Profile Text
Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date of Birth: May 3, 1973
Ethnicity: * father – Ashkenazi Jewish * mother – First Nations [Ojibwe/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, Lenape], Métis, Cree
Jennifer Podemski is a Canadian actress and producer. Her roles include the shows The Rez , Riverdale (1997), Bliss , Moccasin Flats , Moose TV , and Republic of Doyle ; the films Dance Me Outside , Take This Waltz , Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian , Empire of Dirt , Fire Song , Mouthpiece (2018), Aberdeen (2024), and Nika and Madison ; and the made-for-tv movie The Diviners .
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 is married to Doug Bedard. Her son, Michael Podemski-Bedard, is also an actor. Tamara is married to English actor Jamie Thomas King.
Jennifer has said :
On my mother’s side I am Anishinaabe, Leni Lenape and Métis… On my father’s side, I am Jewish.
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.
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