OJC celebrates 10 years

Okanagan community hosts several successful events

The Okanagan Jewish Community (OJC) Synagogue and Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary Oct. 26 by honoring Mel Kotler, an OJC member who has been an integral part of the formation and ongoing development of the community.

At the party, which took place at the Vintage Hills Golf Course, Kotler was lauded not only as an exceptional fund-raiser but as an exceptional benefactor, a man who has contributed wholeheartedly both financially and with his time.

The evening was emceed by Bob Levin. Lil Feldberg spoke about how an empty lot was turned into the beautiful facility the OJC now has, and then speaker after speaker rose to sing the praises of Kotler, who has had so many outstanding achievements and who continues to do much for the community.

OJC wanders with Cole

The OJC centre was filled to "over-capacity" on Saturday, Oct.19, as the community hosted an evening with filmmaker Nikila Cole.

The film presented, Wanderings: A Journey to Connect, is a one-hour documentary that follows the travels of Cole and her 13-year-old daughter as they explore the remaining trails of 4,000 years of Jewish settlement around the world. Cole delves into the question of what has allowed Jews to survive over the ages.

Following the film, over refreshments, an informal discussion period took place. It focused on Cole's travels, the making of the film and her relationship with her daughter and their Jewish heritage.

Fern Helfand and the OJC Sisterhood arranged the screening and discussion, and the evening was sponsored by the Women's Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver and the OJC.

Philosophical evenings

At a recent Philosophers' Café, Dr. Mitch Bloom presented the findings of his trip up the Yangste River to a well-attended open forum made up of members of the OJC and the Kelowna public.

Bloom's fact-finding tour took him and his group of systems sciences researchers 176 kilometres up the Yangste to the largest construction project in the world – China's Three Gorges dam. The purpose was to determine the consequences of the dam project.

Bloom's presentation, accompanied by slides and overhead projection, prompted many questions from the audience and his responses revealed the extent of his research.

At another OJC Philosophers' Café, on Sept. 30, Dr. Meron Medzini addressed both sides of the current situation in Israel and the Middle East to OJC members and guests in attendance.

Medzini was born in Jerusalem. He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel and participated in the Six Day War, the War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War and the Operation Peace for Galilee. He has also served as spokesman for Israeli prime ministers Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin. He holds a BA, MA and a PhD from Harvard University.

Medzini managed to satisfy questioners from both the far left and the far right of the political spectrum. With his extensive involvement in the Middle East, attendees came away with a lot more insight into the circumstances in which the Israelis live day to day.

Medzini's visit was possible because of the co-operation and involvement of the United Israel Appeal.

– Courtesy of the Okanagan Jewish Community

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