Ellin Bessner

As the @NDP chooses its next leader, some Jewish Canadians are raising concerns about the front-runners' strong positions against Israel: especially the only Jewish candidate, @avilewis, who is anti-Zionist, says Israel has committed genocide, is a member of @IndJewishVoices, and yet said nothing to show compassion for his community after the recent attacks on 3 Canadian synagogues. It's making party insider and @TheCJN's NDP political panelist @ntepperman worried that a Lewis victory could make antisemitism worse.🎧Listen: [thecjn.ca/news/ndp-leade…]

Shootings, hate mobs on the streets - Canada wasn't always this way. It doesn't have to stay this way. Words must be turned to action. Jewish Canadians must be protected, before this deadly violence starts claiming victims. Deputy FM @sharrenhaskel on @thecjn with @ebessner ⬇️

The Combatting Hate Act, Bill C-9, is back in Parliament this week — heading toward final votes. Will it actually make Canada's Jews safer, after 2 years of rising #antisemitism? On today's @TheCJN, two Jewish MPs. One bill. Completely different views. Liberal @AHousefather says police have been asking for new tools. The ✡️community has, too. Conservative @Roman_Baber says just enforce the laws we already have, plus he's worried about free religious speech. 🎧 [thecjn.ca/news/will-bill…] #canpoli @cija @bnaibrithcanada @ALCCAcanada @cwaa_national @CanadianFSWC

2 Israeli seniors were killed overnight in Ramat Gan trying to get to their safe room, when the building was hit. It’s a stark reminder of a hidden crisis of Israel's current war with Iran: nearly 1⃣in5⃣Israelis lives with a disability. Not everyone can reach safety in time. From inaccessible shelters to delays in receiving Home Front Command phone alerts, these problems are life-threatening. @TheCJN's "North Star" podcast, 🇨🇦disability rights lawyer @DavidLepofsky explains why this gap persists and what Israel must change. thecjn.ca/news/when-the-…

Why are so many antisemitism-related charges in Toronto being withdrawn before trial? On @thecjn's "North Star" podcast, legal experts Michael Teper of @CAEFto and Rochelle Direnfeld of @ALCCAcanada explain what happens between police arrests and Crown decisions — and why some worry the pattern of between 40 and 50% of 100 cases dropped since 2023 sends a message of impunity. 🎧 Listen: thecjn.ca/news/after-syn… #Antisemitism #Toronto #ontpoli

This afternoon, I’ve instructed my Attorney General to pursue an injunction against the Al-Quds Day demonstration planned for Toronto. Hate, violence and intimidation have no place on the streets of Canada and our government will fight it however we can.

BREAKING: Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces that Ontario will pursue an injunction to block the Al-Quds Day demonstration in Toronto “If we don’t act now, if we don’t act decisively, the hatred won’t stop.”

Over the weekend, I reported outside Beth Avraham Yoseph synagogue in Thornhill, after gunfire struck the front doors overnight. Next, Shaarei Shomayim was hit. In total, three Toronto-area synagogues were targeted by gunfire last week. In this episode of @TheCJN’s North Star podcast, you can hear what it sounded like on the ground , what the police said, what the politicians promised and community leaders warned. 🎧 Listen:thecjn.ca/news/gunfire-a…

@jcc_montreal @Anthony__Koch r.pebmac.ca/https://thecjn…

The reports that two synagogues in Toronto were struck by gunfire on Shabbat night are horrifying and deeply painful. Shabbat is meant to be a time of peace. A time when Jewish families gather in holiness to pray, sing, and rest. To fire bullets at synagogues on the night of Shabbat is an act of hatred meant to terrorize Jews simply for being Jews. Across Canada, Jewish families are now asking a question that should never have to be asked in a free and democratic country: are we safe when we walk into our synagogues? The Jewish community is grieving and exhausted. For months we have watched antisemitism explode across our streets, campuses, and public discourse. Jewish institutions have been vandalized. Jewish students have been harassed. Jewish Canadians have been threatened simply for openly living as Jews. Now we are seeing gunfire directed at synagogues. These are sacred spaces. They are places where children learn, where families gather, where communities pray. The idea that bullets are being fired at houses of worship in Canada is as shocking as it is heartbreaking. This hatred does not appear out of nowhere. When antisemitic rhetoric is tolerated, excused, or normalized in public life, it creates an atmosphere where violence becomes possible. Authorities must treat these attacks with the utmost seriousness and ensure those responsible are found and held fully accountable. Jewish communities must also be given the security resources necessary to protect their institutions and congregants. On this Motzei Shabbat, our hearts are heavy. Am Yisrael Chai. ✡️

Here's the latest on the two Toronto synagogue attacks by unknown shooters targeting the Beth Avraham Yoseph in Thornhill, ShaareiShomayim in North York last night. What police are saying, what we saw. @TheCJN @bnaibrithcanada @UJAFederation @CanadianFSWC @TPSOperations @YRP r.pebmac.ca/https://thecjn…

@musherure1 @CIJAinfo @IrwinCotler @TheCJN @netanyahu @POTUS It was an IRGC missile they even admitted it so get your facts straight

@CIJAinfo @IrwinCotler @TheCJN @ebessner What about the massacre of 160+ #StandWithIran school children by @netanyahu and @POTUS?

.@IrwinCotler spoke to @TheCJN's @ebessner to make it clear that this moment is not only about celebration — but should be about accountability, including for the estimated 35,000 Iranians executed by the Islamic Regime in recent protests. For the sake of Iranians and people everywhere, it is crucial that Canada confronts this brutal regime, both abroad and here at home. Read or listen to the full interview: thecjn.ca/news/iran-targ…

Full article here: thecjn.ca/news/iran-targ…

Iran tried to assassinate @IrwinCotler Canada's former justice minister. Now the masterminds in Iran are likely dead. On today's @TheCJN North Star podcast, he tells me why the world must finally act and stop allowing impunity for Iran's state-sponsored terror. And what should Canada do? Prosecute IRGC members now living safely in this country Watch the full conversation. youtu.be/H49X0fvLAVE?si… @CanadaFP @TheRWCHR #canpoli #Iran #IranIsraelWar

A Canadian in Israel, Montreal lawyer @NeilOberman, was describing life under rocket fire — when sirens interrupted our interview. Watch the full episode on @TheCJN "North Star": youtube.com/watch?v=iThIMH… #israel #IranIsraelWar

@NeilOberman youtu.be/iThIMHHWSr4?si…

Spent another night in the bomb shelter. Day comes and so do the rockets. Guess what we aren't scared. Guess what we aren't nervous. Guess what? Iran will be free from the tyranny of the Haters. God bless and be safe.

Hear from our 3-day #Jeopardy champ James Hirsh on @ebessner's North Star podcast! youtu.be/4RD45rgn5rE?si… @menschwarmers

Breaking: Israel's Knesset just voted 56-47 to grant ultra-Orthodox control over the whole Western Wall area. Critics warn this effectively outlaws hard-won rights to egalitarian prayer for millions of Jews, including women, Conservative, Reform and other non-Orthodox worshippers, especially in the Diaspora. Toronto Rabbi Elyse Goldstein joins me on @TheCJN's "North Star" podcast to explain what's at stake, and not just at Judaism's holiest site: thecjn.ca/news/why-egali…

“The APR framework makes me feel like my kids don’t count and aren’t particularly welcome.” — a Jewish father describing how his family feels amid the introduction of an anti-Palestinian racism policy in school districts.” A great conversation about why Jewish parents are raising concerns about anti-Palestinian racism policies for Ontario schools via @TheCJN thecjn.ca/news/why-jewis…

The push to add anti-Palestinian racism to Ontario school policy hasn't gone away. It's just moved. Meanwhile, Ottawa funded several APR advocacy groups fiercely opposed to Canada's official government policy adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism. What's at stake for Jewish families and students? @TheCJN's education reporter @mitchellconsky unpacks his investigation story with me today. thecjn.ca/news/why-jewis… @JEFA_Canada @tdsb @CanArabLaw

B’nai Brith Canada is continuing to support the Ontario Camps Association (OCA) in its response to a coordinated hate-fueled smear campaign targeting Jewish-affiliated camps and OCA leadership. We are doing so in our capacity as a leading national human rights organization with 150 years of expertise in combatting antisemitism and supporting institutions facing hate-related incidents. Our role is to provide guidance and practical advice to help the OCA and its members, where and when needed, to defend themselves and to ensure Ontario’s camps remain safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces. Accreditation bodies such as OCA exist to uphold standards related to safety, governance, and program quality. They do not adjudicate geopolitical conflicts, nor should they be subjected to pressure campaigns that seek to target institutions or individuals because of their Jewish identity or anyone’s recognition of Israel’s right to exist as the indigenous and ancestral homeland of the Jewish People. Jewish camps, like all community institutions in Canada, must be able to operate free from harassment, intimidation, or discrimination. Attempts to single out Jewish camps are unacceptable, and B’nai Brith Canada will ensure they are confronted with clarity and resolve.