North Star with Ellin Bessner

In the weeks since her second thriller novel came out, Samantha Bailey has embarked on a virtual tour to promote her new book, speaking with book clubs and online author events every week. It’s a long way from a decade ago, when she was pitching her debut novel—a chick-lit story—to a small crowd at her father's synagogue. Things changed in 2019, when Simon & Schuster published Bailey's breakout novel, Woman on the Edge, confronting issues of maternal anxiety and postpartum depression. Now, she's following it up with Watch Out for Her, another suspense novel that dives into similar territory, focusing on a mother who fled her home after learning something shocking about her babysitter. The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner had the chance to sit down with Bailey while emceeing the Virtual JCC's storyteller program. Listen to hear Bailey discuss the anxieties of Jewish motherhood and what it was like writing a novel during the pandemic. What we talked about: Buy Bailey's book at samanthambailey.ca Read about Samantha Bailey's debut thriller in her 2019 interview with The CJN Listen to The CJN Daily episode, "Hidden for 1,000 days: How 8 members of this Canadian family survived the Holocaust" Watch the ceremony awarding Righteous Among the Nations to the rescuers of Toronto’s Veffer family Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

Za’akah, an organization that helps survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community, recently posted on social media about the arrest of an elderly Quebec rabbi who was charged with sex crimes against a minor that date back 25 years. With a publication ban on the complainant's name, we can’t reveal too many details at this time, except to confirm that there was an arrest warrant issued two years ago and the man was picked up at around Passover 2022 in Toronto. The announcement came just weeks before The CJN published an essay by Lorie Wolfe, a musician in Toronto who decided to go public accusing a doctor of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. In both cases, the accused men wound up not at a police station, but a beit din—the rabbinical court that handles matters in a quieter fashion. Wolfe's abuser paid a fine and continued to practise medicine for 15 years; the Quebec rabbi, who spent time as an educator in Montreal, was reportedly told to simply leave Canada for Israel—which he did, in fact, do. To dissect the persistent problems facing the Orthodox community, and discuss the aftermath of the now-infamous Chaim Walder case, we're joined by Asher Lovy, the director of Za'akah, and Ariella Kay, a case manager for the organization and one of their social media producers. What we talked about: Learn about Za'akah at zaakah.org Hear Lorie Wolfe on _The CJN Daily_ Buy Sephardi Voices at sephardivoices.com Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

Rachel Cohen Yeshurun grew up in Montreal, where she attended an Orthodox girls' school, which taught that women should never actually hold a Torah scroll. These days, however, after she moved to Israel 30 years ago, she's not only breaking that rule regularly, but teaching other women in Israel to read from the Torah as well. Every month, she attends prayer sessions for Women of the Wall, an organization that advocates for women's right to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. She’s been arrested more than once by Israeli police, though the country's Supreme Court has ruled that the women are not breaking any laws or causing any harm. They are making incremental progress, having won the right to wear prayer shawls and tefillin, though the rabbi in charge of the Wall still prohibits them from using Torahs or bringing their own. Still, each month, the Women of the Wall visit the holy site, only to be disrupted by ultra-Orthodox protestors who spit on, shove and whistle at the women. It's a scene that has been playing out for years—and now, after a particularly heated encounter on May 2, inflamed by the World Zionist Organization reportedly bussing in Haredi girls to protest, Cohen Yeshurun joins The CJN Daily to talk about what it's been like to fight for women's rights at one of the most sacred spots in Judaism. What we talked about: Read about the legal struggles of the Women of the Wall Read an essay on the Women of the Wall by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein in The CJN archives Read about Bobbie Rosenfeld in The CJN archives Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

When Lorie Wolf was a student at TanenbaumCHAT high school, her doctor sexually assaulted her. She was 17; he was in his 50s. She visited his office alone one weekend to inquire about her acne problem, and she left with trauma, pain and a secret she would hold onto for years. Only after her parents read her secret diary, five years after the fact, did the family take action—but instead of going to the police, they went to an Orthodox Jewish rabbinical court. The doctor, Leon Herman, admitted to the crime, but got off with a fine. He kept practising medicine for another 15 years. Only after years of therapy and the #MeToo movement did Wolf decide to speak out. She launched legal proceedings against Herman, but struggled to navigate the court system during a pandemic—and the case ended up withdrawn. She has now decided to go fully public with the story, detailing the case and her experience in a deeply personal essay for The CJN. She joins The CJN Daily today to share her story, express frustration over how the Jewish community reacted and explain how she hopes her story can inspire other survivors of sexual assault to speak out. What we talked about: Her Lorie Wolf's essay at thecjn.ca Read the CPSO's decision against Leon Herman Find details about Wolf's band's upcoming performance Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

You've probably heard "Skinnamarink", the classic children's song by Sharon, Lois & Bram. But you probably haven't heard it on TikTok, where Sharon Hampson, now 79, is putting out quick snippets of classics and new material with her newfound family band. She's recruited her daughter, Randi, and grandsons Elijah and Ethan Ullmann, both full-time students at the University of Toronto. Although they grew up in a musical dynasty, it took an international lockdown for them to agree to help their Bubbe's resurgent Zoom-based career. Now, they’re set to mount their first live indoor show since the pandemic began, at the Regent Theatre in Oshawa, Ont., on May 15. And despite Sharon's worry that her voice isn't as strong as it used to be, her relatives say she’s still got it. All four join to explain how they're trying to make music that stays relevant for a generation raised on the Frozen soundtrack and "Baby Shark". What we talked about: Learn about the performance and others at sharonloisandbram.com/events Learn about the Brott Music Festival at brottmusic.com Listen to "Talk About Peace" Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

Eighty years ago this month, in May 1942, the Nazis forced all Jewish people in the Netherlands to wear a yellow star on their clothes to publicly identify themselves. This would lead to mass deportations and deaths, eliminating about 75 per cent of the Dutch Jewish population. Now, Dutch researchers are trying to identify those persecuted Jews—and find out what happened to them. This year, the Netherlands Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies launched a project called "Behind the Star". They've published hundreds of black and white wartime photos of Jews wearing yellow stars, and are hoping to crowdsource the subjects' identities. Because Canada has such a large population of Dutch Jewish survivors and their descendents, the researchers are hoping Canadians can help look through the photos and put names to the faces, creating a fuller picture what happened to the Netherlands' Jewish community. What we talked about: Learn about the project, "Behind the Star" Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

Last week, Dan Goldstein called to his wife, Liat Lev Ary, to look out their office window in Montreal. They saw a Jewish man, carrying an Israeli flag from a Yom ha-Atzmaut celebration, attacked by two men in broad daylight. Goldstein then ran out of their office to yell at the attackers, who then ran away. Local police haven't found the suspects, and there have been no developments since the incident occurred. They're looking to speak with a good Samaritan who intervened before Goldstein arrived, and who was also beaten before quickly leaving the scene. It turns out, Lev Ary and Goldstein knew the victim. And while the victim didn't want to speak to us on advice of his legal counsel, the couple are keen to spread the word. As descendents of Holocaust survivors, they feel deeply disturbed by the sharp rise in anti-Israel sentiment in their own neighbourhood. What we talked about: Watch a video of the attack on Facebook Listen to Eliane Goldstein's podcast, The Effect on Us Read about the Soloway Jewish Community Centre Greenberg Library’s Czech Holocaust Torah Scroll Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

Starting today, Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, who was raised in Montreal, takes over as the first female full-time dean of North America’s flagship Conservative rabbinical school, the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. But what should have been a moment of optimism for the rabbi has been tainted by the recently leaked U.S. Supreme Court ruling that indicates how down Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that says abortions are protected under the country's constitution, is likely to be struck down. Rabbi Cohen, who helped push the Conservative movement to permit same-sex marriages, has now become a leading American Jewish voice speaking out against anti-abortion activists and politicians. What happens next in the fight for abortion rights? Rabbi Cohen joins to talk about Jewish activism, plans for the future and how abortion is kosher under Jewish law, which means banning it is a Jewish problem—not just an American one. What we talked about: Read the "Abortion and Jewish Values Toolkit" Americans can urge their lawmakers to support the Women’s Health Protection Act here Learn more about the Jewish Rally for Abortion Justice Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

A few weeks ago, Melina Schein of Vernon, B.C., won the final challenge of a new competitive reality show called Wall of Bakers, earning $10,000 as the episode's best amateur baker. Her signature dish was a New York–style black and white cookie with an egg cream drink, harkening back to her childhood growing up in New York. But Schein's Jewish roots go back further. Born in Argentina to the children of Holocaust survivors, she moved to New York to study opera at the Juilliard School before leaving for small-city British Columbia. It was in her Okanagan home that she took up baking as a pandemic pastime. That's when she donned the title of the Saucy Soprano, posting photos of her baked goods, videos of herself singing and near-nudes snapped behind slices of matzah and super-long challah loaves. Schein joins to talk about her time on reality TV and where her career will take her next. What we talked about: Visit her website, thesaucysoprano.com Watch Israel’s torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

Julia Koschitzky, Malcolm Lester, Boris Brott, Rabbi Benjamin Friedberg, Alex Eisen, Marcia Koven: these are just some of the many prominent Jewish Canadians who passed away in the first few months of 2022. As we kick off Jewish Heritage Month, we decided to introduce a new recurring segment: The CJN Daily Dead Beat, featuring CJN reporter emeritus Ron Csillag. Each episode, we'll give honourable mention to honourable menschen and women, many of whom Csillag has met personally long before being tasked with writing their obituaries. Since it's hard to sum up a person’s life in 700 words, Csillag will occasionally join the show to share some rarely heard stories about these memorable men and women. We’ll discuss Boris Brott, a world-famous maestro without the ego; Julia Koschitzky, dubbed the foreign minister of Canada's Jewish community; Malcolm Lester, who detoured a rabbinic life for literary publishing; Rabbi Benjamin Friedberg, who brought both unity and division to Toronto's Beth Tzedec Congregation; and the tireless Alex Eisen and Marcia Koven, who founded the Shoah Scroll and the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum, respectively. What we talked about: Marcia Koven's obituary Remembering Malcolm Lester Rabbi Benjamin Friedberg's obituary _The CJN Daily_ episode on Boris Brott The CJN Daily episode on Julia Koschitzky Alex Eisen's obituary Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden 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 learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.