Have you heard of the World Zionist Congress before? Until relatively recently, a lot of people hadn't—including two hosts of The CJN's Not in Heaven podcast.

Yet, perhaps owing to the impact of Oct. 7 and the wide-reaching effects of the Israeli government's actions on the Jewish Diaspora, Jews around the world have found themselves not only suddenly attentive to the existence of the World Zionist Congress, but actively vying for a voice at the table. (For more on what's at stake, listen to a recent episode of our sister podcast, North Star.)

And so get-out-the-vote campaigns are in full swing for Zionists to fight over who gets to control a billion-dollar fund. In the U.S., WZC elections set a new turnout record, nearly doubling participation since the last election in 2020. Meanwhile, Canada is holding its first election for the WZC in decades.

This week on Not in Heaven, our rabbinic hosts cast a skeptical eye towards the whole enterprise—while one reveals they are actually a delegate on one of the electoral slates, and explains what that entails.

Elsewhere in this episode, co-host Matthew Leibl reports from his home province of Manitoba, where wildfires coninue to ravage the province, and we discuss Swedish activist Greta Thunberg's flotilla stunt, as she was swiftly deported after trying to float into Gaza to deliver aid.

Credits

• Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl
• Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Socalled

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• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here)

The world feels increasingly unsafe for Jews. Digital spaces are riddled with antisemitic rhetoric. Israel recently issued a travel warning for Jews visiting Canada. And, last week, threats turned real when Elias Rodriguez allegedly shot and killed two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., shouting about a free Palestine during his arrest.

One of the hosts of our Not in Heaven podcast, Yedida Eisenstat, lives in the U.S. capital with her family. Another host, Avi Finegold, lives in Chicago—where the suspected killer lived. When danger lurks so close, it becomes an unavoidable topic of conversation across generations.

All three hosts of this show have multiple children, ranging in age from four to 19. In this episode, each shares how they approached the topic with their family: how to speak frankly about world politics to teenagers, how to explainer to grade-schoolers about security guards with bulletproof vests, how to explain your presence at a rally for the hostages when your kids can't grasp what Hamas even is.

They also discuss reactions to the murders, both their own and those who believe the murders were "100 percent justified", and Israel's travel advisory for Canada. Do the words of warning feel justified for Jews actually living here, or is the Jewish State just playing politics?

Credits

• Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl
• Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Socalled

Support The CJN

• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here)

Recently, Congregation Dorshei Emet—the only Reconstructionist synagogue in Quebec, and the oldest in Canada—took a major vote on whether to secede from the official Reconstructing Judaism movement. A microcosm of the province in which it resides, the "remain" faction won. But the results could not mask the increasing schism, which, in turn, has revealed yet another crack in the foundational organizing structure of Jewish life in North America—denominations, otherwise known as movements.

Synagogues vote to change or abandon denominations all the time, and many rabbis—including all three hosts of Not in Heaven—have received, or are receiving, ordination from outside the three main pillars of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. Chabad, the most popular rising religious establishment in Judaism, is clearly part of the Haredi community, but proudly does outreach to Jews outside the Orthodox world.

And yet, while the old-school labels may fall away, Jews will always want to know what kind of service they're walking into. Is seating mixed? Will Shabbat services include musical instruments? New labels may well rise to replace the old ones.

Hear the full discussion on this week's episode of Not in Heaven.

Credits

• Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl
• Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Socalled

Support The CJN

• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here)