North Star with Ellin Bessner

It’s been a tumultuous week in diplomatic relations between Israel and Canada. The most shocking news, of course, has been the recent murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, D.C., who were gunned down on May 21 by a man calling for “Free Palestine”. Amid the international condemnations, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated and appalled” by the attack, calling it “a violent act of antisemitism.” But even before that incident, Carney was making news in Israel. Canada joined France and the United Kingdom in threatening sanctions against the Jewish State over the West Bank, and "actions" if it did not stop the renewed war in Gaza and begin allowing aid into Gaza. Carney’s new minister of foreign affairs, Anita Anand, made similar condemnations. And while Israel did begin allowing aid trucks into the Gaza Strip, hours after the joint statement, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a rare press conference and openly promoted American president Donald Trump’s plan to push Palestinians out of Gaza and take complete control of the strip. And in the midst of all this, members of the Israel Defense Forces fired warning shots near a group of foreign diplomats—including two Canadians—in the West Bank city of Jenin. As a result, Anand formally “summoned” Israel’s ambassador to Canada for a meeting on May 21. If you can’t keep all the chaos straight, we don’t blame you. That’s why The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner wanted to sit down with Artur Wilczynski, a former Canadian ambassador and diplomat—and a veteran security and intelligence expert—to help make sense of what feels like one of the most dangerous political weeks in recent memory. Carney’s new government has put its foot down against Israel, punching above its weight on the international stage. What should we make of this? What concerns should Canadian Jews have about Israel and Canada’s longstanding friendship? Related links Hear Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed discuss the newly-strained relations between his country and Canada, on The CJN Daily from earlier this week. Read a timeline of Canada-Israel diplomatic relations, in The CJN. Why former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper became one of Israel’s staunchest supporters, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

While many Canadians were enjoying a long weekend for Victoria Day, Canada’s new Liberal government issued what many observers feel is this country’s strongest criticism since Oct. 7, 2023, of how the Israeli government is carrying out its military operations in Gaza. Canada joined the leaders of the United Kingdom and France in issuing a joint statement on May 19 demanding Israel immediately stop its renewed assaults on Gaza and allow in significantly more humanitarian aid. If Israel fails to comply, the three Western allies say they will take “concrete action”, possibly imposing targeted sanctions, although they were not specific in the threat. The communique deplores Israel’s “unacceptable” denial of aid to Palestinians in Gaza since March, when the Netanyahu government stopped allowing trucks in as a way to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages, living and dead. The leaders also slammed some Israeli politicians who have been encouraging Palestinians to relocate from Gaza. Israel says it allowed nine trucks to cross into Gaza on May 19, and 93 others went in the following day, carrying baby food, flour and medical supplies. But the United Nations says that amount is merely a drop in the bucket for what’s needed to help nearly two million Palestinians in the war-ravaged zone. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we analyze what’s behind Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government’s first major diplomatic moves on the Middle East crisis. Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, and Maytal Kowalski, executive director of JSpace Canada—an organization that is welcoming the strongly worded Canadian move—both weigh in with their perspectives. What we talked about: Read Canada’s joint statement with France and the U.K. on May 19 rebuking Israel’s “egregious” military escalation in Gaza. Read what Prime Minister Mark Carney told Israel's president Isaac Herzog about releasing the hostages, Hamas having no role in Gaza, and boosting humanitarian aid when the two men met while at the Vatican on May 18, 2025. Why the JSpace Canada organization launched a letter writing campaign to thank Prime Minister Mark Carney for his “principled leadership” after the rebuke of Israel. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Tilda Roll usually carries a can of coyote repellent with her when she walks around her neighbourhood in Vaughan, Ont. But ever since she was the target of an antisemitic incident while leaving her synagogue after Shabbat services on Jan. 6, 2024, the lawyer says she has been more afraid of running into the antisemitic attacker again, since he lives in her neighbourhood. At the time, police quickly located the suspect, and charged him with a couple of assaults—spitting on Roll and her husband, hurling Nazi threats at them and making the Heil Hitler salute—and breach of probation. After a three-day trial this March, the man was convicted, but was not held in custody. Earlier this week, on May 13, an Ontario judge sentenced Kenneth Gobin, 35, to a year in prison, with two more years of probation tacked on due to his lengthy criminal record. With the man now off the streets, Roll says she can finally begin to process what happened, including how anxious and angry the incident made her. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Tilda Roll explains how she hopes her court fight will encourage Jewish Canadians to fight back against rampant antisemitism. Related links Read the judge's sentencing report sending Kenneth Gobin to prison for 12 months for two counts of assault and one of breach of probation. Why Jews are still the target of the most religious-based hate crimes in Toronto in 2024, in The CJN. A Quebec man who posted swastikas in his town was found guilty and fined $7,000, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

A report from city staff is expected to be released May 14 on whether Toronto should adopt a new “bubble” bylaw that would help protect Jewish buildings from raucous, sometimes violent, anti-Israel and antisemitic protests. The bill would cover all vulnerable communities and faith-based groups, but Jews are the ones most often targeted by hate crimes. The decision marks one of two upcoming key tests for the city’s mayor, Olivia Chow, as she tries to strengthen her relationship with the city’s Jewish community. The other? The 2025 UJA Walk With Israel. At a recent gathering for Jewish leaders during Passover at Toronto City Hall, Chow said that “Jewish people must feel safe” in the city. She explained why it has taken the city a long time to study the feasibility of passing such a bubble bylaw, and told _The CJN Daily _ that it would help things at the local level if Prime Minister Mark Carney keeps his campaign promise to pass similar legislation at the federal level. Meanwhile, many people are wondering whether Chow will attend the UJA Walk With Israel on May 25. While the mayor has been invited, she did not attend in 2023 or 2024. Her office told _The CJN Daily _that Chow’s schedule for May has not been finalized. On today’s episode, we speak to Mayor Olivia Chow, and we hear from some Jewish leaders about what they are looking for from the mayor: City Councillor James Pasternak; CIJA’s chair, Elan Pratzer; and Michael Gilmore, the executive director of Kehillat Shaarei Torah synagogue, which has been vandalized more than a half-dozen times. Related links Read more about Mayor Olivia Chow’s relationship with the Jewish community in The CJN from 2024. Hear why Toronto city council deferred bringing in a draft bylaw to protect Jewish buildings in December 2024, on The CJN Daily. Learn more about how Mayor Olivia Chow voted to defer “bubble legislation” bylaw last May 2024 back to city staff for a report, in The CJN. In 2024, The CJN's Doorstep Postings columnist Josh Lieblein advised the Jewish community not to work so hard to seek a better relationship with Olivia Chow. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Sammy and Leo Marcus, of Winnipeg, have turned their own sensitivities to the startlingly loud automatic toilets in public washrooms, into a prize-winning science project that’s shedding a light on the plight of young kids and also people who wear hearing aids. The teens, who are 13 year old twins, measured hundreds of devices in hundreds of bathrooms across the Manitoba capitol, to document just how loud are those whirring automatic hand driers, the paper towel dispensers, the urinals and the hands-free flushing toilets. They found that not only do these noises cause anxiety, but also often blow past the acceptable legal noise levels that can lead to hearing damage, over a sustained period of time, and require ear protection, especially for janitors and others who work in bathrooms. Curiously, they found that of all the buildings in their survey, the Jewish ones have the quietest restrooms. Their scientific research just won the duo top prize for their age category in Winnipeg’s city-wide annual science fair. They call their project The Royal Flush. And while the research has ended, for now, the hope is their work will prompt real change in how bathrooms are designed–not just for maximum hygiene, but also keeping hearing safety in mind. On this episode of The CJN Daily, Sammy and Leo Marcus join to reveal the best and the worst of their findings, and how they coped with strange looks, strict librarians, and grungy stalls. Related links Read more about the Winnipeg Schools’ Science Fair where the Marcus teens presented alongside 130 other projects. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Since Oct. 7, 2023, many progressive Canadian Jews have found themselves increasingly unwelcome by mainstream community members and organizations. But instead of keeping quiet, they have, over the past nearly two years, created their own spaces to have open and honest dialogues about Israel-Palestine, and their own relationship to Judaism. Recently, hundreds of these progressive Jews gathered for a series of peace summits in Toronto and Montreal, with smaller gatherings in Ottawa, Winnipeg, London and Vancouver. These coincided with a larger peace conference in Jerusalem now underway May 8-9, called It’s Time, helmed by Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, including the granddaughter of Shimon Peres. The Toronto summit was organized under the auspices of Toronto Friends of Standing Together, an Israeli charity working to bridge the divide between all peoples living in Israel, and more immediately to stop the cycle of grief and violence preventing a peaceful co-existence when the war ends for good. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, hear what happened when host Ellin Bessner visited the conference—what the speakers and attendees had to say. You’ll hear from Jeff Carolin, a criminal lawyer and dispute mediator who, after Oct. 7, started hosting regular meetings for progressive Jews in his living room; and siblings Noam and Ido Citrin, a pair of university students who are building new connections and having difficult conversations in unexpected places. Related links Learn more about the It's Time peace summit in Jerusalem. Read how the Israeli NGO "Standing Together" has launched several chapters in Canada beginning in 2024, in The CJN. Listen to The CJN Daily interview with Yafa Sakkehja, a Canadian entrepreneur of Palestinian original, member of Standing Together Toronto, who organized the Canada Peace Summit on April 24. You can watch the recording of the Canada Peace Summit on YouTube. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Just in time for Jewish Heritage Month, the team behind the iconic Heritage Minutes—60-second short films about notable Canadians throughout history—is spotlighting Bora Laskin, the first Jewish justice appointed to the country’s Supreme Court. Laskin became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court soon after. He served from 1970 until his untimely death from pneumonia in 1984 at the age of 71. The son of Jewish immigrants to Fort William (now Thunder Bay) in Northern Ontario, Laskin was a gold-medal law student in Toronto during the 1930s. With widespread antisemitism in the profession in those days, it was challenging for Laskin to find an articling position, which he ultimately did—with a Jewish firm. Laskin then went on to complete multiple degrees, including from Harvard. After nearly two decades teaching law at the newly founded U of T law school–where the library now bears his name-Laskin was appointed to the provincial court in Ontario, where he developed a reputation as a champion of the labour movement. After former prime minister Pierre Trudeau appointed Laskin to the Supreme Court, Laskin’s judgments led to patriating the Canadian Constitution, enshrining the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and equalizing women’s marital property rights. This new minute-long short film stars veteran Canadian Jewish actor Victor Garber, who was reportedly eager to take on the role due to his own heritage. It will be broadcast on more than 70 television stations and also online beginning May 7. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we’re joined by Sam Rosenthal, one of the creative team members behind the project, who explains the drive and meaning behind the project. Shelley Laskin, his niece and a Toronto school board trustee, also joins. Related links Watch the Bora Laskin new Heritage Minute by Historica Canada on YouTube beginning May 8. Learn more about Bora Laskin, in The CJN. Read more in The Canadian Encyclopedia. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Marc Weisblott (editorial director) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

About 200 Canadian students, their chaperones and nearly a dozen Holocaust survivors were going through airport security at Ben Gurion International when they heard the blast. It happened on Sunday May 4, as the group was returning from a March of the Living trip–which took them to Poland and Israel–when a Houthi missile launched by Islamic terrorists from Yemen evaded Israel’s air defences and exploded on the airport’s access road. The Canadian group, along with thousands of other travellers, were ordered to scramble into safe areas or bomb shelters inside the airport until authorities gave the all-clear about a half-hour later. While eight people were taken to hospitals in Israel, none of the Canadians was injured. Many international airlines have cancelled or suspended flights for coming days. The March of the Living group used charters to reach Warsaw, then boarded a LOT Dreamliner aircraft, which landed in Toronto on Sunday night. The Houthi attack came after a tumultuous trip for the group, who had experienced the country’s biggest wildfire, which burned the forests between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem before Israel’s Independence Day on May 1. On top of that, the Iran-backed forces in Yemen have been escalating their ballistic missile attacks. Sunday’s hypersonic missile was the only one the IDF failed to intercept, leaving a significant crater in the airport roadway and damaging part of Terminal 3. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we hear from anxious March of the Living parents Jasmine Albagli of Ottawa; Mark Diamond and his wife Sharon, also from Ottawa; and Adam Cohen of Toronto. Aviva Klompas also joins: the Toronto-born author and Israel advocate, also happened to be at Ben Gurion airport when the attack struck. What we talked about: Hear how anti-Israel protestors at Auschwitz tried to spoil the 2024 annual March of the Living while one Edmonton family showed resilience, on The CJN Daily. Read why fewer participants joined the 2024 March of the Living since it was the first after October. 7, and how the itinerary changed, in The CJN. Read about the 2023 March of the Living when the late Alex Buckman, a Vancouver Holocaust educator, accompanied the trip, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Marc Weisblott (editorial director) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Friday May 2 has been declared an official day of remembrance and mourning in British Columbia after last weekend’s horrific attack on a Filipino cultural festival in Vancouver. To date, 11 people died and dozens more remain wounded after a 30-year-old man drove an SUV into a crowd at the city’s Lapu Lapu festival on April 26. The suspect has been charged with multiple counts of second-degree murder, but the investigation continues. Leaders of the Filipino community say they feel deeply touched by the heartfelt outreach and solidarity being shown by Canadian Jewish groups. In Vancouver, Jewish residents have mounted prayer vigils and also set up an emergency fundraising campaign. The outpouring of support is being described as an example of kapwa, the Filipino tradition of solidarity and unity, as that community processes the grief while seeking answers on how the mental health system failed so badly to prevent the massacre. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we’re joined by two members of Canada’s Filipino community, who also share deep ties with the country’s Jews: David Decolongon, who works in Vancouver for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), has family and friends who attended the festival and witnessed the horrific attack; and Primrose Madayag Knazan, from Winnipeg, is an award-winning Filipinx-Jewish author and playwright with expertise on how the Philippines helped rescue European Jews during the Holocaust. Related links Where to donate through the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s  Filipino Community Emergency Support Fund. When Canadian Jews fundraised in 2013 to help disaster relief efforts in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan struck the country, in The CJN. When the Philippines rescued 1,200 European Jews during the Holocaust, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Marc Weisblott (editorial director) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

It will be a very different kind of Yom ha-Zikaron in Israel for the family of Ben Brown. In July 2024, a Hezbollah rocket injured the 20-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., while he was on duty with the Israel Defense Forces’ Golani army unit at a strategic base overlooking the Lebanese border. No one else was hurt, or killed. Now, as the Jewish State remembers more than 25,000 soldiers and also victims of terrorism who’ve fallen throughout Israel’s history, Brown’s family is commemorating in their own way—on the ground in Israel, where there son is still in hospital. Brown has spent months receiving treatment, after being in a coma, with a traumatic brain injury. The former yeshiva student is out of danger now, but he still receives hours of daily therapy. His family and friends keep a constant vigil, as he cannot yet speak properly for long, or walk distances unassisted. Despite a controversial progressive media website publicly listing Ben Brown among 85 Canadians who’ve served in the IDF over the years, Brown’s family says they’re not focusing on the unwanted negative attention. Instead, the family is marking Israel’s Memorial Day together in Israel, and plan to attend local events—including the 77th anniversary of Israel’s independence the following day. They want Canadians back home to understand why their son felt he had to defend the Jewish State—especially after Oct. 7. On today’s The CJN Daily, Ben Brown’s father, Jeffrey Brown, joins from Israel to explain. Related links Read more about Ben Brown’s injury after Oct. 7, in The CJN. Hear how the Jewish community in Toronto came together to support Ben Brown’s family through prayer, on The CJN Daily. Why those Canadians who served in the IDF and were on a new list published by an anti-Israel paper are fighting mad, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Marc Weisblott (editorial director) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)