Jimmy Bitton

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Apr 17, 2025, 6:20 PM

Mimouna After October 7: What a Moroccan-Jewish Festival Can Teach Us About Coexistence

Jimmy Bitton celebrates Mimouna at Sephardic Kehila Centre in Canada.

Most people outside the Jewish world have rarely heard of Mimouna—and with good reason. This lesser-known, joyful festival, celebrated by Jews of Moroccan descent at the conclusion of Passover, traditionally sees doors flung open, tables laden with sweet pastries,...

Mar 21, 2025, 12:08 AM

Anti-Israel Zealotry: A Religion of Ruin

As postmodern thought dismantled the grand narratives that once gave life meaning—God, nation, family—many turned to politics to satisfy their spiritual hunger. Political movements increasingly function as quasi-religions, complete with doctrines, moral hierarchies, rituals, and heretics. Nowhere is this...

Oct 25, 2024, 12:30 AM

Sephardi Representation in Jewish Day Schools

One erev shabbat while I was reciting kiddush, my then five-year-old son made the following untimely proclamation: "Abba," he pointed out, "you should say kiddush the normal way." Throughout the rest of the Moroccan-style recitation, which I had been performing...

Oct 15, 2024, 8:57 PM

Antisemitism is Canada’s Warning

Lord Dr. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks once warned that antisemitism never stops with Jews. His insight—that hatred of Jews is a harbinger of deeper societal decay—has never been more relevant, especially here in Canada. The rise of antisemitism isn’t just...

Jun 25, 2024, 6:16 PM

Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism

Bob Marley’s iconic song “Exodus” masterfully intertwines the biblical motif of the Israelites’ journey to their promised homeland with the profound longing of the Black diaspora. By invoking the image of the Israelites being led by “Jah” (God) to their...

Aug 7, 2023, 5:58 AM

Confronting the Falsehood of “You Killed God”

"You killed God." I have been the target of this ancient libel on several occasions in my life. My earliest memory dates back to my brief enrolment in public elementary school where attention was drawn to my Jewishness in...

Apr 12, 2023, 9:18 PM

Mimouna, when Jews and Arabs celebrate together

Israelis at a Mimuna celebrations in the city of Beit Shemesh on April 7, 2018. (Yaakov Lederman/Flash90)

The end-of-Passover fete reflects a cultural symbiosis unique to Morocco, where Jews were more welcome than elsewhere

Mar 31, 2023, 11:50 PM

Juxtaposing Judaism and the State

In his book The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature, William James, the greatest American philosopher and leading thinker of the late nineteenth century suggests that something is true only insofar as it works. In light...

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About Me

Jimmy Bitton, B.A., B.Ed., M.A., is a trained historian and veteran educator with over two decades of experience in Jewish history, philosophy, and pedagogy. He holds advanced degrees in history and education and is widely recognized for his scholarly approach to teaching and writing. Bitton is a published author whose essays and op-eds appear in leading international journals and media outlets. He is also an invited speaker on topics relating to Israel, antisemitism, Jewish identity, memory, and pedagogy.