three, the losing weekends for Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans shut out at the Oscars) and Team Israel (definitively destroyed at the World Baseball Classic), and Avi's whirlwind trip to New Jersey. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 21 Dec 2023 | What's the deal with Zionism? | 00:52:31 | |
Last week, a video from the Toronto Eaton Centre depicted a heated exchange between an individual and one of about 150 pro-Palestinian protesters chanting slogans in front of the Zara clothing store. The clip shows police keeping apart the protestors and the person filming; trying to keep the situation calm in the midst of the bustling shopping season around them. Meanwhile in Israel, the IDF announced the mistaken killing of three hostages who managed to escape captivity. The next night, families of hostages still held by Hamas and supporters rallied in Tel Aviv chanting the slogan ‘Now’. They meant that now is the moment to re-evaluate, to pause the violence and prioritize negotiations. In the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack, many Jews and other Israel sympathizers felt the need to put aside political differences and unite behind the Israeli government. Two-and-a-half-months later, is that still the case? As pro-ceasefire protests step farther into public space at busy malls abroad, and Israelis call for a new approach to the war at home, do Canadian Jews feel permission to break ranks with the Israeli government? Bonjour Chai hosts Avi and Phoebe wrap up 2023 breaking down everything you have to know about the current moment. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 04 Apr 2025 | Conscious Uncoupling | 00:28:24 | |
Quick editorial announcement: after four years of weekly shows this will be the final regular episode of Bonjour Chai. After Passover, this podcast feed will be relaunching as Not in Heaven, a series focusing on the future of Jewish communal life in Canada and beyond. Avi Finegold will remain as host, and he'll be joined by a panel of bright, funny, critical Jewish minds. Phoebe Maltz Bovy is excited to launch a new series with The CJN: The Jewish Angle. Hear the trailer and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Over the past month, two works of documentary activism have been put into duelling positions in the box office. No Other Land, which documents the destruction of a Palestinian village in the West Bank, and which won the Oscar for best documentary, has been getting North American cinema owners in hot water: the mayor of Miami threatened to evict a theatre that screened it, while Jewish communities across Canada and the U.S. have held protests with similar outrage. The industry counterargument is Oct. 8, which details the emergence of campus antisemitism after the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and features interviews with Bari Weiss, Michael Rapaport, and Sheryl Sandberg, among other pro-Israel voices. Paying to see either film—or supporting one while calling to ban the other—has made movie theatres the latest venue in the broader divide between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian communities. Avi Finegold saw No Other Land in theatres, and came away with many thoughts. After that, Phoebe Maltz Bovy dives into the Jewish Yale professors ostensibly "fleeing" the U.S. for Canada in the wake of Trump's election... even though the reality may not be as drastic as it seems. Credits
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| 02 Dec 2021 | The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming About BDS | 00:54:15 | |
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for Jewish students at the University of Toronto's Scarborough campus. The campus student union passed a motion supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, which would curtail activities and services that "normalize Israeli apartheid." The main issue that sprung up: kosher food. Who's going to find a kosher caterer that supports BDS? To understand the resolutions, as well as what daily life is like for Jewish students at U of T's Scarborough campus, we're joined by Tyler Samuels, a graduate from the campus who now works at Hasbara Fellowships Canada. Plus: We discuss the CBC's recent list of 18 "words and phrases you may want to think twice about using" and how it affects Jews; our hosts debate latkes versus sufganiyot; we've got a whole slew of recommendations for Hanukkah music, movies and books; and Ilana recites a snippet from Lemony Snicket's modern classic, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming. What We Discussed
Our Hanukkah Recommendations
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 09 Mar 2023 | Do we still need to celebrate Jewish excellence? | 00:52:31 | |
For decades, young Jewish kids would often get books with titles like Great Jews in Sports or Great Jews in Entertainment as bar and bat mitzvah gifts. But this concept of cultural celebration seems to have quieted down a lot, given how Jews have assimilated into broader society and to point out Jewish involvement can more easily come off as gauche. This is the takeaway by Rabbi Chaim Strauchler, who recently penned an article on the subject in the Jewish journal Tradition. The hosts dig into the subject, asking if this conversation is the right one—or if we're even using the right metrics to gauge Jewish involvement in greater society. Rabbi Strauchler joins the show to talk about how this role has changed over time. Plus, Avi and Phoebe catch up on their Purim parties and Phoebe's latest article on the "tradwives" social media trend. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 09 Jun 2022 | Born This Way | 00:59:52 | |
Over recent years, the Jewish community has grown from merely being aware of queer Jews to standing where we are today: leaders and activists in almost every denomination are working to actively include queer Jews in Jewish law and practice. Queer and nonbinary Jews no longer settle for pointing out their existence and right to be included; they're crafting narratives that explain how deeply and intricarely their queerness and Judaism are intertwined. To dissect these issues and share their personal stories, we're joined by two inaugural members of the Queer Jewish Incubator, a new project run by the Miles Nadal JCC in downtown Toronto. Sadie Epstein-Fine is working on a play about one of Tevye's daughters being queer, and Toby King is gathering and archiving information about queer-Jewish wedding ceremonies to examine the various ways in which those couples celebrate their love. After that, you'll hear an excerpt from The CJN's podcast Rivkush, in which host Rivka Campbell interviews Michael Twitty, the award-winning cookbook author, chef and voice for social justice, who describes life at the intersection of being Black, Jewish and gay. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 29 Jun 2023 | Smoke and Mirrors | 00:56:06 | |
This week, millions of Central Canadians woke up once again to the distant smell of what seemed to be campfires. As was the case weeks ago, Canada's wildfires are raging beyond Alberta and British Columbia this year—they're keeping Ontarians and Quebeckers indoors, along with much of the population of New England, New York and beyond. Given that most Canadian Jews live in Ontario and Quebec, it feels right to revisit the role of Jewish activism in the fight against climate change, so we invited on Rabbi Yonatan Neril, founder of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development in Jerusalem, and the co-author of the Eco Bible, an ecological commentary on the Torah. Before that, Avi and Phoebe chat about the secret Canadian Jewish history of Babu Bhatt from Seinfeld; high-end gold-plated kosher dining; and whether the Segal Centre, a prominently Jewish arts hub in Montreal, should be putting on a production of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 21 Jun 2024 | Kiss and Tell | 00:50:55 | |
The trope of Hasidic women leaving their communities—particularly during a journey of queer self-discovery—is not exactly unique. And yet, memoirs and documentaries continue to come out, the latest being Kissing Girls on Shabbat by Sara Glass, who is now a therapist. After Phoebe Maltz Bovy reviewed the book for The CJN, she had more questions—so we invited Glass on to ask them directly. The three discuss the nature of choice in a world dictated by authority figures, queer spaces in Judaism and how the community can change in the future. After that, Phoebe and Avi discuss whether the trend of attractive "rat-like" men is antisemitic, as well as a problematic essay about motherhood recently published in Tablet, "How Babies Are Made". Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 16 Jan 2025 | Deal or No Deal | 00:25:19 | |
The world is sitting in suspense in anticipation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which would end the 15-month war that has devastated Gaza and caused mass protests worldwide. Will it happen Sunday, as planned? Will it be delayed until Monday? Will the whole thing fall through? What are the ramifications for the key political leaders involved: Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Joe Biden...? With all these questions swirling around, we turned to an expert on the ground. Lahav Harkov is an American-born Israeli journalist, currently writing as the senior political correspondent for Jewish Insider. She speaks with Phoebe Maltz Bovy from the midst of one of the most chaotic weeks in recent memory in this special edition of Bonjour Chai. Credits
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| 13 Jan 2022 | Ob-La-Di, Omicron, Life Goes On | 01:04:10 | |
Nostalgia is in vogue these days—in politics, pop culture and food trends—and Judaism is no different. As North American Jewry evolves, nostalgia for our mid-20th century cultural traditions, from deli sandwiches to the Yiddish language and Holocaust remembrance, has taken hold as perhaps the dominant definition of Western Jewish identity. Rachel B. Gross has studied these trends for her book, Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish Nostalgia as Religious Practice. She argues that, in an era of conventional religious decline, this focus on nostalgia should be considered the new North American Jewish religious practice—which would itself counter the very idea that religion is even in decline. In fact, what religion looks like may simply be changing. Plus, Avi speaks with Lieby Lewin, the Chassidic man in Montreal who confronted two members of the media in a video that quickly went viral. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 01 Jul 2021 | It's Jacques Cartier, Right this Way | 00:43:44 | |
