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may 30, 2011

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Ottawa celebrates Israel’s Yom Ha’Atzmaut

By Ilana Belfer It was a sea of white and blue, May 10, when more than 1,000 people gathered to celebrate Israel’s 63rd birthday at Lansdowne Park’s Aberdeen Pavilion.

“We must continue to ... rejoice in Israel’s independence alongside our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land – Am Yisrael Chai,” said event chair Penny Torontow in her welcome to Ottawa’s annual Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration presented by the Soloway Jewish Community Centre and the Vered Israel Cultural and Educational Program.

Torontow later introduced Israel’s Ambassador to Canada Miriam Ziv who brought on-screen greetings on behalf of the State of Israel via video.

“Although the land of Israel is thick with Jewish history, it can be

easy to forget how young Israel really is,” Ziv said.

Ziv mentioned Israel’s “extraordinary” evolution since its Declaration of Independence in 1948, but also emphasized its core values that have remained unchanged: democracy, commitment to civil freedoms, and a longing for peace.

“The State of Israel is a testimony to the enduring strength of the Jewish people,” said Ziv. She called Yom Ha’Atzmaut an opportunity to take pride and demonstrate solidarity, a message she also delivered the evening before at the Israeli Embassy’s Yom Ha’Atzmaut reception at the Fairmont Château Laurier ballroom.

“I think it’s great to see all the faces of the Jewish community in one place,” said Meghan Polowin, (Continued on page 2 )

Ottawa Jewish Community School students perform at the Yom Ha’Atzmaut flag-raising ceremony in the school gym.

(Photo: Michael Regenstreif)

Agudath Israel to include women in the minyan

Happy girls at the Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration at the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park.

(Photo: Ilana Belfer)

By Nicola Hamer for Agudath Israel Agudath Israel Congregation will soon include women in the counting of a minyan.

On May 11, the synagogue’s Board of Directors unanimously adopted a recommendation by the congregation’s Ritual Committee to include women in the counting of a minyan, as part of its evolution towards an egalitarian Conservative

synagogue.

“This is a wonderful step in of the development of women’s participation and leadership at Agudath Israel that began 27 years ago when a group of women congregants formed their own weekend prayer group,” said Howard Cohen, president of Agudath Israel.

In 2006, the congregation voted overwhelmingly for full participation of women in the Torah service

at Agudath Israel. A year ago, the Ritual Committee began to examine the specific issues surrounding women’s participation as part of a minyan and as Shelihat Tsibbur (prayer leader).

The new policy will come into effect on Erev Shavuot, June 7.

Rabbi Charles Popky is delighted with the timing.

“Shavuot is when we mark the (Continued on page 2)

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Page 2 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

Community celebrates Israel’s Independence Day (Continued from page 1)

18, who came to support Israel and promote the Israel Awareness Committee of Ottawa.

Along the perimeter of the pavilion were booths showcasing various organizations and events, including Hadassah-WIZO, State of Israel Bonds, PJ Library, Jewish National Fund, March of the Living and the Dragon Boat Israel Festival set to take place at Yam Kinneret in May 2012.

Audrey Kreisman was at the JET (Jewish Education through Torah) booth to “spread the word” about the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project, a trip to Israel for women with children at home, which she went on last year.

“I remember coming [to Yom Ha’Atzmaut parties] as a child. My parents always brought me; it was important. I remember the celebrations downtown at 151 Chapel Street at Beth Shalom, and I get excited every year,” she said.

Lyon Hamburg, who was with sons Gabriel, 13, and Noah, 11, said he attends the Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration every year so that people outside the community will “hear a lot of noise” about the State of Israel. “They should see that a lot of people support this cause,” he said.

Kids’ activities were a major focus of the event and included a Dance Dance Revolution game, airbrush tattoos, a photo booth, balloon artists, an inflatable slide, kite building with the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, and a circus show featuring a juggler and unicyclist.

The giant inflatable ride was a hit with young kids.

(Photo: Ilana Belfer)

As well, many of Ottawa’s Jewish schools joined forces to prepare banners celebrating Israel and the young students marched down the aisle toward the main stage holding their creations.

“There are so many people here … the [Israeli folk] dancing is great, and there’s a lot of young people, which is the best part,” said Harrison Freeman, 19, who also described the food – an Israeli-style buffet by Creative Kosher Catering – as delicious.

Noah Malek, Tom Podolsky and Daniel Segal, all aged 11, said it was important to participate in Yom Ha’Atzmaut because “it’s fun” and “it celebrates Israel’s birthday and independence.”

Earlier in the day, students from the Ottawa Jewish Community School (OJCS), Torah Academy,

Ganon Preschoolers gather for the schools’ march at the Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration.

(Photo: Pam Rosenberg)

the Ganon Preschool and the Early Beginnings Multicultural Child Development Centre, as well as Tamir participants, Hillel Lodge residents, and community members gathered in the OJCS gym for the Yom Ha’Atzmaut flag-raising ceremony as well as celebratory songs and presentations.

On the evening of May 8, a solemn Yom Hazikaron ceremony took place at the Joseph and Rose Ages Family building in memory of Israel’s fallen soldiers and civilian victims of terrorist attacks.

Michael Regenstreif contributed to this report.

Hillel Ottawa Executive Director Ross Diamond (left) and Israel Awareness Committee President Hashem Hamdy enjoy their Israeli-style meal.

(Photo: Ilana Belfer)

Minyan: Agudath adopts egalitarian policy (Continued from page 1)

Josh Levitan (left) and Harrison Freeman at the March of the Living table.

(Photo: Ilana Belfer)

moment we received the Torah as a Jewish nation,” said Rabbi Popky.

“We all stood at Mount Sinai, women and men together, and I think it is significant time for our shul to take this step of spiritual inclusiveness.”

Rabbi Popky feels the change will have an impact on the congregation, as many women discover a new connection and involvement in their religious tradition.

However, he added, “It will have the most significance for our chil-

dren, all of whom will be raised in this egalitarian atmosphere and see that all Jews can participate fully in the beauty of Jewish life.”

Cohen agrees with the significance of the change.

“There have been days when women have come to shul to say Kaddish for their loved ones and they can’t, because, even though we have 10 people, we don’t have 10 men. And I see the pain in their eyes.

“For me, this is a matter of human dignity. Women count.”

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 3

Page 4 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

Special cookbook to be featured at Emunah event

By Rosally Saltsman and Leah Cohen for Emunah of Ottawa Jewish history is full of miracles and many paradoxes. And many Jewish miracles culminate in food. An old joke sums up the raison d’être of many Jewish holidays: “They tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat!”

The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook is a book that gives meaning to food by not merely preserving traditional dishes, but also by preserving Jewish memory. Although no one would think of food as a major theme of the Holocaust, author Joanne Caras has produced a culinary tribute whose purpose is not only to commemorate and preserve, but also to help feed the hungry in the most literal sense.

“We asked Holocaust survivors to send us their favourite recipe, photos, and also the story of how they were able to survive the Holocaust,” Caras told food writer Norene Gilletz for an article published on Gourmania.com, Gilletz’s food blog. “We collected 129 stories from all over the world, including Europe, South America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, and many U.S. states. Each one is a miracle!

“In the introduction to our cookbook

we ask each person who cooks one of the recipes to also read to their family the story that comes with it. That way, not only will we preserve the recipes, but more importantly we will help to insure that the stories of these brave Survivors will live on for generations to come,” said Caras to Gilletz.

Caras’ extraordinary book spans generations, cultures and palates while proceeds from its sale benefit the Carmei Ha’ir Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem and Emunah.

Contemplate the absolutely incomprehensible idea that the stories of Holocaust survivors who often subsisted on potato peels and murky watered-down soup for months, or years, at a time, are now helping feed the hungry in Jerusalem and educate children in Israel.

Take the story of Gina Hochberg Lanceter. When she was 14, the Nazis deported her and her parents from Brody, Ukraine to the death camps. Her mother and father convinced her to jump from the train, thus saving her life. Sadly, she was the sole member of the family to survive.

She has vivid memories of her family life and, for The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook, reconstructed her mother’s recipe

for cabbage rolls, which were served during Sukkot in the family sukkah.

The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook will be available for sale at Emunah’s Family-in-Israel program on June 22, which will begin with student actors from Yitzhak Rabin High School giving dramatic readings of several memoirs from the book. Desserts prepared according to recipes in The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook will be served.

The guest speaker will be Rabbi Menachem Blum, leader of the Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad. A frequent visitor to Israel, and a man who has inspired many, his talk, Israel: The Land and Its Spirit, will give us food for thought.

Emunah, which means ‘faith’ in Hebrew, is a world-wide non-profit organization that supports educational and social needs of Israeli citizens in need and fosters independence, responsibility and faith.

Emunah’s Family-in-Israel program takes place Wednesday, June 22, 7:30 pm, at Congregation Beit Tikvah, 15 Chartwell. Admission is $20 (members) and $23 (non-members).

For more information, contact ottawainfo@emunahcanada.org.

The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook will be available for sale at Emunah’s Family-in-Israel program on June 22 at Congregation Beit Tikvah.

The Dr. Imre Rosenberg Memorial Lecture 2011 Sunday, June 12 at 7:30 pm TEMPLE ISRAEL, 1301 Prince of Wales Drive A Global Perspective on Human Rights By

David Kilgour, Member of Parliament (Retired) What Human Rights issues exist in Canada and globally? How can human rights be assessed in the modern world? What is the role of governments?

Hon. David Kilgour, J.D. First elected in 1979, he was re-elected seven times, most recently in 2004, for the southeastern part of Edmonton. During his time in Parliament he was Deputy Speaker and Chair of the Committees of the Whole House (1994-97), Secretary of State for Latin America & Africa (1997-2002), and Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific (2002-03). He did not stand in the 2006 election.

David Kilgour is co-chair of the Canadian Friends of a Democratic Iran, past chair of the Latin America and Caribbean policy working group of the Ottawa branch of the Canadian International council, a Fellow of the Queen’s University Centre for the Study of Democracy and a director of the Washingtonbased Council for a Community of Democracies (CCD).

David continues to be active in issues of human rights and international concern. A recent book, Uneasy Neighbo(u)rs, co-authored with David Jones, a former American diplomat, discusses the relationship of Canada and the USA. In 2009, he and David Matas published Bloody Harvest-The Killing of Falun Gong for their Organs. For this work he and lawyer Matas were awarded the 2009 Human Rights Prize of the International Society for Human Rights in Switzerland and were jointly nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. For further information, see: www.david-kilgour.com

For more information, call Temple Israel • 613-224-1802

Hon. David Kilgour, J.D.

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May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 5

Sheli Braun to receive Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award

By Nicola Hamer for Ottawa Jewish Community School Sheli Braun, this year’s Ottawa recipient of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, has not been teaching for a long time at the Ottawa Jewish Community School (OJCS), but she has already had a huge impact.

In the past few years, OJCS has been working hard to build up its Resource Department. In order to successfully support students who have extra needs, OJCS must provide support in Judaic, as well as secular, studies. Judaic special education is not a large field, so the school was extremely fortunate to find Braun.

Braun has been a teacher for decades and spent 14 years as principal of the Temple Israel Religious School.

Even though she had no mandate to include special education in her other positions, it was always something she took into consideration.

“It was always important

Sheli Braun teaches Grade 6 students at the Ottawa Jewish Community School.

(Photo: Nicola Hamer)

to me that kids who learned differently had the same opportunities to have a Jewish education as their peers,” said Braun.

Braun has built the Judaic Resource program at OJCS from the ground up and now provides support to students

from Grades 2 to 12. Some students need ESL instruction. Some need extra help several times a week to support them in the classroom, while others need modified Hebrew instruction five days per week.

Head of Schools Donna

Palmer-Dodds said Braun’s ability to provide the support her students need is even more remarkable than it first appears.

“It isn’t just that she has to create a Grade 6 Hebrew curriculum for those whose learning challenges mean

they can’t be in the regular classroom. It’s that each of those children can’t be there for different reasons. Sheli finds a way to tailor her program to fit the needs of every single child she teaches,” said Palmer-Dodds.

Braun’s devotion to her students has made her very popular with them, and their parents.

“She has a deep understanding of the different ways children learn and a particular knack for motivating children with different learning styles and personalities,” said parent Deborah Teich. “Instead of possibly feeling bad about being in a Resource program, she manages to fill her students with confidence, so they are proud of bring one of ‘Morah Sheli’s kids.’”

Braun said her position at OJCS is a dream-come-true.

“It’s been a privilege to be able to create this program from scratch,” she said. “And I love that being in a Jewish day school gives me opportunities to connect with the

children in their daily activities, cheering them on academically, and in sport events and extra-curricular activities, encouraging them to be the best people they can be.

“These are all ways of helping students grow. All of these activities provide opportunities to show children that it is possible and desirable to be a Jew in every aspect of life while being grounded in the secular world.”

“Sheli’s dedication to her students, and to Judaism, has made a significant impact at our school,” said PalmerDodds.

“The support she provides means students who might otherwise have been unable to stay here are now some of our greatest successes.”

The Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education will be presented to Braun at the annual general meeting of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa on Wednesday, June 1, 7:00 pm, at the Joseph and Rose Ages Family Building.

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Page 6 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

It has been a wonderful two years as Federation chair As I write this column, I reflect on my two years as chair of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. It has been a wonderful two years and I have enjoyed it immensely.

This column is the last I will write as chair, and many thoughts cross my mind.

I will begin with the enormous scope of what the Federation does.

There are 24 partner agencies under our umbrella and we work hard at maintaining good inter-agency relations. We also fund and facilitate Hillel Ottawa, which serves Jewish students on Ottawa’s university and college campuses. Three years ago, we launched the Jewish Ottawa InfoCentre and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our outreach to those who want to be active participants in our community.

For the past two years, we have had a revitalized Young Women’s Leadership Council. They are going strong, with program plans already made for next year!

We are also working at restarting the Jewish Leadership Development Institute, which took a year off after three years of successful leadership and skills training, and we would like to expand it and make it even more relevant to community leaders.

These past two years, we focused on three main themes: Excellence in Jewish Education, both at the Ottawa Jewish

Federation Report Donna Dolansky Chair Community School and in Ottawa’s Jewish supplementary schools; engagement of young people, especially those in the 25 to 40 age group; and, the financial challenges that we constantly face as an overachieving non-profit organization!

We have had considerable success.

The Ottawa Jewish Community School has made many positive changes and is well positioned to grow. Our Jewish Outreach, Identity and Education Committee (JOIE) has met regularly with the Jewish supplementary schools. With the help of a consultant, JOIE has produced a report with recommendations for improvement and collaboration.

JOIE also organized openOttawa, a symposium for young Jewish adults, which was held in April and which was very successful. Some of our Board leaders had the opportunity to join the conversation and hear what these young people had to say. A

We are all looking forward to May 2012 when many dragon boaters from Ottawa and around the world will be in Israel, at Yam Kinneret, to participate in Israel’s first International Dragon Boat Festival. follow-up meeting was held on May 18, and it is hoped that this cohort will feel comfortable in and become active participants of our community.

Israel is never far from our thoughts and we are all looking forward to May 2012 when many dragon boaters from Ottawa and around the world will be in Israel, at Yam Kinneret, to participate in Israel’s first International Dragon Boat Festival. It is being organized by a team from Ottawa led by incoming Federation Chair Debbie Weiss.

In addition to our regular activities, on a daily basis, the Federation is involved with

all aspects of running a business. We have regular contact with other organizations, manage a community campus with all its attendant challenges, and plan strategically for the future of the Jewish community, together with the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation.

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa could not accomplish all this without many dedicated and committed volunteers and staff, ably led by Mitchell Bellman, our president and CEO. Our professional staff work extremely hard, and certainly go ‘the extra mile’ in everything they do. Working for a nonprofit organization is not a 9-to-5 job, and I certainly appreciate all the extra time and effort that is expended every day by the Federation professionals.

I also thank my fellow Board members: Stephen Bindman, Jonathan Freedman, Jennifer Kardash, Steven Kimmel, Jacquie Levy, Bonnie Merovitz, Lisa Rosenkrantz, Phil Stein, Mark Thaw, Debbie Weiss and Neil Zaret. It has been a pleasure to work together with you as a team.

I wish all the best to the incoming Board, and, of course, incoming Chair Debbie Weiss, and I look forward to working with you again next year, in my new role as past-chair.

‘We have to rely on the heavens to rain down’ People all around me are preoccupied with an outdoor water ban issued by the City of Ottawa for the Barrhaven area. An entire community accustomed to just turning on the tap and having water flow for everything and anything is up in arms.

Swimming pools can’t be filled, lawns and gardens can’t be watered and, most importantly, cars can’t be washed.

A few days into the ban, a popular solution started spreading, and thousands of rain barrels are now being purchased. The City of Ottawa comes on board with a rain barrel rebate program and Barrhaven residents will be collecting rainwater this summer for their outdoor water use.

What a transition! Instead of feeling in control with our water supply, we have to rely on the heavens to rain down.

The words of Moses to the Jewish people before they entered the Land of Israel echo in my ears. He describes to the Jewish people the nature of their new homeland:

From the pulpit Rabbi Menachem M. Blum OTC Chabad “For the Land to which you come is not like the land of Egypt where you would plant and water it on foot like a vegetable garden, but the Land to which you cross over to possess ... from the rain of heaven will it drink water.” (Deuteronomy 11:1012) The Egyptians worshipped the Nile, because it was their source of sustenance. A system of canals was built which irrigated the farmlands of the region, undisturbed by the uncertainties of the climate. There was no need to pray for rain.

Life in Israel is very different. Israel is the “Land where God’s eye is upon it,

throughout the year.” (Deuteronomy 11:12) The size of the harvest depends totally on the amount of rain that falls. A Jew from Israel is ever aware of God’s closeness and has to constantly turn to Him to pray for rain to ensure his or her sustenance.

In Egypt, it is very easy to forget the Heavenly source of the blessings of life.

We convince ourselves that everything we have achieved is our own making.

The Land of Israel nurtures faith and

humility. It reminds us that there is a reciprocal relationship between heaven and earth.

As my neighbours and I hook up rain barrels at our homes, we are reliving our ancestors’ transition and spiritual journey from Egypt to the Holy Land. We recognize that God is the source of our sustenance, that He responds to our efforts and that He answers our prayers with nurture from Above.

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May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 7

Mayor did the right thing by withdrawing Whitton proposal Mayor Jim Watson did the right thing on May 8 when he withdrew his proposal that Ottawa’s new archives and library building be named in honour of Charlotte Whitton.

The proposal had been approved by the city’s Finance and Economic Development Committee on May 3 following six presentations by individuals and organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Friends of the City of Ottawa Archives, who were opposed to Whitton being honoured with the naming of the building.

There were no presentations from citizens or organizations in support of the Whitton proposal.

While Watson wanted to honour Whitton’s place in history as Ottawa’s first female mayor – in fact, the first female mayor of a major Canadian city – the Jewish community was opposed to honouring her because of the major role she played, years earlier, in ensuring that Jewish orphans not find refuge in Canada during the Holocaust, thus sealing the fate of hundreds of Jewish children at the hands of the Nazis.

Despite the objections, the committee voted 8-1 to approve the proposal. Only Councillor Keith Egli stood against it.

“Our job is to listen to our constituents,” said Egli. “With the Jewish, French Canadi-

Editor Michael Regenstreif an and historical communities all opposed [to naming the building for Whitton], I must vote against.”

The measure was to go to the full city council for ratification, but didn’t when the mayor withdrew his proposal following the online and media brouhaha that erupted as a result of news coverage of the committee vote. E-mails from many in the Jewish community and beyond to the mayor and city councillors, an online petition, op-ed pieces and letters-to-the-editor in the Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Sun, all helped convince the mayor that withdrawing the proposal would be the best course of action.

“These kinds of commemorative namings should be positive occasions that bring the community together. Instead, this suggestion, which was mine, and mine alone, was creating disunity in parts of the city, and as mayor, I felt it my obligation not to allow the matter to continue to divide,” wrote Watson in his memo to city council-

The May 8 revocation of the proposal ... was the best possible outcome for the Whitton-naming controversy. lors advising them he was withdrawing the proposal.

In withdrawing the Whitton proposal, the mayor, like Egli, listened to his constituents.

The May 8 revocation of the proposal, and the new plan for a proper consultative process before a new name proposal for the building next comes before council, was the best possible outcome for the Whittonnaming controversy. But, it did mean that my editor’s column in the May 16 issue of the Bulletin – which called for the building not to be named for Whitton – was out-ofdate three days before anyone read it. Such things occasionally happen with publications that have a lengthy lead time.

The column was written on May 5 and we went to press on May 6. Copies of the May 16 Bulletin were first available for sale on May 11 (and arrived in most mail subscribers’ homes on May 12 and 13).

My plan, of course, was for the mayor to read my column, agree with my logic, and then retract the proposal. That’s not the way it worked out. But, all’s well that ends well. openOttawa On May 18, I attended the first followup session to April’s openOttawa symposium, an ongoing initiative aimed at engaging Ottawa’s young Jewish adults with the community and providing assistance to 20- to 35-year-olds in their quest to express themselves Jewishly in ways that are relevant to them. We’ll have a full report on the session from reporter Jacqueline Shabsove in the June 13 issue of the Bulletin.

While the openOttawa discussion was fascinating, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how similar the discussion was – minus, perhaps, the Facebook, Twitter and website references – to discussions I was party to in Montreal during the 1970s and ‘80s when I was in that age group. And mine was hardly the first generation to have that discussion.

It is up to every generation to find ways of engagement that are relevant to them and it’s also up to the preceding generations to help them in their quest and to make room in the open tent for those new ways of engagement.

Pattern of Liberal decline in Ontario led to Conservative majority The May 2 federal election results seemed to herald many dramatic changes in Canadian politics.

Some of the obvious ones included Canadians electing a majority Conservative government for the first time in a generation; the NDP becoming the official Opposition for the first time ever; the Bloc Québécois being reduced to four seats; and voters handing the Liberal Party its worst drubbing in history, an existential crisis for Liberal loyalists.

As is often the case, the full extent of the changes did not become apparent until the votes were actually counted. Opinion polls certainly picked up on the NDP surge in Quebec, but few predicted that the party – which had only ever elected two Quebec MPs in its 50-year history – would win all but a small handful of seats in that province.

Even more surprising was the so-called Blue Wave that hit both the suburbs and the City of Toronto. There was a strong expectation the Conservative Party would make gains in a number of previously Liberal-held ridings in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) such as Mississauga, Brampton and Pickering. In the end, the Conservatives won almost all of those suburban seats, plus a number of urban Toronto seats that had not elected federal Conserv-

Alan Echenberg ative MPs since the days of Brian Mulroney.

Toronto-area voters gave the Conservative Party its majority, and crushed the Liberal Party. There was no other region of the country where Conservatives made such dramatic inroads in comparison to the 2008 election.

As dramatic and relatively unexpected as it was, the Conservative breakthrough in the GTA was a long time coming and was characterized by slow-and-steady growth from election to election since conservative factions united into one party in 2003.

Much has been written – including by me - about the Conservatives’ successful courting, over time, of the votes of ethnic minority groups that traditionally voted Liberal, including the votes of the Jewish community. With so many of those groups concentrated in the GTA, this was an obvious factor in the party’s majority win.

Of course, voting is anonymous, so it’s impossible to know with any great degree of certainty, how much of the ethnic vote – Jewish or otherwise – swung to the Conservatives this time around. But, matching demographic statistics with vote counts paints a compelling picture.

There are nine ridings in the GTA that have Jewish populations greater than the Ontario average, although we shouldn’t exaggerate the Jewish vote. Thornhill, the riding with the most Jews, is only 36 per cent Jewish. Toronto Centre, which has the ninth-largest Jewish community, is only about three per cent Jewish. Ontario, as a whole, is about 1.7 per cent Jewish.

All nine of those ridings were represented by Liberal MPs a decade ago when the party held an electoral near-monopoly in Ontario. Even in 2004, when the Liberals were reduced to a minority, they easily held onto all those seats. In 2006, the Liberal Party lost Trinity-Spadina to the NDP and, in 2008, it lost Thornhill to the Conservatives. But the Liberals still held seven of the nine seats going into this month’s election.

Today, the Liberals only hold two of those nine seats. The Conservatives have six and the NDP still holds Trinity-Spadina. If you include three Ottawa-area ridings and one Hamilton-area riding, the

Conservatives now represent nine of the 13 Ontario ridings with higher-than-average Jewish populations. The NDP and the Liberals represent two ridings each in that category.

If you look at the vote in individual ridings over time, the pattern becomes even clearer. The Toronto riding of York Centre, which is about 24 per cent Jewish, used to be one of the safest Liberal seats in Canada. Former Liberal MP Art Eggleton won it with 71.1 per cent of the vote in the 2000 election. In the following election, Liberal Ken Dryden won it easily with almost 55 per cent of the vote, but his vote dropped over each subsequent election. In 2008, he hung onto the seat with only 43.46 per cent of the vote.

In 2011, Dryden didn’t even come close, losing the seat to Conservative Mark Adler, who won with 48.5 per cent of the vote compared to Dryden’s 33.3 per cent. The story of the election-to-election decline is the same in all of the ridings with higher-than-average Jewish populations, even the few in which the Liberals salvaged wins. It’s also the same in other ethnic ridings.

If this voting pattern continues, the country could have a Conservative majority government for many more years to come.

Page 8 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

Rabbi Bulka to speak about his ‘wonderful rabbinic experience’

By Anna Bilsky Ottawa Jewish Historical Society The Ottawa Jewish Historical Society is delighted that Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka will be our guest speaker on Tuesday, June 14.

Rabbi Bulka, well known and respected in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities, will speak on “Highlights of a Wonderful Rabbinic Experience.�

Rabbi Bulka came to Ottawa from New York in 1967 to be spiritual leader the rabbi of Congregation Machzikei Hadas, then located on Murray Street. The congregation relocated to Vir-

ginia Drive in 1973.

In almost 45 years in Ottawa, Rabbi Bulka has successfully led his congregation and flourished as a prolific author and community leader. He has written more than 30 books and more than 100 scholarly articles on a wide range of topics including rabbinics, psychology and Jewish life.

Rabbi Bulka has been an active participant and leader in many health-related organizations including Canadian Blood Services, Friends of Hospice Ottawa, the Kidney Foundation of Canada and the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre Courage Campaign. He has also been active in

such organizations as the United Way/Centraide of Ottawa-Carleton, Canadian Jewish Congress, of which he is a past copresident, and Trillium Gift of Life Network.

Rabbi Bulka’s phone-in show has been heard on CFRA since 1994, and he represents the Jewish perspective in the weekly question posed to religious experts on the Faith and Ethics page in the Saturday Ottawa Citizen.

For these and myriad other accomplishments, Rabbi Bulka was awarded the Key to the City of Ottawa, the city’s highest honour, at a City Hall ceremony on

February 18, 2010.

Rabbi Bulka was married to the late Naomi and is the father of five married children. He is now married to Leah, the mother of two married children. Together, they enjoy all of their grandchildren.

Everyone is welcome to come and hear this exceptional man talk about his wonderful years in Ottawa. It will surely be a captivating evening.

Rabbi Bulka will speak to the Ottawa Jewish Historical Society on Tuesday, June 14, 7:30 pm, at Congregation Machzikei Hadas, 2310 Virginia Drive. Refreshments will be served.

Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka

Hillel Lodge Auxiliary will honour residents at annual tea; Telethon to support completion of wing for 21 new beds

By Marion Silver Brass for Hillel Lodge Auxiliary The Auxiliary of Hillel Lodge has announced that we will honour all of the wonderful residents of Hillel Lodge at our annual tea and fundraiser on Sunday, October 30.

And, with the new wing being completed this year, the Auxiliary has chosen to dedicate our annual telethon, June 13 and 14, to raising funds for this much-anticipated and very necessary addition of 21 new beds.

Please show your generous

support when approached by a Hillel Lodge volunteer.

The Auxiliary is committed to enhancing the quality of life for all who call Hillel Lodge home through a variety of programs. Energetic volunteers from the Auxiliary celebrate holidays such as Sukkot, Chanukah and Purim with the residents and serve wonderful breakfasts on occasions like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Stephen Schneiderman, executive director of the Lodge, has stated unequivocally that, “This is the best auxiliary in the province.�

The Auxiliary, which also operates the Gift Shoppe (see article on page 15), is

JEWISH MEMORIAL GARDENS YOUR ONE-STOP RESOURCE CENTRE FOR FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS To better serve our community, we have one central number to handle all cemetery enquiries and to arrange for our services

always looking for new members. Meetings are held once a month, but not during the wintertime.

The reward for volunteering is the wonderful sense of gratitude conveyed in the eyes of those who themselves have contributed so

greatly to our community.

For more information, call Roz Fremeth at 613-7270785 or Hillel Lodge at 613723-3900.

Ottawa’s Jewish community can be justly proud of our commitment to attend to the needs of those in all

walks of life, be they social, educational, recreational or religious. Hillel Lodge, our Jewish home for our elderly, certainly reflects our community’s pledge to observe the commandment to “honour thy father and thy mother.�

R ESPECT. T RADITION. Kelly Funeral Homes has a long tradition of respecting your traditions.

Our dedicated professionals are proud to help local families uphold a rich heritage. Learn how advance planning can ensure those traditions are carried out as they should be.

Call today for information: 613-828-2313

KELLY FUNERAL HOMES www.kellyfh.ca

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613-688-3530 Gravesite Flower Prepayment Plans

Interment Rights* Bank Street

Osgoode

* Pre-purchasing of interment rights is only available to members of JMG’s founding synagogues.

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in the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin?

Contact Cindy Manor-Kennedy (613) 798-4696, ext. 256 cmanor@ottawajewishbulletin.com

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 9 Advertorial

JEWISH NATIONAL FUND More than trees 613.798.2411

Brian Pearl president

2011 is International Year of Forests

By Oliver Javanpour First Vice-President, JNF Ottawa In this International Year of Forests, the UN asks us to raise awareness about sustainable management, conservation and development of forests for the benefit of current and future generations. At JNF, we go well beyond raising awareness. We develop and conserve forests.

This spring, I had the honour of planting trees in Israel myself. After years of donating to plant trees, it was moving to place a tree into the ground and know that my one tree – added to the almost 260 million trees JNF has already planted – will contribute to Israel’s quality of life and endurance.

It is important to keep working to build forests in Israel.

The devastation caused by last December’s Mount Carmel forest fire reminds us how important forests are and how easily a forest can be destroyed. Since the fire, many Canadians, including students and Jewish organizations here in Ottawa, have donated money to help rebuild the Carmel Forest. In February, a group of Grade 6 students from Montreal’s Solomon Schechter School visited the Carmel Forest. Their visit provided them with the opportunity to see the forest that will benefit from the $10,000 they raised. This summer, a group of Canadian university students will be spending a week volunteering with the Mount Carmel clean-up.

JNF also plants trees outside forests, bringing the benefits of trees to the desert. With over 60 per cent of Israel’s land covered by the Negev Desert, JNF’s afforestation methods (savannization) are important in staving off desertification and creating more usable land to support Israel’s human and wildlife populations. Savannization involves planting single trees or clusters of trees and shrubs in places where climatic conditions would not normally support them. The harvesting and management of runoff rainwater supports the growth of these mini-forests.

Between its forestation, afforestation and water management work, JNF is making Israel’s land more productive. I could see this myself when I visited a JNF agricultural project in the Negev – a carrot farm! I had not thought of Israel as carrot farming country, but after having plucked a carrot out of the Negev and eaten it on the spot, I can only say a heartfelt thank you to JNF supporters in Canada and around the world, and to the Israelis who turn our donations into the real trees and real carrots that will support Israel’s future generations.

Negev Dinner update It is with disappointment that we inform you that Larry O’Brien, our 2011 Negev dinner honouree-designate, while delighted to have been asked, has requested that JNF postpone this honour to a subsequent year due to his other commitments. We appreciate the support that Mr. O’Brien has shown for the Jewish community in Ottawa over the years. Stay tuned for more information about exciting plans underway for a memorable Negev Dinner with a sensational speaker.

Sefer Bar/Bat Mitzvah Inscriptions Gregory Peng, by his proud parents, Janet Werk and Harry Peng; Joshua Benjamin Allen, by his proud parents, Pam and Sandy Allen; Lieza Devorah Smith, by her proud parents, Sharon and Mark Smith.

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

To order, call the JNF office (613.798.2411).

Rabbi Isaac Herzog, then chief rabbi of Israel, addresses the Jewish community of Ottawa, in 1964.

(Photo courtesy of Ottawa Jewish Archives)

From the Archives

Ottawa’s Jewish community in 1964

By Laurie Dougherty Lodge just days before she was defeated for re-election by Ottawa Jewish Archives controller Don Reid.

Without historical records preserved by archives, WhitAt the Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration, May 10 in the historic Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park, the Ottawa Jewish ton’s earlier role in preventing Jewish orphans from finding Archives challenged people to identify VIPs from Canada and refuge from the Holocaust in Canada may never have been Israel in several black and white photographs taken in Ottawa. discovered. So, I urge you to think twice before throwing out Many took the challenge, but only Josh Korn and Jonathan material that may be of long-term interest to the community. I Hollinger knew all but one of the VIPs from Israel. They cor- am always available to help individuals and organizations derectly identified Abba Eban, Golda Meir, David Ben-Gurion, termine what may or may not be of historical value. I can be Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Levi Eshkol. The per- contacted at ldougherty@jewishottawa.com or 613-798-4696, son no one could identify correctly was Rabbi Isaac Herzog, ext. 260. then chief rabbi of Israel, who gave a speech to the Jewish community of Ottawa and visited the Talmud Torah in 1964.

Ottawa in 1964 was quite a different place than it is today.

With a rapidly growing population of 268,206, the city’s Jewish community numbered only 3,500. There was very little Insurance & Financial Services residential development below Walkley Road or between Woodroffe and Greenbank south of Baseline Road.

Mark S. Borts, B. Comm., CFP, CLU, CH.F.C, RHU In January 1964, more than 600 people attended a demonTelephone: 613 565 6275 stration in support of Soviet Jewry, and a resolution was Facsimile: 1 866 267 5635 adopted in which the Jewish community of Ottawa appealed Cell: 613 851 1198 “to the Government of Canada to use its good offices with the mark@bortsfinancial.com Soviet authorities to improve the lot of Jews in Russia.”

Suite 350-117 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2G 5X3 1964 was also the year the Annual Negev Testimonial Dinner was inaugurated by the Jewish National Fund. The first honouree was the late Lawrence Freiman, who was recognized for his outstanding service to the country, Benefits of membership include: community and the State of Open 365 days a year Israel.

Includes a seat for the Browsing through the digHigh Holy Days itized collection of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin in the Programming for all ages Ottawa Jewish Archives to Access to clergy see what was happening in Beautiful space for 1964, I found several referlife cycle celebrations ences to then-mayor Charlotte Whitton. She was invited to open the 10th annual Hadassah-WIZO Bazaar and 151 Chapel Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 7Y2 (Corner of Rideau Street) was also present at the sodP: 613-789-3501 • F: 613-789-4438 • info@bethshalom.ca • www.bethshalom.ca turning ceremony for Hillel

MARK S. BORTS

A Warm and Welcoming Family Shul

Become a member today

Congregation Beth Shalom

Page 10 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

Promoting quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities in a Jewish environmnent Tamir acknowledges with sincere thanks the following donations, which were received as of May 5, 2011.

Mazeltov to: Mr. and Mrs. Joe Viner on their 60th wedding anniversary by Sheila Howard.

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Mittelman on the birth of their granddaughter by Evelyn and Norman Potechin Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gould on the birth of their grandson by Evelyn and Norman Potechin Mrs. Andrea Barnum on the birth of her granddaughter by Evelyn and Norman Potechin Mrs. Bert Palmer on her birthday by Libby and Stan Katz Mrs. Sally Taller on her special birthday by Bonnie and Chuck Merovitz Mrs. Linda Kivenko on her birthday by the Nudelmans Mr. and Mrs. Ken Mintz on their anniversary

by Larry Weisz Jenni Laverty on her 30th birthday by Deb, Norm and Vicky Ferkin Mrs. Evelyn Potechin on her special birthday

by Lynn and Brian Keller; by Susan and Larry Miller; by Uncle Al and Auntie Toots; by Heather Hart; by Bonnie and Chuck Merovitz; by Earl Potechin and Agnes Hoffman; by Aunt Norma, Aunt Hilda, Aunt Sarah and Aunt Fanya; by Wendy and Yigal Birkhan; by Lila and Sonny Bronstein; by Susie, Mark, Sam and Maya; and by Dorothy and Hy Hymes Mr. and Mrs. Norman Potechin on their 65th wedding anniversary by all their grandchildren and great-grandchildren; by Ena and Moshe, Bram and Dodie, Eric and Liz; by Jerry and Lily Penso; by Susie, Mark, Sam, Maya and Sharmen; by Debbie, Norm and Vicky; by Bonnie and Chuck; and by Lynn and Brian Mr. and Mrs. Leon Strawcynski on the birth of their grandson by Marcia and Richard Zuker and

by Esther and David Kwavnick Mr. and Mrs. Lee Raskin on the Bar Mitzvah of their grandson Noah by Judi and Ed Kerzner Mr. and Mrs. Morris Neuman on being recognized and honoured for all their hard work by Tamir

by Sarah Beutel and Steven Morgan Mr. Ian Sherman on being the recipient of the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award by Debbie, Norm and Vicky Ferkin Sylvia and Michael Caplan on being a couple of volunteers extraordinaire by Deb, Norm and Vicky Ferkin Mrs. Susan Viner-Vered on her special birthday by Mariana, Stan, GG and Eadan Mr. and Mrs. S. Ioffe on the engagement of their son by Jerry and Lily Penso Mrs. Annette Werk on the occasion of Gregory’s Bar Mitzvah by Lois and Jerry Nudelman Mrs. Pam Ross on her birthday by Evelyn and Norman Potechin Mr. Lewis Auerbach with best wishes by Brian Tannenbaum and Rona Shaffran-Tannenbaum Refuah Shlemah to: Mr. Neil Bordelay by Debbie, Norm and Vicky Ferkin

Mrs. Diane Mintz by Debbie, Norm and Vicky Ferkin In Memory of: Wayne Bellman by Edward and Muriel Bellman; by Irene and Lee Waxman and the family of Sandy and Gerry Bayne; by Julie, Eleanor and Ken Mintz; by Georgia and Lawrence Crawford; by Jane and Robert Cameron; by Gail and Grant Donaldson; by Joan and Robert Mott; by Ora and Allan Cook; and by Patricia and John Evans Mr. Akiva Kriger by Jerry and Lily Penso Mr. Norman Epelbaum by George Lesh; by Sharon and Paul Finn and family; by Isabel and Norman Lesh; and by Jonathan Fisher Molly Phomin by Debbie, Norm and Vicky Ferkin Heather Braverman by Chick and Rose Taylor; by Jerry and Lily Penso and family; and by Max and Ellie Greenberg and family Doris Cohen by Ruth Calof and David Moskovic Ruth Harrouch by Participants, Staff and Board of Directors of Tamir; by Judi and Eddie Kerzner; by Marcia and Richard Zuker; by Sylvia and Michael Caplan; and by Deb, Norm and Vicky Ferkin Susan Fisher by Estelle and Sol Gunner; by Janice and Scott Felman; by Jerry and Lily Penso;

by George Lesh; by Sandra and Sam Zunder; by Joy and Michael Moskovic and family; by Sarah and Jack Silverstein; by Sheila and Larry Hartman; by Elaine and Norman Wolfish; by Vicky and Jeff Weiss; by Esther and David Kwavnick, Jon and Beth Stein; by Liz and Skip Kronick; by Debbie, Norm and Vicky Ferkin; by Ruth Calof and David Moskovic; by Evelyn and Joseph Lieff; by Sharon, Sol, Noah and Kayla Reichstein; by Lilyan Philipp;

by Alicia and David Wexler; by Fay and Arnold Tennenhouse; by Paula and Manny Agulnik; by Ann and Arthur Silverman; by Hildy and Steven Lesh; and by Barbara and Larry Hershorn George Lesh by Jerry and Lily Penso; by Ruth Calof and David Moskovic; by Sharon, Sol, Noah and Kayla Reichstein; and by Jon Fisher and family Mother of Mrs. Ellen Leibovitch by Sylvia and Michael Caplan Alfred Rudin by Judi and Eddie Kerzner Father of Carmine Giambardino by Debbie and Norm Ferkin Alex Axler by Barbara and Larry Hershorn Beatrice Stein by Rhona and Richard Addleman General In observance of the Yahrzeit of a dear father, Samuel Lazear by Sonia and Sheldon Shaffer Wishing a Happy Purim to Bob Dale and Elaine Friedberg and to Mr. and Mrs. M. Avery by Diane and Gary Arkin In appreciation to Rabbi Charles Popky by Jon Fisher and family In appreciation to Mrs. Linda Steingarten by Brian Tannenbaum and Rona Shaffran-Tannenbaum

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

Arnie Gotfryd to lecture on faith and science at OTC

By Pherris Hamilton for Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad Throughout history, there has never been a place for Torah in science. Traditionally, it seemed that you either embraced the science or held on to outdated beliefs. There was only one choice: you reached the fork in the road, the paths separated, and you grabbed one outlook.

