One year ago today, I launched Catch: Jewish Canadian Ideas, as an effort to inject fresh new ideas into Canada’s Jewish community.
Today, I want to mark this exciting anniversary by giving some numbers, sharing accomplishments, thanking my subscribers, and letting you in on some exciting news to come.
A year in review
In early 2023, I was still pretty unfamiliar with Substack. Though I subscribe to people like Bari Weiss, Daniel Gordis, and Michael Oren, I had no idea what went into preparing, finessing, posting, and hyping-up such posts. These are also some of the greatest thinkers on Israel and Jewish issues, and I thought well, what could I possibly say that they weren’t?
But they aren’t Canadian, and I continue to feel like there’s a distinct lack of Jewish Canadian voices being amplified not only on social media but on viral emails that our mothers send us at 1am saying “You must read this, I just got it from my friend Annette.” I therefore sought to create a platform for new ideas to find their way into the Canadian Jewish community.
On April 3, 2023, with the belief that nothing makes you learn like the real thing, I took the plunge. I put up my first post, called (believe it or not) “Catch.” I explained the reason for the name, what I was trying to accomplish, and the 10 principles that I sought to abide by in my writing:
Ideas are intended to cultivate action, passion and dedication.
We endeavour to be bold.
We can always do better.
Compromise is a strength not a weakness.
There is room for varying opinions in our community.
Our community’s positions cannot be dictated by resentment.
Judaism is not a universalist religion.
Zionism is intertwined with Judaism.
Israel is not infallible.
We must always be looking forward, not backwards.
I’ve tried my best over the last year to keep to this guideline, often using them as starting points for new ideas I’ve put out there. Over the last year, I’ve written 40 unique pieces, and I am proud of each of them.
First six months
My launch announcement was met with incredible support that I’ll never forget. Apparently 674 people read my first post when I published it, and 124 people subscribed immediately - some even paid for membership without yet seeing what I would write! My inbox exploded, and I got that little sense of excitement that we all get when we see something of ours liked or shared, each time I got an email from Substack saying, “New subscriber to Catch!”
After that, I sought to write as frequently as I could about trends in Canada’s Jewish community such as our role as a vibrant Diaspora community, our leadership, about not taking things for granted, Jewish Gladiators, and our connection with Israel and Zionism. I wrote 15 pieces on a variety of different topics in the first six months. I was proud to see my readership grow.
Then on Friday October 6, 2023, the 50th anniversary of the start of the Yom Kippur War, I wrote a lengthy piece about Israel, that I ended with this:
It is better that Israel was created
How, now, do we “ponder our actions”?
Well, we have to understand why we need Israel. By understanding this need, and being able to explain that need to the skeptics, our enemies, and our allies, we will be better placed in the raging public relations battle for Israel, to teach our children about the importance of Israel, and see the culmination of not just 2,000 years of yearning, but 75 years of work for what it is: a miracle, or fulfillment of a dream with very practical implications.
I don’t mean to cap this off with a cheesy line about miracles, but the story of Israel is an important one. It behooves us today, on this important anniversary when 50 years ago we almost lost that dream, to think about our connection to Israel. Everyone will have their own definition of why they need Israel.
By better understanding that connection, and some of the ways that Zionism manifested itself in the past and present, I simply hope to blow the dust off of your Zionism - a belief that many hold, but cannot say why - and enliven your understanding for the challenges to come.
That post went out at 11am on October 6. Almost exactly 24 hours later, on October 7, we awoke to a changed world, an Israel under attack. Those “challenges to come” that I warned about at the end of my post, came far too soon.
Last six months
In the six months since, I have used this platform to share my thoughts about the Israel-Hamas War. About Israel’s place in the world. About figuring out our role in the Diaspora when it comes to Israel’s struggles. About the media’s double-standard. About the garbage genocide allegations. About global hypocrisy. About important anniversaries, the loss of South Africa, lost innocence, recovering the hostages, finding courage, fighting forward, and understanding our duties of the time.
This has been my outlet for my thoughts and feelings during these challenging times. I have written about things I’ve seen and felt, and have been greatly encouraged by the feedback and comments I’ve received. I’ve also been privileged to share posts written by others, including Rabbi Adam Cutler, my friends Ben M. Freeman and Kyle Lichtman, and others.
Catch: Phase 2
Over the last year, I’ve had several hundred people subscribe to my Substack, with a few thousand reading each post. I am honoured that you choose to take a few minutes each week to read what I’ve written. I love hearing feedback and criticism (constructive or otherwise), and taking this on has led me to walk around with my eyes wide open, always looking for new topics or issues about which to write. The Notes app and stylus on my phone have proved remarkably useful the last year.
The wind up…
To that end, I am thrilled to announce that in the months to come, I will be launching a new website called CatchNews.ca.
I never intended for Catch to be just an outlet for my voice, and I am looking to provide a broader service to the Canadian Jewish community, with a diversity of voices, reporting on news in Canada and in Israel, opinions, and more. I want to create a resource for the next Jewish generation, that incorporates their voices and ideas, and that builds on the momentum and Jewish/Zionist pride that has been taking our community by storm since 10/7.
I want Catch to be a catalyst to harness new and younger demographics across multiple platforms, and to deliver critical conversations on issues affecting Jewish Canadians. Let’s face it: there are lots, with more seemingly coming up each day.
I believe there is a place in our community for competing voices, all vying to make our community better. Competition builds resilience, and encourages growth. There are opportunities for better writing, podcasts, in-person events, and engaging people across the country not just in Toronto, but everywhere in Canada where we face similar issues. This is not intended just to be a response to the rise in antisemitism, but to the rise in Jewish pride that we’ve all felt over the last several months. It needs an outlet, especially for the next generation. We owe it to them.
The pitch…
This is not something I can or want to do alone. In the coming months, I will be looking for editors and writers, contributors and designers, and anyone who has unique ideas to make this endeavour flourish.
Most importantly at this early stage, I will be looking for financial contributions to help make this idea viable. To that end, this is my fair warning that you may hear from me at some point in the months to come asking for a contribution. I am terribly uncomfortable asking for money, so please be kind. But, if you have a free subscription to Catch, and you’d consider making it a paid subscription, every cent will go into the development of the next iteration of this project. Any fees already received have gone into the development of Catch 2.
If you aren’t yet ready to pay for a subscription, but are a frequent reader with no subscription, consider subscribing, to see what we can offer. You can also buy a subscription as a gift for someone else you may think is interested.
I do hope one day to offer tax receipts for donations. It’s on the ever-growing to-do list.
The Catch!
And so, when the entire world seems to be against us, let’s be a voice of support for one another. Our population is small, but feisty.
When the world acts like the truth doesn’t matter, let’s be a source of unrelenting verifiable content. At the end of the day, the truth always wins out.
When our opponent’s voices are overwhelming, often deafening, let’s be a loudspeaker of virtue.
When young Jews (and often elder Jews too) find it difficult to navigate the world of emotion-based advocacy, let’s be a resource for fact-based activitism and empowerment.
If the older generation is skeptical about our ability to step into leadership roles, let’s show them what we’ve got, and what we can do.
Though Jews have always come together when persecuted, we hold our heads highest when we recognize the righteousness of our cause. Our cause is righteous, our motives are pure, and we will never back down from a challenge.
In the year to come, our challenges will grow. Israel will remain under fire militarily, politically, diplomatically, and morally. Our world has changed, and the last six months have been a critical turning-point in Jewish history.
Let’s help tell our story, strengthen our community, build our resilience, and push future generations to turn their mind to the question of what sort of Jewish Canada they see in the future. Stop asking “Is there a future for Jews in Canada?” Instead ask, “What do I want the future of Jewish Canada to be, and how can I make that happen?”
This is our mission and our goal, and I will be forever grateful for your participation and support.
Thank you again for your ongoing support, and stay tuned for updates in the months to come!