Tag: Chabad of Vancouver Island

Groundbreaking May 26

Kineret Tamim Academy founders Dr. Elior and Leah Kinarthy. Kineret Tamim is Victoria’s first Jewish day school. (photo from Chabad)

Kineret Tamim Academy, just steps from the Chabad of Vancouver Island’s Centre for Jewish Life and Learning, is now officially an independent school.

Easily reaching the 10-student minimum before any classes could be taught, Kineret Tamim is looking forward to enrolling more students when it opens in September. The school will be kindergarten to Grade 2 at the start, but hopes to expand to more grades in the future.

For many local Jewish parents and grandparents, the need for a day school has been pressing. Victoria is the fastest-growing Jewish community in Canada, with a population of 4,385, according to the 2021 census (up from 2,630 a decade earlier). 

“The fact that, for the first time in the 160 years of Jewish history in Victoria, the first Jewish day school is opening is a testimony to the growth of Jewish life on Vancouver Island,” said Rabbi Meir Kaplan, the director of Chabad of Vancouver Island. 

“Victoria is now a destination for families who would like to raise their children in a community with robust Jewish education,” he said. 

Chabad of Vancouver Island was established in September 2003 when Kaplan and his wife, Chani, arrived in Victoria. At first, the living room of their home was used as the shul and children’s play area. Their programs, and the interest they drew, expanded over the years and more space was needed to accommodate the community. On Aug. 24, 2016, the Verrier Family Chabad Centre for Jewish Life and Learning was opened. 

“Rabbi Kaplan has been a mover and shaker, and his wife, Chani, has also been a major reason the school is happening,” said Leah Kinarthy, an active member of the local Jewish community and president of Jewish Family Services Vancouver Island. “The preschool she runs is incredible. Having a successful preschool is a major requirement for the Tamim Academies to support a new school opening.”

Kinarthy and her husband, Elior, were instrumental in enabling the school to become a reality and Leah Kinarthy will serve on the school’s board. Cathy Lowenstein, who was head of Vancouver Talmud Torah for 17 years, is now a professional advisor who helps launch private schools and works to establish them as certified independent schools in the province – she was also pivotal in bringing Kineret Tamim into being.

Principal Kristen Lundgren, who holds a bachelor’s of education specializing in French immersion and French second language instruction, has 27 years of experience in childhood education. Hebrew and Judaic studies will be taught by Viviana Finkelstein, who has taught elementary Hebrew for more than 30 years.

“The school has an incredible headteacher/principal and a Judaic/Hebrew teacher,” said Kinarthy. “It’s a community school that will be a unifying force for quality Jewish education for our children and grandchildren. Opening a Jewish day school was our lifelong dream; now is the time to make our legacy a reality.”

Kineret Tamim will offer secular education, with both French and Hebrew immersion, along with Judaic studies. The organizers of the school stress their objective is to facilitate the “unbounded potential” and “innate desire to learn” within every child.

Further, they aim to “prioritize long-term social-emotional and spiritual health in order to fulfil our mission of developing kindness, self-efficacy and purpose in each student.” This approach, they believe, will enable students to make their own positive imprint on the world.

photo - Kineret Tamim Academy is run under the auspices of Chabad of Vancouver Island, which is led by Rabbi Meir and Chani Kaplan
Kineret Tamim Academy is run under the auspices of Chabad of Vancouver Island, which is led by Rabbi Meir and Chani Kaplan. (photo from Chabad)

The school will be inclusive. Every Jewish child, regardless of background, affiliation or level of observance, will be able to attend. No Jewish child, their website states, will be denied a Jewish education due to financial circumstances. All students must wear a uniform. Kineret Tamim has partnered with a security company to ensure the safety of children and staff. 

The school is part of Tamim Academies, an international organization of schools, and is one of many located around the world. The name stems from Tomchei Temimim, the first formal yeshivah system of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which was founded in 1897 in Russia by Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneerson. Each student was referred to as “tamim,” pure, perfect or complete – the assumption being that each child is inherently holy and good, with “wholeness” being the foundation of the education model.

For several years, Chabad of Vancouver Island has been operating CTots, a licensed early childcare centre, situated on the upper level of the Centre of Jewish Life and Learning on Glasgow Street. Kineret Tamim Academy will be located on Quadra Street.

The Chabad centre in Victoria is one of two on Vancouver Island. There is also Chabad Nanaimo and Central Vancouver Island, which launched in January 2015.

On Lag b’Omer (May 26) at 4:30 p.m., there will be a groundbreaking for Kineret Tamimn Academy, coinciding with a community barbecue. The event will take place at the CTots Adventure Park. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Sponsorship is $180.

For more information, or to apply, visit tamimvictoria.org. 

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Celebrating in Victoria

Left to right at Chabad of Vancouver Island’s 20th anniversary gala last November: Rabbi Meir Kaplan; Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada; Dr. Elior Kinarthy and Leah Kinarthy, founders of Kineret Tamim Academy of Victoria; and Rebbetzin Chani Kaplan. (photo from Chabad of Vancouver Island)

Chabad of Vancouver Island, led by Rabbi Meir and Rebbetzin Chani Kaplan, ended last year by marking a few milestones. The centre celebrated its 20th anniversary in November with a gala that included many dignitaries from across North America, including the Israeli ambassador to Canada. The centre – which is officially called the Verrier Family Chabad Centre for Jewish Life and Learning – marked eight years since the opening of its own building, which was the first new synagogue built on Vancouver Island in more than 150 years. And, Dec. 22-23, the centre hosted Cantor Yaacov Orzech and the Kol Simcha Singers for a community Shabbaton in solidarity with Israel, marking the first time a choir has ever sung at the Chabad synagogue.

My own connection with the Kaplans and Chabad of Victoria began several years ago, when the Kaplans hosted me at their home for Rosh Hashanah. At the time, services were being conducted in the annex of a nearby school. I was impressed at the dedication of the members of the synagogue in their little makeshift shul and even more impressed when I learned that a new Chabad Centre would be built. 

At the 20th anniversary event, which I unfortunately couldn’t attend, a future milestone was announced – the establishment of a new Jewish elementary school in Victoria. Kineret Tamim Academy will be the first new Jewish day school on the island in 160 years. It will be part of the Tamim Academies network, which operates 15 schools across North America, including locations in Toronto, Portland, New York and Miami. Opening in September, it will complement the existing CTots Childhood Education Centre at the Chabad Centre, which has a preschool and kindergarten.

photo - The Verrier Family Chabad Centre for Jewish Life and Learning first opened its doors eight years ago
The Verrier Family Chabad Centre for Jewish Life and Learning first opened its doors eight years ago. (photo from Chabad of Vancouver Island)

A spontaneous day trip to Victoria several months ago led to the December milestone at Chabad of Vancouver Island. I called Rabbi Kaplan from the ferry, and he told me to drop by the synagogue and say hello. When I arrived, the rabbi gave me a tour of the two-storey building which houses the kindergarten, a mikvah, offices, a meeting/study room, a Judaica store and a social hall. The building was light and spacious, and the acoustics were impeccable. I mentioned to Rabbi Kaplan that the Kol Simcha Singers, with whom I sing, would appreciate the great sound in the shul. He was intrigued and suggested that perhaps the shul could host an evening for the choir. On a subsequent visit, I brought Cantor Orzech and, after that meeting with Rabbi Kaplan, the stage was set for the community Shabbaton.

The choir – which includes Matanya Orzech, Sydney Goldberg, Maurice Moses, Hirschel Wasserman, Geoffrey Goldman, Edward Lewin, Terry Barnett and me – made our way from Vancouver to Victoria to lead the Friday night and Shabbat morning services. We were joined for this special occasion by a Kol Simcha singer who grew up in Victoria, as well as a chorister who is originally from Manchester but is now a resident of Qualicum Beach. As we crowded around Cantor Orzech on the bima to chant, in harmony, ancient Shabbat melodies, the shul’s acoustics enhanced our voices and made for a heavenly sound. After services, we enjoyed a Shabbat dinner made by Chef Menajem. We ate downstairs in the bright and cheery social hall, which features paintings from local artists. It was a joyous evening, with Rabbi Kaplan leading some spirited singing interspersed with inspiring words of Torah.

photo - Rabbi Meir Kaplan, far right, with Cantor Yaacov Orzech (back) and the Kol Simcha Singers at Chabad of Victoria prior to the Dec. 22-23 Shabbaton
Rabbi Meir Kaplan, far right, with Cantor Yaacov Orzech (back) and the Kol Simcha Singers at Chabad of Victoria prior to the Dec. 22-23 Shabbaton. (photo from Chabad of Vancouver Island)

Shabbat morning was more of the same, with the choir singing, under the cantor’s direction, songs to honour Shabbat and Israel. During the service, Rabbi Kaplan acknowledged several members of the congregation who have family members serving in the Israel Defence Forces. At lunch afterwards, the choir sang Shehecheyanu, a prayer that commemorates a milestone, because singing at the centre was a new experience for both the choir and Chabad of Vancouver Island. 

At the lunch, Rabbi Kaplan shared that one of our choir members, Terry Barnett, was born in Victoria and had lived there until the 1980s. After the meal, I took a walk with Terry along Cook Road to Dallas Road for a view of the ocean and the Olympic Mountains. For Terry, it was nostalgic being back in Victoria. For me, it was a pleasure to be in the city, too – I had almost moved there several years ago. Terry and I got back to synagogue just in time for ma’ariv, the evening service, and then most of the choir returned to Vancouver.

I stayed over a few extra days and, on Sunday morning, attended services and watched a video of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), who stressed the need for education in a Jewish community. There were several new programs announced for 2024, including a six-week series entitled Advice for Life, which offers the Rebbe’s guidance for leading a more purposeful life. Registration for the series, which is also held at other Chabad centres, can be made via chabadvi.org or myjli.com. The new program complements the Shabbat and Sunday morning services, weekly classes and adult education and holiday celebrations that the centre offers throughout the year. 

Later that Sunday, I took a walk to some familiar places in Victoria and checked out the Fernwood General Store, which is in the neighbourhood I would have moved to. It’s a small grocery store that used to be owned by South African Jews and that still features a kosher section, with kosher chicken, blintzes, bourekas, gefilte fish, tuna, matzah and grape juice, among other things.

My visit to the island for the December Shabbaton reminded me of how much Jewish Victoria has to offer and brought back memories of another milestone I had the privilege of witnessing, the 150th anniversary commemoration of the Conservative Congregation Temple Emanu-El, the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Canada. Hopefully, I will be able to return to Victoria again to celebrate and perhaps write about another Jewish milestone in British Columbia’s beautiful capital city. 

David J. Litvak is a prairie refugee from the North End of Winnipeg who is a freelance writer, former Voice of Peace and Co-op Radio broadcaster, “accidental publicist,” and “accidental mashgiach” at Louis Brier Home and Hospital. His articles have been published in the Forward, Globe and Mail and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. His website is cascadiapublicity.com.