Create a better world

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jasmine Sasky came to Vancouver with her family in 2004, after living in Israel for 15 years. The illustrator, painter and sculptor epitomizes the concept of tikkun olam (repair of the world) – and the city is a visibly better place since her arrival.

Sasky told the Independent that she got her Israeli citizenship when she was five, but only at the age of 19, in 1989, did she decide to move there and settle in Haifa. "By then, my father and oldest brother were living in Israel as well," she said.

About why she left the country, Sasky was adamant: "In my answer, you won't hear anything about politics or safety issues, you won't hear about a better future and a place to live for our children. We had a good life in Israel, full of family, friends, work, opportunities and happy moments. I guess life was calling us here. It is beyond our decisions and comprehension. I believe the roots are in my travelling artist's soul – when I was a little kid, my imagination took me to far away places, in a little Charlie Brown suitcase I used to have. My husband and I travelled a lot, and I guess a change appealed to us."

Sasky's husband, Ezequiel, is an electronic engineer, working for General Electric in hardware development. Their children – Liam, 10, Yoel, 6, and Eitan, 4 – all attend Vancouver Talmud Torah (VTT).

Sasky said their immigration to Canada went well: "Our paper work, permissions, translations, cards, the citizenship process went very well and was very organized. We felt welcomed as Canadian residents and, now, as Canadian citizens."

The main problem was something familiar to many Vancouverites. The Sasky family arrived in February: "I remember the first morning at the hotel, my son, Liam, sat down in front of the window and watched the rain fall down, then tears started to run down his cheeks, he was completely shocked. The challenges were about to begin."

So, the first challenge was the weather, "especially when you come from Israel. My body was desperate for light and sun. People I talked to mentioned special lights that work as the sun or vitamin D, etc. I didn't do anything, I just gave my body time to adjust to the change. I must confess, it took more time than I thought.

"Also, as a mother of two, and then three, little boys, spending countless hours inside the house was not easy, especially when we were used to being outdoors so much.

"Another challenge was, of course, the culture," she continued. "I feel lucky about this issue. Living in Israel for 15 years, where the culture is very diversified, gave me the opportunity to meet many different people and to learn about their culture, manners, rituals, food and other things. I learned to stand up for myself, for what I want, and I became very strong and independent. It was the best school in life, and I brought these tools to Vancouver.

"Here, I learned a very important lesson in life that Israel didn't teach me and it was to be patient and learn to wait – there is time and everything can happen, slowly. There is a place for everyone. I felt welcomed to create and find my own space. Families, parents and children, welcomed my art, my spirit, my passion, my warmth, my style and colors as never before and I feel very blessed for being here, doing what I love."

It's not hard to see why Sasky and her work were so welcomed. In addition to being colorful and playful, a portion of the sales price goes to charity. What started as a concern about family now encompasses the B.C. Jewish and general communities.

"By January 2007, my father and oldest brother were both fighting different types of cancer in Israel," explained Sasky. "My father lost his job and my brother, a father to three children, couldn't work. I was desperate to help, and couldn't travel to be with them in Israel. I just finished my first painting (the first I ever did), so I took it to my children's school, showed it and decided to ask for help from the community. The administration at VTT posted a letter in our newsletter – we called it the Color and Hope Project. Ten families commissioned paintings for their children, many more helped with small donations. After a few months, I was able to send my father and brother money to help with groceries, medical supplies and some financial aid. At this moment, they are both living a normal life, with cancer at a remission stage."

After this project, Sasky said she started to get many more commissions, from the community and beyond: "My characters became my trademark and a new career was launched." She added, "With Color and Hope Project help, I also painted and donated a beautiful piece to B.C. Children's Hospital for their huge lobby renovations. Now, I am busy painting new commissions for families, as well as working on a new donation piece for the Richmond Hospital Foundation."

Sasky said she does so many works for charity because she was "extremely blessed" to discover her new career by helping her family.

"I feel my art has a meaning and needs a meaning to keep on being alive," she explained. "I paint from a place of pain and tragedy. While I paint, I go to a deep place of suffering and sorrow, usually listening to sad music, and sometimes even crying, while colors, happy characters, flowers and butterflies come to the canvases."

ChildFind Canada is one of Sasky's main charities. As for the reason, "It comes from the real story of Cedrika Provencher, a missing girl from Quebec," she said. "My children and I were really touched by her tragic story and we became close to her family. We offered our help and promised to tell as many families as we could her story. Her grandfather called me 'Cedrika's Angel' and, since then, I have been doing what I can to help them and the families of missing children in Canada. I can feel their pain, and the tragedy of a child being abducted from his/her home is a crime I cannot stand."

She helps in several ways. "First, from each new commission I get, five per cent is donated to ChildFind Canada. Second, I hosted a fundraiser at Starbucks recently, where I created 10 pieces of artwork representing 'The 10 Rights of a Child' (United Nations Declaration) – all the profits were donated to ChildFind Canada – and I am planning to host more events like this one. Third, my husband and I created a PowerPoint presentation for children, telling Cedrika's story and promoting awareness in children and parents regarding safety issues and we showed it at the event."

Sasky said she would like to help more organizations related to children, one of which is Make a Wish Canada, with whom she plans to meet about future fundraising possibilities. In addition to such work and her art commissions, Sasky has her own business, Angelina's Dream.

"In Angelina's Dream, I chose to use, for the first time, my middle name, Angela (with a twist to Angelina), and it is my business for arts and crafts parties and community events," she explained. "I love arts and crafts, and I love children, so the idea of Angelina's Dream is a combination of both. I have hosted already dozens of birthday parties, summer camps, specialty camps, Beth Israel Hebrew school events, Sukkot volunteer parties at the Vancouver JCC (for four years in a row), the Israel@60 event, all with unique crafts I created myself."

Sasky said there is a deep love of Judaism in her family and that this was the environment in which she was raised. "My Jewish education at home and at school was a positive one, full of love, holiday celebrations and family gatherings. I had an amazing experience in Israel, where I met my husband and two of our beautiful children were born.

"Choosing Vancouver Talmud Torah as our children's school was the best way to continue our deep connection to Judaism and Israel," she continued. "I am a living role model to my children. I believe that positive models give our children the best lesson in life. My children are involved in everything I do, I tell them everything I care for and show them creative ways to help and do things for our community.

"When I was painting countless hours to help my family, they were there for me; when I received the JCC award for volunteer work, they were there for me; when I do volunteer events, they come and participate; when I decided to help Cedrika's family, they were there to listen to my ideas and my approach to helping people in life."

She concluded, "My only wish is to raise my children to be good men, responsible and sensitive to the community they live in, with a deep love and respect for all religions and cultures."

For more information about Sasky and her work, visit www.jasminesasky.com. For more information about ChildFind Canada and Cedrika, visit www.childfind.ca and www.cedrikaprovencher.net, respectively.

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