Local – Page 149

Federation envisions 2020

To read more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s 2020 Strategic Priorities, visit jewishvancouver.com/2020.

An estimated 50% of Metro Vancouver’s Jewish community lives outside of the city of Vancouver. For young families with at least one Jewish parent, the proportion of Jews living outside of Vancouver jumps above 60%. Like other area residents, they are moving to the suburbs in the elusive search for affordable housing – and that search has taken them far away from the organizational centre of the community, at Oak Street and 41st Avenue.

In setting its 2020 Strategic Priorities, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver addresses the challenge of an increasingly dispersed community, as well as that of an aging population. It also considers the fact that, while it is expensive to live in Metro Vancouver, it is even more expensive to be involved Jewishly.

Over the past two years, Federation has surveyed Jews both in Vancouver proper and outside of the city to find out what they consider to be the priorities of the community and where resources should be allocated. The Connect Me In online surveys reached more than 300 people in outlying areas, 200 of whom agreed to further conversations with Federation, according to Federation chief executive officer Ezra Shanken.

“We’ve had hundreds of conversations with groups and individuals,” Shanken told the Independent. “We wanted to know what areas are lacking. We also asked how should Federation feel and how does it feel? We heard that Federation and the Jewish community is not accessible enough.”

A look into the near future, the 2020 document highlights a number of key areas that have been identified for strategic investment. The report’s subtitle gives the clear message for the idea behind the plan: “Moving our Jewish Federation from Strength to Excellence,” and excellence requires more resources.

As the main fundraising organization of the Jewish community, Federation directs support not only to large, high-profile institutions like Jewish Family Service Agency and Vancouver Talmud Torah, but also to many smaller organizations for which it would be impossible to adequately fundraise independently. The dollars raised and then allocated by Federation are meant to ensure that its 40 constituent agencies are able to sustain a diverse, well-rounded Jewish community without the worry of constant fundraising.

With such a large number of organizations and a wide range of needs, every year the allocation process requires Federation to make difficult decisions. The 2020 plan is intended to identify current community needs, predict the amount of money needed to meet those needs and then raise the necessary funds. The identified priorities include both local and international obligations.

Locally, engaging the next generation, addressing new and evolving community needs, investing strategically in the community and closing the funding gap to meet ongoing needs are the priorities. Each area has a number of key issues embedded within it and all of the details are available on the Federation website. The breakdown of needs is laid out to include the current level of funding and what it covers, as well as the projected needs with their accompanying cost.

Federation’s international commitments include supporting a variety of projects in Israel and communities around the world. Shanken said he is often asked about the amount of money that leaves the local community.

“It used to be an 80:20 ratio of money going to Israel – UIA [United Israel Appeal] was set up to build Israel,” he explained. “Now, it’s more like 30:70 because the way we engage with Israel is very different. We have an Israel department here, we bring the Shinshin [Year-of-service] program to Vancouver for Israel engagement with our community and we fund the Gesher [Bridge] program that brings young Israelis here.”

He also noted that Federation facilitates the funding of some special projects in Israel, which are separate from Federation’s budget. The way these funds are directed is a result of the donor’s wish to feel a sense of ownership of their gift. However, cautioned Shanken, “The sense of ownership cannot replace the duty to help all agencies.”

Federation plans to continue strategically funding existing organizations, while putting in place some new programs. The Diamond Foundation recently gave seed money to bring in a part-time community developer to reach out to marginalized communities. Jewish education, services for seniors and other Jewish programming are among the ways Federation plans to “get out there,” according to Shanken. He offered as an example Federation’s PJ Library, which provides books with Jewish content to more than 1,000 Jewish children in the Lower Mainland.

To read more about Federation’s 2020 Strategic Priorities, go to jewishvancouver.com/2020 or join the conversion on social media, #ourcommunity2020.

This year’s annual campaign launches on Sept. 22, 7 p.m., at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with FEDtalks, featuring author, radio host and founder of Zuckerberg Media, Randi Zuckerberg; Reut think thank founder Gidi Grinstein; One Clip at a Time co-founder Alison Lebovitz; and journalist Terry Glavin. For tickets and more information, visit jewishvancouver.com/fedtalks2016.

Michelle Dodek is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.

Renewal in education

The Peretz Centre is moving towards a renewed commitment to social justice, Yiddishkeit, the arts and building community. (photo from peretz-centre.org)

If you walk into Vancouver’s Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture on a Sunday afternoon between September and June, you are likely to find a group of families singing Yiddish songs such as “Shabbes Zol Zayn” and “Az der Rebbe Tanz,” making latkes or doing arts and crafts, while learning new and unique approaches to being Jewish. Some of the children are “officially,” i.e. halachically, fully Jewish by birth, with a Jewish mom and dad, but many are “half-Jewish” (with the Jewish parent being either mom or dad) or “double half-Jewish,” with parents who themselves were raised in half-Jewish families.

This is the Peretz Family Education program, where adults and kids learn together. Bubbies and zaydies often come to visit, and there is song, story and food that is shared in a community of families eager for a connection to their roots (or half-roots, as the case may be) that is not dogmatic or religious. This program, now entering its third year, is a remarkable success, attracting inter-cultural as well as LGBT families and others who feel at home at Peretz.

“We had families coming to us for years, asking us to create a place for their children to feel connected to Jewish culture, as well as progressive humanistic values, that was not focused on religion,” said Donna Becker, Peretz coordinator.

Vancouver Jews may know of the Peretz Centre from its 70-year legacy as the home for Yiddish-speaking, secular Jewish education. Loosely affiliated with sister organizations in Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal, Peretz was founded by non-religious Jews who loved the Yiddish language, culture and traditions. These founding members were more focused on humanism, social justice and activism than on ritual, prayers and liturgy.

For decades, the Peretz community boasted a school with hundreds of students learning Jewish cultural identity and progressive values. The hub of Yiddish culture in Vancouver, it hosted (and still does) the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir, theatre groups, classes and study groups, and artistic events celebrating Judaism from a cultural perspective. However, as the only organization in the Vancouver Jewish community that spearheaded a secular humanist and progressive perspective on the Jewish experience, it was for a long time somewhat on the margins of the community.

Then came a period of contraction. With many of the founders gone, and with Yiddish increasingly becoming a boutique, intellectual study rather than a living language and tradition, Peretzniks were not able to sustain the school-age programs. Apart from a thriving secular b’nai mitzvah program, the focus has been on strengthening the Peretz community through adult discussion groups, seniors programming, lectures, concerts, the choir, plus alternative non-religious celebrations and observances to mark Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Passover and other important Jewish holidays.

But, once again, the Peretz Centre is going through changes. Increasingly, young families in Vancouver and the surrounding area have been seeking a place where they can raise their children with a secular Jewish identity resonant with modern concerns of environmentalism and reconciliation and healing from the trauma so prevalent in many Jewish communities.

The new family education program is the brainchild of Dr. Danny Bakan, a PhD in education with more than 20 years experience facilitating Jewish Renewal and secular Jewish education.

“When we started, I insisted that this be a family education program; everyone is here to learn together,” said Bakan. “We focus on creating a joyous way to be connected, staying away from the common narrative of being victimized as Jews.”

In the last two years, Bakan has been helping Peretz reboot. And, it seems to be working.

“There is nothing like it, to my mind, in the city: secular, progressive and filled with an incredible range of activities that appeal to all of us, ranging in age, I suspect, from 5 to 75!” said family education parent Greg Buium.

Now, with new young families flocking to join via the program, the Peretz Centre is moving towards a renewed commitment to social justice, Yiddishkeit, the arts and building community. New offerings for the fall 2016 session will include secular Hebrew for children and adults, a b’nai mitzvah boot camp for teens and adults, art exhibits and a youth open stage and coffeehouse.

For more information about Peretz Centre programs, events and activities, visit peretz-centre.org or contact Becker at [email protected] or 604-325-1812.

New Jewish centre opens

Rabbi Meir Kaplan and his 3-year-old son Sholom Ber Kaplan check out the new Chabad Centre for Jewish Life and Learning on Glasgow Street, near Topaz Park, in Victoria on Aug. 24. (photo from Darren Stone, Times Colonist)

A new centre for Jewish worship, study and community engagement opened in Victoria Aug. 24, as the ribbons were cut on the Chabad Centre for Jewish Life and Learning.

The 10,000-square-foot building, at 2955 Glasgow St., across from Topaz Park, includes a synagogue, Hebrew school, library, kosher kitchen and daycare. The $3 million facility was designed by Victoria architect Bradley Shuya.

It’s the first new synagogue to open on Vancouver Island in more than 150 years. Congregation Emanu-El, at 1461 Blanshard St., opened its doors in Victoria in 1863, and is recognized as the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Canada.

The Chabad Centre follows a different tradition of worship than the modern community engagement of Congregation Emanu-El. According to the Chabad of Vancouver Island website, its style of worship arose about 250 years ago in Russia and is part of the Chassidic tradition.

Rabbi Meir Kaplan, director of Chabad of Vancouver Island and of the new centre, said it should not be understood as an organization for strict Orthodox Jews.

Kaplan noted that, while he wears a beard and some visible elements of traditional Jewish garb, attendees at the Chabad Centre are just as likely to dress according to their own tastes.

“All are welcome,” he said. “And that is who our community is made of – it’s not only for Chassidic Jews.”

The group behind the Chabad Centre is Chabad of Vancouver Island, which had its roots in the Kaplan household. About 10 years ago, activities were moved into the Quadra Elementary School annex, where the Jewish Education Centre was established.

The Chabad tradition has functioned on an “outreach” model for about 60 years, looking to connect with those who wish to learn about Jewish life and teachings, Kaplan said.

That makes it difficult for him to identify the number or size of the congregation – it doesn’t function as a distinct group but more as an agency forever looking outward.

Kaplan, who was born in Israel, was sent to Victoria with his wife, Chani, about 13 years ago. Since then, Chabad has gained enough supporters to start a separate synagogue, initially in rented premises and now in the new centre.

“What I am most proud of is this was built by the whole community,” Kaplan said. “It wasn’t just one person, but various members of the Jewish community supported us financially and in other ways.

“It’s an open centre for Jewish life.”

– This article is reprinted with the permission of the Times Colonist

Glavin fights falsehoods

Terry Glavin (photo from Terry Glavin)

A self-described “man of the left,” journalist Terry Glavin discovered he was an “accidental Zionist” during the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, when he noticed how the mood of the antiwar movement on the left was “almost hysterical,” and that it was not, in fact, antiwar, but rather pro-Hezbollah.

“There was something deeply toxic about the phenomenon that described itself as antiwar,” he told the Independent, adding that, irrespective of one’s viewpoint on Israeli policy, “if one was to choose the only principled, progressive position, it would have been to be on Israel’s side.” And, he noted, “Arab friends and Palestinian activists [have] gravitated towards the same idea.”

The Irish-Canadian said he has since “been associated with a sturdy defence of Israel in Canada,” in his columns, which have appeared in the National Post, Vancouver Sun, Globe and Mail, Georgia Straight and Ottawa Citizen.

Glavin will be among the speakers at this year’s FEDtalks on Sept. 22 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, helping to launch the Metro Vancouver Jewish community’s annual campaign.

In addition to his vast and varied published subject matter, Glavin’s work as a journalist has taken him around the globe. His talk will examine, among other ideas, what Canada could contribute for healing the world, as well as what it means to be an “accidental Zionist,” a phrase he said he borrowed from Martin Sampson of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

In his work, Glavin strives to clarify the clashes in Israel, to help people understand them better.

“It’s not an Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The war is with Hamas,” he said. “Who are the worst enemies of Palestinian freedom? It’s not Bibi Netanyahu. The most devoted committed enemy of Palestinian sovereignty, Palestinian liberty, rule of law, democracy, freedom are Hamas, Islamic jihad, Hezbollah and Tehran.

“Anyone who apologizes for them, reiterates their propaganda lines, is an enemy of the Palestinians and their freedoms.”

Having researched and written about the hatred of Jews and Israel, he concludes, “There is something unique about antisemitism.

“It’s not just another bigotry. This talk of Israel eliminationism – if it’s not antisemitism, what is it? It might not be Judenrein (free of Jews), but it’s Judenstaatrein, no Jewish state,” he said.

“The Jews are unique, entitled to a nation-state of their own … [as much,] if not more, than any other nationality on earth.”

The liberal left, moreover, has some self-reflecting to do, to know that “certain postures, certain habits of speech, are now unacceptable, and some obsessive preoccupations are no longer tolerated,” he said.

In his opinion, these statements include using the term Zionist as a pejorative, “a term of abuse”; saying that “Israel is the primary impediment to peace in the Middle East”; and claiming the “false idea that criticism of Israel is automatically antisemitic.”

Seeking to bust this latter myth, in a bulk email to journalist colleagues, Glavin asked if any of them could offer an example where a legitimate critique of Israel has been denounced as antisemitism.

“It didn’t exist,” said Glavin. “I could not find any reputable Jewish or Israel organization or individuals who ever introduced a legitimate criticism of Israel as antisemitic. It’s a canard.”

Meanwhile, another falsehood emanating from the left and from leaders of the Arab world, he said, is the idea that Israel is to blame for the region’s – and, sometimes, the world’s – ills.

“This is what one Arab dictator after the next has forced down the throats of generations of Arabs to explain their own destitution and dysfunction,” he said.

Some are rejecting that narrative, however.

“The people have begun to discover they’ve been lied to – that Israel isn’t the problem,” said Glavin. “The jackboot on [their] neck is Baathist, not Israel.”

For tickets to FEDtalks and information on all of the speakers, visit jewishvancouver.com/fedtalks2016.

Dave Gordon is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in more than a hundred publications around the world.

Acocas’ lasting legacy

Rabbi Ilan and Rabbanit Dina Acoca and family have moved to New Jersey after 17 years with Vancouver’s Congregation Beth Hamidrash. (photo from bethhamidrash.com)

An era has come to an end in Vancouver with the departure of Rabbi Ilan and Rabbanit Dina Acoca and their family on Aug. 23. The Acocas were a friendly, dignified presence at Congregation Beth Hamidrash for 17 years, helping shape and strengthen the Sephardi community in Vancouver, as well as contributing to the wider Vancouver Jewish world.

The Acocas have headed to Fort Lee, N.J., where the rabbi will become the spiritual leader of a Sephardi congregation and the principal of Ben Torat Yosef, a Sephardi school which has 480 children in grades K-9. Speaking to the Independent, he was clearly excited about what awaited him in New Jersey. Many in Vancouver will no doubt miss his presence, though, and the feeling is mutual.

Acoca was born in Bat Yam, Israel, to parents from Morocco. In 1967, they left Morocco for France and then Israel. After his bar mitzvah, Acoca moved to Montreal, where a teacher at a Jewish high school, Rabbi Michael Seraf, ignited a passion for Judaism and the Sephardi tradition within him.

After his rabbinic ordination in 1999, Acoca heard of a job opening in Vancouver and applied.

Acoca is passionate about the value of the Sephardi heritage and the treasures it has to offer world Jewry. “Sephardic Judaism is halachic, strongly committed to traditional Jewish law, yet it is open-minded,” Acoca told the JI. “Sephardic sages were willing to think outside the box. They knew how to include as many people as possible while keeping the tradition authentic. This is an important lesson for Jews today.”

Acoca said he leaves behind a strong Sephardi community in Vancouver, though one not without its challenges. “All of Jewish Vancouver faces the problem of housing,” he said. “For the younger generation, this is a very serious problem. Yet, people believe in this place. If the community can find ways to meet this challenge together, it will survive and thrive.”

Asked what he particularly enjoyed sharing with the community, Acoca cited Talmud study and teaching unique Sephardi liturgy and traditions. “Together,” he said, “we were able to open up the talmudic mind, the mind of our sages. I also enjoyed studying the gems of Sephardic liturgical writing, masterpieces like L’Cha Dodi and Yedid Nefesh, as well as the Sephardic siddur and piyutim (devotional hymns). I enjoyed learning Sephardic liturgy from all over the world.”

Other highlights for the rabbi included sharing the wisdom of Sephardi sages like the Ben Ish Chai and the synagogue’s women’s group, which studied Moshe Chaim Luzzatto’s sophisticated theological work Derech Hashem. “We could spend hours looking at one line of Derech Hashem,” said Acoca. “This was one of my favorite things.”

The rabbi also enjoyed educating Jewish Vancouver about Sephardi traditions, but “we have to remember that we are one nation of different traditions of equal value,” he said.

The rabbi himself showed this type of openness a couple of years ago, when he encouraged Adrian Sacks, a Vancouverite who has since made aliyah, to teach Rebbe Nachman’s Chassidic masterwork Likutey Moharan at Beth Hamidrash. “There is much in common between the Chassidic tradition and Sephardic spirituality,” said Acoca. “For instance, both traditions emphasize the importance of being b’simchah, of living with joy and warmth.”

He said, “I wish the congregation and the wider Jewish community an abundance of success. It has been a wonderful journey for us – a journey of 17 years, which is tov in Jewish numerology, good. It has truly been tov. May God continue to bless the community.”

A farewell gala for the Acocas was hosted by the congregation at Schara Tzedeck Synagogue on Aug. 21, making use of Schara Tzedeck’s larger auditorium to accommodate those wishing to send off the family with their good wishes.

Those who miss Acoca’s teachings can comfort themselves with his The Sephardic Book of Why, which is upcoming this year from Hadassah Publishing.

Matthew Gindin is a Vancouver freelance writer and journalist. He blogs on spirituality and social justice at seeking her voice (hashkata.com) and has been published in the Forward, Tikkun, Elephant Journal and elsewhere.

FEDtalks coming soon

Alison Lebovitz (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver)

The original meaning of tikkun olam, as seen in the Talmud, was to “decorate, beautify or refine” the world. The modern meaning of “repairing” the world came to be emphasized much later, in kabbalistic writings. Alison Lebovitz was taught the importance of this older sense of tikkun olam by her grandmother Mimi, though she had a different way of putting it: “Pretty is as pretty does.” In the Jewish ethical context in which she was raised, “beautiful actions” meant making the world a better place. To this day, that priority shapes Lebovitz’s life.

Lebovitz is among the speakers who will help launch the annual campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver on Sept. 22, with this year’s FEDtalks.

Growing up in Montgomery, Ala., Lebovitz was an active volunteer in the Jewish community. One summer, she worked with refuseniks, who had come to Birmingham as refugees. Seeing them clustered around a shelf offering several different kinds of toothpicks, paralyzed by the alien surfeit of choices, unable to select a brand, Lebovitz had a visceral confrontation with the way people lived outside of her middle-class American bubble, and how much our own over-abundance of resources should inspire us to be givers.

After moving to Chattanooga, Tenn., Lebovitz became involved with the documentary Paper Clips, working to have it shown in more schools. Paper Clips takes place in the rural Tennessee community of Whitwell, where a middle-school class attempts to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust by collecting paper clips, each of which represents a human life lost in the Nazis’ slaughter of six million Jews and millions of others.

For Lebovitz, this work naturally developed into her initiative One Clip at a Time, which is a program for taking kids from the message of Paper Clips further, into personal application and action. Students discover ways to make positive changes in their own classrooms and communities and are encouraged to continually look for ways to make a difference. “For me, growing up,” Lebovitz told the Independent, “the question my family always asked about any idea was, ‘So what?’ What does it mean in the real world? Next was, ‘Now what?’ How are you going to put that into action?”

In addition to her work with One Clip, Lebovitz has been involved in an impressive roster of other activities. For 20-plus years, she has written a column on the trials and tribulations of daily life and lessons learned called “Am I There Yet?”; columns of which were published as a book by the same name. She is host of the PBS talk show The A List with Alison Lebovitz, and is a regular public speaker, including for TED Talks.

Lebovitz views herself as a “curator of stories” and an entrepreneur with a passion for social justice. These two themes will coalesce in her FEDtalks presentation in Vancouver, where she plans to speak on “the power of story and the power of community.” She said the end game, for her, is to light the torch of the next generation and invite them to run along with us, but then to also pass on the flame to the generation that follows them.

FEDtalks takes place at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Sept. 22, 7 p.m. For tickets and information about all the speakers, visit jewishvancouver.com/fedtalks2016.

JACS Vancouver launch

When Paul Steinberg first read The Big Book, the “bible” of Alcoholics Anonymous, written by founder Bill Wilson, he scribbled disagreements in the margins. His sponsor later saw them and took him to task. “Do you really think you know more than Bill Wilson, who wrote a book that has saved the lives of millions of people?” he said. “Maybe it’s time for you to start looking for things you can connect with in the book, not things you disagree with!”

photo in Jewish Independent - Beit T’Shuvah Rabbi Paul Steinberg helps launch JACS Vancouver on Sept. 8 — Beit T’Shuvah Rabbi Paul Steinberg helps launch JACS Vancouver on Sept. 8. *(photo from beittshuvah.org)*

Steinberg took the advice to heart, and a journey began. He is now the rabbi of L.A.-based Beit T’Shuvah, a Jewish centre for addiction recovery that integrates the wisdom of the 12-step program with Jewish spirituality, culture and community. He will be speaking at Congregation Beth Israel, together with Rebecca Denham of Jewish Addiction Community Services Vancouver, on Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m. The event, which officially launches JACS Vancouver, is called Opening the Door: A Conversation about Addiction in the Jewish Community.

Steinberg first came to Beit T’Shuvah, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, as a rabbi, a Jewish educator and an alcoholic looking for healing. After living there for five months in recovery, he began doing part-time spiritual counseling as part of the centre’s work therapy program. Eventually, he took on that role full time, then became the pulpit rabbi of the centre’s synagogue, a congregation with hundreds of attendees on Shabbat.

“The centre is unusual in many ways, one of which is in having a synagogue with a fully functioning congregational life on site,” Steinberg told the Independent. “The congregation is made up mostly of residents of the centre, alumni and their family members. Being so close to Hollywood, we have an amazing roster of artists and musicians who come to shul here – the music rocks.”

Steinberg’s rebirth was dependent on his discovering a deeper Judaism, and that is something he is passionate about sharing with other Jews in recovery. “We believe, as evidenced by the success of the 12-step program, that the spiritual is essential in recovery,” he said.

In 2014, Steinberg published the book Recovery, the 12 Steps and Jewish Spirituality: Reclaiming Hope, Courage and Wholeness, about his journey and the insights it afforded. He explained that, for many Jews, the 12 steps are uncomfortably associated with Christian spirituality, despite the open-ended approach to God in the method. “Some Jews recoil from AA for that reason. We need to give Jews access to the 12-step structure in Jewish terms,” he said.

“The addict’s world is very narrow, obsessive, self-centred. Opening up and surrendering to a greater power – whether that’s thought of as God, the universe, the Dao, the collective spirit – breaks that entrapment and allows change. It is the essence of a Jewish approach to recovery. On that ground, the disciplines of Jewish life – community, service, study, prayer – can do their work.”

Discomfort with the spirituality of AA is far from the only obstacle Jews struggling with addiction face. Steinberg said there is tremendous stigma around addiction in the Jewish community, especially around drugs and alcohol. As Rabbi Abraham Twerski discusses in the foreword to Steinberg’s book, AA groups were refused the use of synagogues for many years, reinforcing their habit of locating in church basements.

“The old saying was a shikker is a goy (a drunkard is a gentile),” said Steinberg. “Jews are not supposed to be alcoholics. The reality is that there are many Jews struggling with substance abuse, even very outwardly successful Jews. There are doctors, lawyers, businessmen and even rabbis. I was outwardly a success, but I was living a divided life. My life had to completely fall apart before I would deal with my alcoholism.”

Many struggling Jews do not know where to turn when they suffer from addiction. “It is amazing how few Jews will turn to their rabbi or their community for help,” said Steinberg. “The synagogue is all too often not seen as a place where you can air your dirty laundry, where you can be vulnerable.”

The desire to provide Jews with a place to find healing from addiction as Jews is what drove the creation of JACS Vancouver. “It is imperative to provide a safe place for Jews to get help, and to provide them with the Jewish tools they need for that healing to be successful,” said Denham.

“Addiction is an epidemic in North America,” said Steinberg. “It’s not just alcohol and street drugs; it’s also gambling, sex addiction, workaholism, pornography, opiate addiction. We need to face the brokenness in ourselves and our community without stigmatizing it, so that the healing can begin.”

To RSVP for the Sept. 8 event, email [email protected].

New CEO for seniors

David Keselman (photo from the Louis Brier)

After an extensive search, the Dr. Irving and Phyliss Snider Campus for Jewish Seniors, comprised of the Louis Brier Home and Hospital and the Weinberg Residence, have appointed David Keselman chief executive officer.

“David is the ideal candidate at this time for the organization,” said Louis Brier board chair Arnold Abramson in a press release. “David’s experience will benefit Louis Brier directly in our commitment to providing quality patient care for residents. We feel that his innovative approach, enthusiasm and leadership style will enable Louis Brier as it moves forward with both our clinical operations and our upcoming site redevelopment.”

Sandra Bressler, chair of the Weinberg Residence, echoed Abramson’s endorsement.

“I plan first to get to know and understand the environment, both clinical, social and political in the organization and in B.C. in general,” Keselman told the Independent. “The relationships with stakeholders (both internal and external) are important, as well as familiarizing myself with the Jewish community and finding opportunities for integration as appropriate.”

Born in Lvov, Keselman was raised north of Haifa, in Kiriyat Yam, and served three years in the Israel Defence Forces. At 21, he followed his high school sweetheart to Toronto and began working at Baycrest, Toronto’s major Jewish home for the elderly. He has a doctorate of health administration from Central Michigan University, and a master’s of nursing and a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Toronto, and he worked in acute care for many years.

In Toronto, the couple had two children, now aged 20 and 17, both of whom attended Jewish day school. They live with their mother but are following in their father’s footsteps – his son is enrolled in the nursing program at Ryerson University and his daughter plans to become a nurse as well.

Coming with his partner to Vancouver from Yellowknife – where he was vice-president of patient services at Stanton Territorial Health Authority – Keselman is looking forward to getting back to a place with a Jewish community. While he admits that he does not connect with the synagogue experience, he feels connected to many aspects of the Jewish community.

“As I get older,” he said, “the affinity and need to get closer to my roots becomes more important. Seeing that I grew up in Israel, keeping our community strong and active is imperative on many levels, not only to ensure that our tradition and culture continue to exist, but also because a strong community here ensures the strength of Israel and its ability to cope with the many adversities it is facing.”

Keselman comes to the campus in the 70th anniversary year of the Louis Brier.

“I am excited about the renewal plans,” he said, “and look forward to a future design that integrates culture, tradition, values with evidence-based and best practices to create a dynamic environment that provides a holistic continuum for patients/residents of the Louis Brier and their families, with an aim of creating a centre of excellence in geriatric care anchored in the philosophy of client- and family-centred care.”

Keselman has a five-year history of involvement with Accreditation Canada, the organization that certifies health-care facilities, where he has gained considerable knowledge in the area of quality improvement and risk reduction. He has held a wide range of executive roles in Ontario and the Northwest Territories, and is an associate instructor at both the Ryerson University School of Nursing and Athabasca University.

“I believe my experiences to date culminate in a progressive, open-minded, transformational leadership style that will support the team, stakeholders and, of course, the residents of the Louis Brier in achieving quality outcomes and satisfaction from the environment and the services delivered in the organization,” he said.

Sounding like a West Coaster already, Keselman said he is looking forward to a very different lifestyle in Vancouver than he had in Yellowknife. Jewish community is a big bonus, he said, but so is the increased opportunity for fitness – Keselman has taught aqua fitness and spin classes for almost 20 years. According to Abramson, Keselman is expected to be on-site at the Louis Brier on Sept. 14.

Michelle Dodek is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.

Dealing with memory loss

Artwork from a participant in an exhibit by the Society for the Arts in Dementia Care. (photo by Baila Lazarus)

As the population ages, there will be more adult children, caregivers, seniors homes and other centres caring for loved ones or patients whose memories are failing.

For many years, it’s been believed that there is little that can be done to slow such degeneration. We’re told that, if we challenge ourselves with puzzles or other intellectual games, this might have an effect. But, one woman has been investigating a different option – one that started out facing a lot of skepticism by those working in the field but has been slowly gaining acceptance.

Dalia Gottlieb-Tanaka didn’t set out to become an expert in the conditions of dementia, but life brought her onto this path, which she embraces with passion … and compassion.

Born in Israel, Gottlieb-Tanaka actually started out in a drafting career with the Israeli navy and studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, where she met her husband, Mineo, who was from the Okanagan. They came back to Canada in 1975 to study at the University of British Columbia, where she did a master’s degree in architecture. The two are both semi-retired now and share their residency between Vernon and Vancouver.

In 1990, Gottlieb-Tanaka volunteered to spend time with a woman living with dementia and that subsequently led to her present occupation. This was a pivotal turning point in Gottlieb-Tanaka’s career.

“I went there and fell in love with this woman. She was so lovely and we could talk about anything in the world,” said Gottlieb-Tanaka.

photo - Dalia Gottlieb-Tanaka — Dalia Gottlieb-Tanaka *(photo from Dalia Gottlieb-Tanaka)*

Over time, Gottlieb-Tanaka noticed there were situations in which the woman demonstrated a lack of memory and no conception of the consequences of certain actions.

“Then it clicked,” she said. “It’s unpredictable. There are good and bad days.”

She became fascinated and started to immerse herself in the study of what she refers to as a medical condition, not a disease.

She learned that there are 72 different types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s affects the largest number of people; that dementia is characterized by confusion and memory loss; and that it can be brought on by stress or depression.

“You can meet people with dementia who are very, very normal, but they might have memory issues,” she explained. “It doesn’t mean they’re mentally ill, and only now people are understanding the difference.”

Eventually, Gottlieb-Tanaka took her studies to UBC, where she completed a PhD in the Institute of Health Promotion Research and the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. In 2011, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the department of psychology.

Her goal was to assess the creative abilities – singing, art, flower arrangement, among others – of people with memory loss to determine how those activities were affected, and whether an increase in those activities could make a difference in staving off the development of these medical conditions.

“So what if someone has memory loss?” she said. “Does it mean they don’t like listening to music?”

Despite a steep learning curve, Gottlieb-Tanaka started to make inroads. She eventually developed the Creative Expression Activities Program for seniors with dementia, for which she won an award from the American Society on Aging. She also founded the Society for the Arts in Dementia Care in British Columbia, which just celebrated a 10-year anniversary.

Among the activities of the society are exhibits of artwork by people suffering from dementia. In its first year, the society’s exhibit was held in North Vancouver and 4,000 people came.

“They were amazed by the results,” said Gottlieb-Tanaka.

The society also runs an annual international conference on creativity and aging, which takes place this year in Vernon, Sept. 8-10.

Trying to pursue her research has been an uphill struggle because Gottlieb-Tanaka was constantly breaking new ground. In some cases, people thought she was crazy. Slowly, however, her ideas are gaining acceptance.

Originally, her work focused on bringing the arts to dementia sufferers; now, she’s looking at how such activities might prevent the onset of those conditions, and she’s showing that such memory loss might be delayed by up to two years.

As her research becomes more known, Gottlieb-Tanaka is trying to pass the torch to those working with people with dementia – nurses, art therapists, music therapists, elder-care facilitators and seniors advocates. That’s the goal of the upcoming conference in Vernon, which offers presentations and hands-on workshops and includes a keynote by Isobel Mackenzie, seniors advocate with the B.C. government. It’s been a 25-year battle, but it seems people are finally starting to take notice.

For more information on the conference, visit cecd-society.org.

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

Upgrades at L’Chaim

L’Chaim Adult Day Centre has completed upgrades to its outdoor seating area. Additions include a custom-built overhead awning and new patio furniture. The purchase of this equipment was made possible by a federal grant from Western Economic Diversification Canada’s Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, and a generous donation made in 2014 to L’Chaim in memory Dr. Betty Horodesky.

The infrastructure program was established as part of Canada 150 Celebrates, the federal government’s celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

“Investing in facilities that support a healthy and thriving community embodies the spirit of our Canada 150 celebrations and honors our diverse and inclusive nation,” said the Hon. Navdeep Bains, minister of innovation, science and economic development and minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada. “By providing funding that enhances access to the outdoor space at L’Chaim Adult Day Centre, our government is helping seniors stay connected and active in their community.”

L’Chaim was established in 1985 and provides social, therapeutic and recreational services to the elderly in a safe, supportive environment. L’Chaim strives to improve the quality of life of its participants by providing a caring and stimulating group experience for those who might otherwise be socially isolated, while also providing support and respite for care-giving families and friends.

The new awning will provide shelter from the elements, allowing L’Chaim participants (and others) to enjoy the fresh air no matter the weather. The seating upgrades will ensure that participants are able to spend more time outdoors. Outdoor activities may now include arts and crafts, Friday Shabbat services, trivia, meals, and more. Recent research has indicated that the majority of adults spend 90% of their time indoors, and this percentage is expected to be even higher for people 65 and over, many of whom are living with mobility limitations. However, spending time outdoors is essential to maintaining good mental and physical health, and to ensuring a high quality of life.