Fran Drescher, best known for the TV show The Nanny, among other comedic roles, enraptured audience members at the Jewish Federation annual campaign launch Sept. 8. She offered deeply vulnerable descriptions of being raped and of surviving cancer, and the related mental health impacts these life-altering events sparked.
The presentation was the centrepoint of an evening dedicated to the topic of mental wellness. Actor, neuroscientist and Jeopardy host Mayim Bialik joined live from Los Angeles along with her partner and podcast cohost Jonathan Cohen. Their podcast, Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, is focused on myths and misunderstandings about mental health and emotional well-being. They were interviewed by Globe and Mail reporter Marsha Lederman.
A panel of local experts completed the evening. Alisa Farina, Federation’s new child and youth mental health worker, Danya Rogen, a social worker who specializes in mood disorders, Dr. Annie Simpson, a clinical psychologist focused on childhood anxiety, and Tanja Demajo, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Services, shared reflections with Dr. Sandy Penn Whitehouse, a pediatrician and clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia and medical director at B.C. Children’s Hospital.
Lana Marks Pulver, chair of the campaign, opened the event. Candace Kwinter, chair of the Federation board, introduced a video on mental wellness. Sue Hector, chair of women’s philanthropy, introduced Drescher. Federation chief executive officer Ezra Shanken closed the event. King David High School Vocal Ensemble led the Canadian and Israeli national anthems.
The Jerusalem Business Development Centre (known in Hebrew by the acronym MATI) makes a direct contribution to shared living, and two leaders of the Israeli organization will visit British Columbia next month. (photo from CFHU Vancouver)
Shared living in Jerusalem takes many forms and, even during periods of unrest and tension, shared living continues for many people in the city. In the public spaces of Jerusalem, you will find Arabs and Jews and many others. They share the same spaces but they rarely have meaningful interactions and they often don’t even share the same language for communication.
The challenge of building bridges, trust and communication between diverse population groups has been one of the mandates of the Jerusalem Foundation since its establishment. For many years, it has created new community centres, cultural venues and parks and schools for all neighbourhoods across the city, working to ensure that equal access to services and leisure could be achieved.
The foundation supports programs for learning Arabic in Jewish schools and Hebrew in Arabic-speaking schools, assisting Jewish and Arab women in creating art together, in increasing their skills and employment opportunities, in finding ways for Jewish and Arab children to learn together, to play together, to understand what they have in common and not what makes them different.
Jerusalem is home to the Hebrew University which, like the city, encompasses students from a mosaic of religions, languages, ethnicities, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. The university leadership understands that this rich diversity is a precondition for academic excellence, critical examination, intellectual stimulation and the cultivation of the next generation of Israeli and regional leaders. Over the past decade, Hebrew University has devoted considerable efforts and resources to social and academic inclusion, as well as support of traditionally underrepresented populations.
The Israeli public elementary and high school system is separated for Arab and Jewish youth, as well as for religious and secular Jews and many places of residence are homogenous. Campuses, therefore, have great potential for shaping students’ perceptions and views regarding fairness, diversity and inclusion. Indeed, a positive campus experience will motivate university graduates from all groups in society to work alongside those from other groups in the workforce and to function as agents of change in their communities.
There are many challenges to shared living in Jerusalem, yet both the Jerusalem Foundation and Hebrew University believe that the diversity of Jerusalem is the city’s greatest asset and creates the resilience and strength needed to face all challenges for living together.
The Jerusalem Business Development Centre (known in Hebrew by the acronym MATI), which was founded by the Jerusalem Foundation in 1991 to strengthen and develop small businesses and entrepreneurship in the city, makes a direct contribution to shared living. The centre focuses on the city’s weakest economic populations: new immigrants, the ultra-Orthodox and East Jerusalem residents. Each year, MATI Jerusalem helps thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners create or expand businesses in the city, thus aiding in the creation of thousands of new jobs and advancing the city’s overall economic development.
A joint project of Hebrew U and the Asper Innovation Centre, together with the Jerusalem Foundation and MATI, sponsored microloans for women in East Jerusalem and led to the establishment of a full-time MATI centre in East Jerusalem.
Hebrew U established the Al-Bashair Program for Excellence in East Jerusalem, with the Jerusalem Municipality, as a leadership program for excelling students at the university from East Jerusalem. They attend a two-year program that includes leadership skills, internships, tours and career support. Al-Bashair for High Schools aims to prepare excellent high school students (grades 10-12) for higher education.
On Oct. 27 and 30, the Jerusalem Foundation of Canada and Canadian Friends of Hebrew University will bring the women leaders from MATI to Victoria then Vancouver, to tell their story and, through them, the story of Jerusalem. Michal Shaul Vulej, deputy chief executive officer, and Reham Abu Snineh, East Jerusalem manager, will speak about their experiences in East and West Jerusalem, and working to help empower and support underserved communities in workforce development and business opportunities. Their visit across Canada is sponsored by the Asper Foundation. In Vancouver, the visit is organized in partnership with the Jerusalem Foundation, CFHU and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver.
Kolot Mayim Reform Temple in Victoria is presenting a new season of its Building Bridges speakers series. The 2022/23 lineup will highlight the theme of Hineini: Answering the Call to Heal the World.
The Hebrew word Hineini can be translated as “Here I Am.” The series of six talks includes local, national and international speakers who have each in their own way stood up to create positive change in the world from a uniquely Jewish perspective. The monthly talks are offered free of charge and held on select Sundays from November to April on Zoom.
Beginning Nov. 6, 11 a.m. PST, the first speaker will be Rabbi Allan Finkel. Finkel is a Reform rabbi at Temple Shalom in Winnipeg. He will address the topic of Addiction in the Jewish Community and Jewish-based Recovery.
On Dec. 4, Elissa Bemporad, a widely published historian and professor at Queens College and the Graduate Centre – City University of New York, will speak on History is Not Destiny: Thoughts about the Russian War Against Ukraine and the Jewish Past in the Region.
Starting off the 2023 portion of the season will be Sari Shernofsky, a retired community chaplain from the Calgary Jewish community. On Jan. 6, Shernofsky will speak about Stories from the Narrow Bridge: Meeting People in their Time of Need. She will discuss her journey to chaplaincy, the patients she traveled with, spirituality and aging, and medical assistance in dying (MAiD).
Morton Weinfeld, professor of sociology and chair of Canadian ethnic studies at McGill University, recently published an updated edition of his book Like Everyone Else But Different. His Feb. 5 talk is titled Like Everyone Else But Different: The Jewish Glass is Half Full.
Pat Johnson, writer, organizer, entrepreneur and Jewish Independent editorial board member, will highlight his work with Upstanders Canada, an organization he founded to mobilize non-Jewish Canadians to stand up against antisemitism and anti-Zionism. His March 5 talk, Standing Up to Antisemitism, will explain coordinated steps anyone can follow to create a positive difference.
Rabbi Suzanne Singer, a former journalist and a Reform rabbi from Temple Beth El in California, will wrap up the series on April 6. With a history of leadership at Kolot Mayim, Singer will talk about Hope: How Do We Find Hope in a World with Unending Problems?
The word Hineini occurs 17 times in Hebrew scripture and is said at pivotal moments when profound change is about to take place. Kolot Mayim Reform Temple is an inclusive, welcoming congregation led by Rabbi Lynn Greenhough, who reminds us that, “Our world today cries out for responsive and responsible change; each of us can do our part in helping with that healing and transformative change.”
To register for any or all of the six talks that comprise the 2022/23 Building Bridges series, visit kolotmayimreformtemple.com.
Anat Gogo, new executive director of Tikva Housing Society. (photo from Tikva Housing)
Anat Gogo is the new executive director of Tikva Housing Society. Gogo took over leadership of the affordable housing society on Sept. 1, after several years in other senior roles with the organization.
In making the announcement, Rhonda Sacks, board chair of the society, praised Gogo.
“As we welcome Rosh Hashanah and this exciting next chapter on an unprecedented growth trajectory, we are very pleased to welcome Anat as our new executive director and have full confidence in her ability to lead Tikva Housing,” said Sacks.
“The affordable housing issues in our communities across British Columbia continue to grow,” said Gogo. “I am honoured to take on the role of executive director and to continue the mission and vision of Tikva Housing.”
Originally from Israel, Gogo moved to Canada in 1991. She has worked with Tikva since 2016, initially as a housing administrator. In April 2020, she became manager of programs and donor relations.
“I feel very excited and very blessed to take over the management of the organization,” Gogo told the Independent. “I feel like I will be able to act on the mission and vision of Tikva and the values that it was formed on, which are dignity, community, innovation and tikkun olam [repair of the world].”
Tikva originated in 1994 as the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver Non-Profit Housing Society, a response to the housing needs identified in the Jewish community. The name was changed to Tikva Housing Society in 2007.
An artist’s rendering of Susana Cogan Place, which is one of Tikva Housing Society’s many partner projects. (photo from tikvahousing.org)
Tikva’s mission is to provide access to innovative and affordable housing solutions, primarily for Jewish individuals and families. The agency addresses housing issues through a range of initiatives, including short-term rent subsidies to households living in market housing who are unable to afford their rent due to a temporary crisis.
More visibly, the society acquires and operates affordable rental housing developments, which are home to individuals and families with low incomes. Tenants pay about 30% of their income in rent.
To realize their mission Tikva focuses on partnerships. Tikva currently operates a constellation of housing facilities that have been created through alliances with other government, community and private groups.
Dany Guincher House, in South Vancouver, has 11 units and is funded through capital donations from the Guincher family and a B.C. Housing grant.
Diamond Residences, also known as Storeys, in Richmond, is a 129-unit joint venture with four other housing societies and with capital funding from the Diamond Foundation, the City of Richmond and the federal and provincial governments, as well as other private funders. In it, Tikva owns and operates 18 units.
The 32-unit Ben and Esther Dayson Residences, in Vancouver’s River District, was completed in August 2020 in partnership with the Community Land Trust Foundation and the City of Vancouver. It was made possible with a major capital donation from the Ben and Esther Dayson Charitable Foundation. Sixty-seven children currently live in this development, a specific need Tikva identified.
“We are living in one of the most unaffordable places in the world,” said Gogo. “While all levels of government are focusing on increasing the inventory of affordable homes, the majority of this new inventory are studio, one- and two-bedroom units. This leaves a real void for families in need.”
Tikva operates 37 units in the 125-unit xwƛ̓əpicən / Arbutus Centre. The centre is a partnership led by the YWCA, which leased the air space from the City of Vancouver and subleased it to Tikva and the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia. Rents are subsidized through private donations, including a substantial initial donation from the Diamond Foundation.
In total, Tikva operates 98 housing units, all of which are always occupied, said Gogo, and there is a long and growing waitlist.
Currently under development is Dogwood Gardens, which is being created in partnership with SUCCESS Affordable Housing Society and a leased air space parcel from the City of Vancouver, as well as Susana Cogan Place, in Burnaby, which is in partnership with Polygon Homes and with the financial support of B.C. Housing. The completion of these two projects will bring Tikva’s total number of units to 148.
Tikva was led by Susana Cogan until she passed away in 2017. Since 2018, Tikva has been led by Alice Sundberg, director of operations and housing development.
Vanessa Trester, manager of the Weinberg Residence, speaks to those gathered at the 20th anniversary party. (photos by Galit Lewinski)
The Weinberg Residence has just entered its 20th year. The assisted living and multi-level care facility opened in 2003 as the city’s first Jewish residence for people who choose the round-the-clock care and companionship they might not have at home. A celebration took place Aug. 21.
Sandra Bressler, who just completed her term as chair of the Weinberg Residence board, cuts the birthday cake while Vanessa Trester, manager of the residence, looks on. (photo by Galit Lewinski)
The Weinberg is located at the Dr. Irving and Phyliss Snider Campus for Jewish Seniors, which is also the location of the Louis Brier Home and Hospital. While the residents and staff are celebrating this anniversary milestone, plans are afoot for big changes in the years to come.
The Weinberg, which is a private, but not-for-profit, facility, opened at a time when the idea of assisted living was relatively fresh. The concept is a step between fully independent housing and supportive living – residents are able to live independently but sometimes need or desire a little assistance with things like personal care, and they enjoy the liberty of not having to cook.
The Weinberg includes a kosher dining room and special meals for Jewish holidays, as well as private dining for family events. There is 24-hour staffing, as well as a range of cultural, therapeutic and recreational activities. The Chava and Abrasha Wosk Synagogue is located on the campus, with regular and holiday services available without having to leave the premises.
The multi-level nature of the facility means it can welcome people across a large span of ages and physical needs.
“What’s really unique about the 24-hour care unit is the different residency options that historically we’ve offered within the unit,” said Vanessa Trester, manager of the Weinberg Residence. In addition to the assisted living option, there is the possibility of convalescence periods, post-surgery recovery, shorter stays, including for out-of-town guests who need support, as well as palliative support.
Dr. Norman Stein, who has been a resident at the Weinberg Residence since it opened, speaks at the residence’s recent 20th anniversary party. (photo by Galit Lewinski)
Trends in senior living have had an impact on the Weinberg, as they have had on all such facilities. Health authorities are encouraging aging in place, with governments funding more services to keep people at home longer and out of institutional care. As a result, said Trester, residents tend to be coming to the Weinberg at a later age than they might have in times past.
“It just means people are coming later in life,” she said. People who come in their 90s, rather than their 70s or 80s, will most likely have higher needs and require additional services upon first arrival.
“We see more people who are requiring 24-hour care,” said Trester. “The longer people wait, the more their needs increase.”
The residence was built by the Jewish community, Trester stresses, who raised $11 million to make it a reality.
“We are the Jewish campus,” she said. “So there should be a lot of pride and contentment from the community.”
However, like so many other institutions in Vancouver’s Jewish community, the Weinberg and the entire Snider campus are facing dramatic changes.
The campus is located kitty-corner to the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, whose $450 million redevelopment plan, called JWest, represents the most ambitious construction project in the history of Jewish Vancouver. Originally considered as part of that project, the 4.3-acre Snider Campus site will be revamped independently.
“There are tentative plans in place for Louis Brier redevelopment,” said Dr. David Keselman, chief executive officer of the Louis Brier Home and Hospital and Weinberg Residence. “There are assumptions of what it should be, can be and may be. It all really depends on approvals from the City of Vancouver, funding from Vancouver Coastal Health, all this kind of stuff.”
Management is in the due diligence stage, Keselman said. But even though the Weinberg Residence is far newer than the Louis Brier Home that shares the campus, both institutions are almost certain to be replaced in the future.
“The new build, of course, will be looking at going up versus horizontal,” Keselman said. “It depends on what the decisions are going to be, and approvals we get in the end, how big that building is going to be and how many beds it’s going to end up being.”
The Brier began as a seven-room seniors facility 70 years ago. It has transformed, grown and moved over the decades – and time marches on.
Timing of the redevelopment also depends on how fast approvals can be obtained, plans are finalized, costs are determined and funds are raised. “I’m going to say anywhere between eight to 12 years,” Keselman said.
A photo break at the Okanagan Jewish Community’s annual picnic and barbecue. (photo from OJC)
The Okanagan Jewish Community (OJC), centred in Kelowna, has grown tremendously in the last few years. Those living in the big cities seem to be looking for the slower lifestyle that the Okanagan has to offer. People from Vancouver, Toronto and cities in the United States are discovering the beauty here and acclimatizing very quickly to their newfound home. As the Okanagan blossoms, its Jewish population grows along with it.
OJC provides a place where the region’s Jewish community can find commonality and a sense of belonging. It supports the timeless traditions of Judaism from across the diaspora and throughout history.
Comprised of the unaffiliated Beth Shalom Synagogue and the Okanagan Jewish Community Centre, OJC members from diverse Jewish backgrounds come together to create a welcoming, pluralistic congregation that conducts services and celebrates holidays in an all-inclusive manner. The community has historically maintained an active involvement and a strong presence in the culturally diverse Okanagan community-at-large. As a result, it has evolved to be a progressive community with a growing and enthusiastic membership.
Rabbi Tom Samuels, OJC’s spiritual leader, in front of their community centre. (photo from OJC)
OJC developed in the 1970s and ’80s with a group of local Jews meeting in houses and rented church and hotel halls. It formalized in the early 1980s by becoming a nonprofit organized society in British Columbia. Also in the 1980s, a cemetery was purchased, which was consecrated by Rabbi Emil Klein. In the 1990s, the OJC building was built under the leadership of the late Mel Kotler.
For several decades, services were conducted by local lay leaders, visiting student rabbis from the Reform movement and visiting cantors and rabbis from Western Canada. In July 2021, with the help of generous donors and foundations, OJC was able to hire its first full-time resident rabbi – Rabbi Tom Samuels.
Samuels, who was born and grew up in Toronto and spent the last many years in the Chicago area, now leads OJC’s weekly Shabbat services and its holiday events, as well as the children’s Hebrew school. He teaches bar/bat mitzvah classes and meets members and potential new members. The advantages to the Jewish community in Kelowna of having rabbinic leadership have become obvious.
Some 120 people attended the OJC’s Passover seder this year. (photo from OJC)
On top of the religious programming, there has been a host of cultural and social programs this year, ranging from Kelowna multicultural events, like Canada Day and West Kelowna Multicultural Day, to the many OJC activities: OJC’s annual summer picnic and barbeque; monthly Shabbat dinners and traditional services; a Passover seder attended by well over 120 people; Skate and Schmooze at a downtown outdoor skating rink; What’s your Chai-Q? games night; a Tu b’Shevat seder; and a film festival. OJC also has hosted several educational programs with international guest speakers. These included Are Your Grandparents from the Shtetl? with Evgenia Kempinski, from Haifa; Following King David to the Stronghold of Ein Gedi, with Sharona Liman, from Kfar Saba; Journey to Freedom – 1940, with Monique Rubens Krahn of the Sousa Mendes Foundation, New Jersey; and a special trans-Canada event, The Sepharad – The Greatest Story Never Told, featuring Dr. Isaac Amon, Jewish Heritage Alliance, New York City.
More events are being planned for the fall and beyond. For those interested in further information about OJC, visit ojcc.ca, email [email protected] or call 250-862-2350. Or visit the community in person!
Steven Finklemanis a member of the Okanagan Jewish Community.
Every election gives us the power to make a difference. Every election is an opportunity to make an impact. This municipal election, you can make both happen.
The past two years have seen British Columbians head to the ballot boxes more than once. A provincial government was elected in 2020, a federal one in 2021 and, now, we’ll be completing the trifecta on Oct. 15, with municipal elections. This makes it the perfect time to sign up to volunteer on the campaign of your choice.
Municipal elections are unique because voters are electing multiple officials, including a mayor, city councilors, school board trustees and, depending on the municipalities or regional districts, a slew of other positions, such as park board commissioners, rural directors and more. These are all opportunities for the Jewish community to build relationships with candidates and incoming elected representatives.
The job of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) is to encourage the Jewish and pro-Israel community to get engaged in politics and to facilitate that involvement.
CJPAC does this not by lobbying or advocating but by providing community members with the tools and confidence to build relationships with politicians. Your involvement in politics helps politicians become more familiar with the community’s needs, concerns and goals.
The Jewish community makes up less than one percent of the population in British Columbia. Because it’s so small – demographically speaking – community members need to step up in a big way. Volunteering across campaigns and parties strengthens our community, especially because of how spread out the Jewish population is around the province.
Volunteering gives community members firsthand experience to see what it takes to elect a candidate and, most importantly, plays a valuable role in building lasting relationships with politicians. When you volunteer, you become a key driver of the number one goal of a campaign: “getting out the vote.”
If you want an idea of just how much every vote can matter, look no further than 2018 when the Vancouver mayoral election was decided by only 984 votes – that’s a difference in total votes of less than one percent.
Volunteering is easy and flexible. It can include both in-person and remote tasks, such as making phone calls, door-knocking, delivering and/or putting up signs and so much more. Another crucial volunteering activity is scrutineering, where candidate representatives are trained by the campaign to scrutinize the ballot-counting process.
Political volunteering is geared for all ages. It’s especially great for adults and seniors who have a few hours to spare to enhance the Jewish community, and high school students eager to get their volunteer credits. (By the way, applications for this year’s Generation program for Jewish politically savvy high school students are now being accepted. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 14, at cjpac.ca/generation.)
Learn more by using CJPAC as your political concierge to connect you to the campaign/candidate of your choice and train you to be an election volunteer. Sign up at cjpac.nationbuilder.com/bcmelxn22.
Still need more information? RSVP at cjpac.ca/event/meetmayor to attend the Sept. 29, 6 p.m., Meet Your Next Mayor event at Vancouver Talmud Torah, which CJPAC is co-hosting with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). Community members who attend will get to interact with Vancouver’s mayoral candidates and ask their questions.
As Jews, we are committed to contributing to the greater society. With Rosh Hashanah on the way, CJPAC encourages you to renew your commitment to the community by making an impact on the political world and making cities across the province more welcoming and safer places for all British Columbians.
Contact CJPAC’s B.C. regional director, Kara Mintzberg, at [email protected] or 778-903-1854, to get your volunteering journey started, or for any other inquiries.
Loni the Percheron Horse comes in the entrance of the Louis Brier Home and Hospital. (photo from Louis Brier)
Loni the Percheron Horse and his side kick Beau the Shitzu visited the Louis Brier Home and Hospital the afternoon of Sept. 7. This was the third (and last) time this year that the pair visited the home.
Loni the Percheron Horse’s sidekick Beau the Shitzu at the Louis Brier. (photo from the Louis Brier)
The program is designed to give residents the opportunity to have a personal experience with one of these beautiful, gentle giants – and not-so-giants – in the comfort of their own home. Horses evoke a sense of peace and tranquility, as do dogs. It is no secret that visiting with animals is therapeutic.
Loni the Percheron Horse visit with residents of the Louis Brier. (photos from Louis Brier)
Tikva Housing Society is thrilled to share that the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation has provided a grant of $255,000 to support Tikva’s mission to offer affordable housing solutions to the Jewish community.
“A gift of this magnitude provides help and hope at a time when economic uncertainty is definitely impacting housing insecurity,” said Anat Gogo, executive director of Tikva Housing Society. “The Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation’s tremendous generosity means that we will have the financial resources to build capacity on an operational level. Tikva is on an unprecedented growth trajectory and this gift is critical to support our growing housing portfolio, allowing us to say ‘yes’ to a number of new opportunities on the horizon.”
The need for affordable housing continues to be first and foremost on the minds of many in the Jewish community. This gift will be put to work, empowering individuals and families by providing affordable housing – allowing them to build long-term change in their lives and beyond.
Tikva Housing Society is grateful to the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation for its partnership in addressing the issue of housing insecurity. Tikva appreciates the foundation’s focus on strengthening the capacity of the community’s organizations and its commitment to tikkun olam, repairing the world.
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Vancouver Talmud Torah, Congregation Beth Israel and Jewish Family Services are elated to share with the community that a gift of $100,000 has been received from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation to support the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden. This gift enables the building of the garden to begin in earnest and it is anticipated that construction will begin this fall. Thanks to the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s Transformation Grant and the Diamond Foundation, the garden will be located and built above the shared BI and VTT parkade.
The garden aspires to positively impact many members of the local Jewish community and to be a hub for celebrating and honouring nature, imparting Jewish teachings and values, promoting collaboration, and enhancing the community’s well-being. Studies show that spending time outdoors in nature has been directly linked with lessened anxiety and depression for adults and children alike and helps people better manage stress.
“It is exciting and encouraging to see several important communal institutions come together collaboratively to advance such a positive new opportunity. The Vancouver Jewish Community Garden will be an opportunity to teach community members of all ages about agriculture and the importance of a healthy earth, to enable volunteers to contribute to our community and to help feed those in need. The Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation is pleased to help advance the project towards completion,” noted Bernard Pinsky, Roadburg board chair.
* * *
Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver is delighted to welcome two new members of its team: Gayle Morris and Alisa Farina.
Morris is the new director of the Federation annual campaign, the community’s central fundraising initiative. Building relationships is central to this role, and Morris brings an incredible depth of experience in that area, and so much more. She is an accomplished and multifaceted sales, marketing and business development leader who has extensive experience in both innovative startups and not-for-profit organizations. She is also an active member of the community with extensive volunteer involvement.
Farina has been hired as the child, youth and young adult mental health worker, and Federation is grateful to the Mel and Gerri Davis Charitable Trust for the support to enable the creation of the new position.
Farina holds a bachelor’s in child and youth care and comes to the job from a 25-year career with the Burnaby School District, the last 10 of which she focused on working with high-risk, vulnerable youth and their families. Farina is currently completing her master’s degree in clinical counseling. She grew up in the Lower Mainland and was involved with BBYO and Camp Miriam.
Almost 80 people attended the Switzer family reunion Aug. 21. (photo by Will Verchere-Gopaulsingh)
A reunion at Beth Israel synagogue recently brought together branches of one of Canada’s largest Jewish family trees.
The story of this Canadian family began in 1848 with the birth of Wolf Baer Switzer, in Radom, Poland. He fathered 11 children, one of whom was a daughter named Bella.
Bella (Switzer) Singer passed away in 1994, at the age of 104, although the exact date of her birth is not certain. Bella and her husband Abraham Singer came to Canada first in 1905, then Bella and her son Hymie returned to Poland in 1907, while Abraham headed west to farmstead, with the family reuniting in 1910 in Calgary.
In the following decades, Bella and Abraham nurtured a vast Canadian family, including their own four children.
Bella (née Switzer) and Abraham Singer with their four children: Hymie Singer, Diane Aceman, Jack Singer and Rosalie Franks. Calgary, 1919. (photo from Switzer family)
Sensing an ominous future for Jews in Poland, Bella settled in Calgary and then paid for other relatives to follow, with the understanding that once they arrived in Canada, they would be put to work, make enough money and send for another relative. It is estimated that as many as 300 family members were brought to Canada through Bella’s single-minded determination. Given later events in Poland, the number of lives saved is incalculable.
For her efforts, Bella was known as Mema (“Auntie”) Singer to all the family, regardless of actual relationship.
Turning necessity into invention, Bella built a small real estate empire, beginning with a rooming house to accommodate arriving relatives and expanding into apartments and hotels. She lived almost all her remaining life as a philanthropist and pillar of Calgary’s community, coming to Vancouver in her final years to live with her daughter’s family.
Bella had 10 grandchildren, of whom three live in Vancouver: Lola Pawer, her sister Shelley Ail and their cousin Leslie Diamond.
There are “way over 100” of Bella’s descendants living in Vancouver, says Pawer.
Lola Pawer and William Switzer at the local Switzer family reunion, which took place at Congregation Beth Israel. (photo by Will Verchere-Gopaulsingh)
The Aug. 21 reunion was for the West Coast members of the family, with guests traveling in from around British Columbia, as well as from California and Hawaii, with a few coming from Alberta. There were almost 80 guests in total, “which is nothing for our family,” said Pawer’s daughter (and Bella’s great-granddaughter) Lisa Boroditsky, who estimates there are about 2,000 descendants of Bella. The first reunion of the extended family, about 20 years ago, took place at one of the Olympic venues in Calgary and attracted about 1,000 people. The last one, in 2016, drew 485 attendees.
Billy Switzer, Bella’s nephew and oldest descendant in Vancouver at 96 (the oldest descendant is Suchar Cyngiser, 98, in Calgary), recalled his family’s arrival in Canada, thanks to his aunt. At the chaos of the port in Montreal, his sister Lily was crying and the parents were speaking in Yiddish. A man approached, asking where they were headed and warned them that Calgary was a multiday journey further. The family assured the stranger that they had saved some carrots and other food for the trip but the man reached into his pocket and handed them $10.
“My father took out a notebook and asked the man to write his name and address,” so he could repay him, Billy Switzer recalled. “The man said, my name is when a Jew needs help, help him.… My father said, what a way to arrive in a new country.”
Reflecting on a century-plus after Bella’s arrival, he concluded: “When you look at our family tree, you will be amazed at what they have accomplished and this all happened because Bella Switzer made it happen by starting and inspiring everyone to get involved. It’s wonderful that grandchildren in Vancouver have made an effort for this family reunion today.”
Billy Switzer’s daughter, Renee Switzer, and another cousin, Jordana Corenblum, along with Pawer, Boroditsky and Cheryl Milner, were the core team that organized the reunion.
Renee Switzer blew up and colour-coded a graphic of the family tree. Name tags correlated to the family branch. There was a family Bingo game and Switzer trivia, as well as plenty of shmoozing.
Boroditsky has plenty of memories of the matriarch.
“She was living with my grandmother,” Boroditsky said. “I grew up with Bella, too…. She was so involved in her great-grandchildren’s lives.”
“She was a woman’s woman before it was even dreamt about,” added Pawer. “She ran a business. She knew dollars and how much things cost. She never learned to read. She was an Orthodox Jew and a magnificent woman. She drove until she was in her 90s.”
The lesson Pawer took from her grandmother is this: “Being a woman doesn’t mean a thing. Just do what you want to do, achieve what you want to do. She always gave us that advice.”
Reflecting on Bella (Switzer) Singer and the Canadian family she created, Pawer said: “It’s an honour to be [descended] from her and to learn all the things that she did. She was very philanthropic. How strong this family really is and will continue to be – that’s what she gave us.”
