Give Peace a Chance

Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people from across the continent congregated in Washington, D.C., for a massive rally in support of Israel during their ongoing war against Hamas. Those who attended the event said it was the first time they could relax and exhale after weeks of feeling isolated and defensive. Perhaps inspired by this American moment of solidarity, Canadian Jewish organizations began planning a similar rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 4. And while it will likely have a similar effect—uniting Canadian Jews and allies of Israel during a moment of crisis—its focus is deliberately one-sided. The question remains: Can this kind of massive movement extend beyond communities, uniting Jews and Muslims, anyone who believes in both Israel's and Palestine's right to exist, at one time? On Nov. 27, Taylor C. Noakes, a Montreal-based journalist, published an open letter to Mayor Valérie Plante on the website Cult MTL, imploring her to organize a peace rally in a city marred by molotov cocktails and gunshots recently fired at Jewish institutions. Noakes joins Avi Finegold on this week's Bonjour Chai to discuss why he feels Montreal, home John Lennon's famous "bed-in for peace", would be perfect for a rally to cool temperatures on both sides. What we talked about Read Noakes's open letter, "Montreal needs a peace rally to unite Israeli and Palestinian communities — and all of us, really", on Cult MTL Hear "How Canadians felt marching for Israel at the historic Washington rally" on The CJN Daily Read about Montreal's month of molotov cocktails and gunshots targeting the Jewish community in The CJN Credits Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast's Substack.