The
Canadian Jewish News was founded by
M. J. Nurenberger, a friend of
Menachem Begin and supporter of his
Herut party, and his wife Dorothy and was first published on Friday, January 1, 1960, and was the first exclusively English-language Jewish newspaper published in
Ontario. The CJN was considered a "provocative" paper into the 1970s but was later considered something of a "lapdog for the community". In 1971, following the death of his wife, Nurenberger sold the newspaper for $30,000 to a group of community leaders that included
Shoppers Drug Mart founder
Murray Koffler and real estate developer
Albert Latner and was led by philanthropist and businessman Ray Wolfe. Nurenburger soon regretted his decision, discouraged by the new version of the paper's reticence to challenge the community's establishment, and started the
Jewish Times in 1974, which was decidedly more right wing than The CJN under its new management, and continued publication into the early 1990s. In 1979, The CJN adopted editorial guidelines that prevent articles from criticizing the state of Israel's security policies.
Resumption of publication and second closure On June 14, 2013, The CJN's board announced that it would resume publication of its print edition in August 2013 after moving to smaller offices and pending the results of a subscription and advertising drive and various changes to the newspaper's business model. Among others, editor Mordechai Ben-Dat and senior staffer and columnist Sheldon Kirshner were let go. The newspaper was subsequently reorganized under new leadership, and with a drastically reduced staff, Goldstein subsequently introduced a more diverse range of contributors to the newspaper. The content of the newly revamped paper was described as "racier" and was more reliant on freelancers. The CJN's president Elizabeth Wolfe stated that "The CJN suffered from a pre-existing condition and has been felled by
COVID-19." Instead, it returned at a new website, thecjn.ca, which resumed its reporting tradition. The CJN also printed its first magazine for pre-existing subscribers in March 2021, which has since continued as a quarterly. In addition, they launched a new frequent email newsletter and began several original podcasts. The current list includes
North Star, a daily newscast hosted by Ellin Bessner, author of
Double Threat;
Not in Heaven, hosted by Rabbi
Avi Finegold,
Jewish Angle, hosted by
Phoebe Maltz Bovy, a columnist with
The Globe and Mail and the author of
The Perils of "Privilege";
Menschwarmers, about Jews and sports;
Culturally Jewish, about Canadian Jewish arts and culture, hosted by actors Ilana Zackon and David Sklar;
Not That Kind of Rabbi, hosted by CBC veteran
Ralph Benmergui; and
Rivkush, about Jews of colour, hosted by Rivka Campbell. In 2024, The CJN debuted its first original audio drama podcast,
Justice: A Holocaust Zombie Story, about media narratives and generational trauma. The show was produced in association with the
Ashkenaz Foundation. At the end of 2023, longtime editor-in-chief Yoni Goldstein stepped down and was replaced by CEO Michael Weisdorf. The CJN also began hosting live podcast tapings across Toronto. Initial guests included actress
Jennifer Podemski and sports broadcaster
Michael Landsberg. == Contributors ==