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Belzberg honored

Samuel Belzberg is being honored as a “leading man” on Nov. 16 in Toronto. (photo from Weizmann Institute)

When Weizmann Canada’s Leading Men Gala is held Nov. 16 in Toronto, Samuel Belzberg will be one of the 10 honorees and the only one from Western Canada. Vancouver-based Belzberg will be in the audience of 500 that night and he and other honorees will address the audience in a video presentation, revealing their thoughts, comments and inspiration.

“We’ve never had an event on this scale before,” said Susan Stern, national executive director for Weizmann Canada. “But it’s our 50th anniversary and we wanted to do something really special.” The national event has an ambitious financial goal of raising $5 million to support the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Speakers include actor William Shatner and Prof. Oded Aharonson, who will deliver a multimedia presentation about his research on extraterrestrial oceans.

Stern said she expected the dinner to sell out, adding that tables start at $50,000 and that there are various levels of sponsorship.

In selecting the honorees for the gala, Weizmann Canada’s goal was to find individuals who had distinguished themselves as leaders in their field, who understood the value of giving back and who had done something special in areas of research that were close to their hearts. Belzberg was an easy choice.

Founder and chairman of Gibralt Capital Corp. and Second City Real Estate, his two companies manage and own more than $500 million of real estate and capital investments. Back in 2001, he created Action Canada, which, in partnership with the federal government, endows 20 fellowships each year to Canadians who want to make a difference in the world.

It’s easy to look at the dollar figures his companies represent and assume that life has been just rosy for Belzberg, a father of four who boasts 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. But look a little deeper and it becomes clear that every family has its own unique battles. In Belzberg’s case it was the illness of one of his daughters, Cheri, who was diagnosed with dystonia, a neurological disorder that impacted her mobility and speech. Back in the 1970s, when doctors were trying to diagnose her condition, finding the right diagnosis took four to five years. “Nobody knew the first thing about it in those days,” he said.

Belzberg would change that, establishing the Dystonia Foundation with neurologist Stanley Fahn in 1976. The foundation has made significant contributions to clinical and diagnostic treatments though, sadly, none of them helped Cheri. Still, Belzberg is encouraged by the progress in research and the fact that it has given thousands of people cures for the disorder, as well as counseling and support.

“We have now learned that there are many different types of dystonia and we’ve been at the forefront of learning about them and finding either cures or short-term help,” he said. “For example, there’s a kind of dystonia that’s like writer’s cramp, or where a musician all of a sudden couldn’t play the piano.”

Belzberg has established many other initiatives, too. “He’s done so much for the community, locally, nationally and internationally – it’s unbelievable,” Stern said. In 1977, he created the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. The mission of the centre is to confront antisemitism, promote human rights and ensure that the Holocaust is never forgotten.

Belzberg, however, credits his success to picking the right partners for his projects. “It’s relatively easy to donate money, but it’s not so easy to take your time and actually work at a project,” he admitted. “I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve picked good partners. They carry the ball and I help the best way I can.”

He added that his involvement with Weizmann Canada over the years was prompted by a belief that the Weizmann Institute “is among the greatest institutes in Israel. The scientists at Weizmann have accomplished so much, and it’s a great honor to be playing a small part in moving the research forward.”

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond, B.C. To read her work online, visit laurenkramer.net.

Urine the right place

Left to right: Andrew Wheeler, David Adams, Anton Lipovetsky and Chris Cochrane. (photo by David Cooper)

If Saturday night’s performance of Urinetown was any indication, the Jewish community has two rising stars in its midst.

Triple-threats Anton Lipovetsky and Andrew Cohen are actors to watch; and the latest production at the Firehall is a perfect opportunity to see them show off their singing, acting and dancing talent.

Despite its unfortunate name, which gives rise to equally unfortunate double-entendres in theatre reviews, Urinetown did live up to the hype that’s labeled it a Broadway hit. Not one for musicals, I’m happy to say this one kept me entertained throughout the performance, due in no small part to the fancy footwork directed by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg and Tony Award-winning lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis.

Urinetown takes place in a “town like any town you might find in a musical,” according to the narrator (who jumps periodically out of his role as Police Officer Lockstock to educate the audience about the workings of a play). The year is some point in the middle of a long drought, water is scarce and free toilets have been overburdened in what have become known as the “stink years.”

