The Shpiel on Hamilton: Recent Episodes
Wendy Schneider
A podcast that highlights all that Jewish Hamilton has to offer and discusses issues important to the Hamilton Jewish community
The Shpiel on Hamilton begins a new season with an engaging conversation with Lesley Simpson, creator of L'Chaim: The Jewish Letters Project. Simpson shares the story behind her quest to collect and preserve meaningful letters from across the Jewish world. From wisdom-filled correspondence to treasured notes passed down through grandparents, parents, relatives, and friends, the project has become a living archive of memory, connection, and tradition.
Host Wendy Schneider and her colleague Helaine Ortmann discuss the films that will be featured at the 2026 festival
Ask most people about the Jewish experience in the Second World War, and one story inevitably comes to mind: the Holocaust. But there is another side to that history. In this episode of the Shpiel on Hamilton, journalist and author Aron Heller speaks about his new book, Zaidy's Band, The Untold Stories of a Jewish Band of Brothers in World War II and his upcoming talk.
The Shpiel on Hamilton's guest host Helaine Ortmann invites Rivka Campbell, executive director of Toronto's Beth Tikvah Synagogue to reflect on her personal journey as a Jew of colour within the mainstream Jewish community.
The Shpiel on Hamilton interviews members of the Hamilton Jewish Film Festival committee about the 2025 Hamilton Jewish Film Festival which will take place at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre from March 23 to 25, 2025.
The Shpiel on Hamilton's interview with Marvin Karon, the co-founder and executive director of Shakesperience. Marvin is an actor, an acting coach, a teacher, and the founder and executive director of Shakesperience, a non-profit organization that brings professional actors into Ontario classrooms with the goal of making Shakespeare more accessible to children. In the following episode, Marvin shares his insights on the question of whether The Merchant of Venice is antisemitic, and explains the circumstances that got him thinking about taking Shakesperience outside the classroom and into a synagogue to explore a topic that could not be more timely.
The Shpiel on Hamilton's interview with Victoria Mancinelli, director of public relations, marketing and strategic partnerships at LiUNA. Mancinelli is not Jewish, but this fearless and outspoken woman who calls herself an unapologetic Zionist, has been a constant presence on social media over the last eight months, advocating for Israel and the Jewish community.
In this two-part episode of the Shpiel on Hamilton, Wendy Schneider speaks to two outstanding leaders, one Jewish, and one from the non-Jewish community, who have risen to the challenges of crisis leadership. Meet Hamilton Jewish Federation president, Jason Waxman and Victoria Mancinelli, director of public relations, marketing and strategic partnerships at LiUNA.
The Shpiel on Hamilton interviews Rebekah Wolkstein, the multi-talented leader and founding member of the Payadora Tango Ensemble in advance of their May 22 performance at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre.
The Shpiel on Hamilton interviews three doctors from the Jewish community who volunteered with Magen David Adom and an Israeli Canadian social worker/artist who is counselling traumatized Israelis in her home country
Wendy Schneider's daughters share the ways in which they're being affected by the events in Israel.
The Shpiel on Hamilton's October 17 interview with Gustavo Rymberg, CEO of the Hamilton Jewish Federation, in which he explains how Federation has been working tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of our community, about Gustavo’s personal experiences with terrorism in his native Buenos Aires, and why he believes the events of October 7 have changed everything, not only for Israel, but for the Jewish world.
How to understand antisemitism is the topic of Professor Dov Waxman's talk at the upcoming Lillian and Marvin Goldblatt Lecture at McMaster University in Hamilton on Oct. 23.
The Shpiel on Hamilton's interview with Kaye Prince-Hollenberg, curator of a Hamilton Public Library exhibit showcasing Hamilton Holocaust survivor recollections
For three generations, the Loewith family dairy farm has built its success on bold dreams and visionary leadership. In this episode of the Shpiel on Hamilton, Ben Loewith and Jennifer Howe share the exciting news and background story behind their farm's soon to be opened on-site dairy.
