אירוע השבעה באוקטובר הנורא גרם לטראומה קשה מאוד אצל ישראלים רבים. ישראל מעולם לא חוותה אירוע כל כך קשה שגרם נזק נפשי גדול לתושבי המדינה שנמצאת במשבר שהולך ומתעצם
חלק מהישראלים מנסה לחזור לשגרת היום יום ויש אחרים המתסכלים החוצה אל מה שקורה בעולם. יש שרוצים לעזוב את ישראל ועל פי נתונים רשמיים כבר למעלה משמונים אלף עבור לגור בחו”ל. בפועל המספר צפוי להיות גדול יותר. אחרים רוצים לתפוס קצת מנוחה בחו”ל למספר ימים וכידוע נסיעה לחו”ל היא אחד התחביבים הידועים של הישראלים. המשבר הנוכחי יצר אף תופעה חדשה של ישראלים המלכלכים על העולם שלא עצר מלכת, או שמחפשים נקודות תורפה במדינות שנות – כדי לטעון שהחיים ישראל טובים יותר. ישראלים אלו שותפים לרגשי התעמולה הלאומנית שתפחו לאור השבעה באוקטובר. לא מפתיע כי בעת שראש ממשלת ישראל מפעיל מכונת רעל כנגד כל מי שמתנגד לו, יש אזרחים שמפעילים מכונת רעל כנגד כל דבר שהוא לא ישראלי בהן מדינות בעולם. כידוע הנשק הטוב ביותר לפתור בעיות מבית הוא להתקיף את האחרים הזרים
לאחרונה מספר ישראלים שלחו לי לינקים על קנדה ונקודות התורפה שלה. כמו הומלסים, מהגרים, פשע ואנטישמיות. אכן האנטישמיות מרימה ראש במדינות רבות בעולם כולל קנדה וזו תופעה חמורה ביותר. אך לא פחות חמור הוא שישראלים ויהודים בעולם מתעלמים לחלוטין מהסיבה לאנטישמיות בגל הנוכחי. הם מציינים כי העלייה באנטישמיות הנוכחית החלה לאור השבעה באוקטובר. אך “שוכחים” את מעובדה לא פשוטה שעדיף להתעלם ממנה, במסגרת מסע הלאומניות השוטף את ישראל ויהודי העולם. והיא: שההרג של עשרות אלפים אזרחים חפים מפשע בעזה, הוא זה שהביא לאנטישמיות הקשה שאנו חווים כיום. אין שום הצדקה לאנטישמיות נגד עם שאיבד כמחציתו בשואה, אך עם שאיבד את מחציתו בשואה, לא יכול לאפשר הרג של אזרחים ברצועת עזה, כולל נשים וילדים רבים
על מנת להסביר עוד יותר עד כמה כיום הישראלים הם לאומניים אזכיר כיצד הם מתייחסים “ודואגים” לילדי עזה המסכנים שאף אחד לא יכול להאשימם במעשי השנאה הבלתי אנושית של החמאס ושאר ארגוני הטרור. סיפרתי לידידה ישראלית שגרה שנים בארה”ב על מופע של זמרת אמריקאית ידועה שהופיעה בחודש שעבר בוונקובר. אמרתי לשמאוד נהנינו בהופעה. ומה היא אמר בתגובה: אני שמחה שנהניתם בהופעה אך אני פחות שמחה שהוצאת כסף על כך, והזמרת תתרום חלק מההכנסות לילדי עזה. נדהמתי מהתגובה הזו והחלטתי שלא להגיב. זאת, למרות שכמעט עניתי לידידתי כי צה”ל ידאג לכך שעוד מעט לא ישארו ילדים חיים בעזה כך שאלה לא יזדקקו עוד לתרומות
מספר ישראלים שלחו לי דברי ביקורת קשים על ראש הממשלה “הנורא” של קנדה, ג’סטין טרודו, שגרם לנזק גדול למדינה. הופתעתי שפתאום הישראלים הפכו למומחים בנושאי קנדה. מכל מקום טרודו סוף סוף הודיע בימים האחרונים על התפטרותו וחבל שלא עשה זאת קודם. לגבי הישראלים: הם האחרונים שיכולים לבקר ראשי הממשלות של מדינות אחרות. ומדוע? כי במשך כשבעה עשרה שנה עומד בראש ממשלת ישראל, בנימין נתניהו הנוכל. הוא הרס כל חלקה טובה במדינה אותה הפך לבובת הסמרטוטים שלו. נתניהו הוא אחראי הראשי והראשון למחדלי השבעה באוקטובר ולרבים רבים מתחלואות מדינת ישראל בעשורים האחרונים. מי שלא הצליח להחליפו שלא יחפש ללכלך על מדינות אחרות בעולם ועל המנהיגים שלהן. הלאומניות הישראלית לא תוביל את הישראל להצלחה
המגה זמרת האמריקאית טיילור סוויפט, בחרה לסיים את סיבוב ההופעות הבינלאומי שלה דווקא בוונקובר. שלוש ההופעות האחרונות נערכו באצטדיון בי.סי בחודש שעבר מול קהל כולל של כמאה ושמונים אלף איש. לראשונה בהיסטוריה של האצטדיון הענקי נמכרו כרטיסים ליציעים שמאחורי הבמה כך לאלו שהסתפקו לשמוע את סוויפט אך לא לראות אותה. גם כרטיסים אלה נחטפו במהרה ומחירם הגיע לאלפי דולרים
אני זכיתי לצפות בהופעה האחרונה של סוויפט בוונקובר וכאמור של הסיבוב כולו וזו הייתה חוויה יוצאת מן הכלל. הזמרת המדהימה שרה למעלה משלוש שעות ורבע עם הפסקות קצרות להחלפת מלבושים. היא נראתה נהדר, בטוחה בעצמה אך גם אנושית ורגישה, שרה בקלילות אך גם בחוזקה רבה, נראתה בחלק מהשירים לעיתים מאוד נשית ומתוקה, ובחלק האחר חזקה ובוגרת תוך שהיא הדגישה את המילות באחד השירים הידועים שלה: “אל תקרא לי בייב”
סוויפט סיימה את ההופעה המרגשת בוונקובר בפנייה נרגשת ישירות לקהל המקומי תוך שהיא אומרת: “תודה שהפכתם את סיבוב ההופעות הזה למשהו שונה לגמרי מכל דבר שעשיתי בחיי. עם המנהגים שלכם, עם התשוקה שלכם, ועם איך כל כך אכפת לכם מהסיבוב הזה. זאת, אני חושבת המורשת המתמשכת של הסיבוב הזה. יצרתם יחד מרחב של שמחה ואהבה”. הקהל הרב שצפה בהופעה האחרונה כמו בשתי ההופעות הראשונות בוונקובר, יצא מכיליו כאשר הזמרת הצעירה עלתה לבמה ושרה ארבעים ושישה שירים מכל אלבומיה. כולם עמדו לאורך כל ההופעה, שרו ורקדו ללא הרף. וזה היה מאוד מאוד מרגש
סוויפט התחילה את הקריירה המוזיקלית שלה לפני כעשרים שנה כזמרת קאנטרי ואלבום הבכורה שלה יצא בשנת אלפיים ושש. מהר מאוד לאור כשרונה האדיר לכתוב שירים ולבצע אותם בצורה מעולה, היא עברה למרכז הבמה של מוזיקת הפופ. היא נחשבת כיום למותג המוביל ביותר בתחום המוסיקה בכל רחבי העולם. לא פלא הוא שסיבוב ההופעות האחרון שלה הכניס כשני מיליארד דולר. בו בזמן הזמרת כרגיל גילתה את נדיבות ליבה והעניקה לעובדיה הרבים בונוסים שהגיעו לקרוב למאתיים מיליון דולר. על העובדים נמנים: נהגי משאיות, עובדי קייטרינג, עובדי מסחור מוצרים, טכנאים, עובדי במה, תאורנים, צוות פירוטכניקה, אנשי סאונד, פועלים שונים, מאבטחים, עוזרי הפקה, מאפרים, מעצבי שיער, מלבישים, פיזיותרפיסטים, צוות צלמים, רקדנים, כוריאוגרפים, זמרים ונגנים
סיבוב ההופעות שיצא לדרך בחודש מרץ שנה שעברה, כלל מאה ארבעים ותשע הופעות בחמישים ערים שונות לאורך חמש יבשות. צפו בו למעלה מעשרה מיליון איש והוא הפך לרווחי ביותר בהיסטוריה, שבמקום השני נמצא אלטון ג’ון שעשה סיבוב פרידה אחרון מהקהל, והכניס כתשע מאות מיליון דולר
סוויפט שוברת כל הזמן שיאים חדשים בתחום המוסיקה כולל האלבום החדש והאחד עשר שלה, שהפך למושמע ביותר השנה. ואילו הספר של הזמרת שליווה את הטור שלה נמכר בלמעלה משמונה מאות אלף עותקים תוך יומיים בלבד
סוויפט בת השלושים וחמש היא ילידת פנסילבניה. היא התחילה בקריירה המוזיקלית שלה בשנת אלפים וארבע והסגנונות שלה: קאנטרי, פופ, רוק, אינדי ורוק אלטרנטיבי
הזמרת מתגוררת לסירוגין בניו יורק, בברלי הילס, נאשוויל ורוד איילנד. יש לה כמובן מטוס מנהלים פרטי. הונה של הזמרת האמריקאית מוערך במיליארד ושש מאות מיליון דולר
סוויפט מגדירה את עצמה כפמיניסטית, היא תומכת במפלגה הדמוקרטית בארה”ב ובבחירות האחרונות קראה לבחור בקמלה האריס לאחר העימות עם דונלד טראמפ. מספר העוקבים שלה גדל בכשני מיליון לאחר הצהרתה
Corey Levine has helped bring many Afghan women MPs and their families to safety in Canada. She will speak about her experiences at the Wallenberg-Sugihara Civil Courage Society event honouring her. (photo from Corey Levine)
The Wallenberg-Sugihara Civil Courage Society’s Civil Courage Award honours individuals who help others escape from unjust and dangerous situations at great risk to themselves, as both Sweden’s Raoul Wallenberg and Japan’s Chiune Sugihara did during the Second World War to help Jews flee the Nazis. On Jan. 19, at the society’s 20th Annual Raoul Wallenberg Day event, this year’s award will be given to Corey Levine, who has been helping women flee Afghanistan.
There were 69 women in Afghanistan’s parliament when the country experienced a brief period of democracy. When Kabul fell and the Taliban retook control on Aug. 15, 2021, these women had to flee or they would have been murdered. Most of them made it to Greece, Albania or elsewhere, where they lived until they were able to make their way to Canada or the United States. Others made it to Pakistan, where they live in hiding, in danger of being deported back to Afghanistan if found.
Levine has been doing human rights work in war zones for about 30 years. “I really embrace the idea of tikkun olam, that it is our individual responsibility to contribute to repairing the world,” she said.
Her first trip to Afghanistan, in March 2002, was as a consultant with the Canadian International Development Agency’s peace-building unit. “The Taliban had just been routed, and Western countries were starting to engage,” she said.
That was the start of a 23-year-and-counting relationship with the country, both as a consultant with various international organizations and personally.
The last time she was on a paid contract in Afghanistan, it was with UN Women. She was there for nine months, “seconded to work with Afghan women parliamentarians, to support them and develop some strategies, etc. I left Afghanistan six weeks before the Taliban took over the second time and, basically, from the time that I left, but especially the day that Kabul fell, Aug. 15, 2021, people started contacting me. At first, it was Afghan friends and colleagues – because I’d been going there for 20 years at that point – asking me for help. And I said, I don’t know, I’ll see what I can do. I couldn’t have imagined then that it would end up being a 24/7 crisis management [project] that I ended up doing for the past three-and-a-half years all on my own, voluntarily.”
Calls for help started coming from people Levine didn’t know. “In a way, it was almost like an underground railway,” she said, with so many people, as individuals or as part of organizations, trying to get out of the country, Afghans at risk of being killed by the Taliban. Helping people escape was unfamiliar work for many of the people involved. “We were all kind of flying by the seat of our pants,” she said.
“It’s one thing to get people into safe houses. That’s only a temporary Band-Aid solution. It’s how to help them afterwards, how to help them reach safety. And then I started organizing private sponsorship. Canada has this unique program where groups of people in a community can come together and raise money and privately sponsor refugees.”
Levine has managed to organize seven private sponsorship groups in Victoria, where she lives, and is working on an eighth. Amid this work, she returned to Afghanistan in June 2022. While there on that trip, she tried to help some of the women MPs who had been left behind, and this work became part of her ongoing efforts to rescue at-risk Afghans.
“In September 2022,” said Levine. “I went to a conference in Ottawa and I met a few MPs…. I don’t know how, but I put together an all-party group of MPs that were interested in helping me get these women out.”
The resulting group comprises Bloc Québécois citizenship and immigration critic Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, who was a co-chair of the Special Committee on Afghanistan; Conservative MP Alex Ruff, who twice served in Afghanistan with Canada’s military and was also on the special committee; Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski, who had spoken out, even before the Taliban retook Afghanistan, about the need for Canada to help Afghans; Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who used to be Levine’s MP and who had already helped Levine in this area; NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson and Liberal MP Leah Taylor Roy, who were also keen to participate, said Levine.
“One of the women we were trying to help, and the event is dedicated to her memory, she was killed by the Taliban in January 2023,” said Levine, referring to Mursal Nabizada. “She was one of the women I had met when I was in Afghanistan in June of 2022…. Before that, we had been working under the radar with the government…. But then, once her death happened, because it was international news … the MPs released a statement about it, which got a lot of traction. The government stepped up after that, and we went back underground, so to speak,” mainly for security reasons.
However, the MP group has since become more public – a CBC documentary on their work aired last October. Its members continue to negotiate for more Afghan women MP refugees to be able to come to Canada and, from their efforts so far, seven Afghan families are here safely, said Levine. “One of them is going to be speaking at the event on the 19th.”
Former Afghan MP Gulalai Mohammadi, who escaped to Canada with her family last year, is that speaker. In addition to Mohammadi and Levine, May will also participate, representing the MP panel.
The Jan. 19, 1:30 p.m., event will take place at the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. Admission is free, but donations are welcome, with donations of $36 or more receiving a tax receipt. A reception will follow the program.
For more information on the Wallenberg-Sugihara Civil Courage Society, visit wsccs.ca.
Kfir Bibas was abducted before his first birthday. His second birthday is this Saturday. (photo by Pat Johnson)
The Gregorian calendar has turned over a new year, but the vigils for the Israeli hostages continue without interruption.
Daphna Kedem, who has organized the weekly events since hours after the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, acknowledged that it has been effectively an additional full-time job and that the commitment has taken a toll.
“But it’s also given me energy to continue, in a strange way,” she told the Independent in the moments before the vigil at Vancouver City Hall last Sunday. “I have to be here. I have to do it. I can’t be anywhere else.”
Inevitably, numbers have dwindled from the initial weeks, and some people have suggested to Kedem that she alter the events from weekly to monthly to get the numbers up. She’s not confident that would make a difference and, she added, that would send a negative message. To shift from the weekly routine would imply “that we are normalizing and accepting the situation of the hostages” and that is a message she will not accept, she said.
Ari Mansell is a core volunteer who is present for setup and teardown every week, as well as occasionally playing violin.
“I come here as the smallest thing I can do to help my community,” he said. “It’s a labour of love for me. It’s hard for me to stay away.”
His participation has made him feel more connected to his community.
“I’ve increased my community around me,” he said. “Moving here eight years ago [from Edmonton], I didn’t really know anyone here. This unfortunate event has brought us together and I’m so thankful for the people that I’ve got to know over this time – the musicians, Daphna, the organizers – it’s enriched my life. I don’t do it for me, but at the same time it’s helped me.”
Joanita Nakasi is one of many Christians who attend on a regular basis. She has always prayed for Israel, she said, and so, when Oct. 7 happened, she felt moved to stand with the local Jewish community. She urges others to accompany her.
“They should also come and join,” she said. “We stand together until all our brothers and sisters are back.”
Richard Lowy, who has performed music and sung at many of the vigils, lauded the community for coming together across ideological lines.
“The idea that you’re secular, you’re religious, you’re nonreligious, you’re right-wing, you’re left-wing, you’re for Trump, you’re for Biden, you’re Jewish – it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what you think. When the Nazis came, they came for the Jews regardless of your beliefs or where you stood.”
He recounted an experience he had during the process of writing a book about the Holocaust experiences of his father, Leo Lowy, a “Mengele twin.” The book will be released on Jan. 27, which is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“While I was working [on the book], I’m reliving the horror of Auschwitz and looking at the faces of the people that are in this concentration camp and the families and the people that were brutalized and I had to take a break because it’s just so horrific,” he said. “As I walk out to the front, where the bike lane is, there is a group of young kids riding their bicycles with their Palestinian flags yelling, ‘From the river to the sea’ right in front of my house. It’s just so devastating to see this.”
In the cold sunshine Sunday, Jonathon Leipsic asked to be described solely as “part of klal Yisrael.”
Leipsic said he was asked to speak about antisemitism, but demurred.
“For me, antisemitism is a relatively irrelevant topic,” he told those gathered. “You may say have I lost my mind. What about this rising antisemitism?”
Jonathon Leipsic, “part of klal Yisrael,” fears sinat chinam, baseless hatred, more than antisemitism. (photo by Pat Johnson)
He said the Jewish community has done a good job teaching the next generations about antisemitism and the Shoah, to be good stewards of memory.
“We as a people undoubtedly will suffer, but we are eternal,” he said. “At the end of the day, we are eternal if we follow the words and the guidance provided to us.”
What worries him more, he said, is sinat chinam, baseless hatred.
“Baseless hatred among klal Yisrael and division and a lack of shalom bayit [peace in the home] within our people – this is, by far, and has always been, the only true threat to the eternity of am Yisrael. Our rabbis teach us that the First Temple was destroyed because of the most profound and abominable sins one could imagine that could be happening within a place of Hashem…. But yet, what brought down the Second Temple? Sinat chinam. Baseless hatred among klal Yisrael.”
He urged the audience to embrace the diversity of opinion within the community and “be less afraid of antisemitism and much more concerned about sinat chinam.”
Ohad Arazi moved to Canada from Israel in 2006 and has spent two decades bringing together Israeli and Canadian technology companies and people. As a son of a diplomat, he has spent more time living outside Israel than in it.
He reacted negatively when, prior to moving to Canada, his mother warned him that, as a Jew, “The only place you will ever feel truly safe is here in Israel.”
“I was so angry at her. I said, ‘I am a child of the world,’” Arazi recalled. “I am moving to one of the most liberal and pluralistic countries in the world. Please, Ima, don’t project your scarred Holocaust psyche on me.”
Then Oct. 7 happened.
“On that day, the world witnessed unspeakable atrocities as Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and the abduction of many,” he said. “But one more thing happened that day, which is that Canadians got their first glimpse of where our country could be headed. Shortly after the news of the scope of the atrocities began coming to light, revelers and anti-Israel protesters took to the streets in Canada.… Across governments, schools, unions and media, a toxic environment has emerged, fueling hostility against Canadian Jews.”
Israel’s war against Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis is proceeding successfully, he said. “But our war, as Jews in the diaspora, the war we are facing day in and day out, is a war of ideas, a war of words, ideology and truth,” said Arazi. “Our Canada should be the model for building a future where the values of humanity triumph over hatred and where every hostage is safely returned to their loved ones.”
Aliya Oran Dobres, a 15-year-old Grade 9 student at King David High School, shared her harrowing experiences of being pursued by a threatening group at a mall because of her Star of David necklace, as well as the threats her friends have experienced. In the days after Oct. 7, her fellow students covered their uniforms when in public, she said.
“We should not be scared for who we are,” she said. “As Jews, we must stick together and be strong.”
Ebube Anachebe is a fourth-year electrical engineering student at the University of Calgary, who is in Vancouver for an internship. She returned days ago from her second trip to Israel in the past year, with a Christian organization called Passages.
“The aim of the mission is to bring Christian students to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus,” she said. “However, since Oct. 7, they have been shifting their focus toward not just bringing students to the Holy Land, but also mobilizing Christian students to stand alongside their Jewish brothers and sisters against antisemitism.”
About 100 others joined Anachebe on the nine-day tour.
“We experienced the Jewish roots of our faith, we experienced the love of our saviour, gifted to us by you guys, our Jewish brethren,” she said. “We encountered modern Israel and we bore witness to the realities of what happened on Oct. 7.”
She shared several memorable encounters with Israeli individuals, including Shahar, a resident of Kfar Aza.
“His beloved community was torn apart and ransacked by Hamas terrorists. When we asked him why he returned, he said, ‘Israel is my home, this kibbutz is my home, I have nowhere else that I would want to go.’
“The group’s tour guide, Danny, recounted how, on Oct. 7, when awakened by sirens at 6:30 am, his son asked him, ‘Daddy, why won’t the bad people let Israelis sleep?’
“He shared about the difficult moment when, a couple of hours later, he was called to the reserves and he had to tell his son, ‘I won’t be here for your birthday tomorrow,’” Anachebe said.
She said that, when Oct. 7 happened, “it awoke two different camps of people.”
“It awakened the antisemites, who had been slumbering,” she said. “But I tell you it also woke up leaders who didn’t even realize that they were leaders until they were called up for such a time as this, to stand up against this evil of antisemitism. This is what I witnessed when I went to Israel. I witnessed leaders who will rise up and pray for Israel, the hostages and the brokenhearted.”
Anachebe said, “We Christians see you, our Jewish brothers and sisters, as mishpachah, family. We are standing and we are standing alongside you. Am Yisrael chai.”
Thomas Hand and the survivors of the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri hope to return home in 2026. (photo by Gil Zohar)
Kibbutz Hatzerim, eight kilometres west of Be’er Sheva, best known for its drip-irrigation plant, also houses the newly established quarter here for the survivors of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of more than 130 of Kibbutz Be’eri’s 1,071 residents. Emily Hand and her Dublin-born father Thomas, 64, are among the 200 refugees living there. In 2026, they hope to move back to rebuilt homes in their community alongside the Gaza Strip.
“We’re still in the stage of demolishing the houses beyond repair,” Hand said. A quarter of Be’eri’s housing is unsalvageable.
Some vegetation has been planted around the new temporary bungalows at Hatzerim, and the site is beginning to resemble a kibbutz neighbourhood. But little else is normal.
The Hands marked the anniversary of Emily’s release from imprisonment in the tunnels of Gaza on Nov. 26. A week earlier, the Irish-Israeli celebrated her 10th birthday. Thomas no longer allows his daughter to be interviewed by the media. The probing questions she faced raised horrific memories of captivity that she is still struggling to process, said her father. She has engaged in various therapies, including seeing a psychologist weekly, horse riding and puppy love with their pooch, Johnsey.
“She’s living day to day, enjoying every day,” her father said.
The Hands moved to their home at Hatzerim shortly before Rosh Hashanah and Emily started the new school year there. Before then, they had been sheltered at Kibbutz Ein Gedi’s hotel by the Dead Sea.
Like his daughter, Hand too is struggling. In the days after Oct. 7, he was initially informed his daughter had been murdered. After a month, that assessment was revised to missing. After more uncertainty, she was then declared a hostage – and finally released in a swap for Hamas gunmen and other terrorists.
The Hand household is still decorated with balloons from Emily’s recent birthday party. Among the guests were fellow hostages Noa Argamani, Ra’aya Rotem and Hila Rotem Shoshani, who surprised Emily with a cake and candles. Argamani, who was imprisoned with Hand, was rescued on June 8, after 245 days in captivity, in a joint operation by the Israel Defence Forces, Shabak (Israel’s security agency) and Israel Police.
Hand said Emily is adjusting “incredibly well.” But then he contextualized what that means: “She still sleeps with me. Usually in my bed.”
“She was captured from a MaMaD [safe room]. And that’s a trigger,” he said.
The constant roar of jets flying overhead to and from the nearby Hatzerim Air Base adds to their ill-ease. Hand’s conversation is punctuated by sighs and tears. “Don’t mind me,” he said. “It’s just part of the process.”
None of the kibbutz’s protected spaces had bulletproof doors, he noted. His own MaMaD wasn’t equipped with a lock, he added. “I just had to hope and pray.”
Other general tactical mistakes included storing the kibbutz’s guns and ammo in a central location rather than having them distributed among people’s homes. Half the members of Be’eri’s emergency response team were gunned down trying to reach the armoury, Hand said.
His first concern on Oct. 7 was for Emily, who was sleeping over at a friend’s house 300 metres away. With bullets flying, there was no chance to run there to attempt to rescue her, he recalled.
He left his shelter at 10 a.m. Armed with his pistol, two magazine clips and a bullet in the chamber, he positioned himself by his kitchen window, which offered a wide field of fire. The Hand family house was relatively untouched apart from shrapnel damage.
“While I couldn’t protect my daughter, I was able to protect three houses,” he said.
Hand remained at his post until 11:30 p.m., when IDF soldiers arrived.
“The amount of guilt that I felt at not going to save her [Emily] even at the risk of my own life…. But I knew I would be dead, and she would be an orphan. It was a very big thing afterwards. At the time, I was just in survival mode.”
With self-deprecating humour, Hand remembered he only had two cans of beer in the fridge that Saturday morning. It’s a mistake he has never repeated, he said, now always having a case of suds on hand.
Another cause of guilt is not being able to work. He had previously been employed at Be’eri’s printshop, and then as a painter at its toy and furniture factory. While the workshop has reopened, Hand is unable to commute the 90 minutes there, since he must stay close to his daughter. “I have to keep her normalized,” he said.
“They’ve given me a lot of leeway,” Hand said of the kibbutz secretariat. In the meantime, he devotes a lot of time to hostage issues.
Looking wistful, he concluded: “I will not feel safe going back to Be’eri with this government in power, and without Hamas being completely crushed.”
“Canada’s Jewish community is divided over Israeli and domestic Canadian politics, even though rising antisemitism and war seem to have increased the emotional attachment of Canada’s Jews to Israel,” writes sociologist Robert Brym in the executive summary of Arguments for the Sake of Heaven: A Jewish Community Divided. The report imparts the results of a poll sponsored by the New Israel Fund of Canada, JSpaceCanada, and Canadian Friends of Peace Now.
From Aug. 28 to Sept. 16, 2024, the polling firm Leger surveyed 588 Canadian Jews. The sample “was drawn from a large online panel of Canadian adults. It was weighted by characteristics of the Canadian Jewish population based on the 2021 Census of Canada and the 2018 Survey of Jews in Canada,” which was prepared by Brym, Keith Neuman and Rhonda Lenton for the Environics Institute, University of Toronto, and York University. The composition of the sample “is believed to be broadly representative of Canadian Jewry.”
“We undertook this survey in response to conservative establishment Jewish institutions and anti-Zionist Jewish groups co-creating a polarized, black-and-white public debate that didn’t reflect the diverse, nuanced Jewish community we know and love,” write Maytal Kowalski, JSpaceCanada executive director, Gabriella Goliger, national chair of Canadian Friends of Peace Now, and Ben Murane, executive director of NIF Canada, in the introduction to the report, which was released last month.
“Our research confirms that there is no such thing as ‘the Jewish community’s opinion’ as a monolith, nor can any segment of the community (or any institution) claim to speak for all others. In many cases, we see no majority opinion as well as high levels of uncertainty. Therefore, not only are claims of monolithic support misrepresentations of Canadian Jewish diversity, they also erase the spirited nature of Jewish life in Canada.”
Explaining the report’s title, they note: “One of the noblest ideals in Judaism is ‘arguments for the sake of heaven’ – that disagreement and debate are in fact coveted and celebrated as long as the disagreement is ‘for the sake of heaven,’ meaning an argument that seeks to uncover truth.”
They call upon “Jewish communal leaders to uphold and support the variety of opinions and ideas held by Canadian Jews – and to foster arguments for the sake of heaven,” and warn that “Canadian political leaders must engage all of Canada’s Jewish communities and not stereotype us based on a false monolith.”
Brym lists the poll’s highlights, which include that “Canadian Jews express stronger emotional attachment to Israel than in four previous surveys dating back to 2018. Specifically, 84% of Canada’s Jews say they are ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ emotionally attached to Israel [compared to 79% in 2018]. Ninety-four percent support the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.”
Brym notes, “Just 3% say Israel lacks that right, while another 3% say they don’t know or don’t answer the question. Belief in Israel’s right to exist does not vary significantly by gender, educational attainment, income or denomination. It does vary significantly by age and political party support. Ninety-eight percent of those over the age of 34 say Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state, compared to 81% of those under the age of 35. Ninety-seven percent of Conservative and Liberal party supporters say that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. Some 79% of NDP supporters concur, although the number of NDP supporters in the sample is too small to provide a highly reliable estimate.”
When asked “Do you consider yourself a Zionist?” however, 51% of respondents said yes, 15% claimed ambivalence, 27% said no and 7% said they didn’t know, or didn’t answer the question.
“Given their strong emotional attachment to Israel and their nearly universal belief that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state, one might be tempted to speculate that more Canadian Jews do not consider themselves Zionists because they confuse Zionism with certain policies of the Netanyahu government that they find objectionable,” writes Brym. “Future research needs to probe this issue.”
When asked whether continued building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank helped, harmed or didn’t make a difference to the security of Israel, 34% of respondents said it hurts Israel’s security while 27% said it helps, 22% thought it made no difference and 18% didn’t know or didn’t answer.
Half of respondents favoured a two-state solution, while 25% wanted an Israeli state (the annexation of West Bank and Gaza), while 8% believe that “the best resolution to the conflict is a single, secular, binational state that favours equal rights for Jews and Palestinians.”
“When asked whether Canadian politicians should increase pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to engage in a meaningful peace process, 55% of Canadian Jews agree and 23% disagree,” summarizes Brym. “When asked whether politicians should sanction Jewish West Bank settlers who engage in acts of vigilante violence against Palestinian civilians, 35% of Canadian Jews agree and 41% disagree. When asked whether politicians should recognize a Palestinian state in the near future, 21% of Canadian Jews agree and 53% disagree. When asked whether Canadian politicians should impose an embargo on the arms trade with Israel, 69% of Canadian Jews say no and 10% say yes.”
The survey also asked respondents to rank, in view of an upcoming federal election, their priorities among 11 different issues. From most to least important were cost of living, antisemitism, health care, housing, Israel-Palestine conflict, climate change and environment, crime and public safety, immigration, threats posed by China and Russia, discrimination against Indigenous people, and Islamophobia.
The question was asked, “Which political party did you vote for in the last (2021) federal election?” and also “If a Canadian federal election were held tomorrow, which party, if any, would you vote for?”
“Among decided voters, support for the New Democratic Party remained steady at about 9% between 2021 and 2024,” writes Brym. “Support for the Liberal party fell from 39% to 26%. And support for the Conservative party increased from 36% to 55%. These trends are similar to those in the general population, but the decline in Liberal support and increase in Conservative support is more pronounced among Jews.”
The whole report can be found at jspacecanada.ca/arguments_sake_of_heaven. It includes much more data – including more analysis of responses according to age, gender, level of education, household income, denominational identification and political party support – as well as commentary and recommendations from the survey’s three sponsoring organizations.
Michael Sachs is the first director of Western Canada for the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre. (photo from FSWC)
The role is new, but the face is familiar. On Sept. 15 last year, Michael Sachs took the helm as the first director of Western Canada for the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre. No stranger to Vancouver’s Jews, Sachs has been at the forefront of community engagement for a long time – first as a volunteer and, more recently, as a communal professional.
Jews are in a changed world since Oct. 7, 2023, Sachs contended in a recent interview with the Independent. He had already made a major career change years ago, moving from diamond wholesaling to Jewish community service. When the Hamas terror attacks happened and antisemitism skyrocketed, he found himself just where he felt he could have the greatest impact.
For more than three years, Sachs was executive director of Jewish National Fund of Canada’s Vancouver branch.
“I felt blessed and privileged to be in a role at JNF at a time when Israel faced some of its darkest times, to be able to support Israel and to be able to support the people,” he said. “Over that year, we saw and felt a change, or a progression, in what it feels like to be a Jew outside of Israel.”
The world situation hastened the opening of FSWC’s Vancouver office.
“There always was a plan to open in Vancouver,” said Sachs, “but because of the speed at which the hate rose to such a level, the need caught up to that.”
Sachs had already accepted his new role by the time JNF lost its charitable status in a conflict with Canada Revenue Agency, a legal and administrative battle that is ongoing. Sachs said JNF was “blindsided” by the federal agency’s rescinding of the crucial charity imprimatur but that it was announced after his acceptance of the FSWC job and had no impact on his decision.
Among the highlights of his time with JNF was going into the schools and sharing stories of Israeli resilience and marking holidays like Yom Ha’atzmaut and Tu b’Shevat.
“We had a lot of great events,” Sachs said, despite the limitations of the pandemic. “We did really creative and out-of-the-box thinking on how we approached fundraising.”
For example, JNF transformed the Negev Dinner, which had been a relatively exclusive annual gala, into a “Negev Event,” with far more accessible ticket prices that allowed larger audiences to see and hear Israeli actor, author and activist Noa Tishby in 2023.
Strengthening partnerships with other organizations was also central to his mission at JNF, he said. That cooperation will continue, he promises, as FSWC takes its place amid the constellation of community organizations on the West Coast.
Sachs’s priority for his new office is to maximize FSWC’s antisemitism training and workshops, which they have been delivering to businesses, law enforcement, educational institutions and others.
“Our training is the gold standard for antisemitism training in Canada,” said Sachs.
Also top of his mission is continuing to build connections with existing agencies.
“We’ve worked closely with CIJA [the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs], we work closely with Federation, we work closely with Hillel, to assist and provide that support,” he said.
His office may be in Vancouver, but Sachs is responsible for the organization’s programs across the four Western provinces, and he foresees much more work with non-Jewish organizations across the West, as well as supporting isolated Jewish individuals and groups.
Michael Levitt, national president and chief executive officer of FSWC, heralded the opening of the branch office and Sachs’s hiring as a sign of positive things in difficult times.
“The focus of our work in terms of building a more inclusive and respectful society by educating Canadians about the lessons of the Holocaust and advocating for human rights, standing up against antisemitism and racism in all of its forms, could not be more pertinent and critical in today’s society,” Levitt told the Independent. “One of the things that makes us unique is we have a focus and a presence both in education spaces, which is certainly a core pillar of what we’re doing, but also in advocacy spaces.”
Strengthening, rather than competing with other organizations, is the goal, Levitt said.
“To be inclusive, to not have our elbows up, to look for opportunities to add expertise, but do it in a way that is collaborative and cooperative and empowers any of the partners that we work with – that’s very much what we’ve been doing in Toronto and across the east and central Canada,” said Levitt. “We want to be working hand-in-hand with as many of these organizations as possible.”
Sachs is the ideal person for the new role, according to Levitt.
“His door is always open,” Levitt said. “From the moment I met Mike Sachs, I just knew that he was a future face for our organization on the West Coast. His experience, his commitment, his passion for the Jewish community, particularly out in Western Canada, the important work he had done with another organization we worked closely with over the years, JNF. He had the relationships, he had the drive and he had the attitude that just fit so well into our core beliefs as a team.
“I can’t think of a better individual than Mike Sachs to fly the Wiesenthal flag out in Vancouver,” Levitt said.
Flying the flag on the West Coast is also due to the support of Gordon and Leslie Diamond, and Jill Diamond and the Diamond Foundation, Levitt added.
“Gordon is a long-time board member of FSWC and the family have been very active,” said Levitt.
Ezra Shanken, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, has worked with Sachs in many capacities over the years and welcomed him to the newish role.
“Mike’s energy and passion for our community and for Israel are truly inspiring, and he is a dedicated partner in combating antisemitism,” Shanken told the Independent. “He is the definition of a community leader – always going above and beyond for the benefit of others. Beyond being a trusted partner in so many initiatives, he’s also a great friend. I know he’ll continue to have an incredible impact in this new role.”
While in the private sector, Sachs was also engaged in the community, variously as president of the Bayit synagogue, in Richmond, as a board member at Jewish Family Services and Vancouver Hebrew Academy. In 2017, he received Federation’s Young Leadership Award and was one of the Jewish Independent’s 18 Under 36. Sachs is married to Shira and they are raising Izzy, 11, and Desi, 9.
Born in Stamford, Conn., Sachs moved to Vancouver with his mom Sally and stepfather Marshall Cramer in 1993, when the late business leader and philanthropist Joe Segal hired Sachs’s stepfather to run the clothing retailer Mr. Jax.
“It was only supposed to be for a couple of years, but we fell in love with the city and the community,” said Sachs.
The family purchased and ran Kaplan’s Deli. Vancouver Jews might hang out among their own shul crowd, attend different summer camps or go to different schools, but smoked meat is the ultimate equalizer.
“A lot of people know me from being behind the counter at Kaplan’s,” said Sachs. “That’s where I got my real dive into the diversity of our community.”
It was during COVID that Sachs decided to make a major life change.
“Like everybody else, we furloughed for a period of time. I said to my wife, I want to go back and do something I love,” he said.
He loved the people he worked with in the diamond sector, he stressed, but his launch of a challah delivery service during the early weeks of the pandemic reminded him of the joy of engaging with people for a good cause.
“There were times that we delivered hundreds of challahs every week. It kind of opened my eyes that this is what I want to do,” Sachs said, defying the assumption that people don’t enter the nonprofit sector for the bread.
Last month, Governor General of Canada Mary Simon made 88 new appointments to the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours. Among those appointed as a member to the Order was Vancouver Jewish community member Marie Doduck.
Marie Doduck
For more than 50 years, Doduck has been a leader in Holocaust education and philanthropy. A child Holocaust survivor, she is a founding member of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and has shared her history with tens of thousands of students and others. Her memoir, A Childhood Unspoken, was published in 2023 by the Azrieli Foundation’s Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program. (See jewishindependent.ca/survivor-reflects-on-identity.) She champions various community engagement and fundraising initiatives.
“Members of the Order of Canada are builders of hope for a better future,” said Simon. “Each in their own way, they broaden the realm of possibilities and inspire others to continue pushing its boundaries. Thank you for your perseverance, fearless leadership and visionary spirit, and welcome to the Order of Canada.”
New members will be invited to a ceremony at a later date to be invested and to receive their insignia.
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The US Department of State recently announced the selection of international education professional Freeman Poritz for an English Language Specialist project in Israel. The project is one of around 250 that the English Language Specialist Program supports each year.
Freeman Poritz
Poritz, who is originally from Vancouver (and has written for the Jewish Independent), is a teacher trainer and conflict resolution practitioner with expertise in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Previously, he served as an English Language Fellow at the Institute of Rural Development Planning in Tanzania and at Haramaya University in Ethiopia, where he conducted professional development workshops for faculty, provided teacher trainings on differentiation, virtual facilitation and needs assessment, and taught academic writing courses to undergraduate and graduate students. In Israel, he will collaborate with a group of educational professionals to design an English language bicommunal youth peace and leadership curriculum for the Ministry of Education as part of Jerusalem Peacebuilders and Retorika for Multiculturalism’s EXCEL Teacher Training Institute for Partnership and Peace Leadership.
The English Language Specialist Program is an opportunity for leaders in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages to enact changes in the way that English is taught abroad. Through projects developed by US embassies in more than 80 countries, English language specialists work directly with local teacher trainers, educational leaders and ministry of education officials to exchange knowledge, build capacity and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions and communities in the United States and overseas. The program is administered by the Centre for Intercultural Education and Development at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
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Last November marked a year since the Israel Emergency Campaign Committee began its work, allocating grants to organizations and partners across Israel who are dedicated to addressing the critical needs that emerged in the aftermath of Oct. 7, and the war that has been raging since.
The committee’s work over the summer and the fall demonstrated its continued mission to provide support to the evacuated communities of the Upper Galilee – in education, infrastructure and capacity building – while also supporting projects in the realm of rehabilitation, also in the north.
Broadly, during the first six months, allocations were designated to projects supporting the numerous emergency needs across Israel: $8,853,704 was deployed October 2023 to March 2024, to projects addressing emergency needs in mental health care, food and supplies for vulnerable populations, rehabilitation initiatives, educational frameworks and evacuation infrastructures.
In the spring to the fall, as the committee realigned its focus to supporting the northern communities, with special attention to projects in the realm of rehabilitation, April-October grants totalling $3,011,750 were distributed.
Over the summer and the holiday season, as war continued across the north, IEC grants focused on enabling safe and meaningful programming for youth, children and families, and supporting schools that were preparing for the opening of another school year away from home. These grants came alongside immediate, emergency deployment of funds in support of the Druze communities of the Golan, after the tragic attack on Majdal Shams in July.
With the ceasefire taking effect on Nov. 27, 2024, what was once coined “the urgency of the day after,” has become the emergency of today. Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s partners in the Galilee are taking initial steps to plan their gradual return home, and the IEC committee remains aligned with this evolving reality.
A significant component of this strategy is a pan-Canadian initiative spearheaded by Sarah Mali, director general of JFC-UIA together with Jewish Federation’s executive team, in Israel and in Vancouver, and partner federations from across Canada. Earmarked to leverage collective funds to generate substantial healing and long-term impact in the north, this initiative is a central element in the IEC’s final rounds of allocations that will be developed over the coming months.
– Stephen Gaerber, chair, Israel Emergency Campaign Allocations Committee, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver
Selina Robinson (centre front) was a counselor at Camp Miriam for four summers. She is pictured here, in 1981, with the Sayarim (Grade 5s) in that year’s first session. (photo from Camp Miriam)
Little did I know how much Camp Miriam would teach me about leadership, standing up for others and how to be the “Jew in the Crew” in the face of antisemitism.
I never had the opportunity to go to Camp Miriam as a chanicha (camper) and wish that I had had that opportunity. I am grateful however that, when I was 17, a fresh-faced graduate of Richmond High School, I got hired for the summer of 1981 to be a madricha (counselor).
I had no idea what I was getting into, but, within days, I realized that I had been missing regular contact with a Jewish community. Back in 1981, there were only four Jewish students in our school of 1,200. But Camp Miriam was much more than being in an environment where I didn’t have to explain myself, my traditions, my values. It was an environment that encouraged me to explore how I wanted to be Jewish. Learning about Israeli culture and history in a place that values debate and discussion taught me that all perspectives have value.I learned how to consider various perspectives, how to be respectful in debate and how to articulate my arguments.
Joining the tsevet (staff) was a tremendous opportunity to learn and refine so many leadership skills, setting a personal example, making sure that all members of the group are equally engaged and even how to chair a meeting with more than 100 campers (yes, it is possible to chair a meeting with more than 100 children).
Camp Miriam helped me understand not just the importance of social responsibility but how to put these ideas into practice. I got to see these ideals in action and see why they are important, and then to talk with the chanichimot (campers) about why we have these values and what they mean to us as Jews and as human beings who are responsible for one another. Whether we were cleaning the sherutim (bathrooms) or painting the rocks around the mifkad (flagpole), it was always with purpose and understanding that we were taking responsibility for our home.
Selina Robinson (fourth from the left) with the Amelim (third and fourth graders) in the second session of 1981’s summer camp season. (photo from Camp Miriam)
I worked at Camp Miriam over four summers and, as I reflect on my time there, I am struck by how those four summers impacted my life as I got my post-secondary degrees, worked in the social services sector, started a private practice and eventually moved on to politics. In every leap, my experiences at Camp Miriam were there with me: the importance of caring for others who might be down on their luck, the role of personal responsibility in decision-making and how to make collective decisions.
As a Coquitlam city councilor from 2008 to 2011, I put these collective decision-making skills into practice often. I listened to my colleagues around the council table present their arguments and determined if I agreed or disagreed with the direction they wanted to go – it was just like an asefa (meeting) that a kvutsa (group) might have about how to spend their kupa (collective pot of money). It was in these meetings with 11- and 12-year-olds that I learned how important it was that everyone have an opportunity to have their say so that we could make the best decisions for the collective. I was able to carry this experience with me into my political life.
When I became BC minister of finance in 2020, I received a note from Leah Levi, Camp Miriam’s registrar at the time. She sent me a note of congratulations and included “make good decisions with the kupa.” I had a good chuckle, realizing that is exactly what I was responsible for, our province’s kupa, making spending decisions with the Treasury Board and the cabinet. Little did I know that my four years at Camp Miriam would come in handy as I managed our province’s finances as we navigated through a global pandemic.
Upon reflection, I believe that my ability to sit around a cabinet or council table and make collective decisions, my appreciation of the responsibility for managing the province’s kupa, and even my decision to walk away from government inaction as antisemitism continued to raise its ugly head, all stem from how Camp Miriam helped me understand what it means to be a proud Jew and what it takes to be an effective leader. Camp Miriam helped me to be the person that I am today and for that I am eternally grateful.
Selina Robinson was the MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville from 2013-2024 and a BC NDP cabinet minister from 2017 to 2024. She was fired from cabinet and left the BC NDP in early 2024. She wrote a memoir about her experiences, Truth Be Told, which is available on Amazon. For more information, visit selinarobinson.ca.
Canoe trips are a vital part of the camp experience, not only because of the physical activity they involve but also because of the deep personal growth they foster. (photo from Camp Hatikvah)
At Camp Hatikvah, one of the most enriching aspects of the summer experience for older campers is the out-tripping program. Designed to expose campers to the beauty of the outdoors while introducing them to a blend of adventure, skill-building and personal growth, the program is a cherished part of the Camp Hatikvah experience. It is also central to the camp’s mission of fostering resilience, independence and community.
Each year, the camp’s Kochot and staff-in-training (SIT) campers embark on canoe trips that vary in length and difficulty, ensuring that each trip is tailored to their abilities and experiences. These journeys are much more than a chance to paddle; they provide campers with opportunities to push their limits, learn new skills and bond with their peers.
Each year, the camp’s Kochot and staff-in-training (SIT) campers embark on canoe trips that vary in length and difficulty. (photo from Camp Hatikvah)
The Kochot campers are introduced to the concept of out-tripping through shorter trips that offer a taste of outdoor adventure. The one-night and two-night trips, depending on age, provide an introduction to sleeping outdoors, cooking meals and navigating the natural world. These trips are designed to balance activity and relaxation, with plenty of time for swimming and socializing, all within nature. For many, this is the first time they sleep away from home, and the experience is a significant milestone in their personal development.
As campers get older, the trips become more challenging. The SIT campers take on a more intensive excursion that tests their physical endurance and leadership abilities. The trek to Shuswap Lake involves paddling for several hours each day, setting up camp at new locations each night, and working together to navigate the challenges of outdoor living. Through this five-day journey, the SIT campers develop valuable life skills, including resilience, adaptability and teamwork.
Canoe trips are a vital part of the camp experience, not only because of the physical activity they involve but also because of the deep personal growth they foster. They teach campers about responsibility, independence and the importance of working as part of a team. Campers learn to rely on one another as they work together to navigate the water, set up camp and manage the logistics of living outdoors. They also gain a profound appreciation for the natural world, learning to respect and care for the environment while enjoying its beauty.
The lessons learned on these trips extend far beyond the trip itself. Campers return to camp with a stronger sense of self, greater confidence and a newfound appreciation for the outdoors and for their fellow campers. Whether they are paddling across a serene lake or cooking dinner under the stars, the skills they develop and the memories they create during these trips become an essential, and beautiful, part of the Camp Hatikvah experience.
