Celebrating our community

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Passover is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays, and one of the most nostalgic. We come together at our seder tables to tell a very old story in a slightly new way. We honor our traditions with family, friends and friends of friends. We rejoice in our liberation from slavery and our birth as a nation, while pledging to make every effort to prevent anyone else from becoming enslaved. It is both the most rote and the most novel of festivals and, therefore, it offers the perfect moment to reflect and look to the future.

Still known as the Jewish Western Bulletin to many (a name that remains on the paper's logo), the Jewish Independent is 79 years old this year. That's a lot of history. While not the oldest Jewish institution in the province, the paper has recorded the vast majority of the community's milestones and simchot, tragedies and challenges. It has witnessed the incredible growth of the community in both numbers of people and organizations, the newest addition being the local office of B'nai Brith Canada. Based in Ontario, the Western edition of its Jewish Tribune will, according to publisher Frank Dimant, "advance the ideals and goals of B'nai Brith Canada." Those aims "include reaching out to those in need, fighting antisemitism, racism and bigotry, as well as promoting human rights and peace throughout the world," wrote Dimant in the paper's first edition published here.

These are admirable objectives, indeed, and ones with which the entire Jewish community around the world must deal on a daily basis. Tikkun olam (repair of the world) calls upon all of us who have been fortunate to ensure that Jews and non-Jews alike have enough food to eat, adequate clothing, acceptable housing, access to medical care and social services and an education. We are duty bound to fight hatred and racism in all its forms, by the simple fact that we are human beings – from a religious perspective, we are all created in God's image; from a secular humanist view, justice means we are all equal before the law.

In large measure, a country is measured by how well – or poorly – it treats its minorities. The same is true of a community. More than once, the Torah and our sages advise generosity to the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger. The Torah condemns oppression and, particularly at this time of year, Jews promulgate the value of freedom: for everyone. To use the language of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, regardless of "color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status," everyone is entitled to "the right to life, liberty and security of person." Everyone "has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion" and "the right to freedom of opinion and expression."

These are ideals by which most of us attempt to live. It's not easy to be tolerant and accepting. As every community organization knows, pleasing all members is a near-impossible task. On any given day, the Jewish Independent is called a fanatical Zionist publication and a mouthpiece for Israel's critics. It is cold comfort that, in journalism, to anger people on both extremes is considered high praise and a sign that you're doing things right.

Luckily, the Independent covers more than politics. In fact, most of its pages are dedicated to celebrating our community and its achievements. While we mourn those who have died and write stories that hopefully will impact the community positively in troubled times, such as those on the need for more social housing, we do so with the intent to honor those who have contributed so much to the community. We do so to encourage others to follow in their footsteps and become more involved in making the world a better place. And, in doing so, we follow in the tradition of those who came before us.

The Jewish Western Bulletin was established in 1930. At first, the Bulletin was "the organ of the Jewish Community Centre" and it was operated by the Jewish Community Council. The paper had many different leaders, until 1949, when Abraham J. Arnold became the publisher and editor; posts he held for 11 years. When Arnold chose to leave Vancouver, Sam and Mona Kaplan took over the Bulletin and they not only made the paper profitable, but independent – independent of the council, that is, not the community.

"There were groups in the community that needed money badly and if we could make the paper stand on its own two feet then why should the community have to support it?" said Mona Kaplan in an interview for the Bulletin's 70th anniversary issue.

Throughout the almost 40 years that the Kaplans ran the Bulletin, the main focus was on what Sam Kaplan, z'l, called "the survival of the Jews." While the Kaplans sold the Bulletin to Kyle Berger, Pat Johnson and me in 1999 – and while Berger and Johnson have since taken on other roles within the community – this is still the focus of the newspaper. The name change in 2005, to the Independent, merely reflected the fact that, since the Kaplans' tenure, the paper has been an independently run, free-enterprise entity – it is free from the influence or control of one person or institution. While most organizations rightfully have a mission that represents their group's particular goals, a true community newspaper must try to serve every organization and every member of the community.

Because this is no small feat, the Independent has always worked with the community. Most of our freelance writers are involved in various Jewish groups, we publish press releases and event notices sent to us by Jewish organizations, synagogues and others, and we work with myriad community members to make sure that we're publishing relevant and timely stories. If someone's upset with an article or if we miss an announcement, I'm a phone call or e-mail away, or you may pull me aside at one of the many community events I attend. If I'm not in the office, my assistant editor or another Independent staff member is always happy to help.

The community is integral to the Jewish Independent's success. Your subscription or advertisement allows the paper to publish international, national and local stories, milestones, Community Calendar listings, obituaries, death announcements and other news that keeps all of us informed and connected. Your support enables the paper to donate up to $40,000 annually to organizations and individuals in the form of event sponsorships, free filler ads and complimentary copies of the paper. So, while, as a business, we can't give you tax receipts for your "donations," you can be assured that your money is spent frugally and with respect, and that it benefits Klal Yisrael.

If the Jewish Community Council and the B.C. Jewish community of the 1930s could see us now, they would be so proud. They would see a vibrant and growing Jewish community working together. As a small but important example, 58 community groups are supporting the Yom Ha'atzmaut festivities this year. Fifty-eight! Kol hakavod to us all. L'shana haba'ah b'Yerushalayim!

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