Ellin Bessner’s Bat Mitzvah Beat (featuring Adam Sandler)

Ellin’s virtual bat mitzvah bash

December 1974: I was the only girl in my Montreal day school class to have a bat mitzvah. I was 13.

It was held on a Saturday morning, complete with the chanting of the haftarah and my delivering a short devar Torah. Girls weren’t yet permitted to have their own aliyah at Beth El, so my father did it instead.

Back then, I thought I was a pioneer for women’s empowerment in the Jewish community. But, as I know now, I was really standing on the shoulders of the true pioneer: my own aunt.

Miriam Lieff was the fi rst woman in Canada to have a bat mitzvah, in 1949. And then my mother, Lois Lieff, had her celebration in 1951.

The whole family story around bat mitzvahs came to light as part of a podcast marking the 100th anniversary of the fi rst bat mitzvah in North America.

March 18, 1922, was when Judith Kaplan, the daughter of a famous Reconstructionist rabbi, Mordechai Kaplan, was honoured in New York upon turning 12.

So, we found one of the newest bat mitzvah girls to join the conversation over Zoom.

Naomi Hochman is a Winnipeg teen who had her celebration delayed because of COVID, and we invited her to meet with my aunt and mother to share stories, and some advice. And in the end, we were all honoured when the family kindly invited us to virtually attend Naomi’s coming-of-age ceremony.

This story struck a chord with other Canadian women who wrote to us about their early experiences in the 1950s, including Judy Feld Carr and Donnie Frank. But we also heard from women who had their bat mitzvahs later in life. Sharon Young of Toronto did hers in the midst of the pandemic, at age 60.

We heard from the family of Ruth Miller, who did her ceremony at the age of 90 in 1996, at Temple Emanu-el-Beth Shalom in Montreal.

Shirley Segev of Congregation Darchei Noam in Toronto teaches women to have bat mitzvahs, but she has never felt she could have one of her own—even though many people have suggested she should. That’s because she is a child of Holocaust survivors.

After the war, her parents were still persecuted for being Jews living in Romania. Today, in her early 70s, Segev is convinced she might burst into tears on the bimah if she were to go through with the ceremony she never had.

Later, we profi led 80-year-old Ruth Cooperstock from Montreal, who had hers on June 15, 2022. She overcame the lockdown—not to mention losing her voice for four months—to prove to her children and grandchildren that it’s never too late to have a bat mitzvah. 

“It has been an interesting summer” — Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin of Beth Tzedec

Searching for Adam Sandler at Beth Tzedec Congregation

Beth Tzedec’s rabbi emeritus @Ravbaruch You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is the name of the Netfl ix feature that fi lmed around Toronto this summer.

The fi lm co-stars Adam Sandler, his wife Jackie, his daughters Sadie and Sunny, and it reunites him with Uncut Gems costar Indina Menzel. Sarah Sherman, who’s been following in Adam’s footsteps on Saturday Night Live, plays the rabbi.

Fiona Rosenbloom wrote the 2007 youngadult novel on which the script was based.

But the absence of an invitation also applied in reality, as our attempt to join the extras at Beth Tzedec Congregation was turned down. Hollywood movies typically don’t want to be reported on while in production.

Still, a couple of rabbis got to show off their selfi es, in line with everybody else who scored a shot with the star.

There were countless pictures of Adam Sandler strolling around Yorkville—including one with the upscale downtown neighbourhood’s own local rabbi—at a Milestones restaurant in Guelph, Ont., and playing in a pickup basketball game.

Getting the scoop on the scenes inside the shul was a different matter. We had to stand at the parking lot gate, with paid-duty cops watching, and wait for whoever wanted to talk to us.

Rabbi Steve Wernick and shul liaison Daniel Silverman fi lled us in on the details surrounding scenes being fi lmed inside the sanctuary, like how older Torahs used in the movie were deliberately pasul. (Which means the scrolls have imperfections that exclude them from ceremonial use.)

And, after years of gathering dust, Beth Tzedec’s gift shop was restocked in order to serve as a backdrop.

We’ll be sure to check it out—maybe when we’re fi nally invited inside for a real bat mitzvah. 

10 Years Young: the Azrieli Institute Looks Towards Its Next Decade

Institute Director Csaba Nikolenyi (left) interviewing author Yossi Klein Halevi (right) at the Gelber Centre Concordia and Israeli students learning together at the Western Galilee College, Akko, Northern Israel

As it enters its second decade, the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies at Concordia University is well-positioned to play a leading role in this academic field which is growing internationally. Unique in Canada, the Institute is a gold member of the Association for Israel Studies, one of only five university programs in the world to achieve that status. Association president Arieh Saposnik said, in its first 10 years, the Institute and director Csaba Nikolenyi have become “key partners in expanding our disciplinary horizons and the international networking of scholars, playing a central role in helping to extend and deepen our understanding of Israeli society, culture, politics and history, and to place these in broad international contexts.” Within Canada, the Institute has established Israel Studies as a desirable pursuit for students and scholars from a range of interests and backgrounds. The Institute was the first, and remains the only Canadian university, to offer a minor in Israel Studies. “The success of Israel Studies programs requires not only scholarly and pedagogical excellence, but also a vibrant and dynamic engagement with the community at large,” said Nikolenyi. Serving as a resource to the broader public is a pillar of the Institute’s mission. It collaborates with Federation CJA, the Jewish Public Library, synagogues and the annual Israel film festivals, for example, to co-sponsor lectures and cultural events. The outreach goes beyond the Jewish community. The McGill-Queens University Press Series in Israel Studies, edited by Nikolenyi, publishes works by international academics that reflect the field’s disciplinary and methodological diversity. The Institute is committed to nurturing partnerships with other academic programs focused on a country or region, such as European Studies or Indian Studies. Creating frameworks for comparative discussions among scholars and students in other areas is essential to the further development of Israel Studies, Nikolenyi said. Creating synergies with Canadian and Quebec studies programs is also a priority. “There are so many common themes to build on: the role of religion in the public space, democracy, language, immigration, to name a few,” he said. The Institute attracts Jewish and non-Jewish students from diverse backgrounds, whose majors are in a variety of subjects, such as political science, religious studies and even fine arts. “Our classes provide an opportunity for multicultural exchange and learning,” Nikolenyi said, as do the summer programs in Israel. “The minor in Israel Studies opened up the world of Israeli politics, culture and history to me; without the Institute, I would not be in Israel today,” said former student Noa Ogilvy. “Undoubtedly, the academic connections the Institute forges between students and Israel positively impact the Jewish community. Equally importantly, the minor in Israel Studies attracts many students who are not Jewish. These same students, who leave the program with a greater understanding of the complexities of Israel in all her many aspects, are a testament to how the Institute can serve as a bridge between the Jewish and non-Jewish communities. Today, the Institute’s role in this regard is critical,” Ogilvy said. A number of former students have continued with Israel Studies at the graduate level at universities in Canada and abroad. Some have moved to Israel to study or gain work experience. Others work at the Institute as research assistants. Pascale Sicotte, dean of the Concordia Faculty of Arts and Science, said, “I believe the Institute is a shining example of what our faculty and Concordia are all about: working across disciplines to foster lasting and meaningful understanding and innovation for the benefit of society.” As Arieh Saposnik affirms, this milestone anniversary is “indeed a moment for celebration.”

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V!VA Thornhill Woods Retirement Community Member Shae Eckler enjoys a glass of wine in the Community’s on-site pub, Pints! PHOTO BY V!VA RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES

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Hot takes in search of Higher Holidays

The host of Bonjour Chai talks to three spiritual leaders in pursuit of something new

Most folks attending services at the Mile End Chavurah are the kind of people who swore that going to shul wasn’t the kind of thing they’d ever be voluntarily inclined to do. But after someone convinced them to attend, they kept on coming back—and, soon enough, they were regulars.

That’s because Mile End Chavurah (MECh) isn’t a typical synagogue. They don’t have their own rabbi. They don’t even have a regular meeting space. Instead, the congregation hops from one community space to another, and sometimes a public park. So, for a pre-Rosh Hashanah checkin—it’s what I do to keep the hot takes burning—MECh’s managing director was the kind of person I needed to catch up with for a sense of how groups practising Jewish religious rituals can rebound for the High Holidays of 2022. Peter Horowitz told me about how these accidental attendees are attracted to the casual nature of the services: fewer rules, and kids free to run around a space that may have involved nothing more complicated than renting out a café. No one scolds you if you come late or leave early. Don’t want to wear a kippah? That’s OK, too. But equally crucial is that the service is led by laypeople putting their own spin on rituals that are familiar to many—but updated in different ways at MECh. For one thing, you won’t hear any sermons there at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Instead, the leadership team curates Divrei Torah talks from members, who are asked to speak at specific points during the service. The results are often moving, and vastly different from rabbinical pronouncements from the pulpit. It’s like a close friend sharing something meaningful—that you can talk more about later.

And it’s communities like these that I think are the future of Jewry, a topic we’ve been contemplating in new ways for the past 18 months at The Canadian Jewish News. But the biggest challenge for us to overcome—on weekly episodes of Bonjour Chai and beyond—has been not being so Canadian at this monumental point in time. Rather than suffer from the usual dearth of creativity, envying other countries where Judaism thrives, we’re trying to look at what successful communities look like, so that we can foster more of them. Just so you know, I’m not also a podcast host, I’m also a rabbi without a pulpit. I’ve dedicated the past few years to connecting more directly with people over ideas, which has involved multiple programs through the Jewish Living Lab: I might be based in my hometown of Montreal, but the digital content translates everywhere. While I contentedly attend a very large establishment congregation—it helps to be married to a clergy member, not to mention live across the street—I’m seeing great value in smaller communities that are built to be nimble. They’re the ones who can be more responsive to the needs of the congregation. They’re more adaptable when new ideas arise. And they’re more capable of addressing challenges they inevitably face. To be fair, a meaningful service can be found in many traditional spaces. While some synagogues aren’t thriving, others are doing just fine, and with their walls one can find great leaders and engaged congregants who create meaning and community together. And yet, we’re at a moment in time that can be harnessed now, or pointed to in the long lens of history as the time when the Jewish people of Canada dropped the ball. I’m avoiding data to state my case. Numbers leave me glassy-eyed, not to mention

I’m seeing great value in smaller communities that are built to be nimble. They’re the ones who can be more responsive to the needs of the congregation. They’re more adaptable when new ideas arise. And they’re more capable of addressing challenges they inevitably face.

bored with reducing faith to descriptive statistics. I’d rather focus on what we can do based on what others are actually doing right—in order to develop it further. I’m interested in Jewish mavericks and spiritual entrepreneurs who build communities. Rabbi Yossi Sapirman is one such example. He left an established pulpit career to start Living Jewishly, an education initiative with a synagogue component. With his creative team, Dr. Elliott Malamet and Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth1 , they’ve been virtually teaching and holding services during the pandemic. NuShul is launching this fall in Toronto as the first in-person iteration of what they’ve built. Rabbi Sapirman says he reached the limits of what traditional congregations were capable of, after having been shown all of the problems, but none of the answers. For him, the establishment shuls have been about the what and how—but what’s missing is the why. Being meaningful to a new generation doesn’t mean remaking it completely. But it doesn’t need to be approached as a throwaway exercise, either. Rather, he’s creating something for Jews who tend to only participate a few times each year, yet are looking for inspiration to apply it to their life every day. The idea is to be “a phone charger for the soul” rather than instructing you on which apps to use.2 Living Jewishly isn’t looking to own a building. High Holiday services for NuShul are at the Symes event venue in the Junction, a westend Toronto neighbourhood which once had a significant population of Orthodox Jews. (The nearby Congregation Knesseth Israel, established in 1909, has occasional services in a building restored in the 1990s.) And while he didn’t want to give too much away, Rabbi Sapirman promises that each section will be thoughtfully curated—to cut out repetition and the feeling of wasted time. But he’s also focused on tradition and a belief that Judaism is interesting enough in itself. To him, there’s no need to borrow elements from Buddhism to be relevant to today’s Jews. Meanwhile in Montreal, the Lev Shul is an evolutionary step from the city’s Open Shul, started by rabbis Schachar Orenstein and Sherrill Gilbert along with cantor Heather Batchelor. The two rabbis now see an opportunity to be more creatively experimental. Rabbi Gilbert was trained in the movement known as Jewish Renewal, while Rabbi Ornstein—a colleague of mine for decades—defines himself as “traditionally trained” with similarly deep Renewal roots, but he’s now driven to do things that he couldn’t do in a formal shul setting. For them, if more people are drawn to Friday night services in a yoga studio, that’s what they’ll do. Lev Shul was also still working out their High Holiday details at press time, but Rabbi Ornstein promises to nourish the physical, the emotional, the mind and spirit in what they call a Four Worlds Approach to “Davenology.” Moreover, he’s promising a uniquely Montreal mixture involving English, French, Hebrew, Yiddish and Spanish.3 Here’s the thing: None of these offerings seem personally appealing to me. For example, when I was introduced to the concept of “Embodied Judaism,” my response was that I practise Neck-Up Judaism. But I also don’t need my form of Judaism to be the only form of Judaism. That could only be fatal for the future. It also helps me appreciate those who are trying an approach that’s decentralized and anti-establishment, trying hard to forge a path that speaks to those who haven’t found it in communal structures.

Avi Finegold

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1. But she wants you to call her Rabbi Bluth.

2. This metaphor evokes something similar about Judaism that Dan Libenson, the founder of the San Francisco-based Judaism Unbound has been talking about for years. He says that Judaism can either be seen as an operating system (like Windows or Linux) or as an app that you use (like Facebook or Waze). Orthodox Judaism is clearly Judaism as an operating system. It governs everything that is done and adds a layer of meaning to daily activities. It’s why when Jews leave Orthodoxy they’re often baffled by the world around them. They’ve deleted their operating system but haven’t replaced it with anything else. Increasingly, the Jews that are turned off by synagogue life see Judaism as an app. When they want to do or feel something Jewish, they just open up the application to get their fix. But as app developers know, there needs to be some very strong incentives in order for users to keep opening the app. Otherwise, it tends to fall by the wayside—and gets deleted as soon as you run out of space.

3. What isn’t promised is a middle-finger salute to Premier François Legault.