News – Page 263

Seeking repatriation

From left to right, are Naomi, Michelle and Max Dodek with Gil Lewinsky in Abbotsford. Michelle is holding a one-day-old Jacob sheep. (photo by Jenna Lewinsky)

A couple living in Abbotsford is gaining international attention for their unusual quest. They want to return their flock of Jacob sheep to the breed’s ancestral home – Israel.

After visiting Gil and Jenna Lewinsky at the farm where they rent a barn and outdoor space for their sheep, there is no doubt that these modern Jewish shepherds are committed to taking their flock to Israel. Once there, the couple intends to set up a heritage park for visitors to connect with this aspect of ancient biblical history.

These sheep, according to the Lewinskys, are the descendants of Jacob’s original flock. Sheep are discussed in Genesis 30:32, when Jacob negotiates with Laban to keep the speckled and spotted offspring of Laban’s sheep in payment for his 14 years of service to Laban. As Laban has managed to trick Jacob before, most famously by switching brides and having him marry Leah instead of Rachel, he thinks he’s getting the better deal here, as well. However, the Torah explains the special techniques Jacob employs to grow a strong, large speckled flock, leaving the weaker, solid-colored sheep for Laban. It is the first recorded case of selective breeding and, apparently, it worked.

“People know that Jacob fathered the Jewish people but they don’t know that he also ‘fathered’ a breed of sheep,” said Gil. He also explained that these sheep followed Jacob’s family into Canaan and eventually Egypt. While the Children of Israel returned to Canaan after centuries of slavery, it seems that these sheep did not accompany them. They went west and ended up, many centuries later, in England, where they were bred extensively. A few of the “heirloom breed,” those unaltered from their original ancient Syrian physiology, have made it to hobby farmers in Canada. Not one lives in Israel.

The Lewinskys feel this is a problem that needs to be solved. “God put it into our hearts to bring the Jacob sheep back to Israel,” said Jenna in an interview. In response, she and her husband have formed a nonprofit organization called Friends of the Jacob Sheep with a stated mission to bring the animals back to Israel.

Friends of the Jacob Sheep plans to repatriate the sheep from Abbotsford to the Golan Heights, where the Lewinskys hope to open up a heritage park so that the biblical sheep can be seen in Israel and be put to their original purposes for the Jewish people.

According to Gil, Jacob sheep in ancient times were used in every aspect of life, including using the wool for religious clothing such as tallitot, the skin for leather for tefillin or parchment to make Torahs and mezzuzot, as well as for food and Temple sacrifices. Of course, the horns were also used to make shofars. This breed of sheep has an advantage in the area of shofar making because both male and female Jacob sheep are commonly found with four horns and can grow up to six at one time.

While the Lewinskys are very dedicated to their mission, there are a number of stumbling blocks in the way of their plan. In order to export animals to another country, many policies have to be followed. Ever determined, they have lobbied both the Israeli and Canadian governments to find a way to fast track a trade agreement that would enable the sheep to return to Israel. Federal Trade Minister Ed Fast visited the Lewinskys’ flock in early August this year. The Lewinskys describe Fast as a strong supporter of the state of Israel and they hope to use this contact to further their plans.

“We have around 50 sheep now and, when we reach 80, we will be ready to take them to Israel,” said Jenna. Since my visit to the farm, the flock has increased to about 70.

photo - The Lewinskys’ flock of Jacob sheep now stands at about 70 — The Lewinskys’ flock of Jacob sheep now stands at about 70. (photo from facebook.com/friendsofthejacobsheep)

“Our new flock are from the Okanagan and from Cabri, Sask.,” said Gil in an email to the Independent. “The flock from Saskatchewan trace back to the first four Jacobs that were imported from the U.K. to Canada at the Assiniboine Zoo in Winnipeg. They retain their primitive confirmation.”

The increase in numbers is due in part to the Lewinskys’ continuing efforts to acquire heirloom Jacob sheep from farmers in Canada and the United States, and in part to a good spring, with many of their ewes birthing adorable lambs. Jenna and Gil have investigated and negotiated with an airline that specializes in transportation of livestock to transport the flock as soon as they can wade through the red tape currently preventing the exportation of the animals and, of course, once they have raised the money to do so.

By chance, one sheep made it onto Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun’s Facebook page, and Gil has used his experience as a journalist to get the word out about these sheep all around the world, with the story being picked up in news outlets from Israel Vision TV to Scotland’s Jewish Telegraph. The couple said they are applying for grants from a number of agencies and making connections with both Jewish and non-Jewish communities for support.

For more information on Friends of the Jacob Sheep, visit their website (friendsofthejacobsheep.weebly.com) or like them on Facebook to keep abreast of the latest developments.

Michelle Dodek is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.

Local athletes have lots of fun

The silver-medal-winning volleyball team at the JCC Maccabi Games in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (photo by Kyle Berger)

They weren’t the largest delegation at the JCC Maccabi Games in Fort Lauderdale this past August, but Team Vancouver’s 13 athletes certainly made their presence felt.

photo - Jada Wilson, left, and Sydney Cristall at the opening ceremonies of the games in Fort Lauderdale, Aug 7 — Jada Wilson, left, and Sydney Cristall at the opening ceremonies of the games in Fort Lauderdale, Aug 7. *(photo by Kyle Berger)*

No moment stood out greater than when the six local girls joined with four others from around North America – meeting for the first time at the games – to make up a volleyball team. They ended up taking the silver medal, beating out more experienced teams from New York, Massachusetts and California. Leah Serlin, Leah Schwartz, Jada Wilson, Julia Tregobov, Sydney Cristall and Simone Killas, aged 13-16, formed the core of the team coached by Jack Serlin. Despite not practising as a full squad until arriving at the games, the group came together and lost only to the host city’s team of all 16-year-old club players in the finals.

“For a new team facing several challenges, to be able to beat out teams who train and play together all season, such as Bensonhurst (Brooklyn) and Orange County, is quite an achievement,” said Jack Serlin. “It was such an overall feeling of pride and satisfaction seeing the girls come together as a unit, genuinely grow to like and play for each other, and perform so well on the court and have so much fun off of it.”

Serlin said he is already considering plans to battle for the gold medal next summer. “The fact that all the eligible girls can’t wait to come back next year is truly a testament to how successful we were and what an incredible experience the JCC Maccabi Games are regardless of your background or from where you come,” he said.

photo - Rachel Bugis, left, and Magalee Blumenkrans celebrate after a big soccer victory — Rachel Bugis, left, and Magalee Blumenkrans celebrate after a big soccer victory. *(photo by Kyle Berger)*

The Team Vancouver delegation was also made up of soccer players Josh Bugis, Rachel Bugis, Magalee Blumenkrans and Saul Kalvari. Zach Moldowan joined a baseball team from North Miami Beach while Jackson March won a couple of bronze medals in table tennis and Sydney Swick from Winnipeg joined the Vancouver delegation and took home a couple of medals herself.

“The JCC Maccabi Games is awesome every time I go,” said Kalvari, who attended his second set of games this summer. “The people you meet are amazing, from all over the world, and everyone is there for the same reasons. It’s great to be surrounded by so many Jewish teens just there to have fun.”

The JCC Maccabi Games are an annual multi-sport event hosted in different North American cities each summer. Jewish teens from around the globe compete in the Olympic-style event. The JCC Maccabi Arts Fest runs parallel to the games, engaging teen artists, who participate in workshops with a final performance or show at the end of the week. The games and arts fest attracts more than 3,000 Jewish teens each summer.

For more information on the JCC Maccabi Games and next year’s events, contact me at [email protected].

Kyle Berger is Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver sports coordinator, and a freelance writer living in Richmond.

Museum jazzes up website

The new Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia website, jewishmuseum.ca.

The Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia has launched its revamped website, unveiling a new look for the organization, simplifying navigation and making it easier for users to engage with the museum’s diverse programming and to access the holdings of the B.C. Jewish community archives.

The website, jewishmuseum.ca, features a contemporary design. Implementing the archives database system Access to Memory (AtoM), the new site gives researchers access to thousands of documents, photos, audio and video items documenting the 150-year history of Jews in British Columbia.

“For the first time in the history of the JMABC, we have the capability of providing online access to the treasures in the archives, while at the same time adhering to important archival standards,” said archivist Jennifer Yuhasz. “We are excited to join the vast community of professional archives already using AtoM, including UNESCO, World Bank Group Archives, Library and Archives Canada, and most of the provincial, municipal and university archives and libraries across B.C.”

Selections from this archival collection are presented in the form of online exhibits recounting specific themes and events in community history. Exhibits will be added each year.

The production of the new site was made possible through the support of the Betty Averbach Foundation, the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, numerous private donors and the more than 100 contributors to the JMABC’s 2014 Indiegogo campaign. Its launch follows the introduction of a new graphic identity for the museum and archives, designed by local graphic design firm Adria Consulting, which also redesigned the website.

Important elements of JMABC’s new look include a new wordmark, new typography, a palette of vibrant colors and a suite of facet shapes drawn from the Star of David. Together, these elements celebrate the diversity of B.C. Jewish history and the innovative spirit of JMABC, and they will be implemented throughout all of JMABC’s print and online materials, unifying the organization’s public presence as never before. The public were given their first taste of the new identity at the recent JMABC exhibit, Fred Schiffer: Lives in Photos, presented this spring as part of the Capture Photography Festival.

“Our new look reflects the exciting work we are doing, always seeking new ways to share our community’s rich history with everyone,” said Michael Schwartz, JMABC’s coordinator of programs and development. “Adria understood this immediately and devised an identity that boldly conveys our core principles.”

JMABC is dedicated to the collection and sharing of community memories of Jewish life in British Columbia. With 300 linear metres of textual records, 300,000 photographs and 725 oral history interviews, it chronicles all facets of the community’s history.

An invitation to learn

Limmud Vancouver is accepting submissions until Oct. 15 for presenters at the 2016 learning festival. (photo from Limmud Vancouver)

After two successful events in the past two years, Limmud Vancouver is returning for a third learning extravaganza in 2016.

Following a Saturday night Limmud cabaret, to be held Jan. 30, LimmudVan ’16 will offer a daylong celebration of Jewish learning at Beth Israel Synagogue on Sunday, Jan. 31. Presentation proposals are now being accepted from experienced as well as first-time presenters.

A non-denominational, pluralistic gathering for Jewish learning, Limmud is a growing global phenomenon that began 30 years ago in the United Kingdom and has attracted participants and presenters of all ages and backgrounds. There are now more than 80 Limmud festivals held annually in Jewish communities all over the world, from Canada and the United States to Australia, Turkey, Sweden, India, China, Brazil and, of course, Israel.

Since its inception in 2014, LimmudVan celebrates the wide range of wisdom and knowledge within our Jewish community and we encourage everyone to share their excitement for any topic with a Jewish aspect. In the first two years, presenters have included scholars, teachers, actors, rabbis, lay enthusiasts, scientists, artists, storytellers, cooks, musicians and others. Topics have ranged from Torah study to opera, social activism and Jewish environmentalism to Jewish humor, Czech Torah scrolls to Jews and indigenous peoples.

Whatever topic you are passionate about, you are welcome to present it in the format that appeals to you most, whether dramatic or interactive, as a lecture or something different – you decide. If you would like to be a part of a local, thought-provoking learning event, visit Limmud Vancouver’s website and submit a topic (or two?) about which you would like to share your knowledge and enthusiasm with the wider community.

A core Limmud value is that everyone is a student and everyone can be a teacher within this interconnected learning community. “Volunticipating” is also an important aspect of Limmud. Everyone, including organizers and presenters, registers to participate and take part in the daylong event. And, as a volunteer-led organization, its success depends on the time and energy of individuals who care about community-based Jewish learning. If this is something you are passionate about, and whether or not you would like to present this year, consider gifting some of your time as a volunteer and help make LimmudVan ’16 an event to remember.

Go to limmudvancouver.ca, where you can also see what was offered at last year’s learning event. Short- and long-term volunteers are accepted on an ongoing basis. Presenter submissions will be accepted until Oct. 15, 2015. Chosen presenters will be contacted and the program will be confirmed in November. Tickets for the event will go on sale soon afterwards. Follow Limmud Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter.

More than just a foodie film

Roger Sherman’s Florentine Films crew chows down at El Babor restaurant in the Haifa area. (photo from Florentine Films)

It might seem absurd that an American filmmaker, who, until five years ago, thought that falafel and hummus were the only ingredients of Israeli cuisine, would introduce the world to the Israeli food and culture scene. But documentarian Roger Sherman – who has won an Emmy, a Peabody and two Academy Award nominations – seems to be the right guy to whet the world’s appetite for Israel’s diverse and innovative dishes.

“The reason I’m doing the film is because I found a food culture that no one in the world knows about. This is the best-kept secret,” Sherman told Israel21C during a quick interview in the lobby of a Tel Aviv hotel before setting out to film final pickup shots for his documentary, The Search for Israeli Cuisine.

Sherman discovered Israeli cuisine five years ago when he made an introductory visit to the country he’d heard so much about in the news.

“I was knocked out by what I saw, what I ate and how gorgeous the country is. Who knew that there was a gorgeous beach that runs the whole length of the country? Israel has incredible mountains and desert,” said Sherman, who finally came for a visit at the behest of a foodie tour-guide friend.

Sherman, married to the founder of influential gourmet food and wine magazine Saveur, said the country’s culinary revolution is unknown to many because most foreigners only associate Israel with “political drama and biblical history.”

“They don’t realize it’s so much more,” he said. “Israel has a food scene that I had no clue about, a restaurant scene that rivals New York, London and Paris. I think people are going to be shocked, surprised and very pleased with what they learn from watching this film.”

The two-hour PBS special is to be completed by October. Sherman admitted that he has enough material for a six-hour miniseries but prefers to pack the choice shots into 120 minutes, leaving the remaining 150 hours of footage on the editing floor.

Private backers as well as a successful Kickstarter campaign have helped support Sherman in the two-year researching and filming process. He interacts with interested would-be viewers via Facebook, Twitter, a blog and Instagram almost daily.

“The primary audience is American public television but it will be shown around the world. American public television is a fairly high demographic of people who like to travel, and a lot of people that like to travel like to eat, and they like to see new things and explore the world,” said Sherman. “It’s also for people who like to open their minds even if they don’t travel or are interested in surreptitiously going on adventures. And I think this is going to be an adventure.”

The Florentine Films documentary tries to answer the question “What is Israeli cuisine?” To do this, Sherman’s team crisscrossed the country, filming at more than 100 locations.

While the question is simple enough, the answer is not clear cut.

The film introduces audiences to the country’s leading chefs, innovative farmers, home cooks, boutique winemakers, craft beer brewers, world-class chocolatiers, cheese artisans, restaurateurs, food journalists, street foodies and traditional bakers. Some of them believe Israeli cuisine can be defined as a hodgepodge of traditions, while others say it’s too early to brand the delicious concoctions being created at local eateries.

“What we have here is confusion food. It’s all mixed together beautifully: traditional spices, techniques, dishes that intermingle with all the influences. After [service in] the army, we Israelis go to study abroad or [travel] to the Far East, India or South America. We get to know Thai and Vietnamese food, Mexican flavors. Some [return] and open restaurants. It all becomes Israeli food,” chef/baker Erez Komarovsky says in the documentary.

Chef Maoz Alonim of HaBasta restaurant is one of those against labeling Israeli cuisine as such.

“So, what is Israeli food? Domestic food. We have our inspirations from ingredients that used to be cooked here for hundreds, thousands of years. I really do not think that I serve Israeli food,” Alonim says. “I serve domestic food again and again and again. And what makes it Israeli? Sure, I take fresh ingredients from Israel and I can import the fresh oysters from France, but does this make it Israeli? No, that just makes it oysters that I really like.”

For Sherman, the American looking in, there is definitely a “something” that makes gastronomy in Israel different from elsewhere.

He shows Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov, a James Beard Award winner and guide for the film, stopping at a Yemenite grill in Tel Aviv, where he is served 17 salads as an appetizer. The salads are an international sampling of Arab, Iraqi, Arabian, Moroccan, Russian, Eastern European, Italian, Turkish, Moroccan and Greek dishes – obviously, all made in Israel.

photo - Michael Solomonov being filmed in the kitchen of Krav Sakinim (Israel’s Iron Chef) judge Ruthie Rousso — Michael Solomonov being filmed in the kitchen of *Krav Sakinim* (Israel’s *Iron Chef*) judge Ruthie Rousso. *(photo from Florentine Films)*

“In America, it’s identifiable. But here, people say it’s too soon to have a cuisine. There are people that love the idea of a melting pot, everybody coming together. But there are also people who do not like this idea; they want to keep cultures separate,” Sherman said.

“Israeli cuisine is the amalgamation of dozens of cultures that are taking remarkable local ingredients and either trying to stay true as much as they can to their traditions or updating and upgrading.”

Sherman contends that Israeli cuisine only came into existence in the 1980s. “You have a country that began with no kitchens in private homes because, if you lived on a kibbutz, and many people did, you ate communally. And, if you talked about enjoying food, people would slap you. ‘We’re here to survive, we’re trying to create a country,’ they’d say,” Sherman explained. “Until at least the mid- to late-’80s, ‘cuisine’ was a four-letter word. You didn’t mention it.”

Today, of course, Israeli cuisine is simmering in pots around the country – and even beyond. He pointed out that three of the best new U.S. restaurants as chosen by Bon Appétit magazine are dedicated to Israeli cuisine. “Israeli cuisine is now proliferating, accelerating … in the past year, Israeli cuisine places have opened all over the world. Israeli cuisine is a force,” he said.

The Search for Israeli Cuisine is not only focused on the kitchens of Israel. Sherman spotlights Israeli agri-tech and how Israeli farmers and engineers are changing the way the world eats.

photo - Michael Solomonov dines with Israeli celebrity chef Meir Adoni in Tel Aviv — Michael Solomonov dines with Israeli celebrity chef Meir Adoni in Tel Aviv. (photo from Florentine Films)

“This is another reason I’m doing the film. If you go back, Israel was a Third World country for most of its existence. Now, it’s not just a First World country, but it is leading the world in many ways,” he said. “I don’t think many people know that Israel’s high-tech agriculture has changed the way the world eats, beginning with drip-irrigation methods and going to seedless watermelons, cherry tomatoes, soon-to-be seedless lemons. Israelis know all this stuff but people around the world don’t.”

Sherman said viewers will be flabbergasted to hear that “farm to table” and “locally sourced” are standard practice in Israel. “People will think that’s fantastic because it’s such a big deal in the U.S. right now, what is your carbon footprint,” he explained. “Here, the whole country is accessible in two hours.”

Eating is a sensory experience, and a food-focused documentary has to instil the enjoyment of cuisine through the big screen. “People who watch our teaser, which is five minutes long, say, ‘Oh my God, that made me so hungry,’” Sherman said. “So, if I can do that in five minutes, imagine what I can do in two hours. We’re telling really interesting stories about people who are passionate about what they do. The people I have found have been wonderful in sharing their passion to the world.”

Israeli-American chef Solomonov takes viewers into the lives of everyone – Jews, Christians, Arabs, Druze and Bedouins – changing the food landscape of Israel.

“Israeli cuisine reflects humanity at its best. People need to know that, regardless of what they see on TV, regardless of their political stance, the best way to relate to Israel is through its food and culture,” Solomonov says in the film.

Sherman admitted that, prior to his visit, he realized that he’d “never thought much about the Israeli people. It became clear that most people I meet don’t know much about the Israeli people either, and they’re surprised at what I reveal.”

And that’s why he doesn’t see The Search for Israeli Cuisine as simply a foodie movie.

“I’m calling this a portrait of the Israeli people told through food,” said the same filmmaker who profiled preeminent restaurant owner Danny Meyer in The Restaurateur. “It’s not a cooking show, it’s not recipes; the food is at the heart of it but it’s really about these amazing people doing these dynamic things.”

Israel21C is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org.

Climbing for the kids

This coming October, some 30 Jews from around the world will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for SHALVA, the Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Jerusalem. (photo from SHALVA)

Scaling the largest free-standing mountain in the world is a remarkable accomplishment. A test to human endurance and tenacity. Raising a special needs child can require the same tenacity.

This October, some 30 Jews from around the world will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for SHALVA, the Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Jerusalem – helping the parents and kids of SHALVA scale their own personal “mountains.”

With participants from Canada and as far away as the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel, the climb has attracted an eclectic group of trekkers all bound together with a common goal. The group spans the spectrum of the Jewish community from secular to ultra-Orthodox. Each one has their own reasons for choosing to reach beyond their limits to do something incredible.

“Everyone at SHALVA is touched that so many SHALVA supporters have come together to climb for one cause,” said trip coordinator Gaby Hirsch. “What started as a U.K. initiative became a global effort as the unique opportunity captured imaginations around the world.”

To make the trip as inclusive as possible, organizers decided to make it adhere to the highest possible standards of Jewish law. The trek is serving vegetarian food and the organizers have purchased new cooking and eating utensils. On the seventh day of the trek, the group will rest for Shabbat on Mt. Kilimanjaro, allowing them to join millions of Jews around the world in keeping Shabbat as part of the Shabbos Project. While no participant is required to keep Shabbat, by making the trip adhere to the most stringent feasible level of Jewish observance, all climbers are able to maintain their own comfort level.

Photographer Sarah Raanan was looking for a challenge, a chance to push herself, but it was learning about SHALVA that made her sign up. “As soon as I found out about SHALVA, I knew I had to do this,” she explained. “The first video I watched just blew me away.”

photo - Providing services for more than 500 infants, children and young adults, SHALVA accompanies each child from birth to adulthood — Providing services for more than 500 infants, children and young adults, SHALVA accompanies each child from birth to adulthood. *(photo from SHALVA)*

Raanan is not the first one to be impressed by the scope of the SHALVA Centre. For 25 years, SHALVA has been helping children with special needs move beyond their limitations. SHALVA programs and services are designed to provide individual treatment for the child while also strengthening the fabric of the family. Providing services for more than 500 infants, children and young adults, SHALVA accompanies each child from birth to adulthood. Individually tailored programs are designed to help participants reach their full potential and integrate into the community.

Claire Freeman from London saw for herself the life-changing work SHALVA does when she lived in Israel. “There’s not a place in the world that does what they do. But they can’t do it alone,” she said. As a mother of three, Freeman is grateful that her children can run and play. She wanted to show them that even when you are born with the gift of being able-bodied, life is about pushing yourself to go beyond your own limitations.

Having positive impacts on their children is a common theme for participants, as is slight apprehension at leaving a brood at home.

Shoshana Baker, originally from Teaneck, N.J., but now living in Ra’anana, Israel, was unsure whether she would do the climb despite being attracted by the challenge. “At first, I thought no way, it’s too hard to leave my children. Then I realized that it was an incredible lesson for them.” Baker decided to teach by example the importance of dedicating oneself to a worthy cause.

Toronto native Helen Silverstein wanted to do something meaningful for her 60th birthday. “I wanted to do it because the kids at SHALVA can’t.” Looking to avoid a flurry of birthday cards and gifts she didn’t need, she was happy to have her friends and family sponsor her to climb.

Every climber has pledged to raise $10,000. Each one has found his or her own unique methods of raising money, from running an “Auction of Promises” to sponsored paragliding. The money raised is helping to fund SHALVA’s National Centre, due to open in Jerusalem next year. This state-of-the-art facility will enable SHALVA to expand its services to offer treatment to four times as many children.

The would-be trekkers are not without their apprehensions, and for good reason – in the course of nine days they will hike approximately 100 kilometres. Trekking through five different ecosystems, participants will be pushing their personal endurance to the limit. One of the biggest risks is altitude sickness. This condition occurs when the body responds badly to the reduced level of oxygen present at higher altitudes. Climbers are warned to watch out for headaches, dizziness and nausea.

John Corre, a grandfather of nine, is participating to celebrate his 70th birthday. Despite the extreme physical exertion, he is not fazed by the length of the climb. His biggest fear is the possibility of altitude sickness because there is no way of knowing before the climb how the altitude will affect an individual.

One climber not daunted by overcoming extreme odds is Jerusalem resident Rachel Illouz, a breast cancer survivor. As she was going through the surgery and chemotherapy, she kept telling herself that one day she would climb a mountain. In her own words, “As soon as I found out about the SHALVA climb, I said to myself ‘That is my mountain.’”

Just as SHALVA has brought together people from across Israeli society, united by the desire to give all kids the best start in life, so now SHALVA is bringing together Jews from every possible walk of life to continue that vital work. This unique trip shows us how we are all climbing mountains of one variety or another in our lives, and reminds us that it is incumbent upon us to reach out our hands and help the other up.

To help the climbers reach their fundraising targets, you can make a tax deductible donation at climb4SHALVA.org/view_profile.php?id=1401.

A relatively quiet year

Among the events that began the Jewish year of 5775 (2014/15), Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu traveled to the United States, where he addressed the United Nations to warn of the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran, and met with U.S. President Barak Obama at the White House.

Prior to that visit, in September 2014, Israel received from Germany another state-of–the-art submarine, the INS Tanin. In October, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon was taken by the Israel Defence Forces to see a Hamas-built tunnel on the Gaza border, used for the purpose of terrorism.

In November, there was an attack on the Jerusalem light rail in which one person died after a terrorist drove his light van into a crowd of people waiting at a train station, and also injured more than a dozen others. The same month saw two terrorists enter Kehilat Ya’acov Synagogue in Jerusalem and attack worshippers at morning prayers with knives, axes and guns, killing four people and injuring a further eight.

In December, Labor party leader Isaac Herzog and Hatnua party leader and former justice minister Tzipi Livni announced that the two parties would join, with Herzog becoming party leader. Another new face was that of Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, who became the new chief of staff of the IDF in February.

The year was a reality check for some public figures, as their misconduct caught up with them. In February, former chief rabbi Yona Metzger, who had been subject to an investigation for accepting bribes, was indicted. In March, former prime minister Ehud Olmert was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to a prison term.

With respect to the environment and public space, the Tel Hiriya waste dump outside Tel Aviv was closed down and a development started for the foundation of a huge urban park in its place.

In March, Netanyahu won the general election, but was only able to form a majority government with a coalition. Later that month, seven siblings, aged 5 to 16, from Brooklyn were buried in Jerusalem after they died in a fire in their home.

During the year, several incidents brought into focus the complaint, particularly by Jews of Ethiopian descent, of discrimination by the police. In one, an Israeli Ethiopian IDF soldier, Damas Pakada, was attacked by a policeman, after which Pakada was invited to the Prime Minister’s Office to receive an apology.

In April, Israel was one of the first countries to respond to the earthquake in Nepal. Within a day or two, a field hospital was set up by the IDF in Katmandu.

In May, there was another attack on the light rail system in Jerusalem. This time, the terrorist was shot in the legs, then apprehended, by a security guard.

In July, the United States announced that it would release Jonathan Pollard in November. Pollard will have served 30 years in prison for spying for Israel. He will not be allowed to leave the United States for five years after his release.

In August, Yishai Shissel, who had recently been released from prison for stabbing participants in Jerusalem’s Pride parade 10 years earlier, once again attacked marchers in the annual parade. He stabbed six people at random, and a 16-year-old died of her injuries. Once again, Israel was faced with problems relating to discrimination and violence.

As the year closed, the government concluded a deal with the companies that will be responsible for mining the huge quantities of natural gas found off Israel’s coast.

photo - A border policeman walks past the covered body of a victim of the terror attack near the Jerusalem light rail in November 2014 — A border policeman walks past the covered body of a victim of the terror attack near the Jerusalem light rail in November 2014. *(all photos from Ashernet)*

photo - Near the end of February 2015, Israel and Jordan sign an agreement to revitalize the Dead Sea by building an $800 million pipeline from the Red Sea. The measures will not only slow down the evaporation of the Dead Sea, but also supply electricity to both countries when completed. — Near the end of February 2015, Israel and Jordan sign an agreement to revitalize the Dead Sea by building an $800 million pipeline from the Red Sea. The measures will not only slow down the evaporation of the Dead Sea, but also supply electricity to both countries when completed.

photo - In March 2015, Likud wins the general election — In March 2015, Likud wins the general election.

photo - On March 22, Gabriel Sassoon from New York eulogizes in Jerusalem his seven children who were killed in a house fire the previous Shabbat in Brooklyn. — On March 22, Gabriel Sassoon from New York eulogizes in Jerusalem his seven children who were killed in a house fire the previous Shabbat in Brooklyn.

photo - The Tel Hirya reclamation project and urban park, April 2015. — The Tel Hirya reclamation project and urban park, April 2015.

photo - In April, Senator John Boehner visits Israel to show his solidarity over the rejection of the deal with Iran. — In April, Senator John Boehner visits Israel to show his solidarity over the rejection of the deal with Iran.

photo - Israel Defence Forces medical personnel treat injured Nepalese at the IDF field hospital in Katmandu, May 2015. — Israel Defence Forces medical personnel treat injured Nepalese at the IDF field hospital in Katmandu, May 2015.

photo - Ethiopian Jews and their supporters protest outside the Ministry of Defence headquarters in central Tel Aviv, June 2015. — Ethiopian Jews and their supporters protest outside the Ministry of Defence headquarters in central Tel Aviv, June 2015.

photo - Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu receives Esther Pollard in his office on July 29, 2015, following the news that her husband Jonathan Pollard is to be freed from prison in the United States in November. — Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu receives Esther Pollard in his office on July 29, 2015, following the news that her husband Jonathan Pollard is to be freed from prison in the United States in November.

photo - In August 2015, Jerusalemites take to the streets in a rally against violence and hate crimes. Thousands also take part in the demonstration in Tel Aviv. — In August 2015, Jerusalemites take to the streets in a rally against violence and hate crimes. Thousands also take part in the demonstration in Tel Aviv.

מונתה לרכזת התרבות הישראלית

איילת כהן מונתה לרכזת התרבות הישראלית של הג’ואיש קומיוניטי סנטר

photo - Ayelet Cohen — איילת כהן (צילום: LinkedIn)

לתפקיד רכזת התרבות הישראלית הקבועה של הג’ואיש קומיוניטי סנטר של מטרו ונקובר, מונתה בימים אלה הישראלית איילת כהן. היא מחליפה בתפקיד את אליין זהבי, ששימשה ממלאת מקום זמנית. זאת מאז שדפנה זילברשטיין יצאה לחופשת לידה (ולא תחזור למלא את התפקיד). כהן במקצועה היא בימאית, מפיקה ועורכת סרטים בתחום הקולנוע והטלוויזיה. היא סיימה לימודי תעודה בהפקות דוקומנטריות בלנגרה קולג’ שבוונקובר, והוציאה תואר ראשון בתחום המדיה ותקשורת המונים במכללה למנהל בתל אביב.

בחמש השנים האחרונות עובדת כהן כבימאית, מפיקה ועורכת עצמאית בתחומי הקולנוע והטלוויזיה, באזור ונקובר. בשנת 2011 היא עבדה בהתנדבות כמפיקה ומתאמת בפסטיבל הסרטים הבינלאומי של ונקובר. בישראל עבדה כהן כמפיקה עצמאית בתחום הטלוויזיה במשך כשבע שנים. וקודם לכן היא עבדה במשך כשנתיים בזכיינית של ערוץ 2 קשת. היא דוברת עברית, אנגלית וצרפתית.

על רשימת האירועים שכהן מארגנת בימים אלה לקראת ראש השנה: ערב שירה בציבור עם מרים בני, משה דנבורג ויונה בר סביר. האירוע יתקיים ביום ראשון ה-20 בחודש בשעה שבע בערב.

מתחתנים סידרתיים: זוג קנדי שהתחתן כבר שתיים עשרה פעמים נערך לאירוע נוסף – חתונת ההמזל

זוג מהעיר ויניפג פשוט מכורים לטקס החתונה. הם הספיקו להתחתן כבר לא פחות שתיים עשרה פעמים במקומות שונים ברחבי העולם. ובימים אלה איך לא, השניים נערכים לחתונה השלושה עשר במספר, שתתקיים בקרוב במונגוליה. עדיין לא ברור אם “חתונת המזל” כפי שהם קוראים לה, תהיה גם החתונה האחרונה שלהם, או שחתונות נוספות צפויות לבוא אחריה.

קרל פיקס (65) הוא פנסיונר ובעבר היה בעלים של חברת בנייה, ואשתו היפה סנדי באג (55) שהיא רופאת שניים, התחתנו לראשונה בחודש ינואר שבשנת 2004 בדרום אפריקה. אך כיוון שבאג איך שהוא איבדה את תעודת הנישואין שלהם, הם קבעו מייד להתחתן שלוש פעמים נוספות. מתברר שטקס החתונה וירח הדבש כל כך מצא חן בעיני פיקס ובאג, עד שהם הם התמכרו לנושא, והתחתנו עוד אחת עשרה פעמים נוספות, כאמור במקומות שונים בעולם. אגב את כל החתונות אירגן פיקס לבדו ללא התערבות באג. על חלק של החתונות הוא עבד במשך חודשים בסודיות מרובה, ובאג גילתה את דבר החתונה החדשה שבפתח ממש ברגע האחרון. רשימת המקומות בעולם הם המתחתנים הסידרתיים התחתנו כדלקמן: גרמניה, קנדה (בעיר ריג’יינה בה בנו את ביתם החדש ובו הם גרים עד היום), סורינאם, אתיופיה, נפאל, מוזמביק, בגו’נגל של יערות האמזון, לאס וגאס, טימבקטו שבבאלי ומונטה. החתונה האחרונה בסידרה עד כה צריך לציין, התקיימה לפני כחודש, על אוניית שייט במסגרת קרוז מול הקרחונים של האי גרינלנד. יצויין שבכל טקסי החתונות פיקס ובאג לובשים בגדי חתן וכלה מסורתיים, הנהוגים באותו מקום. עד היום מתברר שהזוג המאושר טס כבר למאה מקומות שונים ברחבי העולם, וניסיון העבר מלמד שידם עוד נטויה.

פיקס מציין כי בסך הכל יש להם רק חמש תעודות נישואין רשמיות, ובשאר טקסי החתונות לא הנופקו להם שום מסמכים. הוא מוסיף כי החתונות הרבות מבטיחות לו שבאג תישאר עימו לעד, כיוון שיהיה לה מאוד קשה למצוא עורך דין שיוכל להשיג כל כך הרבה תעודות גירושין, מכל כך הרבה מדינות בעולם. שלא לדבר שוזה יעלה לה גם הון. ואילו באג מוסיפה כי טקסי החתונות הרבים מוכחים את אהבתו הגדולה של פיקס אליה וזה כל מה שחשוב לה באמת.

Send in your questions

On Sept. 20, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and SUCCESS are co-hosting Election 2015 Townhall. The Conservative, Liberal, New Democrat and Green parties have been invited to have a representative answer community members’ questions.

“Although the parties are well aware of the broad topics to be covered at the forum, neither the parties nor their candidates will be told the questions beforehand,” Jason Murray, chair of CIJA Pacific Region Local Partners Council, told the Independent. “It’s important to note that the townhall is not a debate, but an important opportunity to hear candidates address issues important to the communities served by SUCCESS and CIJA. The event will be open to the press.”

photo - Jason Murray, chair of CIJA Pacific Region Local Partners Council — Jason Murray, chair of CIJA Pacific Region Local Partners Council. *(photo from CIJA-PR)*

The selection of the representatives has been left up to the parties, said Murray, “with the only requirement being that the candidate is nominated in a Metro Vancouver riding.”

The broad topics – immigration, employment, seniors’ care, security and the economy – are just some of the issues in which CIJA and SUCCESS share an interest, said Murray. The partnership in organizing the townhall, he said, “allows us to gain strength with greater numbers, bringing together our communities to advocate with candidates seeking office. Working together allows us opportunities to view these issues from each other’s perspectives.”

This is not the first time that SUCCESS has worked with the Jewish community.

“SUCCESS and CIJA’s predecessor, the Canadian Jewish Congress, have a long history of collaborating on civic engagement programs, including townhall-style events around municipal, provincial and federal elections,” said Murray. “Professional and volunteer leaders from SUCCESS and CIJA have continued to collaborate between elections, particularly in helping each other nurture advocacy efforts. We hope to continue to build on what we see as a solid foundation and to continue to bring together SUCCESS and our Federation and Federation’s partner agencies.”

“Both CIJA and SUCCESS are nonprofit and non-partisan organizations that are dedicated to improving the quality of life of newcomers in Canada by advancing the public policy interests of Canada’s communities,” Queenie Choo, chief executive officer of SUCCESS, told the Independent. “We have commonalities and strong values in these areas. Hence, it is a perfect fit as partners in this event.”

photo - Queenie Choo, chief executive officer of SUCCESS — Queenie Choo, chief executive officer of SUCCESS. (photo from SUCCESS)

SUCCESS has sponsored other townhalls and information sessions, said Choo. “We have done it in the past for provincial and municipal pre-election forums. At this point, we are focusing on this townhall opportunity to ensure people are informed of the party positions on our topics, such as immigrants, seniors, housing, employment and security. It is also part of our mandates on promoting civil education and responsibility.”

Choo explained, “SUCCESS is one of the largest nonprofit social service agencies in B.C. that provide services for immigrants, seniors and people who need affordable housing. The topics of focus at this townhall really support our mission – one that builds bridges, harvests diversity and fosters integration through service and advocacy. Through this event, we hope to gain a better understanding of each party’s position on these subject matters, advancing our mission in these three key areas going forward.”

She added, “It is important that people are well informed of the positions and platform represented by each party in order to vote for what they believe in. People are encouraged to vote and be able to elect the party that can best represent them and their community.”

“In advocacy,” said Murray, “there is no substitute for in-person engagement. The Jewish community is a relatively small community in Canada and, particularly, in British Columbia. Through more intensive involvement in the political world – whether volunteering, serving as party activists, or running for office – Canadian Jews can make a disproportionate impact beyond the ballot box.

Community members must send their questions in advance to [email protected]. The Election 2015 Townhall takes place Sept. 20, 2:30 p.m., at Choi Hall (SUCCESS main offices), 28 Pender St.

Help bake a difference

Eli Winkelman (photo from Eli Winkelman)

Eli Winkelman was just looking for a way to fit in at college. But her quest for a niche resulted in an international philanthropic phenomenon.

Winkelman’s passion for making challah caught fire with fellow students and she ended up founding one of the most familiar – and foodie-friendly – philanthropic endeavors in the Jewish community today.

Challah for Hunger is now known to thousands of students on campuses throughout Canada, the United States, Australia and elsewhere. Volunteers gather to make the irresistible braided loaves, then sell them to fellow students and divide the profits between a local charity and a designated national cause.

Winkelman, who founded the international movement, will be one of four speakers at FEDtalks, marking the launch of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s annual campaign Sept. 17. She will speak on Chesed (Loving-kindness).

Winkelman’s expertise in challah came, as it has for centuries of women, through her mother. But where some recent generations have let the challah thread drop – who has time to knead, braid, bake? – Winkelman’s choice to become vegan sort of changed history.

“I decided to become vegan in high school and [her mother] said, ‘OK, but you’re making your own challah,’” she recalled.

When she arrived at the Claremont Colleges outside Los Angeles in 2004, Winkelman started baking challah for Shabbat dinners at Hillel.

“People heard that I was baking and they showed up to learn from me randomly,” she said. “And every week they came back and they complained that all their friends were eating their challah. So, I saw that there was demand for bread and demand for the activity of making the bread and I thought that we should scale up and do it for a good cause.”

Within two or three months of starting school, Winkelman had launched Challah for Hunger, selling 15 loaves. Her group started out baking in the dorm kitchen, then moved into the kitchen of the campus interfaith centre. They eventually got permission to use the dining hall kitchen.

The national charity is MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Local chapters can determine the cause to which they want to allocate the other 50% of profits. Some chapters, like at Emory University in Atlanta, have been supporting the same cause for years (in Emory’s case, a refugee assistance agency). Other campuses operate differently. At Stanford, for example, the chapter partners with other clubs every week and they choose a different designated recipient each time.

“Different chapters approach it differently, which I really love because they are figuring out how they want to be givers,” she said.

Winkelman is no longer operating the organization’s day-to-day activities – she’s started a business in Austin, Tex. – but she is on the board of directors and closely follows the progress. There are now more than 70 chapters worldwide, each baking 30 to 300 loaves, usually weekly. Sometimes they defy tradition and add chocolate chips, cinnamon sugar, sun-dried tomato or other innovations. Canada’s sole chapter is in Montreal.

Baking and sharing bread is an ancient, symbolic and ritualized process. Challah for Hunger makes it social in a way that may be particularly suited to undergrads finding their place and new friends.

“Part of how I define Challah for Hunger is doing it together and doing it on a regular basis so that it becomes a community,” she said. “For me, that is core to the organization. That’s how people learn and grow, by interacting with each other. Especially when you’re baking bread, your hands are engaged in something so you’re busy and that means that you can have a conversation or not have a conversation or have whatever kind of conversation you want with the person next to you. It really doesn’t leave any awkward quiet time.”

For more information about and tickets to FEDtalks, visit jewishvancouver.com. Interviews with fellow speakers Irwin Cotler and Dafna Lifshitz appeared in previous issues of the Independent, and Rabbi David Wolpe will be featured next.