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September 14, 2001
The annual Rosh Hashanah year in review
5761 in review
Some highlights of the B.C. Jewish community this year.
October
Organizers of the annual Combined Jewish Appeal campaign held a
successful Super Sunday telethon that drew $34,000 in pledges -
a 35 per cent increase per pledge card over the previous year.
***
Barely into the Jewish new year, Israel was drawn into chaos as
violence erupted among Palestinian protesters who used a visit by
Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount as an excuse to restart old battles.
Vancouverites joined together at Schara Tzedeck synagogue Oct. 12
to show solidarity with the Jewish state.
***
An exhibit at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre depicted
the experiences of Jews in Greece during the Holocaust. At the opening
of the exhibit, Dr. Photini Constantopoulou, an Athens archivist,
described the 3,000 years of Judeo-Greek relations as the longest
inter-ethnic relationship ever.
***
Tensions in the Middle East spilled over into Canada and anti-Semitic
incidents rose. Swastikas, obscenities and threats were scrawled
on synagogues in Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. Identifiably Jewish
individuals were assaulted and threatened in various locations,
mostly in Eastern Canada.
November
The annual Jewish book fair inspired thoughtful discussions as
authors such as Erna Paris, Lilian Broca and Malka Marom introduced
their works to devoted readers.
***
Canadian Jews marked the passing of a great Israeli when Leah Rabin
died Nov. 12.
***
An all-candidates meeting at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater
Vancouver got raucous. Candidates in the federal election battled
over such matters as Canada's anti-Israeli votes at the United Nations.
***
Along with millions of Americans, Canadian Jews waited out the drama
of the U.S. presidential election to see if Sen. Joseph Lieberman
would become that country's first Jewish vice-president. It was
late December before the answer finally came: close but no.
December
A panel discussion on the Middle East situation sponsored by the
group Jews for a Just Peace blamed Israel for the ills in that region.
The meeting reignited an ongoing debate in the Jewish community
here about the violence in Israel. The matter filled the columns
of the Bulletin's Letters page for weeks.
January
A remarkable collection of Judaica - Torah scrolls, candlesticks,
dreidels, tallit and more - from the personal collection of Rabbi
Yosef Wosk was displayed at the Vancouver Public Library's main
branch. Wosk regaled a packed room with stories of how he amassed
the items from around the world.
***
A major community initiative against poverty began with an all-day
forum on the subject, drawing representatives from almost every
major Jewish organization in the city. A study released at the same
time shattered stereotypes by showing that Jews, especially immigrants,
suffer from poverty in numbers similar to the general populace.
***
The Burquest Jewish Community Association purchased a building that
will serve as both synagogue and community centre for the growing
Jewish community in the eastern suburbs of Burnaby, Coquitlam, New
Westminster and surrounding areas.
***
The Vancouver Yaffa Housing Society celebrated the opening of its
newly completed home for Jewish residents with special needs. The
occasion marked the culmination of seven years of work.
***
Vancouver Talmud Torah elementary school merged with Vancouver Jewish
High School to create a full kindergarten-to-Grade 12 institution
under the Talmud Torah name.
February
Chutzpah! The 41st Avenue Revue ran at the Jewish Community Centre
of Greater Vancouver, promising the first in an annual series of
performing arts events.
***
Ariel Sharon trounced Ehud Barak in the Israeli elections Feb. 6.
Weeks later, the Labor party opted to back the Likud-led coalition.
***
Richmond Jewish Day School launched a fund-raising campaign to raise
cash for a major expansion expected to be completed by 2002 or 2003.
The effort got off to a fine start with a donation of $100,000from
the Diamond Foundation.
***
Michael Marrus, a noted Canadian scholar on the Holocaust, spoke
at an educators' conference about how and when the outside world
found out about the Holocaust. Though many world leaders pled ignorance
after the fact, by 1942, most leaders in free Europe and North America
understood what was happening to Jews and others under the Third
Reich.
***
More than 700 people attended the annual Jewish Community Centre
of Greater Vancouver Sports Dinner to hear emcee John McKeachie,
former Edmonton Eskimo place-kicker Dave Cutler and American television
personality Roy Firestone entertain.
***
A group called the Association for Genital Integrity launched an
effort to have the Supreme Court of Canada make circumcision of
infants illegal. After much public debate, including strenuous opposition
from Jews and Muslims, the court rejected the bid.
***
Sondra Ritter took over the helm of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Vancouver, promising to build on the work of predecessors such as
Bob Willmot, whom she replaced.
March
Having succeeded at convincing city hall to allow its expansion,
the Louis Brier Home and Hospital launched a $7.5 million fund-raising
effort to pay for the development. The expansion will reduce the
immense waiting list for the facility, as well as provide self-contained
suites for seniors who do not require full-time care.
***
The Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver joined with 30
other JCCs around North America for a three-part interactive panel
discussion called Kallah - The Gathering. Included were conversations
with Alan Dershowitz, another with Elie Wiesel, and a session in
which experts took on the roles of great Jewish thinkers.
***
Canadian members of the Young Men's Christian Association rejected
a report by the international body that criticized Israeli actions
after the latest Palestinian uprising.
***
Jack Diamond, a patriarch of the Jewish community and a prominent
figure in British Columbia's commercial and sports circles, was
mourned after his death at age 91.
April
The Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture opened the doors to
its new building. Through an innovative agreement with a land developer,
the centre gave up some of its land in exchange for a fully paid-for
new building.
***
In a bizarre hoax, someone sent copies of a notorious video of Holocaust
denial to four high schools in Vernon. The cover letter purported
to be from the Calgary office of B'nai Brith.
***
The Jewish National Fund celebrated its 100th birthday by bringing
to Vancouver four former shlichim (emissaries). More than
400 people attended the banquet, including former emissaries Yaen
Vared, Dov Efron, Kami Robinson and Itzchak Fuchs.
***
Israeli superstar rocker David Broza played the Vogue Theatre as
part of Yom Ha'atzma'ut celebrations.
May
The 13th Annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival (bar mitzvah year)
brought dozens of diverse offerings to the city. Among the premières
was Minyan in Kaifeng, which follows a group of Jews searching
for the Jewish community that thrived in China for hundreds of years.
***
Rabbi Arik Ascherman, executive director of the Israeli group Rabbis
for Human Rights, spoke to Vancouverites. The public meeting, co-sponsored
by the local group Jews for a Just Peace, spurred a debate over
Israel's recent actions that continues to rage.
***
Susan Weidman Schneider, editor of Lilith magazine, came
to Vancouver to deliver the keynote address for the official launch
of the Women's Endowment Fund. The fund, she said in her speech,
is evidence of a major change in the way women - and Jewish women
in particular - are reinventing philanthropy.
***
The Community Kollel brought speed-dating to Vancouver, in which
prospective partners have a series of seven-minute "dates"
before deciding whether they want to get together again. The scheme
has been wildly popular.
***
Ontario lawyer Keith Landy took the reins of Canadian Jewish Congress
after being elected national chair, saying he will build on co-operation
with local Jewish federations to present a common front for Jewish
concerns.
June
Vancouver Hebrew Academy found its future in jeopardy after the
Ministry of Education handed the building in which the school is
housed over to the Francophone school board for use as a French-language
school. Hebrew Academy eventually received confirmation that it
could remain at the location for this academic year and it may come
to an agreement for a longer term.
***
Vancouver Talmud Torah announced it had obtained land to build a
new, permanent high school. The structure will be on the site of
a former care facility in the block immediately east of the Jewish
Community Centre on 41st Avenue. The building could be completed
in a year.
***
Vancouver athletes prepared to head for Israel to compete in the
Maccabi Games after a decision to postpone the games was rescinded.
***
Joel Libin, a young member of the Jewish community who was brutally
attacked in an apparently random act in August 2000, held a news
conference with his father to protest the sentence given to two
young offenders who were found guilty. The youths received two years
probation and 18 months of house arrest. The Libins thanked the
Jewish community for its ongoing support.
***
The Burquest Jewish Community Association celebrated its first service
and Oneg Shabbat in its new building.
***
In an effort to have more Jewish services closer to home, members
of the Richmond Jewish community formed the Kehila Society, to co-ordinate
activities in the island city.
July
Police were called in after tempers flared at a meeting of Jews
for a Just Peace. Some participants did not like hearing Israel
referred to as a violent occupying power. Others said they were
prevented from expressing views contrary to the meeting's organizers.
August
Construction on the new Beth Hamidrash synagogue was halted after
money ran out for the project. Congregants appealed to the larger
Jewish community for help.
***
At a rally to show solidarity with Israel, about 300 people heard
a plea from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for financial support
in light of the added defence burden caused by the intifada.
***
The Bulletin reveals that an East Vancouver Catholic church
raised funds and paid $2,000 of parish money for a fund to aid the
family of convicted Nazi war criminal Michael Seifert.
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