BC members of Team Canada U16 Junior Girls Volleyball sell donuts to raise funds to travel to Israel next summer. (photo from Maccabi Canada)
Young volleyball players and their families are calling on the community for assistance to send their team to Israel for the 2025 Maccabiah Games next July.
Team Canada U16 Junior Girls Volleyball includes 10 athletes, including four from Vancouver, five from Toronto and one from Winnipeg. The team is fundraising to cover the expenses, which amount to almost $10,000 per participant.
“These girls are devoting themselves to bringing their best game to the Maccabiah Games next summer,” said Roman Pereyaslavsky, the team manager. “It is not only a powerful goal for them, but the celebration of international athletic competition in Israel next year is also a huge message of solidarity with the people of Israel at this time of unprecedented challenge.”
The girls and their parents do not underestimate the hurdles they face in raising the funds to make the trip to Israel possible.
“Traveling to Israel and competing as Canadian representatives with Jewish girls from around the world is a massive dream,” said Liel Lichtmann, a Richmond Grade 10 student and member of the national volleyball team. “We are fundraising every way we know how and we are confident we can make this happen. We hope our community will make our dream a reality.”
The Krell, Lewis, Kallner and Singerman families are excited their gift will help in the creation of an expanded Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. (photo by Rachel Topham)
The JWest capital campaign cabinet is grateful to Dr. Robert and Marilyn Krell and their families, Shoshana and Shawn Lewis, Simone and Howard Kallner, and Michaela and Matthew Singerman, for supporting the redevelopment of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver site. The individual gifts from each of the four couples reflect two generations equally committed to building a strong Jewish future in Vancouver.
The Krell family has deep roots in Vancouver. Marilyn’s Polish grandfather, David Davis, who arrived in 1909, was one of the founding members of Congregation Schara Tzedeck. Robert, born in Holland, was hidden during the Holocaust and, after reuniting with his parents, arrived in Vancouver at age 10, in 1951. Both Robert and Marilyn were influenced by their parents’ involvement in the synagogue and a variety of Jewish organizations.
“Vancouver is where I became a Jew,” said Robert, who participated in Habonim as a child and became actively involved with the Canadian Jewish Congress as an adult. In 1971, he and Marilyn were married by Rabbi Marvin Hier, who was Schara Tzedek’s rabbi at the time. The couple raised their three daughters, Shoshana, Simone and Michaela, in a traditional Jewish home where Shabbat was always celebrated. The Jewish values that began at home were reinforced at Vancouver Talmud Torah, Camp Hatikvah and at the JCC.
Robert, a founder of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC), mobilized the survivor community from a concept in 1983 to a reality in 1994, when the centre opened as a museum and educational institute that ignited Shoah learning in British Columbia and beyond. The Krell daughters grew up witnessing the VHEC board meetings in their living room and attending award ceremonies that recognized their parents’ contributions to a variety of Jewish organizations.
“Through their actions and deeds, they taught us that you give when you can and volunteer when you can,” Simone said.
Now with children of their own attending local Jewish institutions, the Lewis, Kallner and Singerman families have assumed leadership roles in the VHEC, VTT, Schara Tzedeck, Jewish Family Services, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the Jewish Community Foundation. As they saw their parents’ commitment to support JWest, they knew they were also ready to answer the call to help build a new infrastructure to support the future of the region’s Jewish community.
“We are excited to contribute to such an important and pivotal project that will be utilized and cherished not just by future generations of our Jewish community, but of the greater community as well,” said Michaela.
Her sisters expanded that idea by saying, “The JCC has played a role for five generations of our family and it shapes many of our fondest memories.”
The family is excited that their gift will also assist in the creation of an expanded Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, an institute close to their hearts and lives. Founded with a mandate of Holocaust-based anti-racism education, the VHEC welcomes more than 25,000 students, educators and members of the public each year.
While it plays a crucial role in conveying the ongoing relevance of the Shoah, this teaching museum has long been challenged by a small footprint and its limited visibility in the lower level of the JCC. JWest will protect the legacy of the VHEC by significantly increasing its square footage and visibility. The new VHEC will be visible from West 41st Avenue and will feature state-of-the-art exhibit space for permanent and rotating exhibits. It will also have dedicated research and programming space to facilitate workshops that enhance learning and engagement. Its prominent location in the JWest campus’s Arts & Culture Centre will ensure that the VHEC remains a vital presence in the community well into the future.
“The VHEC was at the forefront of our upbringing and experience and it’s a highlight to see it being incorporated as an important component of JWest,” Simone said.
Shoshana echoed those sentiments. “It’s exciting to envision the future JCC as a hub that will encompass so many important institutions,” she said. “We want a safe space to house our next generation of Jewish institutions, so there’s an urgency for us to support this project as a commitment to the future of our children, our grandchildren and the community at large.”
Alex Cristall, chair of the JWest capital campaign, had this response to the gift: “With five generations of active involvement in Vancouver’s Jewish community, the Krell, Davis, Kallner, Lewis and Singerman families continue to demonstrate the depth of their commitment through their gifts and volunteerism. Their generous gifts to JWest will secure and revitalize our Jewish institutions and we are deeply grateful for their support of this project.”
As one of the largest capital projects underway in Vancouver, JWest is only possible with the support of donors and the encouragement of the community. In the coming months, the JWest capital campaign cabinet will continue to update and advise community members on the campaign’s progress and on opportunities to contribute to its philanthropic goal of $161 million.
For a full list of JWest donors, visit jwestnow.com.
The deadline to nominate someone for the 2025 Courage to Come Back Awards is Jan. 17. The awards, presented by Wheaton Precious Metals, pay tribute to everyday heroes who have overcome immense challenges and now give back to their community. They also raise funds so that Coast Mental Health can continue to provide community-based services for people living with mental illness in British Columbia.
“I really believe that having the opportunity to tell my story was something I had no idea I really needed,” said Rachel Goldman, who received a Courage to Come Back Award in the medical category last year. “It was the first time in my life that I had celebrated the part of myself that I always viewed as my greatest weakness. The ability to overcome challenges is always something to be celebrated. Courage is a superpower. I have no doubt that others would benefit from putting themselves or others forward, too. It is a gift that others should absolutely experience.”
Rachel Goldman received a Courage to Come Back Award in 2023. (photo from Coast Mental Health)
Goldman was born with CVID, common variable immune deficiency, which causes low levels of the proteins that help fight infections. Initially, she was uncomfortable about being nominated for the honour, as her illness was something she had only ever faced privately.
“That others would view this as both resilient and brave was not something I had really considered – that was just the way I chose to approach life,” she said. “The nomination showed me that resilience and bravery are something to be celebrated and that having the opportunity to shine a light on rare and invisible illnesses like mine is a privilege.”
Winning a Courage to Come Back Award has impacted Goldman’s life in a few ways.
“It opened the door to thoughtful conversation regarding my health and my life and allowed me the ability to really explain to those around me what it is like to live in my shoes,” she said. “It was not easy, but it began a healing journey to better understand my health needs. My hope is still to bring awareness to those that are suffering from diseases like mine and that research worldwide will continue towards helping those like me to live a more fulfilling and healthy life.”
The 2025 Courage to Come Back Awards are granted in four categories: addiction, medical, mental health and youth (ages 19-25). Recipients will be recognized in a celebration at the Vancouver Convention Centre on May 7.
“As chair of the Courage to Come Back Awards, reading through the hundreds of nominations we receive every year is a moment I look forward to with great anticipation. All of them are true journeys of bravery, resilience and strength in the face of adversity. I am grateful to those that have the courage to share their stories with us,” said Lorne Segal, who is also president of Kingswood Properties Ltd.
Dr. Ofer Merin, director general of Shaare Zedek Hospital, spoke at the event via video. He was expected to be in Vancouver in person but stayed in Jerusalem due to intelligence that Iran might strike Israel during the time he was scheduled to be away. (Adele Lewin Photography)
A top Mossad psychologist who has interviewed hostages released from captivity in Gaza explained to a Vancouver audience this month the traits that allow some people to survive and overcome unimaginable conditions.
Dr. Glenn Cohen, who made aliyah in 1982 after growing up in New York, served seven years in the Israeli Air Force as a pilot, then 25 years in the Mossad. His reserve duty has been in the hostage negotiation unit. He spoke at Schara Tzedeck Synagogue Nov. 10 as part of a national tour titled Voices of Resilience. The Vancouver event marked the inauguration of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation Western region. The hospital’s director general, Dr. Ofer Merin, spoke via video from Jerusalem.
The first hostages to be released after Oct. 7 were vital to intelligence-gathering for Israel’s military, but Cohen quickly realized that the psychological well-being of the former hostages presented challenges to obtaining the information that could help locate and free others.
“We have two goals here,” said Cohen. “One is to get lifesaving, critical intelligence about the other hostages. But, at the same time, these people came out of captivity. We have to give them a soft landing and tender loving care.”
Cohen wrote a protocol to receive civilians from situations like these.
When more than 100 hostages were released through an agreement last November, Cohen and his team of 30 psychologists met each one and debriefed them.
“The first thing we asked them was, who did you see?” Cohen said. “What condition physically, mentally? And,with this information, we brought a sign of life for some people who had no idea if their loved one was alive or not.”
Some news was good, while other reports confirmed the worst fears of some families.
Cohen has trained soldiers for the potential of being held hostage and he was surprised that, without this sort of training, human instinct told some of the hostages how to respond.
A core trait among those who successfully survive such scenarios, he said, is hopeful certainty that they will be released. Too much optimism, though, can lead to crushing depression when hopes are not met. Those who are certain of imminent release or rescue may succumb to heartbreak and even give up on life as days and weeks tick by, he said.
It is necessary, Cohen said, to balance hope with realistic expectations.
A 16-year-old boy who was among the released hostages remembered the story of Gilad Shalit. The boy told himself: “How long was he in captivity? Five years. I’m in for five years. A day less is a bonus.”
“A 16-year-old kid,” said Cohen. “Wow. What type of resilience is that? He didn’t go through any POW training. He was just a 16-year-old Israeli boy and he’s got that in his DNA.”
Maintaining any sense of control or normalcy is a small victory. Some hostages counted the days and weeks by listening to the muezzin, the Muslim call to prayer, which is different on Fridays. A seven-year-old boy was given three dates to eat each day, and he kept the seeds to measure how many days he had been in captivity. Others made fun of their captors, secretly referring to them by disparaging names.
Generally speaking, Cohen explained, it is psychologically better for a hostage to be held with other captives, even if underground without natural light, than to be held above ground alone.
Also advantageous, Cohen said, is recognizing the captors as human beings.
“There is another person on the other side,” he said. “Even though we call Hamas animals or … monsters or whatever, the point is, they are human beings who can be influenced. When you realize that, that this is an interpersonal situation, that gives you power.”
Cohen shared one story of hostages who told their captors, “Put your gun down, you’re scaring the children,” and they did.
In another instance, a woman with a cardiac condition asked to get some exercise by walking down the tunnel she was held in. She came across two other hostages and asked why they couldn’t be brought together. They were.
“A lot of the hostages actually managed to bond with their captors and because of that bond they survived better,” said Cohen.
News of such incidents has led to unfortunate events, he said.
“I heard not too long ago that hostages were cursed on the streets of Israel because they talked about their relationship with the hostages and didn’t call them animals,” Cohen said. “I feel like I have a mission now to educate people to realize that if people are speaking like that, as a hostage, it means it’s a healthy survival mechanism and God forbid we be critical of any of them.”
Dr. Glenn Cohen speaks with an audience member at Schara Tzedeck Synagogue Nov. 10. He was in Vancouver as part of a national tour titled Voices of Resilience. (photo by Pat Johnson)
Merin, the director general of Shaare Zedek Hospital, was expected to be present in Vancouver but remained in Jerusalem due to intelligence that Iran might strike Israel during the time he was scheduled to be away. Merin also serves as head of the medical intelligence committee involved with the current hostage situation in Gaza.
“The day after the war started, we opened a designated emergency room just to treat the many, many hundreds of patients who came in the first week in need of mental health support,” he said, estimating that tens of thousands of Israelis will be diagnosed with some form of post-traumatic stress disorder in the coming months.
Amid the extreme physical and mental health demands, the hospital has also faced human resources challenges, with hundreds of staff members called up for duty and 15 experiencing the deaths of immediate family members during the war. The anxiety of having family on the frontlines adds to the stress for everyone, said Merin. The multicultural nature of the staff, which roughly mirrors the demographic makeup of Jerusalem, is also a factor.
“How do we preserve the cohesion between these people?” he asked. “This is a major daily challenge in times of normal emotions among staff people, how to keep this amazing cohesion of people who are working for years, for decades, shoulder to shoulder together. How to keep it during times of war is a major challenge.”
Hinda Silber, national president, and Rafi Yablonsky, national executive director, of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation, traveled from Toronto for the event, which was co-chaired by Dr. Marla Gordon and Dr. Arthur Dodek. The evening was presented by Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation Western region, in partnership with Congregation Schara Tzedeck. The Jewish Medical Association of BC was the educational sponsor, with King David High School and Hillel BC participating in the program. Schara Tzedeck’s Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt welcomed the audience.
“Since Oct. 7, the mental health landscape in Israel has been profoundly affected,” said Ilan Pilo, Western region director of the organization. “The nation is navigating an unprecedented surge in psychological distress as individuals and communities cope with the aftermath of trauma and uncertainty.”
Proceeds from the evening will support a new mental health facility.
Dr. Oheneba Boachie, left, and Dr. Rick Hodes, centre, with patients. The JDC spine program in Ethiopia is seeing patients full-time and has evaluated more than 5,000 patients with spine deformities. (photo from Gary Segal)
The two previous Bring Back Hope events “were vital to getting us to where we are now,” Dr. Rick Hodes, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) medical director for Ethiopia, told the Independent. “They raised interest in our work and the financial gifts we received allowed us to expand, to operate on hundreds more patients, and to become the most important spine centre in the entire country of 120 million.”
Bring Back Hope III will take place Oct. 22 at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver. The event, which was conceived by local businessman and philanthropist Gary Segal, will honour Hodes and raise funds to secure Hodes’ legacy by establishing a dedicated spine centre in Ethiopia and training doctors and medical staff.
Segal met Hodes on a Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver/ JDC trip to Ethiopia in 2007. From Hodes, Segal learned about Tesfaye Anagaw, then a teenager, who had an extreme deformity in his spine that could not be operated on in Africa. Segal managed to get Anagaw the life-saving surgery he needed at Vancouver General Hospital in 2009. The experience inspired Segal to help others in similar circumstances by supporting Hodes’ work. Segal launched the Bring Back Hope Initiative (BBH) in 2012.
It wasn’t intended to be annual event, Segal told the Independent. “As a new cause with its somewhat unique origin, it took some time and thoughtful analysis to deploy the funds in a strategic manner – not just to fund the immediate and ongoing need for life-saving spine deformity surgeries, but also to increase training and capacity within Ethiopia. In addition to BBH working with JDC, the newly established BBH partnership with the UBC Branch for Global Surgical Care was unfolding methodically.
“As a result, the appropriate timing for BBH II just naturally turned out to be a five-year anniversary of the initial launch. With the similarly inspiring and even larger amount of funds raised at BBH II, I would say that, around three years later, the rumblings of a BBH III 10-year anniversary event began running through my head, only to be derailed by a couple of unforeseen ‘best laid plans of mice and men going awry’ events: COVID, followed by an outbreak of civil unrest and war in Ethiopia. So, here we are.”
One of the prominent aspects of Hodes’ work, which has been highlighted at previous BBH events, is the interfaith cooperation.
“It is not exactly a revelation to say that extremism, especially of political and religious beliefs, has historically led to much discord in the world,” said Segal. “In stark contrast, underpinning these BBH events, you have this remarkable story – rare humanitarian Jewish physician Dr. Rick Hodes, partnering with devout Baptist Ghanian-born spine surgeon Dr. [Oheneba] Boachie, working with the Catholic nuns of Mother Teresa mission in Addis Ababa, saving Muslim and Christian children. What an uplifting and powerful example of what interfaith cooperation can achieve.”
From left to right: Dr. Oheneba Boachie, Gary Segal and Dr. Rick Hodes in the clinic office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (photo from Gary Segal)
An important development since the first BBH event is that the Ethiopian Ministry of Health has recognized the importance of the spine program.
Boachie and Hodes have been working together for almost 20 years, having met in 2005.
“In spring of 2006, we sent five patients and one staff person to Accra, Ghana. At the same time, Dr. Boachie and his team arrived from New York, and they operated on our patients and many others,” said Hodes. “The Ethiopian government was not making spine a priority, but now that we are seeing patients full-time and have evaluated well over 5,000 patients with spine deformities, they realize that this is a major cause of disability. They now are in favour of a national spine centre and are working with us to get this done. Their endorsement has shown us, and our donors, that we have ‘buy-in’ from the Ethiopian government.”
While the majority of surgeries took place in Ethiopia this year, Hodes said, “We also send patients to FOCOS Hospital in Ghana and Ganga Hospital in India for traction and for surgery.
“We are sending Ethiopian surgeons to India for training, as well. Over the years, the majority of our difficult surgeries have been performed in Ghana, often preceded by months of ambulatory traction. Having our own centre will allow us to provide better care and to be in control of the process and the facility.”
Currently, they operate in a government hospital as well as in a private Christian hospital, said Hodes, “but we believe that a full-time, 100%-spine centre would provide better care to Ethiopians suffering from spine issues.
“I am the main doctor in the clinic, but, in the end, this must be a program run by Ethiopians for Ethiopians,” he stressed. “A national spine centre will allow this to happen. This means having a dedicated facility, as well as fully trained Ethiopian physicians, nurses, physical therapists and others to be able to evaluate, treat, operate on and rehabilitate our patients. It is a great opportunity to provide great care to our patients, and I would love to find an Ethiopian doctor to direct it.”
Hodes was in Vancouver more than once this summer, talking about his hopes for the spine program.
“I was here,” he said, “meeting people, speaking about my work and trying to interest people in our activities in Ethiopia, which involve identifying patients, evaluating and treating them, choosing people for surgery, coordinating care and arranging surgeries – and following them afterwards for years,” as care needs don’t end after the surgery is complete.
“The Dr. Rick Hodes/JDC spine program – over the last 20 years, part of JDC’s tikkun olam non-sectarian work – has not only saved and transformed countless lives, but has also served as an inspiring example and message to both the Jewish and non-Jewish world,” said Segal, who has been on the JDC board since 2012.
Hodes has been recognized for his work in various ways. Most recently, he was given the 2024 Walter P. Blount Award by the Scoliosis Research Society, whose membership “includes over 1,000 of the world’s leading spine surgeons, researchers, physician assistants and orthotists who are involved in research and treatment of spinal deformities.” The award honours “an individual who has provided outstanding service for those with spinal deformities, through their generous actions out of a sense of service to larger social and professional goals.”
Segal and others have called Hodes “tireless” in his humanitarian work.
“I am surrounded by suffering, and it is my challenge to deal with this daily, to provide compassionate care and to raise funds for all of this,” Hodes told the Independent. “I realize that I can only help a small percent of the people who seek my care, and have to deal with that. I am motivated by my goal of helping people for whom there is no other alternative. It’s not easy. I lose sleep over this. It is never-ending.”
Hodes will return to Vancouver for BBB III. Also attending, said Segal, will be “Tesfaye, with his wife and son (whom I can’t wait to meet for the first time); two other patients whose lives were transformed through the Dr. Rick Hodes/JDC spine program; some JDC professionals from the USA, Israel and Ethiopia; and a senior Ministry of Health individual. There is also a special entertainment surprise with its own unique story and link to the evening.”
Larry Vinegar, left, and Marcy Schwartzman with Daniel Steiner, who presented them with the Lighting the Way Award at JFS Innovators 2024 on May 28. (photo by Kliri Photography)
JFS Innovators 2024: 18 Years of Lighting the Way raised more than $420,000. “With donations raised by Innovators 2024, we can provide holistic, wrap-around care – the kind that recognizes individual needs, situations and life stages,” Tanja Demajo, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Services, told the Independent. “Picture this: a single mom dealing with a debt after divorce, trying to care for her child with autism on a limited income, as her caretaker role and employment conflict each other. With these funds, we are not just filling their fridges, we are nourishing their well-being and giving them the fuel to keep going when it’s hard.”
The annual fundraising event, which was presented this year by Pollock Clinics, took place the evening of May 28 at Parq Vancouver. Originally a luncheon affair, the new approach was well-received, said Innovators 2024 committee co-chairs Candice and Todd Thal. In an email, they shared some of the feedback they had received: “Great event. Positive responses to the change in format. Open bar and food elevated the evening. Video was informative and touching.”
Innovators 2024 co-chairs Candice and Todd Thal. (photo by Kliri Photography)
The Thals have been involved with JFS as donors and volunteers for many years, because they value that JFS “supports our local community, regardless of age, race or religion.” As co-chairs of Innovators, they were responsible for, among other things, marketing and communication, corporate sponsorship and overall event planning, which included sourcing a venue, integrating new fundraising strategies, and developing a menu.
The event started with a welcome and land acknowledgement by actor Christina Chang, who was the night’s emcee. Demajo spoke, offering an overview of JFS and Innovators, and Daniel Steiner presented the Lighting the Way Award to Larry Vinegar and Marcy Schwartzman. After a video featuring former JFS clients Sammy and Tadelu, auctioneer Fred Lee got people bidding. The proceedings wrapped up with remarks from the Thals, who told the Independent that their favourite part of the night was “watching over 350 happy and engaged people come to support the new Innovators format.”
