Even if you haven't visited the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa, you may recall when it opened in September 2017 with one glaring omission: it didn't mention Jews. While the federal government did fix the plaque on the nearly $9-million monument, after that controversial opening, the monument sat largely ignored. Yes, it's used by federal politicians for Holocaust remembrance events, but there is limited signage and no tours to explain its significance to visitors or tourists.

It's a problem that the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) wanted to fix. On Oct. 30, just before Holocaust Education Week kicks off on Nov. 4, the Ottawa-based organization unveilled a self-guided tour now available on IWalk, a mobile app created by the USC Shoah Foundation. CHES calls the tour "an essential companion to the monument," featuring information about the details of the monument along survivor testimonies, educational materials for teachers and a virtual 3D tour.

The CJN Daily's Ellin Bessner was recently in the nation's capital and wanted to see the monument for herself. Rather than take the IWalk tour, she met up with Mina Cohn and Artur Wilczynski of CHES for an in-person experience to hear the story and history behind this new immersive educational experience.

What we talked about

• Learn about the National Holocaust Monument's IWalk tour at iwalknhm.org
• Find more educational resources from CHES at chesatottawa.ca
• Read about the plaque controversy when the National Holocaust Monument opened at thecjn.ca (from 2018)
• Listen to "Canada’s Holocaust monument opened 4 years ago. Why isn’t anyone using it?" on The CJN Daily

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

Support our show

• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

Ziv and Barak Morag, along with their young two children, lived happily in their small house in Kibbutz Nir Oz—until Oct. 7, 2023. The southern community saw around 100 of its members killed or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, leaving the remaining 300 residents—including the Morags—scattered and displaced in the aftermath of the attack.

On a whim, while moving between homes, they applied to a little-known grassroots initiative called Hug for Hope, which matches displaced Israeli evacuees with Canadian or American families for up to 10 days. It was only months later that they got a call: a family had agreed to host them. The Morags were skeptical, but when they hopped on a virtual call with their future hosts, they immediately felt a connection.

As the Morags and their host, Danielle Kaplan, explain on today's episode of The CJN Daily, that connection is the point of this experience. The goal is to help these Israeli families relax, laugh and enjoy themselves after living through horrific trauma. As you'll hear, while in Toronto, the Morags went sightseeing, bonded with their Canadian counterparts and created a lasting emotional bond that made them feel like they were truly staying with family.

Related links

• Learn more about Hug for Hope at hugforhope.ca
• Hear how Danielle Kaplan helped her husband recover from a near-fatal motorcycle crash, on The CJN Daily

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

Support our show

• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

With the U.S. election just over a week away, Vice-President Kamala Harris is maintaining a narrow lead over former president Donald Trump—although the margin of error is so slim that the result remains essentially a toss-up.

One polling company contributing to this data is Mainstreet Research, a Canadian firm. Steven Pinkus, a longtime vice president at Mainstreet, struck a partnership with Florida Atlantic University and began polling Americans directly to find recurring themes and provide accurate data for their clients north of the border.

As it happens, Americans are concerned with many of the same issues as Canadians this election cycle, with affordability, housing, immigration and inflation reigning supreme. But which candidate is better for Israel and the Jews? Steve Pinkus joins host Ellin Bessner for a conversation about the issues that matter to Americans, Canadians and the Jewish community this fall.

Related links

• See Mainstreet and FAU's polling at faupolling.com
• "Loomering large: Phoebe Maltz Bovy on Jews and fake news" (thecjn.ca)
• "Trump or Biden? Who is Good for the Jews and Israel?" (thecjn.ca archives, from 2021)

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

Support our show

• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)