September 2023

A heartwarming gathering

Aug. 29-30, 17 families – each serving as Chabad shluchim (emissaries) – came together for an event known as a Kinus Hakhel. (photo from Chabad Lubavitch BC)

In a display of unity and camaraderie, 17 families – each serving the Jewish population across British Columbia as Chabad shluchim (emissaries) – came together Aug. 29 and 30 (12 and 13 of Elul) for an event known as a Kinus Hakhel. It was a celebration of shared purpose and a recommitment to serving the community.

Representatives from Chabad in Victoria, Nanaimo, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, the University of British Columbia, Downtown Vancouver, Kitsilano and Kelowna joined the central Chabad Lubavitch BC in this heartwarming event. The theme of “sheves achim gam yachad” (“dwelling together in unity”) permeated the atmosphere with feelings of support for one another. It served as a reminder of the strength that arises from collaboration and left a mark on all those present.

Chabad today is the largest Jewish organization in British Columbia, with a presence in 10 cities across the province, 11 synagogues, 17 permanent rabbis and rebbetzins, three mikvahs, eight supplementary Hebrew schools, four Camp Gan Israel summer camps, dozens of weekly Torah classes, private counseling and social services.

Rabbi Yitzchok Wineberg, the head shaliach of British Columbia, reflected on the past 50 years of Chabad’s presence here. He congratulated all the shluchim for their dedication and hard work, acknowledging the efforts they have invested in reaching out to every Jew, no matter their affiliation or background, and establishing communities all over the province.

Rabbi Avraham Feigelstock, av beis din (the rabbi presiding over the religious court), director of BCK and one of the senior shluchim in British Columbia, took the opportunity to encourage the establishment of a vaad hapo’el, a permanent action committee, to take the inspiration from the Kinus and use it as a positive force for expansion.

The Kinus also featured an all-night farbrengen (spiritual gathering) led by Rabbi Sholom B. Levitin, regional director of Chabad-Lubavitch in the Pacific Northwest, lasting from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m., where participants engaged in discussions and spiritual connection.

In the spirit of this Hakhel year (an assembly that takes place every seven years), with the call of uniting men, women and children, a children’s program ran throughout the entire two days with more than 60 young shluchim participating. A special thanks goes to Tamara Feigelstock, who ensured that the youngest members of the shluchim had an enriching experience.

The Kinus wrapped up with a banquet. Featured speakers were Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman (Chabad Richmond) and Rabbi Shmuly Hecht (Chabad of the Okanagan Valley), plus a special Zoom address by Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice-chair of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad Lubavitch worldwide.

An unexpected, moving moment came at the banquet when Arnold Silber, Chabad’s first friend and supporter in British Columbia, took the stage. With emotion, he shared his deep connection to Chabad and to the Jewish community. He announced, “Don’t worry about paying for this gathering; I will cover the entire bill.” His generosity underscored the sense of unity and support that defined the event.

Silber also reflected on the past 50 years and expressed pride on his association with Chabad. He spoke metaphorically about how he had planted a tree a half-century ago and now sees a thriving forest. The growth and impact of Chabad in British Columbia fills him with joy and nachas (pride), he said. He pledged to continue and expand his support and partnership with Chabad’s “army of light and kindness” in the province. And he shared his vision of building an even stronger, more vibrant Jewish community in the future.

The Kinus Hakhel took place thanks to the dedicated efforts of Rabbi Dovid and Chaya Rosenfeld, co-directors of the central Chabad in BC, and the various planning committees. For the men’s program, that was Rabbi Meir Kaplan (Chabad of Vancouver Island), Rabbi Benzi Shemtov (Chabad of Nanaimo) and Rabbi Mottel Gurevitz (Chabad of Coquitlam). For the women’s events, Blumie Shemtov (Chabad of Nanaimo) and Rivki Yeshayahu (Kitsilano) coordinated the program, and the youth program was planned by Esti Loeub (Chabad of UBC) and Rivky Varnai (Richmond). Special thanks to Henia Wineberg (Lubavitch BC) and Chanie Baitelman (Chabad Richmond) for the beautiful setup.

As the shluchim of British Columbia left the gathering, they carried with them not only a renewed sense of unity but also a strengthened commitment to their shared mission. This gathering in Vancouver wasn’t just an event; it was a celebration of community, purpose and the enduring spirit of Chabad.

– Courtesy Chabad Lubavitch BC

Six weeks of fun

More than 200 kids went to Camp Gan Israel this summer. (photo from Camp Gan Israel)

More than 200 children attended Camp Gan Israel this summer. They had a varied schedule, with baking, crafts, skateboarding, swimming, sports and field trips to such places as Stable Harvest Farm, Wild Play Adventure Park, Playland, Science World and Sasamat Lake. A special highlight was the camp’s theme song and dance, which was picked up by almost 400 Camp Gan Israel’s around the globe.

“Camp shows children that Judaism is fun, joyful and alive,” said camp director Chaya Rosenfeld. “The staff set an amazing example of being proud and enthusiastic about their Judaism and there is no substitute for a camp experience.”

Seventeen staff members were flown in from California, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, New York, Montreal and Toronto.

Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld of Lubavitch BC added, “The cost-of-living crisis is really hitting families hard. Almost 90% of the campers received a discount to attend camp, with a percentage receiving a full scholarship. No one is turned away for financial reasons and we are really grateful to our supporters for giving the children the opportunity to experience the summer of a lifetime.”

– Courtesy Camp Gan Israel

Obligated to warn of danger

I often chat with a retired doctor neighbour as I walk by his house with my dog. When he mentioned hiking solo on the famously difficult Mantario Trail in southeastern Manitoba, it sounded risky to me. I asked him what safety precautions he was taking. Afterwards, he chided me for being overly motherly and a worrywart. While his response made me feel uncomfortable, maybe it was because he was defensive about a potentially unsafe hike. The defensiveness might be a sign that part of his brain thought I might be right.

I just studied Kiddushin 29, a page of the Babylonian Talmud, while doing Daf Yomi (a page a day of Talmud). It turns out, this scene has played out before. At the time, rabbis had their own yeshivas/schools where others came to learn and a seven-headed demon was in Rav Abaye’s “study hall.” The best advice to avoid a demon, according to the rabbis, was to travel during the day and in pairs. Demons were known to come out at night, but this situation was so dangerous that students were unsafe even during the day.

Now, it happened that Rav Aha bar Yaakov wanted to come study with Abaye, but had nowhere to stay. Instead of helping Rav Aha find a place to sleep, Abaye tells others not to accommodate him. This forces Rav Aha to stay overnight at the study hall. It’s a set up. There, Rav Aha must battle the demon and vanquish it. Abaye hopes for a miracle to take place.

When Rav Aha is faced with the demon, the text indicates that he prayed. As he prayed, he bowed to shuckle (the movement many Jews make when davening/praying), and each vigorous bow resulted in knocking off one of the demon’s heads. Rav Aha battles the demon with prayer and survives.

This storyline, according to Dr. Sara Ronis’s introduction to the page on My Jewish Learning, fits into a greater literary and historic context. There are many tales of a divine hero combating a demon in Ugarit and ancient Mesopotamia. There are Zoroastrian, Christian and Jewish holy heroes who triumph over demons through prayer.

Rav Aha was a pious and great man who came eagerly to study with Abaye. However, he wasn’t without fault. Just before this story takes place, Kiddushin 29b says that Rav Aha sent his son to study. Alas, his son’s studies weren’t sufficiently “sharp,” so Aha left his son at home to manage the household while Rav Aha went to study instead.

After his confrontation with the demon, Rav Aha says to the others, “If a miracle hadn’t occurred, you would have placed me in danger.” Rav Aha was given no warning about the demon. He had no opportunity to stay elsewhere. Abaye relied on Rav Aha pulling off a miracle to save his study hall and his students.

This is one of the talmudic stories you can “sink your teeth into.” The rabbis appear as flawed people and a product of their time. There were stories about demons floating around the wider community, and people in general worried about demons and how to fight them. In the Jewish community, you see a “pious and learned” person, Rav Aha, who chooses his own study over further opportunity for his son’s education. And Abaye is a famous scholar, but asks others to deny hospitality to a student, and chooses to endanger others.

After my concern over the Mantario Trail hike, I got to wondering. If your friend is about to be in a potentially unsafe situation, do you have an obligation to warn them, to show concern? I believe we do. I still think I have this obligation, even if I’m belittled for it. I think we have the obligation even if some see it as hovering, annoying or overly solicitous.

I think about this a lot. We live in a peaceful urban residential enclave, but it’s not unusual to hear news reports of violent crime just a few blocks away. We have a neighbourhood watch, too. It pays to be cautious to avoid “demons” that might endanger us. It isn’t just a motherly inclination to be street smart. It’s not wrong to let others know if we foresee danger ahead.

Returning to this talmudic story, I’m angry that Abaye doesn’t warn or protect his student, Rav Aha. Abaye had an opportunity to do the right thing and failed in his responsibilities as a teacher. I’m also amazed at Rav Aha’s tact and self-control. After being endangered in this way, I might have made a much bigger fuss.

This time of year, we’ve got a lot to think about in the Jewish world. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we spend time thinking about our behaviours and failings as individuals and in community, the concept of forgiveness and our fate for the coming year. Yet we also look forward to Sukkot, grateful for the harvest, and to celebrating the Torah with joy on Simchat Torah.

Our calendar is complicated. Like the story of Abaye and Aha, we can’t find just a single obvious answer. Maybe this keeps us from getting bored as we repeat the rituals of each Jewish year. Perhaps it helps us sharpen our skills so we can perform miracles, protect and look out for one another, and slay unexpected (proverbial) demons, too.

Joanne Seiff has written regularly for CBC Manitoba and various Jewish publications. She is the author of three books, including From the Outside In: Jewish Post Columns 2015-2016, a collection of essays available for digital download or as a paperback from Amazon. Check her out on Instagram @yrnspinner or at joanneseiff.blogspot.com.

Recovery from surgery

Don’t let anybody tell you that recovery from knee replacement surgery is a walk in the park. It’s more like a hobble through hell. A very slow, frustrating, hobble with plenty of hurdles, pain and frustration. But, also, gradual victories and milestones.

My journey started off a bit rocky. One week before my knee surgery, I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and had to get a CPAP machine. Getting used to that is like getting used to having someone hold a pillow over your face while you sleep. And the apparatus itself – think Hannibal Lecter. Three weeks after my knee surgery, I had a bowel obstruction and landed back in the hospital for a couple of days.

As for the actual knee surgery, I had a spinal anesthetic and a nerve block. They also gave me conscious sedation, which, quite frankly, was my new best friend. Until I felt the surgeon cut into my leg, heard the electric saw they use to cut the thigh and shin bones, and felt the hammering. An unnerving experience, to say the least, and not one I’d care to repeat.

After surgery, in the recovery room, a young woman with black-and-green hair came over and announced that she was going to take an X-ray of my knee. As she leaned over me, the lanyard around her neck swung near my face. The strap on the lanyard said “Vancouver City Morgue.” I looked around, paused for a second, and said: “So, is this what hell looks like?” She corrected the misunderstanding and said the lanyard was a joke. I suggested she might want to remove it, lest she scare the next unsuspecting patient.

As for the process of recovery – I realize that each person’s journey is different and the most important piece of advice I can give someone going into knee surgery is this: do not, I repeat do not, compare your progress to others. While some well-meaning physiotherapists and other medical professionals suggested I might want to join a Facebook support group for people who’ve had knee replacement surgery, I strongly advise against this. There are people who will boast that they achieved a 90-degree bend in their knee two days after surgery, while others will bemoan the fact that it’s been 12 weeks and they still don’t have a 90-degree bend. Everyone heals differently and comparing yourself to others will only make you feel crummy. I speak from experience. Don’t do it.

Full recovery from a knee replacement is slow – they tell you it takes anywhere from six months to a year. If you’re an impatient patient like I am, it can be hard. Take the wins where you can, be thankful for every small step forward, celebrate the successes along the way.

Part of every knee replacement is the post-surgery physiotherapy. If I had to compare it to something, it would be like having a 350-pound bodybuilder sit on your newly operated knee, while bench pressing a Ford F-150 full of cement. It is the polar opposite of a pleasant experience. My physiotherapist happens to be a tiny but extremely muscular and strong woman. She’s only doing what she’s been trained to do but, from my perspective, it’s pure torture. Her goal is to get you mobile, bending your knee and active as quickly as possible. Even if that means making you cry and scream during your half-hour sessions. I always thought I had a fairly high pain threshold, but she blew that theory out of the water right at the get-go.

To be clear, I am the most compliant patient anyone could ask for. If my physiotherapist tells me to exercise two to four times a day at home, I do it. Sometimes, it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s where the frustration comes in. But then you get to a certain point where you wake up one morning and you think, “Hey, I can do the stairs more easily now. How did that happen?” To be sure, there are countless ups and downs during the recovery. The trick is to keep your eye on the prize and know that, at the end of it all, you’ll have a knee that no longer locks or gives out on you.

Recovery would have been much harder had I not had an incredibly devoted husband who did nothing but take care of my every need for more than two months. From helping me shower to doing all the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, driving me to physio and doctor appointments, running errands, and taking care of many other things, Harvey was my rock. He never complained but, not surprisingly, he was exhausted. He’s 74 years old and has some medical issues of his own. More than once I suggested we get a cleaning lady, or do more food takeout, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He recently relented on the food takeout, I’m happy to report.

Here are a few things I’ve learned from this whole experience:

Give people what they need and want; not what you think they need and want.
Always express your gratitude for kind gestures, large and small.
Pay the kindness forward wherever and whenever you can.
Use whatever resources are available to keep calm, distracted and positive during the recovery process.
You don’t need to fight every fight. Choose your battles and conserve energy.
Help others as you would want to be helped.
Struggle is optional.

At age 67, I feel like the past few years, with their accompanying health challenges, have been one long audition for old age. Turns out there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that the audition is over. The bad news is that I got the starring role.

Shelley Civkin, aka the Accidental Balabusta, is a happily retired librarian and communications officer. For 17 years, she wrote a weekly book review column for the Richmond Review. She’s currently a freelance writer and volunteer.

לקנדה יש תוכנית נוודים דיגיטליים חדשה

קנדה מחזרת אחר עובדים שעובדים מרחוק במגזר הטכנולוגי ומציעה תכנית נוודים המאפשרת למבקרים לשהות במדינה עד שישה חודשים. זאת ללא צורך באישור עבודה, ובכך פותחת את הדלת למה שיכול להפוך למדיניות

קבועה. זהו מידע חשוב למי שמעוניינים לעשות רילוקיישן לקנדה. היוזמה החדשה מגיעה בתקופה בה קנדה מתמודדת עם מחסור בכוח אדם טכנולוגי. אסטרטגיית הכישרונות הטכנולוגיים החדשים של המדינה שואפת ליצור מאגר של עובדים שישארו בקנדה גם בטווח הרחוק. קיימת עדיפות למועמדים בתחומי המדע, טכנולוגיה, הנדסה, מתמטיקה, כולל מדעני נתונים, מפתחי תוכנה ומתכנתים, מתמטיקאים, סטטיסטיקאים, מהנדסי חשמל ואלקטרוניקה

בסופו של דבר, התהליך מיועד ומותאם בצורה הטובה ביותר לצרכיהם של עובדי הייטק מיומנים, שמטבע העבודה שלהם, הם יכולים לעבוד מרחוק. כך מסבירה דוברת מחלקת ההגירה, פליטים ואזרחות של קנדה, ג’ולי לאפורטון. התוכנית בשילוב עם אמצעים נוספים שנקבעו כדי למשוך כישרונות טכנולוגיים, תבטיח שקנדה תישאר תחרותית במרוץ העולמי, היא מוסיפה

שר ההגירה הקנדי, שון פרייזר, אומר כי תוכנית הנוודים הדיגיטלית תאפשר לעובדים עם מעסיק זר לחיות בקנדה לתקופה של עד שישה חודשים. ואז העובדים יכלו לחיות כאן ולהניע את הכלכלה המקומית בתוך הקהילות השונות. אם עובדים אלה יקבלו הצעות עבודה בזמן שהם בקנדה, נוכל לאפשר להם להישאר כאן באופן קבוע

ההכרזה הזו בהחלט קיצצה הרבה מההגבלות הקיימות בהגירה קנדית רגילה, כך אומרת מנהלת בכירה לשירותים בינלאומיים בחברה האמריקנית בי.אם.או פרטנרס, ניקול סיסליקי. לפי מחקר שבוצע אשתקד על ידי בי.אם.או פרטרנס, בתקופת מגיפת הקוביד מיליוני עובדים עובדים האמריקאים אימצו את הרעיון של נוודות דיגיטלית. ומאז שנת אלפיים ותשעה עשרה מספרם גדל פי שלושה

לדברי סיסליקי בזמן שמספר ענקיות בולטות בתחום הטכנולוגיה בארצות הברית כמו אפל, גוגל, מטא ואמזון מחזירות עובדים למשרד למשך מספר ימים בשבוע, חברות אמריקניות רבות עדיין מאמצות עבודה מוחלטת מרחוק. חברות בכל הגדלים ובכל הענפים מנסות למצוא דרך לאיזון, היא אומרת. כיצד אנו מספקים את הצורך של העובדים לעבוד מרחוק לפחות חלק מהזמן, אבל גם נהנים משיתוף הפעולה שמתרחש כאשר אנשים מתכנסים באופן טבעי במשרד

לפני שמחליטים אם לבלות שישה חודשים, שנה או יותר במדינה זרה, נווד דיגיטלי צריך לשקול מספר גורמים, אומרת סיסליקי. החל מהאם למעסיק הנוכחי יש מדיניות נוודים דיגיטלית רשמית. חלק מהחברות משרטטות קווים כללים לגבי כמה זמן הן יאפשרו לעובדים לעבוד מרחוק, היא אומרת. חלקן מאמצות שלושים יום יום, שישים יום, המאה ועשרים יום וחלקן מאפשרות עד שישה חודשים, היא מוסיפה

שנית, מכיוון שאזרחים אמריקאים נדרשים לשלם מס הכנסה בארה”ב גם כאשר הם חיים מחוץ למדינת הולדתם, נוודים דיגיטליים צריכים להבין את חוקי המס בין ארה”ב למדינת היעד שלהם

במהלך ששת החודשים הראשונים בהם חיים בקנדה, אמריקנים שעובדים עבור חברות אמריקאיות יהיו כפופים למסים בארה”ב בלבד, הודות למה שמכונה חוק מאה שמונים ושלושה הימים הימים הקנדי, המאפשר לזרים העובדים עבור מעסיקים זרים לשהות שישה חודשים מתוך שנה נתונה במדינה, ללא תשלום מסים קנדיים. לאחר מאה שמונים ושלושה הימים הראשונים הללו, אם העובדים הזרים יתקבלו לעבודה על ידי מעסיקים קנדיים, הם יהיו כפופים למסים קנדיים בנוסף למסים בארה”ב

השטן נמצא בפרטים הקטנים, אומרת סיסליקי. אדם שהכין את עצמו ושכר את יועץ ההגירה והמיסים הנכון יקבל את ההחלטות הנכונות בנוגע לאן לעבור ולכמה זמן

Resilience in facing fire

This photo was taken from about a block away from the Okanagan JCC just after the evacuation. (photo by Anne Zazuliak)

On Aug. 17, the McDougall Creek Fire, which began 10 kilometres northwest of West Kelowna, descended upon the community and brought an evacuation order to those on the west side of Okanagan Lake. By that evening, winds pushed flames across the lake to Kelowna, sparking more fires and bringing about further evacuation orders.

Aug. 18 and 19 saw the conflagrations at their most dangerous, according to members of the Okanagan Jewish community who spoke to the Independent before it went to press. On Aug. 18, Kelowna International Airport suspended all flights coming in and out of the city. Later in the day, the province issued a state of emergency for the area.

By Aug. 21, the situation was under more control, with the airport opening for a few hours and an evacuation order around the University of British Columbia campus in Kelowna downgraded to an evacuation alert. Garbage pickup and other services also resumed.

photo - The OJC is situated in an area that was ordered to evacuate. Community members told the Independent that the constant police presence around the centre made them feel comfortable that the building was safe and secure — The OJC is situated in an area that was ordered to evacuate. Community members told the Independent that the constant police presence around the centre made them feel comfortable that the building was safe and secure. (photo by Steven Finkleman)

Okanagan Jewish Community (OJC) board members said several families within safer zones were able to house evacuees. Before the evacuation orders, the OJC had messaged members requesting accommodations, support and contact information so that, when the orders came, it had a list in place to make sure everyone evacuated would be assisted.

Meanwhile, Rabbi Shmuly Hecht of Okanagan Chabad House spent a few frantic days, along with members of his family, checking in on people, collecting food and supplies, baking hundreds of loaves of bread and ensuring that people in the community would have shelter. During the worst of the wildfires, Hecht’s office was turned into temporary accommodation for an elderly West Kelowna couple.

“As soon as it started, we were thinking we have to help,” said Hecht. “Anyone in a position to help should be honoured and privileged to do so. In our upbringing, this is why we are alive, this is why we are here – to serve, especially in times of need.

“I feel that everybody – even if you yourself are running and in a time of need – can begin the process of healing when your first thoughts are, how can I help someone else who may have even less than me? There is always someone who has less, and we can be of support to them. It reminds us of what life is all about.”

Hecht told the Independent he had met with one member of the community who had lost their home.

photo - Okanagan Chabad House helped in many ways, including collecting food and supplies — Okanagan Chabad House helped in many ways, including collecting food and supplies. *(photo from Okanagan Chabad)*

On Aug. 25, Steven Finkleman, OJC board past president, said, “Things are certainly much better now. I believe that the fires on the Kelowna side of the lake are being brought under control, and I believe that, as of last night, the evacuation orders and alerts on this side of the lake have been canceled.”

At the time, however, evacuation orders were still in place in parts of West Kelowna, though the dangers were receding.

“The active fire might seem to be a bit more distant from civilization and parts of it might be left to simply burn out, as long as people and property are not in danger,” said Finkleman, who thanked emergency services in the region, which, he emphasized, prioritized life, structures and forests, in that order.

“Certainly, the stress levels and anxiety of everyone were challenged at the peak of the event. Several persons do live in ‘interface’ areas, where the homes are scattered amongst the trees and forest. These persons in Kelowna are always at increased risk. The colour of the orange sky and the fact that Kelowna was the most polluted city in the world (for a time) added to everyone’s stress levels. Most persons needed to stay home, only venturing out for food and supplies, and having masks on to filter the air,” Finkleman said.

Many organizations and individuals stepped forward to offer help, he added. At times, there were so many food donations that organizations struggled to keep perishable items fresh.

Finkleman praised the level of support that came from the Vancouver and elsewhere. “We seem to be getting closer and closer to the Vancouver Jewish community, and I think it is important that Vancouver be aware of what we have gone through here. Support by email, phone calls, etc., has been tremendous, from the Vancouver Jewish organizations and from the clergy that we know well across Canada and who are participating in our Shabbaton weekends. We even have received an invite from a stranger in West Vancouver stating that she is able to put people up if they have evacuated from Kelowna to the Lower Mainland. Incredible support, really.”

The OJC, which houses Beth Shalom Synagogue, is situated in an area that was ordered to evacuate. During the height of the fires, nobody was allowed to enter the building, where two Torah scrolls are kept, due to an RCMP barricade. Community members told the Independent that the constant police presence around the centre made them feel comfortable that the building was safe and secure.

Members of the OJC executive recognized the need to bring people in the community back together, as fire dangers eased. On Aug. 27, they organized a beach barbecue that was well-attended. Over the Labour Day long weekend, Rabbi Russell Jayne from the Beth Tzedec in Calgary will lead services at Beth Shalom.

photo - Members of the OJC gathered for a picnic after a two-week period of semi-isolation due to the fire situation — Members of the OJC gathered for a picnic after a two-week period of semi-isolation due to the fire situation. (photo by Steven Finkleman)

“We believe it’s vital for our community to be together after a crisis like this, so we are going ahead with all our planned events and High Holidays,” said David Spevakow of the OJC board.

“Our local talent, Evan Orloff, will be leading our High Holiday services. Everything is a go,” he said.

“These High Holy Days will definitely be emotional, with the scorched earth, smoky skies and long recovery all creating quite a tangible backdrop to the season of reflection and self-examination,” said Abbey Westbury, a member of the OJC board. “We have tried to keep our messaging buoyant, but we are ready for the tears. What a few unimaginable years we’ve had. Ready for a new start, indeed.”

Life will get back to normal at Okanagan Chabad House, as well, Hecht stressed, despite having fallen behind with regular obligations during the fires.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has established a B.C. Wildfire Relief Fund. To donate, visit jewishvancouver.com/bc-fire-relief-fund.

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

Trio launches campaign

Citizen West performs at the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver annual campaign launch Sept. 10, 7 p.m., at Congregation Schara Tzedeck. (photo from Citizen West)

The word “fun” came up more than once in the Jewish Independent’s interview with the three tenors who comprise Citizen West. The group will help launch this year’s Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver annual campaign on Sept. 10, and the audience should expect a wide range of music, an abundance of positivity and a high-energy – and fun – performance.

Marc Devigne, Cody Karey and Omer Shaish are all accomplished musicians in their own right. Internationally renowned individually, together they have entertained audiences in more than 150 countries. With their multilingual repertoire, their message is that “we are all global citizens and, through music, we can connect with individuals of all cultures and backgrounds.”

“Music unites and connects us through harmony and a common rhythm and is spiritual in its nature,” Karey told the Independent. “I feel my most spiritually connected when experiencing a profound shared moment, and singing or performing from a stage, especially with such amazing company, really does that for me.”

Karey, who is based in Vancouver, explained how he, Toronto-based Devigne and Miami-based Shaish, came together.

“Citizen West is the product of all of us colliding at slightly different times over the last several years,” he said. “We all set out as solo artists and ended up having parallel careers. Initially, we were competitive rivals, but, as we all became connected and got to know each other, it was clear to us that we could really do something special if we combined our efforts and worked together. The three of us have been officially performing as Citizen West since 2020, but our individual connections and the idea of Citizen West go back years earlier. Our pianist, Trevor [Hoffmann], was instrumental (pun intended) in the earliest days of Citizen West as we developed our repertoire and arrangements, so this reunion performance alongside him will be a little extra special.” (Hoffmann is from Maple Ridge.)

While living in different places and following their own professional paths, Shaish said the trio see each other relatively often.

“We perform a lot as headliners on cruise ships,” he said, “so we get to sing together and travel the world together. It’s a lot of fun! The ships have brought us to some really interesting places, such as Alaska, Easter Island and even Antarctica. Those were great experiences to share with these two. We also perform on land, of course, and we come up with new repertoire all the time. We have four produced sets and, on top of that, we try to cater to our clients’ vision and needs.”

Regarding that, campaign director Gayle Morris shared with the Independent Federation’s vision of the Sept. 10 event. “This year, we wanted to try something fresh, drawing upon the incredible success and positivity of last year’s ‘Amazing Happens’ campaign,” she said. “We want our community to leave the evening inspired and excited by a creative approach to campaign opening. Citizen West are an incredible trio of tenors and a

pianist, whose extensive repertoire of music means there’s something for everyone to enjoy!”

When asked for a hint about the repertoire they will perform at the launch, Shaish said, “I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but I can say that there’s going to be a wide variety of genres, from classical music and Broadway to pop music, rock and even a splash of Hebrew!”

For Shaish, who is from Tel Aviv originally and grew up in Israel, this show will be special.

“Living in the U.S., I often find myself shifting between my roots (Jewish/Israeli music) and my other passion toward pop music and musical theatre,” he said. “I’m truly excited about this performance, because this is the first time that these two worlds collide.”

“There’s always so much more to learn, live and experience, and I feel that it’s with this outlook that Citizen West can explore and take stylistic chances with many genres,” added Devigne, who grew up in a small French community in Manitoba. Karey grew up in Fort St. James, B.C.

“There is a fraternal sense of camaraderie and connection when we work together,” said Karey. “Our slightly different quirks and styles complement each other well and create a compelling blend. The experience of being on the road is very different when you have good people to share that with. It’s also quite fun!”

Devigne echoed this sentiment. “There’s a sense of brotherhood that comes with being in a group,” he said. “It opens up more creative opportunities as an artist and brings more colour, layers and texture to songs. It’s a nice feeling to be on stage and know you have people you can rely on to support and elevate a performance. We feed on each other’s energy on stage and it makes for a great time. We draw inspiration from each other and I truly believe it lifts us all to be better artists and performers when we perform together.”

“I think it goes with the theme of this event,” said Shaish, referring to the Federation campaign launch. “We all discovered the ‘power of community’ or the ‘power of together.’ There’s something very special and powerful in sharing the stage. When the three of us blend with harmonies and our unique chemistry, it feels like true magic.”

The campaign’s opening event – “Celebrate the Power of Community” – takes place Sept. 10, 7 p.m., at Schara Tzedeck Synagogue. It also features Eric Fingerhut, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federations of North America, as keynote speaker; Barak Loozon, strategic advisor to the office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, speaking about Herzog’s dialogue initiatives; and campaign chair Shay Keil, a senior wealth advisor at ScotiaMcLeod and supporter of many Jewish community organizations and initiatives, sharing his story about how Federation campaign donors helped inspire his Jewish journey. For tickets ($18), visit jewishvancouver.com.

Moment for gratitude

This fall, for people with compromised immune systems or other health issues, extra precautions – social distancing and masking – remain a wise choice. For most people in Canada, the pandemic is over.

While the pandemic will never truly be past for those who lost family members and those whose health has been permanently affected (in ways we may not fully understand for years), this will be the first fear-free High Holidays since 2019 for the vast majority of Jews.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we were told it might take a couple of weeks’ isolation to overcome the spread. That stretched to three years of various levels of regulation and recommendations, decreasing and increasing again based on numbers of transmissions. Each new cycle of the calendar brought its own adaptations, beginning with outdoor seders and simchas – fine in Tel Aviv and Miami, less so, sometimes, in Winnipeg and Warsaw.

It is perhaps a symptom of both Jewish and human nature that, when one problem is resolved, we focus on another. It has been a dependable habit since the creation of the state of Israel that, when immediate external threats subside, attentions turn to internal disagreements – “Who is a Jew?” is a repeating topic, for example. Of course, one thing need not preclude the other. Israel is currently experiencing both external threats, in terms of a spate of terrorist attacks, and unprecedented political and social divisions.

But let’s not be so quick to find something to worry about. At this time of reflection, we all deserve to take a moment to consider the successes of the recent past. As we gather around holiday tables, we probably do not need to be reminded how fortunate we are to be together. Let us consider extending that sense of gratitude into the rest of our lives.

As young people return to classes, let’s celebrate the incredible resilience of kids who had formative years of their lives disrupted – and their teachers, who responded to exceptional circumstances! And parents, who admirably acted in the breach.

The synagogues and nonprofit organizations that are the backbone of our community transitioned on a dime to deliver programs and services as best they could during the pandemic – in many cases reaching more people virtually than they had in person, and expanding inclusivity and accessibility for all ages and abilities, as well.

Businesses that form the foundation of our economy – locally and globally – encountered supply chain (and plenty of other) constraints that they confronted as best they could.

We should also celebrate the manner in which our community steps up to respond to other urgent issues. Most recently, wildfires in British Columbia, Canada’s north, Hawaii and elsewhere – with Jewish people and organizations helping with accommodations for evacuees, food and other supplies, and more.

We have plenty of reasons to be concerned about the state of the world. There is time for that. During the month of Elul and into the Days of Awe, as we ponder the transcendent, take a few moments to consider and celebrate both the recent challenges overcome and the good fortune you experience in the day-to-day of life.

Gondar in need of help

With the economy in crisis in Gondar, aid groups are moving quickly to bolster food supplies to cover 1,500 Jewish households. (photo from SSEJ)

The ethnic violence that engulfed Ethiopia’s Tigray region in recent years is now gaining a foothold in the Amhara region to the south, home to Ethiopia’s largest Jewish community.

Although the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front militia signed a peace deal in November 2022, ethnic and political tensions continue to run deep, not only in Tigray, but in the Amhara region’s principal city, Gondar, where some 6,000 descendants and relatives of Israel’s Beta Israel community continue to wait for aliyah. More than 600,000 people died during the two-year Tigray civil war. As many as half of those casualties, investigators say, were civilians whose deaths could have been prevented if adequate food stocks and humanitarian aid had been available. That fact has helped coalesce efforts by aid groups to bolster food supplies for Gondar’s Jewish community. But, as those aid organizations are finding, building the resources needed during an ongoing political conflict is difficult.

Last month, after Amhara’s local militia Fano took control of parts of the region, fighting broke out in Gondar that resulted in several days of gun battles, some within proximity of the Jewish community and synagogue. Government forces eventually retook the city, but not without casualties. At least one member of the Jewish community was killed.

As part of the government’s ongoing effort to subdue rebel forces, it declared a six-month state of emergency Aug. 4, including nightly curfews in Gondar. Businesses were forced to shutter during the fighting, and most have still not been able to reopen.

Avi Bram, co-founder for the British nonprofit, Meketa UK, which provides microloans for small businesses and other programs designed to increase economic self-sufficiency in the Jewish community, said the fighting made it unsafe for community members (and others) to leave their houses during the first two weeks, even to find food and water. Most residents in the Jewish quarter don’t have modern amenities in their homes like electricity, running water and refrigerators, he noted.

Bram said the biggest challenge right now is to guarantee residents have food. “Most houses have completely run out,” said Bram, “and it’s still very expensive to buy [supplies] at the moment in Gondar.”

Although some businesses like banks and grocery stores are now open, fighting in the outer areas of Amhara has disrupted supply chains from the capital. It’s also caused food prices to skyrocket. “So, we’re fundraising now,” Bram said.

Both Meketa UK and its North American partner, Meketa USA, which handles fundraising and educational programs in the United States and Canada, are reaching out to their donors and the general public for help. The plan is to build up basic food supplies so families don’t starve during the state of emergency. Bram said he expects the city’s economic recovery will take many months.

Two weeks ago, aid workers purchased the first large shipment of grain, oil and chickpea paste for the community. Volunteers began distributing the stocks to as many of the 1,500 homes as possible. Bram said they plan to repeat the process as more funds become available.

Like Meketa, the U.S.-based Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry (SSEJ) is racing to fortify its food stocks and medical supplies for the Gondar community. SSEJ is the largest humanitarian aid organization supporting Jewish descendants in Ethiopia, serving 5,000 meals a day to residents and providing a variety of medical and social services for those in need. Yet, SSEJ president Jeremy Feit admitted they are struggling right now to keep up with the increasing demand for food and support brought on by the conflict. “We continue to do what we can although we don’t have nearly enough funding,” he said.

SSEJ provides feeding programs for undernourished children, and pregnant and nursing mothers; supplemental education programs for school-age children; and a new pediatric clinic. It partners with Israeli nonprofit Operation Ethiopia, which runs an eye clinic staffed by Israeli specialists.

Feit said SSEJ hopes to work around supply chain problems by ordering food stocks from the United States and from other parts of Ethiopia. But that takes money and time. “We are also trying to get medical supplies in to service the larger Gondar area, Jewish and non-Jewish alike,” he said.

High Holy Day meals and foods are another significant demand, assisted each year by the North American Conference for Ethiopian Jewry.

With the military now visible in Gondar, Meketa co-founder Hila Bram said the sounds of gunfire are more distant. “There are a lot of government soldiers around – everyone is afraid, but the soldiers around makes it feel there is control.” But not all of the Jewish community lives within city limits. “Many of the poorest families live in Belajek, which is an area outside the main city road, because it is cheaper there,” she said, adding that those residents still sleep with the presence of gunfire nearby.

Aid workers know that, even if the fighting ended tomorrow, it will likely be many months before economic stability is restored and everyone can return to work. While residents wait hopefully for an airlift to Israel, aid agencies are already planning the next emergency food shipments to tide them through winter.

For more information about Meketa UK/USA (meketausa.org), Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry (ssej.org), Operation Ethiopia (operationethiopia.com) and North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (nacoej.org) and how you can assist, visit their websites.

Jan Lee is an award-winning editorial writer whose articles and op-eds have been published in B’nai B’rith Magazine, Voices of Conservative and Masorti Judaism and Baltimore Jewish Times, as well as a number of business, environmental and travel publications. Her blog can be found at multiculturaljew.polestarpassages.com.

Response to death sentence

L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty co-founder Cantor Michael Zoosman on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman on Aug. 2, 2023, reiterating L’chaim’s opposition to the death penalty for the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooter – and in all cases. (screenshot)

Recently, the American TV show Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman approached me in my role as co-founder of L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty – which has roughly 2,700 members worldwide – to explain our opposition to the death sentence that the U.S. federal government issued for Robert Bowers, the perpetrator of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life shooting on Oct. 27, 2018. This was the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history and a crime of unspeakable horror that took the lives of the 11 Tree of Life martyrs, z”l.

My journey to becoming L’chaim’s co-founder was a direct result of my service as the cantor of Vancouver’s Congregation Beth Israel from 2008 to 2012. During my time at BI, that wonderful kehillah granted me the opportunity to serve as an agent of the Canadian government as Jewish prison chaplain for the 11 federal prisons within the Pacific region of Correctional Service Canada, which I did from 2009 to 2012. That experience was integral in the formation of my stance as a firm opponent of capital punishment in every case. During my years in that position, I got to know many individuals whose crimes might have qualified them for the death penalty in various states or federally in the United States. I saw firsthand how many of these individuals changed, while they remained incarcerated.

Since 2020, L’chaim’s members and I have been in touch with all individuals with active execution warrants in the States, as well as all Jewish men and women on American death rows. This includes my longtime penpal Jedidiah Murphy, a Jewish man with dissociative identity disorder who is the next human set for execution by Texas. The Lone Star State – the most prolific state killer in the United States – plans to kill Jedidiah on Oct. 10, which is World Day Against the Death Penalty. To do so, Texas will use the most common American form of execution, which is lethal injection.

Lethal injection was first implemented in this world by the Nazis as part of the Aktion T4 protocol used to kill people deemed “unworthy of life.” That protocol was first devised by Dr. Karl Brandt, the personal physician of Adolf Hitler. Every use of lethal injection carries on this direct Nazi legacy. This is the method by which the federal government likely will put to death Robert Bowers. Various states employ gas chambers to put their inmates to death, with Arizona even offering Zyklon B, as used in Auschwitz.

The members of L’chaim who, like me, are direct descendants of Holocaust survivors, know very well that the death penalty is not the same as the Shoah. And yet, members also know the dangers of giving a government the power to kill prisoners. Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Elie Wiesel articulated this most prophetically when he famously said in a 1988 interview: “With every cell of my being and with every fibre of my memory, I oppose the death penalty in all forms…. I don’t think it’s human to become an agent of the angel of death.” He later added of capital punishment: “death should never be the answer in a civilized society.”

There are no exceptions. For Wiesel, Martin Buber, Gershom Scholem, Nelly Sachs and other Jewish human rights activists in the wake of the Shoah, this included staunch opposition to Israel’s execution of Nazi perpetrator Adolf Eichmann, which Buber called a “great mistake.” For the thousands of members of L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty who carry this torch, the mistake applies as well to Robert Bowers.

In his “Reflections on the Guillotine,” Albert Camus concluded: “But what then is capital punishment but the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal’s deed, however calculated it may be, can be compared?” From my personal experience in communicating daily over email, letters and phone with condemned men and women counting down their final months, weeks, days and hours, I can attest to this psychological torture. I can confirm that there is no humane way to put prisoners to death against their will.

The death penalty condemns the society that enacts it infinitely more than the human beings it condemns to death. Canada realized this decades ago, when it abolished the death penalty. The west African nation of Ghana was the latest country to join Canada as an abolitionist nation, just weeks ago, during the Tree of Life capital trial. I pray that, one day, the United States will join Ghana, Canada and the more than 70% of world nations who stand against the consummate human rights violation that is capital punishment.

For those who remain unconvinced, as I was before I became a prison chaplain, consider the words of the late Jewish U.S. Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis, the namesake of my alma mater. In his dissent for a renowned 1928 case, Brandeis wrote: “Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious.”

When the government imposes and then carries out a death sentence, it teaches everyone that unnecessary lethal violence is an appropriate problem-solving tool. Pittsburgh resident and death penalty abolitionist Fred Rogers (children’s educator and entertainer Mister Rogers) recognized this when he said of the death penalty “it just sends a horribly wrong message to children.” In every single case, state-sponsored murder under the disproven pretence of deterrence is not an appropriate tool to punish an offender who is no longer a threat behind bars. As Brandeis and Wiesel knew: the government should set a moral and ethical example.

The ruling in favour of state killing perpetuates the cycle of violence. It leaves the door open to the man-made Angel of Death – a door that allowed the United States to execute a severely mentally ill prisoner in Missouri on Aug. 1 and a prisoner “volunteer” for state-assisted suicide in Florida on Aug. 3. The United States was joined that week by Iran, which executed 12 human beings. The previous week, Singapore hanged a man and a woman for drug charges, and Bangladesh hanged two other human beings.

America – and human civilization – must do better. If not, the Pandora’s box of death can lead to what the world has seen with the execution of political protesters in Iran, the recent “kill the gays” law passed in Uganda, which allows execution for homosexual sex crimes, and the calls for the death penalty for abortion, which at least four American states have proposed since the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

Let there be no doubt that those immediately impacted by the Pittsburgh shooting – including surviving family members – have been divided in their attitudes about the death penalty for the shooter. On a congregational level, two of the three targeted synagogues within the Tree of Life building have asked the federal government not to pursue the death penalty. This includes Dor Hadash, which hosted leaders in L’chaim for a program to help their community mobilize to abolish the death penalty. Still, quite understandably, most immediate family members indeed advocated death for the shooter. Far be it from me or anyone to judge them for how they feel. As a hospital chaplain, I regularly counsel mourners that, when grieving, they should be allowed to feel the full gamut of human emotion, including rage, and even the desire for vengeance where applicable. Any civilized society has a responsibility to protect and honour all such mourners, while simultaneously upholding the fundamental human rights upon which the world stands. Most basic to these, of course, is the right to life.

May Americans and Jews everywhere honour the victims of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life – Eitz Chaim in Hebrew – by reaffirming the sanctity of life. Instead of more killing, may they follow the example of the inspiring Jewish community of Pittsburgh. Earlier in the week before the verdict of death, in what was but the latest example of that community’s unflagging proverbial steel resolve, it hosted a life-affirming parade to celebrate the dedication of a new Torah – known also as an Eitz Chaim – in loving memory of Joyce Fienberg, z”l, one of the 11 Tree of Life martyrs, and her late husband, Dr. Steven Fienberg, z”l. That sacred community once again has brought new life to the exhortation that has motivated Jewish people for millennia: “Am Yisrael chai,” “The people of Israel live.”

To this profound demonstration of the very best of Jewish values and resilience, I fervently add the resounding response to the Tree of Life verdict from the thousands of members of L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty, chanting “l’chaim!” – “to life!”

The Democracy Now! TV interview ended with a video clip of the El Maleh Rachamim for the 11 Tree of Life martyrs that I chanted in front of the U.S. Supreme Court while the trial was taking place, as part of the Annual Fast and Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty. No matter where TV viewers and readers stand on the death penalty, it is most appropriate for that memorial prayer for the victims to be the final words here.

Zichronam livracha, may the beloved memories of the 11 Tree of Life martyrs be for an everlasting blessing.

May their neshamot / spirits be loving guides for us all.

May their loved ones be comforted among all the mourners of Zion and Israel from a grief the likes of which most human beings like me never could begin to fathom.

May the killings end.

Cantor Michael J. Zoosman, MSM, BCC, served as cantor of Congregation Beth Israel 2008-2012 and as Jewish prison chaplain for Correctional Service of Canada, Pacific Region, 2009-2012. He is the co-founder of L’chaim: Jews Against the Death Penalty and an advisory committee member of Death Penalty Action.