The CJN Daily with Ellin Bessner (The CJN Podcast Network)
Explore every episode of The CJN Daily with Ellin Bessner
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
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| 14 Jul 2022 | How Yukon’s tiny Jewish community is surviving the worst wildfires in a generation | 00:16:34 | |
Rick Karp and his fellow Jewish Yukoners have spent the past week carefully monitoring the ongoing wildfires that are raging through their territory. There have been more than 240 forest fires in the Yukon this year, including 182 burning right now—the most in a generation, and five times more than last year—all because of lighting strikes and abnormally hot weather. There were evacuation notices and even advisories from the government last week asking people not to travel in or to the Yukon. Major highways have been closed, which also means trucks can't deliver food on their usual schedules. It's a significant danger for those choosing to live in the North. In that time, Karp, the longtime head of the Yukon's Jewish Cultural Society, has been working on community projects for the territory's 38 Jews. In addition to building a new website, one of his biggest challenges is getting Whitehorse to host the city's first-ever Jewish Heritage Month. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, Karp joins to share his plans to make that happen—and what the future of the Yukon's small Jewish community looks like. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Production assistance by Gabrielle Nadler and YuZhu Mou. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 07 Apr 2025 | Why 72% of police-reported hate crimes in Canada remain unsolved | 00:26:12 | |
Today, on Monday April 7, the human rights advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada is set to release its annual antisemitism audit, tracking what’s likely to be another record level of online hate speech, graffiti, threats, arson and gunshots targeting Canada’s Jewish community. Last year, the group revealed its highest ever tally: 5,791 incidents happened in 2023–double the year before. And while those numbers may seen surprisingly high, they did come during the surge in antisemitism on Canadian shores after Oct. 7. But experts say that number doesn’t tell the whole story. A new Statistics Canada report on hate crimes handled by Canadian police–4,777 total, including 900 hate crimes against Jews—contains some disturbing findings. According to the data, 72 percent of all hate crimes didn’t get solved in 2023, and more than half of all alleged suspects are known to police as repeat offenders. If there is any good news in the new report, Statistics Canada says that no one got hurt, in the vast majority of hate crimes against Jews in recent years, or 90 percent. Many were crimes of mischief against property, including synagogues and other Jewish community buildings. So what do the numbers mean, and what message should Canadian Jews be demanding of politicians, law enforcement and the courts? On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we’re joined by two of Canada’s leading experts on police-reported hate crimes: from Statistics Canada, Warren Silver—himself a former Montreal police officer—and Mark Sandler, a criminal lawyer who chairs the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism. Related links
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| 22 Feb 2024 | Pro-Israel 'bloody pants' protests are popping up across Canada. Here's what they mean | 00:25:36 | |
On Jan. 30, a striking piece of pop-up theatre was staged near Vancouver’s art gallery. A man dressed as a Hamas militant marched a woman in a white top and grey sweatpants down the street—her hands tied together, her crotch blood-stained (with dye, not real blood). Behind them was a placard: “This is what free Palestine looks like.” It was a re-enactment of one of the most infamous videos shot on Oct. 7, in which Hamas terrorists kidnapped an Israeli teenager and stuffed her into a black jeep. The video fuelled widespread speculation that the young woman had been sexually abused by Hamas terrorists. The Vancouver protest was the initiative of Nonviolent Opposition Against Hate (NOAH), a fledgling organization created by two Israeli expats that aims to counteract the louder anti-Israel voices in British Columbia’s largest cities. Those organizers are not alone—other groups have staged similar protests, including one organization called Canadians for Israel, in Toronto, which on Feb. 14 held a street side re-enactment of the same Hamas incident. While the Toronto's event's stated goal is to call attention to the female hostages still believed to be in captivity in Gaza, and pressure the federal government to do more to demand the hostages' immediate release, the group on the West Coast aims to warn Canadians that Hamas's message represents real danger for all Jews around the world. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, NOAH co-founder Asaf Arad explains why he personally dressed up like a Hamas terrorist and marched in Vancouver to make the powerful statement. What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 02 Jan 2024 | This 96-year-old Canadian is moving to Israel in the middle of the war, as have hundreds of Jews | 00:33:24 | |
Israel’s government says 45,000 new immigrants came to live in the Holy Land in 2023, including over 720 alone who landed since Oct. 7–when Hamas terrorists attacked and slaughtered 1,200 Israeli residents and took 240 others hostage. Among the newcomers is Irving Matlow, 96, a well-known member of Toronto’s Jewish community, who may be among the oldest people ever to make Aliyah. Matlow has been deeply attached to the State of Israel since he grew up in a Zionist home in Toronto, the son of Jewish immigrants from Belarus. In 1948, while studying for his business degree at the University of Toronto, he left Canada and snuck into Israel to fight for a year in the Israel War of Independence. Now, 75 years later, the widower's personal gesture of support for the country he helped found comes as Israel is engaged in a similar existential war of survival, although Matlow is long past the days of putting on a uniform. On today’s episode, we’ll speak to Matlow just before his plane lands in Tel Aviv, plus you’ll meet other Canadians who’ve permanently moved to Israel in recent weeks–despite the war, or maybe, even partly because of it: Montreal schoolteacher Laurence Ittah, and Victoria B.C. bakers Moshe and Leah Appel and their children. What we talked about
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 15 Jun 2021 | Coping with loss and optimism: One Chabad rabbi's reflections on COVID | 00:11:20 | |
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, died on June 13, 1994. Each year, to commemorate his death, his Chabad followers visit Scheerson’s gravesite outside New York—it's known as the Ohel—where they leave letters and prayer notes for him. This year, a large celebration features guest speaker Elie Wiesel’s son, Elisha, and a musical performance by Itzhak Perlman. One prominent Canadian Chabad leader yearned to go. But due to COVID restrictions, Rabbi Mendel Kaplan of the Thornhill Flamingo congregation spent the day on this side of the border, teaching and spreading his beloved rebbe’s wisdom—virtually, on YouTube. Rabbi Kaplan joins today to talk about how the myriad ways the pandemic has affected him and his congregants, including how he and his family caught COVID last year, and how he turns to the Rebbe's words for inspiration in what will soon be a post-pandemic world. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 08 Jan 2024 | Toronto police chief apologizes after officer carries Tim Hortons coffee for anti-Israel protesters | 00:29:39 | |
After weeks of Palestinians staging anti-Israel protests on Canadian streets—even going so far as to take over highway overpasses in the Toronto area—on Jan. 6, uniformed Toronto police officers were filmed handing over a large Tim Hortons coffee container and cups and snacks to some protesters blockading a Jewish neighbourhood at Avenue Rd. and Wilson Ave. After the video went viral, the Toronto police later explained they did not provide the coffee to the protesters themselves, but were rather “managing a dynamic situation” by handing it over on behalf of some other protesters who had brought it but weren’t being permitted back inside the protest zone. Nevertheless, the gesture has touched off strong feelings, coming just days after a Jewish-owned deli in Toronto was set on fire—and after months ofhundreds of Palestinian protests: including taking over shopping malls, vandalizing bookstores and Jewish businesses, including setting fire at a Jewish grocery store. Community members want answers on why Toronto police are permitting these overpass protests— protests that even the Ontario solicitor general, who lives in the area, calls “intimidation and harassment”. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we try to find out why no one is stopping the protests, with guests Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, who is in charge of Ontario’s public safety and policing, and Toronto city councillor James Pasternak. Also with special guest Lila Sarick, The CJN’s News Editor. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 01 Mar 2023 | The only Mikvah between Vancouver and Calgary opens in Kelowna, B.C. | 00:17:50 | |
For years, Fraidy Hecht of Kelowna, B.C., had to go to great lengths each month to fulfil the ancient requirement for religious Jewish women to immerse themselves in a ritual bath known as a mikvah. In the summers, Hecht could use the nearby lake, in a pinch; but in winter, it meant a five-hour road trip to Vancouver to find a mikvah—not just time-consuming, but occasionally treacherous when the weather is bad. For the past 14 months, Chabad synagogues in several small Jewish communities across North America—including Kelowna, and also Saskatoon and Regina—have been fundraising in a joint campaign called “Bring Mikvah Home.” Kelowna’s is the first one ready. Last week, the Hechts officially inaugurated the new ritual bath with a ceremony and dinner for donors and members on Feb. 21. On The CJN Daily, we’re joined today by Rabbi Shmuly Hecht, Fraidy’s husband, who explains why their mikvah is open to all the estimated 500 Jews in the Okanagan Valley area—not just Chabad members. What we talked about:
_ _Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 30 May 2024 | What this Canadian-Palestinian peace activist wants you to know about life after Oct. 7 | 00:28:52 | |
Yafa Sakkejha was named after the city of Jaffa, where, until 1948, her Palestinian grandparents lived and owned property and managed orange groves. Sakkejha’s mother grew up in East Jerusalem, but left the country during the First Intifada in the late 1980s. Sakkejha, who was born and raised in Toronto, feels deep pain over the devastation that has resulted from Oct. 7—not just for the Palestinian people and her own relatives still living in the war zone, but also for the Israeli victims, hostages and Canadian Jews facing antisemitism. Which is why Sakkejha is now taking an active role in an Israeli peace-building initiative called Friends of Standing Together. It’s a branch of the original organization founded in 2015 by Israelis–both Jews and Palestinians living in Israel–to work for peace, civil and human rights, and security for both sides. Since the war began, Standing Together has focused on calls to end the fighting. Yafa Sakkejha joins The CJN Daily to speak about her personal experiences since Oct. 7, and what she wants her Jewish neighbours to understand. What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 27 Nov 2024 | Fighting antisemitism—and loving Star Trek—were Henry Wolfond’s rocket fuel to reach outer space | 00:21:42 | |
It lasted just over 10 minutes, but on Nov. 22, Henry Wolfond became an astronaut. The Canadian business executive is still processing what it means to have fulfilled his lifelong dream, having flown out as a paying tourist aboard a commercial spaceship operated by Blue Origin, owned by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos. During this journey—which took Wolfond and five others roughly 106 kilometres into the sky—Wolfond pinned a yellow ribbon for the Israeli hostages onto his space suit, and carried “Bring Them Home Now” dog tags and other Jewish gear with him, (as well as his granddaughter's Taylor Swift bracelets.) While blasting off on the Blue Origin program, Wolfond reflected on his own family’s origins—how his ancestors escaped pogroms in Tsarist Russia, and how members of his wife’s family perished in the Holocaust. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Wolfond explains how he returned to terra firma with a reinvigorated mission: to help end modern-day antisemitism in a post-Oct. 7 world. Related links
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| 18 Feb 2025 | The Netherlands released the names of 425,000 suspected Nazi collaborators. Why won't Canada do the same? | 00:38:33 | |
On Feb. 10, the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada published its decision on whether Library and Archives Canada was justified to block the release of the full, un-redacted 1986 report on suspected Nazi war criminals and collaborators who came to Canada after the Second World War. The government archives department claims it can't release everything, because Canada received some key information after the war from an allied foreign government—who wouldn't like it published, even all these years later—and doing so could jeopardize Canada's international relations. Plus, releasing RCMP file numbers could be dangerous. The OIC ruling suggested that B'nai Brith Canada, who has been lobbying for decades to unlock the Canada's murky wartime immigration policies, should take the case to the Federal Court of Canada. And that's just what B'nai Brith Canada has done. On Jan. 21, lawyers for the Jewish human rights group filed documents asking for a judicial review of keeping the so-called "Deschenes Report" secret. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, we're joined by Sam Goldstein, former legal counsel to B'nai Brith Canada, and by historian and author Howard Margolian, a former war crimes investigator who thinks Canada let in relatively few hardcore Nazis back then—but wants the names released as well as their entire case files. Related links
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| 24 May 2023 | What are the Jewish themes on the ballot in Alberta’s election? | 00:23:00 | |
On May 29, Albertans will go to the polls in an election that will either return sitting Premier Danielle Smith of the United Conservative Party for a full second term, or turf her in favour of former premier Rachel Notley, who ran Alberta under an NDP government from 2015 to 2019. Smith was sworn in just seven months ago in October 2022, after the resignation of her predecessor, Jason Kenney. She’d already been in politics for years, but even outside of that realm, she has never shied away from voicing her opinions, writing columns for the Calgary Herald before her political career and hosting a talk radio show since 2015. In recent years, some of Smith’s comments have outraged Jewish groups, especially the Calgary Jewish Federation, B’nai Brith and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center. She has posted links from her blog to antisemitic websites and has likened people who took COVID vaccines to the followers of Hitler. Smith has apologized for those remarks, but the impact still reverberates. She’s also been dogged by a slew of other controversies: a UCP candidate compared transgender people to feces; a Muslim multiculturalism advisor was found to have posted antisemitic comments on social media; and, on May 18, Smith herself was found to have breached the government’s conflict of interest ethics. She tried to influence criminal proceedings against an anti-COVID protestor convicted of blockading the Canadian border at Coutts during the truckers’ convoy in February 2022. Observers feel the election is too close to call because the outcome depends heavily on which party wins key ridings in and around Calgary and Edmonton. So The CJN Daily assembled a trio of commentators to weigh in on the 31st Albertan election: in Calgary, Maxine Fischbein, a Jewish community leader and journalist; from Edmonton, Abe Silverman, a Holocaust survivor who is also B’nai Brith’s regional representative; and Laurence Abbott, a former Beth Shalom synagogue president who is a professor at the University of Alberta. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 02 Aug 2022 | For nearly 40 years, Benjamin’s funeral home foundation has been keeping 10% of charity donations—until a family sued | 00:15:28 | |
When their only child, Liam, died in January 2022, Jeanne and Raziel Zisman of Toronto had to book a funeral quickly—Jewish law states a burial should happen as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours. Liam was 19. The Zismans, distraught and emotional, met virtually with a representative from Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel, the country's biggest Jewish funeral home, to make arrangements. Among their services, Benjamin's offered them the use of the Benjamin Foundation, a charity arm of the company that collects donations in the name of the deceased and transfers the money later, to a charity of the family's choosing. What's only in the fine print, however, is that Benjamin's Foundation keeps 10 per cent of the money for administrative purposes. It's been this way for nearly 40 years. In the past decade alone, Benjamin's has routed more than $3 million through this foundation to charities—and quietly deducted 10 per cent of that. That's a higher percentage than many other charities, particularly many Jewish ones. When the Zismans found out, they set off on a lengthy legal battle. The case is still ongoing in provincial court, but on July 27, the Zismans won a small victory: the regulatory body that oversees funeral homes in Ontario sided with the grieving family, ordering Benjamin's to release all funds—including the 10 per cent fee—to the charities, and mandated the company to make their fee structure more transparent on their website and in contracts and in conversations with clients. On today's CJN Daily, the Zismans joins to talk about their son and their legal struggles, and you'll also hear Benjamin's side of the story. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Production assistance by Gabrielle Nadler and YuZhu Mou. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 09 Apr 2024 | Anthony Housefather explains why he didn’t quit the Liberals—and what he’ll do next | 00:18:48 | |
Show notes Mount Royal’s Member of Parliament, Anthony Housefather, has made headlines for the past three weeks for publicly mulling over whether to quit the governing Liberal party. He found himself torn after being one of just three members of his own party to reject an anti-Israel motion held in Parliament on March 18. But late on Friday, April 5, Housefather announced he will be staying a Liberal after all. Why? It’s partly because he says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to doing even more to fight the rampant antisemitism in Canada since Oct. 7—and expects Housefather to play an important new role. The exact details will be formally announced sometime before Passover, he tells The CJN. He will likely work together with Canada’s special envoy on combatting antisemitism, Deborah Lyons, to tackle the relentless anti-Israel street protests replete with hateful language that have become regular events. He also wants to find better ways to help Jews feel safer, especially at Jewish buildings and on university campuses. Housefather joins The CJN Daily to explain why he made his choice, and what pushback he’s been receiving from Jewish voters and others who felt he should jump to the Conservatives because of that party’s stronger support for Israel. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 23 Aug 2021 | KlezKanada and Ashkenaz Festival: How Zoom is helping to revive Jewish folk music in Canada | 00:14:15 | |
KlezKanada and the Ashkenaz Festival are some of the largest Jewish and Yiddish arts celebrations in North America, and both are being held mostly virtually this year because of COVID-19. As the pandemic has upended cultural events around the country, so too has it forced these two renowned annual celebrations to figure out new ways to reach fans of Yiddish and Jewish culture. Despite the hurdles, both events are gearing up for innovative programs this year, and organizers from KlezKanada have even said their audiences have grown in 2021, because technology has swung open their doors beyond geography. On today's episode, we’ll hear from the artistic director of Ashkenaz and the executive director of KlezKanada about what to expect this year from both festivals. Plus, the host of Winnipeg’s Jewish radio hour joins to explain why she feels the pandemic may have actually saved Yiddish music. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 25 May 2021 | Catching up on the Sherman murder mystery | 00:11:57 | |
Three and a half years have passed since the bodies of Barry and Honey Sherman were found dead in their Toronto home. They'd been posed in a macabre position and tied to the railing of their basement swimming pool. The mysterious deaths of the Canadian Jewish billionaire couple shocked the country—and especially the Jewish community, where they had been influential fundraisers and donated millions over the years. Kevin Donovan, a reporter with the Star, joins to speak about his ongoing investigation into the unsolved murders. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 14 Jun 2021 | Irwin Cotler: Canada needs action, not words, to combat anti-Semitism | 00:11:54 | |
Canadian Jewish groups have been pushing the federal government for weeks to create a national emergency summit on anti-Semitism. The calls follow spikes in angry anti-Israel protests around the country in the wake of the latest violent flare-ups in the Middle East, as well as an outpouring of online hatred that extends beyond anti-Zionism and into anti-Semitism. Late last Friday afternoon, Bardish Chagger, Canada’s Minister of Diversity and Inclusion, confirmed that Canada will in fact hold a national summit on hatred against Jews. At the helm will be Irwin Cotler, the distinguished Canadian Jewish human rights lawyer and advocate, who says he has been working for some time on what such a summit might look like. Now his project has been greenlit. What comes next? What subjects will it tackle? And who will attend? To answer these questions, Cotler joins The CJN Daily in part one of an exclusive two-part interview. Our second episode, in which Cotler discusses the new Israeli government and its implications for Canada, will air later this week. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 05 Dec 2022 | Freedom Convoy spokesman Benjamin Dichter takes us behind the scenes of the three weeks that paralyzed Ottawa | 00:27:56 | |
Benjamin Dichter rose to fame as a spokesperson for the Freedom Convoy that swarmed Ottawa earlier this year. Since then, the Toronto resident and part-time trucker has become a known quantity in conservative and right-wing media circles, appearing on Tucker Carlson's Fox News program and Steven Crowder's YouTube show. He's even earned an endorsement from Jordan Peterson for his new self-published book, Honking for Freedom: The Trucker Convoy that Gave us Hope. In the book, Dichter calls the protest a success because most provinces—and eventually the federal government—did lift their COVID vaccine mandates, and Ottawa got rid of the controversial ArriveCan app, albeit many months after the trucks left the capital. But Dichter is still feeling the ramifications of his involvement with the convoy, including how the federal government unleashed the rarely used Emergencies Act to freeze his and other key protesters' bank accounts. Plus, there's a massive lawsuit launched against the convoy leaders by residents of downtown Ottawa. Underlying his story is the fact that Dichter wasn't just the convoy spokesperson—he's also their biggest Jewish representative. In this extensive interview with The CJN Daily, Dichter explains his decision to reveal his Jewish identity publicly and how the convoy organizers felt about Nazi imagery in their protests. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 22 Mar 2022 | This 67-year-old Ukrainian widow journeyed by bus, train, foot and plane to find safety in her new home: Winnipeg | ||
Valentyna Agapova hid in a bomb shelter for four days before making her escape. The 67-year-old hairdresser and widow, trapped in Ukraine after Russia invaded, subsequently went on a 1,000-kilometre trek by bus, train and foot to reach the Polish border from her apartment in the Zaporizhzhia area. She didn't live far from Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, which came under attack early in the war. Her ultimate destination was Winnipeg, where her son lives with his wife and children. They immigrated to Canada in 2017 as part of a Federation program called GrowWinnipeg, which has been bringing Jewish families to the city for more than 25 years. Now, with the help of a federal program that fast-tracks Ukrainian immigrants to stay in Canada for up to three years, Agapova is hopeful that she won't have to return to her war-torn country ever again, while she works on setting down roots in her new home. Agapova, her daughter-in-law and a translator join to help share Agapova's remarkable story of survival and escape that finally brought her to Winnipeg just two weeks ago. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 13 Dec 2022 | From architects to Olympians: A winter roundup of the recently deceased | 00:16:45 | |
It's the fifth edition of Honourable Menschen, The CJN Daily's recurring segment reflecting on some of the noteworthy Jewish Canadians who've passed away in recent months. As always, retired CJN reporter Ron Csillag joins the program to walk us through their accomplishments and legacies. Today, we're commemorating five remarkable lives: Cynthia Gasner, a community activist and longtime writer for The CJN; Mark Mendelson, one of Canada's most successful fundraisers for Israel-based institutions; John Daniels and Jack Diamond, a pair of architects who changed the landscape of Toronto; and Murray Waxman, an acclaimed basketball player who represented Canada on the global stage. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 05 Jul 2023 | Google, Facebook vow to block Canadian news after Bill C-18: What it means for The CJN and you | 00:29:29 | |
It’s an uncertain time for the future of journalism in Canada. Bell Media announced layoffs and closed radio stations; Postmedia and the Toronto Star’s parent company are talking about merging; and Google and Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, threatened to block Canadian news from their platforms because of an ongoing feud with the federal government. That move leaves Canadians, including The CJN’s audience, in danger of having less access to vital information about our world, and threatens the country’s journalism industry as a whole—which relies heavily on visibility on social platforms and search engines to reach our audiences. So what does the future hold, and how will it impact what you can read, hear and watch? We’ve assembled a panel of experts to break it all down and offer tips for what you can do while the dust settles. On The CJN Daily, we’re joined by three key players in the country’s media landscape: Paul Godfrey, the former executive chairman and founder of Postmedia; Yoni Goldstein, the CEO and editor in chief of The CJN; and author Jeffrey Dvorkin, currently a lecturer at Massey College in Toronto, who has formerly been the head of CBC Radio and the ombudsman at NPR. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane (@jesterschest on Twitter).Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 06 Jul 2022 | 'A better Canada because of him': Tributes pour in at the funeral for renowned historian Irving Abella | 00:12:36 | |
On today's episode of The CJN Daily, we're taking a look at the life of Irving Abella, the acclaimed historian who died on July 3, 2022, at 82, after battling a long illness. His funeral was held two days later at Beth Tzedec synagogue in Toronto. Abella was a history professor who taught for decades at York University, though he may best be remembered for co-authoring None Is Too Many with Harold Troper in 1983. In the book, they proved how Canada’s government during the Second World War deliberately turned away desperate Jews fleeing Nazi Germany—a narrative that was kept secret for decades afterward. He later headed up the Canadian Jewish Congress during the 1990s. He pushed Canada to pursue and penalize Nazi war criminals, and his advocacy work led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to issue an apology to Canadian Jews for Canada turning away the hundreds of European refugees aboard the MS St. Louis in 1939. Today you'll hear clips of Abella's funeral, including eulogies from his children Zachary and Jacob (JJ) and Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, who share heartfelt, intimate, laudatory stories of a private man who ran things at home while his wife, Rosalie Abella, served for 17 years as the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 18 May 2022 | Why does sexual abuse in Orthodox communities go unreported and unpunished? | 00:19:55 | |
Za’akah, an organization that helps survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community, recently posted on social media about the arrest of an elderly Quebec rabbi who was charged with sex crimes against a minor that date back 25 years. With a publication ban on the complainant's name, we can’t reveal too many details at this time, except to confirm that there was an arrest warrant issued two years ago and the man was picked up at around Passover 2022 in Toronto. The announcement came just weeks before The CJN published an essay by Lorie Wolfe, a musician in Toronto who decided to go public accusing a doctor of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. In both cases, the accused men wound up not at a police station, but a beit din—the rabbinical court that handles matters in a quieter fashion. Wolfe's abuser paid a fine and continued to practise medicine for 15 years; the Quebec rabbi, who spent time as an educator in Montreal, was reportedly told to simply leave Canada for Israel—which he did, in fact, do. To dissect the persistent problems facing the Orthodox community, and discuss the aftermath of the now-infamous Chaim Walder case, we're joined by Asher Lovy, the director of Za'akah, and Ariella Kay, a case manager for the organization and one of their social media producers. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 18 Apr 2022 | Canada might ban Holocaust denial. Here's why that probably won't curtail antisemitism | ||
Canada's most recent budget earmarks $70 million dollars for the Jewish community, with a specific focus on fighting antisemitism and Holocaust denial. Millions of dollars are designated for educational projects like Holocaust museums. But way down, on page 275, is a promise that essentially makes Holocaust denial outright illegal. The move would see Canada join 17 other countries that have already banned Holocaust denial, including France, Belgium and, of course, Israel. But the arguments against criminalizing Holocaust denial are myriad. The United States and United Kingdom don’t for fears it would impinge on freedom of expression. Canadian columnists have argued singling out Jews for special treatment could have the opposite effect, sparking more antisemitic conspiracies. Meanwhile, in countries that have outlawed it—again, France and Belgium—antisemitism still runs rampant. To break down its meaning, we're joined by Belle Jarniewski, executive director of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada in Winnipeg and director of the Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre. She helps break down the bill and argues that any legislation is toothless without a core ingredient: Holocaust education. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 01 Feb 2022 | Justin Trudeau’s chief policy advisor, the highest-ranking Jewish woman in the PMO, has stepped down | 00:16:11 | |
