Skip to content

  • Home
  • Subscribe / donate
  • Events calendar
  • News
    • Local
    • National
    • Israel
    • World
    • עניין בחדשות
      A roundup of news in Canada and further afield, in Hebrew.
  • Opinion
    • From the JI
    • Op-Ed
  • Arts & Culture
    • Performing Arts
    • Music
    • Books
    • Visual Arts
    • TV & Film
  • Life
    • Celebrating the Holidays
    • Travel
    • The Daily Snooze
      Cartoons by Jacob Samuel
    • Mystery Photo
      Help the JI and JMABC fill in the gaps in our archives.
  • Community Links
    • Organizations, Etc.
    • Other News Sources & Blogs
    • Business Directory
  • FAQ
  • JI Chai Celebration
  • JI@88! video

Search

Follow @JewishIndie
image - The CJN Magazine ad

Recent Posts

  • Krieger takes on new roles
  • New day school opens
  • An ever-changing city
  • Marazzi at VHEC helm
  • Victoria’s new market
  • Tikva secures 45 rental units
  • Broadway for a good cause
  • The Mousetrap run extended
  • Family Day at the farm
  • Bard mounts two comedies
  • Looking for volunteers
  • Jacob Samuel’s new special
  • Sharing a personal journey
  • Community milestones … for July 2025
  • Two Yiddish-speaking Bluenosers
  • Forgotten music performed
  • Love learning, stay curious
  • Flying through our life
  • From the JI archives … BC
  • A tofu dish worth the effort
  • לאן נתניהו לוקח את ישראל
  • Enjoy the best of Broadway
  • Jewish students staying strong
  • An uplifting moment
  • Our Jewish-Canadian identity
  • Life amid 12-Day War
  • Trying to counter hate
  • Omnitsky’s new place
  • Two visions that complement
  • A melting pot of styles
  • Library a rare public space
  • TUTS debut for Newman
  • Harper to speak here
  • A night of impact, generosity
  • Event raises spirit, support
  • BC celebrates Shavuot

Archives

Category: Life

Mystery photo … June 30/15

Mystery photo … June 30/15

Children with bicycles, possibly at a Beth Israel parade, Vancouver, 1970. (JWB fonds; JMABC L.09774)

If you know someone in the photo above or any of those below, please help the JI fill the gaps of its predecessor’s (the Jewish Western Bulletin’s) collection at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C. by contacting archives@jewishmuseum.ca.

photo - Group of men on an outdoor patio, Vancouver, Aug. 30, 1979. Morris Wosk is standing, fifth from the left, and Joe Cohen is seated in the centre
Group of men on an outdoor patio, Vancouver, Aug. 30, 1979. Morris Wosk is standing, fifth from the left, and Joe Cohen is seated in the centre. (JWB fonds; JMABC L.14739)
photo - Women holding the banner “Welcome, Women’s Mission, United Israel Appeal of Canada,” Vancouver, March 26, 1975
Women holding the banner “Welcome, Women’s Mission, United Israel Appeal of Canada,” Vancouver, March 26, 1975. (JWB fonds; JMABC L.15296)
photo - Men alongside a Canadian Pacific aircraft with Karl Silberman, special representative for projects, Keren Hayesod, 1968
Men alongside a Canadian Pacific aircraft with Karl Silberman, special representative for projects, Keren Hayesod, 1968. (JWB fonds; JMABC L.15161)
photo - ORT fashion show: Dianne Faber (extreme right), Leta Jones (third from the right), Vancouver, May 30, 1985
ORT fashion show: Dianne Faber (extreme right), Leta Jones (third from the right), Vancouver, May 30, 1985. (JWB fonds; JMABC L.14068)
photo - Centenary presentation at Schara Tzedeck, Vancouver, circa 1955. Jack Diamond is second from the left
Centenary presentation at Schara Tzedeck, Vancouver, circa 1955. Jack Diamond is second from the left. (JWB fonds; JMABC L.14275)
photo - Women at poolside table, Vancouver, 1980
Women at poolside table, Vancouver, 1980. (JWB fonds; JMABC L.14058)
photo - “Good old days” revived at B’nai B’rith picnic, 1972
“Good old days” revived at B’nai B’rith picnic, 1972. (JWB fonds; JMABC L.09560)
Format ImagePosted on June 26, 2015June 25, 2015Author JI and JMABCCategories Mystery PhotoTags B'nai B'rith, Beth Israel, JMABC, Keren Hayesod, ORT, Schara Tzedeck, UIA, United Israel Appeal
Reform has new prayer book

Reform has new prayer book

This month, the Reform movement’s new High Holiday prayer book, Mishkan HaNefesh, is being published. It replaces Gates of Repentance, which has served the movement since 1978, and is a companion to the movement’s siddur, Mishkan T’filah, which was published in 2007.

“It was an innovative siddur in a number of ways,” Rabbi Hara Person, publisher and director of CCAR Press, the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ publishing division, told the Independent. “It includes a lot of poetry and other kinds of readings that haven’t historically been in prayer books. It includes both the faithful translation of the text alongside, in some cases, alternative translations.

“The approach is multi-focal. It’s not an approach that says there is only one way to read our tradition or prayer. Instead, it opens up to people different ways of understanding, and struggling and grappling, with the text and tradition … and with theology.”

As an example of the new machzor’s increased accessibility, Person explained that, as does Mishkan T’filah (Sanctuary of Prayer), Mishkan HaNefesh (Sanctuary of the Soul) includes transliteration throughout for all of the prayers. “We wanted it to be open and welcoming to people, no matter what their background or how much or little a Jewish education they have,” she said.

About the diversity of the people sitting in the pews, she added, “Some may not be Jewish at all. They might be there with a Jewish spouse or partner. We don’t want to tell them that there’s nothing there for them. We want them to be able to learn and participate to the extent that they’re comfortable.”

Another significant aspect of the machzor is its inclusivity. “For over 25 years,” said Person, “we’ve been speaking up about inclusion of gay and lesbians in our communities on every level, so this is just another piece of that. That’s true for anybody who walks through our doors.”

This meant that the language of some of the prayers had to be updated.

At the heart of the prayers that talk about a bride and groom, for example, is the love between a couple. “So, we changed the language to reflect that and to not exclude gay and lesbian couples,” said Person. “Also, regarding being called to the Torah, we felt it should reflect the view and acceptance of all people, including those struggling with gender identity … calling people from the ‘house of’ as opposed to referring to them as ‘the son or daughter of.’…”

These most recent changes follow those that have come before regarding the increased participation and recognition of women.

“I think the Reform movement has a long history of egalitarianism, even from the very start,” said Person. “Even before women were rabbis, the Reform movement did away with separate seating in synagogues, so very early on in the history of the Reform movement, men and women were allowed to sit together in synagogues.

“So, these are just further steps in that progression of treating everybody with dignity and with a sense of equality and inclusiveness, and a way of saying we are all created in the image of God … women as well as men. It’s true for gay or straight or trans. Why would we exclude some but not others? It’s part of our value system to be inclusive.”

The new machzor has been in the works for a long time.

“We did a tremendous amount of piloting ahead of time,” said Person. “The book was in development for five or six years. Over those years, we had about 350 congregations across North America who piloted different sections of it.”

Some other interesting features of the new machzor are the poetry – from American and also Israeli writers – and art.

“We worked with an artist in New York named Joel Shapiro,” explained Person. “He created an opening piece of art for each of the services. They are woodblock cuts. He spent a huge amount of time studying the services and prayers and was inspired to create the art for the services.

“For me,” she continued, “it’s really exciting because some people love poetry and that’s going to … be a way into the prayer book and into the experience of worship for them. For others, it will be the commentary, and for others still, it will be the art…. Art may open the door for them and help them walk in. It’s really exciting that we were able to do all these things within the prayer book.”

A large-print version of Mishkan HaNefesh will also be available, as will an e-book version. “There is a percentage of people who actually use machzors before the holidays to do their own spiritual preparation,” said Person. “This book has so much in it for that. For a tablet, maybe they’d use it ahead of time, but not bring it to synagogue. I don’t know.”

For more information about the new machzor, visit ccarpress.org.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Format ImagePosted on June 19, 2015June 17, 2015Author Rebeca KuropatwaCategories Celebrating the HolidaysTags CCAR Press, Hara Person, High Holidays, inclusivity, machzor, Mishkan HaNefesh, Reform Judaism

Fathers of biblical greats

The great epic poet Homer once said, “For rarely are sons similar to their fathers; most are worse, and a few are better.” In honor of Father’s Day, here are some quick facts about some rather unfamous (though not all infamous) fathers of famous biblical characters.

Terah, father of Abraham. The biblical verse is mostly silent on Terah’s life and times, its brief description of his family and travels serving only to set the stage for the story of Abraham. But various ancient interpretive traditions grew around the character of Terah in the imagination of the rabbis, especially as they pertain to the spiritual evolution of Abraham. Terah is portrayed in the Midrash as a typical worshipper of Mesopotamian gods, perhaps even a priest, who kept a sizable collection of stone idols. His precocious son Abraham, so the familiar tale goes, having become convinced of the powerlessness of these images, smashed all but the biggest one to pieces, then left his hammer in the remaining statue’s hands. When a furious Terah later demanded an explanation for the disaster, Abraham cleverly blamed the one idol he’d left standing, claiming that a fight had erupted in which it was the sole victor!

Elkanah, father of Samuel. Elkanah had two wives, like many men of his day, but had only been able to have children with one of them. The biblical narrator tells us that it was his other wife, Hannah, who was his favorite of the two. Hannah was greatly depressed by her infertility and Elkanah, in what is perhaps one of the earliest accounts of male insensitivity, responds: “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why does your heart grieve? Am I not better to you than 10 sons?” (I Samuel 1:8) In fact, having a son was so important to Hannah that she made a deal with God: if granted a son, she offered to permanently lend him to the service of the divine. Thus, Samuel, when he came of age, became the servant of the High Priest Eli, and grew to be one of the great prophets of Israel.

Jesse, father of David. The importance of the genealogy of David to both Jewish and Christian messianic thought has helped make Jesse a more familiar name than some of the other dads on our list. Jesse is said to have descended from Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, who in Jewish lore was given the rightful kingship of Israel. The book of I Samuel contains the dramatic account of Samuel visiting the house of Jesse in Bethlehem, having been instructed by God that one of the man’s sons has been chosen to replace the weakened King Saul. Jesse innocently offers Samuel his oldest, tallest son Eliab, assuming him to be the best man for the job, but he and Jesse’s next six sons are all rejected by God until the youth David is called in from the sheep pastures. Jesse later has a hand in David’s fate, when he sends the lad to bring bread and cheese to his older brothers, who are stationed at an Israelite military base preparing for war with the Philistines. It is there that David hears the taunts of the enemy champion Goliath, and launches the bold challenge that would propel him to becoming one of the most celebrated monarchs in history.

Manoah, father of Samson. Manoah was descended from the tribe of Dan, and also had a wife with whom he could not conceive. He and his wife were eventually visited by an angel, who told them that they would soon have a son, but commanded them to raise him as a nazir, a consecrated individual who cannot drink wine or have their hair cut, according to biblical law. This they did, and the result was the super-strong and highly temperamental Samson. As a young man, Samson became interested in taking a Philistine woman as a wife, to which his parents protested, “What, there’s not enough Israelite girls around here?” (See Judges 14:3 for the exact quote.) Nonetheless, despite his disappointment, Manoah makes the trip to meet the woman and negotiate her marriage to his son, perhaps to be a supportive dad, but perhaps because there was simply no arguing with Samson.

Binyamin Kagedan has a master’s in Jewish thought from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. To read more from Kagedan, visit jns.org.

 

Posted on June 19, 2015June 17, 2015Author Binyamin Kagedan JNS.orgCategories Celebrating the HolidaysTags Elkanah, Father’s Day, Jesse, Manoah, Terah
This week’s cartoon … June 19/15

This week’s cartoon … June 19/15

For more cartoons, visit thedailysnooze.com.

Format ImagePosted on June 19, 2015June 17, 2015Author Jacob SamuelCategories The Daily SnoozeTags father-son relationship, technology, thedailysnooze.com
This week’s cartoon … June 12/15

This week’s cartoon … June 12/15

For more cartoons, visit thedailysnooze.com.

Format ImagePosted on June 12, 2015June 10, 2015Author Jacob SamuelCategories The Daily SnoozeTags sandwich, thedailysnooze.com
This week’s cartoon … June 5/15

This week’s cartoon … June 5/15

For more cartoons, visit thedailysnooze.com.

Format ImagePosted on June 5, 2015June 3, 2015Author Jacob SamuelCategories The Daily SnoozeTags thedailysnooze.com
Early detection is key

Early detection is key

Left to right: Dr. Alon Friedman, Jayson Dzikowicz, Dr. Michael Ellis and Benedict Albensi. (photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa)

It has been known for years that there is a connection between brain injuries and diseases like Alzheimer’s, autisms and epilepsy, but early detection and possible prevention still elude us.

This was the message Ben-Gurion University’s Dr. Alon Friedman relayed at a recent brain-injury panel discussion, hosted by the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University in Winnipeg. A professor in the medical faculty at Dalhousie University, Friedman was joined by Dr. Michael Ellis of the Pan Am Clinic Concussion Program; Dr. Benedict Albensi of the University of Manitoba and St. Boniface Hospital; and Jayson Dzikowicz of the Blue Bomber Alumni Association. The discussion was moderated by Charles Laflèche of St. Boniface Hospital Foundation.

Friedman opened with remarks on the work being done in the field of brain injuries at BGU and broke the discussion into two topics: traumatic brain injury and brain deterioration due to age.

“The money that we as a community spend on traumatic brain injury and on the outcome is tremendous,” said Friedman. “Sport injury is only one small part of it. Mostly, it’s road accidents and falls.

“We are getting into the 21st century and the average [life] expectancy in Western countries is around 80-to-90-years-old. Most of us will live at least until 90 or 100. The price is that we will all probably die with a brain disorder.”

According to Friedman, what is clear with all of the diseases is that we lose a lot of brain tissue before we see any symptoms. “The main problem is that we don’t understand how the diseases are generated. [Over] the last decade, we are trying to look differently at the brain.”

Researchers are now starting to look at the brain as a whole entity, including different cells that interact and communicate with one another all the time.

“While the brain gets the most blood to supply it with the elements it needs, blood does not enter into the brain tissue normally,” said Friedman. “The brain has its own environment protected by what researchers call ‘the blood-brain barrier.’ This separation allows the nerve cells in the brain to act in a very accurate and stable condition, regardless of what’s happening in the blood. A brain injury occurs when this barrier is broken.”

BGU learned more about this barrier by studying a group of football players in Be’er Sheva. “The reason we did it with football players is we knew it would attract the media much more than others, unfortunately,” said Friedman.

To help the audience grasp what football players face, Dzikowicz, who is a former player, shared his experiences with the panel. He has had approximately nine concussions. “Usually, one is more than enough to take people out of sports,” he said. “In business, if you’re faulting, it’s a long process to replace you. In sports, your replacement is standing 30 feet away…. You’re heavily motivated to stay on the field despite injury.

“When it became an issue with me … if you ever rub your eyes a lot and you see those circles … when I had those circles permanently, and when I got hit in the head and they’d be pulsing and flashing for weeks on end, that’s when I got the message that maybe I should stop playing.”

In the 1990s, when Dzikowicz played the game, his coaches’ main reaction was to say that he had “had his bell rung.” Dzikowicz went on to explain, “You got two plays off, you got some smelling salts and you got tapped on the butt and sent back on the field.”

Run by Ellis, the Pan Am Clinic Concussion Program treats children who have had concussions – the program focuses on kids with head injuries. “It’s a very unique partnership between Pan Am, the Children’s Hospital and our provincial government – multidisciplinary care for the children of Manitoba with mild, traumatic brain injuries,” he said. “Patients with more severe injuries go to the Children’s Hospital. We see 40-60 children a week.

“Fortunately, the vast majority of children who sustain a concussion will recover within two to three weeks, but we know that there’s a certain proportion, about 30-40%, who will have symptoms that will last longer.”

Some kids will have headaches or visual/reading abnormalities, issues with balance or develop mood disorders. The focus of the Pan Am program is to bring together experts from various fields to meet the needs of each individual patient.

While collaborative research on brain tumors and Alzheimer’s is being conducted, less is known about the connection between concussions and epilepsy. About the connection between brain trauma and epilepsy, however, Albensi said, “There’s certainly very good evidence that head trauma can lead to neurodegenerative disease…. The question is how many patients with TBI [traumatic brain injuries] develop epilepsy?”

At BGU, the focus is on using MRI to get better pictures of brain injuries and comparing them with images of normal brains. At Pan Am, researchers are developing an MRI brain stress test and looking at blood flow within the brain.

All the panelists agreed that treatment would be more effective with early detection. “Unfortunately, if someone has full-blown Alzheimer’s, the chances of reversing and changing the situation is almost impossible,” said Friedman. “The only chance … is early diagnosis.”

One of the biggest hurdles is getting those who are experiencing memory loss to see a doctor early enough and for the doctor to send them to a specialist without dismissing the memory loss as “normal.”

“There is a lack of awareness, because people don’t think that there’s something to do,” said Friedman. “Patients can go to early diagnosis in every large hospital today. There is general advice to be made and practice for detection, for treating.”

“I think that what we agree on is that there is some risk in families,” added Albensi. “It’s basically impossible to predict if a parent had Alzheimer’s whether his/her son or daughter will have it. Early diagnosis is more important.”

Albensi explained, “What we study in my laboratory as far as the inflammatory response are transcription factors, which are specialized proteins involved long term in the inflammatory process. And, it’s getting the brain to turn off this inflammatory process, in my view, that is key to reducing the risk for these neurodegenerative disorders.”

“The brain can change itself any time in our life,” said Friedman. “The fact that we can learn means the brain can change, at any age. In any condition basically after a trauma, whether emotional or physical, I don’t think it’s that important, but it’s possible.

“Inside a person, stress is a very important factor against brain plasticity. If we are motivated to change our brain, we can find ways to do it and help ourselves.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Format ImagePosted on May 29, 2015May 27, 2015Author Rebeca KuropatwaCategories LifeTags Alon Friedman, Alzheimer's, autism, Benedict Albensi, brain, concussion, dementia, epilepsy, Jayson Dzikowicz, Michael Ellis

Fueling your workout

With the arrival of warm weather, many Canadians take their workout outside. Whether you’re a recreational runner or an Ironman competitor, nutrition plays a vital role in your performance. Five-time Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser has said, “Good nutrition accounts for 50% of my performance, with 40% being mental and 10% being physical.”

For improving either endurance or strength training, carbohydrate is the key nutrient. Our bodies rely primarily on carbs to provide the fuel needed during aerobic, power and strength-based activities. If you are gluten-intolerant, like 12% of Canadians, it is important to find gluten-free carb sources.

Pre-workout: Eating prior to physical activity allows us to exercise harder and longer, and recover more quickly. Include a small low-fat, moderate-protein, high-carbohydrate meal or snack 30-60 minutes prior to activity, such as a fruit smoothie, toast (gluten-free breads are readily available) and nut butter, or cereal and yogurt. Wickenheiser’s favorite pre-game meal is chicken, quinoa and steamed vegetables.

During: If you’re working out for less than 60 minutes, there is no need to have anything but water during your workout. For longer workouts, choose an electrolyte-based beverage containing carbohydrates. Small portions of gluten-free bagels or cereal bars can also be quick and effective. Dehydration causes fatigue and cramping, and impairs performance, so drinking adequate fluid before, during and after exercise is important. While hydration needs vary from one person to the next, a good starting point is having one to two cups of fluid before, during and after activity.

Post-Workout: Within 30-60 minutes after physical activity, the goal is to replace the water lost in sweat, restore the muscle fuel (carbs) and promote muscle repair with protein. Great post-exercise meals and snacks include flavored dairy, soy or almond milk, stir fry with lean meat, rice and vegetables, a wrap with hummus and vegetables or trail mix.

Tristaca Curley is a registered dietitian in Kelowna. She is a member of the Sport Nutrition Advisory Committee of Canada and can be found at fuelingwithfood.com.

Posted on May 29, 2015September 2, 2016Author Tristaca CurleyCategories LifeTags fitness, Hayley Wickenheiser, health, nutrition
Mystery photo … May 29/15

Mystery photo … May 29/15

Group of B’nai B’rith men, circa 1950. (photo from JWB fonds, JMABC L.12152)

If you know someone in this photo, please help the JI fill the gaps of its predecessor’s (the Jewish Western Bulletin’s) collection at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C. by contacting archives@jewishmuseum.ca.

Format ImagePosted on May 29, 2015May 27, 2015Author JI and JMABCCategories Mystery PhotoTags B'nai B'rith, JMABC
This week’s cartoon … May 22/15

This week’s cartoon … May 22/15

For more cartoons, visit thedailysnooze.com.

Format ImagePosted on May 22, 2015May 24, 2015Author Jacob SamuelCategories The Daily SnoozeTags Best Western, hotel, thedailysnooze.com

Posts pagination

Previous page Page 1 … Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 … Page 75 Next page
Proudly powered by WordPress