The Schmooze

We’re dropping this one early because Charlotte Korchuk is in Alberta this weekend for a live community program hosted by Friends of JNF Canada . In this passionate and wide-ranging conversation, Don and Jared are joined by Jay Cairns (Executive Director, Friends of JNF Canada – Alberta) and Charlotte Korchuk (Jerusalem Education Institute) to talk about Jewish identity, Zionist pride, and the urg...

This week on The Schmooze , we sit down with Ofer Idels , an Israeli historian and postdoctoral fellow in Israel Studies at the University of Calgary . Ofer breaks down Zionism in both academic and plain language, and explains why debates around “anti-Zionism” often function as debates about whether Jews are allowed to be active agents in history, rather than passive participants judged by others’...

Iran is in turmoil. Nationwide protests that began with economic frustration have escalated into a direct challenge to the Islamic Republic, amid internet shutdowns, mass detentions, and reports of severe crackdowns. On this episode of The Schmooze , Don Schapira and Jared Shore are joined by Kaveh Shahrooz, a Toronto-based Iranian-Canadian lawyer, human rights activist, and Senior Fellow at the M...

How does real community impact begin? In this episode of The Schmooze , Don sits down with Marnie Bondar and Dahlia Libin , whose volunteer leadership transformed Holocaust education and remembrance in Calgary. From the creation of Here to Tell to major public partnerships and survivor-centered education, their work has reached classrooms, cultural institutions, and tens of thousands of people acr...

In this episode of The Schmooze , we sit down with Yael Berkovich for an honest conversation about Jewish and Israeli identity in Canada — and what it means to live openly and authentically on campus today. Yael shares her journey from growing up in a Zionist household to navigating public school, university life, and student leadership, as well as the challenges Jewish students are facing in the...

In this episode of The Schmooze , we sit down with Emile Scheffel , Managing Director of CJPAC (the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee). Emile shares his personal journey into Jewish advocacy, why civic engagement matters more than ever, and how real relationships — not outrage or slogans — shape political outcomes in Canada. We explore how Jewish Canadians and allies can meaningfully par...

What happens when hate is tolerated long enough to feel “normal”? In this powerful episode of The Schmooze , we sit down with Rev. Mark Leach — Anglican pastor, lifelong ally, and founder of Australia’s grassroots movement Never Again Is Now Australia . Mark shares: What he witnessed after October 7 and why silence is never neutral How the Bondi attack became a national wake-up call Why antisemiti...

This special episode of The Schmooze was recorded in response to the Bondi Beach massacre and the questions it forces us to confront. We sit down with Shuv for a direct and urgent conversation about: The attack at Bondi Beach and what it reveals about modern extremism The failure of mainstream media in Canada to report with clarity and moral consistency Why political leadership continues to repeat...

37 years ago a young rabbi from Casablanca by way of PalmSprings landed in post-Olympic Calgary with his wife and a crazy dream: build the future of Jewish life in Alberta. Today, Chabad is the beating heart of our community, touching lives across every affiliation (and even those with none at all). In this warm, funny, and deeply moving conversation, Rabbi Matusof pulls back the curtain on: Why h...

A Conversation with Rob Nagus, CEO of Calgary Jewish Federation In this episode of The Schmooze , Don and Jared sit down with Calgary Jewish Federation CEO Rob Nagus for a deep and candid conversation about Jewish life in Calgary. Rob shares his personal journey from Montreal to Edmonton, Toronto, and finally Calgary, reflecting on identity, community, and belonging along the way. Together, they u...

Welcome to the very first episode of The Schmooze — Calgary’s Jewish Community Podcast. In this intro, Don and Jared share why the show was created, what conversations they hope to spark, and how they plan to highlight the people, stories, challenges, and celebrations that shape Jewish life in Calgary. New episodes every week. Thanks for listening to Episode 1 — we’re just getting started.