Opinion
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The Real Pandemic Was the Death of Critical Thinking
By Nechama Rubenstein Summer is a time when families get out of the house, explore the city and visit the attractions that become crowded almost as soon as school ends. It now feels perfectly…
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How Many Jews Must Be Attacked Before Government Calls It Terrorism?
Two locations of a Jewish-owned bakery in Toronto were attacked overnight. One was struck by gunfire. A window was smashed at the other. Thankfully, no one was injured, which provided everyone in authority with…
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Tisha B’av: July 22, 1946: The Day Jews Fought Back
On July 22, 1946, the Irgun bombed the southern wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Eighty years later, on July 22, 2026, Jews will be preparing for Tisha B’Av. The timing is…
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We Still Sing Shlomo Carlebach. We Just Don’t Talk About the Women
By Linda Shefferman Many synagogues around the world use Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s compositions as the basis of prayer, but rarely mention the women who accused him of sexual abuse. His melodies are sung during…
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A Jew Is a Jew. Montreal Should Remember That.
By Shimshon Cohen Canada’s first synagogue was in Montreal, and it was not Ashkenazi. The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, Shearith Israel, was formally established in 1768. It was a Sephardi congregation, built by some…
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The Difference Between Jewish Fear and a Jewish Target
Monday’s attack in Côte-des-Neiges highlighted a problem the Jewish community is facing. While it is true that a Jewish man was killed during the mêlée, that fact does not automatically make the event an…
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The Nakba Comes to Canada’s Human Rights Museum
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is about to open an exhibit on the Nakba. What’s interesting isn’t even the exhibit itself, it’s the confidence. Nobody at the museum seems particularly worried about presenting…
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Who Is Funding Attacks On Canada’s Jewish Institutions?
When Yeshiva Gedola Elementary School was shot for the second time in November 2023, everyone wanted answers. By then, the fact that a Jewish institution had been targeted was no longer entirely surprising. The…
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The Pothole On My Street Isn’t In Israel
By Avi Farnhaus There’s a pothole at the corner near my house that’s been repaired three times. I know because I’ve driven over all three versions of it. The first repair lasted a few…
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The Illusion of Tikkun Olam
Few phrases have done more damage to modern Jewish discourse than “tikkun olam.” That may sound strange. After all, who could possibly be against repairing the world? The problem is not the concept itself;…