The CJN Podcasts

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Channel • 9 Shows

Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated weekly
Judaism

Judaism

Updated weekly
Judaism

Judaism

Complete
Judaism

Judaism

Complete
Daily News

Daily News

Updated daily
Sport

Sport

Every two weeks
Judaism

Judaism

Complete

11/09/2023

On the ground of Morocco’s earthquake, a Canadian survives—while Montreal’s community mobilizes

As rescue efforts continue in Morocco to find survivors of Friday’s powerful earthquake, the disaster is also affecting Canada’s significant community of Moroccan Jews—especially those based in Montreal. As of Sunday night, more than 2,100 people were killed in the 6.8-magnitude quake, while at least 2,400 have been seriously injured. The quake hit hardest in the remote villages of the Atlas Mountains, southeast of Marrakesh, although it was also felt as far as Casablanca to the north. Before Canadian Jewish relief efforts kick into high gear Monday, _The CJN Daily _caught up with a young engineer from Toronto who was staying in Marrakesh when the quake hit. Seth Davis, 25, and his girlfriend, count themselves lucky to be unscathed. They were set to make their way home to Canada on Monday. Davis joins host Ellin Bessner on _The CJN Daily _to describe what he saw. After that, you’ll hear from Montrealers Avraham Elarar, president of the Canadian Sephardi Federation, and Yair Szlak, CEO of Montreal’s Federation CJA, for local reactions. What we talked about To donate funds and help the Moroccan earthquake victims through Federation CJA, click here Learn more about the history of the Jews of Morocco in a piece Elarar wrote in The CJN in 2019 Read more about the Canadian Sephardi Federation from their 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 intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music 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.

11/09/2023

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27 min
25/08/2021

Modern Orthodox (part 1), with Rabba Rachel Kohl Finegold

Could Laura be a modern Orthodox Jew? Probably not. But if anyone could pitch her on it, it's Rabbi Rachel Finegold Kohl, the director of education and spiritual enrichment at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal This show is hosted by Laura Leibow. Michael Fraiman is the producer and editor. Our theme music is by The Underscore Orkestra. For more great Jewish podcasts, visit thecjn.ca.

25/08/2021

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40 min
14/01/2025

Pending hostage release deal will be 'excruciating and painful' for everyone, says Israeli Ambassador to Canada

Israel’s Ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, is actively monitoring the hourly reports coming out of the Middle East and Washington about negotiations for a deal that would usher in a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, paving the way for a gradual release of dozens of Israeli hostages (in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody). According to U.S. and Israeli news sources, Hamas prepared a list of about 33 hostages they are prepared to release. They would start with civilians before handing over female soldiers and others. Moed fervently hopes that the Bibas children, Kfir and Ariel, and their parents will be among the first to be freed after a captivity that’s lasted 465 days. But while the negotiations are still happening, Moed calls the process “excruciating” and “painful” for the hostages families, as the release may be joyful—but also possibly heartbreaking. In this special evening edition of The CJN Daily, Moed joins to discuss the possible outcomes of this rapidly evolving story—as well as separate issues that have kept him busy while waiting. His office has been closely monitoring the case of Hassan Diab, a professor in Ottawa who was convicted of terrorism for bombing a synagogue in Paris that resulted in the deaths of four people (including the mother of Moed’s personal friend); and the controversial Islamist conference organized by Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada, slated for this weekend until its recent cancellation. What we talked about: Read more about the Israeli Ambassador’s views on Canada’s blocking arms sales to Israel, funding UNRWA, and his trip to Israel in March 2024 with Melanie Joey and Ya’ara Saks, in The CJN. Iddo Moed’s first interview with The CJN Daily on Oct. 8, 2023 just hours after the deadly Hamas attack and just a few days since arriving to take the diplomatic post Judih Weinstein Haggai confirmed dead, 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)

14/01/2025

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28 min
05/05/2025

Leigh Stein on the bygone days of girl-boss social media

This month, the Federal Trade Commission in the United States finally brought a long-awaited antitrust court case against Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC is arguing that Meta has a monopoly on the social networking space, which has squandered competition in the market. Critics point out that this might have been the case a decade ago, before TikTok entered the scene, but is simply no longer true. That Facebook no longer has a monopoly on digital friend networks is not the only erstwhile stereotype about social media. In the bygone era before "President Trump" was a real thing, social media was a land of promise and opportunity, filled with "girl boss" memes and alleged commitments to social capitalism. But in the years since, much of that naive whimsy has flown out the window, and nobody believes the tech giants are anything but capitalist overlords. A similar awakening strikes the main character of Self Care, a satirical novel by Leigh Stein that came out in 2020, which focuses on the virtue signalling of a fictional tech company. With Meta in the spotlight again, and with The CJN's opinion editor, Phoebe Maltz Bovy, having recently read Sarah Wynn-Williams's Careless People (which is, in essence, the real-life memoir version of Stein's novel), we wanted to bring Stein on to discuss the slow evolution of social media between the two Trump administrations and what we can learn about the ways in which social media manipulates our beliefs and emotions in an effort to keep us endlessly scrolling on. Related Links Learn about Leigh Stein's forthcoming novel, If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You Read Phoebe's column on Careless People in The CJN Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer & editor) Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

05/05/2025

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33 min
28/11/2023

Ellin Bessner explains why you should consider donating to The CJN Daily on #GivingTuesday

Nearly 500 episodes. Nearly 10,000 hours of programming. It's "what Jewish Canada sounds like." For more than two and a half years, Ellin Bessner and The CJN Daily podcast have been bringing the voices and sounds of Canadian Jewish newsmakers to listeners from coast to coast—and around the world. And since Oct. 7, it's never been more important to provide you with authoritative, trustworthy, accurate and balanced reporting on the Israel-Hamas conflict, including updates on the hostage situation, the massacre of 1,200 Israeli residents and a new wave of antisemitism within Canada and beyond. It's coverage you won't find anywhere else. That's why, on #GivingTuesday, Ellin wants to get personal. In this episode, you'll hear why she and the rest of The CJN team need your financial support to keep producing award-winning journalism that's unique in Canada. What we talked about Support The CJN by donating to the future of what Jewish Canada sounds like Where we’ve been and where we’re going, with CEO Yoni Goldstein on The CJN Daily How niche publications like ours are being hurt by Canada’s fight with Meta and Google—and what you can do—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.

28/11/2023

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14 min
08/09/2022

For the first time ever, Jewish RCMP officers can now wear kippot on duty

While RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki has been in the hot seat all summer, facing an inquiry into the mass shooting that struck Nova Scotia in 2020, she's also been quietly working on another project with a huge impact on Canadian Jews. For the first time in the history of the RCMP, Jewish members and cadets will be permitted to wear a kippah while on duty. It began with a request—which was denied—from a Jewish officer in B.C. to wear the Jewish head covering. B'nai Brith's human rights arm got involved, snowballing into an official move by the federal police to match what they'd already done for turbans and hijabs: pay for the design and creation of a regulation RCMP kippah. While we won't see it for a while, in the interim, Jewish staff can bring their own. Marvin Rotrand, the director of B'nai Brith Canada's League for Human Rights, joins to discuss what went on behind the scenes of this groundbreaking move for Canada's national police. What we talked about: Read about how police forces in Ontario and Vancouver agreed to allow officers to wear kippot Read about Toronto's new antisemitism program 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. Production assistance by Gabrielle Nadler and YuZhu Mou. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

08/09/2022

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13 min
19/05/2021

Aviva Chernick on the warmth of London, Ont.

