June 24 is the Fête nationale du Québec, also known as Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. It’s one of the province’s biggest holidays, despite being largely unknown by non-Francophone Canadians. And in 2021, it comes mere weeks after the House of Commons passed a motion recognizing Quebec as a nation, after Premier François Legault introduced new legislation to ensure French remains the province’s dominant language.
Where do Jews, who are neither Anglo nor Francophone, fit into this narrative? On this week’s episode of Bonjour Chai, The CJN’s current affairs podcast, Pierre Anctil, a Canadian historian and professor at the University of Ottawa, joins to discuss the role of Jews in Quebec: how they’ve integrated, what daily life is like and how Zionism has (or hasn’t) resonated with Quebec nationalists.
Plus: the hosts discuss a provocative essay by Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy in Tablet called “The Un-Jews“, and Rabbi Boris Dolin of Dorshei Emet talks about the perfect Shabbat song.
Listen and subscribe above.
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Melissa Lantsman and Ilana Zackon. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andrew Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network.
