Chai Montreal

Chai Montreal
  • 0.0 (0)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome, bienvenue and bruchim habaim to Chai Montreal: The Podcast. Hosts Lisa and Sarah are excited to introduce Chai Montreal: The Podcast. Chai Montreal was founded by Milton Winston in the 1970s and quickly grew into a platform that brought attention to various subjects of interest to the Montreal Jewish community and highlighted the beautifully diverse Jewish Montreal. Our mission is to celebrate Jewish stories in Montreal and around the world and spotlight important and interesting subject matters to the Jewish and wider communities.

  1. FEB 15

    Il Respiro di Shlomo (Shlomo's Breath) with Mario Venezia

    In honour of International Holocaust Memorial Day, Mario Venezia joins us on Chai Montreal: The Podcast to speak about his father Shlomo Venezia and the documentary he produced about his father, Il Respiro di Shlomo (Shlomo's Breath). Mario, an accomplished business consultant, professor, and President of the Museo della Shoah di Roma, tells us about the Venezia family history, leaving Spain at the time of the Inquisition in 1492 for Venice, then to Thessaloniki/Salonika. Born in Thessaloniki in 1923, Shlomo Venezia and his family were taken from their home in 1944 and deported to Aushwitz-Birkenau. Shlomo survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, Mathausen and Ebensee, including the death march from Birkenau to Mathausen in January 1945. Shlomo was selected amongst the prisoners to be in the Sonderkommando, a forced labour unit compelled to work within the crematorium. The Nazis regularly killed and replaced the sonderkommando to eliminate witnesses, making Shlomo’s survival even more miraculous. Shlomo’s testimony has become one of the most important witness accounts. Shlomo Venezia was an incredible man with incredible strength, and Mario recounts the greatest lessons that his father instilled in him and his brothers. As Mario says in the episode, there was a Jewish life before the Shoah and there’s Jewish life now. And that’s what we’re here to celebrate on Chai Montreal: the Podcast.

    33 min

  2. JAN 1

    The Magic of the Likht Ensemble with Jaclyn Grossman and Nate Ben-Horin

    On this episode, we’re excited to introduce you to Nate Ben-Horin and Jaclyn Grossman, who make up the Likht Ensemble, a piano-vocal duo dedicated to sharing music by Jewish artists from the Shoah & educating about Jewish representation in music. They'll be bringing their show, Kishef, to Montreal on January 18 at the Bourgie Hall. For tickets, click here. Kishef, the Yiddish word for magic, honours the creative spark that animated Jewish composers during World War II and the years leading up to it. The programme of Kishef includes new arrangements of songs from Czech and Lithuanian ghettos, as well as a Bourgie Hall commission from Nate.

    36 min
  3. Getting to Know the Sisters of Fortune with Esther Levy Chehebar

    11/25/2025

    Getting to Know the Sisters of Fortune with Esther Levy Chehebar

    In this episode, we're so excited to speak with Esther Levy Chehebar, author of her debut novel Sisters of Fortune. She talks to us about the unique Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn, the process of writing the novel, and the elements of the community that were important for her to include, such as female characters who wanted to pave their own path. And of course, the food! Esther is also the author of "I Share my Name", a children's book about Jewish Syrian naming traditions and a contributing writer at Tablet Magazine, where she writes about the Sephardic community.  It's fitting that we welcome Esther to the podcast and talk about her novel in November because it's both Mizrahi Heritage Month and Jewish Book Month. Mizrahi Heritage Month honours and promotes the heritage, history, and culture of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa, and Jewish Book Month is the annual celebration of Jewish literature. Sisters of Fortune is perfect for a Chanukah gift! In Canada, you can find Sisters of Fortune at Indigo book stores.  We'd love for you to hit subscribe and follow us on Instagram @chaimontreal.thepodcast.

    29 min

  4. 11/18/2025

    Discussions on Courage, Radicalism and Democracy with Alain Dancyger

    The Jewish Public Library's upcoming season of events is not to be missed! Alain Dancyger, Executive Director of the Jewish Public Library in Montreal, is back to talk about two upcoming programs, the screening of Heart of Courage and Q&A with producer Avi Benlolo on November 19th and 20th, and the 'Café Philosophique: Political Radicalism, The enemy of Democracy?' (a reflection on the thoughts of Hannah Arendt) on December 3rd.

    30 min

  5. 11/06/2025

    Comedy Makes Everything Better with Yohay Sponder

    We are so excited to welcome Yohay Sponder on today’s episode. Yohay is a stand-up comic and producer and headliner of Funny Monday, Israeli Comedy in English in Tel Aviv. Yohay has gained a huge following on social media thanks to his quick witted comedy, which he’s bringing to Montreal on November 16th at L’Olympia with his show Self Loving Jew.  Get your tickets here to share in the laughs.

    33 min

  6. 11/04/2025

    Celebrating Israeli Cinema in Montreal with Chantal and Gérard Buzaglo

    In this episode, we speak with Chantal and Gérard Buzaglo, co-chairs of the festival. And like the Montreal Jewish community, this interview is in both English and French! Buy your tickets for the Festival du Cinéma Israélien de Montréal, November 5th to 19th, both in cinema and online. Get them quick, before they sell out! Israeli cinema has gone from strength to strength, with many films gaining international recognition. This year, at the 20th annual Festival du Cinema Israélien de Montréal, a production of the Communauté Sépharade Unifiée du Québec, you can discover a diverse line-up of diverse feature films and documentaries.You can catch the following films, amongst others: - The Ring: The opening film, it won the Audience award at the Israeli Film Festival in Paris - Bliss : The closing film, this drama stars acclaimed Israeli actor Sasson Gabai- The Shohani Riddle: An extraordinary documentary on the enigmatic M. Shoshani - Pink lady: Set in Jerusalem's Orthodox community, it tells the story of a wife trying to keep her family together - Cabaret Total: Nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Music at the Ophir Awards, and winning Best Makeup- Come closer : A young woman's journey following her brother's accident, this movie with a talented cast won many Ophir Awards - A letter to David: A powerful documentary about October 7th and David Cunio, who was held hostage for 738 days before being released.

    27 min

  7. 10/15/2025

    The Jewish Public Library in the 21st Century with Alain Dancyger

    On today’s episode, we speak with Alain Dancyger, Executive Director of the Jewish Public Library in Montreal. Alain is no stranger to the Montreal cultural world, as former Executive Director of the Grand Ballet Canadiens de Montreal, amongst other cultural institutions. During the episode, we hear how Alain is bringing his expertise to the Jewish Public Library, revamping its cultural programming. With the vision and determination of community members, the Jewish Public Library opened in 1914 in a cold water flat on Saint Urbain Street with 500 books. It was more than just a library, it was also a place of literary and cultural exchange. The Jewish Public Library has grown with the community, now boasting a collection of almost 150,000 books, with over 40,000 books borrowed annually. Alain talks about the library’s programming for the upcoming year, the importance of taking the library’s programming outside of the library walls and into the community, and the relevance of libraries in in the 21st Century.

    33 min

  8. 08/25/2025

    Preserving the history and culture of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa with Lyn Julius (and Harif)

    In this episode, we're joined by Lyn Julius, journalist, author, and founder of Harif, a UK charity representing Jews from North Africa and the Middle East. Lyn is dedicated to promoting the history, culture and heritage of Jews from the MENA region. In today’s episode, Lisa speaks with Lyn about her book “Uprooted: How 3000 Years of Jewish Civilisation in the Arab World Vanished Overnight” and why it's important to know the history of the MENA Jewish communities.  As you’ll hear in this episode, you can join Harif for their free webinars on a wide range of interesting topics, including the upcoming talk on the stars of the Algerian music hall on August 26, 2025 at 2:30pm Montreal-time and 7:30pm UK-time. At Chai Montreal: The Podcast, it’s important for us to share diverse stories and uplift the many voices of the Jewish community. We thank Lyn for her work to promote the history of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa and we hope that you follow Harif to learn more.

    32 min
See All (31)

About

Welcome, bienvenue and bruchim habaim to Chai Montreal: The Podcast. Hosts Lisa and Sarah are excited to introduce Chai Montreal: The Podcast. Chai Montreal was founded by Milton Winston in the 1970s and quickly grew into a platform that brought attention to various subjects of interest to the Montreal Jewish community and highlighted the beautifully diverse Jewish Montreal. Our mission is to celebrate Jewish stories in Montreal and around the world and spotlight important and interesting subject matters to the Jewish and wider communities.

Information

  • Creator
    Chai Montreal
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Chai Montreal
  • Show Website
    Chai Montreal