News – Page 28

Politicians make their pitches

BC New Democratic Party candidate Kelly Greene, left, represented the incumbent party in Richmond-Steveston, and BC Conservative Party candidate Michelle Mollineaux, who is challenging Greene for the seat, spoke at a candidates forum last month, hosted by Beth Tikvah and CIJA.

British Columbia’s Oct. 19 election is now short days away. While provincial politics has not traditionally been a forum for issues of culturally specific concerns to Jewish voters, matters like public safety in response to rising antisemitism, and problematic developments in the education system, have focused attention for Jewish voters.

These concerns took centre-stage at a candidates forum co-organized by Beth Tikvah Congregation, in Richmond, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Sept. 22. Hate crimes, British Columbia’s Anti-Racism Act, the definition of antisemitism, communal security, law enforcement and a host of other issues were addressed by election candidates representing the BC New Democratic Party and the BC Conservatives. The BC Green Party was invited to send a representative but did not.

Kelly Greene, the NDP member of the legislative assembly for Richmond-Steveston, represented the incumbent party. She said she has been having conversations with parents and students who are experiencing antisemitism.

“There is fear where there wasn’t before,” Greene said, declaring that schools need to be safe and welcoming for everyone. She pointed to the NDP government’s commitment to implementing mandatory Holocaust education and said the NDP government has instituted a “suite of actions,” including improved antiracism data collection, new hate crime policies for prosecutors to address wilful promotion of hatred, and the creation of a racist incident hotline.

More needs to be done, she acknowledged. “It is a work in progress, to be honest,” she said.

On the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, Greene said the government needs “to be nimble” and should avoid including specific definitions in legislation. She cited the spike in anti-Asian hate during the COVID pandemic as an example of unanticipated incidents, responses to which could be hindered by narrowly defined descriptions of the problem.

The Conservatives disagree on this point. Michelle Mollineaux, the Conservative candidate challenging Greene in Richmond-Steveston, said her party – win or lose – will bring the adoption of the IHRA definition to the floor on the first day of the new legislative session.

Mollineaux noted that her party has released a comprehensive antisemitism strategy, in which they promise a special advisor on antisemitism and Jewish community affairs, collaboration for safety in the community and schools, and an investigation into bias in classrooms.

“Antisemitism is the most heinous crime against the Jewish community,” said Mollineaux, who called for more antisemitism programs in schools and increased education about Jewish people, history and the Holocaust.

“Oct. 7 was a reflection of the ignorance of what the Jewish people have been facing,” she said.

No ideologies – or Palestinian flags – should be allowed in public school classrooms, Mollineaux said. “Children need to feel safe,” she said. “Students are not safe”

Mollineaux said, “Universities should limit the amounts of protests that are going on. Those kinds of ideologies have to stop.… What they’re doing is wrong because it breeds hate.”

Addressing legislation that would create “bubble zones” around sites such as Jewish schools and community centres to prevent disruptive protests, New Democrat Greene called it a “sad reflection” that any institution needs such protections, as hospitals did during the pandemic to prevent anti-vaccine activists from impeding access to facilities.

Mollineaux did not disagree with the possibility of using bubble zones but said there needs to be more focus on the underlying problems. Education, embracing all cultures and “understanding where we came from,” must be the means to making such bubble zones unnecessary.

“How many bubbles do we have to keep building?” she asked.

Shane Foxman, a former journalist and now director of development for Vancouver Talmud Torah elementary school, moderated the forum, and asked why public expressions that seem to contravene hate crime laws are not resulting in criminal charges.

Greene responded that the New Democrat government has hired more prosecutors to reduce the workload and provided new guidelines to the Crown on suspected hate crimes.

Mollineaux said “police are under-resourced” and alleged that courts give “a slap on the hand” to perpetrators so that victims are revictimized and offenders “get off scot-free.” She called the court system a “revolving door.” She also called for mandatory antisemitism training for all police and politicians.

“We need to get this under control,” she said.

On the cost of living and issues affecting children and families, both candidates agreed that more needs to be done.

Mollineaux said children with special needs are not getting the educational supports they require and children in provincial care are aging out and becoming homeless adults.

On housing, Greene noted that the most recent statistics show rental prices declining in Metro Vancouver, even as they rise across Canada. She said the speculation and vacancy tax has freed up 20,000 more units of housing, while the government is building more.

Access to family doctors is improving, Greene added, with more than 800 family doctors hired in the last year alone.

Beth Tikvah’s Rabbi Susan Tendler delivered an Indigenous land acknowledgement and blew the shofar.

Another Jewish community election forum, featuring candidates in the riding of Vancouver-Langara, was to take place Oct. 9, after the Independent’s deadline.

The election landscape took a dramatic turn last month, when an agreement between Conservative party leader John Rustad and BC United leader Kevin Falcon resulted in BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) suspending their campaign in an effort to unite the right-of-centre vote. Some former BC United candidates are now running as independents, including two in Richmond.

Election day is a Saturday, but there are many ways to vote. Anyone can vote by mail. Advance voting is available at designated locations in every constituency Oct. 10-13 and Oct. 15-16 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting is also possible at any district electoral office. Full details are available at elections.bc.ca.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has a BC Election Hub at cija.ca/bc_election_hub. This resource outlines community priorities and contains a range of other information. CJPAC, the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee, has election-related information at cjpac.ca.

Running on core values

Nina Krieger is the BC New Democratic Party candidate in the riding of Victoria-Swan Lake on Vancouver Island. (photo from ninakrieger.bcndp.ca)

Nina Krieger, former executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, will be the New Democratic Party candidate for Victoria-Swan Lake in the Oct. 19 provincial election. She will be vying for the seat vacated by the minister of transportation and infrastructure in the present cabinet, Rob Fleming, who announced this summer that he will not be seeking reelection.

Krieger told the Independent that her work at the VHEC and her decision to seek public office were inspired by having grown up in a family of teachers, with a father who was a union leader, and the values that permeated her home: education and helping others.

“In my household, I learned about the importance of institutions in society, such as unions, that support people when they are facing challenges,” said Krieger, who believes that the BC NDP have acted on this philosophy while in government.

Krieger was the VHEC’s executive director for 12 years and its education director for six. Under her stewardship in recent years, she has positioned the VHEC, located in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, to be part of JWest, the redevelopment of the JCC, which will mean increased availability of childcare, more seniors services, and expanded arts and cultural spaces, among other things.

“The forward-looking and hopeful work of VHEC and the JWest project speak to the shared responsibility to uplift one another, which is at the heart of my values, Canadian values and the BC NDP’s values,” Krieger said.

Her choice to enter the political arena during this, in her view, critical election is led by a desire to bring people together in this era of increased social and philosophical polarization.

“I would like to use my voice, and my experience as someone who has led and bridged communities, to work to build a better BC for all. Times are challenging right now, and I believe that we need a government that is fighting for you and your family and your ability to live a good life,” Krieger said.

Similar to ridings throughout the province, housing, health care and the cost of living are top-of-mind for voters in Victoria-Swan Lake. Krieger points to plans the NDP has put in place to build hundreds of thousands of new homes and dozens of new hospitals, to reduce ICBC rates and to lower the costs of childcare. Each of these items, she warned, could be on the budgetary chopping board were John Rustad and the BC conservatives to take power.

“We all want the same things: to afford the costs of everyday life, to have access to quality health care when we need it, and to have strong services that we can count on, from childcare to long-term care. We want to be part of strong, safe, prosperous and caring communities,” Krieger said.

One consistent thread in the NDP’s campaign has been to draw attention to the propensity of some in the BC Conservative Party to lend to too much credence to, if not openly adhere to, conspiracy theories.

“As a Holocaust educator, I know about the danger of conspiracy theories. Students of history and observers of politics know that conspiratorial rhetoric has real consequences. It sows distrust in government and distrust between communities and between neighbours,” Krieger said. “Unfortunately, John Rustad and several BC Conservative candidates have a track record of peddling untruths and conspiracies, something that is dangerous to the fabric of civil society.”

Krieger is one of two Jewish candidates known to the JI among the more than 300 people competing for 93 seats in the 2024 race. In this capacity, and as someone who has led a Jewish organization, founded by Holocaust survivors, she believes she can serve as a connection between government and the Jewish community, so that government understands the experiences of Jews in the province, and can act in a way that is guided by this understanding.

“I am committed to bringing my experience and insights to the vital task of building a more just and inclusive society, where the safety, security and well-being of Jewish people and all people are prioritized,” she said.

Amid the surge in antisemitism across the province and around the world since the Hamas attacks on Israel a year ago, Krieger sees a role for an MLA to connect with Jews in British Columbia. She said she has experienced the same pain and anxiety many in the Jewish community have felt in the wake of Oct 7.

“Countering antisemitism requires a whole-of-society commitment that includes the active participation of governments and civil society. If I am elected, I will do my part and will connect with Jewish constituents to ensure their lived experiences are brought forward in provincial discussions,” Krieger said.

Premier David Eby understands these concerns, Krieger said, pointing to a hate-crime prosecution policy that includes fighting antisemitism and the provision of anti-hate security funding to the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. Nonetheless, she and Eby agree that more needs to be done to ensure everyone in the province feels safe.

Although foreign affairs are not a provincial matter, Krieger said MLAs play a critical role in listening to local communities affected by global conflicts and in supporting people in British Columbia by providing a sense of security. Moreover, she stressed, many in the province are deeply affected by the Israel-Hamas war and it is distressing for all people of good conscience to witness suffering and the loss of life.

“While the conflict in the Middle East will not be solved at the provincial level, there is a responsibility to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate of all forms in our society, and to ensure that people feel safe in our public spaces and public institutions,” Krieger said.

As head of the VHEC, Krieger consulted with the Ministry of Education and Childcare about making Holocaust education mandatory for high school students in the province, starting in the fall of 2025.

“We know that learning about the Holocaust can help young people be more resilient to antisemitism, xenophobia and conspiracy theories,” she said. “If elected, I would welcome an opportunity to contribute to ongoing efforts to strengthen Holocaust education and combat antisemitism.”

Should she win a seat, Krieger imagines that she also will have a role to play in ensuring that there is a diversity of lived and professional experiences around the caucus table, and in bringing her expertise with intercultural work, as well as countering antisemitism and hate, to the role of MLA.

There is a great deal at stake in this election, Krieger said, and this was her motivation to seek office under the NDP tent. The NDP’s seven-year tenure, she said, has made strides in improving housing, health care and affordability.

“Now is not the time for cuts to programs and services. Now is not the time to take away cost savings. Now is not the time to cancel initiatives that are starting to make a difference in the lives of people. Now is not the time to question climate science or make decisions based on conspiracy theories,” Krieger said.

Since its formation in 2009, the Victoria-Swan Lake riding has voted solidly in favour of the NDP, with Fleming obtaining a sizable majority in each of the last four provincial elections.

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

Issues close to heart

Policy priorities of Claire Rattee, the BC Conservative Party candidate in the riding of Skeena, include mental health and addictions, low-income housing, emergency weather shelters, economic development, and antisemitism. (photo from conservativebc.ca)

There is not much of a Jewish community in Kitimat, but Claire Rattee hopes that, if she is elected to the legislature in the northwest riding of Skeena this month, she will be able to raise the visibility.

Rattee originates from the Lower Mainland and moved to Kitimat 13 years ago. She served a term on Kitimat city council, ran twice for the federal Conservatives and is now seeking to be elected as the Conservative MLA for the sprawling riding, which encompasses Terrace, as well as Kitimat, and smaller communities along the Alaska border and in the interior of the region. The constituency has a history of swinging between parties. It has been won in the past two elections by Ellis Ross, who was elected as a BC Liberal and is leaving provincial politics to run federally as a Conservative. The Liberal party became BC United and subsequently folded its campaign. Rattee said the decision to unite the right-of-centre campaign was felt palpably in her door-to-door campaigning.

“We were already looking very good here in this riding at that point,” she said. “But that definitely changed things significantly.… Now, it’s essentially just going to be a two-way race between myself and the NDP candidate.”

Rattee is running against Terrace city councilor Sarah Zimmerman, who was nominated as the BC NDP candidate in June.

Close to Rattee’s heart are policies around support for people experiencing addictions.

“In my later years of high school, I basically had some problems with drugs … where I was in active addiction and my family was obviously trying to help me to get out of that and, eventually, I decided that I was ready,” she told the Independent.

Rattee turned 19 in treatment and then thought a change of environment would be helpful. After moving to Kitimat, she became an entrepreneur and sought to get involved in the community.

“Obviously, with my background, I’ve got a lot of passion for addressing the issues of mental health and addictions,” she said. “The lack of treatment facilities in this region is extremely frustrating for me, just based on the experiences that I went through.”

Low-income housing and emergency weather shelters for people experiencing homelessness are also priorities. Economic development in the region is an issue she championed on council, she said, and she wants the area recognized as the economic driver it is in the province.

Rattee’s parents converted to Judaism around the time she was born, she said, but sent the kids to Christian schools.

“We are not Orthodox,” she said. “My father ran a sort of church service and we had about 50 people that were a part of that organization and my father still runs Bible study every Saturday and I try to partake in that via Zoom when I can.”

Asked to clarify if she considers herself Christian or Jewish, Rattee said that she and her three siblings consider themselves Jewish.

“It’s a little bit confusing,” she said. “Not to get into the weeds on it too much, but I would essentially consider ourselves converts. My father was raised Catholic but he converted to Judaism when I was born and so we follow Torah, we respect the Talmud, but we’re not Orthodox.” Her mother also converted, she said, but returned to Christianity after the parents separated.

Rattee said she is proud that her party has released a “comprehensive antisemitism strategy.” The proposal, unveiled Sept. 20, calls for the adoption of the International Holocaust

Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism; linking funding for universities to accountability on student safety, including that of Jewish students; launching an investigation into Samidoun, a Vancouver-based group with ties to extremism; increased provincial funding for JWest, the redevelopment of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver; and an inquiry into the BC Teachers’ Federation on issues of Israel and Palestine, among other commitments.

“Particularly right now in this political climate, we’re seeing a significant rise in antisemitism,” said Rattee. “We’ve been very clear from the outset, our party leader has been clear from the outset, that we stand with the Jewish people, we stand with Israel.”

Seniors advocates honoured

Isobel Mackenzie, left, and Selina Robinson will be honoured at Jewish Seniors Alliance’s AGM Nov. 3.

The Jewish Seniors Alliance of Greater Vancouver’s annual general meeting on Nov. 3 will serve as an opportunity to welcome the organization’s first-ever executive director, Jeff Moss, and to honour two prominent women in provincial politics who have been dedicated to seniors throughout their careers: Selina Robinson and Isobel Mackenzie.

JSA chair Tammi Belfer will introduce Moss, whose hiring marks a significant change in the alliance’s 21-year history. The shift, she said, will enable the board of directors to focus on policy-making and high-level planning, while collaborating with the new executive director and staff on implementation.

“This transition is a gradual process, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to each board member for their years of unpaid work,” said Belfer. “Together with our executive director, we can now strategically plan every event, raise much-needed funds, and improve and expand our services to our ultimate clients – the seniors of Greater Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and the entire province.”

Moss told the Independent that he is looking forward to his first AGM as executive director, a job he started in July, and that, in his new position, he plans to recognize the past and look ahead to the future of the “modern, inclusive and dynamic charity.”

“I am pleased to work alongside our incredible community partners, with the support of our generous donors, a committed board and motivated staff,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to build on our strong reputation for positively impacting the lives of lonely and isolated seniors.”

Belfer praised Moss as JSA prepares for its move away from an operational board, noting that the coming year will not be an easy one, but it will be exciting.

“Jeff and I form a great partnership and I hope, together, we bring the name and extreme value of JSA to the forefront of all seniors. This population is growing and the need is increasing. Vancouver and BC can count on us to be there for seniors. We are seniors stronger together,” she said.

“Jeff’s caring nature and strong management skills are the exact combination we need for our first executive director,” she added. “When he reaches out to you, make a point of meeting with him – you are in for a treat.”

Robinson, who has been the member of the legislative assembly for Coquitlam-Maillardville since 2013, is not running for reelection on Oct. 19. She made the decision to retire for several reasons (jewishindependent.ca/the-aftermath-of-resignation) and is in the final stages of writing a memoir, which is set for release in November.

Before gaining a seat in the legislature, Robinson worked as a family therapist and was a city councilor in Coquitlam for two terms. Her career includes having been associate executive director of Vancouver’s Jewish Family Service Agency. As an MLA, she served as opposition critic on seniors, mental health and addictions, and other issues. In government, she served as minister of municipal affairs and housing, and as British Columbia’s finance minister. She was minister of post-secondary education and future skills until earlier this year.

“Representing people in my community and being their voice in government has been the greatest honour, and having JSA acknowledge that work warms my heart,” Robinson told the Independent. “Thank you, JSA, for being such great partners.

“Jewish Seniors Alliance understands that, in order to have a strong community, you need to make sure that the community has what it needs,” she said. “JSA engages Jewish seniors to provide them with services and supports, and to better understand their needs so that they can advocate for resources to better meet those needs.”

Mackenzie – who is nominated for a term this year on JSA’s board of directors – served for 10 years under both Liberal and NDP governments as the province’s first seniors advocate, before her retirement earlier this year. Her efforts won her widespread plaudits and dispelled initial skepticism concerning the effectiveness of the new office.

In a piece for the Orca in March, shortly after it was announced that Mackenzie would leave her role as seniors advocate, political commentator Rob Shaw wrote, “She left widely respected by all sides at the legislature, inside the Ministry of Health and even amongst the seniors care groups she has occasionally clashed with in her reports.

“Mackenzie’s work highlighting care hour shortages in long-term care homes, first-bed refusal policy problems, partners split up in assisted living, consent and admission concerns, and the underperformance of private long-term care facilities using public funding have all led to government reforms. She created a useful and relevant database on care homes. And she’s still fighting for a hike to the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) rates.”

In the 1990s, long before she became the province’s seniors advocate, Mackenzie was chief executive officer of the provincial nonprofit Beacon Community Services, where she led a new model of dementia care that has become a national best practice, and established safety accreditation for home-care workers.

Jewish community member Dan Levitt is the new provincial seniors advocate, taking over from Mackenzie.

The JSA AGM on Nov. 3 will be held at Congregation Beth Israel, starting at 5 p.m. Dinner tickets are $75 and attendees are requested to RSVP by Oct. 20 to [email protected] or 604-732-1555.

Anyone who has made a donation to JSA of $18 or more in the past 12 months is considered a member in good standing and is eligible to vote at the AGM.

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

Humanizing hostages’ plight

Rabbi Jonathan Infeld, left, in conversation with Thomas Hand at Congregation Beth Israel. (Adele Lewin Photography)

Emily Hand was a healthy 8-year-old girl with chubby cheeks on Oct. 7, 2023, when she was abducted by Hamas terrorists from a sleepover at a friend’s home on Kibbutz Be’eri. When she was released, 50 days later, she was a pale, gaunt 9-year-old who would not speak above the faintest whisper.

Emily and her dad, Thomas Hand, were in Vancouver this month, where the father was part of Congregation Beth Israel’s Selichot program Sept. 28. He spoke with the Independent in advance of the conversation he had with Rabbi Jonathan Infeld at the synagogue.

On Oct. 7 last year, Emily was at the home of her friend Hila Rotem-Shoshani. After the terrorists invaded the kibbutz and the murderous rampage subsided, Thomas Hand had no idea where his daughter was. It was almost midnight that evening when the Israel Defence Forces made it to Be’eri and rescued the survivors. In the chaos of the moment, Hand was told that his daughter was dead.

His immediate response was relief.

“It’s a terrible thing to say,” said Hand, “but I was more relieved and at peace that she was at peace and not being terrorized or beaten or threatened or in the hands of the Hamas.”

Eventually, it would become known that, of Be’eri’s approximately 1,100 residents, about 100 were murdered and about 50 taken hostage to Gaza. Be’eri’s surviving residents were removed to a location near the Dead Sea.

After a few days, Hand was informed that there was no evidence that Emily had been murdered. Her remains were not found and neither was any of her DNA. Hand has no explanation for how the misunderstanding occurred. His former wife, however, was found dead. (Emily’s mother died of cancer when Emily was 2.)

Now, Emily was officially missing.

A kibbutz member mentioned to Hand that they had seen Raaya Rotem “and her two children” led away at gunpoint. Hand knew that Rotem has only one daughter – Emily’s friend Hila – and that was his confirmation that Emily had been abducted alive.

“When they told me that she was actually alive, I was in the nightmare of not knowing what the hell was going to happen to her,” he said.

It is now known that Emily, Hila and Raaya were taken to Gaza, moved from location to location for the first couple of days and then held in a house along with several other hostages.

They lived in constant terror and were given very little food – a quarter of a pita a day sometimes, though they could smell the plentiful food their captors were cooking. Their accommodations were squalid, they were watched while using the toilet and warned to remain totally silent.

Doing what he could to raise global awareness of his daughter’s situation, as well as those of the other hostages, Hand launched a campaign, beginning with a trip to Ireland. Hand had made aliyah from Ireland and Emily, as a result, is a dual citizen. Hand then traveled to the United States and appeared on American TV, further humanizing the plight of the hostages and their families.

In November last year, during the temporary ceasefire, Emily was one of 105 hostages freed. She was released along with Hila. Hila’s mother Raaya was released a couple of days later.

Hand has no clear memories of their reunion, except that he would not allow himself to believe it would happen until they locked eyes.

“Anything could go wrong,” he said of the temporary ceasefire negotiations and promised release of the hostages. “Not until the very last second did I really believe that she was coming back, only when I saw her eyes.”

The joy of reunion was mixed with the harsh reality of what she had endured.

“She came back a different child,” Hand said, reflecting on her transformation from an innocent 8-year-old to a much-matured child shaped by trauma. The changes were most immediately noticeable physically. “Her cheekbones were sharp, her body much thinner.”

The effects of being threatened for more than two months to remain silent did not dissipate immediately either.

“When she came back, she was whispering, just moving her lips,” he said. “Her confidence was shattered.”

Since Emily’s release, the Hands – she has an older brother, 29, and a sister, 27 – have been working to help her recover. Therapies, including horse riding, dog training, theatre and singing, have played a crucial role in rebuilding her confidence. Regular psychological support in Tel Aviv, despite being a two-hour drive, has also been essential.

“She’s very strong, very resilient,” said her father.

The Hand family has relocated to a semi-permanent residence near Be’er Sheva while they await the reconstruction of Be’eri, to which he is determined to return.

“It’s been my home for over 30 years. I raised my eldest kids and Emily there,” he said. “It’s paradise. I want to go back home.”

Not all kibbutz members feel the pull to return, he acknowledged, though he estimates that 75% of the surviving members hope to rebuild there. Security, of course, is the foremost concern.

“The government needs to be different, and Hamas needs to be as weak as we can possibly make them because I need to feel safe in my own home before I would ever bring Emily back there again,” he said.

Reflecting on the international response to the crisis, Hand expressed frustration.

“Why is the UN or all the governments in the world not putting the pressure on Hamas to stop?” he asked.

To critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza, he is defiant. “We have to defend ourselves, and we will defend ourselves,” he said, “no matter what the world says or thinks.”

As Emily continues her recovery, Hand remains focused on a mission.

“Our primary concern now is getting the hostages back,” he said.

Kibbutz residents returning

The medical centre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where at least five people were murdered Oct. 7, 2023. (photo by Melanie Preston)

I’m sitting in the dining hall at Kibbutz Be’eri, as people begin to enter for their Sunday lunch at 11:39 a.m. Sunday is like Monday here in Israel, the work week being Sunday through Thursday.

I’d never spent time on a kibbutz until now, except for a few days on my Birthright trip, which was my introduction to Israel. But now, I’m not only on a kibbutz, but on Kibbutz Be’eri, less than five kilometres away from Gaza, less than a year after the worst terror attack on Israeli soil.

On Oct. 12, 2023, in the Times of Israel article “Be’eri’s residents are gone, but their homes attest to the horrors they endured,” there was this incredible statement by Doron Spielman from the Israel Defence Forces’ Spokesperson’s Unit: “In the same way that Auschwitz is the symbol of the Holocaust, Be’eri is going to become the symbol of the [Oct. 7] massacre. The level of inhumanity of Hamas fighters surprised even us, Israelis who had no illusions about what Hamas is.”

And, yet, here I am, bearing witness as approximately 200 kibbutz members of the 1,100 total, have returned to live here. This does not include any children, due to the war next door in Gaza, and, of course, the traumatic memories of Oct. 7.

The majority of Be’eri’s residents have just been moved from the Dead Sea-area hotels that housed them for the past year to Kibbutz Hatzerim, 45 minutes away from Be’eri, a wonderful community who rushed to build a new section of homes to accommodate them. This is where the families with children are now settling in and where school has just begun.

But there are many residents, couples with grown children, or singles without children, who have chosen to return to Be’eri. At first, they only commuted here to work during the week, but they are now choosing to stay full-time. They are determined to be back at home, to establish new routines, care for the grounds, hang out at the local pub and prove to the world and to the enemies who tried to destroy them and their spirit that they have done anything but that. The spirit in Be’eri is hurting, yes, but it is also fierce, and it will not be extinguished.

Last week, Israel’s Channel 12 aired a new documentary showing the horror that took place here on Black Saturday. It included footage from cameras all over the kibbutz, and the camera they kept returning to was right outside the dining hall in which I am writing right now.

How different it was to watch this documentary, how odd to watch the silent camera footage, how chilling, when I knew the reality on Oct. 7 was sirens blaring the entire day, due to thousands of rockets overhead, and screams from those being attacked all over Be’eri, in neighbouring communities and all over the nearby desert and forests, as young adults ran to try and escape the Nova music festival, many meeting a violent death.

I watched the tick, tick, tick of the digital clock in the corner of the TV screen on this documentary as Hamas terrorists methodically made their way through offices and the kibbutz’s medical centre, where at least five workers were massacred, and homes and children’s rooms, trapping people together and smoking and burning people to death, shooting them if they attempted escape, like Narkis Hand was forced to do when an RPG hit her home, setting it instantly on fire.

Narkis Hand was Thomas Hand’s former wife and the mother of his older children, Natali and Aiden. Thomas Hand’s younger daughter, Emily, then age 8, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists with her friend Hila and Hila’s mother Raaya for 50 days, though he was originally told she had been killed.

The first and only time I had been to Be’eri before now was last February, when I visited with a different resident, Adam Rapoport, whose older brother Yonatan was murdered at some point between “6:29 a.m. and the end of day,” noted the documentary, as the silent clock in the upper left-hand corner went tick, tick, tick on Oct. 7.

photo - Adam Rapoport by the Dead Sea — Adam Rapoport by the Dead Sea. *(photo by Melanie Preston)*

Like many others from these communities, Adam will never know exactly what happened to his brother that day, other than that he saved his kids’ lives by ordering them under the bed, where they would spend 11 hours listening to the horrors taking place in the peaceful community they’d grown up in. Six-year-old Aluma and 9-year-old Yosef would later tell their uncles that Dad had said he was going out to get the terrorists money at the ATM.

“There were just too many … bodies … to learn what happened, and that was just at Be’eri,” Adam told me back in February, at the Dead Sea hotel where he and other evacuees were staying, the day before he brought me here to bear witness.

This was an invasion into homes that lasted an entire day and involved such gore that I hesitate to go into detail.

It involved shooting a 3-month-old baby in the head, in front of her mother, in Kibbutz Be’eri, and burning an entire family alive from neighbouring Kibbutz Nir Oz, including all three young children.

It involved murdering parents in front of their children and then kidnapping the children – and these sons and daughters have still not returned home. Some are confirmed dead in Gaza and are bodies waiting to be brought back, like Adam’s best friend Itay Svirsky, which was how I initially met Adam and began learning about this community, while others are likely still alive in captivity, starving and suffering in ways human beings should not be permitted to suffer. But the Red Cross has done nothing for the hostages since the very beginning.

In Israel, we have waited, prayed, hoped and fought. We have gone to weekly rallies in Tel Aviv and Kiryat Gat, saying the hostages’ names and counting the days, chanting “Achshav, achshav, achshav.” (“Now, now, now.”)

We have had to silence our phones, as constant notifications appear, notifying us of the nonstop rockets entering our airspace and our cities from Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and other groups in Iraq and Syria, while ongoing predictions about whether Iran will or won’t do something big (and when they will or won’t do it) are discussed and analyzed.

But, since arriving on Kibbutz Be’eri last month, I have felt a shift.

It’s a unique kind of optimism I have never quite seen. It’s pride and it’s love and it’s strength and it’s resolve and it’s “F—- you, we’re not leaving.” It’s coming from returning Kibbutz Be’eri members, it’s coming from people like myself who have come to Be’eri since Oct. 7 to help with the land and to work, to add to the life being rebuilt here and to help heal the collective broken heart of this community.

I fell in love with Israel because I fell in love with its people. I am here in Israel to tell the stories of what happened on Oct. 7, 2023, and is still happening, at every moment of every day for these incredible people, these people of Kibbutz Be’eri and elsewhere, who have come back to their lives and are attempting “normality” on their beautiful land.

Melanie Preston is a Canadian-born, American-raised, Jewish writer and traveler who discovered Israel at the age of 26, immigrated to the country and stayed for seven years. She flew to Israel alone on Nov. 16, 2023, from her home in Charlotte, NC, and was there to March of this year. She returned to Israel last month to continue writing about the hostages and impacts of October 7th on Israeli society. She intends to spend more time with the survivors of Kibbutz Be’eri as it is rebuilt. To support her work and read more of it, go to melanie-preston.com, or visit her GoFundMe (Raising Awareness on Israel’s War).

Relations at low ebb: Shamir

Claudia Goldman, left, presents Bev Corber with the Claudia Goldman Award for Excellence in Leadership. (photo by Pat Johnson)

Diplomatic relations between Israel and Canada have never been worse, according to Israel’s envoy to Toronto and Western Canada.

“The relationship between Israel and Canada is at an all-time low,” said Idit Shamir, consul general of Israel for Toronto and Western Canada. “Canada, according to many, has abandoned Israel, the only democratic ally they have in the region.”

Speaking via remote video link to the opening event of the Vancouver branch of CHW (Canadian Hadassah-WIZO) Sept. 22, Shamir cited, among other things, the Canadian government’s legitimizing of Hamas information, rather than Israeli government sources, when commenting on the conflict.

“Many times, they have been proven as mistaken,” said Shamir. “Not as many times, they have taken the time to correct themselves.”

Canadian Jews are asking themselves if there is a future for their families in Canada, the envoy said.

“This is a question that I don’t think was asked here before Oct. 7, and that’s very, very sad,” said Shamir.

Israelis and Canadians alike were shocked by the alarming spike in antisemitism in Canada and worldwide in recent years, but especially in the past 12 months, she said.

Shamir addressed concerns about the climate on university campuses and even in public elementary and secondary schools. She spoke just after the controversy erupted over an officially sanctioned Toronto public school field trip to what evolved into an anti-Israel rally.

Making Jews unwelcome on campuses will have negative repercussions for the entire society, she said.

“Jews have been instrumental in the university system here, and pushing them out is going to have a serious impact on the future of Canada,” she warned.

Regrettably, Shamir said, Canada has been the launchpad over the years for several negative developments, including Israel Apartheid Week, which began at the University of Toronto before spreading internationally, and, more recently, the concept of “anti-Palestinian racism,” which was adopted as policy by the Toronto and District School Board. The idea, she said, paints any expression that is critical of the prevailing Palestinian narrative as racist.

“When you see that happening already at the elementary school level, we can imagine the depth of indoctrination that is going on in the universities,” said Shamir.

On the positive side, the consul general said, opinion polls indicate that most Canadians support Israel.

“Most Canadians can understand that … we didn’t choose this war,” she said. “We are fighting a war for our survival, for the survival of the only Jewish democracy and country in the world. And now we understand more than ever the need for a safe haven for Jews.”

Among the 101 hostages remaining in captivity, Shamir said, the Israeli government believes more than half remain alive. The body of Judy Weinstein Haggai, a dual Canadian-Israeli citizen who is known to have been killed, remains in Gaza.

“The hostages are the utmost priority,” Shamir said, “releasing the ones who are alive and returning the bodies of those who are not.”

She linked the Gaza conflict to wider geopolitical issues, pointing to Iranian-backed forces launching missiles from Lebanon, Iraq and even Yemen. She was speaking before Iran launched more direct attacks on Israel Oct. 1.

“We cannot forget that Iran is behind this, and we can see that rockets are coming from Iranian-sponsored sources in places we would not have imagined,” she said.

In response to these challenges, the consul general called for unity among the Jewish community and its allies, stressing the need for resilience and solidarity.

Noting that “Jews are coming together and becoming a united force to be reckoned with in Canada,” Shamir said members of the Jewish community must remain vigilant and continue to fight antisemitism and support Israel.

The envoy lauded CHW’s long-standing efforts to empower women and children, provide health care and assist displaced Israelis.

“It’s a labour of love that touches hearts and changes lives every single day,” she said.

The CHW Vancouver event, held at the Richmond Country Club, benefited the Michal Sela Forum, an Israeli organization dedicated to preventing domestic violence through innovative technology and collaboration.

photo - Toby Rubin, president of CHW Vancouver, presents the inaugural Dolly Jampolsky Volunteer Extraordinaire Award to Jampolsky — Toby Rubin, president of CHW Vancouver, presents the inaugural Dolly Jampolsky Volunteer Extraordinaire Award to Jampolsky. *(photo by Pat Johnson)*

Longtime CHW leaders Beverley Corber and Dolly Jampolsky were the honourees. Corber received the Claudia Goldman Award for Excellence in Leadership, and Jampolsky received the inaugural Dolly Jampolsky Volunteer Extraordinaire Award. Sylvia Cristall and Claudia Goldman were inducted into the CHW Lillian Freeman Society by Lisa Colt-Kotler, national chief executive officer of CHW, who spoke at the opening and interviewed the consul general. Toby Rubin, president of CHW Vancouver, emceed the event.

Stilwell joins Weizmann

Left to right: Weizmann Canada national board members Dr. Rose Geist, Dr. Arthur Slutsky (chair), Myra Slutsky and Dr. Moira Stilwell at the Healing Power of Science gala on Sept. 17. (photo from Weizmann Canada)

Former BC MLA Dr. Moira Stilwell recently joined Weizmann Canada’s national board of directors. She traveled to Toronto last month for the group’s first in-person gathering since before the pandemic. While there, she attended the organization’s Healing Power of Science gala, which spotlights the vital importance of science education in building resilience in Israel and around the world.

For 60 years, Weizmann Canada has been the national philanthropic arm representing the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, which marks its 90th anniversary this year. For more information, visit weizmann.ca.

– Courtesy Weizmann Canada

מונטריאול למטייל הישראלי

מונטריאול היא עיר נמל וגם אי ששוכנת על נהר סנט לורנס. היא התגלתה לראשונה במאה השש עשרה על ידי מתיישבים צרפתים. במאה שלאחר מכן החלו להתיישב בה בדרך קבע, עד לשנת אלף שבע מאות שישים ושלוש, בסופה של מלחמת שבע השנים בין צרפת לבריטניה, אז כבשו הבריטים את העיר והפכו אותה לחלק מהאימפריה הבריטית. במהלך המאה התשע עשרה מונטריאול הפכה לנקודת סחר חשובה שבה ישבו דוברי אנגלית וצרפתית, והרב-תרבותיות הזאת נשמרה גם לאחר הקמתה של קנדה. במאה העשרים, ובעיקר לאחר מלחמת העולם השנייה, הגיעו אליה מהגרים ממדינות רבות, בהם גם יהודים אירופאים, שהחלו לעצב את אופייה המיוחד והססגוני של מונטריאול, שחלקו נשמר ומורגש עד היום

אף שהשפות הרשמיות כאן הן צרפתית ואנגלית, הצרפתית נחשבת לשפה העיקרית בעיר, ואת ההשפעות האלו מרגישים במהלך הביקור כאן, רוב מי שתפנו אליו יענה לכם בצרפתית לפני האנגלית, וזהו למעשה דבר שהחוק מחייב אותו לעשות, שכן חוקי השפה הנוקשים כאן נועדו לשמר את קידומה של הצרפתית בקוויבק על חשבונה של האנגלית, והדבר הזה עלול לגרום לתסכול מסוים בקרב התיירים. לכן, לפני שתתכננו את הטיול שלכם כאן, חשוב שתדעו שכמעט הכול פה בצרפתית – בשלטים שבכתב ובעל פה. האנגלית מוצנעת מאוד עד לא קיימת, וככל שתתקדמו מזרחה בעיר תפגשו פחות ופחות דוברי אנגלית

מונטריאול היא עיר שכיף לבקר בה בחודשי האביב והקיץ ולחקור ברגל. זה לא שאין מה לעשות פה בחורף, אבל למי שרגיל לאקלים הישראלי יהיה מאוד-מאוד קר. בין הרחובות ששווה להכיר תמצאו את שדרת סנט לורן שתציע לכם חנויות היפסטריות צבעוניות לצד

מסעדות וברים שפתוחים עד השעות הקטנות של הלילה. ברחוב קרסנט משקיף. משקיף דיוקן ענק של האגדה המקומית לאונרד כהן. ברחוב תמצאו מקומות שכיף לעצור בהם לדרינק או לארוחה טובה. במדרחוב סנט דני תמצאות מגוון של חנויות. תמצאו מסעדות

כשתסתובבו ברחבי העיר כדאי שתפתחו את העיניים – תמיד יהיה מעבר לפינה איזה מיצג שיפתיע אתכם. למעשה, מונטריאול מפורסמת בין היתר בשמונה מאות מיצגי האמנות הציבוריים הפרושים ברחבי העיר, דרך גרפיטי הענק ועד לתופעות נוספות שהפכו לחלק בלתי נפרד מהווי העיר, וכך כל סמטה סתמית לכאורה יכולה להפוך בן-רגע למופע אור-קולי שלא יוכל להשאיר אתכם אדישים. בקיץ מתקיימים בעיר פסטיבלי תיאטרון, מוזיקה והופעות רחוב, ומונטריאול היא גם עיר הבית של הקרקס הבינלאומי המפורסם סירק דה סוליי. ואיך מתניידים? התחבורה הציבורית בעיר נוחה ושימושית מאוד. המטרו, על כל שישים ושמונה התחנות שלו, יעיל מאוד ויוכל לקחת אתכם כמעט לכל נקודה שאליה תרצו להגיע. גם מערכת האוטובוסים מקילה על ההתניידות ברחבי העיר. אגב, משום מה יש ברחבי העיר שיפוצים בכביש במשך כל השנה, אז אל תופתעו אם פתאום הדרך תיחסם ותצטרכו לעקוף אותה

העיר העתיקה של מונטריאול היא אזור שחייבים לבקר בו, והיא גם התפרסמה כלוקיישן לכמה סרטים בינלאומיים. מרכזה ברחוב סנט פול שרובו מדרחוב ומצדדיו מבני אבן יפים שחלקם עוד מימי ראשיתה של העיר מהמאה השבעה עשר, שיגרמו לכם להרגיש שאתם בכלל באירופה הקלאסית. חוץ מכל ההיסטוריה שנמצאת בין המבנים, ומייחדת אותם ממקומות רבים בצפון אמריקה, תמצאו פה שלל גלריות, חנויות מזכרות, מסעדות ובתי קפה שפשוט נעים לעצור ולשבת בהם. מכאן מומלץ להמשיך כמה דקות הליכה לנמל העתיק בעיר, שמצויד גם בגלגל ענק ובדוכני מזון ושתייה. מכאן תוכלו להשקיף על הסירות, היאכטות והספינות, וגם לראות את מגדל השעון הלבן והמפורסם של העיר

Eby talks about record, plans

BC Premier David Eby says election is “about the values of who we are as a province and how we move forward on the big issues of our time.” (photo from news.gov.bc.ca)

David Eby, the incumbent BC premier and leader of the New Democratic party, assured Jewish voters that, if reelected Oct. 19, his government would have their backs.

Speaking with the Jewish Independent, Eby said the loss of Selina Robinson as a cabinet minister and then as a New Democrat caucus member earlier this year was a blow, but that his government is committed to the issues that are important to Jewish British Columbians.

“It was really tough for our caucus and for our government to lose Selina,” Eby said. “She was a major contributor to our team. It’s hard to really quantify that kind of emotional feeling that a lot of people on our team have around the loss, of not having her being part of our team going forward. But it hasn’t slowed down our work and our commitment to the overall Jewish community and our efforts to fill the role that she did as a critical bridge between our caucus and the broader Jewish community.”

Eby and his party have been working with community agencies to fight antisemitism and to increase security for Jewish institutions, he said.

“We’ve been working closely with a number of Jewish organizations to identify ways that we can provide support in this incredibly challenging time where we see this rise in antisemitism and some really disturbing behaviour targeting Jews, everything from the horrific arson attack [against Schara Tzedeck Synagogue] to slurs that people are enduring in the street,” he said. “From increasing support for security for synagogues and Jewish community centres, mandatory Holocaust education deployment, making sure that that is a reality in our schools in the province, we’re working on that together.”

He also cited British Columbia as “having the strictest standards around hate crimes” and promised that prosecutors will ensure that hate crime cases make it to court.

“We’re going to continue to do that work,” he said.

Speaking just days before the official start of the campaign period, Eby predicted that affordability, particularly around housing, will emerge as a top concern for voters.

“The availability of housing in the province, regardless of where, is a huge issue for so many people,” said Eby. “It’s a drag on our economy that we’re not providing adequate housing for people.”

Young people who cannot afford to own a home are questioning whether they have a future in the province, he said.

“I really think that housing will be, if not the issue, certainly one of the main issues, because there’s a fairly bright line between ourselves and the BC Conservatives on this issue,” Eby said. “They [the Conservative party] appear to think that people are best left to the market when it comes to housing, that government does not have a role to play in initiatives like using public lands to build more attainable housing or restricting the excesses of platforms like Airbnb or people buying vacant homes as an investment.”

Eby pointed to a recent report that said rental costs have increased across Canada by 5% while in British Columbia they have fallen by 5%.

“We are finally starting to see rents come down across the province,” he said. “The most recent report shows that we’re on the right track and we can’t stop now.”

Eby cited climate change as a topic where his party and the Conservatives have diametrical opinions.

Last week, Eby announced that his party is now committed to eliminating the consumer carbon tax, a sudden reversal of an environmental policy that was first implemented by the BC Liberal government in 2008. While the NDP have altered course, putting them on the same side as the Conservatives on the future of the tax, Eby positions the shift as an affordability issue in a time of economic pressures for consumers and went on the offensive against what he characterizes as the BC Conservative leader John Rustad’s climate change denial.

“John Rustad has taken the very bizarre position that climate change is not real,” Eby said. “It is bizarre, but it’s also dangerous for British Columbians. Will a premier who doesn’t believe that climate change is real protect your community from floods or forest fires, make the necessary investments around infrastructure for protecting communities right across the province?”

Other issues likely to take centre stage in the campaign are the related topics of mental health, addiction and homelessness.

“A lot of people want to see the folks that they see suffering on the sidewalks in our communities get the care they need,” Eby said. “And they are also feeling anxious when people with mental health, brain injury, chronic addiction are banging on the hood of their car, or engaging in petty theft or, in some cases, quite dramatic and awful violent incidents.”

The upheaval among the opposition parties – with the folding of the BC United campaign and the unification of right and centre-right candidates under the Conservative banner – in some ways did not come as a surprise to Eby, he said.

“We were expecting a unified right-wing vote,” he said. “The surprise for me was really that the unification came around the far-right side of the political spectrum and not the centre-right side that the BCU [BC United party] represented.”

Eby said he has been reaching out to former BC United supporters who he said “feel quite abandoned.”

“I know these are people who don’t see themselves in a party where the leader is a climate change denier and who supported anti-vaccine convoys as they were rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated,” he said. “I know those aren’t the values of British Columbians.”

He said former BC United supporters are sending emails, letters and donations, telling Eby, “I never thought I’d vote NDP but this time I will.”

Eby is asking those who do not feel comfortable in the BC Conservatives “to lend us their votes this election.”

The concept of “lending” a vote was employed by the late federal NDP leader Jack Layton in the 2011 Canadian election when that party made unprecedented breakthroughs, winning more than 100 seats and forming the official opposition for the first and only time. Asked if that was a deliberate echo of his former federal leader, Eby suggested this moment in BC politics is unique.

“I’m not asking for a commitment of lifelong fealty from these voters,” Eby said. “I want to prove myself as committed to British Columbians and their priorities and doing our best to address the big challenges. This election, in my opinion, has become less and less about partisan politics and more about the values of who we are as a province and how we move forward on the big issues of our time, whether we do it together and united as a province that welcomes everybody and ensures that we’re stronger together or whether we start to divide ourselves along culture war lines and use internet conspiracy theories as a compass for deciding how we address certain issues.”