This is the collection of Eli's speeches, articles, sermons, and essays. This catalogue is regularly updated and organized to provide the best user experience. All files are in PDF format, and all links open in a new window, so you can quickly return to continue browsing. All files can be downloaded once opened.

Articles, Sermons, and Written works

  1. Religious Responses to the Holocaust: An Essay by Eli Rubenstein (1983)
    [see note at the bottom of the page for more background on this essay]

  2. Alarming Incompetence (Globe & Mail) - Oct 15, 1988

  3. The Big Chill - How the Rush to Accuse Imperils Open Discussion - CJN -1992

  4. Sharing in the Miracle - Diaspora Jewry and Israel - Summer 1998

  5. March of the Living Spurs Jewish Pride -CJN - Apr 26, 2001

  6. Canadian Jewish Students Visit Jedwabne -CJN - May 3, 2001

  7. In The Wake of 9-11 - Kol Nidre Sermon - Sep. 26, 2001

  8. Physician, heal thyself a Sukkot story - CJN - Oct. 4, 2001

  9. A Passover Miracle -CJN - May 27, 2002

  10. Roger Neilson is Remembered for his Love of Israel - CJN-Jun. 27, 2003

  11. Every Person in the World Deserves Such a Feeling - CJN- Jul. 2004

  12. “My father did not abandon the Torah” CJN- Oct. 7, 2005

  13. A Switch in Time (Globe & Mail) - Nov 19, 2005

  14. The March of the Living - Healing Wounded Memories -CJN- Apr. 20, 2006

  15. They Will Be Our Witnesses (CJN) - May 18, 2006

  16. The Quest For Forgiveness - Kol Nidre - Sep. 27, 2007

  17. None Is Too Many-Excerpt from Sermon- Kol Nidre - Oct. 8, 2008

  18. A Plea for the Children of the World – Yad Vashem Speech – Sept. 27, 2009

  19. CJN-Hitler Did Not Win-April-8-2010

  20. Eulogy for Bronka Krygier, March of the Living Survivor – Oct. 11, 2010

  21. A Thesis that Hurts (original text from National Post) Dec 14, 2010

  22. A Thesis That Hurts (Extended Piece) National Post – December 14, 2010

  23. Kol Nidre in Auschwitz – Introduction Yom Kippur 2011

  24. March of the Living Director Shares Survival Stories -CJN - Mar 17, 2011

  25. A Monument of Good Deeds - CJN - April 28, 2011

  26. A Monument of Good Deeds - CJN (original article)- April 28, 2011

  27. Hate is Never Right, and Love is Never Wrong - CJN - May 4, 2011

  28. The Healing Power Of Story- Jun 19, 2011

  29. Is the Holocaust Unique? [plus response] – CJN - Sep. 8, 2011

  30. Jewish Cemetery Rededicated in Poland -CJN - Oct 27, 2011

  31. Max Eisen - A Story of Courage and Gratitude -CJN- 2011

  32. The Kol Nidre I will Always Remember – Oct. 2011

  33. A Time To Gather Stones – Kol Nidre Sermon, Oct. 2011

  34. Cast a Stone Upon the Waters- Student Session - Intro to Ms. Kiran Bhinder from Eli Rubenstein [ in Ottawa]

  35. Speech: International Mach of the Living Educational Seminar | Mexico City - Feb. 6, 2012

  36. A Pledge to the Jewish People - March of the Living - Apr. 2012

  37. 13 Goals of the March of the Living - Apr. 2012

  38. Rosh Hashana Day 1 - The True Legacy of Abraham - Sep. 17, 2012

  39. Yom Kippur [Short] Sermon - On Kindness & Gratitude - Sep. 26, 2012

  40. Spiritual Leader Helps Build Stronger Community CJN - Nov 8, 2012

  41. Now We Have A Home Jan 2012

  42. Thank You for Giving Me My Life Back - May 31, 2012

  43. A Tale of Two Anthems -CJN- May 23, 2013

  44. Beauty Will Save the World – Kol Nidre Sermon Sep 13, 2013

  45. Speech: Christian Island Elementary School Graduation - Beausoleil First Nation Jun. 24, 2014

  46. March and Birthright Plant  a Seed: -CJN - Jan. 25, 2014

  47. ‘Because That’s What You Do' – A Habonim Kristallnacht Story - Nov 8, 2014

  48. Time to Ask 70 Years After Her Death: Was Anne Frank Right? -CJN- Mar. 12, 2015

  49. Eulogy for Esther Ghan Firestone, Habonim Cantor Emeritus - May 31, 2015

  50. Baseball's Life Lessons - Final High Holiday Sermon - Sep. 2015

  51. Eli’s Collected Passover Stories - April 2016

  52. Building Bridges: Polish Jewish Relations Pt.1 - POLcast- Jul. 9, 2016

  53. Building Bridges: Polish Jewish Relations Pt.2 - POLcast- Jul. 9, 2016

  54. The Day Words Failed Elie Wiesel - CJN-July 20, 2016

  55. Honouring Avrum Rosensweig’s 20 Years at Ve’ahavta - Jul. 21, 2016

  56. The Shoah and Jewish Identity - CJN - August 3, 2016

  57. Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire (1971) By Robert Greenblatt - With Eli Rubenstein’s Introduction - Aug. 19, 2016

