Okanagan Jewish Community Centre

Okanagan Jewish Community Centre
OJC Newsletter
August 30, 2012
Volume 1, Issue 5
THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
Dear Friends,
The fall solstice is quickly approaching and another beautiful summer is almost
behind us. It has been a really great time in our community as we have welcomed many new Jewish friends to the Okanagan area and the OJC. It never
seems to get any easier to flip the calendar from August to September, but as
the summer holidays end, a new very busy season at the OJC begins. We are
delighted that Rabbi Joel Schwartzman and his wife will be joining us again to
lead numerous Shabbat Services along with regular High Holy day celebrations.
Rabbi will be driving up from Colorado on September 13th and staying with us
until the 27th, so if you have any requests from him while he is here then please
forward them to myself or the OJC office and we will make it happen. We are
also very excited that Melina Moore will be returning in a cantorial role assisting Rabbi Joel during the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. Evan Orloff is very busy collecting names and filling spots for readings during the services so, if you would like to participate then please contact Evan at 250-7070929 or ejorloff@shaw.ca to review the readings available.
Hilla Shlomi has been hard at work preparing Hebrew school for our community’s children starting Sept 16th and this year’s schedule is now available on the
ojcc.ca calendar.
I hope that everyone has had a great summer and that you have had a chance to
relax at some point with your family. The High Holy days are always a great
opportunity to sit together with your spouses and children and reflect on our
past year and the year ahead. I look forward to celebrating the New Year with
you as a community.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Shanah Tovah
Library Clean Up ............................ 2
Dave
Cantor Profile ................................. 2
Shabbat Services Schedule ............ 2
High Holy Day Schedule ................ 3
Hatikvah Family Camp Diary
Natalie and I had the incredible experience this month of taking our kids to a
place I have always held close to my heart and the place where my Jewish foundation was built. Camp Hatikvah is a Jewish camp only 20 min up the road
from the OJC in Oyama, BC. In addition to regular camper sessions, this year
they also offered a Family Camp program for parents to come out with their
children and be a kid again themselves. For 4 days and 3 nights we shared an
amazing experience and made great memories with many new friends.
We arrived through the gates, just as I remembered 25 years ago, except this
time I wasn't on a bus with a bunch of other rowdy Albertans. This time I was
with my new best friends named Kate, Jordan and Natalie. After settling into
our bunk beds we grabbed our swim gear and walked over to "A" doc for a swim
in the lake.
Continued page 5
Israeli Folk Dancing ....................... 3
Rabbi’s Corner ............................... 4
Membership Information .............. 4
Simon’s Bar Mitzvah ...................... 4
Camp Hatikvah Diary .................... 5
Hebrew School Schedule ............... 6
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST
Calendars are now available at the
OJCC Office. Normally the office is
open from 9-1 Monday to Friday.
AGM is scheduled for
October 4, 2012 at the OJCC .
LIBRARY CLEAN UP REMINDER…..
Over the summer, many parents from
the Hebrew school have helped to organize teaching materials and books for
our Jewish children.
There are many outdated materials and
books to go through in order to update
the library. WE NEED YOUR HELP! It is
not a job for one person to make decisions of what will stay and what will go.
We are looking for old and new members of our community who care passionately about our OJC library to come
out and help with the ‘weeding out’
process.
Please join us on Thursday, September 6th from 5:00-7:00pm for the OJC
library Clean Sweep. If there are any
materials you have donated which may
be deemed outdated, please come to
this clean sweep library night. Otherwise,
we can’t guarantee all of the items you
have donated will be kept. Books that
are outdated and not claimed by anyone will be made available for any
member of the community to take during High Holidays.
Submitted by Natalie Spevakow
Tickets are available for
High Holy Days.
Please contact the office 250-862-2305
September
Shabbat Services
Friday September 14
7:00pm : Shabbat service
Friday September 21
7:00pm: Shabbat Shuvah
(Return) Service
Saturday September 22
10:00am: Morning Service
OUR CANTORIAL SOLOIST FOR HIGH HOLY DAYS
Cantorial Soloist, Melina Moore, Soprano, will be supporting Rabbi Joel Schwartzman
during High Holiday Services at Beth Shalom Synagogue in Kelowna. Melina, a native of
Buenos Aires, Argentina, grew up in New York City and received her undergraduate
training at The Juilliard School in voice and piano accompaniment, beginning at age 16.
Among the honours she has received are a full academic scholarship to Columbia University, a tuition scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music and the Lucrezia Bori Grant
for operatic and interpretive study and performance at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires,
Argentina.A versatile high-lyric coloratura, Melina participated in a four-year Bachelor
Degree program at the Juilliard School where she trained under Beverley Peck-Johnson
and Cynthia Hoffmann. She has been an active recitalist in and around the New York
area, and since her move west,
has continued to appear in concert in British Columbia, Alberta
and Ontario. Raised in the Jewish faith, Melina has been a cantorial soloist for Temple Beth
Shalom in Manhattan, and The
Okanagan Jewish Community
Centre in Kelowna, BC. She has
just completed a CD entitled
Songs for my Zeide featuring
original arrangements of Hebrew,
Yiddish and Russian folksongs,
accompanying herself on piano.
Tickets for High Holidays are still available and we promise a unique and memorable experience!
2
We of Congregation Beth Shalom bring in this year, 5773, with joy and de-
HIGH HOLY DAYS
light, gladness and song.
We open ourselves to vast possibilities, asking for G-d’s blessing of a healthy
SCHEDULE
Sunday September 16th
6:30pm: Erev Rosh Hashanah
and prosperous year for all of us.
Monday September 17th
10:00am: Rosh Hashanah
In this spirit, We invite you to attend these services to bring in a sweet and
happy Shanah Tovah.
Tashlich service following Oneg
Tuesday September 25
7:00pm: Kol Nidre
May the shofar’s call bring out in you the very deepest satisfaction that you
Wednesday September 26
10:00am: Yom Kippur
have begun 5773 in harmony with our very deepest and most beautiful
traditions.
3:00pm:Torah and Haftarah
~4:30pm: Yizkor
~5:30pm:Nei'elah
~6:45pm:Havdallah
Tickets Required
ISRAELI FOLK DANCING
The Jewish Community Center is offering Israeli Folk Dancing. Our current
group has been running since September of 2003, and welcomes everyone to
join. We dance traditional styles as well as new and trendy contemporary
rhythms from Israel, adding a wide variety of styles and flavour to our repertoire. All ages are welcome to come and have some fun on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at the Center.
Since 2003, we have maintained a performance group - led by Miracle of
Peace- that has been debuting dances and songs throughout Kelowna. Our
group has been recognized and appreciated in the community of Kelowna and
surrounding area. We have 7-10 active performers. We perform annually on
Canada Day, as well as at Taste of Home Kelowna.
Every year we attend a workshop at the Vancouver Jewish Community Center, where we
learn dances taught by various choreographers, visiting from Israel. These dances we
then teach in great detail to our group. They
love it!.
To reserve on a first come basis,
please contact Lynda at the OJC
Office.
Members: tickets included in
membership (see page 6 for
rates).
Non– Members:
$200/ticket
$500/ family
$50/ children 13 and under
Children under 5 yrs free
YAHRZEIT
In preparation for the
High Holy Days, please
We look forward to seeing you and your
friends and family on Thursday.
email
B’Shalom,
would like added to the
Miracle of Peace
Yahrzeit list , prior to
Batachel@yahoo.com
admin@ojcc.ca
with any names you
September 12, 2012
(250) 547-8829
3
RABBI’S CORNER
Reminder to all
Members
Membership for the 20122013 Fiscal Year includes
Free Access to the High
Holyday Services.
Membership must be paid
in order to receive The
Annual General Meeting
Package and the ability to
vote at the AGM on
LIFE, GOD AND FAMILY: THE NEW
lives as long as we have life. It matters
YEAR BEGINS:
not where we may meet, as long as we
know that God is there waiting for us. It
For thousands of years at this season,
Jews have answered the call of the shofar. The shrill notes of the ram’s horn stir
our souls and remind us that it is once
October 4, 2012
again time to return to our better vision of
Rates
ourselves, our families and our life pur-
SINGLE– 1 Adult $375
COUPLE—2 Adults $ 475
poses.
dren 18 and under $550
life’s pathways, this sound turns us back
Machzoreem, our High Holiday prayerbooks, and re-read the prayers and re-
STUDENT—Full time $50
hear the melodies which brought our fore-
Its now easier than ever:
Register online at ojcc.ca
Contact Lynda at
250-862 2305
or lynda@ojcc.ca,
or visit ojcc.ca for details.
Means Committee
between and among us as members of our
families, as long as we each have the
faith, love and courage to say that we are
sorry for any wrong we’ve done, for any
pain or divisiveness we’ve caused.
No matter where we are along
toward God. It calls to us to dust off our
FAMILY— Includes all chil-
matters not what may have taken place
bearers back in repentance to better, more
Life, God and repentance all call
us to what is higher in ourselves. Life,
God and repentance all tell us that we
must reassert in our lives a sense of
thankfulness born of humility in the face
of the awesomeness of our existence.
God-like performance.
Subject as we are to change, the
Yomeem Nora’eem or Days of Awe, anchor us to what is steadfast and sure. It
matters not what might happen in our
There is a Means Committee and we don’t want any
Jewish friends left out of
the community.
Please
contact David Spevakow
with any questions, comments or concerns.
BAR MITZVAH INVITATION
Please join our family in celebrating
the
Bar Mitzvah of Simon
Saturday, October 27, 2012, 10:00 am
Kiddush luncheon hosted by the Plant/Pullan family to
follow the service.
Please RSVP to Barb @ bapullan@uniserve.com by
October 5
Simon would welcome a non-perishable food item to be
brought to the OJCC to donate to the Kelowna Food Bank.
4
Thank you!
Barb, Don and Zoe
HATIKVAH FAMILY CAMP DIARY
Continued from page 1.
I walked up to the edge of the diving board and jumped. As I flew through
the air I was instantly transformed from a 30 something father to a 12
year old boy again. As I splashed into the water I had a sensory overload of
memory's and experiences that have been locked up and stored away in
the "keeper" file of my brain. We spent the rest of the next while swimming, water trampolining and climbing the giant iceberg. Just as exhaustion set in we went back to the cabin and put on our, as Jordan says,
"handsome shirts" and joined with the rest of our new friends for Shabbat
services and a wonderful group dinner.
Waking up the next morning was easy. There may be no greater feeling in
the Okanagan then waking yourself up by jumping into crisp morning
waters with a wake-board attached to your feet while you carve you way
around a perfectly calm lake. Camp Hatikvah has two great motor boats
geared for Wake-boarding, Water-skiing or bare-footing (if you desire). If tubbing is your thing then this is not the place for you. If you want to learn how to
ski then welcome aboard. Kate and Jordan both had introductory ski lessons,
Natalie continued to fine-tune her wake-boarding skills and I successfully completed my first dock start on a wake-board. Camp Hatikvah also offers a plethora of non motorized sports. The "Y" Dock offers Canoeing and Kayaking while
the "I" Dock is loaded with Sail boats, Paddle boats, Paddle boards and wind
surfing. We had a great 2 hour canoe trip before Jordan decided he wanted to
Kayak by himself. Kayaking beside him, I was in shock that he was able to maneuver and paddle himself around with such great ease. It was a classic moment
of letting go and watching what one’s child can discover and do. The evenings
were always filled with great group activities like magic shows, football, GaGa
(Israeli Dodgeball) and of course Maccabiah. We had a condensed version of
Maccabiah that concluded with kids and parents working together for a friendly
game of tug-of-rope. We were so proud watching the children work together and
watching Jordan's little face as he pulled the rope to help his team win was priceless.
When the sun rose on Monday morning there were mixed emotions as we realized it was time to go home and we would have to say goodbye to all our new
friends. It was a total flashback to my last day as a camper and the sadness of
knowing the summer was nearing its end. Now my fear isn't of being too old to
be a camper but that soon my kids will be too old for us to join them at Family
camp. As one fellow camper parent said... "We should start planning "Seniors
Camp" to make sure we never have to leave".
The en
tire Sp
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selves a kow Family e
njo
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Hatikv ying themah
g the
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The OJC is excited to announce that we will be giving a $100 grant to go towards
any OJC member's child who wishes to attend Camp Hatikvah next summer. I
will pass along registration information after the High Holy Days and please feel
free to call me or visit camphatikvah.com if you would like more immediate information. Thank you again to camp director Liza Delman, Joanna Wasel and all
the Camp Hatikvah Staff for making this such a memorable event.
Submitted by David Spevakow
Miss. Kate Spevakow enjoying the
beach at Camp Hatikvah
5
PROPOSED HEBREW SCHOOL SCHEDULE
2012-2013
Dates
Topics
September 16
Rosh Ha’Shana & Sukkot (Rabbi Joel)
September 30
School from 10:00-11:00
Sukkot celebration- Community event
followed by sukkah decorating and a lunch potluck
October 14
October 28
TBA
TBA
November 9 (Friday)
November 18
Hebrew School Shabbat Dinner Long weekend…
Jerusalem and The Western Wall
December 2
December 16 (last day of Hanukkah)
Hanukkah
Community event - Hanukah Party
WINTER BREAK (DEC 21 – JAN 7): HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
January 20
Tu B’Shvat
February 3
February 17
February 24 (actual day of Purim)
Tzdaka- Giving others, the letter Tzadi
Getting to know the synagogue
Purim Party – Community Event
SPRING BREAK (MAR 11 – MAR 22). ENJOY!
March 25/26
March 31
EREV PESACH - SEDER
Passover
April 14
The country of Israel (Independence Day)
Israeli/Jewish Songs and Dance
April 28
Lag B’Omer (maybe picnic lunch, if weather permits)
May 12
Shavuot
May 24 (Friday eve.)
Shabbat Dinner
Hebrew-School End-of-the-Year event!
* Community Events are in blue.
NOTICE: OJC membership includes Hebrew School fees. The Board of Directors has decided
to charge non-members a drop in-fee of $10.00 per child per visit or an annual fee of $100.00
per child. Please call the office to register 250-862-2305. There is a Means Committee available and no Jewish child should be left out. Please call David Spevakow 250-317-5283 with any
questions, comments, or concerns.
MAY THE SOUND OF THE SHOFAR AWAKEN US TO THE
2012-2013 Membership Rates
FLIGHT OF TIME AND SUMMON US TO SPEND OUR DAYS
WITH PURPOSE
SINGLE– 1 Adult $375
COUPLE—2 Adults $ 475
FAMILY— Includes all children
18 and under $550
STUDENT—Full time $50
Its now easier than ever:
Register online at ojcc.ca
or call the office.
The Shofar has been a signal, a horn or war, a time whistle,
There is a Means Committee
and we do not want any Jewish
a herald of the new moon and an instrument in the Temple
friend left out of the community.
Please contact David
orchestra
Spevakow with any questions,
comments or concerns.
“The Okanagan’s Jewish Community”
Okanagan Jewish
Community Centre
102 Snowsell St. North
Kelowna, BC, V1V 2E2
Phone: 250-862-2305
Fax: 250-862-2365
E-mail: admin@ojcc.ca
OJCC Mission Statement:
"Together We Are Community"
The mission of the Okanagan Jewish Community Centre is
to work towards building a strong and unified Jewish
Community in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.
The OJCC encourages an inclusive atmosphere of
understanding and respect amongst Jews of different
backgrounds, and maintains cooperative relationships with
other regional and national Jewish community
organizations. The OJCC also aims to promote a positive
and active relationship with the Okanagan Community at
large.
If you have an article that you would like to submit then please send it to
admin@ojcc.ca