Best The CJN Podcast Network Podcasts (2024)

1
Election-Swinging Jews 43:11

5h ago43:11

43:11

With the U.S. election less than a week away, the hosts of Bonjour Chai are turning their attention south with a comprehensive pre-election primer. Pollsters tend to lump Jewish voters together in a bloc, but there are different priorities for Jewish communities across the United States—and Jewish residents of certain swing states, namely Pennsylva…

1
Live from the Toronto Holocaust Museum: Talking zombies on Halloween Eve 36:50

2h ago36:50

36:50

Last month, The CJN Podcast Network debuted its first original fiction podcast, Justice: A Holocaust Zombie Story. The seven-part audio drama is a work of subversive Holocaust education designed for the digital age, with many of its gruesome facts grounded in truth. Any shock value from merging zombies with Holocaust education was a deliberate atte…

1
Canadian families are welcoming displaced Israelis into their homes, thanks to a new grassroots initiative 30:12

2d ago30:12

30:12

Ziv and Barak Morag, along with their young two children, lived happily in their small house in Kibbutz Nir Oz—until Oct. 7, 2023. The southern community saw around 100 of its members killed or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, leaving the remaining 300 residents—including the Morags—scattered and displaced in the aftermath of the attack. On a whim, w…

1
Jewish basketball players to watch this NBA season 38:28

20h ago38:28

38:28

We've just wrapped up one of the most special days in any Jewish sports fan's calendar: no, not Simchat Torah or Yom Kippur, but the so-called "sports equinox", a rare occurrence when all four major American sports leagues host games on the same day. Whether you're rooting for the Dodgers to win the World Series or gearing up for NFL season, yester…

1
Which of the U.S. election issues are most relevant to Jewish Canada? 26:33

2d ago26:33

26:33

With the U.S. election just over a week away, Vice-President Kamala Harris is maintaining a narrow lead over former president Donald Trump—although the margin of error is so slim that the result remains essentially a toss-up. One polling company contributing to this data is Mainstreet Research, a Canadian firm. Steven Pinkus, a longtime vice presid…

1
Announcement: Join us live at the Toronto Holocaust Museum 1:16

3d ago1:16

1:16

Hey subscribers: we're going to be at the Toronto Holocaust Museum this week, and we'd love to see you there! Ilana Zackon (Tema) will be interviewing Michael Fraiman (writer, director) about this unique audio drama project: its origins, themes and the real-life Holocaust facts that ground it. Tickets are $12 and include admission to the museum bef…

1
Mayor Morley Rosenberg, cancer fundraiser Sheila Kussner and more: Honorable Menschen worth remembering this Yizkor 26:50

7d ago26:50

26:50

Days ahead of Yizkor being recited in synagogues across Canada, The CJN Daily wanted to take stock of some noteworthy Canadian Jews who've passed away in recent months. It's the latest edition of a recurring series we like to call "Honourable Menschen". Today, host Ellin Bessner sits down with The CJN's obituary writer, Heather Ringel, to chat abou…

1
What Do We Mean by Zion? 34:52

8d ago34:52

34:52

During our extended break for the High Holidays, we're bringing Bonjour Chai subscribers something different. Sukkot is described as the holiday of joy—a time when the Israelites would gather together as one people in the temple to worship and to rejoice. The easy thing this year would be to say that we hope that we will be able to rejoice with eve…

1
How Eva Almos channels the spirit of her survivor mother in an audio drama about Holocaust zombies 26:56

8d ago26:56

26:56

Both of Eva Almos's parents were Holocaust survivors. Her mother, from Lithuania, was a kind and gentle soul who went out of her way to uplift strangers and support her daughter. But her father was the opposite: a traditional Greek man with chauvinist ideas who was hardened by the horrors of the Holocaust. The duality sent Almos into therapy, where…

1
[S1E5] Yankel 19:12

9d ago19:12

19:12

Wait. Who's Yankel? Support Help us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate Credits Writer: Michael Fraiman Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation and Dandelion Theatre Music: Bret Higgins Technical production and so…

1
‘Keep showing up’: Columbia prof-turned-activist Shai Davidai rallies Canadian Jews 24:59

9d ago24:59

24:59

Shai Davidai became a public figure shortly after Oct. 7, 2023 when the assistant professor from Columbia University starred in a video warning Jewish parents at elite American universities about the explosion of antisemitism on campuses across the United States. Davidai’s impassioned plea changed his life: the Israeli researcher soon became a voca…

1
Struggling to afford your first home? This Jewish-backed investment firm wants to help 23:55

14d ago23:55

23:55

On the night of Oct. 16, Jews around Canada will welcome the holiday of Sukkot, having erected temporary wooden or cloth structures outside their synagogues and homes. While celebrating in their makeshift shacks, many will tell stories of the huts that ancient Israelites lived in after their exodus from Egypt.Meanwhile, in modern-day Canada, a diff…

1
Sylvan Adams speaks out after anti-Israel vandals smashed the McGill building with his name on it 26:02

16d ago26:02

26:02

On Oct. 7, 2024, more than a thousand anti-Zionist protesters marched through downtown Montreal toward McGill University as part of a “Week of Rage” to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza. Despite a heavy security presence at McGill, some protesters managed to storm onto the campus, smashi…

1
Dishy Vicar 46:11

21d ago46:11

46:11

Whenever there's a new mainstream TV show with a Jewish bent, Jewish audiences share a familiar reaction: excitement over representation, followed by dread over how bad that representation will be. The latest example is Nobody Wants This, the new Netflix rom-com series about a sex-advice podcast host (Kristen Bell) who, despite not being Jewish, fa…

1
Samidoun: Why Jewish leaders and Pierre Poilievre want it declared a terrorist squad 23:00

21d ago23:00

23:00

You may have heard recently about Samidoun, an extremist, anti-Israel, organization with a branch in Vancouver, ostensibly working to liberate Palestinian prisoners convicted of terrorism in Israel and elsewhere. This week, Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the federal Conservatives, demanded the government declare Samidoun a terrorist organization—a…

1
'We carry this pain. It doesn't break us': how Canadian Jews marked Oct. 7's anniversary 22:52

24d ago22:52

22:52

In Montreal, 8,000 people watched wreaths laid on the stage. In Toronto, 20,000 people recited the Kaddish prayer. An interfaith choir sung in Ottawa. All across Canada, tens of thousands of Canadians gathered to observe the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel and remember the Jewish victims who had Canadian ties.The Oct. 7 annive…

1
[S1E4] Secrets 19:23

22d ago19:23

19:23

As rumours begin to spread about the zombies, Kat decides to take action. Support Help us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate Credits Writer: Michael Fraiman Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation and Dandelion T…

1
Jacob Samuel wants audiences to know he's Jewish—and to make that tension funny 31:25

22d ago31:25

31:25

Jacob Samuel has a couple references to his Judaism in his stand-up routine. In the past, whenever he brought it up, it usually created a moment of tension before a laugh. But in the year since Oct. 7, especially in his hometown of Vancouver, he's noticed a shift. It's harder to talk about his Jewish identity onstage. He brings it up later, or take…

1
'There was literally nothing to come back to': Oct. 7 survivor Thomas Hand shares his story with Canadians 24:02

26d ago24:02

24:02

Kibbutz Be’eri survivor Thomas Hand spent nearly a month last year believing his youngest daughter Emily, then 8, had been killed by Hamas terrorists who stormed their Israeli farming community on Oct. 7 and slaughtered over 100 residents. Hand would later learn that Emily had actually been one of the 30 Kibbutz Be’eri residents kidnapped into Gaza…

1
From devastation to creation: How artist Devon Spier found spiritual meaning through affliction 33:45

28d ago33:45

33:45

Devon Spier has long COVID. The artist, poet and spiritual guide has spent days bedridden, feeling ill and angry at God. But that forced pause gave her time to reflect on her life, art and beliefs, and she began to realize more emphatically how God, for her, exists in liminal spaces—in the wilderness, in small moments of peace and beauty between de…

1
Watermelon Shtreimel 49:27

28d ago49:27

49:27

The cover illustration of the fall issue of The Canadian Jewish News Magazine drew hundreds of responses from readers across the country. The image depicted a fictional family gathered for Rosh Hashanah. This family included a matronly woman in an apron wearing a yellow ribbon in support of bringing the hostages home; a young girl with a dog tag ne…

1
Ottawa just overhauled its grant program for security upgrades. Some Jewish leaders call it a ‘game-changer’ 19:28

1M ago19:28

19:28

Just before Canadian Jews gather to observe the New Year on Wednesday, the federal government has announced some long-requested changes to a program that has helped nearly 500 synagogues, schools and community centres pay for panic buttons, security cameras, fencing and other vital safety equipment to date. Until now, Jewish leaders have long compl…

1
'It pains me': Gad Saad reflects on the unfulfilled potential of a pluralistic Lebanon 39:49

30d ago39:49

39:49

Gad Saad, the Canadian professor and social media icon with well over a million followers online, grew up in Lebanon as one of a rapidly decreasing number of Jews in the 1970s and '80s. He routinely faced genuine, unabashed Jew hatred, hearing "Death to the Jews" chants in the streets—and witnessing his own school friends talk about killing Jews. F…

1
Live, Laugh, Liberate 53:59

1M ago53:59

53:59

Last week, Toronto's public school board came under fire after footage emerged on social media showing students partaking in a public protest for Indigenous water rights... that also happened to feature pro-Palestinian chants and signs. A provincial investigation ensued to learn how it happened and why teachers allegedly encouraged students to get …

1
2024 NHL and MLB postseason preview: Here are the Jewish athletes to watch 42:23

1M ago42:23

42:23

The leaves have begun falling and NHL season is around the corner, so the Menschwarmers are back with a hockey season preview. Will Zach Hyman thrill Edmonton fans with another 50-goal season? With Jack Hughes make the MVP leap? Will the Bruins ever re-sign Jeremy Swayman? We don't have any of these answers, but we have fun asking them. Then, we mo…

1
82-year-old rabbi acquitted of decades-old sex-crime accusations in Montreal 24:44

1M ago24:44

24:44

Rabbi Shlomo Leib (Leon) Mund walked out of a Montreal courthouse a free man on Sept. 25, after a Court of Quebec judge acquitted the 82-year-old rabbi of two sex-crime charges dating back to when the high-profile religious leader taught at an Orthodox school and offered unlicensed marriage counselling in the 1980s and 1990s.The CJN can’t identify …

1
A new exhibit of dreamlike family portraits recall bygone Jewish life, tinged with trauma 22:05

1M ago22:05

22:05

Arnie Lipsey has spent decades working in animation. But on the side, years ago, he began painting on canvas, using archival family photos for inspiration. He began colourizing and adapting them, eventually reinterpreting them entirely through a modern lens. That often resulted in jarring, traumatic scenes quietly unfolding behind his smiling famil…

1
‘Erodes the public trust’: Elected officials react to TDSB field trip rally with anti-Israel chants 19:39

1M ago19:39

19:39

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has blasted the Toronto District School Board for allowing some teachers to “indoctrinate” students with anti-Israel chants during a recent field trip that was ostensibly a learning event about justice for Canada’s Indigenous people. :"It's disgusting," Ford told reporters on Monday. Meanwhile, Ford’s education minister, J…

1
Exploding Hezbollah pagers 'audacious' deterrence message from Israel to Iran: one expert says 23:01

1M ago23:01

23:01

The fallout in the Middle East continues after last week’s “audacious” covert cyber attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, when thousands of suspected operatives linked to the Iran-backed terror militia saw their army-issued pagers suddenly explode. Israel hasn’t confirmed or denied it was behind the sabotage of the booby-trapped devices, nor was th…

1
Lucky Jews 52:11

1M ago52:11

52:11

On a recent trip to Poland, the writer Tanya Gold visited the Auschwitz concentration camp memorial site. In her lengthy travel essay on the visit, "My Auschwitz Vacation", published in the September 2024 edition of Harper's Magazine, she details the numerous absurdities of the Disneyfied extermination camp, from its notable lack of Jews to the oft…

1
New Canadian documentary spotlights Oct. 7 victims murdered on 'The Killing Roads' 24:11

1M ago24:11

24:11

Canadian documentary producer Igal Hecht says he hates his new Oct. 7 film, The Killing Roads. The documentary retraces the final moments of 250 Israelis who were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists along highways 232 and 34, near Gaza. Hecht also feels this is the best work he has ever done. The film releases to the public online, for free, on Oct. 1.…

1
Trailblazing artist Neshama Carlebach opens up about her next spiritual goal: the rabbinate 43:59

1M ago43:59

43:59

Growing up in the Orthodox movement, Neshama Carlebach would hear it a lot: "It's a shame your father never had sons." The father in question, the acclaimed Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, instead had two daughters—and the implication was that his legacy as a prolific songwriter, whose repertoire includes the popular 1965 folk anthem "Am Yisrael Chai", wou…

1
Arnie Aberman will return his honorary UofT degree over the school’s handling of antisemitism 19:09

2M ago19:09

19:09

Dr. Arnie Aberman received his honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Toronto in June 2015. He is one of more than 1,500 people who have received honorary degrees from UofT since the school began the tradition in 1850, but Aberman believes he is the first and only person to give it back—as his symbolic form of protest against rising anti…

1
Ottawa reopens study of releasing Nazi war criminal files after omitting Holocaust experts 20:36

2M ago20:36

20:36

After the debacle in 2023, when Parliamentarians gave a standing ovation to an elderly Ukrainian Waffen SS veteran, pressure mounted on Ottawa to speed up publishing the names of long-classified files containing the identities of hundreds of suspected Nazi war criminals welcomed by Canada after the Second World War. The files were prepared in the 1…

1
The Bari Files 46:41

2M ago46:41

46:41

The Toronto International Film Festival is going on, and while it only has a handful of Jewish-themed or Israeli-produced films, those films have drawn some of the biggest spotlights. Chiefly among them has been The Bibi Files, a new work-in-progress documentary that received its world debut this week, and which shows never-before-seen leaked foota…

1
St. Catharines' century-old synagogue is securing its future—with or without members 22:12

2M ago22:12

22:12

The small Jewish community in St. Catharines, Ont., is marking a significant milestone this week. Exactly 100 years ago, on Sept. 14, 1924, two cornerstones were laid for the foundation of what would become the current building housing Congregation B'nai Israel synagogue. The event was front-page news at the time. No one could have predicted that, …

1
[S1E3] Villains 19:48

2M ago19:48

19:48

You do not even know who Inga is. Support Help us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate Credits Writer: Michael Fraiman Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation and Dandelion Theatre Music: Bret Higgins Technical pro…

1
A new Winnipeg staging of 'Tuesdays with Morrie' brings the menschdom 34:54

2M ago34:54

34:54

When Tuesdays with Morrie was first published in 1997, it elevated Jewish author Mitch Albom to a level of literary stardom that reverberated beyond the book world. The story—which detailed Albom's frequent visits with his former professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was dying of ALS—has since been adapted into a TV movie and an off-Broadway production i…

1
Israeli official Michal Cotler-Wunsh tells Canadians to show courage, leadership for its Jewish students 25:07

2M ago25:07

25:07

Shortly after attending last week’s funerals for some of the six hostages executed by Hamas, Israel’s antisemitism special envoy, Michal Cotler-Wunsh, flew to Canada for a speaking engagement. And while she was here, she made a point to attend the pro-Palestinian protesters’ return to the University of Toronto campus for their first fall rally and …

1
Brooklyn Book Banning 41:15

2M ago41:15

41:15

Joshua Leifer made headline last month when he was slated to do a public talk at a Brooklyn bookstore about his debut book, Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life, and discovered, an hour before the event was scheduled to start, that the event had been unilaterally cancelled by an employee who didn't …

