Avi Lewis
Encyclopedia
Avram David "Avi" Lewis is a Canadian
documentary film
maker, host of the Al Jazeera English show Fault Lines, and former host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC) current-affairs program On the Map.
(Lewis), an outspoken member of the Jewish Bund who left Svisloch, Poland (today Belarus) for Montreal in 1921, with his wife Rose (née
Lazarovitch) and three children, after being interrogated by the Russians for days and threatened with death or the gulag for his political activity. Avi Lewis is the grandson of former federal NDP leader David Lewis
and the son of politician and diplomat Stephen Lewis
and journalist Michele Landsberg
. Avi Lewis is married to journalist and author Naomi Klein
; his sister Ilana Landsberg-Lewis is married to musician and activist Lorraine Segato
.
Lewis grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and attended Jarvis Collegiate
and Upper Canada College
. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1988.
Avi Lewis was featured on the November 20, 2001 Life & Times episode of The Lewis Family.
Avi Lewis's genealogical search was featured on the January 31, 2008 episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?".
and CityTV
. He also served as MuchMusic's political specialist — by doing extensive special events coverage for the channel designed to engage youth in the political process. Among other events, he covered the 1993 Canadian federal election
and the 1995 Quebec referendum
. Avi Lewis won a Gemini for Best Event Coverage.
In 1998-2001, Lewis hosted CBC Newsworld
's current affairs discussion show counterSpin where he presided over 500+ debates. Avi Lewis was later the host of Counterspin Sunday.
In 2004, Lewis and his wife Naomi Klein
collaborated on The Take — a documentary which detailed the "recovered factory" movement in Argentina
. The Take, winner of the International Jury Prize, was nominated for four Gemini Award
s.
Lewis began hosting CBC Newsworld's The Big Picture with Avi Lewis in the autumn of 2006 and On the Map in 2007. He became host of Frontline USA for Al Jazeera
television in 2008. Lewis was a participant in CBC's Canada Reads
2009 (see below).
During the same time period, The Hour, which had a mix of news commentary and pop culture and provided a lighter fare than On the Map, became decidedly more oriented to pop culture - even though there has been some creep towards greater news commentary as the season progressed. George Stroumboulopoulos
, who had also worked with Lewis on MuchMusic
, stated during the opening show, that the modification of format was because The Hour would now be shown right after The National (rather than before in previous seasons) when shown on the CBC main channel.
Lewis conducted a June 11, 2007 interview
with political writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali
. Lewis sharply questioned some of Ali's views - including her denial of the existence of Islamophobia
, her belief that Islam was inherently misogynistic, and her positive opinions concerning American democracy. Lewis compared Islamophobia to Anti-Semitism, seeing both as equally real, to which Ali replied, "Racism is a universal trait, so is antisemitism, by the way. But I want us not to confuse a set of beliefs such as Islam, with ethnicity such as the hatred against Jews just because they are Jews, or against blacks just because they are black, or against gays just because of- it's something you can't do anything about. Whereas Islam is simply a set of beliefs, and it's not Islamophobic to say ... this is being done in the name of your religion."
Lewis has stated that Hugo Chávez
's actions do not match his rhetoric and has criticized Chávez for not doing more to close down the "laboratory" of policies which he had inherited from previous administrations. Naomi Klein, who credited Avi Lewis for his input into her book The Shock Doctrine
, links both stifling of dissent and concentration of power with the implementation of these earlier economic policies.
television on February 8, 2008 with the episode "Politics of Race". Al Jazeera
describes Inside USA as "an in-depth look at the real issues at stake in the US presidential election."
Politics Of Race (February 22, 2008) - focused on the situation in New Orleans and the disenfranchising of Black voters.
Native Americans (March 1, 2008) - focused on Lakota Sioux separatism, social and economic issues surrounding the Lakota Sioux, Navajo and the Shoshone. The last few minutes were devoted to the role online videos play in the American election - including a clip from "Yes we Can".
, which aired on March 2–6, 2009. Canada Reads is a seasonal show in which celebrities choose a book and advocate on its behalf. He presented, and successfully defended, the winning book, Lawrence Hill
's The Book of Negroes
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker, host of the Al Jazeera English show Fault Lines, and former host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC) current-affairs program On the Map.
Family
Avi Lewis is the great grandson of Moshe LoszMoishe Lewis
Moishe Lewis was a Jewish labour activist in eastern Europe and Canada. A tanner by trade, he was born and raised in the Svisloch shtetl in the Russian Empire...
(Lewis), an outspoken member of the Jewish Bund who left Svisloch, Poland (today Belarus) for Montreal in 1921, with his wife Rose (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Lazarovitch) and three children, after being interrogated by the Russians for days and threatened with death or the gulag for his political activity. Avi Lewis is the grandson of former federal NDP leader David Lewis
David Lewis (politician)
David Lewis, CC was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to 1950, and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party in 1961...
and the son of politician and diplomat Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Henry Lewis, is a Canadian politician, broadcaster and diplomat. He was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s. During many of the those years as leader, his father David Lewis was simultaneously the leader of the Federal New Democratic Party...
and journalist Michele Landsberg
Michele Landsberg
Michele Landsberg, OC is an award-winning Canadian writer, social activist and feminist who wrote a column for the Toronto Star newspaper.-Life and career:...
. Avi Lewis is married to journalist and author Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
; his sister Ilana Landsberg-Lewis is married to musician and activist Lorraine Segato
Lorraine Segato
Lorraine Segato is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for and a principal songwriter of new wave and pop rock group Parachute Club, with which she continues to perform.- History :...
.
Lewis grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and attended Jarvis Collegiate
Jarvis Collegiate Institute
Jarvis Collegiate Institute is a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Jarvis is located on Jarvis Street. Founded in 1807 it is the second oldest high school in Ontario after the Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, and the oldest high school in Toronto.-History:Jarvis Collegiate was...
and Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...
. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1988.
Avi Lewis was featured on the November 20, 2001 Life & Times episode of The Lewis Family.
Avi Lewis's genealogical search was featured on the January 31, 2008 episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?".
Career
Between 1996 and 1998, Avi Lewis was host of The NewMusic, a music magazine show on MuchMusicMuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
and CityTV
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
. He also served as MuchMusic's political specialist — by doing extensive special events coverage for the channel designed to engage youth in the political process. Among other events, he covered the 1993 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
and the 1995 Quebec referendum
1995 Quebec referendum
The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should secede from Canada and become an independent state, through the question:...
. Avi Lewis won a Gemini for Best Event Coverage.
In 1998-2001, Lewis hosted CBC Newsworld
CBC Newsworld
CBC News Network is a Canadian English language Category C specialty news channel owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. It is the world's third-oldest television service of this nature, after CNN in the United States and...
's current affairs discussion show counterSpin where he presided over 500+ debates. Avi Lewis was later the host of Counterspin Sunday.
In 2004, Lewis and his wife Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
collaborated on The Take — a documentary which detailed the "recovered factory" movement in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The Take, winner of the International Jury Prize, was nominated for four Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
s.
Lewis began hosting CBC Newsworld's The Big Picture with Avi Lewis in the autumn of 2006 and On the Map in 2007. He became host of Frontline USA for Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
television in 2008. Lewis was a participant in CBC's Canada Reads
Canada Reads
Canada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
2009 (see below).
On the Map
In June 2007, CBC Newsworld debuted On the Map with Avi Lewis, a daily (Mon-Thurs) half hour of international news commentary. Lewis discussed such issues as the "Oil Law" which the United States wished for Iraq to adopt, women in Afghanistan, and what exactly is meant by the phrase "ungoverned spaces." The show was officially renewed for November 2007 and then disappeared without ever airing again. On the Maps half hour time slot was replaced with a half hour summary of the daily hour long show 'Politics' by Don Newman.During the same time period, The Hour, which had a mix of news commentary and pop culture and provided a lighter fare than On the Map, became decidedly more oriented to pop culture - even though there has been some creep towards greater news commentary as the season progressed. George Stroumboulopoulos
George Stroumboulopoulos
George Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos is a Canadian television and radio personality, best known as the host of CBC Television's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and being a VJ for Canadian music television channel MuchMusic...
, who had also worked with Lewis on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, stated during the opening show, that the modification of format was because The Hour would now be shown right after The National (rather than before in previous seasons) when shown on the CBC main channel.
Lewis conducted a June 11, 2007 interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with political writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Magan Ali is a Somali-Dutch feminist and atheist activist, writer, politician who strongly opposes circumcision and female genital cutting. She is the daughter of the Somali politician and opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse and is a founder of the women's rights organisation the AHA...
. Lewis sharply questioned some of Ali's views - including her denial of the existence of Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
, her belief that Islam was inherently misogynistic, and her positive opinions concerning American democracy. Lewis compared Islamophobia to Anti-Semitism, seeing both as equally real, to which Ali replied, "Racism is a universal trait, so is antisemitism, by the way. But I want us not to confuse a set of beliefs such as Islam, with ethnicity such as the hatred against Jews just because they are Jews, or against blacks just because they are black, or against gays just because of- it's something you can't do anything about. Whereas Islam is simply a set of beliefs, and it's not Islamophobic to say ... this is being done in the name of your religion."
Lewis has stated that Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
's actions do not match his rhetoric and has criticized Chávez for not doing more to close down the "laboratory" of policies which he had inherited from previous administrations. Naomi Klein, who credited Avi Lewis for his input into her book The Shock Doctrine
The Shock Doctrine
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism is a 2007 book by Canadian author Naomi Klein, and is the basis of a 2009 documentary by the same name....
, links both stifling of dissent and concentration of power with the implementation of these earlier economic policies.
Why Democracy
From October 8–18, 2007, Avi Lewis hosted the ten part documentary series "Why Democracy?".Frontline USA / Inside USA
Inside USA first aired on Al JazeeraAl Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
television on February 8, 2008 with the episode "Politics of Race". Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
describes Inside USA as "an in-depth look at the real issues at stake in the US presidential election."
Politics Of Race (February 22, 2008) - focused on the situation in New Orleans and the disenfranchising of Black voters.
Native Americans (March 1, 2008) - focused on Lakota Sioux separatism, social and economic issues surrounding the Lakota Sioux, Navajo and the Shoshone. The last few minutes were devoted to the role online videos play in the American election - including a clip from "Yes we Can".
Canada Reads
Lewis was a panelist in CBC's Canada ReadsCanada Reads
Canada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
, which aired on March 2–6, 2009. Canada Reads is a seasonal show in which celebrities choose a book and advocate on its behalf. He presented, and successfully defended, the winning book, Lawrence Hill
Lawrence Hill
Lawrence Hill is an award-winning Canadian novelist and memoirist. He is best known for the 2001 memoir Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada and the 2007 novel The Book of Negroes....
's The Book of Negroes
The Book of Negroes (novel)
The Book of Negroes is a 2007 award-winning novel from Canadian writer Lawrence Hill. In the United States, Australia and New Zealand, the novel was published under the title Someone Knows My Name.-Plot introduction:...
.
External links
- CBC Digital Archives – Avi Lewis, Canada Reads advocate
- 100 Days of Resistance: Al Jazeera’s Avi Lewis Reports from Honduras - video report by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...