Podcasts about cjn

2025 was a big year for CJN! We covered so many records, talked to so many artists, and really engaged with the material. Join us as we talk about our favorite (and least favorite) moments from the year and let us know what yours were! Peace Out Mon Freres!If you like what you hear, please rate, review, subscribe, and follow!Connect with us here:Email: contact@churchjamsnow.comSite: https://www.churchjamsnow.com/IG: @churchjamsnowTwitter: @churchjamsnowFB: https://www.facebook.com/churchjamsnowpodcastPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/churchjamsnowpodcast

Fans of the long-running game show Family Feud Canada may have caught the Bernstein family appearing as contestants last week. The five family members—who all live around Richmond Hill and Oshawa—taped their episodes back in August at CBC headquarters in Toronto, but had to keep their appearances a secret until their three episodes aired on Dec. 15-17. In an interview with The CJN's North Star podcast, two of the family members reveal how proud they were to represent Judaism on the small screen—bantering in Yiddish with comic host Gerry Dee—even though their episodes ended up airing during difficult times. The family watched themselves on TV last week, shortly after losing patriarch Nat Bernstein, 101, in Montreal. And while the timing around Hanukkah was convenient for celebration (especially given how much gelt they won), the terror attack at Bondi Beach in Australia cast a pall over their excitement. To find out what the experience was like, why they auditioned, and what the five of them will do with the prize money, siblings Shaun Bernstein and Alexis Orchard join North Star host Ellin Bessner. Related links Watch the Bernstein family's three episodes on Family Feud Canada on CBC Gem , or see clips on YouTube . Read about the Kestelman family including Rabbi Stephen Wise and his wife Cheryl, who runs the synagogue's supplementary school, his sister Renee Cohen of TanenbaumCHAT, and other relatives win on Family Feud Canada back in 2022, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

Cabinet Minister Evan Solomon tells The CJN in a wide-ranging interview how the government is 'highly engaged' in monitoring terrorist threats against Canada's Jewish community. Solomon spent much of last week carrying out his official role as Canada's first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, making funding announcements to support local researchers and entrepreneurs. But on Dec. 14, the rookie politician made a point to tell Canadians about the impact that the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre had on Canada's Jewish community—including himself. Having already spoken to his rabbi and congregants at his synagogue, Holy Blossom Temple in midtown Toronto, he quickly headed downtown to City Hall to film a video of support, inviting Mayor Olivia Chow to join. Days later, he took part in a roundtable discussion with RCMP officials and other Canadian law enforcement agencies, where politicians and Jewish community leaders were briefed about the possibility of a domestic copycat attack. Solomon insists his government is “highly engaged” with what he calls the “unacceptable level” of antisemitic attacks and the “threat level” that's causing fear and anxiety for his community. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, Solomon sits down with host Ellin Bessner to explain what is being done. Related links Evan Solomon was one the two Jewish MPs from Toronto who were appointed to Prime Minister Mark Carney's new government in May 2025, in The CJN . Hear Evan Solomon's (and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's_ message to the Jewish community for Hanukkah, after last week's Australian Bondi Beach massacre, on The CJN's North Star podcast. Learn more about Evan Solomon's election campaign for the Liberals in Toronto Centre, one of the key ridings to watch in April 2025, with a tiny Jewish electorate at 1.4% of the population, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

When sociologist Robert Brym published his research on Canadian Jewry in November 2024, his findings made international headlines. While 94 per cent of the community said they support Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state—and about 84 per cent were strongly or somewhat emotionally attached to Israel—barely half said they called themselves Zionists. The three progressive Jewish organizations that commissioned the survey concluded it proves how nuanced conversations about Israel are within Canada's Jewish community after Oct. 7. It also showed how no one can claim to speak for the majority of Canadian Jews, they added—not the mainstream centre-right organizations, nor the anti-Zionist far-left ones. All the while, the author himself has been quietly fuming, as he believes his original findings have been “weaponized”, deliberately misinterpreted by Jewish groups—mainly Independent Jewish Voices—in order to bolster their own political goals. This came to his attention a few weeks ago in the Senate, where a committee has been studying antisemitism in Canada. Byrm has been sitting on the results of a new study he did earlier this year, which he says proves them wrong. He revisited the same nearly 600 people who answered the first time, and asked why 51 per cent felt they could not call themselves Zionists. Now that his paper has been published in the latest issue of the academic journal Canadian Jewish Studies, Brym is eager to set the record straight: while he found the same overwhelming support for Israel as a Jewish state at 94%, modern interpretations of the word “Zionism” are making many Canadian Jews reject the label. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, Ellin Bessner sits down with Brym to unpack his latest findings and to hear his advice for people who support Israel but don't want to use the Z-word. Related links Read Brym's new  2025 study just published in the Association of Canadian Jewish Studies' latest journal edition.  Read his first  2024 survey done on behalf of NIFCanada, JSpaceCanada and Canadian Friends of Peace Now Hear how the heads of New Israel Fund of Canada and JSpace Canada broke down the findings of the first 2024 survey, on  The CJN's Bonjour Chai podcast from Dec. 2024. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

Funerals began Wednesday in Australia for some of the 15 Jewish victims of the Dec. 14 Bondi Beach massacre, including Rabbi Eli Schlanger. The Chabad rabbi was shot at the popular Hanukkah candle-lighting festival near his synagogue during the terrorist attack by an ISIS-affiliated suspect. Among those who will be mourning is a former Ottawan, Michael Gencher, who now runs the Australian arm of the Jewish advocacy organization StandWithUs. Gencher was a close friend of the murdered rabbi and knew others who were killed. Gencher blames what happened squarely on the Australian government. He believes much more could have been done by the federal government over the last two years to crack down on escalating antisemitic hate, which included street protests and firebombings. Meanwhile, Jason Adessky, a former Montrealer, was near Bondi Beach with his children and their Canadian grandmother on Sunday to pick up Hanukkah treats. They nearly brought the family to the beachfront festivities, but decided against it because of the heat. Now Adessky is “trying not to think about the ‘what ifs'”. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner is joined by Jason Adessky and Michael Gencher to hear how the massacre has affected them personally, along with Australia's 117,000 other Jewish residents. Related links Read about how Canada's Jewish community is responding to the Australian terrorist attack, in The CJN. Watch the broadcast of the funeral for Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the Chabad emissary gunned down at his Hanukkah beach festival by ISIS-influenced terrorists on Bondi Beach on Dec. 14. Hear Canadian political leaders warn that our governments must do more to prevent a similar attack here, on The CJN's North Star podcast . Donate to help the victims' families in Australia with links on the Chabad of Bondi website. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

In the wake of Sunday's terrorist attack on Australia's Jewish community, Canadian Jews are feeling angry, scared, mournful and defiant, with some seriously considering moving to Israel. As of Sunday night EST, the death toll in New South Whales had risen to 15 victims, including the host of the Bondi Beach candle-lighting event, Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who has deep ties to Toronto and Ottawa. Meanwhile, officials believe up to 60 other festival-goers were wounded, including the rabbi's wife, a mother of five. One of the two shooters was also killed. In Canada, rabbis and Jewish leaders urged their community to push back against terror, show extra pride and make an effort to attend public candle-lighting ceremonies this Hanukkah. But some fear Canada is equally ripe for an attack like Australia's, due to the failure of public officials to stop hate speech and protests on our streets featuring chants like “Globalize the Intifada”. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast with Ellin Bessner, you'll hear what Jewish Canada sounded like while mourning Jews on the other side of the planet. We're joined by Richard Marceau, a senior official with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, who just returned from an antisemitism conference in Australia six days prior to the attack; award-winning Canadian author Sidura Ludwig, who lined up early to buy special sufganiyot at a Thornhill bakery; Sara Lefton of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto; Rabbi Levi Gansburg of Chabad on Bayview, who knew the murdered rabbi; and political leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, Toronto mayor Olivia Chow and cabinet minister Evan Solomon. Related links Read more about how Canadian Jewish leaders and politicians have reacted to the mass terrorist shooting in Australia, in The CJN . Why Australia's prime minister accused Iran of trying to destabilize their country, including by masterminding the arson at the Melbourne synagogue in 2024 and firebombing of a kosher deli, in The CJN.   This Australian Jewish leader said his country and community are ignoring online hate, at their peril, during a visit to Winnipeg in February 2025, in The CJN . Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

As far as Jewish filmmakers go, the Safie brothers could well be the GOATs (Greatest Of All Time) when it comes to Jewish sports cinema. One of their earliest collaborations was a 2013 documentary on high school basketball star Lenny Cooke; their breakout feature, Uncut Gems, was a sports-adjacent thriller featuring a Passover Seder with Adam Sandler and Idina Menzel; then younger brother Benny Safdie went on to star in Sandler's Happy Gilmore sequel—another sports film with a Jewish lead character. Now, in late 2025, the brothers (who are great-nephews of architect Moshe Safdie, for those wondering) have gone their separate ways, each directing their own sports movie. Benny directed The Rock in a biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, while older brother Josh Safdie tapped Jewish actor Timothée Chalamet to play table tennis champion Marty Reisman in Marty Supreme. While Marty Supreme is slated for a Christmas Day release 2025, the Globe and Mail's film editor, Barry Hertz, just published a review of the Oscar contender, in which he says the story "burns with the relentless, fight-for-your-life spirit of the Maccabees.... With apologies to Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights, Marty Supreme is, thematically and spiritually, the greatest Hanukkah movie ever made." Hertz joins the Menschwarmers to explain his reasoning and how this ping pong epic fits into the larger canon of Jewish cinema. And before that, the boys chat about Jake Retzlaff leading the Tulane Green Wave to success, and get to the source of an incorrect rumour about the Toronto Blue Jays' Eric Clement being Jewish. Credits Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver Producer: Michael Fraiman Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, " Organ Grinder Swing ") Support The CJN Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here )

This weekend, starting on Dec. 12, thousands of Jewish teens from nearly 70 countries, including Canada, will be participating in BBYO's annual #GlobalShabbat weekend, featuring dances, Havdalah services and other meaningful Jewish events in between. These BBYO high schoolers can thank Vancouver student Levi Moskovitz for helping raise a lot of the money to pay for it. Moskovitz, a Grade 12 King David High School student with a passion for finance, is halfway through his term serving as BBYO International's treasurer. Elected in February, he's the sole Canadian teen on the current leadership board of the century-old Jewish youth organization. As treasurer, a title known as Grand Aleph Gizbor, Moskovitz has many duties—among them, overseeing a global fundraising blitz last week, called #GivingBBYODay, where they raised $1.6 million in a single day. But Moskovitz, 17, is equally proud of his success revitalizing BBYO chapters here in Canada and attracting hundreds of new teens to find community and a safe space after Oct. 7. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, we hear from Levi Moskovitz in Vancouver to hear why BBYO is sort of a family business. His father, Rabbi Dan Moskovitz, himself a former BBYO international leader, also joins, and we'll hear from BBYO's regional director in Winnipeg, Jonah Posner. Related links Read more about why Levi Moskovitz was nominated this fall as one of The CJN's Chai Achievers . Learn more about BBYO's Canadian activities, including in the Vancouver area and Winnipeg's Global Shabbat Dec. 12. Discover when this Ontario teen was elected president of the international B'nai Brith Girls organization, in The CJN, from 2014. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

Why is hatred against Jews so bad in Canada, specifically? Is it because of our government? Is it the failure of the police? Is it because of Muslim immigration? On this episode, three theories, and one conclusion. Credits: This series is a co-production of Canadaland and The Canadian Jewish NewsMade possible by the generous support of The Bissell Family Foundation, George Burger, Dan Debow, Daniel Klass, Nanette Okun, Leslie Scanlon, Marjorie Skolnik, The York School, Lee Zentner, and others. Written and Reported by Jesse BrownResearch and Story Editing by Kate MinskyOriginal Music by SocalledSound Design, Mixing and Mastering by Caleb ThompsonEditorial Input from Michael Fraiman This episode relied on video documentation of the protests at Bathurst and Sheppard filmed by many sources, but none more than Caryma Sa'd and her videographer, Lee.. Special thanks to them and to Jonathan Rothman of The CJN. For a list of sources cited in this episode, please refer to this episode's web page (link)To support Canadaland, visit http://canadaland.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Toronto police, investigating the suspected hate-motivated theft of mezuzahs from a seniors apartment complex over the weekend, now tell The CJN they have raised their original count of 20 cases to approximately 30. But community leaders—including rabbis, political offices and some tenants—believe the true number is significantly higher, anywhere from 60 to 110. Police acknowledge their count is probably low, but they need the victims to report the crime before they can confirm it. Beginning Sunday, Toronto police's hate crime unit and other officers combed through the 14-storey West Don Apartment complex in the Jewish area of Bathurst and Steeles. By the following afternoon, volunteers from the Jewish Russian Community Centre and Unapologetically Jewish replaced more than 60 mezuzahs. But the disturbing crime spree has left many residents shaken, including one who reportedly asked if the mezuzah could be installed inside their apartment, not outside, to avoid being targeted. The City of Toronto has stationed personnel from the public housing division's Community Safety Unit at the seniors building for the next couple of weeks “for safety and security support”. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner brings you her on-the-scene report, where you'll hear from tenants including Lev Zaidel and Shoshana Pellman, and also from some of the volunteers, including local Rabbi Yirmi Cohen, Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman and Rabbi Shmuel Neft, who showed up to help. Related links Read more about how the Jewish community came together to help the seniors who were victims of the mezuzah theft, in The CJN . Learn more about how to donate mezuzahs through the Jewish Russian Community Centre. This Toronto condo complex had 7 mezuzahs stolen in 2017. What did the victims say? In The CJN . Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

Over the last two weeks, the Polish government has been doubling down on its official narrative that, during the Second World War, its own people were the victims of the Germans—not responsible for collaborating in the murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. That policy has been law since 2018, and has led to strained relations with Israel, Holocaust survivors and academic scholars, including award-winning Canadian professor Jan Grabowski. Grabowski, a historian at the University of Ottawa and the child of a Warsaw Holocaust survivor, has spent years researching how ordinary Poles denounced, betrayed and helped carry out the murder of 200,000 Jews—mostly without any prodding from the Nazis. That's why Grabowski, who has been sued by the Polish state over this issue, has been closely monitoring the recent flare-ups involving Poland, Israel, and even Germany, which began at the end of November. It started on Nov. 19, when the new U.S. ambassador to Poland—an observant American Jew who used to run the Jerusalem Post—told a startled Warsaw conference that it was “a grotesque falsehood” and a “historic injustice” to blame Poland for Holocaust crimes committed by others. After that, a popular far-right member of the Polish parliament stood outside the gates of Auschwitz to oppose the country's plan to adopt a new antisemitism strategy. He called for Jews to be kicked out of the country. Then, on Nov. 25, the Israeli ambassador to Poland was summoned over a social media post from Yad Vashem. On today's episode of The CJN's flagship news podcast North Star, Grabowski joins to unpack why his native country continues distorting the truth about its past involvement in the Holocaust, and how Polish officials are dismissing the historical records he's unearthed, which tell a more nuanced story of who killed Poland's Jews. Related links Example Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

“We had a beautiful wedding. Wish you could have been there!” That's what Shawna Magence quipped to her new husband, Steven Weiss, about three weeks ago, after a freak accident marred their joyous marriage ceremony in Florida. Magence, 55, from Toronto, had just stood under the chuppah on Nov. 16 with her husband-to-be, an American from the Five Towns area of Long Island, New York, for the traditional breaking of the glass. Suddenly, people noticed puddles of blood on the floor. It turns out, the broken wedding glass had pierced the groom's right foot, causing a deep gash. Paramedics arrived soon after. Weiss, 59, was strapped onto a gurney and wheeled out to a waiting ambulance. But he didn't depart for the hospital right away—the rabbi had the couple complete the next stage of their wedding inside the emergency vehicle. Eventually, the groom got nine stitches, while the bride returned to the reception, alone, to tend to their guests. And the wedding? It took another day to complete. Meanwhile, the couple is taking the accident in stride, considering it just one more memorable challenge they've had to overcome after the pair, both in their 50s, met in 2024 and embarked on their unexpected, late-in-life romance. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, we hear the whole incredible wedding story with Shawna Magence—while her groom recuperates. Related links Learn more about “After Forever”, the support group and resources for separated, divorced or widowed Jewish people, co-founded by Shawna Magence. Watch the video of the newlyweds' bloody wedding mishap, on The CJN's YouTube channel Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

The winter holiday season is upon us, which means binging TV shows and comfort movies is one of the only ways to pass the time while temperatures plummet outside. With this annual tradition, in the Jewish media world, come annual think pieces about Jewish onscreen representation. And while our rabbinic podcasters have delved into this subject already with the ever-popular sitcom Nobody Wants This, there is a better—and much more deeply Jewish—TV show available to stream on Netflix: Long Story Short. The time-travelling show depicts a single family over multiple generations, bouncing between the 1950s and 2020s, showing how generational trauma manifests in parenting styles, psychological effects, and emotional manipulation—all with a uniquely Jewish flair. On today's episode, with Matthew Leibl away, The CJN's director of podcasts, Michael Fraiman, sits in to discuss the show's impact and themes, and where it fits into the long cannon of hyper-Jewish television that sprang up in the 2010s. Before that, Avi Finegold and Yedida Eisenstat dissect the latest controversy swirling up around misinterpreted comments by Sara Hurwitz, and the gang recaps their American Thanksgivings through a Canadian lens. Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here )

Moez Zaman is the spokesperson for an antizionist protest that has taken place in the same Jewish neighbourhood in Toronto over 40 times. He says that his group has been unfairly characterized as antisemitic and pro-Hamas. So what do they really believe? What do their signs and chants actually mean? And what responsibility do they take for the impact they are having on their neighbours? Moez sits down for an uncommon exchange about his goals. This series is a co-production of Canadaland and The Canadian Jewish NewsMade possible by the generous support of The Bissell Family Foundation, George Burger, Dan Debow, Daniel Klass, Nanette Okun, Leslie Scanlon, Marjorie Skolnik, The York School, Lee Zentner, and others. Written and Reported by Jesse BrownResearch and Story Editing by Kate MinskyOriginal Music by SocalledSound Design, Mixing and Mastering by Caleb ThompsonEditorial Input from Michael Fraiman This episode relied on video documentation of the protests at Bathurst and Sheppard filmed by many sources, but none more than Caryma Sa'd and her videographer, Lee.. Special thanks to them and to Jonathan Rothman of The CJN. For a list of sources cited in this episode, please refer to this episode's web page (link)To support Canadaland, visit http://canadaland.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly 40 handwritten letters by a group of Ottawa seniors have made their way into a unique new publication documenting the impact of Oct. 7 over the last two years. The project is by a group called “Active Jewish Adults 50+”, and grew out of a call-out by The CJN in mid-October, following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and subsequent release of the remaining 20 living hostages. The CJN asked readers to send in their reactions—and these seniors took that request to heart. They meet each Tuesday at the Kehillat Beth Israel synagogue in Ottawa for programming and lunch. Upwards of 50 regulars, between the ages of 70 and 100, took part in this special letter-writing project. But they didn't just send their reactions to The CJN—they decided to publish the letters themselves. The result is a new booklet called Reflections on the Release of the Hostages, launching the week of Dec. 1, just as Hamas handed over more unidentified remains to the Red Cross. Israel hasn't confirmed whether they belong to the final two deceased hostages, still considered missing since Oct. 7. On today's episode of The CJN's flagship news podcast North Star, host Ellin Bessner asks some of the creative seniors to read their submissions and share how the war has affected them. Plus, we hear from Sheila Osterer, the group's executive director, who initiated the project. Related links Learn more about  AJA 50+  and their activities in Ottawa. Read  the new booklet containing letters and poems about Oct. 7, written by the Ottawa Jewish seniors “Creative Connections” group. Hear when Ottawa native Jacqui Rivers-Vital and her husband shared the story of their murdered daughter Adi with the AJA 50+ members, in February 2024, on  The CJN Daily . Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

Former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, a diplomat and former member of the Israeli Knesset, says he has always refused to do public “gladitorial” debates when it comes to representing Israel these last two decades in public life. But the American-born statesman and author changed his long-standing practice to come to Canada this Wednesday Dec. 3 to headline the Munk Debates on stage in Toronto. Organizers are mounting what they admit is their thorniest topic ever: be it resolved that supporting the two-state solution is in Israel's best interests. Oren is on the “no side” together with right-wing former Israeli politician Ayelet Shaked. They'll take on a former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert former cabinet minister Tzipi Livni, who will be arguing for the “yes” side. The debate is already attracting controversy for several reasons: there were no Palestinian voices invited on the program, and organizers are expecting protests, so security has been ramped up. They also had to move from their traditional venue, Roy Thomson Hall, for the first time in 15 years. But despite the side show, Oren believes the Munk Debates are important to reach a massive online audience with reasoned arguments, including why most Israelis oppose the so-called two-state solution in any near future. He calls the proposal “deranged”, especially after Oct. 7, even though most Western countries, including Canada, are doubling down on the idea. And says the two-state solution is a tragedy for Palestinians. So what's in store for Israel, the Palestinians, and the Middle East? Oren joins The CJN‘s “North Star” podcast host Ellin Bessner on today's episode, for his take. Related Links: Learn more about watching the Munk debate on Dec. 3, 2025. Follow Amb. Michael Oren's columns, his Israel 2048 organization and his books, at his website . Read Amb. Michael Oren's praise for former Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper and foreign minister, John Baird, during a 2013 speech in Montreal, from The CJN archives Credits:https://munkdebates.com/membership/ Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

A recent, landmark study of current and future rabbis was met simultaneously with celebration, skepticism, and concern by groups across the Jewish community. The survey by Atra – Center for Rabbinic Innovation, indicated significant upward trends in rabbis choosing community positions rather than leading congregations from the pulpit, rabbinical students who identify as LGBTQ+ (51 percent), and the number of students receiving rabbinic ordination from  nondenominational schools. The statistics have garnered their share of skepticism and criticism, namely that they under represent Modern Orthodox rabbinical students and that they do not include traditional Orthodox and Haredi populations. But even with those caveats, some community leaders worry that these trends indicate a non-Orthodox rabbinate whose demographics are significantly different than the lay populations they hope to serve, and who may have more difficulty than their predecessors in building relationships with mainstream Jewish community organizations. Our hosts - 3 rabbis and not a pulpit between them - discuss how the study matches up with their own observations and what it means for the future of the Jewish community. They also chat about the recent brouhaha within the Jewish community about an upcoming exhibit at Winnipeg's Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and a spate of Jewish Canadian organisations recently losing their charitable status. And of course, some Textual Healing to ease our listeners into Shabbat Parshat Vayetzei. Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here )

After Hamas terrorists gunned down Rabbi Leo Dee's wife Lucy and two of their daughters, Maia and Rina, during a family outing in the West Bank in April 2023, the tragedy made international headlines. Thousands attended the funerals, where the bereaved rabbi and his three surviving children quickly became public figures. The Dees are officially considered by Israel to be the first victims of the Oct. 7 attacks, despite their murders happening six months before. Rabbi Dee, 53, has since become a sought after speaker and an activist on behalf of other grieving families. So when he announced in June that he was getting remarried, to Aliza Teplitsky, a Canadian formerly of Toronto, the news prompted an outpouring of well wishes. Fans rejoiced that Rabbi Dee had found happiness again, two years after his family was shattered. The new couple had intended to spend two weeks in Canada in July. But Iran had other ideas. Israel's brief war with Tehran broke out just before their trip, forcing it to be postponed until after their high profile marriage, which took place in August in their West Bank community of Efrat. Now though, the newlyweds have arrived in Canada, for what they jokingly refer to as their “workingmoon”, because the private visit also includes meetings and speeches to the Jewish community, and others. The Dees hope to inspire people with his story about how he rebuilt his life, and balances his sorrow with his newfound happiness. It's also why he's written a new book entitled “The Seven Facets of Healing.” On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, Rabbi Leo Dee and Aliza (Teplitsky) Dee join host Ellin Bessner to talk about their self-described rom-com, and about healing, but also to share some harsh criticism of Canada's recent declaration to unilaterally recognize unilateral Palestinian State. Related links Hear Rabbi Leo Dee and Aliza Dee in Toronto Nov. 28 and 29 at Shaarei Shomayim synagogue. or in Whitby on Nov. 30 a local church. Learn more about Rabbi Leo Dee's new book “The Seven Facets of Healing” available now on Amazon. Read about the murders of Rabbi Dee's late wife Lucy, and their daughters Maia and Rina, in this tribute by former Montreal Rabbi Mark Fishman, from April 2023, in The CJN.. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

Quebec's nationalist government is expected to table yet another bill later this week that will go even further to take religion out of provincial institutions and public life–and which will likely include a few key issues impacting the Jewish community. The new “Secularism 2.0” law, as the minister in charge has dubbed it, will make it illegal to hold public prayers on the streets, although the province will leave it up to municipalities to enforce the ban. Some observers believe it's a response to growing concerns in Quebec since Oct. 7, 2023 over the frequent, intimidating anti-Israel protests where Muslim demonstrators block traffic to hold prayer services. Others say it's a sign the ruling CAQ government is in trouble at the polls, which is why lawmakers are doubling down on Quebec's existing secularism restrictions. Since 2019, many government employees have been banned from covering their faces, and from wearing religious symbols like hijabs and kippahs at work. Then just a few weeks ago, Bill 94 was passed on Oct. 30, that expanded these bans to more people in the Quebec education system. It also revoked the practice of giving public school staff and students accommodation via time off to observe their religious holidays. While there is some fear this coming week's newer proposals could impact provincially-subsidized day schools, and ban kosher meals in public institutions, Jewish leaders say they will wait to comment until the actual bill is tabled. All this comes after recent local elections, which saw Montreal elect a new mayor who is seen as friendlier to the security concerns of the Jewish community, while in the majority-Jewish municipalities of Côte Saint-Luc and Hampstead, two kippah-wearing mayors have now officially been sworn in to office. The CJN's Quebec correspondent Joel Ceausu joins “North Star” host Ellin Bessner–back from vacation–to unpack all these developments. Related links Read about Côte Saint-Luc's newly elected mayor, David Tordjman, in The CJN . Learn more about Montreal's new mayor and some of the key issues impacting Jewish voters, in The CJN . How Quebec moved to tighten secularism laws, bans religious symbols and face coverings for school staff, with more to come, in The CJN . Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

While host Ellin Bessner is on vacation, we're bringing you an episode from the archives of our show. This episode originally aired 06/20/2022. For the past 20 years, Ari Sitnik has taken small acting gigs on the side in Toronto. But nothing compared to two weeks ago, when he got a call to show up at the Royal York Hotel for the top-secret filming of Drake's new music video, “Falling Back”. The video shows a lavish wedding featuring Drake getting married to 23 Instagram models. Sitnik, as the officiant, appears right at the beginning, clad in his ultra-Orthodox outfit, asking the betrothed if they will act "according to our values and traditions." He then pronounces them "man and wives." Today on The CJN Daily, you'll meet the real Sitnik, the father of four who works as a computer specialist, who doesn't call himself "Rabbi Sitnik," who was born in Brazil before moving to Canada—and who isn't too worried about Jews criticizing his portrayal of our religion for what is currently the most popular (and controversial) music video on the internet. Related links Watch the video for " Falling Back " Watch Sitnik in the " Slammin for Shabbos " video Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

This episode originally aired on The CJN's peace-building podcast, In Good Faith. To subscribe and hear more, visit thecjn.ca/faith. Mainstream Jews, who support Israel and consider themselves Zionists, feel like they are under attack. When they see people wearing keffiyehs and storefronts stamped with Palestinian flags, they hear an implicit attack: "You are not welcome here." But for Palestinians, watermelons and keffiyehs aren't anti-Jewish icons at all: they're symbols of national pride.  How can everyday Canadian Jews and Muslims even start a conversation when words and symbols have such different meanings to different people? Telling people they're overreacting isn't an effective tool, nor is public shame, arguing over historical facts or posting online memes. What might work: navigating difficult conversations. On today's episode of In Good Faith, The CJN's interfaith podcast miniseries, we speak with two people who are working toward exactly that. Niki Landau and Bashar Alshawwa both came to conflict resolution through trauma. Landau lost a close friend, Marnie Kimmelman, to a terrorist pipe bomb on a Tel Aviv beach at age 17; Alshawwa was shot by an Israeli army sniper during a protest in 2014. Now they're touring Canada, bringing Jews and Muslims together for lengthy closed-door dialogue sessions, with a singular goal: create a toolkit to guide Canadians through conversations they desperately don't want to have. Credits Hosts:  Yafa Sakkejha and Avi Finegold Producers:  Michael Fraiman and Zachary Judah Kauffman Editor:  Zachary Judah Kauffman This podcast is sponsored by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, with support from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation.

This episode originally aired on The CJN's peace-building podcast, In Good Faith. To subscribe and hear more, visit thecjn.ca/faith. Mainstream Jews, who support Israel and consider themselves Zionists, feel like they are under attack. When they see people wearing keffiyehs and storefronts stamped with Palestinian flags, they hear an implicit attack: "You are not welcome here." But for Palestinians, watermelons and keffiyehs aren't anti-Jewish icons at all: they're symbols of national pride.  How can everyday Canadian Jews and Muslims even start a conversation when words and symbols have such different meanings to different people? Telling people they're overreacting isn't an effective tool, nor is public shame, arguing over historical facts or posting online memes. What might work: navigating difficult conversations. On today's episode of In Good Faith, The CJN's interfaith podcast miniseries, we speak with two people who are working toward exactly that. Niki Landau and Bashar Alshawwa both came to conflict resolution through trauma. Landau lost a close friend, Marnie Kimmelman, to a terrorist pipe bomb on a Tel Aviv beach at age 17; Alshawwa was shot by an Israeli army sniper during a protest in 2014. Now they're touring Canada, bringing Jews and Muslims together for lengthy closed-door dialogue sessions, with a singular goal: create a toolkit to guide Canadians through conversations they desperately don't want to have. Credits Hosts:  Yafa Sakkejha and Avi Finegold Producers:  Michael Fraiman and Zachary Judah Kauffman Editor:  Zachary Judah Kauffman This podcast is sponsored by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, with support from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation.

It's taken the Menschwarmers several weeks of mourning to get over the Toronto Blue Jays' World Series loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and no amount of broadcast cutaways to 89-year-old Sandy Koufax in the crowd during that intense seven-game series can help. But now, weeks later, after the shivas have ended for that miracle run, The CJN's sports podcasters are back—and they have a lot to look forward to. In this episode, they take note of Deni Avdija, the Portland Trail Blazer who's having a breakout season that could make him the first Israeli to ever make an NBA All-Star team. Then they turn to Zach Hyman, who triumphantly returned to the Edmonton Oilers and immediately logged a career-high 11 hits in a game, after getting injured in last season's Western Conference Finals and missing the Stanley Cup Finals entirely. After that, they look south to college football, where Jake Retzlaff has lead the Tulane Green Wave to tie for first place in the American Conference. There are plenty of accomplishments worth celebrating for Jewish athletes—catch up on what's happening with this week's episode of Menschwarmers. Credits Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver Producer: Michael Fraiman Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, " Organ Grinder Swing ") Support The CJN Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here )

While host Ellin Bessner is on vacation, we're bringing you an episode from the archives of our show. This episode originally aired February 13, 2023. More than five years have passed since the still-unsolved murders of philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman in their Toronto home. Despite a $35-million reward for clues to solve their killing, the case remains a mystery. Conspiracy theories abound over who did it and why, with fingers being pointed at the Clintons, Big Pharma, the Sherman children, a cousin or even the Mossad. Police haven't released any clues in more than a year. But interest is about to heat up again as two major Canadian news outlets give the story the true-crime treatment, each releasing podcasts about the Shermans—this same month. The two shows take very different approaches. One is hosted by Kevin Donovan, the Toronto Star reporter who broke most of the Sherman case and wrote a book about it; the other, produced by the CBC, is hosted by Jewish journalist Kathleen Goldhar. She has produced previous hit shows about a romance scammer and the cult that ensnared two Bronfman sisters. Today, both podcasters join The CJN Daily to explain why they have been pursuing the case for years and whether either of their competing shows actually provide closure to the unsolved mystery. What we talked about:. Learn why the Toronto police  released this video  of a person of interest Hear Kevin Donovan on  The CJN Daily  talk about his book  The Billionaire Murders , which the new podcast is based on Read about  the philanthropic legacy  of the Shermans Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

In the lead-up to New York's mayoral election, many prominent Jewish New Yorkers came out against the eventual winner, Zohran Mamdani. Now that Mamdani has won, what do they do? How do they reconcile that a third of the city's Jews voted for someone who has spoken out against Israel? And how can they preach about unity when they already made clear they were taking sides? This is the topic of today's episode of Not in Heaven, inspired by a recent column in the Forward, titled, "I spoke out against Mamdani. Then he won. Here's how we walk forward together," by Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove. In it, the rabbi writes how found it "totally bewildering" that a third of Jewish voters voted for Mamdani. Our rabbinic podcasters dig into what that says about the shifting politics of North American Jews and how, if at all, our communities can stand together and be united. Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here )

This episode originally aired Oct. 15, 2024. On the night of Oct. 16, 2024, Jews around Canada welcomed the holiday of Sukkot, having erected temporary wooden or cloth structures outside their synagogues and homes. While celebrating in their makeshift shacks, many told stories of the huts that ancient Israelites lived in after their exodus from Egypt. Meanwhile, in modern-day Canada, a different kind of exodus is happening across the country: young Jewish families, along with Canadians of all stripes, are finding themselves priced out of the housing market, fleeing their home cities to find affordable houses in ever-farther destinations. While the cost of a sukkah kit may seem steep these days, in the hundreds or low thousands, it pales it comparison to the national average cost of a house: nearly $650,000. As a result, housing organizations are stepping in to find creative solutions. One such company with deep Jewish roots is Ourboro, whose COO, Eyal Rosenblum, is the son of Israeli immigrants. The company essentially buys a stake in your house by lending you up to $250,000 for your down payment. Whatever the percentage of the down payment is, that's what you'll have to pay them back once you sell. The idea has caught on, with real estate developer Miles Nadal having joined Ourboro as a key investor. Eyal Rosenblum joins The CJN Daily to explain how this concept can help some Canadians afford homes, and why his Jewish values align with the idea. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )

While host Ellin Bessner is on vacation, we're bringing you some highlights from other podcasts produced by The CJN. Today: The second episode of our interfaith miniseries, In Good Faith. Over the last two years, a flood of gruesome images have emerged in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and ensuing war in Gaza. In Canada, thousands of kilometres away, Jews and Muslims have watched this horror online—and, in many cases, found their social lives overturned by them. Friends, acquaintances and colleagues have made comments online, often over-simplified, that they'd never say out loud. What happens when politics become personal? When geopolitics half a world away breaks apart relationships between parents and children, romantic partners and close friends? That's what happened to Ronit Yarosky and Ehab Lotayef. They met in the early 2000s, during the Second Intifada, at a dialogue group for Jewish and Arab residents in Montreal. Both of them have deep connections to the region. They became close friends, celebrating festivals together and dining in each others' homes, marching side-by-side in activist circles—until October 2023. Hear how they fell apart, and found their way back together, on the second episode of In Good Faith.

Mickey Heller wasn't eager to open up about his Second World War military service. But his grandson, Aron Heller, a journalist and contributor to The CJN, was curious about his zayde's wartime past—and so, over the span of a decade, he asked questions durings phone calls, visits and emails. As Heller discovered his grandfather's fascinating untold stories, he decided to expand his scope of inquiry to include his grandfather's circle of Jewish veterans who fought in the Second World War, and also Israel's War of Independence as overseas volunteer fighters called mahal. In one story, Heller discovers previously unpublished details about a long-unsolved plane crash in southern Israel that cost the lives of three Canadian military volunteers in 1948. Heller combined these stories into a new nonfiction book, Zaidy's Band, to be released Nov. 11, 2025, for Remembrance Day. Heller joins North Star host Ellin Bessner to share stories about his late grandfather and the parallels between that elder generation and those who are defending Israel today. Related links Learn more about Aron Heller's new book [Zaidy's Band ](https://aronheller.com/)and see where he's holding book talks across Canada from Nov. 11-19. Read Aron Heller's tribute to his late grandfather Mickey Heller, in [The CJN archives](https://thecjn.ca/opinion/even-as-he-turns-100-rcaf-veteran-mickey-heller-goes-back-to-memories-of-the-second-world-war/). Read Aron Heller's coverage from Israel of Oct. 7 in [[The CJN](https://thecjn.ca/opinion/canadian-dispatches-from-israel-at-wartime-like-father-like-daughter/)] Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN Subscribe to North StarClick here

Twenty years ago, when Ilanit-Michele Woods urged her grandmother Olga Fisch to write down her memoirs of life in Hungary before and after the Holocaust, Woods could never have imagined the journey that manuscript would make. The 75 typed pages, all in Hungarian, sat unread for decades in Montreal, long after Olga died in 2017. The family eventually translated the documents into English at the Montreal Holocaust Museum in the summer of 2023. And because Woods is an award-winning sound editor, with both a BAFTA award and an Emmy nomination on her resume, she turned a microphone toward herself and her mother and recorded hours of tape during trips to Hungary, Poland and Israel, shortly after Oct. 7. The mother-daughter duo explored the places that shaped Olga's remarkable life. As a teenager, Olga had been deported from eastern Hungary to Auschwitz; she was later shipped off to a slave-labour factory, and sent on a death march. They also explored the source of their mother's Holocaust trauma, which they firmly believe has impacted three generations of their family. The long-lost manuscript might eventually become a book. In the meantime, Woods has released a six-part audio podcast entitled Olga, Erika and Me, which launched in Montreal in Sept. 2025. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner is joined by Woods and her mother, Erika Ciment, to discuss how the audio format will enhance the storytelling. Related links Listen to the six-part podcast Olga, Erika and Me Watch the trailer for the podcast on YouTube Learn more about the podcast via the Montreal Holocaust Museum Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

The hit Netflix rom-com Nobody Wants This is back, and with it are Jewish debates about intermarriage and onscreen representation in mainstream media. The show's first season tells the story of heartthrob Rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) and non-Jewish podcaster Joanne (Kirsten Bell) falling in love. It was an unexpected hit for Netflix last fall, topping its most-watched list for weeks. Some Jewish viewers rejoiced at a popular portrayal of a common reality: families blended with non-Jews, not terribly religiously observant, yet still connected to their Jewish identity. Others bristled at a show that celebrates a Jewish religious leader breaking a deeply held community taboo, and criticized it for it representation of Jewish practice. Regardless of which viewpoint you took, the show was a nearly unavoidable topic at Jewish dinner tables when it first launched—and season two appears to be trending in the same direction. Our three rabbinic podcasters discuss the show, its merits and its pitfalls, including how is ostensibly frames Judaism as an obstacle to be overcome on the road to happily ever after. Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here)

While host Ellin Bessner is on vacation, we're bringing you some highlights from other podcasts produced by The CJN. Today: The most recent episode of The Jewish Angle. Israelis breathed a collective sigh of relief after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that included the return of the remaining hostages and and end to the fighting in Gaza. But the question remains: What comes next? What does the future look like for embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heading into next year's elections? How are Western political figures like U.S. President Trump perceived in the region after this fragile peace deal? To get an inside view of life this month in the Holy Land, we bring on Lahav Harkov, a senior political correspondent for Jewish Insider and co-host of the Misgav Mideast Horizons podcast, who is based in Israel but writes for a Western audience. She sits down with Phoebe Maltz Bovy on The Jewish Angle for a discussion of Israeli political polling, Israeli views on Canada and what are the ramifications of a possible Zohran Mamdani mayoralty in New York City. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: “Gypsy Waltz” by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

The name Hannah Senesh is a household legend for many Israelis, and also for Diaspora Jews of a certain generation–especially those who attended Jewish school. Over the years, there have been books and films and documentaries about her, and even a recent re-enactment of Senesh's famous 1944 military commando mission when she and dozens of Jewish volunteers parachuted back into Nazi occupied Europe to try to rescue tens of thousands of imperilled Jews and also save downed Allied pilots. But Canadian journalist and author Douglas Century, of Calgary, felt there was more to discover about the brave Hungarian teenager who escaped growing antisemitism in her native Budapest at the start of the Second World War, to pursue her Zionist ideals as an illegal immigrant to British Mandate Palestine in 1939. Senesh was eventually captured by Hungarian collaborators, tortured, and despite an offer of clemency if she confessed, was executed by firing squad eighty-one years ago this week, on Nov. 7, 1944. She was only 23. Her poems and diaries were recovered after her death, and published, like Anne Frank's. One poem, known as “Eli Eli”, is regularly sung at Holocaust remembrance ceremonies. Douglas Century joins host Ellin Bessner on today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast to explain why his new book about Hannah Senesh aims to challenge the historical record that the wartime mission was a failure. Related links Learn more about Douglas Century's new book about Hannah Senesh at the Canadian book launch on Nov. 19 at Toronto's Holy Blossom Temple.  Order the book “Crash of the Heavens: The Remarkable Story of Hannah Senesh”. Read The CJN's Treasure Trove from 2024 paying tribute on the 80th anniversary of Hannah Senesh's execution. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

Fania Fainer's friends risked their lives to celebrate her 20th birthday in a forced labour factory in Auschwitz, fashioning a tiny ersatz cake along with a folded paper greeting card shaped like a heart. Decades later, she was living in Toronto when she decided to donate it to the Montreal Holocaust Museum to further the cause of Holocaust education. Her origami heart was also featured in the recent Auschwitz exhibition at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum. Fainer is one of the prominent members of Canada's Jewish community who passed away recently. Just ahead of Holocaust Education Week, The CJN's _North Star _podcast is paying tribute to her and to other community leaders as part of our recurring series, “Honourable Menschen”. On today's episode, host Ellin Bessner is joined by The CJN's obituary columnist, Heather Ringel, to share the stories of Fainer and: Cantor Ben Maissner, who served at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto for 40 years; Carole Grafstein, who helped found the Canadian Women Against Antisemitism group after Oct. 7 and raised millions for many charities as a member of the Toronto Glitter Girls; Montreal's Sid Stevens, who co-founded the Sun Youth organization; and Ben Schlesinger, a child Holocaust survivor who transformed his trauma into a career in social work. Related links Read more about the life of the late Fania Fainer in The Canadian Jewish News. Read the obituary of the late Cantor Ben Maissner from Holy Blossom Temple, in The CJN. Find out more about the life of the late Carole Grafstein, who raised millions for charity, in The CJN. Read how the late Sid Stevens co-founded Montreal's Sun Youth organization, started first food banks, and Crime Stoppers, in The CJN. Learn how the late Ben Schlesinger survived Kristallnacht as a child to become a renowned Canadian social worker at the U of T, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

This week, many Jewish schools will be participating in a hallowed end of October tradition: sending out letters discouraging families from celebrating Halloween. The prominence of Halloween in public has ballooned in recent decades, evolving into a full-blown seasonal phenomenon. But despite the celebratory spiders and inflatable pumpkins, Jews tend to have a mixed relationship to the festival. Many see it as a bit of harmless, secular fun—a time for neighbours of all faiths to welcome and be welcomed into each other's homes, share sweets, and indulge in playful kitsch, costumes and parties. Others see it as a festival born of paganism and idolatry, later mired in antisemitic violence before ultimately becoming a modern-day sexualized glorification of the macabre. Regardless of where they fall on this spectrum, our rabbinic podcast hosts have a whole set of important questions for Halloween: Can a cultural phenomenon shed its religious origins and become fully secular? How much should Jews try to join their neighbours in shared cultural space? And how much should they cultivate their own individuality? Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here)

Rabbi David Rotenberg got his first break performing jokes when he was 15 years old, in 1998. He had to rush out of his yeshiva's Talmud class to get to a 7-Eleven store payphone and book the gig at the Yuk Yuk's comedy club in his hometown of Ottawa. Over the past nearly 30 years, the Orthodox rabbi and Jewish educator chose to put his stand-up comedy career on the back burner for extended periods while he focused on his rabbinical duties and family. But he kept exercising his comedy muscles when possible, honing his material for mainly Jewish audiences, including at synagogue fundraisers. Since Oct. 7, however, the pull of the punchline proved too strong for Rabbi Rotenberg to ignore. He decided it was time to return to the comedy circuit, doing a mix of unpaid gigs and some paid slots. Rotenberg, who wears a kippah and tzitzit, describes himself as “edgy for a rabbi, but clean for a comedian,” with material that advocates for Israel, mocks antisemitism and gets his audience laughing, even with some Holocaust humour, depending on the crowd. Rabbi David Rotenberg joins host Ellin Bessner on today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast to talk about how comedy can help us process these last two turbulent years. Related links See Rabbi Dave Rotenberg as part of the “Funny Jews” comedy performance at Yuk Yuk's in Ottawa on Sunday Nov. 2 Learn more about Rabbi Rotenberg through his Instagram. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

"On a scale of one to 10, how afraid are you?" That's a conversation starter for the new youth discussion forum Ha'ikar, founded by two Toronto friends, which has served as a support group for Canadian Jews under 40 who have been affected by Oct. 7. A few months after Oct. 7, the group started meeting monthly at Temple Har Zion in Thornhill, Ont., where co-founders Jacob Weiss and Jay Ginsherman had bonded as kids. They admit that they themselves never would have come to Jewish programs like Ha'ikar, but with the explosion of antisemitism in Canada over the past two years, the pair wanted to create a space for young people to unburden their fears and look for community. Since its inception, Ha'ikar has held meet-ups in two other synagogues, and spawned an adjacent group for older Jewish adults called Ha'ikar Zahav. The founders try to keep politics out of their conversations, instead allowing attendees to disagree respectfully. Attendees share anecdotes and confessions, like how their "Judaism was not taken seriously as a real culture in my private school." On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, producer Andrea Varsany goes behind the scenes at a recent Ha'ikar meet-up to hear some of the powerful, personal stories told therein. Related links Learn more about Ha'ikar's meetings for 20's+30+ year olds. Learn more about the Ha'ikar Zahav group meetings for older adults. Follow Ha'ikar on Instagram. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

Even though the Toronto Blue Jays traded away Spencer Horwitz, their only recent Jewish player, there are still multiple Hebraic angles that our Jewish sports podcasters are celebrating as the team charges into the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers this week. The father-son team of Dan and Ben Shulman will be calling the Jays' broadcasts; macher Mark Shapiro sits as team president and CEO; two of the biggest celebrity fans include Eugene Levy and Geddy Lee; and at least two rabbis—one in Toronto, the other in L.A.—have engaged in a friendly wager over the outcome. Menschwarmers co-hosts Gabe Pulver and James Hirsh dig into all this as the two lifelong Jays fans get ready for Game 1 on Friday night. After that, Gabe sits down with soccer journalist and broadcaster David Gass (co-host of the Kickback Committee podcast), who explains all the chaos of the last week involving Israeli soccer teams, including Birmingham's decision to ban fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team and a subsequent called-off match between Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Credits Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver Producer: Michael Fraiman Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing") Support The CJN Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

Louis Helbig, of Sydney, N.S., has been racing against time trying to find a solution and a good home for what he describes as the Trans-Atlantic Luscombe. The vintage aircraft, built in 1948, was once owned by a famous Jewish watchmaker named Peter Gluckmann, who had fled Hitler's Germany in 1939 to England as teenager with his family. He then who moved to the U.S. after the Holocaust, learned to fly, and in 1953, became the first person to ever successfully cross the North Atlantic, solo, in such a tiny plane. Gluckmann attempted the voyage because he wanted to see his parents again, and also to visit his family's lost home in Berlin. Gluckmann would set more flying records in the next few years until he disappeared into the Pacific in a different airplane, during a round-the-world attempt in 1960. Louis Helbig bought the Luscombe in 2013 and has been flying it himself to do aerial photography. It was damaged in an accident this past summer, and now Helbig says his insurance company needs a decision by Oct. 31 or it will deem the plucky two-seater a write off and likely send it to be scrapped. Helbig believes Gluckmann's story of survival and Jewish history is equally as important as the plane's significance. He hopes a museum will take it, display it, and tell the remarkable tale before it's too late. He's also motivated by what he's discovered about his own family's wartime history: to his horror, he learned that his German grandfather was a proud brownshirt with Hitler's Nazi regime. Louis Helbig joins host Ellin Bessner on today's episode of The CJN's “North Star” podcast. Related links Learn more about Louis Helbig's 1948-built Luscombe aircraft and see photos of the tiny plane once owned by Peter Gluckmann, a German Jewish Holocaust survivor and later amateur pilot who made record-setting flights beginning in 1953.  Read about Louis Helbig's environmental photography projects about the St. Lawrence Seaway and also the Alberta Tar Sands. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Andrea Varsany (producer), Zachary Judah Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

For months, Zohran Mamdani has held a double digit lead in the New York City mayoral race. The 34-year-old media-savvy firebrand burst onto the scene with a suite of fresh, progressive ideas—but his candidacy has forced a reckoning among the city's significant Jewish community. Mamdani says he doesn't use the slogan “Globalize the intifada” himself, but he does not condemn those who do. He's said that if he becomes mayor, Benjamin Netanyahu would face arrest if he stepped foot in the city. And, while he believes Israel has a right to exist, he's not comfortable supporting a state that has a hierarchy of citizenship based on religion. Many Jews are shocked and scared by the prospect of a Mamdani victory. They see his criticism of Israel as a thin veil for antisemitism, and worry his election would create a permission structure for more aggressive hostility towards Israel and its supporters. On October 23, more than 850 U.S. rabbis penned a letter opposing Mamdani and the "political normalization" of anti-Zionism; a sharp departure from a broad rabbinic norm to keep explicit politics, especially candidate endorsements, out of the synagogue. But according to a recent Fox News poll, 38 percent of the city's Jews still plan on voting for Mamdani. Some don't think the mayor of New York has much influence over Middle Eastern geopolitics; others fear a future where Israel becomes a worn-torn, global pariah ruling over the rubble of Gaza and the West Bank—which would, they believe, only further endanger the lives of Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora. Our three rabbinic podcasters return from their High Holiday vacations for this week's episode of Not in Heaven, in which they ruminate on the rifts that have opened up within New York—and which could spread further outward. Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here)

With the three-week-long Jewish holiday season behind us, Ralph Benmergui, the well-known TV and radio personality—and former podcaster with The CJN—is still kvelling about the first-ever High Holiday services offered by Ha'Sadeh in Toronto. The new-ish, Jewish Renewal community welcomed 150 attendees for its Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah services this season. It wasn't just a new beginning for Ha'Sadeh, but also for Benmergui himself, who was recently named as the new executive director for the Canadian branch of Jewish Renewal, ALEPH Canada. The movement is more popular outside Canada than inside—there are 50 congregations worldwide, including Vancouver's Or Shalom Synagogue—but there are smaller Renewal communities in Canada without brick-and-mortar buildings that aren't quite yet “congregations”, the latest of which is Ha'Sadeh. Its participants join a worldwide movement whose goal is to reinvigorate Judaism by mixing traditional Orthodoxy with spiritual concepts such as meditation, inclusiveness and concern for the planet. Jewish Renewal was founded in the 1960s by some breakaway American Chabad rabbis, including the late Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, who spent decades in Winnipeg, and Rabbi Arthur Waskow, who just recently passed away on Oct. 20, 2025. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner sits down with Ralph Benmergui for a deeply personal conversation about why he took on this new job just weeks away from his 70th birthday, and how he hopes to grow the movement within his home country so Canadian Jews can live more meaningful Jewish spiritual lives. Related links Learn more about the Jewish Renewal movement in Canada through their ALEPHCanada website. Hear Aleph Canada's new Executive Director Ralph Benmergui interview Toronto Jewish Renewal Rabbi Aaron Rotenberg for The CJN's Not That Kind of Rabbi podcast. Why Ralph Benmergui became ordained as a Spiritual Director with the ALEPH Jewish Renewal movement, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

On Sept. 29—the same day that Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, joined U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to announce the 20-point ceasefire plan with Hamas—one of Israel's best-known advocates sent out her own, much lower-profile press release. It was a surprise resignation letter. Michal Cotler-Wunsh, the Canadian-raised lawyer and former Israeli politician who has spent the last two years serving as Israel's special envoy to combat antisemitism, resigned her post abruptly. She blamed her departure from the voluntary job on Israel's foreign ministry, who appointed her—but then, she feels, didn't fund her position or take her proposals seriously. She believes she was “ghosted” by senior Israeli officials, who failed to understand the dangers posed by what she calls the war's “eighth front”: the tsunami of normalized worldwide antisemitism that has altered public opinion against Israel and Jews. And while this current deal to stop the war and enable the hostage releases appears to be on shaky ground, Cotler-Wunsh warns there is no ceasefire in sight for the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish protests and terrorist attacks that continue from Ottawa to Manchester to Belgium. That is why she is taking on a new job, beginning Nov. 1, as CEO of the International Legal Forum, an Israel-based NGO helping pro-Israel lawyers in 40 countries hold governments, universities, and even the United Nations to account, including defending Israel in The Hague against charges of genocide and war crimes. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner is joined by Michal Cotler-Wunsh to hear why she quit her high-profile role and how she hopes her new platform will be more effective. Related links Read the resignation letter from Michal Cotler-Wunsh as Israel's antisemitism envoy, and then read the announcement of her new job. Israel's antisemitism envoy says she wasn't consulted by the Diaspora minister about his controversial guest list at an antisemitism conference where far right speakers were invited, in The CJN. Why Canada's antisemitism special envoy Deborah Lyons quit, well before the end of her term, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

Kingston's small Jewish community celebrated the return of the hostages earlier this week, just hours after they took down their large blue-and-white fabric sukkah, which they'd erected right in the city's most iconic space: outside the historic City Hall building at Springer Market Square. The initiative to bring Jewish culture to the heart of the city started two years ago, right before Oct. 7, 2023, as a response to growing pressure from pro-Palestinian lobby groups on Kingston's streets and campuses. The Kingston Jewish Council decided that they needed to do more than just hold their annual hanukkiah-lighting to show a positive side to Jewish life. So “Sukkah in the Square” was born, and has run successfully during the last two years—coinciding with the Israel-Hamas war. They've welcomed hundreds of visitors from around the world, including many non-Jews. There have been hiccups. One night this year, the sukkah was robbed. Another night, vandals stole a large piece of original artwork, which police later recovered. And all this happened despite organizers shelling out thousands of dollars for private security. But the volunteers say the effort is important and should be copied by other small Jewish communities, because it showcases beautiful Jewish customs and culture, helps to build bridges within the community, and yes, even allows discussions about hostages and antisemitism. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner welcomes Debbie Fitzerman, president of the Kingston Jewish Council, who shares her daily diary of what happened and who came. Related links Learn more about Sukkah in the Square. Follow the Kingston Jewish Council. How Kingston's Jewish community is thriving, in The CJN  Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

Jacqui Vital has a simple message for the anxious families of the 48 remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, who are set to be released this week: “I'm glad for them.” But despite the joy and celebration of the long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas, Vital's own work in Canada is incomplete. Vital, along with the other families of the eight Canadians murdered on Oct. 7, is still pushing the Canadian government to do more to hold terrorist supporters in this country accountable for their actions. Vital's daughter Adi Vital-Kaploun, 33, was murdered in her kibbutz safe room on Oct. 7. Terrorists carried her two small boys into Gaza. They were released the same day. Earlier this week, on the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre, the families wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking to meet in person: not only to tell him Adi's story, but to get him to show the same level of compassion for Canadian citizens who were killed as she feels Ottawa has shown to the Palestinians in Gaza. Vital, an Ottawa native, engaged in several meetings with the former prime minister Justin Trudeau. But now they feel slighted by Carney, who has not made time for them since his election in March. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, we speak with Jacqui Vital in Jerusalem about the mood in Israel during this heady time, and how she's navigating the second Yarhzeit of her daughter's death. Related links Read the letter to Mark Carney from the families of the eight Canadians murdered on Oct. 7. Learn about Adi Vital Kaploun's life through her parents' mission to keep her story front of mind, in The CJN from 2024. Read more about the families' legal efforts to hold Canada to account for funding UNRWA, in The CJN. Watch Jacqui Vital's conversation Aug. 8, 2025 with former Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod, during the Jerusalem resident's summer speaking tour across Canada. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

After a tumultuous season, international cycling team Israel–Premier Tech, co-owned by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, is officially going to change its name and remove the word "Israel". The decision comes after repeated anti-Israel protests across Europe disrupted the team—whose international roster of 31 cyclists includes just three Israelis—during their open-road events, which can last hundreds of kilometres across the continent. Several cyclists crashed due to protester intervention. The decision to remove Israeli branding from Israel–Premier Tech led co-owner Adams to announce he would step away from day-to-day involvement with the team. There's a lot to be said about the political ramifications of wearing the Israeli name on your shirt in 2025, but our sports podcasters have a different theory about the shift. Israel–Premier Tech enjoyed a successful season that brought them back to full status with the UCI World Tour, after being relegated down to the secondary UCI ProSeries since 2023. That means the stakes are higher, the stage is bigger, and the league's propensity for risk and disruption may well have shrunk considerably. Is this purely a move to placate protesters, or are the team members—and possibly UCI executives—trying to prevent more bad press in the coming year? Also on the docket: the boys talk about the Toronto Blue Jays' run to the American League championship series, big baseball moves, early NHL impressions and a quick NFL check-in. Credits Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver Producer: Michael Fraiman Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing") Support The CJN Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

Shye Klein and Joy Frenkiel hadn't met before last week. But they share some common traits: both are dual Canadian-Israeli citizens, and both are still helping victims of trauma heal, as the world prepares to commemorate two years since Oct. 7, 2023. Klein, 27, is a photographer who had recently moved to Israel when he decided to attend the Nova music festival, which ended up being the site of a horrific massacre from Hamas terrorists. The CJN first interviewed him about two months after Oct. 7, when Klein visited Toronto to showcase photos he had taken at Nova—both before the attack, and while he and his friends narrowly escaped the slaughter. Frenkiel, meanwhile, has been living in Israel for nearly three decades, as a practicing social worker based in Ramat Gan. When The CJN first contacted her, shortly after Oct. 7, she was working at the morgue of the central Shura base of the Israel Defense Forces, where she was helping bereaved families identify victims' remains. Frenkiel is still on duty, but now her work involves counselling victims of the more recent Iranian missile attacks in June. Unlike Klein, who has told his story in some 240 cities around North America, Frenkiel is just beginning to share her tale more widely. Both meet for the first time on today's episode of North Star, catching up with host Ellin Bessner about their deeply emotional personal journeys ahead of the solemn day of remembrance. Related links Listen to our original interview with Joy Frenkiel from Oct. 26, 2023 in The CJN and our original interview with Shye Klein, on Nov. 27, 2023, both in The CJN. Follow Shye Klein now to see and support his latest project, “Beyond the Supernova”.  Book Joy Frenkiel to speak to your group about her experiences. Learn more or donate to SafeHeart, the Israeli therapy organization for Nova survivors who were on psychedelic drugs. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a documentary about an Israeli couple driving across the country on Oct. 7 to save their children from Hamas terrorists attacking Kibbutz Nachal Oz, opens in select theatres this week. And down the line, once the film's revenue is more clear, the filmmakers plan to donate proceeds from the film to the kibbutz itself, which is being rebuilt, just a few kilometres from the Gaza border. It's a gesture that director Barry Avrich and producer Mark Selby, both of Toronto, are eager to make, after all their film has been through. The Road Between Us _was initially invited to hold its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, but was abruptly rejected just days before tickets went on sale. The unexpected ban made international headlines before the film was re-admitted shortly afterwards. _The Road Between Us _went on to win the TIFF People's Choice Award for documentaries, despite being granted only one scheduled screening (and a hastily arranged second one at the awards ceremony). Now with the controversy behind them, the filmmakers are prepping for a week-long run in 20 theatres across in Canada. On today's episode of The CJN's _North Star, host Ellin Bessner sits down with Avrich and Selby, who reveal behind-the-scenes details about what it was like to tell this harrowing story. Related links Learn where to buy tickets to the screenings in Canada and the US for “The Road Between Us” as the film debuts in theatres Oct. 3-9. Read how Canadian Jewish community leaders went to bat to have the film reinstated after the TIFF film festival originally excluded it over copyright issues and security concerns, and other coverage of this story in The CJN. Hear what it was like at the Sept. 10 public screening of the film, when TIFF's CEO apologized, on The CJN's “North Star” podcast. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

It's been five years since Mitch Consky, now The CJN's Local Journalism Initiative campus reporter, watched his father be diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and, within a few months, pass away at the age of 67. It happened in 2020, right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when health care access became nearly impossible. In the spring of that year, Consky, then 25, decided to move back into his parents' home in Toronto to serve as his father Harvey Consky's main caregiver. At the time, Consky channelled his skills as a journalist to document the period. Before his father's death in June 2020, the Globe and Mail _published an essay by Consky called “The Top of The Stairs”. Next came a book, _Home Safe. But Consky wasn't done paying tribute to his late father, and doing what he calls “returning the favour” to a parent to whom he owed so much. So he and some friends from university cobbled together a budget to turn the original essay into a 15-minute short film. Last month, his film aired on CBC TV, and it has since debuted on the free streaming service CBC Gem, after doing the rounds at film festivals. Ahead of Yom Kippur and the Yizkor memorial service, Consky joins Ellin Bessner on this episode of The CJN's North Star to explain why he hopes his autobiographical film will resonate with anyone who has watched a loved one die. Related links Learn more about Mitchell Consky's film “The Top of the Stairs” on CBC Gem (create free account to watch). Hear Mitch discuss his debut book “Home Safe”, published in 2022, on The CJN Daily. Buy the book. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

Retired Ontario Justice Harry LaForme isn't entirely comfortable with the label of “ally,” which many Jewish leaders have been using to describe him since Oct. 7. After all, LaForme—who was the first Indigenous Canadian to be appointed to the highest court in any province—says he always felt a kinship with the Jewish people, ever since his family told him his First Nations people were one of the lost tribes of Israel. But over the last two years, the trailblazing lawyer and judge, 78, has become a frequently honoured guest in official Jewish spaces, earning thanks and praise for his outspoken condemnation of rising antisemitism here in Canada, and for his his support for Israel—which he calls the indigenous homeland of the Jewish people. It's a view that isn't universal in Canada's Indigenous community, and LaForme gets pushback for his stance. He's aware of the perceived parallels between the First Nations' centuries-long struggle to overcome the legacy of Canada's colonial-settler past and the Palestinian battle for their own land and destiny. But LaForme says conflating the two issues is anathema to his religious beliefs about peaceful reconciliation. That's why he's come out in strong opposition to Canada's recognition of the State of Palestine last week, the day before Rosh Hashanah. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner sits down with Justice LaForme to share his life journey, including a recent trip to Tel Aviv. Related links Read Justice Harry LaForme's remarks in Tel Aviv at the Irwin Cotler Institute's Democracy Forum in May 2025.  Learn what Justice LaForme told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in May 2024 about antisemitism and Indigenous rights, together with Indigenous advocate Karen Restoule.  A new book by York University professor David Kauffman about the ties between Canada's Jewish and First Nations peoples, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here)

Canadians who've never before heard of the Davis Cup, a men's team tennis tournament, grew outraged when they discovered Canada was hosting Israel in a match on Sept. 12 and 13. Anti-Israel activists demanded a ban on the Israeli athletes over their country's war in Gaza; pro-Israel advocates insisted the sport remain free of political interference. In the end, nobody won: Tennis Canada announced they would not permit any fans to enter the venue this weekend, refunding anyone who bought a ticket. What will likely ensue is a relatively uneventful match between two lower-seeded tennis teams, accompanied by some everyday protests outside. But while Tennis Canada cited security concerns for their decision, our sports podcasters ask: is that really the reason? The venue holds 5,000 people, and only 1,500 people were expected to attend. Of that, a small handful of anti-Israel protesters—in the realm of a dozen people—said they bought tickets with the explicit intention of disrupting the event. Team Israel has significant security resources, and has said nothing that indicates they were worried for their players' safety. So was this really a security concern, or is Tennis Canada more concerned with a clean product for television and to encourage the opportunity of hosting international events in the future? Was this a political move, or simply a bureaucratic one? The hosts dig into all this, plus what happened with Israeli teams in European cycling and soccer. Credits Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver Producer: Michael Fraiman Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing") Support The CJN Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

In July, the New York Yankees drafted a Canadian shortstop from Wyoming, Ont., named Core Jackson. They did so despite knowing that Jackson, as a 17-year-old freshman at the University of Nebraska, had drawn a swastika on a Jewish student's dorm room while he was, he later told The Athletic, "blackout drunk." But this isn't a run-of-the-mill case of antisemitism. By all accounts, according to the Yankees' ground scouts and the recent investigation by The Athletic that ran Aug. 20, Jackson was, simply, acting like an ignorant drunk teenager, and was forthright about the incident with teams before the draft. The team did significant due diligence, engaging with New York's Jewish community and sending scouts to learn about Jackson's family and personality. The resulting story is less about the insipid rise of casual antisemitism, and more about the power of forgiveness when people—especially teenagers—make mistakes and try to do better. Keith Law, a longtime baseball journalist and former front office worker with the Toronto Blue Jays, broke this story for The Athletic. He joins us to share his impressions of Core Jackson and how the Yankees are viewing this opportunity. After that, podcast hosts Gabe and Jamie run through this year's hottest Jewish sports movies, from Happy Gilmore 2 to both Safdie brothers' award-season offerings, The Smashing Machine and Marty Supreme. Then they give a quick NFL preview and recap Zach Hyman's ceremonial opening of the new ice hockey rink at the Schwartz/Reisman Jewish Community Centre in Vaughan. Credits Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver Producer: Michael Fraiman Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing") Support The CJN Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)