Podcast appearances and mentions of michael fraiman

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

When Sunday Hebrew school classes begin on Oct. 5 at Toronto's Beth Radom Congregation, the students won't be punished for reading comic books in class. On the contrary: spiritual leader Cantor Jeremy Burko is bringing his extensive collection of over 550 Jewish superhero comics into the curriculum. It's his (graphic) novel way to explore the messages of Jewish culture and resilience that he finds in the pop culture stories of beloved comic book characters with Jewish back stories or creators, like Superman, Batwoman, Sabra and Magneto. The idea came to Burko as a response to the growing international movement to boycott Jewish and Israeli culture after Oct. 7. He hopes these larger-than-life heroes and heroines can help families find strength and pride amid rising domestic antisemitism. He believes much can be learned from studying these historic Jewish characters and their creators, from Marvel's The Golem to modern screen adaptations of The Thing in the new Fantastic Four movie, and Moon Knight, a Jewish hero who struggles with his identity. But, as Cantor Burko explains on today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, the heyday of Jewish representation in comic books may be behind us. Related links Learn more about Beth Radom's Hebrew school and the now-concluded 2025 winter edition of Cantor Jeremy Burko's Jewish Superheroes course. Read more about when award-winning Canadian Jewish graphic artist Miriam Libicki was banned from exhibiting her work at a Vancouver Comic Fair as a result of anti-Israel boycotts, in The CJN.  How a Jewish Heroes Corps. comic series was born, 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. 19, Prime Minister Mark Carney's government unveiled a series of planned changes to Canada's criminal code. They, in part, crack down on the explosion of hate crimes across the country over the past two years since Oct. 7, mostly against Jewish people. The new bill is called the “Combatting Hate Act” and still has a way to go before it is passed and takes effect. Ottawa intends to make it a crime when hateful protesters try to scare and intimidate minorities, including Jews, from accessing their community buildings, including synagogues, Jewish Community Centres, Jewish seniors homes, Hebrew schools and even cemeteries. The new law would also, for the first time, outlaw the public display of the Nazi swastika and the SS symbol in Canada, as well as other terrorism signs, if the people waving them are wilfully urging hatred against an identifiable group. Many Jewish leaders are applauding the gesture as a strong signal that the Carney administration is keeping an election promise while putting a strong emphasis on fighting domestic antisemitism–that even while Canada announced on Sept. 21 it has formally recognized the Palestinian State, the government does not want to drag Middle Eastern politics onto Canadian soil. So what's in the new bill? Will it make it safer for Jews today, as the High Holidays begin? The short answer is: no. On today's episode of The CJN's _North Star _podcast, hate crimes legal expert Mark Sandler—founding chair of the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism—joins host Ellin Bessner to break down the proposed reforms. Also joining is Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, who personally met with the prime minister in Ottawa just days before the announcement. Related links Read more reaction to the proposed changes to the Criminal Code to outlaw terror symbols and the Swastika, and better define hate and intimidation outside Jewish buildings, in The CJN. Learn more about why Canada banned the Irish band Kneecap from performing next month, in The CJN. Why B'nai Brith Canada lobbied Whitby, Ont. to agree to ban the Swastika, on The CJN Daily (now “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)

For more than half a century, the Rose family—headed by Rabbi Neal Rose and his wife, Carol—have been prominent leaders in Winnipeg's Jewish community. He has taught Judaic studies at university, they've led religious services and offered family programming, and mental health counselling. The Roses' famous alternative High Holiday services launched in the basement of the Etz Chayim synagogue attracted hundreds of congregants over the years. But after their four sons grew up and became rabbis far away from Winnipeg—and their daughter, who is married to a rabbi, also left—eventually the elder Roses left Canada, too. For a decade, they've been living in St. Louis, MO, where their oldest son, Rabbi Carnie Rose, held his last pulpit position. But last week, the senior Roses pulled up stakes south of the border and moved back to Winnipeg, where they will now have to do some shuffling to decide where to attend High Holiday services: at Shaarey Zedek, where Rabbi Carnie Rose was hired three months ago? Or will they go to Etz Chayim, where their middle son, Rabbi Kliel Rose, has been the spiritual leader since he came home in 2018? On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, we're joined from Winnipeg by Rabbi Carnie Rose; his brother, Rabbi Kliel Rose; and by their father, Rabbi Neal Rose, to hear how family ties are playing out across the city this High Holiday season. Related links Learn more about Rabbi Kliel Rose returning to Winnipeg in 2018 in The CJN and about his brother Rabbi Carnie Rose returning July 1 this summer. Rabbi Neal and Carol Rose's departure from Winnipeg in 2017 after 45 years left a void, in The CJN. Why Winnipeg's largest remaining North End synagogue, Etz Chayim moved to the city's south in 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)

Even for the least religiously involved Jews, the High Holidays are a high point—and sometimes the only point—of organized Jewish engagement. For many families, it may be the only time in a year they step inside a synagogue or participate in a prayer service. A time for re-upping their membership in the Jewish collective, returning to the same well of tradition: the same tunes, buildings and prayer books that they remember from sitting with their parents and their parents' parents. But, ironically, for the people most passionate about Jewish spiritual life—those who have devoted their careers to it—Rosh Hashanah can look very different. Two of our hosts' spirtual needs are bringing them to prayer services apart from their partners. Another fears they've been seeing Rosh Hashanah as a job for so long, they're not sure if they've ever had, or could have, an "authentic" Rosh Hashanah experience. Plus, rabbis Avi, Matthew and Yedida discuss their advice for boredom in shul services, asking for forgiveness, and what to do with a yearning for someone to ask forgiveness from you, and using the High Holidays as a time not only to think about what you've done to other, but to let go of the slights others have done to you. 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)

