North Star with Ellin Bessner

Six organizations representing Canadians rabbis across the country issued a strong statement condemning the United Church of Canada for its new proposal to adopt a harder stance against Israel. The 23-page document, which took two years to draft, supports teaching about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and labels Israel and Palestine with the same settler-colonial framework applied to Indigenous Canadians and early British settlers. Plus, the church wants to not recognize Israel as a Jewish state. While this isn't the first time the United Church has upset Canadian Jewish leaders, it still caused outrage in the community. The mainstream Jewish organizations left it to rabbis to speak out this time, ahead of a vote in July that would see whether the church adopts the proposed policy. We're joined by two rabbis—Reuven Poupko of Montreal and Baruch Frydman-Kohl of Toronto, who spearheaded the response letter—about why they were so upset about this proposal, and whether they think their reaction will do any good in this long-fractured relationship. What we talked about: View the United Church's full proposal here (PDF) Read the rabbis' statement at torontoboardofrabbis.org Find Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement on Raoul Wallenberg Day at pm.gc.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.

Across Canada over the weekend, synagogues gatherered virtually to pray for the safety of the hostages at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. After an hours-long standoff between the FBI and an armed gunman, the situation ended with only the hostage-taker killed and all hostages safe. Meanwhile, nervous Jewish community leaders across Canada got in touch with their local police forces, which promised to step up patrols around Jewish buildings for a while. And the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says they want the federal government to give Canada’s Jewish communities more money to hire permanent security guards year-round, not just on the high holidays. What impact does this latest attack on Jews have here in Canada? Will there be threats of copycats? Are our schools and shuls safe, as parents and administrators stay on high alert? Adam Cohen, a longtime security advisor in Montreal, joins to discuss. What we talked about: Visit Adam Cohen's security firm at perceptage.com Listen to The CJN Daily episode "How safe are Canada’s Jewish institutions from attacks?" at thecjn.ca Listen to The CJN Daily episode "Canada’s Oldest Person: Cecile Klein marks 114 years" at thecjn.ca, and read Klein's obituary at paperman.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.

Last August, Capt. Rabbi Arnold Noteh Glogauer made Canadian military history as the first Canadian Jewish chaplain to set sail with the Royal Canadian Navy. Aboard HMCS Winnipeg, he spent four months in and around the Pacific Ocean for manoeuvres off the Philippines, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Along the way, his patrol kept a lookout for ships smuggling fuel illegally to North Korea and provoked the wrath of the Chinese government by sailing through the disputed straits between China and Taiwan in support of Taipei's struggle against its powerhouse neighbour. The Chabad rabbi has spent nearly five years as a military chaplain. Until last year, he exclusively served on land, but felt an urge to spend time at sea. He tried to minister to all 257 crew members, most of whom were Catholics and Protestants—though he did discover one sailor of Russian Jewish descent, and ended up coaching the man to study for a very belated bar mitzvah. Now back on dry land with his family in Thornhill and celebrating his birthday, Rabbi Glogauer joins to share some seafaring stories and describe life on a navy warship. What we talked about: Read "In the Navy: First Jewish chaplain aboard a warship seeks to build relationships" at thecjn.ca Watch the unveiling of a mosaic by the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, “Shine a Light on Antisemitism”, on YouTube 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.

As the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, Rabbi Yehuda Sarna plays a unique role. He isn't preaching much from the pulpit. Instead, he's more of a diplomat, building bridges with leaders in the United Arab Emirates and managing the country's sudden booming interest in Judaism. After the Abraham Accords established peace between the UAE and Israel in 2020, Rabbi Sarna, who was born in Montreal and took over the volunteer position in the Arab state in 2019, emerged as a prominent figure. He's been involved in the country's Jewish community for more than a decade, visiting multiple times a year to help with a New York University campus in Abu Dhabi. Rabbi Sarna joins today to discuss his work and why so many Western Jews are finding a warm welcome in the unlikely Muslim nation. What we talked about: Learn about the film Amen Amen Amen at amenthefilm.com, or watch it at thirteen.org Read about the Abrahamic Family House at forhumanfraternity.org Listen to our past episode, "Meet the woman at the centre of Jewish life in Abu Dhabi: Canada’s ambassador", 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.

Two years ago, Israeli officials opened the Stephen J. Harper Hula Valley Bird Sanctuary Visitors and Education Center—a building named after the former Canadian prime minister, who personally donated to and supported the centre. Funded in large part by Canadian philanthropists, the centre is the educational arm of a protected wetland area in the Upper Galilee and an important stopover for 500 million migratory birds. But this year, a tragic outbreak has threatened the area's viability, forcing Israeli authorities to close the site for the foreseeable future. After what officials are calling the country's worst biodiversity event, an outbreak of avian flu has led to the deaths of up to 8,000 common cranes that usually winter in the park. Israelis have been cleaning up the dead bird carcasses for study and incineration, hoping to better understand the risk and prevent another outbreak in the future. Yoav Perlman of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel joins to discuss the event and his group's plans for the future. What we talked about: Follow the park's updates at facebook.com/AgamonKKL Read "The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel aims to revitalize wetlands" 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.

Last week, about 100 parents showed up at Yorkdale Mall to protest against the latest round of school closures imposed by the Ontario government. It might be the first time in Ontario, since the pandemic began, that many organized protesters are visibly observant Jews, including parents of students at Jewish day schools. Ontario is unique in North America for keeping schools closed for so long—since the pandemic began, students have lost 27 weeks of in-person learning. Yet as virtual school continues, shopping malls such as Yorkdale have been allowed to continue operating, albeit with reduced capacity. For some parents, this most recent shutdown was the last straw. Among those aggrieved parents is Aubrey Freedman, the organizer of the Yorkdale protests, who has young sons enrolled in Netivot HaTorah Day School. Freedman and her children join to discuss their motivations for protesting, their frustration with the province and what daily life is like in a house with four kids stuck at home. What we talked about: Watch a clip of the Yorkdale protest on YouTube Learn about the back-to-school protests at backtoschoolontario.ca Read about the learn-in protest on Jan. 11 on Facebook 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.

One of the most common new year's resolutions is losing weight. But it's also one of the most difficult—and the reason has less to do with willpower than with neurology. Canadian journalist Mark Schatzker is the author of a new book, The End of Craving: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well. Schatzker travelled the world, talking to experts and reading scientific studies, to find out why people have a hard time with food cravings and keeping pounds off. The reason, he found, has to do with the way modern food is manufactured, packed with so many added sweeteners, vitamins and additives that our brains don't believe we're getting enough real calories and urge us to eat more. Schatzker joins today to discuss his book and the important takeaways for anyone hoping to eat healthier in 2022. What we talked about: Find the book at markschatzker.com Read "The list of Jewish community members named to the Order of Canada at the end of 2021" at thecjn.ca Read "Simkin Centre nursing home in Winnipeg slammed by COVID outbreak among staff" 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.

Last June, the American Food and Drug Administration conditionally approved aducanumab, marketed as Adulehm, to treat those suffering from early Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. It's the first drug in nearly 20 years to gain some kind of approval, even though other countries' health agencies, including Canada's, are still reviewing the data. There are concerns the drug causes brain bleeding and swelling, and may not be an effective treatment. Nonetheless, it's a massive step forward for a disease that affects at least 44 million people worldwide, including 750,000 Canadians, with real patients taking the drug in clinical trials right now. To mark January as Alzheimer's Awareness Month, we're joined by Sharon Cohen, a neurologist who runs Canada’s busiest memory clinic, in Toronto. Cohen's usually got more than a dozen research projects and clinical trials with different drugs and treatments on the go. She's hoping one of them—maybe aducanumab—will turn out to be the cure. What we talked about: Learn about the Toronto Memory Program at torontomemoryprogram.com Register for Cohen's lecture on Jan. 26, 2022, here Read "Doctor provides hope to those who can’t remember" 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.

As Israel's new ambassador to Canada, Ronen Hoffman has only been in the country a few weeks. But his priority list is already long. He plans to fight antisemitism, counter the threat of global terrorism and forge new industrial and economic ties between Israel and Canada. He steps into a post that's been vacant for two years. Partly because of the pandemic, and partly because of the chaos that has been Israeli politics for the past two years, Canada hasn't had an Israeli ambassador since Nimrod Barkan stepped down in 2019. Hoffman himself was appointed in the summer of 2021, but could only make it to Canada by Hanukkah. Today, in an exclusive Canadian interview, Hoffman joins The CJN Daily from his office in Ottawa to discuss his goals and what makes him a perfect fit for his new job. What we talked about: Read "Ronen Hoffman, the new ambassador of Israel, was welcomed to Canada alongside new U.S. ambassador David Cohen" at thecjn.ca Watch Hoffman's introductory video on Facebook See Hoffman's snowball-throwing form on Twitter 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.

Gary Kapelus is not a trained lyricist, but rather a retired speech-language pathologist and hospital administrator. But that hasn't stopped him from indulging in a pandemic passion project: writing COVID-themed parody songs since spring 2020. He isn't a singer, so his music videos are simply popular musical tracks, often karaoke-style, with lyrics written atop a slideshow-style video. Sometimes he finds singers to record, like for "Mask Maker, Mask Maker" or "Breathing on a Jet Plane". But his most popular tracks are often politically barbed, even without vocals: "This Plan's Unsound," riffing on "Alberta Bound", digs into Premier Jason Kenney's government for its numerous failures during the pandemic. Kapelus joins today to discuss his inspirations, goals and plans for the future, as well as his thoughts as Canada enters a new year—and a new wave of COVID cases. What we talked about: Hear Kapelus's songs on his YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/Garyoct13, or follow him on Twitter @garykapelus Listen to The CJN Daily episode, "A rocket from Gaza hit his neighbours’ house. He ran inside to save them", at thecjn.ca Learn more about Robert Gasner's "Certificate of Appreciation" ceremony at kan-ashkelon.co.il 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.