Best Depolarization Podcasts (2025)

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[In Good Faith] How a Palestinian and a Jewish Canadian are trying to depolarize the country 35:39

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13d ago35:39

35:39

This episode originally aired on The CJN's peace-building podcast, In Good Faith. To subscribe and hear more, visit thecjn.ca/faith. Mainstream Jews, who support Israel and consider themselves Zionists, feel like they are under attack. When they see people wearing keffiyehs and storefronts stamped with Palestinian flags, they hear an implicit attac…

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[In Good Faith] How a Palestinian and a Jewish Canadian are trying to depolarize the country 35:41

13d ago35:41

35:41

This episode originally aired on The CJN's peace-building podcast, In Good Faith. To subscribe and hear more, visit thecjn.ca/faith. Mainstream Jews, who support Israel and consider themselves Zionists, feel like they are under attack. When they see people wearing keffiyehs and storefronts stamped with Palestinian flags, they hear an implicit attac…

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BONUS - The America You Don’t See on the News – Adam Mizel 36:12

7h ago36:12

36:12

Most Americans are tired of the outrage — and hungry for something better. So how do we unite America when everything feels so divided? In this episode, we talk with Adam Mizel, co-founder and CEO of US United, a movement focused on ending toxic polarization through everyday actions anyone can take. After traveling the country in a purple pickup tr…

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The Perception Gap: Why We Misjudge Each Other and How to Fix It - DTH Episode 292 with James Coan 34:57

13h ago34:57

34:57

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! Episode 292 — Correcting Misperceptions with James Coan of More Like Us Misunderstanding each other is fueling a level of toxic polarization that’s tearing at our civic and social fabric. In this episode, Wilk is joined by James Coan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of More Like Us, an organization that helps …

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'We weren't complete until all the hostages returned home': Ottawa seniors launch book of Oct. 7 feelings 25:43

15h ago25:43

25:43

Nearly 40 handwritten letters by a group of Ottawa seniors have made their way into a unique new publication documenting the impact of Oct. 7 over the last two years. The project is by a group called “Active Jewish Adults 50+”, and grew out of a call-out by The CJN in mid-October, following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and subsequent release of the r…

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Four Israeli leaders are coming to Canada to debate the two-state solution. Meet the 'no" side. 30:04

3d ago30:04

30:04

Former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, a diplomat and former member of the Israeli Knesset, says he has always refused to do public “gladitorial” debates when it comes to representing Israel these last two decades in public life. But the American-born statesman and author changed his long-standing practice to come to Canada this Wednesday Dec. 3 t…

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How Israeli Rabbi Leo Dee rebuilt his life, with Canadian help, after Hamas killed wife, two daughters 29:22

6d ago29:22

29:22

After Hamas terrorists gunned down Rabbi Leo Dee’s wife Lucy and two of their daughters, Maia and Rina, during a family outing in the West Bank in April 2023, the tragedy made international headlines. Thousands attended the funerals, where the bereaved rabbi and his three surviving children quickly became public figures. The Dees are officially con…

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Plumbing the Rabbinic Pipeline: What New Data Says About The Future of Jewish Leadership 48:37

6d ago48:37

48:37

A recent, landmark study of current and future rabbis was met simultaneously with celebration, skepticism, and concern by groups across the Jewish community. The survey by Atra – Center for Rabbinic Innovation, indicated significant upward trends in rabbis choosing community positions rather than leading congregations from the pulpit, rabbinical st…

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77. Issue Salience Polarization - Adrienne Kafka & Troy Campbell 30:33

7d ago30:33

30:33

Why We Disagree About What Matters We often assume political polarization is about beliefs or party loyalty—but what if it’s about which issues we think are worth caring about? In this episode, behavioral scientists Adrienne Kafka (Duke University) and Troy Campbell (On Your Feet, formerly Disney Imagineering and Netflix) unpack their research on i…

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Strengthening Our Civic Fabric, One Pocket Constitution at a Time - DTH Episode 291 with Joni Bryan 36:48

8d ago36:48

36:48

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! Episode 291 – Featuring Joni Bryan of The 917 Society In this episode, Wilk sits down with Joni Bryan, Founder & Executive Director of The 917 Society, an organization dedicated to inspiring the next generation with a personal connection to the U.S. Constitution. Joni shares how a simple question — “Have you eve…

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New Quebec law coming to ban public prayers, prayer rooms on campus, in wider secularism push 28:59

8d ago28:59

28:59

Quebec’s nationalist government is expected to table yet another bill later this week that will go even further to take religion out of provincial institutions and public life–and which will likely include a few key issues impacting the Jewish community. The new “Secularism 2.0” law, as the minister in charge has dubbed it, will make it illegal to …

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[From the archives] Meet the real rabbi who starred in Drake’s controversial new music video 15:28

10d ago15:28

15:28

While host Ellin Bessner is on vacation, we're bringing you an episode from the archives of our show. This episode originally aired 06/20/2022. For the past 20 years, Ari Sitnik has taken small acting gigs on the side in Toronto. But nothing compared to two weeks ago, when he got a call to show up at the Royal York Hotel for the top-secret filming …

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Okay Boomer – Drowning in Digital Overwhelm - Craig Mattson 18:39

14d ago18:39

18:39

Digital Overwhelm: Talking Across Generations In a world that never stops pinging, how do we stay human—and stay connected across generations? Host David Beckemeyer talks with communication scholar Craig Mattson, author of Digital Overwhelm, about what happens when Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z all try to navigate the same flood of digital…

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Grading Politicians on Collaboration–Not Party Lines - DTH Episode 290 with Brad Porteus 37:34

15d ago37:34

37:34

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! Bridge Grades & the Fight Against Toxic Polarization This week, Wilk is joined by Brad Porteus, founder of BridgeGrades.org, to discuss the pervasive issue of toxic political polarization and identity politics in America. Brad shares his experience of returning to the U.S. after 14 years abroad, seeing a "stark"…

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Catching up on the Sherman murder mystery [From the archives] 22:43

15d ago22:43

22:43

While host Ellin Bessner is on vacation, we're bringing you an episode from the archives of our show. This episode originally aired February 13, 2023. More than five years have passed since the still-unsolved murders of philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman in their Toronto home. Despite a $35-million reward for clues to solve their killing, the …

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[From the archives] Struggling to afford your first home? This Jewish-backed investment firm wants to help 24:49

20d ago24:49

24:49

This episode originally aired Oct. 15, 2024. On the night of Oct. 16, 2024, Jews around Canada welcomed the holiday of Sukkot, having erected temporary wooden or cloth structures outside their synagogues and homes. While celebrating in their makeshift shacks, many told stories of the huts that ancient Israelites lived in after their exodus from Egy…

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Escape from New York? 33:46

20d ago33:46

33:46

In the lead-up to New York's mayoral election, many prominent Jewish New Yorkers came out against the eventual winner, Zohran Mamdani. Now that Mamdani has won, what do they do? How do they reconcile that a third of the city's Jews voted for someone who has spoken out against Israel? And how can they preach about unity when they already made clear …

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Their Jewish-Muslim friendship was destroyed after Oct. 7—until they found a way to reconcile 33:53

21d ago33:53

33:53

While host Ellin Bessner is on vacation, we're bringing you some highlights from other podcasts produced by The CJN. Today: The second episode of our interfaith miniseries, In Good Faith. Over the last two years, a flood of gruesome images have emerged in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and ensuing war in Gaza. In Canada, thousands of kilometr…

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76. The Revolt Against the Experts – Hillary Shulman 28:08

21d ago28:08

28:08

Why People Stop Trusting Science Why do so many people reject science—even when the facts are clear? We are joined by Hillary Shulman, a communication scholar at Ohio State University, to learn about science populism—the growing belief that science is an elite enterprise disconnected from everyday life. They explore how distrust of experts, polariz…

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Can Americans Still Have Civil Discussions About Immigration? - DTH Episode 289 with Jim Robb 39:28

22d ago39:28

39:28

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! Episode 289 | Guest: Jim Robb, Vice President of Alliances at Numbers USA Immigration is one of America’s most polarizing debates—but what happens when lifelong political opponents choose conversation over combat? Wilk Wilkinson sits down with Jim Robb of Numbers USA to discuss his organization’s collaboration w…

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Untold Jewish WWII and IDF veterans' stories revealed in new nonfiction book 26:34