In the riverside border town of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Jewish community leaders are stepping up to run programming for the 35 member families of Congregation Beth Jacob. The synagogue—gearing up to celebrate its 80th anniversary next year—can no longer afford to hire clergy to conduct High Holiday services. Instead, over the next month, the prayers will be all DIY, led by local congregant Tova Arbus, who's filling the shoes of her father, Jeff Arbus, a former union activist. But while the younger Arbus prepares to take the reins, she recognizes that even her father only led the High Holidays prayers once, last year. For decades, he led everything else, including Shabbat services. This year, Jeff is facing sudden medical issues. Another of the shul's former presidents, 80-year-old U.S. Army veteran Gil Cymbalist, died on Sept. 8, after battling ALS. With the older generation passing the baton, Arbus is determined to help revitalize Jewish life in her hometown. She's helping to prep pre-teens for their bar mitzvahs; she's holding family Jewish education classes; she's even working with the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. to mount a new exhibit on Jewish life, in honour of Beth Jacob's upcoming 80th anniversary in 2026. Tova Arbus joins host Ellin Bessner on today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast to discuss her efforts to sustain the Jewish community's future ahead of a hectic High Holiday season. Related links Learn more about Beth Jacob Synagogue in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont, and how to lend artifacts for the exhibit. Read more about Sault Ste. Marie's famous novelist, author and lawyer Morley Torgov, profiled in The CJN archives. Watch the 1973 National Film Board documentary on small Jewish communities in Northern Ontario and how they survive.  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)

A Florida court convicted Dan Markel's former mother-in-law of first degree murder on Sept. 4 for the 2014 contract hit on the Canadian law professor. Markel, 41, was fatally shot in the head outside his Florida home by Latin gang members who his ex-wife's family had hired to execute him, while the couple was locked in a bitter custody battle over where their two sons should live. With Donna Adelson's guilty verdict, the American courts have now put five people associated with the murder behind bars, most of them locked away for life: Adelson, 75, the matriarch; Charles Adelson, her son, a dentist, convicted in 2023; also Adelson's former girlfriend, and the two killers. Markel's ex-wife Wendi has never been charged, and denies any involvement in the plot. Her parents were arrested two years ago at the Miami airport attempting to flee the United States to Vietnam, which has no extradition treaty. After their former in-law's three week trial ended, Markel's parents delivered victim impact statements, including wishing her a Jewish blessing that she should live to 120, alone in her jail cell. Ruth Markel joins host Ellin Bessner on today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast to recount the family's latest trial ordeal, and why she hopes her two teenaged grandsons will come to Canada. Related links Watch the Sept. 4 verdict and the victim impact statements given by Dan Markel's family to the Florida court. Read Ruth Markel's book which she penned about her grief and her family's journey as murder survivors following the killing of her son Dan in 2014, Hear Ellin's first interview in 2022 with Ruth Markel 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)

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a new documentary, debuted to a sold-out audience of nearly 2,000 ticket-holders at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10. The 95-minute film depicts the true story of how a retired Israeli army general raced south through the country to save his children and grandchildren from Hamas terrorists in the closest kibbutz to the Gaza border. TIFF initially barred the Canadian-produced film from screening at the prestigious film festival, citing copyright issues over the use of some graphic video taken by the attackers on Oct. 7. There were also safety concerns about disruptions to the festival by large crowds of anti-Israel protestors. TIFF reversed its decision in mid-August, following international public outrage, including lobbying by Canadian Jewish leaders and festival donors. The Wednesday afternoon screening attracted just a few dozen anti-Israel demonstrators outside. Meanwhile, a question and answer session inside drew “boos” from the largely Jewish audience as journalist Lisa LaFlamme asked the film's protagonists whether Israel's continuing military campaign is, as the Tibon family have suggested, “revenge” for the Israeli army's humiliation on Oct. 7. But the filmmaker, Barry Avrich, insists his documentary is not meant to be political—he interprets it as a human story of family and courage. Cineplex Odeon theatres will show the film in select cities in Canada and the U.S. starting on Oct. 3. On today's episode of the North Star podcast, The CJN's news editor, Lila Sarick, shares what it was like attending the hotly anticipated premiere, and what the film itself was like. Related links Watch the trailer for the Oct. 7 film “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue”. Read about how the Jewish community responded, including donors from the Reitman family, when TIFF originally announced the Oct. 7 film could not play, in The CJN. Learn more about why, after receiving 60,000 emails of protest, TIFF officials agreed to screen the film, 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)

Jews may joke about the High Holidays being a time for binge eating—overflowing tables of multiple meats, several courses, soups, sides and desserts—but for anyone suffering from an eating disorder, it's a dangerous time of year. That's how Ilana Zackon, a performer and writer, remembers coming home for the holidays in her early 20s. Privately, she had a binge-eating disorder; when faced with mountains of brisket, chicken, potatoes and pies, nobody thought twice about her eating for two straight hours. Zackon wound up recovering from her disorder. And now, more than a decade later, she's reimagined that experience into a short film, Grain, that recently won an award for best 2D short film at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. In the movie, the main character binges to the point of transforming into a horrific creature that rampages through her city. Ahead of the High Holidays, Zackon joins the rabbi podcasters of Not in Heaven to analyze the role of food in Jewish culture—and how we approach eating, cooking and encouraging others to dig in. 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)

