North Star with Ellin Bessner

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marc Garneau, became the first foreign minister to visit Israel since Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government was sworn on June 13. Garneau arrived on Canada Day and spent the weekend meeting Bennett and Israel's foreign minister, Yair Lapid, among others. Garneau's main goal was to lower "the temperature" regarding the conflict between Israel and Gaza, and to reiterate Canada’s positions on peace, settlements and the controversial forced evictions happening in East Jerusalem. He also announced more funding for research and development projects between the two countries. So what are the key takeaways from this significant visit? While Canada still supports the two-state solution, that’s really on the backburner right now. Instead, Canada's focus is on dealing with Gaza's immediate humanitarian issues and making sure the ceasefire holds. To that end, Canada is hoping Israel will stop building new settlements in the Palestinian territories and cease the controversial forced evictions of Palestinians from neighbourhoods like Sheikh Jarrah. The CJN's Ron Csillag joins the show to break down what Garneau accomplished on his trip, what he said that was new and how much Canadian opinion matters to the Israel government. What we talked about: Read: "Lowering ‘temperature’ was priority for Foreign Minister Garneau’s Mideast trip; urges PA to conduct elections" (thecjn.ca) Find the Canadian government's press release about Garneau's visit at Global Affairs Canada Visit Hand in Hand at handinhandk12.org 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

Once upon a time, when the Montreal Canadiens still played at the Forum, their unofficial team mascot was a trumpet-blowing super fan known as Kid Mercury. The trumpeter was a fixture in Montreal, and his siren's call could be heard blaring during the Habs' last two Stanley Cup victories, in 1986 and 1993. Kid Mercury has been retired for a few years... until a couple of weeks ago, when he got thrust back into the public spotlight. His hometown NHL team, on the road to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since that 1993 victory, invited him back to perform at the Bell Centre during the teams' three home games against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Now that they've beaten Vegas and are vying for the championship itself, Kid Mercury's 15 minutes of fame have once again been extended into overtime. But underneath Kid Mercury's trademark cape—and his lightning bolt–studded cap—is a nice Jewish boy from Côte Saint-Luc whose parents got him his first trumpet as a bar mitzvah present. In fact, not only does he play the trumpet, but he blows a mean shofar, too. As the Canadiens now struggle against Tampa Bay in the NHL finals—their dreams may be dashed as soon as this evening, if they lose Game 4—Kid Mercury says that, no matter what happens, the surprising success of the Habs this season has brought hope back to Montrealers from all walks of life after their city was devastated by COVID-19. What we talked about: Learn more about Kid Mercury and get in touch with him at kidmercury.com Watch Ellin's full interview with Kid Mercury on The CJN's YouTube channel 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

Etel Ergun Avimelek hasn't been able to meet very many people in Winnipeg yet. They arrived just last summer from Turkey, hoping to escape rising anti-Semitism there, but getting settled hasn't been easy. First they had to quarantine, then find a house, then get the kids settled in their new school—a Jewish high school in Winnipeg, Gray Academy—all while working new jobs and navigating pandemic life. Ergun Avimelek, her husband and their teenage kids moved to Canada in August 2020 as part of the local Jewish federation's GrowWinnipeg program. The idea behind it is to staunch the decline of the city's Jewish population by actively recruiting new Jewish immigrants. Since the program started 20 years ago, 6,000 new residents have arrived. Ergun Avimelek and her family are among the latest newcomers. But their story comes with a few twists. On top of pandemic problems, the family has found themselves celebrating their first Canada Day in the midst of a national reckoning with the country's residential school program. Understanding this horrific legacy was not on their radar when they moved here, but it is now. On today's episode, Ergun Avimelek describes her perspective as a newcomer to Canada, why she chose this country as her home and how she sees the struggles of Indigenous Canadians. What we talked about: Visit GrowWinnipeg's Facebook page at facebook.com/GrowWinnipeg See the company Ergun Avimelek's husband, Moris Avimelek, started at upperwear.ca Learn more about Jewish immigration to Winnipeg at jewishwinnipeg.org/immigration-to-winnipeg 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

It’s not every day that the Israel Philharmonic performs private birthday concerts from the stage of the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv. But if you happen to be Charles Bronfman—and it's your 90th birthday, which it was on June 27, 2021—and you’ve got your name on the building because you were the main donor when the cultural centre was renovated—then you get Schubert, Brahms, balloons and surprise video greetings from Zubin Mehta, Itzhak Perlman and the new incoming president of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog. Bronfman is a Canadian billionaire, philanthropist and recipient of the Order of Canada, among numerous other accolades. If don't know his name, you might at least know of Birthright, the international program that offers free trips to Israel for young Jews. He's the co-founder. Although Bronfman's goals have long been to help young Jews fall in love with Israel and embrace their Judaism, he sees a rise in anti-Semitism that makes it hard for young Jews to do that. The current conflict in the Middle East isn't helping matters. On today's episode, Bronfman joins for an in-depth interview about his new venture, called the Jewish Peoplehood Alliance, as well as his views on Israeli politics, Donald Trump, the Montreal Canadiens' odds at winning the Stanley Cup and how negotiations are going to bring a baseball team back to Montreal. What we talked about: Watch the Israel Philharmonic's "Concert in Denim", honouring Charles Bronfman’s 90th birthday, on YouTube Read: "Charles Bronfman warns of 'rift' between diaspora and Israel" (cjnews.com) Learn about Bronfman's work at thecharlesbronfmanprize.org 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

As many have now heard, Rabbi Reuven Bulka died on June 27, 2021. Rabbi Bulka was a beloved public figure in Ottawa, once called "Canada's Rabbi" by former prime minister Stephen Harper. He was being treated in a New York State hospital for terminal pancreatic and liver cancer. He had just turned 77 on June 6. His funeral, held on June 27, was a massive event. As many as 800 people attended in-person at the Long Island funeral home, while officials told us it was the largest gathering online for a funeral they had ever seen: more than 4,200 people tuned in to watch the live broadcast. As the tributes came pouring in from politicians and Jewish organizations, The CJN Daily reached out to two leaders in Ottawa's Jewish community, who share how Rabbi Bulka inspired them. Andrea Freedman is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, and Ian Sherman is the federation's chair. What we talked about: Read Rabbi Bulka's obituary at thecjn.ca Learn about his Kindness Project at rabbibulka.ca Watch his funeral at The CJN's YouTube channel Listen to The CJN Daily's episode on Kindness Week at thecjn.ca 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

On June 24, a 12-storey beachfront condo building collapsed in Surfside, a suburb of Miami, with more than 150 people still missing as rescue operations continue days later. At least three dozen of those missing people are reportedly Jewish—Surfside is actually considered to be the most heavily Jewish district in the Miama area—and the Canadian government believes there were four Canadians in the building, since the area is a hotspot for Canadian snowbirds. But there are deeper connections to Canada, as well. Canadian synagogues are responding to the tragedy with prayers and donation drives, Surfside's Chabad rabbi grew up in Ontario, and the company that built the condo complex in 1981 was, in fact, run by a Canadian Jewish real estate developer and lawyer. On today's episode, Jacob Solomon, the head of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, joins to provide an on-the-ground update. What we talked about: Read about the local Federation's response at jewishmiami.org Learn about the local Chabad's donation drive at theshul.org Find emergency numbers via the Canadian consulate in Miami at international.gc.ca 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

The graduating class of TanenbaumCHAT, a Jewish high school in Toronto, comprises 196 students who haven't actually set foot in their school building for most of the school year. Contrast their experience with those of Grade 12 students at Vancouver's King David High School: there, 58 British Columbians have been attending in-person classes all year, albeit with masks on. The COVID pandemic has upended high school students' final years, no matter what part of the country you look at. Yet their experiences have still varied wildly. From grad ceremonies to prom, yearbooks to final exams, grad students in 2021 had an unforgettable year—for all the wrong reasons. On today's episode, we invite groups of students from both schools to reflect on the tumultuous year that was, compare lockdown life between Ontario and B.C., and predict how the pandemic will change their futures. What we talked about: Visit TanenbaumCHAT's website at tanenbaumchat.org Visit King David High School's website at kdhs.org Learn about Holocaust Survivor Day at holocaustsurvivorday.com Read: "Marc Garneau to visit Israel, West Bank to further peace" (thecjn.ca) 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

This past Monday, just in time for Pride Week, Canadian Blood Services quietly posted an update on their website, recommending the elimination of Canada's "blood ban". The ban forbids gay, bisexual and other queer men from donating blood if they've had sex with men in the last three months. The rule used to require five years of celibacy, before getting truncated down to one year; only in 2019 did Canadian Blood Services change the criteria, lowering it to three months. Canadian Blood Services says they're still worried about the risk of contaminating Canada’s blood supply—their data suggests gay men account for 40 per cent of all HIV cases. Nonetheless, they say they will send a report to Ottawa by the end of the year, urging Health Canada to let them scrap the blood ban and replace it with a questionnaire that asks all donors, regardless of sexual orientation, about their sexually risky behaviour. On today's episode, we hear from Moshe Appel, an activist who's tweeted at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over 1,000 times in the last six years, in hopes the leader will keep an old campaign promise and nix the blood ban altogether. What we talked about: Follow Moshe Appel on Twitter @MosheBAppel Read Canadian Blood Services' recent post, "Evolving eligibility criteria for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men," at blood.ca 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

How does someone live to celebrate their 114th birthday? On today's episode, Ellin poses the question to Cecile Klein, Canada's oldest person. She tells us her secret to longevity: staying active, doing things for yourself, eating steaks (because you still have all your own teeth) and hopping on a cruise to Mexico at the young age of 103. Klein lived on her own, in her own house in Montreal’s Snowdon area, until she was 110, in 2017. Unfortunately, she suffered a fall that year, which landed her in Montreal’s main Jewish nursing home, the Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre, where she's lived ever since. The pandemic has been particularly hard for the nursing home: at least 60 residents died and the government called in the Armed Forces to help. Klein was lucky not to get sick, but she remained isolated for much of 2020. When she celebrated her 114th birthday last week, while her fellow residents could gather outside with her, only four family members were allowed to visit in her room. Klein joins us today right after her birthday party, along with her 85-year-old daughter; her grandson, Arthur Nussbam; and Arthur's sister, Elaine Nussbaum. What we talked about: Watch video of Klein's birthday party on The CJN's YouTube page See photos from the event on Côte-Saint-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein's Facebook page 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

Robbie Waisman is a well-known speaker on Holocaust education. When he was 11, he was forced to worked in a munitions factory in Poland; by 14 he was sent to Buchenwald, where he was grouped in the same cohort of teenagers as Elie Weisel. His parents and four brothers were killed in the Holocaust. Eugene Arcand, meanwhile, is now an official with Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and also speaks widely about his experiences as a forced Indian residential school student in Saskatchewan for 11 years. For a few years now, Waisman and Arcand have been joining forces to speak together at schools and various events. They both took part in a new art show that exhibits 18 portraits of survivors: nine from the Holocaust, nine from Indian residential schools. The artist who painted them, Carol Wylie, is Jewish herself—she got the idea after hearing a survivor in Toronto, Nate Leipciger, speak five years ago at her synagogue in Saskatoon. Now she hopes people who see her show will be moved to learn more about both genocides, while also inspiring Jewish people to help residential school survivors heal. To commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day, Wylie joins Ellin Bessner on The CJN Daily to discuss her project and the stories she heard. What we talked about: See Carol's website at carolwylie.ca View the project at carolwylie.ca/they-didnt-know-we-were-seeds Read about National Indigenous Peoples Day on rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.