York University professor David Koffman believes that some of the most meaningful scholarship doesn’t have to be read – it can be heard.
Koffman, an associate professor in York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and the J. Richard Shiff Chair for the Study of Canadian Jewry, is the executive producer of Tête-à-tête: Conversations in Canadian Jewish Studies, a new podcast designed to bring academic research into the public square.
“The medium is great for people who may want to learn and be engaged in the subject matter but aren’t already dedicated readers of academic journals,” says Koffman.
Koffman also serves as editor-in-chief of the journal Canadian Jewish Studies. He and his colleagues noticed that while Canada has a well-established Jewish community, numbering about 400,000 and representing the fourth-largest Jewish population worldwide, scholarship on the subject often remains locked within academic journals.
The podcast aims to change that. Each episode runs about 20 to 25 minutes and condenses new research into an accessible dialogue. Listeners can tune in on a walk, during a commute, or over coffee, making the material available to audiences well beyond the academic sphere.
“What I find most engaging about it is listening to the actual voices of the scholars who are interviewed,” Koffman said. “In a way, you can actually hear them think aloud – which is much more intimate than reading.”
The debut episode focused on Jewish education in Canada, featuring Dan Held, chief programming officer at United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto. Education has long been a cornerstone of Jewish life in Canada, shaping the experiences of generations through day schools and community programs.
The second episode explored the life and work of Chava Rosenfarb, a Holocaust survivor and Montreal-based Yiddish novelist whose writing is now being rediscovered internationally. A third episode examined children’s writings in Yiddish textbooks in the 1950s and 1960s, offering insight into the daily lives of Jewish youth in mid-20th-century Canada.
Episodes will discuss interfaith marriage, voting patterns, and shifting public attitudes toward Jews and Muslims. The podcast is supported by the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies, based at York’s Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies. York also hosts the digital version of the Canadian Jewish Studies journal and provides faculty expertise for both the journal and the podcast.
The production itself adds another dimension: producer Michelle Chang incorporates original piano music by composer J.K. Bradley, giving each episode a subtle rhythm while keeping the focus on the conversations.
Koffman’s approach reflects a broader trend in higher education toward public scholarship in making research available to communities outside academia. For York University, which has emphasized accessibility and inclusion across its programs, the podcast is another example of how the university is using new platforms to extend its reach.
“Podcasting about the new research,” Koffman said, “will make the research itself more accessible to a wider audience, including students, scholars, and interested community members – Canadian Jews, non-Jewish Canadians, and non-Canadian Jews from around the globe.”
For listeners, the series offers not only a new way to engage with Canadian Jewish Studies but also a reminder of how academic research can illuminate the history and experiences of one of Canada’s longstanding minority communities.