As science expands its horizons, this gap is being bridged. We are starting to see how the age-old rivals are beginning to see eye-to-eye.

On Friday, June 3, Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad (OTC) will host a lecture that will reveal the driving forces behind the modern convergence of traditional faith and modern Science. Engulfed by the warmth of Shabbat, experiencing an exquisite meal, and surrounded by close family and good friends, Arnie Gotfryd will explain how Torah and science are beginning to shake hands.

Gotfryd is both an observant Jew and an environmental scientist. In 1985, at the University of Toronto, he earned Canada’s first doctorate in applied ecology.

Gotfryd has lectured in North America, Europe and Israel on the interplay between science and faith. His writings have been published in academic journals and he is the editor of Mind Over Matter: The Lubavitcher Rebbe

Environmental scientist Arnie Gotfryd

on Science, Technology and Medicine published in 2003. His presentations are peppered with personal anecdotes, new discoveries and fresh insights into old-time religion.

This Shabbat dinner is one event you do not want to miss.

“Blending our delicious Shabbat dinners with a good guest speaker has really made these OTC dinners an event that our community looks forward to,” said Rabbi Menachem M. Blum.

The Shabbat dinner with Arnie Goytfryd takes place Friday, June 3, 7:30 pm, at OTC, 111 Lamplighters Drive, following a spirited Kabbalat Shabbat service at 6:45 pm. Cost is $25 (adults) and $10 (children). To reserve, call 613-843-7770 or visit ottawatorahcentre.com.

Yichud: Play is set at Orthodox Jewish wedding Welcome to Rachel and Chaim’s Orthodox Jewish wedding.

It is the first time Rachel and Chaim have ever been alone together, and it is their wedding day. They’re getting to know each other in the Yichud (seclusion) room, where Orthodox brides and grooms go immediately following the ceremony. In another part of the synagogue, tensions rise as the groom’s older brothers spar, rival Torah scholars argue, and the bride’s parents secretly concoct a plan to divorce.

Yichud, written by Julie Tepperman and directed by Aaron Willis and Richard Greenblatt, comes to Ottawa’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival following two successful runs in Toronto.

Performances take place at Academic Hall (133-135 Seraphin Marion) on the University of Ottawa Campus. Performance dates are June 3 to 6, 7:00 pm. There are also matinees on June 4 and 6 at 2:00 pm.

Tickets for all performances except June 5 are $40 and are available at the NAC Box Office, the Ottawa Festivals Box Office, or via TicketMaster at 613-755-1111.

Tickets for the June 5 performance, a benefit for the Magnetic North Theatre Festival and the Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum, with a dessert reception afterward, are $75 and available by contacting Genevieve Leblanc at 613-947-7000, ext.

877, or genevieve@magneticnorthfestival.ca.

Visit magneticnorthfestival.ca for more information.

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 11

Page 12 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

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 well-being.

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 April 27 and May 11, 2011 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.

Bill and Leona Adler Memorial Fund In Memory of: George Grushman by Marilyn Adler Salvatore Diraimo by Marilyn Adler Auxiliary of Hillel Lodge Fund R’fuah Shlema: Sheila Nadrich by Carolyn and Sid Katz In Honour of: Eileen Goldberg Happy birthday with love by Goldie Cantor Jenny and Murray Citron Endowment Fund In Memory of: Anna Heilman by Murray Citron R’fuah Shlema: Arnell Goldberg by Murray Citron Tania Firestone Family Fund In Memory of: Mother of Debbie Szirtes by Ida Firestone

Friedberg and Dale Families Fund In Honour of: Rabbi Zischa and Mrs. Lauren Shaps Mazal tov on the birth of your grandson by Elaine Friedberg and Bob Dale Viviane Ohana and Howard Sandler and family Mazal tov on Maxim’s Bar Mitzvah by Elaine Friedberg and Bob Dale Martin and Thea Ginsburg Memorial Fund In Memory of: Sol Kaiman by Andra Ginsburg and Joel Ginsburg Doris Edelstein by Andra Ginsburg and Joel Ginsburg Ed Landis by Andra Ginsburg and Joel Ginsburg Malcolm and Vera Glube Endowment Fund In Honour of: Harvey Kaplan Best wishes on your special birthday with love by Malcolm and Vera Glube Nell Gluck Memorial Fund In Memory of: Bernard Herman by Henry and Maureen Molot R’fuah Shlema: Mark Max by the Molots Evelyn and Irving Greenberg Fund In Memory of: Mary Ginsburg by Evelyn Greenberg Dorothy and Maurie Karp Endowment Fund In Honour of: Norma Lazear Best wishes on your 75th birthday with all my love by Dorothy Karp Phil Lazear Best wishes on your 80th birthday with all my love by Dorothy Karp R’fuah Shlema: Sheila Nadrich by Dorothy Karp

Morris and Lillian Kimmel Family Fund In Memory of: Anna Heilman by the Levine, Kaiman and Kimmel families Joan and Russell Kronick Family Fund In Honour of: Evelyn Lieff Best wishes on your special birthday by Joan and Russell Kronick Laya Shabinsky Best wishes on your special birthday by Joan and Russell Kronick Max Lieff Endowment Fund In Memory of: Anna Heilman by Dorothy Lieff Stephen and Debra Schneiderman Family Fund In Memory of: Morey Lesser by Bunny Cogan; and by Frances Cohen Harold and Lillian Shoihet Family Fund R’fuah Shlema: Sophie Koenig by Dovid and Jessica Shoihet In Honour of: Rabbi and Mrs. Mendy Zirkind Yasher Koach for a pleasant and wonderful Pesach by Dovid Shoihet Karen Zunder Mazal tov on your special birthday by David and Jessica Shoihet Ralph and Anne Sternberg Memorial Fund In Memory of: Harold Miloff by Ted and Laya Jacobsen Carole and Norman Zagerman Family Fund In Memory of: Zavi Kahn by Carole and Norman Zagerman and Andrea Arron Feeding Program In Honour of: Joel and Ellie Kanigsberg Mazal tov on the engagement of Sara Beth to Matt Abrams by Dale and Ruth Fyman

In Honour of: Morris Kimmel Mazal tov on receiving the Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award by Debi and David Shore Sylvia and Michal Caplan Mazal tov on receiving the Thelma Steinman Direct Service Award by Debi and David Shore Steve and Roz Fremeth Mazal tov on Howard’s engagement by Zelda and Leon Zelikovitz The Sherman Family Yasher koach to Ian Sherman on his achievements. Mazel tov by Esty Bybelezer Joanne Tannenbaum the finest mother I know, on Mother’s Day with love by Marlene Cherun Seymour and Judy Berger In honour of Michael becoming a PhD by Susan Heisel, Sye Mincoff, Jonathan, Shoshana and David ****************** IN MEMORY OF: George Grushman by Anna Bilsky; by Marilyn and David Binder; by Mike Milliken Stan McRoberts by the RosenthalMcCormack family Anna Heilman by Hans Adler Akiva Kriger by Ingrid Shapiro Morey Lesser by Marion Wexler Doris Edelstein by Therese Lepine R’FUAH SHLEMA: Ariel Arnoni by Claire and Irving Bercovitch Irving Gencher by Claire and Irving Bercovitch Sheila Morin by Carolyn Weiss Ethel Aronovitch by Anne Koffman A generous gift was made in honour of Roz Fremeth’s special birthday by her many friends and adoring family.

As a result of their generosity, the Lodge was able to purchase carts used to deliver services to residents who are in temporary isolation.

On their behalf, thank you to Roz and her supporters.

Therapeutic Fund In Honour of: Ellie and Joel Kanigsberg Congratulations on the engagement of your daughter Sara to Matt Abrams by Ira and Joanna Abrams and family

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.

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 13

Jewish atheists look for their place in Jewish life

By Sue Fishkoff (JTA) – Jeff Levine has spent 40 years searching for a God he can believe in.

He’s finally given up – but he’s not giving up on Judaism.

“I did a lot of studying, and I realized about a year ago that it’s OK to say I’m a Jew – I like everything it stands for, but I don’t like the concept of believing in a deity,” said Levine, 55, a member of a Reform congregation in Los Angeles for the past 25 years.

Levine doesn’t want to abandon religion. While he’s looking into Humanistic Judaism, a stream that disavows divine power, he’s not sure that’s the answer, either.

“I have a need for the community, I have a strong Jewish identity, I want inspiration as a Jew, but I can’t believe what I can’t believe,” he said.

“And,” Levine told JTA, “there’s a huge community of people that feels the same way.”

A new study spearheaded by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS) in Los Angeles is aiming to find out just how many non-believing Jews are out there seeking a way into spiritual life, and what the Jewish community should, or should not do, to accommodate them.

“There’s an unvocalized

Rabbi Laura Baum and Rabbi Robert Barr of Congregation Beth Adam in Cincinnati conduct online services that do not invoke divine power.

(JTA photo: Alan Brown)

tension at the core of synagogue services,” said Rachel Cowan, the institute’s executive director, who says she meets many Jews looking for spiritual connection without God. “The rabbi speaks about God and nobody really knows what that means. It’s not sophisticated, it’s not developed.”

Judaism does not require belief in God as a condition of membership. It’s a paradox with which many theologians and practitioners struggle.

“Judaism teaches us that it’s less about God hearing our prayers than about what we do when we walk out the door,” said Cantor Nathan

Lam of the Stephen S. Wise Temple, a large Reform congregation in Los Angeles, who used to run a doubters’ minyan for students at the temple’s Milken Community High School.

Maintaining an internal balance between the demands of faith and intellect is part of being a modern Jew, he said. Judaism recognizes that by focusing on the need to perform rituals rather than by looking into the practitioner’s heart, he added. Other Jewish views hold that belief in the heart is required in performing the Torah’s commandments.

“I teach [that], even if you don’t believe in God, act as if you do,” Cantor

Lam said.

Self-described Jewish atheists and doubters often focus on the words in the prayer book, typically the only part of the Jewish faith they encounter. They bristle at the constant praising of a God they doubt exists and believe isn’t as involved in people’s lives as the prayers suggest.

“I think a lot of people stop praying with a congregation because they can’t make the words mean anything in their lives,” said Cantor Ellen Dreskin of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester in Chappaqua, N.Y., who said she interprets the words in the prayer book “metaphorically and

poetically,” not literally.

Cantor Dreskin added her fellow clergy need to give their congregants permission to do the same.

“People say, ‘I don’t believe God makes the sun set every night,’ and they stop going to services. No one has told them that they’re allowed to grow and develop in their spiritual selves,” Cantor Dreskin said.

That cognitive dissonance is what motivated a Jewish donor to fund the Institute for Jewish Spirituality study.

The donor, who requested anonymity, said he grew up “hating Judaism,” although he is now very involved in the Jewish Humanist movement and has served on the board of his local Jewish federation.

Like Levine, he believes there are many more like him, just as deeply involved in Jewish communal life, and it’s time for them to go public.

“There are a ton of Jews – maybe half, maybe less – who are secular in my book,” the donor told JTA. “They are in mainstream Jewish organizations – the federations, the synagogues – but no one talks about it in the Jewish public sphere.”

The study, which will be conducted by Diane Schuster, a researcher and lecturer at Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion

in Los Angeles, will interview Jews who are “in search of a spiritual experience that is deep, meaningful and transformative but that is not linked to religious liturgies or practices that rely on God-language or reference to a Supreme Being.”

The results will be used by the institute to develop retreats for “Jewish doubters,” as well as training programs “for clergy who work with the doubter population,” Schuster explains.

The New York-based Jewish Outreach Institute is also reaching out to what it sees as growing numbers of active Jews who don’t believe in a Higher Power. Its Judaism 2030 conference last week in New York City featured a session on how to engage Judaism without God. “There is a recognition that some people find spiritual sustenance and nurturing through the intellect that is not necessarily tied to anything related to the Divine – that is, to God,” said Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, the institute’s executive director.

“We wanted to include this session both to recognize those who access Judaism in this regard and to affirm it as a vehicle for doing so.”

Cantor Dreskin is one of several Jewish clergy and (Continued on page 25)

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Page 14 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

Israeli Film Festival to screen four films in June

By Maxine Miska Soloway JCC Films at this year’s Israeli Film Festival span the cavalcade of Israeli history from the travails of First Aliyah in the late-19th century, to the 1960s when Holocaust survivors hid their personal tragedies from their children, to contemporary Israel where ultra-religious groups thrive while the kibbutz movement withers. A common theme is the healing power of the land of Israel.

All screenings take place at 7:00 pm at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street. Tickets will be available at the door and in advance at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

The Human Resource Manager The festival opens Sunday, June 12 with The Human Resource Manager, a film by Eran Riklis (The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree). The main character, known only as the human resource manager, is a consummate, almost Kafkaesque functionary at a large industrialized bakery in Israel. He is an international business executive, dedicated to his work (and, perhaps, the only man in Israel to wear a tie to work), who has alienated his wife and daughter.

A tabloid newspaper breaks the story that the unclaimed body of an immigrant employee has been lying in the morgue following a suicide bombing while the company still has her on payroll. The human resource manager is ordered to rectify the situation and demonstrate that the bakery is not indifferent to its workers. He embarks on a picaresque journey through Romania overcoming many obstacles to find a final resting place for the body.

During his travels, the manager’s burden becomes his redemption, and the dysfunctional post-Soviet

The Human Resources Manager will open the Israeli Film Festival, June 12.

landscape expands his understanding of why people seek the peace of Jerusalem. Riklis has a light ironic touch and the human resource manager finds many surprise encounters on his road trip.

The Matchmaker The Matchmaker by director Avi Nesher (Turn Left at the End of the World), to be shown Thursday, June 16, takes place in Haifa in 1968, a time of confidence and triumph for the nation, but one when personal lives remain overshadowed by memories the Holocaust.

Arik, 16, falls in love with the American cousin of a friend, an adventurous devotee of free love, exiled by her concerned father to Israel for the summer to be re-educated in Israel’s healthy youth movements. Arik also finds summer work with Yankele, a Holocaust survivor who makes a living as a matchmaker and smuggler. Every morning, Arik descends from his middle class aerie to the demimonde of Lower Town of Haifa where he shadows Yankele’s clients to discover if they are serious in

seeking love. He becomes acquainted with the damaged survivors and the convoluted strategies they employ to rebuild their lives.

Brothers Brothers, by director Igaal Niddam, to be screened Sunday, June 19, examines the divide between ultra-Orthodox and secular Israelis through the reunion of two brothers

The Matchmaker will be screened Thursday, June 16.

who have not seen each other since their childhood in Argentina.

Dan might be the last kibbutz shepherd and his kibbutz plans to sell off the herd for more lucrative businesses. Dan resists this change and spends his time grazing his sheep and composing poetry. His brother Aaron, an Orthodox law professor and Torah scholar, comes to Israel from Brooklyn to act as a lawyer defending the military exemptions of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students. Dan and Aaron can find no common ground, even as Dan’s son, serving in the IDF, reaches out to his uncle. On the other hand, Aaron and the female prosecuting attorney are dedicated to truth and justice, a bond that transcends their religious differences and eventually leads to tragedy.

Gei Oni The First Aliya costume drama Gei Oni, directed by veteran Israeli art film director Dan Wolman, is based on the novel by Shulamit Lapid and will close the Israeli Film Festival on Sunday, June 26. In Yiddish, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish and English, the film chronicles the

struggles of pioneers to farm an arid, stony patch of land, which later became established as Rosh Pina.

Fanya, a 19-year-old educated woman, arrives in Palestine fleeing the pogroms in Russia accompanied by her uncle, her traumatized, mentally deranged brother and her infant. The rest of her family has been slaughtered. With no money or home, she agrees to marry Yechiel, a widower with two children whom she has known for three days.

Fanya insists on two conditions: that they care for her brother, and that the marriage will not be consummated until she is ready. Fanya grows to admire her husband and the other members of the settlement, but is isolated from them by a terrible secret she dare not divulge.

In the end, she is healed by the land of Israel and able to return her husband’s love.

The Israeli Film Festival is sponsored by the Israel Cultural Forum and the Canadian Film Institute. For information contact Penni Namer, Vered Israel Cultural and Educational Program manager, at pnamer@jccottawa.com or 613798-9818, ext. 243.

Gei Oni will close the Israeli Film Festival on Sunday, June 26.

Brothers will be screened Sunday, June 19.

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 15

Much to be found at Ottawa’s Jewish gift shops

By Ilana Belfer On a family trip to Italy, it was essential we visit the Jewish quarter in Venice so my mother could purchase a blown-glass menorah.

However, you don’t have to go to Europe or Israel, or even Montreal or Toronto, to find unique Judaica gifts.

Congregations Agudath Israel and Machzikei Hadas and Hillel Lodge all offer Jewish gift shops.

Agudath Israel Gift Shop Ellen Izso describes the gift shop at Agudath Israel as “very, very tiny,” but says it brings her a whole lot of nachas (happiness).

In addition to working full time, Izso has been running the shop for seven years as a volunteer.

“I feel you need to give back to the community,” she said. “I’m helping families enjoy the holidays and I feel that young kids, if they are having fun, then they might stick to tradition.”

Iszo keeps one window dedicated specifically to children, and she changes it weekly.

“On Shabbat, they run and come to see the window,” she said, adding that Ottawa’s Jewish schools come to her for items like dreidels around Chanukah time.

The gift shop’s inventory

online so people don’t have to come to the synagogue during specific daytime hours.

“No one has time,” she said. “We’re going to make it easier for people to buy things they know we have.”

She said people will be able to view the merchandise online and contact her by email.

“Our gift shop supports our sisterhood, which supports a lot of functions and helps synagogue life be enriched,” said Kershman.

The Machzikei Hadas Gift shop is open Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

For information, call 613521-9700.

Agudath Israel Gift Shop.

ranges from tzedakah boxes, mezuzahs and kosher cookbooks to a Jewish chess set that Izso called “amazing.” Izso said she orders from Israel as much as possible as a gesture of support.

“We have whatever people want,” Izso said. “Whatever people need, we will get for them.”

Izso gives customers access to the websites of distributors and will happily make special orders.

“We’re tired of going to Montreal or Toronto. Why can’t we have it all [in Ottawa]?”

Machzikei Hadas Gift Shop.

The Agudath Israel Gift Shop changes its stock every three months. It’s now set up for summer with a wedding display.

Izso said she offers delivery, if necessary, and the prices are very reasonable.

She is looking for volunteers and, in due time, someone to take over her position.

The Agudath Israel Gift Shop is normally open Thursday and Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 11:30 am, or by appointment. The shop is only open by appointment in the summer.

For information, contact Ellen Izso at 613-820-7714.

Machzikei Hadas Gift Shop The Machzikei Hadas gift shop is located on the lower level of the synagogue with a large window display that Carol Kershman, the shop’s volunteer convener, said she changes with the cycle of the year from one holiday to the next.

“It brings people’s awareness to a different level about the different Yom Tovs coming up and how you can bring it to your home,” she said.

The shop has gift boxes for different holidays and Havdallah boxes, which Kershman described as “porcelain boxes with surprises inside.” She said they make good host/hostess gifts.

The shop also carries such items as bar and bat mitzvah gifts like necklaces with a Magen David or hamsa, tzedakah boxes for children, kippot and female head coverings, as well as an extensive selection for Shabbat and the holidays.

“People were even asking for graggers. So, at the gift fair last year, I brought in beautiful wooden graggers,” Kershman said.

The gift shop will also make special orders for customers.

Kershman said they will soon be taking the gift shop

Hillel Lodge Auxiliary Gift Shoppe Lillian Zunder, manager of the Hillel Lodge Auxiliary Gift Shoppe in the lobby of the Bess and Moe Greenberg Family Hillel Lodge will tell you the shop’s offerings are not what you’d expect from a long-term care facility or home for the aged.

“At most hospitals or chronic care gift shops, you get toothpaste,” she said.

“We don’t sell that stuff.”

Zunder said they sell

kitchen items, picture frames, candelabras, jewelry and, of course, all kinds of Judaica.

“It’s high end,” she said.

“We have the most beautiful silver. It’s just gorgeous stuff. You have to see it.”

Although she said most people in the community know about the gift shop’s high quality merchandise, she encouraged people to come in to see it for themselves.

“You’re in for a really nice surprise,” she said. “We have everything from cake testers to olive forks.”

She said the shop was an ideal place to find wedding and bar or bat mitzvah gifts.

Zunder said they update their products as often as possible and will also do special orders.

The shop also provides a bridal registry service and will deliver purchases over $100.

The Hillel Lodge Auxiliary Gift Shoppe is open eight months of the year from Monday to Thursday, 1:00 am to 4:30 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5:00 pm. The shop is closed during January, February, July and August.

For information, call 613-738-3900.

Yelena Artemova at the Hillel Lodge Auxiliary Gift (Photos: Ilana Belfer) Shoppe.

Page 16 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

Many changes to walkathon over the years 2011 walkathon will benefit Jewish schools in Ottawa

By Benita Baker The theme of this year’s walkathon is Jewish education in Ottawa. Am Echad Walk/Run for Jewish Education in Ottawa is being organized by the Ottawa Jewish Community School (Hillel Academy and Yitzhak Rabin High School) with assistance from the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and the Soloway Jewish Community Centre. All funds pledged to participants will go to the Jewish school in Ottawa they have chosen to support.

Beginning on Broadview Avenue, the event will include a 1 km run/walk and a 3 km run that will wind its way through the neighbourhood. Runners, wearing timing chips and numbered bibs, will have a real race experience. The celebration afterwards will feature music and food.

A lot has changed about walkathon since its debut more than 40 years ago. While its name, route, length and beneficiaries have all changed over the years, the intent to bring Ottawa’s Jewish community together for a worthy cause has remained constant.

The United Zionist Council introduced the walkathon to Ottawa in 1969. In its annual report to the Jewish Community Council of Ottawa/Vaad Ha’Ir, Council Chair David Zelikovitz described the walkathon as “an imaginative program developed by Mrs. John Greenberg. Over $5,000 was raised for planting trees in Israel.”

In 1974, it became the Annual Israel Walkathon. Sadly, the event was a tribute to the 22 students murdered by terrorists in the Maalot

Rabbi Benjamin Friedberg and Cantor David Aptowitzer, at a checkpoint during the 1971 Jewish Community Centre Walkathon, check in with Eileen Goldberg.

(Photo courtesy of Ottawa Jewish Archives)

massacre in Israel. The day began with an all-youth service at Agudath Israel that was attended by more than 1,000 people and covered by the local media. Four hundred walkers raised $10,000 to build a two-room kindergarten in Maalot.

The 2002 event was called the UJA Ottawa Aviv Festival and, in 2010, when it became a joint Federation/JCC event, it was simply called Walkathon.

Participation at walkathons has varied over the years, as has the amount of funds raised. In 1976, 700 people turned out for the Walkathon-Bikeathon, which raised $17,000. That record was broken in 1990 when more than 1,000 walkers raised $70,000 at the UJA Walkathon Superwalk. 1990 also

saw the largest number of Chai walkers to date at 22, and it was also the first time that sponsorship advertising appeared on signup sheets.

Fundraising categories have also changed over the years. Chai walkers originally committed to raise a minimum of $1,000. That amount grew to $1,800 at the 2010 Walkathon, which added Gold ($1,080) and Bronze ($540) fundraising category. For more than a decade during the early years of the walkathon, Jack Ballon, Dave Polowin and Sid Hartman reigned as the walkathon’s largest fundraisers.

There have been some disappointing years for the walkathon. In 1978, just two years after the event experienced it highest numbers

Jewish Community Centre Walkathon outside Agudath Israel Synagogue, early-1970s. Photo includes Percy Levine (first jogger on left) and Morton Taller (on the right, wearing a white armband).

(Photo courtesy of Ottawa Jewish Archives)

ever, only 70 people showed up. A poor volunteer turnout at the 1977 UJA National Walkathon resulted in such a disorganized event that the planning committee felt the need to make a public apology in the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin and Review.

The unnamed author of the article said “Chair Sheldon Taylor and staff co-ordinator Larry Harris deserve commendation for doing as well as they did under difficult and trying circumstances.”

Throughout the years, there has always been an effort to keep the walkathons fresh and exciting.

Biking, jogging, running and relay races, as well as souvenir crests and free T-shirts, were added to generate interest. The 1978 UJA Family Walkathon introduced awards including nods to the oldest walker, the youngest walker, the walker with the most sponsors,

and the walker who raises most money.

Competitions were popular at the 1980 UJA Family WalkathonJogathon-Bikeathon. The three Ottawa B’nai Brith lodges vied for highest attendance award as did classes at Hillel Academy, Star of David Hebrew School and the Ottawa Modern Jewish School. Team relay races were introduced in the 2000 UJA Walkathon as well as potato sack races, basketball shooting, watermelon eating and threelegged races for kids.

The 2000 walkathon was notable for several reasons. It was held in memory of Vaad past-president Lawrence Greenberg who was tragically killed in a car accident a few months before. Proceeds from event were pledged to the Tikvah Poverty Assistance Fund, which was initiated during Greenberg’s tenure as Vaad president, as well as to United Way poverty assistance programs also championed by Greenberg.

Loblaws signed as the walkathon’s first-ever corporate sponsor in 2000 and the event became known as the UJA Loblaws Walkathon.

The 1979 UJA Family Walkathon was expected to be a bittersweet event because, according to the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin and Review, it would be the last walkathon for Rabbi Reuven Bulka, who was moving to New York City. As we all know, he never left.

“I must be a very slow walker,” said Rabbi Bulka, 32 years later.

Am Echad Walk/Run for Jewish Education in Ottawa will be held on Sunday, June 12. For more information, visit amechadwalkrun.com or contact Nancy Walkington at 613798-4696, ext. 241 or by e-mail at nwalkington@jewishottawa.com.

Chai riders Naomi Cracower and husband Allan at 2001 UJA Walkathon.

(Photo courtesy of Ottawa Jewish Archives)

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 17

0DUN <RXU &DOHQGDU Purchase your copy of the just released 2011 Ottawa Jewish Telephone Directory at the Soloway JCC during the following sale days:

Temple Israel Religious School 2010-2011 teaching staff: (front row, left to right) Rabbi Steven Garten, Penny Giaccone, Karli Speevak-Sladowski, Sheryl Schweitzer; (back row) Jenny Tarof, Larry Tarof, Ranit Braun, Sigal Baray, Nina Jason (volunteer librarian), Sheldon Paquin; (missing) Annette Paquin, Dina Schneider.

(Photo: Annette Paquin)

Temple Israel Religious School opens doors to all children

By Annette Paquin for Temple Israel A historic change in admission policy to Temple Israel Religious School was taken, April 21, when the Temple Israel Board of Directors voted unanimously to open the school to non-members of Temple Israel.

From Temple Israel’s founding in 1967 until now, Temple Israel Religious School has been a congregational school, with all students’ families being members of the synagogue. Beginning in September 2011, this new policy will enable Jewish children of any age to enter the school.

Jewish education does not occur in a vacuum. Its purpose is to promote participation in synagogue life and in the life of the larger Jewish community. Jewish education is a shared endeavour encompassing home, synagogue and religious school.

Temple Israel Religious School is the only Jewish school in the city affiliated with a congregation. Students participate in synagogue services and in Jewish community activities in order to prepare for a life of Jewish experiences and identity.

It is important that Jewish institutions recognize that modern families come in a variety of constellations.

Temple Israel welcomes interfaith families who want to

make a commitment to Judaism. Temple Israel is a liberal congregation and our commitment to egalitarianism remains a core value.

Boys and girls learn together, from junior kindergarten to Grade 10, from the same curriculum. Jewish cultural, ethical, ritual and historical literacy are the foundations of the school. Development of a high level of Jewish literacy

offers students the opportunity to grow up secure in their membership in Klal Yisrael, the community of Israel.

The policy change will not impact on existing policies regarding bar and bat mitzvah or confirmation. Life cycle events will continue to require synagogue membership.

For more information, contact Temple Israel at 613224-1802.

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Page 18 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

Community athletes to be honoured at SJCC Sports Breakfast of Champions

By Pamela Rosenberg Soloway JCC The Jewish community’s goal scorers, home run hitters, slam dunkers and the behind-the-scenes players and volunteers who help make it all happen, will come together for the 10th Annual Sports Breakfast of Champions on Sunday, June 12, at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre (JCC).

This year’s event celebrates a decade of honouring the best from the Soloway JCC Athletics and Leagues Department, as well as community members involved in sports at all levels.

“Here we are this year celebrating our 10th Annual Breakfast of Champions,” said Soloway JCC Athletics Director Jon Braun. “We are very proud of all our community participants and volunteers.”

Local community teams being honoured at the breakfast this year include Team Outaouais from the Jewish Men’s Softball League; Team Captain Evan Lewis and his Georgetown Hoyas from the JCC Men’s Basketball League; and Howard Fremeth and the mighty Red Wings representing the JCC

The Red Wings, the JCC Men’s Hockey League champs, will be honoured at the Sports Breakfast of Champions.

Men’s Hockey League.

Retired NHL player John Chabot will address the crowd of award winning athletes. Chabot was Hull Olympiques’ first-round pick, number one overall, in the 1979 QMJHL

draft and was drafted 40th in the 1980 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He went on to play for nine seasons in NHL with the Canadiens, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. He contin-

ued his career in Europe playing in Italy and Germany for another nine seasons.

Chabot has been a successful coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and in the NHL

where he was the assistant coach of the New York Islanders for two seasons.

With the on-ice part of his career behind him, Chabot, an Algonquin from Kitigan Zibi, uses his skills and talent to inspire young First Nations players as he visits reserves to speak and run hockey camps across Canada. He is also the president of Anishinabeg Communications, a company that specializes in promotional items and focuses on helping to communicate the aboriginal experience and message with respect and integrity.

“Most importantly, John Chabot is all about giving back and has not forgotten where he is from,” said Braun. “We are honoured to have Mr. Chabot as our special guest speaker at the 10th Annual Breakfast of Champions.”

The Sports Breakfast of Champions kicks off at 11:00 am on Sunday, June 12. Tickets are $10 (children, 13 and under) and $15 (adults) and are available at the Soloway JCC Front Desk. For more information about the breakfast, contact Jon Braun at 613-798-9818, ext. 267, or jbraun@jccottawa.com.

New spin bikes coming to the Soloway JCC

By Pamela Rosenberg Soloway JCC Thanks to the incredible generosity of an anonymous donor, Soloway Jewish Community Centre (JCC) members will soon be getting a smoother ride.

Thirteen brand new Schwinn AC Performance bikes will wheel their way into the Soloway JCC SpinFit Studio next month taking our indoor cycling program to a whole new level.

“The centre depends on the generosity of donors in order to meet program, service and financial goals,” said Soloway JCC President and COO Barry Sohn.

“The donation to be able to purchase the bikes was significant ($25,000); however, we depend on, and appreciate donations at all levels from $18 and up.”

The new bikes are the flagship of the Schwinn line-up and feature Virtual Contact Resistance Technology, an innovative system that uses magnets and an aluminum disk for resistance. The top-of-theline bikes have a light aluminum frame, the handlebars are equipped with oversized water

bottle holders, they have multiple position adjustments and the bikes themselves are more comfortable for people of all sizes.

According to Soloway JCC Health and Wellness Director and SpinFit instructor Carla Gencher, indoor cycling is a major calorie burner, it is intense and challenging and people of all ages and fitness levels can benefit from it. It’s a low impact cardiovascular exercise that’s easy on your joints and perfect for those rehabilitating or recovering from injuries.

“If you have trouble motivating yourself, the positive high-energy atmosphere will solve that problem,” said Carla. It’s a fun workout where you feel connected with the other participants, feeling like you are all in it together. The instructor and the music will also help you push further than you would on your own.”

According to Soloway JCC SpinFit instructor Mary Doerksen, one of the great things about these classes is that everyone works at his or her own ability and rate.

“You can have a triathlete and a person new to the gym side-by-

Soloway JCC Fitness Manager Ryan Armitage leads a high-energy SpinFIt class.

side and it doesn’t matter,” she said, “everyone can do it.”

For SpinFit enthusiast Leila Ages, it’s all about the music.

“The music is a huge motivation and I am never bored with the routine. I am always motivated to get a great workout because of the

great instructors who keep you working hard,” Leila said.

So, if you haven’t tried SpinFit yet, now is a great time to get started. The shiny new bikes will be here soon and the instructors are queuing up their music, getting ready to take participants on an

unforgettable ride.

Barry, who is one of the centre’s SpinFit instructors, urges anyone with a specific interest in supporting the Soloway JCC philanthropically to contact him at 613-798-9818, ext. 268, or bsohn@jccottawa.com.

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 19

Two books peruse American Jewry’s past and present through food Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority

By Sue Fishkoff Schocken 384 pages The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook: Daily Meals for the Contemporary Jewish Kitchen

By Leah Koenig Universe 224 pages (JTA) – Two relatively new books tell the story of American Jewry, weaving together its past and present by examining tradition and making it relevant to today’s reader.

Where Sue Fishkoff’s Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority is robust and detailed, Leah Koenig’s The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook: Daily Meals for the Contemporary Jewish Kitchen is spacious and adaptable.

With the The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook, Hadassah has attempted to free itself from the matzo ball-and-chain and community cookbooks of its nearly 90-year past and plunge itself into the present-day reality of America’s Jewish kitchen.

An increased interest in local and healthy food, and the amplified availability of kosher-certified products – with an assist from popular television shows – have created a market of ever-more sophisticated American Jewish consumers, and Koenig doesn’t shy away from using trendy food items such as quinoa, miso and pomegranate.

Food is an important part of the Jewish home during Shabbat and holidays, but Jewish sensibilities don’t always kick in on the days and weeks between. The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook attempts to fill in the gap.

The recipes are simple and fast with no six-hour braising times or intimidating French techniques. The book is meant to be used and, through its use, will continue the story of American Jewish cooking.

The recipes are kosher, of course, and Koenig’s tone throughout is clear, concise and friendly. She informs the reader immediately that she is not a chef, and that a more experienced cook should “think of these recipes as flavours and ideas to riff off of.”

Some of its best recipes are among the more unusual.

Honey-Glazed Carrots with Za’atar presents a synchronicity of the unexpected sweetness of carrots and honey and the zing of za’atar, a dried spice mixture common in Middle Eastern cooking, and lemon zest. Sweet Potato Kale Soup with White Beans and Caramelized Vegetable Soup utilize familiar flavours in updated ways.

Jewish and Israeli foods make an appearance in the form of Cheesecake in a Jar, an attractive dessert inspired by a classic Jewish sweet; Quick(er) Borscht, a 30-minute remedy to an Eastern European comfort food; and Sabich, a fried eggplant sandwich commonly on the menu at falafel joints.

Generally, the recipes in The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook are global and health conscious and, more often than not, vegetarian, reflecting an increased consumer consciousness of non-meat alternatives.

Kosher Nation contextualizes how it is that American Jewry got to a point where Walnut Pesto and Portobello Burgers, two foods not at all associated with traditional Jewish cuisine, appear in Koenig’s Jewish cookbook published by a major Jewish organization.

Written with the probing voice of a journalist like the JTA’s Fishkoff, Kosher Nation is a series of vignettes: the mashgiach in China hopping from factory to factory; the kosher winemaker experimenting in Napa; the Reform rabbi negotiating kashrut with a conflicted congregation.

Connecting these stories are data and history lessons on the building of today’s behemoth kosher infrastructure that shows no signs of slowing its growth.

“Today, one-third to one-half of the food for sale in the typical American supermarket is kosher,” Fishkoff informs the reader in her opening chapter.

This means that most people who buy kosher products are not even aware of what the small symbol on the label implies, but that many manufacturers see kosher as a hot food trend and kosher often is associated with cleaner, superior food in the American mind.

Kosher can even be connected with hip. In a recent episode of the popular television series The Office, a character slapped a “K” on bottles of pesto made by his mother without actually having the product certified.

In his defence, he remarks, “I meant like, it’s cool, it’s kosher, it’s all good.”

Fishkoff’s book helps make sense of that kind of pop culture reference.

It wasn’t always this way.

Until only several decades ago, meat was the primary concern of kosher authorities and strictly kosher food in general was relevant to only a small number of observant Jews. Many Jews kept some form of kosher, refraining from pork or the practice of eating out, but American Jews often rejected dietary laws in an attempt to assimilate into the dominant culture.

With an increase in the number of baalei teshuvah (newly observant Jews) who refuse to settle for syrupy wine or processed cheese, combined with the increasing appeal of the kosher symbol to celiacs, vegetarians and many other demographics, the kosher industry has become

Book Review Elizabeth Alpern

relevant to manufacturers as far away as Thailand.

Fishkoff explains the rules of kashrut to the layperson, from biblical to Talmudic injunctions to modern-day stringencies that wouldn’t have been an issue even a generation ago.

She breaks down the kosher industry, from “The Big Four” certifying agencies to slaughterhouses to kosher caterers, and brings the reader up to date on some of the most relevant issues facing today’s kosher consumer. They include the ethics involved in the scandal at the Agriprocessers meat plant in Postville, Iowa, and the burgeoning new Jewish food movement.

Throughout Kosher Nation, Fishkoff regards her subjects with objectivity. Even the most zealous figures – like the Chasid on a one-woman campaign to prevent Jews from ingesting insects – become sympathetic and even relatable.

It is clear that Fishkoff was fascinated by the subject; the reader cannot help but be fascinated, too.

For anyone who remembers when Oreos became kosher, notices when sushi is served at an Orthodox wedding or simply wants to take a bite out of Jewish Americana, Kosher Nation offers a readable, in-depth exploration into the cultural shifts and subtleties surrounding the rise of an industry.

Paired with The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook, readers have a chance to re-examine food traditions far beyond the holiday table.

Dipping back into the origins of the kosher industry in America and then cooking recipes that reflect a contemporary kosher reality proves a filling and fulfilling experience.

Page 20 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

‘Judaism allows for a range of belief – and non-belief’ Raise your hand if you believe in God. If you don’t believe, and are involved with the Jewish community, would you admit your atheism publicly?

While Judaism does not generally demand faith statements – Judaic life is centred more around practice than around belief for its own sake – for most people, there still is a significant association between Judaic life and belief in God. And, I would add, a not insignificant pressure to believe, at least among the so-called ‘affiliated.’

This unspoken pressure may have a lot to do with the falling engagement we see across our communities in synagogue life. As such, I think one solution to lack of religious engagement may lie in a much unexpected place: a bit of Godlessness.

Many of my contemporaries find the notion of a divine spirit who, in any way, resembles a conventional view of God, to be a silly, if not reprehensible, notion. I know that the typical sophisticated line by liberal believers is “The God you don’t believe in is not the God I do believe in” – witness the semantic gymnastics in a recent debate at the American Jewish University about the afterlife between Rabbis David Wolpe and Brad Artson on one hand, and atheists Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris on the other.

But, for many, the concept of a God that has any definitional integrity whatsoever is just too much to swallow.

But, while God figures centrally for many involved Jews, it does not have to. Think of the joke Andrew ComteSponville relays in The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality: Two rabbis spend most of the night debating the existence of God, finally concluding that He does not exist. The next morning, one of the rabbis finds his friend in the garden,

swaying. “What in the world are you doing?” he exclaims.

“I’m davening shacharit, of course!” the friend replies. “But I thought we agreed there is no God.” To which his friend replies, “What does God have to do with it?”

For my part, I look at the deep Judaic tradition of text and culture. Whether mastering the incantation for chanting Torah or the various holiday kiddush recitations; studying the ethical underpinnings of Jewish practice; exploring biblical commentaries; reading contemporary Jewish theology; mastering the liturgy; understanding the root structure of Hebrew; playing with gematria; or, celebrating the holiday cycle, there is so much of cultural, aesthetic and intellectual wealth to be mined. And nothing here – yes, even the chanting of the liturgy – necessarily depends on private belief.

Similarly, historian David Biale published Not in the Heavens: The Tradition of Jewish Secular Thought last October and discussed his book in an interview posted January 24 on the Jerusalem Post Blogs.

Jewish secularism, as Biale defines it, is “the rejection of traditional Jewish belief and practice and the construction of alternative beliefs and practices that are still grounded in categories from the Jewish tradition.”

In his book, Biale writes, “secularism is also an effort to fashion a new identity out of the shards of the past.”

For many, being Jewish has become all about bloodlines, bagels and bar mitzvah parties. And while Biale is not necessarily pointing to atheism, in laying out the story of Jewish secularism – rather than ‘secular Jews’ – Biale is giving us a lot more to chew on than knishes and whitefish.

Jewish culture writ large used to define itself this way

Values, Ethics, Community Mira Sucharov more self-consciously. In her book Demon in the Box, media historian Tasha Oren recounts David Ben-Gurion’s reaction in 1952 when the president of NBC attempted to help introduce television to the fledgling Jewish state: “Israelis are people of the book. We have no use for television,” he retorted.

But, valuing, studying, wrestling with, and really understanding what is in our books has become less and less widespread. Rabbis like Elie Kaunfer are all too aware of this. Trying to encourage a more widespread Jewish literacy, Rabbi Kaunfer has written, “Stop telling people who study Jewish texts, ‘you should be a rabbi.’” In other words, Jewish lawyers, nurses, plumbers or graphic designers might still wish to engage in Jewish literacy. To Rabbi Kaufner’s delightfully concise statement, I would add, “Don’t tell people – even subtly – who wish to invest in their religious institutions that “non-believers need not apply.”

Judaism allows for a range of belief – and non-belief.

But, we have to bring this diversity of approach out of the ark, so to speak. With or without a God-like figure watching over us, we can build, and be rebuilt by, our own traditions, enriching ourselves, our community, and ensuring future Jewish vitality, in the process. And, with a bit of public atheist permission, more of us may choose to do so.

Mira Sucharov, an associate professor of political science at Carleton University, blogs at the Huffington Post.

Ottawa cemetery information soon to be part of Jewish Online Worldwide Burial Registry Since I began writing the Connecting the Branches column for the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin last year, I have received a number of requests from readers asking for help with certain aspects of their family research. Some people have requested assistance finding information about research techniques while others have looked for tips on planning trips to their shtetlach in Eastern Europe. The most frequent type of enquiry, though, is for help in locating information about family members who lived in Ottawa decades ago.

Fortunately, the Jewish Genealogical Society of Ottawa has a fabulous resource: a database of all of the burials in the two Jewish cemeteries. Back in 2003, Hymie Reichstein and I attended the annual conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, which was in Washington, and one of the major topics was the establishment of the Jewish Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR). Located at tinyurl.com/JOWBR, the database is a collection of information from Jewish cemeteries from around the world. While access to the database is free of charge, you are required to register with JewishGen.org to access the data. JewishGen has dozens of other important databases, so signing up is very worthwhile.

That summer, we began the process of compiling the information on Ottawa’s cemeteries. Twice weekly, for three or four hours at a time, we were at the Bank Street Cemetery armed with clipboards, brushes, garden tools and a pair of digital cameras. Hymie had done advance work by obtaining lists from the various synagogues, which he entered into a spreadsheet, to be used as a checklist as we walked the rows of the cemetery.

Connecting the branches John Diener We discovered that the synagogue lists were not always accurate. So, as a side benefit of collecting the information for genealogical purposes, we decided we would present the completed data to the shuls so they would all have correct and current information.

The following year, we did the same at the smaller Osgoode Cemetery, and then ventured out of town, compiling data and photographing at the two small Jewish cemeteries serving Kingston and Cornwall. Plans are underway to venture even further from Ottawa this summer, perhaps to the Ogdensburg and Massena cemeteries.

One of the most time consuming tasks at Bank Street involved clearing grass and weeds off stones that were no longer legible. In order to obtain as much information as possible, and the best quality picture, we cleaned and dug around each of these hard-to-read footstones to make them easier to read and used scissors to clip the grass that obstructed some of the engravings. While this was a lot of work, it was also satisfying as it was felt that a mitzvah was being performed as people whose graves had been neglected were now being remembered. At graves where the con-

dition of the stone had deteriorated, we notified surviving family members so that repairs could be made. Hymie and I enjoyed the project. Passing by graves of people we had known, we exchanged stories and memories.

Every subsequent October, we’ve returned to the Ottawa cemeteries and walked all the rows again, updating files and taking pictures of new stones that had not been there the previous year. This ensures our files are kept up to date.

For the past couple of years, the cemeteries have been managed centrally as Jewish Memorial Gardens (JMG).

Doing our updates is now much easier as JMG provides us with lists of the burials that have taken place over the past year. We use this list to locate new burials, and use our own lists to revisit graves where there were burials noted in previous years, but no monument yet erected.

Our spreadsheets contain a wealth of information, including the location of each grave, names, secular date, Hebrew calendar date and, most importantly, a link to the picture we took of the gravestone. Most of the approximately 5,000 stones in our cemeteries are done in the traditional style of listing the name of the deceased in Hebrew, and also include the name of the father, which is invaluable when doing family research. Armed with the father’s name, we may be able to locate his grave as well, which will then give us his father’s name.

Our Ottawa area data is not yet on JOWBR, but should be shortly. While we will be submitting the data, we will not be submitting the photographs. Meanwhile, anyone wanting information from the database, or on anything else related to Jewish genealogy, is encouraged to contact the Jewish Genealogical Society of Ottawa at jgsottawa@gmail.com.

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 21

Bin Laden, Pakistan and international law Like so many things today, the elimination of evildoer Osama bin Laden from the planet is almost turning into a sideshow.

People are questioning whether it was justice delivered, why he was shot dead, why he was not given a platform in a court of law, and whether the United States overstepped international law by eliminating such evil unilaterally. If you are confused, you are not alone.

Bin Laden’s sons are not confused. Four of them made statements to the New York Times denouncing his killing as violating international law and not serving the cause of justice.

“We maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems,” said Omar bin Laden.

I wonder if Omar gave much thought to the thousands of people – some of them Muslim – arbitrarily killed by his father? While Omar has publicly renounced his father’s acts of violence on several occasions, his line of thinking is common among the man on the street in most of the Middle East.

Key al-Qaida leaders are already jockeying for recognition as the new leadership takes shape. This is apparent on Islamist websites through statements and one-upmanships.

Nasir al-Wahishi, leader of al-Qaida in Yemen, said, “We promise Allah that we will remain firm in the covenant and that we will continue the march, and that the death of the sheikh will only increase our persistence to fight the Jews and the Americans in order to take revenge.”

As you have probably guessed by now, bin Laden’s death won’t change the Islamist movement globally. What I’m surprised about is how much detail has been released

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World Affairs Oliver Javanpour by the U.S. administration and its hangers-on that not only fuels speculation, but also provides much-needed intelligence to the al-Qaida leadership and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI).

As progressive and moderate Pakistanis ask pointed questions about how bin Laden could have lived among such a privileged military community without the knowledge of the military and intelligence services, there are no real answers coming from Pakistan’s government.

It is not surprising that the government of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari knows very little of what the military and, more importantly, the ISI are up to in Pakistan. In fact, many people wondered why former U.S. president George W. Bush invaded Iraq instead of Pakistan. Pakistan is yet another tinderbox waiting to be ignited, with far scarier consequences than Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

One wonders what Pakistan’s army chief of staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and the director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency, Lt.-Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, had to say in their meeting with Zardari after the raid and elimination of bin Laden. It is unimportant whether the ISI gave up bin Laden because they wanted

something from the Americans, or if they co-operated because the Americans found where the evildoer lived. What is important is the high probability of Pakistan’s complicity in aiding terrorists and their causes.

One good thing that has come out of this is that journalists and people in Pakistan are now openly questioning the military’s capabilities on two distinct fronts. The nationalists and progressives are questioning how safe the country is due to the potential number of terrorists – especially foreign-born terrorists – living amongst them without the military’s knowledge. The zealots are questioning the competency of the military for having failed to stop the Americans from invading Pakistan’s air space and undertaking a covert operation without their knowledge.

This is one of those situations in which one could claim that a single stone has struck two birds simultaneously.

Pakistan’s key Western supporters, such as the U.S., U.K. and France, are assessing whether the generous foreign aid, to which Pakistan is so accustomed, needs to be curtailed until further light is shed on the situation. They are certainly seeking to know whether it was purely incompetence or duplicity, especially with Pakistan having become such a close ally of China.

Until such time as the Western allies develop some sort of accountability and measurement criteria for providing foreign aid to Pakistan, and make serious efforts to stop the flow of funds from key (Western-friendly) Arab countries supporting Sunni fundamentalism and terrorism, Pakistan will continue inching towards some sort of catastrophic failure.

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

Page 22 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 23

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Page 24 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

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MAX MORGAN MITZVAH FUND Speedy recovery to: Isabelle Azoulay by Sarah Beutel and Steve Morgan and family.

DAHLIA AND ZACHARY SHABSOVE Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NAI MITZVAH FUND Mazal Tov to: Dahlia Shabsove on her Bat Mitzvah by Sara Shabsove.

Zachary Shabsove on his Bar Mitzvah by Sara Shabsove.

Charles and Adrienne Shabsove on the Bat and Bar Mitzvah of Dahlia and Zachary by Daniel and Mariyn Kimmel.

Anniversary wishes to: Sally and Elliott Levitan by Sara Shabsove.

JORDAN SHORE MITZVAH FUND Speedy recovery to: Irving Gencher by Andrea, Mark, Zach and Jordan Shore.

ZACHARY SILBER Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NAI MITZVAH FUND Birthday wishes to: Susan Viner-Vered by Lawrence and Shari Silber and family.

Contributions may be made online at www.OJCF.ca or by contacting Erin Bolling at 613-798-4696 extension 232, Monday to Friday or by email at donation@ojcf.ca. Attractive cards are sent to convey the appropriate sentiments.

All donations are acknowledged with a charitable receipt. We accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex.

Notice to OJCF Members

Clergy divided on accommodating Jewish atheists in liturgy (Continued from page 13)

educators who suggest that new language may be needed for Jewish prayers to take modern sensibilities into account. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If there were a need for it in my synagogue, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d do it,â&#x20AC;? said Cantor Lam of Stephen S. Wise, who added that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not heard such a demand articulated by his congregants.

Other Jewish clergy donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the need for such liturgical tweaking.

Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple, a large Conservative congregation in Los Angeles, said he has â&#x20AC;&#x153;no doubtâ&#x20AC;? that many people in his synagogue say the prayers without believing in God. Even the Bible admonishes against idolatry, but not against atheism, he points out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not eager to make accommodations to create a Judaism absent God,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it would be not only not necessary but inadvisable.â&#x20AC;?

Some Reconstructionist congregations have changed their God-language, and others even have completely removed references to God, said Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There may have been some who experimented with it, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become a regular service,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My objection wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be that they have expunged reference to God. My problem would be if they did not allow people to hold a deistic viewpoint.â&#x20AC;?

That seems to have been the main objection of Reform leaders in 1991 when they rejected Congregation Beth Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bid for membership in what was then the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism).

In rejecting the Cincinnati congregationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application, Reform leaders opined

that, while individual Jews may not believe in God, a Reform synagogue may not declare such a position.

Rabbi Robert Barr, the longtime spiritual leader of Beth Adam, says the rejection was politically motivated and did not involve the â&#x20AC;&#x153;deep religious conversationâ&#x20AC;? that he said needs to take place. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Jewish conversation is so trapped by the liturgy of our ancestors, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get past it,â&#x20AC;? he told JTA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People are afraid to say that language and worldview no longer speak to me, but I am authentically Jewish and I need language that expresses it.â&#x20AC;?

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), was at the meeting where Beth Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application was turned down, and he agrees with the decision. While a congregation that disavows a belief in God would not be expelled from the URJ, he said, neither would it be admitted. And he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heard of any Reform congregations espousing such a position. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While individual Reform Jews may have questions about God, they are generally content to have Jewish liturgy that mentions God,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People seem to be able to live with the contradiction.â&#x20AC;?

Jewish atheism can serve a purpose by pushing Jews to demand meaning from their faith and its leaders, said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, dean of Yeshiva Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for the Jewish Future.

Paraphrasing Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of British Mandate Palestine, Rabbi Brander said that atheism â&#x20AC;&#x153;is the pained response when religion becomes static, when God is described in childish ways.

I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much better that people struggle with the issue, that they want a religious experience rather than not going to synagogue at all.â&#x20AC;?

The OJCF will accept nominations in writing up to seven days (no later than June 9th, 2011)

prior to the election of the Directors at the OJCF Annual General Meeting on June 16th, 2011.

To submit a nomination, please forward written correspondence to: Attn: Secretary of the OJCF c/o Francine Paulin 21 Nadolny Sachs Private Ottawa, ON K2A 1R9

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Page 26 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

Eighteen things you may not know about Peter Waiser You have very likely crossed paths with Peter Waiser at some point. He’s the guy with a camera at his face and another one slung over his shoulder, taking beautiful pictures at Jewish community events, simchas and Bluesfest. Or, maybe he has sold you some new camera gear at Henry’s?

He is so busy taking pictures that you may not have had the chance to chat with this fun guy. So, here are 18 things you may not know about Peter Waiser …

1. My Hebrew name is Baruch.

2. I was born and raised in North Bay, Ontario. We were one of 40 Jewish families and my father owned a clothing store.

3. I have a 40-year-old daughter named Jennifer, who is also a photographer, and a 13-year-old grandson, who is a budding photographer and often accompanies his mom on shoots.

4. My favourite place to travel is Israel. I have been there three times, including during the 2008 Adult March of the Living trip.

5. I love taking pictures of musicians. My favourite musical subject was the band KISS who were at Bluesfest.

They were really great about giving the photographers opportunities to take pictures.

6. I don’t particularly like being photographed myself.

7. I am proud that I am friendly with my ex-wives, and

The New Year is approaching and the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin is starting to plan its annual Rosh Hashanah community-wide edition, September 19, 2011.

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

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one of them still makes me the most amazing brisket.

8. I have read everything written by Clive Cussler and Wilber Smith.

9. I splurge on Eddie Bauer clothing and am in the store two or three times per week.

10. Sometimes I put telemarketers on hold and never go back to the phone.

11. I love animals. My last dog is currently residing in Netanya, Israel.

12. I love my iPhone, iPad and iMac. 13. I only shoot with Nikons. My motto is “Nikon for the best and Canon for the rest!”

14. I am completely self-taught in photography and have never taken a single course.

15. I enjoy music and my favourite artists are Jack Johnson and Molly Johnson.

16. When I want to relax, I take photos – it is my true passion.

17. I would really love to travel to Greece and hope to make that trip happen soon.

18. I feel that photography helped to connect me to Ottawa’s Jewish community when I moved here, and it also introduced me to so many friends. My first simcha was Anna Silverman’s son’s bar mitzvah. Word of mouth spread from there.

18 things ...

Sarah Silverstein

Peter Waiser (right) and grandson Kain Paul strike a pose.

Political pundit in training Where do I begin and how do I dare try to analyze something that has just happened and seems extraordinarily complex? I feel a little like cantors on Yom Kippur in expressing my inadequacy for the task.

I’m speaking, of course, of figuring out what happened in the May 2 federal election.

It started out like a boring rerun and ended up like an exploding surprise box with chocolate cream surprise for some, and a pie in the face for others. Apparently, there was a revolution and the NDP won more than 100 seats. We’re not sure, but that might have been the mighty winds ablowin’ up from the U.S. Midwest.

In this new reality, the Bloc Québécois is almost wiped out, its candidates defeated by anyone the NDP could put up; the Liberals have been reduced to their lowest level ever and anyone now calling them the “natural governing party” looks a little like the guy in the corner wearing a straitjacket who thinks he’s Napoleon. At least some voters in B.C. ate something that turned them green and Elizabeth May was elected. I think we were all transported to the Land of Oz by a giant tornado, a little like Dorothy and Toto.

As the campaign was ending, I enjoyed watching the pundits and experts on the CBC. Almost all gave firm predictions while revealing their own biases within 30 seconds. But, it was all just idle speculation.

Instead of being identified as “experts,” panelists should have been introduced as “our group of politically biased wild guessers.” Then, they all could have looked at the camera and said, “We have no idea what we’re talking about and your guess is as good as ours.” I was delighted when one pundit from the Maritimes admitted, “Before we begin, we should all just say that we have no idea of what is going on.”

At first, this election campaign felt oppressive. Then, suddenly, it was like a carbonated drink when the top of the bottle is loosened. All the parties had been telling us that we had no choice but to vote for them in order to prevent something. However, just before the leaders’ debates, Jack Lay-

Humour me, please Rubin Friedman ton and the NDP picked up that people were tired of being given either/or choices and started to tell people they could vote how they wanted: a Canadian version of Barack Obama’s 2008 slogan, “Yes, we can.”

Of course that’s always been true, but now we had a new Moses who would lead us out of the wilderness, leaning on his staff. I kept expecting him to throw down his cane and turn it into a snake. But then I had just come through Passover.

On the other hand, the Canadian electorate is getting older and crankier. We old folks – even former potheads and campus radicals – like stability, and more of us vote.

So, in the midst of a sweeping revolution, we seem to have also had a search for stability and continuity. That’s why Canadians are called ‘middle-of-the-road,’ because we try to do opposite things at the same time. A revolution combined with ongoing practicality.

Quebecers played their part by using their interpersonal antennae to vote in large numbers for the NDP, giving them 58 seats, up from just one. The NDP will now find itself full of more radical leftists and Quebec nationalists.

So, here are some pointers for leaders and candidates in the next election: be positive without being too specific; if you’re the leader, make sure you get elected; be relaxed and tell good jokes, especially in French; play the game with voters like a goalie facing a penalty shooter. Don’t move off your line until they do. Once you get the feel of where people are going – get out in front and lead.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

May 30, 2011 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 27

Crostini is perfect for lunch For some reason, I find entertaining guests for lunch a difficult task. I never quite know what to serve. When eating lunch alone, I’m happy with carrot and celery sticks and some hummus. But that doesn’t seem quite substantial enough for company. On the other hand, a multi-course meal seems too over-the-top, like you’re trying too hard.

Last summer, I discovered the perfect lunch to serve guests at the cottage: crostini. I cannot take credit for this brilliant idea. It comes courtesy of Globe and Mail food writer Lucy Waverman.

Crostini is Italian for ‘little toasts.’ It is typically made with baguettes that have been thinly sliced, brushed with a little olive oil and toasted or grilled. Often they are served with a topping of cheeses, meats or vegetables, as an appetizer with drinks. I love the idea of preparing several different toppings and setting them out in bowls to let guests make their own crostini. There are so many wonderful kinds of breads readily available at the supermarket these days. Baguettes, olive bread, Ciabatta bread and rosemary foccacia, all sliced and grilled or toasted, make an excellent base for any of these toppings.

When I am at the cottage, I will often make the toppings in the morning and just cover and chill them. I start preparing while everyone is in the kitchen, just finishing up from

Spinach Cannellini Beans with Garlic This recipe comes from Jamie Oliver’s book, Jamie’s Italy. The original recipe called for cannellini beans. When I searched for them in the supermarket, I could only find canned white kidney beans. When I went to an Italian grocer (Nicastros), I found cannellini beans in a jar. Confused, I did a little research and discovered that cannellini beans, as they are known as in Italy, are known as white kidney beans in North America.

While canned white kidney beans work well in this recipe, if you can find the Italian white cannellini beans in a jar, use them instead. The taste and texture are superior to the canned ones.

2 small sprigs fresh rosemary 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 large can (540 ml) white kidney beans or 1 1/2 small jars (340 ml) of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Baguette or Ciabatta bread, sliced and toasted or grilled Pick the leaves off the rosemary sprigs and coarsely chop with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt until you have a paste. Transfer paste to a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced garlic cloves and sauté until garlic is lightly golden.

Add beans and simmer on low heat for about 5-7 minutes.

Season beans with salt, pepper and red wine vinegar and, using a potato masher or the back of a fork, mash the beans until you have a coarse purée.

Spoon bean purée over the hot toasted bread and drizzle a bit of the rosemary oil over the top.

Made with Love

breakfast, so there are usually many willing hands to assist with the chopping, dicing and mixing. The bread can be sliced in the morning as well, but I usually wait until just before lunch to brush the slices with olive oil and quickly place them under the broiler or onto the barbecue.

Cindy Feingold

Ricotta with Honey This recipe comes from Lucy Waverman. It appeared in the Globe and Mail (July 31, 2010). Lucy says if you can find warm fresh ricotta, its homey flavour is unbeatable.

When I made this last summer, I had no idea where to find fresh ricotta in Ottawa. I just used store-bought and it was still delicious. However, a few months ago, I discovered how simple it is to make your own ricotta. For the recipe and to see how it is done, visit tinyurl.com/homemade-ricotta.

2 cups whole milk ricotta (fresh or store bought) 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns Salt to taste 1 tablespoon chopped lemon balm or 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint Baguette thinly sliced and toasted Break ricotta into small pieces. Mix with honey, black pepper and salt. Garnish with lemon balm.

Serve spooned onto toasted baguette slices.

Tuna in Olive Oil This is another of Lucy Waverman’s recipes.

Italian oil-packed tuna is ideal for this recipe. If you can’t find it, substitute one regular can of drained solid white tuna and add in 2 extra tablespoons of olive oil.

I served this with toasted olive bread.

2 80-gram cans light Italian tuna in oil 2 teaspoons capers 3 tablespoons chopped shallots 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar Salt and freshly ground pepper Baguette or olive bread, sliced and toasted or grilled Mash tuna using a fork. Add capers, shallots, egg and sherry vinegar and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with toasted bread.

Taleggio and Pears Buffalo Mozzarella with Fresh Red Chilies If tomatoes are at their peak when you make this, feel free to add 1 diced and seeded ripe tomato.

2 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella, diced into 1/2 inch pieces 1 small fresh red chili, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 8-10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced Baguette or rosemary foccacia, thinly sliced and toasted or grilled Mix diced mozzarella, chili, salt, pepper, olive oil and sliced basil together.

Serve on baguette or foccacia.

This is yet another of Lucy Waverman’s creation.

Taleggio is a soft Italian cheese, a little bit stinky, but quite mild in flavour. It goes really well with the sweetness of pears.

In mid-summer, I serve it with sliced fresh peaches. Even better!

1 pear, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons lemon juice 4 ounces (125 grams) taleggio cheese, thinly sliced 8 basil leaves, torn Salt and freshly ground pepper Baguette or Ciabatta, thinly sliced and toasted or grilled Toss pear with lemon juice to keep it from discolouring. Serve atop baguette or Ciabatta slices with sliced taleggio and basil leaves. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

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your account or to conduct market research and surveys in an effort to continually improve our product service offerings.

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with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation and the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

If you would like more information, or to speak to the Privacy Officer, please call 613-798-4696, ext. 256.

Page 28 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – May 30, 2011

WHAT’S GOING ON May 30 to June 12, 2011 WEEKLY EVENTS MONDAYS Motorin’ Munchkins DropIn for ages 5 and under, sponsored by the SJCC Family Life Centre. All children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult, 9 am to 12 pm. Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 294.

CANDLELIGHTING BEFORE Jun 3

✡

8:27 pm

EREV SHAVUOT Jun 7 ✡ 8:30 pm 1st DAY OF SHAVUOT Jun 8 ✡ AFTER 9:46 pm Jun 10 ✡ 8:32 pm Jun 17

✡

8:35 pm

Jun 24

✡

8:37 pm

TUESDAYS Israeli Folkdancing, learn dances, have fun, no experience or partner necessary, Hillel Academy, 31 Nadolny Sachs Private, 7:00 pm. Info: 613-722-9323.

WEDNESDAYS Baby and Toddler Play Group, sponsored by JCC Family Life Centre, 9:00 am to 11 am.

Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 294.

FRIDAYS Shabbat Shalom Drop-In for ages 5 and under, sponsored by the JCC Family Life Centre, welcomes Shabbat through

crafts, songs, stories and games.

Bracha Bear will be there! All children must be accompanied by an adult, 9:30 am to 11:00 am.

MONDAY, MAY 30 Demystifying Autism, sponsored by Weizmann Canada. Experts, Dr. Ilan Dinstein of the Department of Neurobiology at Israel’s Weizmann Institute and Dr. Yolanda Korneluk, clinical director at Emerging Minds, a treatment centre for autism in Ottawa, will make presentations, 7:30 pm. Info: 613-236-3391.

TUESDAY, MAY 31 JET’s 7th Annual Jewish Unity Live: “A Different Group of Seven”. Guest speaker David N. Weiss and musical entertainment

by Youtube sensations The Maccabeats. Evening will honour Rabbi Yehuda and Shaindel Simes and Eric and Claire Wilner, National Gallery of Canada, 380

For more community listings, visit ottawa.jewishottawa.com Select Calendar/Upcoming Events and Click to See More

Sussex Drive, 7:00 pm. Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 247.

A Musical Mosaic, presented by the Shiru Lach Choir, features an eclectic mix of Hebrew, Yiddish, English, jazz and pop selections. Orpheus Choral Group will make a presentation, 7:30 pm. Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 254.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 Jewish Federation of Ottawa Annual General Meeting, includes the presentation of community awards. All are welcome, 7:00 pm. Info: 613-7984696, ext. 236.

Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad Community Shabbat Dinner with guest speaker Arnie Gotfryd, PhD. Topic: Faith and Science – Friends or Foes? Find out what is driving the modern convergence of traditional faith and modern science,111 Lamplighters Drive, 6:45 pm. Info: 613-843-7770.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 Erev Shavuot WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 1st day of Shavuot THURSDAY, JUNE 9 2nd day of Shavuot SUNDAY, JUNE 12 Walk/Run for Jewish Education in support of

Ottawa’s Jewish day and afternoon schools. Registration begins at 8:00 am. Info: info@amechadwalkrun.com.

The 2011 Dr. Imre Rosenberg Memorial Lecture, sponsored by Temple Israel, features David Kilgour, retired MP, who will speak on “A Global Perspective on Human Rights,” 1301 Prince of Wales Drive, 7:30 pm.

Info: 613-224-1802.

COMING SOON TUESDAY, JUNE 14 The Ottawa Jewish Community School Annual General Meeting, 31 Nadolny Sachs Private, 8:00 pm.

Info: 613-226-6986.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16 Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation Annual General Meeting, 7:00 pm.

Info: 613-798-4696, ext. 252.

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.

Condolences Condolences are extended to the families of: Irving Gottheil, Montreal (father of Ellen Leader) Cherilyn (Cheri) Kathnelson Professor Maxwell (Max) Richter Hanoch Sharon

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 JUNE 29 FOR JULY 18 JULY 27 FOR AUGUST 15 AUGUST 17 FOR SEPTEMBER 5 AUGUST 24 FOR SEPTEMBER 19* SEPTEMBER 14 FOR OCTOBER 3 OCTOBER 5 FOR OCTOBER 31 OCTOBER 26 FOR NOVEMBER 14 * Community-wide Issue (all dates subject to change)

We never lose sleep over our Romspen investment.

For over 40 years we ran a successful commercial photography studio in Toronto.

We made a good living but we soon realized an adequate retirement income would be up to us. Our long association with Romspen began with syndicated real estate mortgages. When the company was converted to a Fund we were among its first supporters. Our experience with our Romspen investments has been exceptional, even during the 2008 financial meltdown. The Fund is one investment we never lose any sleep over and it has provided us with an extremely comfortable retirement.

Thank you, Romspen.

Patti & Pat Lacroix You’ve heard of the Romspen Mortgage Investment Fund. Isn’t it time you found out more? Call us to receive an information package or visit www.romspen.com.

416.966.1100 1.800.494.0389 www.romspen.com 162 Cumberland Street, Suite 300 Toronto, Ontario M5R 3N5