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April 11, 2003
Israel is in our thoughts
Support shown for U.S. war effort at Negev Dinner.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Support for the allied war effort in Iraq and an overriding concern
for the safety of Israelis were the dominant attitudes at this year's
Negev Dinner.
The annual fund-raiser for the Jewish National Fund, which took
place Sunday night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver, carried
added gravity this year, not least because of war in the Middle
East, but also because it was the final Negev Dinner in Vancouver
for Ran Bagg, JNF emissary to the city for the past five years.
Funds raised from the dinner go directly to supporting the construction
of a bypass road project in northern Israel, where civilian traffic
is routinely targeted by Hezbollah terrorists firing from the Lebanese
mountains nearby.
The dinner's honorees were Dr. Abraham (Al) Bogoch and Dr. Margaret
Mullinger Bogoch, two of the city's best-known physicians and community
volunteers. The Bogoches, who met and married more than half a century
ago at the University of Toronto medical school, were fêted
for decades of contributions to the British Columbia Jewish community,
most notably to Vancouver Talmud Torah, Hadassah-WIZO, State of
Israel Bonds and other public and private contributions too numerous
to name.
"This is an awesome evening for Margaret and me," said
Al Bogoch, in a witty and gracious presentation to JNF and about
300 guests. The couple's dedication to the community was toasted
with moving testimonies from Naomi Frankenburg and Dr. Mark Schonfeld,
who captured the spirit of the couple's long love affair and commitment
to mitzvot.
The keynote speaker for the evening was John Fraser, the former
member of Parliament for Vancouver-South, cabinet minister and Speaker
of the House of Commons.
Fraser lambasted the federal government for what he called an abandonment
of Canadian sovereignty to the United Nations.
"We have abandoned our sovereignty to the Security Council,"
he said in a speech that recapped recent statements by federal officials
on where Canada stands on the war in Iraq. By choosing not to enter
the war without Security Council sanction, Fraser said Canada has
set an alarming precedent. It is logical, he argued, that Canada
would in future enter a war it deemed wrong if the Security Council
voted to fight.
Fraser acknowledged that Canada has limited vital interests in Iraq,
but argued that historic alliances and international friendship
count too.
Fraser was himself a Negev Dinner honoree in 1979, and has been
dedicated to support for the state of Israel throughout his career.
He spoke of travelling to Israel for the first time in 1973 and
noting the lack of concern among Israelis about the potential for
another military attack by Arab countries. Fraser said he spoke
to Sam Kaplan, then editor of the Jewish Western Bulletin
about his fears, which proved tragically prescient when the neighboring
states attacked later that year in what became known as the Yom
Kippur War.
Fraser said the 1973 scenario was similar to the current one, in
that Canada's government stood by and did not come to the aid of
its allies.
"We cannot indulge in the luxury of not having an opinion,"
said Fraser, who was a cabinet minister under prime ministers Joe
Clark and Brian Mulroney.
Fraser's comments of support for the war effort were received enthusiastically
by the audience, as was the presence of the American consul-general
to Vancouver.
Tragic world events were central to the evening's mood. Until the
disaster of the Columbia space shuttle on Feb. 1, the scheduled
guest speaker at the Vancouver event was to have been Col. Ilan
Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who perished along with his crewmates.
Haim Divon, Israel's ambassador to Canada, was scheduled to represent
Israel at the dinner but, due to the war, he had orders to remain
in Ottawa. In his stead, Maj.-Gen. Moshe Sukenik, an attaché
in the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., brought greetings from
the Israeli government and received a standing ovation for his expressions
of support for the war on terrorism worldwide.
"In this fight, there are no borders and no political differences,"
said Sukenik.
About 300 guests attended the dinner, at which JNF supporters bid
adieu to Bagg, who has become a fixture of the Jewish community
here over his term as emissary.
"We leave a piece of our hearts here in Vancouver," said
Bagg. "Thank you for five wonderful years."
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and
commentator.
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