As a new academic year starts on Canadian post-secondary campuses, headlines and social media posts are already revealing a familiarly troubling atmsphere for Jewish students. At Concordia University in Montreal, the official student handbook seems to glorify anti-Israel protests. At Toronto Metropolitan University, masked students accosted the provost at an orientation session, calling her a coward and demanding she denounce the genocide in Gaza. On Sept. 3, a study from the Aristotle Foundation, a Calgary-based conservative think tank, has found Jewish university students “four times more likely than the average student to be ‘very reluctant' to speak up and share their views on religion during class discussions,” for fear of being penalized by their professor or experiencing hostility from other students. According to the study, 15 percent of the Jewish students surveyed reported daily abuse on campus for being Jewish, while 84 percent reported being the target of antisemitism on campus at least once a year. Is there any cause for Jewish students to be optimistic? Are there examples of Jewish students or faculty pushing back against the overwhelming anti-Israel atmosphere on Canadian campuses? On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, we've found a bit of good news—and some bad news, too. Host Ellin Bessner is joined by Daphne Wornovitzky, a recent graduate from the University of Calgary's social work faculty; Melanie Trossman, a social worker in Calgary; and also Gdalit Neuman, a PhD candidate at York University's dance faculty. Related links Read  Gdalit Neuman's recent article about antisemitism and anti-Israel activism taking place on York University campus, and also as part of international academic associations. Learn more about the pervasive antisemitism found in Canadian university and college social work programs, and also read the scholarly research by social worker Annette Poizner, published in 2023. What happened when pro-Israel speaker Eylon Levy was trapped in a University of Calgary classroom last fall, 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)

The United Nations General Assembly gets to work this week, beginning its 80th anniversary session on Sept. 9. And as the ambassadors gather in New York, there will be a new pair of Canadian eyes keeping tabs on how the world's parliament lives up to its mandate of equitably improving human rights, especially on the Israel-Palestine file. Former senator Linda Frum has been appointed the new chair of UN Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization that has, for decades, exposed an alleged anti-Israel bias on the global stage. In the last few years, UN Watch has directed its lens in particular toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, which employed at least nine staffers who were possibly involved with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel—and who were subsequently fired in the summer of 2024. Frum steps onto the stage at what could be a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history. The UN will bring world leaders together in a few weeks for a summit wherein many countries, including Canada, have signalled they will formally recognize Palestinian statehood. It's a move Frum feels is “very dangerous” for the Jewish community here, as it will raise temperatures at home and put “a target on the back of every Jewish Canadian citizen.” On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner is joined by both Linda Frum and UN Watch's executive director, Hillel Neuer, a Canadian lawyer, to take a look ahead at the UN's fall agenda and what's at stake. Related links Read the United Nations Watch announcement of former Canadian Senator Linda Frum as the new chair of its board. Follow UN Watch's latest research on keeping the UN accountable. Hear two views of Canada's plan to recognize Palestine as a state, 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)

Diaspora Jews have spent nearly two full years seeing posters of Israeli hostages ripped down in public, hearing chants of “Go back to Poland” in the streets, and seeing Zionists banned from progressive organizations and events. After all that, Diaspora Jews could be suffering from a condition called “traumatic invalidation”. The diagnosis is contained in a research paper published this year by two Jewish Harvard University–affiliated psychologists who specialize in trauma. The symptoms include anxiety, depression, shame and, in extreme cases, post-traumatic stress disorder. The authors found that Jewish patients reported their pain and trauma after Oct. 7 has been not only widely ignored, but in many cases denied—or even weaponized against them. Since their study was published by The Journal of Human Behaviour in the Social Environment in May 2025, it has struck a chord among the Canadian Jewish community. That's why a coalition of Canadian synagogues, Jewish medical professionals and trauma organizations have brought one of the authors to this country this week for a series of public talks. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner sits down with Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern, a Boston-based clinical psychologist and Harvard lecturer, who is wrapping up her speaking tour in Toronto. She explains why she decided to investigate this subject and offers some tools to help people heal. Related links Read Dr. Bar-Halpern and her colleague's scholarly article, about Oct. 7 and traumatic invalidation, in The Journal of Human Behaviour in the Social Environment (22 pages). Learn more about Dr. Bar-Halperin, through her website. Attend the workshop Friday Sept. 5 in Toronto designed for mental health professionals to train them how to better support Jewish patients suffering from traumatic invalidation because of antisemitism. 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)

School has returned—and with it, the annual anxiety of Jewish parents fretting over the cost, and results, of Jewish day school. What good is Hebrew knowledge if most Israelis speak English? What are the benchmarks for a successful Jewish education? Is it just about surrounding our kids with other Jewish kids, or is there something deeper in the biblical knowledge? Different parents will give different answers. For their part, our rabbi podcast panel of Not in Heaven, back from a quasi-summer break, have children of all ages with varying degrees of formal Jewish education. In this back-to-school special, the hosts debates the merits and strategies of Jewish schooling, including why sending your kids to a modern Orthodox school, even if you're more liberal in your home, might be the right choice. 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)

The suspect charged in the stabbing of a Jewish Ottawa woman at the city's main kosher Loblaws grocery store last week is still in custody, and is going through a series of court appearances this week. But there has not yet been a bail hearing for Joe Rooke, who appeared by video in an Ottawa court on Sept. 2. Ottawa police arrested the suspect on Aug. 27, shortly after the attack. The man was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a dangerous weapon. Later, when police investigated the suspect's antisemitic social media posts, the case was classified as a hate-motivated crime. News of the attack has shocked the capital's Jewish community, especially because it happened at a grocery store that stocks the largest selection of kosher products in Ottawa. And while it's prompted an outpouring of support and condemnation from political leaders—including a statement signed by 32 Liberal Members of Parliament calling for action to combat rising antisemitism in Canada— some members of the Jewish community say it's merely lip service, adding that social media posts aren't enough to counter the sense of fear and anger that they feel after the stabbing. Police say the victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries, but has since been released and is recovering at home. While she and her family are keeping her name private for the time being, they have asked for prayers, and hope the community prays for peace. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner speaks with Jewish community leader Cantor Jason Green of the Kehillat Beth Israel synagogue, where the victim used to sing in his choir, and also with David Roytenberg, an editor at the Canadian Zionist Forum, who was shopping in that Loblaws store when the attack occurred. Related links Learn more about how Ottawa's Jewish leaders reacted to the stabbing in The CJN's coverage from last week. Watch Cantor Jason Green's “emergency” sermon from Saturday Aug. 30 at Kehillat Beth Israel synagogue in Ottawa. Read the Ottawa Police's news release classifying the stabbing as a hate-crime 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)

North Star is on vacation this week, so we're rerunning some of our favourite episodes. This one originally aired August 7, 2024. Sharon Chodirker and Chaim Bell consider themselves lucky: they were among the tens of thousands of tourists and residents in Jasper who were evacuated from the forest fires that devoured a third of the buildings in the iconic Rocky Mountain resort town on July 24, 2024. The Toronto couple, who were on a hiking trip, managed to escape Jasper while smoke and ash rained down on their rental car. When they reached a safe spot across the border in British Columbia, they slept in their vehicle and dined on kosher snacks they'd stored in their portable cooler. Two days after their frightening journey, flames up to 100 metres high swept right through where their hotel stood, destroying several buildings. Now they're sharing their survival story from the safety of their Toronto home, while the town of Jasper remains off-limits except for emergency crews—and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who visited on Aug. 5, 2024. On this episode of The CJN Daily, we hear from the Toronto couple personally, as well as Rabbi Dovid Pinson of Canmore, who runs the new Chabad community centre outside Banff and hosted the evacuees. We'll also hear from Heidi Coleman, the head of the Jewish community in Kamloops, B.C., who felt like she was starring in the musical Come From Away when she helped a busload of stranded Jasperites in her city. What we talked about When Rabbi Dovid Pinson ran the annual Hanukkah car menorah parade in Edmonton during COVID in 2021, in The CJN

 Learn more about Chabad in the Rockies

 Hear how Heidi Coleman came from Montreal to Kamloops and became their Jewish leader, on the podcast Yehupetzville
 Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Original Music: Dov Beck-Levine 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)

Buckle up, sports fans, it's synagogue pre-season—a.k.a. Elul, the Hebrew month of spiritual preparation directly before the High Holidays. It's somehow both a marathon and a sprint for observant Jews and their leaders: synagogue staff, rabbis and cantors prepare to go into overdrive writing sermons, leading prayers, facilitating spiritual experiences, and essentially running the year's most important programming back-to-back-to-back for a month. How can you community members support their leaders, prevent burnout and help empower rabbis to take on the enormous tasks ahead? Avi and Matthew share their thoughts, while also sharing their own routines—what they do logistically and spiritually to prepare for a time when they won't have bandwith for self-reflection. 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)

North Star is on vacation this week, so we're rerunning some of our favourite episodes. This one originally aired May 4th, 2023 Canadians of a certain age will remember listening to the comedy duo of Wayne and Shuster on the radio—and, later, watching them on television from the 1950s well into the 1980s. The duo met in high school in Toronto's prewar Jewish neighbourhood around Harbord Collegiate, where they began writing and performing sketch comedy. After returning from entertaining the troops overseas during the Second World War, they joined the television era, with specials pulling in audiences of millions and worldwide syndication. Since their fathers' deaths, Wayne and Shuster's children have been campaigning to convince the CBC—which owns the broadcast rights to much of their parents' material—to air it for the first time in years for a new generation of Canadians to enjoy. These efforts have not been successful, so the families are taking a new strategy. They teamed up with Bygone Theatre, a theatre company in Toronto, to mount a live Wayne and Shuster stage show that opened at the University of Toronto's Hart House Theatre in May 25, 2023. It went on a national tour, too. Audiences got to see high-profile Canadian actors perform such classic W and S skits as “Rinse the Blood Off My Toga” and “A Shakespearean Baseball Game”. Michael and Brian Wayne joined The CJN Daily, along with Rosie Shuster and the producers of the play, Emily Dix and Conor Fitzgerald. **What we talked about
** When the City of Toronto named a lane after Wayne and Shuster, in The CJN
 For Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017, The CJN ran this profile of Wayne and Shuster
 Watch “Rinse the Blood off my Toga” on YouTube

 Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
 Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
 Original Music: Dov Beck-Levine
 Current Music: Bret Higgins

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North Star is on vacation this week, so we're rerunning some of our favourite episodes. This one originally aired March 8, 2022. On March 19, 2022, 12-year-old Naomi Hochman will celebrate her bat mitzvah at Winnipeg's Shaarey Zedek synagogue. And while she's the first girl in her family to have a bat mitzvah—her older brothers had theirs, and she just took for granted she would enjoy one too—bat mitzvahs are in fact a relatively new phenomenon. Naomi's bat mitzvah actually takes place on the 100-year anniversary of the very first bat mitzvah in North America. The daughter of an American reconstructionist rabbi, Judith Kaplan, earned that distinction on March 18, 1922. In Canada, what is believed to be the first bat mitzvah wouldn't take place until decades later, in 1949. Miriam Lieff led a Friday night service at Agudath Israel Synagogue in Ottawa, paving the way for generations of Canadian girls to take a more egalitarian role in Jewish religious life. Now 89, Lieff joins to recall her experience during a time when girls weren't even allowed to stand on the bimah—and Naomi will talk about how she feels carrying that torch so many years later. What we talked about: Submit your bat mitzvah story to the Jewish Women's Archive Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Original production team: Victoria Redden (producer) Current Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Original Music: Dov Beck-Levine Current 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)

North Star is on vacation this week, so we're rerunning some of our favourite episodes. This one originally aired May 12, 2022. You've probably heard "Skinnamarink", the classic children's song by Sharon, Lois & Bram. But you probably haven't heard it on TikTok, where Sharon Hampson, now 82, is putting out quick snippets of classics and new material with her newfound family band. She's recruited her daughter, Randi, and grandsons Elijah and Ethan Ullmann, both full-time students at the University of Toronto. Although they grew up in a musical dynasty, it took an international lockdown for them to agree to help their Bubbe's resurgent Zoom-based career. At the time of recording, they were preparing to mount their first live indoor show since the pandemic began, at the Regent Theatre in Oshawa, Ont., back in May 2022. And despite Sharon's worry that her voice isn't as strong as it used to be, her relatives say she's still got it. All four join to explain how they're trying to make music that stays relevant for a generation raised on the Frozen soundtrack and "Baby Shark". What we talked about Learn about the performance and others at sharonloisandbram.com/events Learn about the Brott Music Festival at brottmusic.com Listen to "Talk About Peace" Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Original Production team: Victoria Redden (producer) Current Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Original Music: Dov Beck-Levine Current 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 months following Oct. 7, Vancouver native Kai Balin learned wanted to dig deeper into his Judaism, but learned that, despite his strong Jewish upbringing, his family actually isn't considered Jewish by some in the Orthodox community. The discovery shocked him to his core—not only is Balin the grandson of Holocaust survivors, but he always felt destined to become a rabbi, right from his early childhood. The rejection of his family's Jewish identity sent Balin on a years-long quest to find out what being Jewish meant to him. He took his cameras along the way as he traced his family's heritage across four generations on three continents. The Canadian did most of the filming—and all of the financing on his own, interviewing family members and learning, once the film wrapped, that his story had an unexpected twist ending. The result is an hour-long documentary, Son of a Seeker, premiering in Toronto on Aug. 20 at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre. It debuted in Vancouver earlier this summer. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner sits down with Kai Balin to learn about the roots of this project and where his faith has taken him. Related links Learn more about Son of a Seeker and get tickets to see the film in Toronto on Aug. 20. Read about the filmmaker's sister, who co-produced his documentary, once winning _Chopped Canada'_s teen cooking contest in 2017, in The CJN archives. Watch the trailer of "Son of a Seeker". 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)

Depending on which side of the political spectrum you're on, and which media outlets you trust, you perspective of what's happening in Israel and Gaza will be extremely different. And chances are, regardless of which stance you take, you're missing critical pieces of information. For our rabbi podcasters, who have dedicated their lives to knowledge-gathering and understanding different perspectives, that's a problem. They ask: how can anyone be certain of anything right now? How can anyone have a well-informed opinion when media outlets are fallible, propaganda is insidious and facts are obscured? It reminds one host of Donald Rumsfeld's famous line about "unknown unknowns"—we don't know what we don't know. Reconvening after a brief summer break, our rabbi podcasters are back to discuss these issues and dive into this week's parsha from Devarim. 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)

Under a new Israeli plan, announced Aug. 7 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about a million Palestinian residents of Gaza City would be forced to evacuate the area over the next two months, culminating on Oct. 7, 2025. After that, Netanyahu's plan calls for the Israel Defense Forces to move in and capture the capital city, along with one other area: the remaining 25 percent of the strip that Israel doesn't yet control. The forthcoming escalation, after 22 months of fighting, has touched off international condemnation, including from the Canadian government, over fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis. However, the plan is also sparking deep divisions within Israel. Families of the remaining hostages call it a death sentence for their loved ones; some reservists and haredi groups have vowed not to answer their call-ups to the armed forces. Other right-wing politicians and settlers support the move, as they have long called for the government to annex the Gaza Strip and re-establish Jewish settlements that stood there until 2005. Negotiating expert John Shulman, based in Nova Scotia, has been watching the developments this week—and they've given him déjà vu. Twenty years ago, Shulman, a lawyer, was sent to the region with a Harvard University negotiation program to help facilitate dialogue between Israeli politicians just before Ariel Sharon's government (which Netanyahu was part of) moved to unilaterally withdraw more than 8,000 Jewish residents and soldiers from Gaza and the West Bank, beginning on Aug. 15, 2005. Shulman says that historic withdrawal, known as “The Disengagement”, had costly consequences—not only because Hamas quickly took over Gaza in 2007, but also because its scars are still playing out inside Israel today, ahead of the planned recapture of Gaza. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, Shulman joins host Ellin Bessner to discuss what's at stake by not following the rules of successful conflict resolution. Related links Learn more about how the Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiations had a front row seat during the 2005 Gaza Disengagement. Read more about our guest, negotiation expert John Shulman of Alignor. Why some Israelis want to return to live in the Gaza Strip, 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)

