The Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies Public Lecture Series

Past Public Lectures

Public Lecture- November 8, 2022. Editor-in-Chief, Brian Myles 
Brian Myles, Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian independent broadsheet newspaper "Le Devoir" gave a public lecture titled: Media, state and big tech: How can they support a strong and independent journalism?.

Public Lecture- December 3, 2019. Canadian writer and activist, Dr. Nora Gold
Canadian writer and activist, Dr. Nora Gold, gave a public lecture upon the publication of the Hebrew translation of her recent novel “the Dead Man”.

Communal Solidarity: Immigration, Settlement and Social Welfare in Winnipeg's Jewish Community, 1882
Prof. Emeritus Arthur Ross of Ryerson University gave a lecture entitled "Communal Solidarity: Immigration, Settlement and Social Welfare in Winnipeg's Jewish Community, 1882-1930" on November 12, 2019

Public Lecture- January 7th 2019. Canadian Israeli Artist, Lezli Runbin-Kunda
Canadian Israeli Artist and Lecturer at the Technion's Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Lezli Runbin-Kunda, gave a public lecture titled "Talks with Canadian Artists about Place and Practice".

Public Lecture- December 11th 2018. Visiting Professor at the School of Archeolog, Prof. Thomas Schneider
Prof. Thomas Schneider of the Department of Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia, gave a public lecture titled "Egyptology in Nazi Germany: Ideology, Scholarship, Careers" – in memory of Hans Jakob Polotsky.

Public Lecture- April 25th 2018. Bullock Chair recipient, the Honourable Marie Deschamps
The Honourable Marie Deschamps C.C., Ad.E, LL.M., Chair of the Canadian Council of Academies Independent Assessment on Medical Aid to Die,former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, gave a public lecture titled "Medical Assistance in Dying: The Slow Path to Recognition".

Public Lecture - April 16, 2018 - Prof. Shauna Van Praagh
Prof. Shauna Van Praagh, Faculty of Law at McGill University, and Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University's Faculty of aw, gave a public lecture titled "To Be Frank: Frank Iacobucci, Storytelling and Canadian Law".

Public Lecture - April 10, 2018 - Prof. Irving Abella
Prof. Irving Abella, President of the Academy of the Arts and Humanities at the Royal Society of Canada, gave a public lecture titled "TAntisemitism, Immigration Policy and Canada’s Strange Response to the Holocaust: A New Perspective".

Public Lecture- March 1st 2017. The Honourable Frank Iacobucci
The Honourable Frank Iacobucci, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, gave a public lecture titled "The Relationship between Canada and Indigenous People: Past, Present and Future".

Public Lecture - Prof. Yolande Cohen
Prof. Yolande Cohen gave a lecture on the topic of "Sephardic Jews in Canada: From Memory to History". The lecture will take place on Tuesday, June 7, 2016 in room 403 at the Maiersdorf faculty club, Mount Scopus, Hebrew University. Attached is the Invitation to the event.

Poetry Reading and Discussion – Prof. Marsha Barber - May 17, 2016
Prof. Marsha Barber, Teaching chair & Professor of Journalism at Ryerson University, gave a reading & discussion on her latest poetry book titled "All the Lovely Broken People". The reading took place on Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Prof. Stephen Toope - Bullock Chair - May 19 2015
Prof. Stephen Toope, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toroto, Bullock Chair, gave a public lecture titled "Israel and the United Nations".

Public Lecture - Jan 13, 2015 - Prof. Adam Dodek
Prof. Adam Dodek, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, viting professor at the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University, gave a public lecture titled "The Canadian Override: Constitutional Model or Bête Noire of Constitutional Politics?".

Public Lecture - Nov. 25, 2014- Prof. Suanne Kelman
Prof. Suanne Kelman, Ryerson University, visiting professor at the Hebrew University department of communication and journalism, gave a public lecture titled “Shooting the messenger: Canada’s mania for secrecy”.

Mrs. Miriam Ziv - May 7, 201.
Mrs. Miriam Ziv, Ambassador to Canada 2008-2013, gave a lecture titled "Best Friends; Canada and Israel".

Dr. Alain Beaudet - March 26th, 2014
"Health Hesearch for the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges" In today's world of scientific endeavours, certain truths adhere. One is that science is increasingly collaborative. It crosses borders, evoking impact through joint investigation and application of knowledge. Science is also increasingly multidisciplinary. It transcends any one subject or specialization in favour of a better understanding of intrinsically complex issues. In the health field, these issues

Prof. Michael Ignatieff - Jan 4th, 2013
Prof. Ignatieff spoke about "Rationality in Politics" at the Second Edna Ullmann-Margalit Memorial Lecture at the Centre for the Studiy of Rationality, co-sponsered by the Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies. Prof. Ignatieff served as Member of Parliament and Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2008 to 2011. An acclaimed author, political philosopher, and TV commentator, Ignatieff is Professor of Practice at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and Chancellor Jackman Professor of Human...

Prof. Pierre Anctil - June 5th, 2012
"Henri Bourassa and the Invention of French-Canadian Nationalism, 1910-1918," Prof. Pierre Anctil. Dept. of History, University of Ottawa, Visiting Professor, The Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies. Chair: Prof. Moshe Sluhovsky, Dept. of History.

Graham Fraser, Official Languages Commissiner, Canada - May 16th, 2012
"Diversity and Language in Canada" by Graham Fraser, Official Language Commissioner, Canada. Chair: Mr. Danny Ben-Natan, President, the Israel Association of Canadian

Prof. Yossi Katz - May 8th, 2012
פרופסור יוסי כץ, המחלקה לגאוגרפיה, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן העביר הרצאה ציבורית בנושא: "הקומונות ההוטריות במערב קנדה והתמורות החלות בהם כיום" יו"ר: פרופסור שלמה חסון, החוג לגאוגרפיה, האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים (8 במאי, 2012)

Prof. Joseph Facal - April 23rd, 2012
"Multiculturalism and National Identities: A Predictable Failure?" by Prof. Joseph Facal, Bullock Chair, The Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies, Associate Professor, Dept. of Management, HEC Montreal. Chair: Prof. Pierre Anctil. Dept. of History, University of Ottawa, Visiting Professor, The Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies

Mr. Israel Bar-Kochav - March 14th, 2012
As part of the Irving Layton Bicentennial Celebrations, poet Israel Bar-Kochav will be hosting an evening in honor of Layton, the first recipient of the Canada Council's Governor-General's Award for literature, and Nobel Prize in Literature nominee. The events will include a Public Lecture by Mr. Bar-Kochav: "Recipe for a Long and Happy Life: Reading the Poetry of Irving Layton."

Professor Meric S. Gertler - December 12th, 3rd Arie Shachar Memorial Lecture
"Universities and Cities: Local and National Prosperity," Prof. Meric S. Gertler, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, as part of the Institute for Urban and Regional Studies 3rd Annual Arie Shahchar Memorial Lecture, also sponsored by the Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies.

Ambassador Paul Hunt - November 29th, 2011
"A Conversation with Canadian Ambassador Paul Hunt." Chair: Mr. Danny Ben-Natan, President, The Israel Association for Canadian Studies 

Isa Milman - November 15th, 2011
"Jewish Pioneers on the Canadian PrairiesAn Illustrated Talk on the Making of Prairie Kaddish." Isa Milman, M.SC, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lethbridge, Chair: Prof. Richard Cohen, The Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University 

Prof. Seymour Mayne - June 30, 2011
Prof. Seymour Mayne, Department of English, Coordinator, Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program, University of Ottawa, Dr. Sabine Huynh, Hebrew University, “The Challenges of Translation in Canadian Literary Works.”

Prof. Goldie Morgentaler - May 22, 2011
Prof. Goldie Morgentaler, Department of English, University of Lethbridge, "The Yiddish-Canadian Writer in the Post-Holocaust World: The Case of Chava Rosenfarb." Chair: Prof. Shuli Barzilai, Department of English

Prof. Paul Kay - March 23, 2011
Prof. Paul Kay, Environment and Resource Studies, University of Waterloo, "Water in Canada, Water in Israel: Lessons Each Way?" Chair: Prof. Eran Feitelson, department of Geography

Dr. Lisa Katz - June 17, 2010
The launching of a new book of poems by Irving Layton “Never Far from Tears” Selected Poems, Translated by Maccabit Malkin and Yoav Vardi, Carmel Publishing-Jerusalem. Dr. Lisa Katz, Department of English, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, “In favor of difference: on translating poetry”

Prof. Naomi Mandel - May 23rd, 2010
Prof. Naomi Mandel, Department of English, University of Rhode Island, "Canadian ... Extreme: Contemporary Extreme Literature from Canada and Québec," Chair: Prof. Shuli Barzilai. Department of English, Hebrew Universit