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Nov. 23, 2012
A multi-faceted people
Beth Hamidrash event will celebrate Israel.
LAUREN KRAMER
She’s a hobby pilot who has flown over Alberta’s prairies, a competitive Ohio horse jumper with a passion for riding and a woman who made it to the list of Top 10 Jewish Women to Watch by Jewish Women International in 2010. Dr. Arna Poupko Fisher, a faculty member in the department of Judaic studies at the University of Cincinnati will be in Vancouver Dec. 2 to talk about The Worry and Wonder of Being a Jew at Congregation Beth Hamidrash’s annual fundraising event, Celebrating Israel!
A popular speaker who has addressed more than 130 Jewish communities in North America, Fisher was en route to Israel when the Jewish Independent caught up with her to discuss her upcoming lecture.
“It’s a very interesting time to be a Jew,” she reflected. “Today, being Jewish feels hip, complicated and interesting, and often Jews are the ones who least appreciate the extent to which our traditions, culture and experience allow for a particularly interesting and surprising encounter with the world.”
Fisher, a 54-year-old mother of five and grandmother who grew up in Edmonton, has worked in the Jewish community for the past 34 years. She also served as scholar in residence for Montreal’s federation. “It’s a role that allowed me to see how Jewish values could inform and direct Jewish communal decisions and create leadership models which were both relevant and applicable in today’s contemporary setting,” she said.
In her present position at the University of Cincinnati, one she has held for the past 12 years, Fisher interacts daily with non-Jewish students, who comprise up to 80 percent of her classes on Women in the Bible, Women in Jewish Civilization, and a course simply titled God. Time in the classroom “gives me the opportunity to see the ways in which Jewish ideas completely fascinate students and captures their attention,” she said, “reminding me daily about the treasure that we have as Jews.”
She added, “Young people, in general, are intrigued by Judaism. It’s all over the media. You can’t turn on the television without seeing a Jewish character in a prominent, cutting-edge show. I think the world is fascinated with us, and for good reason. The roots of Judaism have surprising complexity…. Ours is a multi-faceted religion that informs love, life, how we earn a living, and how we engage and improve the world.”
In the past 15 years, Fisher said she has seen significant changes in Jewish communities across North America. “The Jewish artistic world has caught on to the fact that there’s this really interesting religion and people. But you also have young Jews who consider themselves secular, but who are reconnecting with their Judaism in its cultural and historic dimension,” she noted.
Fisher referred to the rise of publications that never existed before, such as Heeb magazine, PresenTense and others, wherein Jews reckon with their Judaism and use it as a source of inspiration. “You have pop-up minyanim and cultural centres all over North America, because young Jews are intrigued and excited by their traditions. I’ve seen it happen in L.A., New York, Toronto and in Montreal,” she said.
Will those efforts be a counter to Jewish assimilation? Fisher said she’s not sure they will. “At the same time, we are experiencing this increased interest in Judaism, we also have an increased commitment to universalism,” she explained. “Our notions of assimilation include a parochial loyalty that runs contrary to the instincts of most young Jews, for whom it’s very difficult to commit to the notion that Jews are to marry Jews.”
Michelle Ray, fundraising chair for Beth Hamidrash, said she heard a talk by Fisher recently in Edmonton and felt she would resonate with the audience in Vancouver. “She’s very dynamic and has a great approach to her audience and a wonderful message,” Ray said. “It’s been a few years since she last spoke in Vancouver and she’s definitely going to energize the audience on Dec. 2.”
Comedian and author Joel Chasnoff will entertain at Celebrating Israel!, which takes place Dec. 2, 5:30 p.m., at Schara Tzedeck, and Beth Hamidrash is featuring a draw for a prize valued at more than $7,000, that includes airfare for two to Israel and seven days accommodation in Jerusalem. Tickets are $180 and include an Israeli-style feast and drinks. For tickets, call 604-872-4222 or e-mail [email protected].
Lauren Kramer is an award-winning writer in Richmond. Read her work at laurenblogshere.com.
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