The secret history of Jews and Indigenous communities

The Jews' Indian, by David Koffman, explores the history of the relationship between Jews and First Nations communities.

In late November, Michael Toledano, a Jewish documentary filmmaker, was arrested while recording from behind the blockades of Wet’suwet’en activists in British Columbia. His arrest made headlines across the country, prompting many Jewish Canadians to ask: What has the relationship between these two communities looked like throughout history? From bigotry to ghettoization, genocide and colonialism, there are many parallels—and also many distinctions. David Koffman, the J. Richard Shiff Chair for the Study of Canadian Jewry and an associate professor of history at York University, joins to discuss.

Plus: The hosts wrap up 2021 in Jewish culture and debate the right way to respond to Christmas greetings.

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.