With the third largest Jewish Diaspora in the world, Canada has no shortage of communal organizations: B’nai Brith, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, plenty of Federations, cross-country campus Hillels—the list goes on. All of them, in some way, claim they are combatting antisemitism.

So do we really need another one?

Daniel Koren thinks so. After working at The CJN, B’nai Brith Canada and Hasbara Canada over the past decade, this May he founded Allied Voices for Israel, a campus organization that promotes Zionism by bringing together Jewish and non-Jewish students for trips to Israel, media fellowships and summer retreats. And, as he shares on this episode of Rivkush, The CJN’s podcast about Jews of colour, the origin for the idea can be traced to his heritage as a Bukharan Jew whose own family traditions are a medley of Middle Eastern and Central Asian customs—nothing like the Ashkenormative standards that have come to define Jews, and to an extent Israel, in mainstream North American culture.

Credits

Rivkush is hosted by Rivka Campbell. Michael Fraiman is the editor and prodcer. Our theme music is by Westside Gravy. The show is sponsored by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and is a member of The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN.