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bulletin volume 74, no. 16

july 19, 2010

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Sea Lions race in Ottawa’s annual Dragon Boat Festival

Sixteen young adults from Ottawa travelled to Israel last month on a Social Action Mission. After completing their project in Kiryat Shmona, the group, seen here at the Kotel, spent their final Shabbat in Jerusalem. See stories on page 17.

By Benita Baker Ottawa’s Sea Lions Dragon Boat team has done it again. For the second year in a row, this group of 22 indomitable women – Lions of Judah, their daughters and invited guests – joined together as competitors and fundraisers at the 17th annual Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, June 18-20, at Mooney’s Bay. The festival, which has raised more than $1.8 million since its inception, is the largest event of its kind in North America. Promoting teamwork, team spirit and community support, it brings people of all ages and abilities together for a

lively athletic and fundraising challenge.

The Sea Lions once again demonstrated their fundraising prowess. Competing against 5,000 paddlers from 190 teams, they raised $25,864 and, like last year, placed third in the fundraising race.

With painted faces and official Sea Lions shirts and life-jackets provided by sponsors Westboro Flooring and the docweissband, the group’s enthusiasm was contagious.

“Paddling is a fantastic teambuilding experience and a perfect (Continued on page 2)

Rabbi Simes critically injured in highway accident

By Michael Regenstreif Rabbi Yehuda Simes, a popular Judaic Studies teacher at the Ottawa Jewish Community School, was critically injured, June 20, when the family van rolled over several times on Interstate Highway 81 near Orleans, N.Y., after swerving to avoid hitting a deer on the highway.

The van was being driven by Shaindel Simes, the rabbi’s wife.

She and their seven children were treated for relatively minor injuries from the accident, which occurred en route to Ottawa following a weekend visit to Rochester, N.Y. Rabbi Simes was taken to a hos-

pital in Syracuse, N.Y., where he underwent emergency surgery. He has since remained there in intensive care.

Rabbi Simes was paralyzed below the waist following the accident, but was conscious and alert during the weeks following his surgery. Doctors cautioned that it would take several more weeks of healing before he could be reassessed and his prognosis determined.

The accident occurred just as the Ottawa Jewish Community School – created by the amalgamation of Hillel Academy and Yitzhak Rabin High School – was ending the

Hillel Academy students wash cars to raise funds for the Simes family.

(Photo: Michael Regenstreif)

(Continued on page 2 )

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Page 2 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Weiss hopes to launch Dragon Boat Festival in Israel (Continued from page 1)

partnership,” said team captain Debbie Weiss. “Added to that is the opportunity of having fun and, as Lions of Judah, continue our tradition of reaching out to others with our time and our dollars.”

Dragon boating, a Chinese cultural tradition dating back 2,400 years, is all about teamwork. Resembling an elongated canoe, with a dragon’s head at one end and a tail at the other, a dragon boat holds 20 paddlers as well as a steer person and a drummer who keeps time and encourages the team.

No particular skills are needed to be a team member, although a good sense of rhythm helps.

Two years ago, when Weiss and fellow Lion of Judah Lisa Rosenkrantz attended an International Lion of Judah conference, they came away energized and keen on finding a way for other Ottawa Lions to feel the same enthusiasm. They came up with the idea of a dragon boat team and sent out a feeler e-mail to all Ottawa Lions.

“The response was immediate and enthusiastic,” said Weiss, and the Sea Lions Dragon Boat team came to be.

“What drew me in immediately was the idea of having our Lions of Judah raise awareness about how we are leaders, not only in our community, but part of a worldwide organization whose sole purpose is to better the lives of others,” said team member Linda Nadolny-Cogan. “I loved the message

The Sea Lions gather at the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival.

(Photo: Marcia Cantor)

that we care for one another, are part of something much greater than ourselves, and that there is such strength in numbers.”

Ilana Prehogan was invited to join the Sea Lions by her mother-in-law, Avalee Prehogan.

“The best parts about being on the team are getting out on the water and having fun with a group of amazing ladies,” said Ilana.

Lynne Oreck-Wener pointed to the camaraderie, the sense of accomplishment and the

connection with the other women as the best part of being on the team.

Donna Nadolny felt the same way.

“I was looking to get to know many of the Lion of Judah women on a different level,” said Nadolny. “Being on the Sea Lion team allowed me the opportunity to get to know many of these women outside of a fundraising capacity.”

Some of the Sea Lions team members had never paddled before they got together last

year. Roz Fremeth can’t swim, but she didn’t let that stop her from signing on.

“I rely on my seatmate to ensure I am safe,” she said confidently.

Other team members include Andrea Shabinsky-Borer, Marcia Cantor, Myrna Barwin, Adina Libin, Bonnie Merovitz, Shelli Kimmel, Dalia Kimmel, Tracy Fenton, Joyce Schachter, Megan Schachter, Gillian Schachter, Lauren Weiss, Linda Kerzner, Lisa Levitt, Margo Silverman and Shelley Crawford. (Rosenkrantz is a member of another team, the Draggin’ Docs.)

The Sea Lion’s experience was so positive and so successful, Weiss got to thinking about starting a similar event on Lake Kinneret in Northern Israel. There are dragon boat races in more than 60 countries, but Israel has not yet hosted one.

Weiss created the Canada/Israel International Dragon Boat Festival (CIIDBF) and put together a steering committee that includes Myrna Barwin, Mitchell Bellman, Barbara Crook, Gillian Dolansky, Tracey Fenton, Linda Kerzner, Lynne Oreck-Wenner and Lisa Rosenkrantz.

The group has created a business plan and has already met with Israeli officials. The response has been positive. Two Israelis came to Ottawa to get a first-hand look at the Dragon Boat Festival festivities and organization. Their goal is to launch the festival in spring 2012, but a final decision has not yet been made.

Fund established to help Simes family (Continued from page 1)

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school year. Rabbi Simes’ Hillel Academy students from Grades 5-7 quickly organized a car wash, June 24, in the Jewish Community Campus parking lot, which, despite the rain, raised $1,555 to help the Simes family through this difficult time.

There were several other impromptu fundraisers in the community, organized on behalf of the Simes family, and a fund has been established by Jewish Family Services (JFS) to coordinate the efforts. Donations may be made by calling JFS at 613-722-2225.

Several prayer groups have also been organized to pray for Rabbi Simes’ recovery, including a community-wide group that gathered 250 people at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre on June 30.

The Simes family has requested that members of Ottawa’s Jewish community increase their Shabbat observance as a way of helping the rabbi recover. Suggestions on how to increase Shabbat observance may be found online at rabbisimes.com.

Two of Rabbi Simes’ Grade 7 students, Gabriel Hamburg and Shmuel Prizant, started a Facebook group – Get Well Soon, Rabbi Simes – that has quickly grown to more than 500 members.

In addition to teaching at the Ottawa Jewish Community School, Rabbi Simes is also education director of Torah High, an afterschool program for Jewish students attending public high schools.

(Nicola Hamer contributed to this report.)

Rabbi Yehuda Simes demonstrates his joie de vivre in his Ottawa Jewish Community School classroom.

(Photo: Nicola Hamer)

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 will be published as space permits.

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

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 3

Page 4 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation reports good news

By Benita Baker Despite a turbulent economy, the news was all positive, June 9, at the annual general meeting of the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation.

Investment returns for 2009 were 13.8 per cent.

Treasurer Steve Lesh reported that the Foundation received $1.3 million of new capital and disbursed more than $1.5 million to recipient agencies. The Foundation, which in 1991 had assets of $7.6 million, now has $41 million in capital, generated from 801 funds.

Aside from an upbeat financial situation, bolstered by 32 new endowment funds, speakers talked extensively about proactive and innova-

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tive new initiatives being undertaken by the Foundation.

With the goal of creating a dynamic fundraising organization, the groundwork has been laid for the Collaborative Fundraising Model linking the Foundation with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

“We have different mandates, but share a common goal to engage our constituents to ensure a thriving community for future generations,” said Federation Vice-Chair Debbie Weiss.

Foundation President Jack Silverstein reported on other new efforts aimed at segments of the community that have previously been underrepresented in donor services, such as women, teens and next-generation donors.

In addition to establishing the Women’s Philanthropy Committee, the Fundraising Committee and a committee looking at ways to engage young adults, a new program, Create Your Jewish Legacy, aimed at creating partnerships with the city’s shuls and agencies, was launched.

Hannah Mayne (left), the George Joseph Cooper Scholarship Award recipient, with OJCF Board member Pam (Photo: Peter Waiser) Stelcner.

The Foundation Marketing Committee successfully implemented a publicity campaign that included ads, brochures, lawn signs and the development of a revised web site. Silverstein reported that approximately $22,000 was generated from on-line contributions, as compared to $12,000 the previous year.

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Visits to the website in 2009 increased by 70 per cent.

Board member Pam Stelcner presented Hannah Mayne with the George Joseph Cooper Scholarship Award, valued at $12,457. A bequest from the estate of George Cooper established the scholarship fund, which recognizes a member of the Ottawa Jewish community between 18 and 30 for his or her leadership, academic and community efforts.

“This is a message of support and encouragement from the community I come from,” said Mayne. “It means a great deal to me.”

Teenager Michael Calof, who was honoured with a B’nai Mitzvah Club fund

when he received the Mitzvah Day Doer Award in December 2009, spoke about participating in the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

“Without the support of the community, the Foundation and parents who instil mitzvah and tzedakah values in their kids, I wouldn’t have gone to Israel,” said Calof.

“The true meaning of tzedakah, in my opinion, is giving without expecting anything in return.”

Board chair Harold Feder announced that, consistent with trends in the charity sector, the size of the Foundation board was reduced to 10 from 18, eliminating the need for an executive committee.

Feder also announced two new funds – the Dorothy and Herbert Nadolny Families Community Endowment Fund and the Ruth and Joseph Viner Family Community Endowment Fund – and welcomed four new Lions of Judah: Ruth Levitan, Sally Levitan, Lisa Rosenkrantz and Sunny Tavel.

Board Development Committee Chair Roger Greenberg introduced new directors Richard Roth and Eddy Cook.

Just six months into his term as chair, Feder reflected on the three goals he established on taking office.

The first was to foster cooperation with the Federation. With the introduction of the Collaborative Fundrais-

ing Model, this goal is already proving successful.

“We are sharing resources, staff and information like never before,” said Feder.

His second goal was to broaden the donor base, and the new Women’s Philanthropy and Young Adult committees are aimed at achieving this. So, too, is the Create your Jewish Legacy program, which will host an evening with Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey Solomon, co-authors of The Art of Giving, in October.

Capturing more inter-generational wealth transfer was Feder’s third goal, and he highlighted the establishment of the Pioneering Fundraising Committee, with a fiveyear plan of raising $10 million.

So far, he said, the focus has been on establishing the framework of these farreaching objectives.

“Next year will be all about calls to action,” said Feder.

In his closing remarks, Silverstein summarized the organization’s true mission.

“I invite you all to take a moment or two and feel the nachas that we all share as part of this very special community,” said Silverstein in his closing remarks.

“We are helping to ensure nothing short of Jewish continuity and, ultimately, survival.”

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 5

IN MEMORIAM

Former Vaad president Mervin Mirsky passes away at 96

By Cynthia Nyman Engel Had you been looking for Mervin Mirsky on the evening of March 7, 1989, you would have found him at the Château Laurier Hotel confronting Holocaust denier David Irving as he spewed his venom to an audience of 200. At evening’s end the security guards, concerned for Mervin’s safety, personally escorted him to his car.

Mervin never backed away from a challenge. He lived with integrity, brought up his children to do the same, and exhibited a commitment to community second to none.

When he died, June 24, at age 96, Ottawa lost a true gentleman who was an inspiration to all who knew him.

Mervin Mirsky was born in Ottawa on May 16, 1914. He and his twin brother, Jack, were the second and third children born to Sadie (Vineberg) and David Mirsky.

Brother Norman was the eldest.

Three events shaped Mervin into the man he became.

The first, when he was just seven years old, was seeing his mother run a soup kitchen out of her home in the difficult 1920s. Sadie never turned a hungry soul away, and that experience proved to be the impetus for the Ottawa Food Bank he established in the 1970s.

The second occurred when he was nine.

Conditions were so drastic that the family was facing eviction from their home. Somehow, his father found the money to avert the looming crisis, but the experience stayed with Mervin all his life. Never did he take for granted the assets he was able to acquire and he always focused on achieving financial security for himself and his family.

The third occurred while he was serving with the Canadian Forces during the Second World War. Stationed in a small town outside Amsterdam, he heard of a local nun, Sister Pop, who was saving Jewish children. Upon meeting her and seeing her incredible operation, he made a promise – and delivered on that promise – to procure for her as much food, bedding and everyday supplies as she needed. Not one child in Sister Pop’s care was ever harmed and, in 1957, he brought the good lady to Ottawa to meet his family.

An excellent scholar, Mervin attended the University of Toronto and Osgoode Law School, graduating with honours. For a brief time, he practised law with his brother Jack. However, when war broke out in 1939, he enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. He rose to the rank of lieutenantcolonel, received mention in dispatches, and received the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Late booking policy In the interest of working more efficiently to maximize our ability to produce the best possible newspaper in a timely fashion, the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin has established a new policy for booking advertisements.

Please be advised that bookings for advertising space in the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin must be received by no later than 5:00 pm on deadline day.

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee space will be available after the deadline. When possible, we will attempt to accommodate late requests, but all ads booked and accepted after end of working day on deadline day will be subject to a late fee of 20% over and above the cost of the ad.

Late fees will begin as of the August 16, 2010 issue (deadline July 28, 2010).

Mervin Mirsky

It took him years to shake the nightmare of what he had seen in Bergen-Belsen during the liberation of Europe. Little wonder, 45 years later, he was prepared to face down David Irving.

Following the war, Mervin eschewed law and joined his father and brother, Norman, in Pure Spring, the family business.

He was a natural at business, loved its challenges and built up Pure Spring. At one time, Pure Spring outsold Coke on a volume basis in Eastern Ontario. After retiring from Pure Spring, Mervin joined his son, Peter, in his law firm. Father and son enjoyed 15 good years together.

“This city has been good to us,” Peter Mirsky recalled his father saying.

Mervin was also good to the city he loved. In addition to being a founding member of CHEO and establishing the Ottawa Food Bank, he was involved in the Community Foundation of Ottawa and St. Patrick’s Home.

Mervin played a significant role in Ottawa’s Jewish community, serving as president of the Jewish Community Council of Ottawa/Vaad Ha’Ir from 1964 to 1967, and chairing the 1962 UJA Campaign.

He was also a committed supporter of the Weizmann Institute and Hebrew University. His continued commitment to community was recognized when he was paid tribute by the Jewish National Fund as its 1991 Negev Dinner honouree.

Mervin Mirsky was predeceased by Barbara, his beloved wife of 63 years. He is survived by his children Peter, Phillip, Jane, Michael and Brian, by 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

We thank all of our advertisers for their understanding and continued support and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Page 6 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

‘Your input is valuable’ as the Federation Board Federation prepares for our annual retreat “Summertime and the livin’ is easy …”

While it’s true that Federation activity takes a bit of a break during the summer, this is also the time that we prepare for the coming year. It is both a consolidation of the accomplishments of the previous year, and a validation of our strategic objectives and plans for the next 12 months.

To that end, the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa has an annual all-day retreat scheduled in midAugust. This retreat has a double purpose: it allows the Board members, including new Board members, the opportunity to get to know one another better and become part of a team, and it eases the time constraints that we have at Board meetings, when there never seems to be enough time to fully explore an issue.

As you may know, the Federation Board is composed of the chairs of the six core committees: Communications and Community Relations; Resource Development; Audit and Finance; Planning; Allocations;

and Jewish Outreach, Identity and Education. As well, I am the chair of the Board, and we have a vice-chair, Debbie Weiss, a past-chair, Jonathan Freedman, and the chair of the campus, Neil Zaret, who, along with our CEO, Mitchell Bellman, sit on the Board in an ex-officio capacity. We also invite senior staff to the Board meetings (and to the annual retreat), as they are integral to our committee process.

Our strategic objectives, which will be reviewed at the annual retreat, comprise six points: • Focus on engagement of young people; • Create opportunities for all Jews to experience an inspired Jewish community; • Enhance transparency and accountability; • Increase communication to the community; • Increase participation and commitment to the Annual Campaign; and • Build connections to Israel and Israelis.

Representatives of the Federation, mostly Debbie, Mitchell and I, have been meeting with the major beneficiary agencies to solicit their feedback as well. By the time the retreat takes place in August, we will have met at least once with each of the five major agencies, and staff is meeting with other groups.

Projects currently in the works include Jewish education in the community, most notably day and afternoon schools; the engagement of young adults, which will culminate in a Young Adult Symposium next spring; and discussions on fundraising and campaign.

So, why am I repeating all this to you?

You may have heard/read it before. It is because I want you to be involved in the planning process. Your input is valuable!

In the past, we have had the retreat, discussed the issues, and then gone ahead and begun our committee work. I feel that it is important to solicit your opinions before the retreat, so that we can make our work plan

Report Donna Dolansky Chair

in a more informed fashion.

I welcome your ideas and suggestions.

Of course, they should relate to our strategic objectives. You can email me at jfochair@rogers.com and we will have the opportunity to consider your input in advance of the retreat.

Graduations and AGMs June was the month for graduations and annual general meetings. It has been my privilege to represent the Federation at many of these events, where I am as proud as the participants of their achievements.

Debbie Weiss, Federation vice-chair, and Jonathan Freedman, Federation past-chair, have also attended some of the events when I couldn’t, and I thank both of them.

Contemplating the future of our community At the outset, let me make a couple of disclaimers. These thoughts I’m sharing are just personal musings that may be totally off base and unfair; and, there is no person or organization that I am referring to in any of these musings.

Years ago, I heard an interesting approach to marketing. I was speaking with a grocery superstore manager who was overseeing the addition of a new brand of peanut butter to a shelf that was already overloaded with more than enough peanut butter brands. He told me that marketing experience shows that the more brands you have, the more peanut butter you actually sell.

Perhaps this type of thinking also works in a communal context; i.e., the more you have of whatever, be it shuls or schools or whatever, the better it is for sales, which here would translate into better for the community.

But I am not sure that there isn’t a breaking point – a point where we become much too thinly spread, where overhead costs are so prohibitive that the wealth of choices becomes a major problem instead of a communal bonus.

With that in mind, there are a few impressions nagging at me quite heavily.

One is that the Jewish community, in general, is not moving forward. Yes, there are pockets of great growth, and instances of great achievement, but, in the overall picture, we are backsliding. This is true overall, and my sense is that it is also true in Ottawa. To what extent are we making a bigger pie, and to what extent are more groups fighting over the same pie?

The demographics are not aligning positively. Our numbers are not growing as they

From the pulpit Rabbi Reuven Bulka Machzikei Hadas should. People are getting married later, having fewer children, and the cost of being Jewish is reaching beyond the comfort level of too many families. I hear the dismissive argument from many that if Judaism was important to them (those who are not joining whatever), they would find the money. Easily said; perhaps, too easily. The point is that, in many instances, Judaism is not that important to them. And we would be irresponsible if we did not ask why.

If we were in business, we would be asking the basic questions of what is our ultimate goal and how successful are we in achieving it. That would be the measurable. The answer, I would guess, is as follows: The goal, for the broad Jewish community, is to educate and inspire the younger generation in such a way that they will want to actively and happily continue Jewish affirmation in the future.

My further guess is that we are not doing as well as we should. Ideally, we should be at 100 per cent retention. We cannot afford to lose anyone. But, we are nowhere close to that ideal. If we are at 50 per cent, it would be a welcome surprise. Simply put, in North America, half the Jewish population cares little about Judaism and about Israel. More truthfully, they probably look upon Judaism and Israel as burdens.

So, whatever we are doing, we are not

doing well enough. This is not an Ottawa problem. This is a problem in every country outside of Israel. But, we cannot take comfort in the misery loves company approach.

While Ottawa does not have a large Jewish community in comparison to Montreal or Toronto, we are on an equal footing with cities like Winnipeg and Vancouver, and we’re certainly a larger community than in Regina, Quebec City, Halifax, etc. It may not be a made in Ottawa problem, but that does not preclude a made in Ottawa solution.

Summer is a time when we have extra minutes. It would be great if we spent extra minutes thinking about how to get closer to the goal previously enunciated, which I presume every caring member of the

community shares.

Maybe, we have to think about creating a new community structure in which annual membership entitles members access to all communal resources, including the Soloway Jewish Community Centre, the shuls and the schools – the works.

Maybe we need to think about amalgamating resources to bring about greater efficiencies, lower costs and, thereby, greater communal involvement.

On the other hand, though, maybe not.

Maybe all we need to do is improve on the delivery of the services we already have in place. Or, maybe the solution is something in between. But we should, at least, talk it through.

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 7

Bulletin internship honours Barry Fishman’s legacy When Barry Fishman – my predecessor as editor of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – passed away on October 22, 2009 following his brave and dignified three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), his family suggested that donations in his memory be made to the Barry Fishman Ottawa Jewish Bulletin Scholarship Fund at the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation.

As editor of the Bulletin, Barry particularly enjoyed working with young journalists and several, including Ariel Vered, Alexander Baker and Jason Sheriff, interned at our newspaper during his tenure.

Not long before he died, Barry suggested a fund be created to ensure that the Bulletin will maintain an internship position each summer for a student journalist.

I worked closely with Barry when I arrived in Ottawa three years ago to join the Bulletin and I know how much pride he felt in the newspaper and how much satisfaction he felt seeing our young journalists gain valuable experience and develop their craft. Barry’s influence continues to be felt in each issue of the paper we produce and it’s so very fitting that his legacy will endure and be honoured each year with our summer internship.

Editor Michael Regenstreif The first intern hired under the auspices of Barry’s fund is Jacqueline Shabsove, a combined honours double major in the communication and religion departments at Carleton University.

Jacqueline began her eight-week term with us during the final production week for this issue and will be here with us through the end of August writing news reports and features and proofreading pages before they go to print.

While her work will be particularly evident in our August 16 and September 6 (Rosh Hashanah) issues, Jacqueline’s first two articles – completed efficiently on very quick deadlines – are in this issue on pages 9 and 11.

To make a donation to the Barry Fishman Ottawa Jewish Bulletin Scholarship Fund, call the Foundation at 613798-4696, ext. 232.

Campus Life column Speaking of young journalists, I’m pleased to announce that Ilana Belfer, a communications student at Carleton, is our Campus Life columnist for the 2010-2011 academic year. Her first column is in this issue on page 24.

While the Campus Life column usually just runs monthly during the school year, I asked Ilana to write a column for this issue when she told me that she’d be going on a Birthright trip to Israel in June.

With Birthright being such an important experience for so many Jewish students throughout the Diaspora, I thought it would be interesting to hear directly from an Ottawa student about the effect the trip had on her.

Ilana will return to the Bulletin in September with the first of her regular Campus Life columns.

Hate crimes charged Like most journalists, I believe in freedom of speech and open debate. But, outright hatemongering, fabricating lies, inciting violence and calls to genocide have absolutely nothing to do with freedom of speech.

Just before going to press, we received

word that the Ontario Provincial Police has laid hate crime charges against Salman Hossain, 25, a suspended York University student, for “willfully promoting and advocating genocide of the Jewish community.”

Apparently, the charges against Hossain are the first ever laid in Canada for promoting genocide. I’ve looked at Hossain’s website and read some of his rants. They are probably the most extremely hateful things I’ve ever seen. If ever there was a worthy candidate for such a prosecution, he would seem to be it.

Rabbi Simes We report in a front page story about the terrible highway accident involving Rabbi Yehuda Simes and his family and the severe injuries he sustained.

Ottawa’s Jewish community has rallied, financially and spiritually, in support of the very popular teacher and his family at this extremely difficult time. There have been several impromptu fundraisers and prayer sessions and – following the Simes family’s suggestion – many have found ways to increase their level of Shabbat observance.

On behalf of everyone at the Bulletin, I join in wishing R’fuah Shlema to Rabbi Simes.

‘Hard to imagine any other octogenarian inspiring such adoration’ So, the Queen was in town a few weeks ago. Did you see her? Have tea with her?

I mean with Her. I mean with Her Majesty.

She came downtown to unveil a statue of Oscar Peterson outside the National Arts Centre (NAC). I happened to be a couple of blocks away at the time, so I thought I’d amble by and say hello.

I got there a few minutes after the ceremony began. I heard the sounds of the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir and of the excited crowd of onlookers.

And I saw Her Majesty pull back the red velvet curtain to unveil a handsome new tribute to the legendary Canadian jazz pianist.

Well, no. I really didn’t see that at all.

I did see the curtain opening up.

Well, no. Actually, I only saw the very top of the curtain open up. But open up it did, so the Queen must have been in there somewhere.

Here was the problem: By the time I arrived on the scene, the adoring crowd was about 10 deep, not to mention all of the police and limos and barricades and musicians and VIPs that stood between my Monarch and me. I couldn’t get anywhere close to her.

I mean to Her Majesty.

I raised my camera as high as I could above my head and pointed it in the general direction of where I estimated the Queen to be.

Alan Echenberg I got a nice shot of a lot of other people raising their cameras as high as they could above their heads and pointing them in the general direction of where they estimated the Queen to be.

The next day was Canada Day, and the Queen was scheduled to appear on Parliament Hill to speak to all of us subjects. I thought this would be a good opportunity to make up for the NAC debacle and to say hello to her. Or, at least, to catch a glimpse of her.

I mean of Her Majesty.

I got a late start. By the time I arrived in the general vicinity of Parliament Hill, the crowd was way more than 10 deep. It was blocks deep.

And I was with my kids. And there was this busker juggling fiery torches on Sparks Street. And, well, I missed the Queen again.

But, the throng was impressive. Canada Day always draws a nice crowd, but I can’t remember ever seeing that many people out for July 1. Had to be more than double the usual number.

The only possible explanation?

The Queen waves to the Parliament Hill crowd on Canada Day. (Photo courtesy of PMO)

Right, Her Majesty.

Every time Queen Elizabeth – or one of her relatives – visits Canada, an age-old debate about the Monarchy’s place in our democracy is briefly rekindled. Small-r republicans argue that it was all fine and good in the 19th century for our young country to retain the British monarch as our head of state. But, in the 21st century, the Crown is, at best, an anachronism, and, at worst, an impediment to our development as a modern nation.

It’s true that, outside the U.K. itself, there are only 15 former British colonies in

the world that maintain Queen Elizabeth as their head of state. We are, by far, the largest of any of them. With the exception of Australia, none of those other countries has more than a few million people, and most of them have far fewer.

Should Canada stand with the large independent countries that broke definitively with their former British overlords or are we comfortable remaining as part of a group that includes such tiny places as Tuvalu and St. Kitts? They have pictures of Elizabeth II on their currency, too.

Of course, monarchists tend to dismiss the whole debate as silly. The Queen, they argue, is not some British anachronism. She is the Queen of Canada, as central to our history and our evolving culture as the Constitution. And universal health care. And Timbits.

Rejecting the monarchy, goes the argument, is rejecting the system of government that made us the great democracy we are.

The biggest ace in the hole for monarchists is, of course, the Queen herself.

I mean Herself.

It’s hard to imagine any other octogenarian inspiring such adoration and commanding such star power.

Well, maybe Betty White.

But Her Majesty will not live forever. In the future, when the mint starts printing bills with the image of King Charles III, the debate will likely flare anew. And all bets are off as to its outcome.

Page 8 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Mailbag Ottawa Jewish Community School Federation President and CEO Mitchell Bellman states that the Ottawa Jewish Community School “is having a great year,” and Lisa Miller, the school’s co-president states that “no parents have cited quality of education as a reason for leaving [the school]” (Jewish education discussed at Federation members meeting, May 24, 2010).

Here are some facts.

For the coming year, Hillel Academy has whittled down its Judaic program to nine hours of instruction per week. Currently, there is no tefillah (prayer) in Grades 7 and 8. On a recent Grade 8 trip to Israel, kashrut and Shabbat were not observed.

Is this what this community standard for “excellence in [Jewish] education” has deteriorated to? Scores of parents have voted with their feet, and not only are leaving the school, but are not enrolling their children to begin with. Yes, tuition is a big piece of this. But without a strong incentive to enrol, and without a compelling reason to sacrifice, why bother?

It’s high time to bring the Jewish back into Hillel Academy: strongly, proudly, and not just with words. With deeds, with hours of instruction, with strong Jewish role models in teaching and administration, and with soul.

Golda Feig Steinman

Ottawa Jewish Community School responds The Ottawa Jewish Community School (OJCS) has been making great strides over the past two years. Seeing the need to revitalize day school education in Ottawa, Hillel Academy and Yitzhak Rabin High School have amalgamated and have been actively moving to create a relevant, inclusive and effective curriculum.

Acting upon a report from curriculum consultant Dr. Uri Korin, of Korin Consulting for Jewish Education, as well as several surveys and consultations with the parent body, teachers and stakeholders of the OJCS, we have developed a new curriculum that will impact General Studies, French and Judaic Studies.

The school has always had tefillah in all the grades, from kindergarten to Grade 12, and daily tefillah is part of the revised curriculum. The Judaics program will be moving from slightly more than 10 hours per week to nine, with the extra time being split between French and General Studies. Our goal is to move away from lengthy rote prayer and the regurgitation of facts to a deeper understanding of the ideas and values underpinning Judaism.

As for the Grade 8 trip to Israel, arrangements for kosher food were made in advance for the flight and the stopover in France.

While we did encounter some difficulties on the trip over, accommodations were made. In

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bulletin@ottawajewishbulletin.com Israel, of course, the students were fed only kosher food. The students were hosted by families in Israel who were all given guidelines on observing Shabbat with our students.

We want a school that is truly a community school, one that serves the needs of Ottawa’s Jewish families across the spectrum.

We want a school that excels in all areas – in French, Judaics and General Studies – and we believe that we are closer than ever before in achieving that goal. We welcome anyone who would like to know more about the changes we are effecting. Our doors are always open.

Donna Palmer-Dodds, Head of Schools, OJCS Rabbi Howard Finkelstein, Principal of Judaic Studies, Grades 7-12 Wendy Waxman, Principal of General Studies, Kindergarten-Grade 8 No simple answers We welcome the remarks in your editor’s column in the June 14 edition of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin. There are no simple answers in the Middle East, perhaps, least of all, between Israelis and Palestinians. Building the State of Israel is a human task and human beings do not always get things right. Giving a respectful hearing to divergent and considered views is essential, especially in this era when instant communications can create facts.

David and Toby Brooks Wounded Israeli soldiers visit Ottawa We would like to thank David Smith for

opening his heart and home to a delegation of wounded Israeli soldiers on June 8.

Ten army veterans, ranging in age from 21 to 47, arrived in Ottawa for a three-day visit sponsored by Beit Halochem. Mr. Smith prepared a sumptuous buffet for all of us, and received the soldiers with empathy, warmth and delight. Including the Friends of Beit Halochem, we were more than 50 people and all enjoyed the evening immensely.

We heard the stories of each of the soldiers – their lives, where they were wounded, etc. and how they are coping, with the constant help of Beit Halochem, in the reconstruction of some kind of normalcy.

Of a population of six million, there are more than 51,000 wounded soldiers and terror victims in Israel.

Israel has had many wars and terror attacks and all of the injured are helped, from the time of their release from hospital, in the four Beit Halochem centres in Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv and Nahariya (a fifth centre is being built in Be’er Sheva). There is physiotherapy, psychological help, pools, sports and para-sports, as well as crafts, workshops and classes of every sort, from language to computers.

The spouses and children of the wounded soldiers are also welcome at Beit Halochem – where they can meet others in similar circumstances and partake of all that is offered.

The soldiers with us at Mr. Smith’s home were treated like royalty. They were moved and excited and took many photos. Many said they will never forget that evening with the sun shining over the lake and the tables filled with beautiful white roses.

Ruth Miller and Sara Vered

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 9

Hillel Ottawa’s Canada Day barbecue becomes impromptu fundraiser

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By Jacqueline Shabsove Hillel Ottawa showed off its national pride with a Canada Day barbecue at the downtown Hillel House attended by more than 50 university students.

“There were a lot of new faces,” said Michelle Segal.

“It was a good barbecue and a nice social event.”

Sam Levine, Carleton Hillel’s incoming vice-president, concurred.

“It was a successful event, and it was an opportunity to see people in the summer. It was a nice atmosphere on Canada Day,” he said.

The party was also an impromptu fundraiser.

“The biggest highlight of the event was that students wanted to take collections at the door on behalf of the Jewish Family Services’ fund for Rabbi Yehuda Simes,” said Rabbi David Rotenberg, Hillel Ottawa’s Jewish educator and adviser. “It was something to be proud of.

The students were really aware of their place in the community.”

“Usually barbecues are free,” Segal stated. “But, lately, there have been a lot of community initiatives [to raise money] for Rabbi Simes after his tragic accident. We thought that the students should contribute to the cause in some way.”

TIME TO RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? ARE YOU MOVING? Don’t miss one issue!

Call Rhoda Saslove-Miller, 613-798-4696, ext. 256 or Jean Myers, ext. 242 to update your information or to renew.

Students Brittany Finkelman (left) and Courtney Huyer at Hillel Ottawa’s Canada Day barbecue.

A suggested $5 donation at the door raised more than $250.

Another summer initiative for Hillel Ottawa is a clothing drive for Haitian earthquake victims organized by Alexandra Izso, Carleton Hillel’s incoming president.

Izso organized the clothing drive in June and received an overwhelmingly positive response from fellow students. She has organized further pick-up days to collect clothes throughout the summer.

Hillel’s new executive team is already busy planning its fall events calendar including Hillel’s First Annu-

al End of Summer Retreat, from Sunday, September 5 to Tuesday, September 7.

“The retreat includes training sessions on Israel advocacy and student leadership,” Rabbi Rotenberg said.

“There are a limited number of spots available.”

Hillel Ottawa’s annual Opening Barbecue is planned for Monday, September 13, 5:00 pm, at Hillel House.

The 2010-2011 student executive includes CityWide President Chelsea Sauvé, Carleton University President Alexandra Izso and Vice-President Sam Levine, and University of Ottawa President Jennifer Hadad and Vice-President Adam Moscoe.

Hillel has also created a new communications position, which will be filled by Leah Labib.

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Page 10 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

SJCC honours athletes at Sports Breakfast of Champions

By Pamela Rosenberg Soloway JCC “No matter what obstacles and challenges you may face, never, ever give up.”

That was the heart of the message Paralympian Jean Labonté delivered to an audience of young athletes on Sunday morning, June 20, at the Ninth Annual Soloway Jewish Community Centre (JCC) Sports Breakfast of Champions.

About 100 community athletes and their families attended the Father’s Day event where the top teams, including Team Maccabi Ottawa 2010 – who will be attending the JCC Maccabi Games later this summer in Baltimore, Maryland – as well as individuals and volunteers received awards and recognition for their achievements over the past year.

Labonté, captain of the Canadian Paralympic Sledge Hockey team, captured the crowd’s attention with stories of his experiences representing Canada at the 2010 Van-

couver Games and the challenges he faced when he lost his leg to cancer at age 17.

“Life isn’t always about the final outcome. It’s also about the journey getting there,” he told the crowd.

The Sharon Koffman Memorial Athletic Award went to Mathew Sherman, captain and MVP of the University of Dayton varsity tennis team, for outstanding sportsmanship, participation and dedication to personal goals of excellence by a university-level varsity athlete over the last four years.

High School students Elie Vered and Michael Vered were both honoured with the Jack Goldfield Memorial Award for their achievement, participation and organizational involvement in athletics during the past year. Both were members of Canada’s gold-medal-winning team at the Junior World Jewish Hockey Tournament last summer in Metulla, Israel.

Maccabi Ottawa basketball alumni Mathew Levinson and

Team Maccabi Ottawa 2010 at the Sports Breakfast of Champions (from left to right): Coach Robin Jordan, Daniel Butovecky, Eyal Padolsky, Sam Miller, Jack Miller, Yaniv Lifshin, Daniel Blacher, Jacob Haldorsen, Coach Carlos Brown. Missing: Coach Jordan Pleet, Naomi Kirshenblatt, Noam Stulberg, Idan Itskovich.

Harrison Freeman took home the B’nai Brith Canada Parliament Lodge Graduating Student Athletic Award for their outstanding athletic achievements throughout their four years of high school.

The Red Wings, the JCC Men’s Hockey League champions, were recognized for their winning season along with the Jewish Men’s Softball League champions Team Outaouais; JCC Men’s Basketball League champs Team UCLA; and Coach Brown’s Women’s Basketball Club Team.

The Lou Honigman Award went to Jeffrey Miller, who, through his perseverance, courage, ability and strength of character, has dis-

tinguished himself in local community sport over a lengthy period of time.

Howard Fremeth received the Irving ‘Shap’ Shapero Memorial Award for his long-term contributions to sport and recreation as a participant and as an organizer.

Samantha Cogan and Idan Hershkovitz were the win-

“At the end of the day, the breakfast is all about participation, volunteerism and being proud of your community. There was an amazing positive buzz in the room, and all those kids left the centre feeling really good about themselves and their accomplishments. It was just awesome!”

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“It was a wonderful experience seeing the pride on the faces of the winners and their families,” said Soloway JCC Athletics and Leagues Manager Jon Braun.

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 11

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Owner Yudi Chein (centre) with Arseny Reider (left) and Asher Friedman behind the counter at United Kosher Deli.

(Photo: Jacqueline Shabsove)

Kosher caterer opens restaurant at Soloway JCC

By Jacqueline Shabsove United Kosher Deli, Ottawa’s new kosher restaurant, opened Sunday, June 6, to a steady stream of enthusiastic customers. Located on the second floor of the Soloway Jewish Community Centre (JCC), the deli is owned and operated by Ottawa kosher caterer Yudi Chein. “The opening day was chaos. At some points, there were over 60 people in line. The people of Ottawa were excited for the opening,â€? said Mindy Chein, Yudi’s wife, and the creative visionary behind the restaurant’s dĂŠcor.

The restaurant has since settled down from the opening-day chaos and now has a steady flow of customers, including regulars who frequent the deli daily.

Walking into United Kosher Deli, one immediately notices its urban appeal. The dinerstyle restaurant has a unique atmosphere with bright green paint, black and white-tiled floor and small chandeliers hanging throughout the dining area. “Our goal is to create a fun diner with a whimsical setting that is family-friendly,� said Mindy, “with fresh, delicious and filling food.�

Yudi, United Kosher Deli’s master chef, brings more than 20 years’ experience as one of Ottawa’s kosher caterers. In addition to operating his catering business, he opened the restaurant because he wanted to do something exciting for the Jewish community. “Yudi wants to create a restaurant that satisfies the needs of the community,� explained Mindy. “That’s why we have a variety of menu options that are health-conscious. And we’re always open to hearing suggestions from customers. We’re here because it’s your restaurant.�

For meat-eaters, the restaurant serves hot dogs, hamburgers, shawarma and smoked meat sandwiches. Vegetarian fare includes veggie schnitzels, falafel, tuna and egg sandwiches, and salads.

There is seating for approximately 50 din-

ers and the outdoor patio provides a reclusive retreat amongst the treetops during the summer.

United Kosher Deli’s customers are raving about the restaurant’s offerings.

During a recent lunch hour, Soloway JCC Day Camp staff member Lisa Levitan ordered the Power Salad. “It’s amazing here. The food is fresh and tasty and you know that you’re getting a good, quality product,� said Levitan. “It’s a beautiful, quiet, calm atmosphere and it’s nice to see friendly familiar faces.� “Everyone at the restaurant has been very warm and welcoming, and it’s everything that you’d expect a restaurant to do, service-wise. I like to come here and support the local Jewish community,� added Jeremy Rubenstein, sports specialist for the Soloway JCC Day Camp.

Fourth-year Carleton University student Andrew Percy has visited United Kosher Deli five times already. “I like the smoked meat sandwich,� he enthused. “I go to the JCC exclusively to eat there.�

With the positive feedback they are receiving from the community, the Cheins already have plans to expand the offerings at United Kosher Deli.

Coming soon is a convenient Shabbat takehome package with fish, soup and salad. The restaurant is also in the process of applying for a liquor licence so that it can host summer patio nights with music.

The Cheins are also looking into adding gourmet coffee and baked goods to the menu and creating lunch cards for kids when school starts again in September.

Mindy emphasizes that serving the community’s widely varied needs is of great importance to the deli. United Kosher Deli, she says, “is a place to have meetings, evening parties, brunches and special events with catering.�

United Kosher Deli is open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, Sunday-Thursday, and 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on Friday.

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Page 12 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Jewish Agency to now focus on identity building

By Jacob Berkman (JTA) – As expected, the board of governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel approved a plan to overhaul the agency’s focus.

The new strategic vision calls for turning the agency’s attention more squarely toward building global Jewish identity, and away from its traditional mission of bringing in and settling new immigrants to Israel.

The plan, according to a statement released by the agency, passed 119-1 in a June 25 vote at the Jewish Agency’s board meetings in Jerusalem.

“The main danger facing the Jewish world today is a weakening of the connection

of young Jews to their people and to the State of Israel,” said the agency’s chair, Natan Sharansky, who led the new strategic planning process along with the organization’s top lay leader, Richard Pearlstone. “Our new plan deals directly with this issue.”

Sharansky has been pushing the plan since he was appointed chair of the agency last year. He has reshaped the top professional staff and is moving the agency’s key operations – such as global fundraising and marketing – to New York from Jerusalem.

Sharansky also has decided to essentially scrap much of the fundraising strategy of the past.

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It’s not a radical redoing of the agency but a shift that flip-flops its focus. The plan drastically de-emphasizes aliyah and some of the agency’s modalities of the past.

The agency seems to have concluded that, to remain relevant, it must do away with old sensibilities – namely that, for the better part of the 20th century, the world Jewish community was consumed with founding, establishing and settling the State of Israel.

“We were once a people without a homeland; we can’t become a homeland without a people,” said Misha Galperin, who became the agency’s head of global external affairs on July 1 – a position created with the overhaul.

In its bid to play matchmaker between Israel and the Diaspora in the name of pushing Jewish identity, the agency has four goals: • Expand the multifaceted significance of Israel in the identity of young Jews around the world; • Strengthen solidarity and the commitment among Jews to build up the Jewish collective (Klal Israel); • Increase the number of Jews who make aliyah, with a particular focus on those who do so as the fulfilment of their Jewish identity; and • Increase the number and impact of young Israelis and Jews worldwide, motivated

by Jewish values, who aid vulnerable populations and address the major challenges of Israeli civil society.

The Jewish Agency will focus on reinforcing its partnership with Birthright Israel and further developing its own MASA program, which provides significant scholarships to college graduates

Natan Sharansky, chair of the Jewish Agency for Israel, addresses a meeting in Jerusalem of the organization’s board of governors, June 20, 2010.

(JTA Photo: Brian Hendler)

from the Diaspora to participate in Israel programs lasting three months or longer.

The agency also is launching several new initiatives, including an effort to empower youth activists to perform Israel outreach.

The agency, which receives more than $100 million annually in unrestricted funds from the North American Jewish federation system, is expected to approve its budget at meetings in October. The budget will reflect the new strategy; a number of programs that are not within the new focus will be cut or drastically reduced.

“In co-ordination with the Government of Israel and other partners, we will phase out of those programs that do not align with the mission,” reads a passage in the newly approved strategic visioning document. “Programs that are aligned with the revised mission will be examined for their ability to make a difference to our strategic goals, their unique added value and the degree to which they are compelling to donors.”

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The move did have one vocal detractor from within its lay leadership.

Avraham Duvdevani, the new chair of the World Zionist Organization and a longtime Jewish Agency board member, called the plan “unacceptable and very painful to me,” according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz.

“Israel’s demographics mean we cannot afford to wait for Zionism to come about as a byproduct. Aliyah (immigration to Israel) is this country’s

oxygen,” Duvdevani told Ha’aretz, adding that the agency’s budget of approximately $300 million is too small to “carry out a real revolution in Jewish education, which would only come if Diaspora Jewry receives free Jewish education at a cost of several billions of dollars.”

But, in the end, according to agency officials, the only vote against the new plan came from a non-board member who was erroneously counted.

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 13

Netanyahu hints at flexibility on Jerusalem

By Uriel Heilman NEW YORK (JTA) – It was an otherwise wholly unremarkable stump speech before a friendly audience in New York.

On July 7, at Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel, the Israeli prime minister addressed a roomful of about 200 Jews on the subjects of Iran, his government’s eagerness for direct peace talks with the Palestinians and the swell meeting he had just had with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House.

But then, in an off-thecuff remark to a question on Jerusalem from the audience, Benjamin Netanyahu dropped a hint that his government’s insistence on Israeli sovereignty over all of Jerusalem might not be ironclad.

“Everybody knows that there are Jewish neighbourhoods in Jerusalem that under any peace plan will remain where they are,” Netanyahu said in response to the question read by Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice-chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

The implication of Netanyahu’s remark – that other neighbourhoods of Jerusalem may not remain “where they are,” becoming part of an eventual Palestinian state – was the first hint that the Israeli leader may be flexible on the subject of Jerusalem.

Until now, Netanyahu has insisted that Jerusalem is not up for negotiation.

While the prime minister surely did not intend the gathering under the aegis of the Presidents Conference to serve as his forum for opening up negotiations over Jerusalem, the impromptu remark before an audience of prominent New York Jews and a handful of elected officials cast a slim ray of light on what Netanyahu thinks might be the Israeli capital’s ultimate fate.

It was significant as well because Netanyahu’s true intentions regarding the peace process remain largely opaque, the subject of much

debate from Washington to Ramallah.

Netanyahu was a latecomer to the two-state position – endorsing the idea of an eventual Palestinian state only a year ago, after much prodding by the United States – and the governing coalition he has assembled comprises largely right wing parties that do not believe in the current Palestinian Authority as a partner for negotiations.

Obama declared, on July 6, that he believes Netanyahu is genuinely committed to seeking a two-state solution.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants peace.

I think he’s willing to take risks for peace,” Obama told reporters following his Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu. “And, during our conversation, he once again reaffirmed his willingness to engage in serious negotiations with the Palestinians around what I think should be the goal not just of the two principals involved but the entire world, and that is two states living side by side in peace and security.”

Privately, however, some U.S. administration officials have expressed doubts about Netanyahu’s ability to make good on that vision. Other Obama supporters have questioned Netanyahu’s commitment to that goal, and the Palestinian Authority leadership says Netanyahu’s interest in negotiations is not serious.

“Words, not deeds,” was the assessment of chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who dismissed Netanyahu’s lip service to the peace process in a July 6 interview with the New York

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Addressing a Jewish gathering in New York, July 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hints at flexi(JTA photo: Michael Priest) bility on issue of Jerusalem.

Times. “We need to see deeds.”

Netanyahu insists he is serious about peace talks, and that it is the Palestinians who are playing games.

“You either put up excuses or you lead,” the Israeli leader said in his New York speech. “I want to enter direct talks with the Palestinian leadership now.

“I think we can defy the skeptics,” he said, recalling the doubters that abounded when Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin began talking to Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in the lead-up to the Camp David Accords, and when Richard Nixon visited China. “This is a challenge I’m up to.”

Was it hyperbole or a sign of the legacy Netanyahu hopes for himself?

If Netanyahu is interested in following Begin and Nixon’s model, leading a

conservative government to a historic rapprochement with a longtime foe, eventually he will have to include Jerusalem in negotiations with the Palestinians; they won’t sign a peace deal without it. If not, Netanyahu is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the skeptics.

“This is going to be a very, very tough negotiation, but I’m prepared to negotiate,” Netanyahu insisted.

“But I cannot engage with someone who won’t sit at the table.”

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Page 14 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Nine days in Israel with Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project

By Tina Lloyd for JET I spent nine incredible days in Israel last month with 23 wonderful women connecting with our Jewishness.

We were in Israel with the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project, organized in Ottawa by Lauren Shaps and JET. The connections we made were varied for each of us. Some returned home to Ottawa with greater connections to spiritualism.

Some resolved to be better parents or partners. Meanwhile, others came back with a connection to Israel that they hadn’t had before.

Yet, all of us came back more connected to the friends we travelled with.

It feels like we experienced so much in our time there. We visited the Kotel several times, to poke prayers in the Wall and to dance on Shabbat. On our last day, we went to pray for Rabbi Yehuda Simes, after

word of his accident reached us in Israel.

But, we did so much more. We laughed, we cried, we shopped. We prayed and went to lectures. We worried about what to wear. We bossed each other around.

We ate. We walked miles and climbed thousands of steps.

We talked and talked and we became friends.

I heard about the trip last fall. My husband was thrilled and encouraged me to apply. I talked to Lauren, filled in the application, completed an interview and was accepted.

Our group met a month before the trip. Meeting the women was intimidating. I was nervous about travelling with a group of women who were essentially strangers.

We arrived in Israel, tired from the flight, on a hot, sunny morning. We climbed on a bus together and I think that’s when we really started to bond.

We headed north to a kibbutz right on the Lebanese

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Tina Lloyd (front) rides a camel during the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project trip to Israel.

border. We went to the school in Metulla that is twinned with Hillel Academy and met the kids growing up right on the border.

We went to Tiberius and were delighted by the history and beauty of the lake and the land. We went to a fabulous restaurant and met the rest of our group, approximately 60 other women from the United States and Chile, along with Lori Palatnik and the Aish HaTorah people. Dinner was amazing. And then we danced.

That was kind of a theme for the trip, the dancing.

We went rafting on the

Jordan River. It was serenely beautiful. We were six to a boat and took turns paddling and yelling instructions. It was a perfect summer day and we talked about events that had happened on the river through time. We were awestruck.

The books of the Torah seemed closer there than anywhere else.

Then we hit a rough spot on the river and lost two of our passengers. Rescuing them from the water, we bonded.

Suddenly, we weren’t really strangers anymore.

We went to Tsfat with its beautiful glass, artwork and

lovely old synagogues. We had another perfect dinner with another perfect view.

Interspersed with our activities were lectures by Lori, the rabbis and various Aish people. All of them were great speakers, and the subjects included how to be a better parent, a better partner, what we could do to be better and more connected Jews.

In Jerusalem, the highlights were the old city and the Kotel, Yad Vashem and the Aish building right across from the Wall.

One day, we went to a soup kitchen, to pack, serve

and distribute food. Another day, we went to Masada and then to the Dead Sea. Shabbat was celebrated with lectures and food, with candles and celebration and dancing at the Wall. We learned to bake challah and we talked and talked. Many of us cried every day we were there; it was moving.

A picture of Israel began to form for me. Each moment, each activity, each interaction was like a piece of the mosaic I saw emerging.

Soldiers were everywhere, young men and women carrying guns; not much older than my oldest son, but years older too. We ate dinner with some of them in a beautiful home for Havdalah, and the young men in uniform wore their guns and placed their ammunition clips on the table.

I came home with a greater sense of connection to Israel and Israelis. I feel a bit more connected to Judaism in general, more open to observance. And I feel a huge connection I have never felt before with the women of my community.

Maybe they were waiting to get to know me. I am certainly thrilled to have got to know them.

Contact JET at 613-7989818, ext.

247, or jet@jccottawa.com, for more information on the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project.

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Some of the Ottawa contingent on the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project trip to Israel in Tsfat.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 15

Hillel Lodge residents enthralled by concert

By Jane Gordon for Canada Israel Cultural Foundation The Canada Israel Cultural Foundation (CICF) and the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation (OJCF) presented the ninth annual Ruth Berger Memorial Concert, June 15. Residents of the Bess and Moe Greenberg Family Hillel Lodge experienced the joy of listening to accomplished young musicians.

This year’s performance featured the exceptionally talented and internationally acclaimed young Israeli violinist, Asi Matathias.

Asi made his debut at 14 in a televised performance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Zubin Mehta. Since then, he has performed with numerous orchestras across Europe, Asia, Israel and the United States. Some of this past season’s highlights included performing at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Centre, playing with Yefim Bronfman and the Israel Symphony Orchestra. Asi is now studying with Pinchas Zukerman and Patina Kopec at the Manhattan School of Music.

Accompanying Asi on the piano was the inspiring

Tatiana Goncharova.

Born in Russia, Tatiana has performed throughout the United States, South America, Europe and Asia.

She is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music’s precollege division and the Zukerman Performance Program as well as the faculty of the National Arts Centre (NAC) Summer Music Institute.

The Ruth Berger Memorial Concert is co-sponsored by the CICF, the OJCF and the NAC. The Pinchas Zukerman Music Education Fund was established by Pinchas Zuk-

erman, music director of the NAC Orchestra, to provide scholarships to bring talented students from Israel to Ottawa to participate in the Young Artists Program at the NAC. The fund hopes to utilize a common love of music to cross barriers of land, language and culture, and to foster development of relationships and understanding among the participants in the program as well as in their communities and countries.

“After witnessing the superb performance of Asi, one feels confident that the CICF and OJCF have helped in a major way to foster a great

CICF President Norm Barwin (left) with violinist Asi Matathias and pianist Tatiana Goncharova at the Ruth Berger Memorial Concert, June 15, at Hillel Lodge.

Israeli talent,” said CICF President Norm Barwin.

“With your donations and support, CICF has been able to support young talented musicians such as Asi. To say that he was sensational is an

understatement.”

Donations to the Pinchas Zukerman Music Education Fund in support of developing young musicians may be made at ojcf.ca or by calling 613- 798-4696, ext. 232.

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Torah Academy of Ottawa students compete in Sound-Off, the school’s public speaking competition.

Torah Academy students compete in first public speaking contest

By Rabbi Yisroel Goldbaum Torah Academy Topics ranging from penguins to peyos (traditional side-locks), from boarding (away from home) to basket-

ball, and the pros and cons of homework and attending a small school, were just some of the subjects tackled at Sound-Off, Torah Academy of Ottawa’s inaugural public speaking competition.

Students in Grades 4-8 began preparing their speeches in mid-May. After they were written and edited, the students honed their presentations, learning about pitch, inflection, pace, articulation and pronunciation, and about their importance in effective public speaking.

At the end of May, each student presented their speech to their classmates. Even with detailed guidelines, classroom teachers had a difficult task choosing the two best speakers from each grade.

The final Sound-Off took

place at the end of the school year in June in the presence of parents, the entire school and the judges, communications majors from the University of Ottawa.

The final presentations, projected with poise and confidence, were polished and professional, thought provoking and to the point. The audience was educated and entertained.

The success of this program was evident by the clamouring of the students to make Sound-Off an annual event.

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Page 16 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Two hundred brave the rain for Walkathon

By Pamela Rosenberg Soloway JCC The wet weather didn’t deter approximately 200 community members who braved the rain, Sunday, June 6, to walk, run and cycle in support of the Soloway Jewish Community Centre (JCC) and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

Geared-up in rain coats and rubber boots, with umbrellas in hand, participants took to the nine-kilometre route, and to the two-kilometre family route, for

this year’s Walkathon.

“We are really proud of the community’s commitment to the event. Even in the rain, many braved the weather and joined us in our walk for solidarity,” said Sharon Diamond, Soloway JCC revenue development manager.

This year’s event also included a timed run. Soloway JCC’s membership manager, Patrice Berdowski, was the fastest woman, and John Melanson was the first man to cross the finish line.

Walkathon Co-Chair David Lyman warms up for the run.

Hillel Academy awards Hillel Academy held its year-end awards ceremony, June 21.

Among the recipients was Grade 1 student Sadie SiderEchenberg seen receiving the Arnie and Liz Vered Book Award from Liz Vered.

(Photo: Nicola Hamer)

Michael Landau (left), Patrice Berdowski (centre) and John Melanson are ready to race.

Orchid Ensemble at Chamber Music Festival Jewish musical influences and compositions are a significant component of the Silk Road-inspired repertoire of the Vancouver-based Orchid Ensemble which performs two concerts during the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.

The trio, which includes former Ottawan Jonathan Bernard, performs Monday, July 26, 10:30 pm, at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts, and in a young people’s concert on Tuesday, July 27, 3:00 pm, at Dominion Chalmers United Church. Call 613-234(Photo: Art Illman) 7692 for tickets or information.

Umbrellas and rain ponchos were the order of the day for the crowd preparing to set off on the 2010 (Photos: Jackie Luffman-Lyman) Walkathon.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 17

Building community in Israel and in Ottawa

By Ross Diamond and Tamara Fathi Co-Chairs, Social Action Mission Sixteen young Jewish adults from Ottawa boarded a plane to Israel, June 3, for a 10-day Social Action Mission. While we all had individual reasons for becoming involved in the mission, our common purpose was building community, in Israel, and here in Ottawa.

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s Social Action Mission offered an incredible opportunity for the group to live and work collaboratively alongside Israelis of the same age. Though we did not know exactly what to expect during our short visit, we managed to change both the physical landscape of Block 78 and the perceptions of its residents.

The combined efforts of the Tel Hai College students and us, the Ottawa activists, were a spirited endeavour. Together, we laboured for four days cleaning the community space, building functional herb gardens and stone benches, and planting fruit-bearing trees. The warm reception we received from the Kiryat Shmona community was remarkable. We were able to see, through their eyes, the difference our presence and our shared efforts were making. We are proud to say that the

creation of hope through action was a byproduct of our mission.

Kiryat Shmona was devastated by the constant rocket attacks launched by Hezbollah during its war with Israel in the summer of 2006. While $302 million was raised for the Israel Emergency Campaign to repair damages and build infrastructure, the area’s economy has suffered lasting damage. Small businesses struggle to survive and larger businesses have left the city, forcing residents to travel away from the city for work. While the new Tel Hai College campus brings youth to the city, many students leave upon graduation to find work elsewhere.

Our project had two main goals.

First, we desired to positively impact the perception of the city for the students of Tel Hai College. Second, we aimed to forge stronger ties for them with both the residents of Kiryat Shmona and the Jewish community of Ottawa.

After seeing what we accomplished in such a short time, Rabbi Nissim Malka, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona, pledged to continue to improve the area with the construction of a children’s park adjacent to our project site. We fervently believe that only the continued effort of the citizens of Kiryat Shmona, along with our support as their Canadian

Social Action Mission participants (left to right) Sarah Viner, Heather Mlynarski, Adam Greaves, Tamara Fathi, Scott Ship, Lindsay Rothenberg, Rachael Segal, Jeff Bradshaw, Ryan Hartman, Lindsey Leipsic, Benjamin Cantor, Ross Diamond, Hana Shusterman, Maya Reiss, Stephanie Silverman and Chelsea Sauvé on a peak overlooking the Hula Valley in the Galilee Panhandle.

partners, will facilitate the revamping of the local economy and continue to strengthen the Galilee Panhandle for the future.

One of the main goals of our trip was to foster a stronger connection among ourselves – the young Jewish adults of Ottawa. To this we say, “Mission accomplished!”

As we reflect on our success in

Israel, the 16 of us are eager to begin our own Ottawa-based community improvement project and become more involved in various activities of Ottawa’s Jewish community.

Residents of Kiryat Shmona, particularly in Block 78, were surprised that we travelled halfway around the world to help make a difference in their lives. It is something we are

proud to have been a part of.

We are hopeful it will become a continued tradition for the emerging generation of the Jewish community of Ottawa.

We were truly privileged to have had the opportunity to chair this mission and look forward to continuing to build and strengthen our own Ottawa community.

Social Action Mission:

‘One of the most spiritually fulfilling experiences of my life’

By Ryan S. Hartman I was excited, to put it mildly, when I received a notice about the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s Social Action Mission to Israel. I was even more excited when I saw that it focused on graduate students and young professionals.

If possible, I was even more excited when work and my wife let me go!

Team Ottawa, as I called our merry band of volunteers, was an eclectic group of 16 young adults representing varied backgrounds, congregations and affiliations. The common ground was our shared belief in the State of Israel, our Jewish heritage, and a desire to see continued growth and strength in Ottawa’s Jewish community.

Our team got together in May at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre to discuss the details of the program, to meet the mission co-chairs, Tamara Fathi and Ross Diamond, and our facilitators, Lindsay Rothenberg and Jeff Bradshaw.

My anticipation was further tweaked when it was explained that, through the Partnership 2000 Program (P2K), we would be hosted by, and working side-by-side with, Israeli students from Tel Hai College in the Galilee Panhandle.

An aspect of the project that appealed to me was that we were going to be constructing something tangible. Our efforts would directly

Social Action Mission participants working under the Canadian flag on Block 78 in Kiryat Shmona.

benefit and, as it turned out, lift the spirits of people from Kiryat Shmona.

This city, one of the largest in Northern Israel, is situated in the Hula Valley, and is steeped in historical significance for Israel, as some of the oldest kibbutzim and moshavim were founded in the area. As well, I knew this region requires assistance in many forms, as it is home to many olim, or new Israelis, many of

whom are economically deprived.

Compounding the economic situation, the area is also experiencing a drain of young people heading south to the Coastal Plain, and cities such as Tel Aviv, in search of opportunity.

Unfortunately, security is also a major concern for Kiryat Shmona and the entire Hula Valley. This is due to the close proximity of

Hezbollah-controlled areas of Southern Lebanon, and the terrorist organization’s fondness for attacking Northern Israel.

None of these facts would dampen the spirits or change the commitment of Team Ottawa.

They only strengthened our resolve to help our brothers and sisters in Israel in any way we could.

I don’t have space to write about the details of the project and the variety of social activities that took place. However, I can sum up the Social Action Mission as one of the most spiritually fulfilling experiences of my life. I have come away from this unique opportunity with a renewed determination to become involved in the future of Ottawa’s Jewish community, a confirmed commitment for the welfare of fellow Jews, a reaffirmed affection for the State of Israel and its people and last, but certainly not least, new friendships.

The blog that was maintained by the group is at tinyurl.com/social-action-mission and includes first-hand accounts of our daily activities from some of the mission participants. You can read about how this unique opportunity has affected the perceptions, opinions and daily lives of all who were involved in the mission, whether as a Canadian volunteer, an Israeli Tel Hai student, or as an appreciative resident of Project 78 in Kiryat Shmona.

Page 18 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

A Night at the Cappies The Cappies Gala, honouring Ottawa’s top high school thespians was held June 13 at the National Arts Centre.

Jewish students, from Yitzhak Rabin High School, and from several public high schools, garnered several awards and even more nominations.

Yitzhak Rabin High School’s production of Brighton Beach Memoirs received three nominations. Itzy Kamil won the Cappie for best actor in a comedy role. Also nominated were Michaela Sadinsky for best actress and the combo of Itzy and Raphael Sandler for best acting ensemble.

(Left to right) Michaela Sadinsky, YRHS Principal Cynthia Bates, Itzy Kamil (Photo: Howard Sandler) holding his Cappie, and Raphael Sandler.

Ophira Calof was nominated for best actress in a musical, and led the Once Upon a Mattress vignette presented at the Cappies Gala with the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

(Photo: Irv Osterer)

Casey Nash won the Cappie for best female vocalist in a musical for her role in Merivale High School’s Once Upon a Mattress.

(Photo: Irv Osterer)

Elana Moscoe, a cast member of Nepean High School’s production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, accepted several Cappies on behalf of the (Photo: Irv Osterer) production team.

Hillel Academy graduation Thirty-eight Grade 8 students graduated from Hillel Academy this year. The graduation ceremony, held June 21 at Congregation Agudath Israel, featured valedictory (Photo: Howard Sandler) speeches by Caleb Sher (English), Allec Seller (Hebrew) and Dayna Zunder (French).

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 19

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 May 27 and June 30, 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.

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Bis 120! by Henry and Maureen Molot In memory of: Jack Pleet by Manny Gluck and Cheryle Evelyn and Irving Greenberg Fund In Honour of: Sharon Goelman Wishing you continued good health by Evelyn Greenberg Gunner Family Fund R’fuah Shlema: Mark Max Wishing you a speedy recovery by Estelle and Sol Gunner Kassirer Fund In honour of: Judge Esther Rosenberg Congratulations for your promotion by April Kassirer, Dr. A. Kassirer, Jay Kassirer, Mary Beth McLeary, Pauline Hochberg and Rita Finnigan Morris and Lillian Kimmel Family Fund In honour of: Morris Kimmel Wishing you a Happy Father’s Day with all our love by Brenda, Nathan, Jesse, Daniel and Sarite Charlie Levine Wishing you a Happy Father’s Day with all our love by Brenda, Nathan, Jesse, Daniel and Sarite Blanche Osterer Mazal tov on being awarded the Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award by Morris Kimmel and the Kimmel, Kaiman and Levine families Sarah Silverstein Mazal tov on being awarded the Freiman Family Young Leadership Award by Morris Kimmel Bill and Phyllis Leith Family Endowment Fund In memory of: Becky Greenberg by Arlene and Seymour Isenberg In honour of: Molly Hirsch and Eric Elkin Mazal tov on Ben’s graduation by Arlene and Seymour Isenberg Anna and Hymie Rabinovitch Mazal tov on the birth of your new granddaughter by Arlene and Seymour Isenberg Shirley and Maurice Rose Memorial Fund In appreciation to: Michael and Ethel Gold and family the Wasserberger-Rose families In memory of: Abe ‘Wayne’ Robin by the Wasserberger-Rose families Shelley and Sidney Rothman Family Fund In honour of: Shelley Rothman Mazal tov on Stuart’s gradua-

tion from Law School. May you have lots of nachas

by Sonja and Ron and Auntie Edith Schachter-Ingber Family Fund In memory of: Justine and Michael Rattner’s grandmother by Rachel, Howard, Davida and Josh Schachter Harold and Lillian Shoihet Memorial fund In honour of: Harry Prizant Mazal Tov on becoming President of Machzikei Hadas Congregation by Dovid Pesach and family Label and Leona Silver Family Fund In honour of: Andrew Fainer In appreciation by Label and Leona Silver Harry Prizant Mazal tov on becoming President of Machzikei Hadas Congregation by your friends, Label and Leona Silver Ralph and Anne Sternberg Memorial Fund In memory of: Eileen Gardner by Michael Miloff and Associates Inc. In honour of: Harvey and Judith Slipacoff for being noble mensches and wonderful friends; warmest of wishes

by Laya and Ted Jacobsen Thomas Gussman Mazal tov on the magnificent production of ‘A Musical Taste of our Canadian Heritage’ which celebrated its 10th anniversary; with warmest wishes by Laya and Ted Jacobsen Stephen Victor In appreciation for being an erudite mensch; warm wishes by Laya and Ted Jacobsen Bonnie and Chuck Merovitz Mazal tov on the birth of your grandson Matthew Gabriel Merovitz; warm wishes by Laya and Ted Jacobsen Archie and Lillian Taller Memorial Fund In honour of: Blanche Osterer Mazal tov on being the recipient of the Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award – well deserved and much appreciated by Sally and Morton Taller Roslyn and Myles Taller Family Endowment Fund R’fuah Shlema: Sally Matook by Roz Taller and Myles Taller, Julia and Ariana In memory of: Morton Taller by Roz Taller and Myles Taller Milton and Mary (Terry) Viner Family Fund In memory of: Betty Gold a beloved sister by Millie Schanefield Eric Weiner and Arlene Godfrey Family Fund In memory of: John Denofrio by Miriam and Louis Weiner In honour of: Paul and Eleanor Weiner Happy 64th anniversary by Arlene Godfrey, Eric Weiner, Melissa and Laura Toby and Joel Yan Family Fund In honour of: Helen Kahane Happy 90th birthday. Best wishes on this very special occasion with love by Toby and Joel Yan (Continued on page 20)

THE LODGE EXPRESSES ITS SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT AND APOLOGIZES FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, THE WORDING APPEARING IN THE BULLETIN IS NOT NECESSARILY THE WORDING WHICH APPEARED ON THE CARD. GIVING IS RECEIVING – ATTRACTIVE CARDS AVAILABLE FOR ALL OCCASIONS Here’s a good opportunity to recognize an event or convey the appropriate sentiment to someone important to you and at the same time support the Lodge. Card orders may be given to Bev at 613-728-3900, extension 111, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Friday. You may also e-mail your orders to donations@hillel-ltc.com. E-mail orders must include name, address, postal code, and any message to person receiving the card; and, amount of donation, name, address and postal code of the person making the donation. Cards may be paid for by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Cheque or Cash. Contributions are tax deductible.

Page 20 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Cyclists ready to ride at the first annual Biking for Bubbies bike-a-thon in 2009.

(Photo: Issie Scarowsky)

Biking for Bubbies bike-a-thon set for September 19

By Estelle Gunner for Hillel Lodge Plans are taking shape for the Bess and Moe Greenberg Family Hillel Lodge’s second annual Biking for Bubbies Bike-a-thon slated for Sunday, September 19.

Last year, more than $60,000 was raised by 36 cyclists, instantly recognizable in their bright yellow T-shirts bearing the Biking for Bubbies logo. Cards with the names

(Continued from page 19)

Adele and Jeff Sidney Mazal tov on your special anniversary and on being honoured by JET by Toby and Joel Yan Minda and Peter Wershof Mazal tov on the birth of your granddaughter Mayan by Toby and Joel Yan Carol and Laurie Pascoe Mazal tov on the engagement of Byron to Elissa by Toby and Joel Yan Carole and Norman Zagerman Family Fund In honour of: Helen Saipe Congratulations on being honoured

by Hadassah-WIZO by Carole and Norman Zagerman R’fuah Shlema: Evelyn Lieff by Carole and Norman Zagerman Feeding Program In memory of: Jack Pleet by Goldie Cantor In honour of: Eileen Goldberg All my deepest love to my sweet sister on her 96th birthday by Goldie Cantor Sophie and Neil Frenkel Mazal tov on the birth of your grandson Braydon Jacob by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky Erin and Ben Gailor Mazal tov on the marriage

of three or four residents adorned each of the bikes.

This year, we are challenging our community’s major organizations to identify an individual or team to step up to the plate – or, rather mount their bikes – and participate in the bike-a-thon, representing their organizations.

Beginning at 9.00 am, cyclists will bike 54 kilometres along a pre-planned route beof your son Raviv to Dassi by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky Esther and Alan Williams Mazal tov on your wedding anniversary by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky Alan Williams Mazal tov on your birthday by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky Fran and Mort Ross Mazal tov on the birth of your wonderful granddaughter Abriana Reese Jacobs.

We hope that she brings you lots of nachas and joy by Dee and Yale Gaffen R’fuah Shlema: Emil Lander by Mara and Isaac Muzikansky Ritual Program In honour of: Shelly and Michael Fine Mazal tov on your marriage by Ann and Stan Goldberg Therapeutics Program In honour of: Krystle Steffan Congratulations on your upcoming marriage by Eileen Goldberg, and Ann and Stan Goldberg ******************** IN MEMORY OF: Walter Hanson by Joanna and Ira Abrams and family; and Lillian and Herbert Laks Harry Lecker by Ruth and Arthur Kizell Jack Pleet by Sheila Stein Nadrich Simon Schweitzer by the Ottawa B’nai Brith Bowling League Shirley Udaskin by Yvonne and Yehuda Azuelos Gordon Viner by Adele and Jeff Sidney Penny Bar-Noy Roodman by Faith Silver Polly Cohen by Carolyn and Sid Katz and family Sarah Perel by Carla and Gary Freedman; by

ginning at the Lodge, mostly by bike path.

On their return, the cyclists and Lodge residents will be treated to lunch and entertainment. Good weather has been ordered for this special event!

The money raised will directly benefit the Lodge’s 100 residents. We owe it to our beautiful bubbies – and ever so dapper zadies – who paved the way for us in the past to make the Lodge a Jewish home of which Grace and Jim Hillel; by Sandy Bregman; by Joy Cameron Marcia Yachnin by Sylvia and Bert Bronsther Carolyn Bercusson by the Levitz family Mervin Mirsky by Annette and Jack Edelson IN HONOUR OF: Joel Diener on receiving the Thelma Steinman Direct Service Award by Debi and David Shore Eileen Goldberg Our very best wishes for a very happy birthday by Ethel and David Malek Maurice Ryant Wishing you well and please keep in touch by Ingrid Levitz Frayda and Charlie Wiseman Mazal tov on the occasion of Yossi’s wedding by Ruth and Dale Fyman Michael and Marjorie Feldman Mazal tov on Jonathan’s graduation by Steve and Roz Fremeth Shelley Rothman Mazal tov on Stuart’s graduation from Law School by Steve and Roz Fremeth Rhoda and Joe Levitan Mazal tov on Yoni’s graduation from Law School by Steve and Roz Fremeth Elizabeth Sas Mazal tov on her 90th birthday by Valerie and Gaby Terkel and family Barbara Nolan-Wilson In celebration of a special birthday by Sheila and Ozzie Silverman Blanche Osterer Mazal tov on your much deserved honour, the Shem Tov Award by Carolyn and Sid Katz and family Estelle and Sol Gunner Thank you for visiting me in the hospital and being so great to me all the time. Thank you to AJA 50+ by Helen Rosenthal Minda Wershof Best wishes on your special birthday by Rhoda and Mike Aronson Blanche Osterer Congratulations on receiving the Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award by Sylvia and Bert Bronsther Mel Cappe Congratulations on your special award by Rhoda and Mike Aronson

we can all be proud.

To participate as a biker, to sponsor a cyclist or for more information on the event, including pledge forms, call Seymour Mender at 613-820-2213 or e-mail him at seymour.mender@barnessammon.ca or contact Joel Diener at 613-722-0086 or joel_diener@hotmail.com.

This is your opportunity to do a mitzvah and get fit at the same time – sign up today!

Minda and Peter Wershof Mazal tov on the birth of your grandchild by Linda Slotin and John Holzman Brenda and David Saxe Mazal tov on the birth of your grandchild by Linda Slotin and John Holzman Irv Osterer In appreciation for all your kindnesses by Linda Slotin and John Holzman Marcia Aronson In appreciation of your kind words at my retirement party by Linda Slotin Sophie Kohn Kaminsky In appreciation of your kind words at my retirement party by Linda Slotin Rose Stein Happy birthday and best wishes by Marilyn and William Newman Stephen Tanner Mazal tov on your 65th birthday

by Roz Taller and Myles Taller and Ariana Bert Shinwell Mazal tov on your special birthday

by Bev, Bryan, Alison and Rob Glube Marilyn Adler and Shannon MacIntosh-Dewis Yasher Koach for the lovely Volunteer Appreciation Brunch by Debi and David Shore Blanche Osterer Thank you for all the good work you have done by Annette and Jack Edelson Joan and Russell Kronick Mazal tov on your 45th anniversary. May the adventure continue by Ricki and Barry Baker R’FUAH SHLEMA: Carolyn Katz by Sylvia and Michael Caplan Sally Matook by Sonja and Ron Kesten, and Edith Sporn

Thank you to Chuck Merovitz and Ryan Merovitz for the donation and installation of the Skype Video Conferencing System. As a result, our Residents will be able to talk faceto-face with others in far away places.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 21

Visit our new web site: www.hillellodge.ca

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ife at the odge

Hillel Lodge Gift Shoppe - one of Ottawa’s best kept secrets Do you need a little gift for that special someone in your life? Is there a wedding on the horizon?

Do you want to express appreciation to a generous host or hostess?

Are you seeking beautiful and unusual Judaica? Are you concerned that the High Holidays begin so very early this year, and you are still missing that special something to grace your holiday table?

You may think it is time for a shopping trip to Toronto or Montreal, or maybe you are thinking of finding the 1-800 number you used last time. Think again; there is an option.

Discover one of Ottawa’s best kept secrets right here on the Jewish Community Campus. It is the “Hillel Lodge Gift Shoppe”, located on the main floor of Hillel Lodge just down the hall from the Sobcov Café, the Lodge’s strictly

Kosher restaurant. From jewelry to Judaica to that perfect little present, it’s all to be found in the Gift Shoppe where customers are happily surprised to learn how competitively priced we are.

Always striving to improve, the Gift Shoppe has recently embarked upon some exciting new initiatives.

Thanks to the knowledgeable advice of salesperson Yelena Artemova, bridal couples have been able to fashion their wish lists from the shop’s extensive merchandise, thus simplifying the gift giving process for their friends and families. Also, in keeping with the latest trends, there is a wonderful selection of purses, pashminas, as well as exciting costume jewelry. New inventory arrives all the time, so when you need a gift, Yelena can help you find that delightful little treasure.

Store hours are 11 – 5 Monday to

Teacher Noga Reiss brings an enthusiastic group of Grade 8 Hillel Academy students to bake cookies with residents. Elana Fogel, Lauren Rapp, Emma Hamer, and Mirren Lithwick watch as resident Freda Weinberg stirs up the dough.

Gift Shoppe Manager Yelena Artemova

Thursday and 12 – 5 on Sunday. If these hours don’t suit your timetable, arrangements can be made to have merchandise kept for you at the main desk.

The Hillel Lodge Gift Shoppe is an initiative of the Auxiliary and all profits are used to improve the

lives of our residents. Just mention that you read this article in the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin and you will receive 10% off your first purchase.

When you patronize the Gift Shoppe, you will know you are supporting a wonderful and worthy cause.

Debi Shore is an incredible and caring volunteer at Hillel Lodge. When she isn’t at the reception desk, she can be found helping residents with her much-appreciated warmth and enthusiasm. She particularly enjoys dancing with them. Debi will be honoured for her volunteer work at the Auxiliary’s annual tea on October 24th.

If you want to make a difference in people’s lives (including your own), give volunteering at Hillel Lodge a try. The time commitment can range from a few hours per month to regular weekly or bi-weekly visits. To become a volunteer, please contact Marilyn Adler, our Manager of Recreation and Volunteer Programs.

Hillel Lodge is proud of the quality care we provide to our residents. To make a donation, please contact the Long-Term Care Foundation at (613) 728-3900 extension 111 or e-mail us at donations@hillel-ltc.com.

Page 22 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 23

Litmus test of Jewish equality is counting women in the minyan Free to Be You and Me, Marlo Thomas’ album that taught boys and girls that gender should be used to unite rather than divide, was a soundtrack to my childhood. Until mid-elementary school, I aspired to be a magician. That hardly any professional magicians were female did not faze me. Growing up, I was equally at home throwing a football and playing tennisball soccer on the frozen Manitoba tundra as I was composing songs on the piano and throwing ceramic pots on the wheel.

As a result, I have been rather gender-blind when it comes to public roles and activities. I tend to not be a bean counter, for instance, when it comes to professional positions or lay leadership placements. I don’t mind being the only woman around a boardroom table. I don’t want to hold my male colleagues’ gender against them, just as I don’t want them to consider my womanhood inferior.

Which is why I am struck that my first brush with gender inequality has come from that most personal and emotional of affiliations: my own Jewish community.

A few years ago, a call was put out in Ottawa for volunteers to bring a Torah to visit infirm clients of a Jewish institution. I eagerly applied with my then-toddler daughter, thinking that her youthful energy could offer a bit of comfort to those beset by illness and immobility.

But it was not to be. I was politely told that women need not apply. Apparently, the Torah did not welcome a woman’s touch. I wonder if any men ended up volunteering or whether the proposed program died a quiet death.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when my synagogue circulated a call for volunteers to help lead parts of the High Holiday service. Having recently begun to re-engage with the taste

and rhythms of tefillah, and craving the creative challenge of helping make the prayers meaningful for those on the other side of the bimah, I screwed up my courage and answered the call.

I was pleased with my volunteering instinct, until I read the reply. I could lead a few early morning prayers, if I wished, but, as a woman, I could not fulfil the task requested. My congregation falls under a more liberal form of Judaism, which means that it is not subject to the strictest Orthodox interpretation. This particular stream of Judaism has been ordaining women rabbis since 1985.

My cheeks burning, I did a mental scan. Of all the synagogues in Ottawa that have either a building or a permanent rabbi, only one extends equal rights to women. In this day and age, I find that statistic baffling.

“My advice – find a new synagogue,” advised a friend from another shul when I shared my frustration.

This brief exchange led me to consider how members of communities choose to bear their dissatisfaction from time to time. Quitting just wouldn’t feel right to me. I tend to vote with my voice rather than with my feet.

For this reason, I identified with the gay men and women depicted in the powerful documentary Trembling Before God. These individuals struggled against all odds to be accepted by their Orthodox communities rather than find other circles that would be embracing of their identity.

Leaving one community to find a better fit would be perfectly understandable. But trying to stay within one’s community and encourage acceptance of difference can help broaden the mission and raise awareness more swiftly.

I hope and expect that my congregation will accelerate

Values, Ethics, Community Mira Sucharov along the path of equality, where women are counted as persons, rather than merely as wives.

While some congregations allow women to read from the Torah, the litmus test of formal Judaic equality is whether women are counted in a minyan, which, in turn, has implications for whether women are allowed to lead all parts of the service.

And, for that reason, I plan to stick with it, participating, conversing, grappling and trying to understand from where the resistance stems. Change within organizations is often slowed by the silent majority who might otherwise welcome particular changes, but who are stymied by apathy or lethargy.

I hope to give voice to that silence.

Come the High Holidays, I plan to lead the few prayers open to me as a woman, even if they fall right at the beginning of the service when few fellow worshippers have yet arrived, and even if they are referred to in some liturgical explanations as “warm-up” prayers.

I look forward to having my cantor educate me on the semantic and musical nuances I may have otherwise missed, as we train together. But, until my community accepts me as an equal, the experience will be bittersweet.

Mira Sucharov, an associate professor of political science at Carleton University, is writing a book on nostalgia and political change.

Israel needs a new strategy for international relations The loss of life on the Mavi Marmara, part of the so-called Gaza Freedom Flotilla, is very regrettable and, indeed, preventable. Israel will pay a heavy diplomatic price, as it did in the Gaza and Lebanon wars. It appears that Israel can’t help playing into the hands of those who wish it ill. Israel chooses responses to provocations that paint both the country and Jews in a controversial light.

There are times to take a hard line and there are times to work behind the scenes, using every ounce of the strategic capacity at one’s disposal to not only prevail as righteous, but to also prevail in the court of public opinion. No matter how righteous the cause or the path, the methods with which Israel has met such adversities lately is isolating the Jewish state.

Case in point is the relationship with Turkey, which now requires a great deal of strategic management and stewardship. The same could be said in regard to Israel’s hardball policy choices that have severely strained its relationship with the United Sates. By no means does this suggest that Israel should adopt policies that are appealing to its foes. Nor does it mean to appease those who choose to terrorize Israel. However, there is a certain strategic maturity, political savvy and longterm vision required that is missing in Israel’s international relations today.

While Israel’s economy, high-tech, businesses, medicine and academia have matured to be among the best and most enviable in the world, its strategic policy-making abilities have not matured at the same pace. Once the envy of the world in areas of strategic planning and tactical execution, with complex deals, plans and agreements being generated behind the scenes, today, one can almost predict with certainty the faux pas to come. High reliance on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as an instrument of change will continue to create more enemies. Reliance on the IDF as a strategic policy instrument has become frequent and is no longer a surprise option. Nor are the equally predictable outcomes. Winning tactical battles in

World Affairs Oliver Javanpour the battlefield are much easier than winning global public opinion. Israel is not an island. The global perception is crucial for its impact on trade, economy, tourism, academic research, as well as national security.

It has been some time now that the Israeli Hasbara has been under fire for the nation’s PR problems. An instrument of official reaction, it always tries to play catch-up. Even when it tries to be strategic or proactive, the long-term perspective still eludes it, simply because it responds to the news more than it shapes it.

The Hasbara and the independent pro-Israel media are losing the media war. The media world has very little interest in detailed logical arguments by experts and talking heads.

World opinion is made emotionally. It is shaped by perceptions of injustice, by the images that people see, and the empathy they feel. We need to convey the injustice Israel and its people suffer in a visceral way. Such a communication strategy should be part of the overall strategic framework.

Today’s wars are won or lost in the court of public opinion.

As the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel is a target of the misdirected wrath of frustrated and angry Muslim populations. This incident clearly signifies that Israel needs to be more strategic, not only at the diplomatic level, but also at the humanitarian and people levels. Israel needs to rediscover the tools and instruments by which it manoeuvred strategically

around international minefields in the past and put to action the lessons it’s learned from the Cast Lead and Sea Breeze operations.

Israel has become a universal issue for many in the Muslim world and for many on the left around the world. While anti-Semitism is a one factor among many others, we must collectively work to paint a fuller, simpler, more palpable perspective to communicate the wrongs that have been, and are continually, visited upon Israel. This requires a longer-term vision of Israel’s place as a Jewish state in the Middle East and in the world.

While Hamas predicted that this incident would be a winwin scenario for Gaza and Hamas, the political strategists still played the hand dealt by Hamas. There were many options that could have been chosen, both before and after the flotilla set sail. I won’t list all the options here – a full menu of options can be found in both pro- and anti-Israeli media websites. The point is that there were options that could have led us to both a moral and public opinion victory, even if the situation had played out in much the same unfortunate fashion.

The situation was preventable by the organizers, by the activists on the ship, by Turkey as the country of origin, and, finally, by Israel. But those who were looking for confrontation got their wish and then some. Public opinion is made up. People are outraged. And Israel will have to work for the next year to repair the damage.

We need to redirect our efforts in building new relationships, maintaining friendships, popularizing Israel and rebranding Israel as just and pragmatic, while remaining both passionate and compassionate in its defence of its own existence. This may require a paradigm shift among policy makers, strategic planners and the political elite.

Oliver Javanpour is a senior partner at Cyrus Echo, specializing in public policy and international relations.

Page 24 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Birthright trip to Israel: Treasured memories and indefinable feelings As expected, curious friends and family members have overwhelmed me with interest in my recent trip to Israel. It was my first visit there and I went to Israel – like more than 230,000 other young adults from 52 different countries – on a free, 10-day, peer group, trip for 18- to 26-year-olds: TaglitBirthright Israel.

Since returning home, I have been asked about everything from “How comfortable is a camel?” to “What was the falafel like?”

The one question that, without fail, I am always asked is also the question I consistently struggle to answer: “What was your favourite part?”

Stereotypical scenes play out in my mind. Sleeping under the stars at the Bedouin tents, floating in the Dead Sea and sending a note express post to God via the Wailing Wall were, needless to say, incredible. But, is it possible to choose one distinct part of the trip that was “the best?”

My most treasured memories are not specific events.

They’re indefinable feelings that are overwhelming, elusive and beyond description. Swaying on Shabbat to “Lecha Dodi” and “Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu” accompanied by busloads of strangers from across Canada, brought out such emotions.

This experience was taken to another level – a larger scale – at The Mega Event, Birthright’s 10th anniversary party. Essentially, this was a giant assembly for everyone travelling on Birthright at the time, complete with performers, special effects, dignitaries, philanthropists and thousands of Jewish youth cheering, jumping up and down, and waving Israeli flags. Young Jews from Canada to Brazil to India sang the words of “Hatikvah” in unison.

Suddenly, a bond was established between me and the girl I had just looked at with utter confusion upon hearing she was

Campus Life Ilana Belfer

Ilana Belfer (left) and Kayla Resnick at the Wailing Wall during their Birthright trip to Israel.

from Azerbaijan. We all felt the connection.

Meeting the Israeli soldiers who would accompany us on our journey was another remarkable aspect of the trip. They were our window to the real Israel, beyond the tourist attractions, as a place where people actually live. These young adults, who we befriended, seemed so much more mature, and it shone through their eyes as they told us stories from the war.

Although you could sense their fear and heartache, the amount of pride they projected was overpowering. Any hint of despair was, in fact, an insatiable yearning to protect our precious state. I have never before witnessed such patriotism. Despite hearing unpleasant details of the ongoing conflict, we all felt at peace – a sense of comfort that can only arise from being at home, and from details like the fact that my cab driver and

hotel concierge alike wished me “Shabbat Shalom” every Friday. Don’t tell my mother, but I felt safe taking strolls through the streets of Tel Aviv alone.

I didn’t come home from Israel feeling more religious.

While my level of religious devotion remains the same, I did return feeling 110 per cent more Zionist. I have an understanding of our need for the State of Israel that one can only appreciate from visiting there.

I feel a duty to protect Israel, just as my new friends in the IDF are doing over there. My means of doing that will be through activism. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, Israel is “guilty until proven guilty.” Now, as much as ever, in the aftermath of the Gaza Flotilla calamity, we must be active in defending the one country the Jewish people can call our own.

“What are you doing here?” was a question Israelis would often ask during my visit.

Before I could respond, they would typically answer their own question with a quick, “Oh, you are Jewish,” followed by a nod of approval, and a look of understanding and welcome.

The indescribable, unspoken sentiments present throughout that sequence – that was my favourite part of the trip.

The henna tattoo artist I met on the boardwalk in Tel Aviv expressed it best. I detected his accent and he told me he was from Russia and had been living in Israel for 10 years now.

“How do you like it?” I inquired.

“I love Israel,” he responded with a gleaming smile – as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Martel unsuccessful with Holocaust-themed allegory Beatrice and Virgil

By Yann Martel Alfred A. Knopf 213 pages Beatrice and Virgil is Yann Martel’s first novel since the phenomenally successful Life of Pi in 2001 and rarely has a book been as highly anticipated. Accordingly, I cracked the spine with great expectations.

It’s difficult to know what, exactly, Martel was intending in this novel. Life of Pi presented a breathtaking and suspense-filled meditation on truth, storytelling and God, populated partly by animals. And, while Beatrice and Virgil wrestles squarely with these first two themes and also includes animals, the book is neither breathtaking nor suspenseful. In fact, it left me rather limp.

The action centres on a writer-protagonist named Henry, loosely modelled after Martel himself. Enjoying a sabbatical following great success with an earlier novel, Henry accidentally becomes entangled with an 85-year-old wouldbe playwright who runs a taxidermy shop. The taxidermist is in the midst of writing a play and needs Henry’s help.

Henry is intrigued by the Flaubert story about animal slaughter and religious redemption that the taxidermist includes in a letter, and agrees to meet him.

The geographic setting is kept hidden: Henry tells us that he and his wife have recently moved to “a storied metropolis where all kinds of people find themselves and lose themselves. Perhaps it was New York. Perhaps it was Paris. Perhaps it was Berlin.”

The calculated mysteriousness of the setting is part of a slow reveal of its primary subject matter, the Holocaust. I will not give away the plot here, but will simply say that

Book Review Mira Sucharov there is allegory and suffering and “redemption without remorse,” a theme that features both in the Flaubert story, as well as for one of the book’s central characters.

Beatrice and Virgil – the title comes from the names of a donkey and monkey who feature in the taxidermist’s play – draws liberally on the absurdist style of playwright Samuel Beckett, a comparison Martel acknowledges partway through. This conceit may keep some readers in thrall, but those looking for the more emotionally affecting style of Life of Pi might feel alienated.

A reference to vertical stripes in the play strikes Henry as odd, the Holocaust theme is revealed more deeply, and soon the true identity of the taxidermist-playwright is laid bare. The novel ends rather abruptly and it seems as if we are supposed to have partaken of a collective gasp.

While contemporary literary theory suggests that readers should, and do, construct the text for themselves, I did find myself wondering what reaction Martel intended. In his last novel, he offered a grand claim: the author’s introduction to Life of Pi stated that the story would make readers believe in God. Given the gravity of the subject matter and the seriousness of tone, was there a similarly grand aim that motivated Martel in this book, beyond a symbolic recounting of the

horrors of the Nazi genocide? It is not clear where this book is meant to fit within the vast body of Holocaust literature.

There is the fact that the author is at arm’s length from his subject. Indeed, there is value in thinking about the role of individual commemoration of the plight of another. But, this admittedly interesting and morally worthwhile notion is not enough to make the novel work.

In a cynical moment, the thought struck me that perhaps Martel is paying unconscious penance for the accusation of plagiarism that haunted Life of Pi when Brazilian author Moacyr Scliar argued that Martel’s book was ripped from his own novel of a fleeing German-Jewish refugee boy forced to share a lifeboat with a panther. Scliar eventually dropped the case.

All this said, I should add that the taxidermy imagery does raise some fresh and intriguing thematic connections to the Holocaust. The idea of collective memory so integral to contemporary Jewish life is poetically evoked in the taxidermy shop, where dead animals are treated, stuffed and set against meticulously crafted dioramas. They have no voices, with only their curator and purchasers to speak for them: the curator, through the currency of painstaking handiwork; the buyers with the currency of money. The enterprise suggests that, with their flesh and companionship gone, the memory of these animal lives has intrinsic worth.

By casting the victims of the Horrors – the name the play gives to the Holocaust – as talking animals, they are reduced simply to species. This deconstruction of humanity suggests a powerful lesson. Without the socially constructed human divisions like race, sexual orientation, religion and ethnicity being absent, we are starkly reminded of the ultimate cruelty humans can and do inflict on one another.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 25

Jewish child refugees in Sweden during the Second World War A Faraway Island

By Annika Thor Translated by Linda Schenck Delacorte Press 248 pages. Ages 9-12.

Originally published in Sweden in 1996, A Faraway Island is the first of four novels by Annika Thor that tell the story of sisters Stephie and Nellie Steiner, two of 500 Jewish children and teens who were brought to safety in Sweden from Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Prague in 1939, shortly before the start of the Second World War. Thor’s family are themselves Jewish immigrants to Sweden. On her mother’s side, the family originated in Germany; on her father’s side, in Belarus. Although Thor’s parents grew up in Sweden, it is obvious from her endnote that she identified with the Jewish child refugees. As she put it, if her families had stayed in their original countries, her parents “would probably not have survived the war. I might never have been born at all.”

That feeling not only provides powerful motivation to tell the story of those child refugees; it provides motivation to get the story right in all respects. So, Thor’s novels are based on extensive research, including interviews with refugees, reading their letters and diaries, her parents’ stories of life in Sweden during the Second World War, and her own travels to Vienna and to the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

The Steiner sisters, Stephie, 12, and Nellie, seven, were born in Vienna. Their father was a medical doctor, their mother, a former opera singer. Until the Nazi occupation of Austria, they enjoyed an upper-middle-class, urban life of privilege and comfort. It was only in their last few months in Vienna, before their safe transit to Sweden, that the girls experienced some of the hardships imposed on Austrian Jews.

Written in the present tense from a third-person perspective, but primarily focused on Stephie, readers can palpably feel her desperation as she and her sister are suddenly thrust into a totally alien physical, emotional and spiritual world.

Separated from their parents, unexpectedly separated from each other, they don’t speak or understand Swedish and their host families don’t know German. Even worse, Stephie and Nellie wind up living not on the Swedish mainland, but on a

Kid Lit Deanna Silverman small, craggy island off its west coast. The islanders’ primary industry is fishing and their faith is Christian.

Auntie Alma, Nellie’s foster mother, is warm and welcoming to both girls. Even better, she has young children who are eager to play with Nellie. Auntie Marta, Stephie’s foster mother, is welcoming, but far from warm. She’s a stern woman, a compulsive cleaner, diligently religious, and her house is quite a distance from everyone else. Uncle Everett, Auntie Marta’s husband, is much kinder to Stephie, but he’s away on his boat most of the time.

As if things couldn’t get worse for Stephie, they do. When she learns enough Swedish to attend school, Stephie has to put up with the nastiness of Sylvia, the shopkeeper’s snobby daughter and the class queen in more ways than one. Even Vera, the nicer girl in class, won’t have anything to do with her until late in the book, while the stupidest boy wants to be her boyfriend.

Amidst all that turmoil, comes news from her father. The promise that has kept Stephie strong, that the family would be reunited in six months, won’t happen. Her father can’t get papers for the family to go to America. Can Stephie get papers allowing her parents to come to Sweden? Things are desperate for them in Austria.

Meanwhile, the war is progressing with one German victory after another. All too soon, Nazi Germany invades Denmark and Norway. Will Sweden be next?

Yes, there are times of joy and fun on this faraway island, and some of the cultural events are inspiring, but it takes awhile for Stephie to enjoy them. As for Auntie Marta, maybe there’s more to her than her diligence and stern appearance.

As in real life, however, finding out what strangers are really

By Annika Thor Translated by Linda Schenck

like takes time, effort and situations that force them to reveal their true feelings and values out loud, so to speak.

Not quite a coming of age story, but certainly a story about growing up as a displaced person, A Faraway Island is well written and paced, informative, poignant and insightful.

Few of its characters, including Stephie, are all good or all bad, which makes them more interesting and helps make A Faraway Island a rewarding, entertaining work of historical fiction.

Hopefully, the other volumes in the series will also be translated into English.

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Page 26 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

Ethanol and eggplant One of the nice things about having friends with a cottage close to yours is that they can come and visit for a few hours, then go back to their own place. And you can go to their place for dinner and still come back to your own comfy bed for the night. Last weekend, our good friends, The Beavers, invited us for dinner at their cottage, a short 20-minute drive from ours. We hadn’t seen them in a while and were looking forward to catching up on all the latest news.

We arrived shortly after 7:00 pm and were escorted to their charming, little screened gazebo with a beautiful lake view.

Being the gracious hosts they are, we were immediately offered drinks. Mr. Beaver and Roger had beer and Mrs. Beaver offered to make us a summer cocktail. Being the organized and industrious little Beaver she is, she had the hors d’oeuvres already prepared and ready to serve. She was back in a flash with two martini glasses filled with a clear concoction. We said “L’Chaim” and I took a sip. Immediately, I felt a warm glow spread through my mouth and travel down my throat and into my stomach. I do believe Mrs. Beaver served me a glass of icy cold pure ethanol.

I watched closely as Mrs. Beaver took a sip of hers. She sputtered and choked and exclaimed that these were mighty strong cocktails. After agreeing with her, I asked what was in them.

Mrs. Beaver’s Ethanol Martini (a.k.a. White Cosmopolitan) Serves 2 1 oz. Cointreau 2 oz. vodka Splash of white cranberry juice (or up to 4 ounces, depending on how strong you like it) Splash of lime juice Fill a martini shaker one-third full with ice. Add all ingredients. Place lid securely on shaker and shake well.

Strain into chilled glasses.

Serve, sit back and wait for the fireworks.

She said they were White Cosmos with vodka, Cointreau, lime juice and a splash of white cranberry juice. We both agreed they could use a touch more than a splash of the cranberry juice. Surprisingly, though, neither of us made a move to the kitchen to add any more. We just kept sipping, enjoying the fire burning in our bellies.

To go along with the White Cosmos, Mrs. Beaver made a yummy eggplant dip. She said it was her mother’s recipe. Her mom’s name was Ethyl and I have to say that Ethyl’s eggplant was smooth and addictive, a nice accompaniment to the ethanol martinis. Mr. Beaver and Roger took over barbecue duties as it quickly became apparent that Mrs. Beaver and I were highly flammable and should not be anywhere near an open flame.

We had a delicious dinner of grilled skirt steak, couscous tagine, roasted pepper salad and asparagus. The conversation and wine flowed and there was lots of laughter. We could hardly believe it when over four hours had passed. We almost wished we didn’t live so close and had to stay for the night!

If ethanol and eggplant don’t appeal to you, I have also included recipes for Frozen Peach Bellinis. A Bellini is made with peach purée and Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine. Ot-

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Cindy Feingold tawa Citizen wine columnist Joanne Chianello predicts that Prosecco will become this summer’s drink of choice. I agree.

Step aside Pinot Grigio. Fun to say, and easy to drink, Prosecco is delicate, with just a hint of melon, lemon almond and honey. It goes down mighty easily. Combined with peach purée or peach nectar, the taste is sublime.

My sister introduced me to Bellinis last summer and they quickly became our summer standard. Then my friend Brigitte suggested we put everything in the blender with a bit of ice for a frozen version. Even better! They are sure to become your summer go-to cocktail.

There are several brands of Prosecco readily available at the LCBO. I really like Tenata S Anna Extra Dry Prosecco (Vintages #169128) and Giovello Prosecco (#85316)

Frozen Peach Bellinis

Ethyl’s Eggplant Dip

Serves 2

This dip is wonderful served with toasted baguettes, such as Ace Bakery Artisan Crisps.

The best time to make this drink is at the height of peach season. When you bite into a peach and the juices run down your chin, peel a few peaches and use them instead of bottled peach nectar. Otherwise, Ceres brand peach juice is an acceptable alternative.

2 eggplants 2-3 green onions, chopped 2-3 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Preheat oven to 450 F. Prick eggplants with a fork several times and place on a baking sheet. Rub eggplant with just enough oil to coat.

Roast eggplant, turning once or twice, 30 to 40 minutes, or until eggplant is very soft.

Peel eggplant and put flesh in a food processor. Add green onions, olive oil, salt and pepper and process until smooth.

Everything has changed in the old neighbourhood In some ways, it was great for me to grow up in downtown Toronto. As the youngest in the family, I was completely unaware of just about everything that did not involve playing, climbing and running around.

We had lots of fun.

My brother and I used old centres from the bolts of cloth from our father’s store to break the wooden frames and make them into swords. We also used my father’s curved ruler as a scimitar, but he was not too happy with us about that. My older brother usually got the slap on the bottom because he was held to be responsible. See what I mean

Made with Love

about some of the advantages of being younger? Same thing when we used our couch for a trampoline.

On the other hand, when we were pirates and climbed all over the old table in the living room, I usually had to stay below deck, under the table, while my older brother sat on top and piloted our vessel. He was also, of course, the captain, but allowed me to be first mate when no one else was there.

I moved my body over and under the cross rungs in the wooden chair as if I was moving through a machine being transformed into a monster from outer space. My mother was not impressed and simply kept on grinding the meat or fish with the metal hand grinder attached to the other end of the chair with a vise.

I loved going through all the back alleys and wandering through the garages on Saint Joseph, Irwin and Wellesley.

The smell of grease and oil was somehow warm and comforting. Besides, it was easy to steal their empty pop bottles and turn them in at the store for two cents each.

We never bought new clothes, but I had my brother’s and first cousin’s hand-me-downs to choose from. And my father, being a tailor, used to make us new winter coats and hats every year. We were poor, but I barely noticed.

Of course, many around us were poor too. Some of these kids had parents who were alcoholics and came to school in

2 ounces pure peach purée, peach nectar or peach juice 1 ounce Peach Schnapps 3 ounces Prosecco 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 cup ice cubes Splash of grenadine (optional) Place all ingredients in blender. Process until all the ice is crushed and the mixture is smooth.

Pour into champagne flutes and serve with a straw.

Humour me, please Rubin Friedman torn shirts and ragged shoes, as well as with what seemed to be permanently smudged or dirty faces. And, if we were over at their place and they were getting beaten, well really, it was just an extension of the occasional slap on the bottom we received at home.

After my Bar Mitzvah, my older brother took away my innocence. He opened my eyes to our lack of money. He felt it especially keenly since he had no car to drive girls around in. He also made me more aware of how seamy our surroundings were – the pool hall and the Rainbow Room, where all the alcoholic parents hung out, our friend’s mother who was always in bed with some other guy every Saturday.

When I recently returned to the old neighbourhood, everything had changed, including me. The passage of time had transformed itself into flaming seraphs and would not let me back in without my full adult understanding.

But, when I sit down and remember, I can still relive how it felt to think my mother was the world’s best cook and how much fun it was to grow up unaware on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto..

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 27

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The Board of Directors of the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation acknowledges with thanks contributions to the following funds as of June 29, 2010.

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Continued on page 28

Page 28 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

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Continued on page 29

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 29

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Jeff and Rhoda Miller on their anniversary by Elissa Lieff and David Resnick and family.

ARNOLD AND ROSE LITHWICK FAMILY COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Millie Meyers by Yvonne and Harvey Lithwick and family.

to the Physical Therapy Program at University of Toronto by Jean Naemark.

Birthday wishes to: Bea Naemark by Jean Naemark.

RHODA AND JEFFREY MILLER FAMILY FUND Birthday wishes to: Irwin Miller by Rhoda, Jeffrey, Howard and Sara Miller.

Mazal Tov to: Lynda Taller-Wakter on receiving her MBA by Rhoda, Jeffrey, Howard and Sara Miller.

In appreciation to: Nancy Lazare by Rhoda Miller.

In memory of: Marcia Yachnin by Rhoda and Jeffrey Miller.

Jerry Koven by Rhoda, Jeffrey, Howard and Sara Miller.

HARRY AND BERTHA PLEET MEMORIAL FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Harry Nathanson, a dear father by Pinchas and Barbara Pleet.

MERVIN MIRSKY FAMILY COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Mervin Mirsky by Terry Tator; by Mitchell Bellman and Nicola Hamer; by Holly and John Laskin; by Helen and Will Tator; by Daniel Kimmel; by Larry Lithwick; by Resa Jacob; by Steve and Lorraine Balshin and family; by Moe and Sam Litwack; and by Sheldon and Corinne Taylor.

EVELYN AND NORMAN POTECHIN ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Norman Potechin by Libby and Stan Katz; and by Len and Mary Potechin.

PERCY AND SHELLEY OSTROFF FAMILY FUND In memory of: Simon Schweitzer by Percy and Shelley Ostroff.

Congratulations to: Lynda Taller-Wakter on completing her MBA by Percy and Shelley Ostroff.

TANYA AND SAMUEL MOSES MORIN MEMORIAL FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Tanya Morin, a dearly beloved mother, by Harvey Morin.

Anniversary wishes to: Sheela and Simon Morin on their 40th wedding anniversary by Harvey Morin.

Best wishes to: Lily Feig in her new home by Harvey Morin.

DOROTHY AND HERBERT NADOLNY ENDOWMENT FUND Special birthday wishes to: Mark Resnick by Dorothy Nadolny.

Many thanks to: Dorothy Nadolny by Zelaine Shinder.

JACK AND MIRIAM PLEET ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Jack Pleet by Abe, Steve and Myrna Bookman; by Christine, Steve and Matthew Demers; by Dundi and Lyon Sachs; and by Manny and Ruth Shacter

PREHOGAN FAMILY FUND IN MEMORY OF AARON HARRY COHEN Mazal Tov to: Ron Prehogan on being named the 2010 recipient of the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award by Sol and Zelaine Shinder; by Carol and Stuart Levine; by Libby and Stan Katz; by Clair Krantzberg; by Barbara and Len Farber; and by Ethel and Jack Prehogan.

Sarah Silverstein on being this year’s recipient of the Freiman Family Young Leadership Award and the Lawrence Greenberg Young Leadership Development Award by Avalee and Ron Prehogan.

Blanche Osterer on being this year’s recipient of the Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award by Avalee and Ron Prehogan.

Birthday wishes to: Mark Resnick by Avalee and Ron Prehogan.

In memory of: Leon Cohen by Ethel and Jack Prehogan; and by Yetta Cohen.

PHYLLIS AND ALAN RACKOW ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Melane Hotz by Phyllis and Alan Rackow.

JEAN AND MAX NAEMARK ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Robert and Jennifer Saxe on the birth of their daughter by Jean Naemark.

Shawn Fergusson on his graduation by Jean Naemark.

Erin Fergusson on her graduation and being accepted

MOE AND SARAH RESNICK ENDOWMENT FUND Special birthday wishes to: Gordon Resnick by Sue and Phil Bronsther.

Continued on page 30

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

ETHEL AND DAVID MALEK ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Eileen Landau on her grandson Jason’s upcoming wedding by Ethel and David Malek.

Ron Prehogan on on being the recipient of the 2010 Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award by Ethel and David Malek.

Blanche Osterer on being named the 2010 recipient of the Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award by Ethel and David Malek.

CHUCK AND BONNIE MEROVITZ FAMILY FUND Mazal Tov to: Sherri and Jack Torjman on Dan’s engagement to Julia by Chuck and Bonnie Merovitz.

In appreciation to: Tedd Nathanson by Chuck Merovitz.

In memory of: Esther Silverstone by Chuck and Bonnie Merovitz.

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Page 30 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

FOUNDATION DONATIONS JACOB AND LEAH RIVERS MEMORIAL FUND Mazal Tov to: Benjamin Wallach on his Bar Mitzvah by Eileen, Ann and Stan Goldberg.

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

ALTI AND BEREL RODAL FAMILY FUND In memory of: Esther Miriam Sheffield by Alti and Berel Rodal.

Mazal Tov to: Chaya and Yanky Hershkop on the birth and bris of Zvi Yosef by Alti and Berel Rodal.

Leah and Yotzy Hecht on the birth of Shaina by Alti and Berel Rodal.

Rabbi Sholom and Rachela Rodal on the Bat Mitzvah of Raizel by Alti and Berel Rodal.

ELAYNE AND WESLEY SCHACTER ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Jack Pleet by Elayne and Wesley Schacter and family.

Get well soon to: Meyer Golden by Elayne and Wesley Schacter and family.

FLORENCE AND GDALYAH ROSENFELD ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Gdalyah Rosenfeld by Libby and Stan Katz; and by Morrie and Rose Konick.

FRANCES AND MORTON ROSS FAMLY FUND Birthday wishes to: Gerry Sheff by Fran and Mort Ross.

Mazal Tov to: Fran and Mort Ross on the birth of their granddaughter by Rick and Helen Zipes; and by Sheldon and Corinne Taylor and family.

RICHARD ROTH AND RIVA LEVITAN FAMILY FUND Thank you to: Stephane Cinanni by Richard Roth and Riva Levitan.

Darren Morenstein by Richard Roth and Riva Levitan.

Rachel Kuglar by Richard Roth and Riva Levitan.

Julie Kettles by Richard Roth and Riva Levitan.

SAMUEL AND RUTH ROTHMAN MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Jack Pleet by Sheldon and Corinne Taylor.

SHELLEY AND SID ROTHMAN FAMILY FUND Mazal Tov to: The Rothman family on Stuart’s graduation from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law by Stephen and Sue Rothman.

Ron Prehogan on receiving the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award by Shelley Rothman.

In memory of: Mervin Mirsky by Shelley Rothman.

JOSEPH AND MOLLY SADINSKY FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Molly Sadinsky, a dear wife, mother and grandmother, 24 Sivan by Carol Spiro and family.

HAROLD SHAFFER MEMORIAL FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Harold Shaffer, a dear brother by Sheldon and Sonia Shaffer.

SOL AND ZELAINE SHINDER ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Blanche Osterer on being the recipient of the 2010 Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award by Sol and Zelaine Shinder.

R’fuah Sh’lemah to: Sharon Steinberg by Sol and Zelaine Shinder.

DR. ROBERT NORMAN SHOIHET MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Lou and Sarah Satov by Lillian Shoihet.

JACK AND SARAH SILVERSTEIN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Sarah Silverstein on being named the 2010 recipient of the Freiman Family Young Leadership Award and the Lawrence Greenberg Young Leadership Development Award by Sol and Zelaine Shinder; and by Barbara and Len Farber.

LINDA SILVERMAN MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Morty Singerman by Marvin and Phylis Silverman.

Jack Pleet by Mark, Susan, and Greg Silverman.

Mazal Tov to: Dr. Marvin Silverman on the occasion of his retirement by Mark, Susan, and Greg Silverman.

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

Anniversary wishes to: Paula and Robert Smith on their 40th wedding anniversary by Myra and Lester Aronson.

SAM AND SUE SLACK ENDOWMENT FUND Congratulations to: Dorothy Stern on her wonderful accomplishments by Sharon, David, Ryan, Jaye and Brody Appotive.

Visit our new home online!

The OJCF has updated its website to better provide user-friendly and interactive services for all our donors.

We encourage you to visit us today!

www.OJCF.ca

JACK AND LINDA SMITH ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Morty Singerman by Karla, Joe and Kayla Morrison;

by Leiba and Robert Krantzbeg; and by Linda Smith.

Jack Pleet by Leiba and Robert Krantzberg.

Rosemary McLaren by Linda Smith.

Mazal Tov to: Ron Prehogan on receiving the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award by Leiba and Robert Krantzbeg.

LAURA AND GORDON SPERGEL ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Marla Spergel on receiving her master’s degree by Libby and Stan Katz.

VICTOR AND SHIRLEY STEINBERG ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Shirley Steinberg on another Folkspieler Production

by Ed and Miriam Sussman.

DORIS AND RICHARD STERN FAMILY FUND In memory of: Mervin Mirsky by Doris and Richard Stern.

PHYLLIS AND MAX STERNTHAL FAMILY FUND Special birthday wishes to: Sally Levitan by Phyllis and Max Sternthal.

In memory of: Sarah Perel by Phyllis and Max Sternthal.

JAY B. TALLER MEMORIAL FUND Birthday wishes to: Sally Taller by Libby and Stan Katz.

Congratulations to: Lynda Taller-Wakter on receiving the Telfer Executive MBA by Libby and Stan Katz.

THE TARANTOUR FAMILY FUND In memory of: Selma Tarantour by Jody and Gary Roodman.

Saul Goldwarg by Ann Lazear and family; and by Teena and Uri Goldberg and family.

MOSES, CHENYA AND HENRY TORONTOW MEMORIAL FUND Birthday wishes to: Valerie Torontow by Jean Naemark.

RUTH AND JOSEPH VINER ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Jack Pleet by Ruth and Joe Viner.

Betty Feller by Ruth and Joe Viner.

MILDRED AND PERCY WEINSTEIN ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Polly Cohen by Millie Weinstein.

HALTON/WEISS FAMILY FUND Mazal Tov to: David Greaves on his promotion by Debbie and Ron Weiss.

ROBERT WENER AND LYNNE ORECK WENER FAMILY FUND Mazal Tov to: Mr. and Mrs. Henry Morton on Tyra’s Bat Mitzvah

by Lynne, Bobby, Taryn, Eleni and Hart Wener.

Julie Morton and Ron O’Brien on the B’nai Mitzvah of Ron and Jake by Lynne, Bobby, Taryn, Eleni and Hart Wener.

Thank you to: Lynne Oreck Wener and Bob Wener for their generosity as hosts by Carol and Peter Oreck.

IRVING AND DIANE WEXLER FAMILY FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Irving Wexler, a dear husband, father and grandfather

by Diane Wexler and family.

In memory of: Mervin Mirsky by Diane Wexler.

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

MAX AND TESSIE ZELIKOVITZ ENDOWMENT FUND Anniversary wishes to: Margo and David Kardish on a special anniversary by Phil and Sue Bronsther.

ZIPES KARANOFSKY FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Jamie MacDougall on being awarded the Order of Canada by Helen and Rick Zipes.

Frayda and Charlie Wiseman on the recent marriage of their son Yossi to Julia Shusterman by Helen and Rick Zipes.

Eric Elkin and Molly Hirsch on the graduation of their son Benjamin from Columbia University with his PhD by Helen and Rick Zipes.

Laurie and Lynda Ferris on the recent marriage of their daughter Amanda by Helen and Rick Zipes.

Sherri and Jack Torjman on the engagement of their son Daniel to Julia by Helen and Rick Zipes.

Anniversary wishes to: Mr. & Mrs. Gary Kirsh on their 35th wedding anniversary by Helen and Rick Zipes.

Condolences to: Timothy Andrade and his family on the sad loss of a beloved mother by Helen and Rick Zipes.

Congratulations to: Ken and Linda Yuen on the birth of their third grandchild, Paige Collins by Helen and Rick Zipes.

Linda and Paul Lecourt on the birth of their second granddaughter by Helen and Rick Zipes.

THE SAUL AND EDNA GOLDFARB B’NAI MITZVAH PROGRAM ABIGAIL GREENBERG MITZVAH FUND Mazal Tov to: Abigail Greenberg on her Bat Mitzvah by Judith Gelber.

LIEFF FAMILY B’NAI MITZVAH FUND In memory of: Esther Silverstone by Francie Greenspoon and Norman Lieff.

DANA AND REMI PEARL B’NAI MITZVAH FUND In appreciation to: Gavriel and Tamara Scarowsky by Remi Pearl.

LEAH KOVACS SCHWEITZER B’NAI MITZVAH FUND In memory of: Simon Schweitzer by Diane, Jeremy and Zahava Koven.

BEN STEIN MITZVAH FUND Mazal Tov to: Maya Stein on her graduation and all of her high school achievements by Jackie, Gary and Ben Stein.

Contributions may be made online at www.OJCF.ca or by calling 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.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010 – Page 31

The New Year is a time to give thanks, pray for peace and wish family and friends a healthy New Year.

Let the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin convey your wishes to all those you hold dear.

Greetings will be published in the September 6, 2010 issue.

Deadline: August 4, 2010 Choose from the following greetings ...

Option 1.

$40.00

Option 2.

$50.00

May you be inscribed for a year of joy and blessings.

Diane and Stanley Singer Elliot & Shelley

Option 3.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year. Shana Tova.

From our family to yours, best wishes for a healthy and happy new year.

Shana Tova.

Diane and Stanley Singer Elliot & Shelley

$60.00

Diane and Stanley Singer Elliot & Shelley

Greetings must be prepaid by cheque, VISA or MasterCard and submitted before Wednesday, August 4, 2010 to: The Ottawa Jewish Bulletin 21 Nadolny Sachs Private Ottawa, Ontario K2A 1R9.

Prices include HST. Phone orders will be taken at 613-798-4696, ext. 256, with VISA or MasterCard ONLY. You may fax to 613-798-4730 or e-mail to rsaslovemiller@ottawajewishbulletin.com, with VISA or MasterCard.

Page 32 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – July 19, 2010

WHAT’S GOING ON

For more community listings, visit ottawa.planitjewish.com

July 19 to August 15, 2010 SUNDAY, JULY 25

WEEKLY EVENTS TUESDAYS Israeli Folkdancing, learn dances, have fun, no experience or partner necessary, Vincent Massey bandstand, 7:00 pm. Info: 613-722-9323.

CANDLELIGHTING BEFORE Jul 23 Jul 30 Aug 6 Aug 13 Aug 20 Aug 27 Sep 3

✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡

8:24 8:16 8:07 7:57 7:45 7:33 7:20

pm pm pm pm pm pm pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 8 Book Club, sponsored

by Congregation Machzikei Hadas, reviews The Private Patient, by P.D. James.

SHALOM OTTAWA Rogers Television 22

Everyone welcome, 10:00 am. Info: 613-521-9700 for location.

Summertime Celebration, sponsored by the Soloway JCC and Vered Is-

rael Cultural and Educational Program, features cocktails, appetizers, music and mingling. Must be 19 years old, 7:30 pm. Info: 613-7989818, ext. 233 or 243.

HIGH HOLIDAYS

FRIDAYS Maximizing Memory for Seniors, sponsored by Jewish Family Services, 2255 Carling Avenue, suite 300, 9:30 am. Info: 613722-2225, ext. 313.

Shalom Ottawa, our community TV show on Rogers 22, 12:00 pm. (repeats July 29 at 4:30 pm, and July 31 at noon).

WEDNESDAY JULY 21 Let’s Do Lunch, sponsored by Jewish Family Services and Congregation Agudath Israel, annual summer barbecue with musical entertainment by Isaac Muzikansky, 1400 Coldrey Avenue, 12:00 pm.

Info: 613-728-3501.

WEDNESDAY JULY 28 Wonderful Wednesdays, sponsored by Jewish Family Services and Congregation Machzikei Hadas, featuring lunch and the film The Three Rabbis, followed by discussion, 2310 Virginia Drive, 12:00 pm. Info: 613521-9700.

Erev Rosh Hashanah

September 8

Rosh Hashanah

September 9

Erev Yom Kippur

September 17

Yom Kippur

September 18

Erev Sukkot

September 22

Sukkot

September 23-24

Erev Shemini Atzeret

September 29

Shemini Atzeret

September 30

Simchat Torah

October 1

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.

Readers and advertisers are advised the next edition of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin will be published on Monday, August 16, 2010.

The deadline is Wednesday, July 28, 2010.

Condolences Condolences are extended to the families of: Sylvia Friedman Donald (Donny) Hyman Jerry Koven, Saint John (father of Diane Koven) Lenore Michaels Mervin Mirsky Sarah Perel Abe “Wayne” Robin, Montreal (formerly of Ottawa)

Jack Siegel Morton Taller Bob Wise, Toronto (father of Sheba Schmidt) Marcia Yachnin, Montreal (mother of Michael Yachnin)

May their memory be a blessing always.

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

There is no charge.

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

Voice mail is available.

BULLETIN DEADLINES JULY 28 FOR AUGUST 16 AUGUST 11 FOR SEPTEMBER 6* SEPTEMBER 1 FOR SEPTEMBER 27 SEPTEMBER 22 FOR OCTOBER 11 OCTOBER 6 FOR OCTOBER 25 OCTOBER 20 FOR NOVEMBER 8 NOVEMBER 10 FOR NOVEMBER 29* * Community-wide Issue (all dates subject to change)