Ottawa Jewish Bulletin

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To Remember
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AJA 50+ visits Israel
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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin Publishing Co. Ltd. •
page 31
bulletin
volume 75, no. 6
december 13, 2010
21 Nadolny Sachs Private, Ottawa, Ontario K2A 1R9
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Publisher: Mitchell Bellman
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Editor: Michael Regenstreif $2.00
Dan Senor, co-author of Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, speaks, November 28, at Agudath Israel.
(Photo: Marie-Rachel Dionne)
Start-Up Nation
co-author says Israel
Ottawa group hikes in Israel is making the world
in support of victims of
a better place
Ottawa participants in the One Family Fund’s 2010 Cross-Israel Hike: (From left) Barbara Kates, Mindy
Bullion, Miriam Salamon, Lisa Rosenkrantz, Barbara Crook, Paul Lyons, Mark Klyman, Joshua Klyman,
Michael Walsh.
terrorism and their families
By Michael Regenstreif
For Miriam Salamon, an Ottawa-based family physician, participating this year in the One
Family Fund’s annual Cross-Israel
Hike was a way of connecting to
her late parents, both of whom
were Holocaust survivors.
“My father was a true Zionist
and lover of Israel,” said Salamon
during a recent interview with the
Bulletin following her return from
Israel.
“He was born in 1911 and was
part of study groups on Herzl and
Zionism,” when he was young in
Romania.
Salamon said her father wanted
to immigrate to Palestine as a
young man, but stayed on in Transylvania because his mother needed help in running the family sun-
flower oil factory. By the time of
the Second World War, it was too
late to escape. Salamon’s father
spent the war years in a Romanian
labour camp while her mother survived Auschwitz.
In the early-1960s, with help
from JIAS (Jewish Immigrant Aid
Services), the Salamon family
immigrated to Canada from
(Continued on page 2)
By Jacqueline Shabsove
“How is it that Israel – a country of 7.1 million people, only 60
years old, surrounded by enemies,
in a constant state of war since its
founding, with no natural resources – produces more start-up
companies than large, peaceful,
and stable nations like Japan,
China, India, Korea, Canada, and
the United Kingdom?”
That’s the question posed by
Dan Senor and Saul Singer on the
inside cover of their New York
Times best-seller, Start-Up Nation:
The Story of Israel’s Economic
Miracle.
Co-author Senor, a dynamic
speaker, was in Ottawa, November
28, and spoke on the topic at an
event presented by Canadian
Friends of the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem (CFHU), the Jewish
Federation of Ottawa and the
Vered Israel Cultural & Educational Program, at Agudath Israel Congregation.
(Continued on page 2)
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Page 2 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – December 13, 2010
Israel excels at innovation and entrepreneurship
(Continued from page 1)
To answer the “trillion-dollar
question” posed on the book jacket,
Senor and Singer conducted more
than 100 interviews with business
people around the world. They were
determined to understand non-Israeli business peoples’ perspectives
on why Israel has succeeded.
Senor said a common answer
they received was that Jews are
smart.
“The truth is, it may be that
Jews are smart, but you have to acknowledge that Jews don’t have a
monopoly on being smart,” Senor
said.
He presented a number of surprising statistics on Israel’s success, including that there are more
Israeli companies on the NASDAQ
index than from all of Europe,
Korea, Japan, Singapore, China
and India combined.
Furthermore, Israel has the
highest density of start-ups in the
world – one for every 1,844 Israelis.
“Venture investors from around
the world invest solely based on
the most amazing innovations for
medical and technological problems,” said Senor. “They invest
based on return – not religion and
not ideology.”
Senor said there are two major
reasons why Israel has been doing
so well in terms of start-up companies.
One is the role of heavy immigration to Israel.
“There are over 70 nationalities
in Israel and these people have networks around the world and possess a globalized outlook on society,” he said. “All of this happening in a tight space creates a diverse economy.”
The immigration experience in
Israel is viewed as a source of
strength, and its assimilation programs are among the best in the
world, according to Senor.
The second reason for Israel’s
start-up successes involves the role
of the military in Israeli society.
“The military teaches young
Jews how to lead and take ownership of responsibility at age 18,”
said Senor. “We argue that what Israel has done is teach young people
how to lead, take risks, fail and be
entrepreneurial.”
While other countries attach a
stigma to failure, according to
Senor, Israel has taught its young
Dan Senor with Jewish Federation of Ottawa Chair Donna Dolansky (left) and CFHU Ottawa Chapter Chair Myrna Barwin.
(Photo: Marie-Rachel Dionne)
to fail constructively, learn from
their mistakes and start again, all
before beginning their university
studies.
Israel’s bottom-heavy military,
which is understaffed at senior levels, gives young people the opportunity to make quick decisions on
their own without seeking permission from higher ranks.
According to Senor, the skills
Israelis learn in the military prepare them well for the start-up
scene, including identifying unconventional, creative solutions to
pressing problems.
“Most start-ups fail, everywhere in the world including Israel,” said Senor. “Where Israel
stands out, is that no matter how
much they fail, they go back to the
drawing board and try again and
again and again. They have more
grip and determination after they
fail.”
Despite the current delegitimization movement, it is important, said Senor, that the world recognizes Israel’s incredible contributions to the betterment of society.
“The world has a lot to learn
from Israel,” he said. “Israel is
truly making the world a better
place. The West needs innovation
and entrepreneurship and Israel has
it. What we can learn from it is an
essential question for our times.”
Opening remarks at the event
were made by Myrna Barwin, chair
of the Ottawa chapter of CFHU,
and Donna Dolansky, chair of the
Jewish Federation of Ottawa.
Hike ‘allowed me to participate in something meaningful’
(Continued from page 1)
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there is hope”
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Romania, but her father never lost
his Zionist zeal.
Salamon was recruited to participate in the One Family Fund hike,
which took place from October 17
to 21, by fellow family physician
Lisa Rosenkrantz.
“I listen to her because she’s the
drummer on my dragon boat team,”
said Salamon referring to the Draggin’ Docs, a team of women doctors
who compete in Ottawa’s Dragon
Boat Festival.
“It seemed like a lovely opportunity to see Israel in a way that I
couldn’t on my own. I liked the
focus on outdoors and on the land,
and it allowed me to participate in
something meaningful.”
The One Family Fund is the pri-
mary organization in Israel that provides services and financial aid to
the victims of terrorist attacks, and
their families. Each participant in
the annual One Family Fund CrossIsrael Hike – which takes place in a
different part of Israel each year –
raises a minimum of $2,500 for the
fund.
Participants spent between six
and eight hours per day hiking
through this year’s location: the
Golan Heights.
To prepare for the hike in Israel,
Salamon participated in two training hikes in the Gatineau Hills that
fellow participant Paul Lyons organized for the group.
“I didn’t used to be a hiker, but I
am now,” said Salamon, adding that
the One Family Fund Hike partici-
pants could choose between three
levels of difficulty on their daily
outings.
“I just had one blister at the end
of the four-and-a-half days.”
The most difficult of the hiking
levels involved running up a
mountain and rappelling down the
cliffs.
“I didn’t do that,” said Salamon.
“But I did hike through water.”
Salamon said she and her fellow
participants were very moved by
the people they met who are being
helped by the One Family Fund.
“We met a mother who had made
aliyah only to see her son killed” in
a terrorist attack.
The group also met a choir
whose members are all grieving fathers.
“They sang for us and were
amazing,” said Salamon.
One of the choir members explained to Salamon that being in the
choir saved his marriage as it taught
him to work through his grief by
being with others.
Salamon also said she enjoyed
the opportunity of getting to know
the Israeli soldiers who accompanied the hikers.
Salamon would happily do the
One Family Fun Hike again. The
2011 hike takes place October 29 to
November 3 in the Ein Gedi region.
Visit onefamilyfundhike.com for information.
An avid dragon boater, Salamon
is planning to participate in the
first-ever Canada/Israel Dragon
Boat Festival, May 3 and 4, 2012.
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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – December 13, 2010 – Page 3
HEW on campus inspiring and meaningful
for students
By Adam Moscoe
Hillel Ottawa
Holocaust Education Week
(HEW) left an indelible mark
on students at the University
of Ottawa and Carleton University, inspiring us to take action to prevent genocide and
stand up against hatred and intolerance.
This year, a team of students created a Holocaust Education exhibit, which was
displayed in the student centres of both universities. Hundreds of students spent time at
the exhibit, exploring Jewish
life before the Second World
War, the rise of Nazism and
anti-Semitism, and such topics as the heroic deeds of the
Righteous Among the Nations.
We were fortunate to
have Erwin Koranyi and Vera
Gara as guests at the exhibit,
interacting with students and
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sharing their stories and
lessons. For many students,
this was their first ever interaction with a Holocaust survivor.
Hillel Ottawa hosted two
thought-provoking speakers
during HEW. Bernie Farber,
CEO of the Canadian Jewish
Congress, told the story of his
father, From Holocaust Hero
to an Ottawa Grocery Store,
and how it has influenced his
lifelong passion for battling
racism. And Shlomit Kriger,
editor of Marking Humanity:
Stories, Poems, & Essays by
Holocaust Survivors, explained the unique process
behind the creation of the
book. She also facilitated a
discussion about the importance of teaching children respect and compassion for all
of humanity.
In addition, Hillel Ottawa
combined with STAND (Students Taking Action Now:
Darfur) to enable students to
take action to prevent genocide today with an advocacy
training session and a successful letter-writing campaign to Canadian politicians.
We emphasized the importance of creating a mechanism in Parliament to proac-
Holocaust survivor Vera Gara speaks to students at the Holocaust Education week exhibit at Carleton University.
(Photo: Chelsea Sauvé)
tively prevent genocide, instead of reacting to a tragedy
already unfolding. The Canadian Federation of Jewish
Students will be collaborating
with STAND on advocacy
and education programs, and
Hillel Ottawa is proud to be at
the forefront.
Holocaust
Education
Week ended with a Shabbat
dinner with more than 200
students and young professionals of various cultural
backgrounds spending an
evening with nearly 20 Holocaust survivors. Everyone en-
joyed boisterous Shabbat services, delicious food and unforgettable conversations. In
addition, first year student
Zane Colt spoke passionately
about his experience on the
March of the Living.
Hillel Ottawa was pleased
to partner with the Carleton
University White Rose Society, a new group created by
Carleton student Dustin Hutton-Alcorn. Dustin plans to
organize year-long Holocaust
education initiatives, in memory of the original White
Rose Society, formed in 1942
to educate Germans of the ongoing horrors of the Holocaust.
This year’s Holocaust Education Week began just as
Ottawa hosted the Inter-par-
liamentary Coalition for
Combating Anti-Semitism
conference. Many local students volunteered at the conference, and advocated for
global action to put an end to
racism.
We look back on Holocaust Education Week proud
that so many students have
engaged with us in remembrance, and in promoting a
better world.
Adam Moscoe is the vicepresident of Hillel Ottawa at
the University of Ottawa. He
is also co-chair of Social Justice and Jewish Identity committee of the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students.
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Canada to boycott Durban III
(JTA) – Canada will
The United States led a
boycott the third UN conwalkout of the first conferference against racism, citence in Durban, South
ing the charged anti-Israel
Africa, in 2001 after it deand anti-Semitic rhetoric
volved into an anti-Israel
at its predecessors.
hate-fest. A number of
Minister of CitizenWestern nations kept away
ship, Immigration and
from its follow-up in 2009.
Canada was the first
Multiculturalism Jason
country to withdraw from
Kenney said, November
Durban II last year in
25, that the UN General
Geneva.
Assembly has chosen to
In a statement, Opposi“repeat and even augment
tion Leader Michael Ignatithe mistakes of the past”
eff said he “unequivocally”
by holding an anniversary
supports the government’s
conference in New York
Jason Kenney, minister
decision to boycott the
next September, timed to
of Citizenship, Immigration
Durban III conference.
coincide with the annual
and Multiculturalism
Canadian Jewish groups
opening of the UN Generpraised the government’s move.
al Assembly.
“Canada will not participate in this cha“On this they are the international leaders,
rade,” Kenney said. “Canada is clearly com- not the Canadian leader, they’re leading the
mitted to the fight against racism, but the world,” said Bernie Farber, CEO of the CanaDurban process commemorates an agenda dian Jewish Congress.
that actually promotes racism rather than
“Yet again, Canada is taking the lead on
combats it.
the world stage in terms of principled policy“We will not lend our good name to this making. We saw the writing on the wall with
Durban hate fest,” Kenney said.
the failures of the first two Durban conferThe conference is slated to mark the 10th ences, which promoted rather than combated
anniversary of the 2001 meeting in South racism against the Jewish people,” said Frank
Africa aimed at defeating xenophobia and Dimant, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada.
“The world should surely know by now
racism. Canada and several other countries
walked out of that meeting after Iran and sev- that the Durban process is completely tainteral other countries engaged in Israel-bashing. ed.”
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Making Ottawa’s Jewish community the best it can be
Here I am at the three-quarter pole of
my term as chair of the Ottawa Jewish
Community Foundation (OJCF) heading
for the home stretch. There has been
much accomplished and still a long way
to go to reach the finish line.
I borrow from horse racing terminology somewhat intentionally. Often, as we
try to effect change, it does feel at times
like we are running in circles. I am reminded of a Seinfeldian musing about
racehorses discovering at the finish line
that they were right back where they
started and deciding that the next time
around they would certainly take it just a
little easier.
Well, enough about famous Jewish comedians and race horses and on to the
state of the union at the OJCF. In June
2009, at my first AGM, I identified three
principal objectives:
• to broaden the donor base;
• to prepare for the intergenerational
wealth transfer; and
• to steward the Collaborative
Fundraising Model.
I am pleased to report that, at the
Board of the OJCF, we haven’t been tak-
Federation
Report
Harold Feder
OJCF
ing things easier and there has been
much activity on all three fronts.
In particular, there have been significant developments within the last few
months that touch upon all of these initiatives and give cause for great hope for
the future.
Our newly created Women’s Philanthropy Committee, under the guidance of
Lynne Oreck-Wener, and the Fundraising
Committee, chaired by Eddy Cook, have
both had their initial meetings, have
adopted their mandates and are looking
ahead to develop new programs.
The reconstituted B’nai Mitzvah Committee, guided by Lenora Zelikovitz, is
developing strategies to expand our connection to youth. Also of note, the Marketing Committee, with Yoni Freedhoff
as chair, is focused on innovative new
strategies to connect to our donors.
Earlier in the fall, we held the first
ever meeting of the past-chairs of the
OJCF. It was a momentous occasion. It
was also an honour and a privilege for
me to be in the presence of a gathering
of some of the community’s leading
philanthropists and volunteers and to
have the opportunity to benefit from the
insight garnered from their collective experience.
In mid-October, we hosted worldrenowned philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey Solomon who shared
their views on philanthropy as embodied
in their book, The Art of Giving, to an audience of more than 200 people.
It was clear, in listening to them, that
in adopting the Collaborative Fundraising
Model, we are on the right track. Not just
from the standpoint of co-operation between the OJCF and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, but, more importantly,
that the Collaborative Fundraising Model
has, as its primary focus, adding value to
donors’ philanthropic experiences as we
collectively try to enhance life in the Ot-
tawa Jewish community.
On that note, the Federation and the
OJCF held their first collaborative event
as part of the Jewish Federations of
North America’s Multigenerational Family Philanthropy Training Program. This
was followed by training sessions for
staff of both the OJCF and the Federation. The learning process has begun.
Most recently, the professional and
volunteer leadership of both organizations held a strategic planning meeting to
discuss the Collaborative Fundraising
Model initiative and how to make it more
meaningful to our donors, both existing
and prospective.
Through all of these initiatives, we are
on the leading edge of Jewish communities in North America in adopting new
approaches to philanthropy.
As I stated at the outset, the course is
not always straight ahead. However, I
can state that the collective will is there.
