Speaker Series & Special Events
Throughout the year, we offer our members and the broader community opportunities to hear and learn from distinguished community leaders, social justice advocates, writers, artists and many other people who are making a difference in their fields and in the world.
Please see our Events page for details on upcoming speakers and events. If you have ideas for special activities, speakers, presentations, celebrations or other events, please send a message to speakers&events@shirlibeynu.ca.
Here is a recording of our event from April 2023: Ben Murane: Pushback for Democracy in Israel.
These were our remarkable speakers and performers from the past year:
Alan Silverman
Naomi Alboim
Carmel Tanaka
A “Jewpanese” (Japanese and Jewish) activist and community organizer who works in Jewish LGBTQ+ spaces and to eliminate Anti-Asian hate, Founder and Executive Director of JQT Vancouver, Vancouver’s Jewish queer trans non-profit, Carmel spoke with Cantor Wunch and Arya Marvazy about her personal journey towards leadership, and experiences and visions for creating Jewish communities that truly serve the diverse Jewish landscape. July 29, 2021
https://www.jqtvancouver.ca
Arya Marvaz
An Iranian-American Jewish LGBTQ+ activist and community organizer, Arya spoke with Cantor Wunch and Carmel Tanaka about his personal journey towards leadership, and experiences and visions for creating Jewish communities that truly serve the diverse Jewish landscape. July 29, 2021.
Paula Wolfson
Shir Libeynu’s Shabbat & B’Mitzvah Chazzan for over nine years and a Dora-award winning performer, presented “From Broadway to the Bimah,” to share how her love of music led her into chazzanut. July 11, 2021
https://paulawolfson.com
Rabbi Nikki DeBlosi, PhD
A freelance rabbi and educator with years of experience in the Hillel world and expertise in queer theory and community, spoke with Cantor Wunch and Rabbi Andrea Myers about LGBTQ+ Jews and leadership. June 24, 2021
http://www.rabbinikki.com
Rabbi Andrea Myers (they/them)
A spiritual counselor at the All of You Wellness Centre, human resources professional and author of The Choosing: A Rabbi’s Journey from Silent Nights to High Holy Days (Rutgers University Press, 2011), spoke with Cantor Wunch and Rabbi Nikki DeBlosi about LGBTQ+ Jews and leadership. June 24, 2021
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabbi-andrea-myers-646323153/?originalSubdomain=ca
Avi Sadiv
From the Canadian chapter of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), spoke about the many great things the Society does. April 18, 2021
https://natureisrael.org/CSPNI
Jenny Isaacs
Director, Heart to Heart, spoke about this leadership program for Jewish and Palestinian youth. March 21, 2021
https://www.heart-to-heart.ca
Tema Smith
Diversity advocate, writer and Jewish community builder, spoke about “Mixed Race and Jewish: The Personal and the Political.” Presented in collaboration with Danforth Jewish Circle. February 21, 2021
https://temasmith.com
Dr. Mira Sucharov
Professor of Political Science and University Chair of Teaching Innovation at Carleton University, spoke about her book, Borders and Belonging: A Memoir (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). January 17, 2021
https://carleton.ca/polisci/people/sucharov-mira/
Akilah Allen-Silverstein and Yoni Belete
From No Silence on Race, which advocates for racial equity and inclusivity in Jewish spaces in Canada, and encourages organizations to commit to the creation of a truly anti-racist Jewish community through the implementation of “9 pillars” for systemic change. November 22, 2020
https://www.nosilenceonrace.ca