Edmonton Jewish News - Digital Edition - Passover 2018

EDMONTON NEWS Volume 29, No. 03

Publication Mail Agreement Number: 40050628

March 20, 2018

Cover image: Passover Seder Plate - By Yoninah - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=798176

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Edmonton Jewish News

March 20, 2018

Edmonton presents Hatzafon edmontonjewishnews.com Publication Mail Agreement No. 40050628 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Circulation Department: Suite A 10632 124 Street NW Edmonton AB T5N 1S3 E-mail: ejnews@telus.net Tel: (780) 421-7966 Fax: (780) 424-3951

Volume 29, Number 03, March 2018 PUBLISHER / EDITOR: Deborah Shatz ADVERTISING: Daniel Moser FOUNDING PUBLISHER: Barry Slawsky

All rights reserved. No part of this newspaper may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Editor. Edmonton Jewish News is published by 320754 Alberta Ltd.

For change of address, please send both old and new addresses. We welcome your stories, pictures, artwork and opinions. Please send submissions to our office at the address above.

Next Deadline: April 17, 2018

JAHSENA announces four-session Genealogy Series

Festival Hatzafon: A Decidedly Jewish Cultural Event provided a wonderful dance performance that absolutely transported the Edmonton audience.

genealogy buffs have benefited from Lyn Meehan’s expertise in family history and library science. For over thirty

By Colleen Paull years, Lyn has helped countless families succeed in their quests for specialized information from North American, The Jewish Archives and Historical Society of Edmonton British Isles, Ireland and European community sources: and Northern Alberta (JAHSENA) is excited to be having emigration and immigration, naturalization and citizenship, Lyn Meehan as the lecturer for our four session Genealogy migration routes, military research, land records, heir search, cemetery records and much more. lecture series starting on Sunday, April 8 at 1 pm.

Lyn employs online databases and on-site research in Researcher, speaker, author and teacher, generations of Canada, United States, British Isles, Ireland and European community repositories. Specifically, she specializes in immigration and naturalization. Her proximity to resources, insightful search strategies and skill in evaluating and analyzing evidence combined provide her clients with quick solutions.

Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Lyn’s educational background and extensive research experience have made her a top professional A four-session series led by professional genealogist Lyn Meehan will begin on in the effective utilization of April 8 at the JAHSENA office.

research tools at specialized and government libraries, historical societies, provincial and international archives. A specialist in tracking elusive families and sojourners, her portfolio includes many successful solutions to numerous “brick-walls” cases.

She has been interviewed by Mike Sobel (Global TV News), Shaw TV, CBC Radio, Edmonton Journal and appeared on The Ryan Jespersen Show on 630 CHED (and went into overtime!)

The four session genealogy series will be held at the JAHSENA office in Edmonton on Sundays including April 8: ‘Introduction to Genealogy’ and April 22: Where do I go from here’ and then May 13: ‘Finding the trail of immigration and migration” and May 27: Topic to be announced.

The cost of the series is $20 per session and $60 for all four sessions for members and $25 per session or $75 for all four sessions for non-members. To register contact the office at 780-489-2809 or jahsena@shaw.ca.

JAHSENA is a non-profit organization that strives to preserve the Jewish heritage of the communities of Edmonton and Northern Alberta through the acquisition, housing, arrangement, cataloguing, preservation, restoration and access of collected materials.

JAHSENA is a member of the Archives Society of Alberta (ASA), the Alberta Museums Association (AMA), the Association of Canadian Archives (ACA), the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA), the Association of Canadian Jewish Archives and Museums (ACJAM), and the Association of Canadian Jewish Studies (ACJS).

March 20, 2018

Why Passover is about a lot more than just good food and family

Edmonton Jewish News

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Beth Shalom celebration Schpiels Purim

By Joshua Ratner (My Jewish Learning via JTA) -- What is the essence of Passover? On the one hand, it seems obvious: Passover is about gathering together with loved ones to recall, through sumptuous home rituals, the exodus from Egypt. We gather round our seder tables and quickly become engulfed in the warmth of family and friends, the culinary delights of a delicious meal, and the comforting, vaguely familiar words and songs we recite year after year.

Passover is, indeed, a beautiful opportunity for rejoicing and celebrating. But it also can be much more.

When looking closely at the Passover Haggadah, we can see that the rabbis who crafted it did not choose to make Passover a holiday solely focused on celebrating the past.

Like the Fourth of July (or Hanukkah), Passover could have been a day to recall passively our independence from an oppressive regime as a historical remembrance; to commemorate the past and salute our Founding Fathers (or Maccabees). Instead, Moses (as Founding Father of the Israelites) is largely shut out of the story — he appears but once.

While remembrance of the Exodus — from the enslavement of the Israelites to the Ten Plagues to the crossing of the Red Sea — forms a major portion of the content of the “Maggid” (retelling) section of the Haggadah, that remembrance is but a means to a larger ends. The end of the Maggid section reveals why. It says: "In each and every generation people must regard themselves as though they personally left Egypt, as it says, 'Tell your child on that very day: "This is what G-d did for me when I left Egypt.’” The Holy One of Blessing did not redeem only our ancestors, but G-d even redeemed us with them, as it says, 'G-d brought us out of there in order to bring us to and gave us the land that G-d swore to our ancestors.'"

The seder specifically and Passover more broadly are about remembering G-d’s deliverance of the Israelites not as a one-time, historical event but as something that is

Beth Shalom's Purim celebration included something fun for everyone. There were costumes galore, a Megillah reading, a fanciful Purim Schpiel, a delicious meal, treats for the kids and even wine tasting for the adults in the evening. perpetually happening in the present. Redemption from slavery to freedom is intended to be an experience that we, too, can and should have during our seders. But why?

I believe that the seder is a literary means of experiential education. The Haggadah wants each of us to recall that we were once estranged, disenfranchised and marginalized, so that each of us will cultivate a sense of empathy for the estranged, the disenfranchised and the marginalized in our society today. We honor our past by acting in our present.

So as we get ready for Passover, cleansing our houses of hametz, preparing our Haggadah selections and invite lists, may we also take action to cleanse our society of poverty, bigotry and hatred.

There has been an explosion of new and creative social justice-themed Haggadahs and seder inserts created in recent years by Jewish organizations. Last year alone, there were new additions about global justice (American May your Passover Jewish World Service),

LGBTQ rights (Keshet), hunger and military families (Mazon), wealth inequality (RRC), racial justice (RAC), mass incarceration (T'ruah), and refugees (Repair the World/HIAS), to name but a few. So please consider using any of these, tweet at #ActOnPassover or make use of other resources that speak to you and help you concretize our ongoing mandate to seek out freedom and redemption for all of G-d’s children.

And may each of you be blessed with a happy, fulfilling and meaningful Passover. Chag sameach (happy holiday)!

Rabbi Joshua Ratner is the rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in Cheshire, Connecticut. He also worked as an attorney for five years prior to entering rabbinical school. This piece originally appeared on the Rabbis Without Borders, a dynamic forum for exploring contemporary issues in the Jewish world and beyond.

celebration be a time of joy and renewal, filled with the beautiful traditions of the seder table!

CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM

A welcome Shul for the entire family Edmonton’s Conservative Egalitarian Synagogue

11916 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, AB Email: info@e-bethshalom.org

Phone 488-6333

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Edmonton Jewish News

March 20, 2018

Taboo-breaking Hungarian film is part of Edmonton Jewish Film Fest line-up

By Cnaan Liphshiz (JTA) -- The time is just after the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Two Orthodox Jews disembark from a train at a rural station in Soviet-occupied Hungary and, after offloading a heavy bag, they begin a silent, hourlong walk to a nearby village.

The purpose of their journey is not known. But their arrival in the village sets in motion a series of tragic and violent events, as some residents worry the visitors will expose crimes they committed during the Nazi occupation, with potentially deadly consequences for the perpetrators.

Such is the premise of the award-winning Hungarian movie “1945” one of the exceptional films being screened at the 22nd annual Edmonton Jewish Film Festival taking place May 6-16 at the Landmark City Centre Theatre.

“1945” will be screened on May 9, at 7 pm. The black-andwhite feature, filmed last year, is one of just a handful of movies ever produced in Hungary about the theft of Jewish property during the Holocaust. In the U.S., the film premiered on Nov. 1, 2017 in New York.

Despite being a low-cost production lacking marquee names, “1945” has found major success at international film festivals. It won awards at the San Francisco Film Critics Circle as well as at the Berlin Film Festival and the Jerusalem Film Festival. One critic called it a “subtly crafted masterpiece."

And while the film is fictional, it has struck a nerve among Hungarian Jews whose families lived through the suspicion and hostility depicted in the movie.

“It is an important production which, despite being fictional, nonetheless describes for the first time in film the reality of what actually happened to us,” Peter Feldmajer, a former leader of Hungary’s Jewish federation, told JTA.

In the film, the two silent Jews -Sámuel Hermann and his son -arrive on a fateful summer day: the wedding day of a son of the village’s de facto mayor. Fearful that the Jewish arrivals are an expeditionary force for Jews who used to own property there, the town's leader frantically mounts cover-ups of his own crimes. A group of villagers armed with pitchforks menacingly gather around the newcomers as they pray for their dead in the A scene from the film “1945” that is being screened at the Edmonton village's disused Jewish cemetery.

Jewish Film Festival on May 9. (Courtesy of Menemsha Films).

The scene is an obvious reference to the 1946 anti-Semitic pogrom in the city of Miskolc, during which two Jews, including one helps break,” he added.

After the fall of communism, the Hungarian government police officer, were murdered by participants of what began instituted several laws that were supposed to facilitate as a workers' demonstration and escalated into a lynching.

“This scene accurately and bravely represents why it was restitution claims for property privately owned by Jews. But impossible for Jews to seek justice in the postwar period,” the procedure put in place “made it difficult for many said Feldmajer, whose father was a Holocaust survivor from potential claimants” to receive compensation, according to a Hungarian village where locals stole his family's property. the World Jewish Restitution Organization, citing the laws' narrow definition of an heir along with foot dragging by Robert Frolich, the rabbi of Budapest’s main synagogue, justice authorities. praised the filmmakers for depicting the threat of violence These problems were partially addressed in restitution for rather than its use, which was unusual. heirless property. But it did not address the problem of “The pogroms happened here and there," he said. "But the individuals who tried but could not receive compensation for fear of having to give back the property, the shame of what artifacts and real estate stolen from their families in was done to Jews – even if only by not defending them – that Hungary, where more than half of the prewar Jewish was common, that was the rule, and this is the first film that population of 825,000 was murdered.

I’m aware of capturing this.

In parallel, over the past 15 years, Hungary’s political “This element of the Holocaust — the neighbors, the shop scene took a rightward shift. Prominent politicians from owners who took everything the Jews had and didn’t want to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party have in give it back – that has remained a taboo, which this film recent years been promoting or tolerating the glorification by others of the legacy of Nazi collaborators and ardent antiSemites, triggering an open row with the Jewish community and liberals. Among those honored with statues in Budapest alone since 2013 are Miklos Horthy, the country's pro-Nazi wartime leader, and Gyorgy Donath and Balint Homan, two Holocaust-era politicians who prompted anti-Semitic laws.

In this political climate, even productions about the Holocaust that do tackle Hungarian complicity — including the Hungarian film “Son of Saul,” which won the 2016 Oscar for best foreign language film — have been denounced by nationalists from the anti-Semitic Jobbik party, who urged the national film fund to withhold funding for “Holocaust productions,” as one party leader called them.

Amid the hasty cover-up efforts depicted in the film -including the silencing of remorseful accomplices — "1945"

Continued on page 7

March 20, 2018

Edmonton Jewish News

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'Children of God' is a powerful story of truth telling and redemption

By Deborah Shatz (EJNews) - The Citadel Theatre’s production of Children of God by playwright Corey Payette is a haunting reminder that terrible human rights violations occurred against Indigenous families in Canada right up until the 1990s.

The musical production depicts a First Nation family being torn apart when the children are taken away to an Indian Residential School run by a pedophile priest who thinks he is doing G-d’s work by (among other things) hosing the children down to rid them of their language and culture.

Even the unwitting nun who eventually recognizes the atrocities that are occurring at the school thinks the children should ask G-d for forgiveness for their part. That remark alone sent a chill up the collective audience’s spine. Those children and their families did not bring this upon themselves. They have nothing to apologize for – they are victims. They do not need to give reconciliation – they need to receive amends. But they also need to find the strength and the resilience to survive. This exceptional piece of theatre is a testament to that strength, resilience and spirituality.

This is an intense and moving production by Indigenous playwright Corey Payette and the cast is predominantly made up of Indigenous performers. The story unfolds in twotime periods. Present day Tom is a volatile man, estranged from his wife and kids and bitter towards his mother who he is staying with while he looks for a job. He encounters an old school mate which sends him spiraling back in time to their residential school experience.

The dual character portrayal of Tom / Tommy was excellent by Dillon Chiblow as he shifted back from one-time period to the other with a change of a hat and a complete change facial expression, speech pattern and gait. He was so believable in both time zones – first soft and naïve and then hardened by a life of disappoint-ment.

The musical numbers were played live by a cellist, a violist, a guitarist and a pianist (musical director Allen Cole) and were exceptional in telling the story and setting the atmosphere. The students sang and the clergy sang along, believing that they too were somehow victims of the schools.

The mournful song of Tommy’s sister Julia played by Cheyanne Scott evoked a heartfelt stream of tears to the eyes.

The portrayal of Rita, Tom’s mother by Sandy Scofield was also exceptional. Her anguish at not being allowed to visit her kids for 10 years and her bitter, flat demeanor as a mother of an adult survivor touched the audience to its core.

She was robbed too. Her music was haunting and sorrowful and then uplifting, but all the time deeply spiritual. Her drum beats and her chanting were transformative and cast a magic spell of hope on the audience.

Children of God tackles a difficult subject and a terrible time in our nation’s recent history. It is an exceptional production which should be seen by all Canadians – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

We in the Jewish community are familiar with addressing horrendous topics with a variety of platforms – including theatre, film, and novels both fiction and non-fiction. This is a stark reminder that we aren’t the only ones who have suffered historically. The Holocaust was a devastating

JFED raises funds for Jewish Studies Lecturer The Jewish Federation of Edmonton (JFed) has provided this exciting update on the University of Alberta and JFed’s campaign to raise funds for a Jewish Studies Lecturer at the UofA. Thanks to the generous support of UofA alumnus Dr Samuel Belzberg, OC, OBC and Frances Belzberg, CM and many generous members of our Edmonton Jewish Community, we are pleased to announce we have exceeded our goal of raising $500,000 for a lecturer in Jewish Studies at the UofA.

'Children of God' is a must-see musical production about surviving Indian Residential School, on at the Citadel Theatre until March 24. (Photo supplied) genocide. Recognizing that the Indian Residential School Era was a cultural genocide of mammoth proportions right here in our backyard does not detract from our pain or our history.

We should present as an understanding ally and should do what we can to promote Indigenous awareness and reconciliation efforts by the governments and by Canadian society at large.

Our declarations of 'Never Again' have fallen on deaf ears as atrocities continue to take place around the world and Indigenous peoples continue to struggle for basic rights in Canada. We need to recommit ourselves to tikkun olam in our own backyards.

Children of God is at the Citadel Theatre until March 24.

Tickets are available at citadeltheatre.com or by calling the Citadel Box Office – 780-425-1820. the campaign in the fall, including the opportunity to meet with the new faculty member. We thank you for your generous support for this endeavour, which has enabled us to meet our goal of providing for a continuing Jewish Studies program at the University of Alberta.

There is still time to make a donation to this program if you have not already done so. Please contact either Elianna Lisan at the Federation offices eliannal@edjfed.org, (780) 487-0585 or Jane Potentier at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Arts jane.potentier@ualberta.ca, (780) 492-8060.

We were also able to provide funds for an undergraduate scholarship.

The Faculty of Arts is now moving ahead to recruit the Belzberg Professor in Jewish Studies (a five year term lecturer position) to enhance and sustain this fascinating and critical field of study. We anticipate a start date of July 2018.

We will be working with the Faculty of Arts to organize an event to thank our donors Lecturer in Jewish Studies and celebrate the success of

Chag Sameach!

And a Healthy Passover to all our Donors, Supporters and Friends EDMONTON CHAPTER

Michelle & Sam Marcushamer Phone: 780-444-4193 Email: smarcush@ualberta.ca ISRAEL CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT MAGEN DAVID ADOM MAGEN DAVID ADOM CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU

www.cmdai.org

Faculty of Arts, Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, Religious Studies Competition No. A107335119 Closing Date Apr 11, 2018 The Program in Religious Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta invites applications for the Belzberg Professorship for a Lecturer in any area of Jewish Studies. This is a full-time, five-year, twelve months per year academic staff appointment, with possibility of re-appointment.

Applicants for this position must have a PhD degree in Religious Studies or a related discipline. The area of research specialization within Jewish Studies is open, but the expertise to teach broadly in Jewish Studies and Religious Studies is required.

The successful candidate must have substantial relevant teaching experience and will present clear evidence of superior teaching ability.

The position will include the following responsibilities: • Teach six semester courses per year at the undergraduate and graduate level; the teaching assignment will vary depending on the person’s specialization and program needs, but it will usually include an Introduction to Judaism and Introduction to the Hebrew Bible • Active involvement in graduate education, including service on supervisory committees for graduate students in relevant research areas • Perform administrative duties associated with the position, including student advising and participation in decision-making at the program level • Moderate amount of public outreach, including the organization and management of at least one public event per year related to Jewish Studies (funding will be made available for this purpose) • Research in the field of specialization In accordance with the Academic Teaching Staff Agreement (ATS), this position offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at hrs.ualberta.ca.

Salary for this Term 12 Academic Teaching Staff (ATS) Lecturer position is based on the Academic Teaching Staff salary scale and will be commensurate with education and experience. The appointment will commence July 1, 2018.

To assist the University in complying with mandatory reporting requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (R203 (3) (e), please include the first digit of your Canadian Social Insurance Number at the bottom of your Cover Letter. If you do not have a Canadian Social Insurance Number, please indicate this in your application.

Apply online by submitting: • a cover letter • a curriculum vitae • a teaching dossier including sample syllabi and evaluations of teaching performance (attach under the “Statement of Teaching/Research Interests” option) • graduate transcripts, please attach under the “List of Publications” option • applicants are further expected to contact their referees and arrange to have them send their letters of reference to the attention of the Program Director, Dr. Ryan Dunch; these letters should be submitted via e-mail to ois@ualberta.ca. Please enter “Reference Letter – Lecturer in Jewish Studies" in the subject line Apply Online: http://www.careers.ualberta.ca/Competition/A107335119/.

Accepted until midnight MST April 11, 2018.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. The University of Alberta is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We encourage women; First Nations, Métis and Inuit persons; members of visible minority groups; persons with disabilities; persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas and the University to apply.

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Edmonton Jewish News

Stephen Hawking was admired

by Israeli physicists

By Barak Kol JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Dr. Stephen Hawking was a rare and inspirational man whose deep insights into the mysteries of the physical universe were matched only by his courage in the face of a cruel, debilitating illness, which he met with good spirit and a unique sense of humor.

In the wake of his passing, those who have commented on his legacy have focused not only on his work as a scientist and a communicator of science, but also on his display of human spirit.

At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Racah Institute of Physics, our interactions with Dr. Hawking were marked by our shared love of the discovery of the physical universe and our aspiration for creating a better world.

Dr. Hawking’s most famous theoretical argument, that matter can escape black holes, was intimately related to the ideas of the late Professor Jacob Bekenstein from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A black hole is the most compact form of matter, as implied by Einstein’s theory of gravity. Surrounded by a seemingly one-way horizon, it is one of the most mysterious objects in nature. In 1972, Bekenstein (1947-2015), then a doctoral student at Princeton University, suggested that black holes might have properties of heat (more precisely entropy, known today as BekensteinHawking black hole entropy).

Dr. Hawking was among the scientists who were skeptical. He believed that black holes absorb everything, yet nothing can escape them and therefore their temperatures would have to be absolute zero. But in 1974, he was led to the theoretical argument that once the effect of quantum physics are taken into account, black holes are not truly black. Dr. Hawking theorized that some radiation does escape from a black hole, and that this radiation represents (non-zero) temperature, just like a heated metal bar would glow in the dark.

At first he resisted this conclusion because it conformed to Bekenstein’s idea. However, he ultimately realized that both are correct and that a new and consistent understanding of black holes had emerged. This radiation is called Hawking radiation, and it remains Dr. Hawking’s single most important contribution to the field of theoretical physics.

So it was Hawking, building off and confirming Bekenstein’s work, who established the theoretical

March 20, 2018

Na'amat celebrates Purim

foundation for black hole thermodynamics, a deep connection between gravity and quantum physics that is a cornerstone of our contemporary understanding of these phenomena.

Since his passing, some have commented on Dr. Hawking’s relationship with the State of Israel. Over his long career he visited Israel multiple times, accepting the prestigious Wolf Prize in physics in 1988 and, most recently, as an honored guest of the Israel Academy of Sciences in 2006.

Unfortunately, in 2013 he was represented to have made a decision with which we obviously disagree -- to contribute to an academic boycott campaign against Israel.

After initially agreeing to attend a conference led by thenPresident Shimon Peres, Dr. Every year Na'amat Canada's Edmonton Tikvah Chapter makes Hawking later canceled his hammentaschen and distributes them to seniors in Edmonton's Jewish participation.

While community. This year they were joined by the Young Women's chapter. It was misguided, I believe this so nice to have the next generation participate. Na'amat Canada Edmonton decision was made not out of also made a generous donation to Edmonton Jewish Drop In Centre in support animosity, but rather with of programming to help seniors remain healthy and active. Na'amat Canada is the intention of trying to dedicated to helping women, children and families in Israel and Canada. For foster a solution to the more information visit facebook.com/naamatcanadaedmonton.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I was part of a group of Israel theoretical physicists who sent a message to Dr. the free exchange of ideas for all parties involved, and we do not consider it helpful for a peaceful resolution of the Hawking to formally protest his decision.

We wrote, in part, “We believe in the goal of a peaceful and conflict."

Putting aside this disagreement, it was both an honor and prosperous coexistence of Israelis, Palestinians and other peoples. We moreover believe that the freedom of thought, a pleasure to have met Dr. Hawking on several occasions, expression and a free sharing of information are some of the and I will always remember his wit and how he faced his core values of science as well as of democracy. A boycott, on challenges with a smile, his typical defying grin. His science the other hand by its very nature, suppresses dialogue and will be studied by generations to come and his spirit will continue to inspire millions around the world.

Dr. Barak Kol is a professor of physics working on theories of fundamental laws of nature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he serves as head of physics studies. His research has contributed to Einstein’s theory of gravity and to Quantum Field Theory.

NOTICE The Annual General Meeting of the Edmonton Talmud Torah Society shall be held in the Edmonton Talmud Torah School, 6320 – 172 Street, Edmonton, on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 commencing at 7:00 PM in the gymnasium.

The Agenda for the Meeting shall include the following: 1. President’s Report 2. Principal’s Report 3. Treasurer’s Report 4. Election of Board Members 5. New Business Any parent or guardian of a child who attends the school or any person 18 years of age or older and who has contributed or on whose behalf a contribution was made to the United Jewish Appeal or Talmud Torah School is eligible to vote at the meeting. Seven people will be elected for a two-year term, six of whom must be a parent or guardian of a child who attends the Edmonton Talmud Torah and the seventh position may be filled by a member of the Edmonton Jewish community at large who has contributed to the United Jewish Appeal. A person is not eligible to be elected if he/she is engaged as an employee of the Edmonton Talmud Torah Society or if he/she has an outstanding debt or obligation to the Edmonton Talmud Torah Society, and has not put in place an approved payment proposal.

Any person who is eligible to run for the Board must cause the Nomination form to be properly completed and delivered to the Secretary not later than one week prior to the Annual General Meeting. Nomination forms may be obtained from the school.

Please leave nomination forms at the school office to the attention of the Society.

Members of the Society in attendance at the Annual General Meeting may nominate from the floor additional names and present a brief biographical sketch of the Nominee provided the Nominee has given prior consent to such nomination.

You are encouraged to attend the Annual General Meeting in order to become more fully informed about the affairs and activities of the School.

March 20, 2018

Edmonton Jewish News

The last Passover countdown checklist you will ever need

By Andrew Silow-Carroll (JTA) -- The 30-day period between Purim and Passover is often fraught, especially for Jews -- especially if, against all sound advice, they insist on hosting a Passover seder. To ease the challenging process of planning and preparing the festive meal, we offer this handy Passover countdown checklist: 30 days out (the day after Purim): Begin going over your invite list for the seder. Parents, siblings and their kids, check. Widowed Aunt Fay? Of course. But Cousin Eric? A nice guy, but how did he vote?

27 days out: Think about clearing out cabinets to make way for Passover food.

24 days out: Continue thinking about clearing out cabinets to make way for Passover food.

23 days out: Throw out Passover food still crowding the cabinet from last year: the bottle of off-brand ketchup still three-quarters filled, one jar kosher le Pesach duck sauce, one carton gluten-free "panko" matzah crumbs, two boxes of Streit's matzah you bought last year on the second-to-last day of Passover worrying that you'd "run out."

22 days out: Clear out last of cabinets to make room for Passover food.

21 days out: Announce to family that no more nonPassover food will be purchased between now and the holiday. Start planning pre-Passover meals based on the crap you have on hand: freezer-burned hamburger meat, bags of stale macaroni, whatever that thing is in the Tupperware.

20 days out: First Passover shopping trip: condiments, tea bags, tomato sauce, tuna fish, shelf liner, grape juice, offbrand ketchup, kosher le Pesach duck sauce, one carton gluten-free "panko" matzah crumbs, potato vodka. Total bill: $347.71.

18 days out: Begin planning menu: Search online for new Passover recipes. Brisket with horseradish gremolata?

Skillet roast chicken with fennel, parsnips and scallions?

Braised lamb shanks with dates, tangerines and baby onions? Check the number of steps and ingredients for each recipe, gasp, then agree to make the same three things you've

Film

Cont. from page 4

also tackles how neighbors who used to be friendly turned on their Jewish compatriots while under the rule of Nazis and their allies. In many instances, this was done not out of ideological hatred, but in order to survive their new

Page 7

Festival Hatzafon 2018

been making for the past 19 years.

17 days out: Cousin Eric calls asking if he can bring a date — someone he met at a "political rally." For a "very famous politician." Uh-oh.

16 days out: Second Passover shopping trip: macaroons, Passover cake mix, soda, jars of gefilte fish, Festival Hatzafon was held in Edmonton on March 17 and 18 at the Westbury paper plates and disposable Theatre.

It was a huge success with over 200 people attending the dance utensils, matzah meal, performance.

Pictured above Yaara Shabtai, Meirav Or, Stacey Leavitt-Wright wine, almonds and walnuts, and Artistic Director Sari Uretsky. jarred horseradish, cottonseed oil, mayonnaise, apply in kitchen: no bread, pasta, beer or everyday tableware potato vodka. Total bill: $740. or cutlery. When they ask what they are supposed to eat, 5 minutes later: Return to grocery store for your free five reply "improvise." pounds of matzah, per coupon. Reduce grocery bill by $20.97.

3 days out: Ask spouse to bring up table leaf from the 10 minutes later: Return again to grocery store to buy one Begin vacuuming and cleansing all surfaces with basement. pound of gluten-free shmurah matzah for Aunt Fay. Increase the care normally given to sterilizing microbiological grocery bill by $67.26. laboratories.

Longingly peruse ads in Travel + Leisure 14 days out: Ask spouse to bring up kosher dishes, seder magazine showing non-Jewish couples on Caribbean plate and Haggadahs from the basement. vacations.

13 days out: Ask spouse to please bring up kosher dishes, 2 days out: Ask spouse to bring up table leaf from seder plate and Haggadahs from the basement. basement, goddammit. Set table.

12 days out: Ask spouse to please bring up kosher dishes, 1 day out: Cousin Eric calls. It's off with his plus-one -- he seder plate and Haggadahs from the basement -can't date a "RINO" who thinks Rachel Maddow "sometimes goddammit. makes some good points." Panic.

10 days out: Finalize guest list. Finalize menu. Longingly Seder day: Welcome parents, siblings, their kids, Aunt peruse ads in Jewish newspaper for weeklong Passover Fay and Cousin Eric. Ask your youngest to recite the Four cruises.

Questions, which he does perfectly, which is less impressive 7 days out: Last shopping before Passover: beef, chicken, than it might seem when you remember that he's 23. Read fish, produce, milk, cheese, parsley, shank bone, eggs, Haggadah. Eat festive meal. Welcome Elijah. Ignore Cousin chocolate-covered matzah, potato vodka. Total bill: You don't Eric. wanna know.

1 day after: Vow never to do this again.

5 days out: Clean and kasher sink, counters, stove, oven 2 days after: Agree to do this again next year. and refrigerator. Begin cooking seder side dishes.

5 days out: Inform family that Passover rules already circumstances or make the most out of them.

At the same time, the film also acknowledges those who kept valuables for Jewish neighbors and who despised the looting by other non-Jews.

“Mostly it gives us an idea for the first time of how they felt, the Jews and the non-Jews, in those chaotic days after

Happy Passover, Festival of Spring, from the Slawsky family

Follow us online at edmontonjewishnews.com

World War II,” Frolich said.

Page 8

Amar'e Stoudemire launches kosher wines

Edmonton Jewish News

March 20, 2018

Chabad Purim in the Wild West

By Josefin Dolsten NEW YORK (JTA) — Six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire has launched a line of kosher-for-Passover Israeli wines.

The 6-foot-10 former player, who returned earlier this month from a trip to the Jewish state, spoke glowingly about the wines and his connection to Israel at a news conference in New York on February 20.

“It’s a blessing for me and my family to be able to produce such great wines from a land like the land of Israel, so we’re constantly counting our blessings for that,” Stoudemire told reporters at the Jewish National Fund House on the Upper East Side.

Stoudemire, 35, said he had been in talks with the Israel Wine Producers Association for three years about making an Israeli wine and realized the opportunity when he relocated to the country in 2016 to play for the Israeli team Hapoel Jerusalem. He retired from basketball last year after helping lead Hapoel Jerusalem to the Israeli Basketball League Cup. “Once I moved to Israel, it was the perfect connection to meet with the vineyards and go to the tastings and figure out the different blends for each bottle,” said Stoudemire, a partowner of Hapoel Jerusalem.

Stoudemire played for the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns among other teams in a 16-year NBA career. Although raised Christian, he began exploring a spiritual connection to Judaism on a trip to Israel in 2010.

"I feel spiritually Jewish, culturally Jewish,” he said at the time.

Stoudemire’s line includes two red wine blends and one Cabernet Sauvignon, all produced in limited quantity by the Tulip Winery on its vineyards in Kfar Tikva, in Israel’s north.

The winery produced only 100 bottles of the high-end wine, Stoudemire Private Collection, with each bottle retailing at $244.99. It produced slightly larger quantities, 1,680 each, of the Stoudemire Reserve and Stoudemire Grand Reserve wines, which are retailing for $59.99 and $99.99, respectively. The kosher beverage giant Royal Wine Corp. is distributing the wines, which are currently only available for purchase in stores in New York and New Jersey.

Stoudemire, who continues to speak about his connection to Israel, said he’s open to producing additional wines, but that he would not produce them outside the Jewish state.

“I prefer to keep the wines strictly from the grapes in Israel,” he said. "It’s my way of giving back to the land. I try to do what I can to stay rooted."

Making sure the wine was kosher was important to the basketball star. Stoudemire identifies with the Hebrew Israelites, African-Americans who believe they are connected to the biblical Israelites and adhere to some Jewish customs.

“A kosher wine is always important for us because you can drink those during the High Holy Days,” he said.

This isn’t Stoudemire’s first venture outside of basketball. He has also started his own clothing line and record label, and written children’s books.

His fans may also wonder if Stoudemire will be using

Chabad of Edmonton hosted a spectacular Purim Party with a Wild West theme that included among other things, a mechanical bull a photo booth, a delicious meal and a costume parade! It was great fun for the whole family and the costumes were awesome. Everyone got in the spirit. Kol Hakavod to Chabad for hosting this wonderful event for the whole community. the wine for purposes other than drinking: In 2014, the athlete shared a photo of himself soaking in red wine. He later said that he had been engaging in the practice — known as vinotherapy — for months in order to relax and rejuvenate his body.

Last month, Stoudemire said the whole deal had been exaggerated.

“It was a birthday gift, a friend of mine was [saying], ‘Hey I got this perfect place for you to go, they have this red wine bath, and I want you to try it out,’" he recalled. "So I went and tried it out. It was great, so I took a picture, then I posted on Instagram, and it just kind of was blown out of proportion.

That’s a luxury deal, red wine baths.”

March 20, 2018

Edmonton Jewish News

My primitive Passover scavenger hunt

Page 9

Purim at Beth Israel

By Linda Pressman (Kveller via JTA) -- When I see the giant gefilte fish and matzah display at Costco in late February, it sends me into a panic. I think, is it time for gefilte fish already? I think that finding the holiday foods, including that gigantic jar of gefilte fish, is not easy and maybe I should stockpile now. I start thinking about how many people I’m having for Passover – a lot or a little? One manageable table or an impossible four?

Most of the year I’m a pretty normal American woman. I look normal. I dress in a fairly normal manner. I walk in grocery stores and have a vaguely normal shopping list. Yes, there are certain Jewish holidays here and there where I’m maybe shopping for 20 pound bags of potatoes in the winter, apples and honey, round challahs and smoked fish in the fall, or poppy filling in March. All a little odd.

But then there’s Passover.

Costco, of course, can only satisfy a few needs for this holiday. Though I’m willing to bounce back and forth between its kosher smoked fish case and the Passover display, both forming a miniature Pale of Settlement in the store for Jewish shoppers to cling to, eventually I must venture out to the Jewish section of the regular grocery stores, to their Pesach tables, and to the kosher stores to get everything else I need.

Shopping for Passover is like being on the worst scavenger hunt ever. My grocery list looks like it was written in medieval Poland. I need a really big brisket. Like maybe an entire cow.

And chicken livers. Like the whole chicken.

And maybe 10,000 eggs.

I need horseradish – red and white. I need fish and potatoes, matzah and parsley. Coconut and carrots. Apples and walnuts and honey and wine. Oh, and they wouldn’t happen to have four shankbones hanging around, would they? One time when my mother was alive, she had a craving for real kishke. I went to the store with her instructions: I needed rendered fat and casings. The butcher seemed mystified.

How did I become my mother? Or, rather, my grandmother, great-grandmother and greatgreat-grandmother, all the way down the line? How did I get so fascinated with the butchers at all the grocery stores in town, interrogating the staff about their briskets, their chicken livers, the weights and when they’re expected?

When I’ve bought everything on my list, I start cooking very meticulously. I cling to the idea that if I’m organized about this, I can be ready. I can’t really be ready.

Sometimes while I’m out shopping, I run into the rest of the world. There they are, happy normal people, out shopping for regular groceries, like bread, or in the Easter aisle buying chocolate eggs, squishy Peeps and giant chocolate Easter bunnies. I’m somewhat surprised that the world is just ticking along as normal, and there’s not an emergency in their kitchens like there is in mine. Because no matter how far ahead I start, no matter how much I’m sure I’m finished the night before, it never fails that two hours before the seder I have to call my sister for emergency backup, for parsley sprig placement or peeling boiled eggs.

Back at the store, I find the last thing on my list, horseradish root for the seder plate — a gnarled, primitive-looking thing that I grasp in my matching gnarled hand — and I head home.

Purim was celebrated with a lot of fun and frivolity at Beth Israel Synagogue including: delivering mishloach manot to the whole congregation, The Great Big Hamantaschen Bake (and more), a kid's meal, the Megillah reading, a costume parade and a delicious break fast.

Page 10

Edmonton Jewish News

Moroccan Passover Traditions

By Natasha Cooper-Benisty (My Jewish Learning via JTA) -- The seders of my adult life are quite different than those I experienced in my youth.

The main reason for this is that I am married to a Moroccan Israeli who has his own rich traditions from which to draw.

Early in our marriage, my husband experienced his first Ashkenazic seders at my parents’ home. However, once we decided that we were ready to host our own seders, we happily merged customs from both of our backgrounds to create our special family experience.

Perhaps the most unique Moroccan custom of our seder occurs early on when the head of the household -- in my husband’s family, his mother would do this -- holds the seder plate over the head of each guest separately and chants the following: “Bibhilu yatṣanu mi'miṣrayim, halacḥma ‘anya bené ḥorin.” This roughly translates to the following: “In haste, we went out of Egypt with our bread of affliction and now we are free.”

I have taken on this unusual ritual, which has become one of the highlights of our seder. Our Ashkenazic friends love this tradition, and with a glass seder plate it is even more entertaining!

One interesting take on the ritual is that is it connected to Kabbalah. It is believed that Rabbi Isaac Luria, who is known for revolutionizing the study of Jewish mysticism through Kabbalah, connected the various items of the seder to the 10 kabbalistic sefirot, the mystical dimensions that described the divine attributes of God, and so the seder plate became a sacred symbol of God. In this sense, when raising the seder plate, one is being blessed by the Shechina (the Talmud defines the Shechina as the divine that lives within the world, on earth with the Jewish people, and accompanies them when they are exiled), in addition to enjoying the Shechina’s presence at your seder table.)

Another interesting difference is the ritual accompanying the recitation of the Ten Plagues. Instead of the Ashkenazic finger or a knife dipping, Moroccans fill a large bowl with water and wine (two different glasses pour the liquids into the bowl as each plague is recited). The idea here is that one can see the effect of the first plague as the Egyptians witnessed their precious Nile River become contaminated with blood.

Perhaps the biggest misconception when it comes to Sephardic Jews is that they all eat rice on Passover. Like anything else in Judaism, there are myriad customs and

March 20, 2018

Dancers shine at Hatzafon

traditions depending on where your family lived in the old country or even from where they originated generations before they ended up in that particular city.

Moroccan Jews, for example, are a diverse group with different customs depending on their ancestry.

There are those that came after the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and settled among the On March 18, Festival Hatzafon featured a wonderful afternoon of Israeli Berbers. Others came in and culture showcasing dancers of all ages. Highlights included the dance 1492 from Spain and of amazing new dances that were choreographed by Roger performance Portugal like my husband’s Artistic Director of Bamachol Academy in Miami who work-shopped Weiger, family. Most Moroccan Jews the Aviv Dancers last fall. with do not eat rice on Passover, but they do eat other kitniyot and thus can last throughout the entire holiday and enjoyed including legumes, fresh beans and fresh peas.

In researching this piece, I came across a quote by a man as a snack with matzah.

Betai’avon (Bon appetite)! who said that his father had told him that the reason that the Spanish Moroccan Jews ate this way was because Spain MOROCCAN HAROSET was close to Ashkenaz (the area along the Rhine River in Ingredients: northern France and western Germany) and the gzeira (edict 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped per Jewish law) regarding kitniyot crossed the border and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves both Sephardic Jews and Jews of Spanish origin accepted the 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon decree.

1 grind freshly ground nutmeg In general, Moroccans eat differently on Passover than 1 pound dates, pitted and chopped Ashkenazim. Their reliance year-round on a variety of salad dishes translates well for Passover, and I often feel as if my 1 1/2 cups grape juice diet during the holiday is not so different from our normal Directions: fare -- with the exception of matzah, of course.

Put the dates into a pan with the wine, cinnamon and However, during the seder itself there are some cloves, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until you have a differences, no doubt due to the availability of vegetables in soft paste. Put through the food processor if you want a Morocco. For example, romaine lettuce and not horseradish smoother texture. Let it cool and stir in the walnuts. is used for maror and parsley, not potatoes, for karpas. The Natasha Cooper-Benisty has been a Jewish educator in haroset is also noteworthy with the absence of apples. I have both day school and religious school for the past 10 years. She included a traditional recipe below for Moroccan Haroset enjoys educating her students about Moroccan Jewish culture adapted from Claudia Roden. I have also made haroset and creating Moroccan feasts for her Ashkenazic friends. without any spices using only dates, walnuts, wine and This piece appeared originally on Jewish&, the blog of raisins. For those who are nut free, the haroset can also be Be'chol Lashon. http://bechollashon.org/ made without the walnuts.

This haroset, especially when using raisins, is quite thick

March 20, 2018

Edmonton Jewish News

Special events at Temple Beth Ora

By Regan Treewater Temple Beth Ora, Edmonton’s Reform Shul is celebrating a very special occasion on April 13 and the entire Jewish community is invited to attend. Rabbi Gila Caine will be officially installed as the shul’s Rabbi during a Kabbalat Shabbat at 8 pm at TBO. Special guests will include Rabbi Gila Caine Steven Chester, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Sinai, Oakland CA; Daryl Messinger, Chair, Board of Trustees of the Union for Reform Judaism; and Pekka Sinervo, President, Canadian Council for Reform Judaism. Seating is limited so please rsvp to office@templebethora.org or 780487-4817.

There are a lot of new initiatives happening at the shul.

In a collaborative endeavor, merging the traditions of Jewish thought with contemporary societal discussions around body image, TBO and Jewish Family Services are joining forces to host a five-part interactive seminar focusing on the facilitation of positive body perception in children and adolescents. At a time when the #MeToo movement is forcing people to confront difficult questions regarding sexual boundaries, it becomes all the more vital to foster feelings of pride in one’s body and healthy self-esteem in young people. Now, as Israeli musician Netta Barzilai takes the world by storm, her innovative, counter-culture, avantgarde performance-style is yet another instance of creative media challenging conventional interpretations of what is considered ‘attractive.’

Rabbi Caine believes that it is extremely important to begin engaging the Jewish community in an ongoing productive dialog regarding issues of body perception. She is eager to begin this discussion from a perspective informed by spiritual teachings and Jewish traditions. The upcoming course is the brainchild of a group of Jewish professionals

who are knowledgeable about contemporary body image issues. In a meeting initiated by Meital Siva, it was agreed that there exists a very real need within the Edmonton Jewish community for an organized forum investigating how to help children and adolescents find lifelong respect and appreciation for their bodies.

Rabbi Caine and Jewish Family Services Intercultural Facilitator Jeni Adler, along with their committee, took it upon themselves to make this idea a reality. In a recent interview Adler explained: “I don’t see any other similar courses offered in the Jewish Community.

The Judaism content, shared by Rabbi Gila, is an important and unique component.”

The course will be led by professional speakers – all of whom are Jewish, although not necessarily affiliated. Each presenter was invited on the basis of their extensive individual expertise. Meital Siva, who will be co-teaching a section of the program commented: “Since 2014 I’ve been working for the Diversity Outreach Program at Sexual Assault Center of Edmonton. I bring to the table my knowledge and experience in cross-cultural relationships, immigration, parenting in three cultures, building relationships with diverse community groups and service providers, building community, capacity to speak about sexual violence, self-care and healing.” Speakers like Siva will work with Rabbi Caine and Adler to cultivate and maintain a safe space for parents and future-parents to share and discuss crucial issues affecting children and adolescents the world over.

“We need people to know that everything they say, and everything they hear from others, is confidential – we want to make sure we have an environment of complete trust,” commented Rabbi Caine when asked to describe the inception and motivation for the course. Quite often it is assumed that body insecurities are an unavoidable product of tumultuous teenage years – but as the philosophy of this course suggests, a healthy approach early on, and open parent-child dialog, can go a long way towards combating the harmful influences of mainstream commercial media. “We will try to make sensitive, controversial topics easier to talk about,” said Adler.

Adler herself, in concert with her own daughter, will also be facilitating one of the sessions. “I think that having the

Page 11 opportunity to hear from a parent-child facilitator pair is quite unique. She can comment on what worked and what didn’t, and in-between. She also has insider knowledge of how her friends fared,” Adler explained. “My knowledge comes from consciously parenting a 28-year-old daughter. I believed that the approach I took would form her for life! So, I was very mindful. Also, I worked at the Sexual Assault Centre for 7 years, and Planned Parenthood for 15 years. I have been working with Jewish Family Services for approximately 17. Lots of body image, sexuality and relationship content there.”

Although sessions will be hosted at, and co-sponsored by Temple Beth Ora, organizers are doing their best to attract parents from all branches of Judaism, all levels of observance and both affiliated and non-affiliated community members.

“We definitely want different perspectives around the table,” said the rabbi. “It is that we are all Jews that unites us; and together we can begin to travel this road of learning and discuss how to nurture positive body images in our children. I believe it is a consciousness, a greater awareness that needs to be always active as young people grow up and begin to ask questions of themselves.”

Organizers are requesting that participants register in order to maintain continuity throughout the program. “It is very important, in order for everyone to feel comfortable, so they really feel safe to open up. They need to know the people who will be there from week to week,” explained Rabbi Caine.

When people respect themselves, they are better able to respect others – this seminar style program, beginning in early May, aims to celebrate bodies and identities in all their many forms. As Jewish communities around the world cheer for Eurovision contestant Netta Barzilai and her rejection of socially imposed standards of beauty, those of us in Edmonton are being presented a unique and valuable opportunity to help our children grow up with positive notions of their bodies. With any luck, just as the strong and confident Barzilai has proclaimed to the world, our children too will be able to trumpet: “Look at me, I am a beautiful creature!”

For more information or to register in the course contact rabbi@templebethora.org or community@jfse.org.

CHAG SAMEACH

“On behalf of the NDP DP Caucus, I would like to wish all Albertans of Jewish ssover.” heritage a happy Passover.

Rachel Notley

'Like' us at F / Edmonton Jewish News

AlbertaNDPcaucus.ca

Page 12

Edmonton Jewish News

Four Questions on Brit Milah (Passover-Style)

by Rabbi Dovid Koehler Mazel tov! A new baby is born into a loving family, and along with the simcha (happiness) and excitement, they begin the process of finding a Mohel (traditional circumciser) for the baby's upcoming circumcision, which occurs on the eighth day of the baby's life. But what exactly IS this ancient, perplexing, and vitally important rite?

Why do we perform a Brit Milah?

G-d told Abraham, who was the first to be commanded to circumcise himself and his household, that the Brit Milah, which literally means "covenant of circumcision", would be a promise; a visual reminder of the unique and lofty relationship which would forever be held between the descendants of Abraham and G-d Himself. This connection changes us inherently, both physically and spiritually.

Why should we cause such a drastic change to the human form?

The easy answer is, because G-d Himself commanded us.

After all, seeing as how He is the Creator, it seems well within His rights. So let us approach the question from a different angle: if G-d desired that the human form may only be considered 'complete' after this process, why didn't He create all men circumcised to begin with?

This very question was posed by the eminent Roman philosopher Tineius Rufus to Rabbi Akiva, an eminent philosopher in his own right, albeit one of the Babylonian Talmud discipline, and a great sage of the Jewish people.

Rabbi Akiva answered with the following poignant examples: just as wheat must first be processed into bread, and trees must be labored over until they are fit to be built into houses, the design of this world is such that we are given the raw materials only. It is then incumbent upon us to transform and uplift that which is around us, to elevate the world beyond its natural state. This dictum includes the very bodies we are given at birth, and is a way of life for all Jews.

March 20, 2018

JCORE hosts Improv Night

We forever should be seeking to enhance the world and those in it, through our thoughts, speech, and actions.

How has the tradition of Brit Milah carried on throughout the ages?

Of all the outward signs of the Jewish people, almost none have been more noticeable or meaningful.

Perhaps this is why the The first night of Festival Hatzafon was a fun evening sponsored by JCORE performance of Brit Milah that featured Rapid Fire Theatre at the Westbury Theatre. has continually been targeted and attacked throughout the many, many persecutions of our people. From performed with surgical-grade tools, shields, materials, and the times of Antigonus during the Second Temple period, sterilizing agents, virtually eliminating any possibility of through the Inquistion, the Nazi Regime, and Communist unwanted interaction with any other organ. Every certified Russia, the tradition of Brit Milah was strictly outlawed, Mohel has been extensively apprenticed and trained by a often upon pain of death. But even more interestingly, this personal teacher and mentor, using the same techniques and commandment, seemingly above most others, was practices which have served our nation well for over 2,000 fastidiously kept, even in the darkest of times. I would like to years. It is, all in all, a minor procedure, and deserves to be posit that it were these very acts of Mesirus Nefesh greeted with excitement and enthusiasm as befitting such a (sacrificing life and safety) which ingrained into the spiritual momentous occasion. A Mohel also acts as the primary DNA of every Jew the vast importance of this tradition, no contact for all questions and concerns, from the moment of matter their level of observance in other areas of life. When birth until weeks after the procedure, as well as being a a practice is safeguarded through trial and pain, it imbues guiding hand through the ritualistic aspects on the day of the that selfsame practice with a strength to defy all logic. Brit Milah. A properly trained Mohel has the ability to help Indeed, giving a newborn Jewish baby a Brit Milah remains transform this experience, for you and your child, into one a time-honoured practice in almost all sects of Jewish which will be cherished and remembered for a lifetime. observance, often to the exclusion of other, even less invasive Rabbi Koehler became a certified Mohel in Jerusalem, and commandments. has performed the Brit Milah ceremony in Israel, Why should I have my baby's circumcision done by a Switzerland, and Canada. He would be happy to hear any questions you may have, and he looks forward to serving you Mohel? Aren't there any risks? this happiest of occasions! on In technical terms, the Brit Milah is performed like any He can be reached at: dovidkoehler@gmail.com, or 587other circumcision: a surgical removal of the foreskin covering the glans, to which it is attached only by a thin layer 566-5565 of flesh, with no intervening sinews or tissue. The process is

Mitchell and Kelly Goldford welcome Talia Joyce Goldford.

She was born Friday March 16th, 2018.

Her maternal grandparents are Wayne and Bernine Ross of Cape Town, SA and Gilda and Eric Schraibman of Toronto.

Her paternal grandparents are Howard and Leah Goldford of Edmonton.

Great grandmothers Ghita Sandler of Johannesburg, SA and Mavis Horwitz of Cape Town, SA. Great grandfathers George Goldford and Maurice Furman of Edmonton.

It's a boy!

On March 8th 2018, Lee and Amy Tappenden proudly welcomed the arrival of their baby boy, Anthony Jacob Tappenden.

Book your simcha announcement, gift appreciation and congrats notice in Edmonton Jewish News at special discounted rates.

Email edmjnews@shaw.ca for details.

March 20, 2018

Edmonton Jewish News

Page 13

Intergenerational Fun at the Jewish Senior Citizen’s Centre It has been a cold, snowy, slippery Edmonton winter but guests at the Jewish Senior Citizen’s Centre have enjoyed a variety of warming programs – something for every taste!

Following our wonderful tradition of bringing different cultures to the Centre, we enjoyed Indian Culture day with an interesting, colourful presentation by Donna Hamar and traditional Indian food. We also enjoyed a joyful, warmalicious Hawaiian party, with tropical decorations provided by Chabad and a senior Hawaiian dancers team.

We enjoyed the Tu B' Shevat lunch at which Sharon Bookhalter and Jerry Glasser showed a very interesting travelogue of their participation in a JNF bicycle mission in Israel. Another heartwarming program was Anna Marie Sewell reading her own Aboriginal poetry.

The highlight of our March programming was our Purim celebration: Rabbi Mendy started with reading the Megillah accompanied by three of his sons dressed in funky costumes and audiences booing the name of you know who. This was

followed by a hilarious Purim spiel, original script written by Barry Greenspan z’l enhanced with appropriate updates. Our special thanks for direction, production and performance to our talented members: Beryl Nahornick, Bev Sonmor, Clarice Switzer, Lewis Wasel, Mel Wyne and Ed Mickelson.

Mixed Fruit and Poppy Seed Hamantashen were enjoyed by all and many guests purchased Purim was a really enjoyable celebration at the Jewish Senior Citizens Centre our goodies to treat their loved - complete with a spiel, megillah and all the hamentashen you could eat. A ones at home. post Pesach party will be held on April 10.

We wish you Chag Pesach Please connect with us over the phone 780-488-4241 or Sameah and look forward to seeing you at our Annual Post email jdic@shaw.ca Pesach Pancake Party on Tuesday, April 10 at 12p.m.

erstwhile associates have turned state’s witness.

Since he has pleaded innocence, a crippling crisis of political legitimacy is unfolding. The upheaval is paralyzing government decisionmaking.

This is a truly demoralizing moment. Israel's inception heralded the return of an ancient nation to its ancestral homeland. After the horrors of the Holocaust, it was virtually unimaginable that the Jewish people could ever regroup, much less under its own sovereign flag. Ethical abuses, even if not criminal, are an abomination to this legacy.

Ironically, Netanyahu’s legal troubles come when Israel’s prestige is at its zenith. The country rounded out the Top 10 – just ahead of the U.S. – on Bloomberg's 2018 ranking of the world's most innovative economies. The perils of a nuclear Iran have induced rare convergence of interest between the Jewish state and the region’s Sunni monarchs. And Netanyahu himself has been warmly received on every continent save Antarctica. Undeniably, he has done many things right.

Israeli voters deserve better

By Shalom Lipner JERUSALEM (JTA) – Israelis tend toward hyperbole. It’s symptomatic of their manic-depressive reality, where a hair's breadth separates them from tenuous peace and full-scale war with their neighbors.

Depending on whom you ask here, the situation is always “never better” or “never worse.” With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mired in scandal and Israel still teetering on the brink of elections, the pessimists now have the edge. The optimists need to seize back the initiative.

I worked for over a quarter-century in the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, where I pledged to serve a cause larger than myself. Every minute in the building was an honor. I was a professional adviser to elected masters of different political allegiances. That experience inspires me now to sound the alarm.

Netanyahu stands accused of rife corruption. His

This paradox presents an agonizing dilemma for Israelis.

Netanyahu’s supporters continue to overlook his apparent indiscretions, clamoring to retain an arguably adept prime minister. With hostilities raging on Israel’s borders, they assert, this is the wrong time to replace Netanyahu with an amateur. Cabinet members are resisting calls to hasten his resignation.

But what of Israel’s core values? The challenge of survival in a dangerous area commands Israelis to put security imperatives first, yet that must never be the sole parameter for leadership. Morality and good citizenship are no less vital to Israel’s health. With former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert just released from jail and Netanyahu facing a possible indictment, the implications for Israel's future are menacing.

Similar dynamics impact the United States, where polarized politics have corroded the public square.

Inexcusable behavior by senior administration officials goes unchecked by partisan allies of the White House. The message sent to our children when misconduct is condoned

Continued on page 14

Page 14

Edmonton Jewish News

March 20, 2018

B’nai Brith Canada welcomes new Manager of Public Affairs in Alberta EDMONTON - B'nai Brith Canada is proud to announce that Abe Silverman has joined the organization as Manager of Public Affairs in Alberta.

Silverman will be based in Edmonton, where he will be building relationships and effectively promoting B'nai Brith Canada's mandate of combating antisemitism and empowering the grassroots Jewish community throughout the province.

Silverman has a long history of active participation in the Canadian Jewish community. Amongst his many roles, he has served as president of the Edmonton Jewish Federation, Edmonton ZOC, JNF Edmonton and the BB Canada Edmonton Flight College. He also was a board member for Edmonton Talmud Torah, Camp BB, Jewish Family Service and UIA Canada.

Silverman also has extensive experience in education, having spent the past 15 years teaching classes and lecturing in universities, churches, service clubs and business

Israeli

Cont. from page 13

and civic institutions are disrespected is devastating. Their faith in liberal democracy is being destroyed.

Israel is spiraling toward the polls. Netanyahu's haredi Orthodox associates, exploiting his vulnerability, nearly brought down his government this week. Palpable mistrust within its ranks all but guarantees continued strain and impending elections.

But this coalition crisis is fortuitous. Israelis should consider it an invitation for sweeping reform.

It’s time to dismantle the party list scheme, in which voters cast ballots only for parties, not individuals. An attempt to produce stable governance in the 1990s by directly electing the prime minister was scrapped five years later, but it was the experiment's limited scope that preordained its failure. All candidates for parliament should answer to the unfiltered scrutiny of constituents. They need to know that their jobs depend on delivering for the people next door.

associations about topics such as the Holocaust and Israel.

"We're thrilled to have Abe join the B'nai Brith Family," said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B'nai Brith Canada. "Abe's experience and passion for the betterment of the Canadian Jewish community along with with B'nai Brith's goal of reestablishing a strong presence in Western Canada make for an exciting combination and a bright future in the region."

Abe can be reached at asilverman@bnaibrith.ca

Abe Silverman (centre) was recently appointed as the new B'nai Brith Manager of Public Affairs in Alberta. He is pictured above with filmmaker Ian Halperin and B'nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn.

It’s also time for term limits. The hubris, entitlement and control accumulating to elected officials who become fixtures of power are sources of rot. Opponents will argue that Israel cannot afford to give the keys to minor leaguers, but the pool of retired generals and mayors is constantly replenishing. New blood is needed to revive the body politic and flush out the infection.

Checks and balances are not something that sitting representatives volunteer to impose upon themselves. But an absurd reality where an overburdened premier, with no designated alternate, can hoard multiple portfolios – or vet the solicitor who determines whether he gets indicted – cries for overhaul. Such repairs will facilitate more responsible management of public affairs and coffers.

Our freedoms become worthless when those who mock them are not held accountable. Simply voting, as sacred and essential as that is, does not guarantee democracy. Voters deserve a process that promotes principled governance. And they are entitled to expect scrupulous behavior from their leaders. It’s intolerable that competence and virtue should be mutually exclusive. Israelis should clean their political homes for Passover, too.

If Netanyahu is indicted and eventually lands in prison, it will be a sad day for all Israelis. But this ordeal will be repeated unless all hands – left and right, conservative and

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mired in scandal, pessimists have the edge, writes Shalom Lipner. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90/JTA) liberal – unite to restore the integrity of law and ethics. A broken system needs to be fixed.

Shalom Lipner [@ShalomLipner] is nonresident senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. From 1990 to 2016, he served seven consecutive premiers at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.

March 20, 2018

Edmonton Jewish News

Happy Passover from the Winterstein Family

from Rabbi & Rabbanit Friedman, Millie, Jamie-Anna, Ella-Bracha and Liv Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Henry & Lily Cynamon

Best wishes to my friends and family for a Happy Passover from Judi Card Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Liz, Mel and Sara Orenstein

from Robin & David Marcus and family Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from from Judy Edelman

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Robert, Margaret, Ariella and Josh Pokroy

Happy Passover from Jane, Hersh, Derek, Corey & Annie Sobel Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover, from Abner Rubin

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Sivan, Terry and family

from Meirvav, Doron, Naama and Shira Or

From Gaylene Soifer & Jeff Rubin and family

Wishing family and friends: Chag sameach for Pesach! from Hinda Lipshitz

from Stan & Rosemary Kitay, Naomi Beck and family Wishing our friends and family a happy and healthy Passover from Nikki, Naomi, Jared and Stephanie Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Errol, Renee, Daniel, Ariella and Aiden Raff

from the Wasel Family

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Anita Sky & Howard Davidow Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Anna, Forrest, Adina and Naomi Zeisler Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Mindy Jacobs & Eoin Kenny

from Riva & Howard Shein and family Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Dr. Samuel & Eva Weisz

from the Bushewsky Family Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Beryl Nahornick and Bev Sonmor

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Gail, Kevin, Justin and Alana Milner & Helen Markovich

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Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Mark & Sharon Katzeff and family Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Faren Hochman & Ari Sniderman

from Megan Karlowsky & Gabe Mandel Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Lewis & Freya Wasel

Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Jodi, Michael and Rebecca Zabludowsky

Happy Passover from Bruce & Susan Mintz Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Mel, Rob, Lara and Lisa Fainsinger

From Dov Wood & Shira Banks

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from the Besney Family

from Shimon & Esther Ohayon Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Mark, Michelle, Kyle and Jordan Huberman Wishing the whole Jewish community of Edmonton a Happy Passover! Pesach Kosher ve Sameach! from the Massarsky Family

Happy Passover from Ivy & Dave Broesky

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Edmonton Jewish News

Happy Passover from Keith, Lauren, Ezra and Shira Tankel from Hal Zalmanowitz Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from the Steiner Family

From Brenda & Gary Nahornick and family

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Jack, Rowena and Daryl Schwatzberg Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Daniel, Marina, Molly and Hannah Starkman Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Farrel Shadlyn, Lisa Miller, Ariana, Toban and Tevin

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Bernie & Miriam Adler Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Valda Levin

from Shulamit Gil and Keith Dannacker

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Ron Sorokin, Lisa Redmond, Jaime and Jack

Happy Passover from Glen & Susan Binnington

from Luba, Melany, Joel, Jacob, Cas, Micah and Lev Eitan Allen Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover, from Dr. Jerome Yager and Cintia Kezerle

from Jeff, Shira, Jacob, Akiva, Shlomo, Yehuda and Benyamin Sheckter

from Aubrey and Draytin Rogerville

Happy Passover from Sharon Abbott Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Mona, Dan, Zale & Caroline, Aron and Caleb Rosenberg

from Jonathan, Zac and Gabriella Tankel Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Mila & Igor Lutsky and family

March 20, 2018

Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Robert Aaron

from Barry Zalmanowitz & June Ross Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Dr. Michael & Sylvia Alpern

from Grant, Lemore, Nathaniel and Ellie Vogel Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Shelley Weinstein & Bruce Bradley Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Lena, Victor, David and Josh Linetsky

from Murray & Reisa Sheckter, Josh and Shayna Segal

Happy Passover from Denise, Michael, Sarah and Melissa Webster Wishing the Jewish community a happy and healthy Passover from Auby, Diana, Sarah and Jeremiah Levine

Best wishes to our friends and family for a Happy Passover from Abe & Joan Goldstein and family

The Edmonton Chapter of Na'amat thanks the Jewish Community and the Edmonton Jewish News for supporting this holiday greeting fundraising project

March 20, 2018

Edmonton Jewish News

New children's books for Passover and spring, too

By Penny Schwartz (JTA) -- A talking parrot saves the family seder and a moose-musician is eager to host his perfect first Passover meal in a pair of delightful new children's books for the holiday, which this year begins on the night of March 30. A third book celebrates the rich diversity of the Jewish people through photographs.

Looking beyond Passover, a new crop of Jewish children's books beckons for the spring that includes a picture book on Moe Berg, the Jewish baseball player who became a spy for the U.S. government; an adventure chapter book that travels back to the days of King Solomon; and a rollicking graphic novel on the life story of Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Paulie's Passover Predicament Written by Jane Sutton; illustrated by Barbara Vagnozzi Kar-Ben; ages 3-8 Paulie is a guitar-playing moos-ician who is hosting his very first seder and wants it to be just perfect. At the grocery store, he piles his cart with boxes of matzah, candles and lots of grape juice. But Paulie's guests -- a porcupine, bear, bunny and others -- giggle and poke fun at his seder plate with its really big ostrich egg, saltwater with pepper, and pine cones rather than walnuts for the ceremonial charoset.

Kids will get in on the action when Paulie sets out to search for the hidden afikomen -- until the basement door closes shut behind him. Paulie ingeniously solves the problem and later leads his friends in a rousing rendition of "Dayenu"; he is especially grateful for his freedom. Jane Sutton's playful story, enhanced by Barbara Vagnozzi's brightly colored illustrations, captures the excitement of celebrating Passover with a tender touch that reinforces the importance of being kind to friends.

The Passover Parrot

by Evelyn Zusman; illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker Kar-Ben; ages 3-8 Lily lives in a brownstone in Brooklyn with her parents and six brothers and sisters. She loves swinging on a tire swing that hangs from a large tree in their New York City backyard. As the family prepares to celebrate Passover, a neighbor who is moving drops off her pet parrot as a gift that delights Lily -- her mom, however, doesn't share the excitement. The parrot's name is Hametz, the word for bread and other leavened food that is not eaten during Passover.

Lily is determined to recite the Four Questions in Hebrew at the seder, but everyone is too busy to help her practice.

Except Hametz, that is, who repeats the questions back to Lily. With a houseful of guests for the seder, Lily's father is not amused when Hametz chimes in with Lily and he banishes the parrot to the girl's room. Will the seder be

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Hatzafon Dancers delight

ruined when Lily discovers Hametz and the afikomen missing from her room? Lily solves the mystery and the seder comes to an uplifting end.

This is a newly illustrated 35th anniversary edition of this story by Evelyn Zusman, who was a Hebrew school teacher in New York and Los Angeles, according to Kar-Ben. A lively Lily and playful Hametz are center stage throughout the book's large, colorful illustrations by Canadian artist Kyrsten Brooker. She draws readers in on the scenes that evoke a nostalgic feel of urban Jewish life in the early to mid-20th century.

We Are Jewish Faces

by Debra B. Davick Apples & Honey Press; ages 5-8 This joyful collection of colorful photographs conveys the rich diversity of Jews today, with the faces of Jewish children and teens with their grandparents, friends, brothers and sisters. While the recommended age range is 5Of course the younger dancers are so adorable, they always 8, the lively but simple photographs will appeal steal the show - to the delight of everyone in the audience! to even younger ones, who will be fascinated by the smiling, cheerful faces of other kids. The This is the second in the "Scarlett and Sam" series, a settings traverse the globe and the Jewish life cycle and Jewish chapter book for older readers. Eric Kimmel, a calendar, from blowing the shofar, eating matzah and popular and award-winning author, delivers a fun adventure lighting a Hanukkah menorah to graduations, bar mitzvah story with returning fictional twins Scarlett and Sam, who celebrations and other milestones. Kids are dressed in travel back in time to ancient Jerusalem, where they face the contemporary clothes and traditional elaborately decorated challenge of finding a mythical insect called the shamir that Yemenite clothing. the ruler needs to build the First Temple.

In an author's note, Debra Davick writes that she was Roller Coaster Grandma: The Amazing Story of Dr. Ruth first inspired to create the book by visiting her children

by Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and Pierre Lehu; illustrated Jewish day school many years ago -- a community that

by Mark Simmons included Jewish children from an array of Jewish families.

Apples & Honey Press; ages 8-12 Here are some new Jewish titles on the springtime In this graphic novel, kids follow the remarkable life bookshelves: journey of Ruth Westheimer, the popular sex-therapist The Spy Who Played Baseball media star known as Dr. Ruth who fled the Nazis on a

by Carrie Jones; illustrated by Gary Cherrington Kindertransport, trained as a sniper with the Haganah in Kar-Ben; ages 5-9 Israel and immigrated to the U.S. Nothing says spring like baseball. This new book introduces kids to the unusual story of Moe Berg, a Princeton-educated, multi-lingual major leaguer from the 1930s who was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. During World War II, Berg became an intelligence officer for the U.S. war efforts, including in Nazicontrolled Europe.

Search for the Shamir

by Eric A. Kimmel; illustrations by Ivica Stevanovic Kar-Ben; ages 6-9

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Edmonton Jewish News

March 20, 2018

Your favorite Jewish foods, updated for Passover

By Shannon Sarna (JTA) -- Two of my family’s favorite dishes are schnitzel and rainbow cookies, and I have a feeling your family may feel the same. Here's some great news about both: They very easily translate into Passover-friendly versions with minor adjustments.

While you could serve them for your seder meals, both are great to enjoy during chol hamoed, the intermediate days of the holiday, when you’re sick of eating leftover brisket and coconut macaroons.

Passover-Friendly Chicken Schnitzel Schnitzel is satisfying and easy to make, and will be the perfect dinner served with some roasted potatoes and a simple green salad.

Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken cutlets Salt and pepper 2 eggs, beaten 2 teaspoons kosher-for-Passover mustard or hot sauce 1 teaspoon water 1 1/2 cups matzah meal 1/2 cup almond meal 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional) 2 tablespoons dried parsley 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Vegetable or canola oil for frying Directions: 1. Combine eggs, mustard or hot sauce and water in a large bowl. Combine matzah meal, almond meal, sesame seeds (if using), parsley, paprika, salt and pepper in another large bowl.

2. Dredge each chicken cutlet into egg mixture, then into matzah meal mixture, pressing down to ensure the entire piece is cover. Lay flat on a plate or baking sheet.

3. Pour oil into large sauté pan to about 1 1/2 inches high over medium-high heat.

4. Fry chicken cutlets in batches, 2-3 at a time, until golden on each side -depending on thickness of chicken, around 3 minutes each side. Take care not to overcrowd the pan or chicken will not cook properly.

5. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.

6. While chicken is still hot from pan, sprinkle each cutlet with additional pinch of salt.

Passover-Friendly Chicken Schnitzel and Passover-Friendly Rainbow Cookies.

Passover-Friendly Directions: Rainbow Cookies 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your pans. Add Rainbow cookies are such a beloved American staple. The task may seem intimating, but once you make your own -- parchment paper to bottom of each pan. Grease again and especially this Passover-friendly version – you will never go add light dusting of matzah cake meal. Tap pan to remove any excess flour. back to the store-bought version.

2. Using a hand mixer (or whisk attachment to stand Ingredients: mixer), mix eggs and sugar until thick and yellow. Add For the cake: crumbled almond paste and combine.

4 eggs 3. Add melted butter (or margarine), matzah cake meal, 1 cup white sugar almond flour, salt and vanilla.

4 ounces almond paste, broken into little pieces or 4. Divide batter into 3 even amounts. (Try using a food processed in food processor for 30 seconds scale if eyeballing is too difficult). Leave one plain. Add green 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter or margarine food coloring to one batch of batter. Add red food coloring to 1/2 cup matzah cake meal the other batch of batter.

1/2 cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal) 5. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 8-9 minutes, 1/2 teaspoon salt or until just set and no longer wet in the middle.

1/2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract 6. Allow to cool completely.

Red and green food coloring (about 8 drops each) 7. Place chocolate, shortening and pinch of salt in a glass bowl. Microwave for 30-second intervals until melted. Stir For the chocolate glaze: vigorously to ensure there are no clumps.

1 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips 8. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of a platter or 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or vegetable oil baking sheet. Add red cake layer to parchment paper. Spread Pinch salt thin layer of raspberry jam. Top with white layer. Add Special equipment: 3 square baking pans, offset spatula, another thin layer of raspberry jam. Top with green cake. food scale 9. Carefully spread half the melted chocolate on top. Place in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes or until completely hard.

10. Turn over and spread remaining chocolate on other side. Place back in refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.

11. Trim edges and slice into cookies.

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March 20, 2018

Edmonton Jewish News

Page 19

This month's update from Talmud Torah School

The Jewish holidays are always an important time at Edmonton Talmud Torah School and Purim is always a special time for fun and frivolity.The staff and students celebrated Purim with costumes, treats and the reading of the Megillat Esther. Everyone got into the spirit of the holiday. Then right on the heels of Purim it was time to start getting ready for Pesach with Rabbi Dovid and the Mazah Factory. Everyone had a great time learning to bake matzah. For information about attending Talmud Torah School contact Executive Director Gerald Sorokin at 780-481-3377 or geraldsorokin@talmudtorahsociety.com.

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Edmonton Jewish News

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YOM HAZIKARON The Official Memorial Ceremony for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Service will open with a siren at 8:00 PM Temple Beth Ora 12313 105 Ave.

Program in Hebrew and English

The ceremony will be followed by an evening of Israeli songs

Coming together to honour Israel’s fallen

March 20, 2018