The Jewish Angle

Israelis breathed a collective sigh of relief after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that included the return of the remaining hostages and and end to the fighting in Gaza. But the question remains: What comes next? What does the future look like for embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heading into next year's elections? How are Western political figures like U.S. President Trump perceived in the region after this fragile peace deal? To get an inside view of life this month in the Holy Land, we bring on Lahav Harkov, a senior political correspondent for Jewish Insider and co-host of the Misgav Mideast Horizons podcast, who is based in Israel but writes for a Western audience. She sits down with Phoebe Maltz Bovy on The Jewish Angle for a discussion of Israeli political polling, Israeli views on Canada and what are the ramifications of a possible Zohran Mamdani mayoralty in New York City. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

NOTE: Due to a technical error from our host server, this episode of The Jewish Angle did not release as scheduled in RSS feeds on Oct. 23. We are publishing it today instead. We apologize for anyone sincerely irritated by missing their weekly dose of Phoebe Maltz Bovy's opinion—but, hey, at least you get two this week. The U.S. government has, in recent weeks, began cracking down on controversial speech within its borders—especially for non-citizens speaking out against Israel. It's a surprising turn of events for a country whose right to free speech has been codified into the First Amendment, putting into question whether the U.S. has fallen behind the rest of the Western world when it comes to speech protection. But according to David Polansky, a political theorist and senior fellow with the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy, countries like Canada and the United Kingdom are still far more restrictive with their speech laws, cracking down on in-person and online hateful comments with legal force. Yet the 2020s are still being marked by what Polansky has dubbed the "woke right", whereby American right-wing activists and politicians are dictating what is permissible public speech, much like the "woke left" did years ago. And at the centre of this debate are Jews, Israel and Palestine. Polansky explains more on this week's episode of The Jewish Angle. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

The Western world has never "defeated" bigotry in the way it hoped. Try as some might to stamp out racism in all its forms, there are still plenty of prejudices, from grade school hallways to the highest offices of government officials. Why would antisemitism be any different? It's a question posed by Ari Y. Kelman, a professor at Stanford's Taube Center for Jewish Studies. In a recent article published in Arc magazine, titled "More Than Zero", Kelman argues that, in a post-Oct. 7 landscape, "Jews must be content to flourish with a certain amount of antisemitism" existing out there in the world, and that it is a fantasy to expect anti-Jewish hatred to be legislated or educated into submission. Kelman joins Phoebe Maltz Bovy on The Jewish Angle to discuss his pragmatic essay, including the central question it poses: if we are to accept that antisemitism will forever exist, how much can we expect from a country like the United States? (Or, we might add, in Canada?) Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

The latest novel by British author Emma Forrest, Father Figure, is arguably the greatest work of Jewish literature in decades—at least, that's according to The CJN's opinion editor, Phoebe Maltz Bovy, who gave a glowing review to the new release on Sept. 29. But across the pond, the book has received a muted reaction. It hasn't been spotlit in any British book fairs; it's been largely ignored by domestic literary awards; professional friends who've helped promote, and even written forwards for, her past works have largely ignored this one. What makes this latest book different? It is unmistakably, idiosyncratically Jewish. Combine that with the growing antisemitism that's erupted in the United Kingdom since Oct. 7—which culminated in a lethal terror attack in Manchester on Yom Kippur—and it's hard for Forrest not to think her apolitical work of fiction has suffered from her personal cultural identity and a broader political climate. Forrest joins Maltz Bovy on the latest episode of The Jewish Angle to discuss her novel, along with its deep inception and quiet reception. Forrest describes the real-life inspirations behind her boarding school setting, including her own encounters with Harvey Weinstein how they influenced her characters, before discussing the recent tragedy in Manchester and how her country's small Jewish community is reacting. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

Canadian patriotism has surged since U.S. President Donald Trump took office and waged a trade war with his country's northern neighbour. But while this flavour of patriotism has largely manifested in opposition to the United States ("Elbows up," etc.), one Jewish social psychologist, neuroscientist and writer wonders if Canadians could change that perspective. What if, instead of defining itself as "not America", Canadian patriotism celebrated its culture and achievements on their own merits? That's the thesis from Montreal-born Michael Inzlicht, who now teaches in the psychology department at the University of Toronto. Earlier this year, he wrote a post on his Substack, "How Quebec Taught Me to Love Canada", outlining how Canadian pride has, in a few short months, seemingly caught up to what Quebec has been doing for decades. To discuss this shift—especially from a Jewish perspective—Inzlicht joins his neighbour in Toronto's Roncesvalles Village, Phoebe Maltz Bovy, for a discussion about the shift in politics and perception, from their own neighbourhood to the international border. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

You may have new year's resolutions. But do you have Jewish new year's resolutions? Erin Beser, a Jewish educator and rebbetzin, does one each year with her family—sometimes just for the year, sometimes forever. First they gave up meat. Then they gave up screens. This year? Shopping—no more impulse buys, extra clothes or excessive gifts. In 5786, they're only buying what they need. Beser drew attention to this cause by outlining her plan in a recent JTA article, in which she outlined the steps, logic and limits of paring down her family purchases. ("I’m not canceling Hanukkah," she writes, "because I am not a monster.") She hopes to guide her family toward community connection, self-reflection and appreciation for what one has, while learning about the role of Jewish women in the evolution of 20th-century capitalism. She joins Phoebe Maltz Bovy on The Jewish Angle to explain more. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

In the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, Marsha Lederman wasn't sure if she wanted to write about Hamas' historic terror attack for her regular column in the Globe and Mail. Should she recuse herself because she was Jewish, or because she had family in Israel? Did even she want to step into the minefield of publishing an opinion on Middle Eastern politics? In the end, she did weigh in—repeatedly—and has just published a collection of those columns, October 7th: Searching for the Humanitarian Middle, published by Penguin Random House in Aug. 2025. In the book, she outlines her desire to carve out an apolitical centrist stance that balances her Zionist beliefs as the child of Holocaust survivors with her support for Palestinian human rights. It's a glimpse into the micro-eras of that fraught year, with opinions and perspectives shifting with every new report and revelation. Lederman joins her fellow Globe and Mail columnist (who is also The CJN's opinion editor and podcaster) Phoebe Maltz Bovy for an in-depth discussion about the tightrope she walked in the opinion pages of a national newspaper. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

What's the line between a personal essay and a hot take? Takes are written quickly, maybe flippantly, to latch onto a news hook. But essays are longer, more thoughtful and nearly impossible to write once a week. Meghan Daum has done both. And her latest book, The Catastrophe Hour, compiles a selection of her essays from 2016-2023, touching on cultural issues and providing insight into her approach to essay writing, which eschews both moral authority and excessive self-deprecation. Daum, who is not herself Jewish (but gets a title of "honourary Jew"), joins Phoebe Maltz Bovy for a discussion on opinion-writing, cultural representation and cancel culture and the value of being an "outlier" in today's cultural landscape. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

There has been a vibe shift in Hollywood over the last couple years. Conventionally attractive white people having sex have come back in favour (see: HBO's White Lotus and Netflix's The Hunting Wives); Caucasian celebrities are embracing their genetics (Sydney Sweeney's genes); and studios continue capitalizing on 1990s nostalgia, bringing back classics like Basic Instinct and Sex and the City. It all comes at the expense of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives of the last decade, especially in film and television, which have staunchly embraced minority groups' stories. Many Disney/Pixar, Marvel, Netflix, HBO and Amazon projects have since platformed Black, Indigenous and Asian heroes. (Jews were early beneficiaries of this trend, but that fizzled out in the 2020s.) Now, in keeping with the political return of Donald Trump, studios are swinging back in the opposite direction, focusing on white-centric stories. Creators like Mike White and the South Park team are openly rejecting "wokeism". And Jewish stories—never fully a minority group, neither fully white—are, as usual, caught in the middle. Sharon Waxman, the founder and CEO of TheWrap, recently wrote about the broader trend for the New York Times, and joins Phoebe on The Jewish Angle to discuss her piece and the ongoing changes happening in pop culture and politics. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

In medieval and early modern Europe, the Christian ruling class enjoyed the banking services of what were known as "court Jews"—Jewish people acting as financiers in exchange for temporary protection, even while other Jews faced scrutiny and persecution. This protection, however, was never secured; if fortunes changed, they could easily become political and societal scapegoats. This analogy proves useful for viewing how modern-day Republicans view the Jewish public, according to Joel Swanson, a scholar of modern Jewish intellectual history at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, NY. In Swanson's view, while President Donald Trump's administration is cracking down on diversity and inclusion initiatives across the country, Jewish Americans are receiving special protection and treatment—but how long until the tide changes? He touches on this and more in his latest article on Slate, "What Are We Allowed to Say? How Trump’s Department of Education has made it harder for me to teach Jewish Studies". On this week's episode of The Jewish Angle, Swanson joins Phoebe Maltz Bovy to get nerdy about European Jewish history and reflect on the lessons we can learn about Jews' modern-day place in North American society. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

The host of this show, Phoebe Maltz Bovy, likes to wear floral dresses. So does her guest, author Joanna Rakoff. But while these two women are fans of floral fashions, they are not MAGA supporters or "momfluencers"—a note that must be clarified for anyone following the political battleground that has erupted around this fashion trend. In this episode of The Jewish Angle, we unpack the cultural tapestry of floral dresses, weaving together threads of personal experience, fashion history and political implications, from Laura Ashley's pastoral prints to Batsheva Hay's modern reinterpretations. As floral patterns become entangled with right-wing aesthetics and "tradwife" culture, Bovy and Rakoff navigate the shifting landscape where fashion choices carry unexpected political weight. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

To our knowledge, neither the now-former CEO of tech company Astronomer, nor the company's now-former head of HR, are Jewish. The secretive couple—who were having an affair that was famously caught by a videographer behind the Jumbotron of a Coldplay concert—instantly became a viral sensation, sparking waves of ridicule and resulting in their departure from the company. But The Jewish Angle podcast host Phoebe Maltz Bovy had to ask: is it lashon hara to speak of these people behind their backs? So she asked The CJN's resident rabbi, Avi Finegold, to shed light on the situation. It's not quite lashon hara if the secret has been put out in the open by a Jumbotron, but that doesn't quash the ick factor from giddily discussing people's personal lives on social media. Plus: why wasn't this seen as a #MeToo echo, given the power imbalance between the CEO and lower-level female employee? Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

When U.S. President Donald Trump re-ran for the presidency in 2024, American voters elected him on the premise that he would mark a shift from 2000s-era neoconservatism and keep the U.S. out of foreign wars. Americans on the political left, along with an increasing number on the right, did not think American interventionism worked throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries, and felt these foreign conflicts were costly and did not always help American interests. Then, this year, Trump ordered American troops to drop missiles on Iran. And some in the president's inner circle, according to journalist Gabby Deutch of Jewish Insider, said to themselves: "This is the Trump we knew all along." The attack on Iran exposed a small but growing rift within the Republican party, wherein Israel sits squarely in the middle. Should the U.S. be interventionist or not? And what makes Israel the exception to any rule? Deutch, a senior Washington correspondent, joins Phoebe Maltz Bovy on The Jewish Angle to explain. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

Ashkenazi food—until recently relegated to the joke pile of ethnic foods, unavoidably beige and full of fat—is undergoing a surprising revival. From karnatzel to kasha, traditional dishes once associated with bubbe's kitchen are now finding their way onto trendy urban menus, sparking an unexpected culinary renaissance that's as much about cultural reconnection as it is about gastronomic indulgence. That's the topic of an article written by journalist Michael Kaminer, headlined "Toronto chefs put a new twist on the old Jewish classics", recently published in The CJN. In it, Kaminer offers insights into this culinary trend, interviewing young Jewish chefs who are marking a professional return to their Ashkenazi roots. It marks a departure from popular Jewish food of the last few decades, which often skewed toward healthier Israeli restaurants—themselves often broadened as "Middle Eastern" or "Mediterranean". But a newfound wave of Jewish nostalgia, cultural reappropriation and the apolitical joy of comfort food have swung open the kitchen door back to blintzes and babka. Kaminer joins Phoebe Maltz Bovy to discuss the trend and the possible politics underpinning it, including chefs' own reactions to embracing their Jewish heritage in an era of newfound antisemitism. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle

On June 30, a task force set up by the U.S. federal government, aimed at combatting antisemitism, published an open letter to Harvard University. "Harvard University is in violent violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin," the letter alleges. "The enclosed Notice of Violation details the findings of fact supporting a conclusion that Harvard has been in some cases deliberately indifferent, and in others has been a willful participant in anti-Semitic harassment of Jewish students, faculty, and staff." The letter continues to outline the task force's findings, including that a majority of Jewish students feel unsafe; Jewish and Israeli students have been physically assaulted; and antisemitic imagery and slogans have been prominent on campus. The letter concludes by stating that failure to adequately change Harvard's culture "will result in the loss of all federal financial resources". The university, meanwhile, has told reporters that it "is far from indifferent on this issue and strongly disagrees with the government's findings." So how much of this has to do with Jews, really? And how much is President Donald Trump's administration simply taking aim at left-leaning, Democratic-aligned instutitions? David Weinfeld—a Harvard alumnus, former columnist with The CJN and current associate professor of world religions at Rowan University—joins Phoebe Maltz Bovy on The Jewish Angle to analyze the issue, and how the university's symbolic status makes it an ideal focal point for a larger assault on America's higher education system. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle