Jewish National Fund Pacific Region brought in IDF veteran Ari Zecher to speak. The talk, moderated by Geoffrey Druker, left, talked to a group at the Jewish Community Centre on Sept. 22. (photo from JNF-PR)
This Rosh Hashanah, the Vancouver Jewish community was visited by Ari Zecher, who served in the Israel Defence Forces Maglan special forces unit during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza this past summer.
Part of the Jewish National Fund’s High Holiday appeal to help build mobile bomb shelters in Israel, Zecher was invited to share his experience as a soldier and as a young Israeli during this tumultuous time. Speaking at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and at various synagogues, Zecher thanked the local Jewish community for its unfailing and ongoing support, and highlighted the need for young and fresh ideas to move Israel forward towards a peaceful future for future generations.
Ilan Pilo, Jerusalem emissary and executive director of JNF Pacific Region, said: “We are grateful to Ari for taking the time to interact with over 1,000 members across our community and for speaking candidly about Israel’s challenges and hopes. As in the past, this year, JNF will continue to dedicate its work to enhancing the invaluable bond between Israel and the Canadian Jewish community in general, and our Vancouver community in particular. JNF salutes everyone who has made, or will make, a donation towards the important cause of keeping children in Israel safe during such difficult and uncertain times.”
For more information on the JNF’s bomb shelter campaign, call 604-257-5155 or visit vancouver.jnf.ca.
“Thank you for the gift you gave us this coming year. You made our lives less challenging during these difficult times. We are very grateful for your help and support. We have just received the cheque from you. Thank you so much for all you are doing for our family.” – A beneficiary of Tikva Housing Society’s Esther Dayson Rent Subsidy Program
Sukkot is a holiday when we think about how fragile and exposed our lives can be without a proper roof over our heads. For many families in our community, living in a temporary shelter is not a short-term symbolic choice for the holidays; it is their permanent reality. Tikva Housing Society helps individuals and families pay their rent through a growing rent subsidy program.
The program began in 2011, when the board approved a subsidy for an individual who could not be housed at Tikva’s Dany Guincher House because there was a shortage of available units. Later that year, the Ben and Esther Dayson Charitable Foundation made a commitment to fund a rent subsidy program that would allow Tikva to extend its portfolio by housing people in private market units. The program thus became the Esther Dayson Rent Subsidy Program and grew large enough to subsidize seven households. In 2013, the Tikva fund subsidized three single and four family households for a total of 19 persons.
Since October 2011, Tikva has been involved in a Richmond development to administer 10 family apartments and, since December 2012, it’s been involved in Vancouver in a development of 32 townhouse units. As construction can take years to complete and the need for affordable housing is immediate, Tikva’s board decided to put greater emphasis into fundraising for the rent subsidy program. In 2014/15, with additional help from donors (such as the PAID Foundation and the Al Roadburg Foundation), Tikva will be able to house nine singles and eight families for a total of 39 persons.
During August and September 2014, the committee received 44 applications referred through the Jewish Family Service Agency, synagogues and Jewish day schools. All applications were point scored to determine the highest need. The top 20 applicants were interviewed. To date, agreements have been signed with 12 applicants. Of the 20 applicants interviewed, four singles and one family were homeless. The subsidy will allow all those funded to look for appropriate rental units to call home.
You may wonder what sort of poverty issues the 44 applicants for Tikva’s rent subsidy program experience. Here is a sampling of some of their stories.
Five of the applicants are homeless, living on the street, in shelters and couch surfing. One of the homeless applicants is a single father with three children who arrived in Vancouver in April 2013 after losing all they had during flooding in Saskatchewan. The Esther Dayson Rent Subsidy Program allowed this family to move out of the shelter where they were living and move into a three-bedroom apartment. The children will now be enrolled in the nearby school and the father will be able to look for work in the community.
A single woman moved to British Columbia from Alberta and does not meet the one-year residency requirement to apply for government rental assistance. Rents in Greater Vancouver are much higher than in Lethbridge, and her $1,100 pension barely allows her to pay $750 for rent, while leaving only $350 for all of her other expenses.
Another family of two parents and two small children lives in Surrey. They were relying solely on a disability pension after the husband was injured in a work-related accident that left him paralyzed. The wife looks after her husband and their small children and, therefore, cannot work outside the home.
While spending a cool evening in the sukkah, remember how important it is for each and every person to have the warmth and stability of his/her own home. For more information about the Tikva Housing rent subsidy program or to donate, visit tikvahousing.ca.
Susan J. Katzis a freelance writer, pastoral-care consultant and musician living in Vancouver. Her website is susanjkatz.com.
Entrepreneur Brian Scudamore’s success is due in part to lessons he learned from his grandparents about how to treat people. (photo from O2E)
When Brian Scudamore addressed business owners at Small Business BC’s Inspire event, held Sept. 29 at the Telus World of Science, his Jewish grandparents, Kenneth and Florence Lorber, were on his mind.
The founder of 1-800-Got-Junk? says they were the source of his inspiration, first-generation Americans who lived in San Francisco, owned a store called Lorber’s Surplus and, whenever possible, recruited the help of their grandson.
“I spent every summer and holiday working there and I learned a lot, especially from my grandfather,” Scudamore told the Independent. “He really cared about his employees and treated them like part of the family. Both my grandparents had a reputation on the street for being lovely people. They treated everyone with respect and would do anything to help other people. Even when homeless people came in to ask for money, they would listen to them, ask how they were and care about them.”
From his grandfather, Scudamore inherited the drive and ambition that would lead him to establish the company O2E, which stands for “Ordinary to Exceptional,” and includes the brands 1-800-Got-Junk?, Wow 1 Day Painting and You Move Me. The latter was created in 2013, inspired by a less-than-desirable experience with a local mover. In Scudamore’s version of a moving company, uniformed, trained movers bring coffee for clients on moving day and leave a housewarming plant when they go.
For 1-800-Got-Junk?, Scudamore’s goal is to double the company’s revenues from $100 million to $200 million by 2016. “We’re nearly there,” he said of the company that began in 1989 with $700 and a beat-up truck. Today, it’s the world’s largest junk removal service.
“It’s always about finding the right people, ensuring we consistently hire top-performing, A-players,” he said.
Back in 1994, not long after he started the company, he let go all 11 of his employees and started over from scratch. “I felt I hadn’t hired the right people and hadn’t spent time training them,” he recalled. “Today, we hire great people who have the potential to do great things.” What’s more, he goes out of his way to keep them happy.
He’s quick to attribute his success to his roots and the lessons he learned about how to treat people. Kenneth Lorber would take his employees out for a meal to thank them for their hard work. But, when you have 300 employees in Vancouver and Toronto, and 3,000 when you include the 200 franchise partners that stretch across North America and in Australia, a thank-you dinner isn’t quite possible. So, the innovative entrepreneur created the 101 Life Goals program, where his employees could list their measurable, specific goals and he could help them achieve them, when rewards were warranted.
“One employee wanted to get his scuba certification, so we signed him up for lessons. Another wanted a ride in a hot air balloon and a third wanted to read the book Anna Karenina in Russian, her father’s mother tongue. I found a copy in Moscow and had it shipped over to her. It’s just a little, creative way to thank someone with a personal connection that has meaning outside of the company,” he said.
Scudamore also attributes his success to having a clear vision of what he wants the future to look like. It hasn’t always seemed so bright and promising and he admitted there have been dark places in his life when he felt he wasn’t as successful as he wanted to be. “At that time, I sat down and sketched my vision for the future. It called for my company to be in 30 cities in North America, even though we were only in one at the time,” he explained. “We wanted to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show, too. All those things came through, and I believe that having the vision is a big piece of the puzzle.”
Adopted into a Jewish family as an infant, Scudamore said his Jewishness keeps him connected to his family and gives him a deeper appreciation of “the culture of community and connectedness. I’m not a very religious person,” he admitted, “but I’m very connected to the religion and community side of my mother’s side of the family.”
Habonim Dror Camp Miriam madrichim (counselors) partnered with Temple Sholom during the recent teacher’s strike, with the formation of a Habonim Day Camp.
Lior Bar-El (photo from Lior Bar-El)
Lior Bar-El, a madrich at Camp Miriam and Habonim Day Camp, and a University of British Columbia student, explained, “We thought it was important to support both the parents and the teachers during the strike by providing affordable child care to whoever needs it.”
Camp Miriam and Habonim Day Camp madricha Carmel Laniado, also a UBC student, explained, “The purpose of Habonim Day Camp is to create a space where children can be supervised and enjoy activities of experiential education [by donation]. We are not replacing teachers or school, but rather offering an alternative while the strike [is on].”
Talking to the JI while the camp was still ongoing, Laniado said that the day camp was open to all children, “regardless of association with Camp Miriam or religious background.”
“At different times of the day, different age groups do sports, music, arts and crafts, and experiential education on a topic of the counselor’s choice,” Bar-El said. “There is also an hour for lunch and half an hour for recess.” He added that the camp was “available to anyone grades K-11” and that more than 30 children had registered.
Carmel Laniado (photo by Sydney Switzer)
Yossi Argov, Habonim Dror Camp Miriam shaliach, shared that his “favorite part has been seeing how … so many people mobilized for the mission. The madrichim came with the idea, the camp committee [supported them] and we start[ed the ball rolling], and [we received] more help and support from the Jewish community. Temple Sholom gave us their building every day, while parents sent supplies and items like books and board games with their kids.”
Starting this initiative “was exciting and nerve-racking,” said Bar-El. “I’ve never had as much support in starting a project from so many dedicated people…. There was a lot to do – emails, advertising, lesson plans, registration, schedules – and everyone took on what they could, and made it all happen.”
Habonim Day Camp included the involvement of “a little over 20 counselors that came in at different times of the day,” Bar-El shared. “Everything was structured in hour blocks to allow us to coordinate times” because many of the madrichim “are full-time university students with varying schedules, when one of us [needed] to go to class, someone [would come and take] your place.”
Yossi Argov (photo from Yossi Argov)
Melody Robens-Paradise, a member of the Camp Miriam personnel committee and mother of four Camp Miriam campers, shared, “I think it is amazing how Temple Sholom offered its space for this idea. What a collaboration. It is a sign of true community, and it is so inspiring to see the mutual support of the parents, the kids, the counselors, the Temple, the youth movement.”
She added that Habonim Day Camp “has been such a relief.” Speaking to the Independent when her kids were still attending the camp, she said, “My kids are safe and happy, engaged, and the level of stress caused by the strike is greatly reduced. My colleagues who have school-aged children were completely blown away by the innovation and generosity and [support] of the Habonim Dror counselors. They kept asking me, ‘What camp is that?’ No one could believe that Grade 12 and university-age counselors would volunteer their time to support their community in that way. It is so admirable.”
The students responsible for starting this initiative are all members of Habonim Dror, which, Bar-El explained, is “a worldwide Jewish socialist labor Zionist youth movement whose main focus is youth empowerment and collective responsibility and decision-making…. We believe that equality and social justice are intrinsic values of Judaism, and we strive to do tikkun olam (repairing the world) wherever we see a need.”
During the year, Habonim Dror and Camp Miriam are involved in both the local Jewish and social justice communities. Bar-El elaborated, “We run something called the Ken (‘nest’ in Hebrew), where we run activities twice a month for different age groups throughout the year. It’s a great opportunity for kids who are nervous about jumping straight into a three-week session in the summer to try out Camp Miriam, and to make friends with other kids who will also be there.
“We also run free tutoring at the JCC [Waldman Library] on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4:30-6 p.m., and three weekend-long seminars during the school year, and we are members of the Metro Vancouver Alliance (MVA). If you want your child to get involved in Camp Miriam and the Vancouver Ken, please contact Yossi Argov at [email protected].”
Zach Sagorin is a Vancouver freelance writer. He is involved with Habonim Dror in various capacities.
World ORT’s Nechama Kenig, a Kadima Mada professional from Israel, was here in May with colleague Udi Gibory. (photo from ORT Vancouver)
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, ORT Vancouver hosts its Annual Card Party at Richmond Country Club. All funds are designated to the ORT Vancouver Smart Classroom Program.
Vancouver has been chosen by ORT Canada to introduce the ORT Israel-designed Smart Classrooms. This is a grassroots, first-of-its-kind joint venture in education between Israel and Vancouver, which is being locally implemented at King David High School and Richmond Jewish Day School.
This project provides significant educational enrichment to both primary and secondary students, preparing them for a future of technological advancements. The students have hands-on interaction with the Smart Classroom equipment and they work in collaboration with their teachers and their fellow classmates. An added benefit of the program is that students feel more positive about learning, and gain greater confidence and fulfillment from their educational experience.
The Oct. 22 ORT card party happens 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Admission is $50 (lunch included) and a partial tax receipt will be issued. Abba Brodt, principal at RJDS will offer a Smart Classroom update. For table reservations and information, contact Lois Gumprich, 604-731-0507, [email protected]; Beverly Pinsky, 604-538-9597 (until Oct. 20), [email protected]; or Mary Tobin, 604-276-9282, [email protected].
Sandy Chernoff, left, with honoree Bonnie Belzberg. (photo from CHW Vancouver Centre)
On Sept. 21, Vancouver Centre council of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW) held its opening event, a brunch with a fashion show and a program honoring volunteer Bonnie Belzberg. The event drew more than 120 women, who came to offer kavod (honor) to Belzberg, as well as to see the fall fashions from Stepin Out, a ladies store in Steveston.
Bev Corber, the council president gave opening remarks followed by a tribute given by Belzberg’s lifelong friend Sandy Chernoff.
Babs Cohen on the fashion runway. (photo from CHW Vancouver Centre)
According to Chernoff, Belzberg has been an ardent Zionist since her early years at Camp Biluim and as a counselor at Camp Hatikvah. Although she moved to Edmonton to earn her bachelor of education from the University of Alberta and subsequently moved to California and Seattle with her husband and young family, they found their way back to Vancouver, where Belzberg’s participation in CHW began in earnest.
She has used her organizational skills, sense of humor and people skills in the leadership roles she has taken on since her early years in her chapter, chairing the Hadassah Bazaar and as a president of the Vancouver council. Recognized as a natural leader, Belzberg ultimately rose to become a national vice-president of CHW, where she proudly and ably represented Vancouver and British Columbia.
Belzberg remains an involved, integral part of the organization in Vancouver. She continues to contribute in many ways to support the many projects Canadian donors make possible, helping women, children and funding health care in Israel.
In her remarks, Belzberg expressed gratitude to CHW for giving her an outlet for her great interest in problem solving. She mentioned the friendships that she enjoyed with the women in the organization and, of course, thanked her family for their support.
The event concluded with an eclectic group of “Hadassah Ladies” from a range of age groups acting as models for 18 different ensembles. From shoes to hats and everything in between, the women of CHW showcased fashions that included Canadian-made clothing and shoes made in Israel. Fashion show coordinator Toby Rubin described the clothing, adding interesting details about the composition of fabric, where the clothing was designed and manufactured, as well as pointing out fashion trends for this fall. Three pointers: hearts are a big motif in jewelry, grey is the go-to color this season and boots with bling on the heel match everything.
Keep an eye out for future CHW Vancouver activities, including a Chanukah party. Although CHW has traditionally been organized into chapters, locally the organization is offering events that are open to all women. Visit chw.ca/vancouver for more information.
The new LEED Gold-equivalent synagogue now faces 28th Avenue. (photo by Jan Lee)
The energy was palpable last Sunday, Sept. 14, as congregants from Vancouver’s oldest Conservative synagogue gathered outside the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. Everything was ready for the procession. The ark, which had been rolled out of its temporary home in JCCGV’s senior centre sat nearby, housing the synagogue’s three Torahs. Congregants were dressed in their best sun hats, and everyone had their walking shoes on.
Baalat Tefillah Debby Fenson and congregants escort the Torah to its new home. (photo by Jan Lee)
Even Vancouver’s weather was cooperating, with warm temperatures set for the unprecedented celebration. The members of Congregation Beth Israel, who had trepidatiously turned their synagogue over to architects and builders almost two years ago, were ready to return home.
A little more than a kilometre away, a new building sat in the final stages of construction, with a new address and a sweeping landscaped entrance facing the quieter side street. The makeover, which had been more than a decade in planning, was coming to fruition.
For the congregation’s 630-plus families, its upgrade represents more than the loving reconstruction of a 1940s landmark. As BI president Peter Lutsky lightheartedly said, the makeover is BI’s latest stage in “re-jew-venation,” a process that has been a part of the synagogue’s life and identity since the 1970s, when the first major retrofit took place to accommodate an aging building and a burgeoning membership. And it’s a process, said Lutsky, that has built itself upon the congregation’s belief that more than 80 years after its founding, it can still transform itself to meet new needs and new perspectives of what makes a Conservative Jewish community.
For today’s BI community, said Rabbi Jonathan Infeld, that concept is embodied by its inclusiveness; a divergence from the synagogue’s earlier image when elevators were added “as an afterthought,” where the bima towered high above the congregants and families had to decide between the responsibilities of child-minding and the desire to attend services.
Cantor Lawrence Szenes-Strauss leads the community in song. (photo by Jan Lee)
Those elements have now been factored into the synagogue’s structure. “We have a play-and-pray space right next to the sanctuary so that young families will be able to have their children playing in a room that is right next to the sanctuary,” said Infeld.
It’s a vision that keeps pace with today’s Canadian concepts of inclusiveness as well, in which mobility needs don’t restrict one’s ability to participate in community. All areas are physically accessible, including the bima, which is set low to the ground.
“This is certainly part of our consciousness: making sure everyone feels welcome and is able to enter and utilize the building is certainly important,” Infeld explained.
Getting to this point, however, has taken much more than planning. It’s taken constant fundraising, almost all of which has been raised within the BI community.
“We’ve raised over $16 million from our Beth Israel community,” much of which was done, said Lutsky, through the strength and dedication of its fundraisers, who applied themselves round the clock for years to raising the necessary capital for each stage of the reconstruction. He likened each gradual success to completing “another link in the chain” of progress.
Rabbi Jonathan Infeld and Cantor Lawrence Szenes-Strauss celebrate outside the synagogue. (photo by Adele Lewin Photography)
Lutsky credited Gary Averbach, who spearheaded the capital campaign, and Shannon Etkin, the synagogue’s executive director, for the far-sightedness that allowed the congregation to raise the funds and, at the same time, meet the opening deadline on time, with a Torah procession and a gala dinner to follow.
Later, Etkin told the Jewish Independent that the day went on without a hitch, with some 400 people at the opening, and a sold-out 500-seat dinner.
“We hope that’s a good portrayal of things to come for BI in the future and all other events we have here,” said Etkin, who added that the greatest gratification was seeing “the surprise on the faces of our members who couldn’t believe this new synagogue was actually here.”
Cantor Lawrence Szenes-Strauss said that, from his perspective, the greatest takeaway from the opening was the engagement he saw on people’s faces as they accompanied the Torahs the last block and a half to the shul. Due to the distance from the JCCGV, the Torahs were accompanied to two vehicles in the JCCGV parking lot, and then escorted by car to the corner of Willow and 28th, where the community reunited and joined in song the rest of the way to the shul.
“It was fun,” he said. “People were excited. [They] were dancing all the way up there; it’s the way it ought to be.” He said he hoped the excitement that he saw would carry forth into future events as the community settled into its new surroundings.
Beth Israel executive director Shannon Etkin lifts the Torah during the dedication of the new building. (photo by Adele Lewin Photography)
“I think what we saw there was a hint of how Simchat Torah could be, for example,” added Szenes-Strauss, who was optimistic that the move would encourage more turnout. “If we treat the chaggim, and even Shabbat, with that much anticipation, then we can boost our already high energy levels to a new point. And I think we’re going to have a natural boost now that we’re here.”
Infeld said that amid the festivities, it was important to remember the point of this reconstruction, which was to provide a home and a place for the community to come together, to celebrate, to grow, but always with the cognizance that “building is the container of the spirit” that embodies Judaism. “Ultimately, we are more concerned about the soul of the synagogue; that is why we exist,” he said. “And we are delighted to have a physical building that will facilitate all of the important and hard work we are doing, all the programming and building of community…. Ultimately, whatever the building is, wherever we are, Congregation Beth Israel is dedicated to bringing Jews closer to God, Torah and Israel. That is our primary existence, [and] we must not lose sight of this.”
Gardening is just one of the new activities keeping kids engaged on land at Camp Hatikvah. (photo from Camp Hatikvah)
Fun on water and land Located on a stunning peninsula in the Okanagan and surrounded by water on three of its four sides, Camp Hatikvah has always had the reputation of being a water-based activity camp. “Our natural surroundings allow us to offer a plethora of waterfront activities, including swimming, waterskiing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and more,” said camp director Liza Rozen-Delman.
Historically, the waterfront was the most popular place to be at Hatikvah, as a result of the numerous water activities offered, but that changed this summer when the camp unveiled a host of new land-based program options. While still taking advantage of the spectacular weather and waterfront, campers are now equally as engaged on land.
During summer 2014, Camp Hatikvah launched several new programs, including ceramics, drumming, gardening and nature, karate, outdoor adventure, self-defence and volleyball. Camp Hatikvah hired specialists to provide instruction in basketball, dance, fitness, tennis, yoga and various other sports.
Danna Marks, president of the Camp Hatikvah Foundation, explained, “The goal of the program change is to offer our campers a more well-balanced selection of activities to choose from. We are still offering all of the old camp favorites like arts and crafts and tzofiut (scouting), but have added additional options and improved old models to really engage our campers in a more meaningful and rewarding way.”
Hatikvah has also recently updated its program facilities, adding an archery field, a gaga pit, a baseball diamond and an outdoor garden. Additionally, the camp added a new water jungle gym, all new sailboats and eight new paddleboards.
When asked about the benefits of the new programming,
Rozen-Delman said, “The new program options are great and everyone was thrilled by the changes. The true value of the program, however, is not measured by what participants do all day but how they do it. The new programs encouraged campers to try new things and challenge themselves in meaningful ways. Through this, their confidence has grown and their feeling of accomplishment soared. This is what I am most excited about and proud of, because I believe that this is what a camp experience is really about.”
Registration for Hatikvah 2015 opens Oct. 1. For more information, visit camphatikvah.com.
A study for the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness led by a Simon Fraser University master’s student has found that a disproportionate number of people chronically staying in Victoria’s emergency shelters are seniors.
Hannah Rabinovitch conducted the longitudinal study on emergency shelter use patterns in Victoria under the MITACS Accelerate Program, in partnership with the Centre for Addictions Research at the University of Victoria. The SFU public policy master’s student examined data collected between April 2010 and May 2014.
The study tracked 4,332 individuals and examined nearly 46,000 shelter records. More than 85 percent of users accessed shelters for short periods, meaning only once or twice – findings that point to the need for affordable housing and preventative measures, according to the study.
Another 13.6 percent accessed the shelters five times over the four years with average stays of 30 days. The remaining 1.5 percent, many of them seniors, had stayed four to five times with average stays of six months.
As a former emergency shelter worker in Victoria, Rabinovitch, now a Vancouver resident, said she finds these results worrisome but not shocking. “I was stunned by the number of seniors with complex physical and mental health problems regularly seeking refuge in emergency shelters. I kept thinking emergency shelters aren’t supposed to become discharge plans for hospitals that aren’t equipped to keep them long term.”
She said the data also indicates that “women and youth are underrepresented in this study,” meaning their numbers don’t reflect the extent to which they are homeless. “For example, it’s widely known in research that homeless women avoid emergency shelters for fear they’re unsafe and that their children will be apprehended, and because they lack women’s beds.”
Rabinovitch conducted the study under the supervision of Bernie Pauly, a scientist at UVic’s Centre for Addictions Research and associate professor in UVic’s School of Nursing, and Doug McArthur, a professor and director of SFU’s public policy program.
Pauly said it’s important to maintain strategies that address the needs of different groups and make efficient use of resources. “Those experiencing temporary homelessness would benefit from rapid re-housing, more emergency cash assistance and rental subsidies to prevent or quickly address homelessness. Those with re-occurring episodes of homelessness would benefit from programs that combine intensive supports with housing.”
Rabbi Carey Brown presents at LimmudVan ’14. (photo from Limmud Vancouver)
The inaugural event of Limmud Vancouver received rave reviews for its diverse and engaging presenters. The second annual festival of culture, creativity and learning promises to be even better.
Would you like to be part of this fascinating, thought-provoking and inspirational event? Organizers are now searching for presenters with ideas for sessions at LimmudVan ’15.
Here is an opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise with eager learners. A teaching certificate is not necessary. Limmud especially values the notion that everyone has something to teach and much to learn from others.
The Limmud weekend will begin with an interactive evening program on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, followed by a full day of sessions on Sunday, Feb. 1, at Eric Hamber Secondary School.
It is the daylong program for which Limmud is inviting proposals for presentations. Submissions from presenters will be accepted until Oct. 15. The program will be confirmed in November. Tickets for the event will go on sale soon afterwards.
What is your passion? The sessions could be on any topic with a Jewish component. Proposals for sessions for families and children are welcome. How you share your knowledge is up to you – lecture, study group, storytelling, panel discussion, dance or maybe poetry slam.
An important aspect of Limmud is that volunteers run the event. Presenters at the front of the room in one session become participants in other sessions. Everyone pays the registration fee; no one is paid or receives an honorarium for sharing their knowledge at Limmud.
The full array of sessions at LimmudVan ’14 are on the Limmud Vancouver website. New and seasoned presenters are invited to submit proposals to limmudvancouver.ca/present – Share. Learn. Teach.
