Support group Ha'ikar offers a 'brave space' for young Canadian Jews post Oct. 7

"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

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