The Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia’s Feeding Community project wants your story. (photo from JMABC)
What does an egg taste like when it’s been boiled for hours with onion peels and coffee? Have you ever consumed a meal while sipping on a carbonated yogurt beverage? What kind of oven do you need to make cubana, a dough that you leave on the fire from Friday late afternoon to Saturday?
These are just some of the questions the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia has encountered in the early days of its research for the Feeding Community project. JMABC researchers have devoured cheesecake on Shavuot while talking about the use of dried lime in Persian cooking. They have asked a rabbi to divulge the secrets of his cholent recipe. They have pored over handwritten recipes and black and white photographs of Sephardi Jews in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. It’s been a rewarding and immersive sensory experience, learning about the community’s diverse roots and traditions – and the findings will be shared through a podcast being developed for the JMABC.
Some might say that too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth, but the opposite goes for making a podcast. The more people the JMABC hears from, the richer the podcast will be. The JMABC is interviewing members of the community, hoping to unravel what the act of eating and traditions of food mean for individuals and in terms of family. As much as the JMABC hopes people will listen to the series, it also encourages people to be contributors.
Whether your family arrived in Canada by way of Mexico, Minsk or Morocco, Argentina, Albany or Azerbaijan, South Africa, Sri Lanka or Shanghai, the JMABC would like to hear from you. To learn more about Feeding Community or to contribute information, email [email protected] or call 604-257-5199.
Humanitarian goods from Turkey arrive at the Kerem Shalom crossing point into the Gaza Strip; it was the first such shipment to arrive in Israel from Turkey since the reestablishment of ties between the two countries at the end of last month. (photo from Ashernet)
The families of Israel Defence Forces soldiers Oren Shaul and Hadar Goldin – both of whom were killed two years ago in Operation Protective Edge and whose bodies are still held by Hamas – were dissatisfied with the reconciliation agreement between the two countries, as it did not include the return of their sons’ bodies or the return of two Israeli citizens, Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayyad, imprisoned in the Gaza Strip. Many also objected at the apology by Israel to the Turkish government, together with a $20 million compensation package, over the May 2010 IDF raid on the Gaza-bound Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which resulted in the deaths of 10 Turkish citizens after the activists on board attacked the IDF soldiers; it was this event that caused the break in Turkish-Israeli relations.
Why do we love brisket so much? (photo from Jewish Post & News)
When Ricki Silver was leaving for Toronto to visit her family, she faced a dilemma: Do you continue the brisket tradition with the skyrocketing price? The plaintive cry of her granddaughter Charlie – “Bubba, are you bringing the brisket and the gravy?” she wailed over the phone – answered the dilemma. Silver had no choice but to continue her more than 40-year tradition and shlep the brisket to Toronto, cooked and ready to enjoy.
Why do we love this rather tough cut of meat so much? Why has the price hit the roof? Why do so many Jewish people feel their holiday table is empty without a brisket? Why do people treasure and brag about their own brisket recipes? And what are we going to do with this time-honored Jewish tradition now that brisket is just so popular and expensive?
“Brisket is one of the tastiest cuts, hands down, just unbelievable,” according to butcher Al Jones.
Because of this, the demand has gone up, particularly as more people have smokers, slow cookers and backyard barbecues. Jones has found that brisket customers are younger and watch cooking shows, so they are more inclined to try new recipes. At the same time, the price of beef has been steadily rising and shows no signs of changing. This is a function of the Canadian dollar, global economy, climate change and farming practices. “Farmers are using their fields to grow crops that can be used for making gas,” said Jones. This results in higher costs to grow the corn needed for cattle grazing.
Jews have been eating brisket for what seems like forever and, according to Matthew Goodman in his charming cookbook Jewish Food: The World at Table, this brisket business began at the end of Genesis 32 when Jacob had an attack from an angel and injured his thigh vein. Jews stopped eating the cow’s hindquarter. Plus, kosher meat requires quick preparation so the meat is not fully aged and tenderized. The result is that Jews had to find other ways to make meat tender, says Goodman. Brisket, with its need for slow cooking, is simply the perfect food.