“Let's get the patrols put in place, let's have it happen! Do something that's going to address the situation. Do something that will make the community feel safer!” That's the message from Rabbi Saul Emanuel, executive director of Montreal's Jewish Community Council, in the wake of a “heinous” attack on a haredi man on Aug. 8 in a public park. The incident, which was captured by a bystander on video, shows what Jewish leaders have called a “stark and painful illustration of the vulnerability Jewish Montrealers face today.” Officials told The CJN the visibly Jewish victim, 32, was with his three young daughters in the Park Extension area of the city when he had an encounter with a lone man carrying a red grocery bag. Water was splashed on one or both of the men, although it remains unclear what prompted the interaction. The video shows the suspect punching the man five or six times, on the ground, with terrified children clinging to their father's arms. The suspect then left the park. Montreal police are searching for the suspect. The victim, who lives with his family in the area, suffered a broken nose and bruises to the face, and is reportedly traumatized, as are the young girls. He was treated in hospital and is now recovering at home. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner hears more about the attack from Mayer Feig, of the Quebec Council of Hasidic Jews, who knows the victim and first posted the video to social media; and also from Rabbi Saul Emanuel, the executive director of Montreal's Jewish Community Council, which represents at least 80 haredi congregations and schools. Related links Learn why the Israel-Hamas conflict since 2023 has contributed to hundreds of protests and 577 hate crimes or hate incidents in Montreal, in The CJN. Read more about reaction to Friday's attack on a Montreal Haredi man with his daughters, 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 Sunday Aug. 10, Montreal's 19th annual Pride parade is set to take place, and two local Jewish organizations have been once again been invited to participate—despite a turbulent few days in which the organizers originally barred both Ga'ava and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. The explusion stemmed from complaints Pride said it received that Ga'ava, a pro-Israel, Jewish 2SLGBTQIA+ group, had used “hateful discourse” in a recent CJN article when describing groups that objected to Zionists participating in the parade this year. The short-lived ban outraged many, since Pride is supposed to be inclusive and a celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and also because the festival receives over $1 million in government funding. While the reversal is being described by some activists as a victory—and Ga'ava and CIJA, who march together, are pushing for a large turnout ahead of the big day—some members of the Jewish queer community say the whole incident has left them feeling traumatized. There is also some concern about how their enjoyment of the annual Pride experience might be marred by the required heavy security that will be deployed to protect them. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner gets reaction from Claire Frankel, a recent graduate of McGill University and a board member with JQueer Montreal, as well as from retired Ontario justice Harvey Brownstone. Brownstone was Canada's first openly gay judge, performed numerous same-sex marriages and, years ago, was the president of Chutzpah, a group created in the 1980s to support queer Toronto Jews who had been rejected by their families. Related links Why Montreal's main Pride organization has reversed course and welcomed back two pro-Israel Jewish groups to participate, in The CJN. How Toronto's  2SLGBTQIA+ community faced some hard decisions whether to participate in the 2025 Pride events, in The CJN. Learn more and follow Harvey Brownstone's interviews show. 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 many Canadians are continuing to boycott products made in the United States, when it comes to mikvehs, nearly a dozen Canadian Jewish communities have no qualms about accepting their money. Mikvah USA is a Brooklyn-based charity that gives out financial aid, advice and technical support for renovating outdated mikvehs and building brand-new ones, and in the last few years, they've supported 10 clients in Ontario and Quebec. One of them is Ottawa's Naomi Bulka Community Mikvah, which held its grand reopening on July 20, having completed a makeover of the 25-year-old facility, attached to Ottawa's Soloway ewish Community Centre. While only 30 women have been using the mikveh each month, officials believe they will attract larger crowds who come for the religious experience in a bright, refreshed, spa-like atmosphere. The team in Ottawa received a grant to kickstart independent fundraising from Mikvah USA, which has been subsidizing mikveh projects across North America since 2004, mostly in smaller Jewish communities. The list includes London, Ont.; Quebec City; and a forthcoming mikveh in Saint-Agathe-des-Monts, Que., which is still under construction. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner is joined by some Canadian mikveh organizers who collaborated with the American charity to get their projects to the finish line: Dina Teitlebaum and her husband, Rabbi Levy Teitlebaum, in Ottawa, and Chana Carlebach and her husband, Rabbi Emanuel Carlebach, who are building the multimillion-dollar mikveh in Saint-Agathe-des-Monts. Related links Learn more or donate to the newly renovated Naomi Bulka community mikveh in Ottawa. Learn more or donate to the new community mikveh in Saint-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, built by Congregation House of Israel. Why this Chabad family in Kelowna, B.C. built the only mikveh between Vancouver and Calgary, in The CJN archives. 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're taking some time off to recharge this summer and prepare for new projects at The CJN. Instead of a new episode, we're bringing you another podcast from The CJN: The Jewish Angle, hosted by former Bonjour Chai host and current opinion editor at The CJN, Phoebe Maltz-Bovy. Avi Finegold is her guest. Not in Heaven will be back soon—stay tuned. To our knowledge, neither the now-former CEO of tech company Astronomer, nor the company's now-former head of HR, are Jewish. The secretive couple—who were having an affair that was famously caught by a videographer behind the Jumbotron of a Coldplay concert—instantly became a viral sensation, sparking waves of ridicule and resulting in their departure from the company. But The Jewish Angle podcast host Phoebe Maltz Bovy had to ask: is it lashon hara to speak of these people behind their backs? So she asked The CJN's resident rabbi, Avi Finegold, to shed light on the situation. It's not quite lashon hara if the secret has been put out in the open by a Jumbotron, but that doesn't quash the ick factor from giddily discussing people's personal lives on social media. Plus: why wasn't this seen as a #MeToo echo, given the power imbalance between the CEO and lower-level female employee? Listen to The Jewish Angle to find out. 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)