The Shpiel on Hamilton walks you through the upcoming Hamilton Jewish Film Festival, taking place at The Westdale Theatre from Sunday, Feb. 26 to Tuesday, Feb. 28
More than 4,000 military personnel took part in Queen Elizabeth II's funeral procession last September, including Scott Balinson, a long-time member of Hamilton’s Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. But the Balinson family's ties to the British monarchy began much earlier
The Shpiel on Hamilton's interview with Joanne Levy, who recently won a Canadian Jewish Literary Award for her book Sorry for Your Loss about a young girl whose family runs a Jewish funeral home. Levy’s book was inspired by her father, Dan Levy, president of the United Hebrew Memorial Chapel of Hamilton. to her father and to the work that he does.
Robin Zee endured a tough beginning in life. Born in Montreal to what she’s described as an “artistic, dysfunctional” family, Robin’s life’s journey has included a laundry list of trauma, including childhood sexual abuse, human trafficking, addiction and mental health issues. Eventually, Robin found the inner strength to turn it all around. Robin is probably best known in the Hamilton community for her one woman show, Borderline Me, which premiered at the 2015 Hamilton Fringe Festival, and her book, Borderline Me, Beyond the Edge, which was published in 2019. As a mother, counsellor, artist and active member of Hamilton’s Jewish community, Robin is a living example that a troubled past doesn’t have to define the future. Ultimately, she is a story-teller, sharing her life experiences for the sake of dissolving the stigma that surrounds mental illness and emotional trauma.
Beth Jacob Synagogue sells its landmark Aberdeen Avenue building but maintains use of its beloved “shul within a shul”
The Shpiel on Hamilton interviews Dr. Samantha Winemaker, a Hamilton based palliative care physician who is on a mission to change the way our health care system treats patients facing terminal illness.
The Shpiel on Hamilton speaks with Amanda Katz, the 27 year old executive director of Homeless Cars, a charity that’s dedicated to helping fund and eliminate homelessness and food insecurity in Hamilton.
it can be difficult to believe that one person can make a difference, but in its new series, Impact Makers, The Shpiel in Hamilton will profile many individuals who are making a difference both in the Jewish community and the greater Hamilton community. Meet today's guest Laura Wolfson, who is spearheading efforts to grow Hamilton's Jewish community.
It’s not every year that Federation’s Annual Community Campaign Launch coincides with an outstanding theatrical event, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen on Tuesday, July 26 at Theatre Aquarius, when Ben Caplan, a Hamilton born and bred musician, performance artist extraordinaire and klezmer folk sensation stars in the inaugural Hamilton performance of Old stock a refugee love story.
Israeli filmmaker, Yair Qedar, discussing his acclaimed documentary, The Fourth Window, an unflinching and multi-layered portrait of Amos Oz, Israel’s most prolific and internationally read author.
The Shpiel on Hamilton interviews McMaster archivist Chris Long and Canadian Israeli journalist Matti Friedman about the Leonard Cohen manuscript in the university's McClelland and Stewart archives that became the central feature in Friedman’s recently published book, Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai.
To Hamiltonians, the late Boris Brott was a charismatic and creative iconic figure who swept into Hamilton in 1969 as the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra’s brilliant new conductor and artistic director, bringing it unprecedented success, and then going on to found the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and the Brott Music Festival.What many Hamiltonians may not realize is that Boris was an equally beloved figure in Montreal, where he was a frequent collaborator of Cantor Gideon Zelermyer of Montreal’s Congregation Shaar HaShomayim. Cantor Zelermyer joins the show today to share memories of Boris and reflect on the ties that bound both Brott and Leonard Cohen to their Jewish Montreal roots.
Jewish Hamiltonians from the Former Soviet Union share their feelings and insights about the Russian invasion of Ukraine
The Shpiel on Hamilton host Ilana Zackon interviews veteran members and newcomers to Hamilton's Jewish community