North Star with Ellin Bessner

For five weeks after Oct. 7, 2023, the two sons of Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver thought she was among the hostages from Kibbutz Be’eri who had been kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas terrorists. But after her house was destroyed that day, and they received no further word about her fate, her sons Chen, an archeologist based in Connecticut, and Yonatan, an Israeli social worker, threw themselves into campaigning for their mother’s release, while also channelling her spirit in advocating for a non-violent solution to the war. In late November 2023, Israeli forensic experts notified Silver’s family that her remains had been identified in the rubble of her burned-out kibbutz neighbourhood. She had been killed on the first day of the attack. Growing up, they had watched their mother’s tireless efforts to build bridges between Jews and Palestinians, while they pursued their own, different lives and career paths. Now, as the two-year anniversary of their mother’s murder approaches, Vivian Silver’s sons are still mourning their mother, but also curating her legacy as “Vivian”, an internationally-renowned political anti-war symbol. On today’s episode of The CJN’s newly-rebranded North Star podcast (formerly The CJN Daily), host Ellin Bessner sits down with Chen and Yonatan Zeigen to explore how having a purpose helps with their grief, rather than seeking vengeance for past trauma. Related links Read more about the sons of the late Vivian Silver, fresh from their June 4 Toronto fundraiser/celebration of their mother’s life, in The CJN. To learn about the Vivian Silver Impact award and to donate. Hear how Silver’s family and friends gathered in November 2023 in Israel for her private funeral and then for a separate public memorial service, 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 The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Two years and eight months into her term on the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, a high-profile advocate for the Jewish community and other marginalized groups, announced her resignation during a school board meeting on June 3. She was the only Jewish trustee on the school board. Kaplan-Myrth’s tenure has been challenging, to say the least. When she advocated for mandatory masking during the COVID pandemic, she received countless antisemitic insults—even death threats—via social media and email, for which the police did lay charges against some of her critics. The school board has tried to censure her several times, prevented her from coming to meetings or speaking, and she has been in a running battle with a rival trustee over what she considers was racism against her because she is a white, Jewish Israeli-Canadian. But things came to a head recently after an email campaign by the National Council of Canadian Muslims to the board, accusing her of anti-Palestinian racism. Kaplan-Myrth said the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is so “toxic” and “dysfunctional” that she had to quit, for her own mental health and for the safety of her family. She joins Ellin Bessner of The CJN Daily to explain how she hopes her resignation is a wake-up call to what’s going on in school boards across North America—and why her problems may not be over. Related links Watch Dr. Nili-Kaplan Myrth’s resignation speech at the June 3, 2025 OCDSB meeting: she begins at the 4 hour mark. Learn about the disgusting threats sent by an Ontario man to Dr. Nili Kaplan Myrth that resulted in his recent conviction in 2025, in The CJN. Hear a previous interview with Dr. Kaplan-Myrth when she was initially sanctioned by the Ottawa public school board in 2024, 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: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

While Israel’s government is still engaged externally in a nearly 19-month long war with Hamas in Gaza, crucial elections are underway for Jews around the world–including beginning June 5, for Canada–for control of Israel’s four main national Zionist bodies: the Keren Kayemeth/Jewish National Fund, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Keren HaYesod/United Israel Appeal, and the World Zionist Organization. These historic non-governmental institutions take direction from the World Zionist Congress, based in Jerusalem, and described by founder Theodore Herzl over a century ago as the unofficial “Parliament of the Jewish People”. This election will choose the 500+ official Congress members for a five-year term, which begins this fall. Organizers say there is much at stake. This election is being described as a battle for the soul of Israel, as it pits centrist and progressive Jewish slates against an increasingly powerful coalition of Orthodox and Haredi groups, who are campaigning for Torah values including supporting more settlement building on the West Bank. The Zionist Congress controls not only the policies but who gets appointed to run these major Israeli agencies, and, as a result, where and how their multi-billion dollar budgets are spent. (A tiny fraction of the money comes back to Canada to fund Zionist programming here.) While Israel and the United States are allocated most of the seats, the rest of the Jewish Diaspora including Canada makes up the rest. Canadian Jews are being asked to vote until June 15 through an online ballot. So who is running in Canada’s WJC elections this month? And how can you cast your vote? On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, host Ellin Bessner speaks with vote organizer Stan Greenspan, the president of the Canadian Zionist Federation, and himself a candidate. Plus you’ll meet candidates Jacob Kates Rose with the progressive Hatikvah Canada slate, and also Dr. Yizhar Hess, a high-ranking Jerusalem-based diplomat who came to Canada recently to drum up support for his slate known as Mercaz-Canada, which represents Conservative-Masorti Jewish values. Related links How Canadian Jews can vote in the WZO’s elections from June 5-15, 2025.  What is the World Zionist Congress anyway? Read Ron Csillag’s 2020 feature in The CJN. Why the American Jewish community was split over voting in the WZO elections, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

On the evening of June 1, a synagogue in Mississauga, Ont., will officially welcome nine new members of the Jewish faith, during Shavuot services. The conversion candidates have been studying for months, having undergone ritual baths and—in some cases—symbolic circumcisions, all to join the Tribe. The timing of the ceremony for these “Jews by choice” harkens back to the Biblical story we read on Shavuot about Ruth, a Moabite woman who joined the Israelites through marriage, and whose descendants included King David and Jesus Christ. For months, Canadian rabbis of all denominations have been reporting heightened levels of interest in conversions. Some candidates are looking to commit for their Jewish spouse; others proceeded solo on their own spiritual journeys. However, one thing many had in common: Oct. 7 has a lot to do with it. Why would anyone want to become Jewish, you ask, when antisemitism and anti-Zionism are becoming increasingly mainstream? We get answers on today’s episode of The CJN Daily. Rabbis Taylor Baruchel of Holy Blossom Temple, the largest Reform congregation in Canada, and Stephen Wise, the spiritual leader of Shaarei-Beth El Congregation, in Oakville, join to explain the phenomenon. Related links Meet three Canadians who converted to Judaism after Oct. 7, despite everything, on The CJN Daily. Why Alexandria Fanjoy Silver converted twice, on The CJN Daily. Read more from Emily Caruso Parnell about the conversion process she underwent from both Orthodox and Reform pathways, 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: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Vitaly Beckman, a Vancouver-based illusionist, recently accomplished something only four other performers have ever done: stump famed American magicians Penn and Teller with an illusion… for the third time. Beckman wowed the legendary duo in an episode of their long-running reality TV series, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, at the Las Vegas theatre bearing their name. They awarded him a trophy before inviting him back to perform on April 26 as the closing act for their own live show. Beckman has been pursing magic and illusion for nearly three decades, ever since he got hooked by watching David Copperfield on his parents’ television while growing up in Haifa. But like many Jewish immigrant families, his Soviet-born parents wanted their son to go into a more stable and respectable profession, so Beckman did a mechanical engineering degree at the Technion, Israel’s university specializing in science and engineering, before coming to Canada and pursuing his passion for fine art, painting and illusion. And after performances in Times Square and off-Broadway—including a benefit for Ukrainian Jewish orphans with Sylvester Stallone—Beckman is back home in Canada these days, testing out some new material. As he tells Ellin Bessner on The CJN Daily, illusion and magic may be just the thing to help heal divisions and strife during our turbulent times. Related links Watch the March 28, 2025 Penn & Teller: Fool Us episode where Vancouver’s Vitaly Beckman won for the 3rd time in a decade. Check out Vitaly’ Beckman's website for news and future tour dates, and bookings. Learn how two Toronto Jewish magicians Ben Train and Jonah Babins pivoted during the pandemic to entertain their audiences online, 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: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Last year, the 2024 UJA Walk With Israel was tinged with pain, coming just months after the Oct. 7 massacres and being marred by intimidating anti-Israel protesters. But participants at this year’s event, held on May 25, felt a strong sense of Jewish pride and confidence, and refused to allow protesters to spoil the day—raising $1.4 million along the way, $200,000 more than last year. The 56th annual fundraiser was held under heavy security, coming just four days after a gunman, yelling “Free Palestine,” shot two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. With