There are two framed medical certificates missing from the wall of Dr. Michael Kalin’s office in his medical clinic in Montreal. Kalin, who owns Santé Kildare, earned them years ago from the College of Family Physicians of Canada, which oversees 45,000 family doctors. But the College has ordered him to take them down, after Kalin publicly resigned his membership and withdrew his application to sit on their board, following the College’s publication of a controversial article in their official magazine. Kalin—along with hundreds of his colleagues and Canadian Jewish medical associations—believes the article, titled “The Day the Pagers Exploded”, praises members of Hezbollah, a banned terrorist organization in Canada. The piece in question was written by a Lebanese doctor living in Beirut who has no apparent ties to Canada. She treated hundreds of wounded Hezbollah members in her local emergency ward in September 2024 on the night thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies suddenly exploded, as part of the stunning Israeli operation to take out terrorists planning attacks on the Jewish State after Oct. 7.

He feels there is no place for him any longer in the Canadian organization of family physicians, since they refused to retract the story or explain how it could be published in a peer-reviewed journal that usually talks about the care standards for Canadian patients.

On today’s episode of The CJN’s North Star podcast, Kalin explains to host Ellin Bessner what the reaction has been to his protest.

Related links

• Read the Canadian Family Physician magazine article about the wounded Hezbollah patients and the complaints and the CFPC response.
• Find out more about Santé Kildare, Dr. Michael Kalin’s family medicine clinic in Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec.
• Learn more about the exploding pagers operation in Lebanon, in The CJN.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Bret Higgins

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On July 18, Jewish communities will mark the 31st anniversary of the AMIA terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in which Hezbollah, backed by Iran, murdered 85 people and wounded hundreds more at the city's Jewish Federation building. Until Oct. 7, 2023, the AMIA bombing had been the worst mass attack against Jews since the Holocaust.

For Irwin Cotler—the acclaimed lawyer, former justice minister and chair of the Montreal-based Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights—commemorating this anniversary brings a deeply unsettling sense of déjà vu. For two decades, he has been pushing the Canadian government to take stronger measures against the Islamist regime, resulting in an Iranian murder plot planned against him. Today, Cotler will be speaking on a national Federation panel entitled "The Islamic Republic's Long Shadow of Terror".

On today's episode of The CJN's North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner sits down with Cotler in his home in Montreal to hear exactly how Canada's lax policies on Iran have come home to roost.

Related links

• Watch the July 18 official ceremony and panel on the Islamic Republic’s Long Shadow of Terror, live at 11 am EDT Friday, sponsored by Canada’s Jewish Federations.
• Hear how Winnipeg’s Argentinian Jewish community remembers the 1994 AMIA bombing by Iranian-backed terrorists.
• Read more about the search for justice in the 1994 AMIA terrorist bombing of Argentina’s Jewish community, in The CJN.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Bret Higgins

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It has been three weeks since a ceasefire on June 24 paused the brief war between Israel and Iran. As a recap of what happened: the Israel Defense Forces launched surprise air strikes on Iran’s nuclear bomb-making facilities and other targets. The Israeli government said Iran was weeks away from having working nuclear missiles, which officials say would pose an existential threat to the Jewish State. Teheran retaliated by firing 550 ballistic missiles at Israel and dropping more than 1,000 bombs via drone. Despite Israel intercepting most of those missiles and bombs, the Iranian strikes managed to kill 30 Israelis, while Israeli attacks resulted in an estimated 900 Iranian deaths. Thousands of civilians were wounded on both sides. U.S. President Donald Trump sent forces to bomb three of Iran’s main nuclear facilities, ultimately pushing Iran and Israel to call off hostilities. When the IDF launched its surprise attack, many Canadian-Iranian dissidents initially expressed support for Israel. Some hoped the war would prompt a regime change and bring back democracy and freedom to their homeland. But Trump vetoed the removal of Iran’s leaders, and now initial optimism in Canada has shifted to concern amidst reports of renewed crackdowns by the Islamic republic on its domestic opponents. On today’s episode of The CJN’s flagship news podcast, North Star, reporter Alex Rose sits down to speak with Kaveh Shahrooz, a Canadian lawyer and international human rights activist, on what the brief war achieved and what he fears comes next.

Related links

• Read more about how Iranian Canadians are now concerned for their homeland, after initial hope during Israel’s raids on the nuclear bomb building sites in June, in The CJN.
• How Canadian government agencies are preparing for Iranian domestic threats, in The CJN.
• Why Iran’s terror regime is creating common bonds between Jewish and Iranian Canadians, in The CJN.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Bret Higgins

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When Sheila Nemtin Levine began painting, she didn't plan to fulfill the final commandment of the Torah: that every Jew should write their own Old Testament. But, since 2016, that's what ended up happening. She has painted 54 vibrant, mixed-media canvases—one for each chapter—each with a modern take on the ancient verses.

They comprise her new art exhibit, Tablet Tableaux. Nemtin Levine calls it a journey of exploration, complete with inspirational messages and famous quotes. Audience members are encouraged to physically engage with the works by touching the grains of sand, family photos and architectural blueprints for the Israelites' portable desert tabernacle.

Nemtin Levine's work, which has been displayed at several synagogues across Montreal, has recently been used at Jewish high schools for special b'nei mitzvah study modules. The project has also spawned a coffee table book, a free audio guide and a forthcoming documentary video series. On today's episode of North Star, Nemtin Levine shares her story with host Ellin Bessner, who visits the artist in Montreal to see the work in person.

Related links

• Learn more about the Torah Tableaux at the artist Sheila Nemtin Levine’s website.
• Watch the exhibit's launch in Montreal, on YouTube.
• Read and explore the free audio guide to the 54 chapters: https://tablettableaux.orpheo.app/#/

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Bret Higgins

Support our show

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The North Star team is taking the day off and will return soon. Please enjoy this recent episode of another podcast from The CJN, Not in Heaven, all about the future of communal Judaism.

Over the last century, North American Jews have poured untold millions of dollars into an alphabet soup of legacy institutions: UJA, CIJA, ADL, JNF, et al. And yet, after 19 months of rising antisemitism—while Canadian and American Jewish communities feel like they’re free-falling through a crisis—many have been asking, “What have we been giving all this money for? Where are the results?”

To wit, two recent pieces published in the New York Post ask these exact questions. Rachel Sapoznik, an entrepreneur, wrote an opinion piece headlined “Why I’m ending my donations to US Jewish groups and seeking new leadership to protect US Jews,” in which she calls for American Jews to support (mostly Republican) pro-Israel politicians instead of the Anti-Defamation League. Kathryn Wolf, a journalist, wrote a similar piece in the same publication that juxtaposes major organizations’ glitzy galas and celebrity endorsements against a growing wave of grassroots Jewish activism.

In Canada, against the backdrop of louder upstart Jewish advocacy groups, the Centre for Israel Jewish Affairs parted ways with former CEO Shimon Koffler Fogel, a diplomatic leader who held the post for nearly 40 years, and replaced him with Noah Shack, who accepted the permanent position on June 27. “We have to be nimble,” Shack told The CJN. “We have to try new things and do whatever we can to win.” But to what extent should the Jewish community pivot away from these legacy organizations, who’ve spent years building goodwill with all levels of government and non-Jewish organizations? Is any support the Jewish community now finds not due to years of quiet, behind-the-scenes bridge-building?

Not in Heaven host Avi Finegold has long been critical of Jewish communal organizations—though he might also find himself disagreeing with the most vocal activists vying to replace them. In this week’s episode, we unpack the pros and cons of how far these institutions have taken us, and what comes next.

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Although Montrealer Philip Khazzam has never set foot inside his family’s nearly-century old mansion in the Iraqi capitol of Baghdad, he has heard many stories about the lush gardens, fountains, bedrooms to sleep 12, and pool. The residence, built in 1935, was home to his grandparents’ and also to his great-uncle’s families-brothers Ezra and Khedouri Lawee–wealthy Jewish automobile dealers who were pillars of Iraq’s business community. They lived there for over a decade, until growing support for Nazism in Iraq during the Second World War and widespread resentment of Israel in the years afterword made life dangerous for the historic Jewish community. Some 130-thousand Iraqi Jews were forced to give up their citizenship and leave behind all their property, in exchange for a permit to flee the country in 1951-52. The ancestral home, still in the family’s name, was eventually rented out to the French government as an embassy, but 35 years ago, in 1968, a coup eventually brought dictator Saddam Hussein to power. His regime froze the family’s ownership and ordered France to pay the rent directly to Iraq instead. Philip Khazzam has spent years pursuing Iraq for the legal rights to his family’s stolen house. He is also suing the French government for $30 million in back rent. On today’s episode of North Star, The CJN’s flagship news podcast, host Ellin Bessner catches up with Phillip Khazzam to learn why he is continuing this multi-generational fight for his family’s lost patrimony.

Related links

• Philip Khazzam’s uncle Mayer Lawee shows photos and recounts his time living in the family’s now disputed Baghdad mansion, in this interview with Sephardi Voices.
• Learn more about the 1941 Iraqi pogrom against its Jewish community, in The CJN.
• Why another Montreal whose family was forced to flee Egypt, tried for years, unsuccessfully, to sue Coca-Cola for stealing their ancestral property in Cairo, in The CJN.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• 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)

Rabbi Marat Ressin was concerned when he heard the preliminary Canadian results for the World Zionist Congress elections. The prominent member of Canada’s Russian-speaking Jewish community ran as a candidate for the international organization, dubbed the “Parliament of the Jewish people”, under the United for Israel slate. While the final Canadian numbers aren’t yet public, voter turnout was much lower than Canadian Zionist Federation (CZF) organizers had hoped—approximately 18,000 voters in a country of 400,000 Jews. When he heard that, Rabbi Ressin—who has a PhD in economics—immediately questioned whether it was worthwhile to spend $1 million on marketing, staffing and operating the software for the online voting campaign. For Rabbi Ressin, it hits especially hard, as he believes many Russian-speaking Canadian Jews weren’t able to vote. Voting was online-only, posing a challenge to seniors; payment was tightly restricted; and, critically, the CZF election website was only in English and French. Despite it all, Rabbi Ressin understands that establishing a democratic process had one positive result—it strengthened the community and its ties to Israel. He joins Ellin Bessner on The CJN’s flagship news podcast, North Star, to explain why Canada’s Russian-speaking Jewish community may appeal the results, regardless of the organization’s internal findings.

Related links

• Investigation into irregularities and ‘red flags’ delaying release of final Canadian results in World Zionist Congress election, in The CJN.
• Hear what’s at stake in the World Zionist Congress elections for Canadian voters, on The CJN North Star.
• Read more about the election on The Canadian Zionist Federation website.
• Why The CJN’s Treasure Trove columnist David Matlow urged Canadian Jews to vote in the WZC election.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Bret Higgins

Support our show

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Le Château was a fashion fixture across shopping malls in Canada during its heyday in the 1970s and ’80s. Founder Herschel Segal, a Montrealer who recently died, is credited with bringing bell-bottom jeans to the masses—and later helping to launch the David’s Tea brand. Segal is one of the five prominent Canadian Jewish leaders we’ve lost since this spring, and whose larger-than-life achievements left a clear mark on the community. Today, we honour those men and women with another episode of our recurring podcast series, Honourable Menschen. Also in today’s show: Larry Robbins, 94, known affectionately as “Zaidy Larry”, was one of the original founders of Toronto real estate development giant Great Gulf Homes. In his later years, he pivoted from putting up private homes to helping young people develop stronger ties with their Jewish identity. Elly Bollegraaf, of Ottawa, started life as a hidden child in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, before becoming a scientist and well-known Holocaust educator in Canada. David Attis rose to fame when he took on a notorious Holocaust denier who was a teacher in the school system of Moncton, New Brunswick. And Rabbi Mordechai Feuerstein, 78, spent many years as the spiritual leader of Vancouver’s Orthodox Congregation Schara Tzedeck synagogue, maintaining close ties with the Reform Jews who once shared the building.

On today’s episode of Honourable Menschen on North Star (formerly The CJN Daily), host Ellin Bessner is joined by The CJN’s obituary columnist, Heather Ringel, to share their personal encounters with these prominent community members.

Related links

• Read about the life of philanthropist Larry Robbins in The CJN.
• How Elly Bollegraaf went from hidden Dutch child to Canadian scientist, in The CJN.
• Rabbi Mordechai Feuerstein of Vancouver built ties between his Orthodox Schara Tzedeck synagogue and local Reform Rabbi Philip Bregman, in The CJN.
• Why Moncton-native David Attis fought against an infamous Holocaust denier teacher, in The CJN.
• Herschel Segal came from Montreal garment industry royalty to found Le Chateau stores, in The CJN.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• 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)