What responsibility do arts organizations—and the arts in general—have in championing Jewish culture, fostering inclusivity, and building bridges across communal lines?

In this episode of Tête-à-tête, host Jonathan Slater is joined by curator and writer Evelyn Tauben, founder of the Toronto-based Jewish arts organization FENTSTER, for a conversation about challenges that Jews in the arts in Canada have faced in recent years, as well as the many opportunities that exist for productive engagement, solidarity, and reconciliation. They focus on Evelyn's latest project, SHVILIM ("paths," in Hebrew), a provincially funded initiative celebrating Jewish creativity in Ontario's arts landscape. Jonathan and Evelyn chat about how SHVILIM is charting a new approach to educating about antisemitism through a holistic lens, and why its team is advocating for non-punitive solutions in the arts and beyond.

This conversation was recorded live at the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies' 2026 Annual Conference on May 31, at York University's Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies.

To learn more about SHVILIM and to explore the Bridging Worlds resources on understanding antisemitism in French and English, click here. To read a summary of SHVILIM's work with the Ontario Arts Council and their recommendations for the arts sector, click here.

This episode was produced and edited by Theadora Draper. Original music is by J. K. Bradley. Our executive producers are Joshua Tapper and David Koffman. We thank the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for their generous support of this episode.

Please visit the website of the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies to learn more about its work, how it supports the research and study of Canadian Jewish life, and how you can contribute. The ACJS is based at the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University, in Toronto, ON.

For updates about the ACJS, sign up for its newsletter. If you have comments or thoughts about our podcast, please email us at acjs@yorku.ca.