News – Page 209

Notary services here

Until recently, Israeli families with children in British Columbia were required to travel to Toronto to renew or extend their children’s Israeli passports. The Israeli Consulate in Toronto is now collaborating with three local notaries public – one each in Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg. In Vancouver, Adam Brosgall, owner and principal lawyer at Brosgall Legal, has been approved by the Israeli Consulate General in Toronto to be the notary public in British Columbia to assist Israeli citizens who wish to renew or extend their under-18 children’s travel documents.

Brosgall will notarize the parents’ signatures on their children’s passport renewal or extension forms and identify the minors appearing before him, with their updated passport photos, and sign the back of the photos.

Parents wishing to use the notary public’s services must arrange a meeting and come together with their child and the following documents: forms for renewal/extension of a passport, filled in but unsigned (the parents will both sign in front of the notary public); birth certificate of the minor with the names of both parents; photocopies of the parents’ passports; and two recent five-by-five-centimetre passport photos of the child.

Both parents must come to the meeting with the notary public, along with the child, and the notary public’s service comes at a fee. After the notarization, the signed forms and the children’s photographs must be sent by mail to the Consulate General in Toronto. Only requests signed by Brosgall (in Vancouver) will be approved by the consulate.

Those who choose not to appear before the notary public may continue to travel to the consulate in person to renew/extend their children’s passports.

For more information and to book an appointment, email to [email protected] or call 604-685-ADAM (2326).

Encourage menschlichkeit

The Bayit in Richmond has launched a new youth initiative, called Marc’s Mensches. Starting in September, the program aims to encourage youth in the community by rewarding them for good deeds.

The basic layout of the Marc’s Mensches program is as follows. If you witness a youth from the community (grades 5-10) doing a good deed – within either the Jewish or non-Jewish communities – enter them to be a Marc’s Mensches winner. Each month, a panel will review all the candidates and the impact their good deed has had, and they will decide a mensch for each month. The winner will be awarded a certificate of appreciation, as well as a $25 gift card to Amazon. The same candidate cannot win two months in a row.

At the end of the 10-month school year, each monthly winner will automatically be entered for the final prize. The panel will look at the each one of Marc’s Mensches and determine who has had the largest impact – that mensch will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship for Jewish education.

This program is made possible by the donations of Donald and Bonnie Dwares on behalf of their son Marc Dwares, Marshall and Sally Cramer, and Jeffrey Sachs. The Bayit is asking the entire Jewish community to participate and to give as many youth as possible the chance to be recognized for their contributions.

To submit a nominee, contact Matti Feigelstock at 604-771-8897 or visit thebayit.ca/mensches.

Milman now a judge

In Ottawa on June 14, the Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould, minister of justice and attorney general of Canada, announced the following appointments under the new judicial application process announced on Oct. 20, 2016: Carla L. Forth, QC, partner at Guild Yule LLP, Michael Tammen, QC, a sole practitioner, Warren B. Milman, a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, and Nitya Iyer, QC, a partner at Lovett Westmacott, were appointed judges of the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

The new judicial application process emphasizes transparency, merit and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Milman, a member of the Jewish community, practised litigation with the Vancouver office of McCarthy Tétrault LLP for 24 years, with a focus on insolvency, commercial litigation, class actions defence and constitutional law. In the course of his practice, he also acted on many occasions for both for the Crown and for the defence in criminal and regulatory prosecutions.

Milman came to the law after earning a bachelor of arts from McGill University and pursuing graduate studies in classical archeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem from 1985 to 1988. He obtained his LLB and BCL from McGill in 1992. He was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1993 and admitted to the State Bar of California in that same year.

In addition to his private practice, Milman has devoted a substantial part of his career to promoting meaningful access to justice for ordinary Canadians. He has taken on numerous pro bono cases before courts and regulatory tribunals. In addition, he served as chair of Pro Bono Law of British Columbia, both prior to and during the organization’s merger with the Access Justice Society to form Access Pro Bono in 2010. He was appointed a governor of the Law Foundation of British Columbia in 2010 and served as chair of its board of governors in 2015 and 2016.

Hockey career recognized

Jeff Buller at the induction ceremony for his father, the late Hy Buller, into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Netanya, Israel. (photo by Diane Buller)

These remarks were delivered on July 4 as part of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Wingate Institute, in Netanya, Israel, for my late uncle, Hy Buller, who played for the New York Rangers hockey team from 1950 to 1954.

Ihave a photo hanging in my office of a curious little boy playing outdoors – a photo of me at 3 years old. In this photo, I’m proudly wearing a New York Rangers cardigan sweater, a loving gift from my Uncle Hy.

My Uncle Hy died in 1968, when I was still a teenager and, for much of my youth, he and his family lived in Cleveland, far from my hometown of Vancouver. I really got to know him best while penning an article about him for The Scribe, the journal of the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia. This article, aptly titled “A mensch on defence,” was published in 2002.

In writing “A mensch on defence,” I reconnected with Hy’s three sons, Bob, Bruce and Jeff, who provided valuable information about their father. My cousins also put me in touch with legendary hockey players who had shared the ice with Hy: “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe, “Terrible” Ted Lindsay and goalie Johnny Bower. Each had warm memories of Hy and spoke highly of his abilities.

Winters in Saskatoon were devoted to hockey. Like many boys his age, Hy spent most of his time outside of school hours vying to be king of the ice on his uncle’s vacant lot, flooded and frozen each year.

A natural athlete, Hy quickly rose up the ranks and caught the eye of local coaches and scouts. When it was too warm for hockey, Hy never stopped moving, and was active year-round in football, baseball, basketball, golf, swimming and track and field, earning many awards.

In the 1940s and 1950s, there were only six teams in the National Hockey League. Most of the players on these teams came from the Canadian Prairies, with the majority coming from the small towns of Saskatchewan. From the time they were old enough to hold a hockey stick, youngsters in these hinterlands developed a fierce love for the game and a burning desire to be one of the 120 favoured players that made up the six NHL teams.

After an illustrious eight-year stint in the American Hockey League, Hy was traded to the New York Rangers at the close of the 1950-51 season, where he played with distinction until retirement in 1954.

A newspaper commented that, in street clothes, Hy Buller, with his mild, scholarly appearance, glasses and receding hairline, looked like someone who spent a lot of time in a library and knew from which end to read a book. But, once on ice with a hockey stick in his hand, something happened to Hy – a kind of Clark Kent into Superman transformation in which he changed from a studious-appearing bookworm to a formidable, hard-checking defenceman who seemed to be everywhere at once. He was admired not only for his solid plays but also for his good sportsmanship.

Hy’s type of playing in many respects resembled the kind of hockey played in Europe, depending more on clever stick-handling and skating than on the rough-and-tumble brand played in North America. His style and ability earned him the admiration of his fellow players.

I’m honoured to be accepting this award on behalf of my uncle and my family, 23 of whom have traveled from far and wide to share in this special moment. It’s a tribute to how well loved and respected he was that so many have journeyed to be here. I’d specifically like to note Hy’s sons Jeff and Bob, who have come with their wives, Diane and Sandie, and children.

On behalf of the family, I’m pleased to express our gratitude to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for their induction of Hy Buller. My sincerest thanks.

To read David Schwartz’s 2002 article “A mensch on defence,” visit jewishmuseum.ca/publication/scribe-volume-22-mensch-defense. For more information on Hy Buller, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hy_buller.

Luxury in Jerusalem

Merom Yerushalayim’s new condominiums. (photo by Gil Zohar)

Having recently acquired Toronto’s troubled 65-storey Trump International Hotel and Tower, now rebranded as the St. Regis Toronto, Joseph Waldman – one of the principals of the city’s Rothner Highgates Group – has set his sights on Jerusalem.

The Antwerp-born developer and his partner, Ricky Rothner, are looking to Merom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Heights), a project of 218 luxury condominiums located on Malchei Israel Street at the highest point in central Jerusalem.

Notwithstanding that the Holy City is awash with unsold luxury apartments and unfinished high-end towers, Waldman and Rothner, together with their Jerusalem partner Shmuel Narkiss, have found a niche market. They’re targeting Charedim, a segment of Israeli society stereotypically characterized as having low economic status. With only 34 of the 172 units in Phase I left unsold and the unit owners occupying their homes since Passover, the Merom Yerushalayim project has succeeded beyond expectations.

Prices start at NIS 35,000 ($12,500 Cdn) per square metre. Who are the purchasers of these more than $1 million homes? They’re equally divided between North Americans and Europeans with a smattering of Israelis, said Merom Yerushalayim’s sales manager Yehuda Eagle, who fluently banters with clients in Hebrew, Yiddish and English.

Designed by Jerusalem’s Braidman Agmon Architects, the project adds seven residential buildings to five historic buildings, which are being preserved and given new functions. The derelict Schneller Orphanage, with its distinctive Bavarian onion-dome cupola, is slated to become a museum of Jewish heritage. Another 19th-century structure will be refurbished as a synagogue and a third as a yeshivah for teenage boys.

Of the seven new residential buildings, five have been completed. Two are eight floors high. Three were built to a height of five storeys, pending a zoning-density change to permit an additional three levels. The housing blocs are clustered together and nearly four-fifths of the historic compound has been set aside as green space. Parking is underground.

Waldman hedges about the schedule of the final two buildings. While a huge hole has been excavated for them, construction will depend on sales, he said.

Acknowledging that he will keep a condominium for his family’s use, Waldman told the Jewish Independent, “Try not to write about me. I’m a simple guy. I don’t want kavod [honour].”

photo - The Schneller Orphanage is slated to become a museum of Jewish heritage — The Schneller Orphanage is slated to become a museum of Jewish heritage. *(photo by Gil Zohar)*

The Schneller Compound has a storied past. In 1860, Johann Ludwig Schneller (1820–1896), a Lutheran missionary from Basel, Switzerland, established the orphanage for nine survivors of the Druze massacre of 10,000 Maronite Christians in the mountains of Lebanon. By the next year, the orphanage had taken in 40 boys, and soon also began accepting girls. For eight decades, the Syrisches Waisenhaus (Syrian Orphanage) flourished, expanding to include an institution for the blind and a vocational school. It provided both academic and vocational training to orphaned boys and girls from Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Armenia, Turkey, Russia, Iran and Germany. By the end of the 1800s, it had become the largest compound outside of the Old City.

During the Second World War, British Mandate officials interned and deported the orphanage’s German staff. The sprawling site was turned into the largest Allied ammunition dump in the Middle East. In March 1948, with Britain quitting Palestine, the base was seized by the Zionist military organization Haganah. Following statehood, and until 2008, it served as an Israel Defence Forces camp.

When the Israeli army redeployed to bases in the Negev, the state-owned property was put up for sale by the Israel Lands Authority and ultimately purchased by the Rothner Highgates Group. Before construction could begin, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) carried out salvage digs – and archeologists discovered a winepress and bathhouse that served Rome’s 10th Legion Fretensis.

While Charedim have opposed other archeological digs, these excavations were carried out without incident.

“This is an excellent example of many years of cooperation and deep and close ties with the Charedi community,” said IAA Jerusalem district archeologist Amit Re’em. “The general public is used to hearing of the clashes between the archeologists and the Orthodox community around the issue of the graves, but is unaware of the joint work done on a daily basis and the interest expressed by the ultra-Orthodox sector. The Israel Antiquities Authority is working to instil our ancient cultural heritage in this population, as it does with other sectors.”

Respecting Merom Yerushalayim’s Charedi character, the project’s marketing wing, Sun-Chen, sends out a weekly Hebrew-language commentary on the Torah portion. Rothner Highgates’ promotional video depicts preparations for Shabbat and, towards the end of the advertisement, it says that the development is “20 minutes from the Kotel, three minutes from Geula. Close to the centre, close to the heart. Merom Yerushalayim. The best of two worlds.” It also describes it as “country living in the heart of Yerushalayim.”

Luxury competition

In 2011, Montreal billionaire Rabbi Hershey Friedman and a group of Canadian investors bought the heavily-indebted Azorim Investment Development and Construction Co. Azorim recently completed Boutique HaNevi’im on the Street of the Prophets near downtown Jerusalem. The seven-storey project includes 87 luxury apartments and a boutique hotel. The promotional video features Friedman standing on the roof terrace looking out over the golden Dome of the Rock citing, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither.” (Psalms 137:5)

Gil Zohar is a journalist based in Jerusalem.

נגד השנאה והגזענות

למזל בודדים השתתפו בהפגנת ארגוני הימין הקיצוני נגד ההגירה לקנדה, ביום שבת מול בית עיריית ונקובר. מולם עמדו כארבעת אלפים אזרחים שהגיעו למחות נגדם. (צילום: Cynthia Ramsay)

ראשי הקהילה היהודית בקנדה פרסמו בימים האחרונים הודעות פומביות המגנות נחרצות את השנאה והגזענות בקנדה, ארה”ב וספרד. זאת לאור האירועים האחרונים שהתרחשו בצפון אמריקה ובאירופה.

יו”ר מועצת המנהלים של הפדרציה היהודית של אזור מטרו ונקובר, קרן ג’יימס אמרה בהודעתה: “אנו מקפידים להביע גינוי נגד כל הביטויים של אפליה, שנאה, גזענות, שנאת זרים, הומופוביה ואנטישמיות בחברה שלנו. הם מאיימים על החברה הרב-תרבותית שלנו שהיא מסבירת פנים, אוהבת ומגוונת. ובמיוחד הם מתנגדים למחויבות שלנו לקבל ולהכליל שהם הערכים שהקהילה היהודית תמיד דוגלת בהם. אנו מביעים דאגה עמוקה ביותר מהאירועים שאורגנו על ידי הארגונים התומכים בעליונות הגזע הלבן והמתנגדים להגירה, בונקובר. צריך שיהיה ברור שאנו מגנים בצורה חד משמעית את העצרת הגזענית הזו. הקהילה שלנו יודעת היטב, כי כל ביטויי השינאה המכוונים למיעוטים בסופו של דבר מאיימים על החברה כולה. צריך לגלות אפס סובלנות לכל הביטויים הגזעניים בחברה שלנו. עלינו לזכור שקנדה אינה חסינה מאתגרים של אפליה, שנאה, גזענות, שנאת זרים, הומופוביה ואנטשימיות. בואו נעבוד ביחד כדי להבטיח שכולם ירגישו רצויים בעיר שלנו”.

מנכ”ל הפדרציה היהודית של אזור מטרו ונקובר, עזרא שנקן, אמר בהודעתו: “אני חייב קודם כל לנצל הזדמנות זו כדי לגנות את אירועי האלימות בשרלוטסוויל ובספרד בשבוע שעבר. אני בטוח שאתם מזדעזעים כמוני על השנאה והגזענות, הרצח חסר הטעם של הת”ר הייר בשרלוטסוויל ושל שלושה עשר האנשים בספרד, כאשר עשרות נוספים נפצעו. אפשר להרגיש זאת בקלות גם בקנדה, בזמן שאנו מתגאים כל כך במרקם הרב תרבותי של ארצנו, ואנחנו גם מתחלחלים מעצרות שנאה כמו זו שהייתה בשרלוטסוויל. למרבה הצער אנו לא חסינים לגמרי וכפי שאתם יודעים התקיימה עצרת של הימין הקיצוני ביום שבת האחרון מול בניין עיריית ונקובר. הפדרציה שלנו בשותפות עם המרכז לענייני היהודים וישראל בקנדה פרסמנו הודעה המגנה את עצרת הימין הקיצוני. אנו תמיד נשמיע את קולנו במחאה כאשר אנחנו רואים גזענות ושנאה, ואנו גם שמחים לראות שגם ראש העיר של ונקובר, גרג רוברטסון, היה קולני בהתנגדותו ואמר כי לשנאה ולגזענות אין מקום בעיר הזו”.

למזל בודדים השתתפו בהפגנת ארגוני הימין הקיצוני נגד ההגירה לקנדה, ביום שבת מול בית עיריית ונקובר. מולם עמדו כארבעת אלפים אזרחים שהגיעו למחות נגדם. כוחות מתוגברים של המשטרה נכחו במקום והם תארו את האירועים “כידידותיים”. בסך הכל רק חמישה מפגינים נעצרו על ידי המשטרה ושניים נוספים הובלו אל מחוץ לאזור ההפגנה.

מנכ”ל המרכז לענייני היהודים וישראל בקנדה, שמעון פוגל, אמר בהודעתו בין היתר את הדברים הבאים: “אנו מזועזעים מן הדימויים העולים משרלוטסוויל. תצוגה של נאצים והתומכים בעליונות של הגזע הלבן מזעזעת ומגעילה, את כל בני הרצון הטוב. עבור הקהילה שלנו, ובמיוחד עבור ניצולי השואה זה במיוחד צורם ומזכיר לנו את הרגעים האפלים ביותר בהיסטוריה שלנו. עבור אלה שמחוץ לקהילה היהודית, שרלוטסוויל צריכה לשמש תזכורת נחרצת לכך שהאינטישמיות היא אמיתית, הרסנית וקשורה קשר הדוק עם צורות אחרות של גזענות ושנאה. הקהילה היהודית מכירה היטב את השפעת השנאה הזאת. גם במדינה פלורליסטית כמו קנדה, היהודים נותרו הקהילה הדתית הממוקדת ביותר לפשעי השאה. ברור שאנו לא חסינים, אבל אנחנו לא לבד. קנדה היא בין המקומות הטובים ביותר בעולם להיות בו יהודים. יש לזכור שהמצב הביטחוני שלנו בקנדה לא השתנה גם היום”.

Shibli: a model Israeli town

Ruth Wasserman Lande is one of the four speakers at FEDtalks, the kickoff event of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s annual campaign, on Sept. 13. (photo from Ruth Wasserman Lande)

In her “day job,” Ruth Wasserman Lande is deputy director-general of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, a position in which, among other things, she seeks out the best practices of municipal governments around the world and shares them with cities and towns in Israel. As a “volunteer, extracurricular” side gig, she is involved in a pilot project that could have massive implications for Israel’s cohesion, security, economic and social advancement and the place of minorities within the country.

She and a group of volunteers – many of them, like her, alumni of the Wexner Foundation’s Israel fellowship at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government – are turning a disadvantaged Bedouin village in the north of Israel into a model community that can be replicated across the country.

Improving the economic conditions and the integration of non-Jewish citizens into the Zionist project is crucial for Israel’s future, Wasserman Lande said in a telephone interview with the Jewish Independent, and the Bedouin population is critical to this undertaking. She will speak about the project and its potential impacts at FEDtalks, the kickoff event of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s annual campaign, next month.

The town of Shibli Um El-Ghanem has a population of 6,700, all of whom are Muslim Bedouins and many of whom serve in the Israel Defence Forces or alternative civil service. Bedouins in the country’s north have a long history as “exemplary citizens,” going back to service in the War of Independence, she said.

“The potential impact of the 180,000 Bedouins in the north is far larger than their absolute number, and the country’s strategic alliance with them since the establishment of the state has been, and remains, key to its national security interests,” Wasserman Lande has written. The pilot project will “serve as a positive example to others in the village who do not serve in the IDF, as well as other minorities, who find themselves in the crossroads between different vectors which threaten to draw them away from moderate integration into Israeli society.”

Wasserman Lande notes that Egypt’s poor treatment of its Bedouin population is to blame for some of the anti-government unrest in Sinai, while Israel’s comparative success in integrating Bedouins has dissuaded many in that community from becoming attracted to extremist movements. Success in this pilot project is integral, she contends, to cementing Bedouin allegiance to Israel and providing an example to other minority communities.

The project is a multi-pronged effort to identify and address challenges and opportunities within the town. It includes the establishment of a centre for scientific excellence, as well as a regional centre of United Hatzalah, the first aid brigade created and run by Charedi Jews, which is often first on the scene at emergencies, providing basic medical care until the arrival of Magen David Adom. It also includes the creation of a Bedouin Heritage Visitors Centre, which will represent northern Bedouin culture and heritage.

A regional industrial park serving Jewish and Arab communities in the Lower Galilee is intended to provide opportunities for employment and growth.

In analyzing the untapped assets of the town, Wasserman Lande and her team identified tourism as a potential source of economic growth. Shibli is located at the base of Mount Tabor, which is home to two important churches – one Catholic and one Orthodox Christian – and is located in a place of immense natural beauty. The churches attract 500,000 pilgrims a year, but the area has done little to maximize the economic potential of these visitors. When the model is replicated in other towns, she said, economic assets unique to each place will be identified.

