LUNCH & LEARN SESSION DETAILS:

APRIL 29: RABBI JARROD GROVER
 

Meet the Mormons: 
Rabbi Grover In Conversation with Latter-Day Saint Church Missionaries on Belief, Friendship, Service, and Meaning

Rabbi Jarrod Grover serves as the senior spiritual leader and mara d'atra of Beth Tikvah. He came to Beth Tikvah at 28 years old, fresh out of rabbinical school, and has remained with the congregation throughout his career. A bilingual native of Montreal, Rabbi Grover received his bachelor's degree in Economics at Princeton University. His M.A. and rabbinical ordination are from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he served as president of the students' organization. 

Rabbi Grover is a leading religious voice within the Canadian Jewish community and currently serves as Vice-President of the interdenominational Toronto Board of Rabbis, Treasurer of the Ontario Region of the Rabbinical Assembly, and Rabbinic Chair of the Toronto Community Mikvah. He is also a member of the Toronto Police Chief's Jewish Community Consultative Committee, and the Rabbinic Cabinets of the Jewish Federations of North America, Israel Bonds, and Hillel Ontario.

This session is sponsored by:

 

MAY 6: CARLOS HAAG THE FRIENDS OF
SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER
 

"Genocide Case Study: The Holocaust and Rwanda"

Genocide is defined and investigated through Gregory Stanton’s 10 Stages of Genocide theoretical framework. Both the genocidal process along with the preventative measures are examined in two historical case studies to allow the attendees to build an understanding of where theory intersects with reality.
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Carlos Haag has been an educator at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies since September 2024. With a background in history and a deep commitment to fostering critical discussions on human rights, Carlos has extensive experience teaching and developing engaging educational content. He is a PhD candidate (ABD) in History at York University, and his research focuses on global transformations and post-colonial studies, examining the intersections of power, identity, and historical memory.

Carlos has worked as a Teaching Assistant and Tutorial Leader at York University, facilitating courses on subjects such as war, revolution, imperialism, and the history of European cities. He is dedicated to fostering inclusive and thought-provoking learning environments, encouraging students to engage with historical narratives and their contemporary implications.

Before joining FSWC, Carlos held various research and editorial positions, including as a Research Associate at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he contributed to health communication and media projects. He is also an active scholar who publishes articles and book reviews in academic journals, focusing on themes of colonialism, migration, and environmental history. His work has garnered recognition through awards such as the Paavo and Aino Lukkari Human Rights Fellowship, honouring outstanding diversity and social justice research.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is one of Canada’s leading human rights and social advocacy organizations. Inspired by the legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, FSWC works to build a more inclusive and respectful Canada by sharing the lessons of the Holocaust, advocating for human rights and combatting both antisemitism and hate in all its forms.

MAY 13: REUVEN GRAJNER

Jewish Musical Influence In Jazz

This lecture aims to highlight the Jewish role in jazz and the modern
Israeli jazz scene. Through accessible musical analysis Reuven aims to
connect Jewish concepts of melody & harmony with the evolution of
jazz.

Reuven is an accomplished pianist/keyboardist fluent in a breadth of musical styles including jazz, RnB, classical, pop, Latin, and Klezmer. Reuven is one of the city’s most sought after keyboardists/sidemen and is creatively involved composing and playing with several musical projects, as well as appearing as a sideman for various local and international artists. Reuven has performed, recorded, and toured as both a bandleader and sideman throughout Canada, USA, Europe, and the Middle-East.

Reuven is a graduate of the University Of Toronto's elite jazz performance program and has studied with some of the world's greatest pianists including David Restivo, Gary Williamson, Nina Kuźma-Sapiejewska, James Parker, Mark Eisenman, and Chris Donnelly.

This session is sponsored by:

MAY 27: DAVID MATLOW

Pavilions of Promise:
The Presence of Eretz Yisrael at the World's Fairs

David attended Montreal’s Expo 67 as a six year old, which ignited his interest in world’s fairs. Combining his passions for Israel and world’s fairs, the program Pavilions of Promise tells the story of the willing of the State of Israel into existence through national pavilions at world’s fairs held long before the country’s independence in 1948.  Through items in his collection and materials found in archives in Israel and the United States, David demonstrates how partnerships between diaspora Zionists in the host cities and their counterparts living in Israel created pavilions that showed on the world stage Zionist achievements and the necessity for the Jewish State that Herzl envisioned.

David Matlow practices law at Goodmans LLP in Toronto. He owns the world's largest collection of Theodor Herzl memorabilia and his Herzl Project is designed to inform people about Herzl's work to inspire them to work to complete Herzl's dream. He is the Chairman of the of the Ontario Jewish Archives and a director of the ICenter for Israel Education. David writes the weekly Treasure Trove column in the Canadian Jewish News. 

Sponsored by: