Jews make up only 1% of the Canadian population. If you don’t live in Toronto or Montreal, the chance of knowing many Jewish people is statistically remote.

Even if you do know some Jewish people, we will let you in on a secret — they may not be open to having these conversations with you. Unmediated discussions, especially on social media, have caused incalculable pain to Jewish Canadians, especially since October 7, 2023.

Ask A Jew promotes dialogue between participants and Jewish individuals with unique life experiences, fostering empathy and understanding, and dismantling stereotypes and prejudices.

Ask A Jew aims to bridge this communication divide.

Participants will agree to guidelines of respectful conversation and be provided with recommended prompts for discussion. Jewish participants operate on the assumption of goodwill among their interlocutors. No questions that are asked in a spirit of goodwill will be dismissed or rejected. Jewish participants will, however, summarily end any session that devolves into disrespectful or deliberately harmful dialogue.