M-01_dec 25.indd - The Canadian Jewish News
MONTREAL EDITION december 25, 2014 • 3 tevet, 5775 $2.00 • 28 PAGES • WWW.CJNEWS.COM Inside Harper celebrates Chanukah The prime minister and his wife Laureen light the menorah in Montreal. PAGE 5 La tragédie des réfugiés Juifs des pays arabes Réflexions de l’Historien israélien Michel Abitbol. Page 9 Everything old is new again NOTE TO READERS: The CJN will not be publishing on Jan. 1. Our next issue is Jan. 8. Vayigash The biblical epic comes full circle as Moses returns to the silver screen. But where’s the Jewish content? page 8 Prejudice on the campaign trail A tense Chanukah in Crown Heights Old RCA studios turned into gallery Jewish-Iranian candidate reflects on being mistaken for a Muslim by Toronto voters. PAGE 7 Security heightened after stabbing at Chabad’s Brooklyn headquarters. Page 18 New space features a variety of artistic styles. PAGE 21 Candlelighting, Havdalah TIMES Halifax Montreal Toronto Winnipeg Calgary Vancouver 4:21 p.m. 3:58 p.m. 4:28 p.m. 4:14 p.m. 4:16 p.m. 4:01 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 5:08 p.m. 5:36 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 5:34 p.m. 5:16 p.m. WWW.CJNEWS.COM Canada Post Publication Agreement #40010684 GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE AT MIRVISH.COM 2 Trending M ledore’s Army,” was of Jewish ter “deeply offensive and a slur origin, against but the Rowling’s tweet was the first confirmation. Jewish People.” In 2011, Bardot’s animal rights foundation launched a campaign Dieudonné nice with Jews? against ritualmakes slaughter. Neal Hoffman, the former Hasbro executive A tongue-in-cheek Israeli aliyah video behind Mensch on a Bench, Chanukah’s aimed at young American Jews looking answer to theinChristmas-themed Elf on a for meaning their lives went viral with Shelf, appeared on ABC’s reality show Shark more than 140,000 views last week. On Tank 12, seeking of financing for his two Sept. Dec. 9, the Ministry Aliyah and Immiyear-old venture. The Cincinnati entrepregration’s Israel Student Authority posted neur, brought along a life-sized version Comewho Study With Us, pushing the message Mensch, got $150,000 of hislife doll, that inMoshe Israel the is more exciting and infor 15 perthan centthe of his companyconsumerfrom Lori teresting humdrum, Greiner and Canadian Robert Herjavec. He ist, suburban American rat race. The video rejected an offer from Barbara Corcoran of invites potential olim to “find your inner $150,000 for 20 per cent, who wanted to resabra” and “be a part of something bigdesign Moshe rewrite his“And accompanyger.” The finaland enticement: best of ing “By theon time Barbara’s finished, all, abook. free degree Uncle Shmuel’s tab.” the Mensch is gonna be Catholic,” fellow Canadian sharkshchitah Kevin O’Leary joked. Bardot wants cut in France Robert with hishorse new friend BrigitteHerjavec Bardot dislikes meat, too. FACEBOOK PHOTO claw, JewishHer wizard,” novelist said Dec. Le Monde. letterthe also urges a ban on 16 on Twitter, responding to a query as to Muslim ritual slaughter and horse meat. whether there were Jews at Hogwarts, the Jewish and Muslim religious laws require fictional wizardbe school. Ravenclaw is one of that animals conscious when their four houses at Hogwarts. Fans of the series necks are cut, a practice deemed cruel by had speculated that Goldstein, whoJewish fights animal welfare activists. European alongside Harry Potter as part of “DumbCongress head Eric Kantor called the let- B1E3R 2 0 1 1 JOuCl yT O 20 Feldman Messias ❍ Commentary 12 6 News Perspectives 7 International 38 Cover Story 8 Rosh Hashanah Food 45 200 5 minute Rebate OUT . Inspiring design. ng design. Rebate Service when you purchase Duette or Silhouette Window Shadings with UltraGlide. Up to 50% of a home’s heating and cooling energy The number of French Jews who made aliyah theBrooks first 11used months of 2014, prosmore Comicin Mel a six-finger than double last year’s record of 3,293, and thesis on one hand for his new hand prints more than the 5,105 olim so far this year on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, giving his from war-torn Ukraine. gag for the ages 11 fingers in total. French comedian Dieudonné M’bala What about Superman? M’bala, who has multiple convictions for inciting racial hatred against Jews, wants Canadian professor William Schabas, to meet with representatives of France’s whose ability to judge Israel fairly as the Jewish community. an open letter earllead United NationsIn Human Rights Counrier this month, his lawyers asked Interior cil investigator of Operation Protective Minister Cazeneuve and Gilles who say a crisis U.S.-Israel Edge has Bernard been heavily questioned, said Israelis The number ofthere’s ancestors forinall of AshClavreul, France’s interministerial delerelations, according to a new poll the libIsrael’s opposition to the UN appointment kenazi Jewry, according to a newby study led gate for the fight against anti-Semitism, eral U.S. pro-Israel advocacy group J Street. would have been the same no matter who by Columbia University prof Shai Carmi. to organize necessary, the was chosenthe formeeting. the role. It’s Israel would oblawyers wrote, to “determine the terms of Quotable ject “even if Spider-Man was heading the an accord which would allow both parties commission,” he told the London-based to respect the other.” CRIF, the French Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. “I will Jewish umbrella group, did not not resign. I do not hate Israel. Iimmediwill put ately issuepositions a public aside,” reaction the In letter. my prior hetosaid. the Our goal is not to do PR for Israel, Dear: .................................................................................................................. Many consider Dieudonné a symbol of You can’t be neutral past, Schabas has called for Israeli Prime but to present it withabout all its your France’s growing anti-Semitism problem Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former own destiny. Please E-Mail orcomplexities. fax (514-484-8254) your proof because his performances creation presidentofShimon Peres to beand prosecuted of quenelle, Nazi-like salute. n — Uri Dromi, founder and director of the forthe human rightsa violations. Mishy Harman, co-creator ofotherwise Israeli radio n respond Please by the above date, we w Inside today’s edition ulating air pockets. ockets. 6,655 11 61.7% 350 In case you thought he was Brigitte Bardot published anHindu… open letter Sept. 8 in leading French newspapers J.K. Rowling has confirmed that one of calling for a ban on shchitah. The oneHarry Potter’s classmates in her famed sertime starlet termed the practice “ritual ies is Jewish.“Anthony Goldstein, Ravensacrifice” in papers such as Le Figaro and Letters 4 3 Rabbi2Rabbi Rabbi2Rabbi Perspectives 4 7 News 5 Comment 10 THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 Gematria Mensch shark tank, and student wizard is Jewish Schabasin isano superhero, andRowling former confirms starlet disses kosher slaughter Definitely notentices a Catholic elfJews Aliyah video young † ® ® ® ® Opinion 10 Travel 52 Food 16 About Town 55 International 17 Parshah 56 OK as is Jerusalem Club. p. 26. show SipurPress Israeli. SeeFull full interview interview,on p. 58. ❍ OK with corrections Exclusive to CJNEWS.com Approved by: 21 .............................................................................................. 57 Exclusive to CJNEWS.com Jewish Books Life About 23 Q & A Town 58 Parshah 24 Social Scene 59 5 minute Jewish & Digital columnist Mark Mietkiewicz challah, the Jewish comfort Jewish &talks Digital columnist Mark Mietkiefood. wicz prepares you to hear the shofar. Steven Deckelbaum Pharmacy V. Sumbly Real Broker & S.Estate Melki Phamacien Service BUYING OR SELLING chase helps children 5462 Westminster IN THE Ave. o theirRebate wish. Rebate485-8585 www.atlastaxi.qc.ca eason, we at Hunter Douglas STEVEN DECKELBAUM when you LAURENTIANS T HFoundation ildren’s Wish Real Estate Broker minute 5 H H purchase H E MT • In West End Montreal • Special Attention to Elderly www.atlastaxi.qc.ca 514-489-4909 T reality. 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THE PROMOTION www.decorchantilly.com [email protected] • In West End Montreal • Special Attention to Elderly • 100% guaranteed Airport Reservations Free delivery Livraison Gratuite THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 3 M Letters to the Editor Judaism and the right to die Dr. Hershl Berman wrote (Letters, Dec. 11) that opiate use does not shorten life. I concur completely. All of those who are familiar with such use can attest to the fact that when used properly and carefully, opiates can provide much needed relief of pain and suffering and provide compassionate comfort without compromising life expectancy, which may be curtailed as part of the illness, but not because of the treatment. Dr. Michael Gordon Medical Program Director, Palliative Care, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto Seeking millennials In Rabbi2Rabbi, the topic was, “How can shuls reach millennials?” (Dec. 11). I think a more interesting question is where are the millennials? Many Jews intermarry or simply assimilate and remove themselves from the Jewish community. This is well known and often spoken about. What is less often mentioned is the low birth rate among non-Orthodox Jews. The Pew report on Jewish Americans states that non-Orthodox Jews have only 1.7 children per adult. That low birthrate alone guarantees the disappearance of non-Orthodox congregations. Shuls cannot reach millennials who were never born. Abe Margel Thornhill, Ont. Rescue vs collaboration The title of Gaylen Ross’ article (“When rescue is not collaboration,” Dec. 4) is misleading. The so-called rescue of Transylvanian Jews attributed to Reszo Kasztner is a misrepresentation of historical facts as I personally know them. As a child growing up in Israel my grandfather, Yechiel Shmueli, told me what happened in Kluj in May 1944. Before the Jews of Kluj were herded into the brick factory, which was used as the ghetto on the way to Auschwitz, they were told by Kasztner, who knew their true destination, that, “We were being taken to Kenyermeze to work… Brothers, you should know that the Hungarian authorities have decided to empty Kenyermeze of its population, and all the Jews of Hungary are going to be placed there until the end of the war.” This in fact was the testi- Maybe it’s time you risk adjusted your wealth manager. mony my grandfather gave at the trial of Malchiel Gruenwald in Jerusalem in 1953, when Kasztner had charged Gruenwald with libel. “Kenyermeze” was a mythical place meaning in Hungarian “meadow of bread.” This explanation lulled the Jews of Transylvania to believe that they would be safe if they got on the trains. If Kasztner really believed this then why did he have to spirit his friends and family out to Switzerland following his agreement with the Nazis? It is obvious that he was willing to lull the Jewish community into co-operating with their murderers in order to save those for whom he cared or who could afford it. Some argue that had the Jews been told the truth, many could have been saved as the border between Hungarian-controlled territory and Romanian-held territory was relatively open and they could have simply walked the 20 kilometres to safety. Nobody can offer a redeeming answer as to why Kasztner testified in the defence of SS officer, Kurt Becher, at the Nuremberg trials. There is little doubt that the recent attempts at rehabilitating Kasztner’s reputation are directly due to the fact that his granddaughter, Merav Michaeli, became a member of the Israeli Knesset and used that influence to mobilize a revision of history through books and movies. Sadly, Jews are aware of the use of historical revisionism as a tool of the enemies of Israel. Here it is merely a tool to sanitize a figure who may not have been a villain, but may have facilitated the murder of thousands of innocents through his self-serving, misleading actions 70 years ago. Steve Samuel Toronto Jews playing hockey Jay Teitel’s wonderfully written story, “The rabbi who wouldn’t backcheck” (Dec. 11) was a joy to read. Combining any aspect of religious Jewish life with hockey is no easy task, but the author accomplished this effortlessly with grace and humour. My only question is, now that Rabbi Kalbfleisch is gone, does that mean a space has opened up in your hockey game? Barry Lubotta Toronto Letters to the editor are welcome if they are brief and in English or French. Mail letters to our address or to [email protected]. We reserve the right to edit and condense letters, which must bear the sender’s name, address and phone number. For more letters, please see www.cjnews.com. Flowers 514 842 7615 [email protected] NoonooPinslerDonato.com Noonoo Pinsler Donato Family Office is a part of TD Wealth Private Investment Advice. Noonoo Pinsler Donato Private Office consists of Clifford Noonoo, Investment Advisor, Jonathan Pinsler, Investment Advisor and Christopher Donato, Investment Advisor. TD Wealth Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. – Member Canadian Investor Protection Fund. ®/The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. 4058 9:30 1 9:30 5:30 11 4 (514) 875-4800 4 M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 RABBI•2•RABBI Family Moments Bringing our values to the table What does it mean to say food is kosher when the animals that give us nourishment are raised as commodities with little concern for their welfare as living creatures? Rabbi N. Daniel Korobkin Beth Avraham Yoseph Congregation, Toronto Rabbi Lisa Grushcow Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Montreal Melissa & Josh Sobel announce the birth of Jesse Harper, Nov. 14. Grandparents, Nana Barbie and the late Zaidy Stephen, Bubbie Doreen and the late Zaidy Harvey. Great Zaidy is Ralph. Happy 90th birthday Big Bub Sadie Katz. Lots of love from all the Katz’s, Diamonds, Cantors and all your friends and relatives. XO Mazal Tov to Sarah Frankel on celebrating your 101st birthday on Dec. 22. From your two children, 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren Email your digital photos along with a description of 25 words or less to cblackman@ thecjn.ca or go online to www.CJNews.com and click on “Family Moments” Mazel Tov! מ ז ל !טוב Rabbi Korobkin: Over this past Sukkot, I started a conversation in our shul that resonated with some and left others scratching their heads. It’s the topic of “factory farming” – the concern that a large part of our protein food supply, throughout North America, is coming from animals that are raised under factory conditions. Instead of cows being allowed to graze, they are penned up in extremely confined spaces. Hens are boosted with hormones in order to mature faster and produce more eggs. Today, animals that provide us with food – either through their meat, or from their milk or eggs – are raised as commodities with little concern for their welfare as living creatures. How should we in the Jewish community react to this reality? Rabbi Grushcow: I think it’s a real issue. What does it mean to say food is kosher when it is produced in such environments? We need to be concerned about the welfare of the animals, and of the people working in these environments as well. Good work is being done on developing kashrut certification that takes ethics into account, but it’s not yet widely available. I look forward to the day when I won’t have to choose between kosher and organic meat. Kashrut is a primary value for me, but I have concerns about what’s under the label. Meanwhile, there are things we can do. There’s a great book called The Sacred Table, which looks at food from a liberal Jewish perspective, and can spark communal conversations on the topic, or even just help us figure out our own choices. Also, our synagogue has become a pick-up location for Lufa Farms, a sustainable source of produce. It’s a small step, but offers one way of broadening the conversation about food beyond the question of kashrut. Rabbi Korobkin: Hold on. We both agree that the moral and ethical treatment of animals, and the workers who How to reach us Vol. XLIV, No. 50 (2,176)* Head Office: 1750 Steeles Ave. W., Ste. 218, Concord, Ont. L4K 2L7 mOntreal Office: Carré Décarie Sq., 6900 boul. Décarie, Ste. 3125, Côte St. Luc, Qué. H3X 2T8 tel: 514-735-2612; fax: 514-735-9090 editorial e-mail: [email protected] advertising e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cjnews.com Subscription inquiries: 416-932-5095 fax: 416-932-2488 toll free: 1-866-849-0864 deal with animals, is important to us as Jews, and that’s why I raised the issue. But to conflate the issues of kashrut and ethical behaviour is, I believe, a mistake. By expanding the meaning of “kosher” to include anything that conforms to the cause célèbre of the day, you end up eventually diluting it into nothingness. The Torah prescribes the kosher laws for reasons that are largely metaphysical. While keeping kosher, we also should observe the mitzvah of tza’ar baalei chayim, treating animals with kindness and compassion and not inflicting gratuitous pain upon them. But it shouldn’t be confused with kashrut. After all, milk and eggs don’t need to be certified kosher, but the cows and hens that produce them need to be cared for properly. Rabbi Grushcow: Absolutely, something can be technically kosher without any ethical standards at all. Ethics and holiness are separate categories that do not always overlap. But this brings us to the fundamental question of the purpose of kashrut. For millennia, our commentators have debated whether we observe kashrut simply because it is commanded by God or whether there is a meaning behind each of the laws. Philo, for example, a Jewish philosopher in the first century CE, developed a series of interpretations that explained why some animals were forbidden, based on the idea that we wouldn’t want to ingest their qualities. Both these positions are valid. But we have to remember that many Jews do not follow kashrut at all, most likely because the practice holds no meaning for them. Why not, then, follow the voices from our tradition that look to find meaning in what we eat and don’t eat? Rather than diluting the practice of kashrut, this deepens it. It seems to me that at the essence of kashrut is the claim that God cares about what we eat, that what we put into our bodies matters. Should this not include our ethical concerns? An honest Jewish conversation about the food we eat has to go beyond the categories of what is permitted and what is forbidden. Our sages taught that the home is a mikdash me’at, a miniature sanctuary, and our tables should be as holy as the altar. I think you started an important conversation. Let’s bring our values to the table. n israeli advertising representative: IMP, Tel: 02-625-2933. E-mail: [email protected] circulation: Total circulation: 33,717 copies Total paid circulation: 25,011 copies CCNA verified circulation: August 5, 2014 Postmaster: Please return 29Bs and changes of address to: CJN, 1750 Steeles Ave. W., Ste. 218, Concord, Ont. L4K 2L7. Postage Paid at Toronto Canada Post Publication Agreement #40010684 *Under current ownership We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. The Canadian Jewish News reserves the right to refuse advertising that in its opinion is misleading, in poor taste or incompatible with the advertising policies of the newspaper. Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement by The Canadian Jewish News. The CJN makes no representation as to the kashrut of food products in advertisements. THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 5 M News Harper calls Israel a ‘beacon of light’ in Mideast Janice Arnold [email protected], The horrific massacre in Pakistan and the deadly hostage-taking in Australia are a reminder to everyone that “extreme jihadism” is something the State of Israel has lived with throughout its history, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said during a visit to Federation CJA on Dec. 16. “Thank God we have Israel in that often very dark, very difficult part of the world, showing us its beacon of light,” said Harper, who with his wife, Laureen, lit the first candle of Chanukah. More than 300 invited guests, representing a cross-section of the Jewish community, attended the event, held under strict security. Harper recalled that, as a boy, his father at Christmas time always reminded him to remember “our Jewish compatriots and neighbours.” Harper said his first trip to Israel last January remains one of the “moments of light” of his year, while the deaths of two members of the Canadian armed forces by killers apparently motivated by Islamic extremism were among the darkest. The occasion served once again as an opportunity for the community to thank Harper for his steadfast support of Israel. “We have no greater ally than the prime minister,” said Rabbi Reuben Poupko, spiritual leader of Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation, who introduced Harper. Among the defenders of freedom and human rights, so cherished by Jews, Harper has stood out in the world, he said. “When you speak up for women’s rights at La Francophonie in Senegal, you speak for us. When you speak up for democracy around the world, you speak for us. And when you defend the State of Israel, you speak for us,” Rabbi Poupko said. The Harpers were assisted in lighting the shamash on the silver menorah by Chabad’s Rabbi Shalom Chriqui. Federation president Susan Laxer underscored the Jewish community’s more than 250-year history in Quebec and Canada, and its contributions to the country. “Prime Minister Harper’s presence today is a profound demonstration of solidarity and respect for our community’s important place in Canadian and Quebec society,” she said. Laxer related Chanukah’s message of a small minority’s resistance in ancient times to forced assimilation to present-day local concerns. “Recent events here in Quebec underscore the importance of preserving the place of Jewish religion and culture in Quebec society and continuing to move forward in the name of our particularism; whether it is regarding Bill 60 [the former Parti Québécois government’s proposed secular values charter], Bill 10 [the current government’s planned health reform], the BDS movement [the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel] or Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, light the first Chanukah candle. PBL PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO anti-Semitism in general,” Laxer said. “In doing so, we value and protect not only our religious rights and freedoms, but also the rights and freedoms of all others.” Laxer praised Harper’s “powerful example of moral fortitude and integrity… You expressed your beliefs – unequivocally and unapologetically – and succeeded in making topics of international debate perfectly clear.” David Cape, incoming national chair of the federation’s advocacy arm, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, called Harper “an extraordinary friend of the Jewish community and Israel, who has brought the Canada-Israel relationship to unparalleled heights” and is “standing taller than leaders of the most powerful countries” in defence of democratic principles. “We are living in a pivotal time, with the rise of global anti-Semitism, continued Iranian nuclear aspirations, and Islamist terrorism threatening people who cherish freedom and peace, including minorities across the Middle East,” he said. The half-hour program also included the singing of Chanukah songs by the Akiva School choir in Hebrew, French and English. Young twins Nathan and Samuel Bensimon recited the brachot over the candles, and led the singing of Hatikvah. Sarah Diamond sang O Canada at the outset. Following the formal program, the Harpers stayed on to allow a long line of audience members to have their photos taken with them. In his formal statement issued on Chanukah, Harper said the festival is “an opportunity for all Canadians to reflect on the meaning of faith, freedom and the triumph of good over evil, and to pay tribute to the tremendous contributions of Canada’s Jewish community in all areas of endeavour.” n Get motivated this Winter with signature classes designed for the 50+ _ WELLNESS PROGRAMS CONTACT ANNETTE VÉZINA 514.342.1234 LOCAL 7305 REGISTER NOW! 