Chabad of Richmond

Thanking first responders

Front row, left to right: Sgt. Pat Madderon, Canadian Forces Reserves; Ron Van Houten, B.C. Emergency Health Services; Brian McLeod, Richmond Fire; and Superintendent Will Ng, Richmond RCMP officer in charge. Back row left to right: Cpl. Dave Winberg; Cpl. Kevin Krygier; Councilor Bill McNulty; Councilor Derek Dang; Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie; Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman; and Peter Tellis, Richmond Fire. (photo from Chabad of Richmond)

More than 400 people came out on May 18 to show their appreciation for Richmond’s first responders, including the RCMP, Richmond Fire and Rescue, BC Ambulance and the Canadian Armed Forces. The First Responders Appreciation Event was held in conjunction with Richmond RCMP Police Week.

Presented by Chabad of Richmond, the festivities featured a kosher hot dog barbeque. Sergeant Safety Bear was on hand to meet the kids, and attendees got the chance to learn more about their local police. There was also free Project 529 bike registration, a chance for young people to try out the Youth Police Academy and a scavenger hunt. Donations were collected for the Jewish Food Bank.

Other event sponsors included Sneg Mortgage Team, SOS Emergency Response Technologies, ER Plus Risk Management, Vision Plus, Kehila Society, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and Real Canadian Superstore. The get-together offered people the opportunity to “strengthen bonds with faith-based communities,” said Chabad of Richmond’s Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman.

Teens enjoy N.Y. Shabbaton

CTeen members with Rabbi Chalom Loeub. (photo from Chabad of Richmond)

Did you know that Richmond Jewish teens have a group of their own? It’s CTeen, which stands for Chabad Teen Network. CTeen Richmond, a program sponsored and hosted by Chabad of Richmond, is led by Rabbi Chalom Loeub.

“CTeen is open to all Jewish teens, regardless of their religious affiliation,” said Loeub. The international program run by Chabad Lubavitch is aimed at teens in grades 8 to 11. CTeen Richmond is currently comprised of a small group of teens, but wants to expand its numbers.

This unique program includes Sunday night learning, volunteering and socializing. Participants volunteer by cooking and baking for the Light of Shabbat meals, which are delivered to elderly Jews and those who have trouble cooking for themselves. The CTeens also cook and bake for the Smile on Seniors program at Chabad of Richmond.

Six CTeen youth from Richmond recently attended a CTeen Shabbaton in New York. This Shabbaton gathered 2,000 teens from around the world. It included Friday night programs, where they learned about Jewish history, as well as how Judaism relates to science. They also learned a bit about the Tanya, ate great food, met lots of other teens, sang, danced and had lots of fun. One of the Richmond CTeens described it as “inspirational.”

Friday afternoon, the teens got to explore New York in groups. Saturday evening, with stringent security, the CTeens took over Times Square for two hours, where they held Havdalah, sang and danced, and listened to motivational speakers on topics like Torah and the importance of doing mitzvot. Richmond teen Daniel Davydova, who went with his brother Itay, took from this experience the message that “together, we are the future.” He described the experience as “enlightening.” After the talks, the teens toured New York on buses.

The highlight of the Shabbaton for most of the Richmond group was visiting the Ohel, the holy site of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s grave. The teens found it extremely spiritual, and got the chance to write letters asking G-d for blessings for themselves and others. It was here they also wrote their personal “resolutions,” and committed to carrying these out.

Dana Sander, a Richmond CTeen member, called the visit “amazing” and said she’d recommend the CTeen Shabbaton to everyone. Fellow member Aaron Benatar said he loved “connecting with other Jewish teens from around the world.” He said that “standing shoulder to shoulder as a group” was very powerful. He said it “rekindled his Jewish spirit, and made him feel even more committed to helping the Jewish community through doing mitzvahs.”

The Richmond CTeen program focuses on Torah study and the importance of helping others. Eyal Levy, who’s been part of the program for a few months, is very enthusiastic about it. “I love the cooking most of all,” he said. “We get to cook for seniors who need it. I also love the socializing and games. Plus, we get to talk to the rabbi about topics that interest us.”

According to Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman of Chabad of Richmond, “CTeen harnesses the incredible potential of teenagers by offering awesome programs that bring teens together to give back to their communities. CTeen welcomes every Jew and creates a sense of belonging.” The CTeen Network views the teenage years as a time not just for partying and frivolity, he added, but as a time of purpose and self-discovery. The goal is to connect participants to anything and everything Jewish.

For more information, contact Loeub at 778-712-7703 or email [email protected].

Adding meaning to life

When a group of eight couples in their 40s and 50s meet once a month to discuss different Jewish topics with Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman, co-director of Chabad of Richmond, no subject is off limits. The program is called Toward a Meaningful Life.

“I set the agenda for discussion each month, but if there are other subjects the group is interested in exploring, they’ll send me their questions ahead of time and we can have a meaningful, focused discussion when we meet together as a group,” said Baitelman.

The group of friends meets in the privacy of their homes, and rotates houses from month to month. The rabbi is open to any subject on which he can offer an insightful Jewish perspective. So far, topics discussed have included discovering your personal mission statement; marriage, love and intimacy; home and family; and purpose in life. Upcoming topics will include work; charity and wealth; pain, loss and anxiety; and religion and faith.

Jill Topp, a member of the couples group, values these sessions with the rabbi.

“He’s not judgmental at all, and we’re not even members of Chabad,” she said. “I love his style of guided learning, and what’s important to me is that he allows us to be the Jews that we are, and want to be.” She said they discuss issues related to being in healthy relationships of all sorts, from a Jewish perspective.

Debbie Aarons, another participant, said, “Our group is mixed, we’re not all Orthodox Jews, but we’re like-minded Jews and lifelong learners. Being part of this couples learning group sends a good message to our kids. It tells them that being Jewish is not just about going to shul once a week or a few times a year. It’s about continuing our Jewish learning and having meaningful conversations.”

Shay Keil, who also attends the group, finds it interesting to see how the other couples, who are his friends, respond to discussions about relationships from a religious perspective.

“It’s not something we talk about when we socialize, so it’s fascinating to hear their points of view on these topics,” said Keil. He commented that he finds it beneficial that they’re friends coming together, because it adds that social element to it. “I also like that our kids see us going on a Sunday night to a class that’s connecting us to Judaism, and that it’s not just about going to shul,” he added.

“As Jews, we struggle with all sorts of religious and other issues,” said Baitelman. “We’re a people that questions everything and wants to know why – or why not. Life is about purpose and meaning, and people want to understand their role in the world. So, during these couples classes, we explore all kinds of Jewish subjects and everyone has a chance to contribute. Hopefully, by the end of each meeting, couples have a better insight and understanding of Jewish topics, both personally and as part of the Jewish people.”

Anyone interested in joining this group, or starting one of their own, should contact Baitelman at 604-277-6427 or [email protected]. This informal program is open to all Jewish couples, regardless of age or religious affiliation.

Share light of Shabbat

“We want to share Shabbat with those who are alone, or those who might have difficulty cooking for themselves. Plus, we want to help every Jew feel connected and part of the community,” said Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman of Chabad of Richmond, who started the Light of Shabbat program in 2011. “This is not tzedakah; it’s about making a connection with other Jews and helping them celebrate the mitzvah of Shabbos.”

With help from devoted community volunteers, full kosher Shabbat meals are cooked and delivered to those who are elderly, alone, recovering from illness, or homebound. Currently, deliveries are done every other week to about 10 people in Richmond. Each Shabbat box contains challah, grape juice and Shabbat candles, plus a meal of soup, salad, chicken, vegetables and dessert – all homemade. They even include a little card with the blessing for lighting candles, the Torah portion for the week and information about why Jews celebrate Shabbat.

“The boxes are personalized, depending on the needs of the recipient, so some boxes contain more than one meal,” said Grace Jampolsky, coordinator of the Light of Shabbat program. Chabad of Richmond has delivered 495 boxes to date.

“I like to bake the challah myself, but other volunteers make the soup, cook the chicken and vegetables, and bake the desserts,” added Jampolsky.

Richmond resident Courtenay Cohen and her friends, some of whom aren’t even Jewish, bake cookies, cakes and brownies for the Shabbat boxes. Cohen started volunteering a year or two ago. Asked why she recruited non-Jewish friends to help bake, Cohen said: “They’re very involved in their own religious community, but when I told them what I was doing, they wanted to help. It’s a great way to teach them about Judaism.”

Taking on a bigger role this year, Cohen now oversees the baking part of the Shabbat boxes. Not only does she bake, but she also helps pack the boxes and deliver some of them. “Delivering the boxes gives me a chance to visit elderly Jews and others in our community and make a person-to-person connection with them. It’s also a way to check in on them and make sure they’re living in safe and suitable conditions,” added Cohen. “Plus, they really love talking to young people.”

Pam, one of the Shabbat box recipients, said: “It’s fantastic! It’s very generous of Chabad to do this.” Pam said she especially likes when the kids decorate the boxes, and she enjoys the short visit with them. She said that, with the recent snow and an elevator that wasn’t working, she couldn’t leave her apartment for a week, so the Shabbat box was very helpful to have.

Rabbi Yeshurun Blumenfeld, along with his 6-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter, make volunteer deliveries of a Shabbat box to a couple in their 90s every other week. “Not only do I create an ongoing relationship with this couple, but it’s a way to teach my kids about the importance of doing mitzvahs,” said Blumenfeld, who added that promoting a mitzvah is a sanctification of G-d’s name.

Blumenfeld also shared a story of how, one day, when he was at a Richmond bakery buying challah for his family, he happened to bump into the wife of this elderly couple to whom he delivers a Shabbat box. She was shlepping a bunch of groceries, and he asked her how she was getting home. She told him she had called a taxi. He immediately said they should cancel the taxi, and he would drive her home himself. He said it was a very special moment for him, to make that connection with another Jew.

The Light of Shabbat program began in memory of Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, shluchim who started the Chabad House in Mumbai, India – the couple was murdered by terrorists in 2008.

Supporting the Light of Shabbat program is a huge mitzvah on many levels. And, as there are a lot of seniors and others in Richmond who would appreciate a good Shabbat meal, Chabad of Richmond desperately wants to expand the program, but needs more donors, sponsors and volunteers to sustain it. Their goal is to substantially increase the number of meals they deliver every week. Each filled Shabbat box costs approximately $25 to $28. To donate to the program on an ongoing or one-time basis, contact Baitelman at 604-277-6427 or [email protected].