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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.

Holocaust, Immigration, Second World War, Antisemitism Policy

Harold Troper

University of Toronto

The History of a History: The writing of None Is Too Many

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Harold Troper is an historian and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. His researched centres on the history of Canadian immigration and intergroup relations with a special interest in the history and development of the Canadian Jewish community. Troper is author or coauthor of ten books and numerous articles. He is perhaps best known for coauthoring the award-winning None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe 1933-1945, with Irving Abella.

Global / Diaspora, Oral History, Comparative, Community Institutions

Harold Troper

University of Toronto

Canadian Jews: Unique Community or Branch Plant Americans

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Harold Troper is an historian and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. His researched centres on the history of Canadian immigration and intergroup relations with a special interest in the history and development of the Canadian Jewish community. Troper is author or coauthor of ten books and numerous articles. He is perhaps best known for coauthoring the award-winning None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe 1933-1945, with Irving Abella.

20th Century, Military, Second World War, Canada

Peter Usher

Independent

The Making of a Jewish-Canadian War Hero: William Henry Nelson, 1940

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Clayton, ON

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Peter J. Usher is a geographer born in Montreal. Northern Canada was the focus of his working life. Twenty-five years ago he turned his attention to the experience of those in his family who served in the air war against Nazi Germany, prompted by the legacy of their letters and diaries. He is the author of two acclaimed biographies of Jewish Canadian wartime airmen: Joey Jacobson’s War: A Jewish Canadian Airman in the Second World War and Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace: The Life and Loss of One of the Few, Flight-Lieutenant William Henry Nelson DFC, as well as several scholarly articles. His research has taken him to numerous archives and libraries across Canada and in Britain, along with site visits there and in Europe. He gives illustrated talks about his work. Peter lives in Lanark County, ON, where he enjoys snowshoeing in winter, cycling in the summer, and working in the bush in spring and fall.

20th Century, Military, Second World War, Archival Research

Peter Usher

Independent

Canadian Jews in Air Force Blue: 1936–1945

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Clayton, ON

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Peter J. Usher is a geographer born in Montreal. Northern Canada was the focus of his working life. Twenty-five years ago he turned his attention to the experience of those in his family who served in the air war against Nazi Germany, prompted by the legacy of their letters and diaries. He is the author of two acclaimed biographies of Jewish-Canadian wartime airmen: Joey Jacobson’s War: A Jewish Canadian Airman in the Second World War and Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace: The Life and Loss of One of the Few, Flight-Lieutenant William Henry Nelson DFC, as well as several scholarly articles. His research has taken him to numerous archives and libraries across Canada and in Britain, along with site visits there and in Europe. He gives illustrated talks about his work. Peter lives in Lanark County, ON, where he enjoys snowshoeing in winter, cycling in the summer, and working in the bush in spring and fall.

20th Century, Military, Second World War, Archival Research

Peter Usher

Independent

Discovering Your Jewish Family’s Second World War Canadian Military Heritage

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Clayton, ON

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Peter J. Usher is a geographer born in Montreal. Northern Canada was the focus of his working life. Twenty-five years ago he turned his attention to the experience of those in his family who served in the air war against Nazi Germany, prompted by the legacy of their letters and diaries. He is the author of two acclaimed biographies of Jewish-Canadian wartime airmen: Joey Jacobson’s War: A Jewish Canadian Airman in the Second World War and Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace: The Life and Loss of One of the Few, Flight-Lieutenant William Henry Nelson DFC, as well as several scholarly articles. His research has taken him to numerous archives and libraries across Canada and in Britain, along with site visits there and in Europe. He gives illustrated talks about his work. Peter lives in Lanark County, ON, where he enjoys snowshoeing in winter, cycling in the summer, and working in the bush in spring and fall.

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

Natalia Vesselova

University of Ottawa

“How Not to Be Afraid of Finding New Places”: The Voices of Jewish Canadian Women Writers

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Ottawa

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Natalia Vesselova is coordinator of the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program at the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa, where she teaches an array of Jewish Studies courses. She holds a PhD equivalent in Literary Theory from the University of Tver, Russia, and a PhD in English from the University of Ottawa. Her Canadian thesis was dedicated to Leonard Cohen's philosophy of time. She has presented at over ninety scholarly conferences and published on comparative literatures, Eastern European literatures and cultural studies, and Canadian literature. Her current research interests include contemporary Jewish Canadian poetry and theatre.

Yiddish, Literature, Music

Natalia Vesselova

University of Ottawa

“As der rebbe zingt”: Leonard Cohen and Yiddishkeit

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Ottawa

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Natalia Vesselova is coordinator of the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program at the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa, where she teaches an array of Jewish Studies courses. She holds a PhD equivalent in Literary Theory from the University of Tver, Russia, and a PhD in English from the University of Ottawa. Her Canadian thesis was dedicated to Leonard Cohen's philosophy of time. She has presented at over ninety scholarly conferences and published on comparative literatures, Eastern European literatures and cultural studies, and Canadian literature. Her current research interests include contemporary Jewish Canadian poetry and theatre.

Oral History, Literature, Community Institutions, Ontario

Natalia Vesselova

University of Ottawa

Tales of Jewish Ottawa: People, Places, Stories

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Ottawa

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

Bilingual

Natalia Vesselova is coordinator of the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program at the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa, where she teaches an array of Jewish Studies courses. She holds a PhD equivalent in Literary Theory from the University of Tver, Russia, and a PhD in English from the University of Ottawa. Her Canadian thesis was dedicated to Leonard Cohen's philosophy of time. She has presented at over ninety scholarly conferences and published on comparative literatures, Eastern European literatures and cultural studies, and Canadian literature. Her current research interests include contemporary Jewish Canadian poetry and theatre.

Holocaust Remembrance, Art & Visual Culture, Religion & Ritual, Museum

Barbara Weiser

Independent

Canada's Holocaust Memorials

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Montreal

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Maybe

English

Barbara Weiser is a Jewish studies scholar and independent researcher living in Montreal with an interest in Canadian Jewish material culture—stained glass windows, Torah mantles, wedding canopies, gravestones and monuments. She has documented Jewish material culture and ritual spaces in synagogues, historical societies, Jewish community centres and cemeteries across Canada. Her findings (more than 10,000 images) have been placed at the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives and the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University. Weiser is editor of a soon-to-be-launched website, “Canadian Jewish Ritual Art—150 Years of Creativity and Faith.”

Religion & Ritual, Art & Visual Culture, Denominations, Memory

Barbara Weiser

Independent

Synagogue Art in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Montreal

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Maybe

English

Barbara Weiser is a Jewish studies scholar and independent researcher living in Montreal with an interest in Canadian Jewish material culture—stained glass windows, Torah mantles, wedding canopies, gravestones and monuments. She has documented Jewish material culture and ritual spaces in synagogues, historical societies, Jewish community centres and cemeteries across Canada. Her findings (more than 10,000 images) have been placed at the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives and the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University. Weiser is editor of a soon-to-be-launched website, “Canadian Jewish Ritual Art—150 Years of Creativity and Faith.”

Holocaust, Yiddish, Food & Material Culture, Global / Diaspora

Kalman Weiser

York University

The Nazi Yiddish Linguist Behind Hitler's Guidebook to North American Jewry

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Maybe

English

Kalman (Keith) Weiser is an associate professor in the Departments of Humanities and History at York University. His research focuses in the area of modern Jewish history and culture, specifically about language issues in Jewish life. Weiser's graduate training focused in two areas: Yiddish language, linguistics, and culture and Jewish history. Since then, he has expanded his field of knowledge to include antisemitism, Holocaust and Israel Studies. His research focuses in the area of modern Jewish history and culture, specifically about language issues in Jewish life. His first book explores the rise and fall of the nationalist movement on behalf of Yiddish in Russia and Poland until WW II. His current research examines the role of refugee scholars from Nazi-controlled Europe in creating the fields of Yiddish Studies and Jewish Studies more broadly in England and North America.

Yiddish, 20th Century, Literature, Memory

Kalman Weiser

York University

The Lives and Afterlives of Yiddish in Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Maybe

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Maybe

Bilingual

Kalman (Keith) Weiser is an associate professor in the Departments of Humanities and History at York University. His research focuses in the area of modern Jewish history and culture, specifically about language issues in Jewish life. Weiser's graduate training focused in two areas: Yiddish language, linguistics, and culture and Jewish history. Since then, he has expanded his field of knowledge to include antisemitism, Holocaust and Israel Studies. His research focuses in the area of modern Jewish history and culture, specifically about language issues in Jewish life. His first book explores the rise and fall of the nationalist movement on behalf of Yiddish in Russia and Poland until WW II. His current research examines the role of refugee scholars from Nazi-controlled Europe in creating the fields of Yiddish Studies and Jewish Studies more broadly in England and North America.

Community Institutions, Identity, Canada, 21st Century

David Weitzner

York University

Artful Thinking and the Canadian Jewish Future

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

David Weitzner works to uncover the best of what makes us human. He is an associate professor of management at York University who researches the science of artful thinking and creative co-creation, along with strategies for bettering our ethical, spiritual, and business decision making. He is the author of the new book Thinking Like a Human: The Power of Your Mind in the Age of AI, as well as Connected Capitalism: How Jewish Wisdom Can Transform Work. David is the founder of The Artful Intelligence Institute and writes the Managing with Meaning blog for Psychology Today.

Antisemitism, Early Modern, Identity, Politics & Activism

Tyler Wentzell

Canadian Forces College

Nativism, Fascism, and Antisemitism in Interwar Years Canada

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Tyler Wentzell is an assistant professor of defence studies at the Canadian Forces College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in war studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. He completed his JD (law degree) and SJD (doctoral degree in law) at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He is a licensed barrister and solicitor in the province of Ontario and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Wentzell is the author of two books on the international communist movement and Soviet influence operations during the Great Depression: Not for King or Country: Edward Cecil-Smith, the Communist Party of Canada and the Spanish Civil War (University of Toronto Press, 2020) and the forthcoming Comrades and Scoundrels: William Krehm and the League for a Revolutionary Workers’ Party (University of Toronto Press, 2027). His work has been published in The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, and The Literary Review of Canada, and peer-reviewed journals such as Labour / Le Travail, Criminal Law Quarterly, Canadian Military History and Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes. Wentzell has been an infantry officer in the Canadian Armed Forces since 2002.

Religion & Ritual, Denominations, Theology, Environment / Nature

Tanhum Yoreh

University of Toronto

Barriers and Opportunities to Orthodox Environmental Action: A Case Study of Canadian Communities

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Tanhum Yoreh is an associate professor at the School of Environment at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on faith-based environmentalism, faith-based environmental ethics, and religio-legal approaches to environmental protection. Dr. Yoreh researches environmental action in faith communities in Canada, the United States, and Israel. He is currently the chair of Faith and the Common Good, Canada's largest interfaith environmental organization. He is the award-winning author of Waste Not: A Jewish Environmental Ethic (2019).

Religion & Ritual, Denominations, Theology, Environment / Nature

Tanhum Yoreh

University of Toronto

Environmental Action in Canadian Synagogues: A Data Driven Denominational Breakdown

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Tanhum Yoreh is an associate professor at the School of Environment at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on faith-based environmentalism, faith-based environmental ethics, and religio-legal approaches to environmental protection. Dr. Yoreh researches environmental action in faith communities in Canada, the United States, and Israel. He is currently the chair of Faith and the Common Good, Canada's largest interfaith environmental organization. He is the award-winning author of Waste Not: A Jewish Environmental Ethic (2019).

Holocaust Remembrance, Youth & Education, Art & Visual Culture, Pedagogy

Belarie Zatzman

York University

Staging the Holocaust in Canadian Theatre: Hana's Suitcase, The Children's Republic, and The Diary of Anne Frank

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Belarie Zatzman, PhD, is a senior scholar and professor emerita, Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, York University. Zatzman’s research focuses on Canadian Theatre for Young Audiences, as well as on approaches to performing memory and memorial. Publications include: “Applied Theatre Encounters at Canada’s National Holocaust Monument”; “Difficult Knowledge in Theatre for Young Audiences: Remembering and Representing the Holocaust”; “Fifty-one Suitcases: Traces of Hana Brady and the Terezin Children”; and a co-edited special volume of the Canadian Theatre Review on Jewish Performance in Canada.

Identity, Art & Visual Culture, Youth & Education, Memory

Belarie Zatzman

York University

Jewish Youth, Identity and Art-making Practices: Creating at Camp Kadimah

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Belarie Zatzman, PhD, is a senior scholar and professor emerita, Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, York University. Zatzman’s research focuses on Canadian Theatre for Young Audiences, as well as on approaches to performing memory and memorial. Publications include: “Applied Theatre Encounters at Canada’s National Holocaust Monument”; “Difficult Knowledge in Theatre for Young Audiences: Remembering and Representing the Holocaust”; “Fifty-one Suitcases: Traces of Hana Brady and the Terezin Children”; and a co-edited special volume of the Canadian Theatre Review on Jewish Performance in Canada.

Literature, Identity, Digital Humanities, 21st Century

Orly Zebak

Parchment: Contemporary Canadian Jewish Writing

Crafting the Future of Canadian Jewish Literary Experience with Parchment

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Orly Zebak is the editor-in-chief of Parchment, managing editor at Brick, a literary journal, and is a stand-up comedian. She lives in Toronto.

Film & Media, Identity, Literature, 21st Century

Orly Zebak

Parchment: Contemporary Canadian Jewish Writing

More than Oy! Jewish Canadian Comedians on Crafting Voice

CITY

WILLING TO TRAVEL?

Toronto

Yes

OPEN TO VIRTUAL?

LANGUAGE

Yes

English

Orly Zebak is the editor-in-chief of Parchment, managing editor at Brick, a literary journal, and is a stand-up comedian. She lives in Toronto.
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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