North Star with Ellin Bessner

In December 2021, baking entrepreneur Amy Rosen made a splash on the CBC reality show Dragons' Den. The pastry specialist and accomplished cookbook author pitched them a stake in her line of bake-at-home cinnamon buns. While the dragons loved her foods, she stumbled when asked about her sales figures. Rosen calls that moment a national embarrassment—and also unfair. But she's moving on. She landed a spot on a new TV cooking show called Wall of Bakers, which debuts March 28 on Food Network Canada. And now that enough time has passed, she's ready to dish some dirt on what really happened during her time in the den. Rosen joins to talk about her TV experiences, her Jewish cookbooks and what's next for Rosen's Cinnamon Buns. What we talked about: Watch Amy's appearance on Dragons' Den at cbc.ca Read about her most recent cookbook at thecjn.ca Read Leila Paperman's obituary 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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

In late February, The CJN published a first-person essay by 17-year-old Talia Freedhoff about antisemitism and ignorance at her Ottawa public high school. It wasn't the first time she spoke out about these issues. She's done TV interviews and delivered speeches to school board trustees to try and open the public's eyes about the reality of Jewish student life. She's had teachers schedule tests on important Jewish holidays and refuse to change the date, even after they were ordered to by the administration. She's heard stories from fellow Jewish students who've had coins thrown at them in hallways and swastikas drawn on their personal belongings. These incidents aren't unique within her circles, either: in 2022, numerous antisemitic incidents have been reported across public schools in Ontario, including in Jewish neighbourhoods in Toronto. Freedhoff joins The CJN Daily to explain why school boards shouldn't have to wait for Jewish kids to speak out to teach them how to tackle antisemitism. What we talked about: Read "Toronto’s Pleasant Public School is investigating an allegation of antisemitism—following two February incidents elsewhere" at thecjn.ca Read "The problem with antisemitism in education isn’t that no one is speaking up, it’s that schools aren’t listening, says Ottawa student Talia Freedhoff" 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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

Of the 200 people protesting across the street from the Russian embassy in Ottawa on Sunday, most held up signs coloured yellow and blue, in solidarity with Ukraine. But there was one sign in black and white with a menorah on it and the words "Let Ukraine live. We are family. Canada's Jews." Holding the sign was 77-year-old Alti Rodal, a historian and the daughter of Holocaust suvivors. She was born in Chernowitz, Ukraine, but has lived in Ottawa for many years. She and her husband founded a group called Ukrainian Jewish Encounter in 2007, wanting to bridge the longstanding distrust between Jews and Ukrainians that dates back to the Second World War, when Ukrainians were slapped with a reputation of being the worst Nazi collaborators in all of Europe. All their hard work is in jeopardy now. As Russia wages its war in the country, it breaks Rodal's heart to know that all the museum exhibits, conferences, school tours and especially the restoration projects of Jewish cemeteries that she’s been leading in Ukraine are at risk—especially because, as she tells The CJN Daily, nearly every Ashkenazi Jew in the world originally came from Ukraine. What we talked about: Learn about ukrainianjewishencounter.org Read Steve Arnold's death notice at uhmc.ca/arnold-stephen Read "Canadian Jews are opening their hearts (and their wallets) for Ukrainian Jews now facing war" 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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

On Sunday, thousands of people in cities across Canada gathered in solidarity with Ukraine. The support may comfort Anatoliy Shengait—as the head of Kyiv’s Jewish community, he's spent the past week fielding worried WhatsApp calls, keeping tabs on the war and trying to communicate with his own family, including his brother, who's trapped with no electricity or running water outside the capital city. Shengait's life and work is busy enough during peacetime. He coordinates events, liaises with the city's synagogues and Jewish schools and has been advocating for a better airport in Uman, where thousands of Hasidic Jews make an annual pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Russia's attacks have risked not only his life and the lives of his fellow Ukrainian Jews—about 200,000, by some estimates—but it's also created a humanitarian crisis that has led hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee the country. Shengait spoke with The CJN Daily podcast from his home in besieged Kyiv on Sunday night. He spells out what he hopes the world understands about the situation and what he fears might happen next—that this war could lead to another massacre like what happened at Babi Yar against Ukrainian Jews during the Holocaust. What we talked about: Read "Ukraine emergency appeals have been activated by Jewish federations across Canada" at thecjn.ca Read about Jewish Canada's partners at jewishcanada.org/home/partners Donate to Chabad's Ukraine Jewish Relief Fund at chabad.org 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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

Meet Primrose Madayag Knazan. She's the winner of the Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competiton, and her new play, Precipice, is about a Filipino-Canadian woman who converts to Judaism—just like she did. The Winnipeg resident’s play debuted in 2021 at the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre's So, Nu? Festival, beating nearly two dozen entries to claim the top prize. Madayag Knazan calls Precipice a love letter to the symbolism and ceremony of Judaism. The former Catholic wanted to study the Jewish religion after meeting her husband-to-be’s rabbi, Alan Green, who had lived in the Philippines. Now the Knazans are raising their family in the Jewish tradition, with their sons enrolled in parochial school and one having recently celebrated his bar mitzvah. Madayag Knazan joins The CJN Daily to discuss how her play, as well as her new novel Lessons in Fusion, provide a mirror for children like hers to face the challenges of being a visible minority within Canada's Jewish community. What we talked about: Follow Primrose Madayag Knazan on Instagram Buy her novel Lessons in Fusion Watch the Compliments Challenge video for Kindness Week 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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

If David Segal's name sounds familiar, it's because he put the "David" in DavidsTea, the popular chain of heavily curated loose leaf teas and cafes that sprang up across North America in the 2010s. Segal left the company in 2016, starting a salad-based restaurant chain called Mad Radish instead. Now the Ottawa-based entrepreneur is getting back into the tea game alongside fellow Jewish Ottawan Harley Finkelstein, the president of Shopify. Segal is bringing the tea knowledge; Finkelstein is bringing the digital platform. Instead of launching hundreds of cafes and appearing on supermarket shelves, this new brand, called Firebelly Tea, will be digital-only, relying exclusively on its Shopify store for sales. So why does Segal think his formula will work in the middle of a pandemic, in a market hit with rising inflation and consumers hesitant to indulge in nice-to-have luxuries like fancy tea? He joins to discuss. What we talked about: Learn about Firebelly Tea at firebellytea.ca Read "Yet another ‘Heil Hitler’ salute—this time targeting a Jewish teacher—is reported at a Toronto middle school, in Flemingdon Park" 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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

How widespread is antisemitism and anti-Zionism on Canadian campuses? A new report, commissioned by the Abraham Global Peace Initiative, found nearly 100 reported instances last year. The authors—Neil Orlowsky from York University and Dana Fischman from Carleton University—looked at media articles, social media posts, student unions, faculty associations and hate crime reports from across the country to determine which campus was friendliest—and which was the most uncomfortable—for Jewish students. The worst offenders: York and the University of Toronto. The report comes out in the wake of a recent U of T student union vote to support boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel—as well as, paradoxically, a pledge by the school's administration to crack down on antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Orlowsky calls the U of T's pledge nothing more than "virtue signalling". He joins to discuss the report's findings and what steps schools can take. What we talked about: Read the report at agpiworld.com/campus Watch the video of the goldfish "driving" its tank at bgu.ac.il (and learn about the webinar on Facebook) Read "University of Toronto’s plan to tackle antisemitism gets a cool response from Jewish advocacy groups" at thecjn.ca Listen to The CJN Daily episode about the birth of the AGPI, "Why Avi Benlolo thinks Canada needs a new organization to fight antisemitism", 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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

In March 2020, magicians Ben Train and Jonah Babins, like so many other performers, found their livelihoods put on indefinite pause. So they did what any young entrepreneurs would: they pivoted by taking their show to the Zoom circuit. Two years in, it's gotten them noticed by the likes of Seth Rogan. They've recently returned from Las Vegas, where they met with some of their magician idols, David Copperfield and Mac King. And with COVID restrictions easing up, they're finally preparing for their first in-person show of 2022, held at Yuk Yuk's in downtown Toronto. Train and Babins join The CJN Daily to discuss their Jewish roots and how they transformed their pandemic problems into a booming business model. What we talked about: Learn about the The Toronto Magic Company at torontomagiccompany.com Get tickets for their Yuk Yuk's show, Hocus Jokus, at yukyuks.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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

Maya Sinclair lives with an extremely rare genetic condition. At six months old, she was diagnosed with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, which stunted her growth, kept her teeth abnormally small and forced her to have multiple eye surgeries for glaucoma. Despite these challenges, and being bullied for them at school, Sinclair has written two children's books, spoken publicly about her condition, danced competitively and starred in a recent documentary. And she's only 12. On Feb. 16, she and her documentary costars are taking part in an event in Montreal for Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month. They’ll be talking about Sinclair's challenges and what it was like making the film. To give a sneak peak, she joins The CJN Daily with her mother and their rabbi to discuss what life has been like with this rare disorder. What we talked about: To attend the Zoom interview on Feb. 16 with Maya, the rabbi and her mother, register at jlive.app/events/1540 Watch all four episodes of Becoming Big on YouTube Find Maya on Facebook and Amazon 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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

Yesterday, Premier Doug Ford of Ontario announced he would join Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan in speeding up a timeline for loosening COVID restrictions. That means the province would get rid of vaccine mandates, reopening restaurants and bars to full capacity, while keeping mandatory masks in place. It was welcome news to Ontarians who support the truckers' protest that has spent two weeks occupying downtown Ottawa. Those supporters include at least two Jewish Canadians: a goalie coach from rural Ontario and a Chabad rabbi whose day job is in IT. The two don't know each other. But after hearing Monday's episode of The CJN Daily, both the rabbi, and Launy Schwartz, the goalie coach, felt compelled to reach out and share their stories, including why they support the truckers, how they view the Nazi flags in Ottawa and how the pandemic's economic fallhout has decimated their careers. What we talked about: Learn about Launy Schwartz's school, Stop the Puck Goaltending, at stpgoaltending.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; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.