Best The CJN Podcast Network Podcasts (2024)

1
Oy, Canada: Jews feeling ‘vulnerable’ and ‘precarious’ on Canada Day after Oct. 7 31:49

2h ago31:49

31:49

Canada Day is usually a holiday of patriotism and pride. But this year, nine months after Oct. 7 sparked new waves of antisemitism across the country, many Jewish Canadians continue to feel isolated, vulnerable and anxious. It seems like every few weeks, a new synagogue is attacked or vandalized; Jewish and Israeli children are being routinely bull…

1
Jews Against the Omnicause 53:13

6h ago53:13

53:13

What does Palestine have in common with climate change, gender equality and indigenous rights? The Omnicause, that's what. In the modern era of left-wing protests, these issues become conflated—think queer Palestinians, viewed as indigenous to their homeland, fighting climate change with organic farming practices. Or something. Perhaps something no…

1
Long-buried Nazi atrocities, retold in Robert Rotenberg’s new crime novel, have lessons for today 20:21

23h ago20:21

20:21

Author Robert Rotenberg never imagined that his newest police crime novel, written against the backdrop of European fascism, would come out at the same time that far-right political leaders are sweeping into office across the continent. Nor did he plan that What We Buried would be published in the aftermath of one of the most embarrassing moments i…

1
Danila Botha's new book of short fiction wants to break the mold of Jewish Orthodoxy 23:08

3d ago23:08

23:08

Danila Botha wants you to know something about her writing: it's not autobiographical. She pulls ideas and themes from real life, from the media and history, from current affairs and what she sees in the world. She is not personally a glitter-strewn closeted lesbian Orthodox woman, nor is she a drug addict who once met Anne Frank in a dream. But th…

1
Two years ago this week El Al said it was shuttering direct service to Canada. Will it return? 19:31

3d ago19:31

19:31

Like the Taylor Swift song about her ex-boyfriend, El Al airlines is likely “never, ever, getting back together” with Canada, at least not in the form of direct non-stop El Al flights with the Star of David logo on its planes. Two years ago on June 21, 2022 the Israeli carrier announced it was shuttering direct service to Toronto. After 40 years of…

1
Will UofT’s encampment be allowed to stay up? An Ontario court is ruling soon—here’s what you should know 25:54

4d ago25:54

25:54

An Ontario court judge is expected to rule as early as this week on whether the seven-week-old pro-Palestinian tent city at the University of Toronto will be allowed to remain, or whether it must be dismantled immediately—with police help, if necessary. Lawyers for the university were in court last week arguing the encampment is illegal and has don…

1
Kiss and Tell 50:55

7d ago50:55

50:55

The trope of Hasidic women leaving their communities—particularly during a journey of queer self-discovery—is not exactly unique. And yet, memoirs and documentaries continue to come out, the latest being Kissing Girls on Shabbat by Sara Glass, who is now a therapist. After Phoebe Maltz Bovy reviewed the book for The CJN, she had more questions—so w…

1
Sidura Ludwig’s new children’s book about baking challah shares a recipe for turbulent times 21:08

8d ago21:08

21:08

Rising, the new children’s book by award-winning Canadian author Sidura Ludwig, tells the story of a Jewish child and their mother preparing homemade challah bread for Shabbat. Ludwig wrote the story four years ago, during the pandemic lockdown, when she found solace in the weekly ritual of challah-making during those uncertain times.Now, releasing…

1
Vancouver’s Schara Tzedeck was lit aflame—and the shul decided to leave the door charred. Here’s why 21:02

9d ago21:02

21:02

It’s been more than two weeks since an unknown suspect set fire to the front doors of Vancouver’s Schara Tzedeck synagogue on May 30, while people were inside attending a late-night meeting. A passerby saw the flames and called it in, while a shul member used his jacket to douse the flames.No one was hurt, but the incident left one of the building’…

1
Late spring sports roundup: Zach Hyman's Oilers struggle to stay alive while Jewish baseball stars are on the rise 29:08

10d ago29:08

29:08

We're entering the post-Shavuot dog days of summer, which means a wind-down for most Jewish athletes. After a short break, The CJN's sports podcasters return with a late spring catch-up to talk golf, baseball and the end of the NHL and NBA seasons. Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried has emerged as a genuine candidate to win the 2024 Cy Young Award; S…

