The Schmooze

The Schmooze brings together the voices, programs, and stories shaping Jewish life in Calgary. Hosted by Don Schapira and Jared Shore, each episode features a community calendar, interviews with leaders and students, and highlights from across the city.This is your space to stay informed, engaged, and connected.

The Schmooze is a society podcast hosted by Don and Jared, with 48 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Don and Jared hosts The Schmooze, a society show with 48 episodes published.

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  Episode #43

  The Schmooze Ep. 43 | Schmooze with Rabbi Nisan Andrews | Sukkot: A TIme for Joy

  Sep 28, 202654 minS1

  After reflection and atonement comes a time for joy. Don and Jared welcome Rabbi Nisan Andrews of Calgary’s House of Jacob Mikveh Israel for a special Sukkot conversation about tradition, belonging, and community. Rabbi Andrews shares his journey back to Calgary, explains the meaning of the sukkah and the four species, and explores what these traditions can teach us about unity and the uncertainty of Jewish life. They also discuss renewed connections to Jewish identity after October 7 and how Israeli newcomers are finding community in Calgary. Along the way: Jared’s first sukkah, Don’s meaningful Yom Kippur experience, and the questions you may have always wanted to ask a rabbi. Join us for a warm, welcoming Sukkot schmooze. Chag Sameach!

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  The Schmooze

  Episode 42: Schmooze with David Friedland Building Bridges Through Business

  Sep 22, 202649 min

  What happens when politics gets complicated, but business keeps moving forward? Don and Jared sit down with David Friedland, Executive Director of the Canada-Israel Chamber of Commerce, for a fascinating conversation about trade, investment, innovation and the enormous opportunities connecting Canada and Israel. David explains how the Chamber brings businesses, investors and entrepreneurs together, why Israeli expertise in areas like agritech, cybersecurity, energy, defence and technology matters to Canada, and why Alberta has become one of the Chamber's priority markets. We also hear David's personal story, from growing up in Edmonton's Jewish community to working with CJPAC and CIJA, entering the private sector, and eventually taking the helm of the Canada-Israel Chamber of Commerce. In a complicated geopolitical environment, David's message is refreshingly practical: relationships matter, opportunities exist, and business can create bridges. Learn more at canadaisraelchamber.com.

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  Episode #41

  Episode 41: Schmooze with Captain Allen The History They Left Out: Zionism, 1948 & the Nakba | Part One

  Sep 14, 20261h 15mS1

  What if the history of Israel, 1948 and the Nakba is far more complicated than the version most people encounter online? In Part One of a special conversation, Don and Jared sit down with the anonymous historian known as Captain Allen. A lawyer by profession and lifelong student of Jewish and Middle Eastern history, Captain Allen has spent more than two decades building an extraordinary historical archive, now numbering thousands of pages. Online, he uses that research to challenge viral narratives with something increasingly rare: context. We go back long before 1948. From the ancient Jewish connection to the land and the meaning of Zion, through Ottoman rule, the British Mandate, Jewish immigration, Arab opposition, partition and the War of Independence, Captain Allen walks us through the history that shaped the modern conflict. Then we tackle one of the most contested subjects of all: the Nakba. Who fled? Who was expelled? Why did people leave? What did the term originally mean? And how did the Palestinian national narrative change after 1967? This isn't an argument that Palestinians didn't suffer. People were displaced. People were killed. Communities were changed forever. The question is whether we can acknowledge that suffering while also telling the rest of the history. For Captain Allen, facts matter. Context matters. And intellectual honesty requires both. This conversation became so expansive that one episode wasn't enough. Part One takes us from antiquity through 1948 and into the transformative events of 1967. Part Two is coming. Follow Captain Allen on X: @CptAllenHistory Subscribe to The Schmooze for conversations about Jewish life, Israel, history, culture and the issues shaping our community today. Hosted by Don and Jared.

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  Episode #40

  Episode 40: Schmooze with Rabbi Leonard Cohen on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur & Community

  Sep 7, 202654 minS1

  A SWEET NEW YEAR, A STRONGER JEWISH SELF As the High Holidays approach, Rabbi Leonard Cohen of Kehilat Shalom joins Don and Jared for a warm conversation about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Jewish identity, community and growth. Rabbi Leonard explains why the High Holidays are not simply about fasting, guilt or tradition, but about reflection, reconnection and becoming a little more of who we want to be. One idea stands out: L+1 . Wherever you are, go one level higher. One mitzvah. One repaired relationship. One challenge faced. One deeper connection. The conversation also explores Rabbi Leonard’s journey from Montreal to Calgary, the welcoming philosophy of Kehilat Shalom, the relationship between religious and cultural Jewish identity, community life after October 7, interfaith work and what it means to truly show up for one another. And, of course, we ask the question that had to be asked: What is it like being a Jewish man from Montreal named Leonard Cohen? A thoughtful, funny and uplifting Schmooze for the New Year. If you’d like to learn more about Rabbi Leonard, Kehilat Shalom or attending High Holiday services, visit: www.kehilat-shalom.ca Shana tova umetukah.

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  Episode #38

  Episode 38: Schmooze with Richard Gottfried | Stand Up and Be Counted | Antisemitism, Allyship & Finding Our Champions

  Aug 23, 20261h 5mS1

  What’s the difference between a supporter and a champion? For former Alberta MLA Richard Gottfried, it comes down to what you’re prepared to do when standing up actually matters. In Episode 38 of The Schmooze , Don and Jared sit down with Richard for a conversation that begins with an extraordinary family story and ultimately arrives at one of the most urgent questions facing Canada’s Jewish community today: Where are our champions? Richard traces his Jewish family history from revolutionary Russia to Shanghai, where his family found refuge and became the only surviving branch of their family line. He shares stories of his father’s remarkable life in Asia, his own upbringing in Calgary and Nigeria, and the experiences that eventually led him into public service. From there, the conversation turns to Richard’s work in the Alberta Legislature, including his leadership on Motion 504 , which called for the adoption and application of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism across publicly funded institutions in Alberta. The motion was debated and passed unanimously by those present in the Legislature. But that was March 2023. Then came October 7. Richard, Don and Jared discuss the explosion of antisemitism that followed, the attempt to separate anti-Zionism from antisemitism simply by changing vocabulary, what has happened on Canadian campuses and in public spaces, and whether governments and institutions are doing enough before rhetoric becomes something far more dangerous. And ultimately, the conversation comes back to allyship. It is easy to say you support the Jewish community. It is something very different to champion it. Richard’s message is simple: Stand up. Be counted. And find the courage to be a champion. ️ The Schmooze with Don & Jared Episode 38: Stand Up and Be Counted Subscribe for conversations about Jewish life, Israel, antisemitism, community, politics, culture and the people shaping Calgary and beyond. #TheSchmooze #RichardGottfried #Antisemitism #JewishCommunity #IHRA #Alberta #JewishCanada #Allyship #StandUpAndBeCounted

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