1
The Paralympics have a rich Jewish history—and inspiring modern stars 46:24

2M ago46:24

46:24

With the Summer Olympics in the rearview mirror, all eyes are now on the Paralympic Games, spotlighting the world's most impressive athletes with disabilites. Yet few know that it was a Jewish postwar doctor, Ludwig Guttmann, tasked with treating Second World War veterans with spinal cord injuries, who founded a small competition in Britain that wo…

1
What it’s like inside the Hamas tunnels where six hostages were murdered 27:16

2M ago27:16

27:16

Maj. (Ret.) John Spencer is an American army veteran who heads the Modern War Institute at the U.S. Military’s prestigious West Point Academy in New York State. His books and courses about fighting historic urban and tunnel wars have been widely quoted–he’s even interviewed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-who name dropped the former comb…

1
Jesse Brown lost 9% of his supporters after he began spotlighting antisemitism. Here's why he won't stop 41:47

2M ago41:47

41:47

In the aftermath of Oct. 7, Jesse Brown—who has risen to prominence as a media critic and muckraker with his Canadaland podcast and digital media company—once again stirred up controversy online. But it wasn't a big news investigation that sparked outrage; it was a series of posts about antisemitic attacks on Canadian Jewish-aligned institutions, f…

1
Jewish university students are coming back prepared for a fight—at Concordia and beyond 28:33

2M ago28:33

28:33

Dozens of Jewish students at Concordia University joined the Montreal Jewish community Tuesday night Sept. 3, 2024, for a vigil in memory of the six Israeli hostages whose bodies were discovered after they had been executed. The event—held on campus right outside the Concordia student centre—came just a few days after four Jewish students and two p…

1
Toronto cousin of murdered hostage Carmel Gat: 'A loss that could have been prevented' 22:47

2M ago22:47

22:47

Toronto resident Maayan Shavit is set to fly to Israel on Monday to attend the funeral of her cousin Carmel Gat, one of the six Israeli hostages found executed two days ago in a Hamas tunnel under Rafah.Carmel, an occupational therapist and yoga instructor, was kidnapped while visiting her parents’ home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Terrorists also took Carme…

1
[S1E2] Moishe 11:38

2M ago11:38

11:38

The gang makes a quick escape from Sachsenhausen. But somebody follows them. Support Help us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate Credits Writer: Michael Fraiman Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation and Dandelio…

1
[S1E1] Grave Robbers 19:25

2M ago19:25

19:25

Have you heard what's happening at Sachsenhausen? Support Help us to keep producing independent journalism and innovative storytelling at thecjn.ca/donate Credits Writer: Michael Fraiman Directors: Michael Fraiman and Max Ackerman Producers: The Canadian Jewish News in association with the Ashkenaz Foundation and Dandelion Theatre Music: Bret Higgi…

1
Classically Avi 48:57

2M ago48:57

48:57

It's time to head back to school—but this year, for some Jewish students in North America, school is going to look a little different. Some will be receiving what's known as a "classical" education: a curriculum based on a return to fundamentals, a focus on time-tested great books and a rejection of mandates that emphasize diversity and inclusion. …

1
Adiel Cohen channels his Yemini heritage to fight for Israel—on two fronts 43:38

2M ago43:38

43:38

Adiel Cohen remembers Oct. 7 like it was yesterday. He was at his sister's house in Northern Israel when he woke up to hear his phone buzzing with rocket alerts and notifications. His first-ever panic attack washed over him as he realized he would quickly be called back into the army—which happened immediately after Shabbat. That night, Cohen fille…

1
These JNF Canada donors are split about the embattled charity’s future 24:15

2M ago24:15

24:15

When news broke of the Jewish National Fund of Canada losing its charitable status on Aug. 10, the move meant the Canada Revenue Agency also stripped the venerable Jewish charity of its ability to issue tax receipts to donors. This poses a serious challenge to the historic Zionist fundraising organization–which received $20.2 million in donations i…

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