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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.

Youth & Education, Canada, Religion & Ritual, Identity

Seth Goren

Hillel Ontario

"But I Was Listening!": Interruptions, Tangents, and Canadian Jewish Listening

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.

Law & Human Rights, Antisemitism, Youth & Education, Holocaust Remembrance

Kenneth Grad

University of Manitoba

Should Hate Speech Be Criminalized? Lessons from the Prosecutions of Ernst Zundel and James Keegstra

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Winnipeg

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Dr. Kenneth Grad is assistant professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba, where his teaching and research focus on criminal law, legal history, human rights, and antisemitism. He holds a JD and PhD from Osgoode Hall Law School and a LLM from Harvard Law School. Kenneth's doctoral work studied the efficacy of the criminal sanction and other regulatory measures as tools for combating hate speech, with emphasis on the social and legal history surrounding the prosecutions of Holocaust deniers Ernst Zündel and James Keegstra.

Law & Human Rights, Antisemitism Policy, Canada, Holocaust Remembrance

Kenneth Grad

University of Manitoba

A Jewish History of the Criminalization of Hate Speech in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Winnipeg

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Dr. Kenneth Grad is assistant professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba, where his teaching and research focus on criminal law, legal history, human rights, and antisemitism. He holds a JD and PhD from Osgoode Hall Law School and a LLM from Harvard Law School. Kenneth's doctoral work studied the efficacy of the criminal sanction and other regulatory measures as tools for combating hate speech, with emphasis on the social and legal history surrounding the prosecutions of Holocaust deniers Ernst Zündel and James Keegstra.

20th Century, Gender & Sexuality, Religion & Ritual, United States

Monda Halpern

University of Western Ontario

Marital Desertion in the Jewish Community in Early Twentieth-Century Canada and America

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

London, ON

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Monda Halpern is professor of History at The University of Western Ontario, where she specializes in Canadian and American women's and Jewish history. She is the author of two books: And On That Farm He Had a Wife: Ontario Farm Women and Feminism, 1900-1980 (2001) and Alice in Shandehland: Scandal and Scorn in the Edelson/Horwitz Murder Case (2015). Her articles appear in Canadian Jewish Studies, Ontario History, and Histoire sociale/Social History. She is currently writing her third book, on wife-deserting and Jewish mob boss Bessie Starkman.

Law & Human Rights, Archival Research, 20th Century, Gender & Sexuality

Monda Halpern

University of Western Ontario

Jewish Mob-Boss Bessie Starkman: What She Can Tell Us About Marriage, Wife-Deserting, and Divorce in Early Twentieth-Century Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

London, ON

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Monda Halpern is professor of History at The University of Western Ontario, where she specializes in Canadian and American women's and Jewish history. She is the author of two books: And On That Farm He Had a Wife: Ontario Farm Women and Feminism, 1900-1980 (2001) and Alice in Shandehland: Scandal and Scorn in the Edelson/Horwitz Murder Case (2015). Her articles appear in Canadian Jewish Studies, Ontario History, and Histoire sociale/Social History. She is currently writing her third book, on wife-deserting and Jewish mob boss Bessie Starkman.

Law & Human Rights, Gender & Sexuality, Ontario, Archival Research

Monda Halpern

University of Western Ontario

The Edelson/Horwitz Murder Case: Scandal in the Ottawa Jewish Community, 1931

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

London, ON

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Monda Halpern is professor of History at The University of Western Ontario, where she specializes in Canadian and American women's and Jewish history. She is the author of two books: And On That Farm He Had a Wife: Ontario Farm Women and Feminism, 1900-1980 (2001) and Alice in Shandehland: Scandal and Scorn in the Edelson/Horwitz Murder Case (2015). Her articles appear in Canadian Jewish Studies, Ontario History, and Histoire sociale/Social History. She is currently writing her third book, on wife-deserting and Jewish mob boss Bessie Starkman.

Holocaust, Pedagogy, Archival Research, Politics & Activism

Denise Handlarski

Trent University

Holocaust History and Pedagogy in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Peterborough

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Dr. Rabbi Denise Handlarski is an associate professor at Trent University. She teaches about education and gender, and has a forthcoming book about Holocaust history and pedagogy, and has recently worked with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, the Ontario College of Teachers, and the Durham District School Board on combatting antisemitism. She is ordained by the Secular Humanistic Jewish movement and created the online community Secular Synagogue for cultural Jews. She is also a Jewish doula, focusing on rituals for pregnancy and birth.

Religion & Ritual, Identity, Gender & Sexuality, Health & Medicine

Denise Handlarski

Trent University

Jewish Pregnancy and Birth Traditions: The Canadian Context

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Peterborough

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Dr. Rabbi Denise Handlarski is an associate professor at Trent University. She teaches about education and gender, and has a forthcoming book about Holocaust history and pedagogy, and has recently worked with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, the Ontario College of Teachers, and the Durham District School Board on combatting antisemitism. She is ordained by the Secular Humanistic Jewish movement and created the online community Secular Synagogue for cultural Jews. She is also a Jewish doula, focusing on rituals for pregnancy and birth.

Global / Diaspora, Second World War, Archival Research, Religion & Ritual

Aron Heller

Independent

The Canadian Jewish Soldiers in World War II

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Israel

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Aron Heller is a reporter, writer and broadcaster, and the author of the book Zaidy’s Band, The Untold Stories of a Jewish Band of Brothers in World War II. He focuses on technology storytelling and podcasting and was previously a long-time Associated Press correspondent and journalism lecturer. He has covered ten Israeli elections, four Mideast wars and dozens of other major world events across five continents.

Israel, Zionism, Military, Identity

Aron Heller

Independent

Tha Canadian Jewish Volunteers in Israel's War of Independence

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Israel

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Aron Heller is a reporter, writer and broadcaster, and the author of the book Zaidy’s Band, The Untold Stories of a Jewish Band of Brothers in World War II. He focuses on technology storytelling and podcasting and was previously a long-time Associated Press correspondent and journalism lecturer. He has covered ten Israeli elections, four Mideast wars and dozens of other major world events across five continents.

Antisemitism, Food & Material Culture, Law & Human Rights, Oral History

Shelley Hornstein

York University

Discrimination by Design: Hotels, Tourism, and Antisemitism in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Clayton, ON

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Shelley Hornstein is senior scholar and professor emerita of Architectural History & Urban Culture at York University. She explores a wide-ranging set of themes located at the intersection of memory and place in architectural sites and cultural heritage. In particular, her research focuses on Jewish museums, memorials, and touristic sites. Her latest book, Architectural Tourism: Site-Seeing, Itineraries and Cultural Heritage (Lund Humphries, 2021), investigates the role of architecture as central to tourism at virtual and material sites. Other books include Losing Site: Architecture, Memory and Place (Ashgate/Routledge, 2011), and co-edited books: Capital Culture: A Reader on Modernist Legacies, State Institutions, and the Value(s) of Art (McGill-University Press, 2000), Image and Remembrance: Representation and The Holocaust (Indiana University Press, 2002), and Impossible Images: Contemporary Art after the Holocaust (NYU Press, 2003). She is published widely in edited volumes, scholarly journals, and catalogues. The recipient of various international awards, fellowships, and guest professorships, she also serves on advisory boards for several academic journals. A graduate of the Université de Strasbourg (Marc Bloch), France, Professor Hornstein has taught at York University since 1985. As senior scholar, she is a member of York’s graduate programs in Art History, Culture and Communications, and Social and Political Thought. Currently, she is an ISGAP Research Fellow (The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy) and Consultant with AEPJ (European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage.

Western Canada, Food & Material Culture, Oral History, Religion & Ritual

Irena Karshenbaum

Independent

The Little Synagogue on the Prairie Project Society: How One of the Last Surviving Prairie Synagogues was Included in the Collection of the Largest Historic Park in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Calgary

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Irena Karshenbaum founded and served as president of The Little Synagogue on the Prairie Project Society, a $1.1 million initiative that gifted a lost prairie synagogue—the 1916 Montefiore Institute to Calgary’s Heritage Park, the first Jewish exhibit included in the collection of any historic park in Canada. Since opening in 2009, the restored Montefiore Institute has given voice to Jewish traditions to a primarily non-Jewish audience, approaching four hundred-thousand visitors. An advocate for combating Jew-hatred through the sharing of Jewish culture, Irena plays a leading advisory role to Heritage Park on presenting Jewish programs, as a costumed interpreter, and through public history talks and writing.

20th Century, Community Institutions, Food & Material Culture, Global / Diaspora

Irena Karshenbaum

Independent

The History of Jewish Farming: From the Argentine Pampas to the Canadian Prairies

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Calgary

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Irena Karshenbaum founded and served as president of The Little Synagogue on the Prairie Project Society, a $1.1 million initiative that gifted a lost prairie synagogue—the 1916 Montefiore Institute to Calgary’s Heritage Park, the first Jewish exhibit included in the collection of any historic park in Canada. Since opening in 2009, the restored Montefiore Institute has given voice to Jewish traditions to a primarily non-Jewish audience, approaching four hundred-thousand visitors. An advocate for combating Jew-hatred through the sharing of Jewish culture, Irena plays a leading advisory role to Heritage Park on presenting Jewish programs, as a costumed interpreter, and through public history talks and writing.

Politics & Activism, Oral History, Archival Research, 20th Century

Hailey Kobrin

York University

Jewish Anti-Fascist Aesthetics: Resistance, Memory, and the Postwar Canadian Left

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Hailey Kobrin is an artist, writer, and PhD candidate at York University. Her current work explores intersections of Canadian Jewish Left history, Canadian labour history, and cartoons, focusing on political cartoons by Avrom Yanovsky. Her work has been published by the University of California Riverside and Silverfish Magazine, and her critical-conceptual cookbook, Schmaltz, is distributed by Art Metropole.

Identity, Art & Visual Culture, Politics & Activism, Archival Research

Hailey Kobrin

York University

Class Clown: Jewish Identity, Humour, and Political Resistance in the Artworks of Avrom Yanovsky

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Hailey Kobrin is an artist, writer, and PhD candidate at York University. Her current work explores intersections of Canadian Jewish Left history, Canadian labour history, and cartoons, focusing on political cartoons by Avrom Yanovsky. Her work has been published by the University of California Riverside and Silverfish Magazine, and her critical-conceptual cookbook, Schmaltz, is distributed by Art Metropole.

Art & Visual Culture, Identity, Oral History, 20th Century

Hailey Kobrin

York University

Recovering Jewish Voices in Mid-Century Canadian Art

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Hailey Kobrin is an artist, writer, and PhD candidate at York University. Her current work explores intersections of Canadian Jewish Left history, Canadian labour history, and cartoons, focusing on political cartoons by Avrom Yanovsky. Her work has been published by the University of California Riverside and Silverfish Magazine, and her critical-conceptual cookbook, Schmaltz, is distributed by Art Metropole.

Pedagogy, Denominations, Community Institutions, Human Relations

Karen Kollins

Shalom Hartman Institute of Canada

A National Organization in a Local Context: Lessons from Jewish Communities Across Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Karen Kollins is the executive director of the Shalom Hartman Institute of Canada, overseeing strategy, programming, and community engagement nationwide. She brings extensive experience in both formal and informal education, including over two decades in Jewish camping and as a classroom teacher. Karen holds a BA in History and Religious Studies from McGill University, and a BEd and MEd from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She lives in Toronto with her family.

Community Institutions, Pedagogy, Human Relations, Archival Research

Karen Kollins

Shalom Hartman Institute of Canada

Courageous Leadership in Small Jewish Communities: Middle Powers, Small Communities, Big Impact

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Karen Kollins is the executive director of the Shalom Hartman Institute of Canada, overseeing strategy, programming, and community engagement nationwide. She brings extensive experience in both formal and informal education, including over two decades in Jewish camping and as a classroom teacher. Karen holds a BA in History and Religious Studies from McGill University, and a BEd and MEd from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She lives in Toronto with her family.

Identity, Community Institutions, Politics & Activism, Memory

David Koffman

York University

Jewish Mayors in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

David S. Koffman is the J. Richard Shiff Chair for the Study of Canadian Jewry, and an associate professor in the Department of History at York University. He is the author of the award-winning The Jews’ Indian: Colonialism, Pluralism, and Belonging in America, the editor of and contributor to No Better Home? Jews, Canada, and the Sense of Belonging, and the co-editor of and co-contributor to Promised Lands North and South: Jewish Canada and Jewish Argentina in Conversation. He serves as the associate director of York’s Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, and the editor-in-chief of the journal Canadian Jewish Studies.

Art & Visual Culture, Interfaith, Western Canada, Identity

David Koffman

York University

William Kurelek and the Painting of Jewish Life in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

David S. Koffman is the J. Richard Shiff Chair for the Study of Canadian Jewry, and an associate professor in the Department of History at York University. He is the author of the award-winning The Jews’ Indian: Colonialism, Pluralism, and Belonging in America, the editor of and contributor to No Better Home? Jews, Canada, and the Sense of Belonging, and the co-editor of and co-contributor to Promised Lands North and South: Jewish Canada and Jewish Argentina in Conversation. He serves as the associate director of York’s Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, and the editor-in-chief of the journal Canadian Jewish Studies.
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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