North Star with Ellin Bessner

As Jews around the world prepare for Passover, beginning April 5, one retired teacher is proposing a new way to welcome young people into the Seder ritual. Pearl Richman is particularly concerned that many traditional haggadot books start the reciting of the Passover story by referring to four types of curious children: wise, evil, simple and the child who doesn’t know how to ask. Richman and her family have created two new haggadot that use more modern, inclusive and accepting language, designed for modern families. They honour refugees, children murdered in the Holocaust, terror victims in Israel and Jews who identify as LGBTQ, like Richman’s own daughter, Maxie. After their original haggadah rewrite for adults in 2019, Maxie, a Jewish school teacher in Toronto, helped co-write a kids’ version of the inclusive haggadah, called Hug-it-Out. Richman’s collection of made-in-Canada Passover items are being sold at Jewish museums and retailers around North America (and are featured in The CJN’s new glossy magazine, coming out for Passover). Richman joins The CJN Daily to explain how her 94-year old mother inspired them to jump into the Judaica business. What we talked about Learn more about Pearl Richman’s Judaica collection The Haggadah Collective Read why Pearl and her daughter Maxie wrote their Haggadah for kids, in The CJN Sign up for the Murray Foltyn bone marrow swab to save his life with Ezer Mitzion. Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

The CJN Daily is publishing a special breaking-news podcast due to the momentous events happening on the ground in Israel. A labour strike called by the Histadrut over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s slate of reforms shut down much of Israel on Monday. That means Ben Gurion airport, stores, buses, universities and schools were all abruptly closed—along with Israeli embassies and consulates around the world, including in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Massive protests were held Sunday across Israel, and these continued Monday outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, where Netanyahu and his coalition colleagues met to decide next steps. In a statement late Monday March 27 Israel time, Netanyahu agreed to pause the judicial legislative package immediately, to avoid “civil war, but vowed to push ahead later this spring after the Knesset recesses for Passover. Protestors feel the reforms to the Supreme Court and other laws that would shelter convicted politicians – undermine Israel’s democracy. The country’s now-former defence minister Yoav Gallant even warned on the weekend that all the anger against the Netanyahu government poses a serious threat to Israel’s safety, but he was quickly fired on Sunday for making the comments. And in the middle of it are two Canadian journalists and analysts based in the Tel Aviv area who haven’t slept in the past 24 hours. Aron Heller was a correspondent for the Associated Press covering Israeli for 15 years, and now works as a freelance journalist specializing in tech, defence and security. Vivian Bercovici was Canada’s ambassador to Israel from 2014 to 2016, appointed by former prime minister Stephen Harper. She is now the editor-in-chief of a startup news platform, State of Tel Aviv. Heller and Bercovici each joined early Monday before Netanyahu’s announcement with their takes on the political turmoil, security risks and what Canadian Jews in the diaspora should do right now. What we talked about Read more analysis from Vivian Bercovici on The State of Tel Aviv.com Follow Aron Heller’s articles and feature stories on his website. Read Lila Sarick’s story in The CJN about the protest Sunday in Toronto by Israeli and Canadian Jews. Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Jewish social services agencies across the country say their Passover food boxes are going out to more needy clients this holiday season than ever before—and they’re pointing a finger at inflation. From Ottawa to Toronto to Calgary and beyond, volunteers are seeing significant increases in demand over last year. On Sunday March 26, the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada’s Toronto branch marked the 40th anniversary of its annual Passover food drive by delivering 3,000 food hampers. That’s in contrast to 2,300 last year—a 30 percent spike. In Ottawa, the kosher food bank began assembling Passover boxes also on Sunday at Kehillat Beth Israel synagogue for 131 clients—another increase over the 124 people who received boxes in 2022. And in Calgary, the increase was 35 percent this year, preparing 74 boxes to families in need vs. 55 last year. Officials there say it’s due to an influx of Ukrainian refugees, increased rents and high unemployment in the Western city. On today’s The CJN Daily, we visit the massive packing operation with Toronto's Shelly Feldman and Gail Crystal from the Toronto National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, and also speak to Linda Schwartz Prizant from the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank, with a front-line report. What we talked about Read our story about the need rising by 20 per cent last year in The CJN Hear volunteers packing at the UJA Global Seder event in Toronto in 2022 on_ The CJN Daily_ Why is Kosher for Passover Coca Cola different? Read about it in The CJN Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

A new TV series by award-winning Canadian filmmaker Igal Hecht explores whether archeology can definitively prove the Jewish connection to Israel. Just in time for Passover and Easter, the first season of Secrets of the Land debuted March 15 on YES TV, a Canadian faith-based channel. Hecht and his team were given unprecedented access to some of Israel’s most important archeological excavation sites, from the Tower of David to the tunnels below the the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and even the ancient sites of Shiloh and King Solomon’s Mines in Timna near Eilat. His cameras follow renowned archeologists from Israel and abroad as they unearth fragments of pottery and tile from thousands of years ago, and then use modern scientific techniques to explore whether the Bible stories surrounding these sites might be true–for Jews and for other faiths. As Hecht explains on today’s The CJN Daily, he feels the series will help continue the conversation about the deep ties the Jewish people have to the Land of Israel. What we talked about Watch the trailer for Igal Hecht’s Secrets of the Land, out on YES TV Wednesday nights Read more about Igal Hecht’s career in The CJN Igal Hecht filmed the 2021 war between Israel and Hamas for_ The CJN_ Register for Thursday’s live CIJA webinar on the current situation in Israel, beginning at 12 noon ET, or watch it on CIJA’s Facebook page. Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

When the Russian invasion began a year ago on Feb. 24, 2022, newlyweds Inna Movchan and Vitalli Shkarbun were in Lviv, eagerly anticipating their wedding reception with more than 100 guests. Instead, as Russian shells started to fall, the party was cancelled, and the young couple found themselves in a long line of cars fleeing to safety. They arrived in Toronto in April of last year. Since then, they’ve both found jobs and housing, thanks to the help of several Jewish communal social service agencies, including Jewish Vocational Services, the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services and the JRCC (Jewish Russian Community Centre), among others. Movchan, 24, is now on parental leave with the couple’s first baby, a daughter, Yeva, who was born a few months ago. Shkarbun, 30, works full-time. They are both keeping a close eye on developments in the war, and also fundraising to help send supplies to the front lines and the wounded. They join The CJN Daily to tell us how they’re coping with making Canada their new home, even while they worry about those they left behind. What we talked about How Canadian Jews are opening their hearts and wallets to help Ukrainian Jews, in_ The CJN._ Why three Montreal rabbis got on a plane in March 2022 to help Ukrainian refugees, in The CJN. Read more about Inna and Vitalli’s fundraising efforts to help their families back in Ukraine. Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

In the world of British Columbia high school athletics, it was a huge deal on March 11, when the senior boys basketball squad from King David High School—the province's only Jewish high school—came from behind during the last seven minutes of the BC School Sports 1A Boys Basketball Provincial Tournament finals, beating the defending provincial champions from Unity Christian School. After the Lions were eliminated in the early rounds of last year's provincial playoffs, coming back to capture their league trophy this time capped off a successful five-year run for their star players: point guard Jesse Millman, shooting guard Ezra Heayie and centre Joseph Gabay. But after all the celebrating on the court that night following the Lions 72–68 win, and after the welcome-home assembly last week in their school gym, the group realized that the pivotal game likely marked the last time these 17-year-olds would lace up together to play varsity basketball. And they're uncertain whether they'll even continue to play their sport competitively after graduating this summer. The teens join The CJN Daily, along with their coach, David Amran, to take us behind the scenes of the historic victory, including their secret weapon: rabbis in the stands chanting prayers of support. What we talked about Learn more about the winningest Montreal YMHA men’s basketball team of the 1930s and '40s in The CJN How a basketball game taught neo-Nazi Jim Keegstra’s students a lesson in tolerance, and to the Jewish players, too, on The CJN Daily Meet the King David High School Class of 2021 who graduated during COVID, _on The CJN Daily_ Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

Demographer Charles Shahar has been digging into the latest Canadian census data, from 2021, to paint a fuller picture of what Canada’s Jewish community looks like. He says while cities from coast to coast have seen their Jewish populations grow significantly—especially Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax—the Toronto area has plateaued. Whether it is because of the city’s infamously unaffordable housing prices or COVID sparking an exodus to smaller towns, he suggests his new census findings should be a concern for planners and Jewish community officials in the GTA. Which should they prioritize: building more schools or seniors’ homes? Shahar says one of the most surprising changes is that Montreal’s Jewish population is now on an upswing, with more than 90,000 people again, after a steep decline that started in the 1970s. Same goes for Winnipeg, reversing 40 years of declines. Shahar joins The CJN Daily to break down the numbers and what the community looks like. What we talked about Read more about the 2021 Census data’s preliminary findings from last fall in The CJN Hear Professor Morton Weinfeld on why Canada’s Jewish population is still growing on_ The CJN Daily_ Learn more about the_ 2011 results _in Charles Shahar’s report here Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

Ben Ben Chimol, 17, is the youngest person we have profiled on The CJN Daily‘s Honourable Menschen series, where we pay tribute to prominent members of the Canadian Jewish community who have recently passed away. The Grade 12 teen, who died of cancer in Winnipeg in early December 2022, was a budding artist and beatboxer. His family and classmates have created a memorial fund through the city’s Jewish high school that will help other students pursue their passions. In this edition of Honourable Menschen, CJN journalist emeritus Ron Csillag joins to share the stories and accomplishments of a gallery of creative Canadians in the arts and entertainment world: Ontario painter and singer Mendelson Joe, who went public with his decision to use medical assistance in dying after struggling with Parkinson’s disease; composer Ben Steinberg from Temple Sinai in Toronto; Eleanor Koldofsky, who helped build Sam the Record Man into a retail success before branching out to form her own record company; Montreal painter Roslyn Swartzman; and Lanny Poffo, a professional wrestler whose accomplishments were overshadowed by his older brother, “Macho Man” Randy Savage. What we talked about Learn more about Ben Ben Chimol and donate in his memory Read about artist and teacher Roslyn Swartzman in The CJN Check out Mendelson Joe’s canvases and songs on his website Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

Montreal filmmaker Ezra Soiferman loves the winters in his native city so much, he’s made a new film about them, called Montreal, Snowbec. It’s a love letter to the season where the city is covered by nearly six feet of white stuff each year. In the film, Soiferman showcases the beauty of Place Ville Marie’s searchlight, plus many Jewish winter scenes, including two Hasidic men walking through a snow covered lane, and the famous St. Viateur bagel bakery, in the snow. Soiferman feels Montrealers who spend winters in Florida or Arizona are missing out on the joys of the season, from watching snowplows clean the streets to driving by the white-capped iconic Orange Julep restaurant. Ezra Soiferman’s film was released two weeks ago and is already getting people smiling, which was his aim. He joins The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner—a former Montrealer—to compare notes and memories of potholes, driveway plastic car protectors and sledding on Mount Royal. What we talked about Watch Montreal, Snowbec for free on Ezra Soiferman’s YouTube channel Read more about the filmmaker on his website Learn about Ezra Soiferman’s previous films, in The CJN Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

Rabbi Daniel Korobkin leads one of Canada's largest Orthodox synagogues: Beth Avraham Yoseph, known as The BAYT, in Thornhill, Ont. In recent weeks, he has been regularly leading prayers for the victims of the escalating violence and terror attacks between Palestinians and Israelis. They come against the backdrop of growing worldwide condemnation—even by some Canadian Jewish leaders and groups—of the current plans by Israel’s new right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu to reform the Supreme Court, possibly roll back civil rights for LGBTQ citizens, the Arab population in the West Bank and non-Orthodox Jewish residents. Rabbi Korobkin has decided to speak out publicly against Israel’s vocal critics here at home. He says the country will sort itself out in due course and do the right thing, as healthy democracies do. But all the protests and negativity from the Diaspora just helps those who wish to delegitimize the State of Israel. He joins The CJN Daily ahead of Tuesday's special meeting called by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto to seek the advice of prominent rabbis and Jewish schools on forming a community strategy in response to events in Israel. What we talked about Read about the NIF and JSpace poll in The CJN Watch Rabbi Daniel Korobkin's sermon on the BAYT YouTube channel What Montreal-born Likud MK Dan Illouz thinks about his government’s agenda: ’Not an attack on democracy’ on The CJN Daily. What we talked about Read about the NIF and JSpace poll in The CJN Watch Rabbi Daniel Korobkin’s sermon on the BAYT YouTube channel What Montreal-born Likud MK Dan Illouz thinks about his goverenment’s agenda: ‘Not an attack on democracy’ on The CJN Daily. Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman 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. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.