December 10, 2012 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – Page 9
NCSY raises $5000 at community event to support Hurricane Sandy relief
Advertorial
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND More than trees 613.798.2411
Oliver Javanpour president
JNF responds to emergency situation Although JNF has created an infrastructure to provide a better day-to-day life for Israel and to support Israel’s land and environment, when emergencies arise, we move quickly to support threatened communities. By the time you read this, we hope the emergency will be over, but we ask for your support in helping us to help Israel’s front line communities, and the people who run the services so badly needed when communities are under attack and in the weeks and months afterward. The effects do not go away as soon as the rockets do – we need to support people both during and after these attacks. JNF is working with Sderot Mayor David Bouskila to keep its Sderot Indoor Recreation Center, which doubles as a state-ofthe-art bomb shelter, open 24 hours per day. JNF is providing aid to Israeli firefighters, who have been on call 24 hours per day and are the first on the scene of rocketignited fires and rocket-related accidents. Donations are being used to purchase much-needed firefighting equipment, send food to fire stations, and provide personal toiletry kits to firefighters. Fundraising supports respite from rocket fire for children Children cannot be expected to understand why rockets are being fired at them. Helping children cope with this threat and be safe is one of our primary concerns. In response to the emergency situation in Israel, JNF-KKL has asked communities around the world to raise funds to provide respite to vulnerable children living under the threat of rocket fire. JNF-KKL will take groups of children to the Nes Harim Field and Forest Education Centre in the Jerusalem Hills. The children will spend five days there and participate in diverse educational and social activities, including tours of Jerusalem, visits to sites of interest in the area, a forest orienteering program, and more. The participants are selected in co-operation with local community workers, in an effort to reach those most in need of respite, and those unable to organize or finance such activities. Providing a break from the missiles cannot change the reality of what is happening in Israel. However, time away from the missiles gives these youngsters a chance to recharge their emotional batteries and continue to function as normally as possible in the completely traumatic situation in which they find themselves. The cost per child for the five days is approximately $500. Donations of any amount are welcome and you will be provided with a charitable receipt for the full amount. Please visit jnf.ca/harim.html and contact Susan Schwartzman at 613-798-2411 or Ottawa@jnf.ca. Thank you for your support. Sefer Bar Mitzvah Inscriptions Liam David Simon Niznick, by his loving parents, Barbara Power and Joel Niznick; Noah Hamburg, by his loving parents, Lyon and Cybele Hamburg; Mason Lawrence Deskin, by his loving grandparents, Bill and Jane James and Beverley Deskin; Evan Miller Cameron, by his loving grandparents, Leon and Doris Bronstein and Marion Cameron. Sefer Hayeled Inscriptions Jacob Cogan and Noah Cogan, twin grandsons of Lisa and Fred Cogan, by Myrna and Norman Barwin.
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).
By Ariella Hoffman for NCSY In response to the devastation Hurricane Sandy caused to so much of the northeastern United States, NCSY Ottawa hosted a barbecue and bake sale, November 18, to raise funds for Jewish communities and families affected by the massive storm. The event came together in less than two weeks in the spirit of the Jewish concept of Kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh (all Jews are responsible for one another). Jews cannot stand by and wait for someone else to help. The Jewish nation is one and, when one part of us is hurt, we all rally our strength of thought and action towards a singular goal. With a turnout of more than 200 people at the NCSY Centre in Centrepointe, Ottawa’s Jewish community showed it has not lost sight of this fundamental Jewish concept as $5,000 was raised for the relief efforts. Bram Bregman, executive director of NCSY Ottawa, spearheaded the effort calling on volunteers, donors and community members to come out and support the event. “When our fellow Jews are in need and suffering, we cannot turn a blind eye to their plight just because we cannot see it,” said Bregman. “Rather, we must roll up our sleeves and help, which is why I chose to organize this event.” All of the publicity was done via email and social networking. Even parents of Torah High students were Facebooking and tweeting to their friends about the event, which attracted people of all ages from a wide spectrum of the community. “This well-organized event was a big accomplishment and the amount of people that turned out was very impressive,” said Susan Weisman, a Torah High parent. “It was beautiful to see people from all parts of the community attending.” There were many people who wanted to contribute
Rabbi Barry Schlesinger performs during the NCSY barbecue and bake sale, November 18, in support of the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.
and, in total, there were 40 volunteers, including children, Torah High students, Torah High parents and other community members. The barbecue and bake sale netted $3,400, while a silent auction brought in another $1,600. There were many people in the commu-
nity who donated items for the silent auction. The assortment and range of auction items showed how so many people pulled together to offer something of themselves for this important cause. Itzy Kamil, a Grade 12 student at the Ottawa Jewish
Community School, provided comedic entertainment and Rabbi Barry Schlesinger of Agudath Israel played Jewish songs on his guitar. All proceeds from the event have been directed to the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.