As a result, there will be more outreach
to donors in the weeks and months ahead
as we move forward together to make the
Ottawa Jewish community the best it can
be.
It’s imperative that students feel a sense of ownership in their studies
The mantra of ‘differentiated instruction’ resounds in the hallways of schools in
both the public and private sectors. The demand for recognition of different learning
styles, the proliferation of right brain versus left brain theories, as well as the growing rate of learning disabilities among students in our schools, speak to the various
concerns we have regarding the education
of our young.
Professional development days dedicated to the discussion and resolution of these
issues abound in schools, practically on a
year-to-year basis. Recognizing the need
for these sessions in order to best reach
students in our schools forces us to realize
that we must come up with equally important vehicles to explore the topic of what
constitutes successful Jewish education in
our local schools.
It is the ancient educational theorist,
King Solomon, who, in the Book of
Proverbs, suggests that children can only
be educated according to their propensities
and according to their needs. One size
does not fit all in secular education, and it
certainly does not in Jewish education. In
the community school setting, which, by
definition, attracts students from all walks
of Jewish life, it must be recognized that
some are interested in a traditional track of
text study with normative commentaries in
the original Hebrew, while others are more
interested in the pursuit of knowledge
which allows for the freedom of discussion
unfettered by preconceived notions. In
other words, for most, the ability to engage
in critical analysis becomes a sine qua non
From the
pulpit
Rabbi
Howard Finkelstein
Beit Tikvah
in the acquisition of Torah learning, which
is designed to provide the foundation for
Jewish living.
We, who are involved formally in the
field of Jewish education, must recognize
that our consumers, our students, learn differently and not uniformly. Whether we
speak about elementary, high school, or
adult education, we must be aware that we
must figuratively speak the language of
our students and employ those means of
communication that reach out to them.
In 2008, I had the unique opportunity to
attend a 10 day seminar on educational
leadership at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, I listened to
a lecture by a Harvard professor of education who indicated that schools were not
doing enough to encourage critical thinking in their students. Interestingly, he said
that Ontario was one of the few jurisdictions that placed the emphasis on thought
development as part of an educational
strategy called TACK, an acronym for
‘thought, application, communication and
knowledge.’
In other words, schools in Ontario must
apply TACK religiously in order to be considered to be successful. Assessment and
evaluation of students must be based on
these principles.
Concomitantly, the same system must
be applied to Jewish education.
Jewish education should never reflect or
emphasize regurgitation of material on
tests or exams. Torah study, for example,
must not revolve around memorization, but
around the applicability of the eternal message that our faith expounds. Students
should be encouraged to question, to think,
to assess and to evaluate. Obviously, the
teacher assists the students in these tasks,
but it is imperative that the students feel a
sense of ownership in their studies so that
Judaica does not simply become a subject
like math or history. Instead, it should be
seen as a guideline and as a pathway to
Jewish life.
In the Ottawa Jewish Community
School, we are actualizing these moves in
order to encourage and develop students
who will go out into the world with an
acute awareness and love for the texts and
tenets of our faith. We hope, with God’s
help, to develop the future leadership of
our community and others who, by example, and by their learning, will, in the
words of Isaiah, “glorify the Torah and
make it great.”
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National Jewish advocacy organizations likely to be merged
Sometimes, deadlines and the Ottawa
Jewish Bulletin publication schedule
don’t co-operate with the news we’d like
to bring you.
A case in point is the proposed new
structure for the organization overseeing
national advocacy for the Canadian Jewish community, which, if all goes according to the organizers’ plans, will be presented to the boards of the Canadian
Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy
(CIJA) on December 8 and UIA Federations Canada on December 12.
This issue, dated December 13, actually went to press on December 3. So,
we do not have coverage yet of whether
or not the new structure has been approved or precisely what form it will
take.
CIJA, the entity being reorganized, is
a relatively new body. It was established
seven years ago by UIA Federations
Canada – the national organization of the
Jewish federations in Canada, including
the Jewish Federation of Ottawa – as an
umbrella organization to co-ordinate the
advocacy efforts of the Canadian Jewish
Congress, the Canada-Israel Committee,
the Quebec-Israel Committee, National
Campus Jewish Life and the University
Outreach Committee.
Although the plan was not to be made
public before the December meetings I
referred to, some information – or, at
least, speculation – emerged a few weeks
ago when the Canadian Jewish Congress
Editor
Michael
Regenstreif
posted a document on its website expressing concerns about its brand,
structure and future, should CIJA reorganize all of the advocacy organizations into a single body with a single
board of directors. (The document has
since been removed from the Congress
website.)
Apparently, in a brief submitted to the
CIJA reorganization committee, Congress suggested that the name, “Canadian Jewish Congress,” be retained for the
new advocacy entity in order to preserve
the history and branding built by Congress over the 91 years since its 1919
founding.
The issue of the proposed reorganization gained some mainstream attention
when Andrew Cohen wrote an op-ed
column in the Ottawa Citizen, November
30, headlined “Saving the Canadian
Jewish Congress.” Cohen argued that
Congress was an effective organization
with a rich history and that “only
fools and amnesiacs would dissolve
it.”
Cohen also admitted to a sentimental
attachment to Congress in that his greatuncle, Lyon Cohen (songwriter Leonard
Cohen’s grandfather), was the founding
president of the Canadian Jewish Congress.
The next day, the National Post ran a
front page story speculating that the future of Congress was in doubt.
While it’s true that Congress has nearly a century of history to be proud of,
changing times do demand that our organizations evolve to meet the needs of
contemporary times. There is much logic
to the idea of consolidating national Jewish advocacy activity.
It’s also true that, of the various
bodies falling under the reorganization
plan, including CIJA itself, the Canadian
Jewish Congress does have, by far, the
longest history and the best known brand
name. Maybe “Canadian Jewish Congress” wouldn’t be a bad name for the
reorganized umbrella.
We should know soon what’s to be.
20/30 Scene with Jackie
Engaging young adults and developing young leadership has become one of
the priorities of the organized Jewish
community.
We’ve already had a number of articles in the Bulletin, and it’s a topic about
which you’ll be hearing and reading
much more in the months – and, likely,
years – ahead.
Thinking about engaging young
adults, I asked Jacqueline Shabsove,
who interned with the Bulletin this past
summer and who has continued to be
one of our freelance reporters, to develop
a regular column for and about young
adults in Ottawa’s Jewish community
(and also for us folks who may be older
than the demographic target group, but
who would like a window into their
world).
She came up with 20/30 Scene with
Jackie and introduces us to it on page
25. She plans to cover a lot of ground in
the column, which will be published in
every second issue of the Bulletin.
Next issue/Gift subscriptions
This is the final issue of the Bulletin
for 2010. We’ll be back with another 19
issues in 2011. Our first issue of the year
comes out January 24 (although many
will receive it January 21). As in past
years, the issue will include a spread of
pictures from Chanukah celebrations
around town. Organizations submitting
photos are reminded that deadline day
for the issue is Wednesday, January 5.
Speaking of Chanukah, our special
Chanukah gift subscription offer is on
until January 14, 2011. Send a year-long
Ottawa Jewish Bulletin gift subscription
to a friend or loved one for just $25
(local) or $31 (out-of-town). Call 613798-4696 and speak to Rhoda SasloveMiller (ext. 256) or Jean Myers (ext.
242).
The challenges and charms of the holiday season
About 15 years ago, I was asked by CBC
Radio to talk on air about being Jewish during the Christmas holiday season. Feeling
that it would be misleading for me to represent the feelings of all Jews, I asked a Jewish friend to join me to share her opinion.
We met the reporter at the Carlingwood
Mall, amid all the retail splendour of the
Christmas shopping season.
The questions were rapid, yet interesting.
Was I offended when people said
“Merry Christmas” to me?
Did I lash out with, “I don’t celebrate
Christmas!”?
Was I overwhelmed by the all the holiday fuss?
Did I feel marginalized?
Is there more pressure on families raising children?
While I had a sense of how the holiday
season affected me and my family, I never
really had to articulate it for others. So, as
a young Jewish mother, I found the exercise to be quite self-enlightening.
Now that we’re in the throes of another
holiday season, I find that my reaction really hasn’t changed from what it was years
ago.
The truth is that I love this time of year.
Benita
Siemiatycki
I don’t focus on the religious, or the
“Christmas” part of it. I see it more as a
holiday for humanity. I focus on the goodwill, the friendly wishes, the generosity of
heightened donations, the empathy for children who may not receive anything, the
opportunity for people who work together
to express appreciation for a job well done,
and the memorable get-togethers with people we care about.
Christmas seems to galvanize people to
come to the aid of the less fortunate. Even
warring parties sometimes agree on a
ceasefire over Christmas (yet for some reason can’t lay down weapons the rest of the
year). Many of these activities transcend
any particular religion or beliefs.
When a cashier sends me off with a
“Merry Christmas” and a smile, I take it in
the spirit in which it was intended, and not
in the literal sense. And, likewise, I say my
own share of “Merry Christmases” to those
I know celebrate Christmas, and the benign
“Happy Holidays” to those who may not. I
probably get it wrong sometimes, but, who
cares? What I’m really saying is, “I wish
you well,” whatever your faith or whatever
holiday you celebrate.
In fact, the benefit of being Jewish at
this time of year is that we can accept all
the perks, like time off from work and
school, without the stress of shopping,
cooking, entertaining and travelling afar
for family get-togethers. We can really put
our collective feet up.
The issue of raising children and instilling an appreciation of Chanukah and Judaism amid the hoopla of Christmas is definitely more challenging.
Can we compare lighting candles that
burn down in about 30 minutes to a tree
full of lights and ornaments?
That takes a more concerted effort. We
did our best to make Chanukah fun and interesting. Decorations were put up, each
child had their own menorah to light (the
fire department wouldn’t be too happy by
the eighth night), dreidls and songs were
aplenty, Chanukah books were read, and
latkes were served. Without extended family in Ottawa to celebrate with, we made
our own Chanukah traditions to make sure
that it was a special time of year in our
household. As one of the few Jewish parents at our children’s school, I was asked
regularly to come to their classes to explain the holiday.
Sometimes, when Chanukah took place
early in December, as it did this year, the
excitement faded by the time Christmas arrived. If the holidays coincided, Chanukah
took the sheen off Christmas. It took some
strategic planning to ensure that, while the
children could enjoy, through their friendships, whatever invitations or gifts came
their way because of Christmas, Chanukah
was first and foremost in their reality.
With Chanukah 2010 behind us (hopefully everyone had a wonderful holiday), I
can now look forward to admiring the
bright and beautiful decorations that
abound at this time of year, and the many
warm greetings that will be shared with
strangers. Wouldn’t the world be a happier
place if some aspects of the holiday season
were common year-round?
Alan Echenberg will return in February
2011.
Winter Judaic programs at the Soloway JCC
By Pamela Rosenberg
Soloway JCC
There are plenty of exciting new opportunities for
Jewish learning with a diverse faculty of rabbis,
teachers and scholars taking
place at the Soloway Jewish
Community Centre (JCC)
this winter.
New on the roster of Enlightened Jewish Education
courses for the upcoming
season are Jewish Business
Ethics and Jewish Law with
Rabbi Howard Finkelstein
and Midrash: Making Old
Testaments Come Alive with
Rabbi Steven Garten.
Rabbi Charles Popky
will lead a class on Sugiyot
(Talmudic
Discussion)
Every Jew Should Know;
Shawna Dolansky, PhD,
teaches Exodus: Myth or
Mystery; and Sami Sourani
teaches Jews and Arabs in
the Middle East: An
Overview.
“We offer a pluralistic
approach to Jewish learning,” says Roslyn Brozovsky Wollock, adult program manager. “The wellrounded faculty covers all
aspects of Judaism.”
While the majority of instructors are rabbis representing the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements, Ottawa native Shawna Dolansky is an assistant
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professor of religious studies at Northeastern University in Boston.
According to Roslyn, the
Soloway JCC is the only
place in the city where people can take non-credit Hebrew courses. Three different classes will run this winter: Ulpan Modern Conversational Hebrew for Beginners-Level 2, Ulpan Modern Conversational-Level 5
and Ulpan Advanced 2. The
Hebrew classes are taught
by Miriam Litman who has
been teaching the language
here for more than five
years.
But Jewish learning goes
beyond studying and language, venturing into the
creative realm as well. Following a brief hiatus, Tallit
Weaving with Shirley
Browsky is making a comeback this winter and will
take place at Agudath Israel.
If it’s a smaller project
you’re interested in, there is
Crochet Kippah at the
Soloway JCC on Tuesday
evenings and Judaic Paper
Cutting on Thursday afternoons.
Participants who have
taken Enlightened Jewish
Education courses at the
Soloway JCC are among its
most enthusiastic boosters.
Rabbi
Steven Garten
Rabbi
Charles Popky
Rabbi
Howard Finkelstein
“From the Florence
Melton Jewish education
curriculum a few years ago,
to the course selection this
fall, the Soloway JCC Adult
Program Department has
offered me insights into Judaism that I would not have
grasped alone. A refreshing
wind floats on material
which can seem prohibitive
and a momentary light
shines, inviting me each
season to something new
and yet familiar,” said
Danielle Dugas, a student in
the Back to the Garden of
Eden and From Hero to
Outcast courses, two of the
Enlightened Jewish Education offerings that took
place this fall.
“I have been taking the
Solway JCC Judaism courses for some years now and
have found them to be an
interesting way to study
Jewish history,” said David
Shore. “The lecturers are
well informed, well prepared, and ready to explain
their course in as much detail as a student requires. I
look forward to attending
more of these courses.”
Most classes begin the
second week of January.
According to Roslyn, class
participants range in age
from 18 to 80 and come
from all backgrounds.
For a complete listing of
adult courses, and everything happening at the
Soloway JCC, drop by the
Soloway JCC and pick up a
program guide, call Roslyn
at 613-798-9818, ext. 254,
or visit jccottawa.com. Registration for winter programs is now taking place.
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JEWISH
NATIONAL
FUND
More than trees
613.798.2411
Brian Pearl
president
Looking back at 2010
and looking forward to 2011
I recently had the great pleasure of meeting
with JNF Ottawa Board members at our Annual
General Meeting at our home. We reviewed the
accomplishments of another very successful year
for JNF Ottawa, and discussed our exciting plans
for the coming 12 months.
This year’s Negev Dinner in March in honour
of Sara Vered was an outstanding success. At the
AGM, we were delighted to present Sara with a
special leather bound, embossed album of pictures
from the event, and present her son, Arnie, with a
special Chanukiah showing our thanks and appreciation for an extraordinary job.
Jane and Martin Gordon, who chaired the 2010
Tu Bi’Shevat Telethon, were also recognized and
thanked for their excellent work. This year’s
Telethon will again be under their very able leadership. We are particularly grateful that they have
made time in their incredibly busy schedules,
since making aliyah last year, to be here for this
special JNF fundraiser.
Space does not permit proper thanks to all the
people who have contributed to this year’s successes, including our perennial Blue Box campaign, chaired by Naomi Cracower, and our wellattended and extremely informative program with
Gil Hoffman of the Jerusalem Post, chaired by
Oliver Javanpour, at Congregation Machzikei
Hadas on November 8.
Looking forward to 2011, JNF Ottawa is holding our annual Tu Bi’Shevat Telethon on Sunday,
January 23 and we will have a Negev Dinner in
November, as is our longstanding tradition. We
look forward to again receiving a generous response from the Ottawa community for our important projects in Israel.
In closing, I want to thank the Board of Directors for their outstanding commitment to JNF. On
their behalf, I salute our excellent staff members:
Mark Mendelson, executive director for Eastern
Canada and Susan Schwartzman, Ottawa co-ordinator, without whom none of the above would be
possible.
Golden Book Inscriptions
Jacqueline Claire Cohen, on the occasion of
her Bat Mitzvah, and William Max Cohen, on the
occasion of his Bar Mitzvah, by their proud grandparents, Sid and Barbara Cohen.
On a daily basis you can plant
trees for all occasions. An attractive card is sent to the recipient.
To order, call the JNF office
(613.798.2411).
A scene from Tamir’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Centrepointe Theatre.
(Photo: Robin Chernick)
Dreamcoat: A Documentary
to premiere Thursday, January 27
By Mark Palmer
Tamir
Centrepointe Theatre
was packed, May 13, 2010,
for Tamir’s production of
Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat.
The professionally managed and fully integrated
show, the first of its kind,
was an overwhelming success.
Now, ladies and gentleman, get ready for Dreamcoat: A Documentary.
The premiere of this revealing, dynamic film takes
place Thursday, January 27,
7:00 pm, at the Mayfair
Theatre.
See the cast and crew in
the early days of rehearsal
and follow several key players as they face incredible
challenges and push the
limits of inclusion from
dream to reality.
And there’s more.
DVD highlights of the
Joseph performance at Centrepointe, a talkback session
with cast and crew following the screening of Dreamcoat, capped off with a live
performance from the show.
This is the event of the
year you won’t want to
miss. Just ask the paparazzi!
Yes, the stars of stage
and screen will be out and
shining brightly on January
27. We’re talking limos, paparazzi and red carpet for
our stars. Move over TIFF –
here comes Tamir!
Dreamcoat teaches us
that persons with developmental disabilities can take
centre stage. Tell all your
friends and join us for a funfilled and moving experi-
ence and help us pack the
Mayfair to the rafters.
Tickets are $25.00 and
are on sale at Tamir. Call
Melanie Fulop at 613-7253519, ext. 113.
Lieberman and Kenney speak at Kollel Forum
By Jonah Rabinovitch
for Kollel of Ottawa
With more than 350 in attendance, U.S. Senator Joseph
Lieberman and Minister of
Citizenship, Immigration and
Multiculturalism Jason Kenney discussed democracy and
global governance at the Kollel of Ottawa’s annual forum
and reception, November 22,
at the Government Conference Centre.
Kenney quoted extensively from Prime Minister
Stephen Harper’s November
8 speech at the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism conference and went on to discuss
why freedom and democracy
are the best guarantors of a
peaceful, more prosperous
world.
Kenney also talked about
the Kollel’s accomplishments in the community and
noted how the work done by
the Kollel promotes the
Canadian values of pluralism
and diversity.
Lieberman had everyone
laughing as he began his
speech with the story of how
the Kollel of Ottawa’s Rabbi
Binyomin Holland had literally chased him for three
years to come to Ottawa, and
how he was convinced by
Rabbi Holland that it was the
right thing to do.
Lieberman praised Harper
for his principled stand on Israel and said the CanadaU.S. border has fomented the
strongest possible friendship
that two countries could experience. He contrasted this
with many other borders that
are a source of tension and
bloodshed between countries.
Lieberman went on to discuss threats to freedom and
democracy around the globe,
especially those posed by Islamist terrorism. The senator
specifically praised the
Canadian Armed Forces for
their hard work in the fight
against
terrorism
in
Afghanistan and noted the
disproportionate number of
casualties they have experienced.
“I understand how politically difficult it is to sustain
support for this fight in
Senator Hugh Segal, at the podium, moderates the Kollel of Ottawa Forum with guest speakers U.S. Senator Joe
Lieberman and Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney.
(Photo: Peter Waiser)
Afghanistan,” Lieberman
said. “I also understand how
people naturally become
weary of war. But, I want to
emphasize to you how important Canada’s contribution has been, and how grateful the people of the United
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It matters to the people of
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Lieberman also discussed
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noted that Iran has one of the
strongest internal democracy
movements in the Middle
East. He said the Iranian nuclear program had to be
stopped at all costs, including
militarily, if necessary.
Following their speeches,
there was a discussion between Lieberman and Kenney, moderated by Senator
Hugh Segal, during which
they responded to questions
from the audience.
The Kollel of Ottawa is a
centre for Jewish education
whose vision is to embrace
and inspire all Jews – regardless of their education, observance or affiliation – with the
warmth of advanced Torah
study. It strives to assist all
participants in their quest for
a more fulfilling Jewish life.
For more information,
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Working for you! / Au travail pour vous!
I am pleased to:
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for special occasions
• answer questions about federal legislation
• listen to your feedback
Je suis heureux de:
• vous aider à traiter
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SAY IT
WITH TREES
613-798-2411
●
To remember
●
To congratulate
●
To honour
●
To say I care
TREES HAVE BEEN PLANTED
Condolences to:
The Abramovitch family in memory of Salomon
Abramovitch by Brenda & Marvin Segal
Ray Alessi in memory of your father Baldo by Norean
Harris
Myrla Azuelos-Kuperman & Melanye Kuperman
in memory of Jaime-Leib Kuperman by Yvonne & Yehuda
Azuelos
Yehuda Azuelos in memory of your brother Avner
Azuelos by Gloria Goldberg
The Beck family in memory of David Samuel Beck
by the Sheffield family
Judy & Yaacov Ben-Israel in memory of your father
Saul Rosenberg by Carol & Laurie Pascoe
Sanford Berman in memory of your father by
Barbara & David Slipacoff
Evangeline Cabural in memory of Dante Cabural by
Louis, Deborah, Dave & Simone Davis, by Peter, Naomi,
Talia & Samara Ventura
The Candib family in memory of Arthur Candib by
Brenda & Marvin Segal
The family of the late Jonas (Janek) Dajczman by
Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz
The family of the late Hannah Drucker by Ann,
Charles & Lynn Steiner
The Edelson family in memory of Dina Edelson by
Bluma Dieks Goldenberg
Shoshana & Zvi Fleischer in memory of Brandon
Grajcer by Brenda & Marvin Segal
Eileen Gallant in memory of Kathleen Miller by
Carole & Bernie Starkman
Mr. & Mrs. G. Gelb in memory of Miklos Sipos by
Carole & Bernie Starkman
Ute Gerbrandt in memory of Leonard Gerbrandt by
Sheila & Morton Baslaw, by Janet Agulnik
Helen Gilman in memory of your mother Beryl Jacobson by Marsha & Art Saper, by Beverley & Abe Feinstein
William Goldstein in memory of Esther Goldstein by
Barbara & David Slipacoff
Elaine Golosky in memory of your father Albert
“Bugsy” Golosky by Marcia Cantor
The Goldwasser family in memory of Baruch
Goldwasser by Steve & Doris Rauch
Pearl Greenberg in memory of your brother George
Cohen by Marilyn & David Galbraith
Sylvia Greenspoon in memory of your sister Judith by
Fern Goldman
Barbara Hilliker in memory of your mother Dorothy
Hilliker by Shelley Schachnow, Merle, Stephanie & Ashley
Luke Jantzik in memory of Claudette Jantzik by Anne
& Ken Mozersky
Leonard Junop in memory of your mother by Lorna
Bernbaum
His Excellency Ambassador and Mrs. Zenon
Kosiniak-Kamysz in memory of Michael KosiniakKamysz, Maria Kosiniak-Kamysz & Sylvia Maka by
Floralove, Ruth & Leon Katz
Roz Kanigsberg in memory of your father Abraham
Davis by Rochelle & David Greenberg, by Carol & Laurie
Pascoe
Etta Karp in memory of Leonard Karp by Marion
Silver & Alan Brass; Helen & Dick Visbach
Judith Klingon in memory of Judith Klingon by
Stanley & Vita Winthrop
Diane Koven in memory of your father Jerry Koven
by Marcia Cantor, by Sidney Featherman
Helene Kravitz in memory of Leo Kravitz by Ethel
Bloom
Marvin Krym in memory of your father Leon Krym
by Reisa & Allan Glenns
Naomi Krym in memory of your mother Ruth
Goldberg by Reisa & Allan Glenns
Leo Lightstone in memory of your father Reuben
Lightstone by Maureen & Jeff Katz
Leslie Little in memory of Ronald E. Legault by
Barbara & Pinchas Pleet
Galina Maliouta in memory of your mother Eliana
Livinson-Maliouta by Valerie & Gaby Terkel
The Marovitz family in memory of Uncle Benny
Marovitz by Maureen & Mark Farovitch, Stefanie, Dave,
Luca & Sarah
Kate Meyers in memory of Cornelius VanderGeest by
Prof. Joseph Magnet
Terry Mulligan in memory of Mary Beth Mulligan by
Barbara & Pinchas Pleet
Lynda Oppen in memory of your father Harold
Novolker by Brenda & Marvin Segal
Mrs. M. Pearl in memory of Louis Pearl by Ettie
Lubin, Carole & Bernard Starkman
The Posner family in memory of Sylvia Posner by
Brenda & Marvin Segal
Judy Price in memory of Sarah Anne Abell by Susan
& Ed Merkley
The family of Avi Raphaeli by Sylvia Freeman
Andy Robert in memory of your father Andre Robert
by Gary & Debra Viner
Beth Roodman in memory of Morton Roodman by
Sandra & Nelson Beveridge
Monica Rosenthal in memory of your mother Helen
Rosenthal by Marion Silver & Alan Brass
Gary Rosson & Paul & Ryan Fox in memory of your
wife & mother Robin Rosson by Barbara & Pinchas Pleet
Alan Rubin in memory of your sister Sylvia Pedell by
Marcia & Barry Cantor
Bryna Rumstein in memory of your mother Rebie
Schwartz & your brother Dr. Fred Schwartz by Maureen &
Jeff Katz
Dr. Gerry Schneiderman in memory of your sister
Shilly Rosen by Linda & Archie Cogan
The family of the late Irving Schwartz by Dora &
Raymond Goldman, by Dr. Peter & Marlene Newmann
Ian Shields in memory of your mother Mary Shields
by Rick & Sylvia Kleiman
Dr. Mervin Silverberg in memory of Gittel Silverberg
by Shirley & Philip Teitelbaum
Ed Sussman in memory of Miriam Sussman by
Sharon Abron Drache
Neil Tolson in memory of your mother Ruth Tolson by
Jackie & Lucian Sitwell, by Maureen & Jeff Katz
Liz Vered in memory of your father Irving Adessky by
Janice, Marty, Jaclyn & Tommy Friedlich, by Gary &
Debra Viner, by Susan & Charlie Schwartzman
Eric Vernon in memory of Shirley Goody Bernon by
Joseph Magnet
Richard Vineberg in memory of your father Edward
Vineberg by Brenda & Marvin Segal
Ben Wald in memory of Rose Wald by Tom &
Alannah Grossman
Beverly White in memory of your husband Frank
White by Barbara & David Slipacoff
Elizabeth & Roger Williams in memory of your
mother Joan Elizabeth Williams by Anne & Ken Mozersky
Dr. Michael Yachnin in memory of your mother
Marcia Yachnin by Dorothy Browns
Wishing Speedy Recovery/Refuah Shleima to:
Beverley Cantor by Barbara & David Slipacoff
Dr. D. Chow by Sara Shabsove
Arnold Isaacson by Linda & Archie Cogan
Ed Landis by Philip & Shirley Teitelbaum
In Honour of:
Libby Avram on your 1st birthday by your loving
grandmother Simona Avram
Riza & David Axelrod with thanks and appreciation
by Esther & Irving Kulik
Allan Baker on your special birthday by Carol &
Mark Froimovitch
Irwin Brodo on your special birthday by Sharon
Abron Drache
Wally Cherun on your 80th birthday by John &
Gladys Greenberg
Carole Cherun on your special birthday by Peter &
Minda Wershof
Dr. George & Elaine Citrome on the birth of your
granddaughter by Margo, Alan, Scott, Matt & Amy
Blostein
Jayme & Tara Cogan on your 10th anniversary by
Linda & Archie Cogan
Jerry & Cheryl Cogan on your special anniversary
by Linda & Archie Cogan
Ron Cohen in recognition of your award from the
Canadian Broadcasting Association by Linda & Archie
Cogan
Dr. Arial Dalfen on your 40th birthday by Linda &
Archie Cogan
Tracy & Gianni Donatucci with Shana Tova greetings by Jonathan & Jennifer Baker
Dr. Mark Froimovitch with thanks and appreciation
by Jonathan & Jennifer Baker
Betty Gault on your 90th birthday by Sandra
Marchello
Jackie & Burt Gorenstein on your 50th anniversary
by Flo & Joel Morgan
Evan & Alisha Green with Shana Tova greetings by
Jonathan & Jennifer Baker
Thelma & Allan Haimovitz with best wishes for a
Happy & Healthy New Year by Carol & Laurie Pascoe
Sadie Hoffman on your 95th birthday by Joanie &
Cliff, Ellen & Dwayne Wright
Sue Carol Isaacson on your special birthday by Linda
& Archie Cogan
Jane James on your special birthday by Linda &
Archie Cogan
Sheryl Kardish on your 50th birthday by Reisa &
Allan Glenns
Stan & Libby Katz on your special wedding anniversary by Bert Palmer & Kathryn Palmer
Margo Kardish with birthday wishes by Ken Kavanat
Margo & David Kardish with best wishes in your
new winter home by Sheryl, Harvey, Mallory & Ryan
Kardish
Jon Kritsch on your forthcoming marriage by Norean
Harris
Russell Kronick on your 70th birthday by Linda &
Archie Cogan
Jonah Herbert Shore McNab on your birth by
Auntie Pam & Auntie Tina Shore
Edwin Merkur on your 70th birthday by Linda &
Archie Cogan
Bonnie Merovitz on receiving the 2010 KipnisWilson Friedland Award by Marcia Cantor
Kenneth & Linda Mirsky on the engagement of your
son Ross to Nancy White by Murray & Bryna Cohen
Henry & Maureen Molot on your 40th anniversary
by Barbara Sugarman & Sydney Kronick
David Monson & Lily Dadoun on your new home by
Maureen & Jeff Katz
Dave Moskovic on your 80th birthday by Ken
Kavanat
Howie & Donna Nadolny on your special anniversary
by Linda & Archie Cogan
Erwin Newman on your 80th birthday by Lily Tobin
Aaron Nilsen on your birthday by Gram Nancy Fryer
Jeannie Polisuk on your birthday by Bert Knoll
Sandra & Ivar Riff on the birth of your grandchild
Sam by Murray & Bryna Cohen
Art Saper on your special birthday by Ken Kavanat
Angelo Sardoz on your 80th birthday by Pinchas &
Barbara Pleet
Morris Samel on your special birthday by Helen &
Sol Rauch
Sol & Zelaine Shinder on your 50th anniversary by
Barbara Sugarman & Sydney Kronick
Louis Sholzberg on your 90th birthday by Sharon &
Herb, Howard & Leah, Steven & Stannie, Melanie & Jerry
Lenny Shore on your special birthday by Linda &
Archie Cogan
Jackie & Michael Shulman in appreciation by Linda
& Archie Cogan
Valerie & Gaby Terkel with thanks and appreciation
by Esther & Irving Kulik
Joy & Eric Weisbloom with congratulations on
Becky’s graduation by Art & Marsha Saper
Ida Winestock on your special birthday by Shelley &
Morris Schachnow & Anne Winestock
Mazal Tov to:
Sara & Leslie Breiner on becoming grandparents by
Reisa & Allan Glenns
Dr. Joseph & Devora Caytak on the birth of your
grandson Shimon Alexander by Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz
Barbara & Jeffrey Farber on the birth of your granddaughter Kayla Rose by Maureen & Jeff Katz
Sherry Feifer on your special birthday by Susan &
Charlie Schwartzman
Burt & Jackie Gorenstein on your 50th anniversary
by Bonnie & Sherwin Lyman
Arlene Isenberg on your special birthday by Esther &
Irving Kulik
Aaron Kardish on your new home by Auntie Sheryl,
Uncle Harvey, Mallory & Ryan Kardish
Sheryl & Harvey Kardish on your new home by
Susan & Charlie Schwartzman, by Alan, Margo, Scott,
Matt & Amy Blostein
Julia Krane & Dan Paul on the Bar Mitvah of your
son Jacob by Susan & Charlie Schwartzman
Evelyn Krane on the Bar Mitzvah of your grandson
Jacob by Susan & Charlie Schwartzman
Tema Lewin on the engagement of your grandson
Joseph to Lindsey by Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz
Eddie & Ethel Machtinger on your 69th anniversary
by the Sheffields
Seymour Mayne on receiving the J. I. Segal Award by
Floralove, Ruth & Leon Katz
Dr. David & Mindy Ribner on the birth of Pesach
Zev by Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz
Stephen & Brenda Saslove on the birth of your grandson Benjamin Phillip Freedman by Carol & Laurie Pascoe
Brenda Schafer on Heidi & Mike’s marriage by Susan
& Charlie Schwartzman
Debbie and Stephen Schneiderman on Stacey’s engagement by Susan & Charlie Schwartzman
Susan & Charlie Schwartzman on Jaclyn’s marriage
to Joshua Krane by Jackie & Lucian Sitwell, by Reisa &
Allan Glenns
Adam & Jenn Segal on the birth of your daughter
Paige Alexandra Shira by Aunt Sue, Sharon & David, Joy
& Seymour & families
Yona Samuel Steinman on your Bar Mitzvah by
Chaim & Raina Feig & Rachel Cohen
Shawn & Ebba Wexler on the birth of your son Oscar
Samuel Joseph by Aunt Sue, Sharon & David, Joy &
Seymour & families
Tree purchases are $18
and are fully tax receiptable.
JNF thanks you for your generous contribution.
Please accept our apologies if we misspelled or
omitted anyone’s name or contribution.
Hillel Academy students combine science class
with Tikkun Olam
By Nicola Hamer
for Ottawa Jewish
Community School
As a Jewish day school,
Hillel Academy is in a
unique situation in Ottawa.
The curriculum includes
subjects such as Torah,
prayer and Jewish history,
which are exclusive to a
Jewish school, as well as all
the secular subjects.
At first glance, it would
seem there is a clear split
between the secular and
Jewish studies programs at
the school, but, recently,
Hillel has been encouraging
an increasingly integrated
curriculum.
“It is important for the
students to understand that
they don’t stop being Jewish just because they are not
learning a Jewish subject or
going to shul,” says Head of
Schools Donna PalmerDodds, “and it isn’t just the
Jewish teachers who can
pass that message on.”
Last year, Hillel began a
school-wide Tikkun Olam
project that saw the students
getting involved in their
larger community in a wide
variety of ways: from selling kippot woven by Mayan
women in Guatemala, to
collecting socks for the Ottawa Mission, to starting a
recycling program in the
school.
This year, science teacher
Brian Lamb decided to take
it one step further and has
brought the concept of Tikkun Olam right into his classroom.
He assigned his Grade 7
and 8 students a green project. Rather than just research ways of being more
environmentally responsible, Lamb told his students,
to act on their ideas.
“Their assignment is to
make a difference,” says
Lamb.
“It is easy to sit back and
come up with ideas or do research. I want my students
to see that they can put their
ideas into action and have a
real positive effect in their
school and the wider community.”
Lamb says he was inspired by learning of the importance of the concept of
Tikkun Olam (repairing the
world), as well as by the example set by colleague Deanna Coghlin whose Tikkun
Olam project last year was to
create an environmental club
with her students.
They started Hillel’s
recycling program, encouraged litterless lunches and
planted trees in the school
yard. This year, they will
be working on the community garden in the schoolyard.
Lamb’s science students
have started to collect old
electronics, batteries, light
bulbs and cardboard to
bring to recycling centres.
Some are writing to compa-
Grade 8 students Joseph Feldberg and Sarina Aarenau with their green projects: recycling aluminum cans and cardboard.
(Photo: Nicola Hamer)
nies about over-packaging
of their products. Others
have taken on cleaning up
local parks and playgrounds.
The students are clearly
excited about their new projects, and seem to appreciate the new experience.
Grade 8 student Gabriel
Hamburg says he really
likes that his project isn’t
just about researching and
writing.
“It can sometimes be
boring to just read about
stuff,” he says.
“I like that we actually
get to try and come up with
an idea and then follow it up
with action instead. We can
see if our ideas work in the
real world.”
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Chabad Student Network Bar and Bat Mitzvah Gala
By Yaelle Gang
for Chabad
Student Network
More than 150 people
gathered, November 22, to
celebrate the Bar and Bat
Mitzvahs of four university
students who had not marked
their rites of passage at
the traditional ages of 12 and
13.
The event, organized by
the Chabad Student Network
at the Cartier Place Hotel,
featured dinner, dancing
and speeches by the Bar and
Bat Mitzvah celebrants.
The Bar and Bat Mitzvah
program for university students was the first of its kind
in Ottawa.
“An event like this is im-
portant, because it brings
Jewish students into the fold
of Judaism,” said Rabbi
Chaim Boyarsky, who organized the event with his wife,
Yocheved Boyarsky. “It embraces them and welcomes
them, and makes them feel
part of the Jewish nation.”
Leading up to the event,
the students took classes with
the Boyarskys.
“We gave the students
varied classes on basic topics
in Judaism, as well as some
history and Hebrew,” said
Rabbi Boyarsky. “The goal of
the classes was the hope that
the students will continue to
learn about their heritage.”
The students presented
Jewish prayers and speeches
at the event. The speeches
discussed the importance of
their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
“All four of us are here
tonight because, for some
reason, we didn’t have a traditional Bar or Bat Mitzvah,”
said Naomi Lebovitch in her
Bat Mitzvah speech. “I know
I speak for many when I say
how thankful I am that programs like this exist for Jewish students.”
“The celebration might
end tonight, but the journey
of spiritual growth and realization is just beginning for
us,” said Bar Mitzvah celebrant Dennis Karpov in his
speech.
After the speeches, Rabbi
Reuven Bulka presented
each Bar and Bat Mitzvah
student with a certificate acknowledging their achievement. The women will also
receive silver engraved can-
(From left) Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrants Dennis Karpov, Dalia Seligman, Yana
Akoulenka and Naomi Lebovitch display their certificates.
dlesticks and Karpov will be
receiving tefillin from Israel.
Rabbi Boyarsky says the
future of the Bar and Bat
Mitzvah program looks
promising.
“We already have six candidates that are interested in
joining us for the next event.
I am hoping that the number
of people interested in Judaism will grow,” he said.
Heat up the winter with AJA 50+
programs for active Ottawa seniors
By Dena Speevak
for AJA 50+
Warm up your heart and
soul with AJA (Active Jewish Adults) 50+ winter programming. AJA 50+ will be
providing a wide range of activities for men and women
aged 50 and over throughout
the winter season.
New this winter will be a
series of three armchair travel talks, including presentations on a trip to the Galapagos and a safari in Kenya.
Other innovative programs
include: Behind the Scenes at
the Casino; a tasting and
demo with the chef at Bistro
Ambrosia; and In the Artist’s
Studio with widely exhibited
photographer Mark Schacter.
The very popular Art at
the Gallery program continues with professionally led
tours of the latest National
Gallery exhibits. Music presentations, computer tutorials, seminars and ongoing
programs such as bridge and
mah-jongg will also be available.
To receive a winter
program guide, send an email to Annette Paquin at
aja50plus@sympatico.ca or
come out to Registration Day
at the Soloway Jewish Com-
I’m Jerry
of Jerry’s Hobby Reg’d
and I can take
“Memories out of a box”
Think of all your old photos,
slides, 8mm & 16mm home movies
in boxes in your basement.
“Memories in a box”.
I can convert those “memories”
with an easy-to-use format onto a DVD.
Just sit back and enjoy “your memories” on TV.
For more information, I can be reached at
613-301-4919
munity Centre on Wednesday, January 5, 11:00 am to
1:00 pm.
For information about
membership in AJA 50+,
contact Dan Sigler at
ajamembership@gmail.com
or 613-224-6110.
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On the first night of Chanukah
Kindergarten student Dylan Ages makes a craft with Hillel
Lodge resident Betty Ballon, who is 102. (Photo: Marilyn Adler)
Debby Applebaum lights the candles in the Soloway Jewish Community Centre lobby on the first night
of Chanukah, December 1. Children attending after-school activities at the SJCC joined her in reciting
(Photo: Michael Regenstreif)
the blessings and in singing Chanukah songs.
Student Cameron Seller helps decorate the Ottawa Jewish
Community School for Chanukah.
Israel and Palestinians need to act in enlightened
self-interest says founder of Americans for Peace Now
rael in an event organized by
Canadian Friends of Peace
Now. He also visited the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin office
for an interview prior to the
event.
Among the obstacles to
achieving the two-state solution, said Rosenblum, is the
situation in which there are
“four de facto states” operating in the region, including
Israel and two Palestinian entities, the PA on the West
Bank and Hamas in Gaza.
The fourth group is the right
wing Israeli settlers – particularly those in 102 illegal
outposts – who say they are
unwilling to compromise on
their claims to the West
Bank.
Although he admits it will
not be easy, Rosenblum suggests that the four de facto
states could be reduced to the
two states needed to achieve
peace between Israel and the
Palestinians.
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Gabriella Goliger, Ottawa Chapter chair of Canadian
Friends of Peace Now, and Mark Rosenblum, founder
of Americans for Peace Now, on a visit to the Ottawa
(Photo: Michael Regenstreif)
Jewish Bulletin office.
will have to re-establish control in Gaza, which, the longtime peace activist admits,
may well have to be done
through force.
Similarly, he said, Israel
may have to be prepared to
use force on settlers standing
in the way of a peace settlement.
Despite the fact that peace
negotiations have remained
at a virtual standstill, there
are some encouraging signs
of progress, said Rosenblum,
particularly in the area of
Palestinian state-building
under the leadership of PA
Prime
Minister
Salam
Fayyad.
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“Fayyad has been startlingly successful in maintaining law and order and in
developing security co-operation between the PA and Israel,” said Rosenblum.
It is important to nurture
Fayyadism, he added.
Fayyad’s success in building a viable Palestinian state
structure, “from the bottom
up,” in such areas as security,
economics, politics and
diplomacy, would lead to an
election that Rosenblum predicts Hamas would lose, setting the stage for Palestinian
reunification.
Rosenblum said he would
“not be surprised” if a new
moratorium on settlement
expansion being proposed by
the Obama Administration
was accepted by the Israeli
Cabinet in the coming weeks,
thus creating conditions in
which direct negotiations
with the PA could resume on
such issues as borders, settlements and security.
Rosenblum
acknowledged that serious impediments to a peace settlement
remain on the Palestinian
side.
“No Israeli prime minister
could pull out from the West
Bank in the way that Israel
pulled out from Gaza,” he
said in reference to the unilateral 2005 withdrawal,
which led to years of sustained rocket attacks by
Hamas.
“Withdrawal will have to
be done in co-operation with
the Palestinians” and with security guarantees in place, he
said.
Security, he added, would
need to be in the hands of an
international force – perhaps
the Americans or NATO.
Rosenblum also stressed
that the systemic Palestinian
incitement against Israel has
to come to an end and that
“the nightmare PR campaign” aimed at delegitimizing Israel was a significant
security concern.
Both Israel and the Palestinians “will have to make
changes and act in enlightened self-interest,” said
Rosenblum, adding that
Obama should go to Israel
and engage in the process on
the Jewish homeland.
Commenting on the demographic challenges Israel
will face if peace with the
Palestinians is not achieved,
Rosenblum said, “If we don’t
birth the Palestinian state, we
will become the Palestinian
state.”
Visit my web site: www.mikeroodman.com
By Michael Regenstreif
A two-state solution to Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians is still viable, but time
may be running out says
Mark Rosenblum, founder of
Americans for Peace Now.
“Peace,” he said, “is not impossible, but not inevitable.”
Rosenblum is a history
professor at Queens College
of the City University of
New York where he is also
director of the Center for
Jewish Studies, the Center
for Racial and Ethnic Tolerance, and the Michael Harrington Center for Democratic Values and Social
Change.
Rosenblum – who has
met recently with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and
American President Barack
Obama – spoke in Ottawa,
November 11, at Temple Is-
What’s happening at
Congregation Beth Shalom
Do you have a child between the ages of 9 and 11?
Have you started thinking
about his or her Bar or Bat Mitzvah?
It is not too soon.
To learn what the next steps are,
please contact the synagogue office
to schedule an appointment.
Watch
for more upcoming events
Watch for more upcoming events
Everyone
Everyoneis
is Welcome!
Welcome!
For more information, please contact the synagogue
at 613-789-3501 or info@bethshalom.ca
www.bethshalom.ca
In support
of the Bess and Moe
Greenberg Family
Hillel Lodge
In the Joseph
and Inez Zelikovitz
Long Term Care Centre
Card Donations
Card donations go a long way to improving the
quality of life for our residents. Thank you for considering their needs and contributing to their wellbeing.
On behalf of the residents and their families, we
extend sincere appreciation to the following individuals and families who made card donations to the
Hillel Lodge Long-Term Care Foundation between
November 10 to 24, 2010 inclusive.
HONOUR FUNDS
Unlike a bequest or gift of life insurance, which
are realized some time in the future, a named Honour Fund (i.e., endowment fund) is established during your lifetime.
By making a contribution of $1,000 or more,
you can create a permanent remembrance for a
loved one, honour a family member, declare what
the Lodge has meant to you and/or support a cause
that you believe in.
A Hillel Lodge Honour Fund is a permanent
pool of capital that earns interest or income each
year. This income then supports the priorities designated by you, the donor.
Ruth and Irving Aaron Family Fund
In Honour of:
Carol Greenberg Mazal tov on the birth of your
granddaughter Mya with love by Ruth and Irving
Aaron
Bill and Leona Adler Memorial Fund
In Memory of:
Ann Bell by Marilyn Adler
Roslyn Barrett by Marilyn Adler
Abe and Bea Dubinsky Endowment Fund
R’fuah Shlema:
Lisa Sklar with love Auntie Bea Dubinsky
Joel and Sharon Edelson Family Fund
In Memory of:
Dina Edelson by the Ginsberg family
Malcolm and Vera Glube Endowment Fund
In Honour of:
Jerry Paull best wishes on your special birthday
by Malcolm and Vera Glube
In Memory of:
Irwin Rose by Malcolm and Vera Glube
Angela DeQuattro’s father by Malcolm and Vera
Glube
Nell Gluck Memorial Fund
In Memory of:
Roslyn Barrett by Albert and Shirley Winer; and
by Grace and Irving Dardick
David, Harvey, Victor Kardish Family Fund
In Memory of:
Sonya Bodnoff by Sheryl, Harvey, Mallory and
Ryan Kardish
Kassirer Fund
In Memory of:
Archie Kassirer by Terry McAndrew; by Janice
Kaiman; by Reesa Kassirer; by Helen Levine; by Lisa,
Lawrence, Michael and Jaime Sklar; by the Ginsberg
family; by Marney, Gary, Jeremy, Jessiann and Noah
Opolsky; Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind; and by
Krystyna Welna
Morris and Lillian Kimmel Family Fund
R’fuah Shlema:
Raoul Korngold by Steve, Janet, Tobin and Aaron
Kaiman
In Honour of:
Sylvia and Charlie Levine Happy and healthy
anniversary and many, many more with love by
Brenda, Nathan, Jesse and Daniel Levine
Sol Kaiman Happy birthday with love by
Stephen, Janet, Tobin and Aaron Kaiman
In Memory of:
Mrs. Greenberg by the Kimmel, Kaiman and
Levine families
Joan and Russell Kronick Family Fund
In Memory of:
Yehuda Azuelos’ brother by Joan and Russell
Kronick
R’fuah Shlema:
Kaysa Friedman by Joan and Russell Kronick
Sam and Dora Litwack Family Fund
In Observance of the Yahrzeit:
Dora Litwack our dear mother, mother-in-law
and grandmother, 12 Tevet by Sam and Dora Litwack
and family
Irma and Harold Sachs Family Fund
In Memory of:
Roslyn Barrett by Irma Sachs
Stephen and Debra Schneiderman
Family Fund
In Honour of:
Stephen and Debra Schneiderman Mazal tov on
Stacey’s engagement by Sol and Estelle Gunner; and
by Ingrid Levitz
Harold and Lillian Shoihet Memorial fund
In Honour of:
Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Yankovitz Mazal tov on
Bruchy’s wedding to Menachem Mendel by Dovid
Shoihet
In Observance of the Yahrzeit of:
Peter Swedko by Dovid and Jessica Shoihet
Get Well wishes to:
Lisa Mason by David and Jessica Shoihet
Label and Leona Silver Family Fund
In Memory of:
Martin Tatz by Label and Leona Silver
R’fuah Shlema:
John Greenberg by Label and Leona Silver
Ralph and Anne Sternberg Memorial Fund
In Observance of the Yahrzeit of:
Ralph Sternberg by Laya and Ted Jacobsen; and
by Stephanie Dancey
Get Well wishes to:
Shari Saunders with love by Laya and Ted
Jacobsen
R’fuah Shlema:
Chuck Rotenberg with warm wishes by Laya and
Ted Jacobsen
Carolyn Katz with warm wishes by Laya and Ted
Jacobsen
Sarah and Arnie Swedler Family Fund
In Memory of:
Dr. Martin Tatz by Arnie Swedler
Irwin Rose by Arnie Swedler
Sonya Bodnoff by Arnie Swedler
In Honour of:
Ernie Brodo Mazal tov on your special birthday
by Eric Elkin and Molly Hirsch
Eric Weiner and Arlene Godfrey Family Fund
In Memory of:
Roslyn Barrett by Miriam and Louis Weiner
In Honour of:
Barbara and Jeff Rosenberg Thank you for
another beautiful Thanksgiving by Phyllis and Max
Sternthal
Carole and Norman Zagerman Family Fund
R’fuah shlema:
Harriet Slone by Carole and Norman Zagerman
In Honour of:
Evelyn Greenberg Mazal tov on Lesley’s engagement by Carole and Norman Zagerman and Andrea
Arron
In Memory of:
Roslyn Barrett by Carole and Norman Zagerman
Martin Tatz by Carole and Norman Zagerman
Archie Kassirer by Carole and Norman
Zagerman
Irwin Rose by Carole and Norman Zagerman
Feeding Program Fund
In Memory of:
Arie-Leib Vais by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky
Rivka Guttman by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky
Irwin Rose by Dee and Yale Gaffen
Recreation/Music Fund
In Honour of:
Samuel Schiller Mazal tov on your Bar Mitzvah
by the Rip family
Ritual Fund
In Honour of:
Issie Scarowsky With great appreciation by
Morris Schachnow
The Chevra Kadisha by Shelley and Morris
Schachnow
Hillel Lodge In appreciation for hosting the
Chevra Kaddish Shabbat by Shelley and Morris
Schachnow
***************
IN HONOUR OF:
Yona Steinman Mazal tov on your Bar Mitzvah
by Heather and Marcel Pugh
Sy and Barbara Gutmajer Mazal tov on the birth
of your great grandson by Claire and Irving
Bercovitch
Helen Tafler-Fleming Best wishes for great days
ahead by Sylvia Molot
IN MEMORY OF:
Leonard Karp by Susan and Jonathan Fisher
Martin Tatz by Ingrid Levitz
Marlene Stoller by Ingrid Levitz
Max Milgram by Annette Millstone and family;
and by Lisa Millstone-Feldberg
R’FUAH SHLEMA:
Roz Raskin by Noreen and Syd Bosloy
REMINDER
As the calendar year comes to
an end, if you have not yet renewed your 2010 Hillel Lodge
Membership, please contact Bev
Glube at the Foundation office at
613-728-3900, ext. 111.
NOTICE
To ensure that we continue to cover our increasing costs,
effective January 1, 2011,
the minimum donation to the
Hillel Lodge Long-Term Care Foundation will be $18.00.
We truly appreciate your ongoing support.
THE LODGE EXPRESSES ITS SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT
AND APOLOGIZES FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, THE WORDING APPEARING
IN THE BULLETIN IS NOT NECESSARILY THE WORDING WHICH APPEARED ON THE CARD.
GIVING IS RECEIVING – ATTRACTIVE CARDS AVAILABLE FOR ALL OCCASIONS
Here’s a good opportunity to recognize an event or convey the appropriate sentiment to someone important to you and at the same time support the Lodge. Card orders may
be given to Bev at 613-728-3900, extension 111, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Friday. You may also e-mail your orders to
donations@hillel-ltc.com. E-mail orders must include name, address, postal code, and any message to person receiving the card; and, amount of donation, name, address and
postal code of the person making the donation. Cards may be paid for by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Cheque or Cash. Contributions are tax deductible.
Hillel’s second question: ‘If I am
only for myself, who am I?’
First there was the Pepsi Challenge, which was sweet and
sodium-filled, but not particularly challenging. For 2011, I’d
like to present what I call the Hillel Challenge.
The famous three-pronged dictum uttered by the ancient
Jewish sage – “If I am not for myself, who will be? If I am
only for myself, who am I? And if not now, when?” – gets a
lot of play these days. But, if we think about the ‘I’ in the collective sense, as in the Jewish community, I see lot more of the
first part going on than the second part. We are doing a better
job of bolstering Jewish identity than we are in helping Jewish identity operate in broadly humanistic terms.
It’s tricky to think universally when we are trying to make
Jewish life meaningful. And helping Jews relish their unique
cultural heritage and historical footprint is obviously valuable.
But, when we sit in shul on Shabbat morning, organize an oncampus event, invite a Jewish-themed speaker, or even post
something on Facebook that is informed by our Jewish identity, how much are we thinking about how we, as a community, can bridge-build with other communities? There’s a lot of
worrying about how others view the Jews (there is no dearth
of discussions of anti-Semitism), but fewer conversations
focus on how we can better connect to others.
Take Israel advocacy. The message we are funding and delivering as a community is that Israel’s policies need defending in the court of public opinion, and our students should be
Israel’s public-relations messengers. Many Jews around the
world over were thrilled by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s
speech last month at the Inter-parliamentary Coalition to
Combat Anti-Semitism conference – a clip of which went
viral – in which he said that Canada would support Israel,
“whatever the cost,” as long as he’s prime minister. Some Israeli security analysts who had hardly given Canada a second
thought are now championing Harper.
But we should also be scrutinizing the impact of Israeli actions on others. Yes, it can be painful. But, we are hardly honouring Hillel’s teachings if we look out only for ourselves.
Israel’s attempt to create ‘facts on the ground’ in the form
of moving hundreds of thousands of settlers into the West
Bank may have originally been motivated to defend its eastern flank from future attack after the Six Day War. But, the
1994 peace treaty with Jordan has, by now, rendered that strategy hollow.
Instead, we now have the luxury of looking at how the
checkpoints and the special settler-only access roads impinge
on the daily freedom of Israel’s most intimate neighbours: the
Palestinians. Who is talking to our students about that? Put
more starkly, can’t we care about both peoples at the same
time? If we really did, then more of us would not only be lauding Harper for his loyalty, but we would be sharing clips of
President Barack Obama desperately trying to facilitate two
states for two peoples. Everyone in the region – not just West
Bank settlers – should be able to enjoy freedom of movement
and national fulfilment.
In our collective endeavours, we are peddling more embattlement than empathy.
Beyond the Israeli-Palestinian issue, groups like American
Jewish World Service (AJWS) and Avodah do great jobs marrying the concerns of Jewish identity with global justice. A
Jewish peace corps of sorts, AJWS has recently put itself on
the map with a hilarious, star-studded video that went viral on
UN: Incompetent or truly hijacked?
A CBC News investigative report on who killed Lebanon’s
former prime minister Rafic Hariri was broadcast on November 22. It pointed the finger directly at Hezbollah, based on
evidence collected by the UN International Independent Investigation Commission.
Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political and paramilitary organization headquartered in Lebanon with operatives across
the globe. Its role as generous social service provider, operating schools, hospitals and agricultural centres serving thousands of Lebanese Shiites cements its political influence in
Lebanon.
Perhaps we could shed some additional light on the
Hezbollah with the following facts:
• Lebanon has a population of slightly more than four million people. Roughly, half are Shia, 20 per cent Sunni, and 25
per cent Christian, including the Maronites;
• 1990 marked the end of the Lebanese Civil War that
began in 1975. The PLO, Palestinian refugees, Syrians and the
Lebanese national army were the major players;
• Despite the 1990 Taif Agreement, Syria, then in control
of Lebanon, allowed Hezbollah to maintain its arsenal and
control Shiite areas in Southern Lebanon along the Israeli border. From the mid-1980s, Iran’s special interest in Hezbollah
has provided it with funding, weapons and joint training with
the Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guards;
• Iran’s financial and military support and Syria’s political
support intensified soon after Israel ended its occupation of
Southern Lebanon in 2000;
• February 14, 2005 – Rafic Hariri, a Sunni business tycoon and prime minister of Lebanon, was assassinated. A nationalist with close ties to the Saudis, he reconstructed the
country post-Civil War;
• In the Cedar Revolution, triggered by Hariri’s assassination, people demanded the end of Syrian influence in
Lebanese politics and withdrawal of 14,000 soldiers and in-
telligence agents. Syrian troops hastily withdrew across the
border to Syria in April 2005;
• November 2006 – Hezbollah-backed Shiite ministers created a national crisis by resigning from the cabinet on the eve
of a cabinet meeting discussing the International Commission
on Rafic Hariri’s murder. After a year-and-a-half of organized
street demonstrations, violence and armed siege of the airport,
key government officials, including Prime Minister Saad
Hariri, and Lebanese leaders, including Hezbollah, met in
Doha and agreed to share power, a major milestone for
Hezbollah;
• July 2006 – Hezbollah commenced a multi-pronged attack on Israeli towns and forces patrolling the Israeli side of
the border, kidnapping Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah next
launched thousands of rockets into Northern Israel, engaging
the Israel Defense Force in guerrilla warfare from hardened
positions reinforced with a civilian human shield. Many believe this was a test to gauge Israeli strength and response and
to detract from the UN’s Hariri investigation.
• August 2008 – Lebanon’s new Cabinet unanimously approved a draft policy securing Hezbollah’s existence as an
armed organization and guaranteeing its right to “liberate or
recover occupied lands,” meaning the disputed farms in the
Golan Heights.
• Since the Second Lebanon War, Iran has restructured
Hezbollah, and invested billions of dollars rehabilitating the
organization.
• January 2010 – Lebanon became a temporary member of
the UN Security Council, with access to vital UN information
and insider status in various committees.
• November 24, 2010 – The London-based daily A-Sharq
al-Awsat quoted Lebanese MP Walid Sakaria, a senior
Hezbollah official, as saying, “Even if the organization did
murder Hariri, that’s no reason to destroy Lebanon.”
Hezbollah has been raising the tension level, and not just
Values, Ethics,
Community
Mira
Sucharov
Facebook. I suspect that many people who shared the clip had
never heard of AJWS. But, it’s an impressive organization that
is worthy of our attention. Avodah provides an even more intense Jewishly-literate experience by pairing social justice
projects in the U.S. with more formal Jewish study.
Groups like this – as well as the many Jewish groups who
rally for Darfur – recognize that particularistic identities gain
meaning and texture precisely through engaging with the ills
of the broader world. Charity may begin at home, but it cannot end there.
There is a logic to fanning the flames of distrust – whether
it be in fearing another people or the disembodied threat of assimilation. Social theorists know that emphasizing an other
helps secure a sense of self. But, this strategy comes at a cost.
Those who are naturally more universal-looking may decide
that the message of Jewish continuity, for its own sake, simply isn’t sufficiently compelling. And, to keep our communities healthy and vital, we need their voices.
So, for 2011, I encourage all of us to add an extra helping
of the second part of Hillel’s dictum – “If I am only for myself, who am I?” – to the project of Jewish-identity building.
Our Jewish identities will be the richer for it. And, the next
generations will be able to maintain the delicate balance between Jewish particularism and humanist universalism.
Mira Sucharov, an associate professor of political
science at Carleton University, blogs at the Huffington Post.
World
Affairs
Oliver
Javanpour
in Lebanon, in the past few weeks as the UN has been preparing to table its report on Hariri’s assassination. The CBC report, based on the UN investigation, identified key suspect
Wissam Hassan, currently Lebanon’s intelligence chief, who
at the time was Hariri’s chief of protocol.
Documents obtained by CBC indicate that Hassan has very
close ties with senior Hezbollah officials, including Hussein
Khalil, one of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s top aides, and that the UN probe had evidence pointing
to Hezbollah’s involvement as early as 2006, but failed to pursue it. This evidence was supplied by a Lebanese police officer, Captain Wissam Eid, himself assassinated in 2008. The
CBC investigation also unearthed the infiltration of the UN
commission by Hezbollah officials and operatives.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in
Beirut on November 24, no doubt dispatched by Saudi and
Sunni interests for a two-day visit to assess the tense political
situation in Lebanon. Then Lebanese Prime Minister Saad
Hariri arrived in Iran on November 27, on his first official
visit there, to ask Iran for assistance with the stand-off with
Hezbollah.
As public confidence in the UN and its machinery slowly
erodes, one can’t help wondering how it is that rogue states
and terrorist organizations have such easy access to sensitive
Security Council discussions and information that could be
used to subvert UN activities, while Canada waits its turn.
Oliver Javanpour is a senior partner at Cyrus Echo a public policy and international relations consulting firm in Ottawa.
‘A biography of Terry’s life told through food’
Last month, my editor e-mailed to ask if I would consider reviewing a new cookbook for my column. I love to
read new cookbooks, so I was quite excited. It arrived in
the mail a few days later.
I was off to visit a friend in Florida, so I threw the envelope into my carry-on bag and left for the airport. On
the plane, I opened the envelope, pulled out the cookbook, and was a bit startled to see the title of the book. It
was called Terry’s Cookbook: Tastes and Tales of Terry
Schwarzfeld.
Terry was vacationing in Barbados with her family,
when she and her daughter-in-law, Luana, were accosted
and brutally beaten by a mugger on February 28, 2009.
Luana recovered, but Terry succumbed to her injuries and
died on March 18, 2009. She was only 60 years old.
I remember reading about the tragedy and feeling so
bereft. I never had the privilege of meeting Terry, but, apparently, that put me in a very small category. Everywhere
I went over the next several months, I heard so many
wonderful stories about Terry from those whose lives she
had touched.
Terry Schwarzfeld was a vibrant woman, actively involved in the Ottawa Jewish community. She was the executive director of Agudath Israel Congregation and was
elected national president of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO
in 2008. She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother. She
was a hiker, dragon boat racer, cross-country skier and an
amazing cook.
This cookbook celebrates her life, her love of food and
nature, her strong connections to community, and the
family and friends who love and miss her. Terry had the
idea of creating a cookbook in 2007. Sadly, she never got
to see it come to fruition, but her many friends took her
original goal and ran with it.
There are contributions in the book from canoeing
friends, hiking friends, dragon boating friends, skiing
friends, Hadassah-WIZO friends, neighbourhood friends,
childhood friends, work colleagues and, of course, her
family.
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For all your kitchen and vanity design needs, contact
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Made
with Love
Cindy Feingold
I read Terry’s Cookbook from cover to cover over my
three-hour flight. In addition to recipes, the book is filled
with notes from Terry, and stories from all the contributors about how Terry touched their lives.
It really is a biography of Terry’s life told through
food. She was a dynamic, spirited woman who inspired
all who know her. Although I am not a skier, hiker or
dragon boater – although I have been told that is apparently going to change quite soon – I really believe that,
had I had the privilege of knowing Terry, we too would
have been friends.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Terry Schwarzfeld Ottawa Daycare Centre in
Akko, Israel. The daycare is a home-away-from-home for
57 young Israelis, aged six months to three years. The
children, sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Welfare and
Social Services, are from low-income homes within the
Russian, Ethiopian and Israeli Arab populations.
