North Star with Ellin Bessner When a craft market in Saskatoon banned Zionists, these Jewish parents decided to fight back
At the end of June, a queer artist group's craft market was scheduled to celebrate Pride Month in Saskatoon with an event called Cheers for Queers. The organizers declared support for Palestine, later laying down an umbrella ban on Zionists. Jews could come, they said—just not Zionist ones.
That's when a local parent recalled an interview they'd heard on this very podcast stream, aired exclusively to subscribers of The CJN Daily, in which a Montreal-based lawyer discussed ways to combat antisemitism. Now other parents have joined her to form a new grassroots organization to draw newfound attention to the myriad problems faced by Jews in their Prairie city since Oct. 7—including a disturbing antisemitic drawing made on the blackboard of a Saskatoon public high school classroom.
The activists join_The CJN Daily_ to explain how they successfully got the anti-Zionist market moved, for now, how a little divine intervention worked in their favour, and what they hope to do next.
What we talked about:
- Read the 2SLGBTQ organization's statement about why it opposes Zionism and Israel
- Learn more about the Jewish community of Saskatoon expanding its community centre during the pandemic and renovating the Agudas Israel synagogue on The CJN Daily from June 2023
- To hear the episode that inspired these women, and catch more bonus content aired exclusively for subscribers, subscribe for free to The CJN Daily (and search for the bonus episode on June 3, 2024)
Credits:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.