North Star with Ellin Bessner

It's been a week since the Toronto District School Board held a meeting to vote on whether to censure Alexandra Lulka. The Jewish trustee spoke out about some teaching materials which she felt were antisemitic, and the board subsequently came down on her for failing to support other parts of those materials. The board voted not to censure her, but there are still lingering questions about whether the experience of Jewish students, parents and trustees is understood at Canada's largest school board. We're joined by two people who have been working behind the scenes with the TDSB to champion the Jewish side of the story and talk about next steps: Noah Shack, spokesperson for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and Michael Anthony, a Jewish teacher who's worked in the TDSB for 16 years. What we talked about: Read about the TDSB's Student Equity Collective at tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Equity Read Alexandra Lulka's response to the attempted censure on Twitter Watch the Toronto Police's video of the suspect in the Sherman murders 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.

This year, an unlikely Hanukkah party was held at the Canada Pavillion of Expo 2020 in Dubai. The emcee for the candlelighting and kosher dinner was Canada's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Marcy Grossman, a Montrealer who's spent the last three years in the Gulf state. Grossman has found herself at the centre of Jewish life in the Arab country, embedding herself within a community of about 3,500 Jews—some of whom have literally come out of hiding, as the UAE fleshes out its new formal relationship with Israel, following the signing of the Abraham Accords. Before she retires from her post in 2022, Grossman joins to discuss life in Dubai and how she feels feels more comfortable as a Jewish woman in the UAE than in many other parts of the world. What we talked about: Read Marcy Grossman's bio at international.gc.ca Read her article, "Canada wishes the UAE well on its 50th anniversary", at thenationalnews.com Watch videos from the candlelighting ceremony on Instagram from @avivachernick and @marcygrossman 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.

Former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman died on Saturday at the age of 88. Lastman made his fortune as a businessman before becoming mayor of North York for 25 years; after that, he was elected the first mayor of the amalgamated City of Toronto. And while the colourful politician made headlines for some politically incorrect remarks while in office—and may have fathered two sons out of wedlock—Lastman's biggest legacy includes his staunch promotion of the city and his dedication to building up the suburban parts of the city. Three colleagues and friends join to remember the former mayor. Journalist Sue-Ann Levy covered City Hall during Lastman's tenure; now-retired city councillor Norman Gardner was a close ally through their careers; and Rabbi Shmuel Spero is the rabbi at the Anshei Minsk synagogue in Kensington Market, where Lastman had his bar mitzvah. What we talked about: Find Mel Lastman's funeral detals at benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca Read about the history of Lastman's Bad Boy, his furniture chain, at badboy.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 Wednesday evening, the Toronto District School Board held a lengthy meeting to take a vote over whether to censure trustee Alexandra Lulka. Lulka—who is Jewish—took to Twitter to voice her concerns over some teaching material being passed around by a pro-Palestinian teacher and activist. The materials linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, listed as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government, and legitimized suicide bombings. But while the TDSB staffer behind the inflammatory materials, Javier Dávila, was briefly suspended, Lulka's censure was more surprising—and caused widespread outrage across Toronto's Jewish community and provincial politicians. The convoluted controversy came to a head at Wednesday's board meeting, where Lulka won the vote, other trustees criticized the debacle and one member asked aloud if the TDSB could get away with doing nothing at all. What we talked about: Read the investigation report about Lulka here Read "Toronto school board trustee Alexandra Lulka criticized for calling out antisemitic teaching resources" 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.

Ruth Wisse is the author of the new book, Free as a Jew: A Personal Memoir of National Self-Liberation. Its Canadian debut coincided with Jewish Book Month, hosted by the Jewish Public Library in Montreal. But the timing wasn't a coincidence. Wisse, 85, has spent decades as a professor of Yiddish at Harvard, and pioneered the Jewish Studies graduate program at McGill. These days, her unabashed opinions, often conservative, target left-leaning Jews and what she believes is an over-emphasis on mourning the Holocaust, rather than celebrating Israel. Wisse joins the show to discuss these topics and more in an expansive interview. What we talked about: Watch Wisse's book launch on YouTube Find her book on simonandschuster.com Read "McGill celebrates 50 years of Jewish studies" 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 Nov. 18, on a remote forest road in northern British Columbia, armed RCMP officers with police dogs and a chainsaw raided a cabin near the Coastal Gas Link pipeline project. They arrested about a dozen people, mostly members of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation who'd been blockading the main access road to the company's construction site. But the police also arrested two journalists who were not members of the First Nation. One was Michael Toledano, a Canadian Jewish filmmaker who has been documenting the struggles of First Nations in B.C. for years. He was filming the Wet'suwet'en activists for a CBC documentary when the RCMP broke down the door. Toledano's arrest made headlines across the country, and was condemned by the Canadian Association of Journalists, the Hot Docs film festival and other organizations and community leaders. He joins today to discuss his arrest, his family's legacy as partisans during the Second World War, and the role he believes Jewish Canadians have to play in the ongoing struggle for Indigenous people's land rights. What we talked about: Learn about the Wet'suwet'en checkpoint at yintahaccess.com See Michael Toledano's work at michaeltoledano.net Read "Avery Seligman writes from the frontlines of the Fairy Creek blockade" 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.

