Jennifer Podemski

Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date of Birth: January 1, 1974

Ethnicity:
*father – Ashkenazi Jewish
*mother – First Nations [Ojibwe/Saulteaux, Lenape], Métis, Cree

Jennifer Podemski is a Canadian actress and producer. She has appeared on the shows Tin Star, The Rez, Riverdale, Moccasin Flats, Bliss, Moose TV, Degrassi, Republic of Doyle, The Eleventh Hour, Blue Murder, Wild Card, This Is Wonderland, Rabbit Fall, The Border, and Maniac Mansion, and in the films Dance Me Outside, The Diviners, and Empire of Dirt.

Her father, Saul Podemski, is Israeli, and was born in Kfar Saba, to a family of Polish Jewish descent, who were Holocaust survivors. Jennifer was raised in Jewish culture. Her mother, Joanna Anaquod, is a First Nations Canadian, from the Muscowpetung reserve in Saskatchewan. She is the sister of actresses Tamara Podemski and Sarah Podemski.

Jennifer has said:

On my mother’s side I am Anishinaabe, Leni Lenape and Métis… On my father’s side, I am Jewish.

She has also stated:

I am a person who is deeply immersed in multilayered identity being Jewish, having a dad who was born in Israel… My grandmother and grandfather on my mother’s side are residential school survivors. At the center of this I am a storyteller immersed in the cultures that make up my identity… As Indigenous storytellers we are responsible for upholding authenticity around our stories. Since the beginning of screen stories, our Indigenous stories and perspectives have been filtered through the lens of non-Indigenous storytellers, which has created a false narrative about who we are, where we come from, and the experiences we’ve had.

Jennifer’s paternal grandfather was named Joseph “Joe” Podemski. Joe was born in Lodz, Poland. He survived several concentration camps during the Holocaust, and came to Canada after WWII.

Jennifer’s paternal grandmother was named Beatrice “Betty.”

Sources: https://jewishjournal.com
https://www.jpost.com
https://www.cbc.ca