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PILATES Functional Pilates A Mondays & Wednesdays 9:25 am – 10:25 am (begins Jan. 5) Functional Pilates B Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:10 am – 10:10 am (begins Jan. 6) Learn strategies for deep relaxation, stress management & brain health. 6 M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 President Elizabeth Wolfe Editor Yoni Goldstein General Manager Tara Fainstein Managing Editor Joseph Serge News Editor Daniel Wolgelerenter Operations Manager Ella Burakowski Art Director Anahit Nahapetyan Directors Steven Cummings, Michael C. Goldbloom, Leo Goldhar, Robert Harlang, Igor Korenzvit, Stanley Plotnick, Shoel Silver, Ed Sonshine, Pamela Medjuck Stein, Elizabeth Wolfe Honourary Directors Donald Carr, Chairman Emeritus. George A. Cohon, Julia Koschitzky, Lionel Schipper, Robert Vineberg, Rose Wolfe, Rubin Zimmerman An independent community newspaper serving as a forum for diverse viewpoints Publisher and Proprietor: The Canadian Jewish News, a corporation without share capital. Head Office: 1750 Steeles Ave. W., Ste. 218, Concord Ont. L4K 2L7 From the Archives | Chanukah Concert From Yoni’s Desk This is just the beginning I ONTARIO JEWISH ARCHIVES, BLANKENSTEIN FAMILY HERITAGE CENTRE PHOTO The North African Youth Group performs at the JIAS Chanukah Concert in Montreal, circa 1974. SeeJN | Their first sufganiyot YONIT SCHILLER NEFESH B’NEFESH PHOTO Young olim who made aliyah from the United States this past summer with the help of Nefesh B’Nefesh, the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Kayemet L’Israel celebrated Chanukah at a special Nefesh B’Nefesh gathering in Modi’in, where they tasted their first Israeli sufganiyot. t’s been a whirlwind of a year at The CJN. In January, this newspaper turned over a new leaf, and in April we introduced a brand new design. Our aim from the outset has been to offer readers an engaging, informative and at times challenging portrait of Canadian Jewry. When we undertook the project of revitalizing The CJN, one of the promises we made to readers was that we wouldn’t shy away from touchy subjects. During the past 12 months, I think we lived up to that commitment. From tackling issues such as poverty and conversion to wide-ranging discussions about Israel and even our own federal politics, we have showcased the array of opinions in our community. At the same time, we try to go about our work with sensitivity, because, at the end of the day, our aim is to help find solutions, not simply mete out accusations. Sometimes there are no easy answers, but at least then we’re talking – and hopefully that brings us closer together. On a personal note, this year has been a real education for me. I grew up in the Canadian Jewish community, went to Canadian Jewish schools and spent my summers at Canadian Jewish camps – I thought I knew the Jewish community pretty well. But the truth is I had no idea of the breadth and scope of Jewish life across this country. Over the past 12 months, I’ve met and spoken to so many Canadians who are devoting their lives to Jewish communities. Their dedication is inspiring. Collectively, we may have our gripes about various Canadian Jewish institutions or organizations – and some of them are very worthy of consideration. But we should not doubt the level of commitment to fostering Jewish life across Canada, even while acknowledging that there’s plenty of work still to do. The Jewish community is a living, breathing body. Change is inevitable – that’s what makes our stories so compelling. The CJN changed a lot in the last year, too, and we promise to keep changing in the coming one. That includes new features and writers, a focus on community engagement beyond the printed page, and a fresh cjnews.com. Our work is only just beginning. As we bid farewell to 2014, I’d like to acknowledge a few people – first and foremost my wife, Alexandra, and my family for their support. The CJN’s board of directors has guided this newspaper in a positive direction, and positioned it to remain a community institution for years to come. Our many contributors offered a broad range of perspectives and ideas. And at The CJN’s offices in Toronto and Montreal, the staff has been a model of grace under pressure. Without them, there would be no CJN. Finally, I’d like to thank our readers. You welcome us into your homes each week, and that is an honour we don’t take for granted – because, ultimately, The CJN is about you. This is a vibrant Jewish community, and in 2014 we proved how strong, innovative and caring we can be. I don’t doubt the coming year will prove it again, in all kinds of new and interesting ways. n — YONI THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 Perspectives M 7 Essay Confronting our own prejudices A Jewish politician reflects on being mistaken for a Muslim Dyanoosh Youssefi “Y oussefi, that’s a nice Muslim name,” he said, with a skeptical look at my campaign flyer. It was midspring. I was canvassing as a candidate in the recent Toronto municipal election. This resident (let’s call him Alan) and I had had a long chat already, but it was clear that something was bothering him – and that something was not my position on municipal issues. It was my name. I didn’t correct Alan’s misperception right away. He had already told me that he was Jewish, but I didn’t immediately tell him that I, too, am Jewish. I struggled with what the right response would be in these circumstances. I didn’t want religion or ethnicity to matter. I wished for voters like Alan to judge and support me based on my professional and community service and on my approach to municipal issues. I didn’t want people to hold a candidate’s religion against them, simply because that person is Muslim. I also knew that some voters would not give me a fair chance if they thought I was Muslim. Canvassing was a fantastic, enjoyable and positive experience overall. Many residents were not only interested and engaged, they were also welcoming, even grateful that I was running. I felt heartened and grateful for their support and for our ultimate performance. However, because of my name – I am Iranian-Jewish-Canadian and it has its roots in Zoroastrianism – I also ran into or heard about voters, particularly Jewish ones, who assumed that I was Muslim and who, based on that assumption, either dismissed me outright or approached me with great caution, holding back, even if we completely agreed on the issues and on how to improve municipal politics and the city. Some residents asked me directly or indirectly about my background. And over and over, their attitude and expression changed once they found out that I am Jewish and not Muslim. They became at ease and warm. For some, this reaction may have reflected their joy in making another connection with me, for others, it was clearly relief that I was not Muslim. As for Alan, I did eventually let him know that I am Jewish, at which point his countenance changed. Soon after, he apologized. “Please pardon my cold reception of you earlier,” he said. Not all Jewish residents who thought I was Muslim regarded me in a reserved or suspicious manner. And I want to be clear that some Muslim voters are also prejudiced against Jewish candidates, just as some non-Jewish voters are prejudiced against Muslims. However, given the demographics of Toronto’s Ward 16 (Eglinton-Lawrence), where I ran for city council, I more often experienced the doubt and suspicion of Jewish voters in relation to Muslims. There was even a Jewish man who wanted to see another candidate win, and who, when talking about me to others, apparently referred to me disparagingly as “the Muslim lefty” – a description which he clearly felt would act as a double whammy against me. I believe that these occurrences illuminate an underlying problem that we Jews need to address. That is, Jewish resistance to Muslim candidates – a resistance that could result in our dismissing highly qualified persons that could serve us well. I understand why many Jews would be suspicious of a Muslim representative in government. I grew up in Iran until the age of 11. I am aware of the deep roots of anti-Semitism in many Islamic societies. I have observed how often anti-Israel and anti-Semitic feelings are conflated. And I am well-aware that Israel is subjected to a double-standard when it comes to the scrutiny and criticism of its actions. I know that many Jews fear that a Muslim person in government may be unfriendly to Jews or go even further and work against Jewish concerns and causes. But do we Jews have our own prejudices to confront? Are our votes informed and guided by prejudice? Do our fears of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel candidates push us to act in a manner that is, at best, uninformed, and at worst racist? Does our own intolerance prevent us from judging and choosing candidates based on their qualifications, skills, values, vision and integrity? If we dismiss these candidates outright, and never bother to find out about their positions on domestic political issues, let alone their attitude toward Jews and Israel, are we not ultimately harming democracy and hurting ourselves? The Muslim population in our country is growing. Our civic and political interactions will bring us into greater contact with Muslims of all backgrounds. Increasingly, there will be Muslim candidates running for office at all levels of government in Canada. And many will represent Jews in government. We can treat this reality as a threat against which we have to brace ourselves, or we can seek the opportunity to reach out, find those candidates who will serve our city and country well, who will represent us CJN Mazel Tov Getting married? Celebrating a special birthday or anniversary? Just had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah? SEND US YOUR PHOTOS!! Upload your digital photo along with your maximum 25 word description to: www.cjnews.com click on the Family Moments banner. (preferred method) If you do not have a digital photo mail a photo with your maximum 25 word description to: CJN Mazel Tov, 6900 Decarie Blvd., Suite 3125, Montreal, Quebec H3X 2T8. Label the back of all photos and enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE! Dyanoosh Youssefi at a campaign fundraiser fairly, and who are also open to improving understanding and dialogue between Jews and Muslims. If we act on our fears and dismiss these candidates outright, then we will exacerbate the distance and distrust that already exists between us. If we don’t attempt to create meaningful connections, to build dialogue, and to collaborate on common objectives, then we will further polarize our communities. Reaching out, building bridges, and overcoming our own prejudices: they are required of us by our humanity, by our ethical values and morals, by our history, and, arguably, by our religion and traditions. What’s more, they are also required for our own self-preservation. If we fail to build these bridges, we will all lose. n Dyanoosh Youssefi is a former criminal defence lawyer and legal studies professor. She can be found on Twitter at @DyanooshY. SALVATORE MASTANTUONO Over 75 years serving the community • • • • • • Medeco M3 Abloy Emtek Weiser Security Grills Security Systems Mailboxes Residential, Commercial & Institutional. Serving the city, suburbs & more. Just ask us! Sales & Service MENTION THIS AD AND GET 10% OFF Medeco High Security Locks Tel./Fax: (514) 481-8891 Cell: (514) 952-8891 www.mcwhinnielocksmith.ca 6010 Sherbrooke St. W. (between Hampton & Belgrave) 8 Cover Story M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 The return of the biblical epic Shlomo Schwartzberg Special to The CJN The recent release of Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings, based on the Hebrew Bible tale of Moses and the exodus from Egypt, combined with Hollywood’s release earlier this year of Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, suggests that biblical epics are back. (Scott is reportedly also planning a movie on King David, and a new version of Ben-Hur is coming out in February.) Or perhaps they never left. Indeed, since the beginning of cinema, the Old and New Testaments have been fodder for any number of movies, though the particulars of how they’ve been portrayed have changed dramatically. Among silent cinema’s most popular (and expensive) films were early versions of The Ten Commandments (1923) and Noah’s Ark (1928), as well as the biblically related Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1926), proving that in Hollywood, everything old is new again. In one respect, these movies were easy to make, as the film rights were in the public domain – Russell Crowe in Noah, left,and Charlton Heston in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur. ISRAEL th 2i5 ry versa Ann 2015 Best Family Tours in North America www.israelfamilytours.com Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tours call us for recent testimonials • • • • • Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony Incl. A true family itinerary All Inclusive Deluxe Hotels MORE days of sightseeing & MORE meals Summer Mar. 11-23, 2015 Jun. 28 – Jul. 9, 2015 Passover Aug. 2 – Aug. 13, 2015 March 11-23, 2015 $577 plus tax ($694.50) OUR PRICES WON’T BE BEAT! Jul. 5 – Jul. 15, 2015 Mar. 31 – Apr. 12, 2015 Aug. 16 – Aug. 27, 2015 Winter Break Dec. 20, 2015 – Jan. 03, 2016 Kathy 905-886-5610 Ext. 345 Limited Space Air Canada From $105 + taxes March Break Bar/Bat Mitzvah Child FREE* March Break SPECIAL Direct Flights to Israel pples pples to a compare a eraries New Itin Prices & Lower *Included in Family Rates. Excluding Air Magen David Adom Celebrates Israel’s Birthday An Extraordinary Historical and Cultural Journey April 19-30, 2015 USD3,899 Including Air Fare 5 Star Hotels and Most Meals Call Kathy ext. 345 NEW 905.886.5 6 1 0 800.294.1 6 6 3 4 1 6 .485.9455 [email protected] peerlesstravel.com and thus posed no copyright issues. Plus, most of the potential audiences for the movies knew the stories already. Besides, the Bible – or at least the Hebrew Bible – is chock full of drama, emotion, love stories and moral conundrums that are perfect subject matter for films. Biblical epics also offered something tailor made for cinema: larger than life adventures with commanding characters and a wide backdrop against which to situate the stories. Best of all, and especially after severe censorship came into effect in the 1930s in Hollywood with The Hays Code, they were seen by many as thematically safe in their (supposed) avoidance of controversial subject matter. That’s not entirely true – adultery, incest and patricide are some biblical themes – but the Bible, at least in the West, has for the most part been seen as innocuous to most people, would-be censors included. That didn’t stop subversive screenwriters and directors from slipping stuff past the censors. There was no shortage of nudity in both versions of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, though he got away with much more in the (pre-code) 1923 version than in its better-known 1956 followup, which was comparatively tamer. And how does one read Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 epic Spartacus – not strictly a biblical epic but in its feel and scope akin to one – which was penned by blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo and based on the book by How- ard Fast, also a blacklisted Hollywood figure? The famous “I am Spartacus” scene directed at the Roman authorities, with each slave pretending to be the man so as to thwart their attempt to single out Spartacus, can easily be discerned as a call to unite in arms against the villains, i.e., the House Un-American Activities Committee, which prosecuted Trumbo and Fast for their alleged Communist sympathies. And then there was the openly gay scene in Spartacus (between Tony Curtis’ and Laurence Olivier’s characters) and the inserted gay subtext in the 1959 BenHur (by screenwriter Gore Vidal) that suggested a past homosexual relationship between Jewish scion Judah BenHur (Charlton Heston) and his childhood Roman friend Messala (Stephen Boyd). By the 1950s, Americans were glued to their TVs, and biblical epics like Ben-Hur, Quo Vadis (1951), The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments and others were just about the only movies that could get Americans out of the house. Often shot in CinemaScope, those movies were bigger, more lavish and more exciting than anything TV could offer and also provided a refuge for blacklisted writers like Trumbo to work in. Lost in all this, of course, were the Jewish underpinnings of the Old Testament film adaptations. Continued on PAGE 13 THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 News M 9 Les réfugiés Juifs expulsés des pays arabes Elias Levy [email protected] L’Historien israélien Michel Abitbol a été l’invité d’honneur du Festival Séfarad de Montréal 2014. Ce spécialiste réputé de l’Histoire du Judaïsme marocain, des Juifs du monde arabe et du conflit israélo-palestinien, Professeur émérite de l’Université Hébraïque de Jérusalem, ancien Directeur de l’Institut Ben-Zvi de l’Université Hébraïque de Jérusalem -un Centre de Recherche spécialisé dans l’Histoire des Communautés sépharades- et auteur d’une quinzaine de livres historiques très remarqués a prononcé une conférence magistrale sur l’Histoire des relations entre Juifs et Musulmans en Terre d’Islam. Le réputé Historien israélien Michel Abitbol a été l’invité d’honneur de la Journée commémorative dédiée aux réfugiés Juifs des pays arabes Michel Abitbol a livré ses réflexions sur ce sujet fort épineux à l’occasion de la 1ère Journée annuelle de commémoration dédiée aux réfugiés Juifs expulsés des pays arabes en 1948, après la création de l’État d’Israël. La Knesseth a promulgué dernièrement une Loi proclamant le 30 novembre Journée nationale commémorative de l’exil forcé de 1 million de Juifs natifs des pays arabes. La Communauté Sépharade Unifiée du Québec (C.S.U.Q.) a tenu à commémorer aussi cet important Chapitre de l’Histoire des Communautés sépharades originaires des pays du Moyen-Orient et du Maghreb en invitant des membres de ces Commu nautés ayant vécu les affres douloureuses de l’expulsion de leur contrée natale à partager leurs témoignages avec la large assistance présente à cet événement. Hélène David, Ministre de la Culture du Québec et Présidente d’honneur du Festival Séfarad de Montréal 2014, qui a assisté à cette soirée commémorative, rendit un élogieux hommage à la Communauté sépharade du Québec et souligna la contribution notoire de celle-ci au développement culturel et socioéconomique du Québec. Dans leurs allocutions respectives, Moïse Amselem, Président de la Fédération Sépharade Canadienne et ancien Président de la Communauté Sépharade du Québec, le renommé Juriste Irwin Cotler, Député fédéral du Comté de Mont-Royal et ancien Ministre de la Justice du Canada, et Richard Marceau, Avocat conseil et Conseiller politique principal auprès du Centre Consultatif des Relations Juives et Israéliennes (C.E.R.J.I.), insistèrent sur la nécessité que la Communauté internationale reconnaisse la tragédie vécue par les réfugiés Juifs des pays arabes. Sonia Sarah Lipsyc, Directrice du Centre d’Études juives contemporaines ALEPH de la C.S.U.Q., a été la Maîtresse de cérémo nie de cet événement. Pour l’Historien Michel Abitbol, jamais les relations entre Juifs et Musulmans n’ont été aussi mauvaises depuis qu’il n’y a plus, ou presque plus, de Juifs en Terre d’Islam. “Aujourd’hui, ce qui reste en Terre d’Islam ce sont les derniers vestiges de Communautés juives très vieilles qui au lendemain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale comptaient encore près de 1 million per- REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS CHABAD LUBAVITCH YOUTH ORGANIZATION chabadmontreal.com got menorah? MONTREAL Perfect The World - One Mitzvah At A Time Photo : Elias Levy sonnes”, rappela-t-il. Le grand paradoxe aujourd’hui: la plus grande Communauté juive en Terre d’Islam se trouve en Iran, le pays le plus antisémite de la planète. La deuxième plus importante Communauté juive vit dans la Turquie de Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dont les dérapages antisionistes et à relents antisémites ne cessent de se multiplier. La troisième plus importante Communauté juive vit dans le lointain Azerbaïdjan, où, d’après Michel Abitbol, il y a probablement plus de Juifs que dans toute l’Afrique du Nord réunie, où il n’y a plus aujourd’hui que quelque 6 000 Juifs. “Aujourd’hui, les seuls pays où il y a encore une présence juive importante sont l’Iran et la Turquie. Ces deux pays ont quelque chose en commun: ils n’ont jamais été colonisés. On peut considérer la colonisation comme un facteur de destructuration des rapports entre Juifs et Musulmans et la décolonisation comme un accélérateur du départ des Juifs des pays arabes”. Pourquoi le gouvernement d’Israël a-t-il reconnu si tardivement la grande tragédie humaine vécue par les Communautés CHABAD OF NDG AND LOYOLA CAMPUS jewishmonkland.com CHABAD OF OLD MONTREAL chabadoldmontreal.com CHABAD QUEEN-MARY chabadqueenmary.com BETH CHABAD C.S.L. chabadcsl.com CHABAD CHABANEL MAISON BELFIELD MOSHIACH RESOURCE CENTRE 514.385.9514 CHABAD CHAI CENTRE thechai.com CHABAD OF LASALLE chabadlasalle.com CHABAD LIFELINE chabadlifeline.com Chabad L’Historien israélien Michel Abitbol et Sonia Sarah Lipsyc, Directrice du Centre ALEPH. CHABAD OF MILE END chabadmileend.com CHABAD MONTREAL WEST 514.996.6770 CHABAD RUSSIAN YOUTH CENTRE 514.777.9161 CHABAD OF THE TOWN chabadtmr.com CHABAD UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTREAL chabaduniversitedemontreal.com CHABAD VILLE S. LAURENT chabadvsl.com CHABAD OF WESTMOUNT chabadwestmount.com JEWISH RUSSIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE jrccmtl.com juives expulsées des pays arabes au lende main de la création de l’État d’Israël? “Je suis Historien, je ne peux donc pas vous parler des motivations du gouvernement israélien, répondit Michel Abitbol. Je ne vous cacherai pas que si le gouvernement israélien a reconnu seulement aujourd’hui ce fait historique irrécusable et non il y a dix ans ou vingt ans, c’est parce que ça pose un problème de considérer tous les Juifs des pays arabes vivant en Israël comme des réfugiés. Ce problème est simple: une bonne partie des Juifs natifs des pays arabes ont fait leur Aliya par choix. Si vous proclamez qu’ils sont tous des réfugiés, où est le choix là-dedans? En effet, beaucoup de Juifs nés dans les pays arabes ont fait leur Aliya non pas parce qu’ils ont été forcés à aller en Israël, mais parce qu’à travers leur Aliya, ils voulaient exprimer tangiblement leur attachement à la Terre de leurs aïeux.” n The Communauté Sépharade Unifiée du Québec held an event in honour of the international day of commemoration of the Jewish refugees expelled from Arab lands in 1948. MADA – MERKAZ DOVREI IVRIT madacenter.com MONTREAL TORAH CENTER – BAIS MENACHEM CHABAD LUBAVITCH themtc.com SOUTH CHABAD OF NUNS ISLAND chabadnunsisland.com CHABAD OF SOUTH SHORE chabadsouthshore.com ROHR CHABAD JEWISH STUDENT CENTRE AT MCGILL AND CONCORDIA chabadmcgill.com EAST NORTH CHABAD OF SHERBROOKE, QC 514.820.6770 CAMP GAN ISRAEL cgimontreal.com CENTRE CHABAD L’ESCALE CHABAD DU NORD escalechabad.com CHABAD OF LAVAL 514.512.1493 CHABAD OF MONT-TREMBLANT chabadmonttremblant.com CHABAD OF ST. SAUVEUR chabadsauveur.com CHABAD ON CAMPUS LAVAL-QUEBEC CITY jquebec.com WEST CHABAD DOLLARD dollardchabad.com CHABAD OF KIRKLAND chabadofkirkland.com CHABAD ST. LAZARE & HUDSON chabadstlazare.com CHAI WEST thechai.com DORVAL JEWISH CENTER jewishdorval.com A P R O J E C T O F C H A B A D L U B AV I T C H YO U T H O R G A N I Z AT I O N O F M O N T R E A L E S TA B L I S H E D B Y T H E R E B B E I N 1 9 5 5 Đīč 10 Comment M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 Diaspora Jews shouldn’t try to influence the Israeli election Simon Adler D iaspora Jews often want to tell Israelis how to vote – and how, more generally, to run their country. After all, as Jews, we feel we have a stake in what happens in Israel, and many of us feel comfortable offering our opinions of what should happen there. While people should be encouraged to voice their opinions, there’s no corresponding obligation requiring Israelis to pay even the slightest attention. Indeed, for very good reasons, they should not. We in the Diaspora should be happy if our telling Israelis what to do is met with polite indifference. But we should also be prepared for withering scorn. We might get information via the news media (usually incomplete and biased) on some issues affecting the upcoming Israeli election. Our interest is typically piqued by the “sexy” ones such as security and conversions. But given that we don’t live there, we may possess little or no information about many other important issues. And while democracy is based on “the right to be wrong,” we should remember that we won’t have to pay the price for an error – only Israelis will. There’s a whole other world of important issues in the upcoming Israeli election, such as “social welfare,” internal aspects of the economy, health care, income support programs, and many more. Many Diaspora Jews have little interest in, or understanding of, these issues. We require far more information than we can ever assimilate from the outside. Only living in Israel can bring home the reality of the needs, wants and possible solutions to be considered in the social-welfare sphere. Many Israelis will be making their election decisions based on information from the media, just as we might. However, they also live in Israel and absorb its realities directly. Given that we cannot share the risks of a mistake (i.e., electing the “wrong” government), it is impertinent for us to suggest how Israelis should vote and what government they should elect. The most we’re entitled to do is encourage fair, respectful and honest discourse in the election process – something that is as needed and as rare here in Canada as it is in Israel. It’s also incumbent on Diaspora Jews to remember that Israel employs a governmental system that is radically different from the British, Canadian and American systems. We sometimes look down on the Israeli approach to electoral politics as chaotic and unworkable. But the truth is, of the three systems – British/Canadian, American and Israeli – the latter is by far the most democratic, if by democracy we mean allowing, or even encouraging, minority voices to be heard. This upcoming election might be fought and won on issues of security, or it may be fought and won on issues of social welfare and the economy. Most likely, individual voters will make their decisions based on a number of issues, at least some of which do not reverberate at all outside Israel. What may be important to one voter may not be important to the next, even if they vote for the same party. Where does all that leave us interested, well-wishing bystanders? We should attempt to understand what the elections are about, learn what we can about the various positions taken, and encourage respectful acceptance of the result, however much we might find it uncomfortable. We should advocate strongly for restrained rhetoric, for honest and fair and serious debate. Above all, we must promote and publicize the fact of Israeli democracy – even if it may be different in form from ours, scary in its rhetoric and chaotic in its appearance. Israel is a functioning democracy governed by the rule of law, and there’s nothing more one can ask of a political system. Ultimately, outsiders have no business trying to influence the outcome of this, or any, Israeli election. We must strongly remind ourselves, and the world, of this. n Simon Adler is a litigation lawyer in Kitchener-Waterloo. Of friends and heroes Bernie Farber H e was a big guy. About 5-10, 250 pounds, he wore No. 55 and once played defensive tackle for the Ottawa Sooners of the Canadian Junior Football League, one of the first Jewish boys to do so. I met Howie back in 1972 when I ran the Ottawa Jewish Community Centre Day camp. I hired Howie to look after the kitchen, assist during overnights in Gatineau, and be the general camp shlepper. The following summer, he became the camp’s head counsellor, and from there he took his talents to the 39th Wolf Cub pack, the only Jewish Cub pack in Canada. Years later, Howie became a director of Scouts Canada. He was determined, focused and loved kids. His goal was to help young people discover themselves, and especially their Connect with us: E-mail: [email protected] athletic talents where possible, and he became a mentor to many. Howie was a teacher, businessman, doting father and ardent Zionist. He married his childhood sweetheart, who he met at the JCC day camp, and even after his marriage broke up, I think he still carried a torch for Ellen all his life. Following his dream, he made aliyah in 2008. In Israel, too, he became a mentor to many kids, practically bringing Little League baseball to the Holy Land. He was an umpire and coach, and he became Jerusalem regional director for the Israel Association of Baseball. Howie took Israel’s arduous guiding course. It’s like getting a PhD in Israeli history, archeology, Torah and geography. He loved showing friends his Israel. I recall going with him to the ancient City of David on an archeological dig. I was mesmerized by what I learned from him. When my in-laws recently travelled to Israel, Howie helped them see the sights. He took care, knowing they were elderly, making sure they weren’t overtired and insisting they drink water and stop often to rest. He even picked them up at the Facebook: facebook.com/TheCJN Howie’s goal was to help young people discover themselves airport and took them first to his small Jerusalem apartment so they could rest after their long plane trip. That was just Howie’s way. Howie died suddenly in early November. He was umpiring a baseball game when he called time out, then collapsed. He was only 58 years old. A day or so after his death, I was sitting in a local Starbucks grieving for my dear friend. A homeless man walked in, I was sitting beside the door and he saw me crying. He sat beside me, and we began to talk. I told him about my friend Howie. He looked at me as though I was the only Twitter: @TheCJN person there. He then told me that life was like a train on a track. We stop from time to time at different places, some just fine, others not so much, but we can only really look behind us, then left and right. We’ll never know where the track ends, so he said to just try to enjoy the trip. I bought him a coffee and a muffin, then he hugged me and left. As I was about to leave, my daughter Gillian’s latest blog arrived. She’s on a trip with her husband to South America. I read it with joy. It made me laugh, and it made me cry. But in a strange way, it brought me so much peace. Yes, I guess these two incidents are linked. You see, Howie’s train ride ended much sooner than it should have, but he definitely enjoyed his stops in life. He used to tell me that even those that stung held lessons for him. Gillian and my sonin-law, Adam, are also on a glorious train journey that will mould their lives for years to come. Howie Osterer was my friend and my hero. His passing is, in its own way, a life lesson. As Howie would say, even the bad lessons are good lessons. n THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 Comment M 11 Is reform touching the haredi world? Rabbi Dow Marmur T hough opinion polls vary in assessing the fortunes of the political parties in the Israeli election next March, the pundits have hitherto found it easy to predict haredi representation, because ultra-Orthodox Jews consistently vote for their own. But things may be changing. An open letter by some 3,000 women has it that they won’t vote again for haredi parties unless and until women are among the candidates. So far, only their men have been Knesset members. If one of their women sought political office, she had to join another party, as did Tzvia Greenfeld who for a time represented the left-wing Meretz party. The haredi establishment vehemently opposes the women’s initiative, using the traditional argument that everything that’s new is forbidden by the Torah. As long as the rabbis who hold the reins of power don’t allow the inclusion of women, most haredim are reluctant to openly dissent. To include women candidates would also be a tacit admission that secular and non-Orthodox Jews have a case when they champion gender equality, and that’s anathema to those who regard themselves as the only authentic custodians of God’s will for the Jewish People. An article published earlier this month in the Times of Israel by Chevy Weiss, who describes herself as a haredi activist working behind the scenes, deserves close attention. She’s opposed to the new initiative because she regards the political arena as “a spiritually dangerous place for haredi women.” At the same time, however, she offers compelling reasons in favour of women’s political involvement. First, haredi women, she writes, have always been supporting men to enable them to study Torah. As a result, women are much more familiar with practical problems in life and, thus better suited to serve the public. And men who represent haredim in politics are deprived of study- ing Torah, which is their real and perhaps only vocation. I can think of a no more damming indictment of haredi male politicians: they aren’t familiar with the issues they’re called upon to decide, and being in politics forces them to neglect their primary responsibility to God. Second, women are usually the breadwinners in the haredi family and thus better acquainted than their fathers, husbands and sons with economic realities. Women, writes Weiss, “have ideas for solutions and want to implement them now.” With few exceptions, she adds, the men neither listen nor respond to views put forward by women. Here then is another case for women politicians and another put down of men. Third, Weiss writes: “Haredi women are suffering. They are overworked, being the breadwinners and raising children while the husbands increasingly fail to take responsibility.” Referring to the growing divorce rate among haredim, she reports that “the community organizations and batei din favour the husbands more often than not.” Hence this startling conclusion: “Haredi women with political power would be a huge help to all females.” So why is she against the initiative of the 3,000 women? In addition to pointing to the spiritual perils of politics, she’s too loyal a member of the haredi world to dare to openly challenge its “sages” and appear to give in to modern trends. Though she acknowledges the need for women’s voices to be heard, she seems to resign herself to the fact that in her world such voices must remain muted and only manifest themselves “behind the scenes.” Having been raised in the United States, as she tells readers, she’s sufficiently American to champion the cause of women to whom men, according to her, don’t pay sufficient attention. But as a haredi loyalist she nevertheless toes the line. The glaring inconsistency and uneasy compromise deserve our sympathy, as the effort of the dissenting women has earned the wholehearted support of the enlightened Jewish world across denominational boundaries. The achievements pioneered by Reform Judaism and followed up by other non-Orthodox movements seem to be touching the haredi world. n Why the world should follow Canada’s lead on Iran Sheryl Saperia O ver a year ago, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki insisted: “If Iranians don’t get to a ‘yes’ at the end of six months, we can put in place more sanctions.” Speaking about the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) negotiations, she was offering assurance that Barack Obama’s administration was serious about dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure through tough diplomacy. Another deadline has passed, no agreement has been reached, and negotiations have been extended yet again because Iran refuses to make the necessary concessions. Nonetheless, additional sanctions have not been imposed. On the contrary, sanctions worth billions of dollars have been lifted, even though Iran continues to stonewall nuclear inspectors and has reportedly intensified efforts to obtain components for a heavy water reactor, which could be used to produce weaponsgrade plutonium. The Iranians have not gotten to a “yes” because they don’t need to. Time is on their side. Their economy is improving because of sanctions relief, and their centrifuges keep spinning. Unwilling to risk the collapse of a potential deal, the West has not only indulged Iran’s nuclear obfuscations but has also turned a blind eye to Tehran’s oppression of domestic dissidents and its support for Bashar Assad’s brutal rule in Syria. Even Iran’s ballistic missile program is no longer a subject of discussion. And for as long as negotiations are ongoing, Israel is hard-pressed to attempt a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites. Meanwhile, the White House appears desperate for a deal, and has proven disturbingly adept at accommodating Iranian red lines while allowing their own to be eroded. The most egregious example may be the interim agreement’s recognition of Iran’s right to enrichment – the core of any nuclear weapons program – thus contradicting no fewer than six UN Security Council resolutions. When it comes to responding to Iranian misconduct, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird stand in favourable contrast to their American counterparts. Over the last two years, the Canadian government has expelled Iran’s diplomats from Ottawa amidst evidence of their intimidation of Iranian-Canadians. It designated Iran as a state sponsor of terror and therefore vulnerable to being sued in Canadian courts by victims of terrorism. Iran’s Quds Force was listed as a terrorist entity. When the P5+1 negotiations were extended again last month, Baird stated: “Iran’s dithering is either a cynical ploy for time or an inability to clearly repudiate military nuclear ambitions. The regime must take immediate actions to resolve the concerns of the international community… Until Canada is satisfied, our sanctions regime will remain in full force.” To be fair, Canada and the United States do not occupy the same role on the world stage. If overt military conflict with Iran broke out, the brunt of any western response would be borne by the U.S. This is a scenario Obama understandably seeks to avoid. Still, Canada’s principled stand reflects sound policy worthy of emulation. Sanctions should not be lifted until Iran’s nuclear program has been dismantled or a trustworthy regime has taken over. Obama’s strategy of removing sanctions to entice Tehran to make concessions has been predictably ineffective – Iran arrived at the negotiating table precisely because sanctions were hurting its economy. Ottawa could also consider further measures. Canada’s current sanctions against Iran focus exclusively on illicit nuclear conduct. Perhaps the government should legislate that these sanctions cannot be repealed until Iran also ceases its terrorist sponsorship and demonstrates significant progress in respecting the human rights of all its residents. Iranian Christians are bracing themselves for the arrests and violence that characterize the regime’s seasonal greetings to its Christian minority. This may be an appropriate time for Canada and like-minded countries to signal to Iran that the behaviours that made its nuclear belligerence a concern in the first place will be met with greater scrutiny in the new year. n Sheryl Saperia is director of policy for Canada at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 12 News M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 Teens collect toonies for preemies CJN STAFF They say that teens have only one priority: themselves. Grade 10 students Janna Sternthal, Eliana Rohr and Elisheva Eisenberg prove that this is not always the case. Amidst schoolwork, volunteerism and extra-curricular activities, the Hebrew Academy students are helping some of Montreal’s tiniest and most vulnerable babies by spearheading a campaign in their high school called “Purple for Preemies.” In exchange for a $2 donation to the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) Auxiliary’s Tiny Miracle Fund, students could accessorize their school uniforms with purple items in honour of World Prematurity Day, Nov. 17. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward the purchase of life-sustaining equipment, including incubators and ventilators, for the JGH’s new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) slated to open in January 2016. “We heard about the campaign through Roz Hutman, one of the organizers of the fundraiser,” 15-year-old Eisenberg said. “We realized that this was an extremely good cause. However, not too many people know about it. With that in mind, we decided to take action and see what we could do to support the project.” As the mother of a premature baby born at just 24 weeks of gestation, Hebrew Academy parent Roz Hutman is indebted to the doctors and nurses at the JGH NICU for the “incredible care” her son Joshua received when he was born in 2004 weighing just 495 grams. “Joshua became the fifth-smallest baby to survive at the JGH at that time,” Hutman said. “Being the mother of a child that was saved by this unit, I felt completely indebted and wanted to give back.” Now 10 years old, Joshua is thriving, and he is “a happy, healthy, smart and funloving child.” Hebrew Academy’s Grade 6 girls are also everyone’s life is a very fragile and important time. Premature babies are faced with many obstacles in their development. Preemies should have the same fighting chance as all other newborns.” “We think it’s extremely important to share the campaign with our peers because we are part of one community and should be there for each other,” said Sternthal, 15. “A lot of people don’t know about prematurity since it isn’t such a predominant issue for people who don’t have any association with it. “Only with awareness, can situations change and improve for the future. Seeing how expensive life-sustaining equipment for preemies is, we thought that as a school, it would be very beneficial to support this cause in order to make a difference.” n For more information or to donate to the Tiny Miracle Fund Project, please call the JGH Auxiliary at 514-340-8216. 100th Anniversary of World War I Grade 10 Hebrew Academy students, front row from left, Elisheva Eisenberg, Janna Sternthal and Eliana Rohr spearheaded the “Purple for Preemies” campaign in their high school in support of the JGH Auxiliary’s Tiny Miracle Fund. Back row are classmates Jordana Marciano, Shira Cohen, Emily Lawrence, Rebecca Azoulay, Racheli Blanshay, Danielle Levi, Erica Meisels and Gabriella Malamud. This World War I recruiting poster aimed at Montreal Jewish men is on view at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until March 29, as part of the exhibition The Patriotism of Death: Propaganda Posters from World War I, commemorating the war’s 100th anniversary. This poster, whose creator is cited as anonymous, is from the Stewart Museum. actively participating in the fundraiser. In addition to the toonie collection, they will be hosting a fundraising “Spa Day” for grades 1 to 3 in the elementary school, as part of their grade’s bat mitzvah program that emphasizes the performance of chesed – acts of kindness. The Grade 10 students took on a leadership role in spearheading the preemie campaign in their high school because of their staunch support for the cause. “We decided to get involved because we believe that everyone should have a chance to live their life to their full potential,” Rohr, 16, said. “The beginning of FREE Leaf Bag with order MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS PHOTO Protect Your Table Made-To-Measure Table Pads Prevents scratches, burns & spills Free in-home service • Factory Direct Pricing Available across Canada Dover PaD Quality Since 1950 Montreal: (514) 420-6030 Canada: (800) 354-4445 www.doverpad.ca 20%Off! Boxing Week Promo ends January 14th THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 Cover Story M 13 Biblical tale will likely be around for years to come Continued FROM page 8 Despite the presence of such Jewish actors as Edward G. Robinson (sounding more Brooklyn than ancient Israelite) in the 1956 edition of The Ten Commandments, these movies weren’t really about the Jews, or if they were, as in Ben-Hur, they were only a set up so that Heston’s Ben-Hur could, in effect, convert to Christianity by film’s end. Of course, one has to recognize that in America, the Hebrew Bible has long been adopted by Christians as their own, too, so the Jewish origin of the Old Testament figures is not paramount in their minds, nor is the idea of casting Jews in those roles of concern to the filmmakers. Even Noah filmmaker Aronofsky, who is Jewish, picked Russell Crowe and other non-Jewish actors like Anthony Hopkins and Jennifer Connelly for the key parts. As for filmic depictions of Christ, always a staple of movies, the idea of casting a Semitic-looking actor in the role of the rabbi from Galilee should be considered, but rarely applies. Witness blue-eyed Willem Dafoe cast as Jesus in Martin Scorsese’s controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). (Admittedly Jewish actor Harvey Keitel was cast as Judas, the villain of the piece, but he, too, like Robinson, sounded as if he came from a New York neighbourhood.) Other film adaptations such as Mel Gibson’s infamous and revisionist The Passion of the Christ (2004) were blatantly anti-Semitic, providing an offensive portrait of satanic Jewish children cavorting in the background and Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect who sentenced Christ to death, depicted as a mild person reluctantly forced to do so by the stereotypically drawn, pushy Jewish elders. (Oddly, few film critics or members of the Hollywood establishment, many of whom were Jewish, would openly admit that the film was anti-Semitic.) Fortunately, the faithful took to the element of Christ’s (graphic) suffering in the movie as their main storyline and seemed to ignore the film’s anti-Semitic overtones. We’re probably lucky that Gibson never made the Judas Maccabeus movie he said he wanted to do (though the story of Chanukah, in the right hands, could make for a terrific movie). It’s ironic that the Hebrew Bible, the basis for so much of Judaism’s beliefs and These movies weren’t really about the Jews history and the subject of so many examples of an art form in an industry founded by and to some extent still dominated by Jews, is so devoid of actual Jewish content. (I teach a course called “The Image of the Jew in Film and Television,” and Gibson’s movie, as a dark example, is the only one of the biblical epics I’ve ever referenced in film clips.) Perhaps that’s all to the better, as Hollywood hasn’t exactly made too many fine or worthwhile Bible-based movies. (1985’s King David with Richard Gere in the title role traipsing down the streets of Jerusalem clad in what looks like a diaper, is this sub-genre’s low point.) And it should be noted, much of the renewed emphasis on the current crop of biblical stories comes from Hollywood’s desire to draw in the evangelical American LOVE TO SING, ACT, WRITE? EXPRESS YOURSELF. CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS CONTACT REGISTRATION 514.342.1234 LOCAL 7365 REGISTER NOW! CUMMINGSCENTRE.ORG Love to sing? Join our Rock ‘N Soul Choir and perform hit songs from the 60’s and 70’s under professional musical direction. Wednesday January 7 to March 4 7 - 9 pm • 9 sessions • $80 Musical Director: Adam Goulet TELL YOUR STORY: LIFE WRITING Shlomo Schwartzberg is an arts journalist and former director of programming of the Toronto Jewish Film Festival. THEATRE CLASS ROCK ‘N SOUL CHOIR CREATIVE EXPRESSION Christian community, which traditionally shuns most modern movies because of their violence, language, or sexual explicitness. Though Exodus was the top grossing movie the week it opened, it’s too early to tell if it and the other biblical epics to come will all be box office successes. (History Channel’s 10-part 2013 TV series The Bible was a big hit for the network, spawning a 2014 feature film, Son of God.) Since Hollywood ultimately considers box office success to be the final arbiter of the projects that actually get made, the Bible as the subject for cinematic endeavours could be over as quickly as it started. But since Hollywood is also reluctant to venture too often into anything too original or revolutionary, the tried and true Bible tale – and many of them, including the ’50s versions of Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments, shown every year on TV at Easter, are cultural staples – whether specifically Jewish or not, will likely be around for years to come. n NEW! Write and share your life experiences in a semi-guided process. Explore themes such as family, major events, career, spiritual life, values and aspirations. Thursday Jan. 8 to Feb. 12 10 am – 12 pm • 6 sessions • $72 Elizabeth Johnston, BA, MFA — Thursday Feb. 19 to March 26 10 am – 12 pm • 6 sessions • $72 Elizabeth Johnston, BA, MFA No experience needed for these programs. NEW! Curious about lighting your dramatic spark? Come and learn about theatrical performance through storytelling, games and scene work under professional direction. Tuesday Jan. 13 to March 3 3:30 – 5:30 pm • 8 sessions • $75 Scott Humphrey CHOIR Sing traditional songs in English, Yiddish,Hebrew, French and Russian. We perform concerts throughout the city. Audience welcome at rehearsals. Friday ongoing 10 am – 12 pm • $36 annually DANCING WITH DALE KING NEW! Join us for this high energy dance class. Boogie, groove and shimmy down memory lane to all the classics. Tuesday Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27, Feb. 3 2 - 3 pm • 5 sessions • $50 14 News M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 New rabbinic court vows to help agunot receive gets by taking ‘aggressive’ halachic approach Lila Sarick Staff Reporter A newly formed rabbinic court aims to dramatically reduce “the scourge” of women who can’t receive a religious divorce decree, known as a get, by taking an “aggressive” and “transparent” halachic approach, a Toronto conference heard this past weekend. Rabbi Simcha Krauss, head of the newly formed International Beit Din, which meets in New York, says the court will break new ground in solving the long-unresolved problem of agunot, literally chained women. Under Jewish law, only men can grant a divorce and in uncounted cases, women are left in limbo, unable to divorce and to remarry. “I consider agunot a tragedy, not only for the Jewish People, it’s a tragedy for Halachah. It’s a stain on Halachah. It comes to say Halachah can not solve its problems,” Rabbi Krauss told the annual Renewing Our Spirit conference, hosted Dec. 14 by Torah in Motion at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation. “I believe Halachah can solve its problems.” “Our job is to try to eradicate the scourge of agunot. We’re going to be aggressive and we’re going to be transparent,” Rabbi Krauss said in an interview with The CJN. “We’ll use any halachically justifiable mode to free women.” The beit din, which has so far heard a handful of cases, is innovative in many ways. For instance, it will, for the first time for a beit din, be publishing its decisions on the Internet, in English, outlining the rationale for granting a divorce. Only the couple’s names will be blocked. A committee of female health professionals, chiefly psychologists and social workers, has also agreed to accompany a woman through the court proceedings. The beit din can be an intimidating process, with three men asking a woman about the most intimate details of her marriage in order to render a decision, Rabbi Krauss said. This way, at least the woman does not stand alone. The court’s decisions will rely on existing Congratulations! In honour of your marriage, The Canadian Jewish News is pleased to present you with a 6 month subscription. Please fill in the requested information and mail to PO Box 1324 Stn K Toronto, ON M4P 3J4 or fax to 450-445-6656 Name ___________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________ City_____________________Province___________ Postal Code________________ Phone number ___________________________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________________________ Doc key: W14FXCJN Our job is to try to eradicate the scourge of agunot. We’re going to be aggressive and we’re going to be transparent Rabbi Simcha Krauss LILA SARICK PHOTO Jewish law and legal concepts. Government documents, such as tax returns, will be examined and witnesses will be interviewed, by Skype, if necessary. A recalcitrant husband will be summoned by the court three times, but if he does not comply, a get can still be issued, Rabbi Krauss explained. In many cases, the husband uses extortion, to force a woman to pay for her get. Rabbi Krauss believes the court will be able to remedy many of those situations within the existing framework of Jewish law. “I think there are good solutions. If everyone would work on the solutions we have now, we would have many fewer agunot.” The court, which has heard just a handful of cases so far, has already had inquiries from women in Canada and Europe, as well as the United States. The ultimate test for the court is whether its decisions will be accepted by the Israeli rabbinate and American rabbis. Rabbi Krauss is optimistic the decisions will hold up. Before the first rulings are published, he will seek support from well-regarded rabbis in Israel. “I don’t think the world of Halachah will say ‘no’ unanimously,” Rabbi Krauss said. If rabbis are rational and take the time to read the decisions, he believes they will support the court. Rabbi Krauss, who served as a pulpit rabbi in New York for more than 20 years and as head of the Religious Zionists of America before making aliyah in 2005, was always aware of the problem agunot faced. But in Israel, where agunah cases make the front page of the newspaper, he says it became evident to him that a solution needed to be found. Agunot activists are also watching the new court closely in the hope it makes headway in resolving what has been an intractable problem, said Norma Joseph, a professor of religion at Concordia University and vice-president and consultant for the Canadian Coalition of Jewish Women for the Get. Rabbi Krauss has credibility and is “not easily dismissed,” she said. “A lot will happen depending on what kind of decisions are written up and how those decisions are received by the rabbinate in Israel and the Beit Din of America,” she said. She worries, however, that Canadian women could face a stigma for travelling to the new beit din, instead of going to their local beit din, which may be less accommodating. There is a school of thought that says Jewish law itself needs to change to “find a mechanism to make the law more open to women’s participation in the process,” rather than rely on the good intentions of a particular beit din, she said. However, the new beit din with its commitment to transparency and a willingness to help women is a promising start. “It’s exciting to think about, after so much difficulty. There is attention to women in this dire circumstance and someone is stepping forward. How that will work out is still to be developed.” n THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 News M 15 Réflexions sur l’avenir des Juifs de France Elias Levy [email protected] “Malgré les grandes difficultés auxquelles les Juifs de France sont confrontés aujourd’hui, il fait toujours bon vivre en France. S’il est vrai qu’environ 5 000 Juifs français ont fait leur Aliya cette année, force est de rappeler que ce chiffre n’est pas énorme par rapport à l’ensemble de la population juive de France, qui est estimée à quelque 500 000 personnes. Il faudra attendre plusieurs siècles avant qu’il n’y ait plus de Juifs en France!” Pour l’Historien Ariel Danan, la pérennité du Judaïsme en France n’est pas menacée, malgré la recrudescence de l’antisémitisme que la société française a connue ces dernières années. Directeur-adjoint de la Bibliothèque de l’Alliance Israélite Universelle, sise à Paris, et responsable de la Médiathèque Alliance Baron Edmond de Rothschild, Institution cuturelle affiliée à la Bibliothèque de l’Alliance Israélite Universelle, Ariel Danan, qui est Docteur en Histoire de l’Université Paris-Sorbonne, assume aussi la fonction de Secrétaire général de la Commission française des Archives juives. Ses Travaux de Recherche portent sur l’Histoire contemporaine des Juifs de France et d’Afrique du Nord. Invité par l’Alliance Israélite Universelle De gauche à droite: Sonia Sarah Lipsyc, Directrice du Centre d’Études juives ALEPH, Sophie Jama, Présidente du Comité culturel francophone de la Bibliothèque Publique Juive, l’Historien Ariel Danan, Ralph Benatar, Président de l’Alliance Israélite Universelle Canada, et Philippe Elharrar, Directeur général de l’Alliance Israélite Universelle Canada. Canada, Ariel Danan a présenté, dans le cadre du Mois du Livre Juif -manifestation culturelle organisée par la Bibliothèque Publique Juive de Montréal-, son livre, Les Juifs de France et l’État d’Israël (1948-1982), paru récemment aux Éditions Honoré Champion. Dans cet essai très fouillé, qui fait suite à sa Thèse de Doctorat en Histoire contemporaine qu’il a soutenue à l’Université ParisSorbonne, Ariel Danan retrace l’évolution des rapports entre les Juifs de France et Israël depuis 1948, année de la fondation de l’État hébreu. S’il est évidemment impossible de généra liser et d’affirmer que tous les Juifs de France se sentent proches de l’État d’Israël, en revanche, entre 1948 et 1982, ils ont été de plus en plus nombreux à soutenir Israël sous des formes très différentes, rappela Ariel Danan. On peut également penser que la plupart r Mark you CJN’s Weddings etc. February 12, 2015 Issue For information and rates call 514-735-2612 or write to [email protected] Deadline to RSVP your AD Tuesday, January 27 des Juifs de France s’“ils ne sont pas toujours d’accord avec la politique israélienne, considèrent positivement l’existence de l’État d’Israël”, ajouta-t-il. Depuis le début des années 90, au fur et à mesure que la détestation d’Israël dans la société française augmentait, la solidarité des Juifs de France à l’endroit d’Israël se renforçait, a constaté ce jeune Historien. La Communauté juive de France a été “profondément bouleversée et atterrée” par la multiplication des actes antisémites ces derniers mois. “C’était la première fois qu’on assistait dans les rues de Paris à de grandes manifestations où l’on a crié sans ambages “mort aux Juifs”. Il ne s’agissait pas d’incidents antisémites isolés, mais de cortèges de rue hostiles aux Juifs. C’était aussi la première fois que la Police française a demandé à la Communauté juive de fermer des Synagogues proches desquelles des hordes de manifestants propalestiniens devaient défiler. Il y a eu là une réelle rupture entre la Communauté juive et la société française”, a dit Ariel Danan. Mais, en dépit de ce climat très lugubre, Ariel Danan rappela que l’engagement des pouvoirs publics français dans la lutte contre l’antisémitisme est “exemplaire, sincère et très ferme”. n e v a S ate D the dar n e l a C 5 201 in our luded to be inc s Etc. Wedding ents lem CJN Supp May 21 r5 Novembe 16 Food M Brownies – a popular chocolate treat Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies ❏ 1 cup sugar ❏ 1 cup brown sugar ❏ 1 cup cocoa, sifted ❏ 1/2 cup flour, sifted ❏ 1/2 tsp. kosher salt ❏ 4 large eggs ❏ 8 oz. melted butter ❏ 2 tsp. vanilla extract Cheesecake Layer ❏ 8 oz. cream cheese, softened ❏ 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar ❏ 1/4 cup raspberry jam ❏ 1 egg ❏ 1/2 tsp. vanilla ❏ 1/4 tsp. salt ❏ 3 tbsp. flour ❏ 6 oz. fresh raspberries Preheat oven to 350. Line 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over the sides. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the brown and white sugars and pulse to combine. Remove from the bowl and set aside. Combine the cocoa, flour and salt in a food processor bowl and pulse to combine, then set aside. EILEEN GOLTZ SPECIAL TO THE CJN This is a simple column, one devoted to that favourite chocolate treat, the brownie. For those of you who must have the answer to the dilemma of what truly constitutes a brownie, the definition that I hold with is that it is a dense chocolate dessert whose recipe appeared somewhere in the early 1900s in the United States. There are a few different sources that claim bragging rights, the most popular being that Fannie Farmer included it in her 1906 cookbook. There is no one perfect brownie recipe because everyone’s favourite is the perfect recipe. They can be more fudge-like or cake-like and contain nuts or not, and here is my favorite part – they should contain any kind (or multiple kinds) of chocolate you like. You can use milk, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, and for those who are allergic to or just don’t like chocolate, there is a variation on the brownie theme that’s made with brown sugar and without chocolate, called a blonde brownie. While these non-chocolate brownies are fine, for me, they are like eating diet ice cream. The concept works, but there is just something not quite right about it. So this week’s culinary gift to you is this column, with ooey gooey delicious brownie recipes that run the gamut from super simple to over the top, kill-me-withcalories wonderful. THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 Fudge Frosted Brownies ❏ 1/2 cup butter or margarine ❏ 1 cup sugar ❏ 2 eggs ❏ 1 tsp. vanilla ❏ 1/3 cup cocoa ❏ 1/2 cup flour ❏ 1/4 tsp. salt ❏ 1/4 tsp. baking powder Frosting ❏ 3 tbsp. softened butter or margarine ❏ 3 tbsp. cocoa ❏ 1 tbsp. honey ❏ 1 tsp. vanilla ❏ 1 cup powdered sugar ❏ 1 tbsp. milk or non-dairy substitute In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the vanilla and sugars, and mix to combine. Add in the butter and mix to combine. Add the flour and mix to combine. Set aside the batter. Raspberry cheesecake layer: In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the cream cheese, jam, egg, vanilla, salt and flour. Mix until the mixture is combined about 3 or 4 minutes. Pour 3/4 of brownie batter into pan. Gently spoon the cheesecake layer all over the top. Using a spoon or spatula, sprinkle remaining brownie batter on top of raspberry cheesecake layer. Gently swirl the cheesecake layer through brownie mixture but don’t over mix. Drop the fresh raspberries all over the top, then gently push them into the batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the pan comes out clean. Remove brownies from oven and cool on rack. Cool completely before cutting. Serves 6 to 8. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9X9 baking pan. In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt and baking powder. Spread in bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes. Do not over bake and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before frosting. For frosting: combine 3 tablespoons softened butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, powdered sugar and milk. Mix to combine. Spread the frosting over the brownies while they are still warm. Cool completely before cutting. Serves 8. ■ Advertise in our special issues throughout the year. Weddings etc. - 3 times per year 4 Greeting issues including Pre-Holiday Food issues for Passover, Tribute to Israel, Rosh Hashana and Chanukah Monthly Seniors pages Call your CJN sales rep today for issue dates and deadlines 514-735-2612 THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 17 M INTERNATIONAL Gross’ release signals change for Cuba’s Jews JTA WASHINGTON Alan Gross was imprisoned while trying to connect Cuba’s isolated Jewish community to the wider world. The deal that five years later got him released may just accomplish that, and much more. Gross’ flight home to suburban Washington on Dec. 17 with his wife, Judy, was part of a historic deal that overturns over five decades of U.S. policy isolating the Communist island nation helmed by the Castro brothers. “We will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries,” U.S. President Barack Obama said, in announcing Gross’ release and the radical changes in U.S.-Cuba policy. In a conference call, U.S. officials outlined sweeping changes, including the resumption of full diplomatic relations, the opening of an embassy in Havana and a loosening of trade and travel restrictions. Dina Siegel Vann, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs, said Gross’ release and the opening of ties with Cuba will have a two-fold benefit for Jews: In addition to the benefits accrued by all Cubans from open relations, she said, Cuban Jews “will have stronger ties to Jewish organizations and will be much more in the open.” An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Jews live in Cuba. Gross, who is now 65, was arrested in 2009 after setting up Internet access for the Cuban Jewish community while working as a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Never formally charged with espionage, Gross was convicted in 2009 for “crimes against the state.” Back in the United States, Gross held a news conference, which he began with the greeting “Chag Samayach,” noting that his release coincided with the first day of Chanukah. He thanked political leaders, the Washington Jewish community, the local Jewish Community Relations Council and other faith groups that had pressed for his release. “But ultimately – ultimately – the decision to arrange for and secure my release was made in the Oval Office,”said Gross, reserving special praise for Obama and his National Security Council. In a deal American officials said was technically separate from the Gross release, the United States and Cuba agreed to exchange the three remaining incarcerated members of the “Cuban Five,” a Florida-based spy ring, for an American spy held in Cuba for 20 years, and whose identity remains a secret. Obama insisted that Gross was not part of the spy exchange and that, in fact, his imprisonment had held up changes to the U.S.- Cuba relationship that he had intended on initiating years ago. “While I’ve been prepared to take additional steps for some time, a major obstacle stood in our way,” the president said, referring to Gross’ “wrongful imprisonment.” Many Jewish groups welcomed the deal, and noted the political difficulties it must have created for Obama. “We know the decision to release the Cuban three was not an easy one,” the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said in a statement. “We appreciate the efforts of President Obama and Vice-President Biden in bringing this about.” Gross is in ill health. He has lost more than 100 pounds since his incarceration and suffers from painful arthritis. A senior administration official who spoke to reporters before Obama’s announcement said the Vatican played a key role in negotiating the deal, in part through Pope Francis’ pleas to Cuba to release Gross as a humanitarian gesture. In a statement, the Pope said he “wishes to express his warm congratulations for the historic decision taken by the governments of the United States of America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history.” The administration official also noted the significance of the Jewish holiday season of freedom. “We believe that Alan was wrongfully imprisoned and [are] overjoyed that Alan will be reunited with his family in this holiday season of Chanukah,” the official said. n SeeJN | Candlelighting ceremony HAIM ZACH/GPO PHOTO Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, left, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the Mossad, Tamir Pardo, light the chanukiyah on the third night of Chanukah at a candlelighting ceremony held at the president’s house in Jerusalem. New gas field discovered off Mediterranean coast JTA JERUSALEM A new natural gas field was discovered off Israel’s Mediterranean coast – the third largest found in Israeli waters. The Royee field contains 3.2 trillion cubic feet of extractable natural gas, the Israeli business daily Globes reported, citing a report released Dec. 14 by Ratio Oil and Israel Opportunity Energy Resources, which owns the field. Royee, located about 150 kilometres from Israel’s coast, near the international maritime border with Cyprus and Egypt, ranks behind the Leviathan and Tamar fields. Tamar, which has at least nine trillion cubic feet of natural gas, is expected to meet Israel’s energy needs for the next 20 years. Leviathan is estimated to hold 16 trillion to 18 trillion cubic feet of gas. Globes reported that Royee is unlikely to be developed soon, due to the quantity of gas available in Leviathan and Tamar. The discovery comes on the heels of an oil spill from a pipeline into a desert nature reserve near Eilat, which is being called one of Israel’s worst environmental disasters. The Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline ruptured Dec. 3 next to the Evrona reserve on the border with Jordan. The break occurred during maintenance work on the pipeline that runs between the Mediterranean and Red seas, according to reports citing a preliminary investigation. More than 80 people were treated for respiratory problems due to the spill, mostly over the border in Jordan. Three Israelis were hospitalized for inhaling toxic fumes. The amount of crude oil spilled is estimated at thousands of gallons, according to the Environment Protection Ministry. “Rehabilitation will take months, if not years,” Guy Samet, director of the southern region for the Environmental Protection Ministry, told Israel Radio. “This is one of the State of Israel’s most serious pollution events. We are still having trouble gauging the full extent of the contamination.” Highway 90, the main road into the resort town of Eilat, was closed in both directions for about 30 miles as emergency teams worked to stanch the flow of oil. n 18 International M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 Stabbing attack leaves Crown Heights tense for Chanukah MICHAEL FRAIMAN SPECIAL TO THE CJN, NEW YORK Not much has changed at the Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters since Dec. 9, when a man burst into the main library at 770 Eastern Parkway and stabbed a 22-yearold yeshiva student in the head. These days, there’s a police cruiser sitting outside the building at all hours—but there always has been one, even before the attack, according to the nonchalant officer on duty. If anything, the atmosphere is festive, with Chanukah decorations and streetside vendors on Kingston Avenue selling tinsel decorations and golden chanukiyot. One thing that has changed, however, is the open-door policy at the headquarters, commonly called “770” for its address. The staff has begun, once again, to lock the front doors at night. “When things like this happen, a lot of things come into review,” says Motti Seligson, a Chabad spokesperson. “Security is one of those things.” But it’s a cosmetic difference: the building is still open 24/7, and yeshiva students still sit among the wooden benches in the bottom-floor library at all hours. And the community has not grown more suspicious. Chassidic members of Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighbourhood are generous with their time and enjoy chatting with strangers. But ask about the aftermath of Dec. 9, and their faces change – they look alarmed, sad, maybe a little annoyed that random violence is what’s attracting attention. There is a palpable tension in the air. They would rather dis- Outside the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters. MICHAEL FRAIMAN PHOTO cuss the Messiah, the Rebbe, their studies and prayers. “Everyone makes their own calculations,” one woman tells me. “Some are praying more, some are performing mitzvot, some are asking God, ‘Why?’” Cellphone video footage of the attack is on YouTube. It doesn’t show the stabbing of Israeli student Levi Rosenblatt, but it does show Calvin Peters, 49, – who struggled with a history of drug-related arrests and bipolar disorder, it was later revealed – staggering around the 770 library, taunting cops and students, “You want me to kill you?” University-aged yeshiva students scrambled around the room, hiding behind bookshelves, pleading for police not to shoot the man. It was 1:40 a.m., and the room was dark and fairly empty. “Drop the knife,” an officer repeated. Peters complied, only to pick it back up and take two steps towards the officers. One cop quickly shot Peters once in the stomach, leaving him groaning and bleeding on the floor. Peters died in hospital two hours later. The violence was unprecedented at 770. “This was very shocking to everyone,” Seligson says. “At the same time, any loss of life is very much a tragedy.” Lubavitchers should take comfort in the fact that police declared this a one-off anomaly, rather than an act of terrorism. But that also makes the horror that much more difficult to comprehend: terrorism we can explain; randomness is chaos. And that chaos is what Jewish people constantly struggle to justify. “God wants us to be good and believe in Him, even when it’s not easy,” says Yossi Liberow, a student at Chabad. Liberow was sent out to talk with me at 770, not because I’d asked, but because I was lingering outside with a camera and large bag, and members were understandably concerned. “The reason He made a bad world is so that we can uplift it,” he adds. “When things are bad and you do the right thing, that’s doing a mitzvah, bringing Mashiach closer.” Liberow proves this attitude on a short tour inside the building. They serve free coffee in the lobby; Yeshiva students laugh and chat, bounding over the wooden seats; older men huddle among the books, murmuring prayers in advance of Chanukah. And while Chanukah was never the holiest high holiday, this year, in Crown Heights, it has taken on deep significance. On Dec. 11, a Lubavitch rabbi gathered together a small group to celebrate 19 Kislev, the “Chabad Rosh Hashanah.” The gathering, every year a celebration, took a sombre tone when the rabbi brought up Rosenblatt. But then he recalled the story of Chanukah. That, too, was about the invasion of evil; when Syrian-Greeks seized the Jews’ temple, Liberow paraphrases to me, “darkness came into the place of light.” A sacred place was defiled, and Jews grew scared. Calvin Peters was no Antiochus, and the NYPD are hardly modern-day Maccabees. But along Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights candles will burn through windows with purpose. They will illuminate the night in defiance of, and thanks to, that ever-reaching darkness beyond. n Israeli Supreme Court upholds conversion revocation AMANDA BORSCHEL-DAN JERUSALEM In a case that illustrates what might be termed Israel’s unique theocratic democracy, the Supreme Court ruled Dec. 17 against a motion from lawyers representing Yonit Erez, whose conversion to Judaism was revoked by Israel’s rabbinical courts. The rabbis took the radical step after concluding that Erez had misled them in promising to lead an Orthodox life. In the petition, Justice Neal Hendel was asked whether the rabbinical court had the authority and jurisdiction to cancel Erez’s conversion two years after it was approved by the same rabbinical court system. The motion was heard by Hendel, who was joined by Deputy President of the Supreme Court Miriam Naor and Judge Esther Hayut. Erez was represented by lawyers from the Center for Women’s Justice, including Susan Weiss, who, like Hendel, immigrated to Israel from the United States. The rabbinical court was represented by state attorney Roi Shweka and Rabbi Shimon Yaakobi. In his decision, Hendel wrote: “Just as the civil court has the inalienable authority to reverse – in extremely rare cases – a final judgment, so, too, does the special religious conversion court. For otherwise, we would allow for judgments that are flawed from their inception to exist eternally.” According to Hebrew news website News1, the conversion court decided to revoke Erez’s conversion based on the fact that she completely changed her lifestyle shortly after her conversion, with no remnants of observing the mitzvot, which she agreed to uphold. Observing religious commandments is imperative in Orthodox Jewish conversions, the only religious stream whose conversions are recognized by the State of Israel. From Erez’s seemingly secular lifestyle, the conversion court concluded that her original statement agreeing to maintain a religious lifestyle was a deception, and that even a priori, she had no intention of doing so. In the decision released Dec. 18, Judge Naor agreed with Hendel, but emphasized there should be no assumptions that this judgment is a precedent for cancellation of other conversions. Rather, it relates only to those obtained through deceit. Judge Hayut concurred. In the short time since the judgment came out, one expert reacted with shock and bafflement to the original religious court’s decision to revoke the conversion. According to Chuck Davidson, a mod- ern Orthodox rabbi and social activist on what he calls “the conversion crisis in Israel,” it is very clear in rabbinic literature that there is almost no instance in which a conversion can be revoked. “From the Middle Ages onward, the greatest of the rabbis wrote explicitly that even if immediately after the conversion the convert goes off to worship idols, the person is still considered Jewish,” said Rabbi Davidson, who has published extensively on this subject. Rabbi Davidson, who does not know the specifics of the case, said, “Unless there was payment or bribery, if reversal is based on non-observance, there is zero basis for overturning it. If the conversion was kosher with a kosher beit din, then it is impossible to reverse.”n Times of Israel timesofisrael.com THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 International M 19 OPINION On the bus Sagi Melamed A ccording to an Arabic proverb, “The love that comes after hostility is sweeter than candy.” Sometimes the short distance between violent confrontation and embraces lies in the character and actions of a single person. I met Yair Ansbecher several years ago. Months of my older children going out after Friday night Shabbat dinner for a “discussion for teens with Ansbecher” and returning with shining eyes had made me curious about this fellow married to a woman from Hoshaya, a communal settlement in northern Israel. After Ansbecher spent an entire Shabbat during Operation Protective Edge with my son’s military unit in a godforsaken training zone, rockets flying overhead and mosquitoes buzzing around, my admiration for him only grew. My daughter recently shared with me a story that demonstrates the enormous tension in Israeli society. Here is Ansbecher’s story in first person: “A few days ago, I was on the bus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A young Arab woman in hijab [traditional Muslim head cover] got on holding a bag, prompting suspicious attention. I scanned her quickly and dismissed my natural suspicion by deciding someone must already have checked her. It quickly became clear that other passengers were less complacent than I. “In the middle of the Ayalon highway the bus pulled onto the shoulder. The driver came to the back of the bus and hesitantly asked all the passengers to open their bags, while apologizing and saying that he doesn’t actually have the authority to ask. A minute after this strange examination concluded, the bus resumed its journey. “I thought I could get back to my nap, but the bag check was repeated. This time, the driver seemed even more embarrassed. Because I had just finished my military reserve duty and all I wanted was to get home timely and safely, I asked the driver forcefully, ‘What’s happening?’ “The driver stammered that some of the passengers were suspicious of a passenger and he couldn’t continue driving. “‘You mean the Arab woman?’ He gave a brief nod. “Apparently, my dusty military uniform vested me with some authority in the eyes of the other passengers. But not the Arab woman. She insisted that I keep my distance and not dare touch her bag. By this time, the passengers were in three camps: those who wanted the woman checked immediately, those who defended her privacy, and those who filmed the whole thing on their smartphones. By now, I was no longer suspicious of her and I realized my mission had changed: I needed to calm the situation. “And that is what I tried to do for the rest of the journey, talking with the offended woman. I apologized for the suspicion and explained that the concerns of the passengers were not malicious. We Jews have been in a state of fear and suspicion of strangers for 2,000 years. “The woman answered that fear and suspicion don’t mean you can invade someone’s privacy. Every time she goes out something like that happens. We were both starring in a drama that neither of us wanted. For a moment, we were close to violence, even though we were both right. Then we understood that our real enemy is lack of trust and mutual fear. We got off the bus as friends who respect and understand each other better.” Ansbecher ended with a plea to our Arab neighbours: “I beg you, rise up with a moderate voice! Fight the wicked and the extremists. Don’t be drawn into another war, even if your bags get examined. Try to understand that it’s not racism, it’s fear of terrorism and our bloody reality. Let us unite to fight our common enemy – lack of trust and mutual fear.” In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins emphasized recruiting the best people for leadership positions and called it “Getting the right people on the bus.” On our metaphorical bus we, too, need the right people. n It's easy to subscribe online SUBSCRIBE TODAY Subscription Rates ❏ 1 YEAR $65.70* ❏ 2 YEARS $124.83* ❏ 1 YEAR DIGITAL (eCJN) $34.44* bit.ly/subcjn ❑ YES, I would like a subscription to The CJN ________________________________________________________________________________________ NAME _________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS *TAXES INCLUDED Delivery made only to Canadian Addresses ___________________________________________ CITY Log on to: bit.ly/subcjn Mail this form to: PO Box 1324, Stn Main, Toronto, ON M4P 3J4 Call us: PROV. _________________________________ TELEPHONE _____________________________ POSTAL CODE ____________________________________________________ EMAIL ✔ Payment: $____________ ❏ Cheque Enclosed Charge my ❏ Visa ❏ MasterCard ❏ Amex _______________________________________________________________ ________ ______ /______ CARD NUMBER CVC EXPIRY 416-932-5095 or 1-866-849-0864 ________________________________________________________________________________________ SIGNATURE Doc key: S14PHCJN, S14WMCJN How to Subscribe _________ 20 International M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 Women kindle menorah lights at Western Wall JTA JERUSALEM Security guards at the Western Wall entrance confiscated menorahs from several women, but dozens held a Chanukah candlelighting ceremony in the women’s section. The guards said they were acting on orders from Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbinic authority of the Western Wall and holy places, the group Women of the Wall said in a statement Dec. 18. Last Thursday evening, some 28 chanukiyot were lit by 120 women, including Rabbi Susan Silverman and her sister, the Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman. Knesset members Tamar Zandberg and Michal Rozin of the left-wing Meretz party joined the group. “The Kotel belongs to us all, and each of us, men and women, have the right to light Chanukah candles in this public, holy place,” Anat Hoffman, chair of Women of the Wall, said in a statement after the candlelighting. Women of the Wall, which meets at the Women of the Wall members light the candles on the third night of Chanukah, Dec. 18. DANIELLE SHITRIT/FLASH90 PHOTO Kotel once a month for prayers for the new month, had requested, in a letter sent last month to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to hold a Chanukah candlelighting ceremony in the women’s section of the holy site. They asked that a large Mikvah-related lawsuit adds rabbinical group as defendant JTA WASHINGTON A lawsuit arising out of allegations of voyeurism at a Washington, D.C. ritual bath added the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) as a defendant. The lawsuit, filed earlier this month by a third-year student at Georgetown University’s law school, initially named as defendants Rabbi Barry Freundel’s Washington synagogue, Kesher Israel, the adjacent mikvah and the student’s law school for allowing Rabbi Freundel’s alleged misdeeds to go unchecked. WJLA, the local ABC affiliate, reported that, at a press conference Dec. 18, the law firm representing the plaintiff, Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin and White, added the RCA as a defendant, as well as two additional plaintiffs in a class action. Calls to the law firm were unanswered, and Rabbi Mark Dratch, the RCA’s executive vice-president, said the organization had not yet been officially notified of the suit. RCA suspended Rabbi Freundel in October and instituted reforms to prevent similar abuses. The student in the original lawsuit took a class taught by Rabbi Freundel and immersed at the mikvah while researching her paper. She named Georgetown for failing to adequately look into Rabbi Freundel’s background when hiring him. “This case involves an unfathomable breach of trust by a Georgetown professor and religious leader and defendants’ utter failure to prevent and/or stop it,” the original lawsuit stated. One of the new plaintiffs is Emma Shulevitz, who had approached Rabbi Freundel in order to convert and who has written about her experiences with Rabbi Freundel, as well as the ostracism she has suffered since speaking out. The ABC report did not name the other defendant, but suggested the lawsuit could expand to include students of Freundel at another university, Towson, in Maryland. n menorah equivalent to the one that is lit on each night of the festival in the men’s section be placed in the women’s section, allowing the women to hold their own public lighting. Netanyahu transferred the letter to Vice-Minister of Religious Affairs Eli Ben Dahan, who passed the letter on to Rabbi Rabinowitz. According to the group, Rabbi Rabinowitz said the menorah lit on the men’s side can be seen by all. n U.S. will not support Palestinian state resolution as drafted JTA WASHINGTON The Obama administration does not support a draft Palestinian statehood resolution submitted to the UN Security Council. “In terms of the specifics of this, in its current form, we cannot support it,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said at a daily briefing for journalists Dec. 17. A draft Security Council resolution submitted by Jordan and leaked to Ha’aretz and other media calls for a Dec. 31, 2017 deadline for an Israeli withdrawal to “borders based on 1967 lines” with land swaps. “We wouldn’t support any action that would prejudge the outcome of the negotiations and that would set a specific deadline for the withdrawal of forces,” Psaki said. She did not count out a state- hood-related resolution per se, saying the United States wanted “further consultations.” Psaki noted that the Palestinians “are not pushing for a vote right now,” and are also open to consultations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Dec. 18 that Hamas, the terrorist organization now controlling the Gaza Strip, would soon rule a Palestinian state in the West Bank. Separately, Psaki encouraged the European Union to return Hamas to a list of designated terrorist groups. “We believe that the EU should maintain its terrorism sanctions on Hamas,” she said at the Dec. 17 briefing. A European court said the 2001 designation was underpinned by faulty evidence, but effectively maintained the sanctions, to give European authorities time to reinstate the ban. n THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 Jewish Life M 21 New gallery gives opportunities to artists Arts Scene by Heather Solomon I have a crush on the building Deena Dlusy-Apel and Ruth Dunsky have not seen any ghosts yet, but they may DEENA DLUSY-APEL have heard them, since their new gallery space is located in the old RCA building in St. Henri, site of former recording studios. It’s also the home of the Berliner Museum honouring the genius of Émile Berliner with its displays of antique phonographs, radios and other sound paraphernalia. Since October, the two artists have been sharing the Galerie RCA in E206 at 1001 Lenoir St., with four other artists. Ruth Dunsky, left, with her winter scene and Deena Dlusy-Apel with her movie frame painting “I have a crush on the building,” are members of the new collective Galerie RCA. HEATHER SOLOMON PHOTO says Dlusy-Apel, who discovered the manage to break through to the feeling of 1,300-square-foot room for rent when an may be from outside those groups. What’s alluring for the gallery-goer is the the music in paint,” says Dunsky. organization on whose board of directors The work is in oils or acrylics as well as she sits moved to the same address just variety of styles and media represented, among them painting (both abstract and pastels, some on Mylar sheeting, which east of the Glen. softens the image and gives it a luminous “I love the floors and the high ceilings. I realism), batik and fabric collage. DENTUROLOGIST Dunsky’s work is poetic realism in quality. Dunsky twice won first prize, in love the history. I just feel it when I walk Complete dentures children discovering the natural world 2005 and 2010, at the Women’s Art Studio through it. It resonates,” she says. Hookless partials She and Dunsky have been taking turns 1 hour denture repair around them, families enjoying the out- of Montreal’s spring exhibition, and she hosting the public there, welcoming them doors, as well as age-old trees and, her studied at the Saidye Bronfman Centre 2545 Cavendish Blvd., suite 125 into the communal exhibition space that’s fourth theme, individual and orchestral School of Fine Arts. Montreal, QC H4B 2Y9 Dlusy-Apel finds inspiration for her divided equally among the gallery’s art- musicians. 