North Star with Ellin Bessner

A new national survey, released today, reveals troubling news about the state of Holocaust education in Canada. Conducted by Liberation75, the Canadian charity focused on Holocaust commemoration and education, the survey found that one in three Canadian kids think the Holocaust either didn't happen or was exaggerated, while nearly half don't know six million Jews were killed. And despite the wealth of free Holocaust education materials out there, many Canadian kids still learn about the Holocaust from social media, movies, TV, comics and video games. That's why the authors are calling for provincial governments to make Holocaust education mandatory, trather than lumped in with world history and the Second World War. Marilyn Sinclair, the founder of Liberation75, and Alexis Lerner, the survey's author, join to discuss their research and findings. What we talked about: Read the full Liberation75 report at liberation75.org Watch The Tattooed Torah at iwitness.usc.edu/sites/tattooedtorah Sign the B'nai Brith petition to help figure out what happened to Raoul Wallenberg at bnaibrith.ca/justice-for-wallenberg 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.

Ashley Waxman Bakshi is an Israeli influencer with more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and another 200,000 on YouTube. Her fans typically subscribe for daily makeup tips, fashion advice and parenting stories of raising four kids. But lately, the Canadian-born social media star has been filling her feed with a different kind of content: pro-Israel videos. Waxman Bakshi is part of a network of Israeli influencers selling more than beauty products and lifestyle aspirations. They're selling the State of Israel itself. She's part of a government-sponsored initiative known as 4IL, and its primary goal is to combat popular messaging they perceive as anti-Israel, especially related to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions community. For Waxman Bakshi, that means adding pro-Israel and historical explainers to her usual mix of lifestyle vlogs. She believes that by banding together with other Israeli influencers, they can respond to public claims by, and media coverage of, loudly pro-Palestinian activist celebrities such as Bella Hadid and Emma Watson. She joins the show to explain. What we talked about: Visit 4IL at 4il.org.il Follow Ashley Waxman Bakshi on Instagram @ashleywaxmanbakshi 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.

When Louis Rasminsky was appointed to be governor of the Bank of Canada in 1961, he became the first Jew to hold such a high office in the history the Canadian public service—even though he’d previously been passed over for the job due to antisemitism, and wasn't even allowed to join Ottawa’s exclusive Rideau Club at the time, since it didn't accept Jews until 1964. Canada's public service today is, of course, much more accepting of diversity. But there is still work to do. Antisemitic jokes are still made among colleagues in some departments, while Jews are not always invited to government-run anti-racism initiatives, such as one held by the Department of National Defence last fall. These are the issues that preoccupy the Jewish Public Servants' Network, which recently held its first annual meeting on Zoom. The group boasts around 300 members, including Jonathon Greenberg of the CRTC; Kayla Estrin, a 30-year employee with Health Canada; and Artur Wilczynski, a former ambassador who now works at the Communications Security Establishment. All three join today to discuss their initiative and the intersection between Judaism and the public service. What we talked about: Email the Jewish Public Servants' Network at jps.gc.fpj@gmail.com Read "A former Timmins Catholic school teacher’s licence was revoked due to his Holocaust denial and antisemitic lessons" at thecjn.ca Learn about #WeRemember at weremember.worldjewishcongress.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.

January 23 is a big date for JSpaceCanada: with a large virtual conference, the progressive Jewish organization will mark its 10th anniversary, while also bidding goodbye to Karen Mock, who served as its president since 2016. Mock, a veteran human rights campaigner and anti-racism educator, is now in her late 70s, and wanted to make way for younger blood to steer the ship—especially Jewish Canadians who love Israel and its values, but want to promote human rights on both sides of the conflict with Palestine. For JSpaceCanada, that means advocating for Israel to withdraw completely from the West Bank. Mock joins today to discuss her legacy and her hopes for the future of the progressive Jewish movement. What we talked about: Learn more about JSpaceCanada at jspacecanada.ca Watch The House of the Wannasee Conference 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.

Shortly after Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino learned about the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, his phone started buzzing with messages from Canadian Jewish community leaders. They wanted to make sure he saw what was happening—and also wanted to convey their concerns about copycat attacks at home. In Canada, the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) has existed for more than a decade, covering up to half the costs, to a maximum of $100,000, for security infrastructure upgrades to places of worship, community centres and religious schools. And while many synagogues have benefited from the program, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is pushing the Canadian government to refocus the program—or create new programs—for security personnel for the Jewish community. While Mendicino didn't announce any new measures, he granted The CJN Daily an in-depth interview about how the government is responding to the American situation. That includes speeding up the process of getting funds into the hands of community leaders and considering expanding the program in the future. What we talked about: Read "Outremont, Que., shuls receive federal security grant" at thecjn.ca Read CIJA's press release, "Hostages freed. Jewish community calls for more security", at cija.ca Learn about the U.K.'s Community Security Trust at cst.org.uk 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.

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.