Nathalie Fortier is the postmistress of Disraeli, Quebec. She runs the only post office in town, which was named after Benjamin Disraeli, the British prime minister who was born Jewish, faced antisemitism and supported a homeland for Jews. As far as Fortier knows, there aren't any Jews living in Disraeli—and she had never heard of the namesake—until Canada Post approached her a couple of months ago, asking for Disraeli to become the first and only post office in the country with a special permanent Jewish postmark. Released just in time for Hanukkah, the postmark shows four dreidels and a fully lit hanukkiah. And while it was only supposed to be available until the end of the holiday, like the miracle of oil that lasted longer than expected, the Disraeli postmaster loves the image so much, she's decided to continue and broaden the initiative. Irv Osterer, an Ottawa-based graphic artist and stamp collector, designed the postmark, and joins today to share how he did it and what his hopes are for the future of this work. What we talked about: Read about the postmark at canadianstampnews.com Learn how to receive a piece of mail with the postmark at canadapost-postescanada.ca (the address is Maitre de Poste, 210 rue St.- Joseph Est, Disraeli, Quebec, G0N 1E0) 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.

For years, "Hanukkah on the Hill" has been an annual in person event for Jewish Members of Parliament and politicians from all stripes, including the prime minister and leaders of the opposition. Hanukkiahs are lit, prayers are said, politics get set aside. But things looked a little different this year. While some politicians got together in-person, including the organizers, Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather and Ya'ara Saks, most others joined in virtually—including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative leader Erin O'Toole, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, senators, judges, rabbis, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, Irwin Cotler and well over 400 guests who lit their own hanukkiahs from the privacy of their homes. If you missed it, you can hear highlights from the event on today's episode, including concerns over the growing threat of antisemitism nationwide and what Ottawa pledges to do about it in 2022. What we talked about: Read about the "driftwood menorah" built on Bowen Island at bowenislandundercurrent.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 year, a combination of global lockdowns, uncertainty around COVID-19 and a lack of vaccines convinced many Canadian Jewish snowbirds not to take their annual trip south to Florida. This year, it's a different story. With the vast majority of travellers double-vaccinated, and with Florida's per-capita case counts ranking among the lowest in the United States, it's being estimated that a majority of snowbirds are finally flocking back. Despite fears over the new Omicron variant, indoor events and holiday sales are luring people indoors, while eligible Canadians are already getting their booster shots to stay safe. So what's life like for the sun-seekers? Is Florida safe again, or are these snowbirds ducking their heads in the sand? We speak with Sidney Margles, a Montrealer who's been coming to Florida for 21 years—but stayed away last year—who shares how he plans to stay safe this season. What we talked about: Check out the Century Village East Reporter at cvereporter.com Watch a live-streamed video of what Deerfield Beach looks like at 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.

Prince Edward Island doesn't have a synagogue or rabbi. But now, exactly 120 years after Jews first began their continuous settlement on the island, the small but active Jewish community of a few dozen families celebrated their provinces's first-ever public Hanukkah ceremony in front of the provincial Legislative Assembly building in Charlottetown. This is the building where the Fathers of Confederation first met to found Canada in 1864. In 2021, about 60 Jewish islanders showed up on the lawn to witness the historic lighting of a three-metre-tall hanukkiah and celebrate their culture. Joseph Glass, one of the organizers of the event, joins to discuss how this came together and what makes his community unique. Plus, we hear a clip of Edmonton's candlelighting celebration, featuring NHL star and new Edmonton resident Zach Hyman. What we talked about: Learn about PEI's Jewish community at theajc.ca Watch a video of Zach Hyman lighting Alberta's largest hannukiah 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.