Treyf Podcast

On this episode, we spoke with Irena Klepfisz. Irena is a writer, a poet, an activist, a lesbian feminist, a teacher, a researcher, and a movement elder. We talked with Irena about her experience being born in the Warsaw Ghetto to Bundist parents, her role in founding the Jewish Women’s Committee to End the Occupation, her years of work in the lesbian feminist movement in NYC, and her thoughts on the ways Jewish history is taught today. Show notes & full transcript: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2021/02/23/50-irena-klepfisz

The final episode in our series on the Jewish Labour Bund! We first spoke with David Slucki about the ways the organization was reimagined after the Holocaust, with Bund chapters scattered around the world. We then spoke with Molly Crabapple about the Bund’s different legacies & what the symbol of the Bund can mean for different people today. Special thanks to JB Brager for the art we’re using for the series! Show notes & full transcript here: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2020/12/13/49-the-general-jewish-labour-bund-pt-3

For this instalment of In the Streets, we spoke with Skyler Williams, spokesperson for 1492 Land Back Lane, an ongoing land reclamation effort on Six Nations territory. We talked about the repression that people there are facing, the recent solidarity day of action, and the relationship between this struggle and the 2006 reclamation of Kanonhstaton. Show Notes & Full Transcript: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2020/10/17/1492-land-back-lane

The second episode of our series on the Jewish Labour Bund, a secular Jewish socialist movement founded in the late 1890s! On this episode, we spoke with Jack Jacobs about the Jewish Labour Bund during the interwar period in Poland. We talked about the Polish Bund's widespread support during this period, its approach to Secularism, Zionism, Doykeit, and its many different auxiliary organizations. Special thanks to JB Brager for the art we're using for the series! Show notes & full transcript here: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2020/09/08/48-the-general-jewish-labour-bund-pt-2

Ashanti Alston is an anarchist, a prison abolitionist, and a former member of the Black Panther Party & Black Liberation Army. He was a political prisoner for over a decade and continues to work with the Jericho Movement for the freedom of all political prisoners. We talked with Ashanti about his life, his political work, state repression, prison abolition, and his thoughts on the current political moment. Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2020/07/28/47-ashanti-alston

The first episode of our series on the Jewish Labour Bund, a secular Jewish socialist movement founded in the late 1890s! We spoke to Elissa Bemporad and Josh Meyers about the founding of the Bund, its underground revolutionary activities, and it's complicated relationship with the Bolsheviks. Special thanks to JB Brager for the art we're using for the series and to Brivele for calling in a rendition of 'FTP in der Gasn.' Show notes & full transcript here: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2020/05/31/46-labour-bund-pt-1 [This episode was recorded prior to the inspiring Black-led resistance following the white supremacist police killings of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others.]

On April 19th, car caravans visited prisons & migrant detention centres in cities across so-called Canada. The caravans made noise and held signs in solidarity with those locked up, demanding their immediate release in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This recording is an edited version of a special live broadcast by CKUT's Prison Radio Show that aired during the mobilization. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2020/04/20/in-the-streets-freethemallcaravan

For this instalment of In the Streets, we spoke with Jennifer Wickham, media coordinator for the Gidimt'en Camp on Wet’suwet’en territory. We spoke about the Wet’suwet’en struggle for their territory, the recent raids by Canadian police, and the Indigenous-led Shut Down Canada uprising that's emerged in solidarity. [Note: This episode was recorded on Feb 27th 2020] Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2020/03/02/in-the-streets-shut-down-canada/

We spoke with Tallie Ben Daniel and Nava EtShalom about their new show, Diaspora Podcast from Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). We discussed the origins of the podcast, the goals and intentions of putting it out, and what folks can expect in the first season of the show.

To celebrate the yearly #WaronChristmas, we are rebroadcasting our special episode from a few years ago. “Inspired by the confluence of panic and satire that is the War On Christmas, we endeavoured to discover its true meaning. Relying on the guidance of longtime activist Moishe Volf Dolman, we moved through Christmas past and present in Montréal, trying to understand what the War On Christmas is actually about.“ Merry Kratsmaych to all! #NishtGeshotygenNishtGefloygen #Didn’tRiseupDidn’tFlyUp!

For this episode, we explored the relationship between fascism and colonialism. We talked with Christian Davis about Germany's colonial genocide in Namibia and the ways that this tragedy acted as a precursor to the Holocaust. We then spoke with Rowland Keshena Robinson about how to understand fascism in a settler colony like the US, as well as what the threat of fascism means for Indigenous people today. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2019/11/30/episode-45-fascism-and-colonialism

We're back from our summer break! For part two of our series on fascism and the far-right, we spoke with Diana Garvin about her research into Italian fascism's attacks on women's autonomy & the inspiring ways that women resisted the fascist regime. We then spoke with Matthew Lyons about his work documenting far-right groups in the US & the ways misogyny has grown within that milieu. Editor's note(s): This episode was recorded just after the Jewish new year. And the reason it felt like more than 2 years since we talked with Matthew Lyons is because it was actually 3! Show Notes & Full Transcript: https://bit.ly/327nTtK

We spoke with Aurora Levins Morales about the Rimonim Liturgy Project, you can learn more & support at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rimonim-liturgy-project

For the first instalment of In the Streets, we talked with an anonymous queer anarchist who's affiliated with The Tower, an anarchist social space in so-called Hamilton, Ontario. Queer and trans folks in Hamilton have been experiencing heightened police repression following this year's Pride events, and called a multi-city Day of Action in response. Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2019/06/30/in-the-streets-free-the-hamilton-pride-defenders/

We went on a trip to Buffalo, NY last month to speak with anti-imperialist political prisoner David Gilbert. We talked about his Jewish upbringing, what he learned from the Weather Underground, and how his thinking has changed over time. We highly recommend the show notes for this one! Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2019/04/29/43-david-gilbert/

Happy Purim! We wanted to share this excerpt from a 1991 episode of Jewish Digest, set at an anarchist Purim party in occupied Tio'tia:ke (Montréal). Thanks to the Canadian Jewish Archives for their help digitizing the original cassette.

On this episode, we had two conversations about the history of Fascism. We first spoke with Gord Hill about the history of Anti-Fascist movements and the connections between Fascism and Colonialism. We then spoke with Shira Klein about how to understand the widespread Jewish support for Fascism that existed in interwar Italy. Show notes & transcript here: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2019/02/19/42-fascism-and-the-far-right-1/

On this episode, we focused on the anti-Jewish immigration laws of the 1920s and 1930s & how they relate to the present. We spoke with Syed Hussan (a migrant justice organizer in Toronto) about the Canadian government's upcoming apology for turning away Jews fleeing the Nazis, and how this fits into Canada's immigration history. Show notes: http://www.treyfpodcast.koumbit.org/2018/11/02/41-immigration-exclusion-and-false-apologies/ We also spoke with Libby Garland (author of 'After They Closed the Gates: Jewish Illegal Immigration to the United States, 1921-1965') about how the history of unauthorized Jewish migration can help us better understand the current moment. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/11/02/41-immigration-exclusion-and-false-apologies/

On this episode, we spoke with Aya Alghazzawi - a Palestinian student and activist in Gaza, as well as Ali Abunimah - co-founder and Director of the Electronic Intifada. We talked about life in Gaza, the Great March of Return, and how to understand the current wave of Israeli repression. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/09/30/40-resisting-colonialism-in-palestine/

On this episode, we spoke with Esther Kaplan and Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark, the former hosts of Beyond the Pale, a leftist Jewish radio show that broadcast on WBAI between 1995 and 2014. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/09/07/39-beyond-the-pale/

On this episode, we took a look at a new generation of leftist Jewish media projects. We spoke with Ben Ratskoff (editor of Protocols) and Jacob Plitman (editor of Jewish Currents) about what’s led to this upsurge in the Jewish left, generational divides, the role of secularism, and what’s different about this moment. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/07/24/38-resurgence-leftist-jewish-media/

Our upcoming episode on The Great March of Return has taken longer than expected so we're sharing a behind-the-scenes update along with a condensed version of the Electronic Intifada Podcast's episode on the 70th anniversary of the Nakba.

On this episode, we marked three years since starting the show & read letters from listeners! Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/05/10/37-letters-from-listeners/

On this episode, we spoke with Leo Ferguson and Aurora Levins Morales about the new resource, ‘Understanding Antisemitism: An Offering to our Movement,’ released in November by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. We talked about the several-year process behind the resource, the monopoly the Jewish Right has had on this conversation, and why it's taken the Jewish left so long to offer this analysis. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/04/04/36-understanding-antisemitism/

On this episode, we took a look back at the First Intifada following its 30th anniversary. We spoke with Mezna Qato (Palestinian activist & academic) about the history of the First Intifada, it’s legacy, and how it can help us better understand our present moment. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/02/23/first_intifada/

Why there's no episode this week & an update on some developments over at Treyf HQ.

We spoke with Tom Pessah, an activist & academic based in Tel Aviv. We talked about his work with Amram, a group working to expose the truth about Israel’s mass kidnapping of Yemenite, Mizrahi and Balkan children in the 1950s. We spoke about the racism that led to these kidnappings and his investigation into JIMENA, the largest group representing Mizrahi Jews in the US. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/12/31/tom-pessah/

As we enter sci-fi blockbuster season, we reached out to Molly Swain and Chelsea Vowel, hosts of the Métis in Space podcast. We talked about the colonial politics of mainstream science fiction, how they're pushing back against it, and the importance of envisioning decolonial futures. [This episode was recorded on November 27th]

We spoke with Bernie Farber (former CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress) about his recent role in helping uncover the truth about Ayman Elkasrawy, a Toronto Imam fired from his job due to false accusations of Anti-Semitism. We talked about the uneven relationship between Jewish and Muslim communities in Canada, the rise of the far-right, and how mainstream Jewish groups no longer understand what Anti-Semitism really means. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/11/19/short-bernie-farber/

On this episode, we take a step back and give some context to the continuing rise of Islamophobia in Québec. We first spoke with Alex, a longtime activist & organizer who’s participated in movements against the far-right in Québec since the 1980s. We talked about the recent surge in far-right organizing, the relationship between these groups & the state, and how our current moment differs from the 1990s. We then spoke with Houda Asal, historian, sociologist, activist, and author of the recent book ‘Se Dire Arabe au Canada.' We talked about the history of Anti-Arab racism in Québec, how it relates to Islamophobia, and what we can learn from past migrant struggles against racism. For more on the recent history of Islamophobia in Québec, you can listen to the episode we did following the mass shooting at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Québec City: https://soundcloud.com/treyfpodcast/27-anti-muslim-violence-in-quebec Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/11/02/34_quebec/

We spoke with Eli Valley about his new book, Diaspora Boy: Comics on Crisis in America and Israel. We talked about why he left the Forward, what happens when you publicly criticize institutional Jewish leaders, and the fraught relationship between satire and activism.

We spoke with Laura Whitehorn, former political prisoner & tireless revolutionary activist and organizer, about her decades of participation in movements for justice. We spoke about organizing against white supremacists during the 1970s, how she relates to the newly radicalized Jewish left, how her work has changed over time, and what solidarity ought to look like in our current context. We packed a lot into the Show Notes this week! Check them out here: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/10/12/laura_whitehorn/

We spoke with musician Dan Blacksberg about his new podcast, Radiant Others, an extended interview show with Klezmer musicians. We spoke with Dan about his politicization via Jewish Voice for Peace, what it means to be a white Ashkenazi cultural worker, and what Klezmer has to offer young Ashkenazi Jews.

On this episode we introduce a new rolling segment, the Treyf Mailbag! We check in about how we're feeling about the show and then read several letter from listeners. We end the episode with a Shkoyach awarded to a cookbook and anti-Shkoyach awarded to the province of Quebec. *content warning: this episode contains a discussion about circumcision. if you don't want to hear this, just skip minutes 13-19.

We were in Toronto last week for the 84th anniversary of the Christie Pits Riot, a piece of Jewish anti-fascist history that felt more significant this year. We decided to share this series of short interviews, originally conducted by Radio 613, which includes a conversation with Lionel Mernick, a Jewish man who was at the riot in 1933.

We were on the road this week so we recorded this short in Toronto! We caught up with Ariana Katz and Jessica Rosenberg about the Years of Radical Dreaming Jewish calendar project and what it means to mark Jewish time while prioritizing radical leftist politics.

In this 2004 recording, Leslie Lutsky interviews Ella Shohat, internationally renowned Mizrahi academic, and Professor of Cultural Studies at NYU. They speak about what led Iraqi Jews to leave for Palestine, how asserting Arab-Jewish identity has become politicized, and what it was like growing up as a Mizrahi Jew in Israel.

On this episode, we spoke with Lesley Williams (member of JVP's Network Against Islamophobia) about the campaign to stop Chicago's Jewish United Fund from continuing to support anti-Muslim organizations. We then spoke with Sarah Tuttle (member of Kadima) about the effort to stop the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle from honouring Seattle's Police Chief after the police murder of Charleena Lyles. Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/07/28/32-the-jewish-federations-racism-problem/

On this short, we spoke with Rebecca Pierce - writer, filmmaker, editor of the Unruly blog, and core member of the Jews of Color, Sephardi, and Mizrahi (JOCSM) Caucus that organizes in partnership with Jewish Voice for Peace. We spoke about her recent article in the Forward, Unruly's plans for growth over the next year, and her recent film about a founding member of the Israeli Black Panthers. EDIT: At the end of the show, David mentioned that Rebecca conducted interviews for a documentary about the Bakr family, produced for the Nation magazine. While Rebecca wrote the film and helped edit it, Dan Cohen was the one who conducted the interviews. Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/07/21/short-rebecca-pierce/

We spoke with Dean Spade (trans activist, professor and author) about growing up Jewish in the rural south, resisting the cooptation of our identities, and how the US left seems to have moved away from talking about capitalism and poverty. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/06/29/31-dean-spade/

We spoke with Mark Tseng-Putterman and Tallie Ben Daniel about Jewish Voice for Peace’s new book, ‘On Anti-Semitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice.’ We talked about the Jewish right’s understanding of Anti-Semitism, the Jewish left’s struggle to present a coherent alternative, and whose voices get centred in these conversations. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/06/15/on_anti_semitism/

We spoke with Mira Sucharov (Carleton University Professor and Forward/Haaretz Columnist) about her recent decision to resign her column at the Canadian Jewish News. We talked about her political journey away from Liberal Zionism and the rightward shift of Canada's Institutional Jewish Community. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/06/07/mira_sucharov/

We spoke with acclaimed author, activist, artist, and movement elder Aurora Levins Morales about her new podcast, Letters From Earth. We talked about her ongoing love affair with radio - from the feminist radio shows she produced in the 1970s, her time with the Third World News Bureau, and her contributions to Flashpoints on Pacifica. We ended with a preview of the show, a piece entitled Mothers. As of June 1, you can listen to Letters From Earth at https://soundcloud.com/auroralevinsmorales

On this episode, we focused on the final days of the Canadian Jewish Congress. We spoke with Bernie Farber (former CEO of the CJC) & Dan Freeman-Maloy (Jewish academic, writer, and activist) about the CJC's history, how the Jewish Federations replaced it with CIJA (an Israel advocacy group), and what this means for our present moment. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/05/25/29-the-destruction-of-the-canadian-jewish-congress/

We spoke with Sahar Francis, the director of Addameer, about the hunger strike being undertaken by over a thousand Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. To learn more about the strike and support Addameer's work, visit http://addameer.org Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/05/17/short-palestinian-hunger-strike/

We spoke with Kezia Berelson and Tamara Micner, members of Jewdas and organizers of the most recent BirthWrong trip to Marseilles, France. We talked about the origins of BirthWrong and what it means to organize anti-Zionist trips to Jewish communities around the world. Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/05/17/short-birthwrong/

We're launching a fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the show! If you have $5 to spend, please give it to one the groups we've included in the show notes. But if you have another $5 to spend, consider sending it to us at Patreon.com/treyfpodcast. Show Notes: http://wp.me/p6SqlI-7U ORGANIZATIONS TO DONATE TO: -ADDAMEER - http://www.addameer.org/about/Support-Addameer -SOLIDARITY ACROSS BORDERS - http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org/en/donate -KANEHSATÁ:KE FLOOD DAMAGE RELIEF - https://www.gofundme.com/kanehsatake-flood-damage-relief -BARRIERE LAKE SOLIDARITY - http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org/p/t.html -ADALAH - https://donate.adalah.org -THE KARIHWANORON MOHAWK IMMERSION SCHOOL - https://www.generosity.com/education-fundraising/the-karihwanoron-mohawk-immersion-school -BLACK LIVES MATTER TORONTO FREEDOM SCHOOL - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/blm-to-freedom-school-educational-resources-education#/ -UNIST’OT’EN CAMP - http://unistoten.camp/support-us/donate -THE IMMIGRANT WORKERS CENTRE - http://iwc-cti.org/get-involved/donate-to-the-iwc -GRASSY NARROWS WOMEN’S DRUM GROUP - http://gnwdg.causevox.com -PRISONER CORRESPONDENCE PROJECT - https://prisonercorrespondenceproject.com/donate -NATIONAL MAMAS BAILOUT DAY - https://brooklynbailfund.org/national-bail-out-day-donate -ONTARIO COALITION AGAINST POVERTY - https://ocaptoronto.wordpress.com/help-fund-the-fightback -AUDRE LORDE PROJECT - https://database.alp.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=5 -CHIPPEWAS SOLIDARITY - https://chippewassolidarity.org/en/donate

We went to Chicago last month for the Jewish Voice for Peace National Members Meeting! We brought a recorder with us and put together an audio collage of our experience. *The music you hear before and after our trip to the Haymarket Martyrs' Monument is 'Un Du Akerst', as sung by Isa Kremer. Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/05/03/28-jvps-national-members-meeting/

In this 1993 interview, Leslie Lutsky talks with Les Tager, a founding member of the Toronto-based Jewish Feminist Anti-Fascist League (JFAFL). To skip the part of the show where Sam and David talk about unrelated things, jump straight to 8:03!

We spoke with Leslie Lutsky about his recent decision to end Jewish Digest, a Montreal-based radio show that's been on the air for over 25 years. We'll be releasing archives from the show over the next few months.

We were on this week's episode of Canadaland, talking about the politics of Jewish media with the editor of the Canadian Jewish News. Enjoy!