CANTOR’S CORNER

Here are the latest two episodes of my PROUDLY JEWISH podcast:

Six months after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, I reflect on the significance of October 7 and where we are now. I examine the Free Palestine protests and their impact, the Ceasefire Now campaign, the shift in American support for Israel, the rise in antisemitism, and what lies ahead.

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts – or watch on YouTube:

Kanye West has espoused views held by the Black Hebrew Israelites. When basketball star Kyrie Irving was suspended for refusing to apologize for antisemitism, Black Hebrew Israelites came to his defence in large numbers outside the Barclay Center. Charles Fain Lehman is my guest as we explore the questions: What do the Black Hebrew Israelites believe? Should Jews view Black Hebrew Israelism as a threat?

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts – or watch on YouTube:

Here are a couple videos on Israel and antisemitism from this past week that I recommend watching:

ILTV’s Viewpoint: Ayaan Hirsi Ali – with Emily Schrader

ILTV’s Emily Schrader sits down with author and founder of the AHA Foundation, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, for a discussion on the future of the West under the threat of Islamist terrorism and how Israel’s battle against Hamas is at the forefront of the fight for liberal democracies and critical thinking.

Ivy League Antisemitism / Being a Jew on Campus – with Eylon Levy

Eylon Levy talks to three distinguished student leaders— from Harvard University, Cornell, and MIT — about the current state of Jewish life on campuses enthralled with identity politics, and the concerning associated trend: the demonization of Israel and Jews.

It’s a Moroccan tradition to sing BIVHILU (Bebelo) at the Passover Seder, just before we start Magid, the telling of the Passover story. As we sing this introduction to Ha Lachma Anya, we take the seder plate or a vase of flowers and wave it above everyone’s head – as a blessing. This version is my own arrangement. It begins with a very well-known Moroccan melody and then continues with a melody that was preserved by the Bitton family.