1
'The silent tragedy of the north': Israel's military escalation with Hezbollah has major implications for Canadians 22:44

11d ago22:44

22:44

Since Oct. 8, Hezbollah—the Iranian-backed Shia militia in southern Lebanon—has launched thousands of rockets into northern Israeli communities, including Metula and Kiryat Shmona, which for decades have been financially supported by Canada's Jewish community. But Israeli air strikes that killed a senior Hezbollah commander last week have escalated…

1
Bonus: "Labour of Love", from recollections with the Jewish Public Library 56:51

14d ago56:51

56:51

We're taking the week off for Shavuot. Instead, we're airing a new episode of a podcast miniseries from our friends at the Jewish Public Library, called recollections. Avi and Phoebe will be back next week. May 2024 marks the 110th anniversary of the Jewish Public Library. Our opening season is a celebration of our Jewish Leftist roots in Montreal.…

1
Jews were once embraced by progressive activists. Did Oct. 7 permanently change that? 27:51

14d ago27:51

27:51

Bernie Farber helped create the Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN) in 2018, and sat as its founding chair until shortly after Oct. 7, 2023. The organization—which investigates, publicizes and works with journalists to report on hateful far-right extremist groups—was infamously silent in the weeks following the Hamas slaughter and kidnapping of 1,200…

1
In her poetry, Zilka Joseph channels the stories of her Bene Israel ancestors in India 31:48

17d ago31:48

31:48

There's a fact Zilka Joseph likes to toss out to prove how old the Bene Israel culture is: the community, native to the Indian subcontinent, spent centuries unaware of what Hanukkah was. That's because the first Bene Israel people arrived on the shores of modern-day India in 175 BCE, according to some estimates—almost a full decade before the Macca…

1
Alexandria Fanjoy Silver converted to Judaism twice. For Shavuot, she explains why 23:03

17d ago23:03

23:03

Alexandria Fanjoy Silver enjoys being a proud and loud advocate for Toronto's Jewish community, even though she only became an "official" Jew in 2009. Her parents brought her up as a member of the Anglican Church; yet, while growing up, she always felt an "obsession" and a pull towards Judaism. And so, as a university student in 2007, after visitin…

1
‘My legs are tired but my heart is full’: Hear the sounds of Toronto’s historic Walk with Israel 23:54

18d ago23:54

23:54

Ellin Bessner, host of The CJN Daily _podcast, was admittedly nervous ahead of Sunday’s 55th annual Walk with Israel, held by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. For weeks, pro-Palestinian protest groups in the city had been threatening to disrupt the important Jewish solidarity march—the first one since the deadly Hamas attack on Oct. 7.It was stun…

1
Bot Rabbis for Jesus 46:25

21d ago46:25

46:25

Israel had some strange bedfellows in the news this week. The New York Times unveiled that country's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs created social media bots that posted AI-generated comments to influence American lawmakers and the general public; meanwhile, a rally against antisemitism in Manhattan drew headlines when it was revealed that the organi…

1
Dr. Joe Schwarcz can’t stop debunking wellness gurus, antivaxxers and psuedoscience 26:58

22d ago26:58

26:58

Montreal professor Joseph Schwarcz doesn’t actually have a medical degree, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a popular public figure in the Canadian media landscape as a reliable face of science.Schwarcz, 76, actually has a doctorate in chemistry from McGill University, where he has been based for more than four decades. In that time, he’s …

1
Former Israeli hostage Hagar Brodutch fears time is running out for the others still held in Gaza 22:37

23d ago22:37

22:37

Hagar Brodutch, her husband Avichai and their three children are settling into their temporary home in Toronto for an extended vacation after a horrific ordeal. Hagar and the kids were among the most high-profile hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7 by Hamas and released after 51 days, during a ceasefire deal in November 2023.Many Canadians followed the Br…

1
How ‘Beauty Queen of Jerusalem’ star Swell Ariel Or now helps Israel on and off screen 22:24

24d ago22:24

22:24

Just hours before Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 the Israeli film star Swell Ariel Or was in Canada as the guest of honour at an Israel Bonds fundraiser. The twenty-something actor was fresh off her breakout role in the Israeli historical family saga “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” which aired on Netflix in 2022. She portrayed Lun…

1
Bonus: Federation CJA speaks to lawyer Neil Oberman about antisemitism in Montreal 33:28

25d ago33:28

33:28

We're taking a day off at The CJN Daily, so please enjoy this podcast from our friends at Montreal's Federation CJA, which aired last month. To subscribe to their feed, click here. In this episode of the Federation CJA 360 Podcast, host Glenn Nashen talks about using the law and the courts to fight back. Meet lawyer Neil Oberman, who is standing up…

1
Canada's last remaining faith reporter reflects the past, and future, of religion 30:33

26d ago30:33

30:33

In 2018, at a time when the faith beat in Canadian newspapers was steadily declining, John Longhurst made an unusual deal with the publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press. He wanted to help expand the paper's audience by reporting on religion, particularly within local communities: Mennonite, Indigenous, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, whomever. The publish…

1
Hipster Tznius 54:01

1M ago54:01

54:01

When Israel's Judaica store, a prominent retailer in the Toronto area, announced it was closing after 40 years, it felt like another moment in an unfortunately increasing trend: the decline of Jewish "third spaces", places beyond the home and office where Jews feel comfortable and welcome. Synagogues are closing and merging; community centres are b…

1
What this Canadian-Palestinian peace activist wants you to know about life after Oct. 7 28:52

1M ago28:52

28:52

Yafa Sakkejha was named after the city of Jaffa, where, until 1948, her Palestinian grandparents lived and owned property and managed orange groves. Sakkejha’s mother grew up in East Jerusalem, but left the country during the First Intifada in the late 1980s.Sakkejha, who was born and raised in Toronto, feels deep pain over the devastation that has…

1
A new political Jewish students’ union has sprung up after weeks of pro-Palestine tent protests 22:07

1M ago22:07

22:07

Since Oct. 7, at least five mezuzahs have been torn off the doors of Jewish students living in residence at Queen’s University. At the University of Windsor, a law professor urged a Jewish student not to attend their class because “Zionists aren’t welcome”. And in just the last few weeks, some protesters who set up pro-Palestinian tent encampments …

1
Meet the singer who performs Yiddish opera from Holocaust survivors—and also Wagner 30:32

1M ago30:32

30:32

When Jaclyn Grossman was an 18-year-old opera student, her teacher heard her soprano voice and informed her she'd sing the music of Richard Wagner. Grossman didn't know much about the German composer, but quickly fell in love with his music. She was not particularly phased by the fact that Wagner was infamously antisemitic, included offensive Jewis…

1
Bais Chaya Mushka families celebrated Jewish pride on Sunday after gunfire was aimed at the Toronto school on Shabbat 17:34

1M ago17:34

17:34

One day after the weekend targeting of Bais Chaya Mushka, a Jewish girl’s school in Toronto, by suspects who sprayed the front of building with bullets, the school’s students and their families have gone from initial shock and fear, to the determination not to be intimidated.They turned out in large numbers at a popular park to join the city’s Chab…

1
I've Got Schisms 41:55

1M ago41:55

41:55

Last September, Eitan Hersh, a political science professor at Tufts University in Boston, tried something that hasn't been done before: he created a class teaching conservative ideas to students of his private liberal college. He felt there was a gap in the school's poli-sci curriculum, sensing that graduates were leaving without understanding the …

1
New B.C seniors advocate Dan Levitt flew to the U.N. to fight for the rights of Canada’s growing 65+ population 25:05

1M ago25:05

25:05

Show notes Seniors are in the spotlight this week as Canada and other countries are meeting at the United Nations to discuss ways to help the world’s billion people over the age of 60. And Dan Levitt is in the thick of it—the longtime nursing home administrator from Vancouver, who started as British Columbia’s official seniors advocate in April, fl…

1
Examining the many overlapping stereotypes faced by Jewish and Asian athletes 37:17

1M ago37:17

37:17

It's May, which means you can still wish people a happy Jewish Heritage Month. You can also wish them a happy Asian Heritage Month—because, in Canada, both minority groups got their politically fluffy cultural celebrations crammed into the same 31-day timespan. To honour the stuffing-together of both heritage months, the Menschwarmers wanted to tak…

1
The CJN’s Honourable Menschen: Remembering the politically embattled Patti Starr, referee Harry Davis and other late influential Canadian Jews 28:11

1M ago28:11

28:11

The CJN Daily‘s Honourable Menschen is back, just ahead of Lag b’Omer on June 11, when tens of thousands of observant Jews traditionally make a pilgrimage to Israel’s Mt. Meron to visit the tomb of Rabbi Simeon Bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar.Ahead of the calendar anniversary, it felt important to shine a spotlight on the legacies left by these…

1
Rabbi Beni Wajnberg explains why you should never pay synagogue dues 34:01

1M ago34:01

34:01

Rabbi Beni Wajnberg has worked in Brazil, Argentina, Singapore, New York, Tennessee, California, Montana and beyond. When it came down to settle down with his family and put down roots, he chose Hamilton, Ont., where he's now the spiritual leader at Beth Jacob Synagogue. Throughout his travels, he's found that one thing connects all those far-flung…

1
The 13-year old who hundreds walked to school in Toronto has no plans to change schools due to antisemitic bullying 21:44

1M ago21:44

21:44

Eitan Cohen, 13, is determined to head back to class after the Victoria Day long weekend—despite months of being bullied, taunted, threatened and assaulted by a few fellow students in his school in Toronto, in the wake of Oct. 7.It came to a head on May 17, when hundreds of neighbours and friends came to walk Eitan to Faywood Arts-Based Curriculum …

1
Gatekeepers of Heaven 44:49

2M ago44:49

44:49

You may not know who Joe Roberts is. But some people online, who may or may not have ever met the man face-to-face, claim to know him extremely well—to the point that they are posting photos of his grandmothers' graves, scouring the web for his tweets and published articles, and making bold statements about whether he's really who he says he is. Wh…

1
How a class of Dawson College theatre students are incidentally workshopping a controversial script about Zionism and campus politics 26:33

2M ago26:33

26:33

During the pandemic, David Sklar—an actor, playwright and co-host of The CJN's arts podcast Culturally Jewish—wrote a theatre script called Vial. The plot focuses on a college professor who feels conflicted when one of her far-left-wing Jewish students writes an extreme essay about Israel; the professor, who starts off adamantly pro–free speech, be…

1
An Israeli high schooler was beaten up in Fredericton. Her family believes it was a hate crime 20:43

2M ago20:43

20:43

On April 30, Shaked Tsurkan, a 14-year-old Israeli girl attending high school in New Brunswick, was followed and beaten up by an older student. It happened off school grounds during the lunch hour and other classmates gathered to watch—someone even filmed the whole thing on their phone, later posted to social media, where you can see Tsurkan gettin…

1
Yossi Klein Halevi on Israel at 76: ‘We are still an enormously powerful people’ 29:08

2M ago29:08

29:08

The respected Israeli journalist and author Yossi Klein Halevi is bringing his message of hope to Canada on May 14, 2024, to mark Israel’s 76th anniversary. Speaking at a synagogue in Toronto about the impact of Oct. 7 on Jewish history, Klein Halevi believes that, after Hamas’s attack seven months ago, Israel made the decision not be a victim. Ins…

1
‘Nobody can go through those tunnels and come back the same person’: IDF veterans speak on Yom ha-Zikaron 42:27

2M ago42:27

42:27

As Israel and Jewish communities around the world mark Yom ha-Zikaron, the Israeli memorial day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, some Toronto veterans of the Yom Kippur War are remembering the chaos and the fear they experienced during their own military service some 50 years ago. On Oct. 6, 1973, Israel fought Egyptian and Syrian forces …

1
The Tedious B 55:15

2M ago55:15

55:15

College campuses have been heated spaces for Jewish students for a long time. The rapid spread of tent-in protests that began at Columbia University last month has only exacerbated the issue, giving an international platform to pro-Palestinian (and anti-Zionist) students and faculty members grounded in our post-secondary institutions. Jewish and no…

1
The secret Jewish history of America's oldest pro baseball park 42:39

2M ago42:39

42:39

You may not be familiar with Rickwood Field, America's oldest baseball field. It isn't used by any Major League Baseball teams. It's not even regularly used by the team it was built for, the Minor League Birmingham Barons in Alabama. But it's still standing—more of a working museum than a proper field, hosting occasional games and special events, p…

1
Despite ‘flawed’ reports of record-high antisemitism incidents, new study says most Canadians actually like Jews 25:48

2M ago25:48

25:48

According to Robert Brym, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto, while two-thirds of Canada’s Jews currently feel unsafe and victimized in this country, and think it will get worse, his new study also shows most non-Jewish Canadians actually have positive feelings about Jews.His research was published before B’nai Brith Canada released…

1
This year’s March of the Living commemoration marred by ‘Stop the Genocide’ protests 22:13

2M ago22:13

22:13

Organizers of the 36th annual March of the Living commemoration, in Poland, knew that this year’s three-kilometre walk at Auschwitz would feel even more poignant after Oct. 7.That’s why some Israeli Holocaust survivors were invited to join the procession, which honoured not just the memory of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust—but also …

1
Why writer Marsha Lederman, daughter of Holocaust survivors, feels 'less alone' on Yom HaShoah 36:15

2M ago36:15

36:15

Marsha Lederman is a catastrophizer. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors, the author and Globe and Mail columnist has gone through life worrying about everything that can go wrong, to the point that she wrote a book about things going wrong in her life. Kiss the Red Stairs, released August 2023, investigates the ramifications of intergenerationa…

1
This Canadian Holocaust survivor’s ‘ordinary’ life included blowing up Nazi trains and fighting a wolf 21:40

2M ago21:40

21:40

Show notes Vancouver Holocaust speaker Rubin Pinsky fled a Nazi work camp in May 1942 and survived for more than two years in the forests of Poland, serving as a teenage Jewish partisan.Pinsky, a former yeshiva student, blew up trains, sabotaged telephone wires and killed Nazis and collaborators. One time, he even finished off a timber wolf attempt…

1
Notes on Encampment 56:53

2M ago56:53

56:53

As pro-Palestinian encampments pop up across Canadian campuses this week, protesting against university ties to Israel and threatening to keep their tents pitched until the war in Gaza ends, it helps to understand the broader context of how this all began. And if you ask the Columbia University students at ground zero of this movement how they feel…

1
Pro-Palestinian tent protests have spilled onto Canadian campuses. What happens next? 29:10

2M ago29:10

29:10

Show notes: At least five Canadian university campuses are now home to temporary tent cities erected by pro-Palestinian students protesting Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The U of T, McGill, Western, the University of Ottawa and the University of British Columbia have all become focal points for protestors insisting they won’t leave until thei…

1
Remembering filmmaker Charles Officer, who 'cut through the ideology' with incisive storytelling 36:09

2M ago36:09

36:09

On December 1, 2023, Charles Officer passed away at age 48. The award-winning filmmaker was revered in the national arts community, having directed documentaries such as Invisible Essence, about the cultural impact of The Little Prince, and The Skin We're In, a film adaptation of author Desmond Cole's popular essay on racism in Canada. His movies w…

1
How 3rd grader Daniel Marquez became a world JewQ champion—beating thousands of Hebrew school students 23:54

2M ago23:54

23:54

The youngest child traditionally asks the Four Questions at Passover. But Daniel Marquez, 8, of Mississauga, Ont., could probably have answered all the questions by himself: the Grade 3 student won the 2024 JewQ competition, an annual tournament of Jewish knowledge hosted by Chabad.Marquez hoisted his trophy onstage during a live game show on April…

1
Paul Finlayson made fiery pro-Israel comments after Oct. 7. Then his university suspended him 28:39

2M ago28:39

28:39

Show notes It’s coming up on five months since Paul Finlayson, a business instructor in the Toronto area, was suspended from teaching at the University of Guelph-Humber, in Nov. 2023. Finlayson, who is not Jewish, is the subject of an internal investigation after several students and staff members filed complaints in the aftermath of Oct. 7. They t…

1
Need another Passover celebration? Listen to the Menschwarmers' annual Jewish baseball seder 38:19

2M ago38:19

38:19

By now, you've probably had one seder. You may have even had two seders. But it's time for an annual CJN tradition totally unlike those slow-moving family get-togethers: the Menschwarmers' Jewish baseball seder. Combining the start of baseball season with the week of Passover, our Jewish sports experts have rewritten the haggadah to focus on Jewish…

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