Sam Margolis – Page 2

JQT-JFS partnership thrives

JQT Vancouver’s table at the BC Hospice Palliative Care Association’s Grief, Bereavement and Mental Health Summit 2024, which took place Nov. 20-22. (photo from JQT)

In 2024, JQT Vancouver, a queer and trans nonprofit, and Jewish Family Services Vancouver teamed up – through financial backing from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver and private donations – to create the JQT Mental Health Support Series, a set of informational workshops, resources and events for the LGBTQ2SIA+ community.

The organizations have now entered 2025 invigorated by the response and eager to continue and expand their offerings.

“Like any marginalized community, queer and trans people are aware of their needs and are tired of being surveyed. They have been historically, persistently and systemically marginalized and are waiting for changes in society and health care to be more inclusive of them,” JQT founder and executive director Carmel Tanaka told the Independent.

Tanaka added that a limited operating budget can present challenges when providing the necessary safe spaces, programs and awareness resources for Jewish queer and trans community members and beyond. These needs for support far outweigh JQT’s capacity alone, she said.

In her view, moving away from the survey model to a model of outreach and engagement not only fosters community between Jewish queer and trans people but ensures that Jewish queer and trans people are seen and treated as more than survey data.

Tanaka credited JFS Vancouver chief executive officer Tanja Demajo for understanding this. Demajo listened to the recommendations JQT had been urging for a long time and took steps to fill the gap in mental health support services for the Jewish queer and trans community, said Tanaka.

“This partnership has been an incredible learning experience for me personally,” Demajo shared with the Independent. “Working closely with Carmel and the JQT team made me recognize the importance of being present, listening and understanding how JFS needs to evolve to better serve populations that may have felt isolated. Empowering others to take the lead in this context was inspiring and has already resulted in some truly amazing programming.

“Seeing the community come together – sharing laughs, conversations and moments of joy – has reinforced one key takeaway: we should continue building these connections and creating even more opportunities to collaborate.”

The partnership between JQT and JFS dates back several years. In 2020, the two groups started conversations pertaining to diversity education, ensuring JFS supports for the social, physical and emotional wellness of all people, and providing a welcoming and inclusive organization for the Jewish LGBTQ2SIA+ community. Their partnership was given the name Twice Blessed 2.0: The Jewish LGBTQ2SIA+ Initiative. The Mental Health Support Series, rolled out last year, is the second phase of the initiative; it follows the 2022 Community Needs Assessment.

The mental health series provided numerous offerings last year that encompassed an array of topics – some serious, some lighter – such as dying and death, clay as a medium for mindfulness, and belly dancing. There was also an evening of comedy with Los Angeles-based performer Antonia Lassar and music from Victoria’s Klezbians.

“This series deals with very heavy issues, a lot of which are highly contentious and divide our communities in a number of ways. Our series also provides opportunities to laugh, have fun, relieve stress and move energy. When it comes to mental health, there needs to be a balance,” Tanaka said.

“There are many highlights for me personally,” she continued, “but one that stands out was when a group of queer Chinese folx attended our mahjong event to learn how to play mahjong because they didn’t have the opportunity to learn in their community. That’s when you know that you’re making a positive difference, when you are also helping out communities beyond your own.”

With the positive reaction thus far, JQT and JFS are maintaining their partnership into 2025 to bring more programs and support to the Jewish queer and trans community.

“We look forward to continuing our learning journey and offering meaningful programming and support for the LGBTQ2SIA+ community. In partnership with JQT, we’re excited to develop programs over the next year that will clearly reflect our ongoing commitment to inclusivity and connection,” Demajo said.

Throughout the partnership, Tanaka said, JFS “has learned our preferred style of collaboration and communication, and has borne witness to JQT’s growth and its limitations as a 100% volunteer-led organization.

“Today,” she said, “our quarterly JQT-JFS meetings run quickly, smoothly and are a whole lot of fun because we all genuinely like each other, enjoy the work we are accomplishing together, and can see the fruits of our labour.”

In 2024, JQT gained charitable status. This is a significant accomplishment for a small nonprofit, noted Tanaka, who this month starts her seventh year with JQT.

In 2025, she aims to secure an annual salary for the organization’s executive director position, as well as extended health benefits and program funding. These, she believes, will set JQT up for further success and future executive directors.

“With an increase in queer Jewish event offerings in town,” said Tanaka, “JQT can now focus on heavier lifting, specifically education and training of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations in and out of community and health care, which has been a decades-long request from Jewish queer and trans people.

“We are starting to feel the synergy around our work and are finally being invited to the table,” she added. “It’s all been worth it and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with JFS in a good, organic way.”

The first event of the 2025 Mental Health Support Series, Jewish Magic Herbal Pottery, takes place on Feb. 25, 6 p.m., at Or Shalom Synagogue. To register, visit jqtvancouver.ca.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

How Jews are indigenous

Last month, Ben M. Freeman spoke about his latest book, The Jews: An Indigenous People, as part of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2024/25 speaker series. (PR photo)

Ben M. Freeman, founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement, spoke from his home in London, England, about his work and ideas in a Zoom webinar on Jan. 12. Titled Building Jewish Pride and Recognizing Jewish Indigeneity, the virtual event was hosted by Victoria’s Kolot Mayim Reform Temple.

The author of Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People and Reclaiming our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride, Freeman’s latest, The Jews: An Indigenous People, will be released this month.

Freeman began by calling into question the perception that indigeneity implies people who have lived on the land and are primitive or oppressed.

“I have great issue with that because the idea of those things being inherent is to destroy the great diversity of the indigenous experience,” he said.

The United Nations, he explained, set up seven criteria used to determine the indigeneity of a people to a particular land. Freeman, in his writings and talks, argues that Jews are indigenous to the land of Israel even by the UN’s criteria.

“[The UN] also created rights for indigenous people: the ability to have self-determination, the ability to practise your own religion, have your own language, all of these different things. But, again, many of them are still rooted in this idea that indigenous people are inherently oppressed,” he said.

“We’re not here to say that indigenous people have not experienced oppression. That would be ludicrous. Many indigenous groups do experience that, but we can’t necessarily say these things are inherent….”

To view certain groups as only victims, he contended, strips them of agency. Freeman would define an indigenous people, rather, as a group whose collective identity begins in one specific land, and it is in that land they remain rooted either physically, spiritually or culturally.

“This is their home and is where they originated, developed and continue to be fixed through a connection to the environment and natural resources, living systems, culture and practice as a people, irrespective of their sovereignty in the land,” he said.

This definition, Freeman believes, not only applies to Jews in Israel but also refers to the experiences of the Maori in New Zealand and First Nations in Canada, and other peoples in other countries.

From his perspective, Jews were a small group of tribes that developed into a civilization over time. The Torah played a large part as it codified Jewish civilization by taking practices that already existed, reshaped some of them and retold some of the stories, creating a culture that contains religion.

“Almost all the practices were rooted in the land. Pesach was two different festivals: one was a matzah festival and one was a sacrifice festival. Rosh Hashanah, our new year, was the beginning of the agrarian year. Shavuot is an agricultural holiday,” Freeman said.

“One of the odd experiences of being Jewish is that we exist in this cognitive dissonance almost because we will describe ourselves officially in many ways as a religion, but then we have so much of our practice rooted in land.”

Freeman also put forward that a distinguishing characteristic of Judaism is that, unlike Christianity, it can be a religion but not exclusively a faith or creed.

“Christianity has creed. My partner is a Christian and I sometimes ask him, ‘Could you be a Christian without believing in Jesus?’ And he’s like, ‘no.’ We don’t have that,” said Freeman. “That’s why you can have atheist, secular or agnostic Jews who are part of Am Yisrael. There is nothing we have to believe to be Jews.”

Freeman went on to discuss Jewish pride, which, for him, bears three central tenets. The first is to encourage and empower Jews to reject the shame of antisemitism – to wear one’s Jewishness as a badge of honour.

The second point is to repudiate non-Jewish definitions of Jewish identity.

“I just feel it’s so egregious to me that non-Jews think they have a right to tell us what it means to be Jewish or any aspect of that experience. This is my identity. I will tell you what it means to be a Jew,” he said.

The third tenet is for Jews to go on a journey to explore their identity through a Jewish perspective. “We have to be able to say this is who we are,” he said, “but we have to humbly accept that takes time. We need to be doing real work to investigate our Jewishness and then, most importantly, [do it] through a Jewish lens.”

Freeman is scheduled to travel to Canada in March to discuss The Jews: An Indigenous People, with appearances in Toronto, Windsor and Edmonton. His schedule may include stops in Ottawa and Vancouver, as well.

Next up in the Kolot Mayim 2024/25 lecture series, on March 2, 11 a.m., is Jonathan Bergwerk, author of the Audacious Jewish Lives books, who will speak about Jewish innovators who changed the world. Go to kolotmayimreformtemple.com to register.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Whimsical “wood friends”

“Jug Band” by Anita Colman, whose work is on display at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre in Victoria through March 3. (photo from Anita Colman)

The distinctive, colourful characters that artist Anita Colman creates out of driftwood and various objects she discovers around Victoria are currently on display in hallway showcases at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre in Victoria through March 3.

Her “wood friends,” as she dubs them, constitute a wide assortment of critters – from avians to insects, canines to felines. There are birds nested on a woman’s head, a jug band and a dog with a beanie. There is also a unicyclist and a schoolboy riding a pogo stick.

photo - “Unicyclist and Pogo Stick Boy” by Anita Colman — “Unicyclist and Pogo Stick Boy” by Anita Colman. (photo from Anita Colman)

Colman grew up in Montreal and studied fine arts at Concordia University. After graduation, with what she jokes were “no applicable skills,” she worked building fences, painting houses and selling produce at an outdoor market.

“Then, in 1980, a friend and I went on an epic road trip from Montreal to the San Francisco Bay and I ended up staying,” she told the Independent.

With a penchant for cartooning, Colman, while getting settled in the United States, freelanced for several greeting card companies, including American Greetings, Marcel Schurman Fine Papers, Andrews McMeel and Hallmark Cards, among others.

One day, Hallmark contacted her to say that they wanted her to work in-house at their headquarters in Kansas City.

“As a single parent at the time, a steady income with a health plan was an offer I couldn’t refuse,” she said. “I’ll never forget the day we landed at the Kansas City International Airport in August. As soon as we exited the airport, we were hit with a blast of hot, humid air. It was an inferno. All I could think was, ‘What have I done?’”

At Hallmark, she was part of Shoebox, an alternative humour studio, where she illustrated not only myriad cards but books and calendars, and designed logos and fonts. Her artwork also was applied to stickers, school supplies, mugs, T-shirts, and dog and cat bowls.

The company, Colman recollected, had a farm where artists would go for what she called “creative renewal.”

“The barn had a fully equipped woodshop and welding area. That’s where I learned woodworking. We built crazy birdhouses and robots that moved and lit up,” she said.

“There was also a small woodshop for artists at headquarters. It was located beside the model shop, where carpenters built displays for shows, etc. I learned a lot from them. Any free time I had was spent in the woodshop.”

Anita Colman’s creations are on display in Victoria. (photo from Anita Colman)

As a humour artist, Colman said she was continually developing different characters and critters. Now she does the same with wood.

“The elements of design are the same – line, form, texture, colour. Driftwood already has texture and shape that can look like a nose, ears or tail.”

Accompanying Colman on her hunts for items to turn into art is her rescue dog Bean.

“He’s my sidekick,” she said. “He comes along when I walk the beach looking for good wood or browse ReStore, Value Village and hardware stores with an eye out for objects I can incorporate in my pieces. Bean’s always on the lookout for treats and makes out pretty good.”

The whimsical wooden creations have become an increasingly familiar sight in the capital city. Last fall, they were exhibited at the library in Victoria’s Commonwealth Place. In January, Colman was featured in a CTV News Vancouver Island report by Adam Sawatsky, which showed her, along with Bean, scouring a Victoria beach for things that could be incorporated into her work.

“Some people like shopping for shoes, I like shopping for junk,” she said.

Bean, too, is a recipient of Colman’s artistic flair. In the CTV report, he was seen clad in a denim vest with flames and a dragon embroidered into the back; his hair was molded into a mohawk to make him look “like a tough little dude.”

photo - Anita Colman creates distinctive characters, a wide assortment of “wood friends,” including dogs — Anita Colman creates distinctive characters, a wide assortment of “wood friends,” including dogs. *(photo from Anita Colman)*

Colman’s display at the recreation centre is part of a Family Arts Exhibition organized by the District of Saanich. One of the images the municipality’s website is using to promote the event is Colman’s woodwork of a cat ballerina. Other artists whose work will be shown are Tanya Bub, Randy Barron and Susan Wright.

In the midst of the exhibition, the recreation centre will host a Family Arts Festival on Feb. 17 (Family Day) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in what the municipality is billing as “a celebration of imagination, creativity and discovery.” Among the activities will be mini-quilt design, tin foil sculpture and LEGO robotics.

Colman’s finished products are not for sale. They can, however, be viewed on her website: anitacolmanart.weebly.com.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Women enrich Judaism

Rabbi Elyse Goldstein delved into the impact of women’s evolving roles in Judaism during a webinar hosted by Kolot Mayim Reform Temple on Dec. 8. Her talk – Open Doors, Open Hearts: How Women Have Enriched Judaism – was part of the Victoria synagogue’s 2024-25 lecture series.

Using her own journey, the rabbi emerita of City Shul in Toronto explored how women’s leadership and scholarship have not only enriched the Jewish community but also transformed it for the better.

From her vantage point as a (recently) retired rabbi, Goldstein asserted that Jewish feminism has been a lifeline to Judaism over the past several decades. She referred to the profound changes within Judaism regarding the involvement of women as “disruptions” in the positive sense of the word: namely, “a societal thought pattern that profoundly changes everything around it.”

photo - Rabbi Elyse Goldstein — Rabbi Elyse Goldstein *(photo from cityshul.com)*

For Goldstein personally, a disruptive point arrived during her bat mitzvah. When it was time for her speech, she announced to the congregation – to the widespread gasps of those assembled and the dismay of her rabbi – that she, too, wanted to become a rabbi.

“I never really thought when I was 13 that women becoming rabbis would shake the very foundations of Judaism,” she said. That women “would question every assumption of Jewish life, which was based on patriarchal power, that they would challenge what it means to be a Jew altogether. I didn’t realize that I was in the middle of a quiet revolution that would not remain quiet.

“One of the biggest disruptions of Jewish feminism to Jewish life is that people who identify as female are going to lead not in spite of being female but because of it. In other words, that’s a big part of who they are. That is part of their self-identity and they’re going to lead from within that identity – not push it aside.”

The changes brought about by women becoming leaders appear, Goldstein said, in the pages of prayer books, in seminaries, in the boardrooms of Jewish organizations, yeshivot and the Israeli government.

“Our liturgy would change to not only include the matriarchs,” Goldstein said. “We would use neutered language for God and start singing songs of Miriam in summer camp. We would learn Talmud from Orthodox women. We would feel empowered to create midrashim (interpretations of the Bible).”

She referred to the first stage of Jewish feminism as “equal access Judaism,” or the idea that women should be given the same religious opportunities and responsibilities as men.

The second stage, Goldstein said, went further by questioning notions, not simply behaviours.

“It challenged the way we think and our theological language in describing God,” she said. “It began to shake the foundational assumptions about women and men, Jewish tradition and Jewish law. We didn’t just have women rabbis – those rabbis made us rethink not so much about what a rabbi looks like but what a rabbi is.”

We are in the third stage of Jewish feminism, one that considers if there is more that can be done, she said. “We have to ask about violence against women in the Jewish community and if that’s ended. We have to examine the court system in Israel, where women are still routinely denied Jewish divorces. We have to talk about the ordination of Orthodox women and how that is happening … and we’re not paying attention to it.”

Goldstein went on to talk about what are, in her view, four disruptions to Jewish life brought on by Jewish feminism: the ordination of female rabbis, starting in 1972; Jewish rituals that speak more directly to the experiences of women; changes in religious garb, with, for example, women in a congregation wearing tallitot (prayer shawls); and the reshaping of the gender-related language pertaining to God.

In addition to being the founding rabbi of City Shul, Goldstein started Kolel: The Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning. An award-winning educator, a writer and a community activist, she has lectured across North America, Israel and the United Kingdom. Her works include ReVisions: Seeing Torah through a Feminist Lens and, as editor, The Women’s Torah Commentary.

Ben M. Freeman will present the next lecture in the Kolot Mayim series, on Jan 12. The author of the Jewish Pride trilogy, Freeman will discuss his latest book, The Jews: An Indigenous People, which will be released in February. Visit kolotmayimreformtemple.com to register for upcoming talks.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Hear from Wexner scholars

photo - Sefaria’s Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld speaks Dec. 15 and Jan. 12, as part of Our Story, Our Heritage: A Speaker Series with Wexner Scholars — Sefaria’s Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld speaks Dec. 15 and Jan. 12, as part of Our Story, Our Heritage: A Speaker Series with Wexner Scholars. (photo from facebook.com/thejewishnetwork)

Our Story, Our Heritage: A Speaker Series with Wexner Scholars launched here in September. It features top Jewish educators from across North America who teach in the two-year Wexner Heritage Program, which focuses on Jewish learning and leadership training. While in Vancouver, the scholars give a talk that is open to the public, and also hold learning sessions with the local Wexner cohort, a diverse group of young local community members set to steer the community.

The speaker series began Sept. 22 with Yonatan Cohen, the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley, Calif., and a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute. His talk, titled Our Texts in Tense Times, offered insights into Jewish texts that help frame recent experiences, particularly as the first anniversary of Oct. 7 approached.

Cohen spoke again on Nov. 17, giving a lecture called Agree to Disagree: The Seeds of Jewish Pluralism Revealed in Talmudic Debate. In it, using classic cases from the Talmud that elucidate the rabbinic approach to makhloket (debate or dispute), he considered how the rabbinic tradition distinguishes between “ultimate truth” and “public policy,” and how ancient texts might help guide the way one operates in a contemporary pluralistic Jewish community.

Next up on the Wexner speaker circuit is Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld, chief learning officer at Sefaria, the free online library of Jewish texts, on Dec. 15. Her topic will investigate how ancient wisdom might offer insights into navigating the realities of social media. Wolkenfeld will return on Jan. 12 to examine tikkun olam, repair of the world, what it means and why it is important.

An alumna of the David Hartman Centre at the Hartman Institute of North America, Wolkenfeld also serves as scholar-in-residence at Ohev Sholom Congregation in Washington, DC. Her current research and writing focus is on the intersection between Jewish ethics and technological advancements.

photo - Dr. David Shyovitz, a professor of history and Jewish studies at Northwestern University, gives online talks Feb. 9 and March 2 — Dr. David Shyovitz, a professor of history and Jewish studies at Northwestern University, gives online talks Feb. 9 and March 2. *(photo from from davidshyovitz.com)*

Dr. David Shyovitz, a professor of history and Jewish studies at Northwestern University, will talk on Feb. 9 and March 2. His first lecture will look at Jews and Muslims from an historical perspective. His second asks, “Has there ever been a ‘Judeo-Christian’ tradition?” and digs into what the registration page for the talk describes as “an uneasy alliance.”

“Obviously, these are both very big and complex topics, so there is no way we will do either of them justice fully,” Shyovitz told the Independent. “But they are also topics about which many people have limited knowledge or dramatically oversimplified assumptions, so the goal will be to share some interesting ideas and sources and give participants a glimpse of the rich and nuanced history of inter-religious relations.”

Rabbi Dr. Tali Zelkowicz, director of curriculum and research at the Wexner Foundation, is slated to speak on March 16. She will revisit a debate in Jewish education.

photo - The Wexner Foundation’s Rabbi Dr. Tali Zelkowicz, speaks on Jewish education on March 16 — The Wexner Foundation’s Rabbi Dr. Tali Zelkowicz, speaks on Jewish education on March 16. *(photo from Wexner Foundation)*

“It has become a widely accepted fact that, across every age and stage, the field of Jewish education has split between the sub-fields of so-called ‘formal’ versus ‘informal’ (also known as ‘experiential’ education) or, alternatively, between ‘education’ versus ‘engagement,’” Zelkowicz said. “But how did we get to this default assumption, and is it helping us?”

By taking a closer look at assumptions about how learning works in Jewish life, Zelkowicz hopes to show how we are mired in what she sees as a “nonsensical debate” around which kind of learning setting is most needed or effective in Jewish life while avoiding the much more important question, what counts as great learning?

Devin E. Naar, a professor of history and Jewish studies at the University of Washington, winds up the series with lectures on March 30 and June 2. His first will study the formation of Sephardi Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire.

“This lecture traces the trans-Mediterranean journey of the exiled Spanish Jews to the sultan’s realm and the cultural and political dynamics that shaped the communities they created and developed over the subsequent centuries. In short, it explores how the descendants of Spanish Jews eventually became Ottoman Jews, and the implications of those transformations today,” Naar told the Independent.

photo - Devin E. Naar of the University of Washington winds up the Wexner series with lectures on March 30 and June 2 — Devin E. Naar of the University of Washington winds up the Wexner series with lectures on March 30 and June 2. *(photo from University of Washington)*

Naar’s second session will probe how the history of Middle East Jews might change the perception of Israel.

“This talk moves beyond polemics to delve into the history of the long-standing Jewish presence in the geography that now forms the state of Israel,” he said.

“The talk situates Jewish experiences within the broader framework of the Ottoman Empire (which ruled from 1517-1917) during which Ladino – not Hebrew, Arabic or Yiddish – largely remained the primary Jewish language of Jerusalem,” Naar continued. “The talk also introduces some of the key challenges that Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews confronted with the establishment of the state of Israel. What are the lingering effects of those transformations today?”

The Wexner Heritage Program has returned to Vancouver after a 24-year absence thanks to the support of the Diamond Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and alumni of the first local cohort.

“It was a transformative experience for me. Because of Wexner, I became a better Jewish leader,” said Jonathan Berkowitz, a member of the original cohort, and a former Vancouver Federation president and chair of Federation’s annual campaign. He was an instrumental figure in rebooting the program in Vancouver.

To register for any of the lectures, go to jewishvancouver.com/wexner-speaker-series.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Is this your moment?

Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch spoke on the topic Just for this Moment: Stepping Up to Lead. (screenshot)

Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch kicked off the fifth season of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s Building Bridges lecture series Nov. 3 with the topic Just for this Moment: Stepping Up to Lead, which drew on her experience and insights into leadership for women, particularly within Reform Judaism.

Hirsch, who hosts the Just For This podcast, is the chief executive officer of Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), a position she has held since 2023. Started in 1913 as the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, WRJ is the women’s affiliate of the Union of Reform Judaism and it represents thousands of women in hundreds of congregations throughout North America.

Now based in Cincinnati, where WRJ was founded, Hirsch spoke about the name of the podcast. The title, Just for This, comes from the point in the Book of Esther when Mordechai tells Esther to reveal her identity and step up to lead: “Who knows, maybe it is just for this moment that you find yourself in a position of leadership.” (Esther 4:14)

In each episode, Hirsch speaks to women who stand out in their field(s) and asks her guests to describe their “just for this moment” or when they found themselves in the right place and time to take on a leadership role.

Hirsch played excerpts from her podcast to give the Zoom audience an idea of what her program is all about. The first clip was of Abigail Pogrebin, an American writer and the president of Central Synagogue in New York City from 2015 to 2018.

Pogrebin is the author of several books, her latest – It Take Two to Torah: An Orthodox Rabbi and Reform Journalist Discuss and Debate Their Way Through the Five Books of Moses – having been released just this past September. While Pogrebin didn’t provide a specific “Esther moment” that took place in her life, she did say it is something one should think about regularly. She said perhaps the question should be asked instead as, “Where do I have a role to play?” For Pogrebin, her purpose is to be a bridge between the person who knows a lot and the person who is afraid of what they don’t know.

“There are many smart Jews out there who have an anxiety of ignorance,” she said. “Sometimes people opt out because, though you are a smart person, you don’t want to appear in places because you don’t know the difference between Sukkot and Shavuot.”

Pogrebin addressed the reluctance at times for women to step into leadership roles out of fear of not having enough experience or expertise when, in fact, they do. She praised Hirsch’s podcast for providing female role models, women who confidently and assertively demonstrate their abilities.

A second clip spotlighted an interview with composer, instrumentalist and prayer leader Elana Arian, who delved into the power of connection. She believes that music can allow for people to connect, even in this time when there are so many issues that polarize individuals.

“It is starting to be quite countercultural to go into communities with the express purpose of bringing people together through music,” she said. “It is really not normal these days to get people to sing together to get more connected to faith, so I feel I bring something to this moment that is specific.”

The final segment Hirsch played for the audience came from a discussion with Cochav Elkayam-Levy, a post-doctoral fellow at Hebrew University in Jerusalem who specializes in gender, conflict resolution and peace. She established and leads Israel’s Civil Commission on Oct. 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children.

Elkayam-Levy said she felt compelled to do her work, not from bravery but rather that the necessity of the moment called for it. “I wanted to give a voice to the victims and be respectful to their memories,” she said. “I felt that, despite the fact it was difficult, I just felt that this was what I needed to do. That this was my mission.”

Hirsch concluded her talk by saying that “just for this” moments happen for everyone and encouraged listeners to consider when such times have occurred in their lives.

Hirsch was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Among other things, she has been a pulpit rabbi and she was the founding co-chair of Religious Action Centre of Reform Judaism, Massachusetts. She serves on the National Council of Jewish Women’s Rabbis for Repro Rabbinic Advisory Council and played a key role in the 2020 campaign to pass the ROE Act in Massachusetts. A prolific writer on social justice, spiritual practice and trends in Jewish life, Hirsch has contributed chapters to several publications, including The Social Justice Torah Commentary. Her podcast can be heard at justforthispodcast.com.

Victoria’s Kolot Mayim synagogue titled this year’s speakers series Kvell at the Well: Celebrating the Joys of Being Jewish in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel, believing “that it is more important than ever to highlight our proud and strong Jewish culture, history and heritage.”

The series press release also explains the symbolism of a well: “It is the source of life-giving water, a community meeting place and a place for divine revelation. Our goal with this series is to inspire and empower Jews to draw from the well of our collective experience and proudly celebrate (kvell about) our shared identity as a people.”

The second speaker in the series was Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, one of the first female Reform rabbis in Canada, and author of ReVisions: Seeing Torah Through a Feminist Lens, on Dec. 8. On Jan. 12, 11 a.m., Ben Freeman, author of the Jewish Pride trilogy, will discuss his latest book, The Jews: An Indigenous People, set to be released in February, in which he puts forward the position that Jews are unequivocally indigenous to Israel.

To register for any of the series lectures, visit kolotmayimreformtemple.com/2024-25-lecture-series.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Up-and-coming pitcher

Jake Finkelstein’s repertoire includes a fastball, curveball and changeup. (photo by Justin Morash)

Pitcher Jake Finkelstein is looking forward to his third season in the Victoria HarbourCats lineup next summer.

Finkelstein, a 2020 King David High School graduate, told the Independent the decision to return to the region was a “no-brainer” and that it “feels great” to be coming back. During his first year with the club in 2023, the HarbourCats took home the WCL North Division title and nearly won the WCL championship. The team was knocked out during the 2024 North Division semifinal series, leaving what Finkelstein described as a “tremendous hunger to win it all” in 2025.

The HarbourCats are part of the West Coast League, a collegiate baseball circuit that was started in 2005.

“The past two summers I’ve played there have been some of the most fun I’ve had,” said Finkelstein. “One reason why Victoria is such a great place to play is the fans. They create one of the most electric atmospheres in all of summer ball and it’s a privilege to get to play for a city that cares about the team the way Victoria does.”

The left-handed pitcher credits Victoria head coach Todd Haney, a former Montreal Expo, for recruiting not only players who can perform at a high level but who are team players, making it very easy to build relationships during the short WCL summer season.

photo - Jake Finkelstein has played two summers with the Victoria HarbourCats — Jake Finkelstein has played two summers with the Victoria HarbourCats. *(photo by Christian J. Stewart)*

“Victoria is also such a great place to play because of the coaching staff. They do a great job of keeping everyone on the same page while making sure we enjoy our summer. The HarbourCats are a team that wins, and I believe that the relationships that the players gain with one another, as well as the coaching staff, are a major reason as to why,” Finkelstein said.

Now spending the academic year at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) in Lawrenceville, a suburb northeast of Atlanta, Ga., Finkelstein has also played for Montana State University Billings and Spokane Falls Community College.

The move to GGC was a big decision for Finkelstein. However, after numerous conversations with the GGC coaching staff and some with the players, the lure of suiting up for a college baseball powerhouse ultimately won him over.

“GGC baseball has one of the most knowledgeable coaching staffs in the nation,” said Finkelstein.

“While winning is a huge part of the program, and our track record proves it, development and unlocking an athlete’s full potential are the top priorities. Everything we do on a day-to-day basis reflects that,” he said.

“Speaking with my now-friend and -teammate Austin Testerman before I decided on GGC, I was able to get a glimpse into the mindset that one must possess and the way one must act to be a GGC Grizzly. This was my selling point. I didn’t know much about the minor ins and outs of the program, but I knew that I was walking into a place where I had a chance to be a part of something special.”

The 22-year-old HarbourCat veteran, whose repertoire includes a fastball, curveball and changeup, sees his biggest strength as being able to throw strikes consistently. A pitcher’s job, he said, is not about simply throwing hard, but getting the ball to “end up wherever you want while making it do weird things.”

That control, coupled with composure, according to Finkelstein, are tremendous assets on the mound.

“Being a pitcher is very stressful and can be very humbling at times,” he acknowledged. “I’ve always noticed that the best pitchers keep the same body language and demeanour no matter what is happening in the game. Even if a home run was just hit off of them, they’re right back at it, throwing strike one to the next guy. That is what I pride myself on and try to embody every time I am on the mound.”

As he continues to hone his craft, Finkelstein would like to finish innings on fewer throws.

“Getting every batter you face out, but throwing five or more pitches to each of them adds up and tires you out. Being able to keep your pitch count down is essential to maintaining longevity on the mound. So, I would say that my biggest facet of pitching that I am working on right now is being able to get hitters out early more consistently,” he said.

Turning professional is Finkelstein’s ultimate goal – whether it be affiliated, independent or overseas baseball. Academically, he is working towards a degree in business management with a minor in finance.

The HarbourCats are also excited to have Finkelstein back for another summer.

“Jake’s a great kid. First and foremost, he is a quality individual who has been a tremendous teammate and a competitor. He is a pitcher not a thrower, he wants to get hitters out,” said Jim Swanson, the HarbourCats managing partner.

“He works a good curve that is especially problematic for left-handed hitters and his fastball has more than enough to get guys out,” said Swanson. “He has always played very well for us and been a gamer.”

For Swanson, a game during the 2023 divisional playoffs against the Bellingham Bells stands out. Victoria trailed 6-0 when they brought Finkelstein in and, thanks to his tenacity on the mound, and HarbourCats hitters finding their way around the bases, Victoria came back to win 9-7.

Finkelstein, a college junior, earned academic all-America team accolades at NCAA Division II Montana State University Billings and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honour Society. (His sister Leann played collegiate softball for Long Island University Post and Simon Fraser University.)

Last season, Finkelstein made 11 appearances, including nine starts, threw 38.1 innings, struck out 23 and won two games.

The HarbourCats 2025 home opener is June 6 against the Port Angeles Lefties.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Knowing how precious life is

Lillian Boraks-Nemetz speaks at the Nov. 24 launch of her latest book, Hidden Vision: Poems of Transformation, which she wrote under the name Jagna Boraks. (photo by Rhonda Dent)

Lillian Boraks-Nemetz launched her latest book, Hidden Vision: Poems of Transformation, written under the name Jagna Boraks, at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery Nov. 24. Co-presented by the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and the JCC Jewish Book Festival, the event featured Boraks-Nemetz sharing some of her poems – on themes of identity, resilience and remembrance – with musical accompaniment by Wendy Bross Stuart.

Divided into six sections, the poems in Hidden Vision travel from the Holocaust to after the pandemic, from a nadir of human experience to a zenith of hope and gratitude.

In her introduction, composed shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, Boraks writes, “Destruction is the opposite of creation. To survive in this world, in any crisis or situation, we need to strengthen ourselves and each other – spiritually. We begin by respecting ourselves and others.

“Understanding that each human life matters, and that each culture and creed are all a part of the world’s flowing river. There is greater strength in this belief than hatred and intolerance.”

The book begins in the spring of 2020, when the world was in the throes of COVID-19 and all that it brought – isolation, fright, shifts in personal and professional behaviour, and, of course, widespread sickness. In the poem “My Street,” written on March 29, 2020, Boraks confronts these issues:

“I will not wait like the brides / I will unlock my door and step outside / where the air feels fresh and crisp / breathing deeply I will begin my walk / towards life.”

Further on, she looks towards her literary influences, one of whom is Adam Mickiewicz, regarded by many as the national poet of Poland, but who also had an impact on the literature of neighbouring countries. In “The Autumn Muse,” inspired by Mickiewicz, Boraks asks: “has anyone ever written an ode / to old age – when the bird of youth / becomes time’s vulture / lurking in mid-air / its malevolent claws seeking to destroy?”

Within the later sets of poems, there is a poignant tribute to Alex Buckman, who, like Boraks-Nemetz, had been an ardent campaigner for Holocaust education in British Columbia. Buckman passed away in Warsaw in 2023 while on a March of the Living trip, where he served as a mentor to young students. In a tribute titled “In Memoriam for a Friend,” Boraks writes: “you chanted your life’s song / like the thorn bird / which sings till his heart might break / you chanted your fear of the dark / as you sang to the children / to appease their fear / as you sang to the students / to teach them lessons / of those barbaric times / when human life was cheap.…”

Despite countless social ills, personal struggles and humankind’s propensity for cruelty, Boraks ends the compilation on an upbeat note. For example, her poem “Hope” reads: “but father time in tune with God / will move the frozen earth into the sun / there – flooded by the light / a new earth will bear fruit / a new man woman and child / will behold the magic of a spring day.”

photo - The launch of Hidden Vision at the Zack Gallery drew a standing-room-only crowd — The launch of Hidden Vision at the Zack Gallery drew a standing-room-only crowd. *(photo by Rhonda Dent)*

Born in Warsaw, Boraks-Nemetz is a child survivor of the Holocaust. She lived in and escaped the Warsaw Ghetto, then hid in Polish villages under a false identity. Her family came to Canada in 1949.

Boraks-Nemetz graduated from St. Margaret’s School in Victoria, going on to study at the University of British Columbia, where she earned a bachelor of arts, then a master’s in comparative literature. Upon earning a certificate in ESL from George Brown College, she taught English, before eventually teaching creative writing at UBC’s Writing Centre, from 1980 until 2015.

Boraks-Nemetz’s previous volumes of poetry are Out of the Dark, Garden of Steel and Ghost Children. She has also penned three award-winning young adult novels: The Old Brown Suitcase, Sunflower Diary and The Lenski File. The Old Brown Suitcase was placed on the recommended reading list for BC schools.

In 2017, Boraks-Nemetz published Mouth of Truth, a novel exploring a family’s past and the trauma of the Holocaust. She has also translated the works of Polish poets Andrzej Busza (Astrologer in the Underground) and Waclaw Iwaniuk (Dark Times).

To order Hidden Vision, contact the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre at info@vhec.org and 604-264-0499.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

A teacher to be remembered

David Laugharne, who was a teacher at Maimonides Secondary School, King David High School’s predecessor, passed away in 1994. Thirty years later, his memory and his impact on the school continue to be honoured, including an award in his name given to a KDHS student each year. This year, the David Laugharne Science Award went to Hannah Karasenty Saltoun.

photo - A painting of former Maimonides/KDHS teacher David Laugharne in 1975 — A painting of former Maimonides/KDHS teacher David Laugharne in 1975. (photo from Elizabeth Laugharne)

Laugharne is credited for boosting the science department at the high school. In the words of Rabbi Mordechai Feuerstein, a co-founder of Maimonides, who wrote to Laugharne in May 1994, “Your serious and sustained efforts really got the science department off the ground and recognized not only within the community, but throughout BC and, of course, in the Canada-Wide Science Fair, as well.

“It will be a long time, if ever, before another science teacher at Maimonides takes our school to the heights which you reached.”

Feuerstein added that Laugharne would be remembered at the school for, among other things, introducing it to the computer age, the artwork he contributed to many school events and his willingness to lend a helping hand whenever needed.

The rabbi also praised Laugharne for being a teacher that cared for students from both a professional standpoint and as a friend prepared to take a personal interest.

“You have always been a sensitive, caring person, David. I have always known the Almighty blessed you with ability – the ability to encourage and inspire, and the talent and sensitivity needed to work with young people,” wrote Feuerstein.

At the conclusion of his letter, Feuerstein shared that the board of governors at the school had decided to present a David Laugharne Science Award each year.

“This award will be given to the student who most exemplifies all the qualities you so caringly tried to instill in students, who you gave of yourself at Maimonides.

“It is a small token of the deep gratitude felt by all of us at Maimonides from the board level, through the administration, down to the students for whom you opened a world of learning. You have touched the lives of us all.”

Naomi Frankenburg, who was the president of Maimonides Secondary School in 1994, remembered Laugharne as an easy person to know and like and the first person on the staff with whom she developed a true friendship.

In a letter to Laugharne’s mother, Elizabeth, Frankenburg cited the work David had done as an important reason for her taking on the position to lead the school.

“My first visit to the school, before I had any formal connection to it, was a visit to the science fair and, like everybody else, I was most impressed. So much so that when I was urged to accept the presidency, the high standard of general studies and, especially, science, was a major factor in encouraging me to accept.”

Keith Thibodeau, a school administrator who worked with Laugharne at Collingwood School in West Vancouver at the time of its inception in 1984, remembered his colleague as someone who gave very generously of his time and talents to make the school ready for its opening day.

“He showed insight, organizational skills and leadership. He worked well with others and his sense of humour frequently eased times of tension and stress,” Thibodeau wrote.

Of Laugharne’s time at Maimonides, Thibodeau said, “His ability to teach competently in a number of subject areas, his willingness to be flexible, his astute skills in timetabling, general organization and finally his constant enthusiasm and devotion were crucial factors in the successful development of the school.”

On June 17, 1994, during the final assembly of the year at Maimonides, Gallit Amram spoke about Laugharne, saying that he was “an incredible teacher.”

“One never realizes what a great thing one has until it is gone, and that is very like the situation we have here,” she said. “Now that Mr. Laugharne is no longer with us, we can appreciate what a great person he was. It’s unfortunate that only when someone passes away do we realize how important he is to us.”

Laugharne’s success in bringing out the best in his students was also featured in a Feb. 27, 1992, article in the Jewish Western Bulletin (the predecessor of the Jewish Independent). Aside from science, Laugharne also taught drama and the story notes his goals of encouraging students to be creative and innovative.

The Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair also presents a David Laugharne Award each year to a project that “incorporates new technology into the design, implementation or presentation of the work.” In 2024, the award was given to Jora SN for DeviceAble, a novel, hands-free computing app for people with disabilities.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

A Shylock written for Rubinek

Saul Rubinek in Mark Leiren-Young’s Playing Shylock, which is playing in Toronto. Leiren-Young wrote the work with Rubinek in mind. (photo by Dahlia Katz)

Victoria playwright Mark Leiren-Young spent October in Toronto, where his Playing Shylock is appearing at Berkeley Street Theatre through Nov. 24. The one-man show, which stars Saul Rubinek, is based on the Jewish character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

“I’ve been attending rehearsals, run-throughs and previews as a playwright,” Leiren-Young told the Independent from Toronto before the play’s world premiere. “That means I’m around to work on the script with the actor and director. Since it’s a new script, that means I’m adjusting it to reflect ideas that come up in rehearsals, working with the costumes, the designs and the space. Really, anything that needs doing to get the script as tight and right for the actor and the production as it can be – making sure ideas are clear, jokes land and that Saul is having as much fun as possible.”

photo - Mark Leiren-Young — Mark Leiren-Young (photo by Jeffrey Bosdet)

Leiren-Young’s play Shylock first appeared on stage at Bard on the Beach in 1996. Playing Shylock, he said, is an all-new play with the same core premise: a production of The Merchant of Venice has been canceled in mid-run due to a controversy over the production.

“This is a bespoke piece that started during the COVID lockdown and I built it around Saul’s life experiences after studying his voice, his personal history, his greatest roles, his mannerisms,” Leiren-Young said. “This was written to sound like Saul and feel like Saul and not like a character or story created by me.”

In fact, when actor John Huston, who starred in multiple productions of Shylock, touring five provinces, asked Leiren-Young what was recognizable from that first play, the playwright responded, “The lines that Shakespeare wrote.”

“Beyond keeping some of Shylock’s best lines from Merchant of Venice, this is an all-new play because we’re in an all-new world,” said Leiren-Young. “And it’s a new world in so many ways. Think about how controversies played out before social media. Think about how the issues in theatre and society have changed, and the issues the Jewish community is facing.”

According to Leiren-Young, the original draft of Playing Shylock was completed a couple of years ago. Yet, he tries to update his plays to reflect current circumstances.

“This script always included a cancelation letter inspired by an actual cancelation announcement,” said Leiren-Young. “The original draft for Playing Shylock was inspired by a letter announcing the cancelation of a screening of the controversial opera The Death of Klinghoffer about a decade ago.”

The letter now, he said, is largely inspired by the decision of the Belfry Theatre in Victoria to cancel its January production of The Runner after protesters demonstrated and vandalized its property because they objected to a play about an Israeli volunteer with the Orthodox group ZAKA.

“Not just because it’s more current, it’s Canadian and more relevant to the times,” he said, “but because that letter appeared to be used as the template for canceling another play at a theatre across the street from the Belfry.”

Rubinek, a distinguished stage veteran, is widely known to film and television audiences. To name but a few of his credits: Wall Street, Barney’s Version, Frasier. This past June, the Globe and Mail placed Rubinek in the 25th spot on its list of the greatest Canadian actors of all time.

“I believe that if the people who made that list see this show, they’ll want to bump up his ranking by a fair bit. Watching Saul deliver Shakespeare’s lines is amazing. Watching Saul deliver my lines is a dream,” Leiren-Young said. “He’s 76 and he’s better on lines than any other actor I have ever worked with.”

Of the play, Rubinek said Leiren-Young “leaps into the historic controversy about the character of Shylock with gleeful relish and biting humour and then has the chutzpah to create a poignant study of why theatre should matter.”

The actor added, “To collaborate with on a new play – and I’ve done a lot of them – Mark is an actor’s dream: tirelessly inventive, generous, creatively stubborn in all the right places and, best of all, funny.”

This weekend, on Nov. 10, 2 p.m., at Victoria’s Congregation Emanu-El, Leiren-Young will give a talk about Playing Shylock, his original play Shylock, the character of Shylock, the impact and history of The Merchant of Venice and “anything else the audience that day wants to talk about.”

The author of numerous books, Leiren-Young is the only writer to win the Leacock Medal for Humour (Never Shoot a Stampede Queen) and the Science Writers and Communicators Award for Canada’s best science book (The Killer Whale Who Changed the World).

Leiren-Young’s Sharks Forever is a non-fiction book for middle-school readers and features an introduction by environmental activist Paul Watson. His next book, Octopus Oceans, is being released in early 2025. He is currently working on a new book for young readers focusing on how to protect the oceans and the animals who live there.

To follow Leiren-Young online, visit his website, leiren-young.com, and his Substack page, substack.com/@skaanapod?.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.