Why the Uyghur genocide is a Jewish issue

Plus more of February’s hotter-than-horseradish discussion topics.
A Uyghur woman selling bread at the Turpan night market in China. (Tom Thai/Flickr Creative Commons)

The Olympics kick off this weekend, but sports are far from the biggest story. Instead, international media attention has turned to the persecution of China’s Uyghur population, a Muslim minority of about 12 million suffering genocide at the hands of the Chinese government.

For many, this is not just a humanitarian crisis, but a deeply Jewish issue: a million Uyghurs are being held in concentration camps, organized by a government trying to erase their cultural identity. Rabbi Anthony Knopf joins from England to explain why Jews need to pay attention—and what they can do to help.

Plus, the hosts discuss the Whoopi Goldberg controversy and the rise of Jewish Orthodox libertarianism that’s coalesced with the trucker convoy in Ottawa.

What we talked about

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.

Author

Support Our Mission: Make a Difference!

The Canadian Jewish News is now a Registered Journalism Organization (RJO) as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. To help support the valuable work we’re doing, we’re asking for individual monthly donations of at least $10. In exchange, you’ll receive tax receipts, a thank-you gift of our quarterly magazine delivered to your door, and our gratitude for helping continue our mission. If you have any questions about the donating process, please write to [email protected].

Support the Media that Speaks to You

Jewish Canadians deserve more than social media rumours, adversarial action alerts, and reporting with biases that are often undisclosed. The Canadian Jewish News proudly offers independent national coverage on issues that impact our audience each day, as a conduit for conversations that bridge generations. 

It’s an outlet you can count on—but we’re also counting on you.

Please support Jewish journalism that’s creative, innovative, and dedicated to breaking new ground to serve your community, while building on media traditions of the past 65 years. As a Registered Journalism Organization, contributions of any size are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.