Obituary: Sheila Kussner, 91, whose Hope & Cope advocated for people living with cancer
Everyone in Montreal seems to know Sheila Kussner and Hope & Cope, the charity for cancer patients that she founded. Her extraordinary accomplishments and the news of her death at age 91 on Aug. 6 elicited a shockwave and outpouring of love across Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Kussner was “a dear friend” to […]
Obituary: Beverly Spanier, 78, became an advocate for patients’ rights during the pandemic
“She had the courage to keep being angry for all the right reasons,” her friend recalls.
‘Pigeon dans le Parc’ is Montreal’s newest Jewish community café providing summer opportunities to neurodivergent youth
Two Montreal cafes connected to the city’s Jewish community—one targeted by pro-Palestinian boycotters after Oct. 7, and another operated by neurodivergent youth—have opened a new establishment in Hampstead. ‘Pigeon dans le Parc’ officially opened on July 3 as a full-time full operation this summer. It’s a joint venture between Café Pigeon, a popular coffeeshop with […]
Kosher organizations go to court, arguing that current meat production regulations jeopardize ritual slaughter practices
Canadian kosher organizations were in court in Montreal this week, asking for an injunction that would allow them to continue the practice of shechitah, or Jewish ritual slaughter, amidst newly imposed regulations by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. In a hearing before the Federal Court on July 10 and July 11, the Jewish Community Council […]
United Against Hate Canada is a new nonprofit founded by Marvin Rotrand, a former Montreal city councillor who was recently a national director at B’nai Brith
Marvin Rotrand, a former Montreal city councillor and former national director at B’nai Brith Canada, announced the incorporation of a new nonprofit dedicated to combating hate earlier this week. At a press conference on June 19, Rotrand outlined the priorities of the newly formed United Against Hate Canada (UAHC) organization. A press release from the […]
An arrest was made in connection with the November 2023 shootings directed at Yeshiva Gedola in Montreal
Abdirazak Mahdi Ahmed, 20, was charged on May 22 with discharging a firearm, theft and more.
Lisa Goldman, a Canadian who has reported on Israel for years, takes a frank look at the state of journalism and the prospects for stability in the region
Lisa Goldman reported on Israel-Palestine through the Second Intifada, the 2006 Lebanon War, and the Arab Spring. In 2010, she was part of the founding team of the independent reporting outlet +972 Magazine. She ended a decade-long reporting hiatus shortly before Oct. 7. Today she is based in Montreal and works as a contributing editor at New […]
Quebec has issued a 10-day injunction designed to protect Jewish institutions after Montreal buildings were protested on two consecutive evenings
A temporary injunction banning protests in front of Montreal Jewish community buildings has been issued by the Quebec Superior Court after two consecutive nights of protests. Federation CJA and Montreal’s Spanish and Portuguese congregation sought out the injunction after protests on March 4 and 5, one of which resulted in the arrest of two men […]
Concordia wouldn’t let a student group hold an Israel-related event on campus, so it moved to Federation CJA’s building—where protesters blocked the entrances
Two men were arrested and charged with assault after a pro-Palestinian protest took place outside Montreal’s Federation CJA building during an event hosted by a Concordia University group on March 4. The event put on by StartUp Nation and Hillel featured Israelis Nir Yosef, Ori Itzhaki and Aby Volcovich who are on a Canada-wide tour […]
Montreal’s Jewish Public Library reversed its decision to move books by local children’s author Elise Gravel to closed stacks in response to her series of illustrated messages criticizing Israel
UPDATE 2/15/24: The JPL announced its reversal of the decision with a statement about how it “recognizes that everyone has a fundamental right to access the full range of knowledge, creativity, ideas and opinions, and to formulate and express their thoughts in public. “This includes those deemed unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable, whether in the content […]