514 982“I2517 paintings in the bright pattern of fabrics can’t do a painting or take photos at ists, one man and five women who were by appointment only mostly recruited from the ranks of the a concert, so when I’m watching a con- that clothe the human torso, stills from her Women’s Art Studio of Montreal and the cert on TV, I sit there and keep snapping favourite TV program Orphan Black, movie Women’s Art Society of Montreal. They are photos. Then I work from the photos frames painted with the side sprockets and on the lookout for a seventh member who in my studio. My favourites are when I her granddaughter’s choir in full voice. Adrian Grinberg d.d. Adrian Grinberg d.d. DENTUROLOGIST Complete dentures Hookless partials 1 hour denture repair 2545 Cavendish Blvd., suite 125 Montreal, QC H4B 2Y9 514 982 2517 by appointment only CJN Snowbirds GOING SOUTH? TAKE THE CJN WITH YOU! Read the eCJN online and put your delivery on hold until you return. OR Arrange delivery to your destination for $10/month. (Payable by cheque, or major credit card) www.amazingjourneys.net 412-571-0220 For more stories this week, please see www.cjnews.com. CONTACT SUBSCRIBER SERVICES 416 932 5095 / 1 866 849 0864 or Go to bit.ly/CJNContact and complete the online form Please notify us at least 10 days prior to your departure 4 She hopes to show in the coming months some of the thematic work on survival that she created while studying for her master of art education at Concordia University. One theme is the breast cancer that she survived 25 years ago, and another is the Holocaust. “My mother-in-law was a survivor. She had sewn pockets into all of her clothing because she would hide things in them from having been on the run. “When we moved her into Maimonides [Geriatric Centre], we found photocopies everywhere of photos of her brothers and sisters saved by a sister who had moved to Israel before they were murdered,” says Dlusy-Apel. She created a series in black paint and Conté crayon of one of the lost sisters wearing photocopies of different hats, like a wedding veil, “all the hats she would have worn had she survived.” Dlusy-Appel, who went on to teach at Concordia and later supervised their art education teachers, is currently teaching a course on how to abstract from realism at the Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors. “At the gallery, we are going to have lectures, workshops, and also rent space by the week to other artists who want to have shows,” Dunsky says. “It’s more work than anticipated, but it’s fun and exciting.” ■ Gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment at [email protected] . 22 Travel M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 Nature, history and tranquillity on the small island of Nevis Melody Wren Special to The CJN There is something very special about visiting a small island, and from the moment you cross the water in a tiny plane from Antigua, Nevis has woven its magic. The tiny island of Nevis, little sister to St. Kitts, is suited to travellers who enjoy raw nature, as well as to those who seek quiet, peace, and tranquillity, the primary reasons people return. Nevis has a heritage trail and iconic plantation ruins, and other activities on the island are the best of a traditional British seaside experience. Offering far more than beautiful sugar-sand beaches and a large array of water activities, there are also unexpected on-trend gourmet restaurants, and a fascinating history with a strong Jewish component. After being expelled from Brazil in the 17th century, Jews began to settle on St. Kitts and Nevis. At its height, the Jewish community constituted around 25 per cent of the total population. The mostly Sephardi Jews brought to the island the secrets of crystallizing sugar, making Nevis the “Queen of the Caribbées”, because of the wealth brought in by the sugar trade. History reveals itself gently in the many sugar plantations dotted throughout the 93 sq.-km. island (which has a population of 12,000), and in the 17th-century Jewish synagogue and cemetery. The community erected a synagogue in the city of Charlestown in Nevis around 1684 and established a cemetery located on Government Road containing graves dating from 1679 to 1768. There are 19 surviving markers in the cemetery, which bear inscriptions in Hebrew, English and Portuguese. At the end of the 18th century, most of the Jewish population left the island, leaving the cemetery abandoned. Today, it is the focus of a major archeological effort. If you have archeological instincts, there is a lot to explore, including numerous ruins of plantations, ancient Amerindian sites, and a recently discovered slave village. On a guided tour of the slave village with replicas of houses the slaves would have lived in, I asked our guide, Patricia, about the horrible conditions her predecessors lived in. She waved it off with a grin. “We had a chance to come to the Caribbean and we did. People do horrible things to each other all over the world, but we have to be positive and move on.” I sensed she had said this many times over, but it appeased my churning emotions enough to be able to finish the tour. We spent an afternoon in a 4 x 4 on a tour on coastal paths and off-the-beatentrack roads, with stop-offs at abandoned sugar plantations and churches. Some of the roads were steep enough that they made me gasp. As the island is divided into five parishes, all named after saints, the tour helped with a general overview of the different parishes. A great way to The Nevis Botanical Gardens melody wren photos get a unique fun and educational view around the island: www.funkymonkeytours.com. Situated in the Montpelier Estates overlooking Mount Nevis and the ocean with a spectacular view of the Nevis mountain peak, the privately owned Nevis Botanical Gardens are a must see. It takes an hour or more to fully explore the orchid terraces, lily ponds, bamboo grove, cactus garden and over 100 species of palms, all built to complement the natural features and beauty of the land. Bronze fountains and sculptures were installed, and, along with a striking, triple copper sugar cauldron fountain, they highlight the natural beauty. A large conservatory in a style similar to the Palm House in Kew Gardens, London, was erected to house the tropical rain-forest plants and parrots. The Galleria gift shop is filled with desirable items that exuberant owner Christi Douglas sources globally. Above the shop, the Thai Oasis restaurant is a stylish stopping point for signature drinks and incredible food. www.botanicalgardennevis.com Nevis, the Queen of the Caribbean, is small, beautiful, and blissfully serene, which is why travellers find themselves under its spell. Where to stay: There are several choices for places to stay on the island, and repeat guests to the historical Nisbet Plantation beach resort return for many reasons – the appealing small size with 36 bright yellow cottages that are beautifully appointed in subtle tropical hues lending a feeling of simple luxury. A stunning beach and location and the calm tranquillity combined with a simple elegance make for a winning combination. Fabulous food and afternoon teas with an ocean view are delightful additions. General manager Alistair Forrest hosts cocktail gatherings every Monday evening for returning guests of which there are plenty. Guests who stay five nights or more get a free water taxi from St. Kitts. The six-minute ride makes it a seamless transition to the property. Even if you aren’t staying at this restored plantation, pop in for lunch, dinner, afternoon tea or drinks on the terrace. www.nisbetplantation.com At Wheel World Cycle Shop, owned by Englishman Winston Crooke, you can arrange bike tours around the island or a history and heritage tour. Crooke can deliver bikes to boats or hotels. The full range of bikes features off-road, street, racing, tandems, with tag-alongs or child seats. He will meet you at the ferry or deliver you to your hotel. It’s on Main Island Nevis Plantation ruins Road, Oualie Beach Bay. www.bikenevis. com. 869-469-9682 Pinney’s Beach off the main road is a must for a visit to Sunshine’s for the Killer Bee Cocktail. Everyone knows owner Llewelyn Caines as Sunshine, and famous celebrities seek him out. Barbra Streisand has enjoyed the meals and casual vibe of Sunshines. There’s an extensive menu, but visitors go for the laidback energy and a chance to chat to Sunshine, a charming personable character. Dustin Hoffman, Michael Douglas and Katherine Zeta-Jones also have visited in recent years. If Nevis is for the discerning, then Bananas Bistro is for the gourmet aficionado. The evening we visited, we were led by flashlight to a walkway lined with torches leading us to a tall, stunning building high up on the Hamilton Estate, about a quarter of the way up Mount Nevis, at an elevation of approximately 900 feet. Upper Hamilton Estate, 1-869469-1891, www.bananasrestaurantnevis. com n How to get to Nevis: we flew Westjet from Toronto directly into Antigua, a fourhour flight, then caught a connecting flight on Air Montserrat into Nevis. Not for the faint of heart, this tiny plane is so small, we were weighed along with our hand luggage to insure our suitability for the journey. What would happen if I weighed 300 pounds, I asked the ground stewardess? “We wouldn’t take your luggage”she quipped. Other options: Air Canada flies directly to St. Kitts from Toronto. Nisbet Plantation resort would arrange a water taxi to pick you up and deliver you to the resort in six minutes. THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 23 M About Town by Janice Arnold Sunday, Jan. 4 from Jan. 13-Feb. 7, a North American premiere. Written by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and based on the wartime diary of the Dutch Jewish teenager, this play is directed by Lorraine Pintal and stars Mylène St. Sauveur in the title role. www.tnm.qc.ca. Friday, Jan. 9 bgu in mba meet For the fifth consecutive year, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is taking part in Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business MBA International Case Competition, which opens today at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Over the next five days, teams from across North America and 13 other countries tackle seven business dilemmas in the hopes of capturing the Concordia Cup and a $10,000 top prize for their school. BGU is the first and only Israeli university to participate in the meet (and was the first from the Middle East), billed as the largest and oldest of its kind in the world. The Canadian Associates of BGU helps sponsor the team from the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management. walk on the wild side British comedian Rachel Mars presents her acclaimed solo show The Way You Tell Them to the Centaur Theatre as part of its annual Wildside Festival of “boundary-breaking” theatre. The Way You Tell Them is Mars’ ode to comedy and the desire – sometimes compulsion – to be funny. Her humour owes much to having been brought up in a Jewish family “with disregard for personal space or tactful enquiry.” The show, presented by Montreal’s Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre, opens at 7 p.m. tonight and continues on Jan. 10, 13, 14 and 16. On Jan. 14, Mars also hosts a “Jewish-themed improv slide show.” Tickets, 514-288-3161. Wednesday, Jan. 7 ...Et Cetera... family purity Rabbi Boruch Perton begins a two-part series on “Family Purity” (taharat hamishpachah) at Beth Zion Congregation at 7:30 p.m., providing some of the basics of this area of Jewish law. The second session is Jan. 14. 514-489-8411. More YidLife Crises If four episodes of YidLife Crisis, the hilarious and irreverent web series entirely in Yiddish launched this fall aren’t enough for you, take heart. The series’ creators and stars, Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion, say they plan to shoot more episodes next summer. The Montreal natives (Elman lives in Los Angeles and Batalion mostly in Toronto) and Bialik High School graduates, now in their 30s, were back in town for a “shindigge” to celebrate the surprising global popularity of the series, held at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts. Set in various Montreal eateries, friends and polar opposites Chaimie (Elman) and Leizer (Batalion) chew their way through disputes over the meaning of Judaism in the modern world. The fourth and what was to be final episode was posted on www.yidlifecrisis. com in time for Chanukah. Originally English subtitled, the version with English and French subtitles was unveiled at the Segal. The duo’s Yiddish colloquialisms have been rendered into joual by Quebec actress and comedian Léane Labrèche-Dor, who plays a poutinerie waitress in the first episode. The Segal evening was also a celebration of Jewish and Québécois, English and French, and Ashkenazi and Sephardi rapprochement. The night opened with MC Richard Martz, a Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre actor, and Paris-born comedian and musician Alex Fredo, singing a ditty they composed with the chorus “Ashkenaz and Sephardim living Thursday, Jan. 8 Anne Frank tribute To mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the travelling exhibition Anne Frank: A History for Today opens at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), in partnership with the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre, and continues until Jan. 28, free of charge. Co-ordinated by Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, this exhibition has been seen in more than 60 countries around the world. It consists of numerous archival photographs and excerpts from The Diary of Anne Frank, together with 34 panels in French and English describing their context in World War II. It is designed to encourage discussion among young people about the dangers of discrimination and importance of human rights. The MMFA is also showing 24 photographs of the infamous Nazi death camp taken by Hungarian-born Montreal photographer Laszlo Mezei. The exhibition coincides with the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde’s production of Le Journal d’Anne Frank in perfect rivalry” to the tune of Ebony and Ivory. Batalion’s father, Hyman Batalion, who helped with the Yiddish for the series, proved to be quite a wit himself – in Yiddish – as he compared the relative success of his son’s acting career to that of Elman. The younger Batalion invited the audience’s suggestion for the settings of future series, and the Orange Julep and La Maison VIP in Chinatown seemed the most cited, with one vote for the Bialik cafeteria. Young technion leaders Close to 200 young professionals packed the trendy Apt. 200 on St. Laurent Boulevard for launch of Generation NEXT, the young adults division of Technion Canada, the support group for Israel’s Technion university. After cocktails and networking, there was a panel discussion on entrepreneurship featuring Julian Brass, CEO of Notable.ca; Jeff Hart, president of Victoria Park; and Marcos Carvalho, co-founder of Navut. com. Generation NEXT is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of Technion’s research and discoveries, and developing future leaders of Technion Canada. Young professionals interested in getting involved may email nextmtl@ technioncanada.ca. mezuzot dedication Hundreds of Hebrew Academy students, staff, parents and alumni united for the dedication of new mezuzot designed by Montreal artist Haim Sherrf affixed throughout the school. The ceremony was the culmination of a months-long fundraising campaign. Proceeds will help defray the costs of tuition, school supplies, uniforms and lunches for needy families. One of the most touching dedications was that in memory of late Hebrew Academy graduate Oren Grunbaum by his family and friends. “We feel that the connection between the neshamah [soul] and the mezuzah is very strong,” said Chaya Lieberman, campaign cochair with Vanessa Fallenbaum, “and this daily connection will help strengthen our children’s outlook on Judaism.” ...About Ourselves... Former Montrealer Josh Webber is nearing completion of his feature documentary There is Many Like Us based on his grandfather Max Fronenberg’s harrowing escape from the Nazi concentration camp Pawiak near Warsaw, in 1944. Fronenberg, 93 and living in Montreal, and two other prisoners spent a year secretly digging a tunnel, a daring feat that saved 18 lives. It’s also a romantic story inspired by Fronenberg’s improbable reunion with fellow inmate and first love Rena, to whom he has been married now for 25 years. Los Angeles-based Webber, 27, is trying to crowdfund another $60,000 (US) through Kickstarter for post-production and marketing costs. Pledging deadline is Jan. 12. The film incorporates interviews with Fronenberg and another digger, Yusec Atlasovich, now in Israel, as well as archival World War II footage and dramatic re-enactments. Webber hopes to finish this spring and have the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, followed by a modest theatrical release and video-ondemand/DVD issue in 2016. “Can’t wait to share my grandfather’s story with the world,” he said. n Future leaders More than 200 young professionals turned out for a chic networking event launching Technion Canada’s Generation NEXT, held at Apt. 200. At right is Anne Kalles, Technion Canada’s eastern regional director. 24 M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 Vayigash | Genesis 44:18 - 47:27 Yacov Fruchter says we can’t hide from our responsibility to each other Rabbi Shalom Spira explores the intricacies of Jacob’s heart condition Rachael Turkienicz highlights a new chapter in Jewish leadership Yacov Fruchter Rabbi Shalom Spira Rachael Turkienicz A “V T fter murdering Abel in a jealous fit, Cain was asked by HaShem about his brother’s whereabouts. Cain famously responded to God, saying “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We learned from Adam and Eve’s experience with the Tree of Knowledge that we can’t hide from God. From Cain and Abel, we learn that we can’t hide from our responsibility to one another. By inquiring into Abel’s whereabouts, HaShem is both helping Cain understand that he has done something wrong in killing his brother, and teaching a deeper message. We must be aware of our brother’s whereabouts. We need to make it our business to know if someone else is distressed. God says to Cain: “Your brother’s blood is calling out to me from the ground.” Abel is already dead, so Cain can’t hear his brother’s call, but God can. At the end of the book of Bereshit, brothers are still calling out from the ground, and still their calls are ignored. Joseph, too, finds himself underground, in a pit, thrown in there by his brothers who are torn. They know they don’t want him around, but are ambivalent about killing him. They know this is wrong and are in the midst of a collective moral struggle. Joseph is not innocent either, finding ways to irritate and alienate his brothers. But in Joseph we also find a brother who yearns for connection: “Et achai anochi mevakesh,” “I am pleading for my brothers.” While disguised as the viceroy, he hears his brothers speak about him, saying, “haechad einenu” his whereabouts are unknown. Joseph wants to be “known” by his brothers, and reveals himself to them in dramatic style. At the end of Bereshit, brothers are still hurting each other, but they are also doing their best to reveal their true selves to one another and find some peace. n Yacov Fruchter is spiritual leader of Toronto’s Annex Shul. ayafog libo,” and (Jacob’s) heart stopped beating (Genesis 45:26), after he was told that Joseph was alive. Ramban interprets the verse to mean that Jacob’s heart was arrested, and he stopped breathing. Ramban claims that Jacob remained in this condition for many hours, and that during this time, his sons were yelling in his ears and showing him Joseph’s wagons. Ultimately, this audio-visual stimulation enabled Jacob to recover. Rabbi Isaac Aramah (Akeidat Yitzchak) critiques Ramban. If Jacob was in cardiac arrest, he asks, how could he hear anything his sons said? Nevertheless, Ramban is cited approvingly by Rabbi Moshe Sofer (Teshuvot Chatam Sofer). Without mentioning Akeidat Yitzchak, Chatam Sofer deflects the critique by allegorizing Ramban’s remark about respiratory arrest. According to Chatam Sofer, Jacob’s pulse became imperceptible, but he was still breathing in a shallow manner, so that he remained receptive to his sons’ words, albeit barely. Arguably, Chatam Sofer’s licence to allegorize Ramban derives from Rabbi Zvi Ashkenazi (Teshuvot Chacham Zvi) regarding the Gemarah in Yoma 85a. The Gemarah teaches that if an avalanche victim is found breathing through the nose, he is alive; otherwise, he is dead. Nevertheless, Chacham Zvi explains that the reason we check for breathing is that sometimes the pulse is imperceptible (particularly in an obese patient). For Chatam Sofer, this is precisely what happened to Jacob: his heartbeat was imperceptible, but there was shallow breathing. Indeed, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (Iggerot Mosheh, Yoreh De‘ah) seems to associate Chacham Zvi with Chatam Sofer, by citing both sources in his analysis of the definition of life. A different approach is adopted by Rabbi Abraham Lieblein in Kessef Mezukak, supercommentary to Ramban (which Rabbi Feinstein either did not see or chose to reject). Kessef Mezukak surmises that Jacob literally experienced cardiac arrest but then was resuscitated, so that he could subsequently hear his sons’ good news. n Rabbi Shalom Spira is a research assistant at the McGill AIDS Centre in Montreal. his week’s Torah portion introduces a concept that changes everything within Judaism. Joseph presenting himself to his brothers as Egyptian while they don’t recognize him intrigues us. Up until now, the Torah presents an interesting dilemma. Jacob is elderly, and no one knows who will be the next leader. Two matriarchs in one marriage contributes significantly to the confusion. Both Leah and Rachel will become matriarchs, but not for some time. Designating the matriarch will automatically designate leadership. If the matriarch is Leah, the first wife, the leader should be Reuven, her first son. If the matriarch is Rachel, the preferred wife, the leader should be Joseph, her first son. We all know which one Jacob is voting for. In fact, his brothers don’t hate him only because Jacob favours him. By favouring Joseph, Jacob dismisses Leah as matriarch, and her sons cannot stand idly by. They plot to get rid of Joseph and thereby automatically name Reuven as leader and Leah as matriarch. We arrive at this week’s portion when Joseph presents himself as leader and confronts his brothers. Reuven does not pick up the mantle of leadership, but Judah, the fourth in line, steps forward and represents the brothers. Judah begins to introduce a new concept to Judaism: leadership by merit. Bloodline and birth order are the prevalent modes of leadership in the ancient world. But in this instance, following that model will exclude one matriarch, so the model must now be dismissed. Stepping into the void is the voice of Judah, the brother who is the born leader, proved through merit, not birth order. Ultimately, Judah’s descendant, David, will be chosen by God to lead because of his unique heart. Leadership by merit: a new chapter in our ancient history. n Rachael Turkienicz is executive director of Rachael’s Centre in Toronto. DRIVE untry feel ht, clean vine set2 bdrm. vail. Feb/ or 416- umS ury conpendent 785-2500 ne.ca umS k, indoor arge kit, 380 umS ntS umS Experienced, loyal, to Filipina, maker & RPN avail. work care any ESTIMATES. PAINT HOUSE The Canadian 905-738-4030. Giver for senior, open per- theatre, cultural evnt & fine dining. Healthy Earl Bales Sr.forWoodworkers. shift FT/PT. W/car.has 647-351-2503 Body All Jewish News E&M Painting. 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Reasonable. beauty G&M Moving and Storage.FREE Apts., 275 275 perSonal perSonal 404 404 flooring flooring 195 VACATION PROPERTIES WANTED Call 647.867.6144. 445 445 moving moving Commission 72-76 for a L/T relationship. You and landscape homes, offices. Short notice. 905-884-5755. munity. 6 mo min begin 12-1-14 about her injuries. And when a man hits The terrain of Yemen – reshadows in very broad terms where the maker250 & RPN avail. to work any will share 250 DomeStiC DomeStiC 405 furniture 196 VACATION PROPERTIES-EXCH./SHARE ESTIMATES. PAINT HOUSE The Canadian my passion for movies, Large or small. We carry supplies. Experienced, loyal, Filipina, care CompanionS CompanionS 198 SPACE FOR LEASE 905-738-4030. Giver for senior, has open pertheatre, cultural evnt & fine dining. 702-233-2711 [email protected] Hardwood Hardwood floors floors & & stairs. stairs. New New or or Earl Bales Sr. Woodworkers. shift FT/PT. W/car. 647-351-2503 Healthy Body for All help help available available We We schlep schlep for for Less. Less. Attentive Attentive 416-392-3000 199 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AVAILABLE a wife, sometimes it is for punishment, ligious, cultural, social, political, and geostory will eventually lead. No matter. How Jewish News mit, Does personal care, cookE&M Movers-Call Painting. The fastest, Hope to hear from you soon. 416wanteD wanteD Chair Repairs, Caning, Regluing, SRM Stanley! A-1 200 OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE ing, cleaning, shopping, laundry, Glutathione level is declining. old; old;refinish refinish or orinstall. install. Affordable, Affordable, service. 223-7250 service. Reas. Reas. rates. rates. 416-999416-999Custom, reas. 416-630-6487. short notice, home, apt., 1750carpet Steeles Ave.graphic W., Ste. 218 201 OFFICE SPACE WANTED Gtransports o o250 d c oDomeStiC oSenior k /us h othere uneeds s e k eis e stay p e r magic cleanest, Andinsured, most professional a to but sometimes it is to open the gates of – hovers over virtually every page iteverything the 202 STORAGE SPACE WANTED office, business. 416-747-7082 Your Body canFurniture pay the price! healthy & safe. Call 416reliable. Roman Roman --416-716-9094 416-716-9094 Marcantonio Repair 6683, 6683,BestWayToMove.com BestWayToMove.com Ihappy, Ican can clean clean your yourhome home and andapt. apt. Educated avail. European. Experienced painting in GTA. Commercial and Educated gentleman gentleman interestinterest- reliable. Concord, Ont. 203 STORAGE SPACE AVAILABLE 245 employment 534-7297 Specializing in touchups. paradise. For him, I mean. For her? Well of the book. Only after Damari is carried we ride back in time, witnesses to the life www.max.com/502436/chuck 205 LAND/LOTS FOR SALE Replying to an ad help available www.romanshardwood.com References. 416-655-4083. quickly quickly and and nicely. nicely. Good Goodprices. prices. Residential Eli. 647-898-5804 Restoration, refinishings & gen. ed edin inmeeting meeting an an2L7 educated educated lady, lady, www.romanshardwood.com 450 painting/ Exp. personal caregiver for the L4K 210 LAND/LOTS FOR LEASE wanteD G&M G&MMoving Moving and and Storage. Storage.Apts., Apts., [email protected] repairs on premises. 416-654-0518. with a elderly. Homes, hospitals, ret. wallpaper a man’s paradise can be a woman’s hell.’” 220 INVESTMENT PROPERTIES “upon eagle’s wings” to the nascent State Adela lived intensely, passionately, vulnerCall Call647.867.6144. 647.867.6144. 72-76for foraaL/T L/Trelationship. relationship.You You homes, homes, offices. offices. Short Short notice. notice. homes. Eng. & Polish-speaking. 225 INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES Reliable, hard working and 72-76 MILE’S PAINTING Don’tBox forget to put Painting, residential, commercial, CJN Number? 405 405 furniture furniture 230 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Live in & out. 647 739 7138 – cell. In myriad ways, Eve gives expression to of Israel, in the last portion of the book, will will share share my my passion passion for for movies, movies, ably, dutifully, and finally, courageously. Large Largeor orsmall. small.painting We WeCeramic carry carrysupplies. Experienced, Experienced, loyal, loyal,Filipina, Filipina, care care interior/exterior. Tile & 410 health & English gentleman w/reliable experienced caregivers availProfessional .supplies. interior 232 BUSINESS FOR SALE the Box your Number Address mail on to: Reliable PSW, cleaner, homeNHI-NursINg & D rywall. Reasonable. FREE beauty 905-738-4030. 905-738-4030. 235 BUSINESS WANTED Giver Giver for for senior, senior, has has open open perpertheatre, theatre, cultural cultural evnt evnt & & fine fine dining. dining. car & spare time will drive you 415 home Earl Earl Bales Bales Sr. Sr. Woodworkers. Woodworkers. maker & RPN avail. to work any universal “women’s issues” as experienced are we freed of the danger that lurked Henna House is a historical novel. The able. Please call 416-546-5380. ESTIMATES. The Canadian & exterior. PAINT Over HOUSE 16 years your envelope. 237 CAREERS/RECRUITMENT shift FT/PT. W/car. 647-351-2503 mit, mit,Does Does personal care, care,INc. cookcookHealthy Body for All 240 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES HopetotoJewish hear hearfrom fromNews you yousoon. soon.416416- Chair around to personal shops, errands, etc. Hope Homemakers. E & MMovers-Call Painting. T he faste st, Chair Repairs, Repairs, Caning, Caning, Regluing, Regluing, improvementS SRM SRM Movers-Call Stanley! A-1 A-1 experience. GTA. Stanley! References Metropolitan Glutathione level isof declining. by the Jewish women of Yemen. But this is constantly the corners the Jews’ story sweeps through large Henna House 245 EMPLOYMENT WANTED 1750events Steeles Ave. W., Ste. 218 around G oo d c oMaid ok /h oJanitorial. usek e e pWe e epochal r cleanest, And most professional Harmonia &journeys. ing, ing, cleaning, cleaning, shopping, shopping, laundry, laundry, Your Body can pay the price! Suits regular daily Book CJN Box #’s are valid 223-7250 223-7250 246 VOLUNTEERS avail. European. Experienced painting in GTA. Commercial and • Private companions Concord, Ont. Custom, Custom, reas. reas. 416-630-6487. 416-630-6487. short short notice, notice, insured, insured, home, home, apt., apt., upon request. Reasonable www.max.com/502436/chuck provide affordable high quality 247 DAY CARE AVAILABLE everything everything a a Senior Senior needs needs to to stay stay References. 416-655-4083. Residential Eli. 647-898-5804 merely one aspect of the story that is imlives in Yemen. By Nomi Eve, L4K now,•limited spaces.. Call Lee’s Licensing for 30 2L7 days. [email protected] A-1 Handyman. Specializes in office, registered Nurses 248 DAY CARE WANTED office,business. business. 416-747-7082 416-747-7082 rates! 416-303-3276. maid & janitorial services. For Reliable, hard working and MILE’S PAINTING happy, happy, healthy healthy &&safe. safe. Call Call 416416Don’t forget to put Marcantonio Marcantonio Furniture Furniture Repair Repair 250 DOMESTIC HELP AVAILABLE cell: 647-859 -0501 or at home: kitchen repairs & refacing & new pressive. Although Adela is the Scribner, Simon and Schuster experienced caregivers availProfessional painting . interior the Box Number on Highestcall standards of care from 255 DOMESTIC HELP WANTED details 416-666-5570. 534-7297 534-7297 415 home 905-884-5755. able. Please call 416-546-5380. Specializing Specializing inin touchups. xterior. Over 16 years your envelope. kits., fin. bsmts., &touchups. elec. & plumb- & e Commission 257 HEALTHCARE AVAILABLE general attendant care improvementS experience. GTA. References Eve has also provided a cultural history creative fulcrum upon 258 HEALTHCARE WANTED Harmonia Maid & Janitorial. We CJN Box #’s are valid ing, etc. Call 647-533-2735. Restoration, Restoration, refinishings refinishings & & gen. gen. 450 450 painting/ painting/ Exp. Exp.personal personal caregiver caregiver forthe the upo n requ est. Reasonable 259 SENIORS provide affordable high quality 416-392-3000 to acute injury care for for 30 days. A-1 Handyman. Specializes in 260 BUSINESS PERSONALS rates! 416-303-3276. maid & janitorial services. For of the Jewish life in Yemen that no longer which the dramatic repairs repairs on on premises. premises. 416-654-0518. 416-654-0518. kitchen repairs & refacing & new elderly. elderly. Homes, Homes, hospitals, hospitals, ret. wallpaper wallpaper 275 perSonal 265 PEOPLE SEARCH 404 flooring details 416-666-5570. Odd jobs, small paint445 moving call call 24/7--365 days/yr ret. kits., fin. bsmts., &repairs, elec. & plumb265 people 270 PERSONALS 250 DomeStiC ing, etc. Call 647-533-2735. exists. In addition, she places in a broadively at intimate moments in their lives. events of the story hinge, homes. homes. Eng. &&Polish-speaking. Polish-speaking. CompanionS 273 INTRODUCTION SERVICES ing, etc. Please call Fred at Painting, Tel:Eng. 416-754-0700 Painting, residential, residential, commercial, commercial, Hardwood stairs. New or SearCh 275 PERSONAL COMPANIONS WANTED help available We schlep for Less. Attentive Odd jobs,floors small&repairs, paintpeople Live Live inin&&265 out. out. 647 647 739 7397138 7138––cell. cell. wanteD er Middle Eastern context the emergency www.nhihealthcare.com For them, henna is a practice, an idea, and Eve also creates arresting 416-420-8731. 279 PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY i n g refinish , etc. P l einstall. ase ca ll Fred at interior/exterior. interior/exterior. Ceramic Ceramic Tile Tile&& SearCh old; Affordable, 410 410orhealth health && service. Reas. rates. 416-999280 ANNOUNCEMENTS 416-420-8731. Address Addressyour yourmail mailto: to: 290 LOST & FOUND Reliable Reliable PSW, PSW, cleaner, cleaner, homehomemigration of the Jews from Yemen to the an esthetic underlying human existence. portraits of other vivid, Drywall. Drywall. Reasonable. Reasonable. FREE FREE - 416-716-9094 6683, beauty beauty Bored? over 75? looking for gin Educated gentleman interest- reliable. Roman BestWayToMove.com I Bored? can clean your home andfor apt. over 75? looking gin 295 PETS rummy/poker players downtown. maker maker&and &RPN RPN avail. avail. to to work work any any 300 ARTICLES FOR SALE ESTIMATES. ESTIMATES. PAINT PAINT HOUSE HOUSE The The Canadian Canadian www.romanshardwood.com quickly nicely. Good prices. newly established State of Israel. Her rummy/poker players downtown. In a note at the end of the book, the authmemorable characters. Before signing ed in meeting an educated lady, contact Cari at 416-606-5898 305 ARTICLES WANTED G&M Moving and Storage. Apts., shift shift647.867.6144. FT/PT. FT/PT. W/car. W/car. 647-351-2503 647-351-2503 Healthy Body Body for forAll All 313 BOATS Call Jewish Jewish News News You Healthy any contract, contact Cari at 416-606-5898 72-76 for a L/T relationship. E&M E&M Painting. Painting. The The fastest, fastest, homes, offices. Short notice. reflections are wide-ranging and offer or acknowledges the research sources she Many compelling figures 315 CARS Glutathione Glutathione level levelissure isdeclining. declining. 405make furniture 320 CONTENTS SALE 1750 Steeles Steeles Ave. Ave.W., W., Ste. 218 218 GGoooodd ccooookloyal, k//hhoouFilipina, usseekkeeee ppeerr will1750 cleanest, cleanest, And AndWe most most professional professional share my passion forSte. movies, Large orto small. carry supplies. Experienced, care 325 GARAGE SALE poignant insights into the binding ties of used convey the significance of henna such as her aunt Rahel Your Your Body Body can can pay pay the theprice! price! your contractor avail. avail. European. European. Experienced Experienced painting painting in in GTA. GTA. Commercial Commercial and and Concord, Concord, 905-738-4030. Giver for senior, has open per- theatre, cultural evnt Ont. &Ont. fine dining. Earl Bales Sr. Woodworkers. www.max.com/502436/chuck www.max.com/502436/chuck SERVICE DIRECTORY is Jewish peoplehood. in the lives of Yemeni women. The Henna References. References. 416-655-4083. 416-655-4083. and cousin Hani, both Residential ResidentialEli. Eli.647-898-5804 647-898-5804 mit, Does personal care, cook- Hope to hearL4K 345 ACCOUNTING L4K 2L7soon. 416- Chair from2L7 you Repairs, Caning, Regluing, SRM Movers-Call Stanley! A-1 [email protected] [email protected] appropriately 350 APPLIANCES ing, cleaning, shopping, laundry, During the Damari family’s harrowing House in insured, the title refers to the elaborate masters in416-630-6487. the art of hen- short 355 AUDIO-VISUAL SALES/REPAIRS Reliable, Reliable, hard hard working working and and 223-7250 MILE’S MILE’S PAINTING PAINTING FLORIDA PROPERTY FOR sALE Custom, reas. licensed Don’t Don’t forget forget to to put put notice, home, apt., 357 AUTOMOTIVE everything a Senior needs to stay 358 BRIDAL experienced experienced caregivers caregivers availavailProfessional Professional painting painting . . interior interior with the flight from Qaraah to Aden, Adela notes: social conventions surrounding the apna dyeing, play signifithe theBox BoxNumber Numberon on office, business. 416-747-7082 happy, healthy & safe. Call 416365 CARPENTRY Marcantonio 415 415Furniture home home Repair Metropolitan able. able.Please Pleasecall call416-546-5380. 416-546-5380. &plication & exterior. exterior. Over Over 16 16 years years your your envelope. envelope. 368 CARPETS 534-7297 “I found myself wondering in whose steps of the henna. cant, determinative roles Ritz-Carlton Managed Residences Specializing in touchups. 370 CATERING Licensing improvementS improvementS experience. experience.GTA. GTA.References References 372 CHUPPAHS Harmonia Harmonia Maid Maid & & Janitorial. Janitorial. We We Restoration, refinishings & gen. we were following. I also wondered how The narrator explores her gradual metain Adela’s life. CJN CJNBox Box#’s #’sare arevalid valid 450 painting/ Exp. personal caregiver for the SARASOTA-FL 375 CLEANING/CLEANING SUPPLIES Commission upon upon request. request. Reasonable Reasonable provide provideaffordable affordablehigh high quality quality 379 CLOCKS/WATCHES repairs on premises.Specializes 416-654-0518. 5 STAR RESORT condominium on the Beach. for for30 30days. days. 416-392-3000 A-1 A-1In Handyman. Handyman. Specializes inin rates! elderly. Homes, hospitals, ret. wallpaper 380 CLOTHING we could learn to read the marks left by morphosis as she, too, learned how to Qaraah, the rules of rates!416-303-3276. 416-303-3276. maid maid&&janitorial janitorialservices. services. For For Lights-Sunrise Views. Epitome of 382 COUNSELLING Sunset-City kitchen kitchenrepairs repairs&&refacing refacing&&new new homes. Eng. & Polish-speaking. 385 COMPUTER details detailscall call416-666-5570. 416-666-5570. ancient travelers on the stones of this apply henna. “Each sign had a corresseparation between men casual elegance. Gourmet kitchen-wood and kits., kits.,fin. fin.bsmts., bsmts.,&&elec. elec.&&plumbplumb- Painting, residential, commercial, 386 DANCING Live in & out. 647 739 7138 – cell. 387 DECORATING interior/exterior. Ceramic Tile &A squiggle was marble floors- deep, 60 ft. wrap-around 410 health & ing, ing, etc. etc. Call Call 647-533-2735. 647-533-2735. earth.” Eve is clearly hinting to us that the ponding connotation. and women were un390 DRIVING Metropolitan Address mail to:with 392 DRY CLEANING/LAUNDRY Reliable PSW, cleaner,terrace. home-World class locationyour & amenities Drywall. Reasonable. FREE beauty story she has written in the voice of Adela a wave in the ocean, but it was also a ambiguous. The two sexes 394 EDUCATION Odd Oddjobs, jobs, small smallrepairs, repairs,paintpaint265 people concierge-theater-guest suites-2 parking spaces & maker &265 RPN people avail. to work any Licensing 395 ELECTRICAL ESTIMATES. PAINT HOUSE The Canadian ing, ing, etc. etc. Please Please call call Fred Fred at at 396 ELECTRONICS Damari is intended to ignite higher flames cupped palm, a gesture of greeting, or of intersected primarily in pets welcome. 3,017 sq.Jewish ft. 3 bed-3News bath $2,500,000 shift FT/PT. SearCh W/car. 647-351-2503 SearCh Healthy Body for All 400 ENTERTAINMENT E&M Painting. The fastest, Commission 416-420-8731. 416-420-8731. 402 FINANCIAL Glutathione level is declining. of personal inquiry among readers. harvest plenty, or both…Learning how to two domains: at the table Judy ~ 941.587.1700 1750 Steeles Ave. W., Ste. 218 Good cook/housek e e pKepecz-Hays er 404 FLOORING cleanest, And most professional Your Body can pay the price! 405 FURNITURE 416-392-3000 Bored? Bored? over over75? 75?looking looking for forgin ginLongboatKeyLuxury.com avail. European. Experienced painting in GTA. Commercial and When she arrives in Israel and is website: apply henna made me look at the world and in the bedchamber. Concord, Ont. 406 GARAGE DOORS www.max.com/502436/chuck 407 GIFTS References. 416-655-4083. rummy/poker rummy/poker players playersdowntown. downtown. Residential Eli. Where 647-898-5804 email: [email protected] L4K 2L7 questioned by well-meaning, but insensidifferently. before I had seen pebIn part to enhance rela410 HEALTH & BEAUTY [email protected] 412 HEATING/AIR CONDITIONING contact contactCari Cari atat416-606-5898 416-606-5898 Reliable, hard working and PAINTINGblades of straw, I now tive, 415 HOME IMPROVEMENTS Don’t forget to put bureaucrats about the belongings pine needles, tions in the bedchamber, bles,MILE’S 416 HOME INSPECTION experienced caregivers availProfessional painting . interior the Box Number on 419 INTERNET SERVICE she brought to her new homeland, Adela saw shadows and lines that were the sinew especially the newlywed FLORIDA PROPERTY 420 INVITATIONS/PRINTING/CALLIG. 415 home able. Please call 416-546-5380. & exterior. Over 16 years your cARs envelope. 425 JEWELLERY acknowledges “the only true possession and bone of pictures yet to be drawn.” chamber, the use of henFOR RENT 427 JUDAICA improvementS experience. GTA. References Harmonia Maid & Janitorial. We 430 LEASING CJN Box #’s are valid 431 LANDSCAPING/LAWNCARE I brought with me from Yemen was this Adela’s voice matures over the course of na was a pivotal aspect of upon request. Reasonable provide affordableIntercostal, high quality 432 LAWYERS for 30 days. B”H Hallandale Selling your car, van, or SUV, A-1 Handyman. Specializes in rates! 416-303-3276. 433 LESSONS maid & janitorial services. For Please note our new Phone number: story.” As the years pass by and Adela the story. She interprets the circumstances women’s lives. The cus434 LIMOUSINE/TAXI spac. unit acrs. frm. bch. 2 bdr./ I am a buyer. 514-686-3680; or kitchen repairs & refacing & new details call 416-666-5570. 435 LIQUIDATION kits., fin. bsmts., & elec. & plumbbuilds a new life for herself, she strugand the events that unfold through the tom is ancient, exotic, so2 bath. Dec.28-Jan.28/2015 514-336-8514 438 LOCKSMITH 439 MAKE-UP ing, etc. Call 647-533-2735. 905-765-6141 huge Call 905-881-8380. 35terrace. ConDominiumS direCtOrY 416-922-3605 A magic carpet ride in time 275 perSonal 250 DomeStiC help available ury conpendent I can clean your home and apt. 85-2500 quickly and nicely. Good prices. D R I V E Call 647.867.6144. xury ury conconCountry pendent pendent s, bright, ne.ca 785-2500 85-2500 Experienced, loyal, Filipina, care iet ravine ntS umS TTC. ne.ca ne.ca1/2 Giver for senior, has open perrm. avail. umS umS 3600 or mit, Does personal care, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, k, indoor indoor for Rent, everything a Senior needs to stay k,k,arge indoor largekit, kit, 2 bdrm, 380 380 kit, happy, healthy & safe. Call 416arge t, 2 prkg, 950/mnth 380 534-7297 781-2319 ury con- rk, 3,000 pendent 785-2500 ,umS 3 bath, umS ne.ca 81-8380. umS k, indoor arge kit, 380 rk, 3,000 , 3 bath, 81-8380. DRIVE Country s, bright, iet ravine TTC. 1/2 rm. avail. 3600 or for Rent, 2 bdrm, ntS ntS umS t, 2 prkg, 950/mnth 781-2319 a rk, k, 3,000 3,000 a ury con- ,endent 33bath, bath, ntS 81-8380. 81-8380. 