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A pop-up art gallery celebrating Shabbat transcends the fight over defining Zionism
When discussing the anthology On Being Jewish Now—and anti-antisemitic outreach more generally—I have expressed skepticism of the term, “Jewish joy.” (Akin to Black joy, queer joy, etc.) It comes across as a way of saying, see, it’s not all bad!, where the effect is reminding of just how bad the speaker thinks it is. I can’t entirely articulate why it doesn’t sit right, but it doesn’t.
Then I was picking my kids up from school on Friday, in Toronto, and heard a small airplane overhead. It was flying—what else?—a big Palestinian flag. I tried to photograph this, but let’s just say there’s a reason the great photojournalists do not multitask in this manner. The best I could get was a picture where it looks like it’s a tiny flag hanging from a power line, which would have been far less dramatic and really par for the course.
I did some feeling of feelings that would not have been out of place in a book like the one edited by Zibby Owens. I thought about how to explain this to my children, before remembering that they are not at a point in childhood where there’s anything registering beyond, look, a plane. I thought about my own anxiety, and also about what a joke that was compared to parents of young children in Gaza—or in Israel for that matter—with far more substantive worries about what’s overhead.
Whatever the case, I was put in a mindset where I became determined to attend a photography exhibition slash Shabbat candle lighting happening down the street from me. I had known about this and thought it seemed… very much the sort of thing I’m happy to know exists, but is for people who don’t have all-hands-on-deck childcare situations. But my desire to get out of my own head led to my entire household getting out of our own home in the evening and seeing what this was about.

Petrina Blander’s photography exhibit Shabbat Shalom Toronto turned out to be like nothing I’ve ever seen. She Said Gallery is a pop-up-type space in a space that’s otherwise a laundromat. But there was a big spread with such items as cured ham (if you want Orthodox services on Roncesvalles, mes excuses) and wrapped confections with Cyrillic writing and drinks and more. Some of the photographs have obviously Jewish content, and an artist bio explains the artist’s Israeli background.
And the space was absolutely packed with what my square self would describe as an art crowd. Jews and non-Jews—I think? While I identified myself as being at The Canadian Jewish News, I was not there reporting-reporting, I was more trying to assess whether a specific Russian (?) chocolate had alcohol in it and intercepting a three-year-old who’d have otherwise put it in her mouth.
For obvious reasons, I wasn’t able to stay that long, but was there long enough for a Shabbat candle-lighting ceremony, involving a cameo by none other than one-time Bonjour Chai guest Elise Kayfetz aka Vintage Schmatta. Then some magnificent, enormous challahs came out.
It was powerful to see this big group assembled to do something Jewish, in a neighbourhood not exactly famed as go-to destination for Jewish joy—or Jewish anything for that matter. The event wasn’t pretending to be anything other than Jewish, wasn’t doing any kind of pro-Diaspora erasure of the existence of Israeli Jews. It wasn’t doom and gloom, it wasn’t draped in flags. It was quite simply orthogonal to the omnicause.
If the event felt refreshing, it was as much because “Jewish joy” was a contrast to whatever exactly has been happening in Roncesvalles Village since Oct. 7, 2023, as because the pandemic lockdown era still feels so recent, and there’s something a bit novel (to me, at least) about such festivity IRL. Something that would have struck me as normal to the point of unworthy of remark in, say, circa 2006 Brooklyn, seemed frankly a bit awe-inspiring.
***
“Fuck Zionists” So read some early-2024 graffiti several blocks from where the above action took place, a huge spray-painted message on a local overpass. Whoever put it there presumably has an idea, in their head, of who Zionists are. From the context, this was not someone crudely expressing a bog-standard fantasy about Gal Gadot, but rather an expression of ill will towards Zionists. But who do they mean by Zionists?
A new survey commissioned by the New Israel Fund, JSpaceCanada, and Canadian Friends of Peace Now asked 588 Jewish Canadians where they stood on various not at all contentious topics like Israel and antisemitism and such. The blockbuster finding was that while 94 percent believe Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state, and 84% are emotionally attached to that state, a paltry 51 percent identify as Zionists.
Our latest survey, in partnership with @JSpaceCanada
and @peacenowcan is out!Read the full report here: https://t.co/UVZ8l1azT7 https://t.co/9dcba8A2l7 pic.twitter.com/lVhWleAphs
— New Israel Fund of Canada (@nifcan) December 10, 2024
Rabbi Avi Finegold and I spoke with Ben Murane of the New Israel Fund and Maytal Kowalski of JSpaceCanada to learn more, a conversation you can hear on Bonjour Chai. And they confirmed that the survey offers the what, but not the why. The “Zionism” question is ultimately a bit of a red herring, as no survey had ever asked this of Jewish Canadians previously. So, as Murane pointed out when we spoke to him, for all we know, the 51 percent figure was an increase.
When I saw the disparity, my first thought was that this was all a bit silly. Who are the people making up the difference, who think Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, but reject the term that is shorthand for precisely that belief? (Presumably no one is saying they are a Zionist but they don’t think Israel has a right to exist.) A kind of, who are they kidding? Obviously you’re a Zionist to the people mad at “Zionists,” whether you want to call yourself one or not. Because I don’t think “Zionist,” when sneered, is necessarily always a euphemism for “Jewish.” It is, however, a euphemism for “Jewish and supports Israel” and yes, I am aware of the far greater ranks of non-Jewish Zionists. Given the locations where protests cluster, it rather seems Jewish Zionists are the ones of antizionist interest.
And… given that nearly all Jewish Canadians support Israel’s right to exist, I suppose I do think that if you’re a Canadian Jew who believes Israel should exist, but doesn’t self-id as a Zionist, and you think “Fuck Zionists” graffiti isn’t about the likes of you, you’re fooling yourself. I also think it’s possible I have just invented a person to be mad at, because I sort of think however we
I also knew, even before I knew, that the 49 percent figure was going to be trotted out as evidence that see see see antizionism isn’t antisemitism! Which is true in a literal sense, but not if you let your mind be nimble enough to realize that someone who hates Zionism with all their might is almost certainly someone who objects to the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. There’s other language to convey that someone dislikes the current Israeli government, or opposes the occupation of the West Bank, or the war in Gaza. No good shorthand, perhaps—the term critical of Israel conflates criticisms of Israel with critiques of its very existence—but at any rate, I have never known “antizionism” to refer to the belief that instead of one Israeli politician being prime minister, it ought to be a different one.
Or have I? I suppose there is also, within the Jewish community, a subset of people who think of liberal or progressive Zionists as antizionists, so in a sense who could blame such people for saying, you’re right, I’m not a Zionist. This appears to be the hope from the survey’s organizers: to show the multiplicity of the Canadian Jewish community. To show that contrary to what certain self-appointed community leaders would have you believe, rah-rah, uncritical sorts who want Israel to annex whatever’s at arm’s reach represent only a fraction.
By some definitions, virtually no one alive today is a Zionist. Modern political Zionism was the belief that a Jewish nation-state should exist in Palestine. I say “was” because such a state has existed in that location since 1948. The thoughts of someone living in 2024 about whether this ought to have happened are the stuff of dorm-room musings but nothing more. There are Israeli nationalists, and supporters of Israel who are not Israeli themselves, but Zionism itself, well, it’s complicated. A deeper exploration can be found in a recent essay by Rabbi Avi Finegold.
I took a class in college, Zionism and its Critics, and both wish I remembered more about the early history of modern Zionism and… am not sure how much any of it has to do with what’s up for discussion today. The antizionism of let’s not do that thing is such a different entity than the antizionism of let’s dismantle what exists.
Zionism is used these days to mean support for Israel. Sometimes it suggests enthusiastic or uncritical support, other times just support in the sense of, wishing Israelis well, and not wanting the state itself obliterated. ‘I’m not a Zionist, but I believe in Israel’s right to exist’ is—as came up recently on Bluesky—similar to ‘I’m not a feminist, but I believe in equal rights for women.’ It is—among other things—a way of distancing yourself from an identity label that you anticipate will lead people to stop listening to you (on the topic at hand, or in general) before you’ve had a moment to say what it is you actually think.
I’m not much of a joiner, but nor am I someone who strives to transcend labels. I call myself a feminist and a Zionist because this is the most effective way of conveying that I believe women are people and that Israel is a country. I’m also in the privileged position of someone who opines for a living, so what I specifically think about a range of issues is no great mystery, and not something that must be inferred from single-word summations. I don’t need to put emojis in bio because people can read absolute reams of my holdings-forth, not to mention listen to the podcasts.
And I don’t get out much, but am 100 percent in favour of there being fun Jewish stuff going on in Roncesvalles, and would hope that 100 percent of the Jewish Canadian population is with me on this.
The CJN’s opinion editor Phoebe Maltz Bovy can be reached at pbovy@thecjn.ca, not to mention @phoebebovy on Bluesky, and @bovymaltz on X. She is also on The CJN’s weekly podcast Bonjour Chai. For more opinions about Jewish culture wars, subscribe to the free Bonjour Chai newsletter on Substack.
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Terrorist Responsible for Death of 21 Soldiers Eliminated

An Israeli F-35I “Adir” fighter jet. Photo: IDF
i24 News – Khalil Abd al-Nasser Mohammed Khatib, the terrorist who commanded the terrorist cell that killed 21 soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024, was killed by an Israeli airstrike, the IDF said on Sunday.
In a joint operation between the military and the Shin Bet security agency, the terrorist was spotted in a reconnaissance mission. The troops called up an aircraft to target him, and he was eliminated.
Khatib planned and took part in many other terrorist plots against Israeli soldiers.
i24NEWS’ Hebrew channel interviewed Dor Almog, the sole survivor of the mass casualty disaster, who was informed on live TV about the death of the commander responsible for the killing his brothers-in-arms.
“I was sure this day would come – I was a soldier and I know what happens at the end,” said Almog. “The IDF will do everything to bring back the abductees and to topple Hamas, to the last one man.”
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Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81

FILE PHOTO: Vice Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve System Stanley Fischer arrives to hear Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney delivering the Michel Camdessus Central Banking Lecture at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, U.S., September 18, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
Stanley Fischer, who helped shape modern economic theory during a career that included heading the Bank of Israel and serving as vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, has died at the age of 81.
The Bank of Israel said he died on Saturday night but did not give a cause of death. Fischer was born in Zambia and had dual US-Israeli citizenship.
As an academic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fischer trained many of the people who went on to be top central bankers, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as well as Mario Draghi, the former European Central Bank president.
Fischer served as chief economist at the World Bank, and first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund during the Asian financial crisis and was then vice chairman at Citigroup from 2002 to 2005.
During an eight-year stint as Israel’s central bank chief from 2005-2013, Fischer helped the country weather the 2008 global financial crisis with minimal economic damage, elevating Israel’s economy on the global stage, while creating a monetary policy committee to decide on interest rates like in other advanced economies.
He was vice chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2017 and served as a director at Bank Hapoalim in 2020 and 2021.
Current Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron praised Fischer’s contribution to the Bank of Israel and to advancing Israel’s economy as “truly significant.”
The soft-spoken Fischer – who played a role in Israel’s economic stabilization plan in 1985 during a period of hyperinflation – was chosen by then Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as central bank chief.
Netanyahu, now prime minister, called Fischer a “great Zionist” for leaving the United States and moving to Israel to take on the top job at Israel’s central bank.
“He was an outstanding economist. In the framework of his role as governor, he greatly contributed to the Israeli economy, especially to the return of stability during the global economic crisis,” Netanyahu said, adding that Stanley – as he was known in Israel – proudly represented Israel and its economy worldwide.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also paid tribute.
“He played a huge role in strengthening Israel’s economy, its remarkable resilience, and its strong reputation around the world,” Herzog said. “He was a world-class professional, a man of integrity, with a heart of gold. A true lover of peace.”
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Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Says Israel Blocking Ramallah Meeting Proof of ‘Extremism’

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud attends a news conference at the Arab Gulf Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 9, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said the Israeli government’s refusal to allow a delegation of Arab ministers to the West Bank showed its “extremism and rejection of peace.”
His statement came during a joint press conference in Amman with counterparts from Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain, after they met as part of an Arab contact group that was going to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
“Israel’s refusal of the committee’s visit to the West Bank embodies and confirms its extremism and refusal of any serious attempts for (a) peaceful pathway… It strengthens our will to double our diplomatic efforts within the international community to face this arrogance,” the Saudi minister said.
On Saturday, Israel said it would not allow a planned meeting on Sunday that would have included ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Palestinian Authority officials said.
Bin Farhan’s visit to the West Bank would have marked the first such visit by a top Saudi official in recent memory.
An Israeli official said the ministers intended to take part in a “provocative meeting” to discuss promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said blocking the trip was another example of how Israel was “killing any chance of a just and comprehensive” Arab-Israeli settlement.
An international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is due to be held in New York on June 17-20 to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the conference would cover security arrangements after a ceasefire in Gaza and reconstruction plans to ensure Palestinians would remain on their land and foil any Israeli plans to evict them.
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