North Star with Ellin Bessner

This year, June 10 marks is the 54th anniversary of the end of Israel's Six Day War, which claimed the lives of nearly 800 Israeli soldiers. It was hardly the only war that led to sacrifices by Israeli men and women. According to official estimates, about 25,000 Israelis have died for their country, spanning from the years before, during and in the aftermath of the establishment of the State of Israel. However, not all of the deceased have had their stories properly told. As many as 861 Israelis gave their lives and remain unknown. That's where Giving a Face to the Fallen comes in. It's a non-profit, volunteer-run Israeli group that memorializes those who have fallen in military operations around the time of Israel's independence in 1948. Today, Ellin speaks with Toronto-born Stephen Glazer, a social worker and the only Canadian currently volunteering with Giving a Face to the Fallen. Glazer is working to track down the identities of these unknown soldiers and seek out any living relatives. What we talked about: Learn more about Giving a Face to the Fallen at their website, latetpanim.org.il/en Watch an Israel news broadcast about Bella Papierowicz, 21, who was a member of the Haganah, and Lechi, who was killed in 1947 in Jerusalem, at YouTube Browse the official list of known fallen Israeli soldiers at izkor.gov.il/en 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.

Last night, a public vigil was held at the London Muslim Mosque in London, Ont., for the victims of what is being described as a murderous hate crime. Five members of a Pakistani Canadian immigrant family, out for a Sunday evening stroll, were deliberately mowed down by a hit-and-run driver. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and other federal and provincial leaders showed up to the vigil in person, along with several of London's Jewish community's leaders. In this episode, Ellin speaks to Eric Robinson, the program director at London Jewish Federation, about the impact the tragedy has had on the community. Plus: Listen to a stunning speech by one imam, Munir El-Kassem, that is worrying Canadian Jews. El-Kassem used his platform to denounce Israeli actions against Gaza and East Jerusalem, capping off two hours of speeches with the proclamation that "whatever is happening in Jerusalem and Gaza is related to whatever happened in London, Ontario—period." What we talked about: Watch a livestream of the vigil and read the statement by Jewish community at Jewish London Ontario's Facebook page Contrinute to the Go Fund Me set up for the family at gofundme.com/f/salman-family-accident-relief Read more about the national Canadian Jewish response to the tragedy 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.

Last month brought two tragic reminders to Canadians' attention. One was the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder, and the second was the discovery of the remains of 215 children in a Kamloops residential school. While Canadians may finally have woken up to their country's history of racism against Indigenous people, it bears asking: how have things changed for Canada’s Jews of colour in the year since George Floyd was murdered? One of the movement’s leaders says things have actually gotten better. In a new talk, Rivka Campbell—a new CJN podcast host for the show Rivkush—reflects on her year of work to make space for Canada’s BIPOC Jews at schools, shuls and organizations. What we talked about: Visit the "Jews of Colour" website at jewsofcolour.ca Read JOC's statements on the deaths of George Floyd and Regis Korchinski-Paquet and the 215 Kamloops Indigenous children Visit the website for "No Silence on Race" at nosilenceonrace.ca Watch Rivka's talk, "An Evening of Deep Listening", on YouTube 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.

June 6 was the anniversary of D-Day, commemorating the fateful amphibious invasion by the Allies on Normandy, France, in the Second World War. Part of that history were 17,000 Canadian troops of Jewish faith who were part of their country's war effort—including, for the first time, women. This year, a new art exhibit from the University of Calgary is highlighting the role of these women in uniform, who've never received the recognition they deserve. Historian Saundra Lipton oversaw the research into these women, and joins the show to discuss what she found. What we talked about: View "She Also Serves" at the University of Calgary website Learn about "She Also Serves" at ucalgary.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 5, 1832—189 years ago this weekend—the Canadian legislative assembly in Lower Canada granted full civil rights to people of the Jewish faith. The move was hugely important because it granted emancipation to Canada’s Jews well before most other parts of the British Empire followed suit. It's not a very popular anniversary, but it's one worth remembering. Today, Ellin chats with the newest Jewish member of Parliament, Ya'ara Saks of Toronto, about how far Canadian Jews have come and the current challenges the community faces. What we talked about: Read "Toronto mayor condemns anti-Semitism, makes it focus of public education campaign" at thecjn.ca Watch the Heritage Minute on Ezekiel Hart and Papineau on YouTube 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 late Ruth Goldbloom helped found the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, which has been a national historic site as the gateway to Canada for more than a million immigrants, including tens of thousands of Jews in the 20th century. When Goldbloom died in Halifax nine years ago, more than 1,500 people came to her funeral. A street has been named after her and the museum at Pier 21 named a boardroom in her honour. But the woman herself still isn't very well known to the public. A new initiative is hoping to change that. Goldbloom's cousins in Halifax, Howard Conter and his wife, Karen Conter, are working to have a permanent sculpture of the prominent philanthropist built and placed outside her beloved museum—so visitors can sit beside her and appreciate what she helped build. They're raising $250,000 for a campaign they call "Honouring Ruth", which will pay for the sculpture and contribute to a bursury in her name. On today's show, the Conters join Ellin to discuss their efforts. What we talked about: Learn more about Honouring Ruth at the Atlantic Jewish Council View the website for Canada's immigration museum at pier21.ca Watch a video of Goldbloom tap dancing at age 88 on YouTube Read Goldbloom's obituary from 2012 at The CJN 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.

Last week, news broke that the remains of 215 children were found at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C. Local and national Indigenous communities have been mourning this tragedy for days since the revelation, while also commemorating the lives of these innocent kids, who were taken from their homes under longstanding Canadian government policy. The school operated for nearly 80 years, from 1893 to 1977, mostly under the eye of the Catholic Church. The news has put Kamloops in the international spotlight. Across Canada, people have built shrines of children's shoes. Governments and schools have lowered flags. Teddy bears have been piled on the steps of Parliament Hill and city halls. Members of Kamloops' Jewish community, just 60 people strong, were able to visit and mourn with their grieving Indigenous neighbours and friends. Nine local Jewish residents attended the nightly healing and drumming circles in person. On today's episode, one of those residents—the president of the Kamloops Jewish community, Heidi Coleman—shares her experiences with us. What we talked about: Visit the website for the museum that has been created out of the former residential school: tkemlups.ca Heidi Coleman is the CEO of the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation in Kamloops. Learn more at rihfoundation.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 Farhud was a two-day pogrom against the Jewish community of Iraq in the spring of 1941. Pro-Nazi rioters killed hundreds of Jews in Baghdad and destroyed 900 Jewish homes and businesses. The tragedy marked a turning point in the fate of the Iraq’s 2,000-year-old Jewish community: Zionism was later declared a crime and Jews were turfed from government jobs. Several hundred thousand Farhud survivors eventually moved to Israel, and about 500 families later made their way to Canada. Today, on the 80th anniversary of the Farhud, we hear from two of them: Joe Samuels was born in 1930, in the Taht El Takia neighbourhood of Baghdad, and recalls his family barricading themselves in their house all night; and Sami Sourani survived the Farhud as a young child, though several of his relatives did not. Now, Sourani is on a mission to document the actual number of victims of the infamous pogrom. What we talked about: Buy Joe Samuels's book on Amazon: Beyond the Rivers of Babylon: My Journey of Optimism and Resilience in a Turbulent Century Read about the Canadian government's 2014 decision to recognize Jewish refugees from Arab nations at The CJN Check out the museum in Israel devoted to the history of the Jews of Iraq, the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center 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.

Has there ever been a better home for Jews than Canada? That's the bold question being asked in a new collection of essays, No Better Home?: Jews, Canada, and the Sense of Belonging. The book's editor, David S. Koffman, joins to discuss the merits behind the argument: how Canada might be the most inviting, safe and tolerant country for Jews in the world. Plus: Liberal MP Ya'ara Saks joins to discuss her government's recent decision to send an additional $25 million to help Gazans in need. Where is the money going? And what role does Canada play in helping to bring peace to the Middle East? What we talked about: Buy the book, No Better Home?: Jews, Canada, and the Sense of Belonging, at https://utorontopress.com Read: "Canada announces $25m for Palestinians, with some earmarked for UNRWA" (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 the night of May 28, Saskatoon’s Congregation Agudas Israel will host a graduation ceremony for its Hebrew school students—online, of course, because of COVID-19. The three graduates and the rest of the students will take part in evening prayers to welcome Shabbat and celebrate a milestone in the local Jewish community. If it wasn’t for COVID, they could all have been congregating in Agudas Israel’s newly renovated synagogue building. The multimillion-dollar legacy project just finished—but no one’s been able to use it yet, because of lockdowns. Matthew Taras, a Calgary native who moved to Saskatoon, is one of the few people who have seen the space firsthand. It inspired him to write a column in the synagogue bulletin about how the new building brings him hope for the community's future, as well as the future of his own wife and son. He joins the show to discuss the state of Saskatoon's Jews. What we talked about: Read Matthew Taras's column at agudasisrael.org Watch MNA David Birnbaum's motion condemning anti-Semitic attacks at his Facebook page Watch Saskatoon Hebrew School's 100-year anniversary video on YouTube 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.