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ACJS Speakers' Bureau

The ACJS Speakers' Bureau provides access to leading voices in Canadian Jewish studies for public speaking engagements and community learning opportunities. Members of the Bureau are historians, political scientists, sociologists, artists, archivists, novelists and poets, journalists, and religious and civic leaders, with expertise on issues of historical and contemporary concern to the Canadian Jewish experience. 

 

The Bureau serves as a resource for social and cultural organizations, religious congregations, museums, universities, schools, and more, to bring specialists on Canadian Jewry to their communities for lectures, readings, and conversation.

 

If you are organizing an event, seminar, workshop, or training session, please browse our catalogue of more than 80 speakers and fill out one of the booking forms below. We will be happy to facilitate a speaker for your next program!

How It Works:

Organizations interested in hosting a talk select speakers that spark their interests. The ACJS will coordinate the match between speaker and host, and from there the host will coordinate topic, format, and scheduling directly with the speaker.
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The default rate for booking any speaker is 500 CAD, with a 10 percent administrative fee earmarked for the ACJS. We will receive the full 500 CAD payment and subsequently process the speaker’s fee. 
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Hosts are responsible for all event planning and logistics and will bear all costs associated with bringing a speaker from out of town, if applicable. We will be pleased to assist with advertising and promotion.

Please write to bureau@canadianjewishstudies.ca for more information, or consult the FAQs below.

Find a Speaker!

Browse our available talks by theme, a speaker’s willingness to travel, their preference for in-person or virtual appearances, and availability in English or French—or scroll through the entire catalogue. If you are interested in booking more than one talk, you may include multiple requests on the same form or submit separate forms for each request.

Sephardic / Mizrahi, Music, North Africa & Middle East, Quebec

Miranda Crowdus

Concordia University

Sonic Heritage Diversity: Songs of Middle Eastern and North African Jews in Montreal

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Montreal

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

No

Bilingual

Miranda Crowdus is an associate professor at the Department of Religions and Cultures at Concordia University, where she holds the Research Chair in Canadian Jewish Studies and directs the Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies. Her research lies at the intersections of Jewish Studies and Music Studies. She is currently working on a monograph that develops her concept “Sonic [Jewish] [heritage] intervention,” a mode of interrogating dominant constructions of heritage in the public sphere in Canada and elsewhere.

Community Institutions, Politics & Activism, Multiculturalism, Ontario

Lisa Dack

York University

Jewish Toronto: A Deep Dive into the 2021 Census Data

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Dr. Lisa Dack is Senior Director, Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education, at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, focusing on capacity building in Toronto’s Jewish day schools. She is also supporting Jewish education and engagement more broadly, for example by leading the team working on UJA’s strategy to support Jewish students in public schools. Lisa is a faculty member at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, where she teaches education students. Lisa does extensive research and writing around professional learning, data-based decision making, and educational leadership, and she is the author of two best-selling books in the field.

Youth & Education, Pedagogy, Antisemitism, Community Institutions

Lisa Dack

York University

Exploring the Surge of Interest in Jewish Day School in Toronto Post-October 7th

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Dr. Lisa Dack is Senior Director, Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education, at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, focusing on capacity building in Toronto’s Jewish day schools. She is also supporting Jewish education and engagement more broadly, for example by leading the team working on UJA’s strategy to support Jewish students in public schools. Lisa is a faculty member at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, where she teaches education students. Lisa does extensive research and writing around professional learning, data-based decision making, and educational leadership, and she is the author of two best-selling books in the field.

20th Century, Literature, Politics & Activism

Anne Dublin

Independent

44 Hours or Strike! : A Historical Novel About the 1931 ILGWU Strike in Toronto

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Anne Dublin was born in a displaced persons camp in Salzburg, Austria. She came to Canada when she was very young. She grew up in Toronto and was a teacher and librarian for over twenty-five years. She has published over twelve books for young people—mostly biographies and historical novels. She has also published short stories for adults and teacher's guides for various publishers. Anne is an award-winning author and received the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for two of her novels.

20th Century, Archival Research, Gender & Sexuality, Sports

Anne Dublin

Independent

Bobbie Rosenfeld: The Olympian Who Could Do Everything

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Anne Dublin was born in a displaced persons camp in Salzburg, Austria. She came to Canada when she was very young. She grew up in Toronto and was a teacher and librarian for over twenty-five years. She has published over twelve books for young people—mostly biographies and historical novels. She has also published short stories for adults and teacher's guides for various publishers. Anne is an award-winning author and received the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for two of her novels.

20th Century, Holocaust, Immigration, Archival Research, Second World War

Anne Dublin

Independent

The Tailor Project: How 2,500 Holocaust Survivors Found a New Life in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Anne Dublin was born in a displaced persons camp in Salzburg, Austria. She came to Canada when she was very young. She grew up in Toronto and was a teacher and librarian for over twenty-five years. She has published over twelve books for young people—mostly biographies and historical novels. She has also published short stories for adults and teacher's guides for various publishers. Anne is an award-winning author and received the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for two of her novels.

Antisemitism, Economy, Literature, Israel-Diaspora Relations

Rebecca Eckler

Independent

Antisemitism in Publishing: A Canadian Perspective

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Rebecca Eckler is the founder of RE:BOOKS, featuring debut female authors. She is also the co-founder of CANREADS, Canada’s premier book and award site. Recently, she launched the imprint RIVKAH Books, to publish Jewish authors, or books of all genres, that feature Jewish characters, themes or culture. She is the bestselling author of ten books, her most recent being Blissful Blended Bullsh**t: The Uncomfortable Truth of Blending Families. She has been a columnist for The National Post and The Globe and Mail and her work has appeared across North America including the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. She is currently working on a new memoir, A Lawyer’s Wife. She is the mother of two and lives in Toronto, where she balances her love of yoga and watermelon with her advocacy for the Jewish community. She can be found at www.rebooks.ca.

Gender & Sexuality, Holocaust, Health & Medicine, Oral History

Jacob Evoy

University of Western Ontario/University of North British Columbia

LGBTQ+ Children of Holocaust Survivors and the AIDS Epidemic through a Canadian Lens

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Jacob Evoy is a part-time professor teaching in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at the University of Western Ontario, and in the Department of History at the University of Northern British Columbia. Their research examines the experiences and identities that meet at the intersection of intergenerational trauma and queerness. They are currently completing their first monograph, Queer(ing) Post-Holocaust Experiences: An Oral History with LGBTQ+ Children of Survivors, that will be published with Purdue University Press. Their interdisciplinary research interests include LGBTQ+ studies, queer theory, Holocaust and genocide studies, oral history, Jewish studies, and memory studies.

Music, Oral History, Sociology

David Eisenstadt

Independent

Rock and Jazz Musicians Under the Radar: Notable Canadian Jewish Performers

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

David Eisenstadt is a recognized Canadian public relations consultant and co-founder of tcgPR (The Communications Group Inc.). He holds degrees from the University of Calgary and Carleton University and is a fellow of the Public Relations Society of America and Canadian Public Relations Society. Since November 2021, he has authored five music history books: Under the Radar: 30 Notable Canadian Jewish Musicians; Musicians Under the Radar: 36 Notable Canadian Jewish Performers; Musicians Under the Radar: 42 Notable Canadian Jewish Performers; Jazz Musicians Under the Radar: 18 Notable Canadian Jewish Performers; and Rock Musicians Under the Radar: 18 Notable Canadian Jewish Performers.

Indigenous, Museum, Human Relations, Economy

Liz Feld

University of Toronto

History of Jewish-Indigenous Encounters in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Liz Feld is a museum educator and academic, with expertise in Canadian Jewish settlement history, Indigenous-Jewish relations museum repatriation and reconciliation. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto doing a collaborative degree through Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, researching Jewish-Indigenous encounters in the Northern Ontario fur trade through the exchange of material culture. Liz brings a background in museum education conducting transformative arts-based workshops employing object interpretation. Liz lives in Toronto with her husband, three children and two dogs.

Indigenous, Economy, Early Modern, Human Relations

Liz Feld

University of Toronto

The Jewish Fur Trade in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Liz Feld is a museum educator and academic, with expertise in Canadian Jewish settlement history, Indigenous-Jewish relations museum repatriation and reconciliation. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto doing a collaborative degree through Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, researching Jewish-Indigenous encounters in the Northern Ontario fur trade through the exchange of material culture. Liz brings a background in museum education conducting transformative arts-based workshops employing object interpretation. Liz lives in Toronto with her husband, three children and two dogs.

Multiculturalism, Religion & Ritual, Community Institutions, Politics & Activism

Natalie Fingerhut

University of Toronto Press

From Words to Deeds: Tikkun Olam with Toronto’s Most Vulnerable

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Natalie Fingerhut is the senior editor of New Jewish Press based in Toronto. That's her day job. She currently on the board of directors at the Miles Nadal JCC, does outreach work for Ve'ahavta - The Jewish Humanitarian Response to Poverty, and is part of the organizing team for the St. Luke's Out of the Cold meal program. She recently returned to figure skating and is working very hard on her one-foot spin. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.

Israel-Diaspora Relations, Youth & Education, Community Institutions, Antisemitism

Jonah Fried

B'nai Brith Canada

McGill University, Jewish Students, and the Arab Israeli Conflict: A Crisis of the Past and Present

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Montreal

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Jonah Fried is a researcher and communications specialist at B’nai Brith Canada. He studied history at McGill University, where he also served on the student union and edited for The McGill Tribune. In 2025, he published "McGill University's Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1963-1973," a pioneering study tracing the origins of contemporary unrest on the Montreal campus. His writings and lectures for the ACJS reflect his own views and do not necessarily reflect those of his employer(s).

Environment / Nature, Western Canada, Early Modern, Oral History

Jonah Fried

B'nai Brith Canada

Jewish Solidarity at the Dawn of the Great Departure: Jewish Farming Experiments in Canada, 1881-1893

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Montreal

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Jonah Fried is a researcher and communications specialist at B’nai Brith Canada. He studied history at McGill University, where he also served on the student union and edited for The McGill Tribune. In 2025, he published "McGill University's Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1963-1973," a pioneering study tracing the origins of contemporary unrest on the Montreal campus. His writings and lectures for the ACJS reflect his own views and do not necessarily reflect those of his employer(s).

Antisemitism, Politics & Activism, Food & Material Culture, Holocaust

Jonah Fried

B'nai Brith Canada

Symbols of Hate: Jews and the Origins of the Campaign to Ban Nazi Iconography in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Montreal

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Jonah Fried is a researcher and communications specialist at B’nai Brith Canada. He studied history at McGill University, where he also served on the student union and edited for The McGill Tribune. In 2025, he published "McGill University's Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1963-1973," a pioneering study tracing the origins of contemporary unrest on the Montreal campus. His writings and lectures for the ACJS reflect his own views and do not necessarily reflect those of his employer(s).

Religion & Ritual, Gender & Sexuality, Community Institutions, Human Relations

Valentina Gaddi

Université de Montréal

Hasidic Communities in Canada through a Gendered Lens

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Montreal

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Valentina Gaddi is a doctoral student in sociology at Université de Montréal (ABD). Her thesis explores the construction of gender among Hasidic Jewish women in Montréal, based on a four-year ethnography. More broadly, her academic wonders focus on the place of pious citizens in democratic societies. Her work received the support from CRSH (Vanier Scholar 2017-2020, LRTG-Diversity Scholar, 2020-2023). She is the co-creator of the podcast Ma-Nishtana and the coordinator of the Collectif Judéité(s) at Université de Montréal. Valentina is also the associate editor (French) for the journal Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes.

Gender & Sexuality, Identity, Oral History, Religion & Ritual

Valentina Gaddi

Université de Montréal

Freedom through Constraints? Hasidic Jewish Women in Canada and the Question of Agency

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Montreal

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Valentina Gaddi is a doctoral student in sociology at Université de Montréal (ABD). Her thesis explores the construction of gender among Hasidic Jewish women in Montréal, based on a four-year ethnography. More broadly, her academic wonders focus on the place of pious citizens in democratic societies. Her work received the support from CRSH (Vanier Scholar 2017-2020, LRTG-Diversity Scholar, 2020-2023). She is the co-creator of the podcast Ma-Nishtana and the coordinator of the Collectif Judéité(s) at Université de Montréal. Valentina is also the associate editor (French) for the journal Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes.

Holocaust, Memory, Oral History, Immigration

Adara Goldberg

Kean University

"Why Do I Want to Go To Canada?": Revising the War Orphans Project, 80 Years Later

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

New Jersey

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Adara Goldberg is the executive director of the Holocaust Resource Center and Human Rights Institute at Kean University (Union, NJ). Author of the award-winning Holocaust Survivors in Canada: Exclusion, Inclusion, Transformation, 1947–1955 (2015), she has been a featured historian for various virtual exhibitions and educational modules. Goldberg recently served as historian for the National Holocaust Monument Exhibit Renewal Advisory Panel and as a mentor for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Community on Holocaust Education Centers.

Politics & Activism, Antisemitism, Holocaust, Immigration

Adara Goldberg

Kean University

Flexing its Humanitarian Arm: The M.S. St. Louis, Canada’s Jews, and Postwar Refugee Policy

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

New Jersey

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Adara Goldberg is the executive director of the Holocaust Resource Center and Human Rights Institute at Kean University (Union, NJ). Author of the award-winning Holocaust Survivors in Canada: Exclusion, Inclusion, Transformation, 1947–1955 (2015), she has been a featured historian for various virtual exhibitions and educational modules. Goldberg recently served as historian for the National Holocaust Monument Exhibit Renewal Advisory Panel and as a mentor for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Community on Holocaust Education Centers.

Antisemitism, Politics & Activism, Youth & Education, Zionism

Seth Goren

Hillel Ontario

Fighting Words: Canadian Campuses, Antisemitism, and Effective Advocacy

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Rabbi Dr. Seth Goren is Hillel Ontario's chief executive officer and has been working on campus and with young adults for two decades. He received his JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and completed his PhD at the University of Toronto. Rabbi Goren serves as a chaplain with the Royal Regiment of Canada in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Force.
Bureau FAQ

FAQs

I'd like to invite a speaker. Is my organization the right fit? The Bureau is a resource for any and all individuals and organizations interested in engaging community audiences and learners in thoughtful conversations about Canadian Jewish history, heritage, and culture. Appropriate venues include but are not limited to: synagogues and other religious institutions; adult education groups; community centres, Jewish or not; schools; literary and film festivals; book clubs; employee resource groups (ERGs); retirement homes; DEI seminars; professional development seminars; board meetings; historical societies; and genealogical societies.

I'm interested in a particular speaker but would like them to speak on a different topic than what appears in the catalogue. Is that possible? Yes. Once you are connected with the speaker you will be able to negotiate a different talk. Revising or customizing a talk already listed in the catalogue or creating a new one entirely is at the speaker’s discretion.

Where are the speakers based? Speakers are primarily located in Canada, though several are based in the United States and Israel. Many are willing to travel. Please consult the catalogue for speakers’ preferences and availability.

Are the speakers available to present online? Most of our speakers will present in-person or online. Please consult the catalogue for their preferences and availability.

Does the Bureau offer talks in languages other than English? Yes. Several speakers are available to present in French, Hebrew, Yiddish, Spanish, and Russian. Please contact us for more information.

Does the Bureau insist on a particular format for any given talk? No. Some of the talks listed in the catalogue are lectures, others are seminars, and still others are hands-on workshops. The total length of the event will be negotiated between the host and speaker.

Are there costs associated with booking a speaker? Yes. Our default fee for booking any speaker is 500 CAD, paid to ACJS. ACJS takes a 10 percent administrative fee to offset the costs of coordinating the Bureau. The remaining money goes directly to the speaker. Hosts are expected to bear any travel costs for out-of-town speakers. Note that some of the Bureau’s members are accustomed to higher rates for speaking engagements. Please contact us if you have any concerns and we will do our best to assist.

I’m a prospective host. What are the basic expectations for me and my organization? Once we connect you with a speaker, you will coordinate directly with the speaker to schedule dates and times, select a format (if applicable), and customize the presentation (if applicable). Hosts are expected to handle all of the local event planning, logistics, and advertising.

As a host, how do I promote the event as being connected to the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies? We kindly ask that any communications assets associated with your event include the ACJS logo and/or mention the talk’s association with the ACJS Speakers' Bureau. We provide all hosts with ACJS graphics, as well as a short description of the Association and the Bureau that can be used in promotional materials and/or welcome remarks. Likewise, all speakers are asked to acknowledge the ACJS prior to their talk. If you provide us with a digital flyer and/or descriptive text about your Bureau event, we will gladly promote it through our own social media and other communications channels.

I’m planning a series of talks for my organization over a period of months. Can I work with the Bureau to curate a program? Yes, we would be happy to facilitate a speaker series involving more than one of our Bureau members. Please contact us for more information.

I have research, insights, and knowledge to share. How do I become a member of the Bureau? The Bureau is open to new members on a rolling basis. If you are a scholar, advanced graduate student, archivist, museum professional, journalist, artist, writer, or community or religious leader, please complete our application form. You are invited to submit up to three talks. Only talks that have both Canadian and Jewish content will be considered. We will assess your application and follow up within three weeks.

I'm already a member of the Speakers' Bureau and would like to edit an existing talk title, add a new one, or update my bio. How can I do that? Please write to bureau@canadianjewishstudies.ca and we will be happy to revise your offerings.

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