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bulletin volume 74, no. 11

march 22, 2010

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Renowned Holocaust educator to address Yom HaShoah ceremony

Hillel Academy siddur party Rachel Lyman, holding a siddur with her hand-drawn cover, was one of the proud Grade 1 students at Hillel Academy who received their siddurs, March 8.

(Photo:Jackie Luffman)

By Michael Regenstreif Ester Malek was born in Szatmár, Hungary – now Satu Mare, Romania – in 1924 and grew up as one of six children in a very strict Satmar Chassidic family. In May, 1944, when she was 19 years old, the family was part of the mass deportation of Hungarian Jews to the Nazi death camp AuschwitzBirkenau.

Of the eight members of her immediate family, and 89 members of her extended family, only Ester and one sister survived the Holocaust.

The murder of her family – and six million other Jews – in the Nazi genocide was something Ester, now known as Eva Olsson, couldn’t bring herself to speak about publicly, or even privately,

for 50 years. Today, though, the author of two books and the subject of a documentary film is one of Canada’s most renowned Holocaust educators.

Eva will be the keynote speaker for Ottawa’s Yom HaShoah commemoration, Sunday, April 11, 7:00 pm, at the Joseph and Rose Ages Family Building on the Jewish Community Campus.

Eva spoke with the Bulletin recently explaining that she realized something was very wrong after arriving at Auschwitz and seeing Joseph Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor sending some people to the left and some to the right.

The Hungarian Jews had been told they were being sent to work in a brick factory when they were (Continued on page 2)

Eva Olsson will address Ottawa’s Yom HaShoah commemoration, April 11.

Israeli-Arab journalist refutes ‘Israeli apartheid’

By Michael Regenstreif Groups like Students Against Israeli Apartheid and other such organizations behind this month’s Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) activities on campuses in 40 cities in North America and Europe, including Ottawa, “are not pro-Palestinian,” said a prominent Arab journalist on a visit to Ottawa during IAW. “They’re just anti-Israel.”

Khaled Abu Toameh, who covers the West Bank and Gaza for the Jerusalem Post and U.S. News and World Report, is the Palestinian affairs producer for NBC News and a documentary filmmaker. He spoke out strongly against IAW during an evening appearance, March 3, at Temple Israel im-

mediately following a lecture to students at Carleton University.

He was on a whirlwind tour of campuses timed to coincide with IAW. Toameh, a Muslim who lives in Jerusalem and sends his children to school there, used examples from his own life to refute the concept of Israeli apartheid.

The son of an Israeli-Arab father and a Palestinian mother from the West Bank, Toameh grew up in Israel and graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“Twenty per cent of Hebrew University students are Arabs,” he pointed out.

He said he spent his first seven years as a journalist working for a PLO newspaper,

a job he found frustrating because, unlike Israel, “which has a free and open media … there is no free media in the Palestinian areas.

“The only way I could become a real journalist was to work for the international and Israeli media.”

Toameh began working as a translator, facilitator and producer for NBC News, guiding the network’s news correspondents in their coverage of the West Bank and Gaza. Soon, the Jerusalem Post asked him to report on Palestinian affairs.

As a journalist, Toameh spends time in Gaza and the West Bank covering the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) and Hamas. He is

dismissive of both. Fatah because of its culture of rampant corruption and Hamas because of its goal to create a theocratic Islamic state.

“My hope,” he said, “is for a Palestinian state with a government that looks more like Israel’s than any Arab government.”

Toameh placed blame for the failure of the Oslo process squarely on the shoulders of Yasser Arafat.

“The idea of Oslo was good,” he said, “but not the way it was implemented because it relied on Arafat.

“Oslo was about preparing for statehood, but Arafat stole the money,” hiding it in (Continued on page 2)

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Page 2 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

Zeev Vered named to Wall of Fame The late Zeev Vered, a philanthropist well known in Ottawa’s and Canada’s Jewish community, and in the community-at-large, has become just the sixth person to be named to the Wall of Fame of the Ottawa Construction Association (OCA).

Vered, who passed away in 2008, was born in Germany in 1926 and escaped to Palestine in 1935. Both he, and his wife, Sara, participated in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948 before coming to Canada in 1950 to study at McGill University.

Vered moved to Ottawa in 1957, established Ron Engineering and Construction in 1958, and, later, the Arnon Group of companies. He became one of Ottawa’s most prominent builders and a philanthropist who supported the arts, education, health care and many projects in the Jewish community. He was named to the Order of Canada in 2002.

Vered’s induction to the

The late Zeev Vered

OCA Wall of Fame took place February 25 at the OCA annual general meeting.

“For my father to be recognized by his peers in such a meaningful way is a true testament to the Ottawa Construction Association and to my father’s achievements,” said son Arnie Vered in accepting the honour on his family’s behalf.

‘Message of hatred doesn’t help’ (Continued from page 1)

Swiss bank accounts and financing a lavish lifestyle for his Parisbased wife.

“It was Arafat’s corruption that drove people into the arms of Hamas.”

Toameh said that more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in the power struggle between Fatah and Hamas and “it’s only Israel’s presence that stops Hamas and the PLO from unleashing suicide bombers on each other.”

Toameh said he didn’t think either Hamas or Fatah is a viable peace partner for Israel.

“Hamas is clear. They want an Islamic state [that includes all Israeli territory in addition to the West Bank and Gaza]. And Fatah is weak and corrupt. Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] is afraid of his own people.”

Toameh said that Palestinian statehood was something Palestinians had to build for themselves by establishing good government and showing it to the world.

“We Arabs must accept responsibility for ourselves instead of blaming the Jews for everything.”

Arab-Israeli journalist Khaled Abu Toameh speaks, March 3, at Temple Israel.

Toameh added that other Arab countries in the Middle East do not care about the Palestinians.

“Israel helps Palestinians more than 20 Arab regimes combined,” he said bitterly.

Turning back to IAW, Toameh said that, as an Arab-Israeli and Palestinian, the IAW “message of hatred doesn’t help me.”

He said, “Israeli apartheid is unknown as a concept in the West

Bank and Gaza.”

It’s only on visits to North America in recent years that he’s encountered it.

Toameh said the activists who purport to be pro-Palestinian should look beyond Israel to see actual apartheid-like policies being applied to Palestinians.

“Palestinians in Lebanon are banned from more than 60 professions,” he said.

Survivor was silent about the Holocaust for 50 years (Continued from page 1)

loaded onto the cattle cars that took them to Auschwitz.

“But I could see this was not a brick factory,” Eva recalled.

Eva credits her strong faith with helping her to

survive the Holocaust.

“It wasn’t God, it was people,” she said, who were responsible for the Holocaust. “You have to have faith; my belief in God has not wavered.”

After the war, Eva and

her sister were in Germany.

With almost all of her family wiped out, “I did not want to go back [to Szatmár] and I didn’t want to stay in Germany,” she said.

Instead, she went to Sweden.

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“I married a Swede [Rude Olsson], who helped me balance my life.”

The Olssons immigrated to Canada in 1951, settling in Montreal, then moving to Toronto in 1954, where they had a son. A decade later, Rude Olsson died from a brain injury sustained in a car accident.

Left alone with a young son, no other family, education or job qualifications, and with an intense fear of antiSemitism, Eva moved to Bracebridge in the Muskoka region. She maintained her silence about the Holocaust for another three decades.

“Bubba, I want to know how your mother died,” Eva’s six-and-half-year-old grandson said to her one day in 1995.

Not wanting to respond to such a difficult question from such a young child, Eva told him he was too young to hear about what happened.

“Bubba, I’m older now,” the boy said a few months later on his seventh birthday.

Answering her grandson’s questions stirred a need in Eva to help people understand the Holocaust.

“I knew then that I had a purpose,” she said.

Already in her 70s, Eva reinvented herself as a Holocaust educator. She gave her first presentation to a class of Grade 7 and 8 students in 1996. She has since made more than 2,500 presentations, the vast majority at schools, but also to community groups, to the military and to the United Nations.

Eva has written two books. She tells her life story in her autobiography, Unlocking the Doors: A Woman’s Struggle Against Intolerance, published in 2001.

Her second book was published in 2008. In Remembering Forever: A Journey of Darkness and Light, Eva recounts a trip she took in 2007 that retraces her Holocaust journey from Satu Mare (now in Romania) to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, then to Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen in Germany, and finally to Sweden as a refugee.

The world has not learned enough from the Holocaust, Eva said, given the hatred that still exists and that lies at the root of so many of the world’s conflicts.

And that is why Eva is so dedicated to Holocaust education.

“Eliminating hate,” she said, “will change the world.”

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 3

Page 4 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

In Memoriam

Irv Singer, Temple Israel cofounder and community activist, passes away

By Cynthia Nyman Engel The obituary in the Ottawa Citizen listed his legal name, Irwin Singer. But, to family and friends, he was always Irv. And, when Irv Singer died on January 31, Ottawa’s Jewish community lost a force to be reckoned with.

Irv was born 83 years ago in Chicago, Illinois, but the family moved to Toronto when he was just a toddler.

Soon after he graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in mechanical engineering, Irv married his childhood sweetheart, Elaine Finberg.

“Dad was 17 and Mom was 14 when they met,” says his daughter Margo Rosen.

“They were together ever since.”

Irv had been working in his profession for a year when his father asked him to come into the family’s dress manufacturing business. When the business folded, Irv was hired immediately by the Government of Ontario. That position ultimately led to an offer from the federal Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce and, in 1965, the Singers, now totalling five, packed up and moved to Ottawa.

The Singers had been active members of Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple, a Reform

congregation and, before they left for Ottawa, Rabbi Gunther Plaut reminded the couple they would need to enrol the children in a religious school. The good rabbi meant a Reform religious school, of course.

But, in 1965, no Reform congregation existed in Ottawa.

Enter Irv and Elaine Singer. In 1966, the Singers and several interested families met to create Ottawa’s first Reform congregation and, on Friday, December 2, 1966, the Jewish Reform Congregation of Ottawa, with a membership of 17 families, held its first religious service and Oneg Shabbat at the W.E. Gowling Public School.

The next year, the congregation’s constitution was ratified, the name Temple Israel was chosen and Temple Israel Religious School was formed.

Today, Temple Israel boasts an active congregation of more than 385 families, its own building and ambitious future plans.

Irv and Elaine Singer, the first husband and wife to serve as Temple presidents, were actively involved from day one.

Irv’s devotion to Temple Israel was unwavering and sincere. In his eulogy, Rabbi Steven Garten recalled he never knew Irv to sit through an entire worship service.

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“It was not because he found them boring or objectionable, it was because he heard a divine voice calling him to a different sacred task,” Rabbi Garten said.

“Irv felt that welcoming people to Temple Israel was a divine task. For more than 40 years, he served as an usher during Shabbat and High Holy Days. Ushering was not simply assigning unoccupied seats to late comers. Ushering was reaching out to old friends, new friends and visitors and saying, ‘Welcome to Temple Israel. We want you to feel welcome. We want you to feel like I do, that this sacred community can be your sacred community.

“Elaine, Margo, Steven and Mark stopped counting how many visitors Irv invited home for Shabbat dinner ... I stopped counting the number of guests and visitors Irving cajoled into staying for Kiddush lunch. Many would eventually join Temple and some would become leaders in Temple due to Irv.” Margo chuckles, remembering her dad as the ‘candy man.’

“When kids went out during services to play in the lobby, Dad would hand them a candy and they would be happy and quiet.”

She also recalls her father’s fervent wish that Temple members have a place to be buried.

“Sitting at the funeral service in the Temple, I thought, this is what Dad wanted,” Margo said. “And at the cemetery, I thought, this is the full cycle.”

With Elaine by his side, Irv established the first Pesach seder for Russian immigrants, raising thousands of dollars so that Russian Jews, who were largely uninvolved in Ottawa’s Jewish life, could celebrate Pesach with a kosher meal and a Haggadah.

Irwin (Irv) Singer, a cofounder of Temple Israel, led many Temple and community initiatives over the years.

(Photo: Michelle Valberg)

Along with Elaine, Irv initiated the Pesach Basket Program which, at its height, was delivering Pesach foods to more than 300 families annually.

In 1989, he passionately cajoled the community to reach out to the Jewish poor and needy.

“He kicked hard enough that the Diener brothers of Saslove Meats and B’nai Brith lodges would fill the basement of the old JCC on Chapel Street, creating an assembly line to package, to wrap and to the deliver these gifts,” Rabbi Garten said. “Under Irv’s watch, thousands of dollars were donated to make the baskets, hundreds of volunteers, young and old, were galvanized by his passion.”

Irv enjoyed a lifelong association with B’nai Brith that began in Toronto and continued throughout his lifetime in Ottawa.

Irv is survived by his wife, Elaine, children Mark (Jackie), Margo (Frank) Rosen, and Steven (Terri); and seven grandchildren.

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 5

Adam Moscoe, in December, at the Children’s Home of Save a Child’s Heart in Holon, Israel.

Israel Awareness on campus:

Notes from the field

By Adam Moscoe Israel Awareness Committee Editor’s note: Adam Moscoe is a University of Ottawa student active on the Israel Awareness Committee.

Standing up for Israel on campus demands more of Jewish student leaders than perhaps any other endeavour. A significant degree of creativity is needed to educate university students about one of the world’s most complex international conflicts.

The Israel Awareness Committee of Ottawa (IAC) has much to be proud of this semester. The recent Israeli Apartheid Week provides a unique opportunity to reflect on our successes and failures, as we seek to make the pro-Israel voice heard clearly, while advocating for peace-centric dialogue on campus.

In a few short months, IAC has educated thousands of students about Israel, raised money for Save a Child’s Heart, built coalitions with numerous student groups, and trained Jewish student leaders how to more effectively advocate for Israel on campus.

In December, while in Israel with Hasbara Fellowships, I spent a heartwarming morning in Holon at the Children’s Home of Save a Child’s Heart, which provides lifesaving heart surgery to children from developing countries. When I returned home, members of the IAC and I began preparing for our first ever Party for a Child’s Heart. The event took place on February 11 and was a major success – raising nearly $1,000 while showing students that Israel and its advocates are passionate about humanitarian causes.

IAC was pleased to join forces with the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students to launch two major campaigns in late-February.

The Size Doesn’t Matter campaign created a stir for its provocative video, yet the innuendos proved successful in drawing attention to Israel – our tiny nation with “big pride,” a “big heart” and a “big appetite for peace.”

Dressed in purple and black, we distributed thousands of giveaways, from cake (“Piece

for Peace”) to condoms that said “Everybody has the right to self-defense.”

We also educated students about Israel’s desire for peace, its support for the rights of minorities, including homosexuals, and its commitment to innovation. Size Doesn’t Matter drew unprecedented buzz from the 90 per cent of students on campus not typically interested in Israel.

During the following week, IAC participated in the Truth Campaign, which dealt more directly with the political issues, using the slogan “you can’t play with the truth.” We hosted several exciting speakers who helped fuel a more academic debate on campus.

Barry Rubin, of the Interdisciplinary Centre in Herzliya, Israel, gave an overview of the larger Arab world and its influences on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Khaled Abu Toameh, an Arab-Israeli journalist with the Jerusalem Post, demystified the conflicts between Hamas and Fatah, the barriers to achieving the two-state solution, and his life as an Arab-Israeli citizen. Abu Toameh called for students to forego anti-Israel activism, and seek concrete ways to help the Palestinian people.

Finally, Joel Kotek, a professor at the Free University of Brussels and the Institut d’Études Poltitiques de Paris, compared traditional anti-Semitic propaganda to modern anti-Semitic and anti-Israel imagery.

All three events generated large turnouts and respectful debate, and were co-hosted with other student groups, such as the Carleton Political Science Society.

In addition to all of this activity, we were pleased to see many student leaders stand up for Israel, advocate for dialogue and condemn Israeli Apartheid Week – on campus and in campus media.

Standing up for Israel can be exhausting – but it has sure been rewarding this semester at University of Ottawa and Carleton University!

For more information about the Israel Awareness Committee, contact israelaffairs@hillelottawa.ca.”

Page 6 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

‘Volunteerism is an important tenet in Judaism’ Volunteering is in my DNA. I’ve been a volunteer for most of my life, having started my career at 14 when I joined B’nai Brith Girls in Winnipeg.

Volunteering was especially important to me when we moved to Ottawa in 1973 and I was able to join Hadassah-WIZO and meet the people who became my friends.

Volunteering has given so much back to me – leadership and skills training, boosting my self-esteem, meeting new and interesting people, and learning something new every day.

However, Volunteer Canada tells us that only one of every four people in Canada volunteers and that 75 per cent of volunteer work comes from less than 10 per cent of the Canadian population.

So why is there a general malaise in the community about volunteerism? The lack of enthusiasm is felt not only from the perspective of the need for more volunteers, but from our agencies and organizations that need volunteers. We have 24 thriving beneficiary agencies and all of them could use a helping hand in the countless good things they do. But, something is lost in the communication of that information to the community.

Let me give you an example. I have a friend who found that he had some time on his hands and wanted to use it to volunteer

Federation Report Donna Dolansky Chair in the Jewish community. He decided what he would like to do as a volunteer and contacted the appropriate agency. No one called him back! He tried again and finally did connect with the agency. He is now one of their volunteers, but a less-determined person would have fallen through the cracks and we would have lost his enthusiasm and his talents.

We at Federation are constantly looking for enthusiastic volunteers to chair or to work on events and programs. We end up relying on many of the people who have been involved for years, who (thank you!) are always there for us, but even that list is getting shorter. Just as we experience donor fatigue in our Campaign, we also notice volunteer burnout.

In the past five years, we have instituted new programs or revitalized older ones in order to engage volunteers. One I am referring to is the Jewish Leadership Development Institute, which offers agencies and

organizations a program of skills and leadership training which the participant can bring back to the agency and, hopefully, rise in the ranks of that organization. Another is the Young Women’s Leadership Council, which, as I have mentioned in a previous column, has successfully engaged 15 young women in our community who are learning about the Federation, the Ottawa Jewish community, and gaining leadership development and skills training in the process.

We need to find more ways to reach and cultivate a new generation of volunteers to sit on committees, plan events, chair boards, assist seniors and disabled, and canvass for our Annual Campaign, which is crucial to our community’s stability.

Of course, I named just a few of the many tasks available to volunteers in our community. Volunteers also serve as a liaison between the broader Jewish community and our agencies and organizations. They link people of all ages with meaningful opportunities, and all age groups – children, teens, young and older adults, singles and families, groups of colleagues or friends – can volunteer.

By volunteering your time, you are helping to create a Jewish culture of service that is a meaningful expression of Jewish identity. Volunteerism is an important tenet

in Judaism, putting into action values such as Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) and G’milut Chasadim (Acts of Loving Kindness).

Hillel said, “Do not separate yourself from the community.” Get connected and stay connected!

The Ottawa Jewish InfoCentre has become a great community resource. It is a great place to start if you want to make a community connection of any type. Last year, the InfoCentre started a Shabbat program inviting people to host Shabbat dinners to which newcomers to the community, or anyone wishing to make a community connection, are invited. We have held about six dinners so far and want to see this outreach program flourish, but we need volunteers to step up and get involved.

As well, the InfoCentre will launch a new initiative this spring. An electronic agency newsletter will be produced, in order to give our valued Ottawa Jewish agencies and organizations a regular platform to inform the Jewish community about what they do. Through this, we hope to generate added interest in our organizations and ultimately inspire people to get involved. We need YOU! “Volunteers are seldom paid; not because they are worthless, but because they are PRICELESS!”

Find the Pesach message in the “Ballad of Einstein’s Fiddle” First, Happy Pesach to you all.

This is an unusual From the Pulpit column. Most of the words belong to quite a remarkable man, Larry Weisz.

Larry is a most caring fellow – generous beyond his means, and unusually perceptive.

I am delighted to share this poem, one of Larry’s favourites, with you. I hope you enjoy it. There is a Pesach message in it for you to find. Happy reading.

Ballad of Albert Einstein’s Fiddle Albert Einstein, a theoretical physicist by trade Threw dice with the cosmos, and the violin played He was also quite funny – writing poems, verse, rhymes But apropos music was not always in tune, nor in time He struggled with Schubert, writhed with intricate Bach Yet could not of Stravinsky nor Schoenberg much talk If that’s the best they can do (and thus, so he thought.)

And no better than that Then I’ll get my hair cropped And Ernst “Bloch” my fur hat He played with the greatest, he played with them all La crème de la crème; and with Queen Elizabeth of Belgium Whom he wrote to quite often, penning “Dear Queen...”

Why. I saw it myself in a book – Oh what nerve To call her “Dear Queen,” while Ysaye, her “Ma Cherie” What chutzpah. Such boldness and gall And, quite devoid of respect Wrote the greatest and best physicist of them all Yet what love and devotion had beloved Albert E. For Queen Elizabeth of Belgium mentioned, had he To speak nothing of molecules, electrons and neutrons

From the pulpit Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka Machzikei Hadas Or quantum mechanics and elliptical orbits of atoms Or quarks and their quick or slow motion

“Either come in on time or I’ll open my door And show you the gate Oh Einstein, dear Einstein, please don’t come in late”

In a kind of a diplomat’s foreboding way And for once, not being too nice Continued his chatter and prattled advice

Whereupon, old “Tweedledumb” Einstein – all thumbs – feeble, yet great Picked up his fiddle and again came in late

And utterly admonished and exasperated this haughty

Then, oh dearest of readers, old Arthur – so grand On his battered and beat-up old Steinway – six foot, understand?

Not waxing poetic, nor lyric, but, fey

Pianist – so grand – said to old Albert E. “My dear Albert Einstein, great man and great scientist that you are For God’s sake and my sake can you not count to four!”

Larry Weisz, Ottawa, October 17, 1990

What humour had Albert for a man of such greatness Having neither greed nor venality – but given to lateness Much beloved Albert Einstein had divine intuition No wonder he “actualized” (after Maslow) and brought to his Talents – fruition Then one summer’s eve, so the tale is told (The humour’s divine, like say Mozart’s is gold) He picked up his fiddle, chanced Rubinstein, Arthur, around Now my story unravels Delightful unbound On keyboard and fiddle a Sonata by Schubert they played First Arthur, the intro, while Albert, dismayed Fiddled and fumbled – yes E. missed his “cue” And came in too late. Yes. He came in in the middle On his 1802 Stradivarius fiddle Well. Rubinstein, with an aristocrat’s quite noble bearing And look, taken aback, and somewhat chagrined and not caring Said to dear Albert Einstein – not thinking, not gently “My dear Albert Einstein, great scientist of late If you can’t play in time I will cancel our date”

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 7

The Passover message remains important in our own time Welcome to what we refer to as “the Passover edition” of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin. Not because it’s the issue that comes out during Passover – that will be the next issue, which we’ll send to the printer before the first seder night – but because it’s the last issue that comes out before Passover. As it’s the Passover edition, we’ve included a number of feature articles that deal with the holiday – or, at least, holiday food. For some reason, the JTA Passover features this year were mostly food-oriented. As well, several of our columnists have focussed on Passover themes.

Passover has always been my favourite of all the Jewish holidays. It’s not the food – although I do actually like matzo – or even the enduring seder rituals that make this my favourite Jewish holiday; it’s because I find the Passover message of freedom from slavery and oppression to be so inspirational.

During Passover, we remember the slavery endured by the ancient Israelites in Egypt and celebrate their struggle for freedom and the exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The

Editor Michael Regenstreif Passover Haggadah reminds us that we, like everyone in every generation in the thousands of years since the exodus, must view ourselves as personally moving to freedom from the bondage of slavery.

The remarkable thing about the message of every generation having this personal vision of the exodus from Egypt is that the tradition almost seems to be telling us explicitly to apply the Passover message to our own time.

Jews are not the only people to be inspired and galvanized by the Passover message. When African American slaves in the United States were struggling for their freedom from slavery, just 150 years ago, they took inspiration from the biblical story of the Jewish escape from slavery. The code name of Harriet Tubman, the leader of the Underground

Railroad that helped slaves escape from slavery in the American South to freedom in Canada, was “Moses.” The code name for Canada was “the promised land.”

Today, thousands of years after Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, oppression and slavery still exist in our world. As Jews, we remember the six million murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, but we also remember that the Nazis turned millions of Jews, including so many who were murdered, into slave labourers. That was in the 20th century, just decades ago.

It’s estimated that there are 27 million slaves in today’s world. Clearly, the journey from slavery, begun by Moses, continues in our own time.

IAW resolution fails in Parliament Last issue, I commented on the rare show of unanimity in the Ontario Legislature when MPPs passed a resolution condemning Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW). That same unanimity was not to be found, March 11, when two resolutions in the House of Commons were defeated for lack of unanimous

consent. Conservative MP Tim Uppal proposed a motion in the House that condemned IAW for seeking to delegitimize the State of Israel with the “apartheid” label and voiced ongoing support for a two-state solution; and Bloc Québécois MP Claude DeBellefeuille proposed a motion that denounced both the “apartheid” label for Israel and the labelling of critics of Israel as “antiSemitic,” and that also expressed support for the right of both Israel and the Palestinians to their own states.

Because the resolutions needed unanimous voice votes in order to pass, Hansard doesn’t tell us how many MPs voted against either of these motions, only that they did not pass. However, I was forwarded an e-mail that NDP MP Libby Davies sent to IAW supporters saying she voted against both resolutions.

Happy Passover On behalf of the staff, advisory committee and contributing columnists and reporters at the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, I extend our best wishes to all for a joyous and happy Passover. Chag Sameach.

Conversations on walk to the Promised Land Exodus 15, addendum: Somewhere in the relentlessly empty wilderness of the Sinai desert, the oppressive sun bears down without pity upon the great Israelite multitude wandering slowly and hopefully toward the Promised Land.

A cell phone sounds. Its muffled ringtone is the familiar chorus of an Egyptian folk song, a long-ago chart-topper popular among a slightly older demographic.

It sounds a second time. The elderly man at the front seems momentarily perturbed, maybe by the muffled ringing, maybe by the oppressive heat.

He pulls open the small satchel at his waist, takes out the phone and answers midway through the third ring.

“Hello.”

“Moses?”

“Yes, yes. Who is this?”

“It’s Sid. Moses, how you doing? Where are you anyhow?”

“Sid? Sid who? Do I know you?”

“Of course you know me, Moses. It’s Sid. Remember? I used to play ball against your brother Aaron. Midian vs. Ramses?

Remember the big playoff game?”

“Playoff?”

“Listen, Moses. Never mind that. It was a long time ago. So, how you been?”

“Sid, I’m kind of busy right now. I’m leading my people eastward to Canaan.

It could take awhile. I need to focus on this.”

“Moses, I know what you’re doing, pal.

I’m wandering along with you. Way in the

Alan Echenberg back. I’m just trying to figure out where you are.”

“You’re in back? How far back?”

“I don’t know. Two, three days back, maybe. Israelites in front of me as far as I can see.”

“Two or three days back? That salesman wasn’t kidding when he said this phone had good coverage.”

“So, anyhow, Moses, a few of us here were wondering, you know, how long this was going to take.”

“Take?”

“You know, the wandering and all.”

“The wandering? Look, I’m not sure at this point. Just have a little faith, OK?” “Well, OK. But listen, Moses, the Red Sea parting thing?”

“What about it?”

“Well, it was impressive and all, and I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but, well, it was a little close for those of us in the back.

I was maybe five minutes from drowning along with all of those chariots.”

“Sid?” “Yes, Moses?”

“Walk faster.”

Exodus 32, addendum: “Moses?”

“Yes?” “Hi, it’s Sid. Where are you?”

“Sid, I’m kind of busy right now. Can we talk later?”

“Well, it’s just that you’ve been gone awhile. Up on that mountain. What’s it been, more than a month?”

“Yes, well, it’s a pretty big job.”

“Yeah. What are you doing exactly?”

“You’ll find out soon. Sid, I really can’t talk. I’ve got a heavy load and I’ve got to figure out the best way to get it down the mountain.”

“Really? A present?”

“Kind of. Can we talk when I get back?”

“Sure, Moses. But just quickly, listen, I don’t want to tell tales out of school, but your brother Aaron.”

“What about Aaron?”

“Well, look, OK, I may as well just tell you since you’ll find out anyhow.”

“Sid, what is it?”

“OK. So, Aaron, he kind of built this calf.”

“Built a calf?”

“Yeah. A golden calf. Look, you were gone so long. We were getting a little restless. Anyhow, everyone’s been sort of, well, worshipping it.”

“Worshipping a golden calf? Oh, for the love of! I can’t trust you people alone for even a few days, can I? A golden calf!”

“Look, Moses. I understand you’re upset and all, but I’m just the messenger.”

“Fine, fine. Look, just sit tight. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I need to figure out how I’m going to explain this one.”

“Explain? To whom, Moses?”

“Sid, you know.”

“Oh, right.”

Deuteronomy 34, addendum: “Moses, where are you?”

“I’m on Mount Nebo. Quite the view, I must say.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying the view, but we’re kind of anxious to cross the Jordan. It’s been 40 years and all.”

“Yeah, well.”

“Moses, you don’t sound too good.

Everything OK?” “Listen, Sid, I’m not coming with you.”

“Not coming? What are you talking about?”

“Sid, I’ve appreciated our chats over the years, some of them anyway, but the decision is out of my hands. I’d rather just leave it there, if you don’t mind.”

“OK, Moses, whatever you say. It’s all so sudden. Are there any, I don’t know, instructions you have for us?”

“Well, I’ve gone over it before. Observe Aviv, keep the Passover, unleavened bread for seven days.”

“Unleavened bread? Listen, can we skip that one?”

“Sid, I gotta go. My battery’s almost drained.”

Alan Echenberg is TVOntario’s Parliamentary bureau chief.

Page 8 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

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BDS campaign seeks the ultimate destruction of the State of Israel Editor’s note: Chelsea Sauvé is a thirdyear political science student at Carleton University. A version of this column was published as on op-ed piece in the February 26 issue of the Charlatan, Carleton’s campus newspaper.

Boycott. Divestment. Sanctions. These three terms – abbreviated BDS – are at the heart of the current campaign led by Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) Carleton. BDS is a campaign that seeks to impose broad boycotts of Israeli products and initiate divestment against Israel until Israel meets the demands of the movement.

As a believer in a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, two states for two peoples, I strongly disagree with the fundamental values associated with the BDS campaign.

Prior to delving into the factors that influence my opinion on the subject, I would like to state clearly that the position I have taken is not compelled by a desire to protect Israel from criticism. Instead, my objection to the BDS movement is driven by my belief in the art of dialogue, both in the Middle East and on campus, an element that is not tangible in advocating BDS. SAIA is calling on the Carleton University Board of Governors and Pension Fund Committee to develop a socially responsible investment policy that would divest from the following companies: Motorola, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, L-3 Communications and Tesco. SAIA has suggested that these companies support Israel through investments in the production of weaponry used in warfare and therefore violate human rights and possibly break international law.

The BDS campaign ignorantly attempts to reduce the intricacies of the conflict to a simplistic notion of bad guys versus good guys, as it explicitly disregards the suffering and loss encountered by both Israelis and Palestinians. The establishment of this overly simplistic dichotomy vilifies Israel alone and is therefore inconsistent with a vision of a future peace.

The promotion of an imbalanced perspective, which asserts a disproportionate

Guest column Chelsea Sauvé amount of blame on Israeli action, will not lead to a peaceful solution. Such a solution to the Middle East conflict will only be born from diplomacy. Radical agendas merely serve to further agitate an already explosive situation as polarization is furthered via the hardening of opinions caused by punitive action.

A willingness to criticize both actors is an essential step in the reconciliation process. Instead of committing to divestments, we should invest in a vision of peace via support for coexistence and peace building initiatives, which remain central to creating a diplomatic peace.

The BDS campaign does not seek to attain peace in the region with a vision of a two-state solution. Instead, it evidently seeks the ultimate destruction of the State of Israel and is, therefore, not a formula for peace. Much like in the playground, blaming one party alone for something will not get to the root of the original problem, which, in reality, was most likely caused by both parties. BDS deems Israel the sole bearer of responsibility for the perpetuation of instability within the conflict thus distorting the realities of the complex conflict and evoking further division.

The extreme dichotomy of victim versus villain established by the BDS campaign hinders progress within the region, and on campus, as one party is vilified while the other is victimized. The constant tug of war for claim to victimization of the other will not bring peace to the region; instead, the status quo will persist and a twostate solution will never come to fruition.

As opposed to promoting coexistence, the BDS campaign reinforces the perceived mutual exclusivity associated with being pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian.

This perception is deeply flawed and unreflective of the true reality.

I believe the current BDS campaign led by SAIA Carleton remains incongruent with a desire for peace, and will merely serve to further exacerbate growing tensions and dis

like for the superficial other as the formulation of peace grows distant.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 9

Mailbag

JEWISH NATIONAL FUND More than trees 613.798.2411

Brian Pearl president

JNF Canada helps make biking and conservation work together in Israel As this issue of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin reaches you, the Ottawa JNF Negev Dinner honouring Sara Vered will be taking place. The next issue of the Bulletin will provide the proper opportunity to thank everyone for its enormous success on all levels.

In the meantime, I thought I would write about a project co-sponsored by JNF Canada that many of us here in Ottawa can appreciate, and that some of us are probably going to use someday. JNF builds and maintains recreation areas all over Israel. In recent years, we’ve found that building bicycle paths is an excellent way to add to their value and enjoyment.

These paths now interconnect communities and parklands throughout Israel and cycling is becoming one of the favourite pastimes of Israeli families.

In the process, building bicycle trails has become a labour of love for JNF and the communities it serves. The most recent addition is near Be’er Sheva in Ofakim. This route, which is 22 kilometres long, is suitable for cyclists of all levels, including families with children, and is equipped throughout with signposts and explanatory signs, all provided by KKL-JNF. It was built with the help of contributions from KKL-JNF Canada as part of the extensive aid that Friends of KKL-JNF in the U.S.A., Canada, Australia and Europe have provided for the development of the Negev in general and of Ofakim in particular. Other partners in the project are Ofakim Municipality, Akhuzat HaNegev (the local residents’ association), the Drainage Authority and Merhavim Regional Council.

The 60-centimetre-wide single route winds through the local green belt: the 1,500 dunam (about 375 acres) of Ofakim Forest, adjacent to the town. On its way, the cycling route passes through Nahal Shomariya and Nahal Patish and performs a serpentine figure-8 among the local moshavim.

Cycling enthusiasts in the southern town of Ofakim, who can now enjoy the use of a convenient trail that takes them through magnificent countryside and woodlands, and along riverbanks to archeological sites and carpets of flowers, helped with the planning of this project and even did some of the work themselves.

Talila Livshitz, of KKL-JNF’s Southern Region, explains that a close connection with the community brings with it a number important advantages. An understanding of the needs of the local residents enables their demands to be met; participation in the work encourages local people to go out and enjoy the forest; and, no less important, involving local people in both the vision, and the actual development, strengthens their sense of belonging to the point that they become the forest’s guardians.

“We cleared away tens of tons of rubbish all along the cycle route,” says Livshitz. “We rehabilitated areas where illegal quarrying had taken place and planted trees and woodland. Community and educational activities will ensure that all this will be conserved in the future, too.”

Sefer Hayeled/Children’s Registry Inscription Andrew Gregory Gendal, son of Alyssa and Steven Gendal, inscribed by Roslyn and Arnie Kimmel.

On a daily basis you can plant trees for all occasions. An attractive card is sent to the recipient.

To order, call the JNF office (613.798.2411).

Vashti, Esther and Jewish values Mira Sucharov writes eloquently and passionately about the many significant issues our community faces. Her March 8 Values, Ethics, Community column about Vashti, Esther and Jewish values is one that deserves our fullest attention. Mira questions the values our children bring home from Jewish schools after hearing simplistic versions of our Jewish teachings retold.

The Vashti and Esther actually conveyed in the Megillah and the Talmud are vastly different from the childish fairy tales many of us recall as adults. Vashti stood up to Achashverosh because she had the true claim to the throne, since she was the granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian conqueror of Judea and the rest of the known world at that time. Achashverosh wanted to show his authority by commanding her to appear publicly in a humiliating and degrading way. His overblown ego was in direct confrontation with hers. Her answer was, “no way, you were my father’s stable boy. I don’t have to listen to you.”

She was absolutely right, but his response was to have her murdered, which certainly put an end to the debate.

Achashverosh then looked for a queen who would be cowed by his authority, compliant to his every word. Esther was kidnapped and taken forcibly to his harem. When Haman comes up with a plot to annihilate the Jews, Esther and Mordechai, through messengers, respond with a complex, well-thought-out plan to save the Jewish people. Esther has learned the lesson of Vashti: overt confrontation is not a savvy approach. She tells Mordechai what she needs from him and from the Jewish people in order for her to risk her life to approach Achashverosh.

The Megillah records that “Mordechai did all that Esther commanded him.”

Mordechai and Esther are the antithesis of Achashverosh and Vashti –

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they are a man and a woman who put their own egos aside to work together with mutual respect.

We don’t need to rewrite our sacred texts. We simply need to revisit them as adults. There are full, profound, timeless teachings of integral values. The only way we can become informed as Jews is if we take the time to get ourselves a knowledgeable guide and open the books. Then we can be actively engaged in our children’s education and join the conversation Mira writes so eloquently about. In that way, we will have true and meaningful values to convey to our children.

Lauren Shaps, MSW Jewish educator, JET Muslim and Jewish student groups In his March 8 World Affairs column about Muslim student groups, Oliver Javanpour asks, “Are we still dealing with student organizations or have these organizations been infiltrated by well-funded and well-organized interest groups?”

I suppose it’s a fair question to ask about Muslim groups, but not without acknowledging that the Jewish groups on our campuses are also well-funded and well-organized by such interest groups as the Canada-Israel Committee, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Chabad, etc.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. But it’s not fair to attack Muslim student groups for being well-funded and well-organized by their community when our student groups are also well-funded and well-organized by our community.

Dani Schwartz

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Page 10 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

New scroll to honour Ottawa’s Jewish war veterans

By Laurie Dougherty Ottawa Jewish Archives The Jewish Federation of Ottawa and the Ottawa Post of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada have been working together to produce a new honour roll for local veterans. The purpose of the project is to produce an inclusive roll to appropriately honour residents of the Ottawa area who served in the First and Second World Wars and in the Korean War. “Our community owes a debt of gratitude to those who served in the armed forces. The Ottawa Jewish community’s contribution was tremendous and we should make sure that future generations of Jews and non-Jews are aware of this history,” said Mitchell Bellman, Federation president and CEO. Jewish War Veterans Ottawa Post Commander Phil Pinkus and Adjutant Sam Ages have researched and compiled a comprehensive list of names of veterans using various archival sources including issues of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin from the war years. They also used the 1943 scroll, which hangs in the Greenberg Families Library at the

Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

Veterans and their families are invited to participate in this initiative by reviewing the list of names, which is available at the Ottawa Jewish Archives office in the Greenberg Families Library and on the Federation website at jewishottawa.com.

Anyone wishing to suggest additions or revisions must do so, in writing, by May 21.

Criteria for inclusion on the scroll are that the person served in the First or Second World Wars or the Korean War, was a resident of Ottawa at the time of enlistment or is, or was, a member of the Ottawa Post of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada.

Mail additions and revisions to: Ottawa Post of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada, c/o Ottawa Jewish Archives, 21 Nadolny Sachs Private, Ottawa, ON, K2A 1R9.

A ceremony to unveil the new list is planned for November.

Contact the Ottawa Jewish Archives at 613-798-4696, ext. 260 for more information.

The 1943 honour scroll hangs in the Greenberg Families Library.

Members M embers of of the the Ottawa Ottawa Li Liberal beral Caucus Caucus wish wish yyou ou a

Happy H appy Passover Passove er

Hon. Dalton McGuinty McGuin nty Ottawa South 613-736-9573

Bob Chiarelli Ottawa West West - Nepean 613-721-8075 613-7721-8075

Yaasir Naqvi Yasir Ottaawa Centre Ottawa 6133-722-6414 613-722-6414

Authorized b byy the On Ontario ntario Liberal Caucus

Phil Phil McNeely Ottawa Ottaawa - Orléans 613-834-8679 6113-834-8679

Hon. Ho on. Madeleine Meilleur Vanier Ottawa - V anier a 613-744-4484

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 11

Judges impressed by Hillel Academy Science Fair projects

By Nicola Hamer Communications Director Hillel Academy & Yitzhak Rabin High School Some remarkable student projects from the annual Hillel Academy Science Fair will advance to the Regional Science Fair in April.

But that’s not the most impressive result from the February 22 event.

The most impressive thing, says science teacher and Senior School Co-ordinator Brian Lamb, is the way the entire school got involved in the science fair with equal enthusiasm.

“We realize we can’t just expect students to start producing quality science projects in Grade 7 if they haven’t been taught how in previous years, so we wanted all grades to participate at some level. I was really happy the way the other teachers and students threw themselves into this,” said Lamb.

Students in kindergarten to Grade 3 produced projects in their classrooms with the help of their teachers and parents, such as toys made from simple machines in Grade 2.

With each grade, the projects evolved to look more like the Science Fair projects one would expect to see. And even though only

Grades 7 and 8 were judged for further competition, Grades 4 to 6 also set their projects up for all to see in the school gymnasium.

The day of the Science Fair the school was filled with activity, as parents from all grades were invited in to see the projects.

In order to ensure the judging was completely fair, Lamb invited 17 guest judges to help out. They spent the morning at the school talking to the students about their projects, and admitted to having a surprisingly hard job.

“I was amazed by both the breadth and the depth of the projects here,” said Dr. Isra Levy, Ottawa’s chief medical officer of health.

“There is a remarkable variety of topics. But what I am more surprised about, and delighted to see, is just how much these students know about their topics. There has clearly been a tremendous amount of work and research put into them.”

The project titles of the Science Fair winners give some indication of that variety. In Grade 8, the winners were: Jared Roth and Eadan Farber, The Effect of Salts on Ice and Plants; Mirren Lithwick and Danielle Ovtsyn, Which Process is Best for Mummifi-

Zoë Dworsky-Fried and Hannah Silver show their project to Hillel Academy Science Fair judge Guiliano Reis.

(Photo: Nicola Hamer)

cation?; and Sebastian Srugo and GG Farber, How Can We Make an Egg Float?

The Grade 7 winners were Noah Berdowski and Ethan Sabourin, The Effects of Different Insolators on the Melting Rate of Ice; Meredith Barwin and Abigail Greenberg, How Bad is Double Dipping?; and Jacob Melamed and Matthew Silverman, Are Earthquakes Predictable?”

Another science fair judge, Giuliano Reis, a professor at the University of Ottawa, was also delighted with the variety and depth of knowl-

edge, saying this demonstrates that science fairs “can help young students find activities of their own interest, build relationships between students and, most importantly, show that science is everywhere, and it can be fun!”

The students’ enthusiasm proves Reis’ point.

“Science isn’t really my favourite subject,” said Grade 8 student Elana Fogel, who built a motor for her project. “But I love the science fair because I get to pick something I’m really interested in and learn all about it.”

BSD

THIS YEAR DON’T PASS US OVER Members of the Jewish Community Eadan Farber and Jared Roth with their gold medal award-winning project at the Hillel Academy Science Fair.

(Photo: Nicola Hamer)

(singles, students, couples and families)

are cordially invited to attend the

Passover Seders Monday, March 29, 2010 and Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at the home of Dr. Joseph and Devora Caytak 185 Switzer Avenue

No charge

To reserve call: 613-729-7712

A project of the Jewish Youth Library of Ottawa, Chaya Mushka Building Graciously sponsored by PARKWAY PHARMACY 613-749-2324 • Free Delivery

Page 12 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

Maggie Anton has researched status of Jewish women in 12th century France

By Leah Cohen Emunah Women of Ottawa “While Rashi is justifiably famous … it is less well known that, under his authority and that of his Ashkenazi colleagues, Jewish women in medieval France, including his daughters, enjoyed autonomy and status not to be seen again until the 20th century.

“When most women were illiterate and the rare educated woman was one who could read the Bible, Rashi’s daughters knew Talmud so well that legend has one of them writing his commentary on Tractate Nedarim.”

So writes Maggie Anton, author of the Rashi’s Daughters trilogy.

The Rashi’s Daughters books are works of historical fiction informed by Anton’s extensive perusal of historical sources and by the fact that she’s been a keen student of Talmud since 1992. Anton

will be the guest speaker, April 21, at Emunah Women of Ottawa’s Family-in-Israel program.

Anton asserts that improvements in the status of women had begun even a generation before Rashi.

Rabbeinu Gershon abolished polygamy. Divorce required the woman’s consent and a Jewish woman could initiate a divorce.

In addition, a groom had to ensure his bride a large ketubah payment in the event of his demise or decision to divorce. A bride had the right to control the dowry after the marriage.

In contrast to the surrounding society, where wifebeating was seen as a vehicle of education, French rabbis ruled that a husband was prohibited from hitting his wife.

Jewish women in the Ashkenaz sought enhanced participation in mitzvot, even those where they were not obligated, such as timebound commandments (e.g.

sukkah). The Machzor Vitry, a compendium of laws and customs compiled by Rashi’s students, states explicitly that women should not be prevented from blowing shofar if they wish to do so.

The manner and phrasing of the blessing over the Shabbat candles was a matter of controversy in those days.

While it is a mitzvah for the woman to kindle a light for Shabbat, the actual phrasing of the blessing was taken from the Talmud for the Chanukah candles with a substitution of “Shabbat” for “Chanukah.” The source for this is a responsum by Rashi’s granddaughter, Hannah, who describes how Shabbat candles were lit by women in Rashi’s home as well as the phrasing of the blessing used.

Rashi was enlightened with regard to a woman when she was niddah (menstruating). At a time when superstitions about this were rampant, he determined that the

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dishes that the niddah used are clean, even for her husband.

Although some rabbis saw the issue of women learning as problematic, Rashi shared the view that it is incumbent upon a man to educate his daughters in order for them to observe mitzvot properly.

Anton also offers a sociological backdrop to the role of Jewish women at the time.

Under Count Thibault, the great fairs of Champagne attracted merchants worldwide, many of whom were learned in Jewish law. This helped build up the yeshiva in Troyes that Rashi has started.

As well, the status of Jews in the feudal system was high – equal to that of knights. It was a time of economic growth and technological advances contributed to a surplus of food production in Northern France for the first time. Jews filled the role of traders to Eastern Europe and the Levant exporting foodstuffs in exchange for luxury goods like silk, cloth and spices.

This necessitated longterm travel, which meant that wives had to manage family businesses, in addition to caring for their children and running a home.

During this period, Jews could own land, so they were dealing with family vineyards and other complicated

commercial properties.

But, despite the favourable economy, the lifespan of a Jewish woman was short.

Many died during childbirth, or shortly after, so that men outnumbered eligible brides.

All this may have contributed to women having more of a say-so in Jewish life.

The continuing evolution and well-being of the woman and family is an ongoing concern for Emunah Women, a Religious-Zionist organization. Emunah supports the training of young women for careers where they can main-

tain their Judaism.

Emunah also supports family counselling centres, daycare centres and children’s villages, such as Neve Michael in Israel, that service Jews and non-Jews alike.

Maggie Anton speaks Wednesday, April 21, 7:30 pm, at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

Admission is $20 (Emunah members) and $25.00 (non-members).

Refreshments will be served.

To RSVP call Rivka Kraus at 613-241-5613 or send an email to leahle1@yahoo.ca.

Summer Student Ottawa Jewish Bulletin The Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, under the auspices of the Barry Fishman Ottawa Jewish Bulletin Scholarship Fund, is seeking a university student with a flair for writing and reporting to work at the Bulletin this summer.

Canadian Hadassah-WIZO wishes all our members, volunteers and friends a wonderful Passover Holiday!

Duties will include researching and writing news reports and feature articles on various topics of interest to the Jewish community; proofreading; and some clerical work.

To apply, please send a cover letter, résumé, and writing samples, by April 15, to: Michael Regenstreif, Editor Ottawa Jewish Bulletin 21 Nadolny Sachs Private Ottawa, ON K2A 1R9 or via e-mail to mregenstreif@ottawajewishbulletin.com.

C hag Sameach!

CHW Ottawa 1301 Prince of Wales Ottawa, Ontario K2C 1N2 Tel: 613-798-7644 Fax: 613-798-8137 E-mail: info@ottawa.chw.ca Web: www.chw.ca

Thank you for your continued support of CHW’s programs and projects for Children, Healthcare and Women in Israel and Canada.

Esther Kulik, CHW Ottawa President

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 13

Embattled Jewish Agency to promote identity over aliyah

By Gal Beckerman Jewish Daily Forward Natan Sharansky knows he’s disturbing the status quo.

Days before the most recent meeting of the board of governors, the body that oversees the Jewish Agency for Israel, Sharansky, its relatively new chairman, declared that the agency’s traditional mission had outlived its usefulness.

“It’s not enough to speak about aliyah,” Sharansky told a delegation of North American Jewish leaders. “It’s almost prohibited for the head of the Jewish Agency to say so, but it can’t be our goal [just] to bring more Jewish people [to Israel].”

With these words – and the recent appointment to key positions of people who share his views – Sharansky has signalled his intent to bring about radical change to the financially strapped Jewish Agency, shifting its focus away from Israel and toward strengthening the secular identity of Diaspora Jews.

At the centre of Sharansky’s plan is the notion of peoplehood. He and a tight group of ideological allies – mostly other Russian Jews – believe the Jewish Agency must now become a global promoter of Jewish identity, particularly among the young.

Peoplehood, according to its proponents, is defined as a sense of connectivity among Jews who share a common history and fate. It is still an amorphous concept for some critics.

Others wonder if it is too weak a foundation on which to base educational programs – especially since this vision of peoplehood is not predicated on having any kind of religious or spiritual identity.

Nonetheless, this new role for the Jewish Agency is one that Sharansky, by all accounts, seems to be pursuing with great passion. It also comes out of necessity.

Since the establishment of Israel in 1948, the agency has been financed through a combination of Israeli government funds and money from the Diaspora. By now, however, it is clear that the latter source of money is drying up.

Whereas in 1989 the Jewish Agency received $275 million US from the North American federations, last year it received only $130 million, and the projected intake for 2010 is $110 million.

Given that Diaspora money makes up onethird of the agency’s budget, the drop has been catastrophic for the large bureaucracy.

In response to the decline comes Sharansky’s new vision. Though immigration is still a large budget category, this year, it will account for barely more than the education department ($100.59 million US, as opposed to $94.29 million for education, out of a budget of $321.71 million).

Two recent appointments to high posts in the agency are further indication of a change in direction.

A new senior position has been created for Misha Galperin, the current executive vice-

president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. He will be based in New York and provisionally will be in charge of what the agency is calling “Global Public Affairs and Financial Resource Development.”

Galperin, the most prominent Russian Jew filling a leadership position in the North American Jewish organizational world, is one of the main conceptual architects of peoplehood and recently authored a book on the subject.

The Jewish Agency also recently announced that Alan Hoffmann, currently director-general of the agency’s education department, will become director-general of the entire agency, elevating someone whose orientation is promoting Jewish education.

With the new positions filled, all that remains is to define exactly what peoplehood is and how a sprawling institution promotes it.

Galperin’s succinct definition of peoplehood is “an extended family with a mission” and, to promote it, one must engender a feeling of belonging, of community. Advocates say young Jews must be given experiences – like Jewish summer camp or the TaglitBirthright Israel program – that allow them to see their connection to other Jews and identify with the Jewish story.

Galperin says the Jewish Agency already is engaged in many projects that could fall under this rubric, including supporting Israel travel programs and maintaining a network of 400 emissaries involved in some form of Jewish education.

The substance, Galperin says, has yet to be clearly defined. There are certain successful programs that already exist. Others will have to be invented. The key is that the core mission no longer be immigration.

Galperin also contends that such a move will be good for the financial situation of the Jewish Agency, enabling it to find new sources of funding.

Some, however, worry that peoplehood is too vacuous or superficial a concept to be the basis of Jewish identity. Absent the threat of anti-Semitism, the critics say, it is hard to see what will bind Jews as one “global family.”

Others argue that the Jewish faith has done a good job of inspiring a sense of peoplehood, but that the programming envisioned by the Jewish Agency makes no room for religion.

“I think that the agency in the end will not succeed in the educational, cultural peoplehood mission unless it is able to make a contribution in the development of Jewish religion,” said Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg, a prominent modern Orthodox rabbi. “That’s going to be a real challenge.”

But that’s a minor worry compared to the larger concern if the agency doesn’t change.

“I think the logic is overwhelming and inescapable, and it’s probably the last chance,” Greenberg said. “If this doesn’t work, then the agency will die.”

Page 14 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

Relive the Passover Exodus at Chabad of Centrepointe annual seder

By Bassy Mendelsohn Chabad of Centrepointe Four questions for the Passover Seder: What is the difference between Passover at Chabad of Centrepointe and Passover elsewhere?

How many Hebrew lessons will we have to go to in order to feel part-of the Seder? (None!)

All year long we eat Italian, and, of course, on Sunday it’s Chinese. Will we have to go out to eat after the seder? (No!) Why are we celebrating an

event that took place so many years ago?

Find out the answers to these questions and much more at Chabad of Centrepointe’s seventh annual community Passover seders to be held Monday, March 29, 7:30 pm, and Tuesday, March 30, 8:15 pm.

Experience the freedom of Passover with Chabad at our interactive, warm and inspiring Passover seders infused with Jewish humour, joyous singing and Chassidic tales. Join us for a fully catered, gourmet, five-

course seder with handmade shemura matzo and four cups of the finest Kosher wine. You will laugh and be entertained and children will feel centre-staged and in suspense all night long. Come for one seder or both.

No affiliation necessary.

Each year on Passover, as nature experiences its own season of springtime renewal, we participate in the seder tradition and experience our own renewal and rebirth. At the seder table, we commemorate the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of the Jewish

In support of the Bess and Moe Greenberg Family Hillel Lodge In the Joseph and Inez Zelikovitz Long Term Care Centre Card Donations Card donations go a long way to improving the quality of life for our residents. Thank you for considering their needs and contributing to their wellbeing.

On behalf of the residents and their families, we extend sincere appreciation to the following individuals and families who made card donations to the Hillel Lodge Long-Term Care Foundation between February 18 and March 3, 2010 inclusive.

HONOUR FUNDS Unlike a bequest or gift of life insurance, which are realized some time in the future, a named Honour Fund (i.e., endowment fund) is established during your lifetime.

By making a contribution of $1,000 or more, you can create a permanent remembrance for a loved one, honour a family member, declare what the Lodge has meant to you and/or support a cause that you believe in.

A Hillel Lodge Honour Fund is a permanent pool of capital that earns interest or income each year. This income then supports the priorities designated by you, the donor.

Ruth and Irving Aaron Family Fund In Memory of: Bernard Teichman by Ruth and Irving Aaron Bill and Leona Adler Memorial Fund In Memory of: William Senman by Marilyn Adler and Neil Blacher Max Smolkin by Marilyn Adler Stanislaw Zybala by Marilyn Adler In Honour of: Leah and Issie Scarowsky Mazal tov and best wishes on the marriage of your daughter by Marilyn Adler and Neil and Daniel Blacher Elsie Baker Endowment Fund In Memory of: Max Smolkin by Andrew Levitan; Mark, Leigh and

Ben Levitan; and Lenora, Evan, Noah and Arielle Zelikovitz In Honour of: Bev Kirshenblatt and Danny Smith Mazal tov on your special birthdays by Lenora, Evan, Noah and Arielle Zelikovitz

nation over three millennia ago – and at the same time embark on a modern-day journey to spiritual freedom.

Chabad of Centrepointe, an outreach centre dedicated to bringing the warmth and love of Judaism to all Jews, regardless of religious affiliation or background, invites anyone who would like to join, to the 2010 community Chabad seder, for an evening of freedom and renewal. Join us to understand more about our unique Jewish heritage and to celebrate Judaism

Sam and Dora Litwack Family Fund In Honour of: Dora and Sam Litwack Thank you for your gracious hospitality by Sonja and Ron Kesten Chaim and Raja Miller Memorial Fund In Memory of: Colleen Snipper by Marcia Saipe and Ted Miller Rosenthal/McCormack Family Fund In Honour of: Rabbi Levy and Mrs. Dina Teitlebaum Mazal tov and best wishes on your daughter’s Bat Mitzvah by Helen Rosenthal Sam and Ruth Rothman Memorial Fund In Memory of: Jerry Taylor by Rose and Kevin Kardash

Friedberg and Dale Families Fund In Memory of: William Senman by Elaine Friedberg and Bob Dale

Stephen and Debra Schneiderman Family Fund In Memory of: Jerry Taylor by Debra and Stephen Schneiderman

Malcolm and Vera Glube Family Fund In Memory of: Sara (Terry) Gavsie by Vera and Malcolm Glube Max Smolkin by Vera and Malcolm Glube Jerry Taylor by Vera and Malcolm Glube In Honour of: Joel Sherman Wishing you love and best wishes on your 70th birthday by Vera and Malcolm Glube

Harold and Lillian Shoihet Memorial Fund In Honour of: Rabbi Reuven Bulka Mazal tov on receiving the ‘Keys to Ottawa’ and may you get many more keys by Dovid Shoihet, Miriam Sabo and family Lillian and Mark Zunder Mazal tov on the birth of your granddaughter by David Shoihet and Miriam Sabo

Nell Gluck Memorial Fund In Memory of: Beloved Mother of Mark Caplan by Maureen and Henry Molot In Honour of: Gittel and Arthur Sheffield Mazal tov on the birth of your granddaughter, Devorah Leah. May you have much nachas from your growing family by Maureen and Henry Molot Maureen and Henry Molot Mazal tov and best wishes on the birth of your granddaughter by Yvonne and Harvey Lithwick and family Morris and Lillian Kimmel Family Fund In Memory of: Beloved brother of Stanley Devine by Morris Kimmel Morton Roodman by Janet, Steve, Tobin and Aaron Kaiman

Ralph and Anne Sternberg Memorial Fund In Memory of: Sam Schrier by Laya and Ted Jacobsen Thelma Slipacoff by Laya and Ted Jacobsen Jerry Taylor by Laya and Ted Jacobsen Sarah and Arnie Swedler Family Fund In Memory of: Faye Contor by Arnie Swedler Roslyn and Myles Taller Family Endowment Fund In Memory of: Morton Myer Taller by Roslyn Taller and Myles Taller

with pride, while having a wonderful time, enjoying a delicious feast and meeting many new friends.

Cost for the seders is $50 per adult and $20 per child. Family plans are available upon request and must be reserved in advance, by contacting Chabad. No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay.

For more detailed information, contact Rabbi Chaim or Bassy Mendelsohn at 613-224-7050 or info@chabadcentrepointe.com or visit chabadcentrepointe.com.

Carol Weiner Gradus In Honour of: Elaine and Marten Brodsky Wishing you a hearty mazal tov on the birth of your first grandson by Mara and Isaac Muzkansky Janet and Jonathan Isserlin Wishing you a hearty mazal tov on the birth of your granddaughter, Monica Rachel by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky Ritual Program In Honour of: Leah and Issie Scarowsky Mazal tov on your daughter’s marriage by Shelley and Morris Schachnow Rabbi Levy and Mrs. Dina Teitlebaum Wishing you a mazal tov on Mendel becoming a Bar Mitzvah.

Although we could not be with you, our hearts are sharing in the simcha and nachas. With great fondness and friendship always by Cathy, David, Tyler and Shane Golden

********** IN MEMORY OF: Margo Gillman by Antoinette Capelle; and Francoise and Ron Vexler Morton Myer Roodman by Sally and Morton Taller; Anna Bilsky and Peter Humber; and Joyce and Milton Kimmel Ceres Rothman by the Residents, Board and Staff of Hillel Lodge William Senman by the Residents, Board and Staff of Hillel Lodge; Carol and Laurie Pascoe; and Rhoda and Mike Aronson, and Dorothy Stein Irv Singer by Lily Feig Jerry Taylor by Ingrid Levitz

IN HONOUR OF: Lois and Jeff Eisen Mazal tov on the birth of your granddaughter, Willow Charlotte by Roz and Steve Fremeth Helaine and Jack Gould Mazal tov on the birth of your granddaughter, Willow Charlotte by Roz and Steve Fremeth Maureen and Henry Molot Mazal tov on the birth of your granddaughter by Esty Bybelezer Sherri Torjman Congratulations on winning the CARP award as one of the top 25 Canadians by Roz and Steve Fremeth

Residents Feeding Program In Memory of: William Senman by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky Jerry Taylor by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky; and

R’FUAH SHLEMA: Judi Kerzner by Roz and Lee Raskin Chuck Rotenberg by Debi and David Shore Rickie Saslove by Roz and Lee Raskin

THE LODGE EXPRESSES ITS SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT AND APOLOGIZES FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, THE WORDING APPEARING IN THE BULLETIN IS NOT NECESSARILY THE WORDING THAT APPEARED ON THE CARD. GIVING IS RECEIVING – ATTRACTIVE CARDS AVAILABLE FOR ALL OCCASIONS Here’s a good opportunity to recognize an event or convey the appropriate sentiment to someone important to you and at the same time support the Lodge. Card orders may be given to Debra or Rhonda at 613-728-3900, extension 111, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Thursday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Friday. You may also e-mail your orders to donations@hillel-ltc.com. E-mail orders must include name, address, postal code, and any message to person receiving the card; and, amount of donation, name, address and postal code of the person making the donation. Cards may be paid for by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Cheque or Cash. Contributions are tax deductible.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 15

Jazz pianist Marilyn Lerner to perform at Temple Israel

By Mort Bercovitch for Temple Israel An evening with Marilyn Lerner, an exhilarating jazz pianist, improviser and composer, will be the next presentation in Temple Israel’s concert series.

Her program, Romanian Fantasy, will include arrangements of traditional Yiddish and Chasidic melodies.

Lerner’s work as a pianist spans a wide musical spectrum, from modern classical to jazz improvisation, klezmer and mixed media productions. She has performed as a soloist and in jazz ensembles, in individual engagements and at prestigious jazz festivals across North America and Europe.

Her discography, comprising some two dozen records produced over the last two decades, including five CDs devoted to Jewish music, have received enthusiastic reviews.

Special Angel, her duo CD with legendary guitarist Sonny Greenwich, was named Best Jazz Recording at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2004.

Lerner has taught at klezmer workshops and festivals in New York, Weimar, Kiev and Moscow, as well as at KlezKanada in the Laurentians.

Visit marilynlerner.com for much more about Lerner and her music.

Marilyn Lerner’s concert will take place Saturday April 10, 8:00 pm, at Temple Israel, 1301 Prince of Wales Drive. Admission is $20 (adults) and $15 (students).

Call Nancy Bercovitch at 613-731-9278 for information.

Letters welcome Letters to the Editor are welcome if they are brief, signed, timely and of interest to our readership.

The Bulletin reserves the right to refuse, edit or condense letters.

The Mailbag column is published as space permits.

Send your letters to Michael Regenstreif, Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, 21 Nadolny Sachs Private, Ottawa, Ontario K2A 1R9; or by email to bulletin@ottawajewishbulletin.com.

I’m Jerry of Jerry’s Hobby Reg’d and I can take “Memories out of a box” Think of all your old photos, slides, 8mm & 16mm home movies in boxes in your basement.

“Memories in a box”.

I can convert those “memories” with an easy-to-use format onto a DVD. Just sit back and enjoy “your memories” on TV. For more information, I can be reached at

613-301-4919

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613-723-2215, 19 Grenfell Cres. #9 www.GrenfellCatering.com

Chef Cau Say Le has for over 30 years provided outstanding

party sandwich platters for the Jewish Community With loaves of: - Sockeye Salmon - Tuna - Egg - Lox & Cream Cheese - Peanut Butter & Banana - Meats Great for any occasion $35.95 per loaf

Shiva Funeral Meals (typical menu, $29.95 per person)

- hardboiled eggs - assort. bread rolls & bagels - cream cheese & butter - tuna & egg salad platters - smoked salmon platters - Israeli salad - Caesar salad - spinach mandarin salad - fruit salad - assort. cookies & squares - soft drinks - paper goods - tea & coffee - server optional

Also available (please call to discuss):

Renowned pianist Marilyn Lerner performs, April 10, at (Photo: Karen Tweedy Holmes) Temple Israel.

Brunch Menus / Catered Dinners / Dairy Dinners / Deli Platters and our famous egg rolls with a selection of chicken, smoked meat & vegetable

Page 16 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

OTI boys face off with Ottawa policemen in floor hockey

By Harry Corrin Principal – OTI Through basketball and floor hockey, the students of Ottawa Torah Institute High School (OTI) have established a unique and friendly, competitive relationship with the Ottawa Police Service.

Over the past four years, the boys of OTI have played vigorous basketball and floor hockey games with the police players at Ottawa Police Headquarters. In addition to the games in the police gymnasium, the OTI students have toured the police headquarters, including

the 911 communications centre – the only high school students allowed this privilege.

These friendly games have become exciting annual events organized by Constable Jack Woods and OTI health teacher John Jerome, assisted by OTI gym teacher Jon Braun. The police players have been impressed by the strength, vigour and determination of the OTI boys.

The score was 20-11 in favour of the police when they faced off against OTI, January 21, in floor hockey.

Woods led the police team

in scoring while Menachem Benzaquen was OTI’s top scorer. The other OTI star was goalkeeper J.J. Benzaquen.

OTI and the police will play floor hockey again on March 23.

“This is a wonderful idea for your boys to play us,” said Ottawa Police Chief Vern White. “They see a

different side of police contact with the youth of our city.”

(Photo: Issie Scarowsky)

Student raising funds for volunteer trip to Kenya

By Tamar Friedman My name is Tamar Friedman. I’m a University of Ottawa student. My friend, Vini Vaitheeswaran, and I are working on a project, which I want to share with you.

Vini and I believe in using our talents to effect positive

Promoting quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities in a Jewish environmnent Tamir acknowledges with sincere thanks the following donations, which were received as of February 26, 2010.

Mazeltov to: BrazeauSeller LLP on becoming a corporate sponsor in support of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s annual campaign by the Participants, Staff and Board of Directors of Tamir Mr. Michael Segal on his 60th birthday by Irene and Lee Waxman, Sandy, Gerry, Chad, Ruth and Rian Bayne Mrs. Deb Ferkin on her birthday by Wendy and Michael Green Lily and Jerry Penso on the birth of their granddaughter by Rabbi and Chevy Fine and by Cousins Barb and Barry Mr. Ernie Abramovitch on his special birthday by Sue and Jonathan Fisher Mr. and Mrs. Michael Kimmel on the birth of their son by Sharon, Paul, Josh, Jordan and Davina Finn Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Kimmel on the birth of their grandson by Sharon, Paul, Josh, Jordan and Davina Finn Dr. Eric Elkin on his special birthday by the Kwavnicks and the Steins Dr. Skippy Kronick on his special birthday by Evelyn and Norman Potechin Mrs. Judi Kerzner on her 70th birthday by Susan, William and Morley Greenberg and by The Nudelmans Mrs. Gerda Gottlieb on her 91st birthday by Sharon, Sol, Noah and Kayla Reichstein Mrs. Lois Nudelman on her birthday

by Judi and Ed Kerzner Ms. Christine Kessler by her profes-

Ottawa Torah Institute’s floor hockey team, January 21, at Ottawa Police Headquarters.

sional accomplishment by Esther and David Kwavnick Mr. Josh Engel on becoming a partner at Ginsberg, Gluzman, Fage and Levitz by Tamir Participants, Staff and Board of Directors and by the Kwavnicks and Steins Refuah Shlemah: Mrs. Blanche Osterer by Evelyn and Norman Potechin In Memory of: Doris Finn by Ethlyn, Barry and Sarah Agulnik Sister of Esther Shelson by Isabel and Norman Lesh and by Paul and Sharon Finn Mother of Carolyn Telner by Sharon, Sol, Noah and Kayla Reichstein Grandmother of Dr. Deanna Glube

by Sharon, Sol, Noah and Kayla Reichstein Rebecca Perloff by Isabel and Norman Lesh; by Cally and Sid Kardash; by Evelyn and Norman Potechin; by Evan, Carol and Miriam Diamond; by Elliot Marshall; by Estelle and Sol Gunner; by Sue and Jonathan Fisher; by Rhonda, David, Evan and Lindsay; by Judi and Ed Kerzner; and

by Bernice Kerzner and family Michael Broitman by Evelyn, Mitchell and the Rosenberg Clan; by Susan Greenberg; by Margaret and Bob Lederman; by Irene and Lee Waxman, Sandy, Gerry, Chad, Ruth and Rian Bayne;

by Ethel and Abe Murray; by Participants,

Staff and Tamir Board of Directors; by Jerry and Lily Penso and family; by Bernice Kerzner and family; by Laura Penso; by Betty, Sid, Elliot and Neil Finkelman; by Eleanor, Ken and Julie Mintz; by Deb, Norm and Vicky Ferkin; by Marlene Levine and Andrew Siman; by Anna Bilsky; by Jerry, Lois and Mark Nudelman; by Dr. David Kalin; by Fenja and Irwin Brodo.

Irwin Singer by Norman and Evelyn Potechin Chwola Finkelstein by Harvey Finkelstein Mildred Linschitz by Lily and Jerry Penso and family Leon Leckie by Marcia and Richard Zuker and by Debbie and Norm Ferkin Pearl Moskovic by Norm and Evelyn Potechin; by Susan and Jonathan Fisher;

by Jerry and Lily Penso and family and by Laura Penso.

Father of Mrs. D. Goodies by Lesley, Jack, Robyn and Jeoff Sam Schrier by Lily and Jerry Penso;

by Participants, Staff and Tamir Board of Directors; and by Marcia and Dick Zuker General: In honour of Marilyn Stegenga by Teena and Walter Hendelman Christmas greetings to Ms. Lynn McFarlane by Gail Driscoll In appreciation to Judy and Gene Kahan by Dorothy and David Torontow

Donation cards can be purchased for a minimum charge of $18.00 by contacting the Tamir office at 613-725-3519, 11 Nadolny Sachs Private, Suite 218, Ottawa, Ontario, K2A 1R9, or by e-mail to aalmstedt@tamir.ca.

change in the world. To this end, Palimsessed Accessories is a not-for-profit business we started to explore our creative sides while raising money for international community service projects.

We make and sell our own hand-made jewelry and accessories, and all proceeds go toward subsidizing volunteer trips abroad.

In February, Palimsessed Accessories helped send Vini to Cuernevaca, Mexico on a service-learning trip.

I am now using Palimsessed Accessories’ jewelry sales to fundraise for a volunteer trip to Kenya with Me to We, an organization founded by Craig and Marc Kielburger, which encourages and enables youth to make socially responsible choices in their daily lives.

It supports its partner, Free the Children, and organizes trips for youth to volunteer overseas.

On May 11, Me to We is taking a group of socially conscious youth, including me, to Kenya to help build schools for African youth.

Our website, pal-accessories.com, has information about this effort and is the gateway to our online store and to our blog with updates on the progress of our projects.

You Have ?

Heard

Ian Murray

Advanced Hearing Aid Clinic We are pleased to announce that IAN MURRAY, Hearing Instrument Specialist, has now joined our team.

Please contact Ian at our Carling Ave clinic

613-728-HEAR (4327)

1663 Carling Avenue 1364 Wellington Street NOW OPEN AT 266 Metcalfe St. (Corner of Metcalfe & Lewis St.) www.advancedhearingaidclinic.com

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 17

Page 18 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

Purim parties galore in Ottawa

Beit Tikvah Costumed kids at the Beit Tikvah Purim party.

Machzikei Hadas

Russian-speaking seniors celebrate Purim

Stanley Levine’s moustache is adjusted by wife Cathy at the Machzikei Hadas Purim party. (Photo: Irv Osterer)

Bronia Goldman enjoys hamantaschen at the Purim party for Russian-speaking seniors at Beth Shalom.

Beth Shalom Some of Beth Shalom’s finest celebrate Purim with Cantor Daniel Benlolo.

Or Haneshamah Joni Feldman (left) and Bruce Jamison at the Or Haneshamah (Ottawa Reconstructionist Community) Purim party, February 28.

Hillel Ottawa

Sir Robert Borden High School

University of Ottawa students Tamar Friedman (left) and Jennifer Hadad (centre) with Hillel Ottawa Executive Director Alana Kayfetz at the Hillel House Purim party attended by hundreds of students.

Gaby Scarowsky, NCSY director of programming, leads a Hamantaschen-baking session, February 24, with students in the Jewish Culture Club at Sir Robert Borden High School.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 19

Purim parties in Ottawa

1/2 S O L D O U T!

Performance tickets: 613-580-2700 or www.centrepointetheatre.com Reception tickets: 613-725-3519 ext. 111 or www.tamir.ca TA M I R P R E S E N T S

Chabad of Centrepointe Children, parents and grandparents enjoy the Purim festivities at Chabad of Centrepointe.

Young Israel Balloon animals provide part of the fun at the Young Israel Purim Seuda.

CENTREPOINTE THEATRE THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010 7:00 PM NCSY city-wide Purim Party High school students savour the NCSY city-wide Purim Party at the home of Torah High teacher Rabbi Shaya Greiniman and his wife Chavi.

www.tamir.ca

Page 20 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

Purim parties galore in Ottawa

Friendship Circle

JET Purim party for young adults

The Friendship Circle, a project of the Jewish Youth Library, celebrates Purim with fun and games.

Heroes and Villains was the theme for JET’s Purim party for young adults at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre.

Purim à Paris

Rambam Day School

A large crowd with graggers at the ready follows the Megillah reading at the Purim à Paris party co-sponsored by Ottawa Torah Centre and Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

A large crowd of students, family and friends from the community follows the Megillah reading at the Rambam Day School Purim carnival.

Chabad Student Network Chabad Student Network celebrates Purim with a Purim in the ‘60s theme party.

Hillel Academy Children enjoy the bean bag tossing game at the Hillel Academy Purim Party.

(Photo: Nicola Hamer)

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 21

Purim parties galore in Ottawa

Temple Israel adult Purim party

Mishloach Manot packing

A Persian Drumming Circle and Debate the theme for Temple Israel’s Purim celebration for adults.

JET volunteers get together, February 21, at Congregation Beit Tikvah to pack 1,274 Mishloach Manot bags for delivery on Purim.

JET and SJCC Purim extravaganza More than 250 kids, moms and dads enjoy the Megillah reading, costume contest, Mishloach Manot packing for Hillel Lodge residents, and other activities at the JET/Soloway JCC Purim extravaganza.

Chabad Hebrew School Parents in chairs and kids on the floor enjoy the Purim party at Chabad Hebrew School.

Ottawa Modern Jewish School and Ottawa Talmud Torah Afternoon School

Temple Israel family Purim party

Ottawa Modern Jewish School and Ottawa Talmud Torah Afternoon School celebrate Purim together with Megillah readings, costumes, games, crafts and making Mishloach Manot for their friends and families.

Rabbi Steven Garten (left) and Bernie Gold with children at Purimpalooza, Temple Israel’s family Purim Party.

Page 22 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

If it seems too good to be true – it probably is

By Anjana Dooling for Crime Prevention Ottawa It could be a letter from the president of a small and troubled country asking for your help, or a phone call from some long-lost relative needing money to get out of trouble.

Or, perhaps, it’s an e-mail announcing that you’re the winner of a contest you have not entered.

Fraud comes in many shapes and sizes these days, and it seems like the more we hear about it, the more creative criminals become.

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) investigates many types of fraud, and many of the scams they encounter are taking place on the Internet. Sgt. Richard Dugal of the Organized Fraud Section of the OPS says phishing schemes, in which criminals attempt to get you to send money or share personal information like a bank account number, a password or PIN are becoming more common.

“You should be wary,” says Dugal, “any time you are asked for money or personal information online.”

Losing money to a phishing scheme can hurt, but worse is losing your identity, which is often the next step when criminals are asking for your personal information. With the right combination of your information, criminals can empty your bank account, apply for loans or mortgages in your name, and obtain other personal documents, like passports.

Identity theft can have very serious consequences and can take months or even years to clean up.

Dugal emphasizes the importance of being very careful with your personal information: “Your bank will never ask you for your PIN or your account number online.

They will always call you and ask you to come in to the branch to do anything that is security-related. Anyone asking you to provide that information in an e-mail or online is scamming you.”

Criminals often prey on the most vulnerable people, and that is why so many scams are directed at seniors. Bud McGinnis works with the ABCs of Fraud, a program delivered by the Rotary Clubs of Ottawa that helps seniors protect themselves against fraud. He feels seniors are targets for many reasons.

“Many criminals assume, rightly or wrongly, that seniors have money,” McGinnis says.

“Aging is also a factor, because older people tend to forget a bit more, and are more easily intimidated. Furthermore, seniors grew up in an era of honesty and trust and still believe in that. And they were taught to be polite – to never question someone or slam a door in their face.”

McGinnis also notes that many seniors are lonely, and some do not have much contact with the outside world; they are often at home and can be reached by phone or at the door. When someone wants to talk to them,

seniors tend to listen because they want that personal contact. The combination of trust, courtesy and isolation can make seniors easy targets.

Some common types of fraud directed at seniors are: • Requests for money from a bogus charity, which will use the name of a charity that is similar to a legitimate one, so people will think they recognize it; • Letters announcing a great prize along with a request for a processing fee to claim it; • Individuals who work their way into a group or organization to win people’s trust, ask for money or an investment in a project, and then disappear; and, • Door-to-door fraud – including visits from fake utility companies and fraudulent home renovation services.

McGinnis wants seniors to feel empowered to question, and to say no, when they are not comfortable with what is being presented to them.

“Criminals often rely on pressure to make seniors do what they want,” he says. “When someone is pressuring you to make a decision on the spot, do the opposite and check to make sure their story is straight. It is not being rude – it is protecting yourself.”

Both McGinnis and Dugal believe educa-

Reform rabbis task force: Reach out to interfaith couples (JTA) – The Reform movement should encourage interfaith couples to stay in the Jewish community, a task force proposed.

A task force on intermarriage created by the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) proposed that the movement find ways to reach out to intermarried families, for example, by creating special blessings for the non-Jewish spouses participating in events such as weddings and funerals.

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tion is the only way to stop fraud from happening. They encourage people to learn basic skills, like changing computer passwords often, researching websites or companies before doing financial transactions and calling a company to make sure the person at the door is legitimate.

They also warn people to look for red flags.

“If you win a prize you shouldn’t have to pay for it,” says McGinnis. “And there is no such thing as a ‘low-risk, high-return’ investment. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

The OPS has information on fraud, how to protect yourself, and how to report it at tinyurl.com/ops-fraud.

To learn more about fraud against seniors or to request a presentation from the ABCs of Fraud, call them at 613-564-5555. March is also Fraud Prevention Month, and you can learn more about the federal government’s resources to promote fraud awareness at tinyurl.com/preventfraud.

Crime Prevention Ottawa (CPO) contributes to crime reduction and enhanced community safety in Ottawa through collaborative evidence-based crime prevention.

Visit crimepreventionottawa.ca for more information.

The findings are a change from the conference’s policy of trying to prevent intermarriage.

The Reform movement is opposed to its rabbis officiating at interfaith weddings, though each rabbi can make his or her own decision. The task force did not propose a change in that policy.

The two-year study was presented at the CCAR’s annual meeting, March 7, in San Francisco.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 23

Eggs: What would Passover cooking be without them?

By Linda Morel (JTA) – I start Passover food shopping by buying six dozen eggs, but it’s never enough. Inevitably, I return to the store at least twice, purchasing two or three more cartons of eggs each time.

Matzo garners most of the attention in Passover fare because of the unleavened bread’s prominent role in the Exodus story. Eggs, however, are the unsung heroes, working behind the scenes, enhancing nearly every recipe consumed during the holiday’s eight days.

Without fanfare, eggs perform the binding and heavy lifting usually accomplished by flour.

With great prowess, eggs hold together the ingredients that go into Passover kugels, matzo brie and matzo farfel casseroles.

When egg whites are whipped to a frenzy with electric beaters, they increase in volume six to eight times, lending structure and leavening to many baked goods.

Egg whites singlehandedly add loft to cakes and other pastries, encouraging them to rise without a boost from the usual sources – flour and baking soda.

Eggs play a pivotal role during seders. Spherical and white, they symbolize the rebirth that occurs in the spring. Every seder plate reserves a place to display a roasted egg to remind us of the burnt offerings, the daily roasted sacrifices in the Temple. These sacrifices can no longer be offered because the Temple was destroyed centuries ago.

In addition, the roasted egg on the seder plate is a symbol of the new life the Jewish people acquired in attaining their freedom from Egyptian bondage.

During seder ceremonies all over the world, Jews consume an egg course. Ashkenazim partake in eggs that have been hard-boiled and chilled. During the seder, they pour heavily salted water over the eggs, a symbol of the tears shed by our ancestors during slavery.

As a child, I looked forward each spring to the taste of hardboiled eggs in a salty bath. When I was 12, I prepared the combination for lunch one day during October. But, as I took a bite of boiled egg doused in salty water, it tasted so terrible I couldn’t eat it. I was crushed by the disappointment and

Eggs hold together the ingredients that go into Passover kugels, like Linda Morel's signature peach version shown here.

(Photo: Linda Morel)

concluded at that young age that you have to wait for Passover to appreciate this special dish resonating with so much history.

During Passover, many Sephardim eat an egg dish called Huevos Haminados or oven eggs.

The recipe is prepared by layering eggs among onion skins and coffee grinds in a pot of water. The mixture is then warmed in the oven on a low temperature for many hours.

This slow cooking method not only gives egg yolks a satiny texture, but also turns their shells a splendid brown color, reminiscent of roasted eggs.

Many Huevos Haminados recipes suggest saving the skins from the onions used in Passover cooking. However, I find that method does not produce a large enough yield. In preparation for making Huevos Haminados, I go from supermarket to supermarket collecting skins from bins of onions. The skins of red onions lend the most gorgeous colour.

Every spring my husband worries that I will be accused of shoplifting for this practice. So far, cashiers have given me nothing more than strange looks when I point out a bag full of onion skins.

While Passover is perhaps the most cherished of Jewish holidays, for many people the sheer volume of eggs used in recipes poses health issues, specifically regarding the amount of cholesterol consumed. There are several ways to be health conscious while observing the egg’s role during seders.

The yolk is the culprit, containing all of the egg’s cholesterol and fat (about 5 grams in a large egg).

With only about 20 calories, the

egg white consists of water and slightly more than half the egg’s protein.

For a cholesterol-free egg course, serve egg white omelets. I suggest stirring some chopped parsley into the beaten egg whites to give them spring color. This also adds the symbol of Passover greenery. Of course, egg white omelets can be served for breakfast, brunch or lunch throughout Passover.

Another way to cut down on cholesterol is to slice hard-boiled eggs in half, thus limiting portion size. For those who want to get fancy, place a tiny dollop of caviar on each half. Cover the halves with plastic wrap before serving, so the yolks don’t dry out.

When it comes to matzo casseroles made with vegetables or fruit, you can eliminate one or two of the egg yolks called for in recipes. Add an egg white for each yolk you discard.

Of course the highlight of any seder is a rich chocolate cake, made lofty and moist by a bevy of luscious eggs. If you’re counting calories or cholesterol, dessert is the one place to splurge with an abundance of eggs. To balance a cake’s opulence, serve it with fresh strawberries.

During Passover’s eight days, I often return to the supermarket for additional ingredients. I end up making more macaroons, either coconut or chocolate almond; matzah brei, either mushroom or classic; Passover lasagna, with or without meat; or my signature dish, peach kugel. These recipes wouldn’t exist without the most ubiquitous ingredient in all of Passover cooking – eggs.

Ottawa Children’s Choir performs with Eugene Levy Noah Boonov (left), a Grade 6 student who attends Ottawa Modern Jewish School, and her friend, Maya Hessel, were among the members of the Ottawa Children’s Choir who performed with comedian and film star Eugene Levy in a program, February 20, celebrating (Photo: Stuart Boonov) the 40th birthday of the NAC Orchestra.

Jared Roth competes in Canwest Canspell Spelling Bee Jared Roth, a Grade 8 student at Hillel Academy, competed in the regional finals of the Canwest Canspell National Spelling Bee, March 7, making it to the fifth round. It was the second year that Jared competed in the regional finals.

(Photo:Nicola Hamer)

Page 24 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

United Deli to open at Soloway JCC

By Pamela Rosenberg Soloway JCC Yudi Chein, a name that has become synonymous with kosher catering in Ottawa, is bringing his delicious delicacies to the Soloway Jewish Community Centre (JCC).

United Deli officially opens for business on April 11 and will be serving up deli, salmon, egg and tuna sandwiches, shawarma, falafel, hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries. Lighter fare includes freshly made salads, a different homemade

soup daily, muffins, coffee, tea, and slushies for the kids.

In addition to the regular menu, Yudi will be preparing take-out food upon request. With a couple of days notice, he is happy to cook up whatever is needed, including schnitzel or his famous cholent for Shabbat. He also plans to offer an all-you-can-eat buffet with a different theme – Chinese, Israeli, Japanese, etc. – each month.

The restaurant, located on the second floor of the Soloway JCC,

will be open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday, and Fridays in the summer until 3:00 pm. The space will undergo a facelift giving United Deli a fresh new look and a more intimate feel.

Originally from Israel, Yudi has been an Ottawa caterer for 20 years.

He grew up in a family of caterers and has been cooking his whole life.

For more information about United Deli, contact Yudi at 613482-1986 or kosher@rogers.com.

York University suspends student over anti-Semitic website TORONTO (JTA) – Toronto’s York University has suspended a student accused of running an antiSemitic website.

Salman Hossain was ordered to appear before a disciplinary panel and, in the meantime, is not permitted to attend classes.

“The university is moving on this issue in a serious fashion, and we’re going to let our due process work through and see what happens beyond that,” said York spokesman Keith Marnoch.

Hossain is still the subject of a police hate crimes probe over his website, which refers to Jews as

“diseased and filthy,” “the scum of the earth,” “fanatic, genocidal maniacs,” “psychotic” and “mass murderers.”

The Ontario Provincial Police and a team of 13 municipal forces are investigating the Arizona-based website, which says “a genocide should be perpetrated against the Jewish populations of North America and Europe.”

Canada’s hate crimes law prohibits supporting or promoting genocide, as well as the communication of statements other than in private conversation that willfully promote hatred against an

identifiable group.

Last year, Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley declined to press criminal charges against Hossain, saying the Bangladeshi-Canadian was undergoing rehabilitation.

Marnoch said that, while hearings of this sort must take place within 60 days, it would not take that long in this case.

Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) CEO Bernie Farber said the Jewish community was “now breathing a sigh of relief” knowing that Hossain was suspended. “York has done the right thing.”

Ottawa Jewish schools hold PD day

Yitzhak Rabin High School teachers Robert Hazen, left, and Dev Walia, were among the teachers from nine Jewish schools in Ottawa who participated in “Tapping Student Effort, Increasing Student Achievement,” a joint Professional Day workshop, February 12, organized by the Ottawa (Photo: Cynthia Bates) Jewish Community School.

Gluten-free oat matzo, made by a company in England, can even help lower cholesterol – unthinkable at Passover.

(Photo: tovahhh/Creative Commons)

Ask the Expert: Gluten-free matzo I’m gluten intolerant, but I know it’s a mitzvah to eat matzo on Passover. Is there gluten-free matzo for people who can’t digest gluten?

Gluten is the common name for proteins found in all forms of wheat, rye, barley and triticale.

These days, lots of people are discovering that their bodies have trouble digesting gluten, or that they have Celiac Disease, which means that any glutinous food they eat causes damage to their small intestine.

In many ways, Passover is a wonderful week for those who observe gluten-free diets. Many foods that normally contain wheat are made with recipes that leave out the flour, thus making them gluten-free. There are kosher for Passover bakeries that function without flour completely, and many people with Celiac Disease have been known to stock up on Passover pastries to freeze and eat during the rest of the year.

However, on Passover, specifically at the seders, there is a mitzvah to eat matzo, and matzo is made of flour and water, which means it is chock full of gluten. So what’s a gluten-intolerant person to do?

Enter the gluten-free oat matzo! Oats are one of the five grains that can be used to make matzo, but they are generally not glutinous. (I say that they’re generally not glutinous because oats often are contaminated with tiny bits of gluten, and so some people with Celiac Disease refrain from eating oats just as a precaution.)

As far as I know, only one company is producing oat matzo, and it’s based in Manchester, England. The matzo, in addition to being kosher for Passover and gluten-free, is also shemura (guarded against contamination with leaven), and quite pricey (think upwards of $25 a box). But, one box of matzo can easily last a person who doesn’t like matzo for the entire holiday, so many consider it a worthwhile investment.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that my sources claim oat matzo is just as tasteless and cardboardy as regular matzo. On the upside, though, oats are good for lowering your cholesterol, and how many people can say they were lowering their cholesterol over Passover?

(For more information about Judaism and Jewish life, visit MyJewishLearning.com.)

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 25

Healthy cooking for Passover? All it takes is tweaking

By Leah Koenig (JTA) – Eating adventurously may be considered a virtue for 51 weeks of the year, but, when it comes to Passover cooking, tradition rules with a matzo ballshaped fist.

Unfortunately, the canon of Passover-friendly comfort foods is filled with unhealthy fats, sugar, sodium and cholesterol. And after a week of indulging on salty brisket and egg-laden cakes, seder goers often feel less than liberated.

With all respect to tradition, Bonnie Giller’s book, Passover the Healthy Way (AuthorHouse), posits that there’s a better way to enjoy the holiday.

As a registered dietician and certified nutritionist, Giller has spent the past 20 years helping clients meet their nutrition goals. And each year as Passover approached, she noticed the same concerns and struggles coming to the fore.

“Virtually every Passover recipe is based on eggs, oil and sugar,” she said. “Despite their best intentions, my clients were finding themselves overeating and gaining weight over the holiday.”

Giller also heard com-

plaints about the extra food preparation time Passover requires.

“People would tell me, ‘I spend the entire eight days in the kitchen, and I emerge smelling like a frying pan,’” she said.

After years of providing eating tips and developing simple Passover menus for

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clients, Giller decided to compile the information into a book. The resulting 100 recipes in Passover the Healthy Way feature familiar favourites (think sweet-andsour cabbage and potato kugel) that have been tweaked with both health and the cook’s time in mind.

Most of Giller’s modifications are straightforward: swapping oil with unsweetened applesauce or another fruit purée; using egg whites in place of whole eggs; or simply reducing the quantity of unhealthy ingredients.

“In general, you can decrease the amount of sugar in any traditional recipe by a third and still get a delicious end product,” Giller said.

The book also includes

CHAG SAMEACH To all our Donors, Friends and Families during the Passover festivities OTTAWA CHAPTER Seymour Eisenberg, President Phone: 613-224-2500 Email: seyeis@rogers.com Sam Litwack, Honorary National Director Phone: 613-738-7778 / Fax: 613-738-1752 Email: samdora@sympatico.ca

naturally light dishes such as steamed carrots dressed up with lemon juice and chopped parsley, zucchini and mushroom sauté, and a simple roast chicken drizzled with honeywine sauce.

Giller, of course, is not alone in her quest to reshape holiday eating.

In Chicago, chef Laura Frankel urges participants in her Passover cooking classes to avoid heavy dishes and sodium-filled “faux” Passover products in favour of fresh, seasonal ingredients.

“People assume it’s too daunting to make clean food, so they use all of these Passover cake mixes filled with chemicals and unhealthy additives,” Frankel said.

“Why not celebrate all of the fresh vegetables and lean meats that are available?”

Chana Rubin, an Israelbased dietician and author of Food for the Soul: Traditional Jewish Wisdom for Healthy Eating (Gefen), agrees.

“If people focus on what they can eat instead of the restrictions, they will eat more healthfully and contentedly,” she said.

Rubin suggests serving vegetables, both cooked and raw, at every Passover meal, making fruit compotes, poached pears or meringues for dessert in place of sugary cakes, and embracing hearthealthy olive and canola oils instead of saturated fats in both cooking and baking.

The common thread running through all of the suggestions is that following a

strict diet is not the point.

“There is no reason to completely eliminate favourite foods on Passover,” Giller said. “Matzo ball soup can be on the menu, just make it healthier.”

Giller’s traditional matzo balls are bound with hearthealthy olive oil and egg whites.

Giller believes that a good attitude and awareness about one’s eating habits is the most effective defense against holiday bloat. This awareness, she said, should extend from the kitchen to the table.

“It takes more time to change the Jewish habit of having an excessive amount of food on the table,” she said. “But that does not mean one needs to eat absolutely everything being offered.”

Giller recommends waiting until all the dishes have been served before taking food, and helping oneself to smaller portions from the serving platters. By scanning the entire range of choices, she said, it’s easier to make informed decisions that do not result in an overloaded plate.

While many of the guidelines in Passover the Healthy Way read like a manual of common nutritional sense, the statistics suggest that many in the Jewish community could benefit from the refresher.

A 2007 study of West Rogers Park, an Orthodox community in suburban Chicago, found that 31 per cent of adults were overweight, while an additional 25 per cent were obese. The numbers for children were even more distressing: 54 per cent overweight and 26 per cent classified as obese.

While the survey’s focus was limited to one neighbourhood, the trend is reflected in other communities.

Giller is hoping her book can play a role in curbing overeating and poor food choices during the holidays – and all year round.

“In the book, and in all of my work, I help people set realistic expectations,” she said.

“Enjoying food is important on Passover, but with a bit of forethought, there is absolutely no reason to come away heavier than you started.”

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What’s happening at

Congregation Beth Shalom Tuesday, March 30 Thursday, April 1 Friday, April 2 Sunday, April 4

Community Passover Seder Kosher for Passover Lunch Buffet Kosher for Passover Lunch Buffet Passover Chinese Food Buffet Dinner

Watch for more upcoming events

Everyone is Welcome!

Happy Passover from Congregation Beth Shalom For more information, please contact the synagogue at 613-789-3501 or info@bethshalom.ca www.bethshalom.ca

Page 26 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 27

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 29

Balancing the push of tradition and the pull of modernity “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof is one of the mostloved songs in the contemporary Jewish musical canon. The song captures a time when boys studied Talmud while girls sewed, and husbands delicately tiptoed around the question of romantic love with their practical homemaker wives. American audiences soaked up the grand pronouncements of Fiddler’s orchestral score, even as they watched a depiction of tradition in peril. Ushering in a process that is still going on, Jews in the sunset of Eastern European shtetl life were struggling to strike a balance between the push of tradition and the pull of modernity.

As we’ve seen old restrictions being blasted open – witness women in the workforce, public discussion of safe sex and legalizing the right of gay couples to marry, the question of the role of tradition in giving individuals a sense of collective identity is ever-present. At the same time, figuring out where tradition fits is confusing.

Take gender roles. On most counts, my marriage is strikingly modern. My husband, Steve, and I both work full time and share domestic duties equally (though some of those tasks have ultimately been divided along traditional gender lines: his filling out paperwork and my filling in our social calendar).

But our early courtship contained two episodes of striking traditionalism.

The first occurred on a balmy summer evening 15 years ago. Like a medieval male suitor, Steve found himself forced to prove his might before his prospective father-in-law considered him suitable for his precious daughter.

The setting was a tight family game of Trivial Pursuit.

Steve landed on Sports and Leisure. My dad drew a card, silently read the question, and cackled smugly.

He looked squarely at Steve and asked, “Who was the first commissioner of baseball?”

“Kenesaw Mountain Landis,” Steve replied, evenly.

My father was stunned into silence. Steve glowed. Two proud baseball fans had shown down, and the future marriage was sealed.

When Steve and I actually became engaged a few years later, something motivated him to formally ask my father for my hand in marriage. Maybe they played a secret Trivial Pursuit rematch as I waited on the front lawn. I’ll never know.

Why do we fall back on traditional dynamics even when we may be committed to progressive values? In other words, which half of the message are audiences applauding when they hear the song “Tradition”: the part celebrating old customs and beliefs, or the part documenting their unravelling?

Nostalgia can help make sense of this dynamic. In naturally seeking to maintain a continuous sense of self, individuals often long for earlier times or places. It is this act of collectively mourning a different time that can help individuals and groups let go of what seems to be a simpler past. Particularly when done with some sense of ironic detachment, this process can help individuals and societies embrace a much more complex present. But it is not an easy task.

Jewish ritual practice, by definition, hinges almost totally on tradition. But as ritual evolves to embrace multiple sets of values, new ritual objects are being created that look to the past with a similarly ironic wit.

Jewish ritual objects have long been married with artistry, befitting the religious injunction of beautifying sacred objects.

But Daniel Belasco’s Reinventing Ritual: Contemporary Art and Design for Jewish Life (2009), showcases tzedakah boxes

What are you doing for Passover?

Temple Israel Welcomes the entire community to celebrate Passover with us in a warm, inclusive, egalitarian community.

• Leading a Seder and want to modernize?

Sunday, March 28 at 11:15 am.

• Want to join a Family Seder? We will match you up: caring@templeisraelottawa.ca • Worship with us on the First Day of Passover Tuesday, March 30 at 9:00 am.

• Attend our Second Seder Tuesday, March 30 at 6:00 pm: RSVP to 613-2241802 ext 3.

• Say Yizkor at Seventh Day Passover Services Monday, April 5 at 9:00 am

Happy Passover!

1301 Prince of Wales Drive www.templeisraelottawa.ca

Values, Ethics, Community Mira Sucharov made out of tins of Thai coconut milk replete with a pen and a sticker on which to designate a charity of the user’s choice; Biblical phrases encased in gel capsules that riff on society’s fetish with prescription drugs and the notion of religion as a panacea; and, a talit kattan transformed into a woman’s apron.

(The volume is available at the Greenberg Families Library.)

The artists whose work is shown in Belasco’s book are drawn to Jewish ritual for more than just sacred reasons. They want to examine tradition through contemporary lenses.

Of course, a pressing question when it comes to the recasting of tradition, is who is in charge: religious gatekeepers who select what is considered legitimate; contemporary actors moulding tradition to suit their values, or the disembodied traditions themselves?

In Judaism, there’s no clear consensus across the denominations on this question. Still, many spiritual communities are realizing the need to meet adherents ‘where they are.’ New synagogues are being built to meet the eco-demands of their congregants, and some religious communities focus on offsite engagement.

How elastic is tradition so that those who feel the pull of the past can express it in ways that connect with today? Perhaps through practices as varied as eco-kashrut, linking the Passover story to contemporary liberation struggles, or even playing intergenerational board games by moonlight, we can connect the self of then with the self of now – and help keep both intact.

Page 30 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

Jewish family’s life in Egypt after the fall of King Farouk Light of My Eye

By Paula Jacques Translated by Susan Cohen-Nicole Meier Publishing 260 pages Author Paula Jacques was born in Egypt in 1949, and her family was expelled from the country in 1956. She lived briefly in Israel and then moved to France.

Light of My Eye, first published in French as Lumière de l’oeil in 1980, and now available in this new English translation, is a rare combination of humour and tragedy. The novel deals with the Castros, a French-Jewish family in Cairo in the turbulent period between 1952 and 1956, after the exile of King Farouk and during and after the rise to power of General Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Jacques’ love of Egypt is apparent in the voices of her characters. The plot follows the fortunes of the Castro family through the eyes of 12-year-old Mona Castro. Her immediate family consists of her beloved father, Jacques, or Joucky, a trader and businessman, who is devoted to his beautiful, but aloof, wife Rebecca, and sons Selim and David.

Sedaya, their loyal Arab servant, runs the household.

Mona is a mischievous child seeking attention from her mother and feels unloved while attempting to understand the mystery and hypocrisy of the adult world. She observes a card game with her mother and aunts who all seem covered to excess with jewels and cosmetics, “the ladies had faces you just ached to slap.”

The extended family members are unconventional and much of the book’s enjoyment is derived from their colourful personalities. Uncle Berlardo Palacci is a drab lawyer who loves opera, especially Verdi, and is known for his habitual melancholy. However, when he drinks wine, he sings “Viva

Book Review Jack Schecter Italia” so beautifully his family forgives his usual dullness.

Uncle Aaron is a lovable and charming crook and inventor of a metal detector. Uncle Ernst is a dentist known for his brutality. Cousin Bolissa is a government bureaucrat, communist and anti-imperialist, who refuses to follow the wishes of her family and settle down and marry. Mona thinks her cousin is too intelligent to settle down within the confines of marriage.

Mona learns painful lessons as she moves from adolescence into the adult world. She has an overactive imagination filled with romantic dreams and imagines her life will unfold like a Bette Davis movie with a handsome leading man coming to her rescue, and that after various adventures, the couple will find a happy ending.

As a girl, Mona is expected to provide purity and obedience to her family. This is a challenge as she seeks to become more independent and has to deal with the accusation that she’s brought dishonour to the family because of her relationship with a creepy, older male acquaintance.

She also must come to terms with the painful loss of beloved family members. The family suffers grievous losses, but provides comfort and love to Mona in these troubled times.

With the overthrow of King Farouk and the rise to power of Nasser, the Jewish community is subject to harassment by the community-at-large, the police and the government. The

once-thriving Jewish community is reduced from prosperity and coexistence with their Muslim neighbours, to despair, poverty and exile.

The Castros are an example of the tens of thousands of Jews in Arab lands who were forced into exile after the establishment of the State of Israel. The Castro business is bankrupt, they are forced to pay bribes, family members are brought to trial, and most leave for exile in the United States, France or Israel.

This novel provides insights into the decline and fall of the Jewish community in Egypt and the tribulations of an unforgettable family. It is an entertaining read for anyone searching for a different reading experience.

Greenberg Families Library Author Talk Series:

How Jesus Became Christian

by Professor Barrie Wilson This book examines the fascinating and controversial issue about the transformation of Jesus from a Jewish teacher to a gentile Christ. Wilson examines the influence of the Hellenistic view on events of the day and the rivalry between the Jesus Movement, led by James (Jesus’ brother), and the Christ Movement, headed by Paul, which shunned the Torah.

Wilson also shows that Paul established the new religion through anti-Semitic propaganda that ultimately crushed the Jesus Movement.

Author Wilson is a professor of humanities and religious studies at York University. He has taught biblical studies over a 20-year period and is a specialist in early Christian origins.

Thursday, March 25, 7:00 pm at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 31

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ANNE AND LOUIS ARRON MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Daphne and Stanley Arron.

JAMIE BEREZIN ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Morton Roodman by Frank and Susan Danoff.

ALEX AND MOLLIE BETCHERMAN MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Ben Teichman by Joy Rosenstein.

CYNTHIA AND DAVID BLUMENTHAL ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Parents of Kenneth Sacks by Cynthia and David Blumenthal.

Morton Roodman by Cynthia and David Blumenthal.

Sonny Segal by Cynthia and David Blumenthal.

Mazel Tov to: Kenneth and Honey Sacks on Ian’s engagement by Cynthia and David Blumenthal.

Josh Engel on his partnership by Cynthia and David Blumenthal.

SANDI AND EDDY COOK ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Mina Dover-Cohen by Sandi and Eddy Cook and family.

Mazel Tov to: Laurie and Steve Gordon on the upcoming marriage of their son Alex and Sarah Rabinowitz by Sandi and Eddy Cook.

COOPERMAN-SHUSTER FAMILY FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Naomi Bulka by Earl and Bruria Cooperman.

MARTY AND TERRI DAVIS ISRAEL CHESED FUND Mazel Tov to: Marty and Terri Davis on the birth of their granddaughter Bessie by Cynthia and David Blumenthal.

DOLANSKY FAMILY FUND Birthday wishes to: Bernie Dolansky by Enid and Jeff Gould.

JEFFREY AND LOIS EISEN FAMILY FUND Mazel Tov to: Jeff and Lois Eisen on the birth of their granddaughter Willow Charlotte by Jack and Sherri Torjman and family.

CYNTHIA AND ABE ENGEL ENDOWMENT FUND Mazel Tov to: Josh Engel on becoming a partner with GGFL by Barbara and Lenny Farber; and by Marilyn and William Newman.

ELLEN AND RAHAMIM FATHI ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Ray Fathi by Brandon, Tyler and Aaron Fathi.

Continued on page 32

HY AND RUTH CALOF ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Sara Gavsie by Ruth Calof and family.

ARTHUR AND LINDA COGAN FUND FOR YOUNG WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP Birthday wishes to: Linda Nadolny-Cogan by Barbara and Lenny Farber.

HOWARD, JEFFREY, ANDREW, MICHAEL, GREGORY AND ZACHARY COGAN FUND Mazel Tov to: Ian Sherman on being named Business Person of the Year by Lisa and Fred Cogan.

Linda and Steven Kerzner on completing 1,000 hours of Torah study by Lisa and Fred Cogan.

Dan Greenberg and Barbara Crook on the official opening of the Irving Greenberg Family Cancer Centre

by Lisa and Fred Cogan.

Cindy Engel on her son Josh’s partnership with GGFL by Lisa and Fred Cogan.

In memory of: Mina Dover-Cohen by Lisa and Fred Cogan.

ISRAEL AND POLLY COHEN ENDOWMENT FUND Continued good health to: Rickie Saslove by Anna and Rony Cantor.

Wishing you and your family happiness, peace, prosperity and all the joys of Passover

L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim

www.OJCF.ca

Page 32 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

FOUNDATION DONATIONS MARJORIE AND MICHAEL FELDMAN FAMILY FUND Birthday wishes to: Michael Feldman by Jack and Sherri Torjman and family.

Mazel Tov to: Sherri Torjman on receiving CARP’s Top 25 Canadians Award by Marjorie and Michael Feldman.

Helaine and Jack Gould on the birth of their granddaughter Willow Charlotte Gould by Marjorie and Michael Feldman.

Jeff and Lois Eisen on the birth of your granddaughter Willow Charlotte Gould by Marjorie and Michael Feldman.

FLORENCE FAMILY MEMORIAL FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Lena Florence, a beloved grandmother by A.L., Ann and Leanne Smith.

Frank Florence, a beloved uncle by A.L., Ann and Leanne Smith.

In memory of: Jerry Taylor by A.L., Ann and Leanne Smith.

ALAN FREED FAMILY FUND In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Alan Freed.

EVA, DIANE AND JACK GOLDFIELD MEMORIAL FUND Birthday wishes to: Anita Landis by Asa Goldfield.

JACK AND GERT GOLDSTEIN MEMORIAL FUND Birthday wishes to: Gerry Cammy by Allen and Diane Abramson.

Bernie Dolansky by Allen and Diane Abramson.

Norman Glube by Allen and Diane Abramson.

BEATRICE AND SAMUEL GREENBERG FAMILY FUND In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Bea Greenberg, Janice and Arlene.

FRITZI AND MAX (CHIEF) GREENBERG MEMORIAL FUND Mazel Tov to: Linda and Murray Greenberg on the marriage of Amanda and Trevor Smith by Andy and Joany Katz and family.

NATHAN AND SARAH GREENBERG MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Evelyn Greenberg.

STEVEN AND ROZ FREMETH FAMILY FUND Birthday wishes to: Michael Feldman by Steven and Roz Fremeth.

Jack Torjman by Steven and Roz Fremeth.

ZELDA AND JOHN GREENBERG ENDOWMENT FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Zelda Greenberg, a beloved mother by Margot Greenberg.

John Greenberg, a beloved father by Margot Greenberg.

STAN AND LIBBY GLUBE FAMILY FUND Birthday wishes to: Norman Glube by Enid and Jeff Gould.

HY AND PAULINE HOCHBERG ENDOWMENT FUND Mazel Tov to: Rabbi Reuven Bulka on being awarded the “Key to

the City” by Pauline Hochberg.

Birthday wishes to: Lisa Sklar by Pauline Hochberg.

DOROTHY AND HY HYMES ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Pearl Moskovic by Dorothy and Hy Hymes.

Irwin Singer by Dorothy and Hy Hymes.

David Appotive by Dorothy and Hy Hymes.

ARTHUR AND SARAH KIMMEL MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Dan and Marilyn Kimmel.

NORMAN AND SONIA KIZELL FOUNDATION In memory of: Mina Dover-Cohen by Gita Pearl.

EDIE AND ERWIN KORANYI ENDOWMENT FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Edie Koranyi, a dear special friend and god-mother

by Lisa and Fred Cogan and family.

SUSAN AND DAVID KRIGER ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Max Smolkin by Susan and David Kriger.

In appreciation to: Susan and David Kriger by the family of Max Smolkin.

JOAN AND RUSSELL KRONICK FAMILY FUND In memory of: Irene Kronick by Sally and Morton Taller.

LEON AND BYRTHA LECKIE MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Leon Leckie by Hillary Guertin; by David and Elizabeth Casey; by Julie Vertes; by Ethel Guertin; by Residents Association of Rideau Garden; by Candis Emery; and by Patricia and William Irwin.

HARRY AND ZENA LEIKIN ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Hugh Shabsove by Barbara and Lenny Farber.

Birthday wishes to: Steve Kesler by Libby and Stan Katz.

IRVING AND ELLEN LITHWICK ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Vicki Weiss by Yvonne and Harvey Lithwick and family.

“As my fathers planted for me before I was born, so do I plant for those who will come after me.” – The Talmud An endowment fund recognizes that the strengthening of our local Jewish community must continue.

There are over 750 funds currently held by the Foundation.

You can send a Tribute Card for any occasion such as a Mazel Tov, condolence, milestones and high holidays. We accept all major credit cards.

A single card is $18 – only $15 each when you order 18 or more at the same time.

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CHUCK AND BONNIE MEROVITZ FAMILY FUND Mazel Tov to: Sherri Torjman on being one of the recipients of CARP’s Top 25 Canadians Award by Chuck and Bonnie Merovitz.

Birthday wishes to: Norman Glube by Chuck and Bonnie Merovitz.

PERCY AND SHELLEY OSTROFF FAMILY FUND Mazel Tov to: Isra Levy on being named Ottawa Physician of the Year by Percy and Shelley Ostroff.

Rabbi Reuven Bulka on being presented with the “Key to the City” by Percy and Shelley Ostroff.

PEARL AND DAVID MOSKOVIC ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Pearl Moskovic by Barbara and Lenny Farber; by Marilyn and William Newman; by Lilyan Phillip; and

by Adrienne and Chuck Shabsove GERALD AND MARY-BELLE PULVERMACHER FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND Mazel Tov to: Norm and Janet Ironstone on the birth of their grandchild Theodora Harriet by Gerry and Mary-Belle Pulvermacher.

PHYLLIS AND ALAN RACKOW ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Ben Teichman by Phyllis and Alan Rackow.

MOE AND SARAH RESNICK ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Sarah Satov by Gordon and Penny Resnick and family.

BEN AND MARY ROSENBLATT MEMORIAL FUND Birthday wishes to: Evelyn Hoffman by Akiva and Shirley Kriger.

SAMUEL AND RUTH ROTHMAN MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Ben Rothman; and by Steve and Sue Rothman, Bram, Jess, Ollie, Drew and Sarah, and Joel and Sarah.

Bill McKim by Steve and Sue Rothman and family.

Birthday wishes to: Izzy Farber by Steve and Sue Rothman and family.

SHELLEY AND SID ROTHMAN FAMILY FUND Mazel Tov to: Linda and Murray Greenberg on the marriage of Continued on page 33

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 has been declared Foundation Day in recognition of the OJCF’s vital role of providing donors with the vehicle to contribute to the long-term financial stability and support of the needs of the agencies that serve the Ottawa Jewish Community.

The Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation invites you to celebrate Foundation Day as a special event at participating shuls throughout Ottawa.

This date coincides with the 8th day of Passover and Yahrtzeit.

Come celebrate with us!

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 33

FOUNDATION DONATIONS their daughter Amanda to Trevor Smith by Shelley Rothman.

Jeff and Lois Eisen on the birth of their granddaughter Willow Charlotte by Shelley Rothman and family.

In memory of; Jerry Taylor by Shelley Rothman and family.

RICKIE AND MARTIN SASLOVE FAMILY FUND Mazel Tov to: Claire and Irving Bercovitch on their granddaughter’s Bat Mitzvah and Irving’s birthday by Rickie and Martin Saslove.

AL AND BETTY SEGAL MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Ned and Gail Segal and family.

SAM AND CELIA SHACHTER ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Erna Laufer by Estelle and Ian Melzer.

SOL AND ZELAINE SHINDER ENDOWMENT FUND Speedy recovery to: Zelaine Shinder by Dan and Marilyn Kimmel.

LORNE AND LAURIE SHUSTERMAN FAMILY FUND In memory of: Florence Rubinoff by Lorne, Laurie, Zak and Ben Shusterman.

JACK AND SARAH SILVERSTEIN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND Mazel Tov to: Jeff and Lois Eisen on the birth of their granddaughter, Willow Charlotte by the Silverstein family.

STELLA AND LOUIS SLACK MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Sam Hennick by Lester and Myra Aronson and family.

SAM AND SUE SLACK ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: William Senman by Sue Slack and family.

JACK AND LINDA SMITH ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Izzy Farber by Linda Smith.

MAX AND PEARL SMOLKIN FAMILY FUND In memory of: Max Smolkin by Leonard Shore and Jane Mirsky;

by Alma McNab; by Gilda and Sonny Rubin; by Dorothy Almirall; by Jack and Miriam Hoffman; by Mickey Smolkin; by Akiva and Shirley Kriger; by Anthony and Arlene Polonsky; by Robert Jenkens; and

by Howard Smolkin and Annice Kronick.

PATRICIA SMOLKIN MEMORIAL FUND In appreciation to: Howard Smolkin by the family of Max Smolkin.

In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Howard Smolkin and Annice Kronick; by Ryan and Tanya Smolkin; by Derek Smolkin and Helen Braiter; and by Nikki and Michael Shapiro.

CHARLES AND RAE TAVEL MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Ned Better by Lilyan Phillip.

BARBARA AND GERALD THAW ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Sarah Satov by Barbara and Gerald Thaw.

LISE AND MARK THAW FAMILY FUND In memory of: Sarah Satov by Lise and Mark Thaw and family.

In appreciation to: Lynda Nadolny-Cowley and Bruce Cowley by Lise and Mark Thaw.

PINCHAS ZUKERMAN MUSICAL EDUCATION FUND Mazel Tov to: Rabbi Reuven Bulka on receiving the “Key to the City� by Marilyn and William Newman.

THE SAUL AND EDNA GOLDFARB B’NAI MITZVAH PROGRAM STACEY SAMANTHA KATZ B’NAI MITZVAH FUND Mazel Tov to: Fred Seller on BrazeauSeller.LLP winning Outstanding Small Business Philanthropist Award by Andy and Joany Katz and family.

Ian Sherman on being named Business Person of the Year by Andy and Joany Katz and family.

STEPHEN AND GAIL VICTOR ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Sandy Marchello.

Morton Roodman by Sandy Marchello.

MICHAEL WALSH AND LISA ROSENKRANTZ ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Yigal Lipkin by Michael Walsh and Lisa Rosenkrantz.

In appreciation to: Lisa Rosenkrantz by Joshua Olszynko and Devorah Sugarman.

SAM AND HELENE ZARET MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Sarah Satov by Marilyn and William Newman.

ZIPES KARANOFSKY FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND Mazel Tov to: Helaine and Jack Gould on becoming first time grandparents to Willow Charlotte by Rick and Helen Zipes.

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LIEFF FAMILY B’NAI MITZVAH FUND Mazel Tov to: Isra Levy on being named Physician of the Year by Francie Greenspoon and Norman Lieff.

HANNAH SACHS B’NAI MITZVAH FUND Mazel Tov to: Michelle and Richard Sachs on Hannah’s Bat Mitzvah by Bob and Micheline McElligott.

JONATHAN, MATTHEW AND ADAM SHERMAN B’NAI MITZVAH FUND In memory of: Margo Gellman by Randi, Ian, Jonathan, Matthew and Adam Sherman.

Contributions may be made online at www.OJCF.ca or by contacting Carolene Preap at 613-798-4696 extension 232, Monday to Friday. We have voice mail. Our e-mail address is donation@ojcf.ca. Attractive cards are sent to convey the appropriate sentiments. All donations are acknowledged with an official receipt for income tax purposes. We accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex.

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Jeff and Lois Eisen on becoming first time grandparents to Willow Charlotte by Rick and Helen Zipes.

Sherri Torjman on being named one of CARP’s top 25 Canadians by Rick and Helen Zipes.

In memory of: Jerry Taylor by Rick and Helen Zipes and family.

William Senman by Rick and Helen Zipes.

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Page 34 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

Passover: A Kosher Collection: Pam Reiss’ new cookbook For a contemporary approach to tackling Passover cooking, you must check out Passover: A Kosher Collection by Pam Reiss.

Pam lives in Winnipeg and works in Desserts Plus, her

Cod Fish Cakes Makes 8 fish cakes This recipe is Pam Reiss’ answer to those who shun gefilte fish.

1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 large ribs celery, finely chopped 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless cod fillets, cut into large chunks 2 large egg yolks 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup matzo meal 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring, until wilted, but not browned, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill.

Pulse the fish in batches in a food processor until coarsely ground, but not a paste. Combine the fish, cooled onions and celery, 2 tablespoons olive oil, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, pepper, matzo meal and paprika in a mixing bowl and stir until well mixed. Cover and chill for at least half an hour. Divide mixture into 8 portions and form patties.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Carefully place 4 patties in the pan and fry until golden brown, turn over with a spatula and brown the second side. It will take 4-5 minutes per side.

If they’re browning faster than that, lower the heat. By the time both sides have browned, the centre will be cooked. Transfer to paper towel to remove excess oil and fry the second batch.

Serve hot, warm or cold with fruit salsa.

family’s kosher catering business, which recently opened a specialty food store featuring kosher and Israeli products. This is Pam’s second cookbook. Her first, Soup: A Kosher Collection, was released in 2004.

What I love most about this book is that it’s not heavy on the use of matzo and matzo meal. Of 186 recipes, only 49 use some form of matzo in them. That’s pretty good for a Passover cookbook!

Don’t get me wrong, I love a piece of matzo with salted butter and jam. I love fried matzo. But what I don’t like is trying to disguise matzo as something else, like lasagne made with matzo, to stand in for lasagne noodles. Let matzo stand alone and be enjoyed for what it is.

Pam has taken a fresh approach and has some really unique recipe and menu ideas.

I especially like the “Starters, Appetizers and Small

Fruit Salsa 1/2 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 ripe mangoes, peeled and cut into small dice 1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped 1 cup pineapple flesh, finely diced 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed 1–2 tablespoons chopped cilantro Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with fish cakes or grilled chicken, meat or fish.

Cindy Feingold

Bites” and “Beverages” chapters.

For traditionalists, there is a simple chopped liver recipe, and, if you are up to the task, a very detailed recipe for making your own gefilte fish.

If you’re looking for something unique to serve at your seder, Pam includes two recipes for fish cakes, one with cod and the other with haddock. She suggests serving them with a fruit salsa, which would look so pretty on the plate.

In “Beverages,” she gives a simple recipe for homemade mint lemonade and another for watermelon spritzers. In a pretty glass pitcher, these drinks would look and taste so much better than plastic bottles of soda pop.

The chapter on side dishes has the usual assortment of kugel and tsimmes recipes, but what caught my eye were the roasted lemon potatoes. A traditional Greek dish, lemon potatoes would liven up any seder table.

There is an impressive variety of desserts in the last part of the book. Her pecan flan or mile-high lemon meringue pie would be a majestic end to any seder. There are also recipes for biscotti, macaroons, fudge and a butter pecan candy that is yummy.

Pam’s book is available for sale at $29.95 on her web site pamelareiss.com. Shipping is free. It would be a wonderful hostess book to take if you are invited to a seder.

Butter Pecan Candy A candy thermometer is essential for getting this confection just right. Its Pam’s mom’s favourite!

Lemon Potatoes Serves 8 This recipe is from the side dishes chapter of Passover: A Kosher Collection by Pam Reiss. Pam likes to serve these with Greek chicken kebabs.

4 pounds red skinned potatoes, peeled and quartered 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray or brush with a little bit of the olive oil.

Combine all the ingredients in the dish, tossing to make sure all the potatoes have been coated. Spread them out in a single layer (it’s fine if a few overlap).

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.

Uncover and use a spatula to turn the potatoes over.

Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 60-75 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

This is best if served right away, but you can refrigerate them after cooking and reheat in the oven when you’re ready to serve.

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Made with Love

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1/2 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 cup pecan halves 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan, then place a strip of parchment in the pan so that it lines the bottom and comes over the edges on two opposite sides.

Melt the butter in a small pot set over medium heat.

Add the brown sugar, turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot, making sure the bottom of thermometer does not touch the bottom of the pot.

Continue to cook, stirring, for another few minutes until the sugar reaches 240 F. Add pecans and continue to stir and cook another 23 minutes until mixture reaches 265 F. Pour into prepared pan.

Wait 5 minutes, and then sprinkle chocolate on top.

Wait 5 more minutes, then use a small spatula to evenly spread the chocolate over the candy.

Cool completely. Remove from pan and cut into 25 squares.

This keeps well in an air tight container for 1 week.

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010 – Page 35

Celebrating seders when parents are divorced A Tale of Two Seders

By Mindy Avra Portnoy Illustrated by Valeria Cis Kar-Ben Publishing 32 pages. Ages 5-9.

Divorce, no matter how friendly, is a major strain on every affected child. I suspect they all dream of Mom and Dad eventually reuniting. For most, that doesn’t happen and the children must adjust both to the divorce and to the new lifestyles of their parents.

On the surface, that’s what A Tale of Two Seders is about. But, it’s also about portraying traditional and nontraditional seders. Both themes are handled in an intelligent, warm, straightforward fashion with enough lightheartedness to evoke knowing smiles in the reader. A kicker about families and, by implication, about seders, is added at the end as food for thought.

A Tale of Two Seders portrays a young, nameless girl talking about her parents’ divorce over a three-year period that she describes as “six different seders.” The divorce was friendly. She lives with both Mom and Dad and has to decide whose home she will be at for such major single-day, food-filled holidays as Thanksgiving.

Fortunately, each of her parents celebrates two seders, so on Pesach she can attend a seder with each one. That’s what happened during seders one through five.

Seder one with Dad, his friends Gabe and Lisa, and Grandpa Stan, was traditional. Singing the four questions and “Dayenu,” and eating charoset are specifically mentioned. The girl had one complaint, “Dad’s charoset didn’t really stick together.”

Seder two was a women’s seder celebrated with Mom, three of Mom’s girlfriends and guitar-playing Aunt Evelyn.

It emphasized stories about Miriam and was replete with drinking even more than four cups of wine, singing and dancing. Again, a charoset complaint: Mom’s was “very sticky and tasted mostly like figs.”

Seder three was again with Mom. This time, there were eight guests, including two guys Mom knew from work, and a new Haggadah with lots of pictures and stories was

Kid Lit Deanna Silverman

used. One of the stories was about Operation Magic Carpet in which many Yemenite Jews were airlifted to Israel.

Again, a comment about charoset.

Seder four was back at Dad’s. Two new guests were present: Dad’s new girlfriend, Gail, and Gabe and Lisa’s new baby. Our young narrator wasn’t sure what she thought of Gail, but definitely liked the present Gail gave her. No mention of charoset this time.

Seder five was again at Dad’s. Gail and Dad are getting married, so Gail’s mother was at this seder. Grandpa Stan, however, was in the hospital for knee-replacement surgery.

Another few words about charoset.

Seder six was a surprise. Mother and daughter went to the Temple’s seder. Who do you think they met and sat with? Yep, the girl’s friend, but also Dad, Gail and her mother. The girl’s family was finally together as she had hoped, albeit in a new configuration and in a neutral environment.

Written with respect and sensitivity for children’s feelings and needs, A Tale of Two Seders neither shies away from, nor overstates, the reality of the young girl’s situation. What is – is. Everyone, including the child, must accept it and adjust. But that takes time. And, if the little girl dreams of her family being together again, that’s OK too.

Embracing the new reality is the key to family celebrations and enjoying life. Or, as Mom puts it in the kicker, “Families are like charoset … each one is tasty in its own way.”

Similarly, each seder has meaning in its own way.

By Mindy Avra Portnoy; illustrated by Valeria Cis

Bright, full-colour illustrations add to the warmth of this true-to-life contemporary family story.

A Tale of Two Seders includes a glossary and four different recipes for charoset, even one not mentioned in the story. Apparently a CHAIroset, an 18-ingredient charoset, is an Italian-Jewish tradition. The recipe makes two quarts!

B’tai avon!

From my family to yours, Chag Sameach! Whatever your charoset is made of, may your seders be commemorative and memorable.

Let me take that burden off your hands The world is ending, so I’m told. I’ve seen it everywhere in bold. The year (who cares about the year?), maybe it’s 2012. That’s what they say, the story’s everywhere. How fire and ice and water and snow and nuclear dust and, well, one of those will put a final end to the whole human race.

What should I do? Make love until I’m dead? Cram knowledge in my head? Do nothing but stay in bed? Get rid of all my money and go south where it’s sunny?

Or better yet, fulfil the precepts of my religion: Go to the Holy Land and wait at Zion’s ancient gate just to hear the ram’s horn blast and watch the dead arise from dust.

Mazal Tov

Getting married, celebrating a special birthday or anniversary, just had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah?

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That might be the day of glory when rams and lambs and does and dogs and cats all get along. No more death to face, just eternal bliss with friends and foes (of whom there won’t be any). For evil thoughts or deeds, not even a penny.

The heavenly host will descend on earth.

You know, there might well be a dearth of empty space. This gives me pause. And here’s the cause. Every square inch of land and water will be crammed with either angels or spirits or the formerly dead. If you think it’s crowded now, just wait until Moshiach shows up. Angel wings won’t be able to flap in Ottawa without causing a tsunami in Japan.

There’ll be no tobogganing or hockey either. It’s true that there won’t be any tanks, but I also won’t be able to watch the Canucks beat the Yanks. This does not seem quite right. I’m all for the light, but it looks better after a little night.

Hmm, I seem to have some doubt. Maybe there will be some way out of this foretold doom. Maybe it is not my fate to sit at the entrance, strait as a needle’s eye where fat rich men will somehow squeeze their gassy bellies through like malleable balloons.

Who says the end will come tomorrow, or even the day after? When the ice caps melt, I can, as instructed by the rabbis, learn to breathe under water. What will I bet on and will I take a chance to go on living?

I’m not saying you should not believe the world will end. I’m just saying you should put your money where your faith is, friend. Why be encumbered by earthly possessions

Humour me, please Rubin Friedman when you go to meet your maker? You won’t need them there and they may weigh your soul down. Before the end, why not give up all that you own?

For a small administrative fee, I will take this burden all on me.

Here’s how it works. Just before December 12, 2012 when you think the world will end, go to www.givemeyoursins.com on the World Wide Web and use your credit or debit card to deposit all you own into my account. I am ready to accept your sins. If that won’t do, just send an e-mail to me at givemeyourmoney@hotmail.com and I’ll tell you where to send your cheque. And, what the heck, you can give me access to your safety deposit boxes, too.

Please understand that this is not a grandiose gesture on my part. I’m just here to help in a time of uncertainty. If the world does end, you’ll be ready. If it does not, you will live easier with less worry. Either way, you’ll be covered.

Page 36 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 22, 2010

WHAT’S GOING ON March 22 to April 4, 2010 WEEKLY EVENTS SUNDAYS Mazeltots, sponsored by Westboro Jewish Montessori School, for ages up to 4 years, 192 Switzer Avenue, 10:00 am. Info: 613-729-7712.

CANDLELIGHTING Mar 26 ✡ 7:04 pm FIRST SEDER Mar 29 ✡ 7:08 pm SECOND SEDER Mar 30 ✡ AFTER 8:12 pm Apr 2 ✡ 7:13 pm EVE OF THE SEVENTH DAY OF PASSOVER Apr 4 ✡ 7:16 pm EVE OF EIGHTH DAY OF PASSOVER Apr 5 ✡ AFTER 8:20 pm

MONDAYS & THURSDAYS Motorin’ Munchkins gym dropin for children aged 1-5 years with parent or caregiver accompaniment, sponsored by SJCC Ganon PreSchool, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 280.

FRIDAYS Shabbat Shalom with SJCC Ganon Pre-School, for children up to 5 years with parent or caregiver accompaniment, 9:30 am. Info: 613798-9818, ext. 280.

MONDAY, MARCH 22 JNF Negev Dinner, honouring Sara Vered, Fairmont Château Laurier, 1 Rideau St, 6:00 pm. Info: 613798-2411.

MONDAY, MARCH 22 to THURSDAY, MARCH 25 “Brighton Beach Memoirs,”

by Neil Simon, performed by students of Yitzhak Rabin High School, 31 Nadolny Sachs Private, 7:00 pm. Info: 613-727-0420, ext.

343.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23 Malca Pass Book Discusson Group, Alvina Ruprecht of CBC reviews The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz, Agudath Israel Congregation, 1400 Coldrey Avenue, 7:30 pm. Info: 613-8292455.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24 5th Annual Shalom Bayit Seder, sponsored by Jewish Family Services, to raise awareness about domestic violence and abuse within the Jewish community, Agudath Israel Congregation, 1400 Coldrey Avenue, 6:00 pm. Info: 613-722-2225, ext. 406.

THURSDAY, MARCH 25 Yiddish-speaking group for seniors, sponsored by Jewish Family Services, 2255 Carling Avenue, suite 300, 10:00 am. Info: 613-722-2225, ext. 325.

For more community listings, visit ottawa.planitjewish.com

Author Talk Series, by the Greenberg Families Library, presents How Jesus Became Christian, by Professor Barrie Wilson of York University. The book examines the transformation of Jesus from a Jewish teacher to a Gentile Christ. 7:00 pm. Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 245.

SUNDAY, MARCH 28 Shalom Ottawa, our community television show, Rogers 22 at noon. Repeated Thursday, April 1 at 6:00 pm and Saturday, April 3 at noon.

MONDAY, MARCH 29 and TUESDAY MARCH 30 Chabad Student Network Passover Seders, conducted mainly in English, Embassy Hotel and Suites, 25 Cartier Street, 7:30 pm on March 29, and 8:00 pm on March 30. Info: 613-601-7701.

Experience the freedom of Passover with Chabad of Centrepointe at our interactive, warm and inspiring Passover Seders, Chabad Centre, 261 Centrepointe Drive, 7:30 pm, and 8:15 pm on March 30.

Info: 613-224-7050.

TUESDAY, MARCH 30 Temple Israel Community Passover Seder, everyone welcome, 1301 Prince of Wales Drive, 6:00 pm. Payment information and reservations: 613-224-1802, ext. 3.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1 8th Annual Passover Lunch,

sponsored by Canadian Friends of Hebrew University. Alan Borovoy, general counsel emeritus of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, will speak on “Threats to Civil Liberties in Canada,” Agudath Israel Congregation, 1400 Coldrey Avenue, 12:00 pm. Info: 613-7269125.

COMING SOON SUNDAY, APRIL 11 Ottawa Yom HaShoah Commemoration featuring Eva Olsson, survivor and renowned educator, who will share her personal story, 7:00 pm. Info: 613-798-4696, ext. 253.

MONDAY, APRIL 12 National Yom HaShoah Commemoration, sponsored by the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem, Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place, 3:30 pm.

Free transportation provided from the SJCC at 2:30 pm, returning at 6 pm. Event info: 416-785-1333.

To reserve a bus seat, call 613-798-4696, ext. 253.

Seating is limited.

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 Yom Ha’Atzmaut 2010 Celebration, sponsored by the SJCC, Aberdeen Pavillion, Lansdowne Park, 5:00 pm. Food and activities for the whole family. Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 225.

Unless otherwise noted, activities take place at The Joseph and Rose Ages Family Building, 21 Nadolny Sachs Private.

This information is taken from the community calendar maintained by the Jewish Ottawa InfoCentre. Organizations which would like their events to be listed, no matter where they are to be held, should send the information to InfoCentre coordinator Benita Siemiatycki via e-mail at bsiemiatycki@jewishottawa.com or fax at 613-798-4695. She can also be reached by telephone at 613-798-4644. Accurate details must be provided and all events must be open to the Jewish public.

For our investors, it’s a happy Passover As we celebrate our freedom from slavery in Egypt, some of us ask: why is the Romspen Fund different from all other investments? For one thing, Romspen investors have always received their monthly distribution no matter how good or bad the economic climate.

To the many Jewish investors who depend on The Romspen Mortgage Investment Fund, we are thankful for your steadfast support and confidence. From Arthur, Mark, Wes, Blake, Shelly and our entire staff, we wish you continued good health and prosperity.

Happy Pesach.

Condolences Condolences are extended to the families of: Al Cohen Polly Cohen Daniel Nadezhin Morton Roodman Ceres Rothman Lisa Silverman

May their memory be a blessing always.

The CONDOLENCE COLUMN is offered as a public service to the community.

There is no charge.

For a listing in this column, please call Carolene Preap, 613-798-4696, ext. 232.

Voice mail is available.

162 Cumberland Street, Suite 300 Toronto, Ontario M5R 3N5 1.800.494.0389 www.romspen.com

BULLETIN DEADLINES APRIL 7 FOR APRIL 26 APRIL 21 FOR MAY 10 MAY 5 FOR MAY 24 MAY 26 FOR JUNE 14 JUNE 30 FOR JULY 19 JULY 28 FOR AUGUST 16 AUGUST 11 FOR SEPTEMBER 6* * Community-wide Issue (all dates subject to change)

Would you like to advertise in the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin?

Contact Rhoda Saslove-Miller 613-798-4696, ext. 256