On July 30, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that, come September, Canada will officially recognize Palestine as a state, during the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York. In making the announcement in Ottawa earlier this week, Carney said he had received three “commitments” from the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas: to hold elections in 2026, to reform the P.A.'s governance and to demilitarize the territories. Carney said Canada couldn't wait any longer for a two-state solution to happen on its own, and needed to act quickly. Why? Because Hamas continues to pose a “pervasive threat” to Israel and its right to exist after the “heinous terrorist attack of October 7, 2023.” But he also blamed Israel for planning to expand settlements and annex the West Bank, for letting extremist settlers continue attacking Palestinians, and for allowing a humanitarian crisis to unfold in Gaza. The news has Canadian Jews divided. Some mainstream organizations reacted to the news with alarm; B'nai Brith Canada called the decision “dangerously premature”, while the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs warned of “another failed Palestinian pseudo-state controlled by terrorists”, adding their deep concern that the recognition doesn't hinge on the release of the hostages and the removal of Hamas first. Meanwhile, some progressive Jewish groups commended Carney for the move, including Canadian Friends of Peace Now and JSpace Canada. The latter praised “this significant and courageous step” as being “shared by the majority of Canadian Jews,” and that a two-state solution “remains the only just and sustainable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner speaks with two senior international affairs analysts on opposite sides of the issue. Alan Kessel is a former Canadian diplomat and legal advisor to Global Affairs Canada, and his former colleague Jon Allen was Canadian ambassador to Israel from 2006-2010. Related links Read more about Canada's pledge to recognize Palestine in September, in The CJN. Read Prime Minister Mark Carney's official announcement on why Canada will recognize Palestine. Hear the former Palestinian envoy to Ottawa say there can't be elections because Israel is occupying East Jerusalem, the Palestinian capital, on CBC News. 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)

For nearly three weeks now, members of Canada's Druze community have been desperately sounding the alarm after an outbreak of ethnic violence in the Sweida area of Syria resulted in the deaths of roughly 1,000 people, mostly civilians. Tensions erupted on July 11 between local Sunni Bedouin clans and the majority Druze population living in Syria's southern province. But the Druze say when the Syrian army was sent to the scene, the government soldiers carried out mass killings. Images have emerged of burned-out buildings, bodies on the ground and uniformed soldiers forcibly shaving and tearing off the moustaches of Druze elders. After days of attacks, Israel took the unprecedented step of launching air raids on Syrian military positions, in support of the Druze people living in northern Israel and their relatives across the Syrian border. It's been an agonizing time for Canadian Druze residents, including Hend Raad of Barrie, Ont., who lost 10 members of her family in the recent violence. Jamil Ammar of Niagara Falls says his relatives who were visiting Sweida from elsewhere in the Middle East and Europe are now stuck with no fuel and no way to get out. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner speaks with Hend Raad and Jamil Ammar about the situation facing their loved ones in the aftermath of the fighting in Sweida, and what they want Canada to do. Related links Read more about the Toronto Druze community's efforts to raise awareness about the massacre of their people in southern Syria, in The CJN. Learn more about the Beit El Jebel Organization of Druze in Toronto, and how to donate. Meet an Israeli Druze IDF veteran who was wounded after Oct. 7, who came to Canada to recover, 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 July 25, Iain Aspenlieder pleaded guilty in court to a charge of mischief for defacing Canada's National Holocaust Monument. Before dawn on June 9, Aspenlieder—a former lawyer with the City of Ottawa—cycled to the monument with three cans of bright red paint to write the words "FEED ME". He meant the phrase as a political statement about the humanitarian condition of Palestinians in Gaza, he admitted. He had also just started a hunger strike, which lasted nearly a month, to call attention to the cause. After his guilty plea, a Superior Court justice released Aspenlieder on bail until the sentencing process starts in the fall. He must leave Ottawa and remain under supervision until then at his parents' home near Alliston, Ont. He is under what the Crown Attorney described as "extremely strict" bail conditions, including wearing a GPS-tracking ankle bracelet, staying off social media, and keeping away from Jewish or Israeli buildings. He is also banned from discussing the conflict in Gaza with anyone except mental health specialists. The prosecutor argues this was a hateful act, and the government intends to ask the judge for a prison term because of the fear he instilled in the Jewish community. But Aspenlieder's defence maintains their client was "driven by a profound sense of compassion and moral urgency—not by hatred or prejudice." On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner gets reaction from Ottawa's Jewish community, including Mina Cohn, the chair of Ottawa's Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship, and lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who is co-chair of the National Holocaust Monument Committee. Related links An Ottawa judge originally denied bail to the man who later pleaded guilty to defacing the National Holocaust monument. Why the Ottawa police hate crime team and the Ontario Crown prosecutor laid three charges, including criminal harassment, against the suspect Iain Aspenleider. Why Ottawa's Jewish community held an interfaith rally June 15 at the Holocaust monument site after the June 9 defacing. 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)

If you happen to be in the Laurentians one Friday afternoon this summer, near the Saint-Agathe, a resort area north of Montreal that's popular with Jewish families, you might hear clapping, singing and loud Jewish music blasting from a flotilla of boats tied together in the middle of a lake. The gatherings represent two concurrent pre-Shabbat get-togethers, where Jewish cottagers motor out, tie up in a circle and welcome in the Sabbath. Attendees have raved about the trend, praising it for bringing badly needed Jewish resilience and inspiration that lasts long after the boat owners set their feet on dry land. In fact, the idea has been such a success that it's multiplied. There are, in fact, two different spiritual celebrations each Friday, organized and operated by separate people. Both groups of boats listen to Jewish music alongside candles, challah, a rabbi and seafaring shmoozing, but don't mix them up—each organizer is quick to point out key differences in flavour and religious observance. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner speaks with Howard Stotland, who runs the event from Ivry-sur-le-Lac, and Rabbi Emanuel Carlebach, who runs a different Pre-“Shabb'o'at” program out of the Congregation House of Israel in nearby Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts. Related links Learn more about Rabbi Emanuel Carlebach and his Congregation House of Israel's Pre-Shabb'o'at on a Lake Near You program. Send a note to The CJN to register for the weekly Shabbat on the Lake/Shabbat Sur Le Lac which Howard Stotland runs in Ivry. Watch videos of Shabbat On the Lake and Pre Shabb'o'at on A Lake Near you 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)

From July 18-20, Torontonians everywhere in the city heard the thunderous roar of racing cars running circuits around the downtown Exhibition Place. The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto brought drivers and racing fans from around the world—including at least one (but maybe two) Jewish athletes. Robert Shwartzman, the Israeli rookie who stunned the world by taking pole position at the acclaimed Indy 500 in May, continued his fall back to Earth in Toronto, where he came in 16th place. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Nolan Siegel of Arrow McLaren is believed by most to be Jewish—including folks at the Jewish Federations of Toronto and Indianapolis, as well as Jewish racing fans—but we've yet to confirm this. He did, however, finish 18th. Interpret that how you will. The Menschwarmers' own Gabe Pulver went down to the event to learn what he could and witness the noise firsthand. He reports back to guest host Michael Fraiman, who later explains how Jewish NBA rookies Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf performed for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2025 Summer League. 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)

David Zvi Kalman, a research fellow at the Hartman Institute and Sinai and Synapses, is one of the foremost thinkers looking at the intersection of artificial intelligence and Jewish life. While many in the Jewish community worry about destruction of past traditions, Kalman looks to the future. He looks at what could be the next big transformation in Jewish thought—on the margins today, mainsteam tomorrow. Case in point: artificial intelligence. Kalman posits that AI, unlike previous technological advancements, has the unique ability to mimic human behaviour—a characteristic that could fundamentally alter our relationship with work, productivity and even religious practice. How are rabbis using AI today? Could the machines one day issue halachic rulings? Will it transform the role of rabbis? Kalman joins as guest host of Not in Heaven, The CJN's podcast about the future of Jewish communal life and spiritual practice. 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)

In her first media interview since stepping down early as Canada's Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, Deborah Lyons spoke to The CJN frankly about why she left. There were no medical or mental health issues that prompted her decision, she says. It was, in part, exhaustion after spending nearly two years “waking up every day to a fight”. It was hard to get people to speak up for the community. Some wouldn't even agree to speak with her personally. Over time, she grew “despondent and despairing” over how few Canadians have stood up against the anti-Jewish hatred that has flared up in this country since she took the job, soon after Oct. 7, 2023. Despite serving a term as Canada's ambassador to Israel from 2016 to 2020, her appointment raised eyebrows in some quarters—including in the Jewish community—because she herself is not Jewish. Nonetheless, she maintained to The CJN how important it was for her to accept the job to show what allyship can look like and to fight for a better Canada. Now, however, she is leaving the post highly critical of various Canadian sectors. Canadian business leaders, religious leaders and politicians have failed to support the Jewish community. Governments, she believes, found it easier to hold summits to fight carjackings and tariffs—yet could not cooperate when it came to combatting hate. On today's episode of The CJN's flagship news podcast North Star, Deborah Lyons sits down with host Ellin Bessner for an in-depth interview to explain her resignation and why Canadians need to stop being bystanders in what she calls a fight for the future of our country's children. Related links Read reaction from the Jewish community as Ambassador Deborah Lyons announces she is stepping down on July 17, in The CJN. Hear Deborah Lyons' first interview after being appointed Special Envoy to replace Irwin Cotler, in The CJN, and her later one after releasing the new IHRA handbook in the fall of 2024. Her last initiative before resigning was a study of antisemitism in Ontario public schools, 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)

There are two framed medical certificates missing from the wall of Dr. Michael Kalin's office in his medical clinic in Montreal. Kalin, who owns Santé Kildare, earned them years ago from the College of Family Physicians of Canada, which oversees 45,000 family doctors. But the College has ordered him to take them down, after Kalin publicly resigned his membership and withdrew his application to sit on their board, following the College's publication of a controversial article in their official magazine. Kalin—along with hundreds of his colleagues and Canadian Jewish medical associations—believes the article, titled “The Day the Pagers Exploded”, praises members of Hezbollah, a banned terrorist organization in Canada. The piece in question was written by a Lebanese doctor living in Beirut who has no apparent ties to Canada. She treated hundreds of wounded Hezbollah members in her local emergency ward in September 2024 on the night thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies suddenly exploded, as part of the stunning Israeli operation to take out terrorists who planned attacks on the Jewish State after Oct. 7. On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, Kalin explains to host Ellin Bessner what the reaction has been to his protest. Because they refused to retract the story or explain how it was published in a peer-reviewed journal that usually talks about care standards for Canadian patients, he speaks frankly in saying there is no longer a place for him in the Canadian organization of family physicians. Related links Read the Canadian Family Physician magazine article about the wounded Hezbollah patients and the complaints and the CFPC response. Find out more about Santé Kildare, Dr. Michael Kalin's family medicine clinic in Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec. Learn more about the exploding pagers operation in Lebanon, 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)