  58. Waving the Flag at Auschwitz is not an ‘Exercise in Chauvinism’ - CJN- Aug. 22, 2016

  59. Four Hopes for the Future of Holocaust Education - CJN - Sep. 29, 2016

  60. The Polish Response to the Holocaust: A Discussion - The Cosmopolitan
    Review - Dec. 18, 2016

  61. What do You Hope the Jewish Community Will Look Like in 50 years? - Aug 14, 2017

  62. Cast a Stone Upon the Waters - Yom Kippur Sermon Sep 30, 2017

  63. Understanding Poland’s record during the Holocaust -CJN- Feb. 16, 2018

  64. Healing Wounded Memories - Jerusalem Post - Apr. 12, 2018

  65. Being Jewish Means Never Giving Up Hope - CJN - Apr. 20, 2018

  66. Remembering Janis Roth: ‘A Blessing for So Many’ -- Jun. 17, 2018

  67. Remembering Rabbi Chezi Zionce - CJN - Aug.30, 2018

  68. Confronting The Addiction Crisis - A Jewish View & Response - Sept. 10, 2018

  69. Why Don’t Jews Proselytize? - CJN - Sep. 17, 2018

  70. The World’s Oldest Hatred- Understanding and Responding
    to Anti-Semitism
    - Oct. 9, 2018

  71. Let Us Applaud Our Country for Acknowledging Errors - CJN - Nov. 7, 2018

  72. Speech for the MS St. Louis Canada Apology - Nov. 7, 2018

  73. Eli Rubenstein’s Keynote Speech - Nazi Germany’s War Against the Jews- Responding to Implacable Hatred without Losing Our Humanity - January 27, 2019

  74. ‘We Remember’: International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration
    Ottawa Jewish E-Bulletin
    - Feb. 18, 2019

  75. A Conversation with My Polish Taxi Driver - Jun. 2019

  76. Yom Kippur Short Introductory Sermon - Oct. 2019

  77. High Holiday Sermon - On Kindness - Sep. 20, 2020

  78. Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Sermon - The Dangers of Populism - Sep. 27, 2020

  79. Shtisel Habonim Discussion May 2021 - [video]

  80. Parshat Chayei Sara- On Truth, Kindness, Gender & Inclusivity - Oct 29, 2021

  81. The Crisis in Ukraine: A Jewish Response - Mar. 4, 2022

  82. A Poignant Story Told -March of the Living Report - Spring 2022

  83. The Tragedy in Uvalde, Texas & the Jewish View on Gun Control - May 27, 2022

  84. Shavuot, The Book of Ruth & The Ten Commandments - Jun. 3, 2022

  85. The Potential End of Roe V. Wade: The Jewish View on Abortion - Jun. 24, 2022

  86. Love is Never Wrong: How We Teach the Holocaust - Sep. 27, 2022

  87. Rosh Hashana Day 2 - Thank You For Your Patience - Sep.28, 2022

  88. Climate Change & the Environment: A Jewish Response - Oct. 2, 2022

  89. Kanye West, Kyrie Irving and Chapelle: How Should We Respond?
    - Nov. 25, 2022

  90. Habonim Kabbalat Shabbat- Hanukkah Stories of Light, Love and Hope - Dec.16, 2022

  91. Matt Galloway CBC Interviews Eli Rubenstein - Order of Canada -Jan. 10, 2023

  92. Shavuot Sermon -The Most Important Story in the Torah - May 26, 2023

  93. Annual Musical Gathering: Christian Island - A Tribute: Robbie
    Robertson
    - Aug. 13, 2023

  94. Israel at a Crossroads: Responding to Terror & Judicial Reform - Mar. 3, 2023

  95. The Freedom to Question: Passover’s Central Message - Mar. 24, 2023

  96. Parshat Korach – Pluralism in an Age of Gaslighting - Jun 23, 2023

  97. Rosh Hashana Main Sermon 5784 - Walking Humbly
    in the World
    - Sep. 16, 2023

  98. Teshuva: Finding Your Way Back to Your True Self - Sep. 24, 2023

  99. On Moral Clarity During the Gaza War [Edited Remarks] - Oct. 11, 2023

  100. Stories of Light & Hope During Difficult Days for the Jewish People
    - Dec. 8, 2023

  101. Marking 100 Days Since October 7th: Reflections from Eli - Jan 14, 2024

  102. What Happens to You, Happens to Us: Reflections on Jewish Attitudes Toward Poland - Feb 4, 2024

  103. Intro: Screening: “Blind Love- A Holocaust Journey Through Poland with Man's Best Friend” Cape Town - Feb. 28, 2024

  104. Evolution vs. Revolution: The Changing Roles of Women in Judaism - Mar 22, 2024

  105. Alexi Navalny & Natan Sharansky: Struggle for Freedom - Apr. 19, 2024

  106. Cantor Shimon Farkas: A Biography - Mar. 31, 2024

  107. The Story Of Benedykt Ziemilski:
    Rescuing the Memory of the Six Million: One by One by One
    - April 2024

  108. Israel Guide Dog Center Speech - 2024 Solidarity Mission to Israel -.May 12, 2024

  109. Are You Proud of Me? Honouring the Legacy of our Ancestors - May 31, 2024

  110. What’s So Bad About Gossip - Eli’s Sermon - Jun. 21, 2024

  111. Interview with 2024 Olympic Bronze Medalist Sarah Levy - Aug 9, 2024

  112. Blessing or Curse? Living in the Age of Social Media - Sep. 20, 2024

  113. Forging A New Path in the Wake of Oct. 7 - Rosh Hashana Day 1 - Oct 3, 2024

  114. If Not Now, Then When: Rosh Hashana Day 2 - Oct 4, 2024

  115. Lessons From My Mother’s Life: Kol Nidre Sermon - Oct. 11, 2024

  116. Yom Kippur Sermon: Doing the Right Thing & Setting an Example for Others Oct. 12, 2024

  117. Remembering Yehuda Bauer (1926–2024) - Oct. 20, 2024

  118. Interfaith Festival Of Lights: Bridges Not Barriers - Eli’s Remarks - Nov. 17, 2024

  119. March of the Living - Dec. 7, 1941: A Date Which Will Live In Infamy - & Jewish Heroism on December 7, 1941 - Dec.7, 2024 - Combined articles

  120. To Pardon or Not To Pardon? A Jewish Perspective on Presidential Pardons - Jan. 17, 2025

  121. 10 Universal Lessons of the Holocaust (Two Museums Program 2025 Lecture Series) - Jan. 27, 2025

  122. On Memories, Milestones and Miracles (Congregation Habonim Bulletin) - Feb 2025

  123. Showdown in the Oval Office - Judaism's View on Humiliating Another in Public - Mar 7, 2025

Religious Responses to the Holocaust: An Essay by Eli Rubenstein (1983)

A Note About the Essay

Throughout my life, I have been blessed with an education that is as diverse as one could hope for.

The educational institutions I attended included:

  • Eitz Chaim Elementary School (Toronto, Ont.) - 1963- 1974

  • Telshe Yeshiva (Cleveland, Ohio) - 1975- 1977

  • Ner Israel Yeshiva (Toronto, Ont.)- 1977-1978

  • Yeshivat Bais HaTalmud (Jerusalem, Israel)- 1978-1980

  • York University (Toronto, Ont.) - 1980-1985

  • International Institute for Humanistic Judaism (Farmington Hills, Michigan) - Mid 1990s

  • The University of Judaism (Los Angeles, CA) - Mid 1990s

  • Yad Vashem International School for Holocaust Studies (Jerusalem, Israel) - Mid 1990s & 2000s.

Over the years, I have been privileged to study under and learn from many fine teachers, too many to mention - Jewish and non-Jewish - in both religious and secular subjects. These exceptional individuals have blessed me in manifold ways, not just with the wisdom and knowledge imparted, but perhaps more importantly by their example. 

Along with their ever-apparent erudition and intelligence, so many of these teachers carried themselves with modesty, humility and the highest integrity - and distinguished themselves by their simple acts of kindness.  Truthfully, these attributes touched me more than their intellectual gifts. 

As the famous Chasidic quote goes: "I did not go to the Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezritch (d. 1772) to learn interpretations of the Torah from him - but to note his way of tying his shoelaces.” (Reb Leib Seres). (Known as the Maggid of Mezeritch, Rabbi Dov Ber was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov).

One of those wonderful teachers was Professor Michael Brown (of Blessed Memory) at York University, under whose tutelage I began to study the history of the Holocaust. The course was called: "The Final Solution: Perspectives on the Holocaust” in 1983.
Here is the paper I wrote for that course—Religious Responses to the Holocaust—which launched a lifetime of interest in and study of this difficult, complex, but necessary subject.

Eli Rubenstein

Link below: