North Star with Ellin Bessner

Dani Dayan was in Canada last week to honour the outgoing chair of the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem, Fran Sonshine, and to attend the opening of the new Toronto Holocaust Museum. Dayan, 67, took the job as chair of Yad Vashem in 2021. After enjoying a high-profile political career as a spokesman for Jewish settlers in Israel, and then as Israel’s Consul General in New York City, Dayan made it his goal to revamp the world’s foremost Holocaust museum, in Jerusalem. Dayan often says he has to be apolitical, but he hasn’t shied away from speaking his mind since taking office. He’s slammed Russian leaders for Holocaust distortion; criticized Poland’s controversial new law that outlaws discussing Polish crimes committed during the Holocaust; and, most recently, voiced support for a Canadian professor who was harassed while giving a Holocaust lecture in Poland. Dayan joins The CJN Daily for his only Canadian interview during his recent tour. He praises the new Canadian Holocaust museum, describes what it was like meeting his fellow Argentine countryman Pope Francis, and warns of what he calls “the Disneyland” approach to teaching about the Holocaust. What we talked about Hear our interview with Prof. Jan Grabowski on Poland’s and Wikipedia’s campaign to deny their role in the Holocaust, on The CJN Daily Read Josh Lieblein’s column on how Jewish leaders pick their battles, in The CJN How Russian President Vladimir Putin falsified Russian Holocaust history while at Yad VaShem in The CJN from 2020 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 podcast is powered by Pinecast.

On Friday, an American jury brought down a guilty verdict for all 63 counts against the gunman who burst into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, murdering 11 Jews and wounding six others. It was the worst-ever mass killing of Jews in the United States. Among the victims was a Toronto native, Joyce Fienberg. The retired widow, 75, attended the synagogue nearly every day, according to her younger brother, Dr. Bob Libman, a Toronto physician. He’s been monitoring the trial closely from his home in Thornhill. In this exclusive interview with The CJN Daily, Libman talks about the devastating impact his late sister’s killing had on the extended family, and what he hopes will happen with the sentencing hearing for the shooter—in which the shooter faces the death penalty. What we talked about Read more about Joyce Fienberg, z”l in The CJN, from 2018 and here How Christians and Muslims formed a “ring of peace” around Canadian shuls in 2018 in The CJN Hear journalist Mark Oppenheimer discuss his book on the Squirrel Hill shooting on Bonjour Chai 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 podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week, the Consky family of Toronto is marking the third anniversary of Harvey Consky’s death, on June 13, 2020. Consky, 67, was a personal injury lawyer, a husband, and father of two. He was diagnosed with an incurable form of anal cancer during the terrifying first few days of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Doctors gave him two months to live. That’s when his adult son Mitchell Consky, a Canadian journalist, decided to move back into the family home and help provide palliative care for his father right until the end. The younger Consky coped with his own emotions of grief, anxiety and also joy in the best way he knew how: he kept notes and interviewed everyone, including his father, during those last few weeks of his life. While caregiving at home isn’t for everyone, Consky says, he remains glad that he did it. Now he’s sharing his own experiences and lessons in a book called Home Safe: A Memoir of End-of-Life Care during COVID-19, published by Dundurn Press. He joined Ellin Bessner for a live taping of _The CJN Daily _podcast in front of an audience at the recent Limmud Toronto event. What we talked about Learn more about author Mitchell Consky and his book Home Safe, including how to order a copy Donate to Consky’s preferred charity for bereaved children, Camp Erin Toronto Read how Mitchell Consky won The CJN’s writing prize back in 2016 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. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

For the past six weeks, thousands of high school students from around Toronto have gone on a special field trip back in time. They’ve attended an immersive outdoor play about antisemitism in 1933 Toronto, when growing racial tensions between local Nazi supporters and Jewish immigrants boiled over at a baseball game at Willowvale Park, now known now as Christie Pits. The ensuing street brawls lasted for six hours, wounding dozens of people and prompting the mayor of the day to clamp down on hate symbols by banning the display of swastikas. The creators of the new play hope that by showcasing the age-old hatred of Jews and immigrants, they’ll also challenge students to recognize modern instances of hate and take action when they see it. Will the play succeed? The CJN Daily’s Ellin Bessner took in a recent performance of The Riot at Christie Pits. On today’s show, you’ll hear from some students who watched it, teachers who accompanied them, the play’s creator Sam Rosenthal of the Hogtown Collective, and his 88 year old father Joseph, who grew up nearby. What we talked about Read Alex Rose’s story on the Riot at Christie Pits live, interactive play in The** **CJN Hear our interview with Jamie Michaels about his graphic novel about the Christie Pits riot on The CJN Daily, and watch it on our YouTube channel Take the audio tour of the Christie Pits Riot with the Hogtown Collective 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 latest court challenge to Quebec’s controversial new French-language law, Bill 96, has been launched by a group of two dozen municipalities with large English-speaking populations, led by the heavily Jewish suburb of Côte Saint-Luc. At a media conference on June 7, mayors outlined their objection to five new rules which came into effect on June 1 this year, after the original bill passed in 2022. At issue are access to government services for people who are entitled to speak English under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but not under Bill 96, because Quebec’s nationalist leaders in the ruling Coalition Avenir Quebec party invoked the notwithstanding clause in the Constitution to override these rights for five years. The lawsuit comes just days after Côte Saint-Luc staffers used a cheeky telephone voicemail message to poke back at the new restrictions. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we speak with Mitchell Brownstein, the mayor of Côte Saint-Luc, to break down the new language laws and why he feels they alienate people instead of making them embrace the French language. What we talked about Bill 96 deeply worrying to Quebec’s Jewish community, in The CJN Read about Naftali Bennett’s vision to save Israel from “horrendously” handled judicial reforms, in The CJN Follow Nir Guzinski’s Montreal comedy on his Instagram page 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 new $30-million dollar Toronto Holocaust Museum officially opened on June 9, with some of the Holocaust survivors who worked so hard to make this facility a reality in attendance. Nate Leipciger, 95, cut the ceremonial ribbon and dedicated the new museum to his late parents and sister, Polish Jews who were deported to Auschwitz. (His father did survive.) The new Toronto Holocaust Museum uses modern technology, including augmented reality, to put the voices of the survivors front and centre for visitors—an especially important feature as Holocaust education is approaching a “post-survivor” world. Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, and other politicians and dignitaries toured the facility at the grand opening. Ford was visibly moved, calling on all Canadians—Jewish and not—to visit and “get educated on what happened. It’s chilling, to say the least.” Ontario will grant $500,000 for more educational programs and extra security at the new museum. The CJN Daily was given a private tour of the new museum, and, as you’ll hear on today’s episode, host Ellin Bessner found it an incredibly emotional experience. What we talked about Read Lila Sarick’s print feature on the new Toronto Holocaust Museum in The CJN Watch the museum’s grand opening on YouTube Visit the new museum or learn more virtually on their website Hear about the early months of the museum in _The CJN Daily from 2022 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.

It may be a tired joke that Jews make great lawyers, but there is some truth to it. And that truth begins at events like the annual Jewish Day School Debate Tournament, which drew dozens of middle school debaters on March 21, 2023. Grades 6-8 students from Heschel, Netivot, Bialik South, Bialik North and Associated competed in a long-overdue war of words—the ninth time the competition was held, but the first since their pandemic-induced hiatus. The lead organizer, Netivot teacher Eli Savage, feels that the focus on in-person communication is critical for young minds in a post-pandemic world, where basic skills like eye contact, active listening and logic can easily get lost in Zoom calls and text messages. The CJN Daily‘s producer, Zac Kauffman, visited the tournament held at the Heschel campus to hear the students’ side of the story. Now with the school year coming to an end, we bring you his special mini-documentary report about how old school debating may be the remedy to three years of lockdowns, remote learning and social distancing. Related reading How Jewish day schools are handling the Pride issue, by Phoebe Maltz Bovy in The CJN When Jewish day schools shut down in March 2020, in The CJN Did Jewish day school help or hurt Ilana Zackon, 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. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN.

Jewish groups and politicians are calling on the Canadian military to do more than just impose a $3,000 fine and severe reprimand on a soldier who made “disgusting” antisemitic comments during a training course he led at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in 2021. The court martial judgement was handed down in the fall of 2022, but it’s just come to light now. It involved a 20+ year veteran soldier with the Royal Canadian Regiment named Sgt. K.E. Bluemke. He pleaded guilty to violating Canadian military law and was ordered to undergo counselling, and served a year on probation, while continuing his career in the army. But Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Ed Fitch, who helped investigate systemic racism in the Canadian military, is pleased with the outcome of the court martial. Fitch, who retired as the highest ranking Jewish officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, believes the fact that this case went so far actually signals a major positive change in how the military deals with antisemitism in the ranks. Fitch joins _The CJN Daily _to explain why. What we talked about Read the court martial decision against Bluemke for antisemitism Why the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center demanded the penalty be revised Learn more about the Department of National Defence study of racism and discrimination, led in part by Fitch, 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.

Actor Saul Rubinek was born in a displaced person’s camp in Germany right after the Second World War. His Polish parents survived the Holocaust thanks to Christian farmers who hid them from the Nazis. After the family moved to Canada in 1949, Rubinek’s father Israel used to blame Hitler for curtailing his burgeoning career in Yiddish theatre. That’s why it meant so much to his son, now 74, to play the role of a Holocaust-era rabbi in the new movie Shttl, reciting his lines completely in Yiddish, his mamaloshen. Acting in a fully Yiddish film was a first for the veteran Hollywood star, whose Jewish credits include Barney’s Version, Hunters _and _The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick. And shooting it in Ukraine, just before the Russian invasion, has imbued it with even heavier symbolism. Stttl has its Canadian debut at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival this week, and Rubinek joins _The CJN Daily _from his home in Los Angeles to discuss why filming it felt so personal. What we talked about Learn more about Shttl at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival website, where you can also attend Saul Rubinek’s in-person talk about his long show business career. Read why Saul Rubinek is producing a play, All in the Telling, about his family’s personal Holocaust story through several generations, in The CJN Hear our November 2021 interview with Saul Rubinek ahead of his Ottawa speech for Kristallnacht on The CJN Daily Subscribe to the free CJN newsletter to receive all our stories which Facebook and Instagram are now blocking 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.

Amichai Chikli, Israel's new Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism, just wrapped up a four-day visit to Canada. And while he met Jewish leaders in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa—briefing them on Israel's new $53-million Alef Bet project to invest in Jewish day school education in North America—his trip also raised some eyebrows because of who else he came to see. Chikli was the keynote speaker at celebrations for Israel's 75th birthday and Jerusalem Day. Both were arranged by an Israeli-based outfit known as the Israel Allies Foundation, which uses faith-based diplomacy in dozens of countries to curry political support for Israel. On Wednesday, Chikli was on Parliament Hill at the invitation of Leslyn Lewis, an Ontario Conservative MP who heads a mainly Christian group called Israel Allies Caucus. And on Thursday evening, Chikli headlined a gala reception at the Canada Christian College in Whitby, Ont., at the invitation of their leader, Charles McVety, a socially conservative evangelical pastor. But Chikli tells The CJN Daily that Israel welcomes support from evangelical Christians who believe in the Bible, just like Lord Balfour, General Orde Wingate and others who helped found the Jewish State. You'll hear from Chikli on today's episode, plus we're joined by McVety and Ya'ara Saks, the Liberal MP for York Centre who met with the minister in Ottawa. What we talked about Charles McVety on why evangelicals love Israel and the Jewish people, in The CJN from 2017 Jews and Christians show support for Jewish victims of Hamas war with Israel, in The CJN from 2014 Hear our interview with Nachman Shai, the previous Diaspora minister under Naftali Bennett’s government, on The CJN Daily from 2022 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.