Schara Tzedeck

The truest act of kindness

Howard Jampolsky tells the story of how community members came together to support a family after the death of their husband, father. (photo from Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board)

Taking care of the deceased is known as a chesed shel emet, or “the truest act of kindness.” The Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board and Chevra Kadisha practise this every day.

We take care of our community’s deceased, and help their families from the time of death through the funeral service. Of course, because we have financial obligations like any other organization, we charge for our services. However, every family is charged the same price for burial plots and funeral services, and we only offer a traditional burial with all the proper rites. We treat every deceased person and their families equitably.

This practice varies only if a family is not in a financial position to pay the full costs. Sometimes, families simply need an extended period to pay for the funeral – for example, when funds are only available from the estate. Sometimes, families cannot pay the full amount, as this would cause a significant hardship. And then, there are times when a family is simply not able to pay anything at all. In all of these cases, we provide the same services as we provide everybody: it is our core belief and mission to provide a full and proper Jewish funeral according to all the customs and laws.

We carry out about 125 funerals each year and, while each is unique, there are some that truly stand out. This chronicles one such story.

On a cold and rainy day in October, I received a call from Rabbi Hillel Brody, who serves as the religious leader of the Louis Brier Home and Hospital. He told me there was a resident who was dying and his wife, who we will call “Margaret” (names have been changed in this story to protect privacy), was worried for a variety of reasons. Margaret and her husband “Shmuel” had moved to Vancouver about 10 years earlier and, because of Shmuel’s failing health, much of their time was spent visiting doctors and caring for him. They tried to connect with the community, but were unable and, earlier that year, Shmuel was moved into the Louis Brier. Margaret began to find some connection to people just by being in the more active setting of the home, but, still, her focus was almost entirely on caring for Shmuel. This devotion to her husband was admirable, but it came with a price – they did not have any close friends.

Margaret had no idea where to begin when it came to planning for Shmuel’s burial. To make matters worse, Margaret and Shmuel did not have the money to pay for a funeral or a burial plot. Rabbi Brody assured Margaret that the Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board and Chevra Kadisha would take care of things. He told me that the only family was a daughter, who lived in Toronto, and he told me that she had decided to visit a few weeks earlier to see her father and say her goodbyes while he was still alive. As she could only make one trip, she had made this difficult choice, and was not going to be able to come for the funeral.

When Shmuel passed away, I called Margaret and arranged to meet her at her apartment to go over the details and get all the necessary paperwork signed. Margaret and Shmuel had been together for almost 50 years, and life had always been hard. They were both Holocaust survivors, both were born in Hungary. Shmuel had been held by the Nazis as a very young boy of less than 10 years old and, because of the conditions that he and other Jews were under, he became very ill from malnutrition and as a result of Nazi torture. He was fortunate to not have been murdered by the Nazis, as so many were, but though he survived and was rescued, he never truly recovered.

Margaret and I completed the paperwork required for registering Shmuel’s death, and talked about the funeral. She was shocked and humbled when I told her that we would provide Shmuel with a full and proper Jewish funeral and she would not have to pay anything. Her tears flowed again, but this time from relief.

Margaret told me she did not even know how she would be able to get to the cemetery. She had sold her car some years earlier, and would take the bus every day to be with Shmuel at Louis Brier. I told her that Rabbi Brody had offered to drive her to the cemetery. Again, she was surprised and grateful.

At this point, the funeral would be one of the smallest I had ever attended. It was looking like Margaret, Rabbi Brody and I would be the only people there. I knew that Margaret needed more help. The thought of her being dropped off at her small apartment to be alone after burying her husband was upsetting. She needed more support, and I asked Margaret if it would be OK if we purchased an airline ticket for her daughter, “Monica,” to come to Vancouver to be here for a few days, including for the funeral.

Margaret was at first confused by the question. I’m not sure she even comprehended what I was saying. But Monica accepted our offer and, later that day, an airline ticket was purchased for her.

With Monica in town, Margaret would be able to get to the cemetery, as Monica’s good friend, “Bill,” had agreed to drive them. Two more people would be there to help bury Shmuel.

I went home that evening feeling both exhausted and energized. I had worked hard that day to make sure everything would work for Margaret, but the weight of the day was offset by the buoyancy of the good deeds that were also done. Margaret was going to get through this a little easier now, and it felt good.

On arrival the next morning at shul, I saw Rabbi Brody. He told me he was inspired by what we had offered Margaret, and mentioned that he had advised Congregation Schara Tzedeck’s Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt that the funeral was taking place the following morning. He said he had asked Rabbi Rosenblatt to announce the funeral to his congregation and, if anyone could attend, they should contact me.

I approached a congregant who is a wills and estates lawyer, and he offered to provide Margaret with legal help in dealing with her husband’s affairs, for no charge.

At the end of the service, another congregant approached me and asked me to contact Omnitsky Kosher and order food for the family to be sent over following the funeral, with the bill directed to her.

Neither of these people had ever heard of Margaret, or Shmuel, or Monica. They just were part of a community that was beginning to rally around a fellow community member to give her the support we would all need in such a situation.

The weather was forecast to be very windy and wet for the Sunday funeral, but we were lucky that it was still dry. Monica had told me she let a few people know about the funeral, and that they may come, so I was not surprised when I saw two people walking into the small cemetery. As they approached, I asked them if they were friends of Monica. They told me they did not know anyone by the name of Monica, but had heard there was funeral this morning for a Holocaust survivor, and that there would be only a few people here, and they wanted to come to support the family.

A few moments later, another car drove up – a man with his two sons arrived for “a funeral they had heard about.” Car after car arrived. More and more people gathered, some who had driven almost an hour to lend support to a total stranger and to participate in the mitzvah of laying Shmuel to rest.

When the funeral started at 11 a.m., there were close to 30 people there – none of whom had ever met Shmuel, Margaret or Monica.

The beauty of a chesed shel emet is that everyone gains. I know that everyone at the funeral, and everyone who helped in some way or another, benefited from this experience. But, most of all, Margaret benefited and will continue to benefit from a community that supported her in her darkest hour, and will continue to help her.

Margaret will mourn and grieve. She does not know how she will be able to live on without Shmuel, and cannot imagine ever recovering from this physical and emotional blow.

But she will.

Howard Jampolsky is executive director of Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board.

Return of looted art

“Young Man as Bacchus” by Jan Franse Verzijl was among about 400 works owned by Max Stern that were forcibly sold by the Nazis in the 1930s. (photo from Max and Iris Stern Foundation)

When the painting “Young Man as Bacchus” by Dutch master Jan Franse Verzijl (1599-1647) went on display in New York City two years ago, the FBI moved in and seized the work. In the possession of an art gallery in Turin, Italy, the painting was among about 400 works owned by Max Stern that were forcibly sold by the Nazis in the 1930s.

In 1935, Stern was a successful gallery owner in Düsseldorf, Germany, but because he was Jewish, his collections were confiscated and sold by the Nazis. Stern would later move to Montreal, where he became a leading figure in the Canadian art world. After Stern died, in 1987, the beneficiaries of his estate learned of Stern’s Düsseldorf gallery and an extraordinary project began to seek restitution for the confiscated artworks.

Dr. Clarence Epstein, director of the Max Stern Art Restitution Project and senior director of urban and cultural affairs for Concordia University, will speak in Vancouver March 23 about the successes and challenges of the project.

The beneficiaries of Stern’s will are Concordia University, McGill University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. As a result, the art restitution project may be the only program of its type with three academic institutions working collegially to a common goal, said Epstein. His visit here is presented by the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and Congregation Schara Tzedeck and is sponsored by Heffel Gallery and the estate of Frank and Rosie Nelson.

The Dominion Gallery, Stern’s Montreal business, remained in operation for more than a decade after his death. During this time, the beneficiary universities became aware of Stern’s prewar history.

“There was an entirely additional gallery business in Düsseldorf that his family had run before the war but had been closed by force as a result of Nazi persecution,” Epstein told the Independent in a telephone interview. “It wasn’t public knowledge. I think some people were aware of Dr. Stern’s past, but it coincided with the time when the issue of restitution was just starting to gain a little bit of traction in the art world and so it merited questioning. We just didn’t know how far to take it.”

The Max Stern Art Restitution Project has become a significant entity, with staff in Montreal, Ottawa, Washington and New York, as well as researchers in Europe. In addition to the obligation Epstein has to maximize the financial outcome for the beneficiaries of Stern’s will, there are other factors driving the project.

“There were fiduciary obligations, which is part of estate management,” he said. “There were moral implications, because this was something that was right for the universities to do on behalf of their great benefactor Max Stern. And then there were educational opportunities that this could open up in the fields of art history, of social justice, of art and law, the mechanics of the art market – and this enticed all kinds of academics to get involved in the project.”

The return of “Young Man as Bacchus” is among 16 successes the project has seen so far. While the restitution of that piece involved law enforcement, it also exemplified the good faith response of the gallery into whose possession the painting had fallen.

Every country has different rules and statutes of limitations around the return of art that has been stolen or forcibly sold, and the Stern project navigates the law as well as less litigious means of restitution. Through the recommendation of the German Friends of Hebrew University, the German government recently announced tax receipts for the owners of returned artworks. In the cases of galleries or museums, the reputation of the institution could suffer if they are known to be in possession of a work of dubious provenance, so this encourages cooperation. Individual collectors may not have the same impetus for preserving a reputation, but once a piece of art is identified as coming from Stern’s Düsseldorf collection, it bears a figurative black mark that makes it valueless on the open art market. Even so, Epstein said, the project does not seek to punish anyone for unwittingly possessing such a work.

“We don’t intend to be the bearers of bad news about the state of the work that is in their possession,” he said, “so if there’s any way that we could alleviate that kind of misfortune with some kind of tax relief, we would do so. But it hasn’t been tested yet.”

One example of an innovative solution found is the case of a work that was discovered in a Düsseldorf gallery. While the ownership was transferred to the Max and Iris Stern Trust, the universities agreed to lend it back to the gallery for long-term display.

“In their case, everybody kind of got their cake and ate it, too,” said Epstein. “It is owned by the Stern Foundation but it is lent to the Düsseldorf Museum.”

While Canada does not have the sort of art sector that New York or the capitals of Europe have, Epstein credited the federal government, specifically Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly, for expressing the Canadian government’s commitment to restitution.

What happens to the artworks when they are returned varies. In the Düsseldorf case, the gallery in possession maintained custody. In some instances, the pieces have been sold to fund additional work of the project. (Once returned, the black mark is eliminated and the piece can be exchanged in the legitimate art market.) Others are loaned to museums and public institutions.

Next year, an exhibition of works from Stern’s collections will open in Düsseldorf, later traveling to Haifa, Israel, then Montreal.

Popular culture has taken on the topic of art restitution, Epstein said, and this is a good thing. For example, Monuments Men is about Allied soldiers charged with rescuing cultural artifacts before the Nazis destroyed or hid them, and Woman in Gold focuses on an American woman’s legal fight with the government of Austria to return a painting by Gustav Klimt that was stolen from her family by the Nazis. There have also been documentaries on different aspects of pillaging during the war. Epstein credited Helen Mirren, the star of Woman in Gold, for personally taking up the cause of restitution and making it more public.

“Any way we can make more public the challenges of the recovery of these kinds of objects, and the more we keep it in the spotlight, the more I think we’re going to be able to generate sympathy and attention from the groups that are in possession of those works,” he said.

While the Stern project has seen the return of 16 works and has located several more that are the subject of negotiation, it is impossible to know precisely how many cultural artifacts were stolen and remain unidentified.

“There is a number circulating on the internet in the hundreds of thousands in terms of objects that remain unrecovered,” said Epstein. “I don’t think it’s ever going to be possible to nail down that number … because we are talking about an historic loss that is multiplied over millions of people’s losses, that is also somewhat effaced as a result of time and lack of memory and archives. But that’s really the tip of the iceberg in terms of losses because in terms of material losses, everything that was in the possession of a Jewish family that was oppressed could still be in circulation now – musical instruments, jewelry, the list goes on. But those items were a lot harder to trace in terms of ownership and attribution than a painting has been. Works of art that are under a certain value and have not been researched historically are probably still circulating in the tens of thousands.”

Epstein added that Stern also had significant B.C. connections. His gallery represented E.J. Hughes and Emily Carr, two of this province’s most noted artists.

Admission to the March 23, 7:30 p.m., talk at Schara Tzedeck is free but an RSVP is requested to [email protected].

Pat Johnson is a communications and development consultant to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.

87 headstones added

Shirley Barnett, chair of the Jewish cemetery restoration project, led the proceedings. (photo by Cynthia Ramsay)

photo - Headstones for the graves of 87 babies and children were unveiled at Mountain View Cemetery’s Jewish section on Sept. 11 — Headstones for the graves of 87 babies and children were unveiled at Mountain View Cemetery’s Jewish section on Sept. 11. *(photo by Cynthia Ramsay)*

On Sept. 11, a small crowd gathered at the Jewish section of Mountain View Cemetery for the unveiling of 87 headstones for babies and children who had passed away between 1893 and 1996.

Shirley Barnett, chair of the Jewish cemetery restoration project, which began in 2012, welcomed attendees. She acknowledged several of the people who greatly contributed to the project, and noted there is still a need for financial support.

“There is work to be done yet,” she said. “There are at least 40 or 50 adult burials that do not have headstones.… We have about 10 or 11 baby and children’s headstones that we did not cover today; we’re still researching the data on those.”

Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of Congregation Schara Tzedeck said a few words about how the loss of children is treated in the Tanach, while Rev. Joseph Marciano chanted the prayers for the unveilings.

Before the service, however, Barnett paid tribute to Helen Aqua, who donated the funds for all of the 87 headstones unveiled that day.

“I am but a small piece of this project, and most proud to have been part of this restoration,” said Aqua.

The project also received $27,000 toward the restoration from the federal government’s Canada Western Economic Diversification Infrastructure Canada 150 Grant.

photo - Helen Aqua donated the funds for all of the headstones unveiled that day — Helen Aqua donated the funds for all of the headstones unveiled that day. *(photo by Cynthia Ramsay)*

Representing the Government of Canada, Dan Ruimy, member of Parliament for Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge (Liberal), spoke.

“Just to be here today is very special to me,” said Ruimy, who is Jewish. He said the ceremony was “a solemn reminder of the early pioneers and their families who have helped shape and build this community.”

He said he was proud that the government was “able to help with this meaningful project.”

People were invited to walk through the cemetery, and Daniella Givon led a tour, using a guidebook created by the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia.

Networking over breakfast

Jonathan Kallner, event speaker and managing partner, KPMG, talks with Eli Joseph, senior account manager, business and personal, RBC Royal Bank, at Schara Tzedeck’s LinkYid networking event June 3. (photo by Baila Lazarus)

There is a theory that you are the average of the five people you hang around with the most. Thus, creating and interacting with a successful network of businesspeople should, over time, increase your own level of success.

With this in mind, Jonathan Kallner, managing partner, KPMG Vancouver, opened LinkYid’s first complimentary career networking breakfast with the topic, How to Unleash the Power of Your Network.

LinkYid is a Congregation Schara Tzedeck program that connects immigrants, professionals and entrepreneurs with mentors, employment and business opportunities that match their potential. They held their first event at KPMG on June 3.

“This topic ties into a core pillar in our strategy [at KPMG], which is community,” said Kallner. “We believe in building networks and helping networks succeed.”

Talking about his own experiences in school, in his job and the industry, Kallner admitted that, when he needed to make major decisions, he turned to his contacts.

“If you nurture the networks, they become your supporters,” he said. But, he added, “I didn’t appreciate how important that was until later in my career. I never realized what a difference there could have been in my life.”

Using Blockbuster as an example of failed relationship-building, Kallner pointed out how successful the video rental company had been, with an outlet in every neighborhood and relationships with everyone in the local community.

“If you wanted to watch a movie, you went to Blockbuster and, in four years, they destroyed it,” said Kallner. “Because they did not maintain the relationships with their customers, they allowed someone else to come in and own that relationship.

“It’s no different in our everyday lives,” he said. “The world can change around you but your relationships can stay constant.”

Kallner outlined four key points in building networks and relationships:

1. Know your goals. Each person needs to establish their own personal plan for their business, looking forward one, two and five years. Focus on the skills you have that you can capitalize on and what you need to develop. Use your networking connections to seek advice and consider it.

“When you’re looking at strengths and weaknesses, be very honest,” said Kallner. People looking to hire want to know that candidates have a good understanding of this, he said.

2. Consider getting a coach or mentor. Many of those who have gone before you in the industry will be willing to share their experiences with you, said Kallner. “They can challenge you to think differently and push your boundaries. They can act as a connector, help you develop your personal goals and work with you to define the next steps in your career.” Mentors will also be candid with you to encourage your business and personal growth.

“I still seek the guidance of mentors,” said Kallner, adding that the mentor or coach will also get value out of the relationship.

3. Build and work your network. Any search for business groups on Meetup will yield dozens of groups you can connect with in the Lower Mainland in any given week, but there are more and less effective ways of working your networks. Talk to new people at each event, said Kallner.

Respect their time and don’t be a salesperson, he added, as the key to networking is building relationships. “Don’t overlook how networks build naturally and don’t rush it,” he advised.

4. Take advantage of social media. While online presence is essential, especially when building your digital networks, there are things to look out for, said Kallner. Select the right platform. LinkedIn is considered the best platform for business operators. Others can be beneficial but you have to manage your brand closely, keep active on the site on a regular basis and make sure your profile is professional.

“Facebook can kill a brand if you’re not careful to be professional with your posts,” he said.

The LinkYid networking session drew students, entrepreneurs and professionals seeking work, looking for new hires or simply to start their relationship-building.

Erez Iancu Ben Haim, an MBA student at Sauder School of Business, was there to start building his connections and discuss his goals with people in the room. Eli Joseph, a senior account manager with RBC Royal Bank, wanted to meet some new people and find new businesses that might be looking for government loans.

“Being in the business world, people come to me if they’re looking for connections, as well,” said Joseph.

In closing his talk, Kallner reminded people of two key takeaways:

Follow up after meeting with someone at an event with a personalized invitation to connect.
Networking doesn’t only happen at events. It can happen anywhere.

To find out more about LinkYid, visit linkyid.net, email Rachael Lewinski at [email protected] or call 604-736-7607.

Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer and media trainer in Vancouver. Her consulting work can be seen at phase2coaching.com.

Mystery photo … April 22/16

Schara Tzedeck dedication, circa 1965. (photo from JWB fonds, JMABC L.14350)

If you know someone in this photo, please help the JI fill the gaps of its predecessor’s (the Jewish Western Bulletin’s) collection at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C. by contacting [email protected] or 604-257-5199. To find out who has been identified in the photos, visit jewishmuseum.ca/blog.

Memorial to be built

Schara Tzedeck Cemetery is establishing a memorial wall at the cemetery in New Westminster to provide an opportunity for community members to create a tribute for family who have passed away and are buried in cemeteries located elsewhere. The memorialization will take the form of an inscription on two new black granite memorial walls located in a prominent section of the cemetery.

With the creation of this memorial, those living in Vancouver will have a physical place nearby to visit and remember their loved ones whose gravesites are located far away. This also provides a way to pay tribute to and preserve the memories of community members who made a contribution here, but who have been buried elsewhere.

The Schara Tzedeck Cemetery board has been operating in Metro Vancouver since 1929, providing Chevra Kadisha and funeral services to the Jewish community, as well as operating three cemeteries for use by the entire community, regardless of synagogue membership.

For more information on the memorial wall or the cemetery, contact Howard Jampolsky at 604-733-2277.

Join in Shabbat of Song

photo - Rabbi Ilan Acoca of Congregation Beth Hamidrash — Rabbi Ilan Acoca of Congregation Beth Hamidrash *(photo from Beth Hamidrash)*

One of the ways to thank God for blessings, says Rabbi Ilan Acoca, is through singing. Shabbat Shira, which takes place Jan. 23, tells of the Israelites breaking into song as a way to thank God for the parting of the sea during the Exodus.

“Traditionally, it’s a special Shabbat,” said Acoca, spiritual leader of Beth Hamidrash, Vancouver’s only Sephardi congregation. “Obviously, there’s a lot of liturgy in our

Judaism, depending on the background that we have, there’s a lot of music. On this particular Shabbat, there is even more music and more liturgy and, therefore, it makes a special Shabbat.”

To mark the occasion, Beth Hamidrash is organizing Shabbaton Shabbat Shira: East Meets West, which will celebrate the different musical approaches among Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews. Cantor Yaacov Orzech of Schara Tzedeck Synagogue will bring the Ashkenazi flavor. The West Coast Andalusian Ensemble, an ad hoc group of Vancouver and Los Angeles musicians coming together for the first but maybe not the last time, will celebrate the Sephardi traditions.

photo - Cantor Yaacov Orzech of Schara Tzedeck Synagogue — Cantor Yaacov Orzech of Schara Tzedeck Synagogue *(photo from Beth Hamidrash)*

“The idea is that often we look at our differences as Jews and our backgrounds,” Acoca said. “Music brings people together, so the idea behind it is definitely to bring the beauty of both Ashkenazi and Sephardi music, but it’s more than that. We unite the community and show them that, yes, we may have our differences in background and our philosophy and so on and so forth, but we are one people. Therefore, we thought that the best way of doing it, rather than to give speeches about unity, which rabbis often do, we thought the best way was to put speeches aside and concentrate on the music.”

Acoca credits Orzech for coming up with the idea, but it is something that used to happen among congregations in Montreal, where Acoca grew up.

***

Shabbaton Shabbat Shira: East Meets West takes place Jan. 22, 4:35 p.m., services followed by Kabbalat Shabbat then dinner, 6 p.m., and a lecture by Rabbi Acoca on Discovering the Richness of Sephardi Liturgy ($18; $10 for kids 6-12, free for 5 and under): reserve by Jan. 20. Jan. 23, 9 a.m., services with Kol Simcha Singers and sermon on The Power of a Song, musaf led by Cantor Orzech, lunch with Sephardi and Ashkenazi delicacies. Jan. 23, 8 p.m., music celebration with Acoca, Orzech and West Coast Andalusian Ensemble, with Sephardi refreshments – suggested donation $10.