North Star with Ellin Bessner

Rabbi Shlomo Leib Mund, formerly of Montreal, was arrested on April 13 at Toronto's Pearson airport while flying in from Israel to visit family for Passover. He was promptly charged with sexual assault, sexual interference with a victim under 16 years of age, and incest. The reason behind the arrest was a warrant issued by Montreal's police force. The accusations against Mund, now 79, date back 25 years, to when he was a well-known rabbi and teacher in Montreal's ultra-Orthodox community. In the early 2000s, after Montreal's rabbinical court investigated him for a sex crime complaint—not the same one that would ultimately lead to his arrest, however—he was effectively exiled from the community and moved to Israel. That case never went to the police. The identity of the individual whose complaint led to Rabbi Mund's arrest is under a court-ordered publication ban, since they were a minor when the crimes were committed. They spoke to The CJN Daily, but we've had to disguise their voice. You'll also hear from Rabbi Saul Emanuel, the executive director of Montreal's Jewish Community Council, about how the earlier complaints against Rabbi Mund were dealt with at the time. What we talked about: Listen to The CJN Daily episode about Lorie Wolf's sexual assault in the community Listen to The CJN Daily episode about why so many sex crimes go unpunished 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.

One year ago, on June 13, 2021, a new Israeli government was sworn in, ushering a new era of Israeli politics after more than a decade of Benjamin Netanyahu's rule, which culminated in four elections in three years. The new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, promised stability and change. But he's presiding over a fragile coalition government comprising eight different parties—and cracks are beginning to show. This week, the coalition began facing its biggest crisis yet, as it struggled to corral votes on raising the minimum wage, extending Israeli law into the West Bank and other hot-button subjects. Some political observers fear the Israel government may not survive long past its one-year anniversary. To discuss these issues, and to hear some predictions about the future of this Knesset, Ellin Bessner sat down with acclaimed veteran Israeli journalist Yaron Deckel, who was recently appointed to represent the Jewish Agency for Israel in Canada, as part of the first-ever live taping of The CJN Daily. What we talked about: Hear Irwin Cotler discuss the outlook for Israel’s new government on The CJN Daily Read about Naftali Bennett’s Canadian roots in The CJN Register for the Anne Frank Writers Conference 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.

Many Jewish immigrants, when arriving in Canada, choose to settle in the Toronto area. But Toronto is prohibitively expensive for many people, and newcomers face even more hurdles involving work visas, new schools and social connections on top of the financial stress. That's where the Welcome Home project comes in. The brainchild of three mid-sized Jewish communities in Ontario—Hamilton, London and Windsor—the project aims to lure immigrant Jewish families, or long-time Torontonians priced out of the housing market, to join their relatively-small-but-mighty communities down the Highway 401. Local federations are pitching in, promising to make connections and help cover some of the moving costs. It's in their interest to see local numbers grow, since all three communities have been in decline for some time. To discuss the context and how Welcome Home could be the solution, we're joined by all three Federation CEOs: Gustavo Rymberg of Hamilton, Rob Nagus of London and Dan Brotman of Windsor. What we talked about: Learn about Welcome Home at jwelcomehome.com Watch Jewish London's welcome video Learn about Jordan Berg at youvegottamakethis.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.

Just before Passover, Dori Ekstein was taking part in a webinar held by the March of the Living program. She heard a speech by a British/Israeli aid worker about the work his group is doing in Ukraine, helping the roughly 18 Righteous Among the Nations who were still alive. That news prompted Ekstein to bring up that her mother and grandparents had been hidden by a Ukrainian family in their barn in Dolyna for two years, and she had been searching for that barn for years. What Ekstein didn't know was that a Ukrainian woman had been searching for her, too. Danute Protc's grandparents owned that farm in Ukraine, and she, too, had spent years trying to connect with descendants of the Jewish couple her own grandparents saved. It was fate that the two should finally meet, albeit over Zoom. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, you’ll hear from both Protc and Ekstein, who was finally able to say thank you to the family that saved hers during the Holocaust—a family that is now, themselves, trapped in in a bloody war as well. What we talked about: Read about Dori Ekstein’s mother’s experience Learn about From the Depths, an organization that helps Righteous Among the Nations in Ukraine and Poland 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.

On Wednesday, a plane carrying 180 eager Ethiopian Jews arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport. For many, their immigration to the Holy Land has been a long time coming—some have been waiting decades to join their families, who already made aliyah. The flight is part of Operation Tzur Israel, and marks a restart for the long-running operations that have already brought thousands of Ethiopian Jews into Israel since the 1980s. Those missions stopped over a year ago—partly because of COVID, and partly because of court challenges by domestic right-wing groups that questioned the legitimacy of the Africans' law of return. Nonetheless, the planes are flying again, and Israel is once again accepting Jews in need. And because North American Jewish Federations contribute to the payment the these operations, a handful of Canadian Jewish leaders flew to Ethiopia this week to bear witness to the migration and meet the people whose lives they helped change. On today's episode, you'll hear from Ariella Rohringer and Sara Gottlieb of Toronto, who work with Federation and the United Israel Appeal; Candace Kwinter, chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver; and Bruce Leboff, who was waiting at Ben Gurion airport to greet the newcomers. What we talked about: Listen to The CJN Daily episode about the rarely told story of how a handful of Montreal Jews covertly rescued 300 Ethiopian refugees Watch the live stream of Joe Segal's funeral 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.

Premier Doug Ford is widely expected to win a strong minority, if not an outright majority, in Ontario's provincial election tomorrow. The CJN's political columnist, Josh Lieblein, agrees with the consensus—but there are still plenty of Jewish stories to watch. Dianne Saxe, a high-profile Jewish candidate, will try and break ground for the Greens in downdown Toronto; parents of Jewish day school students may punish Ford's government for keeping schools closed for so long; and anyone concerned about the rising wave of antisemitism and Holocaust denial, on the streets and in public schools, must have questions for the government that's been in power over the last four years. Lieblein, who has written more than 20 columns about Ontario's 43rd general election, makes his debut on The CJN Daily to explain what you should know heading into voting day, and what ridings are worth watching through a Jewish lens. What we talked about: Read Lieblein's latest column at thecjn.ca Learn about The Rhapsody—and if you want a chance to win two free tickets to the world premiere on June 15 in Toronto, sign up for The CJN Circle at thecjn.ca/circle 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.

This year, a new coffee table book came out called Sephardi Voices, based on the long-running preservation project that collects stories of Sephardic Jews' accomplishments and survival worldwide. As part of the project, two Canadian researchers have spent the last few years collecting video testimonies from hundreds of survivors of the mass expulsion of nearly a million Jews from Arab lands after 1948. This group, never formally regarded as refugees or given financial help—unlike the Palestinians, as the book frequently notes—struggled with displacement and the destruction of historic synagogues and cemeteries. After the Second World War and the founding of Israel, their homelands' rulers kicked them out or initiated pogroms, despite Sephardic Jews living in Arab countries for 2,000 years. This week, two Canadian men involved in the project—Richard Stursberg and Henry Green, who co-authored the book—are set to donate 80 video testimonies, from survivors who moved to Canada, to Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, in conjunction with a Canadian book launch for Sephardi Voices happening Thursday night. Stursberg joins The CJN Daily to talk about how the explusion was a catastrophe, but also a story of Jewish resiliance. What we talked about: Listen to The CJN Daily episode "Remembering the Farhud, 80 years later" Learn about Sephardi Voices at sephardivoices.com Learn about Am Shalom Synagogue at amshalom.ca 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 Tuesday, Quebec's legislature passed Bill 96, a new bill that forces small businesses to operate exclusively in French; caps enrollment at English-language CEGEPs; and allows language inspectors to raid businesses, without a warrant, to make sure employees are following the rules. It also compels new immigrants to learn French within six months and introduces other language-enforcement rules. Two days after the bill passed, about 500 people in Montreal protested against the bill at Place du Canada. Montreal's English-language school board has vowed to challenge Bill 96 in court—as have a group of lawyers, including Julius Grey, who belives this case could make it all the way to the United Nations. To explain why the million English-speaking Quebeckers are so anxious, and how this bill will affect minority and Jewish residents, The CJN Daily spoke with several Jewish community leaders in Quebec, including Marvin Rotrand, a former city councillor who now heads the League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith, and Liberal MP Anthony Housefather. What we talked about: Read "Quebec’s Bill 96 with its stricter French-language rules is deeply worrying to the Jewish community" at thecjn.ca Listen to the Bonjour Chai episode, "Quebec’s Bill 96 exposes a critical problem with homegrown Canadian rabbis: we barely have any" at thecjn.ca Listen to The CJN Daily episode about Quebec's Bill 101 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, Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, took a stroll through Ottawa’s Byward Market. They spent the day in the Canadian capital as part of a brief visit to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. And though Charles has been to Canada nearly 20 times before, this was the first time the future King of England had a Jewish butcher as his tour guide. John Diener’s family has run Saslove’s Meat Market in the historic neighbourhood since 1954, when Charles himself was just a boy prince. Diener’s father worked there before he and his brother stepped in. When organizers from the royal visit mentioned to Diener that Charles wanted to see locals at work, the small-business owner found himself in the unique position of royal tour guide. Diener joins to explain the planning that goes into an international visit like this, and whether he's even a fan of the monarchy in the first place. What we talked about: Visit saslovesmeat.com for info about their store Read "The recent violence in Israel is not a Third Intifada, but it will take determined political attention to prevent it from escalating, says a former UN speechwriter" at thecjn.ca 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.

Today, Canadian politicians, Israeli diplomats and the leaders of Canada's largest Jewish organizations are quietly convening in Ottawa to host an off-the-record conference called the "Canadian Summit of Israeli-Jewish Affairs". Set up by the Israeli embassy to Canada, the conference will include talks on bilateral relations, fostering positive narratives on social media, encouraging Jewish education, diversity within the community, campus anti-Zionism and antisemitism and other subjects pertinent to both countries. Among the attendees are Israeli journalists, like Lahav Harkov of the Jerusalem Post; Canadian leaders, like Adam Minsky and Shimon Koffler-Fogel; and Israeli politicians, like Nachman Shai, the country's Minister of Diaspora Affairs. This is Shai's first visit to Canada as Diaspora minister in the new Bennett goverment. Ahead of the main event, he spent some time with The CJN Daily's Ellin Bessner in an exclusive interview. In their wide-ranging discussion, the two discuss how Israel is handling the fallout from the death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Shai's frustrations with his government's stalling on egalitarianism at the Western Wall, and the possibility of new elections coming soon. What we talked about: Read The CJN's previous coverage of Nachman Shai Follow Shai on Twitter to see his updates from the Ottawa conference 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.