Terry’s Cookbook: Tastes and Tales of Terry
Schwarzfeld may be ordered for $25 through the Canadian Hadassah-WIZO website at chw.ca/Ottawa/.
My copy of Terry’s Cookbook has many folded down
pages of recipes I want to try. So far, I have made the
Shabbat Chicken Curry, the Coconut-Cashew Bas-
mati Rice Salad and the Lemon Tart in a Cornmeal
Crust.
All were keepers! The directions are clear and concise
and easy to follow.
Shabbat Chicken Curry
3 jalapeño peppers, seeded if you like it less hot
2- inch piece of fresh ginger,
peeled and cut into 6 pieces
5 large cloves fresh garlic
1 bunch cilantro leaves and top stems
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 whole cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
2 inch stick of cinnamon, broken in half
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 pounds assorted chicken pieces (no wings),
bone on, skin removed
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 12 chunks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup water or chicken stock
5 1/2 ounces coconut milk
1-2 teaspoons garam masala
Place peppers, ginger and garlic in food processor
work bowl and pulse on and off until contents are
coarsely chopped. Add cilantro and pulse to create a
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coarse paste. Set aside.
Heat a large deep frying pan for 20 seconds on high
heat. Add oil and heat for an additional 15 seconds. Do
not allow oil to smoke. Reduce heat to medium-high and
add cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon pieces. Sauté
for 1 minute or until spices become fragrant. Add onion
and sauté until golden brown.
Add 1/4 cup (or more, depending on how hot you like
your curry) of the fresh jalapeño/cilantro paste and sauté
for another 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and dried spices to the
mixture and cook it until it appears fairly dry.
Add chicken to frying pan, turning the pieces to coat
with the spice mixture. Add potato pieces and do likewise.
Add water or stock, salt and pepper to taste and stir to
combine. Cover pan and cook on low heat for about 3045 minutes until chicken is almost done.
Remove chicken from pan. Fish out the cardamom
pods, cloves and cinnamon sticks if possible. Add coconut milk and garam masala to pan and stir well. Return
chicken to pan and cook for an additional 10 minutes on
low heat.
Place chicken on serving platter, pour sauce on top,
and serve with fragrant basmati rice.
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The Frumkiss Family Business
is some funny business
The Frumkiss Family Business
By Michael Wex
Alfred A. Knopf Canada
367 pages
Imagine suddenly finding out that a defining aspect of your
identity was not what you thought it was all your life – that
you weren’t really who or what you thought you were. That’s
what happens to members of the Frumkiss clan in Michael
Wex’s very funny comic novel about three generations of a
Jewish family in Toronto.
While the Toronto-based Wex is best known for his New
York Times best-seller, Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and
Culture in All of Its Moods, and its follow-up, Just Say Nu:
Yiddish for Every Occasion (When English Just Won’t Do) –
books that established Wex as one of the foremost contemporary commentators on the Yiddish language – he has always
been, first and foremost, a first-rate storyteller. And The
Frumkiss Family Business is quite the story.
It begins with a 1955 prologue that introduces us to a dodo
bird character named Yankee Gallstone on an early (and fictional) CBC TV kids’ show called The New Curiosity Shop.
Yankee is sort of along the lines of Jerome the Giraffe and
Rusty the Rooster from The Friendly Giant, or, more probably, if my memory serves me well, like Howard the Turtle
from Razzle Dazzle – except that Yankee Gallstone spoke in a
heavy Yiddish accent and sometimes actually said things in
Yiddish.
The actor who played Yankee Gallstone was Elyokim Faktor, a famous Old World Yiddish writer who arrived in Canada after the Holocaust. As the story begins in 2008, Faktor has
just died at the age of 103 probably from the effects of following an all-kugel diet for several years. Faktor’s daughter,
Tammy, was married to Earl Frumkiss, founder of a chain of
podiatry clinics (and star of obnoxious TV commercials promoting Frumkiss Foot Care), and the book’s namesake.
Much of the action revolves around Earl and Tammy’s
three adult children: the brilliant Rachel, unhappily married
and not doing anything with her PhD in invertebrate palaeontology (“prehistoric ants were her thing”); Randall, a second-
rate comedian; and the beautiful Vanessa, a former performance artist, now living in Jerusalem and improbably married
to the rebbe of Moginey Erets (Shields of the Land), a fanatically anti-Zionist Chassidic sect.
Among the other important characters are Chana, Elyokim
Faktor’s second wife and widow, who came to Canada from
Poland as a child and has a fascinating and hysterical back
story of her own as the owner of a fine china shop and who,
in her professional life, passes herself off as Mrs. Aubrey, an
upper crust British widow; and Allan Milner, a hustler and
Faktor’s wannabe biographer.
Much of the laugh-out-loud stuff in the early parts of the
book comes from how Wex introduces the life stories of the
various characters and from the way he writes about the conflicts and resentments that have been built up over the years
among the family members. Each of the significant characters
gets a chapter that tells his or her own particular story.
The plot really thickens when Milner, whose very existence is disdained by Chana, and who is having an affair with
Vanessa that is about as improbable as her marriage to the
Book Review
Michael
Regenstreif
rebbe, leaks a shocking discovery about Tamara Szulc,
Elyokim Faktor’s first wife – the mother of Tammy, Earl
Frumkiss’ wife – that calls into question a defining aspect of
the Frumkiss family identity.
Among the factors (or should I say faktors?) contributing
to the book’s success are the way Wex depicts and blends religious Jewish life, secular Jewish life and popular culture. He
also nails his portrayal of Bathurst Manor, the predominantly
Jewish neighbourhood in Toronto where much of the book is
set.
As much as I’ve enjoyed Wex’s explorations of Yiddish etymology, I really hope that he keeps focusing on satirical and
comic fiction. The Frumkiss Family Business joins his brief
2007 novella, The Adventures of Micah Mushmelon, Boy Talmudist, as favourites among the Jewish-centric fiction I’ve
read in recent years.
Eighteen things you may
not know about Adina Libin
Adina Libin is a very busy lady! The recent newlywed is
an accountant with Ginsberg Gluzman Faige & Levitz, the
treasurer of the Hillel Lodge Long-Term Care Foundation
and, with Gillian Dolansky, the co-chair of the revived Young
Women’s Leadership Council (YWLC). She is looking
forward to upcoming YWLC sessions with Rabbi Reuven
Bulka on Jewish life and work/life balance, and public
speaking with the Ottawa School of Speech & Drama. Here
are 18 things you may not know about Adina Libin …
1. When I was younger, I took figure skating lessons
and still really enjoy skating.
2. I met my husband Micah at a Jewish Federation of
Ottawa Young Adult Division event.
3. I grew up in Calgary and remain a devoted Calgary
Stampeders fan, and always get tickets when the Flames are
in town to play the Senators.
4. Getting sent to the office at the Calgary Jewish Day
School was rougher on me than the average student because
my mother was the associate director!
5. I really enjoy doing puzzles. Currently, there is a
large half-finished puzzle of various philosophers on my
kitchen table.
6. My favourite holiday is Pesach, mainly because my
extended family was guaranteed to be together.
7. Last summer, I went to New York City with my
mother and she spent the flight home telling me how much
the woman across the aisle looked like actress Sandra Oh.
When we landed, she finally asked, and it really was her!
My mother’s response was, “oh.”
8. I have been to Israel three times since I turned 16
and hope to go back many more times.
9. I am planning on getting a Portuguese water dog as
long as my husband is not allergic to the breed.
10. My all-time favourite movie is Amélie starring Audrey Tautou.
11. My husband and I had the exact same Bar/Bat Mitzvah parsha, but three years apart.
12. The theme of my Bat Mitzvah party was cruise ship
and everyone got a sailor cap!
13. I love to splurge on clothes and my favourite store is
the Want Boutique in Toronto.
18 things ...
Sarah Silverstein
14. I have three older siblings, three nieces and three
nephews. I am the only one currently residing in Ontario.
15. Many people have commented that the Chanukiah
we received as a wedding gift from Israeli cousins resembles a pipe used for illegal drugs.
16. I once went to a free REM concert in downtown
Toronto and, thanks to pushy friends, ended up at the very
front and on the jumbo screen!
17. My first job was as a counsellor at a Calgary day
camp.
18. I am currently planning my honeymoon to either
East Asia or Africa. I also really want to travel to Russia, as
that is where my family is originally from.
Adina Libin
Welcome to 20/30 Scene
You know that feeling you get when you sense that you’re
being watched? I spotted her from the corner of my eye, following me up and down the Kosher aisle, a big smile on her
face and keeping a determined pace. I eyed my getaway, but
it was too late.
Bubbie Alert! Bubbie Alert!
Trapped between the dairy section and the frozen foods, I
forced a smile as she tried to sell me on her cherished grandson. Wait for it, I thought, wait for it.
“And what are you up to, dear?” she asked.
Here it comes, she’s building momentum. Wait for it.
“Sooo, are you seeing anyone?”
Yep, there it is, I knew it! Typical!
Sound familiar? Then you’re in that wonderful time of
your life when you feel like your life decisions – your job aspirations, who you’re socializing with, and, of course, your
dating situation – are on display for everyone.
Welcome to my new column, 20/30 Scene, where I’ll be
covering the issues and challenges facing us 20- and 30-somethings. I’ll be writing about topics pertinent to both religious
and secular Jews, singles as well as couples. The column will
run in every second issue of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.
But, first, a little something about myself: I have a university background in mass communication, religion (focusing
on Jewish studies) and psychology. Some of my research interests have included contemporary Jewish community and
identity, technology’s role in enhancing social communication, and studying how groups form. I plan to incorporate
some of those topics in the column.
And, while I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m not an ex-
pert, I want to explore issues that matter to me and others in
my age group and seek out opinions and insight from people
in the community. Like they say, ask two Jews a question, and
you’ll get three answers.
And here are some of the questions I plan to examine.
For socializing in Ottawa: Where are the best places to
meet new people?
On specific Jewish issues: How can the Jewish scene in Ottawa be enhanced? What do you want the community in Ottawa to be like? What will the future of the Jewish community look like? What’s happening with the young Jewish scene
in other cities? How do you create your own unique Jewish
identity?
In terms of Jewish dating: How does one handle dating in
a small community? Is JDate over? What do you need to
know about Jewish online dating? Is Date my Friend the new
speed-dating? Is matchmaking a plausible answer? How do
you deal with all sorts of well-meaning people always trying
to set you up? Are there really “lots of fish in the sea?” Why
is it so hard to find a good match? Is our generation holding
out for perfection?
And, I’ll be writing about upcoming events and, sometimes, profiling the people behind them.
Speaking of latest happenings, this issue’s feature event is
the jnet Ottawa Gala. Jnet is an organization for young professionals and grad students in their 20s and 30s. Not only will
this event be jnet’s biggest of the year, it will also be its most
spectacular! This formal-chic event will feature dancing,
kosher hors d’oeuvres and dessert, as well as a silent auction.
The gala is Thursday, December 16, 8:00 pm at Lobby
Nightclub, 158 1/2 Rideau Street. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. For more information, visit
jnetottawa.com.
Also, JET will be hosting its weekly Scotch and God
evening of Jewish learning and Scotch tasting for young professionals on Tuesday, December 14, 9:00 pm, at 302 Fifth
Avenue. A discussion on Judaic perspectives on euthanasia
will coincide with sampling the Macallan Fine Oak 15 Year
Scotch. Visit jetyoungprofessionals.com for more information.
So, go ahead, send your questions and comments to
2030scene@ottawajewishbulletin.com. Also, be sure to connect with this column on Facebook – OJB 20/30 Scene,
where you can keep up to date on upcoming events.
A successful first semester for Jewish life on campus
Keep your distance from campus right now! Unless, of
course, you are willing to face the wrath of stressed-out students – their brains crammed with last minute studying, running on no sleep, desperately in search of their next espresso
fix. It’s exam time.
I have no breaking news this month, so let’s look back at
this past semester’s Jewish life on campus.
Hillel Ottawa
Under the leadership of new Executive Director Ross Diamond, and Sauvé Citywide President Chelsea Sauvé, Hillel
Ottawa produced a steady stream of dynamic and well-attended events.
Hillel began the semester with a retreat at the Kollel cottage and finished with a formal Chanukah Ball, November 27,
at Congregation Beth Shalom. In between, there was everything from a bone marrow drive to a football night with the
Jewish fraternity, AEPI, and weekly Hebrew lessons.
During Holocaust Education Week (HEW), one of Hillel’s
major initiatives this year, we heard presentations by Bernie
Farber, the son of a Holocaust survivor and CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress, and by Shlomit Kriger, editor of Marking Humanity: Stories, Poems, & Essays by Holocaust Survivors.
HEW also featured an extensive exhibit on campus and
concluded with a Shabbat dinner with Holocaust survivors,
the second Shabbat dinner held by Hillel this semester.
Sauvé described the evening as “meaningful” for giving
students the opportunity to speak with and learn from survivors.
“If Hillel can play a role in giving the student body access
to conversations they would otherwise never have, we have
fulfilled a part of our role on campus,” she said.
Israel Awareness Committee
The Israel Awareness Committee (IAC) also met with success this semester despite facing some challenges.
Campus
Life
Other IAC events included Israeli movie nights and a pub
night in the ByWard Market.
“We are thrilled with our diverse events at both Carleton
and uOttawa this semester,” said Sherman. “As the year progresses … we hope the student body will gain insight into Israeli culture, society and politics.”
Ilana Belfer
Chabad Student Network
Under the guidance of Rabbi Chaim Boyarsky, the Chabad
Student Network (CSN) has also continued to make its presence felt on campus.
CSN offered students a Shabbat dinner each week with
themes like “Hawaiian night,” and “Pink Shabbat” in honour
of breast cancer awareness.
CSN also offered $360 grants to the 20 students who completed a course about the 10 Commandments and their application to modern life in Chabad’s Sinai Scholars program. The
graduation ceremony took place November 30.
Perhaps the most momentous CSN event this semester was
a Bar/Bat Mitzvah gala with a red carpet theme, DJ, buffet
dinner and entertainment at the Cartier Suites Hotel.
The mega-celebration gave four students – Yana Akoulenka, Dennis Kaprov, Naomi Lebovitch and Dahlia Seligman –
who never had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the opportunity to partake in this important rite of passage.
“Even though I may not be 12 anymore, having a Bat Mitzvah now is a beautiful and rather joyous occasion,” Akoulenka told a crowd of about 100 during her heartfelt thank-you
speech.
“I know I speak for many when I say how grateful I am
that programs like this are available to Jewish students and
youth of all ages and backgrounds,” added Lebovitch.
Following a successful first semester, the second is full of
promise for Jewish campus life in Ottawa. But, the excitement
will have to wait a few weeks. Right now, we students have
exam-related tunnel vision leading us straight to the library
doors.
For instance, a debate at Carleton University sparked controversy as Omar Barghouti, a Palestinian researcher, commentator and human rights activist, and Daniel Kofman, an
assistant professor at the University of Ottawa who has lived
in Israel, debated the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
(BDS) campaign against Israel.
In a letter to the Charlatan, Carleton’s campus newspaper,
IAC called the debate “flawed” and “counterproductive to the
overall goal of peace in the Middle East.”
Alina Sherman, president of IAC Carleton, said that the
opinions of both Barghouti and Kofman do not necessarily
represent those of the communities and students who are invested in the consequences of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“There are many well-educated and highly respectable
academics that research and speak about the BDS campaign
and other issues regarding the conflict. Hopefully that would
be the calibre of guest speakers we can strive for in the future,” she said.
More successful IAC events included a Wine and Cheese
with MPs Jeff Watson and Marlene Jennings at the beginning
of the semester. Subsequent events featured such speakers as
Middle East expert Neil Lazarus, Jerusalem Post political correspondent Gil Hoffman, and Gil Troy, a McGill University
professor and author of Why I Am a Zionist.
In addition to his lecture, Lazarus conducted a practical Israeli advocacy training workshop for students at Hillel House.
Memoir reveals a childhood
filled with secrets
Kid Lit
Under a Red Sky:
Memoir of a Childhood
in Communist Romania
By Haya Leah Molnar
Frances Foster Books
302 pages. Age 12 to adult.
The Berlin Wall, that mighty symbol of countries and
peoples living under Soviet Communist hegemony, came
crashing down in 1989. Along with its demise came the
end of the so-called Iron Curtain and the Communist rule
throughout Eastern Europe that began in 1945 at the end
of the Second World War.
Romania was one of the Eastern European countries
that came under postwar Communist control. A Second
World War ally of Germany, Communist Romania afforded most of its citizens a life of hardship, deprivation, indoctrination and constant surveillance. The Securitate (secret police) had informers everywhere. Few were safe,
even in their own homes.
During the 44 years of Communist rule, the remnant of
Romanian Jewry who survived the Holocaust suffered in
additional ways unless they became staunch Communists.
Some Jews did and prospered. Many didn’t. Those Jews
who refused to wrap themselves in the red flag of Communism experienced Communist anti-Semitism, its rabid
anti-religion teachings and even more severe economic
hardships than most citizens.
Under a Red Sky: Memoir of a Childhood in Communist Romania by Haya Leah Molnar (née Eva Leah Zimmermann) is the author’s personal story of living in
Bucharest, Romania’s capital city, from November 1957,
when she was six-and-a-half years old, until October
1961, when, at age 10, she and her parents arrived in
Haifa, Israel.
Written in 42 short chapters, the story unfurls much like
the layers of an onion. And, yes, along the way, tears really did come to my eyes. Told with childhood innocence,
Eva describes the numerous adventures and incidents that,
bit-by-bit, enable her to learn the family’s numerous secrets, secrets that were meant to protect her in the here and
Deanna
Silverman
now, as well as from the frightening truths of the past.
Eva, her parents, Stefi and Gyuri, her Uncle Natan, her
Aunt Puica and Uncle Max, her Grandma Iulia and Grandpa Yosef, and their live-in maid, Sabina, are all crammed
together in one small apartment. Mostly, they live in their
sleeping places, for some a bedroom, for others a cot.
The family members are, on the whole, a dysfunctional group of adults. They love Eva, but show it in widely
different ways. They also love each other, but that is hard
to discern because they, along with Cousin Mimi, an ardent Communist, are highly eccentric and argumentative.
However, they all know how to keep secrets to protect the
child.
There are big secrets and little secrets. The biggest and
most mysterious secret Eva eventually learns is that she’s
part of a Jewish family, whatever that means. Eva very
much wants to know what it means, but nobody tells her,
not even after she’s secretly learning Hebrew with a rabbi.
As the story progresses, ‘why,’ ‘what,’ and ‘how,’ become the predominant questions as the pace of the storytelling quickens and the story becomes even more convoluted. Why didn’t anyone tell Eva that the Yiddish spoken
by Grandma and Grandpa when they don’t want her to understand what they are saying is a Jewish language? Or,
that ‘Tata,’ her name for Father, is Yiddish?
Why doesn’t she know what happened to the adults
during the war? Why, in this non-religious country, does
her strict, fervently Communist teacher cross herself when
the church bells chime? And, why does her friend Andrei
believe so fervently in Jesus Christ? Will he still be her
friend, if he finds out she is Jewish? Why does her family
By Haya Leah Molnar
have a Christmas tree? Why does Grandpa dress up like
Santa Claus? What values do they hold?
In 1959, the Jews of Romania were allowed to apply
for passports to move to Israel. That’s when Eva learns her
family is Jewish. But, when they do apply to emigrate,
most lose their jobs. Only Uncle Max is allowed to keep
his, but at half his salary. How will they live? What will
they do? When will they get out?
Tender, evocative and often startling, Under a Red Sky
conveys drama, humour, adventure, love, luck and, the intricacies of daily life under scary secretive conditions.
Under a Red Sky is an eye-opening, entertaining, emotional read for history buffs and mature readers. Family
photos and a note about Rabbi Moses Rosen, chief rabbi
of Romania from 1948 to 1994, provide added value.
Reading is a wonderful experience, except when it’s not
I usually enjoy reading. When I pick up a book that
holds my interest, that I find engrossing, it is easy to read.
I feel a kind of sympathetic vibration from the content that
seemingly corresponds with something that vibrates in
me.
It is as if I am creating the story as I read it. I seem to
know where it is going and I am eager to get there to be
sure. I skip lightly across whole paragraphs and even
when I do not read every word, I imagine them.
It is a wonderful experience, as thrilling as flying above
a detailed geophysical formation that I take in and absorb
with one eyeful. I am light as a feather, but move, propelled by my attachment to the story line.
This is very different from reading difficult or boring
material. Then, my mind drags. I have to concentrate but,
even so, I can feel myself slowing down as if I were wading through mud.
The more I concentrate, the more every word and letter
seems to grow in size. I feel myself slipping down between commas. Instead of being lifted above the page, I
am drawn down into it as if into a strange land.
The words and letters form what look like giant walls
and buildings around me. I am on a plane of white that
sends pathways between these dark outcroppings like old
and twisting streets in European cities.
I struggle to find a route through this vast maze that
stretches before me like an ancient metropolis. And, even
though I am able to make it past certain landmarks, and,
with due diligence, am able to find the end of a paragraph,
the number of words and sentences I must still get through
seems infinitely large.
I think of striking out with my powerful stride and
pushing all obstacles aside with determination. After a
day, I have hardly made a dent in this overwhelming landscape.
I fall asleep with the book in my hands dreaming of flying, of escaping from the crevices between letters into
which I have fallen, and out of which I must struggle.
It does not help. Within a few hours I awaken, my
thumb holding down the same page I was on before, but,
at least I have a store of energy and start out again. The experience is like the day before, if not worse. The words
and letters around me grow as tall as skyscrapers.
And, even when I succeed in finishing a page and turn
it, hoping against hope that the material will become
lighter, as if I had somehow succeeded in ascending to the
Humour me,
please
Rubin Friedman
top of the last skyscraper in this block, I cannot help seeing that there are still more than 200 more pages to go.
Skyscraper will rise on skyscraper like the Alps, getting
even taller the further one goes into them. The little
knowledge I have gained does not appear to be of any use
in getting me through this barrier of giant black letters that
do not bend and do not lend themselves to some kind of
easy digestion.
I realize that I could spend the rest of my life on this
book and would never finish its measly 201 pages.
And that, dearest, is why I have not yet read the book
you bought for my birthday. I told you I had a good excuse.
FOUNDATION DONATIONS
Our future is in your hands
Ottawa Jewish
Community
Foundation
ABELSON FAMILY
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Roslyn Barrett Gluck by Bob and Lois
Abelson.
To make a donation and/or send a tribute card,
call Erin Bolling (613-798-4696 ext. 232)
e-mail: donation@ojcf.ca • website: www.OJCF.ca
Join us in building our community
by supporting these local agencies
SHIRLEY AND SHIER BERMAN FUND
FOR OTTAWA JEWISH ARCHIVES
In memory of:
Dr. Martin Tatz by Shirley and Shier Berman.
MENDEL AND VALERIE GOOD
HOLOCAUST
CONTINUING EDUCATION FUND
In appreciation to:
David Shentow for his talk on the Holocaust
by Canterbury High School.
GREENBERG FAMILIES LIBRARY
ENDOWMENT FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Roger Greenberg on his award as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser from the AFP by Shelli
and Steven Kimmel and family.
In memory of:
Sonya Bodnoff by Roger Greenberg.
JEWISH YOUTH LIBRARY OF OTTAWA
ENDOWMENT FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Dr. Pesach and Jennie Claman on the birth of
their new grandson Yaakov by Yosef and Devora
Caytak.
AJA 50+ ENDOWMENT FUND
AKIVA EVENING HIGH SCHOOL
ENDOWMENT FUND
ADINA BEN PORAT MACHON SARAH
TORAH EDUCATION FUND
DORIS BRONSTEIN TALMUD TORAH
AFTERNOON SCHOOL FUND
BARRY FISHMAN
OTTAWA JEWISH BULLETIN
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
MARTIN GLATT PARLIAMENT LODGE
B’NAI BRITH PAST PRESIDENTS’ FUND
HILLEL ACADEMY
ENDOWMENT FUND
HILLEL ACADEMY
CHILDREN OF THE BOOK
AWARD FUND
HILLEL LODGE LEGACY FUND
JEWISH COMMUNITY CEMETERY
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL FUND
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES
AGENCY FUND
JEWISH MEN’S
SOFTBALL LEAGUE FUND
The Board of Directors of the
Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation acknowledges with thanks contributions to the following funds as
of November 23, 2010.
JEWISH STUDENTS ASSOCIATION HILLEL FUND
DAVID “THE BEAR” KARDASH
CAMP B’NAI BRITH MEMORIAL FUND
OTTAWA JEWISH CEMETERIES
ZICHARON FUND
OTTAWA JEWISH COMMUNITY
ENDOWMENT FUND
OTTAWA JEWISH
HISTORICAL SOCIETY FUND
OTTAWA LODGE B’NAI BRITH #885
PAST PRESIDENTS FUND
OTTAWA LODGE B’NAI BRITH #885
PRESIDENTS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
OTTAWA MODERN
JEWISH SCHOOL FUND
OTTAWA POST
JEWISH WAR VETERANS FUND
OTTAWA TORAH INSTITUTE
RAMBAM MAIMONIDES
JEWISH CONTINUITY FUND
SOLOWAY JEWISH
COMMUNITY CENTRE
EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION FUND
SOLOWAY JEWISH COMMUNITY
SUMMER CAMP SCHOLARSHIP FUND
SOLOWAY JEWISH
COMMUNITY CENTRE
ENDOWMENT FUND
SOLOWAY JEWISH
COMMUNITY CENTRE
YOUTH SERVICES FUND
TORAH ACADEMY OF OTTAWA
SARA AND ZEEV VERED
ISRAEL CULTURAL PROGRAM FUND
YITZHAK RABIN HIGH SCHOOL FUND
IN MEMORY OF EVA WINTHROP
CAYLA AND MICHAEL BAYLIN
ENDOWMENT FUND
Birthday wishes to:
Bob Buchan by Cayla and Michael Baylin.
Frances Cogan by Cayla and Michael Baylin.
In memory of:
Dr. Martin Tatz by Cayla and Michael
Baylin.
IRVING AND ESTHER BELLMAN
MEMORIAL FUND
In memory of:
Ike Geist by Joyce and Seymour Bellman.
Birthday wishes to:
Ron Landsberg by Joyce and Seymour
Bellman.
JAMIE BEREZIN
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Sonya Bodnoff by Susan and Frank Danoff.
SAM AND ANN BROZOVSKY
ENDOWMENT FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Ross Mirsky on his engagement to Nancy by
Ann Brozovsky.
TILLIE AND HARRY CHERM
MEMORIAL FUND
In observance of the Yahrzeit of:
Tillie Cherm, a beloved and dear mother by
Donald Cherm.
Birthday wishes to:
Sol Kaiman by Donald Cherm and Robert
Lebans.
MORRIE AND HELEN EISEN
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Ruth Pliskow by Helen Eisen.
MARJORIE AND MICHAEL FELDMAN
FAMILY FUND
Anniversary wishes to:
Flora and Bill Silverman by Marjorie and
Michael Feldman.
Birthday wishes to:
Pearl Berry by Marjorie and Michael
Feldman.
In memory of:
Harvey Pivnick by Marjorie and Michael
Feldman.
RUTH AND A.J. FREIMAN
FAMILY FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Ruth and A.J. Freiman on the occasion of
their daughter’s wedding by Sally and Elliott
Levitan.
ALFRED AND KAYSA FRIEDMAN
ENDOWMENT FUND
Speedy recovery to:
Kaysa Friedman by Dorothy Nadolny.
R’Fuah Sh’lemah to:
Rickie and Martin Saslove by Alfred and
Kaysa Friedman.
In appreciation to:
Dr. William Goldstein by Alfred and Kaysa
Friedman.
Dr. Ian Burwash by Alfred and Kaysa
Friedman.
Dr. Marc Ruel by Alfred and Kaysa
Friedman.
Mazal Tov to:
Arnell and Judith Goldberg on the Bar
Mitzvah of their grandson, Jacob Naneri by
Alfred and Kaysa Friedman.
JACK AND GERT GOLDSTEIN
MEMORIAL FUND
In memory of:
Dr. Irwin Rose by Allen and Diane
Abramson.
BARBARA AND SYDNEY GREENBERG
ENDOWMENT FUND
Birthday wishes to:
Frances Cogan by Barbara and Sydney
Greenberg and family.
GILBERT AND BESS GREENBERG
MEMORIAL FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Roger Greenberg on his award as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser at the AFP Philanthropy Awards by Sally and Elliott Levitan.
LARRY AND SHEILA HARTMAN
ENDOWMENT FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Manny and Paula Agulnik on the engagement
of their son Mark by Larry and Sheila Hartman.
DOROTHY AND HY HYMES
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Richard Vandermeulen by Dorothy Nadolny.
MOE AND ESTHER KARDISH
ENDOWMENT FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Ross Mirsky on his engagement to Nancy by
Moe Kardish.
LIBBY AND STAN KATZ FAMILY
COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT FUND
R’Fuah Sh’Lemah to:
Dr. Mark Dover by Libby and Stan Katz.
SHARON KOFFMAN
ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND
In memory of:
Dr. Martin Tatz by Fay Koffman.
Sonya Bodnoff by Fay Koffman.
Mazal Tov to:
Louis, Muriel and Rachael Kardish on
Rachael’s Bat Mitzvah by Sandra Zagon.
SUSAN AND DAVID KRIGER
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Richard Vandermeulen by Susan and David
Kriger.
Jean Segalowitz by Susan and David Kriger.
ANNICE AND SYDNEY KRONICK
FAMILY FUND
In memory of:
Roslyn Gluck Barrett by Sydney Kronick and
Barbara Sugarman.
Marlene and Howard Cohen by Debi and
Neil Zaret.
Continued on page 28
FOUNDATION DONATIONS
ISSIE AND EDITH LANDAU
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Etka Averbach by Edith Landau and family.
SALLY AND ELLIOTT LEVITAN
ENDOWMENT FUND
Beverley Cantor by Sally and Elliott Levitan.
Dr. Mark Dover by Sally and Elliott Levitan.
In memory of:
Dr. Martin Tatz by Sally and Elliott Levitan.
Roslyn Gluck Barrett by Sally and Elliott
Levitan.
Sonya Bodnoff by Sally and Elliott Levitan.
ERNEST AND IDA LEVITZ
MEMORIAL FUND
In memory of:
Dr. Irwin Rose by the Levitz family.
ARNOLD AND ROSE LITHWICK
MEMORIAL FUND
Birthday wishes to:
Harold Fein by Yvonne and Harvey Lithwick
and family.
JACOB MALOMET MEMORIAL FUND
Best wishes to:
Alan and Phyllis Rackow by Alvin and Diana
Malomet.
Irving and Harriet Slone by Alvin and Diana
Malomet.
ANNE (BLAIR) AND HYMAN MAYBERGER
ENDOWMENT FUND
Special birthday wishes to:
Norman Lesh by Shelley and Morris
Schachnow.
Shelley Schachnow by Ann Bernick.
CHUCK AND BONNIE MEROVITZ
FAMILY FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Bonnie Merovitz on being the Ottawa recipient of
the 2010 Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award from
National Women’s Philanthropy by Shelley Rothman.
TANYA AND SAMUEL MOSES MORIN
MEMORIAL FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Irit and Harry Beck on the birth of their
granddaughter Lilah by Harvey Morin.
Stella and Norman Beck on the birth of their
great-granddaughter by Harvey Morin.
Teens can make their Bar and Bat
Mitzvah’s an extra special event by
opening a B’nai Mitzvah Fund in their
name. This gives them the vehicle to
support causes dear to their hearts.
Forever!
JACK AND SARAH SILVERSTEIN
FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Abe Glass by Marty and Janet Shimkofsky.
LINDA SILVERMAN
MEMORIAL FUND
In memory of:
Roslyn Gluck Barrett by Marvin and Phylis
Silverman.
FRANCES AND MORTON ROSS
FAMLY FUND
In memory of:
Dr. Irwin Rose by Fran and Morton Ross.
Condolences to:
Miriam Algom and family on the sad loss of
a beloved mother by Fran and Morton Ross.
Mazal Tov to:
Sandra and Norman Slover on the engagement of their son David Slover to Adrienne
Weinstock by Fran and Morton Ross.
JACK AND LINDA SMITH
ENDOWMENT FUND
In observance of the Yahrzeit of:
Inez Smith a beloved mother by Leslie,
Maureen, Aaron and Mishca Smith.
SAMUEL AND RUTH ROTHMAN
MEMORIAL FUND
In memory of:
Dr. Martin Tatz by Sheldon and Corinne Taylor.
What do your “kids”
really care about?
Through the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation, our community’s
youth can achieve both! They can be
the active individuals that they are all
while making a difference through
tzedakah, one gift at a time.
FAY AND JOSEPH SHULMAN
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Dr. Irwin Rose by Edward Rose and
family.
Special birthday wishes to:
Sarah Rak by Edward Rose and family.
HARRY AND BERTHA PLEET
MEMORIAL FUND
Howard and Marlene Cohen by Pinchas and
Barbara Pleet.
SAUL AND EDNA GOLDFARB
B’NAI MITZVAH FUND
Do they care about hanging out
with their friends? Playing sports?
Playing their musical instruments?
How about helping the homeless in
their community? Fighting anti-Semitism? Supporting people with disabilities?
Garry Greenberg by Sheldon and Corinne
Taylor.
You can make a difference in your
child’s life by encouraging your son or
daughter to establish a B’nai Mitzvah
Fund. Their participation in the B’nai
Mitzvah Club, which is for teens age
12 up to pre-post secondary, will affect the rest of their lives in a positive
and philanthropic manner.
Now is the time to encourage your
child to become a charitable, responsible member of the Jewish Community.
To obtain information on how to
open a B’nai Mitzvah Fund for as little as $250, call the Foundation office
today at 613-798-4696 extension 252
or email info@ojcf.ca. Additional information can be found on our website
at www.OJCF.ca.
DORIS AND RICHARD STERN
FAMILY FUND
Mazal Tov to:
David and Arlene Slan on reaching a
milestone in their lives by Doris and Richard
Stern.
RUTH TALLER
MEMORIAL FUND
In memory of:
Dr. Irwin Rose by Jason and Nina Taller.
BARBARA AND GERALD THAW
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Sonya Bodnoff by Barbara and Gerald Thaw.
LISE AND MARK THAW
FAMILY FUND
In memory of:
Sonya Bodnoff by Lise, Mark, Alayna and
Bryan Thaw.
STEPHEN AND GAIL VICTOR
ENDOWMENT FUND
In appreciation to:
Stephen Victor by Debra and Gary Viner.
RUTH AND JOSEPH VINER
ENDOWMENT FUND
In memory of:
Dr. Martin Tatz by Ruth and Joseph Viner.
Dr. Irwin Rose by Ruth and Joseph Viner.
THE SAUL AND EDNA GOLDFARB
B’NAI MITZVAH PROGRAM
MARA BOSLOY B’NAI MITZVAH FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Rabbi and Chevy Fine on the engagement of
their granddaughter Talia by Judy and Jonathan
Bosloy.
REBECCA BOSLOY MITZVAH FUND
In appreciation to:
Rabbi and Alison Popky by Judy, Jonathan,
Mara and Rebecca Bosloy.
ANNA FRENKEL B’NAI MITZVAH FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Yona Steinman on his Bar Mitzvah by Anna
and Sonia Frenkel.
NICHOLAS GREENBERG
B’NAI MITZVAH FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Roger Greenberg on his well deserved award
as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the
Ottawa chapter of the AFP by Shelley Rothman
and family.
GABRIEL HAMBURG MITZVAH FUND
Mazal Tov to:
Yona Steinman on the occasion of your Bar
Mitzvah by Cybele, Lyon, Charlotte, Gabriel and
Noah Hamburg.
In memory of:
Harry Toulch by Cybele, Lyon, Charlotte,
Gabriel and Noah Hamburg.
Contributions may be made online at
www.OJCF.ca or by contacting Erin
Bolling at 613-798-4696 extension 232,
Monday to Friday or by email at donation@ojcf.ca. Attractive cards are sent to
convey the appropriate sentiments. The
cut off date for donations listed in this
Bulletin is 2.5 weeks prior to publication.
Any donations that do not appear in this
Bulletin will be listed in the next issue. If
you are concerned, please ask for clarification when you are making your donation. .All donations are acknowledged
with a charitable receipt. We accept Visa,
MasterCard and Amex.
Donating made easy at
www.OJCF.ca
Donations can be made for all occasions
and life-cycle events.
Use our online donation form to send one
or multiple tribute cards to your friends
and loved ones in one secure transaction.
Charitable receipts are issued and sent directly
to your email account.
Try it TODAY!
In Appreciation
I would like to thank every one of my friends for your
concern and good wishes during my recent heart surgery. Your
cards, flowers and donations were much appreciated. They
cheered me up during my month-long stay at the heart
institute.
Fondly, Kaysa Friedman
Survivor David Shentow spoke about the Holocaust to an interfaith audience hosted
by the Merivale High School Jewish Culture Club on November 22. He is seen here
talking with student David Anzarouth following the presentation.
(Photo: Irv Osterer)
&##
!
"
#$%
!"#$%&'(#)$% '%*+!#",-$% Members of the Student Council of the Ottawa Jewish Community School are
seen here with teachers Brian Lamb and Amy McKay displaying more than 1,100
socks collected by the school’s students in a clothing drive for the Ottawa
Mission.
It was the second year in a row that the school joined with Notre Dame High
School, Nepean High School and Broadview Public School in collecting clothes
for the Mission.
Vered Israel Cultural
and Educational
Program
AJA 50+ in Israel: ‘When are we going back?’
By Annette Paquin
for AJA 50+
It was a picture perfect moment. The
sun was low in the sky and a golden glow
rested over the rooftops, walls and buildings of Jerusalem. AJA 50+ members
stood at the lookout of Mount Scopus
and, with Rabbi Steven Garten, joyously
recited the “Shehecheyanu,” the prayer
of thanks for bringing us to this time.
Wine was poured, glasses raised and
“L’Chaim” was said amidst tears and
emotions.
This was only one of an endless number of magical moments on the Experience Israel with AJA 50+ trip to Israel,
November 3 to 15, with scholar-in-residence, Rabbi Garten.
Thirty-six members of AJA 50+ (Active Jewish Adults), including 18 who
had never been to Israel before, spent 12
exciting days exploring Israel.
The theme of the trip was Modern Israel: Israel Today. In addition to seeing
the sites, we had the opportunity to meet
Israelis of many backgrounds and ages.
We visited a Jewish-Arab school in
the city of Jaffa where the kindergarten
class had invited us to share Kabbalat
Shabbat. The songs, blessings, the
spilling of the wine on the white tablecloth, the youthful enthusiasm, was familiar to almost all and showed the commonality we share as Jews with the people of Israel.
The children of Bet Sefer HaNadiv in
Metulla, which is partnered with Hillel
Academy (Ottawa Jewish Community
School), welcomed our group with songs
and a tour of the school. We were so impressed with the initiative and leadership
these children showed. They hosted the
entire visit with the teachers and principal taking only a background role. The
students spoke excellent English and
were open to sharing the stories of their
families and lives. We could barely leave
the building as the children followed us
to the gate to wave goodbye.
The reception by the Nahal Infantry
Unit of the Israel Defense Forces was just
as enthusiastic. AJA 50+ had been invited to the base for lunch and to meet the
soldiers. This was not a regular army
meal; it was probably among the best
meals of the entire trip! Following lunch
and a short presentation on the battalion,
the soldiers demonstrated their equipment, answered questions and touched
our hearts. These boys were the ages of
the grandchildren of many group members. As we were leaving, they thanked
us profusely for caring about them, for
coming to spend time with them, and
even hugged people goodbye.
A visit to Yad LaKashish in Jerusalem
was also inspiring. Yad LaKashish is an
organization that provides employment
and support to needy seniors. They run a
craft centre that produces high quality
items that are sold in their shop. Seniors
work a half-day in exchange for a hot
meal, monthly bus pass, supplemental
health care insurance and a small stipend.
We wandered through the workshops
meeting different artisans and later stimulated the Israeli economy by shopping
for handmade gifts to bring home.
So many moments were very powerful. Whether it was a kibbutznik sharing
the new way of kibbutz life, a scientist
explaining the water resources situation
in Israel, the executive director of the
World Zionist Organization sharing his
vision of a modern Israel, or the curator
of the Shrine of the Book sharing his passions for his collections, each and every
program was richly rewarding.
We were ably guided by Rabbi
Garten, who offered superb Shabbat programming and shared his knowledge and
his personal attachment to Israel with us
every step of the way.
Participants on the trip ranged in age
from their early-50s to their mid-80s.
One member in a wheelchair and on her
first trip to Israel was an inspiration to all.
The trip was a deeply moving experience, even to those who had been to Israel before. Part of that experience was
the wonderful dynamics that the group
brought with them from Ottawa: kindnesses, patience and enthusiasm bound
us together. The most frequently asked
question since our return has been,
“When are we going back?”
AJA 50+ members Elaine Singer, Joan Massey and Cecily Bregman with a soldier of the
Nahal Infantry Unit of the IDF.
AJA 50+ members Burt and Jackie Gorenstein and Howard and Debbie Kaplan enjoy Israeli
fast food.
(Photos: Annette Paquin)
Readers and advertisers are advised
the next edition of the
Ottawa Jewish Bulletin will be published
on Monday, January 24, 2011.
Deadline date is Wednesday, January 5, 2011.
WHAT’S GOING ON
December 13, 2010 to January 23, 2011
WEEKLY EVENTS
MONDAYS
Motorin’ Munchkins DropIn for ages 5 and unders, sponsored by the SJCC Family Life
Centre. All children must be accompanied and supervised by
an adult, 9 am to 12 pm. Info:
613-798-9818, ext. 294.
CANDLELIGHTING
BEFORE
Dec 17
Dec 24
Dec 31
Jan 7
Jan 14
Jan 21
Jan 28
✡
✡
✡
✡
✡
✡
✡
4:03
4:06
4:11
4:18
4:26
4:35
4:45
pm
pm
pm
pm
pm
pm
pm
TUESDAYS
Israeli Folkdancing, learn
dances, have fun, no experience or partner necessary, Hillel Academy, 31 Nadolny Sachs
Private, 7:00 pm. Info: 613722-9323.
WEDNESDAYS
Baby and Toddler Play
Group, sponsored by JCC
Family Life Centre, 9:00 am to
11 am. Info: 613-798-9818, ext.
294.
FRIDAYS
Shabbat Shalom Drop-In
for ages 5 and under, wel-
comes Shabbat through crafts,
songs, stories, and games,
sponsored by the JCC Family
Life Centre. Bracha Bear will be
there! All children must be accompanied by an adult, 9:30
am to 11:00 am.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15
51 Birch Street, a documentary made by Doug Block
exploring his parents’ presumably happy 55-year marriage.
What happens when everything
you think you knew about your
family is thrown into question?
Presentation by the Ottawa
Jewish Film Society, sponsored
by the Greenberg Families Library and AJA 50+. Free for
SJCC, Library, or AJA 50+
members, 1:00 pm. Info: 613798-9818, ext. 245.
Tour of Montreal Biodome, sponsored by Jewish
Family Services. Bus departs
Jewish Family Services, 2225
Carling Avenue at 9:00 am; re-
For more community listings,
visit ottawa.jewishottawa.com
Select Calendar/Upcoming Events
and Click to See More
turns at 8:30 pm. RSVP by December 13. Info: 613-7222225, ext. 411.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16
Diverse Women of the
Rabbinate, sponsored by the
SJCC. Live telecast from the
92nd Street Y in New York City.
Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses,
Cantor Angela Buchdahl and
Rabbi Sara Hurwitz talk about
their challenges entering the
clergy from diverse Syrian,
Asian-American and Orthodox
backgrounds, 8:15 pm. Info:
613-798-9818, ext. 263.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12
Behind the movie Defiance, sponsored by Chabad
Student Network. Tzvi Bielski,
son of Zus Bielski, explains the
behind-the-scenes details of a
band of Jews who risked their
lives to save over 1,200 Jews
from the Nazis, 59 Sweetland
Avenue, 7:30 pm. Evening in-
cludes reception. Info: 613601-7701.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 16
Temple Israel celebrates
Shabbat Shirah, featuring the
Canadian Centennial and Capital Vox Jazz choirs, and honouring World Religion Day and
Martin Luther King Day. Donations to Ottawa Food Bank ap-
preciated, Temple Israel, 1301
Prince of Wales Drive, 3:00
pm.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21
TO SUNDAY, JANUARY 23
Annual Winter Shabbaton,
sponsored by Jewish Education through Torah, Albert at
Bay Hotel, 435 Albert Street.
Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 247.
COMING SOON
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27
Premiere presentation of
Dreamcoat: A Documentary, which follows
the evolution of how last May’s production of
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
was produced by Tamir. The full-scale theatrical
production featured both professional actors
and Tamir’s clients with developmental disabilities.
The evening will also feature a Talk Back
with cast and crew, and a live performance,
Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank Street, 7:00 pm.
Info: 613-725-3519, ext. 113.
Unless otherwise noted, activities take place at The Joseph and Rose Ages Family Building, 21 Nadolny Sachs Private.
This information is taken from the community calendar maintained by the Jewish Ottawa InfoCentre. Organizations which would like their events to be listed, no matter where they are to be held, should send the information to InfoCentre coordinator Benita Siemiatycki via e-mail at bsiemiatycki@jewishottawa.com or fax at 613-798-4695. She can also be reached by telephone at 613-798-4644. Accurate details must be provided and all events must be open to the Jewish public.
Condolences
Condolences are extended
to the families of:
Neil (Tzvi) Moses (Toronto)
brother of Julius Moses
Jean Segalowitz (Toronto)
sister of Harold Shizgal
Allan Solman
Marlene Ellen Stoller (California)
daughter of Carole Stoller
May their memory
be a blessing always.
The CONDOLENCE COLUMN
is offered
as a public service
to the community.
There is no charge.
For a listing
in this column,
please call
613-798-4696,
ext. 232.
Voice mail is available.
BULLETIN DEADLINES
JANUARY 5 FOR JANUARY 24
JANUARY 19 FOR FEBRUARY 7
FEBRUARY 2 FOR FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 16 FOR MARCH 7
MARCH 2 FOR MARCH 21
MARCH 23 FOR APRIL 11
APRIL 6 FOR APRIL 25
APRIL 27 FOR MAY 16
A Simple and Proven Investment Strategy
We are brothers and businessmen. We investigate and weigh our decisions carefully.
Investing in the Romspen Mortgage Fund was and continues to be a great decision.
We both agree the other funds out there do not support the same kind of wealth
preservation and consistent performance. History has proven this to be so. With the
Romspen Fund we enjoy real yields delivered monthly, managed by professionals
with deep expertise.
We have since brought our whole family in, because we have the confidence that
Romspen will continue to help us achieve our financial goals.
Carl and Jeff Posluns
You’ve heard of the Romspen Mortgage Investment Fund. Isn’t it time you found
out more? Call us to receive an information package or visit www.romspen.com.
162 Cumberland Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5R 3N5
416.966.1100
1.800.494.0389
www.romspen.com

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin

Transcription

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