Marci Surkes has been called the air traffic controller of the Prime Minister's Office. For the last two years, it's been her job to make sure all the cabinet ministers carried out their mandates and oversee which new laws got introduced to Parliament. She oversaw all major Liberal government policies, from the COVID-19 response to Truth and Reconciliation and everything related to Judaism and antisemitism. That ended last week, after Marci Surkes stepped down as chief policy advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She had to, she says, for personal reasons—mostly because of demanding hours, pandemic stress and working six days a week. (She would take Shabbat off.) Given her role in helping shape the prime minister's relationship with Canada's Jewish community, her departure will be felt in Ottawa and beyond. She joins The CJN Daily podcast to pull the curtain back on her time in the PMO, including her handiwork on last summer's antisemitism summit and how she handled Jewish organizations lobbying her on community issues. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 16 May 2022 | Sexually assaulted by a doctor at 17, Lorie Wolf slams rabbis for sending her away with just a cheque | ||
When Lorie Wolf was a student at TanenbaumCHAT high school, her doctor sexually assaulted her. She was 17; he was in his 50s. She visited his office alone one weekend to inquire about her acne problem, and she left with trauma, pain and a secret she would hold onto for years. Only after her parents read her secret diary, five years after the fact, did the family take action—but instead of going to the police, they went to an Orthodox Jewish rabbinical court. The doctor, Leon Herman, admitted to the crime, but got off with a fine. He kept practising medicine for another 15 years. Only after years of therapy and the #MeToo movement did Wolf decide to speak out. She launched legal proceedings against Herman, but struggled to navigate the court system during a pandemic—and the case ended up withdrawn. She has now decided to go fully public with the story, detailing the case and her experience in a deeply personal essay for The CJN. She joins The CJN Daily today to share her story, express frustration over how the Jewish community reacted and explain how she hopes her story can inspire other survivors of sexual assault to speak out. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 01 May 2024 | How 3rd grader Daniel Marquez became a world JewQ champion—beating thousands of Hebrew school students | 00:23:54 | |
The youngest child traditionally asks the Four Questions at Passover. But Daniel Marquez, 8, of Mississauga, Ont., could probably have answered all the questions by himself: the Grade 3 student won the 2024 JewQ competition, an annual tournament of Jewish knowledge hosted by Chabad. Marquez hoisted his trophy onstage during a live game show on April 7–held an hour away from the Lubavitch movement’s headquarters in Brooklyn. To reach that point, he had to beat around 4,000 Chabad Sunday school kids from 25 countries during local, regional and national playoffs. It’s an especially remarkable achievement for Daniel because this is his first year of formal Jewish education. His twin brother, David Marquez, also attends the Miriam Robbins Chabad Hebrew School in Mississauga—and he also made it to the JewQ finals, winning a gold medal. A third pupil from the same school, Sofia Mejia Perfiliev, 13, took home gold in her older age group. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, host Ellin Bessner meets the three Canadian scholars and their teacher Sara Slavin—then tries to answer some of their quiz questions, with surprising results. Listen and play along to ask yourself: do you know Jewish better than a third grader? What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 11 Sep 2023 | On the ground of Morocco’s earthquake, a Canadian survives—while Montreal’s community mobilizes | 00:27:25 | |
As rescue efforts continue in Morocco to find survivors of Friday’s powerful earthquake, the disaster is also affecting Canada’s significant community of Moroccan Jews—especially those based in Montreal. As of Sunday night, more than 2,100 people were killed in the 6.8-magnitude quake, while at least 2,400 have been seriously injured. The quake hit hardest in the remote villages of the Atlas Mountains, southeast of Marrakesh, although it was also felt as far as Casablanca to the north. Before Canadian Jewish relief efforts kick into high gear Monday, _The CJN Daily _caught up with a young engineer from Toronto who was staying in Marrakesh when the quake hit. Seth Davis, 25, and his girlfriend, count themselves lucky to be unscathed. They were set to make their way home to Canada on Monday. Davis joins host Ellin Bessner on _The CJN Daily _to describe what he saw. After that, you’ll hear from Montrealers Avraham Elarar, president of the Canadian Sephardi Federation, and Yair Szlak, CEO of Montreal’s Federation CJA, for local reactions. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 27 Jun 2023 | A DNA test revealed this actor wasn’t who he thought he was—so he wrote a musical about it | 00:26:45 | |
Talk about an identity crisis. For his whole life, Canadian actor Noam Tomaschoff, 31, thought he was the son of a Jewish couple with roots in Israel and Montreal. Tomaschoff went to Jewish day school, speaks Hebrew and has visited Israel. But last summer, his life changed when his parents learned he was planning to take a DNA test, for fun, while on holiday at the cottage. So they sat him down to reveal a three-decade-old secret: due to fertility problems, they used an anonymous sperm donor to conceive. The donor is no longer alive. The shocking news prompted Tomaschoff to start searching for answers. He’s since discovered his birth father’s details, including that the man was not Jewish—and Tomaschoff now has 35 half-siblings scattered around the world. Now Tomaschoff has put the experience into a new show, called Our Little Secret: The 23 & Me Musical, debuting July 6 at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Noam Tomaschoff joins The CJN Daily, along with his parents, Gideon Tomaschoff and Sylvie Leone-Tomaschoff. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 06 Aug 2024 | A Druze IDF veteran reflects on Oct. 7—and fears for the future of his community | 00:32:36 | |
Nohad Mansour, a 22-year-old combat veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, is keeping a close eye on developments back home in Israel—especially his native Druze village of Isfiya, overlooking Haifa. With the prospect of an imminent Iranian-led attack on Israel this week, the region, close to the Lebanese border, is a likely target for Hezbollah. His community is still grieving after a Hezbollah rocket exploded into a soccer field in the Druze city of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights ten days ago, killing 12 young people. But Mansour’s combat days are over for now. During his mandatory army service which ended in August 2023, the young paratrooper damaged his hearing while under fire patrolling in the West Bank. Although he insisted on returning to the field after Oct. 7—and spent time inside Gaza battling Hamas terrorists and searching for hostages—he’s now under doctor’s orders to recuperate from a diagnosis of PTSD. For the young veteran, that means an extended visit to Canada where his sister is doing her PhD, and where Mansour started telling his story to Canadian Jews. You’ll hear that story on today’s episode of The CJN Daily, including why he fought for Israel—and how he plans to continue the fight in the battlefield of public opinion. What we talked about
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| 15 May 2024 | An Israeli high schooler was beaten up in Fredericton. Her family believes it was a hate crime | 00:20:43 | |
On April 30, Shaked Tsurkan, a 14-year-old Israeli girl attending high school in New Brunswick, was followed and beaten up by an older student. It happened off school grounds during the lunch hour and other classmates gathered to watch—someone even filmed the whole thing on their phone, later posted to social media, where you can see Tsurkan getting jumped from behind, thrown to the ground and punched repeatedly. According to Shaked, her assailant is an older female Muslim student who also attends her school, Leo Hayes High School, in Fredericton. It appears the physical assault came after months of being targeted for being Israeli after she started Grade 9 in Sept. 2023, just weeks before the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. The altercation left Tsurkan with cuts, bruises and black eyes. While the school declined to share details about the incident to protect the privacy of its students, Tsurkan says her assailant was suspended from school for a week; she also says when she returned to school, she was advised to use the teachers’ private washroom for her own safety, not to walk alone and to stay inside the building between classes. Tsurkan’s parents are frustrated, because they feel local authorities are ignoring the antisemitic overtones to their daughter’s beating. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Shaked Tsurkan and her parents, Eli and Michal, share their side of the story, detailing how the war in the Middle East is playing out in their corner of Atlantic Canada. What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 01 Sep 2022 | 50 years after the Munich Olympics, Germany will finally apologize to victims' families—and a Canadian filmmaker has been sharing their story | 00:15:07 | |
This week, the families of the 11 Israeli athletes who were murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics have finally earned a formal apology by the German president, also reaching an agreement over compensation. The deal comes after months of some victims' family members threatening to boycott the 50th anniversary event, being held on Sept. 5 in Munich. The news is a relief for Francine Zuckerman, a Canadian filmmaker who spent years shooting a documentary about four women involved in the Munich massacre and its aftermath. Her film, After Munich, directly follows some of the women struggling to get exactly what the German government only now has offered: compensation and a formal apology. After Munich debuted in 2019, but because of the pandemic, it never got a global release. Now, on the eve of the tragedy's 50th anniversary, Zuckerman has been touring the world giving talks and screenings. She joins our show to discuss her film and the important lessons still being learned today. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Production assistance by Gabrielle Nadler and YuZhu Mou. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 27 Oct 2021 | Holocaust survivor Eva Olsson celebrates a very special 97th birthday—thanks to Yad Vashem | 00:12:40 | |
In the spring of 1944, Eva Olsson's family—along with the rest of her town’s Jewish population—was deported to Auschwitz. Her parents were killed, along with her brothers and all but one sister. A year later, after being moved to Bergen-Belsen, Olsson wound up liberated as the war ended, and subsequently moved to Sweden, where she met and married a Swedish man. The family ended up moving to Canada after that, where Olsson stayed silent about her wartime experience for 50 years—until a grandchild asked her to speak at their school. That was 25 years ago. Today, Olsson estimates she's shared her life story with nearly two million students, as she's become one of Canada's most recognizable and vocal survivors. She’s written a memoir, been the subject of a short documentary and has received an honorary doctorate. And this week, Olsson had to fit a special event into her busy speaking calendar. On Oct. 28, 2021—her 97th birthday—she's being honoured in an online event arranged by her neighbours in Bracebridge, Ont., together with Yad Vashem’s in Jerusalem. Olsson joins today to share her story and offer advice on how to combat rising hate, Holocaust denial and antisemitism. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 29 May 2023 | A Bathurst Manor reunion kicks off a new exhibit showcasing the postwar mostly-Jewish suburban neighbourhood of north Toronto | 00:18:17 | |
It was a trip down memory lane this weekend for hundreds of former residents of Bathurst Manor, a Toronto neighbourhood that was built starting in 1954 on the northern limit of the city. The Manor, as it's fondly known, became home to scores of Holocaust survivors and also to Canadian-born Jewish families looking for space, greenery and safety in single family homes that cost under $25,0000. It's estimated that of the 9,000 people who moved in, 7,000 were Jewish. During the pandemic, the Ontario Jewish Archives collected stories and artifacts from the generation of Baby Boomers who grew up in Bathurst Manor. And on Sunday May 28, the archives threw a block party at the Prosserman JCC to launch their new exhibit. Visitors strolled past a series of panels showing the landmarks such as The Plaza where the Dominion grocery store was (later Sunnybrook), the nearby Wilmington Park with the playground and swimming pool and tennis courts, and the Forest Valley day camp, which attracted nearly a thousand kids every summer in the ravine south of Finch Avenue West and Bathurst. Organizers and former residents tell The CJN Daily why Bathurst Manor was unique: because nearly everyone was Jewish, many spoke Yiddish, it was cut off from the rest of the city by geography, and it felt like a safe shtetl for immigrants from wartime Europe to begin new lives. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 25 Feb 2025 | Jews nationwide mourned the Bibas family this week. Here's what it sounded like | 00:27:54 | |
Some released bouquets of orange balloons. Others wore Batman costumes. Some did mitzvahs or studied Talmud. These were just some of the ways that Canada’s Jewish community came together in recent days to mourn the deaths of the two young Bibas children, Ariel and Kfir, and their mother, Shiri, who were murdered while in captivity in Gaza since Oct. 7. The official handover ceremony of the coffins carrying the boys’ remains on Feb. 20 triggered an outpouring of worldwide grief tinged with rage. That rage peaked the following morning, when news broke that Hamas had actually sent back a different body of a random Palestinian woman in lieu of the boys’ slain mother. Also returned was the body of Oded Lifshitz, 84, whose niece lives in Vancouver. His funeral is set for Tuesday at Kibbutz Nir Oz, while the Bibas family’s funeral is being held privately the next day, on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Jews around the world, including here in Canada, needed an outlet to express their deep sadness. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, host Ellin Bessner describes her own private memorial, and brings you sound from vigils that occurred coast to coast, including in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal. What we talked about:
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| 12 Dec 2024 | Calls are mounting for Ottawa to convene an urgent national forum on hate crimes, terrorism and antisemitism | 00:15:47 | |
When Canada’s first emergency summit on antisemitism was held virtually on July 21, 2021, none of the attendees could have imagined that, just a couple of years later, antisemitism would reach new heights in this country and around the world. Back then, in the aftermath of a brief conflict between Israel and Hamas, the emergency summit convened federal politicians and anti-racism officials to hear from Jewish leaders who testified about their daily realities. There was never a second emergency summit. Canadian Jewish leaders didn’t push for one, not wanting to simply hear repeated platitudes. But now, following recent riots in Montreal that saw anti-NATO and anti-Israel protesters smash windows, burn cars and throw Nazi salutes, lobbying efforts are at a fever pitch to make Summit 2.0 happen soon. However, as The CJN Daily‘s Ellin Bessner learned while attending a Jewish community town hall in Montreal this week, leaders are insisting that any such forum must be tightly focused on law enforcement, an arena where they urge Canadian agencies to staunch terrorism and crack down on hate crimes. On today’s episode, we hear from Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, the prime minister’s special advisor on the Jewish community and antisemitism; Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on combatting antisemitism and preserving Holocaust remembrance; and Richard Marceau, a vice president at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. Related links
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| 12 May 2021 | Dealing with cancelled summer camp—again | 00:09:04 | |
Camp BB Riback sits on the shores of Pine Lake, Alberta, about halfway between Edmonton and Calgary. This summer was supposed to mark the camp’s 65th anniversary. But with Alberta having the highest active-case rate of COVID-19 per capita of all provinces and territories in Canada—and as the camp itself faced ambiguity from the provincial government about whether or not they could legally open—BB Riback made the hard decision to cancel camp, lay off staff and hope some parents roll over their fees to next year. Camp director Stacy Shaikin joins to discuss how the camp is navigating this uncertain summer. In the second half of today's episode, Ellin asks: How did hundreds of TanenbaumCHAT high school families hike the length of the famous Israel National Trail in lockdown? For five months, they've been doing the Tigers Trekking Israel challenge. Participants danced, walked, did yoga and jogged—but they did it here in Canada, accumulating enough kilometers to complete the 1,000-km hike. The challenge ended Monday, on Jerusalem Day, with a grand prize of two tickets to Israel. Students Rena Zevy and Stacey Goldberg and athletics director Adam Chaim join to talk about how the idea got started. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 19 Sep 2021 | These are the 14 key Jewish ridings to watch in the election | 00:13:57 | |
The 44th Canadian election is happening Monday. Up for grabs are 14 ridings that are notable for Jewish voters, either because of their large Jewish populations or high-profile Jewish candidates. Sporting some of the highest profiles are Annamie Paul and Avi Lewis, who will try and make their marks by winning difficult seats; elsewhere, traditional battlegrounds in the Toronto area are proving to be tight races that could swing either to the Liberals or Conservatives. On today's special weekend edition of The CJN Daily, longtime CJN reporter Ron Csillag joins to walk us through the 14 ridings to watch for Jewish Canadians. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 05 Oct 2021 | What's it like to be Jewish on Canadian campuses in 2021? | ||
Canada's estimated 9,000 Jewish post-secondary students have been back at school for barely more than a month—and while things are quieter so far, the culture of rising antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment has not gone away. Just this summer, a student living in a residence dorm at the University of British Columbia had her mezuzah damaged twice, resulting in the police getting called in. A Muslim students' club at the University of Western Ontario demanded the school ban all pro-Israel clubs and Zionist rhetoric from campus. And just last week, members of York University's student union arranged for a training workshop on antisemitism—but scheduled it on a Jewish holiday, conducted by a pro-BDS organization. So what kind of reality are Jewish students facing these days? To understand what life is like on the ground, we're joined by two graduate students and activists in Calgary Toronto who are organizing events and fighting for Jewish pride on campus. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 11 Mar 2024 | Why did Israeli real estate shows become such a flashpoint for protests in Canada? | 00:25:31 | |
For decades, Israeli entrepreneurs have been mounting traveling real estate trade shows here in Canada, to encourage Diaspora Jews to buy property in Israel. But in the wake of Oct. 7, there has been renewed attention paid to anything having to do with Israel and Palestinians, meaning several of these annual real estate events in Montreal and Toronto last week touched off large, aggressive anti-Israel street protests. Critics accuse the promoters (and buyers) of stealing Palestinian land, especially because some of the apartments for sale are located in disputed areas of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The UN and Canada consider these illegal settlements because they are still under Israeli military rule since being captured during the 1967 Six Day War. So are the protests hurting business, or are they having the opposite effect, as Diaspora Jews worried about the rising antisemitism at home look for a safer place to live or invest in Israel as a show of support? On today’s The CJN Daily, we go inside one of the real estate events in Toronto to see what they are all about. We also speak with Israeli promoter Gidon Katz of the Great Israeli Real Estate Event, and with Ben Murane, head of the New Israel Fund of Canada, who explains why the event is problematic for many. [Ed. note: Organizers of this past week’s Israeli Real Estate Event have been a client of The CJN for many years, buying ad space in our magazines and other news products. ] What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 20 Oct 2022 | Meet the man who digs for dirt on anti-Zionists and antisemites running for public office in Ontario | 00:15:18 | |
With more than 6,000 candidates running for a council seat in 400 villages, cities and towns, plus 37 school boards, there’s a lot to keep tabs on with Ontario’s upcoming municipal election. But the challenge doesn’t daunt Michael Teper. Teper calls himself an an enemy of antisemitism and a fan of open government. In his private life, he’s a tax expert with a big Toronto accounting firm. But in his spare time, he seeks out anti-Zionists and antisemites running for public office. He files numerous freedom of information requests to uncover what officials are writing in their emails and on social media, and when the story seems big enough, he goes public with it. Teper sat down with The CJN Daily to explain why he does what he does, how Israel and Palestine figure into Ontario's school boards, and what happened during some of the higher-profile antisemitic incidents that inspired him to act. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 28 Feb 2022 | 'There will be another Babi Yar if the world doesn’t stop Putin': A plea from Jewish Kyiv | ||
On Sunday, thousands of people in cities across Canada gathered in solidarity with Ukraine. The support may comfort Anatoliy Shengait—as the head of Kyiv’s Jewish community, he's spent the past week fielding worried WhatsApp calls, keeping tabs on the war and trying to communicate with his own family, including his brother, who's trapped with no electricity or running water outside the capital city. Shengait's life and work is busy enough during peacetime. He coordinates events, liaises with the city's synagogues and Jewish schools and has been advocating for a better airport in Uman, where thousands of Hasidic Jews make an annual pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Russia's attacks have risked not only his life and the lives of his fellow Ukrainian Jews—about 200,000, by some estimates—but it's also created a humanitarian crisis that has led hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee the country. Shengait spoke with The CJN Daily podcast from his home in besieged Kyiv on Sunday night. He spells out what he hopes the world understands about the situation and what he fears might happen next—that this war could lead to another massacre like what happened at Babi Yar against Ukrainian Jews during the Holocaust. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 22 Dec 2022 | Why this Ottawa artist turns her broken glass menorahs into grave-marker stones | 00:17:31 | |
Marie Levine started creating fused glass menorahs in Ottawa after discovering her synagogue’s gift shop stocked only the traditional pressed-metal designs that were made in China, or Pakistan and had been on the shelves for thirty years. Now her menorah designs, with bright colours and shapes, are on display at museums and gift shops around North America – including the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. Levine is inspired by storied artists including Kadinsky and Monet, and even by Bible stories such as Joseph’s coat of many colours. She’s featured in The CJN’s magazine this winter, and sits down with The CJN Daily to explain why people should show off their Hanukkah menorahs not just during the festival of lights. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 20 Oct 2021 | Braving blazing heat, Canadians are hiking the Israeli desert for charity | 00:11:56 | |
When hostilities broke out in May between Israel and Hamas, 13 Israelis were killed and more than 300 others were wounded. Staff from OneFamily, an Israeli charity with strong Canadian roots, which offers support to terror victims in Israel, swung into action, visiting hospitals and figuring out what resources were needed. It’s been this way for 20 years, over which time their annual hike across Israel—happening this week, spearheaded by the charity's Canadian branch—has become a signature event. This year, hikers are hoping to raise $300,000 as they trek the hills of the Ein Gedi nature reserve with some victims of terrorism and their families. It’s a smaller group than usual, with just 29 Canadians and a couple of Americans, due to the pandemic. However, as usual, the hike still brings the charity's volunteers face-to-face with the Israeli families supported by their efforts and donations. They tackle the terrain together—even if some of the hikers are in wheelchairs. OneFamily supporters Bruce Cowley and Robyn Mirsky join today, along with the organization's executive director, Toby Rosner. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 19 Jun 2024 | Vancouver’s Schara Tzedeck was lit aflame—and the shul decided to leave the door charred. Here’s why | 00:21:02 | |
It’s been more than two weeks since an unknown suspect set fire to the front doors of Vancouver’s Schara Tzedeck synagogue on May 30, while people were inside attending a late-night meeting. A passerby saw the flames and called it in, while a shul member used his jacket to douse the flames. No one was hurt, but the incident left one of the building’s ornate silver doors blackened—and the community shaken. Vancouver police tasked the Major Crimes Unit to investigate, but to date have not released any updates. Schara Tzedeck was the eighth Canadian synagogue targeted by violent attacks since Oct. 7—but not the last. Another attack targeted the glass windows at Beth Jacob in Kitchener on June 7. A week later in London, Ont., on June 14, someone threw a rock through a glass door of the Beth Tefilah Synagogue. While politicians in B.C. made a point to attend Shabbat services after the Vancouver attack, Schara Tzedeck’s rabbi has a message for them: in his words, when you permit hate speech against Jews to go unchecked, and when you gloss over chants at university encampments that glorify Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, don’t be surprised when hateful or ignorant people take it a step further. On The CJN Daily, Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt tells us what’s happened since the attack—and why the damaged spot has not been fixed. What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 18 Jul 2023 | A Canadian Anglican archbishop explains his church’s new policy on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians | 00:22:10 | |
As The CJN Daily _reported earlier this week, the Anglican Church of Canada adopted a strongly worded resolution condemning what its members believe are systemic human rights abuses by Israel against Palestinians. After some Jewish leaders criticized the Church’s statement as “misleading” and “disappointing”, the Anglican Archbishop of Calgary, Gregory Kerr-Wilson—who moved the original resolution—now acknowledges the statement wasn’t perfect. In fact, he said, his church should have spent more time in consultation with Jewish groups to get the wording right. Nevertheless, he remains convinced they must speak out against Israeli government policies, which he says force Palestinian families out of the homes they’ve lived in for centuries. The archbishop joins _The CJN Daily to explain his position. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane (@jesterschest on Twitter).Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 28 Jun 2021 | Miami-Dade condo collapse: What comes next? | 00:10:20 | |
On June 24, a 12-storey beachfront condo building collapsed in Surfside, a suburb of Miami, with more than 150 people still missing as rescue operations continue days later. At least three dozen of those missing people are reportedly Jewish—Surfside is actually considered to be the most heavily Jewish district in the Miama area—and the Canadian government believes there were four Canadians in the building, since the area is a hotspot for Canadian snowbirds. But there are deeper connections to Canada, as well. Canadian synagogues are responding to the tragedy with prayers and donation drives, Surfside's Chabad rabbi grew up in Ontario, and the company that built the condo complex in 1981 was, in fact, run by a Canadian Jewish real estate developer and lawyer. On today's episode, Jacob Solomon, the head of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, joins to provide an on-the-ground update. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 20 May 2021 | Canada is the first country to enshrine "Kindness Week" into law | 00:08:15 | |
While plenty of cities and schools around the world take part in "Kindness Days" or promote random acts of kindness, Canada recently became the first country to formally enshrine a "Kindness Week" into law. On May 14, all five parties voted unanimously to pass Bill S-223, An Act respecting Kindness Week, in the House of Commons. Kindness Week was inspired by Rabbi Reuven Bulka of Ottawa. Rabbi Bulka made it his life’s work to promote kindness—he even founded a national organization dedicated to it. Now his dream of formalizing it into law has come true, even as the 76-year-old rabbi battles late-stage cancer. Senator Jim Munson joins to discuss the long road to getting Kindness Week off the ground, his relationship with Rabbi Bulka, and where we go from here. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 03 Nov 2022 | What happened when Jewish summer campers faced Holocaust denier Jim Keegstra’s students on the basketball court? A new graphic novel tells the tale | ||
Nearly 40 years ago, Hart Snider was a camper at Camp BB Riback in Pine Lake, Alta., the summer after Jim Keegstra, an infamous teacher from the nearby town of Eckville, got fired for brainwashing his high school students against Jews. For years, Keegstra, who taught social sciences, told his teenagers that Jews were evil, Hitler was right and the Holocaust was fake. While he was later convicted of hate speech, that would be years later—in the interim, Alberta's local Jewish communities felt they had to try and help Keegstra's students deprogram their brains. And so, as unbelievable as it may sound, some of Keegsta's students were invited to the camp for a picnic—and a basketball game. Snider, who was nine years old at the time, made a film of his experience called The Basketball Game, which has now become a new graphic novel—just in time for Holocaust Education Month. On today's show, Snider joins to explain the book's message and how it can help today's young people deal with rising antisemitism and other forms of prejudice. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 23 May 2023 | Linda Frum on fighting back (and winning) a defamation lawsuit the judge said was designed to gag her from criticizing an Arabic-language newspaper | 00:19:02 | |
An Ontario court judge has sided with former Conservative senator Linda Frum and dismissed a $2.5-million defamation lawsuit brought against her by a Montreal-area newspaper, the Journal Sada Al Mashrek. The judge ruled on May 15 that the lawsuit violated Ontario’s anti-SLAPP laws, which are designed to protect people from long and expensive court cases that would effectively gag them from commenting on matters of public interest. The lawsuit dates back to the summer of 2022, during the federal Conservative leadership campaign. Frum posted two tweets calling out then-candidate Patrick Brown for comments he reportedly made about Israel and Palestine during his interview with the Montreal newspaper, which were later published online. Frum—whose husband, Howard Sokolowski, is one of the key supporters of the politician who won the leadership, Pierre Poilievre—accused the newspaper of being an organ of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization. The defamation lawsuit was thrown out because the judge ruled it was a blatant attempt to silence Frum. She now joins The CJN Daily to describe why she fought back, why she had to consult personal security experts while the court proceedings were underway, and what may come next. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 29 May 2024 | A new political Jewish students’ union has sprung up after weeks of pro-Palestine tent protests | 00:22:07 | |
Since Oct. 7, at least five mezuzahs have been torn off the doors of Jewish students living in residence at Queen’s University. At the University of Windsor, a law professor urged a Jewish student not to attend their class because “Zionists aren’t welcome”. And in just the last few weeks, some protesters who set up pro-Palestinian tent encampments on Canadian university campuses have celebrated Hamas’ slaughter of 1,200 people in Israeli last fall—while urging Jews to “go back to Europe”. Against this backdrop, hundreds of Jewish post-secondary students have teamed up to form a brand-new national organization, the Canadian Union of Jewish Students (CUJS). They’re raising their voices against campus hate and gathering evidence to lobby governments to do better. They’re not trying to replace Hillel or other Jewish campus clubs—but in light of the situation facing Jews at Canadian universities, they believe they can complement them by focusing solely on political action. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we hear from CUJS founder Nati Pressmann, a Toronto native who is currently studying at Queen’s University, and from several CUJS organizers: Lindsay Cogan of Winnipeg, Jacqueline Snidman-Stren and Hayley Kupinsky of Toronto, and Miranda Collard of Vancouver. What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 02 Mar 2022 | Swastikas drawn and coins thrown: This is life for Jewish high school students | 00:15:17 | |
In late February, The CJN published a first-person essay by 17-year-old Talia Freedhoff about antisemitism and ignorance at her Ottawa public high school. It wasn't the first time she spoke out about these issues. She's done TV interviews and delivered speeches to school board trustees to try and open the public's eyes about the reality of Jewish student life. She's had teachers schedule tests on important Jewish holidays and refuse to change the date, even after they were ordered to by the administration. She's heard stories from fellow Jewish students who've had coins thrown at them in hallways and swastikas drawn on their personal belongings. These incidents aren't unique within her circles, either: in 2022, numerous antisemitic incidents have been reported across public schools in Ontario, including in Jewish neighbourhoods in Toronto. Freedhoff joins The CJN Daily to explain why school boards shouldn't have to wait for Jewish kids to speak out to teach them how to tackle antisemitism. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 11 May 2022 | Recognize these faces? A Dutch research team is asking Canadians to help identify its country's lost Jews | 00:14:27 | |
Eighty years ago this month, in May 1942, the Nazis forced all Jewish people in the Netherlands to wear a yellow star on their clothes to publicly identify themselves. This would lead to mass deportations and deaths, eliminating about 75 per cent of the Dutch Jewish population. Now, Dutch researchers are trying to identify those persecuted Jews—and find out what happened to them. This year, the Netherlands Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies launched a project called "Behind the Star". They've published hundreds of black and white wartime photos of Jews wearing yellow stars, and are hoping to crowdsource the subjects' identities. Because Canada has such a large population of Dutch Jewish survivors and their descendents, the researchers are hoping Canadians can help look through the photos and put names to the faces, creating a fuller picture what happened to the Netherlands' Jewish community. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 06 Feb 2025 | Tariff war with U.S. could raise kosher food prices 50 to 60 percent in Canada: importer | 00:20:26 | |
The recent announcement of a temporary 30-day pause in the Canada-U.S. tariff war came as a relief to this country’s largest importer of Kosher foods made in the United States. Montreal-based Altra Foods spent the earlier part of the week scrambling to place rush orders from suppliers south of the border, after Canada vowed to slap 25% retaliatory duties on some of the company’s 3,000 kosher imported brands, such as Sabra, Geffen, Streit’s, Hadar and even Bush Beans. But Altra’s vice president ,Jack Hartstein, worries that if the negotiations collapse,and the Canadian tariffs kick in next month-just ahead of Passover–prices will rise by between 50 and 60 percent for kosher food imports from the key U.S. market. That’s why Canada’s kashruth organizations COR and MK,and the Hasidic community have teamed up with political advocacy group CIJA, and with help from several Liberal MPs, to urge Ottawa to exempt kosher foods from this current trade war. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we’re joined by Jack Hartstein, of ALTRA Foods, on how his company is bracing for the impact, and what to expect next. What we talked about:
Credits
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| 10 Aug 2021 | This UN agency has an anti-Israel problem. So why does Canada keep funding it? | 00:11:06 | |
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, better known as UNRWA, provides health care and education for more than five million displaced Palestinians in the Middle East. But UNRWA has been in the news a lot in the last few years, as several of its employees and teachers have been accused of sharing violent or disturbing antisemitic and anti-Israel content online. This week, UN Watch, an organization based in Geneva, released a new report alleging 22 UNRWA teachers, principals and staff members have posted content on Facebook that glorifies terrorism, quotes Hitler or erases Israel from maps. UN Watch has released several similar reports in the past, finding more than 100 such cases since 2015. Despite these claims, Canada is still on track to donate more than $90 million to UNRWA over the next three years. Hillel Neuer, the Canadian-born executive director of UN Watch, joins to discuss his organization's latest report and what he expects from the Canadian government. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 27 Oct 2022 | Canada's 2021 census numbers are in—and they're good news for Jews | 00:17:57 | |
When The CJN Daily launched in May 2021, one of our first stories was about Jewish organizations urging community members to fill out their census forms. It was important, they said, because the 2016 census was so poorly designed that it didn't ask about religion—only ethnic origins—which left out Judaism, halving the number of Jews living in Canada. The latest census was different. Having taken the advice of Jewish community advocates, the census organizers gave Canadians the option of marking "Jewish" as their religion and their ethnic identity. Experts hoped the data would align with perceived trends in the Canadian Jewish population—which it has. The stats, released Oct 26, show that more than 335,00 people described themselves as Jews by religion—up nearly 6,000 from 10 years ago. And while it's only incremental growth, researchers like Morton Weinfeld, a sociologist and professor at McGill University, are optimistic about the key takeaways. Weinfeld joins the show to explain the meaning behind the numbers. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 07 Mar 2024 | What’s so important about the UN’s new report confirming Oct. 7 rapes, torture of Israeli women? | 00:21:53 | |
Warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence against women, and may be disturbing to some listeners. On March 4, days before International Women’s Day, the office of the UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict released their long-awaited report on what happened to Israeli women near Gaza on Oct. 7. The report paints a gruesome picture of what happened to some of the 300 Israeli women who were attacked and killed by Hamas—and also warns that hostages still being held in Gaza are likely still being rape and tortured. The UN’s fact-finding mission to Israel took place last month, with the blessing of the Israeli government. And the resulting 23-page report is important for a whole host of reasons. Supporters say it spells out, for the first time—despite repeated denials by Hamas and their supporters—”clear and reasonable grounds” to believe rapes, and even gang rapes, happened that day. It also cites “clear and convincing” grounds sexual violence happened to hostages—then, and even now. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we speak to Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, a professor and Israeli legal expert on women’s rights, who helped make this report happen. She was in Toronto. What we talked about
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 11 Sep 2024 | St. Catharines' century-old synagogue is securing its future—with or without members | 00:22:12 | |
The small Jewish community in St. Catharines, Ont., is marking a significant milestone this week. Exactly 100 years ago, on Sept. 14, 1924, two cornerstones were laid for the foundation of what would become the current building housing Congregation B'nai Israel synagogue. The event was front-page news at the time. No one could have predicted that, a century later, city council would vote to designate the synagogue building an important heritage property, proving the contribution of the city's Jewish community to civic life. Getting that heritage label has been a key part of Howard Slepkov's plan to secure the future of the house of worship where he is president, and which has been the spiritual home to his family dating back three generations. Slepkov, an author and professor, was also over the moon when more than 300 people filled St. Catharines' performing arts centre on Aug. 25 for the synagogue's centennial concert, with performances by renowned cantors and a local klezmer band. And there's more to come, as efforts are underway to raise enough money to keep the shul's lights on—even if it turns into a museum some day. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, we're joined by Slepkov, whose grandparents were among the community's founding Jewish families, and also by Bernice Caplan, 92, who has lived in St. Catharines since she arrived as a teenager 74 years ago. What we talked about
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| 19 May 2021 | Jenna Lewinsky: Peace and quiet on a West Bank farm | ||
You may have heard of Jenna Lewinsky, who brought her flock of Canadian Jacobs sheep to Israel back in 2016. Today, the former resident of Abbotsford, B.C., lives in Efrat—a disputed Jewish settlement on the West Bank near Bethlehem. Despite the economic hit she's taken from the COVID-19 pandemic, and being urged by Israeli police to move because they couldn't ensure her safety during the current conflict, Lewinsky is staying put. On today's show, we hear how the sheep and their Canadian keeper are riding out the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Gaza, thanks in large part to her friendly Arab neighbours. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 10 Apr 2023 | Bonjour Chai's second annual Great Canadian Seder episode | 01:24:42 | |
The CJN Daily returns Tuesday April 11, 2023 with regular programming but for today, Monday, April 10, we are offering a bonus – for subscribers only: the chance to sit down for the Great Canadian Seder, second edition, brought to you by our colleagues at The CJN podcast Bonjour Chai. Politicians and proletarians, cantors and comics, all coming together to share stories, songs, wisdom and musings from across the country. Hosts Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy were joined at their virtual seder table by:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 16 Jun 2022 | This gripping new photo exhibit showcases 161 Holocaust survivors with links to Calgary | 00:13:56 | |
Until July 3, a new exhibit is running in Calgary's Glenbow Museum featuring intimate black-and-white portraits and cross-generational shots of 161 Holocaust survivors who have ties to the city. The project took years to make, shooting during the pandemic and resulting in an accompanying coffee table book and documentary film. The project is the brainchild of Marnie Bondar and Dahlia Libin, whose grandparents were all Holocaust survivors, and who co-chair the Calgary Jewish Federation's Holocaust programming. They say this art project was born out of love and awe of what their relatives went on to do after the war, and how they built new lives in Canada. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, you’ll meet one of the survivors profiled in the show—she’s 94 now—as well as Bondar and Libin, who will share stories of the behind-the-scenes process and what they hope visitors will take away. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 23 May 2024 | New B.C seniors advocate Dan Levitt flew to the U.N. to fight for the rights of Canada’s growing 65+ population | 00:25:05 | |
Show notes Seniors are in the spotlight this week as Canada and other countries are meeting at the United Nations to discuss ways to help the world’s billion people over the age of 60. And Dan Levitt is in the thick of it—the longtime nursing home administrator from Vancouver, who started as British Columbia’s official seniors advocate in April, flew down to New York to advocate for a binding international convention for seniors’ rights. The urgency is real: he predicts a “silver tsunami” has already started and Canada will have a full quarter of the population over the age of 65 within the next 10 to 20 years. Levitt has been in a unique spot in his provincial government. Since last month, he’s been bringing the concerns of B.C.’s million seniors and their caregivers directly to the ears of provincial politicians. And those concerns have been expansive. Canadian seniors are worried about the cost of living, housing, transportation, employment and even something that’s become his pet peeve: how so many birthday cards aimed at the silver-haired crowd are actually ageist. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Levitt explains why he took the job and how it helps him fulfil the biblical commandments about honouring one’s parents. What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 14 Sep 2021 | Highlights from The CJN's federal debate on Jewish issues | 00:14:45 | |
Last night, The CJN and CIJA hosted an election debate on issues that matter to the Jewish community. Our participants were Marco Mendicino, the Liberal minister of immigration; Michael Chong, the Conservative shadow critic for foreign affairs; and Hal Berman, a doctor and NDP candidate in Toronto. The subjects ranged beyond Israel and combatting antisemitism. There are Jewish connections to climate change, Indigenous reconciliation and Canadian foreign policy beyond the Middle East. We asked hard questions to each candidate: Could Berman clarify the NDP's stance on the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement? How can the Conservatives reconcile a credible climate strategy with support for the oil and gas industry? And why do the Liberals continue to fund UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, despite its evident flaws? In today's episode, we've packaged the highlights from the evening, plus key takeaways from our post-show political panel as well. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 04 Dec 2023 | Moncton city council urged to revisit the ‘insensitive and callous’ end to municipal menorah lighting | 00:20:41 | |
The City of Moncton’s abrupt decision to quietly halt the display of all religious symbols on municipal property—including the Hanukkah menorah it owns—came as a shock to the New Brunswick city’s Jewish community. The decision was made on Nov. 30 during a closed-door council session. It came one week before the community was expecting to participate in the annual lighting of the menorah, a tradition that’s been celebrated at City Hall for 20 years. The resulting public outcry over the weekend has included a petition, social media posts from all over the world and a flood of emails to the municipality. While the mayor has not commented, the issue is likely to be revisited on Dec. 4, when Moncton’s city council holds its bimonthly public meeting. At least three city councillors have publicly condemned how the process was conducted in secret, including Daniel Bourgeois, who vowed to The CJN he’ll try to have the issue added to the agenda when the meeting starts at 4 p.m. local time. On The CJN Daily, host Ellin Bessner is joined by Bourgeois and also by Leigh Lampert, a Moncton-born lawyer who is a member of that city’s Jewish community. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 02 May 2023 | Could Israeli-born teen singer, Maya Gamzu, win "Canada’s Got Talent"? | 00:18:36 | |
She’s not even 15 years old, but this Israeli immigrant to Canada is blessed with a powerful singing voice that belies her years. Now Maya Gamzu is hoping that her current success on this season’s reality TV show Canada’s Got Talent (airing on Citytv) will be her ticket to stardom. Gamzu and her family moved from Tel Aviv to Richmond Hill, Ont. four years ago. She was already performing in Hebrew back home ever since she was a toddler, but mastering the English language was a challenge she took on so that she could reach a wider audience. Although she doesn’t flaunt it, her Jewish and Israeli roots are a huge part of Maya’s identity: for her audition episode, she wore a red string bracelet around her left wrist which she had brought from the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Originally, Maya had hoped to make a connection with the lone Jewish judge on the show, Toronto-born comedian Howie Mandel. But surprisingly it was the award-winning rapper Kardinal Offishall who became her champion, and awarded the Grade 9 student at Westmount Collegiate Institute the so-called “Golden Buzzer” – which means she went straight through to the semi finals. That episode airs tonight Tuesday, May 2. Maya Gamzu and her father Sergei join The CJN Daily to take us behind the scenes of the popular show. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 27 Apr 2023 | 86-year-old Hadassa Kingstone's epic life tells the story of the State of Israel | 00:28:50 | |
Hadassa Kingstone’s parents escaped Hitler’s Europe, snuck through the British blockade of Mandatory Palestine and settled in pre-State Haifa, where she was born in 1936. Her memories include hiding Haganah weapons in her father’s factory while their apartment was used as a clandestine radio station in the lead up to the 1948 War of Independence. But after serving in the first Arab-Israeli War at the Suez Canal in 1956, Kingstone left to see the world. She made it to Montreal, where she fell in love, married and remained for three decades. Along the way she encountered some of Israel’s iconic founding leaders, including Golda Meir and Menachem Begin. But the pull of her native land saw her move back to Israel in 1990, after her children had grown up. Kingstone has spent the last 30 years with a front-row seat to Israel’s more recent history, from Intifadas to Start-Up Nation to the current pro-democracy protests engulfing her homeland. On Israel’s 75th birthday, she joins The CJN Daily from Tel Aviv to share her personal journey, which closely mirrors the story of the Jewish State. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 19 Jul 2021 | Still demanding justice: 27 years since Argentina’s largest unsolved terror attack | 00:11:30 | |
On July 18, 1994, a car bomb blew up the Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, levelling the city's main Jewish federation building. Now referred to as the AMIA bombing, the terrorist attack killed 85 Jewish people and injured 300 more. It was the worst terrorist attack in the history of Argentina and the worst attack against Jews outside Israel since the Holocaust. What's more troubling is that the perpetrators have never been confirmed. Investigators and the public blame operatives from Iran and Hezbollah, but no suspects have been brought to justice. Combined with the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, which happened two years prior, many Jewish families from Argentina took this as a cue to leave. Some moved to Canada, where they are still dealing with the trauma—and seeking justice. Hernan Popper is one of those Argentinian Jews. He now lives in Winnipeg, but he lived through the AMIA bombing; on today's show, he joins to describe what it was like hearing the explosion and how he remembers those who died that day. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 08 Oct 2023 | Less than 10 km from Gaza, this Canadian-Israeli couple is hiding for their lives: ‘We’ve lost a lot of hope’ | 00:25:27 | |
On the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, Gloria and Howard Wener woke up to the sound of rockets and an air raid warning. The Canadian couple immigrated to Israel 50 years ago as pioneers of Sde Nitzan, a moshav of 500 people, less than 10 km from the Gaza border. Now, two days into Israel’s latest war with the Hamas-controlled region, the Weners remain locked inside their home, angry and disillusioned. The couple has found themselves living near the frontlines of the most lethal attack in recent Israeli history. The surprise invasion by Hamas breached the Israeli border by land, sea and air into Israel’s southwestern towns and communities, killing (as of publication on Oct. 8) more than 600 Israeli people and wounding 2,000 Israelis. At least 100 people, mostly Israelis, have been kidnapped and are being held hostage. For now, the Weners are under orders to remain in lockdown, or even evacuate their home, while Hamas terrorists still roam their Eshkol Regional Council zone. Some of the Weners friends and neighbours have been killed or kidnapped. The Canadian couple is “fuming” and “disappointed” over the colossal inteIligence failure by the Israeli army, which didn’t see the attack coming and took hours to respond. They join The CJN Daily‘s host, Ellin Bessner, from their home on the front lines. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 14 Oct 2021 | Safe houses and smuggled passports: Inside the sprawling Israeli-Canadian effort to rescue a second group of Afghan women | 00:13:48 | |
On Oct. 2, a plane of Afghan refugees touched down in Albania after a five-day journey. The group included 120 women—police officers, judges, cyclists and others. It's the second effort coordinated by Israel's largest relief agency, IsraAID, along with Canadian-Israeli businessman Sylvan Adams and a few friendly Arab countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, to rescue Afghan refugees from the Taliban's recent takeover. Today, Adams is flying to Albania to meet with the refugees, who are being kept in a local hotel as they await a decision by the Canadian government over whether or not they can make it onto Canadian soil. And that's become a sticking point in this whole operation: rescuers, including the people at IsraAID, are growing increasingly frustrated at the slow pace of Canadian immigration bureaucracy—which they say is preventing them from saving even more Afghans. Yotam Polizer, the CEO of IsraAID, joins today to discuss his concern with the Canadian government and tell the inside story of how they got this latest group out of the fragile Central Asian country. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 28 Jul 2022 | At nearly 80 years old, Gary Averbach is trekking 1,000km across Canada for cancer research | 00:14:08 | |
Gary Averbach left Calgary on a mission. The 79-year-old real estate mogul, based in Vancouver, is currently trekking through 40-degree heat waves across the Rockies from Calgary to his home city to raise money for cancer research. He's about three-quarters of the way there—his goal is to arrive home by mid-August, just shy of his 80th birthday, and to have raised $500,000 in the process. The project stemmed from a promise Averbach made last summer to his late cousin and business partner, Robert Golden, who passed away from bone cancer. After Averbach lost two more cousins and his housekeeper to cancer this spring, he decided to embark on the journey to raise money for a good cause, while also ticking off a bucket-list adventure. Averbach spoke to The CJN Daily from Boston Bar, B.C., around 45 kilometres south of Lytton, where he stopped after completing another daily 24-km hike. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Production assistance by Gabrielle Nadler and YuZhu Mou. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 15 Nov 2021 | COP26 is over, but the war on climate change is heating up | 00:16:29 | |
The major international climate conference COP26 wrapped up this weekend. Canadians, now accustomed to seeing headlines about B.C.'s heat dome, wildfires in Northern Ontario and Alberta, melting Arctic ice and irregular farming seasons across the country, have much at stake in the conversation about climate change. The conference produced some worthwhile promises, but the question remains: Will they be enough? Will Canadians' actions matter on a global scale? And how can the country transition out of fossil fuels when those industries are still pivotal to our economy? To discuss these issues and more, we're joined by Seth Klein, an analyst, professor and the head of the climate emergency unit of the David Suzuki Foundation. Like his sister, Naomi Klein, he's also a published author, with his book, A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency, published Sept. 2020. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 04 May 2021 | The Origins and Need for Jewish Heritage Month | 00:07:43 | |
With so many Jewish cultural events happening in May—film festivals, literary celebrations and the Walk with Israel, not to mention the Israeli holidays of Independence Day and Yom HaShoah—it’s no accident that the Canadian government, in 2018, announced May would be Canadian Jewish Heritage Month. On the show today, Conservative senator Linda Frum and former Liberal MP Michael Levitt join to discuss how they helped usher this official designation into law. The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner, who you can follow on Twitter at @ebessner. Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. | |||
| 07 Oct 2024 | 'There was literally nothing to come back to': Oct. 7 survivor Thomas Hand shares his story with Canadians | 00:24:02 | |
Kibbutz Be’eri survivor Thomas Hand spent nearly a month last year believing his youngest daughter Emily, then 8, had been killed by Hamas terrorists who stormed their Israeli farming community on Oct. 7 and slaughtered over 100 residents. Hand would later learn that Emily had actually been one of the 30 Kibbutz Be’eri residents kidnapped into Gaza that day. The girl was held for 50 days-not in a tunnel, as it turns out, but in private apartments together four other Kibbutz members and also with Noa Argamani, the Nova music festival hostage, until the cease-fire/ prisoner exchange in November 2023 saw Emily among those released. Hand, 64, and his daughter, now 9, are trying to rebuild their lives. They and others from Be’eri have moved into a new temporary home at Kibbutz Hazterim, near Beersheba, away from their own bullet-riddled house, while the kibbutz rebuilds. Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, Hand and his daughter flew to Canada, to Vancouver, to share their story, and also some memories of Canadian victim Vivian Silver, a neighbour on the kibbutz. On this episode of The CJN Daily, Thomas Hand joins host Ellin Bessner, with some tough words for the Canadian government, which he accused of “giving Hamas a reward for the violence caused to Israeli citizens.” What we talked about:
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| 08 Jul 2021 | New film reaches back generations to share Holocaust refugees' story | ||
Max Shoham has been making movies since he was a little boy growing up in Toronto. This month, the 18-year-old's most ambitious project—an animated short called Sophie and Jacob—debuts on CBC Gem, after screening at numerous international film festivals. The short is based on the true story of his great-grandparents' escape from Romania in 1939 and their perilous voyage to Palestine. Shoham started making the film while he was in Grade 11. He drew every frame, and coloured, shot and edited the whole picture. His goal is to bring attention to the plight of refugees today—Jewish or not—while also telling a personal story about his great-grandparents, since he never got the chance to speak with them about their journey before they passed away. On today's episode, Shoham joins to talk about how his great-grandparents endured their odyssey and what he hopes this film can teach us about the refugee crisis today. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 03 Jun 2021 | Honouring Ruth Goldbloom, an unsung hero of Pier 21 | 00:09:55 | |
The late Ruth Goldbloom helped found the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, which has been a national historic site as the gateway to Canada for more than a million immigrants, including tens of thousands of Jews in the 20th century. When Goldbloom died in Halifax nine years ago, more than 1,500 people came to her funeral. A street has been named after her and the museum at Pier 21 named a boardroom in her honour. But the woman herself still isn't very well known to the public. A new initiative is hoping to change that. Goldbloom's cousins in Halifax, Howard Conter and his wife, Karen Conter, are working to have a permanent sculpture of the prominent philanthropist built and placed outside her beloved museum—so visitors can sit beside her and appreciate what she helped build. They're raising $250,000 for a campaign they call "Honouring Ruth", which will pay for the sculpture and contribute to a bursury in her name. On today's show, the Conters join Ellin to discuss their efforts. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 14 Sep 2022 | Run, hide, defend: This is the new approach to keep Canadian Jews safe over the High Holidays and beyond | ||
As Canadian Jews debate whether to head back to in-person synagogue services for the High Holidays, and parents may fret about their kids' safety at the onset of back-to-school season, security is top of mind for many. While security is not as big a concern as it is in the United States, where shooting and hostage situations in Jewish spaces have become distressingly common, for Canadian security professionals, the goal is to ensure Canada doesn't get any worse in the face of rising waves of antisemitism. The new head of community security for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Gerry Almendrades—who served in the Canadian Armed Forces with time in Afghanistan—has been holding training sessions and conducting site visits of Jewish buildings in some parts of the country. He's teaching a new security protocol, called "Run Hide Defend", which is used by police forces to educate the public about how to act in an active-shooter situation. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, Almendrades joins to discuss his advice for Canadian Jews. After that, you'll hear from Christopher Fernandes, a veteran police officer in the Toronto area: he's now the vice president of community security for the UJA in Toronto. He'll discuss what his reaction was to a protester who disrupted a major UJA fundraising event that featured speakers former U.S. President George W. Bush and former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Production assistance by Gabrielle Nadler and YuZhu Mou. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 02 Sep 2021 | On the ground at a Montreal pop-up vaccination clinic for Hasidic Jews | 00:11:53 | |
