The birth of a baby is a milestone and the
Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver acknowledges that this
life-changing event requires validation and support for new parents. Judaism
offers profound teachings about becoming a parent and raising a family.
The JCCGV’s new Shalom Baby group is a free
program for parents and infants 0-18 months. The group provides a place to
learn and grow, connect with other parents, share experiences and hear
professional speakers address relevant subjects, such as feeding, sleeping,
play, development, transition to motherhood and more. Becoming a parent can be
overwhelming, and this program provides respite in a warm environment in which
parents are nurtured, so they can nurture their babies, and help build strong
and healthy family units in our community.
All of the meetings feature guest speakers.
Speakers are community professionals, such as nurses, researchers, doulas,
psychologists and speech and language specialists. And the group is always
looking for accredited experts to contribute.
Shalom Baby meets twice a month on Mondays at
11:30 a.m. at the community centre in Room 102. The group is led and organized
by a Shirly Berelowitz, JCCGV director of children, youth and camps, who
welcomes the participants, books the speakers and sends weekly emails on
upcoming programs.
The goals of the program are to strengthen
emotional bonds between parents and children; inspire a shared learning
experience to support growth and development during the early childhood years;
provide support services and activities for families to raise healthy and happy
children; and connect unaffiliated Jewish families with young children to the
Jewish community through different programs.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)
has appointed new members to its board of directors, including board co-chairs
Joel Reitman and Jeffrey Rosenthal, succeeding David J. Cape.
Nominations to the CIJA board are guided by an
independent nominating process, which examines the background, skills,
experience and other relevant qualifications of prospective directors. A list
of candidates is produced through consultations with federations and other
stakeholders across the country. The independent nominations committee –
comprised of federation representatives and ad personam members – consider all
of the candidates and recommend a slate of directors to the CIJA membership
(the “shareholders” of the organization). Special attention is given to
achieving balance with respect to regional, gender and demographic attributes,
as well as the qualities that candidates can leverage to advance the mission of
the organization.
Reitman is the founder and president of Jillcy
Capital ULC, a global investment firm, and is an active volunteer in the Jewish
community and beyond, serving various organizations over the years in different
capacities. Rosenthal is a managing partner of Imperial Capital Group, which he
co-founded in 1989, and has a long history of volunteering and experience on
boards of other organizations.
Saturn’s main rings, along with its
moons, are much brighter than most stars. As a result, much shorter exposure
times (10 milliseconds, in this case) are required to produce an image and not
saturate the detectors of the imaging cameras on Cassini. A longer exposure
would be required to capture the stars as well. (photo from NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space
Science Institute)
Grand Finale was the official name of Cassini’s
last act: a risky orbit between Saturn’s rings and atmosphere in an attempt to
explore the planet up close, right before the craft went up in flames.
Prof. Yohai Kaspi and Dr. Eli Galanti of the Weizmann
Institute’s earth and planetary sciences department led one of the studies on
Cassini’s final mission, revealing the depth of Saturn’s jet streams – the
strongest measured in the solar system, with winds of up to 1,500 kilometres
per hour – and found them to reach a depth of around 9,000 kilometres. Teaming
up with research partners in Italy and the United States, their study also
helped reveal the age of the planet’s rings. The findings of these studies were
published this month in Science.
Cassini was one of the more successful
planetary missions, orbiting and returning information on Saturn and its moons
for the last 20 years. As the mission was approaching its end, it was decided
to end its life with a non-circular orbit swinging in very close to the planet,
followed by a final plunge into the gaseous mass. Kaspi and Galanti joined the
Cassini team following their work as part of NASA’s Juno science team, which
had employed a similar orbit to produce the most reliable measurements yet of
Jupiter’s atmospheric depth. The Cassini scientists thought it would be
possible to do the same for Saturn, and the Weizmann scientists were called in
to apply their methodology to the Saturn measurements.
Kaspi described the challenge: “We detect small
variations in the gravity field as the craft orbits Saturn, and translate these
into the atmospheric wind that produces them. There was no guarantee it would
work for Saturn, as the gravity signal on Saturn is more difficult to interpret
than what we had on Jupiter. We discovered that not only did it work for both
planets, but that same physical processes control the depth of the flows on
these two planets.”
To calculate the depth of the winds, the
gravity measurements undertaken by Cassini were analyzed with the theoretical
model developed by the Weizmann researchers. “We also teamed up with a second
group investigating the internal structure of the planet,” said Galanti.
“Together, we calculated that the depth of the atmosphere is up to around 9,000
kilometres. That is three times deeper than that of Jupiter. We also found
that, just as on Jupiter, a strong internal magnetic field is what limits the
depth of this layer of the atmosphere. Our theory worked twice, which provides
strong support for its validity.”
In the same study, the researchers analyzed the
Grand Finale data from Saturn’s rings, finding they are at most 100 million
years old. That is quite recent in the 4.5-billion-year history of the solar
system. The planet in the night sky at the time of the first dinosaurs was,
apparently, without the rings we know today.
For more on the research being conducted at the Weizmann Institute, visit wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il.
– Weizmann Institute
Saturn losing its rings
New NASA research confirms that Saturn is
losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 and 2
observations made decades ago. The rings are being pulled into Saturn by
gravity as a dusty rain of ice particles under the influence of Saturn’s
magnetic field.
Saturn’s northern hemisphere in 2016, as that part of the planet nears its northern hemisphere summer solstice in May 2017. Since NASA’s Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in mid-2004, the shifting angle of sunlight as the seasons march forward has illuminated the giant hexagon-shaped jet stream around the north polar region, and the subtle bluish hues seen earlier in the mission have continued to fade. (photo from NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
“We estimate that this ‘ring rain’ drains an
amount of water products that could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool from
Saturn’s rings in half an hour,” said James O’Donoghue of NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Md. “From this alone, the entire ring system will be
gone in 300 million years, but add to this the Cassini-spacecraft measured
ring-material detected falling into Saturn’s equator, and the rings have less
than 100 million years to live. This is relatively short, compared to Saturn’s
age of over four billion years.” O’Donoghue is lead author of a study on
Saturn’s ring rain appearing in Icarus Dec. 17.
Scientists have long wondered if Saturn was
formed with the rings or if the planet acquired them later in life. The new
research favours the latter scenario, indicating that they are unlikely to be
older than 100 million years, as it would take that long for the C-ring to
become what it is today assuming it was once as dense as the B-ring. “We are
lucky to be around to see Saturn’s ring system, which appears to be in the
middle of its lifetime. However, if rings are temporary, perhaps we just missed
out on seeing giant ring systems of Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, which have
only thin ringlets today,” O’Donoghue added.
Various theories have been proposed for the ring’s
origin. If the planet got them later in life, the rings could have formed when
small, icy moons in orbit around Saturn collided, perhaps because their orbits
were perturbed by a gravitational tug from a passing asteroid or comet.
The landmark synagogue before being
dynamited by Jordan’s Arab Legion in 1948. (photo from Wikipedia)
A cornerstone laying ceremony was held May 29,
2014, for the rebuilding of the Old City of Jerusalem’s Tiferet Yisrael
Synagogue, which was dedicated in 1872 and dynamited by Jordan’s Arab Legion in
1948.
Speaking nearly five years ago, then-Jerusalem
mayor Nir Barkat declared, “Today we lay the cornerstone of one of the
important symbols of the Jewish community in Jerusalem. The municipality
attaches great importance to the preservation and restoration of heritage sites
in Jerusalem, and we will continue to maintain the heritage of Israel in this
city.”
Citing Lamentations 5:21, Uri Ariel, housing
minister at the time, added, “We have triumphed in the laying of yet another
building block in the development of Jerusalem, a symbolic point in the vision
that continues to come true before our eyes: ‘Renew our days as of old.’”
The two politicians symbolically placed a stone
salvaged from the ruined building, and construction was supposed to take three
years, according to the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the
Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem Ltd. (JQDC), a public company under
the auspices of the Ministry of Construction and Housing.
Fast forward to Dec. 31, 2018, and the exercise
was repeated, this time with the participation of Jerusalem minister Zeev
Elkin, construction minister Yoav Galant, deputy health minister Yaakov Litzman
and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon. But, this time, according to the JQDC, much of
the project’s NIS 50 million (approximately $18 million Cdn) budget has been
secured, in part thanks to anonymous overseas donors. With the Israel
Antiquities Authority’s salvage dig of the Second Temple period site headed by
Oren Gutfeld completed, work can now begin in earnest.
Fundraising to purchase the land for the
Tiferet Yisrael, also known as the Nisan Bak shul, was initiated in 1839 by
Rabbi Israel Friedman of Ruzhyn, Ukraine, (1797-1850) and his disciple Rabbi
Nisan Bak, also spelled Beck (1815-1889). While der Heiliger Ruzhiner
(Holy Ruzhyner), as his Chassidim called him, purchased the hilltop in 1843,
the mystic didn’t live to see construction begin.
A model of Tiferet Yisrael. (photo from Jerusalem Municipality)
His ambitious plans in Jerusalem reflected his
grandiose lifestyle in Sadhora, Bukovina, in Galicia’s Carpathian Mountains,
pronounced Sadagóra in Yiddish. There, he lived in a palace with splendid
furnishings, rode in a silver-handled carriage drawn by four white horses and,
with an entourage, dressed like a nobleman, wore a golden skullcap and clothing
with solid gold buttons, and was attended by servants in livery. This unusual
manner was accepted and even praised by many of his contemporaries, who
believed the Ruzhiner was elevating God’s glory through himself, the tzadik
(righteous one), and that the splendour was intended to express the derekh
hamalkhut (way of kingship) in the worship of God.
In one incident, described in David Assaf’s The
Regal Way: The Life and Times of Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin (Stanford
University Press, 2002), the Ruzhiner’s Chassidim noticed that, notwithstanding
that their rebbe was wearing golden boots, he was leaving bloody footprints in
the snow. Only then did they realize that the gold was only a show and his
shoes had no soles. Indeed, he was walking barefoot in the snow.
Rabbis Friedman and Bak were motivated by a
desire to foil Czar Nicholas I’s ambitions to build a Russian Orthodox
monastery on the strategic site overlooking Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Bak
consulted with architect Martin Ivanovich Eppinger. (Eppinger also planned the
Russian Compound, the 68,000-square-metre fortress-like complex erected by the
Imperial Russian Orthodox Palestine Society west of the Jaffa Gate and outside
the Old City, after the czar was outmanoeuvred by the Chassidim.)
Bak, who both designed the massive synagogue
and served as its contractor, spent more than a decade fundraising and six
years building it. Inaugurated on Aug. 19, 1872, he named the three-storey
landmark in honour of his deceased rebbe.
According to a perhaps apocryphal story, the
quick-witted Bak was able to complete the ornate synagogue thanks to a donation
from Kaiser Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary. In 1869, while visiting Jerusalem
en route to dedicate the Suez Canal, the emperor asked his subjects who came
from Sadhora in the remote Austrian province of Bukovina why their synagogue
had no roof. (In 1842, having spent two years in Russian prisons on charges of
complicity in the murder of two Jewish informers, Rabbi Friedman fled to
Sadhora and reestablished his resplendent court.)
Seizing the moment, Bak replied, “Your majesty,
the synagogue has doffed its hat in your honour.” The kaiser, understanding the
royal fundraising pitch, responded, “How much will it cost me to have the
synagogue replace its hat?” and donated 1,000 francs to complete Tiferet
Yisrael’s dome, which was thereafter referred to by locals as “Franz Joseph’s
cap.”
Tamar Hayardeni, in “The Kaiser’s Cap”
(published in Segula magazine last year), wrote that, while the kaiser
made a donation, the dome was in fact completed with funds provided by Rabbi
Israel of Ruzhyn’s son, Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov of Sadhora (1820-1883).
In the winter and spring of 1948, the dome
served as a key Haganah military position and lookout point for the Jewish
Quarter’s outgunned defenders.
Children were recruited for the battle for
Tiferet Yisrael. Some as young as 9 built defence positions. The “older” ones –
12 or so – carried messages, food, weapons and ammunition. Some were killed,
including Grazia (Yaffa) Haroush, 16, and Nissim Gini, 9, who was the youngest
fallen fighter in the War of Independence. Like the others who fell in the
defence of the Jewish Quarter and were buried there, his remains were exhumed
after 1967 and reinterred on the Mount of Olives.
Badly damaged by heavy shelling, the synagogue
was blown up by Jordanian sappers on May 21, 1948. A few days later, following
the neighbourhood’s surrender on May 25, the nearby Hurva Synagogue – the main
sanctuary of Jerusalem’s mitnagdim (anti-Chassidic Ashkenazi followers
of the Vilna Gaon) – met the same fate.
With the rebuilding of the Hurva completed by
the JQDC in 2010, Tiferet Yisrael became the last major Old City synagogue
destroyed in 1948 not rebuilt.
Hurva is a stone-clad, concrete and steel
facsimile of its original structure, updated to today’s building code and
equipped with an elevator. The same is planned for Tiferet Yisrael.
The reconstruction of faux historic synagogues
has not been without critics. Writing in the Forward in 2007 as the
Hurva was rising, historian Gavriel Rosenfeld, co-editor of Beyond Berlin:
Twelve German Cities Confront the Nazi Past (University of Michigan Press,
2008), noted the manifold links between architecture, politics and memory.
“The reconstruction of the Hurva seems to
reflect an emotional longing to undo the past. It has long been recognized that
efforts to restore ruins reflect a desire to forget the painful memories that
they elicit. Calls to rebuild the World Trade Centre towers as they were before
the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks represent a clear (if unrealized) instance of this
yearning. And the recently completed reconstruction of Dresden’s famous
Frauenkirche – long a heap of rubble after being flattened by Allied bombers in
February 1945 – represents a notable example of translating this impulse into reality.
“And yet, the reconstruction project is
problematic, for in seeking to undo the verdict of the past, the project will
end up denying it. Denial is inherent in the restoration of ruins, as is
frequently shown by the arguments used to justify such projects. In Dresden,
for example, many supporters of the Frauenkirche’s restoration portrayed
themselves as the innocent inhabitants of a city that was unjustly bombed in
1945, thereby obscuring the city’s longtime support for the Nazi regime and its
war of aggression during the years of the Third Reich. Similarly, the physical
appearance of the restored Frauenkirche – despite its incorporation of some of
the original church’s visibly scorched stones – has effectively eliminated the
signs of the war that its ruin once vividly evoked.
“In the case of the Hurva,” writes Rosenfeld,
“the situation is somewhat different. If many Germans in Dresden emphasized
their status as victims to justify rebuilding their ruined church, the Israeli
campaign to reconstruct the Hurva will do precisely the opposite – namely,
obscure traces of their victimization. As long as the Hurva stood as a hulking
ruin, after all, it served as a reminder of Israeli suffering at the hands of
the Jordanians. [Mayor Teddy] Kollek said as much in 1991, when he noted: ‘It
is difficult to impress upon the world the degree of destruction the Jordanian
authorities visited upon synagogues in the Old City…. The Hurva remnants are
the clearest evidence we have today of that.’ Indeed, as a ruin, the Hurva served
the same kind of function as sites such as Masada and Yad Vashem – which, by
highlighting the tragedies of the Jewish past, helped to confirm the Israeli
state as the chief guarantor of the Jewish people’s future.
“At the same time, however, it seems the
Hurva’s existence as a ruin conflicted with the state of Israel’s Zionist
master narrative: the idea that, ultimately, heroic achievement triumphs over
helplessness. In fact, in the end, it may be the project’s ability to confirm
the national desire to control its own destiny that best explains its appeal.
Israel faces many intractable problems that make present-day life uncertain.
But, in the realm of architecture, Israelis can indulge in the illusion that
they can at least control and manipulate the past. In this sense, the Hurva’s
reconstruction may express deeper escapist fantasies in an unpredictable
present.”
Rosenfeld’s theorizing about architectural
authenticity made little impression on the JQDC chair, Moti Rinkov. Indeed the
JQDC, together with the Ben-Zvi Institute, recently published High Upon High,
in which 12 historians trace Tiferet Yisrael’s history. Rinkov noted at the
second cornerstone ceremony: “The renovation and restoration of the Tiferet
Yisrael Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter is one of the most important and
exciting projects I’ve taken part in. Rebuilding the synagogue is, in fact,
raising the Israeli flag in the Jewish Quarter. It’s truly a work where they’re
restoring the crown to its former glory and restoring glory to the Jewish
people.”
The rebuilt Tiferet Yisrael, together with the
Hurva, will engage Jerusalem’s skyline not as authentic landmarks but, as
Rosenfeld noted, “postmodern simulacrum.”
The other Tiferes Yisroel
In 1953, Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Friedman, the
Boyaner Rebbe of New York, laid foundations for a new Ruzhiner Torah centre in
west Jerusalem to replace the destroyed Tiferet Yisrael. Located on the western
end of Malkhei Yisrael Street between the current Central Bus Station and
Geula, the downtown of the Charedi city, the Ruzhiner yeshivah, Mesivta Tiferes
Yisroel, was inaugurated in 1957 with the support of all of the Chassidic
rebbes descended from Friedman, who was the first and only Ruzhiner Rebbe.
However, his six sons and grandsons founded their own dynasties, collectively
known as the “House of Ruzhin.” These dynasties, which follow many of the
traditions of the Ruzhiner Rebbe, are Bohush, Boyan, Chortkov, Husiatyn,
Sadigura and Shtefanest. The founders of the Vizhnitz, Skver and Vasloi
Chassidic dynasties were related to the Ruzhiner Rebbe through his daughters.
A grand synagogue built adjacent to the new
Ruzhiner yeshivah also bears the name Tiferes Yisroel. The current Boyaner
Rebbe, Nachum Dov Brayer, leads his disciples from there. The design of the
synagogue includes a large white dome, reminiscent of the original Tiferet
Yisrael destroyed in 1948 and now being rebuilt.
חברת ואוו אייר האיסלנדית תפעיל לראשונה במהלך
הקיץ הקרוב טיסות ישירות בין ריקאוויק לוונקובר. חברת הלואו-קוסט תפעיל שש טיסות
עונתיות בשבוע בקו ריקאוויק-ונקובר – בין החודשים יוני עד אוקטובר. ישראלים
שמעוניינים להגיע לוונקובר יכולים לטוס בוואו אייר מתל אביב לריקאוויק ומשם להחליף
מטוס שיטוס עד ונקובר. הטיסות של ואוו אייר מתל אביב יפעלו גם כן בחודשים יוני עד
אוקטובר, ארבע פעמים בשבוע (ראשון, רביעי, חמישי ושישי).
ואוו אייר מפעילה כבר טיסות בקו
ריקאוויק-טורונטו ובקו ריקאוויק-מונטריאול. ישראלים יכולים להגיע עם ואוו אייר
לצפון אמריקה (עם עצירה בבירת איסלנד) בין היתר לערים הבאות: ונקובר, טורונטו,
מונטריאול, ניו ג’רסי, וושינגטון די.סי, בוסטון, דטרויט, שיקגו, סן פרנסיסקו, לוס
אנג’לס, דאלס, פיטסבורג, סנט לואיס, סינסינטי, קליבלנד ובולטימור. הם ישלמו לפי
הערכה כאלף ומאתיים דולר. בין יעדי החברה באירופה: ברלין, קופנהגן, ורשה, בריסל,
פריס, אדינבורו, לונדון, דיסלדורף, קורק, טנריף ודבלין.
ואוו אייר פועלת מזה כשמונה שנים והיא מגיעה
לשלושים ושישה יעדים בצפון אמריקה, אירופה ואסיה. החברה הטיסה בתחילת דרכה כארבע
מאות אלף נוסעים בשנה. ואילו כיום היא מטיסה קרוב לארבעה מיליון נוסעים בשנה. בחברה
מועסקים כיום למעלה מאלף עובדים והיא מפעילה ארבעה עשר מטוסים.
קרן הקיימת בקנדה מגיבה לפרשת העברת התרומות
לפרוייקטים צבאיים בישראל
מנכ”ל קרן קיימת קנדה לאנס דיוויס החליט
להגיב על החלטת הארגון להפסיק להעביר תרומות לפרוייקטים צבאיים בישראל, לאור חקירה
של רשות המיסוי הקנדית (סי.אר.איי).
רשות המיסוי הקנדית בודקת מזה מספר שנים את
פעילותה של קרן קיימת קנדה, לאור מידע שהתקבל לידיה כי הארגון עבר על כללי החוק
הקנדי למתן תרומות מצד קרנות צדקה. קרן קיימת קנדה כך התברר תרמה כספים לפרוייקטים
הקשורים לצה”ל בניגוד לכללי המס בקנדה. במקרה כזה קרן קיימת קנדה לא זכאית
לפטור במס. כן גם התורמים שלה עצמם לא זכאים לפטורים במס.
דיוויס אמר לאתר החדשות בנושאי היהודים בקנדה
(סי.ג’י.אן) את הדברים הבאים: “קרן קיימת קנדה תמשיך לעבוד במשותף עם רשות
המיסוי הקנדית לבדיקת כל הפעילויות שלנו. לכן בשלב זה אנו מוגבלים במה שאנחנו
יכולים להגיד בנושא. השליחות של קרן קיימת קנדה היא להטיב את איכות החיים בישראל.
בעבר היינו מעורבים בפעילויות צדקה הקשורות בעקיפין בצה”ל. רבים מהפרוייקטים
היו לטובת בין היתר איכות חיים של ילדים ובני נוער, כמו תרומות למגרשי משחקים
ופארקים. כל הפרוייקטים האלה נמצאים על שטחים השייכים לצה”ל והכסף לא הועבר
לצבא. בסך הכל היקף התרומות הקשורות בפרוייקטים צבאיים נמוך והגיע לכאחוז מסך כל
התרומות שלנו במשך כעשור. אז האמנו שקרן קיימת קנדה עומדת בדרישות החוק הקנדי,
משום שמדובר בתרומות לצדקה שנועדו לעזור בעיקר לילדים. אנו לא ידענו שהפרוייקטים
שלנו יהיו מטרה לחקירה של רשות המיסוי הקנדית, כיוון שהם נמצאים על אדמה בבעלות
צה”ל. מייד שקיבלנו מידע על כך לפני מספר שנים הפסקנו את התמיכה בפרוייקטים
אלה. כאמור מזה מספר שנים אנו לא תורמים יותר כספים לפרוייקטים על אדמת
בצה”ל”.
לפי פרסומי קרן קיימת קנדה הארגון תמך
בפרוייקטים רבים הקשורים בצה”ל. בהם: פיתוח כיתות לימוד, אולמות אירועים, חדרי
הקרנות, מועדוני חיילים, הקמת מגרשי משחקים עבור ילדים (שמתגוררים עם בני
משפחותיהם בבסיס), שידרוג מרכזי מבקרים, שיפוץ כיכרות מרכזיות, הקמת מתקני נוחות
לחיילים, בניית נקודות מפגש לאפשר לחיילים לראות את בני משפחתם וכן תמיכה פרוייקט הגדנ”ע.
Left to right are Sam Sullivan, Glen
Hodges, Cynthia Ramsay, Margaret Sutherland and Shirley Barnett with one of the
Mountain View Cemetery ledgers. (photo by Lynn Zanatta)
“When we were restoring the Jewish cemetery at
Mountain View, we spent two years going through City of Vancouver material
trying to determine if the city actually had something in writing to prove the legitimacy
of this Jewish section since 1892,” Shirley Barnett, who led the Jewish
cemetery restoration project, told the Jewish Independent in an email.
The committee couldn’t find anything in the city records.
While this lack of documented history lengthened
the restoration agreement process significantly, it did not halt it. Barnett,
as chair, opened the first meeting of the restoration advisory committee on
Feb. 13, 2013, and the Jewish cemetery at Mountain View was officially
rededicated on May 3, 2015. However, if the committee were to have started its
work today, the information it sought would have been found, and the process
would have moved much more quickly.
Sam Sullivan, member of the Legislative
Assembly (Vancouver-False Creek) and former mayor of Vancouver, founded the
Global Civic Society in 2010. As part of its mission to encourage “a
knowledgeable and cosmopolitan citizenry to make strong connections to their
community,” the society leads several initiatives, including Transcribimus, “a
network of volunteers that is transcribing early city council minutes and other
handwritten documents from early Vancouver, and making them freely available to
students, researchers and the general public.”
Transcribimus project coordinator Margaret
Sutherland has transcribed at least 155 sets of Vancouver City Council minutes.
It was she who found what Barnett and her committee were looking for – in the
council minutes of June 6, 1892. On page 32 of the minute book, it is recorded
that correspondence had been received, “From D. Goldberg asking the council to
set aside a portion of the public cemetery for the Jewish congregation,” and
was “Referred to the Board of Health.”
Two weeks later, the minutes of June 20, 1892,
note that the health committee had resolved, among other items, “[t]hat the
piece of land selected by the Jewish people in the public cemetery be set aside
for their purposes.”
In addition to the transcribed council minutes, transcribimus.ca includes photos of the minute book pages. This image is of the June 20, 1892, minutes, which note that the health committee had resolved, among other items, “[t]hat the piece of land selected by the Jewish people in the public cemetery be set aside for their purposes.”
The cemetery first appears to have come up a
few years earlier. In the July 29, 1889, council minutes, there is reference to
a letter: “From L. Davies on behalf of the Jewish congregation of the city of
Vancouver requesting council to set apart about one acre and a half in the
public cemetery for members of the Hebrew confession. Referred to the Board of
Works.”
In an email to Barnett, Sutherland wrote,
“There doesn’t seem to be any indication from city council minutes that the
Board of Works ever followed up on the above request. Although [Jewish
community member and then-mayor] David Oppenheimer was on the Board of Works
for that year, so was his opponent, Samuel Brighouse.”
On Dec. 7, 2018, the Jewish Independent
met with Barnett, Sullivan, Sutherland, Lynn Zanatta (Global Civic Policy
Society program manager) and Glen Hodges (Mountain View Cemetery manager) at
Mountain View. In documents she brought to that meeting, Sutherland explains
that Oppenheimer “declined to serve as mayor again at the end of 1891, citing
poor health as his reason for retiring. Fred Cope was elected mayor in 1892 and
served till the end of 1893.” So it was Cope who was mayor when the Jewish
cemetery was established; Oppenheimer was Vancouver’s second mayor (1888-1891)
and Malcolm Maclean its first (1886-1887).
The first interment at Mountain View Cemetery
was Caradoc Evans, who died at nine months, 24 days, on Feb. 26, 1887. The
first Jew interred in the cemetery is thought to be Simon Hirschberg, who “died
of his own hand” on Jan. 29, 1887, and was, according the plaque erected by the
cemetery in 2011 (the cemetery’s 125th year), “intended to be the first
interment,” however, “rain, a broken carriage wheel on a bad road and his large
size all contributed to him being buried just outside the cemetery property,”
where he was “long thought to have been left near the intersection of 33rd and
Fraser” until his body was moved into a grave on cemetery property. Oddly
enough, the first Jew to be buried in the Jewish section was Otto Bond (Dec.
19, 1892), who also took his own life.
This page from a Mountain View Cemetery ledger shows the entry for Otto Bond, the first Jew to be buried in the cemetery’s Jewish section.
So far, since its inception in 2012,
Transcribimus has seen more than 300 transcripts produced by almost 40
volunteers, although a handful of them are responsible for the lion’s share to
date. Many people have donated their time, technical advice and, of course,
funds to the project. Barnett sponsored the transcribing of the city council
minutes for 1891, and fellow Jewish community member Arnold Silber sponsored
the transcription of the 1890 minutes. A few other years have also been
sponsored, including 1888, by the Oppenheimer Group.
About nine years’ worth of minutes have been transcribed
(1886-1893 and 1900), leaving much more work to be done, as the city kept
handwritten minutes until mid-1911. After that, minutes were typewritten and
these documents can be scanned and read with OCR (optical character
recognition), said Sutherland.
The Transcribimus website (transcribimus.ca) is one of the best-designed sites the Independent has come across. It is both visually appealing and incredibly easy to use. In addition to the transcribed council minutes, it includes photos of the minute book pages. As well, it features letters from Vancouver’s early years, historical photographs and a few videos, including a film by William Harbeck of a trolley ride through Victoria and Vancouver in 1907, which has had speed corrections and sound added by YouTuber Guy Jones. (Astute viewers will see that the trolley is driving on the lefthand side of the road. British Columbia didn’t switch to the right until 1921-22.)
In the material Sutherland brought to the
December meeting at the cemetery office, she included the transcription of the
short letter that city clerk Thomas McGuigan wrote on June 23, 1892, in
response to Goldberg’s letter that was mentioned in the council minutes. In it,
McGuigan confirms “the grant made by council to the people of the Jewish faith
of a piece of land in the public cemetery,” but adds that “they will be unable
to give you title for the same, as the land was set apart by an Order in
Council of the provincial government for burial purposes and they refuse to
give any other title.”
Sutherland hadn’t come across Goldberg’s
letter, that of Davies or any response to Davies. It’s likely that these
letters have been lost or destroyed, but they might turn up in another file,
she said.
However, Sutherland did find a brief letter to
the editor of the Vancouver Daily World newspaper, dated Nov. 1, 1898,
from L. Rubinowitz, which she emailed to the Independent. Rubinowitz
wanted the application for the Jewish cemetery by “a certain number of Jews of
this city” to be refused. In his view, “all the Hebrews of this city are not
combined as one body” and “To avoid trouble between them and for the sake of
peace, as one party will claim that they have the sole right to it, the other
party will claim that they have the sole right to it, therefore, as it is now
under the control of the city, we are well satisfied to let it remain so, as in
my opinion the city will have no objections for us to make any improvements if
necessary.”
The old joke comes to mind of the Jewish man
who, when stranded on a deserted island by himself, builds two synagogues – the
one he’ll attend and the one he won’t set foot in. Community cohesiveness is a
heady task; always has been, and definitely not just for the Jewish community.
As more council minutes, letters, photographs and other documents are found, transcribed and shared, the holes in our understanding of the past and how it has formed the present will be filled. To support or participate in Transcribimus or other Global Civic Society projects, visit globalcivic.org.
Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman speaks at
the Nov. 22 forum Wide Awake. According to Ivy Kopstein of Jewish Child and
Family Service of Winnipeg, he “is advocating to all levels of government for
resources to deal with this health crisis.” (photo by Nik Rave)
“It is a significant issue in both Winnipeg and
Vancouver,” Dr. Ruth Simkin told the Independent. “In Vancouver, it has
been overshadowed by the opioid crisis, but is a significant problem there,
too. It is seen in the Winnipeg Jewish community. I don’t have stats on its
prevalence in this particular group, but it is likely similar to other
populations.”
Simkin is a family physician working at a
community health clinic in Winnipeg and part-time with the addictions
unit/addictions consult service at the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) and Rapid
Access Addictions Medicine (RAAM). The JI recently interviewed her about
addiction; in particular, to methamphetamine, in light of a Nov. 22 forum in
Winnipeg on the topic.
Wide Awake – An Eye-Opening Look at
Methamphetamine in Winnipeg was held at the Asper Jewish Community Campus. It
was co-presented by Jewish Child and Family Service (JCFS) of Winnipeg, Gray
Academy of Jewish Education and the Rady Jewish Community Centre.
Amphetamines were developed in the late 1900s
and used commercially from about 1930 for various reasons, including nasal
congestion and to keep soldiers awake. Because of their adverse effects and
addictive properties, however, their use became legally restricted in the
1970s.
Methamphetamine (crystal meth) belongs to the
amphetamine class of drugs – stimulants that speed up the body’s central
nervous system. Although not legally available in Canada, crystal meth has been
used recreationally for a very long time.
“The initial effects of methamphetamine on the
user are a sense of well-being or euphoria, increased energy and alertness,
increased confidence and little need for food or sleep,” said Simkin. “Unwanted
potential side effects include racing heart, dry mouth, nausea and vomiting,
anxiety and restlessness. It can also produce paranoia, delusions and
aggressive and violent behaviour.”
“Methamphetamine comes as a powder that can be
used by ingesting, snorting, smoking or injecting,” explained Dr. Erin Knight,
medical director of the HSC’s addictions program, who was a Wide Awake panelist.
“It also comes in a crystal form (crystal meth). It is produced in illegal labs
with fairly inexpensive and sometimes toxic ingredients. It may be made with
ingredients from antifreeze, batteries and cleaning fluid.”
It is estimated that one percent of students in
Manitoba from grades 7 to 12 have tried methamphetamine over the last year. It
is easily accessible and inexpensive. Its price has dropped significantly in
the last few years, from approximately $30 per gram to $10 per gram.
In her work at the HSC, it is common for Simkin
to see patients who use meth, usually along with other drugs.
“It is a growing problem,” said Simkin about
the use of the drug. “It is very accessible, cheap, has a prolonged effect on
the user – six to eight hours if injected and 10 to 12 hours if smoked – and it
is very reinforcing (addictive).
“As well, its effects are more unpredictable
than other drugs. The number of users has doubled over the last few years. And,
we’re also seeing a shift from individuals smoking meth to them injecting
meth.”
According to Sheri Fandrey of the Addictions
Foundation of Manitoba – who also was a Wide Awake panelist – drug mixing
increases the potential for challenging behaviours and the possibility of a
serious overdose. That meth is bought and sold in an unregulated market
increases the risk that it may contain adulterants and contaminants that can
cause further harm.
“There is no specific treatment in terms of
medication,” said Simkin regarding addiction to meth. “There is some evidence
for the use of motivational interviewing (MI) and rewards-based treatment.”
A recent Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
(WRHA) report stated that, in the 2014-2015 fiscal year, 682 people who sought
treatment at the Addictions Foundation
had used meth over the prior 12 months. A year later, that number had
increased to 1,198. Meth was no longer being reported to be an occasional drug,
and women were using more than in the past.
“As far as we know, meth use crosses all lines:
rural/urban, high/low income and male/female,” said Simkin. “However, as with
other substances, there are higher risk groups. These higher risk groups are
students, low-income, rural, homeless, disenfranchised groups and people with
co-occurring mental health disorders.”
Last year’s theme for Addictions Awareness
Week, chosen by the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction, was “All
Walks of Life.” Substance use issues and addiction do not discriminate by age,
gender, class or religion.
Simkin said this is a complex and difficult
issue, but suggested that having education programs in schools would be
helpful, as are forums such as Wide Awake.
As a community, Simkin said there are several
things that can be done to improve the situation:
1. Reduce the stigma around substance use in
general, so people who need help aren’t afraid to seek it.
2. In terms of government, increase funding for
detox beds and addiction treatment, including harm-reduction services.
3. Work on other determinants of health, like
poverty, housing and education, as well as mental health, to try to prevent
addiction in the first place.
Ivy Kopstein, coordinator of the substance use and addictions program at Jewish Child and Family Service of Winnipeg, answers a question from CityTV at the forum Wide Awake. (photo by Nik Rave)
Another resource now available in Winnipeg are
the RAAM clinics that have been instituted recently by the WRHA to provide
low-barrier access to resources for individuals needing help with substances
abuse issues, including crystal meth.
“The City of Winnipeg and law enforcement are
responding to the crisis on the streets and have included public education
programs in all areas of the city,” said Ivy Kopstein, coordinator of the substance
use and addictions program at JCFS Winnipeg. “Our mayor is advocating to all
levels of government for resources to deal with this health crisis.”
“Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has now been
given the authority to give meth users the antipsychotic drug Olanzapine,”
Simkin offered by way of an example.
When a loved one has a substance abuse issue,
it impacts the whole family, she said. Family members may feel stressed and
anxious and it’s important for them to also seek support.
In British Columbia, the B.C. Centre on Substance Use (bccsu.ca) “is a provincially networked organization with a mandate to develop, help implement and evaluate evidence-based approaches to substance use and addiction.” Other resources include Crystal Meth Anonymous (crystalmeth.org), which is similar to Alcoholics Anonymous and lists a meeting place on Hornby Street in Vancouver, and Jewish Addiction Community Services (778-882-2994 or [email protected]).
An experimental date palm orchard in the southern Arava Valley, where water consumption and response to salinity is monitored. Based on data measured in these lysimeters, local farmers are advised on recommended quantities of irrigation water daily. (photo from Zehava Yehuda)
“Growing up in Israel, I have been aware of the
water problem [since] quite early in my childhood,” said Dr. Zehava Yehuda.
“When I graduated, however, the country was still relying mostly on rain. We
could still expect rain-blessed years, and the Sea of Galilee to overflow
occasionally.”
Over the last two decades, however, only once
has there been a year with enough rain to allow for the opening of the Degania
Dam, which regulates water levels in the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret) and the
lower Jordan River.
Yehuda spoke on Nov. 27 at a Winnipeg Friends
of Israel event at the city’s Temple Shalom. She recently moved to Winnipeg
with her family and is currently working at the local Jewish National Fund
office as program and communications coordinator, while searching for a
research position.
“I graduated from the Hebrew University,
faculty of agriculture, department of soil and water, worked on iron uptake in
plants, and did post-doctoral studies on phytoremediation of soils contaminated
with heavy metals,” said Yehuda. “Phytoremediation is the use of hyper-accumulator
plants that tolerate and are able to absorb high concentrations of specific
metals.
“I worked as a lab manager and associate
researcher at the HU, and as a soil and water researcher at the Centre for
Agricultural Water Use Efficiency Research, Southern Arava Research and
Development Experimental Station, Yotveta.”
According to Yehuda, soil and water are
fundamental resources affecting all forms of life, food security and ecosystem
sustainability.
Israeli water authorities have been streamlined
to funnel through one office to simplify management and five large-scale
desalination plants have been built, she said. Desalinated water now accounts
for about 85% of domestic urban water. However, the plants were built late in
the crisis.
“Israel is facing a five-year drought that is
depleting the country’s most important bodies of water and deteriorating their
quality,” said Yehuda. “Israel had not foreseen a sequence of arid years like
this.
“The cumulative deficit in Israel’s renewable
water resources before the current rain season amounts to approximately two
billion cubic metres – an amount equal to the annual consumption of the entire
state.
“There are many reasons for the current water
situation,” she said. “First, Israel is situated in an arid region, where 60%
of the county is desert. Meanwhile, population growth and standard of living
have grown significantly.
“This not only has dramatically increased water
consumption, but it has also aggravated the load on the coastal aquifer, one of
the three major water resources in the country. Israel has also committed by
peace treaties to transfer about 85 MCM [million cubic metres] to Jordan and
the Palestinians … and, in fact, it transfers much more.
“Most of the water consumption in the world is
used for irrigation. Israel has been recycling water for agriculture for
decades. About 90% of fresh water is reused.
Water scientist Dr. Zehava Yehuda speaks at a Winnipeg Friends of Israel event Nov. 27. (photo from Zehava Yehuda)
“Since the invention of drip irrigation in
Israel, efforts have been directed to improving drippers, irrigation regimes
and understanding plants’ actual water consumption to efficiently use water in
agriculture.”
Further to this, Israel focused on innovative
technologies to turn an older, expensive desalination solution into a more
practical one, by improving the membranes that remove the salt and reducing the
energy needed to run the plants.
“As of today, about 40% of drinking water in
Israel is supplied as desalinated seawater, and this percentage is expected to
grow even more,” said Yehuda.
Because the membranes also strip the water of
other essential nutrients, she said Israel’s water authorities have been
supplementing the desalinated water with, for example, “magnesium, a mineral
critical for proper heart functioning, among other functions,” but it is
expensive to do so and “[a]dding it to all desalinated water would
significantly raise its cost.”
Another concern with desalination is that the
brine (removed salt) is being returned to the sea, and the ecological
implications for the sea are not fully known.
“With all this desalinated water available,
both the population and the Israeli authorities wrongly assumed that Israel had
solved her water problems, and that saving water was no longer a necessity,”
said Yehuda. “The authorities have since changed their position back to the
need to save water.”
Plans have recently been approved to build more
desalination plants to better meet the growing need for water during the dry
months and to redirect unused desalinated water during the winter months to the
Sea of Galilee; in a sense, using the lake as a reservoir.
“The current crisis has led to the realization
that a comprehensive master plan for policy and for institutional and
operational changes is required to stabilize the situation, and to improve
Israel’s water balance with a long-term perspective,” said Yehuda.
“Despite the fact that water pumping from the
Kinneret was massively reduced, I do not expect water levels to return to what
they were 15 years ago when Lake Kinneret – Israel’s biggest fresh water source
– and underground aquifers were full. Hopefully, resources will not continue to
deteriorate.”
Yehuda provided a rundown of the different
water-related experiments with which she has been involved, including an
experimental date palm orchard in the southern Arava Valley, where water
consumption and response to salinity is monitored. Based on the data collected,
local farmers are advised on recommended quantities of irrigation water daily.
Event attendee Carina Blumgrund said, “We all
know that Israel is at the forefront of developing smart resources to irrigate,
and that they had done drip systems and are always trying to research how to be
proactive, like taking advantage of the heat to have off-season production and
export to Europe … but we don’t really know about the details…. It was
really interesting hearing about current issues. I had no idea about water
levels…. And I didn’t know about the treaties, about sharing with neighbours.”
Sea to Sky Aphasia Camp provides a
three-day retreat to 30 campers and their family members at Zajac Ranch in
Mission, B.C. (photo from Sea to Sky)
Aphasia is a communication impairment most
often caused by stroke, but it can also be due to any brain injury. It impacts
a person’s ability to speak, understand spoken language, and the ability to
read and to write.
“It’s important to understand that, while
communication is impaired, a person’s cognitive function is not,” said Eavan
Sinden, a speech-language pathologist at the University of British Columbia,
about the condition. “This is something Sea to Sky [Aphasia] Camp focuses on –
that we can create a communicably accessible and supportive environment, while
acknowledging the inherent competence.
“But, there are some prominent researchers in
the world of aphasia now who are looking at expanding on [the] definition …
so that it would include the impact of aphasia on a person’s life – the impact
it has on a person’s identity, on a person’s ability to participate in social
events, their ability to work, their ability to be in the role that we assume
… mom, dad, daughter, whatever … changing the definition a little bit to
include that impact.”
Out of the 100,000 people in Canada who will
suffer a stroke this year, 35% of stroke survivors will live with some form of
aphasia. Further to that, 62% of these survivors will experience depression after
the stroke.
Sinden teaches and does research at UBC’s
School of Audiology and Speech Sciences. One of her primary roles within the
school is to coordinate the Sea to Sky camp every September. This fall, it will
run Sept. 20-22.
The camp, which is entering its 10th year,
provides a three-day retreat to 30 campers and their family members at Zajac
Ranch in Mission, B.C., in a facility specifically designed for people with
unique abilities and challenges.
To make the camp a reality, Sinden and UBC
partner with Douglas College’s therapeutic recreation program, and March of
Dimes Canada. “There’s a lot of support for this camp,” Sinden told the Independent.
“In addition to being a camp for people with aphasia, those 30 campers come
with family or friends, if they choose.
“We also have 36 healthcare-professional
students who come for the weekend to learn a little bit more about what it’s
like to live with a chronic impairment, such as aphasia. They are
speech-language pathology students, audiology students, therapeutic-recreation
students, nursing, pharmacy, dental hygiene and physiotherapy – a whole range
of care students who opt, every year, to do this. Without them, we wouldn’t
have enough support. It’s really great to have these layers of partnerships in the
community. They really help create that communicably accessible environment.”
There is also a group of clinical leads,
healthcare professionals in the community, who have been working with aphasia
and who volunteer the weekend of the camp to work with the students.
A disturbing trend, according to Sinden, is
that aphasia is affecting younger and younger people. “This is the frightening
part,” she said. “We have people anywhere from 30 or 31 to their late 70s or
early 80s, a real range, but the majority are in their 50s and 60s. It’s no
longer something you’d think just happens to older people. The Heart and Stroke
Foundation has written quite a few reports on that.”
At Sea to Sky, participants can do yoga,
horseback riding, cooking, singing, dancing, campfires, basketball, swimming,
arts and woodwork.
“A lot of our activities are run by people with
aphasia, as well, who have come to the camp for many years and are now leaders
in that way,” said Sinden. “The students also take a role in working on some of
those activities.”
All accommodations and meals are included in
the $250 cost for the weekend.
“It’s a really terrific way for people with
aphasia in the community to come together, socialize and be with people who’ve
been on similar journeys,” said Sinden. “Aphasia can be very isolating, so it
can be incredibly powerful to meet people with whom you have a shared
experience, who you can see that idea of, ‘OK, I can do this.’ Maybe, if I’m a
little earlier on in my recovery and I see someone 10 years post doing
something that I didn’t think would be possible … that can open up
opportunities.
“We have a great core group who come year after
year,” she added. “But, I have to say, especially this year, we had quite a
number of newcomers, which is exciting. We’re always trying to extend our reach
and support the community of people with aphasia.”
While the number of people suffering from
aphasia has increased, the camp has been able to accommodate the demand – but
just barely, due to space and funding.
“We’re fortunate in that March of Dimes, UBC
and Douglas College support us with grants, but every year we hope to still get
the funds,” said Sinden. “It’s never a sure thing. There’s a huge need for more
community support. If we could take more campers or run more camps, we would
also be happy to do that and it’s something on our wish list.”
This year, Sinden is starting a campaign called
Sponsor a Camper, asking donors to give $250 so someone can attend the camp.
Other support is raised via the Stroke Recovery Association of British Columbia
and Fraser Health.
For more information, visit srabc.ca or
aphasia.ca.
הישראלי-קנדי בועז מנור שנידון בעבר בקנדה לארבע שנות מאסר עושה זאת שוב.
הפעם תחת השם שון מקדונלד הוא עמד מאחורי פרוייקט בלוקצ’יין טרנמינל האמריקני (באנגלית
החברה נקראת: בי.סי.טי), שגייס שלושים ואחד מיליון דולר בהנפקת מטבע דיגיטלי. זאת
כדי לפתח גרסת קריפטו למסופי המידע הפיננסי של חברת בלומברג האמריקנית. כך מדווח
עיתון העסקים של ישראל גלובס. מנור בשמו החדש מקדונלד הצליח להערים על העובדים של
הפרוייקט החדש, כמו גם על המשקיעים והלקוחות העתידיים של הסטארט-אפ. הואר ניצל את
התנפחות הבועה של שוק הקריפטו בסוף שנת אלפיים ושבעה עשרה כדי לבצע את ההונאה
הפיננסית הגדולה הזו.
בלוקצ’יין טרנמינל פעלה במשרדים בניו יורק
והיא פיתחה גירסת קריפטו למסופי המידע של בלומברג. בנוסף החברה סיפקה אף עשרות
מסופי מידע לקרנות גידור שונות. מדובר במוצר שסייע למשקיעים מוסדיים להשתלב בשוק
המטבעות הדיגיטליים.
מנור ניהל את החברה כאמור תחת השם מקדונלד
מבלי שאף אחד עלה על זהותו האמיתית. ברבעון הראשון של אשתקד הפרוייקט של מנור גייס
כשלושים ואחד מיליון דולר ממשקיעים בהנפקת מטבע דיגיטלי, הנושא את שם החברה
(בי.סי.טי). מטבע זה נועד להיות אמצעי התשלום עבור השימוש בטרמינלים של החברה.
למרות גיוס ההון המרשים נשיא חברת בי.סי.טי בוב בונומו התפטר במפתיע בקיץ. לאחר
מכן מקדונלד חשף את זהותו האמיתית והחברה הפסיקה לשלם משכורות לעובדיה. מנור נעלם ואולי
ברח שוב לישראל. לטענת העובדים הוא יצר חלון ראווה מטעה וכל הפרוייקט הוא בעצם
תרמית אחת גדולה.
מנור עבר מישראל להתגורר בקנדה (ביחד עם אביו
דניאל מנור) לפני כעשרים שנה. הוא סיים את לימודי תואר ראשון במדעים באוניברסיטת
טורונטו בשנת אלף תשע מאות תשעים ושש. לאחר מכן הוא החליט להשתלב בענף הפיננסי
והצטרף לחברת סאות’וויו. שם ניפגש לראשונה עם מייקל מנדלסון והשניים הפכו להיות
שותפים בעתיד. יצויין שאביו של מנור שהיה בוגר של הטכניון בחיפה ואוניברסיטת
פרינסטון, עבד בישראל כמהנדס בפיתוח מערכות הגנה עבור צה”ל. ואילו בקנדה האב
הקים את חברת אלקטרוניק אינטגרייד סיסטמס (באנגלית היא נקראת: אי.איי.אס).
מנור ומנדלסון הקימו יחדיו את חברת ההשקעות
קיי.בי.אל קפיטל קורפ שהתמחתה בגיוס הון לסטארט-אפים. בשנת אלפיים לאחר התפוצצות
בועת הדוט.קום עברו מנור ומנדלסון לנהל השקעות שונות בקרנות גידור. שלוש שנים לאחר
מכן השניים הקימו את קבוצת פורטס שהפכה להיות אחת מקרנות הגידול הגדולות ביותר
בקנדה בשעתו. פורטס ניהלה נכסים בהיקפים של שמונה מאות מיליון דולר ומספר הלקוחות
שלה עמד על לא פחות מכעשרים ושישה אלף.
פורטס קרסה בשנת אלפיים וחמש ובעקבות חקירה
פלילית במחוז אונטריו הוגשו כעבור שנתיים כתבי אישום נגד מנור ומנדלסון, בגין
הונאה והלבנת כספים. מנור נמלט אז לישראל ואילו מנלדסון שעמד למשפט הודה בסעיף
אישום אחד של הונאה, נשפט לשנתיים בכלא אך שוחרר על תנאי כבור חצי שנה. מנור הסגיר
את עצמו לרשויות החוק בקנדה באלפיים ושמונה ועמד למשפט כעבור שנתיים. במסגרת עסקת
טיעון הוא הודה בהלבנת כספים וכן בהפרת צו של בית המשפט. כתב האישום שלו היה חמור
יותר משל מנדלסון: הוא נשפט לארבע שנות מאסר, החזיר קרוב לתשעה מליון דולר
ללקוחותיו וכן נאסר עליו לעסוק עוד במסחר בניירות ערך, או לחילופין לשמש דירקטור
או חבר הנהלה בחברה ציבורית כלשהי. מנור הפך בעקבות האישומים נגדו לאחד הנוכלים
הפיננסיים הגדולים בהיסטוריה של קנדה.
Left to right are panelists at a
recent National Council of Jewish Women panel on organ transplants: Dr. Aviva
Goldberg, Rabbi Yossi Benarroch, Marshall Miller and Na’ama Miller. (photo
from NCJW)
On Dec. 11, the Winnipeg section of National
Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) held an organ donation awareness event,
featuring community members Rabbi Yossi Benarroch, Dr. Aviva Goldberg, and
husband (organ recipient) and wife (organ donor) Marshall and Na’ama Miller.
“The short of it is, basically, that Jewish law
permits organ donations,” he said. “There’s no question about that. Of course,
when we talk about law, law is complicated and there are lots of opinions.
There’s an ideal in Judaism, which is one of those foundations, and it’s called
‘pikuach nefesh doche hakol’ … which basically means that, in Judaism,
there’s nothing more important than saving a life.
“I’m a very observant Jew and I keep kosher,”
he said, “but if I had to eat something that wasn’t kosher – pork or whatever –
in order to save my life, then Jewish law says you’re obligated to do that.”
Benarroch said it is written that, if someone
saves a life, it is as if they have saved the entire world. Furthermore, he
said, we are called to not stand idly by if another person is suffering. “We
are obligated to intervene and actually obligated to help that individual,” he
said.
Marshall Miller, who was diagnosed with
progressive kidney disease more than 25 years ago, eventually required
replacement therapy.
“Slowly, over time, my kidney failure began to
get worse and worse,” he shared. “The disease progressed to the point where, a
few years back, my GP at the time said, ‘Marshall, you’re now at the point
where you have to go see a specialist because I can’t do anything more for you
here … you need an expert to deal with your situation.’
“Everybody who suffers from kidney disease
understands that, what kidneys do, among many things, is purify your blood.
When your blood isn’t being purified properly, you can start to feel kind of
lousy. I think my family can attest to the fact that I was starting to feel
lousy. I think my whole family suffered along as I did, as I got sicker and
sicker.”
When his kidney function was down to less than
10%, the specialist started talking seriously about replacement therapy. This
involved dialysis three times a week until a matching donor could be found.
During the search for a donor, Na’ama Miller
decided to find out if she might be able to help other people in her husband’s
situation. As it turned out, she was a match for her husband.
“We were told it was a one hundred million
shot,” she said. “And so, we were next faced with a bit of a dilemma …
because it was scary for the kids. But Samantha and Maya were very much in
favour of it, because they didn’t want me to be miserable anymore.”
She said, “People ask me, how I could do this
… if it was hard. I give everyone the same answer. It was a no-brainer, a
very easy decision for me. As Marshall said … we were all suffering along
with him.”
“It’s worth it. You saved a life,” her husband
added. “We hope this event here – even if only one more person signs up …
hopefully, more and more people will choose to do it among the Jewish community
after hearing the story.”
After the Millers spoke, a second video was
screened, about a former Winnipegger who donated a kidney to save the life of a
woman in California, who he has never met.
“Right now, in Canada, there are over 4,500
people waiting for an organ transplant – 4,500 Marshalls,” said Goldberg, who
is the director of the Canadian Society of Transplantation and chair of the
Transplant Manitoba kidney allocation review committee. “We don’t have 4,500
Na’amas. That’s why we need donors – both living and also deceased donors.
“That’s what we want to talk about today,” she
said, “even if you don’t go forward to become a living donor, which is a really
big deal. It’s not something that every person in this room is going to be able
to do and that’s totally fair. But, there’s something that everyone in this
room can do and that’s to sign up for organ donation after you’ve died – say
that this is something I’d like to do, that you’d like to leave a legacy …
you can save lives after you’ve died, either with organ or tissue donation. You
can save lives by donating organs – heart, liver, lungs, pancreas, kidneys and
even small bowel – but, also tissue donation.”
In some cases, people can donate their corneas
to help improve the life of others. According to Goldberg, Manitoba, last year,
was the fourth on the world list of most donors.
While Goldberg implored people to sign up as
donors online, she further reminded them that talking to family about your
willingness to be a donor is also very important – and not just immediate
family, as they might be in the same car with you when you have a horrific
accident, for example.
“The way that organ donation works in Canada,
here, in Manitoba, is that after someone has died and they are potentially
going to be an organ donor, their family is approached,” said Goldberg. “If you
sign up for the registry, it’s a way of saying to your family, on the very
worst day of their lives, that this is something your loved one wanted – wanted
so much that they went to the registry, signed up, made that choice. It’s a
hard discussion to have … [but] it’s so important to do.”
During the question-and-answer period, one
attendee asked if there was an age limit for someone to donate an organ. The
answer? “No.”
Another question was about the possibility of
rejection and, to that, Marshall Miller shared his experience. “I suffered from
a mild early rejection,” he said. “But, the ability to detect the rejection and
be able to remedy it is incredible. They were able to treat me with medication
instantaneously and, really, it was a non-issue for me. Even though there is a
risk of rejection, it can easily be found if you attend your appointments and
take your medication.”
For information on organ donation in British Columbia and to register, visit transplant.bc.ca.
![photo - In addition to the transcribed council minutes, transcribimus.ca includes photos of the minute book pages. This image is of the June 20, 1892, minutes, which note that the health committee had resolved, among other items, “[t]hat the piece of land selected by the Jewish people in the public cemetery be set aside for their purposes.”](https://www.jewishindependent.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/jan-18-cov.18.cemetery-1892-06-jun-20-vancouver-city-council-minutes_page-50-cropped-w-oval.jpg)
