Marsha Lederman: Finding the 'humanitarian middle' after Oct. 7

In the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, Marsha Lederman wasn't sure if she wanted to write about Hamas' historic terror attack for her regular column in the Globe and Mail. Should she recuse herself because she was Jewish, or because she had family in Israel? Did even she want to step into the minefield of publishing an opinion on Middle Eastern politics? In the end, she did weigh in—repeatedly—and has just published a collection of those columns, October 7th: Searching for the Humanitarian Middle, published by Penguin Random House in Aug. 2025. In the book, she outlines her desire to carve out an apolitical centrist stance that balances her Zionist beliefs as the child of Holocaust survivors with her support for Palestinian human rights. It's a glimpse into the micro-eras of that fraught year, with opinions and perspectives shifting with every new report and revelation. Lederman joins her fellow Globe and Mail columnist (who is also The CJN's opinion editor and podcaster) Phoebe Maltz Bovy for an in-depth discussion about the tightrope she walked in the opinion pages of a national newspaper. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle