Itamar Manoff and Adi Burton, co-directors of the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture, whose vision respects centre’s history. (photo from Peretz Centre)
Adi Burton and Itamar Manoff became co-directors of the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture last summer. The Independent recently spoke with them about their relatively new positions and the secular humanist Jewish organization’s 80th anniversary this year.
Both Burton and Manoff acknowledge that they arrived at their new roles last year during a tense and uncertain time in the Jewish community. Still, they are bolstered by the vibrancy, solidarity and support that have been present at Peretz for a long time.
“Learning how to do this job is learning how not to think that you need to reinvent the wheel, but actually opening up to the amazing activity and cultural richness that exists here – and finding a way to balance out the diverse needs of this fascinating and unique community while also making space for newness,” Burton said.
Burton and Manoff are simultaneously welcoming new members and ideas to Peretz and carrying on long-standing traditions, such as the focus on Yiddish culture. Further, they are sharing the history of the centre, which is steeped in a commitment to social justice, peace activism and the integration of the Jewish and broader communities.
“Like all Jewish organizations, there is always a lively debate about what Peretz is and can be,” Burton said. “As a community, we constantly rethink and renew culture through these conversations, which shows up in our celebrations of holidays, in our classes and lectures, and community events, [and] everyone is welcome to participate in this process of recreation.”
In 1945, the founders of Peretz – socialists, communists and capitalists, among them – envisaged a place where Jewish and Yiddish culture could be preserved and cultivated. The centre, in its current location on Ash Street, is a home to the riches of that history: the Kirman Yiddish Library, photographs, recipe books, music, and stories of Jewish life in Vancouver over the past eight decades.
In the last 10 years, Peretz has lost three of its pillars: Sylvia Friedman, Claire Osipov and, just this month, Gallia Chud. As well, the centre is still recovering from the pandemic, which reduced in-person participation. A main task in the eyes of Burton and Manoff is to ensure that the legacies of past generations continue.
“We’re lucky that there are so many people of different ages and backgrounds who are committed to Peretz – often working tirelessly in the background and with little to no support – and who keep us thriving,” Manoff told the Independent.
Burton and Manoff praised Donna Becker and Iosif Gershtein, two Peretz stalwarts who have been driving forces within the centre for more than 20 years.
Becker, they said, brings a deep understanding of Yiddishkeit, music, progressive politics, programs and event coordination, and extraordinary administrative skills. Gershtein provides a comprehensive knowledge of the building, an unsurpassed work ethic and a treasure trove of idioms and expressions, they said.
“We appreciate the chance to work with and learn from them,” Burton said. “Each brings a unique perspective and experience to the work that constantly inspires us to revisit our assumptions and act with greater care and respect for others.”
The Peretz Centre, according to Burton and Manoff, prioritizes diversity. It sees the LGBTQ+ community as an important part of its membership, they said, and the organization also opens its doors to interfaith and intercultural individuals and families.
“We keep a radically open definition of what it means to be a part of Jewish life, which, as a secular Jewish organization, we’re grateful to be in the position to do,” Manoff said.
The new directors say the city is entering an exciting period of growth for Jewish and Yiddish culture. There has been a marked increase in renewals and new members this past year, they said.
On the education front, Peretz offers beginning and intermediate Yiddish classes and a Yiddish history course. Musically, there are klezmer-related events, the Jewish Folk Choir, and Yiddish dance classes with Claudia Bulaievsky. There have been performances and lectures from well-known artists in the Yiddish music world.
“We’re excited to expand our arts and culture programming, including a few really innovative theatre productions and a film project on four amazing women who were among the founders of the Peretz,” said Burton. “We’re also especially enthusiastic about reviving our programs for youth. Our p’nei mitzvah program provides a pluralistic, non-dogmatic Jewish cultural education for young people aged 10-13 and helps them reimagine the traditional bar mitzvah rite of passage.”
When the Peretz Centre’s executive director position was announced last spring, Burton and Manoff applied together. Both have been involved in nonprofit, social and academic projects and organizations for many years.
“We draw confidence from each other because we hope that, together, we can bring and represent the spirit of friendship and community that has room for difference (makhloket) and strives towards peace,” Manoff said.
During this anniversary year, the relatively new leaders are striving to pay homage to and strengthen connections with those who have been at the Peretz Centre for a long time. They stress that their goal is to make sure that the longstanding traditions at Peretz flourish.
“It’s always such a wonderful experience to see how much is happening in the community and how much has been happening for such a long time, in such creative and independent ways,” Manoff said.
Both Burton and Manoff view the Peretz Centre as a place where people from different walks of Jewish life can come together and explore important questions of identity, history, culture, language, belonging and politics, in a safe and respectful environment – one, they say, that is needed in a time of disconnection and upheaval.
For more information, visit peretz-centre.org.
Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.