The Untold Stories of Canada’s Jewish fighters in Uniform in WWII Canadian author and journalist Ellin Bessner will discuss her…
Guests aboard one of the world’s largest cruise ships will welcome author and journalist Ellin Bessner as she brings her…
Ignite: Chanukah Adult Learning Night. Light Up Your Mind! Join us for a special adult learning event on the 4th night of Chanukah! When? Saturday, December 16, 6:30 – 10:00 Where? Prosserman JCC
Registration opens at 6:30
7:00 Candle Lighting
Special Candle lighting ceremony with Song Shul’s Cantor Simon Spiro and the Toronto Festival Singers! Chanukah refreshments provided. Choose two from the featured sessions:
7:30 – 8:30 Session 1 Rabbi Howard Morrison “Not the famous story from Hebrew School – The real story of Chanukah and its lessons for today”
Ruthie Ladovsky “United Bakers: the story behind Toronto’s beloved oldest Jewish restaurant”
Ellin Bessner “Fighting Amalek: the 17,000 Canadian Jews who fought Hitler in WWll”*sponsored by OJA*
Batik workshop: discover the art of fabric dye using wax and special dyes
Ceramics workshop: make your own Chanukah Judaica!
many times, it is at the end of the evening when I experience some of the most thrilling moments of my six year long journey to uncover the war heritage of Canada’s Jewish fighters.
Harry Kaushansky of Montreal served in the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. He grew up in a home where his mother served only kosher food.
Ellin Bessner speaks about Canada’s 17,000 Jewish soldiers who served in the Second World War.
Manny Rubinoff of Toronto served as a sapper after he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army in the Second World War. When he refused to attend Catholic or Protestant church services on his army base in Ontario, he was”paraded” or brought up in front of the colonel to be disciplined. Instead, Rubinoff unbuttoned his uniform, showed the officer the Jewish daily prayer garment known as “Arba Kanfot” that he wore under his clothes, and pulled out his pocket-sized prayer book, handed it to the colonel, and waited. He tells “Double Threat” author and journalist Ellin Bessner what happened next.
A photo of the grave of a Toronto Jewish soldier who was killed in Normandy in July 1944 is front…
How Canada’s Jewish servicemen and women kept their faith (or didn’t) as they fought Nazism and the Axis during World…
Writing the Wrong: How Canada’s Jews in Uniform Fought WWll Author and journalist Ellin Bessner will discuss her new book,…