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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.

Comparative, Multiculturalism, Holocaust Remembrance, Second World War

Jordan Stanger-Ross

University of Victoria

Nazism in Canada?: The Internment of Japanese Canadians and the History of Comparison

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Victoria, BC

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Jordan Stanger-Ross is professor of history at the University of Victoria. The winner of an Impact Award from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for his contributions to public understandings of the past, he is committed to scholarship that extends beyond the walls of the academy. He is currently working on a number of projects that explore the place of the Holocaust in Canadian public life, sometimes in relation to his principal area of research, the internment of Japanese Canadians in the 1940s.

Holocaust Remembrance, Western Canada, Community Institutions, Memory

Jordan Stanger-Ross

University of Victoria

The Shifting Boundaries of Holocaust Remembrance in Victoria

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Victoria, BC

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Jordan Stanger-Ross is professor of history at the University of Victoria. The winner of an Impact Award from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for his contributions to public understandings of the past, he is committed to scholarship that extends beyond the walls of the academy. He is currently working on a number of projects that explore the place of the Holocaust in Canadian public life, sometimes in relation to his principal area of research, the internment of Japanese Canadians in the 1940s.

Politics & Activism, Comparative, Community Institutions, Identity

Elizabeth Stein

UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies

Progressive Jewish Advocacy and Community in Canada from a Comparative Perspective

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Los Angeles

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Dr. Elizabeth Stein is the postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Her research focuses on Israel–diaspora relations, diaspora politics broadly, and political division, activism, and organizational fragmentation on matters concerning Israel among Jews in the United States, France, and Canada. Her dissertation examined why “pushback” activist and advocacy groups, whose positions on Israel and Zionism broadly oppose those of mainstream Jewish and Israel-advocacy organizations, are significantly less well-developed in France and Canada than in the US. Dr. Stein is developing her dissertation—which was awarded Honorable Mention by the International Studies Association’s International Relations and Religion section—into a book manuscript. Additionally, she teaches the course "Special Studies in International Relations: Diaspora Politics" in the UCLA Department of Political Science.

Israel-Diaspora Relations, Zionism, Identity, 20th Century

Elizabeth Stein

UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies

Canada-Israel Relations in Historical Context

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Los Angeles

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Dr. Elizabeth Stein is the postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Her research focuses on Israel–diaspora relations, diaspora politics broadly, and political division, activism, and organizational fragmentation on matters concerning Israel among Jews in the United States, France, and Canada. Her dissertation examined why “pushback” activist and advocacy groups, whose positions on Israel and Zionism broadly oppose those of mainstream Jewish and Israel-advocacy organizations, are significantly less well-developed in France and Canada than in the US. Dr. Stein is developing her dissertation—which was awarded Honorable Mention by the International Studies Association’s International Relations and Religion section—into a book manuscript. Additionally, she teaches the course "Special Studies in International Relations: Diaspora Politics" in the UCLA Department of Political Science.

Music, Religion & Ritual, Global / Diaspora

Eric Stein

Ashkenaz Festival

Trembling Before God: Jews and the Mandolin, in Canada and Beyond

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Mandolinist, bassist, bandleader, artistic director and producer, Toronto’s Eric Stein has been a prominent figure in Canada’s folk, world, and Jewish-roots music scenes for over twenty-five years. He is founder/leader of the innovative klezmer/balkan fusion group Beyond the Pale, with whom he has performed across North America, Europe, Brazil and Australia and released four award-winning albums. Eric also leads the Brazilian choro ensemble Tio Chorinho, is a member of the international supergroup the Ger Mandolin Orchestra, and has performed with a number of other leading world, folk and classical artists. He has served since 2006 as as artistic director of Toronto’s Ashkenaz Festival, one of the world’s largest celebrations of Jewish music and culture.

Music, Yiddish, 20th Century, 21st Century

Eric Stein

Ashkenaz Festival

Freyt Aykh, Yidelekh: The Klezmer/Yiddish Revival in Canada from the 1970s to the Present

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Mandolinist, bassist, bandleader, artistic director and producer, Toronto’s Eric Stein has been a prominent figure in Canada’s folk, world, and Jewish-roots music scenes for over twenty-five years. He is founder/leader of the innovative klezmer/balkan fusion group Beyond the Pale, with whom he has performed across North America, Europe, Brazil and Australia and released four award-winning albums. Eric also leads the Brazilian choro ensemble Tio Chorinho, is a member of the international supergroup the Ger Mandolin Orchestra, and has performed with a number of other leading world, folk and classical artists. He has served since 2006 as as artistic director of Toronto’s Ashkenaz Festival, one of the world’s largest celebrations of Jewish music and culture.

Politics & Activism, Multiculturalism, Indigenous, Law & Human Rights

Sterling Stutz

University of Toronto

Jewish Belonging on Indigenous Lands: What is Our Responsibility?

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Sterling Stutz is a PhD candidate in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto. Raised in a mixed-heritage Ashkenazi Jewish and Christian family, Sterling is active in Toronto’s Jewish community. Her community-based research examines antisemitism as a social determinant of health within Toronto’s Jewish community. Sterling holds a BA from York University (2017) and an MPH in Indigenous Health from the University of Toronto (2021). She worked for several years in Indigenous health research at the Waakebiness Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health and remains engaged in Indigenous solidarity efforts. More recently, she has shifted her focus to Jewish community well-being and teaches Canadian Jewish history and contemporary Jewish life at the University of Toronto.

Antisemitism, Community Institutions, Oral History, Politics & Activism

Sterling Stutz

University of Toronto

Antisemitism in Canada Since October 7th: Navigating Fear, Threats, and Community Resilience

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Sterling Stutz is a PhD candidate in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto. Raised in a mixed-heritage Ashkenazi Jewish and Christian family, Sterling is active in Toronto’s Jewish community. Her community-based research examines antisemitism as a social determinant of health within Toronto’s Jewish community. Sterling holds a BA from York University (2017) and an MPH in Indigenous Health from the University of Toronto (2021). She worked for several years in Indigenous health research at the Waakebiness Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health and remains engaged in Indigenous solidarity efforts. More recently, she has shifted her focus to Jewish community well-being and teaches Canadian Jewish history and contemporary Jewish life at the University of Toronto.

Politics & Activism, Community Institutions, Health & Medicine, Antisemitism

Sterling Stutz

University of Toronto

The Health and Wellness Impacts of Antisemitism in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Sterling Stutz is a PhD candidate in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto. Raised in a mixed-heritage Ashkenazi Jewish and Christian family, Sterling is active in Toronto’s Jewish community. Her community-based research examines antisemitism as a social determinant of health within Toronto’s Jewish community. Sterling holds a BA from York University (2017) and an MPH in Indigenous Health from the University of Toronto (2021). She worked for several years in Indigenous health research at the Waakebiness Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health and remains engaged in Indigenous solidarity efforts. More recently, she has shifted her focus to Jewish community well-being and teaches Canadian Jewish history and contemporary Jewish life at the University of Toronto.

Politics & Activism, Immigration, Multiculturalism, Global / Diaspora

Joshua Tapper

Stanford University

Imagining Soviet Jewry: Activism, Migration, and Inclusion in Cold War Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Ottawa

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Joshua Tapper is a historian of Jewish culture and community in the Soviet and post-Soviet Union and Soviet and post-Soviet Jewish culture and community in Canada. He is a doctoral candidate in Jewish History at Stanford University, a research associate at the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University, and the managing editor of the journal Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes. He also serves as executive director of the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies.

Oral History, Ontario, Community Institutions, 21st Century

Joshua Tapper

Stanford University

Toronto Jewry and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from an Oral History Project

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Ottawa

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Joshua Tapper is a historian of Jewish culture and community in the Soviet and post-Soviet Union and Soviet and post-Soviet Jewish culture and community in Canada. He is a doctoral candidate in Jewish History at Stanford University, a research associate at the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University, and the managing editor of the journal Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes. He also serves as executive director of the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies.

Immigration, Global / Diaspora, Identity, Russian Language

Joshua Tapper

Stanford University

Russian-speaking Jews in Canada: A Post-Soviet History

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Ottawa

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Joshua Tapper is a historian of Jewish culture and community in the Soviet and post-Soviet Union and Soviet and post-Soviet Jewish culture and community in Canada. He is a doctoral candidate in Jewish History at Stanford University, a research associate at the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University, and the managing editor of the journal Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes. He also serves as executive director of the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies.

Identity, Art & Visual Culture, Multiculturalism, Canada

Hernan Tesler-Mabe

Huron University College

The Varieties of Culture and Identity in Jewish Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

London

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Hernan Tesler-Mabé is associate professor and coordinator of the Jewish Studies program at Huron University College in London, Ontario. His research centers on modern Jewish history and culture across the diaspora, with a focus on the intersection of Jewish culture and identity. His first monograph, Mahler’s Forgotten Conductor: Heinz Unger and his Search for Jewish Meaning, 1895–1965, is an exploration of a musician’s negotiation of his German Jewish identity and was awarded the 2020 Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Best Biography. Dr. Tesler-Mabé is past president of the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies and serves on the steering committee for the Network of Canadian Academics, which focuses on battling antisemitism on college campuses across Canada.

Music, Identity, Religion & Ritual, Canada

Hernan Tesler-Mabe

Huron University College

The Meaning of Music in Jewish Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

London

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Hernan Tesler-Mabé is associate professor and coordinator of the Jewish Studies program at Huron University College in London, Ontario. His research centers on modern Jewish history and culture across the diaspora, with a focus on the intersection of Jewish culture and identity. His first monograph, Mahler’s Forgotten Conductor: Heinz Unger and his Search for Jewish Meaning, 1895–1965, is an exploration of a musician’s negotiation of his German Jewish identity and was awarded the 2020 Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Best Biography. Dr. Tesler-Mabé is past president of the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies and serves on the steering committee for the Network of Canadian Academics, which focuses on battling antisemitism on college campuses across Canada.

Yiddish, Art & Visual Culture, Literature, 20th Century

Evelyn Tauben

FENTSTER

A Window into Contemporary Jewish Art & Culture Through FENTSTER

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Producer, curator and writer, Evelyn Tauben is a leader in the field of contemporary Jewish arts and culture in Canada. In 2016, she founded FENTSTER, offering a window into Jewish life through exhibitions, programs and gatherings. Evelyn is the project director of SHVILIM, a groundbreaking initiative commissioned by the Ontario Arts Council to celebrate the diversity of Jewish life and offer a new path towards addressing antisemitism through and in the arts. She also has produced performances, concerts, festivals, and cultural conversations featuring local and international luminaries. Previously, Evelyn worked at Smithsonian Museums, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Koffler Centre of the Arts.

Film & Media, Archival Research, Yiddish, Art & Visual Culture

Evelyn Tauben

FENTSTER

Art Out of the Canadian Archives: From Yiddish Theatre to Kung Fu Films to Contemporary Art

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Producer, curator and writer, Evelyn Tauben is a leader in the field of contemporary Jewish arts and culture in Canada. In 2016, she founded FENTSTER, offering a window into Jewish life through exhibitions, programs and gatherings. Evelyn is the project director of SHVILIM, a groundbreaking initiative commissioned by the Ontario Arts Council to celebrate the diversity of Jewish life and offer a new path towards addressing antisemitism through and in the arts. She also has produced performances, concerts, festivals, and cultural conversations featuring local and international luminaries. Previously, Evelyn worked at Smithsonian Museums, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Koffler Centre of the Arts.

Gender & Sexuality, Antisemitism, Global / Diaspora, Oral History

Caroline Topperman

Independent

Unbroken Threads: Polish-Canadian Women’s Voices on Heritage and Antisemitism

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Caroline Topperman is a European-Canadian writer, editor, and book coach. Her hybrid memoir, Your Roots Cast a Shadow, explores explosive intergenerational histories that link war zones and foreign shores with questions of identity and belonging. She is a co-founder of Mountain Ash Press, KW Writers Alliance, and sits on the board of gritLIT. She has written for Huffington Post Canada and Jane Friedman’s blog. Caroline’s expertise spans the Canadian immigrant experience, non-Western Jewish migration, and the craft of turning complex family history into a published work. She currently teaches at an underground school for girls in Afghanistan.

Interfaith, Identity, Intermarriage, 21st Century

Caroline Topperman

Independent

The Memoirist as Historian: Reclaiming Family Papers for Canadian Jewish Narrative

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Caroline Topperman is a European-Canadian writer, editor, and book coach. Her hybrid memoir, Your Roots Cast a Shadow, explores explosive intergenerational histories that link war zones and foreign shores with questions of identity and belonging. She is a co-founder of Mountain Ash Press, KW Writers Alliance, and sits on the board of gritLIT. She has written for Huffington Post Canada and Jane Friedman’s blog. Caroline’s expertise spans the Canadian immigrant experience, non-Western Jewish migration, and the craft of turning complex family history into a published work. She currently teaches at an underground school for girls in Afghanistan.

Literature, Quebec, Art & Visual Culture, Memory

Jesse Toufexis

University of Ottawa

The Holy Mountain: Mount Royal in Canadian Jewish Writing

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Ottawa

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Jesse Toufexis teaches in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies, as well as the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program, at the University of Ottawa. His research and teaching interests focus on Jewish literature, the history of Canada’s Jewish community, and the intersection of religion and popular culture, especially through the lens of horror media.

Community Institutions, Immigration, Early Modern, Quebec

Jesse Toufexis

University of Ottawa

The Early Stages of Montreal’s Jewish Community

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Ottawa

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Jesse Toufexis teaches in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies, as well as the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program, at the University of Ottawa. His research and teaching interests focus on Jewish literature, the history of Canada’s Jewish community, and the intersection of religion and popular culture, especially through the lens of horror media.
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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