85-2500 on Rental DDR RI IVVEE e.ca FL 55+ Country Country umS ies coms, , bright, bright, ent 12-1-14 uiet et ravine ravine @aol.com TTC. TTC. 1/2 1/2 , indoor /reliable drm. rm. avail. avail. rive you arge kit, nds, etc. 3600 600 or or 80 ys. Book ent on Rental FL 55+ ies com12-1-14 @aol.com Replying to an ad CompanionS with a wanteD CJN Box Number? Educated gentleman interested in meeting an educated lady, 72-76 for a L/T relationship. You will share my passion for movies, theatre, cultural evnt & fine dining. Hope to hear from you soon. 416223-7250 Replying Replyingtotoan anad ad with withaa CJN CJNBox BoxNumber? Number? Replying to an ad classified with a CJNSECTION Box Number? Exp. personal caregiver for the elderly. Homes, hospitals, ret. homes. Eng. & Polish-speaking. Live in & out. 647 739 7138 – cell. Happy New Year! k, 3,000 Reliable PSW, cleaner, home3 bath, 81-8380. maker & RPN avail. to work any shift FT/PT. W/car. 647-351-2503 DRIVE .for forRent, Rent, tS Good cook/housekeeper 2/reliable 2bdrm, bdrm, Country rive you et, t, 22prkg, prkg, avail. European. Experienced nds, etc. 950/mnth 50/mnth , bright, k, 3,000 ys. Book References. 416-655-4083. 781-2319 81-2319 3 bath, all Lee’s et ravine 1-8380. at home: Reliable, hard working and a aR I V1/2 D E TTC. Country y rm. avail. experienced caregivers avail, bright, et ravine 600 or able. Please call 416-546-5380. on on Rental Rental all Lee’s at home: Address your mail to: The Canadian Replying an ad JewishtoNews with 1750 Steeles Ave.aW., Ste. 218 CJNConcord, Box Number? Ont. L4K 2L7 Don’t forget to put the Box Number on your envelope. TC. 1/2 FL FLavail. 55+ 55+ m. es iescomcom600 or n12-1-14 12-1-14 @aol.com aol.com or Rent, 2 bdrm, ent ,ent 2 prkg, 50/mnth 81-2319 265 people w/reliable reliable 305 artiCleS wanteD SearCh ARTIcLEs wANTED drive rive you you ands, ds, etc. etc. eys. ys. Book Book Bored? over 75? looking for gin Call all Lee’s Lee’s rummy/poker players downtown. atathome: home: n Rental contact Cari at 416-606-5898 FINE ASIAN ART & ANTIQUES FL 55+ PURCHASING CHINESE, es com12-1-14 JAPANESE, ASIAN ANTIQUES aol.com Porcelain, Ceramics, Bronze, Jade & Coral Harmonia Maid & Janitorial. We for Rent, provide affordable high quality maid & janitorial services. For 2 bdrm, details call 416-666-5570. t, 2 prkg, 50/mnth 81-2319 a Classified/Books Replying to an ad with a CJN Box Number? serviCe 265 people SearCh CJN Box #’s are valid for 30 days. ANDREW PLUM Bored? over 75? looking for gin rummy/poker players downtown. Carvings, Snuff Bottles, Ivory, Cloisonné, paintings, etc. Over 35 years experience, on Rental contact Cari at 416-606-5898 ent professional and courteous. FL 55+ Call: 416 669 1716 reliable es comive you ds, etc. 12-1-14 s. Book all Lee’s aol.com 404 flooring Hardwood floors & stairs. New or old; refinish or install. Affordable, reliable. Roman - 416-716-9094 www.romanshardwood.com 405 furniture Earl Bales Sr. Woodworkers. Chair Repairs, Caning, Regluing, Custom, reas. 416-630-6487. Marcantonio Furniture Repair Specializing in touchups. Restoration, refinishings & gen. repairs on premises. 416-654-0518. Before signing any contract, 410 health make sure& yourbeauty contractor is Healthy Body for All appropriately Glutathionelicensed level is declining. Your Bodywith can paythe the price! www.max.com/502436/chuck [email protected] Before signing any contract, Best Prices!!! make sure Best Quality!!! your contractor Best Service!!! is appropriately 445 moving licensed with the Attentive We schlep for Less. Before signing 416-804-1706 service. Reas. rates. 416-999any contract, 6683, BestWayToMove.com make sure G&Myour Movingcontractor and Storage. Apts., is Short notice. homes, offices. appropriately Large or small. We carry supplies. licensed 905-738-4030. with the SRM Movers-Call Stanley! A-1 short notice, insured, home, apt., office, business. 416-747-7082 450 painting/ wallpaper Painting, residential, commercial, interior/exterior. Ceramic Tile & Drywall. Reasonable. FREE ESTIMATES. PAINT HOUSE E&M Painting. The fastest, cleanest, And most professional painting in GTA. Commercial and Residential Eli. 647-898-5804 Classified MILE’S PAINTING Professional painting . interior advertising Before Before signing signing 415 home & exterior. Over 16 years any any TO contract, contract, improvementS experience. GTA. References PLACE AN AD CALL CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY ail. Feb/ or 416- make make sure sure Monday to uponFriday request. Reasonable your contractor contractor A-1 your Handyman. Specializes in rates! 416-303-3276. kitchen repairs is &isrefacing & new appropriately appropriately kits., fin. bsmts., & elec. & plumbphisticated, complex and multi-faceted prism of her traditional felicensed licensed ing, etc. Call 647-533-2735. Odd jobs, small repairs, paintmale role in the home, under the authorpurposeful. ing, etc. with Please call Fred at with the the ityads of her parents, under the ominously Eve uses henna as a All repairs, Classified require 416-420-8731. Odd jobs, small paint- looming cruelty of the laws of Moslem Metropolitan Metropolitan narrative reference point prepayment deadline. ing, Please call Fred as atbefore Yemeni society and under the influence andetc. as a metaphor, Licensing Licensing The CJNand accepts Visa, Before signing herMastercard, extended family. a literary device as of Commission Commission 416-420-8731. American Express, Cheque or Cash. For example, Hani asked Adela: “‘Do you a symbol. She artfully any contract, 416-392-3000 416-392-3000 think Musa hits her to give her pain, or to portrays the nature of make sure The CJN cannot be responsible give himself pleasure?’ intra-communal relations your contractorforinmore than one incorrect insertion. “I balked, ‘What do you mean? What a among Jewish women Please bring any problems to the thing to say.’ I was blushing. Yemen byisemphasizing attentionhorrible of your sales representative your ad isHani repeated. said, ‘clearly she covers theappropriately importance for those before“‘Well,” her face to hide bruises, and she doesn’t women of the use of henlicensed appear in public so people won’t gossip na privately and collectwith the 416-922-3605 Before signing any contract, make sure Metropolitan Licensing your contractor 25 gles to find a way to properly honour the 440 MISCELLANEOUS 442 MUSICAL SERVICES 443 MORTGAGES sanctity of the memories of the family she 445 MOVING 449 PEST CONTROL once had. Her husband encourages her to 450 PAINTING/WALLPAPERING 452 PARTY SERVICES write her memoir because “souls live on 455 PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEO 460 PLUMBING 465 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES in stories.” 470 RENOVATIONS 472 RETIREMENT HOMES This is Eve’s second novel. Her first, The 475 ROOFING 476 SATELITE & EQUIPMENT Family Orchard, a Book-of-the-Month 480 SECURITY SYSTEMS 481 SEWING Club mainREMOVAL selection, was nominated for a 485 SNOW 490 TABLE COVERING 493 TAILORING/ALTERATIONS National Jewish Book Award. Eve teaches 495 TILING 496 TRAINING fiction writing at Bryn Mawr and lives in 498 TRAVEL & TOURISM 500 TUTORING Philadelphia with her family. 510 UPHOLSTERY 512 WAITERING SERVICES The souls of Adela Damari’s family 515 WATERPROOFING 517 WEIGHT LOSS/FITNESS 520 WINDOW populate theSERVICES Henna House. It is a place 550 WORKSHOPS worth visiting. ■ 26 Q&A M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS December 25, 2014 Uri Dromi: Showing journalists a ‘richer view of Israel’ JODIE SHUPAC Do your members represent the full political spectrum? [email protected] U ri Dromi is founder and director of the Jerusalem Press Club, (JPC), a space that functions as a communal workspace and networking hub for international and local journalists and related professionals in the city’s Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighbourhood. Dromi, who opened the club in 2013, was formerly the spokesperson for the Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres governments, chief education officer of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and editor-in-chief of the IAF magazine and IDF Publishing House. He was in Toronto and Montreal last month to seek support for JPC, and spoke to The CJN about his inspiration and aspirations for the club. What motivated you to launch the JPC? I had this idea for a long time. As the spokesman for the Rabin government in 1992 and the Peres government in 1996, it occurred to me that, with so many foreign journalists based in Israel and so many visiting, we should look at the media attention as an asset rather than a liability. I see the club as something we can do to expose the foreign press corps to Israeli narratives. A few years ago, it occurred to me that Miskenot Sha’ananim would be a good place for a press club. We got a nice grant from a trust in New York that gives to causes in Israel, and got money to refurbish and equip the place. I had managed to visit a couple of top press clubs in the world, like in Hong Kong, London and Washington… I basically took all the best elements from these press clubs and added the great location we have, overlooking the walls of the Old City. I think we’ve blended all the best elements of the press clubs in the world. What are your main goals for the JPC? To be a hub for the foreign press based in Israel and those journalists who come here on short visits, to be a place where they can come and enjoy the facilities like Wi-Fi, the restaurant… and can sit and work. Journalists can even carry out live broadcasts from here. We also hold regular briefings, where we bring in experts to talk to journalists about different topics. For example, we had a briefing on the proposed nationality law… We believe that, at the end of the day, journalists write stories based on what they heard, saw, or who they spoke with during the day. So we’re trying to provide foreign journalists with good content and speakers that represent the Israeli narratives. I say narratives plural because this isn’t Uri Dromi, founder and director of the Jerusalem Press Club You can’t be neutral about your own destiny. It’s not just an intellectual destiny, but about the future of our children. propaganda, and not a government thing. We’re totally private, independent, and have no agenda. But journalists know I’m a patriot and believe the Israeli story is great and should be told with all its nuances and variety of opinions. If we expose the foreign press to these, I think, in the long run, we can improve the coverage Israeli gets in the media. It kind of sounds like you do have an agenda. I’m not evading the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict. I’m dealing with it on a regular basis. I’m saying, ‘Here’s Israel: right, left, Orthodox, non-Orthodox, rich, poor. Let’s deal with it…’ I guess I do have an agenda, but it’s not political or institutional. It’s simple: there’s more to Israel than what we get on breaking news or on television. There’s a richer view of Israel. The main thing lost in today’s coverage of Israel is the warmth, energy, vitality and ingenuity of Israelis. This doesn’t offset issues with the settlements or Gaza, it’s just giving a more complete look at Israel rather than just what’s seen through the narrow prism of war. I try really hard to be balanced by bringing speakers from the right and the left, both Arabs and Jews… I have a goal to broaden people’s views. For instance, Al Jazeera is a member, as is Samer Shalabi [the first Palestinian chair of Israel’s Foreign Press Association]. What kinds of special programs does JPC offer? We’re investing in journalism students. When we first opened, I brought a group of journalism students from the University of Miami, and this year we brought a group of journalism students from Northwestern. They were very impressed and went back to their campuses with a better understanding of how complex it is to cover Israel and the Middle East. We bring them for a week or so and offer rich programming with a journalistic focus. We let them meet different news organizations working here, Israeli and foreign; hear speakers, and have time for assignments. I’m ready to bring more foreign journalism students, it’s just a question of funds. Another program we have is we host special missions of journalists who specialize in a certain area in which Israel has something big to say to the world… like the high-tech industry, science, film, literature or education. In 2013, I brought science journalists from all over the world and exposed them to the richest program that showed the accomplishments of Israeli scientists… there were journalists from Japan, Colombia, Germany. This year, I brought 20 film critics from around the world to cover the Jerusalem Film Festival. This upgraded the Jerusalem Film Festival to the level of other great international film festivals. Yes. Some people think we’re too much to the left and some think we’re not leftist enough, so I think we’re somewhat in a good place. For example, when [New York Times columnist] Thomas Friedman came to town, I invited him to the press club to speak for our members – 200 people wanted to come. But some Israeli journalists who are far to the right wrote complaint letters to the government press office saying, ‘Look at Uri Dromi, bringing the leftist Thomas Friedman, who criticizes Israel.’ Another time, when I invited a diplomat who is far right and against a two-state solution, I got complaints from press club members who are leftists, saying, ‘Why are you inviting a right-wing lunatic here?’ Is it possible for a journalist in Israel to be fairly neutral? Definitely not. It’s all a matter of interpretation. I write op-ed pieces for the Miami Herald and you can see I’m not neutral. I take sides, I’m critical of the government of Israel. You can’t be neutral about your own destiny. It’s not just an intellectual destiny, but about the future of our children. How many members are there? We already have 100-plus foreign press members, 100-plus Israeli journalists, 100 visiting journalists and 100 associates members – people like diplomats, PR professionals, retired journalists, etc. –who want to mingle with the press. Altogether, we have 400 members in just a year and a half of being open – not so bad! What are club membership and visitor rates? It’s 200 shekels [about $50 US] a year for foreign and Israeli journalists and 300 shekels [$76] a year for an associate member. For a journalist who’s just visiting, it’s 100 shekels for a year. Visiting journalists are happy to become members, because, as a member, you can walk into any press club in the world and get all benefits free of charge. We have a reciprocal arrangement with them, because we’re a member of the International Association of Press Clubs and of the European Federation of Press Clubs. If people come and they’re nice people, we let them in. And if they’re not nice? [chuckling] We kick them out. n THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014 Social Scene M 27 The other side of the coin Backstory IRA ROBINSON I n December 1931, Rabbi Joshua Herschorn spoke in Montreal’s “Romanian shul” and sparked a controversy. His sermon reacted to shocking news of riots by Polish students seeking to limit the number of Jewish students in their universities. Montreal Jews were even more shocked to hear that the rabbi had allegedly preached a sermon that stated that the riots were at least partially the Polish Jews’ own fault! The controversy began with the publication of a letter to Montreal’s Yiddish newspaper Keneder Adler that alleged that Rabbi Herschorn had argued that the Polish students had a point in that Polish Jews did not financially support Polish universities. The newspaper’s editor added a note supporting the allegations and asserting that this was merely one of many letters he had received on the subject. The charges against Rabbi Herschorn were taken up by Montreal’s Russian-Polish Sick Benefit Society that requested an investigation, demanded that the rabbi’s salary be suspended, and called for a protest meeting. The rabbi’s livelihood seemed in real jeopardy. His supporters now entered the debate, asserting that Rabbi Herschorn had never justified the hooliganism of the Poles. The editor, Israel Rabinovich, was unconvinced. Given that the sermon’s title was “The Other Side of the Coin”, he wondered what the “other side” of an anti-Semitic pogrom could be? The next stage of the controversy came when Rabbi Herschorn’s synagogue held a public meeting that heard testimony asserting that the criticism the rabbi received was groundless. Isidore Popliger, the president of the congregation, attempted to discredit the testimony against his rabbi. He questioned the newspaper’s accusations on the basis of a dubious letter. He denied that Rabbi Herschorn said that the Polish Jews “deserved what they got” and called it “a despicable lie.” Rabbi Herschorn gave his version of the affair. Certainly he did not justify anti-Jewish pogroms. What he had said was that the Jews needed to conduct themselves better in their relations with their non-Jewish neigh- bours. At this point, the rabbis in attendance convened a rabbinical court and declared him innocent of the charges against him. The meeting ended and the matter fell from the public agenda of Montreal Jewry. One published source purports to give us the “gist” of Rabbi Herschorn’s sermon. According to this summary, he began by comparing the situation of the Jews of Poland to that of the Jews in Montreal. He said that it was in the Jews’ interest to have good relations with their fellow citizens and to support non-Jewish institutions from which Jews derive benefit. Thus McGill University has many Jewish students. But how many Jews contributed financially to McGill? Similarly Rabbi Herschorn deplored the fact that Jews didn’t support the Royal Victoria and the Montreal General hospitals, even though Jews used these hospitals and got the same attention as Christian patients. Rabbi Herschorn had intended to preach a provocative sermon, using the recent pogroms to rivet the attention of his congregants on their own situation. What he likely intended to be a secondary point spun out of control and required the skilled intervention of his congregation’s president to get him out of trouble. Rabbi Herschorn’s sermon is remarkable. It attempted to take a stand on the Montreal Jewish community’s relationship to the larger community that bucked a strong communal inward trend. Thus, for example, the Jewish community of Montreal was channeling its resources to build the Jewish General Hospital, for which the groundbreaking ceremony had taken place in August, 1931, while Rabbi Herschorn was advocating more Jewish engagement with the Protestant hospitals of Montreal. Rabbi Herschorn’s vision of a Jewish community increasingly engaged with the institutions of Anglo-Montreal constituted a bold attempt to influence his listeners’ engagement with their society but didn’t seem to reflect the direction of the Montreal Jewish community in the short run. In 1931 it was probably dismissed as optimistic, even utopian. However the situation illuminated by this controversy would not last. Economic progress and the forces of acculturation would ultimately lead to the contemporary prominent financial engagement of Montreal Jews in all the educational, medical, social, and cultural institutions of Montreal – just as Rabbi Herschorn had advocated. n JPL CORNER Club Balfour supports the JPL’s 100th Cindy Davis M arilyn Nayer is a second-generation member of the Jewish Public Library. Her father was present at most of the library’s important mid-century milestones, and for many years, was an active participant in the library’s musical programs led by Clarence Fink. The library was such an important part of her father’s life that when he was stricken with Alzheimer’s many years ago, his memories of the JPL remained. “Even when he didn’t recognize me, when Clarence Fink visited him in the hospital, he knew Clarence,” Nayer recalls. Today Nayer remains a staunch supporter of the JPL and works tirelessly to promote library membership She is also an active member of Club Balfour, a non-profit organization and social group that supports the community. It was no surprise then, that when it came time for Club Balfour to decide which organizations would receive a portion of its yearly donations, the JPL was at the top of the list. “The JPL is an anchor in this town,” says Alice Solomon, unofficial head of Club Balfour’s steering committee. “The library has been very kind to us through the years, and most members are connected to the library.” The group uses the JPL’s Jewish Book Month every year as a basis for their fall activities and can often be found filling a block of seats at JPL keynote events. Previously the Montreal branch of the former Jewish Women’s International, the group decided to become independent and change its name to Club Balfour three years ago. The club, which meets monthly, has no president, no board of directors, and all decisions are brought forth to the members. “The group is a democracy – majority rules,” Solomon says. “If someone has an idea of a charity to which they want to give, they bring it to the group and we vote.” Other recipients of Club Balfour’s donations over the years have included Members of Club Balfour celebrate the JPL’s 100th anniversary. Seated is Rozanne Abramson; standing, from left, are Bev Tencer, Rhona Wittenberg, Marilyn Nayer, Alice Solomon, Chava Caron, Arnona Szolomowicz and Daphne Zeitz. The Miriam Foundation, Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, Auberge Shalom, Dans la Rue and many others. The group raises its funds through a variety of initiatives including bingo nights, raffles, sing-alongs and guest speakers – which in the past have included JPL director of archives Shannon Hodge. Club Balfour’s donation to the JPL in honour of the library’s 100th anniversary was recognized in a small ceremony last month during which a plaque commemorating the event was erected in the library. “The JPL is 100 years old. We want to leave a legacy to our children and grandchildren. It’s important that they know the significance of the Jewish Public Library,” Solomon says. For Nayer, whose earliest childhood memories are library-related and whose parents encouraged her to be a voracious reader, libraries and books play an important part in shaping a person’s character. She still remembers the title of the very first book she borrowed from the JPL when it was located on Esplanade. “It was called Marjorie Morningstar,” she says with a chuckle. “The love interest’s name was Noel. It was a little scandalous.” To find out more about Club Balfour contact Alice Solomon at alicesolomon@ outlook.com. To inquire about how your group could commemorate the Jewish Public Library’s 100th anniversary or to book group seating for an event, contact 514-345-2627, ext. 3332, or Angelina. [email protected] n 28 M THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2014
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