Aviva Chernick is an award-winning queer Jewish artist living in Toronto. But she didn't grow up there: Aviva hails from the relatively small but still-strong Jewish community of London, Ontario. Despite having only around 2,000 Jewish residents, London has three synagogues, vibrant programming and a tight-knit community filled with eager volunteers. Aviva chats about all these aspects, plus the stark differences between being Jewish in London and Toronto. Related links: Listen to Aviva's music and learn more about her at her website, avivachernick.com. Learn what's happening in London's Jewish community at jewishlondon.ca Yehupetzville is hosted by Ralph Benmergui. Michael Fraiman is the producer and editor. Our music was arranged by Louis Simão and performed by Louis Simão and Jacob Gorzhaltsan. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network—find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

19/05/2021

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35 min
13/09/2021

How Colt Cabana became one of the world's most famous Jewish wrestlers

Since his humble beginnings in the Midwest wrestling scene in the early 2000s, Scott Colton, a.k.a. Colt Cabana, has grown into a seismic force in the pro wrestling world. After diving into the WWE as Scotty Goldman—a character presented a little antisemitically by the organization—a he made a name for himself as a world heavyweight champion in numerous global competitions and recently signed with the All Elite Wrestling league, rivaling his former titanitc overlords at the WWE. Cabana joins the Menschwarmers to chat about his rise to fame, his podcast, his decision to join the nascent AEW and how he faced antisemitism along the way. Credits Menschwarmers is hosted by James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver, and produced and edited by Michael Fraiman. Our intro music is by Coby Lipovitch, and our outro music is "Organ Grinder Swing" by chēēZ π. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network—find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca. Follow the Menschwarmers on Twitter @menschwarmers, and The CJN Podcast Network on Twitter @cjnpodcasts.

13/09/2021

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45 min
22/02/2022

Which Canadian campuses are safest for Jews? Anywhere outside Toronto

How widespread is antisemitism and anti-Zionism on Canadian campuses? A new report, commissioned by the Abraham Global Peace Initiative, found nearly 100 reported instances last year. The authors—Neil Orlowsky from York University and Dana Fischman from Carleton University—looked at media articles, social media posts, student unions, faculty associations and hate crime reports from across the country to determine which campus was friendliest—and which was the most uncomfortable—for Jewish students. The worst offenders: York and the University of Toronto. The report comes out in the wake of a recent U of T student union vote to support boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel—as well as, paradoxically, a pledge by the school's administration to crack down on antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Orlowsky calls the U of T's pledge nothing more than "virtue signalling". He joins to discuss the report's findings and what steps schools can take. What we talked about: Read the report at agpiworld.com/campus Watch the video of the goldfish "driving" its tank at bgu.ac.il (and learn about the webinar on Facebook) Read "University of Toronto’s plan to tackle antisemitism gets a cool response from Jewish advocacy groups" at thecjn.ca Listen to The CJN Daily episode about the birth of the AGPI, "Why Avi Benlolo thinks Canada needs a new organization to fight antisemitism", at thecjn.ca Credits 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. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

22/02/2022

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14/02/2023

An insider’s look at Aroma Espresso Bar’s troubles in Toronto

Philip Kuntz considers himself the first-ever customer of Aroma Espresso Bar’s first-ever Canadian coffee outlet. When the Aroma location opened in 2007 at 500 Bloor Street West in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood, Kuntz drank the very first cuppa. For a dozen years, the Ontario musician and artist made that Aroma outlet part of his daily routine–– holding court for hours at the now-closed store. (It was shuttered suddenly in October, 2019.) Kuntz has been watching the Aroma brand’s venture in Canada unfold, including _The CJN’_s recent coverage of the outstanding $10 million dollar legal dispute between the original Canadian franchisor and head office in Israel. He joins The CJN Daily to offer his thoughts about what’s gone wrong, and he even recites a limerick he composed in Aroma’s honour. What we talked about: Hear Part 1 of The CJN’s investigation into the Aroma Espresso Bar multi-million- dollar lawsuit with the Canadian branch 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. tktk tktk Credits T

14/02/2023

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17 min

News, views and perspectives on Jewish life through a Canadian lens.