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)

Days ahead of Yizkor being recited in synagogues across Canada, The CJN Daily wanted to take stock of some noteworthy Canadian Jews who've passed away in recent months. It's the latest edition of a recurring series we like to call "Honourable Menschen".

Today, host Ellin Bessner sits down with The CJN's obituary writer, Heather Ringel, to chat about five noteworthy community members we've lost in 2024. They begin with Sheila Kussner, one of Canada's most relentless cancer fundraisers, before moving onto Irving Liebgott, one of the longest-surviving members of The Tailor Project, which brought Jewish tailors and their families to Canada after the Holocaust. They also discuss Morley Rosenberg, who served as the mayor of Kitchener in the late 1970s and early '80s; Faye "Tootsie" David, who owned an iconic Jewish deli on Cape Breton with her husband, Ike; and the trailblazing feminist academic Frieda Johles Forman.

What we talked about

• Obituary: Sheila Kussner, 91, whose Hope & Cope advocated for people living with cancer (thecjn.ca)
• Obituary: Irving Leibgott, 100, whose work as a tailor spared his life in the Holocaust and helped him write a new chapter in Canada (thecjn.ca)
• Read about Morley Rosenberg's run for city council in 2018 (thecjn.ca)

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)