Black Jewish actor Jussie Smollett violently assaulted in Chicago
Black Jewish actor Jussie Smollett, best known for his work on the show Empire, was hospitalized in Chicago on Tuesday following an assault that is being described by police as a possible hate crime.
Linda Sarsour apologizes to Jewish members of the Women’s March
Linda Sarsour released a statement apologizing on behalf of the Women’s March for causing harm to the movement’s Jewish members and for being too slow to show its commitment to fighting anti-Semitism.
Mestel: Lessons from life on the street
“Many of us feel that the youths living on the street are addicts who don’t want to be employed and just want the easy handout. What I have learned is that there is nothing easy about this situation. These youths I described are all Jewish children from Jewish beginnings.”
Camp let kids come out of the closet
Machane Lev, Canadian Young Judaea’s inaugural Jewish overnight summer camp for LGTBQ youth, was a resounding success this past summer. Exceeding their goal of 20 campers, Machane Lev anticipates having upwards of 50 campers next summer. And, starting in October, Machane Lev will introduce a monthly education and social program.
A look back at the stories that made headlines this past year
The CJN looks back at the stories that made headlines this past year.
Ido Katri: Advocating for trans rights in the legal system
“In Canada and globally, the fight for trans inclusion is gaining momentum, yet the realities of many trans people continue to be precarious.”
Kay: The scorpion in the Jewish world’s fire
When I consider the scourge of anti-Semitism in its present anti-Israel form, I often remember the scorpion from the Raj Quartet. Israel is small but powerful and rightly feared for its sting when attacked. It is ringed by external enemies, but it is also threatened by the venom produced within its own body.
Toronto’s largest Jewish LGBTQ group takes new form
On Sept. 16, Toronto’s largest Jewish LGBTQ organization, Kulanu, will shut down, after 18 years in operation.
Your Daily Spiel For August 8
Israeli actress Gal Gadot will be starring in a limited Showtime series about Hedy Lamarr; Holocaust experts want to meet with Mark Zuckerberg; nearly 600 rabbis from North America have signed a letter calling on Orthodox rabbis in Israel to retract homophobic comments.
600 North American rabbis call for Israeli Orthodox rabbis to retract homophobic letter
“We join together to decry the rise of intolerance, discrimination and Sinat Chinam, baseless hatred, against the LGBTQ community in Israel. In light of a recent letter, signed by 200 prominent Israeli rabbis, labeling LGBTQ people with hateful and demeaning insults, as well as condemning their children to a ‘wretched’ existence, we lift our own voices not in hatred, but out of the deepest love and concern for all the people of Israel.”
