David Zafrir Berlin (born May 14, 1951) is a Canadian editor, writer, politician, educator best known for being the co-founder and first editor of ''

The Walrus ''The Walrus'' is an independent, nonprofit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an eight-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a nation ...

'' from 2003 to 2004 and former editor and owner of the ''

Literary Review of Canada The ''Literary Review of Canada'' is a Canadian magazine that publishes ten times a year in print and online. The magazine features essays and reviews of books on political, cultural, social, and literary topics, as well as original Canadian poet ...

'' from 1998 to 2001. He has edited several books including ''What’s Left: The New Democratic Party in Renewal'' (2001) as well as over a hundred essays and articles. Berlin was born in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

in 1951 but raised in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, where his family settled in 1953. He returned to Israel in 1970, living there for eight years, before returning to Canada. He served his military duty with the

Israeli Army The Israeli Ground Forces () are the Army, ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The commander is the GOC Army Headquarters, General Officer Commanding with the rank of major general, the ''Mazi'', subordinate to the Chief of the Gen ...

in the reconnaissance unit, Sayeret Shaked under

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon ( ; also known by his diminutive Arik, ; 26 February 192811 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the prime minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. Born in Kfar Malal in Mandatory Palestin ...

's command and took part in Sharon's

Suez campaign The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of History of Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt in 1956. Isr ...

during the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...

in 1973. He attended medical school at

Tel-Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

and then graduated from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

's program on social and political thought, and taught at several universities. Berlin's writing has appeared in '' Saturday Night'', the ''Literary Review of Canada'', ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'' and ''

Ha'aretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew and English in the Berliner fo ...

'' among other publications. Berlin was the

New Democratic Party of Canada The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

's candidate in

Toronto Centre Toronto Centre () is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto (1872–1903), Toronto Centre (1903– ...

in the 2000 federal election. In 2015, he founded and led of

The Bridge Party of Canada The Bridge Party of Canada was a Canadian political party. In the 2015 Canadian federal election, the party ran one candidate, its leader David Berlin, in University—Rosedale. He received 122 votes, representing 0.218% of the votes in the rid ...

, running as its candidate in University—Rosedale in the 2015 federal election. The party was deregistered on January 31, 2017. In 2011, Berlin wrote ''The Moral Lives of Israelis: Reinventing the Dream State'' in which he argued for Israel to become "not a Jewish state, but only a state rather like New York City – a state in which many Jews live." In June 2017, Berlin announced his candidacy for the

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

of the NDP. However, he was unable to submit a deposit and the required number of nominating signatures by the July 3, 2017 deadline and thus did not qualify as a candidate.

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin, David Living people Jewish Canadian writers Canadian magazine editors Canadian book editors 1951 births Israeli emigrants to Canada University of Chicago alumni 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Canadian political party founders 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Candidates in the 2000 Canadian federal election Candidates in the 2015 Canadian federal election Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament