Ottawa jewish bulletin 2011 03 07(revised) by The Ottawa Jewish Bulletin

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bulletin volume 75, no. 10

march 7, 2011

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Temple Israel considers move to new building on the Jewish Community Campus By Debbie Holzman for Temple Israel At a time when the membership in many Jewish congregations in North America is declining, Ottawa’s Temple Israel is a success story gearing up for further growth. “Temple’s current building was built almost 40 years ago to serve 100 families,” said Paul Lyons, co-chair of Temple Israel’s Building Renewal Implementation Committee (BRIC). “We have experienced slow but steady growth in membership over the past decade and are now at 375 family units representing 1,100 people. We are the second largest congregation in Ottawa and the only Reform synagogue serving eastern Ontario and western Quebec. We have outgrown our current location, and this is limiting our ability to provide the religious and cultural services and

programs our members expect and deserve.” Debra Viner, who co-chairs BRIC, pointed out that several locations were reviewed and that the land on the Jewish Community Campus, on Broadview Avenue, between the Ottawa Jewish Community School building and the Queensway, best meets the needs identified by the congregation in previous studies. “Temple Israel is known for its leadership and participation in causes that promote tikkun olam, for its generosity in the wider Jewish community, for its social activism, and for its leadership in interfaith dialogue,” said Rabbi Steven Garten. “Our Shabbat and daily services are ever growing. Kabbalat Shabbat services are often enhanced by congregational potluck dinners. Shabbat morning Torah (Continued on page 2)

Paul Lyons and Debra Viner, co-chairs of Temple Israel’s Building Renewal Implementation Committee, are working on a plan that could see Temple Israel’s new location built on the Jewish Community Campus.

North American Orthodox rabbis protest conversion policy JERUSALEM (JTA) – Dozens of North American Orthodox rabbis protested to Israel’s Interior Ministry following reports that Diaspora converts under Orthodox auspices are being denied the right to immigrate. “We are concerned that conversions performed under our auspices are being questioned vis-à-vis aliyah eligibility,” said a letter delivered to the ministry on February 22. “We find this unacceptable, and turn to you in an effort to insure that those individuals whom we convert will automatically be

eligible for aliyah as they have been in the past.” On February 23, a meeting was held in Jerusalem to discuss the issue. Participants included representatives of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Nefesh B’Nefesh, ITIMThe Jewish Life Information Center, the Jewish Federations of North America, Israel’s Interior Ministry and the Chief Rabbinate, according to Rabbi Seth Farber, ITIM’s director. Rabbi Farber, a central figure in organizing the letter, told JTA that the Interior Min-

istry, led by the Sephardic Orthodox Shas Party Chairman Eli Yishai, did not agree during the meeting to retract its policy of consulting with the Chief Rabbinate on issues of Orthodox conversions, but did agree to consider each aliyah request by Orthodox converts on a case-by-case basis and to continue the discussion. The Chief Rabbinate has become the de facto central body in determining the validity of Orthodox conversions, and it only recognizes about 20 religious courts in North America, mostly affiliated with the

Rabbinical Council of America. Conservative and Reform converts are certified as Jewish by the central bodies of their respective movements. In response to the letter, the plenary of the Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors adopted a resolution brought by the Unity of the Jewish People Committee calling on the Israeli government to confirm the Jewish Agency’s role in determining the eligibility of new immigrants. The resolution passed February 22 on (Continued on page 2)

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Page 2 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

Montreal city council condemns boycott of store selling Israeli shoes (JTA) – Montreal’s city council has condemned the boycott campaign against a local shoe store that sells footwear made in Israel. A council motion deploring the campaign, proposed and supported by Mayor Gerard Tremblay, passed February 22 by a vote of 38 to 16. Those voting against the resolution said they would not support a motion denying protesters the right of free speech and expression. The boycott of the Le Marcheur store, which sells the Israeli-made Beautifeel line of women’s shoes, was launched last fall by the group Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU) and supported by other activists as part of a worldwide boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel.

Temple Israel needs to accommodate more people than the current building allows says Rabbi Steven Garten.

A new Temple Israel building on the Jewish Community Campus will be a point of re-entry to Judaism for unaffiliated Jews says Temple Israel President Lorne Rachlis.

Campus move would create opportunities for collaboration (Continued from page 1)

study and services require more space than we can now accommodate when there is a bar or bat mitzvah.” Another area where Temple Israel is active is in outreach to the unaffiliated. “According to statistics provided through the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, over 50 per cent of Jews living in Ottawa are not affiliated with any synagogue,” said Temple Israel president Lorne Rachlis. “Membership at most Ottawa synagogues is declining. This is a North American phenomenon. A new Temple Israel on the Jewish Community Campus will continue its practice of providing a welcoming and sacred home for Jews of all backgrounds and a point of re-entry to Judaism for those who have drifted into non-affiliation.” According to Lyons, locating Temple Israel on the campus will be good for Temple Israel, “but we believe it will also bring great benefits to the current campus occupants and to Ottawa’s Jewish community. “By renewing ourselves, we will also be renewing the Jewish Community Campus. The presence of Temple Israel’s supplementary school, the only congregational supplementary school in Ottawa, will bring 100 young learners to the campus. Also, there will be tremendous opportunities for joint programming and activity partnering with all of the other Jewish organizations on campus. “Our adult learning and outreach programs will complement those of the Soloway Jewish Community Centre and the

new building will provide additional physical space for activities on Campus. The new facility will have a kosher kitchen, and a second separate kitchen, providing all Jews with access to a large and modern venue for celebration. Temple Israel will also be a contributor to the upkeep of the campus.” Added Viner: “By renewing ourselves, we will also reinforce the campus as the hub of Jewish life in our region. Our passion to build a new Temple Israel is important not only to our members but to the entire Jewish community.” BRIC is compiling data for a business plan to show that a new building is both affordable and sustainable. Conceptual diagrams of the site and building and a costing analysis are part of the data being collected. The business plan will be presented to the Temple Israel Congregation for approval. There have been on-going conversations between representatives of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and of Temple Israel for several months. The agreement of both the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and of Temple Israel’s membership is necessary before formal discussions can begin. “I see the project as this generation’s opportunity to build for the next generation and for the one after that. We are very excited and motivated,” said Rachlis. More information on the new building proposal can be found on the Temple Israel website at templeisraelottawa.ca. The next major Temple Israel event is the Purim spiel on Saturday evening, March 19. Everyone is invited and admission is free.

Iranian-born Amir Khadir, the sole member of the leftist Québec solidaire party in Quebec’s National Assembly, participated in the weekly demonstration outside the store in December. Since Khadir’s participation in the boycott demonstrations, other politicians – including members of the National Assembly representing the Quebec Liberals, the Parti Québécois and Action démocratique du Québec; and Liberal, Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs – have spoken out against the boycott and to defend the shop’s owner. Meanwhile, members of Montreal’s Jewish community have held a buycott campaign encouraging shoppers to patronize Le Marcheur. Liberal MP Marlene Jennings bought a pair of the Israeli shoes there.

Ontario convert denied right to make aliyah (Continued from page 1)

the last day of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors meeting in Jerusalem and was initiated by Chairman Natan Sharansky, who told the board that Israel’s Chief Rabbinate should not be involved in determining who can be allowed to immigrate to Israel. “I want to separate the argument about conversion from the recognition of Judaism for the sake of citizenship-eligibility under the Law of Return,” Sharansky told Ha’aretz. “It’s so important that a person who undergoes conversion according to the tradition of his community, and who the community accepts as a Jew, be eligible to make aliyah under the Law of Return.” Thomas Dohlan, a Canadian married to an Israeli woman, and the father of four young children recognized as Israeli citizens, was one of the Orthodox converts recently denied the right to make aliyah

because the Chief Rabbinate has refused to recognize his conversion. Dohlan studied for his conversion with Rabbi Daniel Elkin of Congregation Beth Israel in Kingston, Ontario, was converted in an Orthodox beit din and has been living an Orthodox lifestyle for the past two years. He recently resigned from the Canadian Forces because of conflicts between military demands and Orthodox observance. “The more I learned, the more I became observant, to the point where the Canadian Forces refused to give me Shabbat and Jewish holidays off,” Dolan recently told the New York Jewish Week. Dohlan said he was told to choose between his military career and Orthodox Judaism. “I chose Judaism,” he said. Editor’s note: Files from the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin and the New York Jewish Week contributed to this report.

Thomas Dohlan (centre) with his Israeli wife, Ortal, and their four children, is an Orthodox convert from Ontario being barred from making aliyah.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 3

Page 4 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

openOttawa symposium to provide forum for young Jewish leaders By Sara-Lynne Levine openOttawa On April 3, the openOttawa symposium will bring 65 young Jewish leaders together to begin a conversation about how our community interacts with one another. openOttawa is a series of conversations, in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, about how young Jews in Ottawa practise and connect to community and express their Jewish identities. openOttawa seeks to shake up the traditional ways of building community. Our goals are bold and challenging:

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• To connect young Jews, in their 20s and 30s to the organized Jewish community through consultation and collaboration in order to help build and maintain a vibrant, inclusive Jewish community; • To provide a forum for young Jews to share their experiences, concerns and ideas about the Jewish community and ways that the community can better serve their needs; • To create an opportunity for young Jewish adults to broaden their Jewish networks, to get involved and stay involved. A steering committee was struck to begin this process. Led by Howie Fremeth and Naomi Hirshberg, the committee – also including Tamara Anber, Gillian Dolansky, Ariella Kimmel, Aaron Laurito, Sarah Lafreniere, Yoni Levitan and Jacquie Levy – took part in a social mapping exercise in which they determined there were numerous social hubs among Ottawa’s

young Jewish adults. Each hub led to a discussion of who might be considered leaders of that hub. More than 40 hubs were identified, including Parliament Hill staff, bureaucrats, teachers, grad students, lawyers, newcomers to Ottawa, the unaffiliated, Embassy of Israel staff, sports league participants, accountants, etc. Thoughtful consideration was given to ensure a unique and balanced perspective is present at the symposium. The steering committee felt it was important to have representatives from both affiliated and unaffiliated populations; from those who were born and raised in Ottawa and from those new to the city; from observant backgrounds and from the more secular and assimilated; from those just out of university and those established in the work force; from single people and from married couples; from those with, and

without, children. The common theme is their desire and intent to make a change, share an opinion and get involved. A steering committee member approached each person identified as a hub leader, explained a bit about openOttawa and asked the individual to participate. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Participants seem appreciative of the openOttawa initiative and excited about the opportunity. More than 90 per cent of those who have been asked have agreed to participate in the symposium. Knowing a bit about this demographic led to the creation of a social media plan. A website and Twitter and Facebook pages were created so that participants and those interested in openOttawa are kept up to date and provided with interesting articles and ideas for discussion and consideration. To date, almost all social hubs have confirmed participation and will be represented at the symposium. Participants are eager to share their points of view and have taken it upon themselves to begin discussions with their peers so they have information to bring forth at the symposium. Shawn Landres and

Shawn Landres

Joshua Avedon

Joshua Avedon of Jumpstart, a think tank dedicated to sustainable Jewish innovation, will be the symposium’s keynote speakers and facilitators. Jewishjumpstart.org notes: “Jumpstart’s mission is to develop, strengthen, and learn from emerging non-profit organizations that build community at the nexus of spirituality, learning, social activism, and culture, in order to transform the broader Jewish community and the world … “Jumpstart nurtures compelling and innovative earlystage non-profits, networks their leaders, and connects them to the resources and

expertise they need to succeed … Jumpstart assesses key trends, disseminates best practices, and leverages new insights about the emergent sector for use by practitioners, funders, and other thought leaders.” The symposium is the first in a series of conversations. Additional community-wide discussions will be held in May. The April 3 symposium will be webcast live and those interested can also follow the conversation on Twitter and Facebook. For more information visit openottawa.ca, follow us on Twitter at openOttawa2011 or ‘like’ us on Facebook at facebook.com/openOttawa.

Letters welcome Letters to the Editor are welcome if they are brief, signed, timely and of interest to our readership. The Bulletin reserves the right to refuse, edit or condense letters. The Mailbag column will be published as space permits. Send your letters to Michael Regenstreif, Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, 21 Nadolny Sachs Private, Ottawa, Ontario K2A 1R9; or by e-mail to bulletin@ottawajewishbulletin.com.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 5

Teens honoured at Soloway JCC AGM By Pamela Rosenberg Soloway JCC The Soloway Jewish Community Centre (JCC) welcomed new board members, said good bye to others and handed out awards at our annual general meeting on Thursday, March 3. Two outstanding teens, Elana Moscoe and Ethan Morrill, took home the Grossman Klein Teen Leadership Award for their dedication and service to the Jewish community throughout their teenage years. Moscoe currently serves as the president of the Nepean High School Jewish Culture Club, where she organizes Jewish programs for Jewish students at her school. Under her leadership, the club has grown and attracted 70 students to its Chocolate Passover Seder and 40 students to its Chanukah Party. She was one of 10 students asked to join the CityWide NCSY Leadership Board this year, where she helps plan city-wide programs for Jewish teens. Moscoe attends Torah High, where she is enrolled in the Jewish Leadership class. This past summer, she was part of TJJ Ambassadors, an exclusive leadership training program in which 40 hand-picked Jewish teenagers from across North America spent five weeks in Israel touring, volunteering, learning and meeting with local leaders. “Elana is one of the strongest teen leaders I have had the pleasure to be involved with,” said NCSY Executive Director Bram Bregman. “She is one of the most ambitious, responsible, mature and giving teenagers I know. Elana gains the admiration of all of her peers through her friendly nature, positive attitude and respect for others.” Sharing in this honour is Ethan Morrill, a Grade 10 student at Merivale High School, where he is the vice-president of the Jewish Culture Club. Morrill is also one of the

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10 students chosen to be on the City-Wide NCSY Leadership Board, as well as the Ottawa representative on NCSY Canada’s Regional Board, where he is involved with planning weekend youth conventions for the entire region. He is the vicepresident of communications and writes the weekly e-newsletter that is sent to hundreds of Jewish teenagers in NCSY Canada. “Ethan is a strong leader at a young age, and is starting on a path of Jewish leadership,” said Bregman. “Recognizing his early efforts will undoubtedly further encourage him to stay on this path and be a leader for the rest of his life. He is most deserving of this award.” The Ben Karp Soloway JCC Volunteer Service Award went to Robert Jardine, a partner and lead structural engineer at Cleland Jardine Engineering. For the past five years, Jardine has been a key member of the organizing

committee of the Soloway JCC Celebrity Sports Dinner, the centre’s largest fundraiser. He supports all the Soloway JCC fundraising efforts, as well as many other organizations in the wider community. He has also donated structural engineering services to the Jewish Community Campus. Jardine also volunteers three nights per week teaching taekwondo to young children, some with learning disabilities, ADD and ADHD, in order to help them bolster self-confidence, teach anti-bullying techniques and help them improve their focus and discipline. Outgoing board members Les Melamed, Lorne Segal, Pamela MolotBerman and Michael Aronson were thanked for their service, while Sarah Lipski, Esther Kulik, Adam Dodek, Larry Hasson, Allan Shefrin and Paul Lemelin were welcomed to the Soloway JCC Board of Directors.

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Page 6 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

JOIE at work on supplementary schools and openOttawa Since undertaking my position as chair of the JOIE (Jewish Outreach, Identity and Education) Committee, our efforts have been concentrated on two areas: working together with the supplemental schools on a revitalization initiative, and reaching out to young Jewish adults to better understand how the community can meet their needs. With the conviction that Jewish education is the key to ensuring a strong Jewish future, the JOIE Committee turned its attention to the supplemental school system in which more than 325 of our community’s children are enrolled in a variety of programs. On reviewing the available demographic information, we concluded that there are an estimated 2,000 Jewish children in Ottawa not currently enrolled in any form of formal Jewish education. With this in mind, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa formed the Supplementary Schools Task Force and embarked on a collaborative process to address the potential that exists to increase enrolment in our supplemental Jewish schools. Five supplementary schools agreed to participate in this process. For many families in Ottawa, their only connection to Jewish life is through their child’s participation in afternoon or Sunday school. The Task Force has sought to identify the barriers to enrolment and retention in

Federation Report Jacquie Levy JOIE Committee these programs, and the many other challenges and opportunities facing supplementary schools in our community. So far, the results achieved by the Task Force are modest, yet very promising. There is a commitment to co-operation and collaboration, and the schools will continue to work together to achieve improvements in such areas as marketing, recruitment and training of teachers, and the development of their professional and lay leadership. The Supplementary Schools Task Force is launching several initiatives designed to make improvements to the supplementary schools system as a whole. Among the new initiatives is the creation of a teacher’s job bank where teachers looking for employment can post their resumés, and supplementary schools seeking teachers can look for possible candidates. Another joint initiative is the creation of an inter-agency event that will include all the schools in a common activity and culminate in a joint event in which all

supplementary school students and their families can participate. The goal is to engender a sense of community and belonging amongst the students and their families. One of the recommendations from the Task Force report is the creation of a standing sub-committee on supplementary education that will continue to support and co-ordinate the collaboration among the supplementary schools. There is recognition that, by working together, each school can achieve more than it could on its own. The benefits to Ottawa’s Jewish community are substantial as we can look forward to a stronger, more vibrant supplementary school system that will provide parents with more quality choices for their children’s Jewish education. In its second area of focus, the JOIE Committee is in the final planning stages for the openOttawa symposium. This full-day symposium, to be held April 3, will provide an opportunity for young Jews in Ottawa, aged 25 to 35, to share their ideas and vision for making our Jewish community more inclusive and responsive to the needs of their generation. The ultimate goal of the symposium is to discuss new ideas and to develop opportunities that will act as a catalyst to increase the involvement of young Jews in the community.

To date, more than 50 young adults have committed to participate. They represent a wide-range of affiliations, life-stages, experiences and points-of-view. The openOttawa Steering Committee, itself composed of young adults, has provided leadership and direction, ensuring the symposium will address the needs of this demographic. The openOttawa Steering Committee has invited talented and innovative speakers to facilitate and inspire their discussions. Shawn Landres and Joshua Avedon, founders of Jumpstart (jewishjumpstart.org), a new Jewish think tank that promotes innovation in Jewish life, and Aharon Horowitz, publisher of PresenTense Magazine will be leading the discussions and sharing their experiences. For more information about openOttawa, and to learn about other opportunities for young adults to get involved, please visit openottawa.ca, follow openOttawa2011 on Twitter or ‘like’ the Facebook page at facebook.com/openOttawa. I am hopeful that the work of the JOIE Committee over the past 18 months will have begun a process that will continue to embrace inclusivity, innovation and the idea that ‘every door into our community’ is the right door for Jews of all ages and affiliations to feel welcome.

For Judaism to be meaningful, we must engage deeply with the tradition According to Jewish tradition, in the World to Come, each of us will be brought in for judgment and asked a series of questions. Luckily for us, Rava, one of the leading Talmudic rabbis, has made the questions available to us, so we can actually get started on this exam. He remarks in the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Shabbat: When a person is brought in for judgment in the World to Come, he is asked: Were you honest in your business dealings? Did you set aside time for study? Did you engage in procreation? Did you look forward to salvation? Did you engage in the dialectics of wisdom? Did you look deeply into matters? Each of these questions is important and deserves discussion, but I would like to concentrate on the last of these questions, “Did you look deeply into matters?” because it is particularly worthy of consideration for us as individuals and as a community. The question suggests that, in dealing with the world around us, in responding appropriately to the situations in which we find ourselves, we may have to first stop and think. We may have to recognize that the answers we are seeking, the solutions for which we are searching will only come after careful deliberation and thought.

From the pulpit Rabbi Charles Popky Agudath Israel We may have to recognize that any given situation may be too complex for quick and/or easy responses. Much of our contemporary culture works against thoughtful deliberation and probing deeply into matters. Because today’s communication is essentially instantaneous, our media constantly bombard us with information, allowing us little time to absorb, filter and process that information. Our texting, instant messaging and emailing demands our immediate attention, preventing us from crafting appropriate responses (today’s greatest regret is hitting the send button). We can even say that the polarization in our political, religious and social discourse is rooted in the sound-bite culture that reduces complex thought-out positions to shallow and superficial statements lacking nuance and depth. Judaism, however, demands thought, reflection and deliberation. Indeed, it is a mitzvah, a religious commandment. One could say that study, Talmud Torah, is as

prominent a form of religious expression as is tefillah (prayer): we add passages of study to our prayers, and the Torah reading – certainly a focal point of certain services – is meant as a time of study. (Of course, one of the passages of study clearly states: Talmud Torah keneged kulam (study is equal to all). In Judaism, emunah (faith) can be central, but it is not blind; it goes hand-in-hand with examination, questioning, and even challenge.

If we want our Judaism to be meaningful, we must engage deeply with the tradition. And Judaism is a complex tradition. Its history is long, its literature is voluminous, its customs and practices are detailed, its liturgy is intricate, and its ideas and values are diverse and profound. It will likely challenge us as much as we challenge it. Yet, if Judaism is to matter, we must look into the matter deeply.

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 7

It’s that time of year again on campuses I wrote in this space last issue about the protests in Egypt that ended the 30year dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. International news in 2011 has been dominated by the human rights and prodemocracy protests and revolutions that have been sweeping through the tyrannical, repressive regimes that dominate most of the Middle East. As I write – on February 25 – the whole world is watching for the imminent fall of Moammar Gadhafi, the dictator of Libya and self-declared “King of Kings,” who seized power 42 years ago. Unlike Mubarak, who finally realized the jig was up, Gadhafi, in a bizarre speech, February 22, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel characterized as a declaration of war on his own people, vowed to fight to the death. It may well come to that (if it hasn’t already by the time you read this). Libya is currently in a state of chaos, if not civil war. Gadhafi’s forces – and, reportedly, foreign mercenaries – have killed thousands of protesters. Meanwhile, protesters have gained control of parts of the country and Libyan officials, including much of its diplomatic corps, are deserting Gadhafi like rats from a sinking ship. With the world’s attention lately fo-

Editor Michael Regenstreif cused on the grassroots demands for democracy and freedom sweeping through Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Iran and other Middle Eastern and North African countries this year, campus truebelievers in numerous cities around the world – including Ottawa – have been gearing up for their annual assault on what they regard as the real root of all evil in the Middle East. Yes, it’s time again for Israel Apartheid Week (IAW). Carleton University may have had a preview of IAW, February 17, when the CUSA (Carleton University Students Association) Council dealt with a motion in support of the international BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement attempting to delegitimize Israel. Specifically, the motion was a demand that the university divest from four companies involved in the Israeli economy. According to various reports, Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) at Car-

leton mobilized a group of about 100 supporters to demonstrate outside the meeting room, while the Israel Awareness Committee (IAC) sent a smaller group of about 40 students. To make a long story short, the CUSA Council rejected the specifically anti-Israel motion in favour of another calling for the university to invest its funds ethically. When SAIA proposed an amendment calling for the divestment from firms doing business with Israel, it was ruled out of order. That turn of events did not sit well with the SAIA demonstrators. In a detailed account of the evening’s events posted on Facebook, IAC member Emile Scheffel wrote: “SAIA’s supporters began knocking with their fists on the doors and the walls, chanting ‘Shame’ and other indistinct slogans. “The activists inside the room began berating CUSA executive and councillors, while those of us opposed to the SAIA motion remained relatively calm and collected … SAIA’s supporters in the hallway raised their volume and further escalated the situation. “For a tense period of time, those who were there to oppose the SAIA motion did not feel safe leaving the room to face a screaming mob of anti-Israel activists.”

IAW is an obnoxious, wrong-headed event and is counter-productive to the efforts all people – on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian divide – who strive and work for a peaceful, two-state solution. It’s important to counter IAW propaganda with rational arguments and truth. We should also bear in mind that, although SAIA and other IAW groups are loud, their supporters form a tiny minority on campus. The SAIA website, for example, proclaimed last year’s IAW in Ottawa “a huge success with more than 80 people in attendance at each of our events.” Given the number of IAW events last year, those attendance figures account for just a fraction of one per cent of the students at uOttawa and Carleton. Well over 99 per cent of this city’s university students completely ignored IAW. In a Huffington Post blog – tinyurl.com/dershowitz-IAW – last year at IAW time, Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz debunks the myths of Israeli apartheid and suggests a Middle East Apartheid Week on university campuses that would focus on the truly apartheid-like regimes that exist in places like Saudi Arabia, Gaza, and virtually every other Arab and Muslim country in the region.

Some authors and musicians achieve immortality, some don’t Mordecai Richler, the great Montreal novelist, died 10 years ago this coming summer at the age of 70. He died too young, but left behind shelves full of brilliant written works. His literary legacy accords him a certain degree of immortality, which may have been one of his motivations for writing in the first place. “Fundamentally, all writing is about the same thing,” Richler once wrote. “It’s about dying, about the brief flicker of time we have, and the frustration that it creates.” With a major biography about Richler – Mordecai: The Life and Times by Charles Foran – and an acclaimed movie adaptation of his final novel, Barney’s Version, released over the past few months, it seems as if Richler’s earned immortality has endured at least the decade since his death. But some writers, or artists, or musicians are not so fortunate. Many fade away into obscurity when they die. Others gain a degree of immortality only after a life of relative obscurity. The latter may be worse than the former. Take Elmore James, for instance. One of the most important musical side effects of the 1960s British Invasion was that it resurrected the careers of some of the great blues musicians of the 1940s and ‘50s.

Alan Echenberg Music recorded by blues legends such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson had inspired the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Yardbirds and other bands who hit it big at the time. Those young bands introduced the music of their heroes to a new generation of fans. As a result, these older blues musicians kept recording and touring around the world to much acclaim, and to much bigger audiences than before, cementing their reputations and ensuring their music would continue to be heard for decades to come. John Lee Hooker, for example, was still making records, movies and music videos up until his own death 10 years ago – coincidentally, just a few days before Richler’s – at the age of 83. But what about poor Elmore James, one of the most influential of all the mid-20th century bluesmen? His slide guitar work

set the template for what was to come in the rock ‘n’ roll era, influencing George Harrison – who mentioned him in the Beatles’ song “For You Blue” – Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and others. Listen to an early-‘50s Elmore James recording today and you can hear a guitar sound that wouldn’t sound out of place on a recording six decades later. But James never got to experience the same fame bump as many of his contemporaries. He never got to record new songs after the early-‘60s, never got to tour Europe with a young band of acolytes and hear young fans screaming for encores. Why? Because the hard-drinking James had the misfortune of dropping dead of a heart attack at the age of 45 in May 1963, just a few months before the British Invasion began. So, while his influence is undeniable, and his recordings are still available, his music remains just that much more obscure than it otherwise might have been. Holding on just a few more years would have done wonders for his career – and his immortality. Then there’s the case of John Kennedy Toole, a brilliant young New Orleans writing prodigy. In his short lifetime, he was an obscure college professor and a struggling

writer, who had authored one unpublished novel as a teenager and another as a young adult. He spent years unsuccessfully trying to get the latter novel published. In 1969, depressed by his lack of literary accomplishments and demonstrating signs of possible mental illness, he committed suicide at the age of 31. A couple of years after his death, his mother found the unpublished manuscript of his second novel in his old room, and began another years-long attempt to get book publishers interested in the work. His novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, was finally published in 1980 to critical acclaim. The following year, 12 years after his untimely death, Toole was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The book is considered a work of comic genius, and one of the quintessential novels about New Orleans. Toole gained his measure of immortality, but if only he had stuck it out a few more years, he may have produced a library full of legendary literature. The decisive observation on the topic may come from the immortal Woody Allen, as quoted in a 1993 magazine article by the immortal Mordecai Richler: “I don’t want to gain immortality in my works. I want to gain it by not dying.”

Page 8 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

Cantor Moshe and Rivka Kraus

Torah Academy of Ottawa to honour Cantor Moshe and Rivka Kraus, April 6 By Rachel Gray For Torah Academy At a Kiddush lunch, my five-year-old came over to me excitedly clutching a lollipop. “Where did you get that from?” I asked. “Hashem gave it to me,” was the wideeyed reply. I was curious to catch a glimpse of the divine benefactor, and it was none other than Cantor Moshe Kraus! Perhaps it is his distinguished Chassidic ancestry, or maybe it is because he came from the Europe of old and personally knew so many of its leading spiritual giants. Perhaps it is simply the trademark magnificent moustache. It was obvious to my child, and it is obvious to us, that, despite living in Ottawa for 35 years, Cantor Kraus is, in so many ways, of a very different world. From the age of nine, Cantor Kraus began a steady career of travelling from town to town, within his native Czechoslovakia and beyond. He studied Torah under the wings of the Minchas Elazar, the Munkaczer Rebbe, but his plans to study chazzanut in Vienna were thwarted by the Nazis. He survived Bergen-Belsen alone, having lost his family and the world he grew up in. In 1948, he immigrated to Israel, where he was appointed chief cantor to the Israeli Army and, in 1951, married his Israeli-born wife, Rivka. From 1952 to 1976, the Krauses travelled throughout the world, settling in Antwerp, Belgium, where Cantor Kraus held the position of chief cantor, in Johannesburg, South Africa and in Mexico City. They came to Ottawa in 1976 where Cantor Kraus was cantor at Beth Shalom until his retirement in 1980.

Rivka Kraus is well known in her own right for her contributions to the community. In particular, she is heavily involved in her volunteer work at Emunah, an international religious Zionist organization. She served as president of the Ottawa Chapter and currently holds the position of treasurer. Emunah raises funds exclusively to support programs in Israel: children’s homes, crisis centres, schools, feeding the elderly, arranging for teenage girls to teach new immigrants to Israel and much more. She calls Ottawa a “wonderful city to live in” and has particularly enjoyed watching Yiddishkeit flourish here over the past five to 10 years with various schools and learning institutions contributing to a growing awareness of Judaism in the city. She admits, though, that her real dream is to return to Israel, for that will always be home. And, indeed, she says, this should be the dream for every Jew. On Wednesday, April 6, 7:30 pm, Torah Academy of Ottawa will honour Cantor Moshe and Rivka Kraus for their outstanding contributions to Ottawa’s Jewish community at a cocktail reception at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre. The Krauses are delighted to be honoured by Torah Academy. They are major supporters of Jewish education, which, they believe, is at the core of Judaism. Torah Academy, in turn, is delighted to be honouring them, not only for what they have given to our community in Ottawa, but to Jewry around the world: a taste of the past and a promise for the future. For more information about the cocktail reception, contact Torah Academy at 613274-0110 or visit the school’s website at torahacademyofottawa.com.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 9

Tamir Tea to honour Joseph producers Pat and Morris Neuman, May 29

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The Carmel Forest reawakens In our last column, Ottawa JNF thanked you all for a terrific response to our Tu Bi’Shevat Telethon dedicated to raising funds to help restore the forests of Mount Carmel that were destroyed in the tragic fires in December. I want to thank Ottawa JNF Vice-President Oliver Javanpour for filling in for me and writing the column. All that I need to add here is that, thanks to your generosity, this year’s telethon has raised, to date, a record amount of $100,000, proving once again how important the work of the JNF in Israel is to Ottawa’s Jewish community. It is truly an honour for us to be the messengers of your concern and commitment. KKL-JNF is reporting that the first flowers of the season can now be seen covering the slopes of Mount Carmel, reminding us once more of nature’s enduring capacity for renewal, even after a major forest fire. These first blooms from the scorched earth have emerged from bulbs and tubers buried deep in the ground, where they remained secure and untouched by the flames. Cyclamen, narcissi and sea squills peep out from among the trees in both burned and undamaged areas, and, in some parts of the woodland, grassy plants are already struggling back to life. KKL-JNF Carmel forester Yaakov Arak spoke about the long-term regeneration process that the burned forest is undergoing. The trees are also beginning to show signs of life, though they will, of course, take much longer to recover than the flowering plants. Broad-leaved trees, such as the oak and terebinth, regenerate from their existing roots, which generally remain undamaged by fire. Because of this, their recovery is relatively swift as their large root systems enable them to grow quickly. Careful pruning will, however, be necessary at a later stage. Coniferous trees, such as the pine, sprout afresh from the seeds scattered when the cones of the burned trees spring open in the heat of the fire. Here, too, the process is a lengthy one that can result in an overdense forest. To ensure healthy woodland development, intervention will probably be necessary at some point in the future. On the basis of a decision taken jointly by the experts representing a variety of bodies involved in the rehabilitation of Mount Carmel, at present, the foresters are refraining from taking any immediate action in the fire-damaged areas and are leaving nature to regenerate on its own. They are concentrating, instead, on pruning trees and cutting back vegetation in undamaged areas of woodland to prevent outbreaks of fire in the future. With the generous help of Ottawa’s Jewish community, and others like it around the world, KKL-JNF is going to restore the magnificent green cloak to the slopes of Mount Carmel. 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 Marilyn Dow for Tamir Tamir, an organization dedicated to assisting people with developmental disabilities to realize their potential within a Jewish environment, has taken its mandate to a new level. With the unprecedented success of its Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat production, Tamir now stands tall in responding to the challenges to which its participants can rise. A production of the magnitude of Joseph could never have been undertaken without the invaluable assistance of producers Morris and Pat Neuman. For 10 years, the Neuman team had a successful run producing Centrepointe shows for the JCC Theatreworks. Two years ago, Tamir lured them out of retirement to create something magical. While many would have hesitated, the Neumans jumped at the opportunity and have never looked back on the challenge with anything but satisfaction. “Watching the cast rehearse, and seeing how everyone in the cast has come together to put on this wonderful and unique show, has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our theatre lives,” said the Neumans. Morris has been doing theatre with Pat for well over 40 years. Pat has been involved in theatre since her teens. In addition to producing, Pat has performed in many musicals, as well as with her a cappella group, the Canadian Showtime Chorus. She has also performed with the Company of Musical Theatre. Morris and Pat will be honoured, Sunday, May 29, at the biannual Tamir Tea, for their dedication and unwavering support of the Tamir organization as a whole, and for the amazing work they did to take the Joseph production from dream to reality. In their

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat producers Pat and Morris Neuman will be honoured, May 29, at the Tamir Tea.

words, “This production truly demonstrates that, if all kinds of people come together with open minds and open hearts, any dream truly can come true.” As Tamir resident (and now theatre star) Debbie Wasserman said before the production, “People will see us and know that the singing comes from our heart.” The Tamir Tea is a fundraiser that enables Tamir participants to

achieve their dreams. For further information about attending the Tamir Tea, or

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Page 10 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

SJCC offers many specialty camps this coming summer By Pamela Rosenberg Soloway JCC Several years ago, what started out as one ‘girls-only’ camp has exploded into more than a dozen oneweek specialty camps that spark children’s imaginations, teach them to be active, give them opportunities to try new things and, most importantly, provide five days of unbeatable experiences. Each summer, the JCC of Ottawa Summer Camps add new specialty camps to their roster. This year is no exception with four brand new programs, plus a bunch of familiar favourites back from last season, for a total of 13 camps for kids aged five to 15. Debuting this summer are You Go Girl; Triple Threat; Off-Ice, PreSeason, Dryland Training Hockey Camp; and Summertime Splash. Returning camps include Girls on the Go; Fit Kids Have Fun; Horseback Riding Camp; the Great Adventure; Tennis Camp; Basketball Camp; Girl Power; and Last Blast. “They are a great complement to other day camps because they give kids a taste of something different each day of the week,” says Gail Lieff, specialty camps co-ordinator. “Many of the kids return year after

Girl Power campers celebrate Canada Day 2010.

year to try the different camps.” Triple Threat gives kids aged eight to 13 have a chance to sing, dance, act and learn about backgrounds and set design all under the leadership of professionals in the field. For those looking for something more wet and wild, there’s Summertime Splash, a week of water activi-

ties, including trips to water parks, paddle boating on Dow’s Lake, a day at the beach, as well as some on-site fun with water balloon tossing, water relays and more. Under the guidance of Soloway JCC Fitness Centre Manager Ryan Armitage, Off-Ice, Pre-Season, Dryland Training Hockey Camp will give young boys and girls extensive

training, an opportunity to expand their on-ice skills and a head start on the fall hockey season. Armitage says the half-day program is perfect for anyone already playing hockey and for those getting out on the ice for the fist time. “This camp will improve their fitness level and all the exercises will help anybody looking to im-

prove their sports skills. We’ll be doing lots of plyometrics, foot work and work on speed and balance.” Due to the overwhelming popularity of girls’ only camps over the years, Lieff has added one more to the list. The new You Go Girl focuses on self-expression and self-esteem, while the returning Girls on the Go stresses creativity and Girl Power is more active. “The biggest challenge is coming up with new and different field trips to go on in the city,” says Lieff. “We always want them to experience something new.” Although it might seem early to start planning for the summer, Executive Director of JCC of Ottawa Summer Camps Jon Braun urges families to sign up soon as many camps, including Basketball Camp, Horseback Riding Camp, Girl Power and Girls on the Go, all filled up well before the summer got underway last year. Due to the specialized programming and field trips, most specialty camps have a maximum number of campers allowed. For more information on specialty camps, visit jccottawa.com and download a camp brochure or contact Gail Lieff at 613-798-9818, ext. 303, or glieff@jccottawa.com.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 11

Malca Pass Library to celebrate 50th anniversary By Estelle Gunner for Malca Pass Library Committee The Malca Pass Library, established by Agudath Israel Synagogue in March 1961 in memory of Malca Pass, a beloved and tireless worker for sisterhood, will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary. Support from the synagogue, endowment funds and generous donations have ensured the library’s viability. Thanks to this financial support and through the efforts of dedicated librarians and volunteers, the Library has become an important asset and resource to the entire Ottawa Jewish community. The library has been accredited by the American Association of Jewish Libraries in recognition of its excellent collection and its professional operation, a rare honour for synagogue libraries. Early librarians included Leah Schnitzer, Esther Kaiman and Ruth Poplove. Frieda Lauterman served the library for 28 years, beginning in 1963, followed

Malca Pass

by Donna Guttman, who remained for 13 years until she made aliyah in 2005. The current librarian is Jack Schecter. During the 1960s and ‘70s, when Agudath Israel

housed the west-end branch of Hillel Academy, the Malca Pass Library catered to children as well as adults. In 1986, the library moved to a new, larger space in the former school-wing of the synagogue and turned its focus to the adult collection. The children’s collection was donated to Ottawa Hebrew schools and to the Greenberg Families Library. In addition to its many works of fiction and nonfiction, the Malca Pass Library now houses an extensive collection of Jewish music and DVDs. In 1989, the library

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added an important component to Agudath Israel’s Adult Education program with the establishment of the Malca Pass Book Discussion Group, which holds six or seven book review programs each year. These presentations have proved popular with both synagogue members and the larger Jewish and non-Jewish communities. Reviewers include group members and members of the larger community. The Malca Pass Library is supported by a volunteer committee that sets policy, hosts special events, and plans and operates the book discussion group. Over the years, in conjunction with the synagogue, the library has held a number of special events. These include lectures by Eleanor Wachtel, host of CBC radio’s Writers and Company, and members of the Pass family, Harriet Pass Freidenreich and David Freidenreich. The Malca Pass Library is open Thursdays from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm and Sundays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. In spite of the limited hours, the library maintains excellent circulation figures. The Malca Pass Library will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an open house and reception on Tuesday, April 5, 6.45 pm,

prior to a regular session of the Malca Pass Book Discussion Group. There will be a display of Malca Pass memorabilia as well as discussion group material. We look forward to welcoming

members of the Pass family to this milestone event. Following the reception, veteran reviewer Alvina Ruprecht will discuss The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

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Page 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ottawa Jewish Bulletin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; March 7, 2011

OTC celebrates Purim with talent show By Pherris Hamilton for OTC Chabad â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are calling on Ottawaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best talents to reserve their spot to perform at our Purim talent show this year,â&#x20AC;? said Rabbi Menachem Blum of Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad (OTC) with a smile. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our Purim party this year will be an entertaining event for adults and children alike.â&#x20AC;? Ottawaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent, a take on the TV show Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent, which features performers of all ages, will take place Sunday, March 20, 11:00 am at the Travelodge Hotel, 1376 Carling Avenue. The nonstop fun will include Ottawa talent, a Sunday brunch buffet, as well as a Megillah reading with a simultaneous slide show. The entire community is invited to come dressed up in the Purim tradition. Hamantaschen and graggers will be on hand. Ottawaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent is OTCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creative twist this

year on its traditional Purim party. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Making Jewish experiences fun and exciting is crucial to ensure Jewish continuity,â&#x20AC;? explained Rabbi Blum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our annual Purim party has always allowed hundreds of people, young and old, from various backgrounds, to come and celebrate their Jewish identity through the holiday of Purim. With this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talent show format, as well as the convenient time of our event, we are looking forward to a great attendance.â&#x20AC;? The event will also feature the talents of Cyrk Du Solo with comedy, music, magic, ventriloquism, juggling and more. Cyrk Du Solo has performed as opening act for such stars as Jim Carrey, Howie Mandel, Rick Moranis and Elvis Costello. This is a show that has performed around the world, including in Israel. Admission is $18 for adults and $10 for children.

Cyrk du Solo will entertain at Ottawaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent, OTCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Purim talent show, March 20.

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ottawatorahcentre.com or call 613-843-7770.

JFS matanot: Helping the poor at Purim By Geremy Miller Jewish Family Services On March 20, as Jews gather to celebrate Purim, Jewish Family Services (JFS) will be helping to fulfil the mitzvah of matanot leâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;evyonim (gifts to the poor). For the past several years, JFS has been ensuring

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that members our community struggling financially receive matanot leâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;evyonim on Purim. Similar to our other holiday distributions, the receipt of this gift is over and above the regular assistance they receive from JFS. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Matanot leâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;evyonim is an important part of Purim festivities,â&#x20AC;? said Mark Zarecki, JFS executive director. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, it is often overlooked and overshadowed, by dressing up in costume and drinking to excess. This holi-

day is about community. Ensuring everyone has the ability to enjoy a festive meal celebrating our collective victory of Haman is just as important.â&#x20AC;? JFS helps those living in poverty on a daily basis. Advocating, counselling, providing financial resources and case management are all in the course of a dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work. Despite the amount of work and the number of people we assist, much more can be done as the Jewish

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community increasingly acknowledges that poverty exists within the community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the biggest obstacles facing JFS is to make the community recognize poverty amongst its own,â&#x20AC;? said Zarecki when asked about the some of the challenges in raising funds for the Tikvah Program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donors can empathize with growing older, and understand some of the issues that arise with aging parents, but very few people truly understand what it means to live in poverty. When we, at JFS, speak about poverty, it means people do not have enough food to eat or money for shelter, clothes and heat. These are bare necessities that we, as a community, have an obligation to provide.â&#x20AC;? Zarecki wants to remind people that, although there is a specific commandment of giving tzedakah on Purim, it is also mitzvah to give on a daily basis. To make a donation for matanot leâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;evyonim, or to become a monthly donor, call 613-722-2225 or visit jfsottawa.com.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 13

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Page 14 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

The Last Night of Ballyhoo at YRHS Yitzhak Rabin High School students presented their Cappies-entry play, Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo, from February 14 to 16. The play is about a Jewish family in Atlanta, Georgia just before the Second World War broke out. Photos by Howard Sandler

Boo (Michaela Sadinsky), right, argues with her sister-in-law Reba (Hannah Silver).

Lala (Racheli Mandelker) on the phone with a potential suitor while her mother, Boo (Michaela Sadinsky), listens in.

Lala (Racheli Mandelker) pretends to swoon while her mother, Boo (Michaela Sadinsky), reassures her date Peachy (Itzy Kamil).

Sunny (Cassandra Starosta) dreams of love while her Uncle Adolph (Jordan Molot) reminisces about a lost love.

Sunny (Cassandra Starosta) in an angry exchange with Joe (Jonathan Roytenberg).

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 15

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 17

Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce launched Jerusalem – A new Holocaust era restitution project was announced February 23 to identify the victims whose assets were confiscated by the Nazis. An initiative of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), with the support of the Government of Israel, Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce (Project HEART) aims to provide the tools, strategy and information to enable the Government of Israel, the project and its partners to bring about a small measure of justice to eligible heirs of Jewish victims, the victims themselves and the Jewish people. At this initial stage, Project HEART is focusing on identifying individuals with potential claims regarding the following types of private property for which no restitution was received after the Holocaust era: (1) Private property that was located in countries that were controlled by the Nazi forces or Axis powers at any time during the Holocaust era; (2) Private property that belonged to Jewish persons as defined by Nazi/Axis racial laws; and (3) Private property that was confiscated,

looted or forcibly sold by the Nazi forces or Axis powers during the Holocaust era. “Many victims of the Holocaust returned to their homes to find that they had no ability to recover their own property,” said Natan Sharansky, Jewish Agency for Israel’s chairman. “Project HEART is a general comprehensive program that is launched to gather information with the eventual purpose of receiving compensation for property looted, stolen or forcibly sold during the Holocaust.” Jewish Holocaust victims and their heirs worldwide whose families owned movable, immovable or intangible personal property that was confiscated, looted or forcibly sold in countries governed or occupied by the Nazi forces or Axis powers during the Holocaust era are eligible. The only limitation for application is if restitution has been made to a victim or the victim’s heirs for that property after the Holocaust era; then they are not eligible for further restitution in connection with that property. “It is not necessary to have evidence of property ownership to be eligible to apply.

If individuals believe they owned or were beneficiaries of such property, they should fill out the questionnaire,” stated Anya Verkhovskaya, Project HEART director. Eligible properties for Project HEART include private properties of all kinds: (1) Immovable Property – an item of property that cannot be moved without destroying or altering it. This includes items of real estate such as developed land, including any buildings on it, and land without buildings; (2) Movable Property – any property that can be moved from one location to another. This may include art, Judaica, livestock, professional tools, precious metals, precious stones, jewelry and other movable property. (3) Intangible Personal Property – personal property that cannot actually be moved, touched or felt, but, instead, represents something of value. This may include negotiable instruments such as stocks, bonds, insurance policies, savings accounts, registered patents, dowry policies and other intangible personal property. It may also include negative assets – debts and liabilities

MEMBERS MEETING

owed to the individual – such as outstanding loans and mortgages. “Because of the immeasurable damage that was done to Jewish individuals and communities from the time their property was confiscated, Project HEART was put together as an initiative to reach out to those whose pain we can never imagine, but whom we can assist in the process of gathering data, which will hopefully and ultimately aid them in retrieving what is rightfully theirs,” said Bobby Brown of JAFI. “Belated, yet vital steps to partially redress the terrible wrongdoing committed during the Holocaust era in relation to asset restitution are now being taken with Project HEART.” A simple eligibility process has been established. To participate, individuals only need to fill out the questionnaire that may be found online at heartwebsite.org. Questionnaires will be processed based on agreements with relevant governments or authorities in their efforts to achieve restitution. For more information, call 1-800-5841559 or visit heartwebsite.com.

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Meeting is open to the Public

Meeting is open to the public.

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Contact: Dawn DawnPaterson Paterson 613-798-4696, (613) 798-4696,ext. ext. 236 236 Contact: dpaterson@jewishottawa.com dpaterson@jewishottawa.com

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ll us us today today at at 613.798.7644 613.798.7644 Call Donate Donate ssecurely ecurely o online nline or find nd o out ut more more at at w www.chw.ca ww.chw.ca Canadian Had Canadian Hadassah-WIZO dassah-WIZO ((CHW) CHW ) is C Canada’s anada’s leading Jewish w women’s omen’s philanthropic philan thropic or organization. ganization. FFounded ounded in 19 1917, 917, CHW is non-political non-political,, driven projects Children, vvolunteer olunteer dr ivven and funds programs programs and pr ojjects ffor or Childr en, Healthcare Healthcare and Women Women in n Israel Israel and C Canada. anada.

Time to renew your subscription? Don’t miss one issue! We have three ways to order. Online at: www.ottawajewishbulletin.com Send a cheque to: Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, 21 Nadolny Sachs Private, Ottawa ON K2A 1R9 • Call: 613-798-4696, ext. 242. We take VISA or MasterCard

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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 February 2 and 16, 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: Myril Howie by Marilyn Adler John Cipera by Marilyn Adler Sol Kaiman by Marilyn Adler and Neil Blacher Auxiliary of Hillel Lodge Fund In Memory of: Mother of David Swimmer by Shirley and Norman Levitt Sol Kaiman by Carolyn and Sid Katz Tami Berezin by Carolyn and Sid Katz In Honour of: Bobbie and Steve Coplan Best wishes on the occasion of your 50th anniversary by Shirley and Norman Levitt Boris and Dolly Blacher Family Fund In Honour of: Neil Blacher Happy birthday by Farley Stenzler; by Elayne Adler, by Jordan Stenzler; by Benjamin Stenzler; by Doug, Susan and Carly Bright; by Molly and Mark Blacher; by Mariana Herskovitz, Stan, GG and Eadan Farber; by Sarah and Steven Morgan; by Nancy Adler and Grant Love; by Cindy and Blake Toplis; by Wayne and Kayla Estrin;and by Cliff, Jacquie and Alex Stephens

R’fuah Shlema: Elayne Adler by the Blacher family Abe and Bea Dubinsky Endowment Fund In Memory of: Tami Berezin by Bea Dubinsky Joseph Ginsberg Family Endowment Fund In Memory of: Myer Goldin by Peter Ginsberg Malcolm and Vera Glube Endowment Fund In Memory of: Tami Berezin by Malcolm and Vera Glube In Honour of: Robbie Glube Congratulations on passing your CA exams with love by Malcolm and Vera Glube Nell Gluck Memorial Fund In Memory of: Rita Miller by Henry and Maureen Molot Louella Molot by Henry and Maureen Molot and Family In Honour of: Mr. and Mrs. Brian Shanley Mazal tov on the birth of your granddaughter Adelle by Julia Gluck, Ted and Jess Overton Maya Nix Be’Hatzlacha ba’aretz. Your adopted parents and brother miss you love by Julia, Ted and Jess Sean Brady Good luck in your new job by Dad, Julia and Jess Gunner Family Fund In Memory of: Mother of Elena Artemov by Estelle Gunner In Honour of: Cyril and Dodie Teplinsky Mazal tov on your daughter’s engagement by Sol and Estelle Gunner Roz and Steve Fremeth Mazal tov on your son’s engagement by Sol and Estelle Gunner David, Harvey, Victor Kardish Family Fund In Honour of: Moe Kardish Best wishes to our special

uncle on his special birthday by Margo, David, Aaron and Gail Kardish Dorothy and Maurie Karp Endowment Fund In Observance of the Yahrzeit of: Maurie Karp by Dorothy Karp; and by his children and their families Morris and Lillian Kimmel Family Fund In Memory of: Louella Molot by Brenda Levine and Janet Kaiman and families Levenson-Polowin Feeding Fund In Honour of: Marcia and Barry Cantor Mazal tov on your special anniversary by Heidi and Steve Polowin

Roslyn and Myles Taller Family Endowment Fund In Honour of: Myles Taller Happy birthday Zaidie with lots of hugs and kisses by Selina, Alexa and Eriana Milton and Mary (Terry) Viner Family Fund In Observance of the Yahrzeit of: Sylvia Altshuller by Millie Schaenfield In Memory of: Sol Kaiman by Millie Schaenfield Therpeutics Fund In Memory of: Miriam Rapoport by Barb and Jeffrey, Melanie, Minh and Kayla, Allison and Brandon Farber ****************

Levin Family Fund In Memory of: Sol Kaiman by Harold, Shelley, Lewis and Ellen Levin R’Fuah Shlema to: Rabbi David Hayes by Harold, Shelley, Lewis and Ellen Levin Irma and Harold Sachs Family Fund In Memory of: Mother of Elena Artemov by Irma Sachs Stephen and Debra Schneiderman Family Fund In Memory of: Sol Kaiman by Stephen, Debbie and Jordon Schneiderman Murray Goldenblatt by Stephen and Debbie Schneiderman; by Rita Hornstein; by Shirley Feller and family; and by Sylvia Segal Kutzin Mother of Elena Artemov by Stephen and Debbie Schneiderman Harold and Lillian Shoihet Memorial Fund R’Fuah Shlema to: Mrs. Leah Bulka by Dovid Shoihet and family Ralph and Anne Sternberg Memorial Fund In Observance of the Yahrzeit of: Anne Sternberg beloved mother and grandmother by Laya and Ted Jacobsen In Honour of: Margaret Delicate and her caring committee In appreciation for a wonderful community potluck supper at Temple Israel, Mazal tov by Laya and Ted Jacobsen Anna-Lee Chiprout Happy birthday with warm wishes by Laya and Ted Jacobsen

IN HONOUR OF: Arlene and Norman Glube Mazal tov on the birth of your grandson Theo by Ingrid Levitz Lovella Abrams Best wishes on your 95th birthday by Arthur and Ruth Kizell IN MEMORY OF: Joe Slippoy by Ruth and Dale Fyman Myril Howie by the LTC Foundation, Residents, Board and Staff of Hillel Lodge Bessie Taller by Zahava and Barry Farber and family Miriam Kage by Zahava and Barry Farber and family Myer Goldin by Zahava and Barry Farber and family; by Mark and Debbie Holzman; and by Aviva and Seymour Diener and family Paul Cooper by Eric Weiner, Arlene Godfrey, Melissa and Laura John Cipera by the LTC Foundation, Residents, Board and Staff of Hillel Lodge Tami Berezin by Shirley Viner Rita Miller by Ian and Estelle Melzer; by Leo and Sylvia Strawczynski; and by Leah and Issie Scarowsky Sol Kaiman by the LTC Foundation, Residents, Board and Staff of Hillel Lodge; and by Cheryl and David Breger Emile Benlolo by Arthur and Ruth Kizell Mother of Elena Artemov by the LTC Foundation, Residents, Board and Staff of Hillel Lodge

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.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 19

Purim Feature:

Professor says Jewish humour was born in 1661 By Sue Fishkoff (JTA) – The Chmielnicki massacres weren’t particularly funny. From 1648 to 1651, nearly 100,000 Jews were slaughtered in Ukraine by Bohdan Chmielnicki and his roving bands of Cossacks. It was, arguably, the worst pogrom in history, leaving hundreds of Jewish communities in ruins. Yet, according to Mel Gordon, a theatre professor at the University of California, Berkeley, it was those years of terror that led to what we now know of as Jewish humour. A lot of what we laugh at during Purim festivities stems from that horrific period. And it happened on one day in July 1661 when the badkhn – a kind of cruel court jester in East European Jewish life – was spared a ban on merrymakers. “We’re funny because of the badkhn,” Gordon told JTA. Gordon, who has authored numerous books on theatre, cinema and popular culture, lectures widely on his badkhn theory. “Everyone says that Jews are funny because they suffered so much,” he said. “That’s ridiculous. You think the rest of the world hasn’t suffered? What about the Armenians, the Biafrans, the American Indians? None of them are known for their humour.” Nor are Jews funny because they’ve “always been funny,” another common falsehood, he says. It’s only in the past 100 years,

with the rise of Hollywood and nightclub society, that Jewish humour has become a staple of popular culture. “At the turn of the 20th century, the Jews were commonly perceived to be a humourless, itinerant nation,” Gordon wrote in Funnyman, a 2010 book co-authored with Thomas Andrae about the short-lived Jewish comic book superhero. So, it’s not genetic, and it’s not because of suffering or social marginalization that led to this thing we call Jewish humour – it’s the badkhn. The badkhn was a staple in East European Jewish life for three centuries, mocking brides and grooms at their weddings. He also was in charge of Purim spiels in shtetl society. His humour was biting, even vicious. He would tell a bride she was ugly, make jokes about the groom’s dead mother and round things off by belittling the guests for giving such worthless gifts. Much of the badkhn’s humour was grotesque, even scatological. “They would talk about drooping breasts, big butts, small penises,” Gordon said. “We know a lot about them because they were always suing each other about who could tell which fart joke on which side of Grodno.” It’s that same self-deprecating tone that characterizes the Yiddish-inflected Jewish jokes of the 20th century, Gordon points out. Who is the surly Jewish deli waiter of Henny Youngman fame if not a badkhn, making

wisecracks at the customer’s expense? Before the 1660s, there were at least 10 different stock comic types in shtetl life, Gordon says. One would rhyme, one would juggle, one might sing. Wealthy folks would hire a variety for their simchas, or festive celebrations. But, in the summer of 1661, a decade after the Chmielnicki massacres and its resultant famines, leading rabbis from Poland and Ukraine – the Elders of the Four Councils – met in Vilna to discuss why such evils had befallen the Jewish people. The elders decided the Jews were being punished by God. A return to strict observance was the only solution. Levity and luxury were to be avoided. As one of the new conditions, wedding festivities became much more sombre, and holidays such as Purim and Simchat Torah less raucous. The traditional Jewish comics were outlawed. During one discussion on July 3, 1661, Gordon relates, a rabbi asked his colleagues, what about the badkhn? He’s not really funny, the rabbi said. In fact, he’s abusive. The elders agreed, and the badkhn was exempted from the ban – he wasn’t a merrymaker and he wasn’t encouraging levity. And that’s how the badkhn became the only Jewish comic permitted in the shtetls, Gordon says, and how his particular brand of sarcastic, bleak humour set the tone for what we know today as Jewish comedy. Before the 1660s, the

badkhn was the least popular Jewish entertainer – now he was the sole survivor. “Jewish humour used to be the same as that of the host country,” Gordon said. “Now it began to deviate from mainstream European humour. It became more aggressive, meaner. All of Jewish humour changed.” The badkhn’s role was secure from the 1660s to the 1890s and the beginning of the great Jewish migration to North America and to the larger cities of Russia and Ukraine. Gordon’s father, who came to America in 1929 from the Polish shtetl Bielsk-Podlasky, remembers the badkhn of his youth. “He was always drunk in the cemetery, telling jokes to kids,” Gordon recalls. “He came out of hiding for Purim and weddings.” Little remains of the badkhn today outside Chasidic communities, where they are the stars of the yearly Purim spiels. When Gordon lived in New York in the 1980s, he would take journalists to Chasidic synagogues in Brooklyn every spring to witness these raucous celebrations. But the badkhn’s influence is still felt in mainstream culture, Gordon says, from the Borscht Belt humour of the 1920s and ‘30s, to contemporary Italian and African-American comedians who trade in barbed insults and self-deprecation. “Even today, almost all Jewish entertainers have badkhn humour,” Gordon said. “Sarah Silverman is completely badkhn.”

Page 20 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

Conservative Judaism: We don’t have to check our liberalism at the shul door Conservative Judaism is in transition. Once the largest stream of American synagogue life, in recent years, it has been overtaken by Reform. In Canada, it still remains the largest denomination. But Conservative shuls everywhere still struggle to remain vital among younger generations for whom shul membership feels less like an obligation and more of a choice. On top of this is the fundamental tension the Conservative movement faces between a commitment to halacha (Jewish law) and an appreciation of contemporary values. Long occupying the sometimes muddled middle ground between Orthodox Judaism, which adheres strictly to halacha, and Reform Judaism, which does not view halacha as binding, the Conservative movement promotes a big tent approach to Judaism, in which modern interpretations of halacha often set the tone. Among Conservative congregations in Canada alone, practices range widely, from the blessing of same-sex unions to excluding women from being counted in a minyan. This balancing act has led critics of Conservative Judaism to accuse it of not standing for anything. In a September 2007 Commentary article, historian Jack Wertheimer describes Emet v’Emunah: Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism, published in 1988, as being “virtually incomprehensible.” Earlier, in a February 2001 Moment Magazine article, Orthodox Rabbi Avi Shafran had written a scathing attack on Conservative Judaism saying, “Halacha receives lip service, at best, from the Conservative leadership,” and calling the movement “effectively defunct.” Big tent movements can be difficult to read, let alone to navigate. But, by virtue of being broad and inclusive, they are uniquely poised to bring vigour and excitement to their missions. It used to be that the biggest value-tensions between congregants and their shuls were in the areas of Shabbat ob-

servance and kashrut. It is common for congregants to drive to shul, while demanding that their clergy walk. While many Conservative Jews regularly eat in non-kosher restaurants, they might be offended to see their rabbi doing the same. But these tensions have been mostly worked out. In my view, the biggest challenge today has to do with deeper ethical issues surrounding contemporary – namely liberal – values and ethics. The movement is closing in on this tension, even beginning to debate jettisoning the name Conservative for the more spiritual moniker Masorti (meaning ‘traditional,’ the name the movement uses outside the United States and Canada.) True, there have been growing pains. The 2008 split from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism by four Canadian congregations to form the Canadian Council of Conservative Synagogues – which has now grown to nine congregations, including Ottawa’s Beth Shalom – highlights a rift in the movement between those favouring increased liberalization in such areas as women’s ritual participation and GLBT inclusion and others who are opposed. (In 2006, the Rabbinical Assembly began to allow the ordination of gays and lesbians and the blessing of same-sex unions.) With all these crucial issues being grappled with, this is Conservative Judaism’s moment. American Jewish sociologist Steven M. Cohen noted in 2008 that Jews are shifting from a normative to an aesthetic approach to religion. “A normative approach argues that Jewish involvement is good and right, and that certain ways of being Jewish are better than others. An aesthetic approach is less judgmental and directive. It sees being Jewish as a matter of beauty and culture, as a resource for meaning rather than as an ethical or moral imperative.” To this, I would add that, for many, it is the particular aesthetic expression of Jewish practice that leads one to af-

Canada unprepared for cyber-warfare In mid-February, the federal government finally put an end to the rumours and revealed that some of its most sensitive institutions, Treasury Board, the Department of Finance and the Defence Research Establishment, were hacked or attacked by foreign cyber-hackers. The smart money is on the hackers being interested not only in our own budget information, but also in information shared by our friends, allies, and probably G7 nations. There are two points to this story. First, how could the Canadian federal government, with billions invested in its infrastructure, megaprojects such as Secure Channel (a multi-billion dollar boondoggle by Public Works and Government Services) and millions spent by Treasury Board on encryption technology since early 1990s, yield so little protection from its investment? The irony is that Ottawa once was called Silicon Valley North. We had leading edge science, highly educated minds, competitive firms, and were patriotic to boot, but were abandoned by our federal and provincial governments in favour of open markets (meaning U.S. and China), and a complete lack of interest in Canadian innovation. For a government that ran on transparency and accountability, it is a complete farce that the PMO hasn’t fired anyone – politician or senior bureaucrat – who may have been responsible for such gross incompetence. Lack of training, inadequate security procedures and acceptance of an outdated technology infrastructure has led government into a state of denial. Every security specialist worth their salt will

tell you that there are nations out there listening continually to every bit of electronic information communicated from western governments on the net and are continually trying to get into our networks. Obviously, as reported by WikiLeaks, the Canadian government didn’t learn any lessons from a similar experience with cyber-attackers in 2008 and has had to repeat this second enjoyable cyberprobe. Second, what is the role of China’s military in cyber-bullying attacks and espionage targeting democracies around the world? More worrisome than the thought of China reading our government’s information is the possibility that it has enlisted the support of such rogue nations as Iran and North Korea to facilitate and assist in these endeavours. The Chinese military invests billions of dollars in cyberwarfare apparatus that is horizontally integrated with its traditional espionage channels. They have the labour and the know-how not only to get into sensitive electronic environments, but also to stay for as long as possible to extract as much as they can. In fact, Chinese-made computer chips and components are normally avoided by most intelligence organizations due to the potential level of risk. The sheer volume of electronic components makes it possible for the bad guys to embed spyware inside any components without the real manufacturer’s knowledge. China has an extensive track record, having hacked its way into Indian military systems, the U.S. National Guard, various financial institutions, Google, NASA, the World Bank, the U.S. State Department,

Values, Ethics, Community Mira Sucharov filiate with a certain denomination in the first place. Long Shabbat morning services anchored by Hebrew and traditional melodies simply feel more authentic to many. But, once some of these members have signed up, their own values and ethics may get in the way of feeling truly comfortable. While this can be painful (the gay couple turned away from a chuppah, the woman who doesn’t count, the intermarried spouse who doesn’t feel welcome), it is also where things can get dynamic and interesting – if one is willing to work for change. There are many areas where Conservative Judaism needs more voices to inject its current debates with texture and meaning: women’s role in prayer and community, full inclusion of gays and lesbians, recognizing the “unsung heroes” (what Rabbi Kerry Olitzky of the Jewish Outreach Institute calls non-Jewish spouses who help raise Jewish kids), social justice that goes beyond soup-kitchen-type social action, environmental awareness, and encouraging a deeper dialogue about Israel. For the majority of adult Canadians who, like me, grew up in traditional congregations, there is something deeply moving and often nostalgic about the particular feel of a Conservative shul. But, now that we have grown up and are engaged in a broader world, where brittle us-versus-them divisions have proven wasteful and tragic, not all of Conservative Judaism’s current social practices resonate. We shouldn’t have to ‘check our liberalism at the shul door.’ My experience has been that we don’t have to. Only if, that is, we choose to join the conversation. Mira Sucharov, an associate professor of political science at Carleton University, blogs at the Huffington Post.

World Affairs Oliver Javanpour both the McCain and Obama presidential campaign computer systems, and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program, just to name a few. In 2008, the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs revealed the results of its 10-month investigation showing that GhostNet, a massive cyber-espionage ring originating in China, had penetrated more than 1,200 systems in 103 countries. The federal government and its senior bureaucrats – many still living in the 19th century – are out of touch with the realities of the information age, cyber-protection, and the level of preparation needed to withstand attack and cyber-warfare. Lack of foresight, willful ignorance toward Canadian innovation, and lack of investment in information/cyber infrastructure has left not only the government, but also the corporate and financial sectors, and individuals across our nation, vulnerable. If we are defenceless in the face of these cyber-bullies, it is because we choose to be. Oliver Javanpour is a senior partner at Cyrus Echo, a public policy, and international relations consulting firm in Ottawa.

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 21

Former Hillel Ottawa director working with young adults in Toronto Bright, energetic, full of personality and took the best of every single dating webdedicated to her community, are just some site and made it into a Jewish dating site of the words that can be used to describe for free. Alana Kayfetz. “Their whole platform is to have young Kayfetz, the executive director of Hillel Jewish people dating other young Jewish Ottawa from August 2008 to June 2010, people,” she said. has been working in Toronto since July, And since the launch of MatzoDate shaking up the Jewish scene there. early last month, “they have had a new “I’m currently working for a new deregistered user every 15 minutes,” said partment called UJA’s Community ConKayfetz. nect. I work under the umbrella of the Whether you’re single or taken, Kayfetz Taglit-Birthright Israel program and the encourages the Jewish community to pass Birthright alumni community,” said around the word about the dating site. Kayfetz. “Anyone who is single should try it and As the young adult volunteer and enanyone who isn’t single should pass it on,” gagement manager, she’s connecting with she said. Alana Kayfetz is promoting Jews between 22 and 40 and setting them MatzoDate, a free dating web“They’re not trying to make people beup with volunteer opportunities in the com- site for Jewish young people. come more religious, they just want Jews munity. to marry other Jews.” “I get to meet people, build communities and plug people For more information, visit matzodate.com. into communities,” she said. “It’s a pretty good fit for someone like me.” New York Kayfetz credits her time spent in Ottawa as having an inOn my recent trip to New York City, I checked out the Jewfluence on her career opportunities. ish scene there and was very impressed. One organization that “I really do miss Ottawa and there is nothing like Ottawa,” made my visit particularly memorable was Manhattan Jewish she said. “Ottawa really gave me the skills and tools to be an Experience (MJE). amazing community professional. And I really do miss the stuMJE holds regular events for young professionals in their dents and the lay community at large, for sure.” 20s and 30s, including networking events that feature cocktails In addition to her extensive involvement with the Toronto and speakers who explore the connections between Judaism community, including JUMP (Jewish Urban Meeting Place), and such themes as law, media and the arts, business, and she is also promoting MatzoDate, a new Jewish dating web- health and wellness, among others. site. Their beginners’ shul services feature enthusiastic singing “My brother and his friend developed this website. They and dancing. For more information on Manhattan Jewish Experience, visit jewishexperience.org.

Tickets are $15 (advance) and $20 (at the door). For more information, contact Rabbi Michael Goldstein at michaelgoldstein@hotmail.com.

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JET Purim Event Purim is fast approaching and JET is throwing a bash for young professionals called The Jazz Lounge on Saturday, March 19 at Events InStyle (107 Murray Street in the ByWard Market). The Megillah reading starts at 9:15 pm and live music and cocktails (cash bar) will begin at 10:00. Attendees are encouraged to wear jazz lounge-inspired ensembles.

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Page 22 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 23

FOUNDATION DONATIONS Our future is in your hands

Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation

APPOTIVE FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Howard and Sharron Appotive, David and Sharon Appotive, and Debra and Sid Bick. Mazal Tov to: Mark and Marla Spergel on the engagement of Andrew to Eryn by David, Sharon, Ryan, Jaye and Brody Appotive.

To make a donation and/or send a tribute card, call Erin Bolling (613-798-4696 ext. 232) e-mail: donation@ojcf.ca • website: www.OJCF.ca

Join us in building our community by supporting these local agencies AJA 50+ ENDOWMENT FUND Speedy recovery to: Joan Bloom by Clair Krantzberg. SHIRLEY AND SHIER BERMAN FUND FOR OTTAWA JEWISH ARCHIVES Birthday wishes to: Ingrid Shapiro by David, Pasquale, Lili and Luca Kimmel. GREENBERG FAMILIES LIBRARY FUND In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Roger Greenberg and Cindy Feingold. OTTAWA LODGE B’NAI BRITH #885 PRESIDENTS SCHOLARSHIP FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Jerry Taylor by Barbara Taylor. SOLOWAY JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Louella Molot by Jackie and David Lyman. AKIVA EVENING HIGH SCHOOL ENDOWMENT FUND ADINA BEN PORAT MACHON SARAH TORAH EDUCATION FUND DORIS BRONSTEIN TALMUD TORAH AFTERNOON SCHOOL FUND BARRY FISHMAN OTTAWA JEWISH BULLETIN SCHOLARSHIP FUND MARTIN GLATT PARLIAMENT LODGE B’NAI BRITH PAST PRESIDENTS’ FUND MENDEL AND VALERIE GOOD HOLOCAUST CONTINUING EDUCATION FUND HILLEL ACADEMY ENDOWMENT FUND HILLEL ACADEMY CHILDREN OF THE BOOK AWARD FUND HILLEL LODGE LEGACY FUND JEWISH COMMUNITY CEMETERY HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL FUND JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES AGENCY FUND

The Board of Directors of the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation acknowledges with thanks contributions to the following funds as of February 14, 2011.

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RICKI AND BARRY BAKER ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Barry Baker on the occasion of his second Bar Mitzvah by Dorothy and Ben Greenberg. NORMAN AND MYRNA BARWIN FOUNDATION OF THE PINCHAS ZUKERMAN MUSICAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND In memory of: Rita Miller by Norman and Myrna Barwin. JAMIE BEREZIN ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Tami Berezin by Corinne Levine; by Sheldon and Corrine Taylor; Carol, Laurie, Byron and Noah Pascoe; by Michael and Andrea Malek; by Stuart and Carol Levine; by Murray Citron; by Gittel Tatz and family; by Barbara Taylor; by Elissa and Avraham Iny; by Helen Cohen and Stacey; by The Lampert Family; by Shirley and Norman Levitt; by Robin, Michael, Jake and Matthew Storfer; by Evelyn Greenberg and family; by Arlene and Ken Glube; by Diane Koven and Jeremy and Zahava; by Donna and Eric Levin and family; by Shirley Berezin; by Alysia, Larry and Sammy Rose; and by Irwin Pressman and family. SAM AND ANN BROZOVSKY ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Miriam Rapoport by Ann Brozovsky. Mazal Tov to: Bryna and Murray Cohen on the birth of their grandchild by Ann Brozovsky. TILLIE AND HARRY CHERM MEMORIAL FUND Birthday wishes to: Mollie Fine by Donald Cherm and Robert Lebans; and by Sylvia Kaiman. In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Ingrid Levitz; by Allan Wexler; by Joe and Ruth Viner; by Libby and Stan Katz; by Jack and Sarah Silverstein and family; by Sandy and Philip Gennis and family; by Judith Cole; by Beth Roodman; by Rhoda, Michael, Adam and Mark Aronson; by Marvin and Naomi Krym; by Estelle and Lazarre Huniu; by Dorene Hurtig; and by David and Judith Kalin. SANDI AND EDDY COOK ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Sandi and Eddy Cook and family. CYNTHIA AND ABE ENGEL ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Cynthia Engel. ELLEN AND RAHAMIM FATHI ENDOWMENT FUND Anniversary wishes to: Marcia and Barry Cantor by Ellen and Ray Fathi and family. FLORENCE FAMILY MEMORIAL FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: A.L. Florence, a dear grandfather by A.L., Ann and Leanne Smith.

Lena Florence, a dear grandmother by A.L., Ann and Leanne Smith. Jack Florence, a dear uncle by A.L., Ann and Leanne Smith. Rose Doctor, a dear aunt by A.L., Ann and Leanne Smith. EVA, DIANE AND JACK GOLDFIELD MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Morley Goldfield and family. GREENBERG, HUTT, KONICK ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Stan Katz by Morrie and Rose Konick. Anniversary wishes to: Gdalyah and Florence Rosenfeld by Morrie and Rose Konick. ZELDA AND JOHN GREENBERG ENDOWMENT FUND In Observance of the Yahrzeit of: Zelda Greenberg by Margot Greenberg and Claude Houle. John Greenberg by Margot Greenberg and Claude Houle. HY AND PAULINE HOCHBERG ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Tami Berezin by Pauline Hochberg. MAX AND DORA KARP KAPINSKY MEMORIAL FUND Special birthday wishes to: Goldie Rivers by Ruth Karp and Arthur Max. MOE AND ESTHER KARDISH ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Moe Kardish by Roslyn, Steven, Bobby and David Wollock. Mazal Tov to: Bryna and Murray Cohen on the birth of their grandchild by Moe Kardish. Speedy recovery to: Moe Kardish by David and Joy Kardish and family. SAMUEL AND TILLIE KARDISH MEMORIAL FUND Mazal Tov to: Ann Brozovsky on the birth of her great-grandson by David and Joy Kardish and family. Bryna and Murray Cohen on the birth of their granddaughter by David and Joy Kardish and family. LIBBY AND STAN KATZ FAMILY COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Morrie Konick by Libby and Stan Katz. Anniversary wishes to: Gdalyah and Florence Rosenfeld by Libby and Stan Katz. KERSHMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND Birthday wishes to: Sylvia Kershman by Libby and Stan Katz. ANNICE AND SYDNEY KRONICK FAMILY FUND In memory of: Miguel Angel Valcarcel by Debi and Neil Zaret. Sol Kaiman by Debi and Neil Zaret. ISSIE AND EDITH LANDAU ENDOWMENT FUND Speedy recovery to: Arnell Goldberg by Edith Landau. Continued on page 24

Page 24 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

FOUNDATION DONATIONS GOLDMAN/LANDAU FAMILY FUND In appreciation to: Ron Zevy by Michael Landau. NORMAN AND ISABEL LESH ENDOWMENT FUND Belated special birthday wishes to: Norman Lesh by Yvonne and Harvey Lithwick and family. ERNEST AND IDA LEVITZ MEMORIAL FUND Birthday wishes to: Harold Medjuck by Ingrid Levitz. Mazal Tov to: Helaine and Jack Gould on the birth of their second grandchild by the Levitz family. JOHN AND ESTELLE LIBERMAN ENDOWMENT FUND Condolences to: Phyllis Schiff on the loss of a dear father by Estelle and John Liberman. SAMUEL AND LEEMA MAGIDSON ENDOWMENT FUND In observance of the Yahrzeit of: Sam Magidson by Lawrence Weisz. JACOB MALOMET MEMORIAL FUND Speedy recovery to: Joan Bloom by Alvin and Diana Malomet. PREHOGAN FAMILY FUND IN MEMORY OF AARON HARRY COHEN Mazal Tov to: Donna and Bernie Dolansky on the engagement of Gillian to Neil by Avalee and Ron Prehogan.

PHYLLIS AND ALAN RACKOW ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Tami Berezin by Phyllis and Alan Rackow. Speedy recovery to: Dwayne Wright by Phyllis and Alan Rackow. MOE AND SARAH RESNICK ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Penny, Gordie, Zac and Steven Resnick. Speedy recovery to: Sam Goldmaker by Penny, Gordie, Zac and Steven Resnick. FLORENCE AND GDALYAH ROSENFELD ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Florence and Gdalyah Rosenfeld. John Holzman by Florence and Gdalyah Rosenfeld. SAMUEL AND RUTH ROTHMAN MEMORIAL FUND Mazal Tov to: Geremy and Ariella Miller on the birth of their son by Sheldon and Corinne Taylor. SHELLEY AND SID ROTHMAN FAMILY FUND Mazal Tov to: Steve and Roz Fremeth on the engagement of their son Howard to Melanie by Shelley Rothman and family. ARNOLD SHINDER SCHOLARSHIP FUND Birthday wishes to: Bernard Shinder by Sol and Zelaine Shinder.

JACK AND SARAH SILVERSTEIN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND In appreciation to: Norman and Isabel Lesh by Jack Silverstein. BOBBY STEINBERG MEMORIAL FUND Mazal Tov to: Ian Shore and Jane Ehrenworth on the recent marriage of their daughter by Gary and Sharon Steinberg. JAY B. TALLER MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Tami Berezin by Beth Roodman. RUTH TALLER MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: Tami Berezin by Mendy Taller. Louella Molot by Mendy Taller. R’fuah Sh’lemah to: Harvey Slipacoff by Mendy Taller. CHARLES AND RAE TAVEL MEMORIAL FUND Birthday wishes to: Barry Baker by Lilyan Philipp. STEPHEN AND GAIL VICTOR ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Emile Chaim Benlolo by Sandy Marchello. RUTH AND JOSEPH VINER ENDOWMENT FUND Anniversary wishes to: Ruth and Joe Viner by Sol and Zelaine Shinder. MIRIAM AND LOUIS WEINER ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Paul Cooper by Miriam and Louis Weiner. MILDRED AND PERCY WEINSTEIN ENDOWMENT FUND R’fuah Sh’lemah to: Joan Bloom by Millie Weinstein. Harvey Slipacoff by Millie Weinstein. In memory of: Tami Berezin by Mildred Weinstein and Bruce Weinstein. HALTON/WEISS FAMILY FUND Mazal Tov to: Michael Walsh and Lisa Rosenkrantz on the birth of their granddaughter Rebecca by Ron and Debbie Weiss. ROBERT WENER AND LYNNE ORECK WENER FAMILY FUND Mazal Tov to: Lisa Rosenkrantz and Michael Walsh on the birth of their granddaughter by Lynne Oreck-Wener and Bob Wener.

WOMEN’S COLLECTIVE ENDOWMENT FUND Mazal Tov to: Lisa Rozenkrantz on her Family Practice Award by Lynne Oreck-Wener and Bob Wener. Bonnie Merovitz on her retirement by Lynne OreckWener and Bob Wener. Speedy recovery to: Debi Zaret by Lynne Oreck-Wener and Bob Wener. ZIPES KARANOFSKY FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of: Alfred McDonald by Rick and Helen Zipes. Mazal Tov to: Jack and Helaine Gould on the birth of second grandchild and first grandson by Rick and Helen Zipes. THE SAUL AND EDNA GOLDFARB B’NAI MITZVAH PROGRAM MARA BOSLOY B’NAI MITZVAH FUND In memory of: Sol Kaiman by Judy and Jonathan Bosloy and family. REBECCA BOSLOY MITZVAH FUND In memory of: Louella Molot by Judy and Jonathan Bosloy and family. ELIZABETH GREENBERG MITZVAH FUND Mazal Tov to: Elizabeth Greenberg on her Bat Mitzvah by Joe Pearl and Sandi Schapira; by Brenda Wolf; by Edward and Barbara Victor; Libby and Stan Katz; by Hannah, Tommy, Richard and Michelle Sachs; by Reesa Greenberg; by Gail Kardish; by Bette Kerman; by Judi Hoffman; by Eslyn Meertens; by Charlie Ornstein; by Rosaline Meertens; Eric Siminovitch and Earl; by Mindi and Irwin Hartman; and by Steve and Heidi Polowin. MAX MORGAN MITZVAH FUND Mazal Tov to: Max Morgan on his recent Bar Mitzvah by Lois and Bob Abelson. MARSHALL ROTHMAN B’NAI MITZVAH FUND Mazal Tov to: Howard Fremeth and Melanie Teplinsky on their engagement by Marshall and PJ Rothman. 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.

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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 25

Author/artist struggles with competing narratives on Birthright trip How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less By Sarah Glidden DC/Vertigo 206 pages Graphic novels continue to be an innovative and engaging way of conveying information and telling stories. Sarah Glidden’s first full-length graphic work, How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, is an account of her Birthright trip to Israel as a 26-year-old. Set in 2007, the book takes the reader through an array of emotions as Glidden struggles to make sense of the mainstream Zionist narrative to which she is exposed. The young author sets out on the trip with a skeptical eye. She promises her South Asian Muslim boyfriend not to “come back a brainwashed, raging Zionist.” In bringing her honest, searching and critical voice to her experience, the title is quite apt. The slim volume is by no means exhaustive of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it does provide a clear-eyed, first-cut take at the ‘situation’ (she refers to the political context using the ubiquitous term that Israelis use). The book also engages with the Diaspora Jewish experience in an original way. Her trip begins in the contested Golan Heights, where participants are shown a film defending Israel’s hold over the area. Glidden is quick to call it propaganda, and finds a sympathetic ear in her Israeli tour guide. “I agree. It was propaganda,” Gil tells the busload of young Americans. He explains that the residents of Katzrin made the film to try to sway public opinion away from Israel withdrawing from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria. “By now, things being what they are with Hezbollah, which is supported by Syria, negotiations on the Golan Heights are out of the question for the time being,” Gil concludes. The strategic situation is thus concisely rendered, at least from Israel’s perspective. As the bus winds its way through the country, Glidden is more forthright about introducing multiple viewpoints. A visit to Masada is told in parallel narratives with the tour guide’s sanitized version set against paraphrased excerpts from Josephus’s account. There, the Jewish zealots are revealed to be less savoury than the heroic treatment they have received within modern Israel’s reconstructed version. As the tour visits Degania, the first kibbutz, Glidden brings to life the early residents in her comic book frames. “I’m sure you really were amazing people, but what Joel said about you seems too good to be true. All this rhetoric about being ‘heroes’ and ‘pioneers.’ Even the word pioneer! It implies that there was no one here before you,” she writes. But Glidden’s attempt to counter the official versions she is given with her own doubting lens takes a toll on her. A visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial, and Independence Hall, the Tel Aviv room where Israeli leaders declared their state’s independence, results in an emotional breakdown. She imagines Israel’s founders telling her, “You would have come here too.” She is plagued by a disturbing array of mental images: Nazi soldiers abusing Jews, and Israeli soldiers carrying out the brutalities of occupation. Ultimately, the book echoes the on-the-one-hand, on-theother-hand approach to reasoning that Tevye the Milkman so humanly represented in Sholem Aleichem’s stories. “I think I wanted to know for sure that Israel was the bad guy. I wanted to know that I could cut it out of my life for good,” Glidden tells another of her Israeli tour guides. “But now I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I can see why Israel did some of what they did. You guys are good peo-

ple. At least, some of you are. Or maybe I’m just being brainwashed just like everyone said I would be!” The book is marketed as a things are not what they seem kind of approach to Israeli-Arab relations. “When she got there, whatever she thought she understood about Israel turned out to be very different from what she found,” promises the back cover. While that is perhaps overstating things a tad, she did arrive with a critical eye and returned with a nuanced understanding. Israel is not the villain. But neither is it the hero. In a sense, Glidden’s personal struggle represents the best

Book Review Mira Sucharov of any engaged Israel/Palestine watcher who struggles to sift through the enormous amount of messaging from all sides that comes at us daily through activists, lobbyists, dinner-party conversation and the media. The graphic novel format works well here, allowing us different vantage points and different perspectives. Glidden’s artistically rendered treatment forces the reader to be actively engaged just as we are immersed in the issues. It is a good metaphor for global citizenship.

Hillel Ottawa collaborates on interfaith conference with Ahmadiyya Muslim student group A Jewish cantor, a Christian pastor, a Muslim maulana and an atheist walk into a bar – what happens? Change the joke to real life and change the bar to Carleton University’s Kailash Mital Theatre to find out. On February 9, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Students Association (AMSA) held its 31st World Religions Conference, an annual event that takes place at multiple universities around the world. For the first time, Hillel Ottawa: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life co-sponsored the event. The lecture hall chairs were filled with a diverse crowd. Some wore a kippah or taquiyah (Muslim prayer cap) and some had crosses around their necks. Others bore no signs of religious affiliation, arriving directly from class, backpacks in tow. On stage were Cantor Daniel Benlolo, Pastor Chris Hutton, Maulana Muhammad Afzal Mirza and Scott Keith, president and founder of the Atheist Community of the University of Ottawa. Each awaited his chance to speak about the evening’s topic: founders of religions. To begin, students read verses from the Bible, the New Testament and the Qur’an. “And we don’t have a Bible,” Keith quickly added with a shrug. He later jokingly referred to atheism’s founders as “flying spaghetti monsters” in addition to Greek philosophers such as Epicurus and Democritus. Keith, a uOttawa student whose suit juxtaposed his eyebrow-piercing, told the story of atheism from the beginning of human civilization in the ancient Sumerian period to the “new atheism” of the 21st century. “It’s hard to cover everything in 15 minutes ... logically … atheism is as old as humanity,” he said, indicating that there have always been doubters. Cantor Benlolo of Congregation Beth Shalom showed up just in time for his speech after missing the opening remarks. “People survive by overcoming challenges,” he said upon his arrival. “Today, it was the weather.” The crowd laughed, and he went on to explain that the snowfall alone hadn’t caused his delay; getting a minyan at synagogue had been “one of God’s little challenges” that evening. Cantor Benlolo’s speech focused on the commonalities of religions, rather than the differences. “If you love your neighbour as yourself, that’s the foundation of Judaism, the rest is just commentary,” Cantor Benlolo stressed, quoting Hillel, the great Jewish sage. Pastor Hutton of the Meeting House of Ottawa, affiliated with the Brethren in Christ denomination, “a church for peo-

Campus Life Ilana Belfer ple who aren’t into church,” said Jesus’ death was the final ritual sacrifice for atonement, and described Christianity as a matter of how closely one wishes to live in relation to Jesus’ path. It is important to take Jesus as an example that “love wins,” he said, agreeing with Cantor Benlolo about the significance of “love your neighbour as yourself.” Maulana Mirza, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, discussed the life of the prophet Muhammad. Ahmadiyya is a distinct Islamic movement founded in India in 1889. He encouraged people not to listen to CNN or ABC, but to study Islam independently. “You be the judge,” he said. The maulana said Muhammad was instructed to care for his neighbours as though they would become his heirs once he died. “It’s so interesting, in our faith, taking care of your neighbour is so prominent,” he said, alluding to what appeared to be a monotheistic motif based on Hillel’s dictum. Although his ethics are not ingrained in a holy scripture, Keith said the need to respect one another evolved so that present-day society could function. Morality goes beyond “the religious concept of good versus evil,” he said. A question and answer period followed, which turned into more of a debate among the panelists. “I’ve been to a lot of interfaith events and never heard such a colourful conversation,” said Hillel Vice-President Adam Moscoe who helped promote and organize the event. “It was such an open and honest forum.” Muneer Khan, AMSA president, said, “As long as people derived some benefit from it … and incorporate it in their life, then the event was a success.” Khan said he hopes to include other religious voices, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, at future events. AMSA and Hillel Ottawa will hold another event, Science and Religion, an interfaith symposium, Wednesday, March 16, 6:00 pm, at Carleton’s Kailash Mital Theatre.

Page 26 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

My new respect for chicken and green beans Chicken and green beans – I can hear you all yawning now – Boring! But wait; don’t stop reading just yet. I have some exciting ideas for these weekday dinner staples. I was leafing through the January 2011 issue of Bon Appétit magazine and a recipe for Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs with Pomegranate Relish and Tahini Yogurt caught my eye. With a few tweaks here and there, this could be a winner. Clearly, from a kosher perspective, the yogurt was out. Kebabs in the winter didn’t appeal to me either. The recipe

called for boneless skinless chicken breasts, which I never cook with anymore. Boneless skinless thighs are virtually impossible to overcook and they have way more flavour. There is nothing worse than dry chicken breasts and so few people know how to cook them so they are juicy. Boneless thighs are idiot-proof. (No, I did not just call you an idiot!) The flavour profile of this dish has it roots in Turkey. The chicken marinates in a Turkish spice rub known as ‘baharat.’ Baharat is a spice mixture or blend used throughout

Turkish Spiced Chicken with Pomegranate Relish I adapted this recipe from the one featured in the January 2011 issue of Bon Appétit. It comes from Chef Ana Sortun of Oleana, a Turkish restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Baharat Seasoning 1 1/2 tablespoons dried mint 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg Chicken 1 small onion, peeled 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons Baharat Seasoning 12 skinless boneless thighs Pomegranate Relish 1 1/4 cups pomegranate seeds 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2/3 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios, coarsely chopped

Begin by preparing the baharat seasoning. Using pestle or blunt end of wooden spoon, mash all ingredients and 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper in mortar or small bowl 2 to 3 minutes. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater. Combine onion with lemon juice, olive oil and baharat seasoning. Marinate chicken in this mixture for 1-2 hours, in the fridge. While chicken is marinating, mix together pomegranate seeds, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Do not mix in pistachios until just before serving or they will get soggy. Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove chicken from marinade and transfer to a baking dish (like a rectangular Pyrex one). Bake chicken for about 30 minutes, until done. Serve with pomegranate relish. Serves 4.

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Made with Love Cindy Feingold Turkey and Iran. Baharat is the Arabic word for ‘spices.’ The mixture of finely ground spices is often used to season lamb, fish, chicken, beef and soups. As I read the list of ingredients for this spice mix (dried mint, dried oregano, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground nutmeg), I realized I had everything I needed right in my spice drawer. The spice mixture is combined with grated onion, olive oil and lemon juice to create a fragrant marinade for the chicken. In the summer, I’d grill it, but for now, it was wonderful baked in the oven. After baking, the chicken gets topped with a pomegranate relish. Juicy pomegranate seeds combined with crunchy pistachios, parsley and a bit of olive oil make a wonderful companion to the chicken. To wake up sleepy green beans: how about Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette? I discovered this recipe in the Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appétit (November 2010). I am a pushover when it comes to anything with dried cherries in it and, as a recent walnut lover (OK, liker), I decided to give it a try. This recipe may have you looking at green beans with some newly found love and respect.

Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette This recipe comes from the November 2010 issue of Bon Appétit. Do not omit toasting the walnuts. Untoasted nuts have an awful texture. 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup minced shallots 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sherry wine vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup dried cherries 1 1/2 pounds trimmed slender green beans (such as haricots verts) 1/2 cup walnut halves Whisk first 7 ingredients together in a medium bowl. Mix in dried cherries; set aside. Vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature; re-whisk before using. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread walnuts on baking sheet and toast in oven for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant. Coarsely chop and set aside. Fill large bowl with water and ice; set aside. Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl with ice water; cool. Drain. Beans can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in paper towels; enclose in re-sealable plastic bag and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing. Toss green beans, walnuts, and vinaigrette in large bowl. Serve

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011 – Page 27

Eighteen things you may not know about Josh Engel Josh Engel is a busy guy. The newest partner at Ginsberg Gluzman Fage & Levitz, LLP Chartered Accountants is also the treasurer of Camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa and an avid outdoorsman. I successfully caught up with Josh at the beginning of tax season, and learned so many interesting things about this self-professed “dull accountant.” Here are 18 things you may not know about Josh Engel … 1. My fraternal twin brother Eric may be eight minutes older than me, and taller than me, but I am much better looking! 2. I spent 16 summers at Camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa as a camper and staff member and loved being tennis staff. My nickname there was ‘Weezie.’ 3. I have found so many different ways to get to work at GGF&L. I have biked, run, driven, taken an OC Transpo bus and skated from the Pretoria Bridge to Dow’s Lake and walked the rest of the way. I am trying to think of more ways to get there! 4. I have been a follower of The Young and the Restless soap opera since high school and do a great Victor Newman impression! 5. I never bump into my friend David Baker in Ottawa, but I ran into him twice while on vacation in Thailand. 6. I love potato knishes, potato latkes, and my mom’s chicken soup with matzo balls. 7. This past December, I treated myself to an incredible vacation in Costa Rica, where I rappelled into waterfalls, went zip-lining and horseback riding. 8. Yes, I do my mother’s, brother’s and sister’s taxes for them. 9. I have played in the Jewish Men’s Softball League for years and one of my best memories is winning the championship and toasting it with Manischewitz from Rabbi Bulka’s trunk. 10. I have hiked the Grand Canyon, bungee-jumped in Australia and Thailand, and taken a whitewater kayaking course on the Ottawa River. 11. While playing tackle football at the University of Western Ontario, Hayes Steinberg tackled me and broke my wrist. It is still not aligned properly, but the friendship survived just fine!

12. I went to Superbowl XXV with my father in Tampa Bay in 1991. It was an incredible experience to be there in person and watch the New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills 20-19. 13. I love to barbecue and my speciality is chicken wings. 14. My favourite place in Ottawa year-round is the Canal. 15. My friends would say that I am quiet, until you get to know me, that I possess a sarcastic sense of humour, and am easygoing. 16. I have been in the same fantasy football league, started by Jayme Cogan, since I was 15 years old. I have not won the trophy since 1991.

Sarah Silverstein 17. I am the proud uncle of three nephews and recently took the older two – aged four and six – skiing and skating in Toronto. I really enjoy spending time with them and taking them on outings. 18. While in high school, and when not working at camp in the summer, I worked at the Kiddie Kobbler stores at the Bayshore and Carlingwood malls. Sandal season was crazy!

Josh Engel rappels in Costa Rica.

More from Jack the Curmudgeon Rubin says that I am becoming more ‘curmudgeonly’ every day. Before I could argue and raise a stink, I had to look up what that means. Some definitions of ‘curmudgeonly’ included the word ‘old’ in their descriptions. The Collins Dictionary also has the ideas of ‘surly’ or ‘miserly’ while the Collins Thesaurus includes the notions of ‘grump (informal),’ ‘bear,’ ‘grumbler,’ ‘grouser,’ ‘malcontent,’ ‘grouch (informal),’ ‘sourpuss (informal),’ ‘churl’ and ‘crosspatch (informal).’ Many other reference books include the word ‘cantankerous.’ Wow! I didn’t realize they had such a wonderful word for me (except for the old part)! I confess, however, that I prefer ‘crosspatch’ to ‘sourpuss,’ which sounds like too much of a whiner to me. And they don’t even know where the word came from other than a wild guess that it has something to do with a cur. Yes, Mr. Etymologist, very good, but what the heck is a mudgeon? Could it be a lizard-like slippery creature with smooth skin that loves the mud? Could it be, perhaps, a male who manages curs and gives them the opportunity to bark? We may never know. As far as I am concerned, what makes me a curmudgeon

18 things ...

is that I have some very good opinions, which I formed before I had the facts, which can sometimes get in the way. And I show no hesitation in expressing those opinions. Rather, I feel obliged to do so, given the wrongheadedness of the rest of the world. I do, of course, find facts useful when they prove that my instincts, and thus my judgments, were sound. Well, one has to sift the facts, and, in any case, there were just too many. You can feel them crowding round as if to overwhelm. And, that is how I learned to curmudge. One absolutely had to have a winnow to get rid of all the chaff; and, for this, strong and solid opinions were essential. They guided me in ignoring the unhelpful, and picking out what proved my case, which grew out of my opinions, naturally, like a well-tended plant. And, in the end, my judgments became unchangeable, fixed like the solid stone wall around my garden. I am as free of prejudice as the next person, and, I don’t feel bad for believing, as I do, that one man’s terrorist is just another man’s freedom fighter and that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. As you can see, these opinions are as firm as the wellmade brickwork that keeps the edifice straight, and strong

Humour me, please Rubin Friedman enough to withstand the blast of any counter-evidence. No, you have your facts, and I have mine, but mine are always better. So that is me, your curmudgeon, the well-rounded, learned and cultured gentleman, who is willing to tell you that you are wrong, especially when I am right. And I am always right, especially when I get into a discussion with Rubin, who probably doesn’t even know what a curmudgeon is. He’s too busy studying more spiritually meaningful, and completely obscure, words in the phrontistery. (Ha! Look it up, Rubin!) Well, one thing we can be sure of. They don’t teach vocabulary like they used to. And, if you don’t like what I am saying, get a dictionary! Your curmudgeonly friend, Jack.

Page 28 – Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – March 7, 2011

WHAT’S GOING ON March 7 to 20, 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. TUESDAYS Israeli Folkdancing, learn

dances, have fun, no experience or partner necessary, Hillel Academy, 31 Nadolny Sachs Private, 7:00 pm. Info: 613-7229323. 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.

CANDLELIGHTING BEFORE Mar 11 ✡ Mar 18 ✡

5:44 pm 6:54 pm

MONDAY, MARCH 7 Monday Matinée, sponsored by Jewish Family Services, featuring “Exodus,” The Westwood, 2370 Carling Av-

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

enue, 2:00 pm. Info: 613-7222225, ext. 411.

6:00 pm. Info: 613-798-4696, ext. 241.

TUESDAY, MARCH 8 “A Shepherd’s Tale,” sponsored by the Israel Action Committee of Hillel Ottawa, lecture by Ishmail Khaldi, former Israeli Deputy Consul to San Francisco, noon at Carleton University. Room and more info: carletoncamerafellow@gmail.com. Na’Amat Ottawa International Woman’s Day: Immigration lawyer Julie Taub will speak on the immigration process and issues surrounding marriage and family reunification, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, 7:30 pm. Info: 613-722-2932.

SUNDAY, MARCH 13 Haim Goldenberg, international mentalist and TV star, sponsored by the SJCC, 7:30 pm. Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 243.

THURSDAY, MARCH 10 Guy’s Night Out, a great networking and social event for the “guys” in the community, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Rideau Carleton Raceway, 4837 Albion Road,

THURSDAY, MARCH 17 Yiddish Capers with Shirley Steinberg: Explore the Yiddish language through inprov, song, humour, proverbs, and poetry, Jewish Family Services, 2255 Carling Avenue, 10:00 am. Info: 613-722-2225, ext. 411. SUNDAY, MARCH 20 Purim Pizzaz Fun for the whole family, featuring “Journey to Marshmallow Island”, hamantaschen, a costume parade, and much more. Sponsored by Jewish Education through Torah, and the SJCC. 1:00 pm. Info: 613-798-9818, ext. 303 or 247.

Purim Seudah, sponsored by Jewish Family Services, featuring the Yitzhak Rabin High School Band, delicious food and

the telling of the Purim story, Valley Stream Manor, 2 Valley Stream Drive, 3:30 pm. Info: 613-722-2225, ext. 411.

COMING SOON SUNDAY, APRIL 3 openOttawa – Young Adult Symposium all-day gathering of young Jewish adults to discuss best ways to engage the emerging generation into the Jewish community. Info: 613-798-4696, ext. 264. Life Stages – Where Are You in the Club Sandwich? Sponsored by Hadassah-WIZO, 3 speakers will share their advice for those in the sandwich generation – caring for elderly parents or grandparents, as well as being present for children, teens and young adults. Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, 1:30 pm. Info: 613-828-4488. 4th Annual “Klez 4” Music Festival to raise funds for the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank with performances by A Touch of Klez and Musica Ebraica, and a silent auction. Sponsored by six congregations, Agudath Israel Congregation, 1400 Coldrey Avenue, 2:00 pm. Info: carolsteinb@hotmail.com.

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: Murray Goldenblatt, Montreal (son of Bernice Cogan) Sol Kaiman Edward Landis Philip Whiteside

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 MARCH 23 FOR APRIL 11 APRIL 6 FOR APRIL 25 APRIL 27 FOR MAY 16 MAY 11 FOR MAY 30 MAY 25 FOR JUNE 13 JUNE 29 FOR JULY 18

We Stand By the Principals and Principles of Romspen We have owned units in the Romspen Mortgage Fund for 7 years. We are comforted and thrilled with the knowledge that our investment is working, allowing us the freedom to pursue our retirement goals. Midmonth we receive an interest payment that covers our love of travelling as well as the cost of family simchas. We prefer regular income rather than depending on the ups and downs of the stock market. The management is very experienced in the mortgage business and never have they made promises they cannot keep. We stand by the principals and principles of the Romspen team. Brenda & Fred Stoppel 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.

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