North Star with Ellin Bessner

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Newsmaker conversations from The Canadian Jewish News, hosted by Ellin Bessner, a veteran broadcaster, writer and journalist.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Honourable Menschen: Stephen Lewis saved millions from HIV/AIDS in Africa

    Stephen Lewis, who once made Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people, was a humanitarian and ambassador who led Ontario’s NDP before pushing the world to help millions of HIV/AIDS patients in Africa obtain life-saving medicine. His passing on Mar. 31 prompted an outpouring of tributes from global leaders and African grandmothers alike. Hours before Lewis died, at the age of 88, he was able to watch his son, Avi, continue the family’s political legacy by being elected as the new federal NDP leader. Lewis is just one of several noteworthy Canadian Jews to have passed away recently. The CJN’s obituary columnist, Heather Ringel, joins North Star host Ellin Bessner on today’s episode to reveal how Lewis and this spring’s four other featured “Honourable Menschen” gave back to their communities. The others include Wolf Bronet, the Auschwitz survivor who founded Montreal’s “Wolf Pack” running club and helped raise funds for 14 ambulances for Israel through Magen David Adom; Sara Vered, who fought in Israel’s War of Independence before helping bring Israeli and Jewish culture to Ottawa through education, the arts and philanthropy; Al Osten, the former singer who built a Weight Watchers empire in Western Canada and donated millions, alongside his late partner Buddy Victor; and Sondra Gotlieb, the Winnipeg-born journalist and author whose sharp observations made her one of the most recognizable Canadian voices in Washington diplomacy and media circles. Related stories Learn more about the late Calgary philanthropist Al Osten in The CJN. Why Sondra Gotleib’s Washington home became a sought-after invitation while her husband was Canada’s ambassador to the United States, in The CJN. Sara Vered fought in Israel’s War of Independence then helped bring Israeli and Jewish culture to Ottawa, in The CJN . Wolf Bronet started running outdoors for his 40th birthday. Hundreds have followed his footsteps around Montreal. In The CJN. Stephen Lewis launched the Stephen Lewis Foundation n during his time helping to fight against HIV/AIDS and assist surviving orphans and grandmothers. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)

    29 min

  2. 15 MAY

    The Canadian "Challah Mom" getting thousands of Jewish women to bake challah together

    Anat Ishai, who was born in Israel but grew up in Canada, started baking braided Challah loaves in her Thornhill kitchen during the COVID pandemic to help her break out of the isolation of lockdown. She started posting social media videos of herself baking and dancing. Her moves, with snippets of Jewish pride and shots of her Orthodox Jewish lifestyle caught on. Today Ishai has a devoted following worldwide as “The Challah Mom”, with over 300,000 followers including on her Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook accounts. Ishai is now based in Israel. She and her Canadian husband and their four children immigrated in 2023 just four weeks before Oct. 7. She’s chosen to stay in the land of her birth, and rides out the conflict by keeping the war off her public platforms. Instead she channels faith and joy and ritual to help empower Jewish women. The CJN’s North Star podcast host Ellin Bessner attended The Challah Mom’s stop at Shaarei Tefillah synagogue in Toronto to learn the fascinating story of Ishai’s personal journey: from a secular daughter of Russian Israeli immigrants to reconnecting with Orthodox Judaism and ultimately, teaching all kinds of women about the mitzvah of hafrashat challah. Related links Follow Anat Ishai at her website to get her challah recipe or on Instagram Anat Ishai appears in the new documentary “Sheitel” about why married Orthodox women choose to cover their hair with wigs, scarves, hats or a combination, on The CJN’s North Star podcast. Anat Ishai sometimes wrote for the Times of Israel during the pandemic. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)

    27 min

  3. 13 MAY

    “I Just Want to Go to the Bus Stop..and Not Have to See This Hate”: Jewish Vancouver residents fight anti-Israel chalker

    Jewish residents and organizations in Vancouver say a relentless anti-Israel campaign of “chalking”—writing hateful slogans with sidewalk chalk in public, accompanied by and waving a large Palestinian flag outside a hospital in their neighbourhood—has reshaped daily life in Vancouver’s historically Jewish neighbourhood. For over two years, anti-Israel graffiti and stickers have appeared daily on sidewalks, bus stops, street signs and other public spaces along the Oak Street corridor, near major synagogues, in the Douglas Park area. Two Jewish residents of this neighbourhood began documenting the messages by the lone perpetrator, whose identity they know. They’ve amassed proof of at least 2,000 incidents and have asked him to stop. The duo have had real late-night runs-in with the activist, who they say lives and works near them, and who has, on social media, described his devotion to the Palestinian cause as living in “the belly of the beast”—a popular term in anti-Israel circles describing carrying out activism from within areas that support Israel and Western values. The two Jewish men bought cleaning gear to wash the tags away, if the rain doesn’t do it first. But it’s become a war of attrition. Vancouver police say they take hate speech and harassment seriously, but the one-man protest has not abated. On today’s episode of The CJN’s North Star podcast, we’re joined by the two Jewish residents who are fighting back, Joshua and Steven, who have asked that their family names not be published for safety reasons. Related links British Columbia passed legislation on April 16 to establish safe “bubble zones” for synagogues, places of worship in order to curb harassing protests, in The CJN . Vancouver police arrested Samidoun’s Canadian leader Charlotte Kates after she was accused of making hateful comments during an anti-Israel protest in 2024, in The CJN . Why a recently-elected city councillor in Vancouver has an anti-Israel problem, in The CJN. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)