As the manager for The Pursuit of Happiness, The Watchmen, Adam Cohen and, of course, The Tragically Hip, Jake Gold has been an integral part of Canada's music scene since 1985. In a special Canada Day edition of Bonjour Chai, Jake joins Avi to chat about Canadian music, mensches and management. Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 25 Aug 2022 | The People of the Pocketbook | 01:02:59 | |
The first day of school is coming up, and when the topic came up in a recent CJN editorial meeting, we realized many CJN staffers had strong opinions about the state of Jewish education. Did the kids enjoy it? Did they get a better education than they would have in public school? Was it worth the money? And if you attended day school yourself: did you regret it? Fundamentally, we're asking what defines success in Jewish education, and whether Canadian Jews should be satisfied with the state of things. To dissect the matter, we're joined by Yoni Goldstein, The CJN's editor-in-chief; Lila Sarick, news editor; and Michael Fraiman, executive producer of podcasts. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 15 Apr 2021 | It's Hard to Say I'm Sorry | 00:55:27 | |
Concordia University's student union recently surprised the Canadian Jewish community by issuing an apology for indifference to anti-Semitism on campus. Nicole Nashen and Harrison Kirshner, the two Jewish students who pushed for that apology, join us to explain how they did it. Plus: Dr. Barry Pakes talks about COVID vaccination and viral outbreaks in the Jewish community, and how we can combat vaccine misinformation. What We Talked About
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Bubbe Golda is a creation of Adina Katz. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a production of The Jewish Learning Lab and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 17 May 2024 | Gatekeepers of Heaven | 00:44:49 | |
You may not know who Joe Roberts is. But some people online, who may or may not have ever met the man face-to-face, claim to know him extremely well—to the point that they are posting photos of his grandmothers' graves, scouring the web for his tweets and published articles, and making bold statements about whether he's really who he says he is. Whether, for example, he's even Jewish. The former the chair of the JSpace Canada board, Roberts has found himself at the centre of this Extremely Online controversy largely because he (a self-described political left-winger) began more vocally supporting Israel post-Oct. 7, sparking many left-leaning Twitter users to turn on him. Rather than dive into the veracity of Joe Roberts's Judaism, on today's episode of Bonjour Chai, we're looking at the gatekeepers themselves: who feels they have the right to determine someone else's Jewish identity and why. Plus, Phoebe discusses a new viral Zionist blacklist spreadsheet, and Avi struggles to figure out whether tacky Jewish graphic tees are worthy of a nachas or broigus. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 02 Sep 2021 | Party like it's 5781 | 00:58:34 | |
Kids are heading back to school in what may turn out to be another shaky semester, with the risk of virtual learning, school closures and mandatory vaccination policies for teachers hanging over students' heads. But there's a positive side for Jewish parents and students: private Jewish education, which has generally been on a decline over the past two decades, saw an uptick during the pandemic, as more parents perhaps decided it was a safer, better organized route for kids studying from home. Is this the beginning of a larger trend, or just a brief quirk in history? To help navigate the topic, we're joined by Randal Schnoor, a sociologist and professor of Jewish Studies at York University. Also: we catch up with political pundit Josh Lieblein to compare the Liberal and Conservative platforms vis-a-vis Israel and antisemitism, and announce a political debate hosted by The CJN and CIJA. Listeners can submit question we'll ask the candidates at thecjn.ca/debate. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 05 Sep 2024 | Brooklyn Book Banning | 00:41:15 | |
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
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| 14 Jul 2022 | Putting the 'Oy' in Cowboy | ||
The Calgary Stampede, winding down this week, is about more than Stetson hats and corn dogs. The annual festival creates an opportunity for Albertans of all backgrounds to come together over bull-riding rodeos, country music shows and pancake breakfasts. And this is certainly true for Jewish Albertans, whose community can trace it roots deep into the origins of the Wild Rose Country. On this week's episode of Bonjour Chai, David Sklar takes a deep dive into his adopted home's Jewish universe. He's assembled an expert panel on the past, present and future of Southern Albertan Judaism, featuring Judy Shapiro, a retired journalist and Jewish community professional; Harry Sanders, a director at the Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta; and Danielle Braitman, director of engagement programming at the Calgary Jewish Federation. Then, David visits Irena Karshenbaum of the "Little Synagogue on the Prairie", a 100-year-old shul recently relocated to Calgary's Heritage Park, and we'll hear clips from a Sunday morning kosher Stampede pancake breakfast, held by the Calgary JCC and House of Jacob Mikveh Israel. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 05 Aug 2021 | So Long, Farewell, Au Revoir—to Melissa | 00:45:00 | |
It's hard to say how Judaism fits into identity politics. As both an ethnicity and religion, comprising (in North America) mostly white-skinned people who may not look obviously Jewish, how can our community fairly compare antisemitism to racism of other kinds? Is such a comparison even needed? Do white-skinned Jews have white privilege? These are not comfortable questions, but longstanding Jewish involvement in social-justice causes makes them inevitable. It's a topic David Bernstein, the founder of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values, has thought a lot about. He has written about the relationship and intersection between Jews, progressive activists and social media for several years, most recently in Quillette, an online magazine. David joins today to discuss his encounters with the far left, his take on critical social justice and what he feels is the right way to deal with dissenting opinions. What we talked about:
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 14 Oct 2021 | Rabbis Love Cheshvan | 00:45:00 | |
The high-holiday season is always been a stressful time for rabbis. Week after week, throughout September and October, they are busier than perhaps at any other time of the year. Congregation attendance numbers are at their peak, and congregants are calling them day and night with personal questions. Plus, back-to-school season means heightened stress for anyone with young families—rabbis included. Now add the pandemic on top of that. COVID-19 introduced a whole new set of problems: How do you keep your family safe when congregants want to meet in person? How do you navigate virtual sermons if you're not tech-savvy? What can be done for rabbis' mental health during these stressful times? We're joined by Esther Altmann, a Montrealer living in New York who works as the director of pastoral education at Yeshiva Maharat, to discuss how rabbinic burnout has been exacerbated by the pandemic, and what congregants can do to help. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 17 Feb 2023 | Just Be a Mensch | 00:48:18 | |
Today we're asking an existential question: How can you be a good person? New York Magazine recently published an editorial package on how to behave, declaring 194 rules on how to "tip, text, ghost, host and politely deal with strangers." Social anxieties—and figuring out how to fit in and act right—are nothing new for Jews. So Avi and Phoebe, recording in-person at the Drake Hotel, dive in and discuss why rules matter, Hey Alma’s own list of Jewish rules for living today, how this all relates to Jewish law and why this topic is having a moment. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 31 Jan 2025 | Why Did the Nazi Cross the Road? | 00:46:26 | |
Last week, billionaire internet troll Elon Musk made headlines (including several at this publication) for making what appeared to be a Nazi salute at the inauguration of Donald Trump. When, in the following days, he was accused of being a Nazi by many people and organizations, he responded with a series of Nazi puns in a tweet, a la, "Some people will Goebbels anything down!" The post was noteworthy because it was unclear where Musk stood on the topic of Nazism, surprising as that is to say. Once, in the not-so-distant past, people could reasonably assume that anyone making jokes about Nazis were making fun of Nazis—not Nazis themselves. But with the rise of online troll culture and a widespread disregard for historic events-turned-memes, it's no longer obvious that the person making the Nazi salute is anti-Nazi. On this week's Bonjour Chai, hosts Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy are joined by The CJN's director of podcasts, Michael Fraiman, who once wrote a column on Jewish comedy for The CJN, and has many thoughts about the evolution of online, right-wing, male-dominated troll humour. Credits
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| 27 May 2021 | Blue Screen of Death | 00:51:42 | |
May has been an exhausting month for Canada's Jews—a steady stream of anti-Semitism conflating with anti-Zionism has flowed across social media and is affecting real-world businesses, institutions and communities. Meanwhile, Jewish voices from the left are rising louder than ever before, perhaps indicating that mainstream opinion on Israel-Palestine is shifting. On today's episode, Avi, Melissa and Ilana engage in an all-about debate about these issues and more. Related Reading from thecjn.ca:
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 15 Dec 2023 | From the St. Lawrence River to the Beaufort Sea | 00:40:33 | |
Last week, the U.S. Congress grilled several top university professors about antisemitism on their campuses—and the scrutiny on these institutions has never been more intense. The hearings were, in some ways, the culmination of years of backlash against so-called "elitist" institutions, attacks and assumptions by right-wing critics who have long complained that universities coddle their student bodies, over-emphasize safe spaces and no longer teach young people to think critically—let alone welcome dissenting opinions. These subjects are familiar territory to Jeffrey Sachs, who teaches about politics, authoritarianism and the Middle East at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Sachs has analyzed the data on campus free speech and written extensively about how there is not, in fact, a "free speech crisis" in universities. He gives us insight into that world, recaps the high-profile Congress hearings and discusses the role of religion in places of worship. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 04 Nov 2021 | The Week Jews Buy Halloween Candy on Sale | 00:50:13 | |
It's a question that grows more disturbing every time it pops up in the news: Should private sellers of antiques be allowed to sell Nazi memorabilia? Some will argue history cannot be rewritten and these antiques are simply testaments to a different era; others will decry any sale as profiting off genocide, and insist such items belong in a museum with proper context. But how can you regulate the sale of private goods? Should we worry about the threat of white supremacists buying old Nazi goods to hang on their walls? Our hosts discuss. Plus: We're kicking off the first-ever Bonjour Chai book club! Read along as Avi, Ilana and David discuss a different Jewish book each week, starting with Joanne Levy's Sorry For Your Loss. Levy joins to discuss her work and kick off our literary liaison. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 16 Jun 2022 | You Are What You Eat | 01:02:01 | |
Kosher has been in the news a lot lately. A restaurant in Hamilton came under strutiny because the rabbi that certified its kosher status wasn't Orthodox; in Toronto, the popular Slice N Bites restaurant was asked to stop seating customers on Saturday nights because too many teens were using it as a hangout spot; and in the U.S., a restaurant had its certification pulled after its owner, Shalom Yehudiel, was charged with sexually abusing a minor. With these stories fresh in our minds, we're dedicating the whole episode to kosher conundrums: the politics, ethics and decision-making that goes into keeping, certifying and even justifying the current state of kosher. Our three hosts come from very different stances on these issues, and invite Richard Rabkin, the managing director of the Kashruth Council of Canada (COR), to help navigate the waters. Plus, chef and entrepreneur Zane Caplansky pops in to explain his own frustrating kosher odyssey, while our weekly Word of Wisdom comes from Rabbah Aliza Libman Baronofsky and Rabbah Amy Newman, who both graduated from Yeshivat Maharat this week. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 29 Mar 2024 | Culturally Antisemitic | 00:43:40 | |
A slew of headlines came out this week, within Canada and beyond, warning of a rising tide of antisemitism within Canada. It's not just Fox News and the National Post—_when the Times of Israel is reporting on Canadian Jews worrying their "golden age" is over, and the _Globe and Mail warns of a "dangerous slide into antisemitism", you know things have gotten bad. Nobody knows this better than Ellin Bessner, host of The CJN Daily, who has been reporting on day-to-day antisemitic acts, political shifts and everything else in the Jewish community since she started her breaking-news podcast in May 2021. To help understand the cultural shift, as well as Canadian government's recent actions and internal divisions vis-a-vis Israel, she joins for a macro view of everything that's happened in the last month (and longer). What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack. | |||
| 28 Oct 2021 | G'Day, Jewish Mate | 00:55:57 | |
As a group, Jews have one of the lowest rates of organ donation in the world. And as a country, Canada also ranks at the bottom of opt-in organ donations, well below other developed nations. The pandemic has exacerbated the problem, putting thousands of people on lengthy waiting lists for life-saving procedures. But the scarcity has existed long before COVID—and will persist afterwards. There are numerous misconceptions about organ donation in Judaism, including misinterpretation of halachic law and cultural taboos. But what are the facts? What are the statistics like in Israel? How should Canadian Jews move forward, as provinces debate shifting from an opt-in to an opt-out system? To discuss these issues, we're joined by Robby Berman, the director and founder of the Halachic Organ Donor Society, and Elena Solomon, a Jewish woman in Toronto who's life depends on her finding a kidney donor soon. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 28 Jul 2022 | Definitely Not the Mafia | 00:53:46 | |
Earlier this summer, we produced an episode on the modern ethics of kosher food. It was so popular, the following week we recorded a spiritual sequel, tackling the high cost of kosher meat. The result: the executive director of the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, Rabbi Saul Emanuel, reached out wanting to share their side of the story. Rabbi Emanuel also heads up Montreal Kosher, better known as MK—sometimes jokingly referred to as "Mafia Kosher". This week, Avi had the chance to speak with Rabbi Emanuel and challenge him directly about some of his organizations' choices. Why can't halakhah evolve? Why insist on arcane rules when jobs and affordability are at stake? Why compare Montreal's meat prices to New York's, when the cost of living is so much cheaper in La Belle Province? His answers result in some heated debate with our own resident rabbi podcast host. After that, Gabe Pulver from Menschwarmers pops in to break down how Canada ranked at the Maccabiah Games, and Nathan Englander sat down with Ilana Zackon to describe the experience of adapting one of his books into a stage play for the first time. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 11 Oct 2024 | Dishy Vicar | 00:46:11 | |
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, 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
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| 06 Jul 2023 | Notes on Camp | 00:58:41 | |
It's camp season, which means at least one thing: horny Jewish teenagers are probably hooking up right now, as you're reading this. Not only is this inevitable in the Jewish sleepaway camp world—it's implicitly encouraged. Jewish community leaders began promoting summer camp in the postwar era as a way of reaffirming Jewish identity, encouraging authentic Jewish culture and ensuring a Jewish future through budding romances. This is a very old phenomenon. It's also one of the main takeaways from Sandra Fox's book, The Jews of Summer: Summer Camp and Jewish Culture in Postwar America, released in February 2023. She explores how Jewish summer camp has evolved over the years, especially after the sexual revolution brought hookup culture to mainstream attention. Plus, producer Zac Kauffman reports from Jerusalem, where he's studying at the Conservative Yeshiva—and getting caught in protests over Israel's recent operation in Jenin. And Phoebe discusses a Canadian Jewish professor who applied to a job posting at UCLA, and who was denied, because he spoke critically of "diversity statements" on a podcast in 2018. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 22 Jul 2021 | Thank God Laura Secord Still Loves Israel | 00:53:09 | |
A recent investigation into toxic hook-up culture among American Jewish teens, published in the digital magazine New Voices, shone a light on pervasive sexual harrassment within certain groups of Jewish organizations, such as BBYO, United Synagogue Youth and NFTY. To many people who have attended Jewish youth groups, this may sound like nothing new—but it does feel like a tipping point, as society at large grapples with systemic sexual harrassment in various industries and cultures. What are the solutions? How can organizations and community members change change things? And why can this trend not simply be brushed aside as "teens having sex"? To help answer these questions, we're joined by Rahel Bayar, a former sex-crimes and child-abuse prosecutor and the founder of the Bayar Group, a consultancy that works with camps, schools, corporations and faith-based organizations to help them identify and root out sexual misconduct, harassment and abuse. Plus: the hosts debate the controversy surrounding the new Netflix reality show, My Unorthodox Life. Is it worth all the hubbub it's caused in Orthodox circles? Relevant links:
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||
| 26 May 2022 | Chai Means Live | 01:16:05 | |
It's a little-known fact that the first Jews in Canada were actually Sephardim, founders of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Montreal in 1768. Over subsequent years, Ashkenazi Jews would follow from Europe, becoming the dominant Jewish culture; it wasn't until the mid-20th century that Middle Eastern Jews arrived to add their own contributions to the Canadian Jewish mosaic. The often quiet history of Sephardic contributions to Jewish culture—not just in Canada, but in Israel, the United States and elsewhere as well—is the focus of a new book and digital-preservation project called Sephardi Voices, spearheaded by Henry Green, a professor of Judaic and religious studies at the University of Miami and the founding director of the Jewish Museum of Florida. In partnership with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, we invited Green to share stories and insight into the Sephardi world in Canada and beyond for the first-ever live virtual taping of Bonjour Chai. Plus, we get to know Mohammed Hashim, the executive director of the CRRF, who outlines his organization's work, paths toward a more comfortable dialogue between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine Canadians, and what his favourite kosher restaurant is. Later, David and Ilana actor-splain why Jewish representation matters in film and television, and what it was like working on Jewish theatre shows this year. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 28 Feb 2025 | Two Rights Make a Wrong | 00:39:56 | |
For decades, it has been broadly accepted in the Jewish community that Meir Kahane—founder of the Jewish Defense League, accused terrorist in Israel and the United States, ultra-nationalist character—is an extremist outlier whose ideas are decidedly not mainstream. And yet, because ultra-nationalism is in vogue again, perhaps it was only a matter of time until Kahanism picked up steam on social media. In this week's episode of Bonjour Chai, hosts Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy focus on influencer Lizzy Savetsky's controversial post in support of Meir Kahane—and how the lifestyle content creator, like others in her field, have pivoted towards hardline pro-Israel advocacy post-Oct. 7. How seriously should we take their endorsements? Or should we be more worried about the mainstreaming of fringe ideas? Turning abroad, the hosts then speak with Till van Rahden, a professor of German and European studies at the Université de Montréal and the author of Jews and other Germans: Civil Society, Religious Diversity and Urban Politics in Breslau, 1860 to 1925, about similar pro-nationalist trends in Germany. He sheds light on the recent German elections and the rise of the Alternative for Deutschland party, including its evolution from a conservative group to a radical right-wing entity, raising concerns of neo-Nazi affiliations. Credits
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| 11 Aug 2022 | Shvitzing in August | 00:35:17 | |
With David on honeymoon and Ilana off camping, we're taking a break from our usual programming. Instead, with ever-more natural disasters and heat waves striking across the world this summer, we wanted to re-air an interview we did last year with acclaimed climate activist Tzeporah Berman about the intersection of Judaism and climate activism. Also, you'll hear Ilana's extended interview with the boys from Yidlife Crisis, who she wrote about in her column earlier this month. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 17 Feb 2022 | Parliamentary Cop | 00:43:12 | |
Last weekend, acclaimed Canadian director Ivan Reitman passed away at 75. The director of such 1980s classic comedies as Ghostbusters, Meatballs and Stripes was not only one of the most prominent and influential Jewish Canadians in Hollywood, but an integral part of the Canadian film industry, whose name and impact has become synonymous with the Toronto International Film Festival. Len Blum, Reitman's longtime friend and screenwriting collaborator, joins to discuss the late filmmaker's work, his deep Jewish heritage and how his family's background as Holocaust survivors led him to the career that would make him famous. Plus, the hosts discuss how former Bonjour Chai host Melissa Lantsman is making international headlines for clashing with Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 30 Sep 2021 | Truth Before Reconciliation | 00:54:00 | |
On the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Canadians have an opportunity to reflect on the brutal history and treatment of Indigenous people in the country. What can the Canadian Jewish community do to work toward reconciliation with Indigenous people? Do we have a unique obligation to advocate for the cause? To answer these questions, we're joined by Deborah Corber, head of Corber Consulting, whose work has focused on government relations with the Indigenous community for more than 25 years. Related Reading
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 22 Sep 2022 | If the Teshuvah Fits | 01:09:15 | |
As we stand on the cusp of the year 5783, we're getting ready to reflect on our own lives and actions—and the hosts of our weekly current affairs podcast Bonjour Chai thought, hey, why not do the same thing on air? Were our topics just and proper? Did our opinions prove themselves right? Will Bonjour Chai be inscribed in the Book of Life? From Indigenous issues to post-pandemic synagogue numbers, the Ukrainians the world couldn't stop talking about to the Uyghurs the world forgot about, on this self-reflective episode we recap the best and worst of Canadian Jewry in the year 5782, as heard through the ears of Bonjour Chai listeners. Plus, we're kicking off our first annual Sermon Slam. Listeners have been nominating their rabbis, who've been sending us their best sermons of the past year; you'll hear them all, and the winner will be decided between the hosts and audience votes—so email bonjour@thecjn.ca to cast yours. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 25 Aug 2023 | Everybody Nose | 00:44:45 | |
Last week, Phoebe Maltz Bovy—who, when she's not co-hosting Bonjour Chai, can be found writing for the opinion pages of the _Globe and Mail—_penned a column for the national newspaper about a sexist backlash ongoing in Israel. The nation's emboldened religious right wing is rising up in a sort of antifeminist movement that has struck at the heart of what many fear is happening to the Jewish homeland: that its liberal-democratic core is crumbling under the weight of a burgeoning theocracy. She and Avi debate this framing, and how Israel can navigate the tricky line between personal freedoms and a right to religiously comfortable spaces—including segregation. After that, they tackle the question on everybody's nose: was it offensive for Bradley Cooper to wear an oversized prosthetic schnoz to play Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming film Maestro? Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. | |||
| 02 Jun 2022 | Sally Priesand's Semicentennial | 00:53:49 | |
It was almost 50 years ago today, on June 3, 1972, that Sally Priesand broke ground as the first-ever female rabbi ordained in North America. But still, even half a century later, rabbis who happen to be women face different expectations, treatment and discrimination than their male counterparts. To talk about what's changed, what hasn't and what life is like as a female rabbi, we've assembled a panel for a special hour-long discussion the subject. What's changed in the last 50 years? What hasn't? How do congregations of different denominations react? What work still needs to be done? To examine these issues, we have three experts from across the country: Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, Canada's first and longest-serving female Rabbi in Canada, who was ordained in 1983; Rabba Rachel Kohl Finegold, the first Orthodox Jewish woman to serve as synagogue clergy in Canada; and Rabbi Ilana Krygier Lapides, an independent, non-denominational rabbi in Calgary. What we talked about
Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 02 Dec 2022 | The Ballroom in the Kiddush Room | 00:40:30 | |
The idea of inhabiting and playing with an identity you usually don't exhibit isn't new to Judaism, with many aspects of Jewish identity being more fluid than labels can contain. Jews can easily put on masks to pass in mainstream society, becoming less Jewish if we choose. But there are always spaces to maintain our identity, from synagogues to schools—places where we allow all aspects of our identity breathe. It's not that different from how a queer person code-switches from the wider world to a drag brunch or gay bar—all of which are worlds very familiar to Sam Brown, a non-binary drag queen and performer, who's also a member of the queer and Jewish communities in Calgary. As details of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs continue to emerge, in which an attacker killed five people at a popular LGBT bar, we're airing an interview David Sklar conducted with Brown during Pride Week in the summer. After that, David and Ilana break down the biggest news stories that have been on their minds, including how misinformation spreads on social media, the role of Birthright trips and the future of Jewish philanthropy. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 24 Feb 2022 | Ukraine is Not Weak | 00:48:34 | |
Ukraine has one of the largest Jewish populations in the world. But as Russia invades the Eastern European nation this week, the country's Jews—as they so often find themselves—are getting caught in the middle. Within 24 hours of the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared his intention to "de-Nazify" Ukraine, despite Ukraine having a Jewish president and being a generally safe country for Jews. Meanwhile, Jews in Ukrainian cities like Uman worry the war may exacerbate pre-existing tensions between the local Hasidic community and their non-Jewish neighbours. Yet in the broader scheme of things, any aftershocks for Jews—and even Ukraine itself—may simply be incidental to Putin's long-term plan, which is to recapture the glory, and territory, of the former Soviet Union. To help understand the Jewish component to the ongoing conflict, as well as how Israel fits into all this, we're joined by two guests of Jewish Russian descent: Semyon Dovzhik (@semyondovzhik), a freelance journalist in Toronto, and Ruty Korotaev (@rutykorotaev), a graduate student at the Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, who specializes in Russian media and disinformation. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 15 Jul 2021 | The journey to becoming Rivkush | 00:30:05 | |
Rivka "Rivkush" Campbell, a Jew of Jamaican descent, has been one of Canada's most vocal Jews of colour. As a co-founder of Jews of Colour Canada, as well as a new podcaster with The CJN Podcast Network (listen to the trailer here), Rivkush is focused on making the voices of JOCs heard in the mainstream Canadian Jewish community on subjects beyond race and identity politics. But she wasn't always an activist, and her work has changed a lot in the past year. Rivkush joins Ilana for a special one-on-one conversation about why she decided to start her organization, the work she's doing on diversity in the Jewish community and why JOCs need to be included in broader dialogues. Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. | |||