North Star with Ellin Bessner

When news broke of the Jewish National Fund of Canada losing its charitable status on Aug. 10, the move meant the Canada Revenue Agency also stripped the venerable Jewish charity of its ability to issue tax receipts to donors. This poses a serious challenge to the historic Zionist fundraising organization–which received $20.2 million in donations in 2023: will supporters still want to give money to JNF Canada for environmental and resilience projects in Israel if they can no longer write the philanthropy off on their Canadian income tax forms? Some donors are taking a wait and see approach, but want answers as to why JNF Canada admits it kept quiet for years about its problems with the federal tax auditors who warned them about "repeated and serious non-compliance" with Canadian tax rules dating back to at least 2014, and earlier. But other philanthropists say the bureaucrats didn't treate JNF Canada fairly, and they expect the charity will win both of its appeals in court: to block the suspension, and to eventually overturn it. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, we're joined by two prominent JNF Canada donors: Jonathan Goodman of Montreal, who is raising $10 million for JNF Canada's new Climate Solutions Prize to boost "green technology", and also by Mary Ellen Herman of Toronto, who donated half the cost of an accessible playground built in southern Israel. What we talked about Learn more about the accessible playground JNF Canada helped build in Kiryat Malachi with the donation by philanthropist Mary Ellen Herman and family Read The CJN’s previous coverage of JNF Canada’s Climate Solutions Prize launched by Montrealers Jonathan Goodman and Jeff Hart, in thecjn.ca Read why JNF Canada has known for nearly a decade it was at risk of losing its charitable status, in thecjn.ca. Why JNF Canada hasn’t yet wound down its Canadian charitable operations just yet, in thecjn.ca. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (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)

The CEO of the embattled Jewish National Fund of Canada, Lance Davis, insists he is now “running a very tight ship” in the wake of the Canada Revenue Agency’s recent decision to strip the historic Zionist fundraising organization of its charitable status. Davis, who became JNF Canada’s CEO in 2017, maintains that many of the government's longstanding concerns had already been addressed in years past. In an interview with The CJN Daily, Davis blasted the CRA for deliberately choosing the harshest punishment for the venerated Zionist charity, which has sent more than $200 million to beautify Israel and help vulnerable people there. He also argues the CRA rushed to pull the trigger on its status too early, given how JNF's legal dispute is still before the courts. However, documents obtained by The Canadian Jewish News paint a more nuanced picture of why the CRA lost its patience after a decade of "major concerns" about "repeated and serious non-compliance” with Canada’s Income Tax Act rules. As reported in The CJN's print feature that digs into the paperwork, the auditors quietly told the Jewish charity several times that it needed to clean up its act, and by 2019, JNF Canada knew Ottawa was moving to revoke. Yet the charity still got five more years to comply. Lance Davis joins The CJN Daily to explain JNF Canada's point of view, then we're joined once again by charity law expert Mark Blumberg who helps explain how the charity got to this point, what could have prevented this scenario and why the government stopped waiting. What we talked about Read why JNF Canada has known for a decade it was at risk of losing its charitable status, in TheCJN.ca Read the CRA's documents for yourselves outlining its case vs. JNF Canada since 2014 JNF Canada said it was 'blindsided", on The CJN Daily back on Aug. 13 Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) info@thecjn.ca Production team: Zachary Kauffman (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)

Toronto police have arrested and charged three people—including two pro-Israel protesters—in connection with a violent incident at a weekly community rally in Toronto that saw an 88-year-old Jewish volunteer beaten and thrown to the ground. It happened on Sunday, Aug. 18, at the event held on Bathurst Street at Sheppard Avenue West. Video from the attack shows a car come to a stop beside the crowd of approximately 100 people waving Israeli flags. A young passenger exits the car, scuffles with the senior citizen, beats him, then picks him up and slams him into the street. He fell centimetres away from the wheels of a Toronto city transit bus that happened to be stopped at a red light. The senior was badly cut and bruised, and had to be taken to hospital with what police have called "non-life-threatening injuries". Police have charged three people, but will not be releasing more details while the investigation is underway. However, the organizer of the pro-Israel rally tells The CJN Daily that, aside from the attacker, police charged two members of his group, too, after some people reacted violently when they saw what had been done to the elderly gentleman. Guidy Mamann joins the show to explain what exactly happened—and why he won't cancel the weekly rallies he helps organize. What we talked about Read the Toronto Police Service social media post about the arrests and charges Learn more about pro-Israel rallies that popped up across Canada after Oct. 7, in The CJN Meet the Canadians knitting for IDF soldiers and running for the hostages, on The CJN Daily Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (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)

