North Star with Ellin Bessner

Canada’s ambassador to Israel, Lisa Stadelbauer, has offered this country’s help to Israeli law enforcement teams who are now piecing together evidence of systematic sexual violence against women and girls by Hamas during and after the terrorist attack on Oct. 7. Stadelbauer officially reached out to the Israeli police, to women’s groups and the chair of Israel’s civil commission on sex crimes by Hamas. The Tel Aviv–based diplomat may have been the first Canadian ambassador to publicly declare that she believes Israeli women: she made her statement on Nov. 24, more than two weeks before Canada’s own minister of foreign affairs, Melanie Joly, tweeted the same thing on Dec. 7. The issue of feminists around the world not believing Israeli women has gained traction in the last week, while Hamas denies its militants sexually violated any Israeli victims or hostages. On today’s The CJN Daily, Lisa Stadelbauer speaks out, saying she is personally ashamed that it took her so long to realize what Israeli investigators have been telling the world. What we talked about Learn more about #MeTooUnlessUrAJew on last week’s episode of Bonjour Chai Why a city councillor in Victoria, B.C., denied that Hamas used rape against Israeli women, in The CJN CJN columnist Phobe Maltz Bovy on why there is no #MeToo for the victims of Hamas rapes Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the

For the past eight weeks, Canada has welcomed at least 900 Israelis who’ve arrived looking for a temporary respite from the rockets and warfare in the Middle East. While many stayed only briefly and have already returned home, some are giving up on Israel after Oct. 7, hoping to make the move permanent. They are all enormously grateful for the support they’ve received from the Jewish communities in the form of housing, schooling, mental health counselling and even recreation programs at JCCs. But, as you’ll hear on today’s episode of The CJN Daily, they’ve also been shocked by the wave of antisemitism crashing across the country. Host Ellin Bessner speaks with Maya Tobin Gonen, now staying in Ottawa, whose family survived the attack on their moshav on the Gaza border by hiding for 11 hours in a shelter; Maya Trajtenberg Madar, who left Tel Aviv with her four-month-old baby boy and two older sons to spend the fall in Toronto; and Gabi and Galit Uzan, who initially fled Ashkelon for northern Israel and are now trying to put down roots in Canada. What we talked about Learn more about Yair Shpiler’s Jewnity Sports project to bring Israeli orphans to North America for a basketball holiday in January 2024 Read how JIAS is helping Israelis coming to stay temporarily (or longer) in Toronto A tribute to Vancouver’s Ben Mizrachi, killed at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, in The CJN 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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.

An estimated 20,000 people, mostly members of Canada’s Jewish community, gathered in Ottawa on Dec. 4 to rally in support of Israel, call for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, and fight back against antisemitism. The event was, by far, the largest single demonstration of unity held by Canada’s Jewish community since the terrorist attack that happened on Oct. 7 in Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 more kidnapped. Coming just three days before the start of Hanukkah, the rally featured many speakers who pointed to the Jewish festival of light as a concrete example of what steps Canadians should take—including political leaders—to fight against evil and fight for religious freedom. On today’s The CJN Daily, you’ll hear what it sounded like at the rally, as host Ellin Bessner speaks with several Canadians who made the trip: Myrna Yazer of Halifax; Montrealers Julie Kristof, Judy Litvack and Lucy Shapiro; and Toronto high school students Galit Bell and Jaclyn Charlat. What we talked about Watch the Rally for Israel on YouTube Read Jonathan Rothman’s on-the-ground coverage of the rally in The CJN Learn more about Moncton city council reversing its menorah ban in The CJN 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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.

The City of Moncton’s abrupt decision to quietly halt the display of all religious symbols on municipal property—including the Hanukkah menorah it owns—came as a shock to the New Brunswick city’s Jewish community. The decision was made on Nov. 30 during a closed-door council session. It came one week before the community was expecting to participate in the annual lighting of the menorah, a tradition that’s been celebrated at City Hall for 20 years. The resulting public outcry over the weekend has included a petition, social media posts from all over the world and a flood of emails to the municipality. While the mayor has not commented, the issue is likely to be revisited on Dec. 4, when Moncton’s city council holds its bimonthly public meeting. At least three city councillors have publicly condemned how the process was conducted in secret, including Daniel Bourgeois, who vowed to The CJN he’ll try to have the issue added to the agenda when the meeting starts at 4 p.m. local time. On The CJN Daily, host Ellin Bessner is joined by Bourgeois and also by Leigh Lampert, a Moncton-born lawyer who is a member of that city’s Jewish community. What we talked about Read more about the Jewish community of Moncton’s deep hurt over city decision to end decade’s-old Menorah lighting ceremony, in The CJN Watch the Moncton city council meeting on Dec. 4 on Rogers Cable (taped, not live) beginning at 9 p.m. Moncton time Learn more about the petition to have the Menorah reinstated, on Change.org 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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.

Toronto businessman Evan Kosiner lodged a complaint with the CBC’s ombudsman last month concerning why the news organization won’t let its journalists describe the Oct. 7 Hamas attack by using the word “terrorism”. Kosiner felt that CBC News—in choosing to refer to Hamas as militants, despite the Canadian government’s own official designation—is biased against Israel. He also accused the CBC of publishing misinformation, particularly for how some journalists initially portrayed the controversial bombing of a Gaza hospital. The CBC received more than 300 complaints, but Kosiner’s was singled out publicly on Friday Nov 24. when the CBC ombudsman, Jack Nagler, published his report. Nagler agreed terrorism is what it was, and thinks the news department could have used the word without breaking CBC journalistic standards. On today’s The CJN Daily, Kosiner joins host Ellin Bessner to explain why he’s not satisfied and is still working to hold the Crown corporation accountable, especially because it receives over $1 billion in taxpayers funding to operate. What we talked about Read more about the complainant, Evan Kosiner, in The CJN archives Hear our interview with the head of CBC News about why they can’t call Hamas terrorists—except in some cases—on The CJN Daily Read the CBC ombudsman’s report on how they decide between “terrorists” and “militants” Support The CJN by donating to the future of what Jewish Canada sounds like 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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.

This past weekend, Canadian physicist Aharon Brodutch enjoyed an emotional reunion in an Israeli hospital with his kidnapped sister-in-law, Hagar, and her three children, all of whom were taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. The Israelis from Kibbutz Aza were set free on Sunday, Nov. 26 as part of the ongoing hostage deal reached between Israel and Hamas. They'd been held for more than seven weeks since the attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and saw 240 people taken hostage. Brodutch said the four freed hostages have lost a lot of weight and were not ready to leave the hospital yet. His brother, Avichai—Hagar's husband—managed to survive the attack that day, but was wounded in the fighting trying to defend his community. Aharon Brodutch spoke to The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner just before boarding a return flight to Toronto. He recounted the tense moments leading up to his family's release and explained why his 10-year-old niece, Ofri Brodutch, who attended a Jewish summer camp this year in Ontario, wants to come back to Canada. What we talked about Learn more about Aharon Brodutch’s campaign to convince Canada to do more to free the hostages, on The CJN Daily and in The CJN Read how Shira Brodutch assembled a stroller protest in Toronto to draw attention to Hamas’s kidnapping of 33 Israeli babies, in The CJN Support The CJN by donating to the future of what Jewish Canada sounds like 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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.

Nearly 500 episodes. Nearly 10,000 hours of programming. It's "what Jewish Canada sounds like." For more than two and a half years, Ellin Bessner and The CJN Daily podcast have been bringing the voices and sounds of Canadian Jewish newsmakers to listeners from coast to coast—and around the world. And since Oct. 7, it's never been more important to provide you with authoritative, trustworthy, accurate and balanced reporting on the Israel-Hamas conflict, including updates on the hostage situation, the massacre of 1,200 Israeli residents and a new wave of antisemitism within Canada and beyond. It's coverage you won't find anywhere else. That's why, on #GivingTuesday, Ellin wants to get personal. In this episode, you'll hear why she and the rest of The CJN team need your financial support to keep producing award-winning journalism that's unique in Canada. What we talked about Support The CJN by donating to the future of what Jewish Canada sounds like Where we’ve been and where we’re going, with CEO Yoni Goldstein on The CJN Daily How niche publications like ours are being hurt by Canada’s fight with Meta and Google—and what you can do—on The CJN Daily 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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.

As Shye Klein Weinstein was fleeing from Hamas terrorists who attacked the Supernova music festival in Israel on the weekend of Oct. 7, his camera was clicking constantly, capturing photos and videos of their escape. Except, he says, he doesn’t remember photographing anything. The Canadian photographer—who had just immigrated to Israel in the spring—bought last-minute tickets to the festival, only because a girl he liked was going. The pair travelled with friends and relatives from Tel Aviv to experience the overnight outdoor dance rave, held near Kibbutz Be’eri. The photographer brought two cameras with him and at first, spent hours wandering around and snapping portraits of people enjoying themselves at the festival: young partygoers, DJs, jewelry makers, and body paint artists. Little did he know that, at dawn, Hamas terrorists would descend on the 4,000 revellers and slaughter roughly 350 of them, with 40 more taken hostage. Deeply traumatized by the event, the young photographer is now touring North America, speaking to Jewish students at university campuses and showing them the stark photographic evidence he took of this massacre. As he tells The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner, he hopes that by repeating his story to anyone who will listen, it can allow others to understand what really happened—and help him personally process the life-changing events of that fateful day. What we talked about See Shye Klein Weinstein’s photos on his Instagram page Learn more about the group that sponsored Shye Klein Weinstein’s trip, Faces of Oct. 7 , which was set up to fight denial and misinformation on college campuses in North America Donate to Faces of Oct. 7 on their Instagram account _ _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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.

In the last few weeks in Montreal, anonymous gunmen have targeted Jewish schools; vandals threw molotov cocktails at Jewish buildings; and pro-Palestinian supporters are boycotting Jewish businesses. With this intense backdrop, it's not surprising that Montreal's Jewish community is afraid. Ever since Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct. 7, leaders in Canada's second-largest Jewish city have been dealing with an eruption of antisemitism, including at least 100 hate crimes and similar incidents already reported to police. Jewish parents are scared to send their children to school; rabbis and other leaders are demanding the Quebec government permit armed, off-duty police officers to come guard Jewish buildings; and Jewish students at McGill and Concordia are facing sometimes violent anti-Israel protesters. Law enforcement officials say they have everything under control, but to date, only one person has been charged with anything in relation to the incidents described above—compared with nearly 20 charges laid by police in other parts of Canada. The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner travelled to her hometown this week to see for herself why antisemitism seems so much worse in Montreal than elsewhere in Canada. On today's episode, she speaks to Yair Szlak, CEO of Federation CJA; Rabbi Saul Emanuel of the Jewish Community Council; Jamie Ross, a financial advisor and insurance broker; Olivia Weizman, an architect helming a petition for more security; and Esther Klein, the owner of Kosher Quality Bakery. What we talked about Learn more about Olivia Weizman's petition Montreal’s Jewish Community Council wants more funding for better security during tense time, in The CJN Read how Jewish students at Concordia and McGill are feeling threatened, and what they are doing to fight back against antisemitism, in The CJN 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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.

On Oct. 16, 2023, Deborah Lyons was officially named Canada’s new special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. She takes over from the inaugural envoy, Irwin Cotler, at a time when Jews in Canada are facing frightening waves of antisemitism on the streets of this country, stemming from Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent war. Lyons, 73, is not Jewish herself but has deep ties to Israel, and to the Canadian Jewish community, having served as Canada’s ambassador to Israel from 2016–2020. She calls what is happening in this country “a moment of crisis” that calls for numerous societal changes. And to oversee that, she needs more staff. Right now she has one senior civil servant to help her. Marking one month on the job, Lyons joins_ The CJN Daily_ host Ellin Bessner to explain what she is doing on the ground to help make Canada’s Jewish community feel safer. What we talked about Learn more about Lyons’s recent appointment as Canada’s special Envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, in The CJN Read about Deborah Lyons’s appointment as Canada’s ambassador to Israel in The CJN, from 2016 Hear Lyons’s tribute to the slain Canadian-Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver on The CJN Daily 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. Our title sponsor is Metropia. 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.