The CJN Podcasts

•

Channel • 9 Shows

Daily News

Daily News

Updated daily
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated weekly
Science Fiction

Science Fiction

Complete series
Judaism

Judaism

Complete
Spirituality

Spirituality

Complete
Judaism

Judaism

Complete
Judaism

Judaism

Complete

07/10/2021

Mixed Use Does Not Equal Mixed Dancing

Housing affordability is not a uniquely Jewish issue, but Jews face a unique challenge. Practising Jews, in particular, have certain geographic requirements—being close to synagogues, kosher markets and other community members—that make housing especially unaffordable. As home prices across Canada soar, ground zero remains its major urban centres—and therein, Jewish communities tend to be pricier than the city average. What are the implications for young Jews priced out of the market? What changes need to happen to ensure Canadians can afford their homes in decades to come? What does a breaking point look like—or have we reached it already? To help answer these questions, , we're joined by Zev Mandelbaum, CEO of Altree Developments in Toronto. Show Notes Register for the fifth annual celebration of Leonard Cohen's songbook at Eventbrite Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

07/10/2021

•

49 min
07/04/2022

There's Nothing Funny About War Crimes

Shocking images from Ukraine emerged this week, depicting war crimes and massacres happening in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv. Suddenly, onlookers are using the word "genocide" to describe what has, until recently, most often called a war. But is it a genocide? Do these crimes against humanity qualify, or do we risk watering down the term if we apply it too quickly or too often? Jews, in particular, have a stake in any global conversation on the subject, as comparisons to the Holocaust will inevitably come up. To unpack these complex issues, we're joined by two guests: Bob Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, and Frank Chalk, the director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. What we talked about Get tickets to Mazel Tov here and use the promo code CHAIPROMO to get a $10 discount Read "Ancient Hebrew curse tablet found by Katy archaeologist could be proof of older Bible timeline" at the Houston Chronicle Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

07/04/2022

•

1hr 18min
12/05/2022

Barry Levinson's 'The Survivor' shows the traumatic background to Jewish sports heroes

The Survivor is a new film by Barry Levinson about Harry Haft, a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz who was forced to box other inmates to survive. Haft went on to work a brief professional boxing career in Germany and the United States, though it didn't last very long. Gabe and James sit down to discuss what they thought of the movie, where the Hollywood adaptation took some liberties in storytelling and what the tale means for other postwar Jewish athletes and survivors. And while we're talking movies, on a much lighter note, we'll take a look at Adam Sandler's sports filmography to commemorate the newly dropped trailer for his upcoming film, Hustle. Plus we've got your usual update in all things Jews and sports, from Rowdy Tellez's hot streak to Lance Stroll's finish at the Miami Grand Prix. 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. Follow the Menschwarmers on Twitter @menschwarmers or TikTok @menschwarmers. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

12/05/2022

•

41 min
16/06/2021

Keeping Judaism alive in Sudbury

Growing up in Sudbury, Ont., Emily Caruso Parnell wasn't Jewish. Later in life, after she converted to Judaism and spent years away, she returned to her native Northern Ontario home in search of a meaningful, quiet life (and an affordable house). In doing so, she became one of a handful of active Jewish residents in the former mining capital, keeping the Jewish spirit alive through campus outreach, local participation, virtual events and personal connections. 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. Our sponsor is PearTree Canada: learn more about them at peartreecanada.com. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network; you can find more great Jewish podcasts every day at thecjn.ca. You can also follow Emily on Twitter: @teachontheverge.

16/06/2021

•

34 min
02/11/2023

Live from Holocaust Education Week

As Stella Levi was growing up on the island of Rhodes, she lived a normal life. She played with her sisters, lounged on the beach and was excited to start high school—until the Second World War reached the shores of her Mediterranean home. While many of her family members were killed by the Nazis, Levi survived. Today, she is 100 years old and living in Greenwich Village, New York City. Author Michael Frank got the privilege of spending six years hearing her life's story and turning their conversations into a new book, One Hundred Saturdays. It's not quite a biography, nor an "as-told-to", or even a memoir or straight non-fiction narrative; as Frank explains, the book is the description of an encounter he had with this remarkable survivor. On the night of Nov. 1, Avi and Phoebe kicked off Neuberger Holocaust Education Week in Toronto with Michael Frank, live at this special podcast recording, in partnership with the Toronto Holocaust Museum and the Prosserman JCC. Hear Levi's story, how Frank approached writing the book and what themes resonate most in today's heated climate of rising antisemitism. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack.

02/11/2023

•

48 min
08/02/2024

Why UNWRA should be dismantled: Canadian UN watchdog Hillel Neuer weighs in

Two weeks ago, Canada joined the United States and other top Western donors in announcing they will suspend further funding to UNWRA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. The move comes after intelligence from Israel and other sources proved the extent to which thousands of UNWRA employees and their family members have ties to Hamas—in some cases, even being full Hamas members and taking part directly in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, kidnapping and hiding hostages. Canadian lawyer Hillel Neuer runs the Geneva-based UN Watch, which helped reveal some of that damning evidence. He brought to light a 3,000-member UNWRA teachers’ chat group on Telegram that vocally supported the attack on Israel. UN Watch also exposed the identities of UNWRA teachers who proudly trumpet anti-Israel hate on their social media accounts. UNWRA has now launched its own official investigation, due at the end of April. But already there are calls to allow the discredited agency to be allowed to weed out the few “bad apples”, and for full funding to be restored. due to the humanitarian emergency and displacement of the vast majority of Gaza’s 2 million residents during Israel’s war with Hamas, now entering its fifth month. Hillel Neuer joins Ellin Bessner on _The CJN Daily _to explain why he thinks UNWRA should be disbanded permanently—but probably won’t be. What we talked about: Learn more about Canada announcing it will pause funding for UNWRA, and what new agencies will get the money instead, in The CJN Watch Hillel Neuer’s testimony (eight minutes) before the U.S. Congress on Jan. 30, on YouTube Read when the UN launched investigation in 2014 after missiles were discovered in UNRWA buildings in Gaza during war with Israel, 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. Hear why The CJN is important to me.

08/02/2024

•

25 min
09/06/2022

Born This Way

Over recent years, the Jewish community has grown from merely being aware of queer Jews to standing where we are today: leaders and activists in almost every denomination are working to actively include queer Jews in Jewish law and practice. Queer and nonbinary Jews no longer settle for pointing out their existence and right to be included; they're crafting narratives that explain how deeply and intricarely their queerness and Judaism are intertwined. To dissect these issues and share their personal stories, we're joined by two inaugural members of the Queer Jewish Incubator, a new project run by the Miles Nadal JCC in downtown Toronto. Sadie Epstein-Fine is working on a play about one of Tevye's daughters being queer, and Toby King is gathering and archiving information about queer-Jewish wedding ceremonies to examine the various ways in which those couples celebrate their love. After that, you'll hear an excerpt from The CJN's podcast Rivkush, in which host Rivka Campbell interviews Michael Twitty, the award-winning cookbook author, chef and voice for social justice, who describes life at the intersection of being Black, Jewish and gay. What we talked about Learn about the Miles Nadal JCC's Queer Jewish Incubator Visit Sadie Epstein-Fine's website at sadieepsteinfine.com Contribute to Queering the Jewish Wedding Listen to the full interview with Michael Twitty on _Rivkush_ Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

09/06/2022

•

1 hr
28/07/2022

Definitely Not the Mafia

Earlier this summer, we produced an episode on the modern ethics of kosher food. It was so popular, the following week we recorded a spiritual sequel, tackling the high cost of kosher meat. The result: the executive director of the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, Rabbi Saul Emanuel, reached out wanting to share their side of the story. Rabbi Emanuel also heads up Montreal Kosher, better known as MK—sometimes jokingly referred to as "Mafia Kosher". This week, Avi had the chance to speak with Rabbi Emanuel and challenge him directly about some of his organizations' choices. Why can't halakhah evolve? Why insist on arcane rules when jobs and affordability are at stake? Why compare Montreal's meat prices to New York's, when the cost of living is so much cheaper in La Belle Province? His answers result in some heated debate with our own resident rabbi podcast host. After that, Gabe Pulver from Menschwarmers pops in to break down how Canada ranked at the Maccabiah Games, and Nathan Englander sat down with Ilana Zackon to describe the experience of adapting one of his books into a stage play for the first time. Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

28/07/2022

•

54 min
17/03/2021

What's it like being Jewish in Moncton?

In our debut episode, Ralph chats with three Jewish residents of Moncton, New Brunswick, about the challenges they face and the struggle to keep the community alive. Credits: Yehupetzville is hosted by Ralph Benmergui, and produced and edited by Michael Fraiman. 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. Relevant links: Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca Read about Moncton's synagogue, Tiferes Israel, at tiferesisrael.com

17/03/2021

•

28 min
13/12/2024

The Z Word

This week, the New Israel Fund of Canada, JSpace Canada and Canadian Friends of Peace Now released a survey of 588 Jewish Canadians that aimed to figure out the community's relationship to Israel. In short: it's complicated. The survey, managed by Leger, found that 94 percent of respondents agreed Israel "has the right to exist as a Jewish state"—yet only 51 percent self-identified as "Zionist". This startling contradiction could reveal how tarnished the brand of Zionism has become, regardless of Jewish Canadians' opinions on Israel itself, and dispels the myth of the Jewish community being monolithic about its opinions towards the Holy Land, its voting patterns and its values. Can Zionism be saved? Or should we all just ditch labels and talk about the issues? To learn more about the key takeaways, we invited Ben Murane and Maytal Kowalski, the executive directors of the New Israel Fund of Canada and JSpace Canada, respectively, to come on Bonjour Chai and explain their motivations for commissioning the survey and how we can digest the data. Listen to that interview above. After that, Avi and Phoebe dig into the anthology book On Being Jewish Now, which Phoebe had previously not read—then was called out for—and has since read every page of. Avi read it, too, and they dig into the politics of not paying Jewish writers for their work while purporting to support Jewish artists. Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz) Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (Not sure how? Click here)

13/12/2024

•

1hr 3min

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