Edmonton Jewish News - Digital Edition - May 2019 - Home and Garden

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EDMONTON

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Volume 30, No. 04

EJFF celebrates Jewish culture through film The 2019 Edmonton Jewish Film Festival (EJFF) will kick off May 21 and run till May 30 with 9 feature films – all screened at the Landmark Cinema 9 in Edmonton City Centre. The EJFF is a celebration of Jewish culture, identity, religion and history, through film. Organized by the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, the EJFF is one of the largest and most visible Jewish cultural events in our city. The EJFF presents a variety of Jewish-themed dramas, comedies, mysteries and documentaries from all over the world. All are high-quality films, playing in Edmonton for the first time. Guest speakers and special events enhance the film screenings, engaging audiences and giving everyone the opportunity to learn, to question and to gain perspective on Jewish experiences. This year’s lineup of feature films includes: Shoelaces, From Cairo to the Cloud, Tel Aviv on Fire, The Museum, The Last Suit, Leona, The Waldheim Waltz. Between Worlds and Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds: The Conductor Zubin Mehta. See page 5 for the complete schedule. In addition to the feature length films, several short films will also be screened. On May 21 (opening night), 100 Faces will also be screened. Short films by Bezalel students celebrating Israeli culture will be screened along with the feature at the matinee on May 26. Journey Birds, The Driver is Red and Last Class in Baghdad will be screened along with feature length films on May 26, May 28 and May 29 respectively. Special guests will enhance the viewing of the films on two nights of EJFF. On May 22 Rabbi Mark Gluckman, spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary will attend the EJFF screening. He is the author of Sacred Treasure: The Cairo Genizah (Jewish Lights, 2011) so his perspective of the film Cairo to the Cloud will be most welcome. On May 30, special guest Alexander Prior, Chief

Continued on page 6 Publication Mail Agreement Number: 40050628

May, 2019

EJHL Red Captures My Son Stanley's Cup!

Edmonton Jewish Hockey League's Red Team poses after winning the championship game. After a hard fought three game playoff series a new champion has been crowned in the Edmonton Jewish Hockey League, EJHL Red. Led by Captain Adam Zepp and leading scorer Liam Muscat, EJHL Red was able to defeat EJHL Green to earn the right to raise My Son Stanley’s Cup. Featuring the Owen brothers on line 3 and the Muscat brothers on line 1, EJHL Red’s family spirit and tenacious playing style served them well and having the opportunity to dethrone the 2018 champions was a perfect cherry on top of a fantastic season. EJHL Green took the path less travelled to the finals this season. After taking the trophy home last year, Green struggled at times this season with a bit of a championship hangover finishing 4th in the regular season. Green, led by Mario Morin refused to allow their standings finish to define their team, defeating the first place and favoured HeAtBaGs in a stunning and entertaining two-game

series, followed by a series deciding shootout. Seeing their window to win was open, EJHL Red grabbed the horse by the reins, and demanded to be heard, a team loaded with veteran talent they came into the finals prepared for victory. Notable holdovers from their previous championship season included Drew Hanson and Daniel Shafran on line 2, both players have a real nose for the net, and are not afraid to dig deep in the corners and win important puck battles in the offensive zone. Colin Muscat, in the second year of his second stint in the Edmonton Jewish Hockey League, was seemingly rejuvenated by getting the opportunity to play in front of his hometown fans, and on a line with younger brothers Dylan and Liam. The elder Muscat almost tripled his scoring output from last year coming close to duplicating his 2009 outputs with the ACME Scrappers.

JLI Series – With All My Heart – begins this month This May, Rabbbi Mendy Blachman of Chabad of Edmonton will offer With All My Heart, a new six-session course by the acclaimed Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) that will examine the Jewish art of prayer and spiritual experience. Beginning Monday, May 6, 2019 at 7:30pm participants in the course will study the history and philosophy of Jewish worship, seeking to discover the deep, elegant structure embedded within the Jewish prayer book and within Judaism’s ancient synagogue traditions. “Responsibilities pull us in so many directions that we seldom get a chance to reflect on our lives, our mission in this world, what’s true, and what really matters to us,” Rabbi Mendy of Chabad of Edmonton, the local JLI instructor in Edmonton told Edmonton Jewish News. “Even much of religion seems to have become routine and devoid of heartfelt feeling and spirituality. This course is out to debunk that notion and reclaim the ‘spirit’ within spiritual practice.” According to JLI’s website, the course promises to “outline profound Jewish prayer

techniques that lend wings to our emotions and words to our yearnings, allowing us to communicate with something much larger than ourselves, and feel comfort and shelter within a reality that’s more whole, more intense, more real, and more beautiful.” “We tend to turn to prayer when we’re out of options, seeking some kind of magical intervention when we’re having trouble dealing with what life throws our way,” explained Rabbi Zalman Abraham, of JLI’s Brooklyn headquarters. “Prayer is meant to be so much more than that. It’s a way to relieve stress; find focus, clarity, and connection to a raw and vulnerable place deep within us; or even just to start each day from a positive, humble, and grateful frame of mind.” With All My Heart explores questions such as: What is Jewish prayer? How do we achieve intimacy with G-d? What is the mystical meaning, power, and impact of our prayers? If prayer is a journey, what is its destination? And how do we practice focused mindfulness while engaging in our day-to-day responsibilities?

Rabbi Laibl Wolf, founder and dean of Spiritgrow and author of Practical Kabbalah, commented about the course, “Talking to G-d, or discovering the deeper self, is not taught or experienced by most Jews in a lifetime. It is therefore heroic of JLI to tackle this gap and bridge it with an excellent course that includes experiential elements like meditation.” Like all JLI programs, this course is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship. Every class is a standalone subject, so you can benefit from every class independently. Interested students may call 780.200.5770 or visit www.ChabadEdmonton.org for registration and for other course-related information. A delicious dinner is served at 7:00 pm. First lesson is free of charge with no obligation to continue!


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