Culturally Jewish

Culturally Jewish Yosl and the Yingels balance classic klezmer with modern jazz in their debut EP 13 Nov

Joseph Landau discusses his Yiddish swing and folk band, Yosl and the Yingels, and their efforts to revive Yiddish music with their debut EP, Zikhroynes. Lan...

13 Nov

Culturally Jewish Live from the Toronto Holocaust Museum: Talking zombies on Halloween Eve 31 Oct

Michael Fraiman, producer of the Culturally Jewish podcast, discusses his audio drama 'Justice: A Holocaust Zombie Story,' which combines Holocaust education...

31 Oct

Culturally Jewish Jacob Samuel wants audiences to know he's Jewish—and to make that tension funny 8 Oct

Jacob Samuel, a Juno award-winning comedian, discusses the challenges and importance of asserting his Jewish identity in comedy amidst increasing antisemitis...

8 Oct

Culturally Jewish A new exhibit of dreamlike family portaits recall bygone Jewish life, tinged with trauma 24 Sep

Arnie Lipsey, a former animator, discusses his new art exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Montreal, exploring the juxtaposition of familial memories with underl...

24 Sep

Culturally Jewish A new exhibit of dreamlike family portraits recall bygone Jewish life, tinged with trauma 24 Sep

Arnie Lipsey showcases a captivating series of 30 paintings titled "The Past Is Before You" at the Museum of Jewish Montreal, inspired by archival family pho...

24 Sep

Culturally Jewish A new Winnipeg staging of 'Tuesdays with Morrie' brings the menschdom 9 Sep

Winnipeg Jewish Theatre is staging 'Tuesdays with Morrie', starring David Sklar, delving into Jewish themes of life, love, and legacy through Mitch Albom's b...

9 Sep

Culturally Jewish A new Winnipeg staging of 'Tuesdays with Morrie' brings the menschdom 9 Sep

A recent episode of Culturally Jewish explores a new Winnipeg Jewish Theatre production of "Tuesdays with Morrie," highlighting Jewish themes and personal in...

9 Sep

Culturally Jewish Talia Schlanger spent years interviewing professional musicians—then became one herself 30 Jul

Talia Schlanger, known for her career in broadcasting with CBC Radio and NPR, discusses her transition to a professional music career with the release of her...

30 Jul

Culturally Jewish Talia Schlanger spent years interviewing professional musicians—then became one herself 30 Jul

Talia Schlanger, known for her work in hosting music programs and interviewing artists on CBC Radio and NPR, recently shifted her focus to becoming a profess...

30 Jul

Culturally Jewish 'I could not stop crying': Holocaust survivor Maxwell Smart on his life story being made into a movie 9 Jul

Maxwell Smart, a prominent Holocaust survivor, discusses his harrowing story of escape and survival as depicted in the new film "The Boy in the Woods," empha...

9 Jul

Culturally Jewish 'I could not stop crying': Holocaust survivor Maxwell Smart on his life story being made into a movie 9 Jul

Maxwell Smart, a Holocaust survivor who spent 18 months hiding in the woods after being separated from his family, discusses his life story and its adaptatio...

9 Jul

Culturally Jewish Danila Botha's new book of short fiction wants to break the mold of Jewish Orthodoxy 25 Jun

Danila Botha discusses her new book, "Things That Cause Inappropriate Happiness," which explores diverse Jewish identities and challenges traditional narrati...

25 Jun

Culturally Jewish Danila Botha's new book of short fiction wants to break the mold of Jewish Orthodoxy 25 Jun

Canadian author Danila Botha discusses her latest book, "Things That Cause Inappropriate Happiness," featuring Jewish stories that challenge traditional Orth...

25 Jun

Culturally Jewish Meet the singer who performs Yiddish opera from Holocaust survivors—and also Wagner 27 May

Jaclyn Grossman, a soprano opera singer, explores the complexity of performing works by antisemitic composer Richard Wagner alongside music by Holocaust surv...

27 May

Culturally Jewish Meet the singer who performs Yiddish opera from Holocaust survivors—and also Wagner 27 May

Jaclyn Grossman, a Toronto-based soprano, explores the tension between performing Wagner's operas, despite the composer's antisemitic legacy, and Yiddish wor...

27 May

Culturally Jewish How a class of Dawson College theatre students are incidentally workshopping a controversial script about Zionism and campus politics 15 May

David Sklar's play "Vial" explores the complexities of Jewish identity, free speech, and campus politics and has become especially poignant following recent ...

15 May

Culturally Jewish How a class of Dawson College theatre students are incidentally workshopping a controversial script about Zionism and campus politics 15 May

David Sklar's play 'Vial,' originally a pandemic project, gains renewed relevance and controversy as it gets workshopped in Montreal amidst heightened tensio...

15 May

Culturally Jewish Remembering filmmaker Charles Officer, who 'cut through the ideology' with incisive storytelling 2 May

Award-winning filmmaker Charles Officer, who passed away at age 48, is honored for his impactful storytelling on race and identity, blending his Black and Je...

2 May

Culturally Jewish Remembering filmmaker Charles Officer, who 'cut through the ideology' with incisive storytelling 2 May

Charles Officer, a renowned filmmaker with a unique Black and Jewish heritage, is remembered for his incisive storytelling and impactful films that often exp...

2 May

Culturally Jewish She saved 12 Jewish lives during the Holocaust—and Quebecois filmmakers are now telling her story 18 Apr

The episode explores the story of Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish nurse who heroically saved 12 Jews during the Holocaust, now immortalized in the film "Irena’s V...

18 Apr

Culturally Jewish She saved 12 Jewish lives during the Holocaust—and Quebecois filmmakers are now telling her story 18 Apr

Irena Gut Opdyke's bravery in saving 12 Jewish lives during the Holocaust is highlighted in the new film "Irena's Vow," discussed by lead actress Sophie Néli...

18 Apr

Culturally Jewish MAiD takes centre stage in a new comedy about the difficulty of preparing to die 27 Mar

The episode delves into the complexities of medically assisted dying within the Jewish community, highlighting the emotional and religious controversies it r...

27 Mar

Culturally Jewish MAiD takes centre stage in a new comedy about the difficulty of preparing to die 27 Mar

Jordi Mand and director Philip Akin discuss the issues of medically assisted dying (MAiD) within the Jewish community, as inspired by a personal experience t...

27 Mar

Culturally Jewish Just for Laughs co-founder Andy Nulman on the comedy festival's Jewish roots—and recent collapse 11 Mar

Andy Nulman, co-founder of Just for Laughs, discusses the festival's financial troubles leading to its 2021 cancellation, highlighting Montreal's Jewish comm...

11 Mar

Culturally Jewish Just for Laughs co-founder Andy Nulman on the comedy festival's Jewish roots—and recent collapse 11 Mar

Andy Nulman discusses the roots and challenges faced by the Just for Laughs comedy festival amid its recent financial troubles and the impact on Montreal's c...

11 Mar

Culturally Jewish From Nassau Street to United Bakers, a new family folk album waxes nostalgic about old Jewish Toronto 6 Mar

Eric and Erin Warner, inspired by their late grandfather's long life in Toronto, collaborated with Jason Craig to produce a concept album, 'A Song for Ira,' ...

6 Mar

Culturally Jewish From Nassau Street to United Bakers, a new family folk album waxes nostalgic about old Jewish Toronto 6 Mar

The Warner siblings and Jason Craig have created "A Song for Ira," a nostalgic concept album that captures the essence of Jewish life in mid-20th century Tor...

6 Mar

Culturally Jewish As Kanye West drops a new album, a new play in Winnipeg shines a harsh light on his antisemitic past 15 Feb

Seth Zosky and Dan Petrenko discuss their new play, "Pain to Power," a musical protest using Kanye West's music to address his antisemitic controversies. The...

15 Feb

Culturally Jewish As Kanye West drops a new album, a new play in Winnipeg shines a harsh light on his antisemitic past 15 Feb

Seth Zosky and Dan Petrenko discuss their creative journey adapting Kanye West's music into a theatrical protest against his antisemitic statements. The epis...

15 Feb

Culturally Jewish A new comic book spotlights Toronto's Ward—with a supernatural twist 31 Jan

Ari Gross discusses his debut comic, "Wardens," which blends historical Toronto with Kabbalistic themes, and reflects on the culturally-rich immigrant neighb...

31 Jan

Culturally Jewish A new comic book spotlights Toronto's Ward—with a supernatural twist 31 Jan

Ari Gross, a machine learning engineer and comic book writer, combines his diverse backgrounds to create a supernatural comic book, 'Wardens,' set in 1920s T...

31 Jan

Culturally Jewish Does Jewish representation actually matter in film and TV? A Jewish casting director weighs in 17 Jan

This discussion highlights the challenges of authentic Jewish representation in film and television as addressed by casting director Jess Greenberg. The epis...

17 Jan

Culturally Jewish Does Jewish representation actually matter in film and TV? A Jewish casting director weighs in 17 Jan

Jewish representation in film and TV is scrutinized as high-profile Jewish entertainers challenge their exclusion from diversity standards set by the Motion ...

17 Jan

Culturally Jewish 'A very dangerous precedent': Everything wrong with the Belfry Theatre cancelling 'The Runner' 4 Jan

The cancellation of "The Runner" by the Belfry Theatre in B.C. has sparked debate on censorship and cancel culture within the arts community. Amidst allegati...

4 Jan

Culturally Jewish 'A very dangerous precedent': Everything wrong with the Belfry Theatre cancelling 'The Runner' 4 Jan

Faced with protests, the Belfry Theatre in Victoria, B.C. canceled its production of 'The Runner,' a play about an Orthodox Jewish volunteer, amid allegation...

4 Jan

Culturally Jewish Israeli-Canadian drag queen Gila Münster reflects on a year mired in right-wing protests and left-wing antisemitism 11 Dec 2023

Israeli-Canadian drag queen Gila Mnster, known for her drag queen storytelling events, faced challenges in 2023 from right-wing protests and left-wing antise...

11 Dec 2023

Culturally Jewish In her new book, Ruth Rakoff tackles ultra-Orthodox Judaism, generational trauma and the death of her brother 30 Nov 2023

In her new novel "Untethered," Ruth Rakoff explores themes of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, generational trauma, and the death of her brother. The book follows two...

30 Nov 2023

Culturally Jewish A new Canadian opera spotlights the legacy of Chiune Sugihara, the 'Japanese Schindler' 14 Nov 2023

"I Have My Mother's Eyes" is a new Canadian chamber opera premiering at the Chutzpah Festival in Vancouver, spotlighting the legacy of Chiune Sugihara, known...

14 Nov 2023

Culturally Jewish 'A more beautiful side of Israel': This Canadian-led photography collective is raising money for kibbutzim attacked by Hamas 2 Nov 2023

Niv Shimshon, an Israeli-born photographer residing in Canada, organized a group of Jewish and Israeli photographers from Israel and North America to raise f...

2 Nov 2023

Culturally Jewish 'It feels pretty hopeless': Jewish artists open up about working in a dominantly anti-Zionist industry 19 Oct 2023

Jewish artists in the predominantly left-leaning arts industry face challenges due to the community's anti-Zionist stance, which can risk their friendships a...

19 Oct 2023

Culturally Jewish 'Controversial' Canadian artist Matthew Jocelyn just took over the Koffler Centre. What does that mean for its Jewish future? 3 Oct 2023

Matthew Jocelyn, a controversial Canadian artist, has taken over as the general director of the Koffler Centre of the Arts in Toronto, a prominent historical...

3 Oct 2023

Culturally Jewish How Sarah Segal-Lazar went from Jewish Montreal to writing folk songs in rustic P.E.I. 19 Sep 2023

Sarah Segal-Lazar, a Canadian musician and actor, drew inspiration from defying professional expectations to craft the theme song for The CJN's arts and cult...

19 Sep 2023

Culturally Jewish Forgotten Canadian sports icon Bobbie Rosenfeld gets an onstage revival in Barrie, Ont. 6 Sep 2023

"Forgotten Canadian sports icon Bobbie Rosenfeld is being brought back into the spotlight through a new biographical play in Barrie, Ontario. Rosenfeld, a Je...

6 Sep 2023

Culturally Jewish Why do Jews love jam bands? 7 Aug 2023

Jewish affinity for jam bands like The Grateful Dead and Phish, known for improvisational music and long concerts, is explored in an episode of Culturally Je...

7 Aug 2023

Culturally Jewish Bobbi Goddard wasn't born Jewish, living in Mexico, or a country singer—and is now all three 13 Jul 2023

Bobbi Goddard, a Canadian-born individual who converted to Judaism and taught herself Hebrew while in Israel, found herself in Mexico during the pandemic and...

13 Jul 2023

Culturally Jewish In his debut comedy album, Jacob Balshin tackles mohels, masculinity and magic mushrooms 27 Jun 2023

Jacob Balshin, a former philosophy major from Thornhill, has ventured into stand-up comedy with his debut album, "30 And Breathing Funny," featuring anecdote...

27 Jun 2023

Culturally Jewish 'Less Than Kosher' is a surprisingly heartfelt story of spiritual discovery 12 Jun 2023

"Less Than Kosher" is a web series born from Shaina Silver-Baird's unexpected experience singing as a cantor despite not being religious. The series, premier...

12 Jun 2023

Culturally Jewish Jeff Rothpan on puppets, stereotypes and what it takes to make it as a comic in the States 29 May 2023

Jeff Rothpan, a comedy writer and performer, reflects on his successful career in the United States, working with icons like Steve Martin and John Cleese. Ro...

29 May 2023

Culturally Jewish Do Jews have an architectural style? Manuel Herz says yes—with a catch 15 May 2023

Architect Manuel Herz designed a mesmerizing new synagogue and memorial at Babyn Yar, Ukraine, commemorating the Holocaust massacre that occurred there in 19...

15 May 2023

Culturally Jewish The Segal Centre is putting on an epic 3-hour Jewish family drama—and we visited the set 1 May 2023

The Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal is producing a three-hour Jewish family drama called "Prayer for the French Republic" that tackles themes of...

1 May 2023