Shibli was selected to test the model because it ticked many boxes, one of which was the cooperation of the local authorities, including a mayor who is a dual Canadian-Israeli citizen. It is also notable that the town is on Israel’s demographic and geographic periphery and is socioeconomically disadvantaged.

While there are tangible components to the project, there are also capacity-building aspects that target less visible obstacles to the success of communities like Shibli. The central government, through its various ministries, allocates significant financial resources to local communities, but some are better than others at doing the administrative work required to access funding and use it efficiently. While public aid may be available, Wasserman Lande said, obtaining it often depends on “being able to speak to the right people, open the right doors, do the right follow-up.” Successful use of funds also depends on confronting nepotism and a lack of transparency in some communities. Part of the project is to develop skills in local leadership.

Wasserman Lande sees the entire undertaking as a Zionistic one.

“The vision is Zionistic, my drive and incentive is Zionistic,” she said. “I’m thinking, what is good for my country? It is very important for my country strategically that this particular population is aligned with its interests.”

If successful, the project will advance the Zionist project within Israel and abroad, she said.

“That will create, if it’s a success story, a model formulation for other minorities,” said Wasserman Lande. “It will also be a flagship against BDS [the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel] across the world as a beautiful, successful model formulation in a completely Muslim village. In a little bit of a later stage it can even serve as a potential bridge – a people bridge – between Israel and the Saudi Arabian Bedouins, Egyptian Bedouins … but we are not there yet. Furthermore, it will empower and enhance the Bedouins themselves, first and foremost those that live in that particular village.… That is something very, very special.”

Prior to beginning this project and her position as deputy director-general of the municipal authority, Wasserman Lande was an advisor to the late former president of Israel, Shimon Peres. From him, Wasserman Lande learned something that she said has served her well in this undertaking.

“I will say only one thing [about Peres]: he didn’t think that anything was impossible,” she said. “It was an inspiration for me. That’s really the driving force behind this whole project because I can definitely say from the bottom of my heart that it is very challenging.”

Wasserman Lande will be one of four speakers at FEDtalks on Sept. 13 – for tickets, visit jewishvancouver.com/fedtalks2017. The Independent has invited all four speakers to be featured in advance of the event. Next week: Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.

Trump equivocates

Anger over flag-raising

Kids4Peace at Camp Solomon Schechter. (photo from k4p.org)

Camp Solomon Schechter (CSS), located outside of Olympia, Wash., was mired in controversy earlier this summer, after it temporarily flew a small Palestinian flag alongside the large American, Canadian and Israeli flags that usually wave above the camp. The flag was hoisted to welcome a delegation from Kids4Peace, which included Palestinian Muslim and Christian children. The children had come to the Jewish summer camp to foster friendship and understanding.

According to a source at the camp, the decision to raise the Palestinian flag was not a political one, but was intended as an expression of the mitzvah of welcoming guests (hachnassat orchim).

The 13 children from Kids4Peace, whose visit inspired the incident, spent five days at the camp, where they attended Jewish prayers every day and learned about Zionism and Israel. Founded in Jerusalem in 2002, Kids4Peace is “a global movement of youth and families dedicated to ending conflict and inspiring hope in divided societies around the world,” according to its website. The organization works with more than 500 Palestinian, Israeli and North American youth.

“It provided an opportunity for many American Jewish campers to meet a Palestinian for the first time, and to recognize that there are Palestinian partners who want to work – together – for peace,” Kids4Peace Northwest regional director Jordan Goldwarg wrote on the Kids4Peace blog about the camp visit. “It provided an opportunity for Palestinian Kids4Peace participants to experience American Jewish life and to gain a deeper understanding of why a strong, stable Israel is so important for Jews the world over.”

The flag incident was first publicized on the Mike Report, an amateur news blog hosted out of Seattle by right-wing, pro-Israel activist Mike Behar, who was highly critical of the actions of CSS. The news of the raising of a Palestinian flag sparked intense criticism online and among some parents and alumni, including many British Columbians connected to the camp. The apology subsequently issued on the CSS Facebook page was met with so many hostile comments that the page itself was taken offline for a time.

The incident attracted attention in American Jewish papers, as well. Tablet’s Leil Leibowitz, who acknowledged that, on one level, the flag raising was a “sweet gesture,” nevertheless wrote a fiery op-ed accusing CSS of addressing “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a mindless, morally preening way, treating it not as something concrete but as a collection of grand symbolic gestures,” and suggesting that training children on such empty theatrics would set them up to join “fringe anti-Israel groups” as adults.

In a letter sent to parents and supporters following the visit, the camp wrote: “For the sake of a teachable moment, we did raise the Palestinian flag as a sign of friendship and acceptance. It was met with uncertainty by some campers and staff, especially the Israeli’s [sic], but all understood that the message of hope for peace by flying the Israeli flag alongside helped develop empathy. Still we plan to take down all the flags for Shabbat since there is no peace and also to relieve the sadness and anger that some feel by the site [sic] of the flag.”

The letter also said the camp remains “unabashedly pro-Israel and we are celebrating Israel alongside our new friends.”

“Camp Solomon Schechter is a proud Zionist and pro-Israel camp,” a subsequent statement said. “We honour the Israeli army and Israeli people on a daily basis at CSS. Our goal was to create a safe space for all, and begin dialogue among the next generation.”

The camp’s executive director, Sam Perlin, and co-board president, Andy Kaplowitz, also issued a statement responding to the depth of the negative responses from some members of the community: “Camp Solomon Schechter regrets raising the Palestinian flag alongside U.S., Canadian and Israeli flags … we neglected to foresee in such actions the serious political implications and, for that lapse in judgment, we are deeply sorry.”

Kids4Peace released an official statement, saying that, “To some, the Palestinian flag evokes the failure of past negotiations, continued hostility toward Israel and a feeling that there is no partner for peace.

“At the same time, the Palestinian youth who came to camp are precisely those peace leaders who are reaching out to work with Israelis to counter incitement and build a new future on a foundation of mutual respect and understanding. These Muslim and Christian youth are also part of the Palestinian people, and they deserve only admiration and support.”

The statement also noted, “Unfortunately, most Americans and Israelis never encounter any pro-peace Palestinian voices. Instead, their perspectives are shaped by painful past experiences and media portrayals that reinforce negative views. But it is wrong to view all Palestinians as enemies of Israel or the Jewish people. That’s why Kids4Peace came to camp in the first place.”

Both the Israeli and American governments have flown Palestinian flags in gestures of welcome or goodwill. The White House flew the Palestinian flag when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year. Israel lifted its ban on flying the Palestinian flag in 1993 and there were Palestinian flags flown at the Knesset in 2013, when a Palestinian delegation visited. Likewise, at a ceremony thanking all those who helped douse the wildfires in Israel’s north in 2016, the Palestinian flag was flown at an Israeli air base, next to the flags of Turkey, Russia and Greece.

Matthew Gindin is a freelance journalist, writer and lecturer. He writes regularly for the Forward and All That Is Interesting, and has been published in Religion Dispatches, Situate Magazine, Tikkun and elsewhere. He can be found on Medium and Twitter. This article was originally published by CJN.

IDF colonel visits Vancouver

Left to right: Ilan Pilo, Jewish National Fund, Pacific Region; Col. Adam Susman, Israel Defence Forces defence attaché to Canada; and Rabbi Shmulik Yeshayahu of the Ohel Yaakov Community Kollel. (photo from Community Kollel)

While acknowledging that the situation in the Middle East is constantly changing, Col. Adam Susman told those gathered at the Ohel Yaakov Community Kollel on July 18 that the biggest threat to Israel is Iran, “as it has been for years.”

Susman, who is the Ottawa-based Israel Defence Forces (IDF) defence attaché to Canada, was in Vancouver at the invitation of the Jewish National Fund of Canada, Pacific Region.

Born in the United Kingdom, Susman moved to Moshav Sde Nitzan in southern Israel at the age of 3, according to JNF’s website. He joined the IDF’s Givati Brigade in 1987 and became a battalion commander after serving as head of the anti-ballistic and training branches. In 2005, he was appointed commander of Hanegev infantry brigade and chief of staff of the Sinai division, protecting Israel’s southern border. In 2009, he became commander of the Dan district in Home Front Command, working to ensure the safety of civilians in the metro Tel Aviv area. Prior to his appointment as the defence attaché to Canada in 2014, Susman was head of the International Military Cooperation Department of the IDF General Staff.

Rabbi Shmulik Yeshayahu of the Community Kollel was the emcee of the Vancouver event. “It is fitting to have this meeting during the weekly Torah portion of Matot-Masei,” he said in his opening comments. “In this parashah, a portion of the Jewish people stays behind on the way to the Holy Land, preferring to farm on the other side of the Jordan River rather than go in and fight for the land. They stayed there while the rest of the tribes fought and, later, they joined them. In Judaism, we have great respect for those who risk their lives to protect other people, and especially our homeland.”

Before introducing Susman to those gathered, Ilan Pilo, executive director and Jerusalem emissary of JNF Canada, Pacific Region, presented a brief video about JNF’s activities throughout Israeli history. He then invited the president of Royal Canadian Legion’s Shalom Branch, Ralph Jackson, to speak. Jackson, who introduced himself as “the only Jew in the Scots Guards during World War Two,” presented a donation of $5,000 to Susman for Beit Halochem, a nonprofit that cares for disabled Israeli veterans.

Leonard Shapiro, Shalom Branch vice-president, noted how the branch was formed during a time of great prejudice, when Jews needed their own veterans organization. “It has been a long time now since we’ve gone to war, however, thank God. We don’t get many new members. If anyone here would like to join and support our organization and activities, you don’t have to have been in the army, you just need to be over 18 and not have committed any horrible crimes. Little ones, OK,” he joked.

Susman shared a bit about himself and his experience in the Givati Brigade, which was the most highly decorated brigade in the 2014 conflict, a fact no doubt known to the many IDF veterans in the audience.

Susman is one of 16 Israeli attachés around the world – a small number that, he said, was due to Israel never having been part of a military coalition with another country. He outlined the ties between the Israeli and Canadian militaries, the chief threats to Israel today and the IDF’s response.

“There is cooperation between the IDF and the Canadian military strategically and practically,” he said. “The relations between the IDF and the Canadian military are good.”

Asked if the change of Canada’s federal government to the Liberals from the Conservatives had had any effect on that relationship, Susman said it had not.

Turning to the situation in Israel’s own region, he emphasized the lack of stability.

“The Middle East is an interesting neighbourhood, always changing – what I tell you today may not be true tomorrow,” he said.

“The biggest threat is Iran, as it has been for years,” he continued. “[Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad took every opportunity to say that Israel should disappear from the map of the world. The main threat they’ve posed has been building Hezbollah – without Iran, it would be a small organization. In recent years, Hezbollah has been fighting in Syria and they’ve lost a lot of people, but they’ve also gained a lot of operational experience. They have also steadily increased in rocket capabilities and can now reach Eilat.”

Susman said that Syria had previously been a big threat to Israel, but that’s no longer the case, due to its civil war and ISIS, as well as the reduction of the country’s chemical weapons by Western countries.

Hamas in Gaza is the next biggest threat, he said, noting that it is also supported by Iran. “They only exist to fight,” he said. “They are not building up Gazans as they claim. A good example is the tunnel found during 2014 Protective Edge, kilometres of resources that could [have been used] for clinics and schools. Gaza is a piece of cheese, there is 80 metres between the top and the water table, dotted with tunnels. That’s a major challenge.

“The Sinai is also a security problem,” he added. “Nobody controls it, and so everybody is in there. There was no Egyptian military following the peace agreement, so that’s the result. The MFO (Multinational Force and Observers) was created to survey the Sinai and, by the way, there are many Canadians in it.

“Some people say the IDF is a military that has a country,” quipped Susman. “We are strong, and we are good at finding solutions.”

Susman cited Iron Dome as an example. The IDF initially divided Israel into 157 zones with two missile interceptors for each missile. That was successful, he said, but each missile cost $70,000 so that intercepting one fired missile cost $140,000. Therefore, the IDF sought improvements. Israel was divided into 254 zones, he said, and each one had only one missile interceptor per fired missile. This system has a 90% success rate stopping missiles, which is still not good enough in Susman’s view. “We will improve yet further,” he said.

During the question-and-answer period, an audience member commented, “You said Iran is the biggest threat against Israel but you didn’t say what Israel is doing against Iran.”

“That’s right,” replied Susman without further explanation, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

The evening ended with the singing of “Am Yisrael Chai,” led by Yeshayahu.