The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for Jewish students at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus. The campus student union passed a motion supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, which would curtail activities and services that “normalize Israeli apartheid.” The main issue that sprung up: kosher food. Who’s going to find a kosher caterer that supports BDS?
To understand the resolutions, as well as what daily life is like for Jewish students at UofT’s Scarborough campus, we’re joined by Tyler Samuels, a graduate from the campus who now works at Hasbara Fellowships Canada and still has many Jewish friends who are affected by the student union’s recent actions.
Plus: We discuss the CBC’s recent list of 18 “words and phrases you may want to think twice about using” and how it affects Jews; our hosts debate latkes versus sufganiyot; we’ve got a whole slew of recommendations for Hanukkah music, movies and books; and Ilana recites a snippet from Lemony Snicket’s modern classic, The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming.
What We Discussed
- “Anyone surprised by University of Toronto’s BDS motion hasn’t been paying attention, says former student Tyler Samuels”
- Read the CBC article, “Words and phrases you may want to think twice about using“
- Read the rebuttal in the National Post, “CBC’s 18 words you can’t say is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” by Jesse Kline
- Hear Tyler Samuels on The CJN’s podcast about Jews of colour at thecjn.ca
Our Hanukkah Recommendations
- “A Week and a Day” by Boyz II Menorah (YouTube)
- Hanukkah Gone Metal by Gods of Fire (godsoffire.bandcamp.com)
- “Light One Candle” by Peter, Paul and Mary (YouTube)
- “Miracle” by Matisyahu (YouTube)
- “Candlelight” by The Maccabeats (YouTube)
- The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket (Amazon)
Credits
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre 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. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.