    27 min

  4. 11 MAY

    Why no hate charges? Ottawa Jewish leader reacts to sentencing of his antisemitic attacker

    A little over two years ago, on April 15, 2024, David Sachs of Ottawa’s Jewish Federation was leaving an interfaith iftar event near Parliament Hill. He was wearing a kippah. Outside the government building, anti-Israel protesters were waiting. In his victim impact statement earlier this week, Sachs told the court he feared for his life during those “absolutely horrific” moments when he was swarmed, hit on the head, screamed at with anti-Israel insults, then followed for four blocks as he tried to escape, all while a dangerously loud electronic whistle was blasted near his ears. Everyone in the crowd wore masks except well-known Ottawa protester Deana Sherif, who wore a keffiyeh and brandished the whistle. Ottawa police later arrested Sherif and charged her with eight offences, including resisting a police officer and two hate-motivated charges. Some stemmed from another confrontation that same day involving Conservative MP Brad Vis of British Columbia, who was trying to go the gym. Her trial ended in February. Sherif was convicted on two of the original charges. The Crown did not concentrate on the hate-motivated allegations at trial, even though the judge agreed some of the shouted insults were antisemitic, but found Sherif herself was not the person making them. On May 6, the judge sentenced her to the 17 months she had already spent in custody, plus one year probation, a peace bond, and a decade-long ban on using the loud whistle or possessing other weapons. On this episode of The CJN’s “North Star” podcast, David Sachs explains why he believes the convictions were significant — but also why he feels the outcome fell short without hate-related findings. We also hear from University of Ottawa antisemitism adviser Jonathan Calof, who warns anti-Jewish hatred in Canada is no longer confined to street protests, but is becoming institutionalized. Related links How twice-convicted Ottawa protester Deana Sherif played a role in organizing and promoting the 2026 Al-Quds Day parade and rally in Toronto, in The CJN . Learn more about Prof. Jonathan Calof, the special advisor on antisemitism appointed by Ottawa University in early 2025, Read David Sachs' comments after an Ottawa man pleaded guilty in Feb. 2025 to sending hateful messages to local physician Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth in Feb. 2025, in The CJN. **** Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)

    28 min

  5. 8 MAY

    Five Years of The CJN’s North Star: From Lockdown to Oct. 7 and Beyond

    The CJN’s flagship news podcast, North Star, first aired five years ago this week, on May 3, 2021. Originally called The CJN Daily, it filled a gap in the COVID-era news ecosystem, airing new episodes uniquely focused on the Canadian Jewish community every morning from Monday to Friday. But from its very first episode, breaking news changed the plan. The Lag b’Omer stampede at Israel’s Mount Meron, and a subsequent eleven-day war with Hamas, had the team scrambling to bring expert analysis and eyewitness testimony to The CJN’s front page. Five years later, having published 800 episodes and interviewed at least 1,000 newsmakers, North Star has been heard, watched and downloaded more than 1.7 million times across all our platforms. It’s been a journey of discovery into the Jewish community here, exploring how Canadian Jews are connected to global events that few could have imagined when the show launched. On this special anniversary episode, host Ellin Bessner and senior podcast producer Zachary Kauffman reflect on the lessons they’ve learned from helming the show. They discuss their most impactful stories and the ramifications they’ve had—even when those ramifications were controversial—and walk through how the show has evolved through a pandemic, personal grief, spiking antisemitism and a changing outlook for Jewish Canada. Related links: Hear the bite-sized episodes from the first week of The CJN’s North Star podcast, from May 2021. Read and listen to The CJN's stories on JNF Canada’s charitable status being revoked, from 2024. Learn more about The CJN's Benjamin’s consumer complaint stories, from 2022. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)

    30 min

  6. 6 MAY

    A snapshot of Canada’s Jews today: more newcomers, more intermarriage, aging

    Canada’s Jewish community is growing—but also becoming more diverse, more intermarried and older. As the 2026 census gets underway this month, Canadian sociologist Rachel Margolis explains why filling it out—especially the long form questionnaire—matters, and what it will reveal about Jewish life in Canada today. The census gathers data on religion, ethnic origin, languages spoken at home and household composition—information researchers use to track key demographic shifts. According to Margolis, a sociology professor at Western University in London, the most recent census shows 83 per cent of Canadian Jews identify religiously as Jewish, down from 89 per cent two decades ago, while the share identifying as Jewish by ethnic origin only has risen to 17 per cent (from 11 per cent). She also finds that 50 per cent of couples in households with at least one Jewish partner are now interfaith—up from about 40 per cent 20 years ago. Margolis expects the next census to show an even more diverse community, shaped in part by recent immigration from Israel following Oct. 7, as well as from Ukraine and Latin America. On this episode of The CJN’s flagship North Star podcast, Margolis joins to talk up the new census and reveal more of her fresh data about what Jewish life looks like now. Related links Learn more about Rachel Margolis’ research into the Jewish demographics of her adopted home in London, Ont. The 2021 Census showed Jewish population growing slightly but costly housing prices were pushing young families out of Toronto, in The CJN. Robert Brym analyzed what he learned about Canada’s Jewish community in the 2021 census, in The CJN . Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzy Helenchilde (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)

    27 min

  7. 4 MAY

    ‘Not Optimistic’: Idsinga Skeptical of Toronto Police Chief’s Vow to Probe Antisemitism on the Force

    Retired Toronto homicide inspector Hank Idsinga’s new memoir about the systemic problems inside Canada’s largest police force contains disturbing allegations about the force’s persistent in-house discrimination and racism, including antisemitism. He also spells out for the first time his own family’s Jewish and Holocaust roots – a history he’s kept private for decades, while he oversaw some of the most high profile and gruesome murder cases in recent Canadian history. Idsinga insists he did speak up about his encounters with anti-Jewish bigots while he was still carrying a badge, long before he left the force in the fall of 2023, but to no avail. That’s why despite Toronto’s police chief and other officials now vowing to investigate his evidence, Idsinga holds out little hope of seeing changes anytime soon, be it about antisemitism, anti-Black racism or other problems. And despite recent public examples of the force’s efforts to show solidarity with Jewish employees, including holding Hanukkah candle lighting ceremonies in the lobby of police headquarters, designing a regulation police kippah, appointing a new Jewish chaplain and a Jewish liaison committee, Idsinga calls all that “window dressing”. The veteran detective also draws a link between a unnamed senior staff member who he personally heard using antisemitic slurs, more than once, to the force’s tepid response to the violence and hate crimes targeting Canada’s largest Jewish community since Oct. 7, 2023. In today’s wide-ranging interview with The CJN’s North Star podcast host Ellin Bessner, Idsinga shares his own family’s Holocaust trauma that saw his grandfather murdered in a gas chamber and his mother and her siblings hidden in convents. He reveals why he wanted to be a Nazi hunter before he decided to go into policing. Related stories Learn more about retired police inspector Hank Idsinga’s book The High Road , published this week by Simon and Schuster Canada. Read Hank Idsinga’s interviews about the 2017 Honey and Barry Sherman murders, in The CJN archives . Will the Sherman murders ever be solved? Watch our conversation from 2023 with reporter Kevin Donovan who wrote a book on the investigation which Idsinga’s division was in charge of. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)

    37 min

  8. 1 MAY

    What Everyone Gets Wrong About Orthodox Jewish Women’s Hair: new Canadian "sheitel" film

    A new documentary is challenging assumptions about one of the most visible—and most misunderstood—traditions in Orthodox Jewish life. Sheitel: Beauty in the Hidden, by Halifax-native director Lynda Medjuck Suissa, explores why many Orthodox Jewish women cover their hair after marriage—and why many say it reflects not oppression, but identity, faith and choice. (And, yes, also a more genuine relationship with their husbands in the bedroom.) Medjuck Suissa is Modern Orthodox herself. She snagged interviews with 30 well-known Orthodox women from Canada, the U.S. and Israel, including “The Challah Mom” Anat Ishai; rebbetizins Nechama Dubrawsky of Toronto’s Yorkville Jewish Centre, Faygie Kaplan of Chabad of Flamingo, and Rivky Gansburg of Chabad on Bayview; Mindy Pollak, a former Montreal city councillor; and Toronto educator Adrienne Gold Davis of the organization Momentum. On today’s episode of The CJN’s North Star podcast, director Lynda Medjuck Suissa joins to explain why her late sister inspired the new film, and how she hopes it will lead to understanding and tolerance. Related stories Learn more about “Sheitel” the documentary and find upcoming screenings in Vancouver May 6, Manhattan May 11, Winnipeg May 15, and Toronto June 15 and 22. Read about Orthodox Jewish female singers performing “For Women Only” concerts, in The CJN. https://thecjn.ca/arts-culture/jessica-roda/ The CJN’s Phoebe Maltz Body on Jewish Orthodox fashion dilemmas, in The CJN . Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@TheCJN Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)

    27 min
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Newsmaker conversations from The Canadian Jewish News, hosted by Ellin Bessner, a veteran broadcaster, writer and journalist.

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