Meat, including brisket, is also a cornerstone of Jewish deli food. David “Ziggy” Gruber, who is featured in the documentary Deli Man, said he had a calling to continue this style of cooking. “I feel my ancestors right next to me. It makes me happy,” he says in the film. Perhaps this is what drives many of us to pine for brisket and have it on our holiday table.
“Everyone has a brisket story,” writes Stephanie Pierson in her book The Brisket Book: A Love Story With Recipes, and often “my way is the only way.”
In my Thursday lunch group, one person swears by onion soup, others marinate in different concoctions involving either cola, beer, coffee, soy sauce or orange juice. Even the most uncompetitive person is likely to have a strong opinion on how to make the best brisket. Jones recommends avoiding the use of salt, as this tends to make the meat tougher and he believes that marinating is crucial.
Competition is intense on the price front and everyone seems to be trying to find a good buy, but price should not be the only consideration – quality counts. Jones said people should buy their meat from a reputable butcher to make sure that it has been hung and aged properly. He recommended it have a bit of fat on it. “That is why knives and forks were invented a few hundred years ago,” he said. You need the fat to keep the meat moist and tender, he explained. Just cut it off after the meat has cooked.
So, what is with this brisket love affair? No question, once you go through the days of marinating, cooking, cooling, slicing and reheating, brisket is a totally forgiving cut of meat. If your guests are late, forget to come or are impossible to please, brisket is your most reliable main course. This slab of meat never gets dry, everyone loves it and leftovers are even better than the meal. For Silver, there are four food groups: “meat, vegetables, dairy and brisket.”
Brisket keeps us connected to our past and elevates our celebrations to a special event. Our traditions keep the holidays alive and bring family and friends together. Many of us have our own superior brisket recipe passed down from one generation to another and strong memories of food prepared with love. This brisket food chain tells a story that deserves to be preserved.
Fern Swedloveis a Winnipeg freelance writer. A longer version of this article was published in the Jewish Post & News.
הפדרציה היהודית הכינה תוכנית עבודה ארוכת טווח לספק את הצרכים החדשים של חברי הקהילה ולהגדיל את התקציב למימון פעילותיה.
הפדרציה היהודית של אזור מטרו ונקובר הכינה בשנתיים האחרונות תוכנית עבודה ארוכת טווח עד לשנת 2020. העבודה המורכבת על התוכנית נעשתה על ידי מועצת המנהלים בניצוחו של היושב ראש, סטפן גרבר ובשיתוף פעולה של חברי קהילה רבים. לדברי גרבר מדובר באחד הפרוייקטים החשובים ביותר בהיסטוריה של הפדרציה, כדי לקבוע את סדרי העדיפויות והמשאבים הכספיים הדרושים, כדי להתמודד עם האתגרים העומדים בפני חברי הקהילה היום ובהמשך הדרך. במסגרת היערכות ארוכת הטווח של הפדרציה היהודית החליטה מועצת המנהלים שלה להחתים את המנכ”ל, עזרא שנקן, לשש שנים נוספות עד ל-2022. גרבר: “לצורך ישום העדיפויות של התוכנית האסטרטגית ל-2020 והגשמת מטרותיה, אנו זקוקים למנהיגות יציבה וחזקה ושנקן הוא זה שימשיך לספק את המנהיגות הזו עד 2022. אנו ברי מזל שיש לנו את שנקן בתפקיד המנכ”ל”.
רשימת סדרי העדיפויות של הפדרציה היהודית לארבע השנים הקרובות כוללת שישה פרקים מרכזיים. השקעות אסטרטגיות – למציאת פתרונות כדי שיובטח שהקהילה תמשיך להיות חזקה ותוססת גם בדורות הבאים, שיפור הביטחון והבטיחות של המוסדות היהודיים, עזרה במימון אחקת המבנים של המוסדות השונים של הקהילה ולאפשר לחנך את הילדים והצעירים שהם הדור הבא. כל זאת תוך אבטחת מימון יציב לשותפים בקהילה היהודית הנסמכים על הפדרציה. סגירת פערי המימון – כדי לאפשר למוסדות השונים בקהילה לקבל תקציבים לפעילותם, כדי שיוכלו לספק שירותים חשובים לאלפי חברי הקהילה. התקציבים שהפדרציה השיגה עד היום כבר אינם מספיקים לספק את כל הצרכים החדשים ואין מספיק מימון לכל הצרכים והארגונים. הפדרציה מקבלת מדי שנה בקשות בהיקף של כמיליון וחצי דולר למימון תוכניות ושירותים נוספים שנדרשים. כאמור זה כבר לא מספיק ועל הפדרציה למצוא דרכים לסגירת הפערים, בין תקציב המימון הנוכחי לעומת הצרכים האמיתיים. צרכים חדשים ומתפתחים של הקהילה – כיום כבר כארבעים ושישה אחוז מחברי הקהילה היהודית גרים מחוץ לוונקובר. שינוי משמעותי זה מצריך היערכות חדשה לאספקת תוכניות ושירותים זמינים עבור חברי הקהילה באזורים, שמחוץ לוונקובר. התחברות לדור הבא – ההצלחה של הקהילה בעתיד תלויה במידה רבה ביכולת שלנו להתחבר ולהתקשר לדור הצעיר, ולעזור להם לפתח כישורי מנהיגות ואינטרסים פילנתרופיים. הארגונים היהודים עושים רבות למען הצעירים, אך יש לעשות הרבה יותר אם אנו רוצים שתהיה לנו השפעה לטווח ארוך על המשכיות של הקהילה בעתיד. ישראל והשותפים שלנו בצפון המדינה – אנו מחוייבים להביא יותר מישראל לקהילה בוונקובר באמצעות אירועים תרבותיים. אנו מתמקדים בעבודה עם השותפים שלנו באזור הגליל העליון, בין היתר כדי לסייע לתושבים המקומיים מול האתגרים הסוציו-אקונומיים עימם הם מתמודדים. המפתח להצלחה נעוץ בתמיכה בפרויקטים של שירותים חינוכיים וחברתיים שמסייעים לאוכלוסיה בסיכון לממש את הפוטנציאל שלה. קהילות יהודיות גלובליות נזקקות – הפדרציה תומכת בכמאה שישים וחמישה אלף קשישים יוצאי ברית המועצות לשעבר שגרים באירופה, שרבים מהם ניצולי שואה.
לאור הגידול בצרכים של התוכניות והשירותים של הפדרציה, יש להגדיל את ההכנסות מקמפיין התרומות השנתי מ-8.3 מיליון דולר (שגוייסו ב-2015) ל-10 מיליון דולר. יש להגדיל את הנכסים בניהול של הקרן הפדרציה היהודית מארבעים ושישה מיליון דולר לשישים מיליון דולר. הדירקטוריון של הקרן מכין תוכנית פיתוח עסקית להשגת מטרה זו. במסגרת התוכנית ל-2020 הפדרציה שמה לעצמה למטרה להגדיל את תקציב המתנות המיוחדות מתורמים לשני מיליון דולר.
Muizenberg, South Africa, was a hub for Jewish families from the 1900s onward. (photo from Stephen Rom)
For Vancouverites who hail from South Africa, the name Muizenberg carries significant resonance. The small seaside town was a hub for Jewish families from the 1900s onward, a place where children played on the long stretch of white-sand beach, young people fell in love, business deals were discussed, family relationships deepened and friendships nourished. So, when the Memories of Muizenberg exhibit opens for its 15-day span at Congregation Beth Israel on July 10, there’s an excellent chance of hearing South African accents in the voices of attendees.
The exhibit was created in 2009, when it debuted in Cape Town, chronicling the Jewish presence in Muizenberg between 1900 and the early 1960s. After that, it began a whirlwind tour to Johannesburg, London, Israel, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto and San Diego before it finally landed in Vancouver. For each of its moves a former South African Jew adopted the exhibition, gathering fundraisers, assistants and exhibit spaces in their respective cities. In Vancouver, that man is Stephen Rom, originally from Cape Town, who immigrated to Canada in 1986 and moved to Vancouver in 1992.
“I’m just a shlepper that was interested in the exhibit,” he said with a laugh. “When a friend told me the exhibit was in San Diego, I thought we needed to get it trucked up to Vancouver. I think it’s important to keep Memories of Muizenberg circulated – a hell of a lot of research went into it and it’s beautifully put together.”
Rom arranged for the crate containing the 40-panel exhibit to be stored in the warehouse of fellow former South African Lexie Bernstein, and solicited donors to cover the costs associated with transportation and opening night festivities. Muizenberg has a special place in his heart and memories, he confided.
“It was a place my family and extended family spent every Sunday – you loaded the car, took the food and you didn’t need to look for friends – they were always there,” he reflected. “No one phoned to say, are you going to Muizenberg? You just knew, everyone in your community was going to be there. You’d go swimming, get attacked by bluebottles, get knocked over and soaked by a wave from the creeping high tide, have the wind blowing in your hair and eat homemade rusks (cookies) mixed with sand. It was part of our DNA.”
Bernstein, who moved from Cape Town to Vancouver in 1987, recalls catching the train with his friends in the summer months to get to Muizenberg. “When the train pulled into the station, the conductor would shout out ‘Jerusalem!’” he said. “I think ex-South Africans in Vancouver will love this exhibition, and other Jews in the community will be fascinated about where we come from.”
Rom’s only regret about the exhibit is that it ends in 1962 instead of continuing. He’s asking former South Africans in Vancouver to email photographs that pertain to their history in Muizenberg and that might be shown as a slide show at the exhibit’s opening night, July 10, 7 p.m. To submit your memories, email Rom at [email protected].
Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond. To read her work online, visit laurenkramer.net.
Naomi Brand’s En Route will be performed by members of All Bodies Dance Project. (photo by Chris Randle)
New works and the pushing of boundaries. Just what audiences expect from the Dancing on the Edge contemporary dance festival, and just what the three participating Jewish community members have created.
This year’s Dancing on the Edge (DOTE), which takes place July 7-16, includes work by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, Amber Funk Barton and Naomi Brand.
Friedenberg’s I can’t remember the word for I can’t remember is an excerpt from a work-in-progress – a new solo she is creating with director John Murphy.
“I will be performing but a lot of what we’ve been making has come out of our conversations about memory and the displacement of our memories in the digital world,” she explained. “The piece explores how our minds, our selves escape us and the panic that brings.”
Friedenberg and Murphy met years ago, when she was choreographing a Fringe show in which he was performing.
“He is one of the funniest performers I know and a very smart playwright and director,” said Friedenberg. “I wanted to do research into narrative structure and comic writing, as well as explore being ‘myself’ onstage. Once John and I started researching, we both got excited about turning the research into a piece. Marc Stewart will create an original score for the work as well.”
As for other future projects, Friedenberg said she had recently returned from a residency in Italy where she was collaborating with Italian dance-theatre-performance artist Silvia Gribaudi. “We will be premièring our duet next year at the Scotiabank Dance Centre – it’s a co-production with the Dance Centre and Chutzpah!”
In addition to DOTE, Friedenberg is also choreographing West Side Story for Theatre Under the Stars this summer.
“It’s my first time working for TUTS and the cast is fantastic!” she said. “The amazing Sarah Rodgers is directing – I also met her years ago on the same Fringe show where I met John. It’s a very edgy take on West Side and I am able to bring my contemporary vision to it.”
Barton is also bringing a new work to DOTE that she hopes will evolve into something larger – Village, a 15-minute group piece, performed by members of the response.’s apprenticeship program.
About it, Barton said, “I am always interested in working with narrative and story and, lately, I seem to be inspired by small towns and their intimate interactions. When I travel, I find it fascinating that, as a human race, we all have a similar rhythm to our lives but the diversity of how we carry out this rhythm is what continues to make us interesting to one another. We all wake up. We all eat breakfast. We all go to work. We all struggle to define what our short lives on this planet mean. We all love and have our hearts broken. We all want to be loved. We struggle to attain happiness…. So, I’ve decided that I would like to make a dance that reflects these inspirations; I want to portray a group of people who live by the sea and survive a storm.
“My intention in creating Village for the festival this year,” she continued, “is that it is a starting point for a much more developed work with possibly a larger cast. But, to start, I am working with four dancers – Andrew Haydock, Antonio Somera Jr., Marcy Mills and Tessa Tamura – who have all gone through my company’s apprentice program. So, this is also a special endeavor, as it is giving these emerging dancers an opportunity to perform in the festival, as well as working with them as professional dancers. It’s really exciting to witness their growth. I’ve also decided not to perform in Village because I want to focus solely on the creation of it.”
Another focus of Barton’s has been working to make VAST, her first full-length solo, a reality. “I’ve been doing a lot of movement research and performing works-in-progress in support of it and I’m currently working towards a 2017 première,” she said.
“I’ve also held two more cycles of my company’s apprentice program. It’s hard to believe, but my company’s 10th anniversary is on the horizon, so I’m dreaming about what I would like to create to celebrate that. I’m also teaching regularly and am currently on staff as the head of contemporary at Avant Dance Company in Burnaby.”
And, if that weren’t enough, Barton recently did a residency with the company EDAM Dance.
“This spring,” she said, “with the support of EDAM, I was invited to create a 20-minute work for three dancers. I called the trio Scenes for Your Consideration and it was recently performed at EDAM’s Induction performance series.” The work featured Elya Grant, Somera Jr. and Haydock, she added, “and became a collection of scenes and interactions where the relationships between the dancers continued to shift. When I watch the work, I see them shift between friends, enemies, lovers, siblings – all the various roles that we encounter in our everyday lives.”
Brand’s work for DOTE is about a different form of shifting. Called En Route, it “explores different ways to traverse public spaces and negotiate our place in a crowd. The piece celebrates and exploits the fine line between practical and performative ways of getting from point A to point B.” To the program description, Brand added, “Directionality and determination to get somewhere are contrasted with meandering, circuitous pathways towards our goal.”
The piece will be performed in the inner courtyard of the Woodward’s Building, which, she said, “requires me to think more creatively about the three-dimensional experience of watching a living choreography. The Woodward’s space is also a space with its own complex choreography of people moving through it in myriad diverse ways towards their own destinations. We are excited to build upon the existing dance of that space.”
En Route will be performed by members of All Bodies Dance Project, which she described as “an inclusive group of movers who experience and perceive the world differently.”
Brand launched All Bodies Dance Project in September 2014 with Mirae Rosner and Sarah Lapp.
“The three of us were/are interested in making a space in Vancouver to explore an inclusive dance practice that was open to movers of all abilities,” said Brand. “We have been really fortunate to partner with the Vancouver Parks Board and the Roundhouse to make this project possible.
“All Bodies Dance Project is accessible to anyone and welcomes difference as a creative strength,” she continued. “Our work poses questions about dance and how it is practised: Who has access to dance training? Who gets to make dances? What is the artistic potential of different types of people dancing together?
“By bringing together ‘standing dancers’ with dancers who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids, our practice seeks to challenge the ideas of normalized dancing bodies and make space for a new and innovative community of dance makers. We want to widen the spectrum of who dances and what dance can be.”
All Bodies Dance Project has created two full evening productions to date, See & Be Seen (2015) and TRACE (2016), and have done numerous community performances in local festivals and events, said Brand. “We are interested in continuing to create new and innovative pieces of choreography, allowing new audiences to see the choreographic possibilities of difference.”
In the fall, she said, there will be a new session of the group’s open classes at Trout Lake Community Centre and the Roundhouse, in addition to a new class it is launching for young dancers ages 8-12 at Mount Pleasant Community Centre and a new group at Sunset Community Centre (allbodiesdance.ca).
In addition, Brand continues “to make and perform contemporary dance across a wide spectrum of contexts, from my own solo work to work with professional dancers to dance with diverse populations. I have just completed a three-year residency at the Roundhouse, where I was working with an ensemble of 20 older adults called the Ageless Dancers.”
As well, when the JI contacted Brand by email for this interview, she was on Toronto Island where, she said, “I am working with a group of 24 dance makers from across Canada on a project called 8 DAYS. This is my fourth time at this intergenerational gathering that aims to connect choreographers, to share their practices and create dialogue about the form.”
For the full schedule and tickets for the DOTE festival, visit dancingontheedge.org.
Voters in the United Kingdom – well, in England and Wales, at least – have decided to quit the European Union. The referendum last week turned British politics, and world economic markets, upside down.
The potential for a Scottish withdrawal from the United Kingdom is again front and centre. More than this, politicians and commentators worldwide are extrapolating the vote’s meaning across Europe and North America to try to comprehend the potential impacts of a coalescence of disgruntled, anti-elitist, populist, nativist and xenophobic tendencies. Already, the result seems to have given licence to some people to act out on xenophobic hatred, with numerous incidents of verbal and physical assaults against visible minorities reported across Britain in just the couple of days following the referendum.
Among those who supported the losing “Remain” campaign are some who threaten to move to Canada. This is a default for Americans and now, apparently, Brits who dislike the democratic outcomes in their own countries. The Canada strategy is much talked about but rarely executed. Ironically, people from countries that move toward exclusionary practices and tightened immigration policies assume that Canada is an uncategorically welcoming place that would greet them with open arms. On Canada Day, of all times, we should take it as a compliment that our reputation is one of haven and acceptance.
And yet … while Europe may be aflame with xenophobia and demagoguery, Canada is not immune to strains of something nasty. The current example comes from none other than Canada’s Green party.
For a movement that ostensibly subscribes to the precept of thinking globally and acting locally, the policy resolutions for the party’s August convention are starkly parochial. Only two items proposed for consideration approach foreign affairs issues – and both attack Israel.
One resolution calls for the party to join the BDS movement to boycott, divest from and sanction the Jewish state. More hypocritically still, the Green party is seeking to have the Jewish National Fund of Canada’s charitable status revoked. That a Green party would target one of the world’s oldest and most successful environmental organizations is symptomatic of something irrational in the mindset of those who promulgated the resolution. Whether it advances to the convention floor – and what happens then – will tell us a great deal about the kind of people who make up the Green Party of Canada.
In a world where human-made and natural catastrophes seem unlimited, from the entire population of Green party members across Canada, only two statements of international concern bubble to the surface – and both are broadsides against the Jewish people.
Elizabeth May, the party’s leader and sole MP, said she opposes both resolutions but, since the determination of policy is made on the basis of one member one vote, there is a limited amount she can do. She met last week with Rafael Barak, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, and said the Green party’s support for Israel’s right to exist is “immovable.”
Citing both changing social practice and traditional Jewish values, the international association of Conservative rabbis passed a resolution on May 22 calling on Jewish institutions and government agencies to embrace the full equality of transgendered people.
The Rabbinical Assembly’s Resolution Affirming the Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People begins, “Whereas our Torah asserts that all humanity is created b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s divine image….” It discusses historical evidence of “non-binary gender expression” in Jewish texts dating back to the third-century Mishnah. It calls on synagogues, camps, schools and other institutions affiliated with the Conservative movement to meet the needs of transgender people and to use the names and pronouns that people prefer. It also encourages Conservative institutions to advocate for national and local policies on behalf of transgender people. In light of its passing, the Jewish Independent spoke with several local rabbis from across denominations about the resolution and about transgender inclusivity in their communities.
“The statement feels comprehensive and as positive and embracing as it should be,” said Rabbi Hannah Dresner of Or Shalom, which is part of the Jewish Renewal movement. “We need always to try to get to the heart of what the halachah (Jewish law) and the mitzvot are trying to do for us. The way they were concretized in another century does not limit them for all time. Halachah is a process. I think it is beautiful when any part of the community pulls up a chair at table and says we are participating in the ongoing evolution of halachah. This is at the heart of what it means to continually create Torah, to turn Torah over and over, to continually participate in the exchange between the Holy One and human beings, which is God giving the written Torah and our response by taking it in and answering in the voice of our humanness. This is at the heart of what the halachic process is and should be in any sphere.”
LGBTQ people are fully welcomed at Or Shalom, and people are called to the Torah by their preferred gender identification. Or Shalom is currently working on infrastructural and ritual changes to be more explicitly and fully inclusive of LGBTQ people in all spheres. “There are alternatives that are easy and sweet,” said Dresner. “We just have to do our work.”
When asked what he thought of the Conservative resolution, Rabbi Dan Moscovitz of Temple Sholom, a Reform congregation, replied with typical humor: “Great, welcome to the party.” He said he views the resolution as a return to the deep values of the tradition, not a departure. “This is at the core of who we are commanded to be as human beings – to find the tzelem Elohim (image of God) inside of each individual and to not be confused or distracted by outside appearances, generalizations or labels,” he said.
The resolution is largely the same as that passed by the Reform movement in November 2015. As early as 1965, the Women of Reform Judaism called for the decriminalization of homosexuality. In 1977, Reform’s Central Conference of American Rabbis adopted a resolution calling for legislation decriminalizing homosexual acts between consenting adults, and an end to discrimination against gays and lesbians. In the late 1980s, the primary seminary of the Reform movement, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, changed its admission requirements to allow openly gay and lesbian people to join the student body. In 1990, gay and lesbian rabbis were officially affirmed and, in 1996, so were same-sex civil unions. In 2000, a resolution followed fully affirming sanctified Jewish unions for same-sex couples and, in 2003, there was a resolution affirming the full acceptance of trans- and bisexual people, a stance confirmed and elaborated in the 2015 resolution.
“We have trans members, both adults and children, who we embrace and welcome fully,” said Moscovitz. “We call up to the Torah by preferred gender and gender-neutral pronouns which are present on our gabai [person who calls people to the Torah] sheet…. All bathrooms are multi-gendered or non-gendered.”
Moskovitz cited the case of a bar mitzvah boy who now identifies as a female and was offered a mikvah ritual as a transitional symbol, as well as a new Hebrew name and the reissue of the bar mitzvah certificate as a bat mitzvah.
The Conservative movement has been slower to change its position on LGBTQ sexuality than the Reform. In 1990, the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS), which sets halachic policy for the movement, stated their desire to “work for full and equal civil rights for gays and lesbians in our national life.” Nevertheless, the CJLS maintained a ban on homosexual conduct, the ordination of homosexuals as rabbis and same-sex marriage unions until 2006, when LGBTQ people were first admitted for rabbinical ordination; in 2012, the Israeli Masorti (Conservative) movement followed suit. In 2012, the CJLS allowed same-sex marriages, with the U.K. Masorti movement following in 2014. The 2016 resolution is a milestone for the Conservative movement.
Rabbi Jonathan Infeld of Congregation Beth Israel, which is part of the Conservative movement, applauds the new document. “Kevod ha’ briyot [the dignity of all created beings, cited in the CJLS resolution] is very important…. For me, the over-arching concept of respecting all human beings and making them feel welcome, bringing them into the Jewish community is vitally important and is the keystone of the resolution.”
Infeld said the resolution is an expression of foundational Jewish values. “It is critically important to recognize the humanity and holiness of every person and that’s the essence of the resolution,” he said.
Beth Israel has private, non-gender-specific washrooms available, and calls to the Torah for an aliyah are done on the basis of the gender with which the person identifies, he noted. “We don’t loudly announce our stance so much as we are very happy to have trans and gay people in our synagogue as a natural part of the social fabric of our shul, by being warm and welcoming to everyone who walks in the door,” he said.
Speaking to the JI only days after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, Infeld said, “The Orlando massacre is another reminder of the need to fight discrimination on every level and recognize the humanity of every person.”
Unlike non-Orthodox denominations, Orthodox Jews maintain traditional rabbinic stances against homosexual conduct, and behaviors such as cross-dressing or identifying with a gender aside from one’s birth gender. Nevertheless, there are a number of Orthodox rabbis and Jewish groups that are openly LGBTQ and/or call for greater inclusivity in Orthodox communities. And, in recent years, a number of Orthodox statements have been issued – mostly from within the Modern Orthodox world but also from others – calling for the expression of love, support and inclusion of LGBTQ people without condoning LGBTQ behaviors.
“We do not judge anyone here,” said Chabad Rabbi Shmulik Yeshayahu of Ohel Ya’akov Community Kollel. “We love and welcome everyone. We follow the Orthodox halachah that the Torah only allows union between a man and a woman, but gay, lesbian and transgender people are welcomed in our community and no one will judge them or condemn them. We do not ask questions about people’s behavior or police them. We love people, and we do not make everything they do or don’t do our business. We have had and do have gay and lesbian couples here and, in the past, even one Orthodox gay couple, and they were not judged, no one is saying anything to them. Everyone is welcome here.”
In the historic referendum last week, the United Kingdom voted to leave the 28-nation European Union (EU), sending shockwaves throughout Europe and the international community. The results of the so-called “Brexit” vote – 52% in favor of exiting the EU and 48% opposed – spurred the resignation of U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and called into question the identity and strength of the EU, while leaving many nations, including Israel, wondering how the vote will affect policy and trade in the years ahead.
“It’s hard to know what is going to happen, and nothing is going to happen right away,” said Dr. Oded Eran, the former Israeli ambassador to the EU. “There is no doubt that Israel will be left to follow the agreements that will be made between the United Kingdom and the European Union, and to adjust its economic and trade relations with Britain accordingly.”
Opposition leaders in France and the Netherlands have hailed British voters’ decision, calling for similar referendums on EU membership in their countries. “This is the dilemma that the European Union will face,” Eran said. “If Britain was a singular case, then this would be a simpler situation.”
A major factor in the Brexit vote was the influx of Muslim immigration into Europe. Supporters of the Brexit suggested that Muslim immigration threatens the distinct character of European nations.
Opponents of leaving the EU cited growing xenophobia and anti-Islamic sentiment in British society, often coupled with antisemitic sentiments.
According to Fiamma Nirenstein – a former Italian parliamentarian who served as vice-president of the parliament’s committee on foreign affairs and as a member of the Italian delegation to the Council of Europe – there are opposing views within Europe’s Jewish communities on the causes and potential consequences of the Brexit vote.
Nirenstein noted that one school of thought views the Brexit vote “as a sort of punishment for Europe” for growing anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment.
“Over the past century, Europe has been so bad to the Jews,” she said. “And, increasingly now, Europe is against Israeli actions, and Europe is seeing an explosion of antisemitism. So, in the view of one camp, there is something wrong with Europe and something needed to happen to demonstrate that, and the Brexit vote represents this.”
On the other side, Nirenstein suggested, is a second camp that views the Brexit vote negatively – “as an event that strengthens and empowers an illiberal right-wing sentiment throughout Europe,” a sentiment that is simultaneously antisemitic and anti-Islamic and, at its core, anti-immigration.
“As a people that have ourselves been strangers in many lands, Jews have always identified with the value of welcoming the other, so this camp of Jews is against the [Brexit] vote,” said Nirenstein, who also served as chairperson of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians.