What happens when information warfare becomes invisible?

In this special episode of The Schmooze, we sit down with author, strategist, lawyer, and artist Warren Kinsella to discuss his new book, The Hidden Hand.

We explore:

✅ Information warfare and influence operations

✅ Antisemitic propaganda in the digital age

✅ How narratives are manufactured and amplified

✅ The role of media and social media in shaping public opinion

✅ Why some movements appear grassroots when they may not be

✅ The challenges facing Jewish communities after October 7

One of the most memorable moments of the conversation came when Warren made the observation:

"There's no f***ing way this is organic."

Whether you agree or disagree, this conversation will challenge the way you think about activism, influence, and the battle for public opinion.

Thank you to Beth Tzedec Congregation, the Calgary Jewish Federation, and everyone who attended our first-ever Schmooze Live event.

Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a major speech on antisemitism, acknowledging what many Jewish Canadians have been saying for months: Canada is facing a serious and growing antisemitism crisis.

Jewish schools have been shot at. Synagogues have been firebombed. Jewish students increasingly feel unwelcome on Canadian campuses. Holocaust memorials have been vandalized.

On those facts, there is little disagreement.

But did the Prime Minister identify what is driving the problem?

In this emergency Schmooze Between, Don Schapira and Jared Freedman break down Carney's speech, the new advisory council on antisemitism, and the growing concern that Canada's political leadership continues to focus on the symptoms while avoiding a difficult conversation about the underlying causes.

Topics discussed:

• Carney's speech at Holy Blossom Temple
• Canada's growing antisemitism crisis
• The new federal advisory council
• The role of political leadership and accountability
• Anti-Zionism, Antizionism, and public discourse
• Why many Jewish Canadians remain frustrated despite the speech

We also discuss Don's latest Substack article:

📖 The Word Mark Carney Wouldn't Say

If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about Jewish life, Israel, Canadian politics, antisemitism, media, and current events, please like, subscribe, and share.

🎙️ The Schmooze with Don & Jared

What makes Camp BB-Riback so special that former campers still talk about it decades later?

On this episode of The Schmooze, Don and Jared sit down with new Camp BB-Riback Executive Director Cecil Horwitz to discuss the camp that helped shape generations of Jewish Albertans.

From campfire friendships and Maccabiah memories to leadership development, resilience, Jewish identity, and life without screens, Cecil explains why camp remains one of the most important experiences a young person can have.

The conversation also explores Camp BB's remarkable role in Alberta Jewish history, including the famous encounter between Jewish campers and students influenced by Holocaust denier Jim Keegstra, a story that ultimately became one of friendship and understanding.

Whether you're a camp alum, a parent considering camp for your child, or simply someone interested in how communities build strong future leaders, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

What happens when Jewish theatre returns to Calgary after nearly 40 years?

In this episode of The Schmooze, Don and Jared sit down with Zelda Dean, Laura Schuler, and Tracy Smith from Chai Life Productions to discuss The Last Yiddish Speaker, the award-winning new production now running in Calgary.

But this conversation became about far more than theatre.

Together, they explore the disappearance and reemergence of Jewish community theatre in Calgary, the legacy of the Beth Israel Players, mentorship, storytelling, identity, and the role live performance plays in preserving culture and building community.

They also discuss why The Last Yiddish Speaker feels especially timely in the post-October 7 world, how modern antisemitism has changed, and why art still has the power to move people in ways social media never can.

This was one of the most thoughtful and emotionally resonant Schmoozes we’ve recorded.

🎭 Featuring:
Zelda Dean
Laura Schuler
Tracy Smith

Presented by High Life Productions.

📍 The Last Yiddish Speaker runs through June 7 in Calgary.

🎟️ Tickets:
ChaiLifeYYC.ca

There are weeks where the news cycle feels impossible to process.

In this special edition of The Schmooze Between…, Don and Jared step away from the regular interview format to unpack a difficult week of headlines, politics, extremism, media narratives, and public reactions.

The conversation covers:
• Ben-Gvir and the flotilla controversy
• Thomas Massie, AIPAC, and political polarization
• Media framing and the Kristof debate
• The San Diego mosque shooting
• Radicalization, extremism, and the widening Overton window
• Celebrity activism and navigating culture as Jews in 2026

This episode is less about “winning arguments” and more about processing the emotional and political weight of the moment together.

🎙️ Also join us LIVE on June 7 at Beth Tzedec in Calgary with special guest Warren Kinsella, author of The Hidden Hand.

Subscribe to The Schmooze on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Check out Ben Shapiro's Take on Massie: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IIeeargVVMCpCdotfsuq9?si=48c240c8ddd04137#TheSchmooze #Israel #Antisemitism #Politics #Podcast

“You knew Kevin Pillar the baseball player. This episode introduces you to the person.”

Former Blue Jays star Kevin Pillar joins The Schmooze for a conversation that starts with baseball… and ends somewhere much deeper.

Known in Toronto as “Superman” for his fearless catches and relentless style of play, Kevin reflects on the pressure of professional sports, redefining success through failure, growing up Jewish, navigating identity after October 7, and what life looks like after baseball.

We also discuss:

⚾ the mindset required to survive in Major League Baseball
⚾ why the best hitters fail 70% of the time
⚾ Team Israel and the Olympics
⚾ family, fatherhood, and perspective
⚾ how athletes carry expectations from fans, media, and themselves

One of our most thoughtful conversations yet.

🎟 Kevin Pillar will also be appearing at the Calgary JCC Sports Dinner on May 28:
Calgary JCC Sports Dinner 2026

🎙 Check out Kevin’s podcast with former MLB closer Cody Allen:
To The Majors Podcast

Be sure to follow us on Spotify!

The Middle East Is Changing. Is the West?

This week on The Schmooze, Don and Jared sit down with Rachel Brynien and Fatema Alharbi from Sharaka, an organization dedicated to building relationships between Israel and the Arab world through the vision of the Abraham Accords.

This conversation challenges many of the assumptions dominating Western discourse about Israel, the Middle East, and coexistence.

Together, we discuss:
• What the Abraham Accords have actually changed
• Arab and Israeli cooperation in the region
• The rise of antisemitism in the West
• October 7 and its aftermath
• Why many voices in the Middle East are more hopeful than voices in North America and Europe
• The growing disconnect between activism online and realities on the ground

One of the most powerful moments of the episode comes when Fatma shares her perspective as a Bahraini voice witnessing the rise of hatred and extremism in Western society.

This is a conversation about peace, dialogue, courage, and the future of the region.

🎧 Listen on Spotify
📺 Watch on YouTube
📱 Follow The Schmooze on social media for clips and updates

#TheSchmooze #Sharaka #AbrahamAccords #Israel #MiddleEast #Podcast

Something in Canada feels different.

It is not always easy to name, but more and more people are feeling it. A sense that something foundational has shifted. That the country they recognize is no longer quite the same.

In this episode of The Schmooze, we sit down with Michael Westcott, founder of Allies for a Strong Canada, to explore what is driving that feeling and what can be done about it.

This is not simply a conversation about antisemitism, though that is where many people first began to notice the change. It is a deeper discussion about civic engagement, silence, and the growing gap between what Canadians believe and what is being reflected in public life.

Michael shares how a grassroots movement of over 30,000 Canadians has formed around a simple idea. That ordinary people, when given the tools and the confidence to act, can have far more influence than they realize.

We talk about:

• Why social media is not a substitute for real engagement
• How civic responsibility has quietly eroded over time
• What it actually means to participate in a democracy
• And why silence creates space for the loudest voices to define the moment

This conversation is not about partisanship. It is about whether Canadians still believe in the values that built the country, and whether they are willing to defend them.

If you have felt that something is off, but have not been able to fully articulate it, this episode will resonate.

What if the problem isn’t hate… but distance?

In this episode of The Schmooze, Don sits down with Michelle Mather and Kim Kitai of Bridges YYC — an initiative bringing people together in a way that actually works.

Not through debate.
Not through headlines.

Through Shabbat dinner.

From the wake-up call of October 7th to a simple but powerful realization:

Most people don’t hate what they know… they just don’t know at all.

This conversation explores:

• Why most people don’t hate Jews, they simply don’t know them
• The moment everything changed after October 7th
• The difference between being an “ally” and being a real friend
• Why shared experiences matter more than information
• How one dinner can completely change perspective

Because when people sit at the same table…
something shifts.

What does it mean to choose something you don’t have to choose?

Noy Leyb grew up in Calgary.

Like many Canadian kids, his path could have led anywhere.

Instead, he made a decision that would define his life, he chose to leave it all behind and serve as a lone soldier in the IDF.

In this Yom HaZikaron episode, we go beyond headlines and politics and into something far more personal:

• What it really takes to join the IDF from abroad• The mental and physical reality of becoming a soldier• The difference between supporting Israel and living it• The bond of brotherhood that never leaves you• And how October 7 changed everything

This is a conversation about identity, sacrifice, and responsibility.

And for Noy, it’s not just a story from the past.

He’s still fighting.

🎧 Listen now.