24d ago26:34

26:34

Mickey Heller wasn't eager to open up about his Second World War military service. But his grandson, Aron Heller, a journalist and contributor to The CJN, was curious about his zayde's wartime past—and so, over the span of a decade, he asked questions durings phone calls, visits and emails. As Heller discovered his grandfather's fascinating untold …

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Untouched for decades, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor's memoir is now a Canadian podcast series 33:25

27d ago33:25

33:25

Twenty years ago, when Ilanit-Michele Woods urged her grandmother Olga Fisch to write down her memoirs of life in Hungary before and after the Holocaust, Woods could never have imagined the journey that manuscript would make. The 75 typed pages, all in Hungarian, sat unread for decades in Montreal, long after Olga died in 2017. The family eventuall…

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Nobody wants this (but everyone wants to talk about it) 38:36

28d ago38:36

38:36

The hit Netflix rom-com Nobody Wants This is back, and with it are Jewish debates about intermarriage and onscreen representation in mainstream media. The show's first season tells the story of heartthrob Rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) and non-Jewish podcaster Joanne (Kirsten Bell) falling in love. It was an unexpected hit for Netflix last fall, topping i…

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Temporary Pleasure of Outrage–Long Term Cost of Division - DTH Episode 288 with Lura Forcum 39:14

29d ago39:14

39:14

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! Lura Forcum: The Pleasure of Outrage vs. The Cost of Division Outrage is addictive—but understanding it may be our way out. Wilk Wilkinson welcomes Lura Forcum, president of The Independent Center and co-host of We Made This Political, for a fascinating conversation about political schadenfreude—the pleasure we …

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Israeli journalist Lahav Harkov explains life in post-ceasefire Israel 33:21

29d ago33:21

33:21

While host Ellin Bessner is on vacation, we're bringing you some highlights from other podcasts produced by The CJN. Today: The most recent episode of The Jewish Angle. Israelis breathed a collective sigh of relief after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that included the return of the remaining hostages and and end to the fighting in Gaza. Bu…

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Why Jewish heroine Hannah Senesh is having her moment of renewed interest 25:48

1M ago25:48

25:48

The name Hannah Senesh is a household legend for many Israelis, and also for Diaspora Jews of a certain generation–especially those who attended Jewish school. Over the years, there have been books and films and documentaries about her, and even a recent re-enactment of Senesh’s famous 1944 military commando mission when she and dozens of Jewish vo…

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Honourable Menschen: Her paper heart from Auschwitz remains a powerful symbol of Holocaust survival 28:34

1M ago28:34

28:34

Fania Fainer’s friends risked their lives to celebrate her 20th birthday in a forced labour factory in Auschwitz, fashioning a tiny ersatz cake along with a folded paper greeting card shaped like a heart. Decades later, she was living in Toronto when she decided to donate it to the Montreal Holocaust Museum to further the cause of Holocaust educati…

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Challahween? How Jewish families navigate Halloween 38:28

1M ago38:28

38:28

This week, many Jewish schools will be participating in a hallowed end of October tradition: sending out letters discouraging families from celebrating Halloween. The prominence of Halloween in public has ballooned in recent decades, evolving into a full-blown seasonal phenomenon. But despite the celebratory spiders and inflatable pumpkins, Jews te…

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How Toxic Polarization Turns Deadly–What Columbia's Past Can Teach America's Future - DTH Episode 287 with Phelosha Collaros 40:06

1M ago40:06

40:06

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙇𝙖 𝙑𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖 𝙩𝙤 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙚: 𝙇𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 Wilk Wilkinson is joined by Phelosha Collaros, Vice President at St. John’s College and founder of DepolarWise.com. Her family’s story in Colombia’s La Violencia reveals what happens when political conflict becomes personal—and how humanity can still prevail.…

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'Edgy for a rabbi, clean for a comedian': Meet the Orthodox rabbi comic mocking antisemites onstage 24:22

1M ago24:22

24:22

Rabbi David Rotenberg got his first break performing jokes when he was 15 years old, in 1998. He had to rush out of his yeshiva’s Talmud class to get to a 7-Eleven store payphone and book the gig at the Yuk Yuk’s comedy club in his hometown of Ottawa.Over the past nearly 30 years, the Orthodox rabbi and Jewish educator chose to put his stand-up com…

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75. The Hidden Power of the Politically Homeless - Lura Forcum 38:38

1M ago38:38

38:38

When the Center Becomes the Rebel Once, being radical meant picking a side—Rush Limbaugh on the right, Keith Olbermann on the left. But today, that kind of partisanship isn’t radical anymore—it’s predictable. In this episode, we explore a surprising idea: maybe the true radicals now are the independent thinkers—the bridge-builders—who refuse to be …

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Support group Ha'ikar offers a 'brave space' for young Canadian Jews post Oct. 7 19:34

1M ago19:34

19:34

"On a scale of one to 10, how afraid are you?" That's a conversation starter for the new youth discussion forum Ha'ikar, founded by two Toronto friends, which has served as a support group for Canadian Jews under 40 who have been affected by Oct. 7. A few months after Oct. 7, the group started meeting monthly at Temple Har Zion in Thornhill, Ont., …

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A famous Jewish pilot's vintage plane could be scrapped. This man is on a mission to save it 23:30

1M ago23:30

23:30

Louis Helbig, of Sydney, N.S., has been racing against time trying to find a solution and a good home for what he describes as the Trans-Atlantic Luscombe. The vintage aircraft, built in 1948, was once owned by a famous Jewish watchmaker named Peter Gluckmann, who had fled Hitler's Germany in 1939 to England as teenager with his family. He then who…

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Who’s afraid of Zohran Mamdani? 40:45

1M ago40:45

40:45

For months, Zohran Mamdani has held a double digit lead in the New York City mayoral race. The 34-year-old media-savvy firebrand burst onto the scene with a suite of fresh, progressive ideas—but his candidacy has forced a reckoning among the city’s significant Jewish community. Mamdani says he doesn’t use the slogan “Globalize the intifada” himself…

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DOCUMENTARY - The Manosphere: A Shadow Network of Influence – Havana Mohr-Ramirez 40:03

1M ago40:03

40:03

We take a closer look at the online world known as the manosphere—a loose network of communities including incels, Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), men’s rights activists (MRAs), and pick-up artists (PUAs). These groups may look different on the surface, but they share a common core: resentment toward feminism, nostalgia for traditional masculinity…

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How Gun Owners Can Lead the Mental Health Conversation - DTH Episode 286 with Michael Sodini 46:13

1M ago46:13

46:13

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! Episode 286 – Michael Sodini | Walk The Talk America In this episode, Wilk Wilkinson sits down with Michael Sodini, founder of Walk The Talk America (WTTA) — an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between mental health and responsible gun ownership. They discuss the stigma that keeps people from seeking h…

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Drumming, chanting, climate change: Canada's Jewish Renewal movement is growing 26:30

1M ago26:30

26:30

With the three-week-long Jewish holiday season behind us, Ralph Benmergui, the well-known TV and radio personality—and former podcaster with The CJN—is still kvelling about the first-ever High Holiday services offered by Ha’Sadeh in Toronto. The new-ish, Jewish Renewal community welcomed 150 attendees for its Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah services t…

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Israel’s antisemitism envoy opens up about why she quit—and what comes next 26:40

1M ago26:40

26:40

On Sept. 29—the same day that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, joined U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to announce the 20-point ceasefire plan with Hamas—one of Israel’s best-known advocates sent out her own, much lower-profile press release. It was a surprise resignation letter.Michal Cotler-Wunsh, the Canadian-raised lawyer a…

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Why this Oct. 7, Kingston’s Jewish community built a sukkah outside City Hall 24:01

2M ago24:01

24:01

Kingston’s small Jewish community celebrated the return of the hostages earlier this week, just hours after they took down their large blue-and-white fabric sukkah, which they’d erected right in the city’s most iconic space: outside the historic City Hall building at Springer Market Square.The initiative to bring Jewish culture to the heart of the …

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74. When Polarized Communities Work Together – Kira Hamman 33:36

2M ago33:36

33:36

Why Talking Isn’t Enough to Bridge Divides What happens when people in deeply divided communities set aside differences to work on real problems together? In this episode, we hear from participants in Southern Oregon and from Urban Rural Action’s Senior Director of Programs about how building trust and taking action can bridge divides, create belon…

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Faith 250 – A Clergy-Led Celebration of our Shared Civic Story - DTH Episode 285 with Rabbi Michael Holzman & Pastor Becca Messman 40:30

2M ago40:30

40:30

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! Faith 250 – A Clergy-Led Celebration of our Shared Civic Story What if the 250th anniversary of America’s founding became more than fireworks — what if it became a spiritual renewal of our shared civic story? In this episode, Wilk sits down with Rabbi Michael Holzman and Pastor Becca Messman to explore Faith 250…

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With Israeli hostages set to return, Canadian Oct. 7 victims’ families are still seeking justice 23:43

2M ago23:43

23:43

Jacqui Vital has a simple message for the anxious families of the 48 remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, who are set to be released this week: “I’m glad for them.” But despite the joy and celebration of the long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas, Vital’s own work in Canada is incomplete. Vital, along with the other families of the eight Canadi…

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In Defense of Christian Patriotism – DTH Episode 284 with Daniel Darling 38:15

2M ago38:15

38:15

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! "In Defense of Christian Patriotism " – DTH Episode 284 with Daniel Darling What does it mean to love both God and country without falling into the trap of Christian nationalism? In this episode, Wilk is joined by author Daniel Darling to talk about his new book In Defense of Christian Patriotism. Together they …

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‘When I tell the story, it is therapeutic’: These Canadians are still on the front lines, 2 years after Oct. 7 31:12

2M ago31:12

31:12

Shye Klein and Joy Frenkiel hadn’t met before last week. But they share some common traits: both are dual Canadian-Israeli citizens, and both are still helping victims of trauma heal, as the world prepares to commemorate two years since Oct. 7, 2023.Klein, 27, is a photographer who had recently moved to Israel when he decided to attend the Nova mus…

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Barry Avrich vows to help rebuild kibbutz on Gaza border as ‘The Road Between Us’ releases in theatres 26:22

2M ago26:22

26:22

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a documentary about an Israeli couple driving across the country on Oct. 7 to save their children from Hamas terrorists attacking Kibbutz Nachal Oz, opens in select theatres this week. And down the line, once the film’s revenue is more clear, the filmmakers plan to donate proceeds from the film to the kibbu…

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73. Rethinking Autism Advocacy – Ari Ne’eman 46:29

2M ago46:29

46:29

What If Inclusion, Not Normalization, Was the Goal? Too often, conversations about autism happen without autistic voices at the table. In this episode, we talk with Ari Ne’eman, Assistant Professor at Harvard and co-founder of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, about the real divides in autism advocacy and what a better path forward could look lik…

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Affirming Identity, Building Community, and Cultivating Leadership – DTH Episode 283 with Dr. Beverly Tatum 36:44

2M ago36:44

36:44

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! Affirming Identity, Building Community, and Cultivating Leadership In this episode of Derate The Hate, Wilk Wilkinson sits down with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum—renowned psychologist, author, and president emerita of Spelman College—to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing higher education in today’s pola…

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This reporter made a film about his father’s dying days, turning grief into love 23:38

2M ago23:38

23:38

It’s been five years since Mitch Consky, now The CJN’s Local Journalism Initiative campus reporter, watched his father be diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and, within a few months, pass away at the age of 67. It happened in 2020, right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when health care access became nearly impossible. In the spring of that…

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Why this acclaimed Indigenous leader opposes Canada’s recognition of Palestinian statehood 30:16

2M ago30:16

30:16

Retired Ontario Justice Harry LaForme isn’t entirely comfortable with the label of “ally,” which many Jewish leaders have been using to describe him since Oct. 7. After all, LaForme—who was the first Indigenous Canadian to be appointed to the highest court in any province—says he always felt a kinship with the Jewish people, ever since his family t…

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Mensch of Steel? Comic books are on the curriculum at this synagogue’s Sunday school 26:29

2M ago26:29

26:29

When Sunday Hebrew school classes begin on Oct. 5 at Toronto’s Beth Radom Congregation, the students won’t be punished for reading comic books in class. On the contrary: spiritual leader Cantor Jeremy Burko is bringing his extensive collection of over 550 Jewish superhero comics into the curriculum.It’s his (graphic) novel way to explore the messag…