that news still fresh in people’s minds, thousands of police and security officers were on hand, officials told The CJN, and there were noticeably fewer protesters than the year before—just one arrest, compared to six arrests in 2024. Toronto police arrested one man at the event, charging him with mischief and causing a disturbance, after he was heard hurling antisemitic threats. But while the event went off mostly smoothly, attendees questioned why the police created “designated protest areas” on both sides of the last major intersection before the finish line, forcing the record-breaking 56,000 participants to pass through a gauntlet of pro-Pro-Palestinian yells and chants, along with smoke bombs. The CJN Daily‘s host Ellin Bessner brought her microphone and managed to stay dry despite the torrential downpour that drenched participants at the afterparty. On today’s episode, you’ll hear from Omri Kohavi, a survivor of the Nova music festival and Ilan Faktor, a music producer; Jesse Brown, who brought the Nova exhibition to Toronto; Rabbi Michael Dolgin of Temple Sinai, whose synagogue hosted the starting line for the walk; newly-elected Conservative MP for York Centre, Roman Baber; Steven Del Duca, the mayor of Vaughan; Melissa Lantsman, the deputy Conservative leader and re-elected MP for Thornhill; Matthew Taub, a community advocate; and Toronto city councillor Shelley Carroll, who chairs the city’s Police Service Board. Related links Read how the City of Toronto’s bubble legislation will keep protests 50 metres away from Jewish buildings, and come into force on July 2, in The CJN. Learn more about the exhibit about the Nova music festival now showing in Toronto until June 8, in The CJN. Learn more about the Tribe of Nova Foundation, which helps survivors and bereaved families of Nova victims. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

It’s been a tumultuous week in diplomatic relations between Israel and Canada. The most shocking news, of course, has been the recent murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, D.C., who were gunned down on May 21 by a man calling for “Free Palestine”. Amid the international condemnations, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated and appalled” by the attack, calling it “a violent act of antisemitism.” But even before that incident, Carney was making news in Israel. Canada joined France and the United Kingdom in threatening sanctions against the Jewish State over the West Bank, and "actions" if it did not stop the renewed war in Gaza and begin allowing aid into Gaza. Carney’s new minister of foreign affairs, Anita Anand, made similar condemnations. And while Israel did begin allowing aid trucks into the Gaza Strip, hours after the joint statement, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a rare press conference and openly promoted American president Donald Trump’s plan to push Palestinians out of Gaza and take complete control of the strip. And in the midst of all this, members of the Israel Defense Forces fired warning shots near a group of foreign diplomats—including two Canadians—in the West Bank city of Jenin. As a result, Anand formally “summoned” Israel’s ambassador to Canada for a meeting on May 21. If you can’t keep all the chaos straight, we don’t blame you. That’s why The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner wanted to sit down with Artur Wilczynski, a former Canadian ambassador and diplomat—and a veteran security and intelligence expert—to help make sense of what feels like one of the most dangerous political weeks in recent memory. Carney’s new government has put its foot down against Israel, punching above its weight on the international stage. What should we make of this? What concerns should Canadian Jews have about Israel and Canada’s longstanding friendship? Related links Hear Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed discuss the newly-strained relations between his country and Canada, on The CJN Daily from earlier this week. Read a timeline of Canada-Israel diplomatic relations, in The CJN. Why former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper became one of Israel’s staunchest supporters, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

While many Canadians were enjoying a long weekend for Victoria Day, Canada’s new Liberal government issued what many observers feel is this country’s strongest criticism since Oct. 7, 2023, of how the Israeli government is carrying out its military operations in Gaza. Canada joined the leaders of the United Kingdom and France in issuing a joint statement on May 19 demanding Israel immediately stop its renewed assaults on Gaza and allow in significantly more humanitarian aid. If Israel fails to comply, the three Western allies say they will take “concrete action”, possibly imposing targeted sanctions, although they were not specific in the threat. The communique deplores Israel’s “unacceptable” denial of aid to Palestinians in Gaza since March, when the Netanyahu government stopped allowing trucks in as a way to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages, living and dead. The leaders also slammed some Israeli politicians who have been encouraging Palestinians to relocate from Gaza. Israel says it allowed nine trucks to cross into Gaza on May 19, and 93 others went in the following day, carrying baby food, flour and medical supplies. But the United Nations says that amount is merely a drop in the bucket for what’s needed to help nearly two million Palestinians in the war-ravaged zone. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we analyze what’s behind Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government’s first major diplomatic moves on the Middle East crisis. Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, and Maytal Kowalski, executive director of JSpace Canada—an organization that is welcoming the strongly worded Canadian move—both weigh in with their perspectives. What we talked about: Read Canada’s joint statement with France and the U.K. on May 19 rebuking Israel’s “egregious” military escalation in Gaza. Read what Prime Minister Mark Carney told Israel's president Isaac Herzog about releasing the hostages, Hamas having no role in Gaza, and boosting humanitarian aid when the two men met while at the Vatican on May 18, 2025. Why the JSpace Canada organization launched a letter writing campaign to thank Prime Minister Mark Carney for his “principled leadership” after the rebuke of Israel. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Tilda Roll usually carries a can of coyote repellent with her when she walks around her neighbourhood in Vaughan, Ont. But ever since she was the target of an antisemitic incident while leaving her synagogue after Shabbat services on Jan. 6, 2024, the lawyer says she has been more afraid of running into the antisemitic attacker again, since he lives in her neighbourhood. At the time, police quickly located the suspect, and charged him with a couple of assaults—spitting on Roll and her husband, hurling Nazi threats at them and making the Heil Hitler salute—and breach of probation. After a three-day trial this March, the man was convicted, but was not held in custody. Earlier this week, on May 13, an Ontario judge sentenced Kenneth Gobin, 35, to a year in prison, with two more years of probation tacked on due to his lengthy criminal record. With the man now off the streets, Roll says she can finally begin to process what happened, including how anxious and angry the incident made her. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Tilda Roll explains how she hopes her court fight will encourage Jewish Canadians to fight back against rampant antisemitism. Related links Read the judge's sentencing report sending Kenneth Gobin to prison for 12 months for two counts of assault and one of breach of probation. Why Jews are still the target of the most religious-based hate crimes in Toronto in 2024, in The CJN. A Quebec man who posted swastikas in his town was found guilty and fined $7,000, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

A report from city staff is expected to be released May 14 on whether Toronto should adopt a new “bubble” bylaw that would help protect Jewish buildings from raucous, sometimes violent, anti-Israel and antisemitic protests. The bill would cover all vulnerable communities and faith-based groups, but Jews are the ones most often targeted by hate crimes. The decision marks one of two upcoming key tests for the city’s mayor, Olivia Chow, as she tries to strengthen her relationship with the city’s Jewish community. The other? The 2025 UJA Walk With Israel. At a recent gathering for Jewish leaders during Passover at Toronto City Hall, Chow said that “Jewish people must feel safe” in the city. She explained why it has taken the city a long time to study the feasibility of passing such a bubble bylaw, and told _The CJN Daily _ that it would help things at the local level if Prime Minister Mark Carney keeps his campaign promise to pass similar legislation at the federal level. Meanwhile, many people are wondering whether Chow will attend the UJA Walk With Israel on May 25. While the mayor has been invited, she did not attend in 2023 or 2024. Her office told _The CJN Daily _that Chow’s schedule for May has not been finalized. On today’s episode, we speak to Mayor Olivia Chow, and we hear from some Jewish leaders about what they are looking for from the mayor: City Councillor James Pasternak; CIJA’s chair, Elan Pratzer; and Michael Gilmore, the executive director of Kehillat Shaarei Torah synagogue, which has been vandalized more than a half-dozen times. Related links Read more about Mayor Olivia Chow’s relationship with the Jewish community in The CJN from 2024. Hear why Toronto city council deferred bringing in a draft bylaw to protect Jewish buildings in December 2024, on The CJN Daily. Learn more about how Mayor Olivia Chow voted to defer “bubble legislation” bylaw last May 2024 back to city staff for a report, in The CJN. In 2024, The CJN's Doorstep Postings columnist Josh Lieblein advised the Jewish community not to work so hard to seek a better relationship with Olivia Chow. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)