Accidental babysitting for John Lennon and Yoko Ono, nostalgia and memory on Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal and why Stephen Harper is a terrible dinner guest. Plus: how the origins of the ‘Canada is Fake’ movement may lie in the 1995 Referendum.

All this and more with political commentator, talk radio legend and author of the new memoir 'Make-up Tips From Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved My Mother's Life' Tommy Schnurmacher on a very special holiday episode of the award-winning weekly politics and society interview podcast Unpacking the News.

Find Tommy's book on Amazon, at talkradiotommy.com and at better bookstores everywhere.

Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews

Music on this episode includes

* 'A Merry Christmas from 1928/1929'
* 'Joyeaux Noel', Ginette Reno
* 'Le Sentier de Neige', Les Classels
* 'Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant', Mitsou
* 'Ca Bergers Assemblons Nous', The Stairwell Carollers
* 'Noel de Joie', Ginette Menard

This conversation was recorded on December 10th and 16th, 2019.

On the eleventh episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold are joined by writer Jonathan Neumann to discuss his controversial new polemic 'To Heal the World?: How the Jewish Left Corrupts Judaism and Endangers Israel'.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled
Recorded live at Atelier Lou in Westmount

Find Tommy's hit memoir 'Make-up Tips From Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved My Mother's Life' at http://talkradiotommy.com

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

For glassware, bar tools and ingredients and all of your cocktail needs go to cocktailemporium.com or visit them in Toronto at 20 Kensington ave. in Kensington Market and at 972 Queen st. W.

This conversation was recorded on November 12th, 2019.

On the tenth episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold sit down to discuss Tommy's fascinating, funny and fantastic new memoir 'Makeup Tips From Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved My Mother's Life'.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled
Recorded live at Atelier Lou in Westmount

Order the memoir online everywhere and at https://www.amazon.ca/Makeup-Tips-Auschwitz-Vanity-Mothers-ebook/dp/B07WFWK1Q4

Find out more about the creative process behind the hit book at http://talkradiotommy.com

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

For glassware, bar tools and ingredients and all of your cocktail needs go to cocktailemporium.com or visit them in Toronto at 20 Kensington ave. in Kensington Market and at 972 Queen st. W.

This conversation was recorded on November 12th, 2019.

On the ninth episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold welcome the fabulous, fascinating and internationally renown radio and television talk show host, sex therapist and author Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled
Recorded live at the Renoir bar at the Sofitel in downtown Montreal

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

For glassware, bar tools and ingredients and all your cocktail needs go to cocktailemporium.com or visit them in Toronto at 20 Kensington ave. in Kensington Market and at 972 Queen st. W.

Watch the hit documentary 'Ask Dr. Ruth' on Hulu.

This conversation was recorded on October 23rd, 2019.

On the eighth episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold welcome Joseph and Ross Paperman, two of the directors at Paperman & Sons, to explore faith and grief, mourning and tradition, and how the Paperman family has prioritized care for the deceased and their loved ones for more than a century.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled
Recorded live at Papermans Funeral Home

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

To find out more about Paperman & Sons go to https://www.paperman.com/en

On the seventh episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold welcome McGill University academic and author Dr. Joe Schwarcz to discuss the chemistry of faith, quack remedies and the state of science in a fake news world..

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled
Recorded live at Atelier Lou (376 avenue Victoria, Westmount)

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

On the sixth episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold welcome the precocious and pugnacious 20-year-old Anthony Koch to discuss McGill campus politics, contemporary conservatism and why he's made the decision to convert to Judaism.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled
Recorded live at the elegant Cloakroom Bar in Montreal's Golden Square Mile (2175 Rue de la Montagne)

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

On the fifth episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold welcome media personality and Executive Director of the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal Nakuset to discuss faith, family and the Trudeau government's failure to genuinely work towards reconciliation.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled
Recorded live at the Museum of Jewish Montreal

Thanks to the Diller Teen Fellowship for their generous support on this episode.

For more information on the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal go to http://www.nwsm.info/

To learn more about the Museum of Jewish Montreal visit http://imjm.ca/

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

This episode was recorded on July 18th, 2019.

On the fourth episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold welcome legendary Montreal radio personality Terry DiMonte for a conversation exploring his incredible career, his recent engagement and what it's been like hanging out with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the last 20 years.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

This episode was recorded on April 18th, 2019.

On the third episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold welcome journalist Fariha Nagvi-Mohamed for a provocative discussion on politics and religious freedom in a post-Bill 21 Quebec.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled
Recorded at Bar le Cloakroom (2175 rue de la Montagne)

Follow the hosts on Twitter @talkradiotommy, @avtherav and @spiritsspiritu1
and on Instagram at spirits_spirituality

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

This episode was recorded on June 20th, 2019.

On the second episode of Season 2 of Canada’s premiere faith and conversation podcast, hosts Tommy Schnurmacher and Rabbi Avi Finegold welcome writer Michael Carin for a discussion on his startling new alternate history 'Churchill at Munich'. Plus: a conversation exploring the bold, controversial argument he makes for a secular Judaism in his 2001 book 'The Future Jew'.

Production by Andre Goulet
Technical assistance from Ricochet Media
Logo by Design is Yummy
Theme music by Montreal hip-hop and klezmer composer Socalled

Check out the refined collection of rings, broaches, cuff-links and more, exclusive designs handcrafted in Montreal by some of the most skilled artisans in the world, at our sponsor Atelier Lou (http://atelierlou.com/).

This episode was recorded on April 18th, 2019.