“Having so many people come together to support JFS on this special anniversary of the Innovators event was very inspiring and such a lovely way to spend the evening,” agreed Demajo.
The presentation of the Lighting the Way Award was a highlight. The honour was established to recognize and celebrate “exceptional leadership and commitment within the community,” Demajo said. “This award serves as a tribute to individuals or companies who embody the core values and mission of JFS, particularly in their dedication to uplifting lives and contributing to a world repaired.
“By recognizing individuals or companies JFS not only celebrates their achievements but also encourages others to follow their lead in making the world a brighter place. The Lighting the Way Award serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration, reminding us of the collective responsibility we share in creating a more compassionate and inclusive society.”
Members of the Innovators 2024 committee, left to right: Jessica Hanick, Candice Thal, Tamar Bakonyi and Cydney Shapiro. (photo by Josh Bowie Photography)
Vinegar and Schwartzman were given the award in recognition of their contributions to JFS and the community at large.
“They truly embody JFS’s values and demonstrate innovation in their commitment to social good, reminding us that finding a way through darkness can lead to a more resilient, compassionate and inclusive society,” said Demajo.
“Larry and his son Moishe had volunteered with the food bank since Moishe was a kid, demonstrating great passion and commitment to food security. In early 2021, Moishe left this world far too early. Larry and Marcy turned their grief into an amazing opportunity to engage young adults in food and environmental justice through the Moishe’s Farm Retreat,” she explained.
“Wanting to do more, they also planted an acre of land with squash in the Okanagan valley with the intention to donate the produce to the JFS Kitchen. Two years ago, Larry came across a piece of land in Richmond, which he, Marcy and their friends transformed into a thriving farm. Their vision attracted numerous supporters who have helped Larry and Marcy grow and donate fresh food to JFS and other organizations. Each week, Larry and Marcy deliver fresh produce to the JFS Kitchen. Since starting the farm, they have donated over 20,500 pounds of food. Their produce enriches lives by not only ensuring food security but also advancing food justice.”
Former JFS clients Tadelu and Sammy. (Photo by Kliri Photography)
Steiner, who presented the award to Vinegar and Schwartzman, has a special connection to JFS and Innovators. His wife, Naomi Gropper Steiner, z”l, and her friends Hildy Barnett, z”l, and Kristina Berman started Innovators in 2006. Steiner has been involved since the beginning, and continues to do what he can to continue her legacy.
And there is always more to be done.
“Due to an increase in poverty, hunger, homelessness and mental health issues, JFS faces an unprecedented number of requests for help and support in the community each and every day,” said Demajo. “For every person who receives care and services, there are five more waiting for support. Our mission is to ensure that every single person who crosses our path receives the care they deserve, precisely when they need it most.”
Howard Kallner is being honoured at Schara Tzedeck’s MOSAIC gala on June 4 (photo by kenneth88/wikimedia)
“I have been very lucky in my life to be surrounded by lifelong volunteers and builders of community, both my parents, my in-laws and multiple other role models, and it just seemed natural to volunteer and be involved,” Howard Kallner told the Independent.
Kallner is being honoured by Congregation Schara Tzedeck at MOSAIC, the synagogue’s annual gala, on June 4.
“The first thing that came to my mind was discomfort,” said Kallner about finding out he was being recognized. “I was hesitant to accept because there are so many long-time shul volunteers, donors and community-builders who would be deserving of being honoured.”
Kallner has been a part of the congregation since he was 13 years old.
“My family had emigrated from South Africa when I was very young and their synagogues in South Africa were very similar to Schara Tzedeck,” he explained. “My parents, and now my family, have been members for over four decades. On my wife’s side, her great-grandfather, David Davis, was a founding member of Schara Tzedeck, and her grandfather, Charlie Davis, was a past president.”
Howard Kallner (photo from Howard Kallner)
For his part, Kallner was on the board for seven years before becoming president. He served three years as president and three more as past president, for a total of 13 years. He was serving as president when the pandemic hit.
“When the COVID pandemic hit, we needed to pivot immediately to online programming, online services where applicable, continue live services with restrictions and make sure our community members, particularly our vulnerable ones, were connected and taken care of,” he said of how his role was affected. “One of the programs that came out of this was Shabbat in a Box. We recognized a need amongst our members and others in our community and delivered over 450 meals a week at the height of the pandemic. For the Jewish holidays, we were delivering over 650 meals accompanied by holiday-specific items so they could celebrate the holidays.
“Additionally, Schara Tzedeck, being an Orthodox synagogue, could not have Shabbat services online,” said Kallner. “With the exception of a few weeks when the government would not allow any public gatherings, we continued services in person with some significant modifications. When limited to 50 people per gathering, we moved services outside, in a tent in our parking lot. At times, services were held in sub-zero temperatures, with most attendees wearing ski jackets, toques and gloves. For the High Holidays that year, we had nine services a day for a maximum of 50 people. We had to find three sets of Torah readers, shofar blowers and leaders of the services.
“While, during COVID, it was undoubtedly the hardest I worked as president of the shul, it was also the most rewarding,” he said.
Now officially “just” a member and supporter of the synagogue, Kallner continues to be part of the Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board and is a governor of the Jewish Community Foundation, as well.
“Giving back to a community that has given me and my family so much was very important,” he said. “With different experiences in my life and my relatives’ lives, including immigrating to a new country with little means and losses during the Holocaust, strong Jewish institutions ready for whatever the world would throw at them seemed crucial, and I wanted to do my part.”
Schara Tzedeck’s senior spiritual leader, Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt, described Kallner as representing the beginnings of a new generation of leadership. At the time Kallner was getting involved, said the rabbi, “There weren’t a lot of people in their 40s who were stepping up to the highest levels of leadership at Schara Tzedeck.”
Kallner helped take the synagogue from being a 20th-century organization into being a 21st-century organization, said Rosenblatt.
”The backbone of an Orthodox synagogue, certainly in the Pacific Northwest, certainly in Vancouver, is people who have come from much more traditional Jewish communities,” he explained. “For example, Schara Tzedeck has a lot of Holocaust survivors. These are people who came from very traditional Eastern European communities, but you could also have people from Winnipeg or Toronto or Montreal, New York, those places you associate with very traditional, very committed Jewish communities. For a long time, we were able to be a community of people who grew up in that kind of tradition, but there was a recognition at Schara Tzedeck that we needed to be able to be a place which translated topeople who did not have that kind of traditional upbringing.”
Kallner had the analytical, organizational and people skills to help the synagogue do that, said Rosenblatt, highlighting Kallner’s leadership during the pandemic.
“He was practically a paid member of the staff at that point, in terms of generating and developing policy,” said the rabbi. “He was involved in helping us make sure that we were operating on the next level. And he also understood that our organization had to be structured in a way where we could have the manpower to be able to do that, and that outreach. Part of that was that the information technology had to be updated.”
Describing Kallner as “a very humble person but also very hard working,” Rosenblatt said, “one of the things that he was strongest at was helping us transition into a place where we were reaching out more…. One of the programs we developed under his watch was Shabbat in a Box. There were some pre-iterations before that, but it came to its full maturity under him.”
Among the other programs that will benefit from the funds raised at MOSAIC are the synagogue’s education initiatives, some of which reach beyond the shul to the broader Jewish community, such as the series Rosenblatt gave on the history of the Marranos.
“I recognize,” he said, that “one of the great sources of inspiration in Jewish identity is Jewish history.”
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks and the subsequent war, his education efforts have been more focused on Israel.
“When Oct. 7th hit, and people started to hear immediately just garbage about colonialization, I realized that there was just so much that people didn’t know or understand,” he said.
The Zionist story most of us have been taught is the inspirational one, he said. “Not that it’s wrong, it’s just not complete, and all histories have complexities. I didn’t want people to be caught flat-footed on these things and be surprised by them.”
He gave the example of a sign he saw on an overpass on the way into Whistler Village recently.
“It says there can be no peace on stolen land. And I’m thinking to myself who stole the land from whom? At what point do you decide that the land belongs to someone? Are you willing to say that 638 is where we’re going to start everything, when Omar ibn al-Khattab conquered Jerusalem, is that the right time? Should we ask ourselves when the Abbasids or the Fatimids or the Umayyads, which one of them? Were the Ottoman Turks? Which one becomes the real owner? At what point do you decide that these things happen? People don’t know – maybe now they do more, but certainly on October the 8th they didn’t know – when was Israel first called Palestine, when did Muslims come to Jerusalem, when were Jews forced out, which empires conquered it … what really happened at Deir Yassin, what were the stages of the War of Independence, what happened? These things, there are a lot of resources on them … and, I thought, Jews didn’t know these things – not to mention that there are libraries full of evidence on Jewish indigenous life in Israel that is far, far older than anything having to do with the name Palestine, and I wanted Jews to be able to know that. I wanted Jews to be able to articulate it. I want Jews to understand a stronger connection to Israel. And I think that has been something that has been a real value added to people’s knowledge base.”
The congregation has several individuals who have gone to do military service in Israel. “They are primarily Israelis who are here for various purposes, as shlichim [emissaries] or for educational reasons, and we’ve had real success in having them share their experiences and stories over the past number of months,” said the rabbi.
These types of programs have been a priority, said Rosenblatt, “to make sure that our communityreally stays close and understands the nuances and the issues. Every time we have the opportunity to give further insight, we do that.”
One of the people from Schara Tzedeck who has gone to serve was Assistant Rabbi Ishay Gottlieb. “He’s a major in the reserves in the IDF, and he left on Oct. 9th and wasn’t really back until the beginning of January,” explained Rosenblatt. “You’re essentially funding a staff member, like many Israeli organizations [are having to do], but there’s lots that had to be compensated for in that context.
“In some ways,” added Rosenblatt, “we’ve doubled our programming – run a regular program plus an Israel program. Not that we’re that different from the other synagogues [in that respect] but everything costs money and this is part of a case for giving. Since Oct. 7th, we really have been prioritizing the connection with Israel.”
He said, “When you walk into Schara Tzedeck, we want you to feel like you’re in a little embassy of Israel in this building. And participating in MOSAIC means that’s what you’re doing, you’re helping to support that – you’re helping to support a branch of Am Yisrael that is in Vancouver.”
To attend MOSAIC, RSVP by May 28 to 604-736-7607 or [email protected].
The annual Jewish Family Services (JFS) Innovators event has evolved from the traditional luncheon format into an evening cocktail reception. The decision comes as the organization prepares to celebrate the 18th (chai) anniversary of the event, reflecting on nearly two decades of innovative initiatives and community impact.
Naomi Gropper Steiner z”l, Hildy Barnett z”l and Kristina Berman founded the first Innovators and this year’s gathering will reflect on JFS’s journey over the past 18 years. From its Home Support Program and Thriving Seniors to strategic partnerships and poverty alleviation initiatives, JFS remains committed to meeting the changing needs of the community and is dedicated to creating lasting impacts and fostering a more resilient and inclusive society.
Join new Innovators
Chaired by Candice and Todd Thal, this year’s Innovators is set against the backdrop of the Vancouver skyline. Taking place May 28, 6-9 p.m., the event will unfold at the D6 Bar and Lounge, within the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver. The culinary offerings will include kosher options.
The night’s program will spotlight various JFS’s initiatives. Other highlights will include Fund-a-Need, to support JFS’s programs, hosted by Vancouver’s “man about town,” Fred Lee. Master of ceremonies will be actress Christina Chang, who has appeared in several television shows and movies, and is currently playing the role of Dr. Audrey Lim on the ABC show The Good Doctor, which has shot in Vancouver over the past seven years.
Tickets for Innovators 2024 are available through the event’s website: trellis.org/jfsinnovators2024. For more information about the event or JFS, contact 604-637-3306 or [email protected].
Ilan Pilo, left, and Rafi Yablonsky of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation. (photo from CSZHF)
In Jerusalem, Yad Vashem stands as the foremost memorial centre to the Holocaust, dedicated to the millions of Jews murdered during the Shoah. Across the street, as if in defiant answer to the past, is one of the world’s busiest maternity centres, where 22,000 newborns meet the world every year, strengthening the future of the Jewish people.
The maternity section is just one of Shaare Zedek Medical Centre’s many specialized departments, advancing health not only at the start of life but all through the lifespan of patients. Shaare Zedek is home to an emergency preparedness and disaster response centre. It offers a one-stop multidisciplinary and comprehensive diagnostic breast health centre. There are departments focusing on heart health, medical genetics, digestive diseases, oncology and an array of other specializations – more than 30 in-patient and 70 out-patient departments in all. The hospital sees a million patients annually and has 1,000 beds. Located in the centre of west Jerusalem, it is, among so much else, a teaching and research facility.
Western Canadians will likely be hearing more about this particular facility as the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation has just opened its first office in this part of the country. But, while the organization may be a newcomer as a physical presence in Vancouver’s Jewish community, it will be a familiar face sharing the Shaare Zedek story.
Ilan Pilo, who served as shaliach (emissary) and regional executive director of Jewish National Fund of Canada from 2013 to 2021, has returned from Israel as the Western Canada executive director for the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation.
“I was thrilled and honoured to be offered the opportunity to be the first to launch the Western office in Canada,” Pilo said.
During his time back in Israel, Pilo served as principal of a postsecondary trades and skills school and, most recently, ran the campaign for Yariv Fisher, who won an upset victory to become mayor of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv. Municipal elections across Israel were delayed twice due to the war and, almost immediately after seeing his candidate elected, Pilo jumped on a plane and headed for Canada, spending 10 days in Toronto orienting to his new role before landing in Vancouver in March.
The hospital is 120 years old and was founded to ensure medical adherence to halachah (Jewish law), providing appropriate care for Orthodox Jews in the pre-state era. While it still provides everything religious Jews need, including minyanim, it is also, Pilo said, a “safe zone” for all people, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or religion.
“When you look at the population in Jerusalem, you see that there are one million people – 300,000 of them are ultra-Orthodox, 400,000 are Arabs and the rest are, let’s say, secular Jews,” Pilo said. “It’s the most interesting and complex mix of people.”
That diversity is reflected not only in the patients but in the doctors and staff, Pilo said.
Right now, the hospital’s specialists in trauma are dealing with soldiers and civilians injured in the war. Since Oct. 7, Shaare Zedek has treated 300 wounded civilians and more than 700 Israel Defence Forces soldiers. In addition, hospitals in the north and the south of Israel have transferred 60 of their neonatal intensive care unit patients out of conflict regions to Shaare Zedek, where the NICU is housed in completely sheltered areas.
Rafi Yablonsky, national executive director of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation, said he and the foundation’s board decided to expand operations across Western Canada because of the region’s philanthropic and Zionistic reputation.
“We hope that more Canadians learn about the transformative and world-leading work of Shaare Zedek Medical Centre in Jerusalem,” he said. “Our goal is to grow our donor base and volunteer base with business and philanthropic leaders out West.”
This is not the first time Pilo and Yablonsky have worked together.
“Ilan and I were colleagues when we worked at JNF Canada together,” he said. “I witnessed firsthand how Ilan is highly skilled as a world-class fundraiser, also motivating groups of volunteers to do their part in our community.
“Shaare Zedek is a public hospital that is privately funded,” said Yablonsky, “and it receives very limited support from the Israeli government to upgrade equipment and technology, develop groundbreaking international research and ensure state-of-the-art medical training is available to staff. As such, the hospital relies heavily on the generosity of donors around the world to supplement $30 million needed annually.”
My new favourite dessert: Inbal Baum’s Coconut Cream Malabi. Baum is one of the contributors to June Hersh’s new digital cookbook, Cooking for a Cause. (photo by Ingrid Weisenbach)
I have a new favourite dessert: malabi. At least Inbal Baum’s Coconut Cream Malabi. Baum is one of more than 70 cooks, bloggers and others who have contributed to June Hersh’s new digital cookbook, Cooking for a Cause. All proceeds from the book’s sale support Leket Israel, whose focus is “rescuing healthy, surplus food and delivering it to those in need through partner nonprofit organizations.”
“By purchasing this digital cookbook,” notes Leket’s promotional material, “you will not only be supporting Leket Israel’s routine food rescue operations, distributing fresh, nutritious, surplus food to over 330,000 people in need each week, but you will also be part of Leket’s emergency relief campaign, providing much needed assistance to displaced Israelis throughout the country as well as to the Israeli farming community who has been significantly impacted by the ongoing war.”
Hersh has written several cookbooks “with a charitable flavour,” supporting various causes. She contributes to food blogs and magazines, appears on radio and TV, and gives talks on the importance of preserving Jewish food memory. Cooking for a Cause is a response to the Oct. 7 terror attacks, and Hersh and Leket Israel “reached out to everyone we could think of who has made an impact in the world of Jewish food,” writes Hersh in the introduction. “Additionally, we approached those incredibly outspoken Jewish and non-Jewish supporters who have taken a stand and used their moral compass to point the way. The response was overwhelming!”
The result is a unique cookbook that is interesting both for its recipes and its stories – each entry tells users a bit about the contributor and/or the food being presented, and there are eye-catching colour photos throughout. The cookbook “is not arranged from starters to desserts and it is not consistent in its format,” writes Hersh. “I say this not as an apology but with pride, as this book is deliberately different. It reflects a cacophony of voices that have come together to support Leket and the people of Israel. Each contributor presents their connection to Jewish food and expresses it with a different perspective, writing style and point of view. You, the reader, benefit from diverse cooking techniques, interpretations of Jewish cuisine and fresh commentary with each recipe.”
Recipes that caught my eye as I skimmed through the book included Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Holishkes) by writer Joe Baur; Pandora’s Chicken with Artichokes, Oregano, Olives and Sundried Tomatoes by Joan Nathan, “award-winning ‘godmother’ of Jewish food”; Aunt Rini’s Tahini Cookies by Elise Addlem, founder of Feminists Against Antisemitism; and Olio Egg Salad by Ben Poremba, who “infuses his Israeli-Moroccan heritage into all his restaurants.”
I have bookmarked these recipes for future cooking/baking sessions, and will certainly try others as well. Between the Jewish Independent’s Passover and Israel special issues, I only had time to try out three recipes. In addition to Coconut Cream Malabi, which Baum writes was inspired by “Our Chef Sevim [Zakuto], with her Turkish-Jewish roots, [who] shared the cherished recipe from her grandmother,” I made Rachel Simons’ Fennel and Herb Salad (Simons is a co-founder of the company Seed+Mill) and award-winning chef and restaurateur Jonathan Waxman’s Steelhead Trout with Vermouth, Baby Sorrel, Chanterelles and Fingerlings.
The salad was as big of a hit as the malabi, and I enjoyed the meal part of the trout recipe but wasn’t so keen on the sauce, which contained vermouth. Not being a lover of vermouth, I had put the sauce on the side, and I thought the food was better without it. When I make the fish again, I’ll try to halve the vermouth or reduce it on the stove to see if that makes it taste less sharp.
COCONUT CREAM MALABI (by Inbal Baum)
1 can coconut cream (fat content should be greater than 14% for the best results) 3 tbsp sugar 3 tbsp cornstarch 1/3 cup of water 1 tsp of vanilla extract, or rose or orange blossom water crushed (or chopped) nuts, to taste desiccated coconut, for serving pomegranate molasses and/or silan, for serving optional toppings: chopped seasonal fruit (strawberries, apricots, mango)
In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a gentle boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until well combined. Slowly add the cornstarch to the saucepan, continuously stirring.
Over medium heat, continue stirring until the pudding thickens – this may take 3 to 5 minutes. If needed to thicken, add additional cornstarch in small amounts until the mixture begins to thicken.
Mix in the vanilla extract, orange blossom or rose water, then pour or ladle into four small bowls.
Allow to cool before serving (approximately one hour, but can be less).
When ready to serve, top with a layer of pomegranate molasses or silan (date honey), desiccated coconut and ground nuts.
FENNEL AND HERB SALAD (by Rachel Simons; 4 servings; 30 minutes to prepare)
1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise juice of 1 lemon 1 cup cold water 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp flaky sea salt 1/8 tsp ground black pepper 1 cup parmesan cheese, thinly shaved (optional)
Place the sliced fennel into a bowl with the lemon juice and cold water. Let sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the fennel.
In a large bowl, mix the fennel, mint leaves, parsley leaves, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan (if using). Mix to combine well. Serve the salad cold.
STEELHEAD TROUT WITH VERMOUTH, BABY SORREL, CHANTERELLES AND FINGERLINGS (by Jonathan Waxman; serves 4)
4 x 4.5-ounce skin-on, boneless steelhead trout fillets 1/2 cup white vermouth 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 1 cup baby sorrel 1 cup cream 1 cup sliced raw fingerling potatoes 1 cup button chanterelle mushrooms
Season steelhead with sea salt and fresh ground white pepper.
Cook the potatoes in simmering salted water for 12 minutes. Set aside.
Wash mushrooms.
In a sauté pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter, heat to sizzling, add the trout, skin side down and sauté for 2 minutes.
When skin is crispy, turn over and add remaining olive oil and butter. Then add the potatoes and chanterelles to pan. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove steelhead to a warm platter. Ensure potatoes and chanterelles are cooked, add them to the fish platter.
Add the vermouth to pan and then add the cream. Turn off heat and add the sorrel leaves.
Taste sauce for seasoning and gently coat the potatoes and chanterelles with sauce. Serve hot.
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To purchase Cooking for a Cause, go to chef.leket.org. For more on Leket Israel – including how you could join the organization’s approximately 54,000 annual volunteers “in gleaning, sorting and packaging rescued food for the Israelis in need” – visit leket.org.