As Jewish overnight camps' summer 2024 sessions come to a close this week across most of Canada, several camp communities in Ontario have had to deal with sudden tragedies: the unexpected death of a councillor at one camp, and an accident at a different camp that took the lives of several cleaning employees. In each case, camp directors quickly called for outside help, which included bringing in alumni to offer support, inviting in a therapy dog, holding yoga sessions and even arranging candlelight memorial prayers at the waterfront. How well are Jewish summer camps prepared to deal with these crises? Did they give the support that was needed? Should parents race to bring their children back home when something tragic happens, or leave them up at camp, where they're among friends? The CJN will not be naming the victims out of respect for their families, but Toronto grief counsellor Lynda Fishman has some advice about the important role that summer camps can play in developing a child's resilience in the face of hardship. She spoke to The CJN Daily a year ago, in July 2023, to explain why so many Jewish summer camps began adding mental health experts last year; today, we're re-airing that episode today to help families navigate these tragedies. What we talked about Therapist Lynda Fishman’s advice on how summer camps can actually help campers and staff deal with tragedies, on Everything Jewish Toronto’s Facebook page How Jewish summer camps in 2024 prepared to face the topic of Oct. 7 and antisemitism at home, in The CJN After nine months of war, some Israeli kids are finding respite at Jewish summer camps in Canada, in The CJN Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (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)

The official revocation notice of the Jewish National Fund of Canada’s charity status, published in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 10, caught many by surprise—especially JNF officials themselves. Lance Davis, CEO of JNF Canada, says the venerable Jewish charity was “blindsided” by the Canada Revenue Agency’s move because it came so quickly, despite efforts to negotiate a solution. It also came only two weeks after JNF Canada said that, if no deal was reached, it would appeal the government’s “biased” findings to the Federal Court of Appeal. Experts say losing the charitable status means JNF Canada can no longer issue tax receipts for donations; it has one year to wind down business, dispose of all its financial assets or pay 100 percent tax on the millions in its accounts, and go out of business. JNF Canada says it is now going to apply for an immediate judicial review to stop the clock on what its spokespeople call Ottawa’s “draconian” approach. Meanwhile opponents of the six-decade-old pro-Israel charity—including the NDP, the Green Party, Independent Jewish Voices and Just Peace Advocates—have been loudly proclaiming victory after years of complaints that the charity’s Canadian donors have been funding projects in the West Bank and directly helping the IDF. (JNF Canada says they stopped doing this in 2016.) On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, we ask if JNF Canada was a victim of politics—or the author of its own misfortune. Our guest is charity law expert Mark Blumberg. What we talked about Read why the CRA revoked the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund of Canada on Aug. 10, 2024. Read why the CRA revoked the charitable status of the Ne’eman Foundation of Canada on Aug. 10, 2024 Learn more about the start of JNF’s battle with the Canada Revenue Agency, from 2014 to today, in The CJN Read about JNF’s financial reports on Mark Blumberg’s charity watchdog portal charitydata.ca. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner). info@thecjn.ca Production team: Zachary Kauffman (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)

On the night of Aug. 12, Jews around the world will mark the holiday of Tisha b’Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av. It's considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. On this date, it's believed the First Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. And nearly 500 years later, Roman Emperor Titus and his legions destroyed the Second Temple, in 70 CE, to stop a successful ongoing Jewish military revolt. As we hold our breaths to see if—or when—Iran and Hezbollah decide to strike against the State of Israel, we thought it would be good to hear from one of Israel’s leading philosophers during this dark time. Ellin Bessner is taking a two-week holiday starting today, so we're bringing you some of our favourite conversations instead. Here’s Ellin's conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi, scholar, journalist and podcaster with the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He visited Toronto earlier this year to speak about the impact of Oct. 7 on Jewish history. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (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)

On July 25, the London Police Service picked up a very upset Darlene Zaifman-Guslits by her arms and legs, and carried her away from the front door of the Jewish Community Centre. The London resident had just been issued a trespass notice for refusing to leave the building where her community was hosting a speech by Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre, about antisemitism. Whether she was booted out because some of her family members took part in a peaceful protest outside the venue that evening, together with members of Independent Jewish Voices, unions, and pro-Palestinian activists, or whether it was because of what she was wearing, it isn’t clear. And no one–not the police, not the JCC, and not Poilevre’s people–is taking responsibility for making the call to kick her out. Zaifman-Guslits comes from a prominent Jewish family with deep roots in the city: she has run meal programs for the needy, she’s taught Hebrew lessons, and her Holocaust survivor parents helped found the Jewish day school inside the very building she was turfed from. She’s now consulted a lawyer. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Darlene Zaifman-Guslits joins to share why she feels so betrayed and whether mainstream Jewish communities are marginalizing people with progressive views. What we talked about Watch the video of Darlene Zaifman-Guslits being denied entry, and evicted for trespassing at the JCC London, on Instagram. Why the Jewish Federation in London, Ont. is actively seeking new immigrants, on The CJN Daily. When London’s Jewish leaders attended a vigil to remember the four members of a Muslim family murdered by being run over by a truck, in The CJN archives. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) info@thecjn.ca Production team: Zachary Kauffman (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)

Sharon Chodirker and Chaim Bell consider themselves lucky: they were among the tens of thousands of tourists and residents in Jasper who were evacuated from the forest fires that devoured a third of the buildings in the iconic Rocky Mountain resort town on July 24. The Toronto couple, who were on a hiking trip, managed to escape Jasper while smoke and ash rained down on their rental car. When they reached a safe spot across the border in British Columbia, they slept in their vehicle and dined on kosher snacks they'd stored in their portable cooler.\ Two days after their frightening journey, flames up to 100 metres high swept right through where their hotel stood, destroying several buildings. Now they're sharing their survival story from the safety of their Toronto home, while the town of Jasper remains off-limits except for emergency crews—and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who visited on Aug. 5. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, we hear from the Toronto couple personally, as well as Rabbi Dovid Pinson of Canmore who runs the new Chabad community centre outside Banff and hosted the evacuees. We'll also hear from Heidi Coleman, the head of the Jewish community in Kamloops, B.C., who felt like she was starring in the musical Come From Away when she helped a busload of stranded Jasperites in her city. What we talked about When Rabbi Dovid Pinson ran the annual Hanukkah car menorah parade in Edmonton during COVID in 2021, in The CJN Learn more about Chabad in the Rockies  Hear how Heidi Coleman came from Montreal to Kamloops and became their Jewish leader, on the podcast Yehupetzville Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) info@thecjn.ca Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Get free emails from The CJN Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Nohad Mansour, a 22-year-old combat veteran from a Druze village, reflects on his military experiences and the heavy toll of conflict, including the recent loss of friends. He shares the trauma of serving in Gaza and the ongoing fear for his community amidst rising tensions in the region. Now recuperating in Canada, he discusses his philosophy of fighting for Israel, not just on the battlefield but in the realm of public opinion, emphasizing the significance of understanding and connection within diverse communities.

With the synagogue’s shattered front glass windows still boarded up with plywood sheets and an emergency fundraiser underway to repair the damage, Toronto’s century-old Pride of Israel congregation opened its doors to host a large community solidarity rally on the evening of July 31. More than a dozen federal, provincial and municipal politicians, as well as a senior Toronto police inspector, spoke to the crowd of 1,500 and pledged to work harder to stop the wave of antisemitic hate that began after Oct. 7, yet has intensified in recent weeks. Just in the past few days, there have been dozens of incidents of vandalism, graffiti and arson targeting Toronto-area institutions. So it was no surprise that tensions ran high at the solidarity rally, with organizers trying to prevent pro-Palestinian protesters from disturbing the event—while also keeping guests inside from being rude to the invited politicians… with varying degrees of success. On the The CJN Daily, hear the crowd boo during the remarks by Mayor Olivia Chow and Liberal MP Ya’ara Saks, hear from an uninvited pro-Palestinian Jewish protestor, Gur Tsabar, and from others speakers—including Ontario’s Solicitor General Michael Kerzner; newly elected Conservative MP Don Stewart; Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, the prime minister’s new special advisor on antisemitism; and Melissa Lantsman, deputy leader of the federal Conservative party—who pledged their solidarity and demanded that Jewish rights be protected. What we talked about Read the latest hate crime data from the Toronto Police Service, in The CJN Go inside the Pride of Israel solidarity rally and read Ellin's written version of the story, in The CJN. How worshippers discovered the Pride of Israel synagogue had been vandalized when they arrived for Sunday services on June 30, 2024, in The CJN Hear the controversy over Ya’ara Saks’s March 2024 photo op with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, on The CJN Daily Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) info@thecjn.ca Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Get free emails from The CJN Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)