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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, established 1937, celebrating 75 years in 2012. page 5
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bulletin 7 5 T H A N N I V E R S A RY 1 9 3 7 volume 76, no. 12 april 23, 2012
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2 0 1 2 omer 16, 5772
Shalom Bayit Seder continues to educate about domestic abuse By Louise Rachlis The seventh annual Shalom Bayit Seder for women – which has a stated goal of bringing awareness to the issue of domestic abuse in the Jewish community – took place April 1 at Agudath Israel Congregation – and its founder is still moved by its effect on those in attendance. “It’s remarkable for me that women from all walks of life come here and say, ‘I had no idea. How can I help? How can I help my neighbour?’” said Yaffa Greenbaum, who held the first Shalom Bayit Seder in her home eight years ago. “Every year, there are people who come forward and say the seder has brought them new awareness of the issue of domestic violence in the Jewish community. They have that spark of recogni-
tion that it’s closer than they realize.” About 240 women, from all segments of the Jewish community, as well as some non-Jewish women, attended the seder. The Shalom Bayit Seder is a program of Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Ottawa, organized by a lay committee chaired by Greenbaum. A social worker with experience in the area of domestic violence, Greenbaum had been involved with women’s seders in Los Angeles before moving to Ottawa. She began to collect Haggadahs from women’s seders – she has more than 30 – and to adapt one for use in the Shalom Bayit Seders in Ottawa. Attendance has grown each (Continued on page 2)
The organizing committee at the Shalom Bayit Seder, April 1, at Agudath Israel Congregation. (From left) Irit Sterner, Shalom Bayit program manager Sarah Caspi, Margaret Lederman, Marcie Aronson, Paula Agulnik, Diane Koven, Yaffa Greenbaum and Lynne Oreck-Wener.
Guest Column
Prophets and guardians By Daniel Gordis Editor’s note: Daniel Gordis is the Koret Distinguished Fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. One of Israel’s most respected commentators, he is the author of 10 books and his columns appear regularly in the Jerusalem Post and New York Times. He is also a dynamic speaker and will give the keynote address at the Jewish Federation of Ottawa Annual Campaign launch, September 9, at Centrepointe Theatre. There is, it seems, a bit of an occupational hazard to this column-writing business. It probably holds for all sorts of top-
ics, but it’s undoubtedly true when thinking aloud about Israel. Here’s the choice: You can either plant yourself firmly on one side of the political divide, being predictably right wing or left wing, or you can, depending on the issue, say what you think but appear a bit less consistent. The advantages of the first option are clear. Once you are tagged as a right-winger or left-winger, people assume they know what you’re going to say. If you’re on their side, they read, nodding approvingly, feeling ever so validated by yet another column that says precisely what they already
thought. And if they assume they’ll disagree, or worse, that the column will annoy them, they can just skip it altogether or sharpen their proverbial pencils and bang out the inevitably dismissive talkback. Either way, though, we know what we’ll think of an argument – and of a writer – before we’ve even read a word. Ah, the eternal quest for a predictable and comfortable life. But I’ve never thought that thinking, or citizenship – or love – works that way. If we love our children, do we validate them or criticize them? This is the wrong Daniel Gordis
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