Soon after COVID-19 vaccines began rolling out, clashes erupted between authorities and the Hasidic community in Montreal. Police officers raided a synagogue that violated the lockdown curfew in January 2021; court battles ensued; more illegal gatherings took place in March, blowing past attendance limits. But there has been a shift in tone this summer, especially since vaccine passports became mandatory across Quebec this week. Other provinces announced similar plans to restrict movement for the willingly unvaccinated. The Quebec Council of Hasidic Jews is urging its members to get vaccinated. To that end, they've been holding vaccine clinics in the heart of their communities, handing out pamphlets in Yiddish and setting up help lines for people who don't use the internet or have smartphones. The latest clinic was held recently, just before Rosh Hashanah. Avi Finegold, host of The CJN's weekly current affairs podcast Bonjour Chai, attended the clinic to talk to the attendees and give an on-the-ground report. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 09 May 2022 | 'A punch in the stomach': Rabbi Ayelet Cohen on why American Jews must speak out to support abortion rights | 00:14:22 | |
Starting today, Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, who was raised in Montreal, takes over as the first female full-time dean of North America’s flagship Conservative rabbinical school, the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. But what should have been a moment of optimism for the rabbi has been tainted by the recently leaked U.S. Supreme Court ruling that indicates how down Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that says abortions are protected under the country's constitution, is likely to be struck down. Rabbi Cohen, who helped push the Conservative movement to permit same-sex marriages, has now become a leading American Jewish voice speaking out against anti-abortion activists and politicians. What happens next in the fight for abortion rights? Rabbi Cohen joins to talk about Jewish activism, plans for the future and how abortion is kosher under Jewish law, which means banning it is a Jewish problem—not just an American one. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 03 Apr 2023 | Why did 300 Canadian Jewish leaders sign their names to an open letter published in newspapers? | 00:17:51 | |
Three hundred Canadian Jewish leaders have put their names to a full-page letter that appeared in several prominent newspapers to express their concerns about what’s happening in Israel and about the threats to democracy there. The first ad ran in the Saturday edition of the National Post. A slightly different version—using more conciliatory language and supporting the “aspiration to find a renewed and applicable balance between the rulings of the majority of the Knesset and the rulings of the courts”—ran Sunday in two popular centre-left and left-wing Israeli newspapers, Yedioth Ahronoth and Haaretz. The organizers admit they didn’t plan for the ads to run as late as they did; they had hoped it would be published before Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week that he would be temporarily pausing the push to reform the judiciary until after Passover, so as to avoid “civil war”. The announcement came as hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets and participated in a nationwide general strike to protest the reforms. Still, the message from 300 signatories is the latest and the largest single public expression of concern from Canada’s Jewish diaspora since Israel’s right-wing government took power three months ago. Toronto philanthropist Gary Goldberg and his extended family were among the small group of friends who started the campaign and paid for the ads. Goldberg joins The CJN Daily to explain why they did it. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 10 May 2021 | What's behind the Palestinian protests in Jerusalem? | 00:08:26 | |
It's Yom Yerushalayim, a day to celebrate Israel's holiest city. But the holiday is being marred by the threat of ongoing violence between Palestinian protesters and ultra-nationalist Israeli extremists. The situation grew so dire that Canada's minister of foreign affairs, Marc Garneau, issued a statement over the weekend calling for "immediate de-escalation of tensions." Meanwhile, the Israeli high court has postponed a hearing, slated for Monday, on a controversial case over evictions from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheik Jarrah. That postponement was due to fears that the hearing would further inflame the clashes. For an on-the-ground perspective, today's guest is Igal Hecht, an Israeli-born Canadian documentary filmmaker and producer, currently shooting a new production about Israeli elections. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 26 Apr 2023 | Take our “Israel at 75” quiz | 00:17:42 | |
What does Jeopardy co-host (and former Big Bang Theory star) Mayim Bialik have to do with Israel’s 75th birthday? Why does the winner of the Tour de France bicycle race wear a yellow jersey? What year did the Dead Sea Scrolls leave Israel and go on display in Montreal? Here’s your chance to test your own knowledge. To celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday, The CJN Daily has teamed up with David Matlow, creator of The CJN’s popular Treasure Trove column, to explore the history of Israel though his 75 carefully-curated pieces from his massive personal collection of Zionist artifacts. In fact, Matlow has just released a new book, 75 Treasures, where you’ll find all the answers. Listen to the end of today’s episode for your chance to win a hard copy of the book. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 17 May 2022 | After violent clashes between Haredi and progressive women at the Western Wall, Rachel Cohen Yeshurun isn't giving up the fight | 00:17:29 | |
Rachel Cohen Yeshurun grew up in Montreal, where she attended an Orthodox girls' school, which taught that women should never actually hold a Torah scroll. These days, however, after she moved to Israel 30 years ago, she's not only breaking that rule regularly, but teaching other women in Israel to read from the Torah as well. Every month, she attends prayer sessions for Women of the Wall, an organization that advocates for women's right to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. She’s been arrested more than once by Israeli police, though the country's Supreme Court has ruled that the women are not breaking any laws or causing any harm. They are making incremental progress, having won the right to wear prayer shawls and tefillin, though the rabbi in charge of the Wall still prohibits them from using Torahs or bringing their own. Still, each month, the Women of the Wall visit the holy site, only to be disrupted by ultra-Orthodox protestors who spit on, shove and whistle at the women. It's a scene that has been playing out for years—and now, after a particularly heated encounter on May 2, inflamed by the World Zionist Organization reportedly bussing in Haredi girls to protest, Cohen Yeshurun joins The CJN Daily to talk about what it's been like to fight for women's rights at one of the most sacred spots in Judaism. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 29 Mar 2023 | Does your Passover haggadah need an update? This author thinks so | 00:17:31 | |
As Jews around the world prepare for Passover, beginning April 5, one retired teacher is proposing a new way to welcome young people into the Seder ritual. Pearl Richman is particularly concerned that many traditional haggadot books start the reciting of the Passover story by referring to four types of curious children: wise, evil, simple and the child who doesn’t know how to ask. Richman and her family have created two new haggadot that use more modern, inclusive and accepting language, designed for modern families. They honour refugees, children murdered in the Holocaust, terror victims in Israel and Jews who identify as LGBTQ, like Richman’s own daughter, Maxie. After their original haggadah rewrite for adults in 2019, Maxie, a Jewish school teacher in Toronto, helped co-write a kids’ version of the inclusive haggadah, called Hug-it-Out. Richman’s collection of made-in-Canada Passover items are being sold at Jewish museums and retailers around North America (and are featured in The CJN’s new glossy magazine, coming out for Passover). Richman joins The CJN Daily to explain how her 94-year old mother inspired them to jump into the Judaica business. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 26 May 2021 | Meet the family doctor behind Jabapalooza | 00:10:10 | |
Dr. Nili Kaplan Myrth, a family doctor in Ottawa, has 1,400 patients and 13,000 followers on Twitter. She’s been outspoken in her efforts to make sure marginalized people—like frontline workers, single parents and refugees or those who have trouble accessing transportation—get vaccines. She’s already organized two mass vaccination clinics in Ottawa, called Jabapaloozas, where she gave out more than 800 shots—not only to her own patients, but also to hundreds of others. She has another Jabapalooza coming up in June... but only if she can get enough vaccines to pull it off. Meanwhile, her own patients between the ages of 12 and 17 won’t be able to get vaccinated in her office. She joins The CJN Daily to talk about these problems and other issues with Ontario's, and Canada's, vaccine rollout. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 20 Jul 2023 | Preserving the vanished Jewish history of Rouyn-Noranda, a small Quebec town | 00:20:33 | |
Rosalie Mednick Nepom and her brother Sol Mednick were born in the mining town of Rouyn-Noranda, Que., and grew up there–the children of a local grocer. Meanwhile, Dr. Issac Katz is the son of the community’s first permanent rabbi. Now, these former Rouyn-Noranda residents have collected memories and stories of growing up in the once-vibrant pioneering Jewish community, and published them in a new book so their grandchildren will know where they came from. Rouyn-Noranda sprung up in the bush in the 1920s after prospectors discovered gold and copper deposits. It was so far north, it took 10 hours by bus on gravel roads to get there from Montreal. But at its peak, Rouyn-Noranda’s 45 Jewish families enjoyed a vibrant community life. That ended in the 1970s, as young people left to go to university and never returned. Their parents soon followed. The once-busy synagogue closed in 1972. Today, as the authors explain on The CJN Daily, the facade is a historic site, but the buiding is now apartments—and Jewish life there is hard to find. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane (@jesterschest on Twitter).Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 22 Aug 2023 | Klezmer fans and Deadheads: How Ashkenaz Festival is merging musical styles this summer | 00:16:20 | |
This interview originally aired on Culturally Jewish_, The CJN's podcast covering Canadian Jewish arts and culture. Hear the full episode and subscribe at thecjn.ca/culture._ There’s a certain type of Jew, usually Ashkenazi, sometimes Israeli, with a mop of curly hair, an acousitc guitar and an affinity for marijuana, who will inevitably love bands like The Grateful Dead and Phish. Those groups are collectively known as “jam bands”, which play lengthy, musically complex songs, often in concert, always with a hefty reliance on improvisation. Once synonymous with psychedelic drugs, the jam band scene has gone mainstream in recent decades—and for a myriad reasons we’ll dissect on today’s episode of Culturally Jewish, Jews are buying front-row tickets. This summer, the Ashkenaz Festival and Magen Boys Entertainment are putting on their first-ever summer jam concert series. Producer Michael Fraiman visited the first show to ask concert-goers why they felt Jews loved jam bands; after that, Ashkenaz artistic director Eric Stein joins Ilana and David for a discussion about the surprisingly deep connections between Deadheads and Yiddishkeit. | |||
| 27 Jan 2022 | Why Emma Cunningham quit the Ontario NDP over antisemitism | 00:13:32 | |
Emma Cunningham has been a volunteer with the New Democratic Party for several years, in several elections, at several levels. Even though she personally feels a little further left than the party at large, she knew she could find a home with the NDP as a progressive Jew. Until last week. When the Ontario NDP nominated Steve Parish—the former mayor of Ajax, who lobbied to keep a local street named after a Nazi officer—to run in the upcoming provincial election, that was the last straw for Cunningham. Despite being the president of a neighbouring NDP riding association, she quit, taking to Twitter to call out the party for what she called "so many antisemitic incidents" she's encountered over the years. While Parish has since apologized for offending Jewish people in Ontario and beyond, and Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath told The CJN she's working to stamp out antisemitism, that’s not good enough for Cunningham. She joins today to explain why. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 22 Dec 2021 | Canada should stay out of Bill 21, Quebec Jewish leader warns | 00:11:37 | |
Quebec’s Bill 21, which bars public employees such as teachers and police officers from wearing religious symbols on the job, has been in place for more than two years already. But the recent reassignment of Fatemeh Anvari, the third-grade public school teacher who was removed from her post for wearing a hijab, escalated the issue to an entirely different level. Until now, political leaders have equivocated on the issue for fear of angering Quebeckers ahead of the federal election. After Anvari's reassignment, that attitude has changed. Politicians from the prime minister to community and political leaders have, more loudly, spoken out against it for discriminating against Muslims, Sikhs and other minority groups—including religious Jews. But the head of the Communauté sépharade unifiée du Québec—the province's association of Sephardic Jews—is worried about the impact all this newfound opposition from outsiders will have on Francophones, who largely support the bill. Jacques Saada, a former politician and cabinet minister in Paul Martin's government, joins to discuss why he personally opposes the bill, but believes the debate may fan the flames of separatism in Quebec. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 11 Aug 2021 | Canada's first COVID-era Birthright trip, and a short CJN Daily break | 00:11:55 | |
The CJN Daily will be taking a brief summer vacation for the next week, returning on Aug. 23. In the meantime, we have a semi-new episode: here's a re-airing of an episode we ran in May 2021, "The life and legacy of partisan photographer Faye Schulman". We'll have more favourites coming to you during our break. Plus, we have an update on the first Canadian Birthright trip to Israel since March 2020. It happened on Aug. 9, and brought a small busload of 18 university students from across the country. A second Canadian group was supposed to fly out on Sunday—but that's been postponed. What we talked about:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 10 Jan 2022 | Faced with more school shutdowns in Ontario, Jewish parents are fighting back | 00:16:48 | |
Last week, about 100 parents showed up at Yorkdale Mall to protest against the latest round of school closures imposed by the Ontario government. It might be the first time in Ontario, since the pandemic began, that many organized protesters are visibly observant Jews, including parents of students at Jewish day schools. Ontario is unique in North America for keeping schools closed for so long—since the pandemic began, students have lost 27 weeks of in-person learning. Yet as virtual school continues, shopping malls such as Yorkdale have been allowed to continue operating, albeit with reduced capacity. For some parents, this most recent shutdown was the last straw. Among those aggrieved parents is Aubrey Freedman, the organizer of the Yorkdale protests, who has young sons enrolled in Netivot HaTorah Day School. Freedman and her children join to discuss their motivations for protesting, their frustration with the province and what daily life is like in a house with four kids stuck at home. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. | |||
| 15 Jul 2024 | Former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy wants to fight the information war in Canada | 00:21:56 | |
On the weekend, the IDF announced its forces had targeted a zone in the Khan Younis area of Gaza where the senior Hamas mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attack had been hiding. Initial reports said the attack aimed to take out Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ military chief. International condemnation was quick to blame Israel for dozens of civilians killed in the bomb blast. And while official Israeli channels endeavoured put their spin on the important military operation, a group of civilian Jewish public-relations whizzes were in a Tel Aviv studio going live with their own English-language briefings and social media posts. It’s a job Eylon Levy used to do after Oct. 7 as official international media spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Levy’s earnest and calm handling of Israel’s p.r. war made him a celebrity, especially his expressive dark eyebrows that became famous in their own right on social media. But after six months into the war, the British-born former journalist was unceremoniously fired. The reasons are complicated. Levy pivoted, and assembled a team of p.r. pros to continue fighting the crucial information war for Israel. He’s come to Canada to drum up support for this new venture. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Eylon Levy joins to explain why the Israeli government’s in house public relations efforts to date have failed to counter the lies and propaganda from the Iran-backed Hamas organization, creating a situation which he believes has driven a wedge between Canada and the Jewish State, and also between Canadians and their non-Jewish neighbours. What we talked about:
**Credits: ** The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 11 Oct 2023 | These Canadian fathers describe what it’s like as their children fight for Israel | 00:23:11 | |
One is a doctor. One is with a tank unit. One is in reconnaissance. All three sons of Toronto-born Ira Garshowitz were called up on the weekend to serve at the front with the Israel Defense Forces after the unprecedented Hamas attack on Oct. 7. Garshowitz’s daughter is also in uniform–and like her brothers, all are Canadian citizens but born in Israel. Meanwhile, Jonathan Shiff now has two married sons and a daughter in action since the weekend. The Canadian-born lawyer immigrated to Israel in 1989 and like Garshowitz, is also an IDF veteran. Between him and Garshowitz, they have seven children fighting in what’s been dubbed “Operation Iron Swords”, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed will “exact a price that will be remembered by [Hamas] and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come.” More than 150 Israeli soldiers have been killed to date in the war. Garshowitz and Shiff join _The CJN Daily _host Ellin Bessner to describe what life is like for them right now, their fears for their children in battle, and what their families are doing as civilians to help the war effort. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. | |||
| 04 Apr 2023 | He’s Jewish. She’s agnostic and part-Indigenous. Here are their tips for a successful interfaith seder | 00:22:48 | |
Later this week, David and Jenny Spigelman will attend a traditional Passover seder at his parents’ Winnipeg home, along with the couple’s three young sons. Then, on Saturday, the Spigelmans will drive out to spend Easter with Jenny’s grandmother at her farm, and the boys—who are being raised Jewish—get to hunt for Easter eggs. It’s a compromise that’s taking place in many interfaith homes around the world right now. This April, both Passover and Easter (and Ramadan) fall within days of each other on the calendar. And with intermarriage rates among Canadian Jews rising in the past generation to at least 25 percent—and closer to 50 percent in Winnipeg—experts say successfully navigating the holidays this week calls for patience, conversations and celebrating the other’s traditions. David and Jenny Spigelman, who is from Manitoba’s Peguis First Nation, join The CJN Daily, along with Rabbi Aaron Levy of the Makom synagogue in Toronto where they do interfaith Sabbaths and Mimounas, with tips and advice. What we talked about
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 19 Jul 2022 | 80 years after his death, a Canadian war hero's art finally finds an audience | ||
Nick Yudell was a gifted photographer. But at just 26 years old, Yudell, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force fighting Nazis in the Second World War, was killed in action. He and his five crewmates were shot down by German forces over Tunisia. After he was killed, he left behind a gray hand-painted box full of hundreds of film negatives. Yudell excelled at portraiture and street life, and his unpublished work depicted the everyday world of his hometown of Morden, Manitoba, as well as Winnipeg, where he attended high school. His family saved that box ever since his death; and this year, thanks to one of his cousins, Celia Rabinovitch, the war hero has received his very own exhibit at the Manitoba Museum. The Lost Expressionist opened in February and runs until December, and today, Rabinovitch joins to explain how she kept a promise to her late father by doing something noteworthy with the family's treasure trove of art. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Production assistance by Gabrielle Nadler and YuZhu Mou. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 22 Nov 2022 | How Sean Shapiro became known as the TikTok Traffic Cop—and went viral with video tips to avoid getting tickets | 00:19:46 | |
Every weekday, Cst. Sean Shapiro slips on his headphones, flips on his microphone and goes live on his show, Ask a Traffic Cop, broadcasting from his studio inside Toronto's traffic unit headquarters. Shapiro answers questions about highway safety, speeding, cycling, U-turns and what qualifies as distracted driving—and then posts clips on his TikTok page, where he's amassed nearly 600,000 followers. It all started after the 22-year veteran officer was hurt on duty. Instead of giving out tickets, he started giving out advice. It helps that he has the perfect voice for radio; in fact, he recently won third place in an international radio contest out of the United Kingdom. He credits a lot of his recent success to his Jewish identity, including how his mother influenced his profession and how his upbringing instilled in him a strong sense of morality. The CJN Daily visited the “TikTok Traffic Cop” at his studio to learn the road he took to getting where he is. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 30 Jun 2022 | Despite shattered goodwill, El Al could return to Toronto next spring, expert predicts | 00:13:27 | |
El Al customers received emails this week confirming what we reported earlier: Israel's flagship carrier is halting direct service between Tel Aviv and Toronto this fall. According to the airline, it's readjusting its schedule to handle demand after COVID-19 threw the entire travel industry into turmoil. But this may not be the end of El Al in Canada. Fred Lazar is an aviation expert who teaches at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. He has some insight into why El Al made the decision, what it means for Israeli-bound ticket fares on Air Canada (spoiler: they'll likely go up 10 to 20%), and why he believes El Al's executives will realize their error—and return next spring. None of that, however, helps those who relied on El Al for trips to the Holy Land. On today's episode, you'll also hear from affected travellers about why they preferred to fly with El Al and how this abrupt ending has thrown their travel plans into disarray. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video. | |||
| 07 Mar 2023 | Why this Oshawa man is calling out the three Conservative MPs who met with far-right German politician | 00:16:02 | |
The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, will not take further action to sanction three members of parliament who posed for photos recently with a far-right German politician. Poilievre told reporters on Parliament Hill on Monday March 6 that he will also not kick the trio out of caucus. The three Tory politicians—Dr. Colin Carrie, of Oshawa, Leslyn Lewis of Halidmand-Norfolk, and Dean Allison of Niagara West—posed for photos at a luncheon in mid-February with Christine Anderson, during her cross-Canada tour. Anderson is a member of the European Parliament representing the Alternative for Germany party, which espouses what Poilievre has since called “vile” and “racist” views on Muslim immigrants, homosexuality, and Holocaust denial. While the three quickly issued a statement saying they didn’t know about their luncheon guest’s views, this is the first time anyone from the party has spoken in person, publicly, about the controversy. But that’s not good enough for one Oshawa businessman who is calling for his MP to actually do better, not just say he will. Shaun Bernstein joins The CJN Daily to explain why he wants the veteran politician to attend a symposium at a local synagogue to mend fences. What we talked about:
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN. This podcast is powered by Pinecast. | |||
| 24 Jun 2024 | Will UofT’s encampment be allowed to stay up? An Ontario court is ruling soon—here’s what you should know | 00:25:54 | |
An Ontario court judge is expected to rule as early as this week on whether the seven-week-old pro-Palestinian tent city at the University of Toronto will be allowed to remain, or whether it must be dismantled immediately—with police help, if necessary. Lawyers for the university were in court last week arguing the encampment is illegal and has done irreparable harm to UofT’s international reputation, while also violating the rights of Jewish and pro-Israel students and staff. Lawyers for the student protestors countered in court that their right to free speech and free assembly trumps any concerns the school may have. The Toronto encampment is one of about a half-dozen still up on Canadian university campuses since a wave of pro-Palestinian tent cities began in the United States in April. McGill’s was the first in Canada—and it’s still operating after two failed appeals to courts. Waterloo just issued a trespass notice on Friday, while five other schools have cleared theirs, usually with police help: York University, UQAM, the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta. Ontario Tech University in Oshawa was the first and only Canadian post-secondary institution to date to agree to the students’ demands, and saw the tents come down peacefully. The CJN’s Jonathan Rothman has been covering the UofT encampment since it went up, writing numerous pieces for us and conducting interviews inside. He joins _The CJN Daily _to describe what the tent city is like and predict what might happen next. What we talked about:
Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me. | |||
| 04 Mar 2025 | Was Canadian professor Hassan Diab innocent or a scapegoat for France shul bombing? | 00:23:56 | |
For the last two months, listeners around the world have been hearing a deeply reported true-crime podcast investigation – the first of its kind – into the notorious Canadian case of a mild-mannered Ottawa sociology professor, Hassan Diab, who France recently convicted of being the terrorist who blew up Paris’ historic Copernic Street synagogue in 1980. Although Diab has no intention of serving out that life sentence in a French prison for the murders of four victims, and the wounding of many others: the professor from Carleton University claims he is innocent, was nowhere near Paris, was never mixed up in terrorism and is the wrong man. And, despite already spending nearly 27 years under suspicion, including some locked behind bars or on tight bail conditions, Diab’s fight to prove he’s a scapegoat has now received some renewed support. The Canadaland _news platform has published a six-part series called “The Copernic Affair”. It raises serious questions into how French officials prosecuted the case, using incomplete or inadmissible evidence, a weak Canadian extradition system, and by France’s historic need to bring someone, anyone, to justice for a terrorist attack that’s deeply etched into their national memory. Diab’s many supporters, including some Jewish Canadian leaders, regret how the man’s life has been ruined, facing calls for him to be fired at work, and ongoing death threats to his family in Ottawa. On today’s episode of _The CJN Daily, Ellin is joined by the two journalists behind the unique investigative series: Alex Atack is a senior audio producer, often for The Guardian, and Dana Ballout, an Emmy-award winning documentary producer, with bylines on This American Life, National Geographic/ Disney+, The Wall Street Journal and Al-Jazeera. To read a transcript of the episode, go to our website: https://thecjn.ca/podcasts/hassan-diab/ What we talked about:
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| 20 Aug 2024 | Three arrested after Jewish senior attacked Sunday at pro-Israel rally in Toronto | 00:20:29 | |
Toronto police have arrested and charged three people—including two pro-Israel protesters—in connection with a violent incident at a weekly community rally in Toronto that saw an 88-year-old Jewish volunteer beaten and thrown to the ground. It happened on Sunday, Aug. 18, at the event held on Bathurst Street at Sheppard Avenue West. Video from the attack shows a car come to a stop beside the crowd of approximately 100 people waving Israeli flags. A young passenger exits the car, scuffles with the senior citizen, beats him, then picks him up and slams him into the street. He fell centimetres away from the wheels of a Toronto city transit bus that happened to be stopped at a red light. The senior was badly cut and bruised, and had to be taken to hospital with what police have called "non-life-threatening injuries". Police have charged three people, but will not be releasing more details while the investigation is underway. However, the organizer of the pro-Israel rally tells The CJN Daily that, aside from the attacker, police charged two members of his group, too, after some people reacted violently when they saw what had been done to the elderly gentleman. Guidy Mamann joins the show to explain what exactly happened—and why he won't cancel the weekly rallies he helps organize. What we talked about
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| 31 Mar 2025 | How Canadian Jewish business leaders are bracing for Donald Trump’s trade war | 00:27:20 | |
Canadians have been bracing for a trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump for months—and this week, it might actually kick into high gear. Washington has already imposed 25-percent tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, and is expected to add auto parts to the list as early as April 3. These acts are having devastating effects on Canada’s economy—especially Canadian entrepreneurs. Many domestic business owners are pivoting. Some are focusing more on the Canadian market. Others are looking to expand in Europe and Australia. At least one Jewish business owner in Quebec moved his product assembly to Vermont, helping him keep his Canadian factory open. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we check in with two Canadian Jewish business owners, who give us their perspective on the trade war. Noah Tepperman is the co-owner of Tepperman’s, a furniture and appliance retail chain headquarted in Windsor, Ont., celebrating its centennial this month; and Michael Wiesel joins from Knowlton, Quebec to explain how he’s trying to save his DIY craft kit business, Kiss Naturals, which relies on U.S. customers for 80 percent of its business. Related Links
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