Facilities are now owned by private companies who charge people for their use. Thus the request, “A penny for a pee?” becomes the begging mantra of street people looking to relieve themselves. If they can’t afford the few cents to get in the doors, their only recourse is to do their business in a public space, for which they will get arrested and sent to Urinetown. The audience doesn’t get to see Urinetown until the second act, so we’ll avoid the spoiler here. Suffice to say, it’s known as a really undesirable spot, and one to avoid at all costs. So paying a fee to pee is really the only option.

In the rather stale part of this “town like any town,” a group of homeless people around “Amenity #9” start to revolt against a new fee hike. The group is led by Bobby Strong (Lipovetsky), who happens to be in love with Hope (aptly named, of course), the daughter of Caldwell B. Cladwell (stage veteran Andrew Wheeler). Cladwell is CEO of Urine Good Co., which owns the private toilets. In this case, the love interest doesn’t get in the way of a good revolution, thankfully, and eventually the impoverished cast free themselves from the shackles of the tinkle toll. Is it a time for celebration? You’ll have to see the play to find out.

The role Lipovetsky has been given in this play serves to highlight his incredible singing talent, comedic flair and even his ability to direct the cast in a choir-like ensemble near the end.

The play only demonstrates a few of Lipovetsky’s skills, actually. The gifted 24-year-old has already won a Jessie Award for outstanding composition for the musical Broken Sex Doll (currently on its second run, playing until Nov. 22 at the Cultch’s York Theatre) and he shared the 2011 Mayor’s Arts Award in Theatre with Bard on the Beach artistic director Christopher Gaze. Lipovetsky won for best emerging actor and playwright.

For his part, Cohen has also been busy in the B.C. theatre scene, appearing in Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof and The Laramie Project, as well as becoming one of the finalists on CBC’s Triple Sensation TV show and performing in the 2010 Olympic Games Closing Ceremonies. He also does sound design and composes. (See “A next gen of theatre artists,” Nov. 7, jewishindependent.ca.)

Besides these fabulous contributors are Wheeler as the nasty, money-grubbing CEO, David Adams as the singing/dancing/narrating officer and Michelle Bardach as Hope. As well, numerous quirky directorial choices, such as having Strong freeze with an expression as though he’d been stung by a bee every time he has a flashback, and Little Sally (Tracey Power) jumping in and out of character to ask the narrator questions about the play, meld to create a surprisingly fun, witty and thoroughly enjoyable production.

Urinetown is at the Firehall Arts Centre until Nov. 27.

Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, painter and photographer. Her work can be seen at orchiddesigns.net.

Narrowing the housing gap

Gil Gan-Mor of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel will be one of the speakers at Gimme Shelter on Nov. 20. (photo from Gil Gan-Mor)

A condominium used to be a potentially affordable alternative to a home for buyers in Vancouver, but condo prices are now so high that the vast majority of Vancouverites cannot afford them.

The most recent Strategics’ Vancouver Condo Report, released last week, noted that, in Vancouver, “The average low-rise project … asking price is $632,000, which eliminates many of the young couples and single buyers in this market.” Other reports using other factors have come to similar conclusions. And housing affordability is not just a problem facing this city.

On Nov. 20, New Israel Fund of Canada is hosting the event Gimme Shelter: Closing the Middle Class Housing Gap in Israel and Canada, co-sponsored by Temple Sholom, Generation Squeeze and Tikva Housing Society. It will feature speakers Gil Gan-Mor of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Dr. Penelope Gurstein of the University of British Columbia and Dr. Paul Kershaw, founder of Generation Squeeze.

Gan-Mor, an attorney, will talk about the situation in Israel and provide an update on the government’s actions there since the social protests that took place in 2011. He spoke with the Independent in anticipation of his visit.

According to Gan-Mor, ACRI is the only human rights organization in Israel “that engages with the full spectrum of human rights and civil liberties.” A nonprofit, it is funded through donations and grants, but receives no financial support from the government. Its goals, Gan-Mor said, “are to protect and promote human rights in Israel through a combination of litigation, policy advocacy and public outreach. Specifically, in the Right to Housing Project, our goals are to ensure equal access to housing, fight housing discrimination, protect the right to affordable housing, promote inclusionary policies in housing and reduce segregation, combat homelessness and protect the rights of homeless people.”

Gan-Mor began working with ACRI during his second year of an NIF fellowship for graduates of its Civil Liberties Law program. He was “given the opportunity to develop a new project in ACRI,” he said, “the Right to Housing Project, which fit in with ACRI’s efforts to increase its involvement in social and economic rights.” He “didn’t expect at that time that, four years later, the right to affordable housing would be at the centre of the social protests that drew hundreds of thousands of Israelis to the streets.”

About the current situation, he explained, “In Israel, housing affordability is a big issue, because of two processes. First, in the last two decades, the governments in Israel dramatically withdrew from their past involvement in the housing market, leaving the role of providing housing to private market forces…. The second process is the dramatic increase in housing prices, which were already expensive…. These two processes led to a growing inequality in Israel,” as “more and more families must spend an increasing share of their income to ensure decent housing at the expense of other basic needs,” as well as “a growing polarization of residential neighborhoods, which are becoming increasingly separated on a socioeconomic level.”

Gan-Mor added, “We in ACRI view those aspects with great concern and are acting to force the government to become more active in realizing the right to housing, a right which cannot be ensured only through private market forces.”

The Gimme Shelter event will give attendees an opportunity “to question how Israel expresses the values of human rights in its domestic policy, and how they as international supporters of Israel can participate in this dialogue on building a more just society inside Israel,” said Gan-Mor. And it will offer a similar opportunity for Vancouverites to participate in the dialogue about how to build a more just society here, too, at least as far as housing is concerned.

Gimme Shelter will take place at Temple Sholom on Nov. 20, 7 p.m. For more information about the speakers and to register for the event, visit nifcan.org/our-events/upcoming.

Zach Sagorin is a Vancouver freelance writer.

 

 

MDA on the front line

An anonymous contribution helped purchase a Magen David Adom ambulance for Israel in honor of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent trip there. (photo from Magen David Adom)

Yarin Levi, 16, was moments from death after a rocket exploded near him in Ashkelon during the recent Gaza Operation Protective Edge. His life was saved by Ainav Asulin, a senior paramedic for Magen David Adom (MDA). In the course of five minutes, the paramedic secured him, performed CPR, arranged transport and ensured the hospital where he was transported would have blood transfusion supplies to save his life. Levi would live to thank the paramedic that saved his life.

While Asulin is not from Vancouver, during Operation Protective Edge, four Jewish volunteers from Vancouver and Richmond took part in the overseas volunteer program for MDA operations, responding to the aftermath of rockets, as most of Israel’s population ran to bomb shelters. The organization’s Vancouver office was involved not only in the sending of volunteers but also in securing donations for the procurement of MDA hardware, including ambulances, mobile intensive care units and medical equipment. Due to an anonymous contribution, an ambulance was gifted to Israel in honor of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent trip there.

According to Roy Grinshpan, president of the B.C. regional chapter of MDA, there is always room to grow. At present, 40 percent of donations come from Christian organizations, and 12,000 volunteers worldwide keep MDA functioning, he told the Independent.

Donors that purchase ambulances with their contributions can have them dedicated, he said. Currently, ambulances in operation from Vancouver are based in Tel Aviv, Bat Yam and Modiin in central Israel and Carmiel in the north. According to Grinshpan, these ambulances are produced in a Montreal factory where Israeli orders represent a significant volume despite its small size. “Every year, Israel tries to upgrade their infrastructure” through research and development, and experience, he said. “It’s a win-win situation as [the] plant can keep their modifications” for use on other ambulances.

According to Ilan Klein, a front-line paramedic and deputy director of the fundraising and international relations department for MDA, who was in Vancouver on a cross-country speaking tour, the connection between MDA internationally and Vancouver can only be strengthened. Comparing the relationship to the Hebrew word for life, chai, he said that a strong connection is key to saving lives in Israel. “The community in Canada can help buy ambulances through a trusted relationship,” he said. “Two sides need to work to make a connection…. MDA needs to also invest more in speakers, paramedics and volunteers to come here to speak.”

Responding to the needs of MDA, Klein was quick to conceptualize the need for preparedness. During Operation Protective Edge, there were 600 Israelis

injured, 30 severely. The role of MDA was to respond to every person in distress. “Eighteen days before [Protective Edge], three teens were killed, and MDA began to be ready for more escalation,” said Klein. One thousand ambulances were on standby and 300 were activated to be ready for a fast response. MDA was an integral on-call first responder during the conflict. “While during a siren the Israeli people run to shelter, the MDA go out to help,” he said. “We work with the police and army [to respond quickly].”

Thanking the community, Klein said that Jews around the world, including Vancouver Jews, can and will continue to play an essential role in keeping MDA operational. “MDA and Israel would not have succeeded without a Diaspora Jewish community.”

Gil Lavie is a freelance correspondent, with articles published in the Jerusalem Post, Shalom Toronto and Tazpit News Agency. He has a master’s of global affairs from the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

Dream into reality

Artist Lori-ann Latremouille at the opening of her solo show at the Zack Gallery on Nov. 6. (photo from Lori-ann Latremouille)

Fairy tales do happen in real life. Take, for example, the story of local artist Lori-ann Latremouille. In her case, it was not Prince Charming who changed her life, but rather an art agent, by offering representation to the then 21-year-old unknown artist.

Latremouille left home at 16 to escape an unfortunate family situation. Although she liked painting and drawing at school, she was never exposed to the art world as a child. Later, to make a living, she had to take a job that had nothing to do with the arts. Still, art resided in her heart and wouldn’t be denied. “I knew even then I wanted to be creative, not answer the phones for the rest of my life,” she said in an interview with the Independent. “After a couple years, I quit my job and went to the local library.”

She taught herself art history by reading library books and copying masterpieces from illustrations in those books. She even had a show of her reproductions at that library when she was 18. “I kept asking my friends to pose for me but I couldn’t pay them,” she recalled with a smile. “They soon got tired of it, and so did I.”

Despite the tight budget, she continued teaching herself. “I took a class at Emily Carr once and loved it. At about the same time, I went to an art show opening. I had never been to an art show before. I loved it. I wanted to be involved in an art exhibition.”

After a few setbacks and gallons of perseverance, she managed to open her first solo show when she was 20. “There was another gallery show next door. It opened on the same day as mine, and I got lots of traffic from them,” she recalled. “I even sold a few pieces. Then an agent came to my show. She introduced me to the Heffel Gallery.”

One of the most prominent galleries in Vancouver, Heffel represented Latremouille for several years. Soon after this lucky break, she got an offer from an American dealer: he would buy several of her paintings at once and pay her as much as she needed for her monthly rent and bills so she could paint without financial worries. “He asked me how much I needed a month. I gave him a very modest estimate. I was used to economizing, had lots of practise since I was 16.” She was 21 then and she is still represented by that gallery in Portland. “I was blessed,” she said. “I met the right person at the right time.”

Of course, her talent had something to do with it. Her distinctive style – black and white palette, expressive lines and an occasional splash of solid color – emerged in the very beginning of her artistic career. “One color is like one note in music,” she said. “Black and white make the colors sing.”

Visitors to the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver can enjoy Latremouille’s visual songs this month, as her solo show Dreaming of Chagall is at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery until Nov. 30.

“When I started painting,” she said, “I didn’t see any of the great artists [and their work]. I simply liked black and white. Later, one of the prominent collectors of Chagall’s art in San Francisco mentioned the similarities of my works and Chagall’s. She even bought one of my pieces for her collection. I feel honored.… When I first saw Chagall’s paintings and drawings, I fell in love. There is magic in his works. He also liked black and white. One of my favorite quotes of his is, ‘If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.’ That’s how I feel, too. My art comes from the heart. There is so much heart in Chagall.”

Latremouille considers herself an apprentice to Chagall, and several of her pictures reflect that self-assessment. Her drawing “Passing the Egg” is a metaphor for such an apprenticeship, a passing of the torch of art. The theme is also apparent in “Master and Apprentice,” while the bride and groom painting “Blue Orchid” clearly drew its inspiration from Chagall’s soaring brides.

Another theme of the show is the unity of human beings with the natural world. In many paintings, the shapes of people and creatures intertwine. There is no border but skin between them. “I always loved nature, loved animals,” she said. “Most forms of animals, birds and fish fit into the shapes of human bodies. We are intrinsically the same. I know that humanity is capable of doing great harm to nature but we are also capable of healing it. People do it all the time, work on restoring the environment, streams and forests. Maybe I’m a bit naïve but I believe it.”

One other pervading theme, running through almost every painting and drawing, is music. Instruments have a place of honor in most images. “I always loved listening to music when I drew. I also wrote poetry. Still do. I wanted to write songs, so I learned to play guitar in my late 20s. I’m an artist first, of course, but I love music and songwriting. I love drawing musical instruments. I think visual art foreshadowed my interest in music.”

Music often feeds her creativity, but anything can give a spark to an idea: a song, a painting by another artist, something she encountered on an outdoor trip. “I sketch all the time,” she said. “Then I look through my sketchbooks, pick a sketch I like, and start a painting. It grows organically, like a visual conversation with the emerging image. I love the creative process, when I see things falling into place, popping up from the two-dimensional lines of the sketch. When people buy a piece, it’s just icing on the cake.”

Even pain and illness have been an inspiration for her art. In 2012, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After the diagnosis, depression hit her hard, but she fought it. Several of the best pieces in the Zack Gallery show were painted after her recovery from both cancer and depression. “Rescue from Blue” is a visual tale of escaping fear and pain, of flying into the light, while “Dreaming of Chagall” marks a new direction in the artist’s development. The painting is full of joy and more colorful than any other in the exhibition.

Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at o[email protected].

Lifelong art student

Toby Nadler (photo from Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation)

On Thursday, Oct. 23, Louis Brier Home and Hospital hosted an exhibit of accomplished artist and resident Toby Nadler’s work. The exhibit was open to all residents.

In 1970, Nadler began to study oil painting at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art with the late Arthur Lismer, one of Canada’s Group of Seven. After completing a teacher’s certificate at Macdonald College in Montreal, she spent four years teaching children at elementary schools in Montreal’s inner city, where art was one of the subjects, and took evening art courses at Concordia University. She graduated from Concordia in 1980 with a bachelor of fine arts degree, majoring in studio art.

Later, she studied watercolor and multimedia art with Judy Garfin, a Vancouver artist, at McGill University. After a few years, Nadler became interested in Chinese watercolors and calligraphy, and studied privately with a group of other Westerners. The teacher was Virginia Chang, who exhibited her students’ work.

In 1984, Nadler and her late husband Moe moved to Vancouver. Nadler wished to continue studying Chinese art in her new city. She also studied Mandarin at the Chinese library and watercolors with Nigel Szeto at the Chinese Cultural Centre. He was impressed with her work but, after seeing her Western paintings, recommended she continue with her own style, as her personality did not come across in the Chinese paintings to the same degree.

Nadler joined the English Bay Arts Club and the University Women’s Club, where she studied watercolor with various artists, as well as exhibiting there. After a few years, she became an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. She volunteered and took courses with their artists and exhibited her own work around the city, including at the Vancouver Public Library. During an exhibit at Oakridge Shopping Centre, an art dealer from Hong Kong admired her work and wanted to know if she had unframed paintings, so that he could roll them up and ship them to his two galleries in Hong Kong. He bought 10 works.

Studying with Lone Tratt, Nadler took watercolor and acrylic courses at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, where she also exhibited. Upon request, she donated six of her paintings to decorate their seniors lounge. Her home was decorated with many of her paintings.

A resident of Louis Brier since August 2014, Nadler still occasionally paints at her leisure. The Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation accepted her donation of more than 10 paintings as part of their collection to decorate the halls of the home. They also have another few pieces, which they will use to decorate the interior of residents’ and staff rooms. It is hoped that her unique style will bring pleasure to all who see them.

At the Oct. 23 exhibit, Nadler’s son, Peter Nadler, spoke, giving a history of his mother as an artist, and Dvori Balshine thanked Nadler for all of her artwork donations. Music therapist Megan Goudreau and recreational therapist Ginger Lerner composed and performed an original song in Nadler’s honor about her contributions to the art world.