News – Page 31

The Holocaust in Hungary

Dr. Peter Suedfeld speaks at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration at the Bayit. (photo by Pat Johnson)

As a child in Budapest, Dr. Peter Suedfeld’s family spoke Hungarian in the home and considered themselves Hungarians first and Jews second.

“If you asked us, ‘What are you? Who are you?’ The answer would be Hungarians,” he said. “Interestingly, we thought that that’s what the people around us thought also, that that’s what we were – Hungarians. It turned out a little later that we were mistaken.”

Suedfeld shared his family’s Holocaust story and his survival Jan. 26 at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration (IHRD) at the Bayit synagogue in Richmond.

Miklós Horthy, the regent of Hungary during most of the war, did not share Hitler’s determination to destroy the Jewish people, Suedfeld said. As a result, the status of Jews in the country was not markedly worse than that of other Hungarians during the early war years.

“By 1944, things were very different,” Suedfeld said. “It was increasingly likely that Germany, contrary to all expectations, was not going to win the war.”

The Soviets had pushed back the German advance on the Eastern Front and the Western Allies were close enough to bomb Budapest routinely. Food was scarce, as resources were being pilfered and transported to Germany.

Realizing that the Hungarians had chosen the wrong side in this war, as they had at other times in history, Horthy went on the radio and announced that his country was surrendering, Suedfeld explained, whereupon Hitler directly occupied Hungary for the first time. Horthy’s government was replaced with an overtly fascist regime, the Arrow Cross.

“They took it upon themselves to carry out the full Nuremberg Laws and all the persecution that had happened in Germany and Poland,” said Suedfeld. “It came later to us than it had many other countries in Europe but, when it came, they were determined to catch up.”

Adolf Eichmann himself, mastermind of the “Final Solution,” was sent to oversee operations in Hungary. Jews were forced to wear the yellow star for the first time and executions of Jews began in earnest.

Jews were taken to the banks of the Danube, where they were lined up in groups of three, tied together, their shoes removed, and then the middle person in the trio was shot. When the middle person fell into the river, the other two were dragged down and drowned, accomplishing the objective with one bullet rather than three. Suedfeld said 30,000 are estimated to have been murdered in this fashion.

Suedfeld’s paternal grandfather, a hero from the First World War, had died a few years earlier. He had assumed that his military accomplishments would shield his family from whatever antisemitic legislation was passed.

“He died before he found out that he was wrong,” said Suedfeld, whose paternal grandmother astonishingly survived the Holocaust. His mother’s parents entered the ghetto, where they soon died from the privations there.

Young Peter’s own story of survival was improbable. His mother was taken from their home while 8-year-old Peter watched, not knowing it would be the final time he saw her. She was taken to a holding camp in Hungary and from there to Auschwitz.

His father was drafted into forced labour and later experienced a death march and incarceration at Mauthausen, “one of the worst of those cruel, vicious camps.”

“But he survived,” Suedfeld recounted. “After the war, he was given a job, because he spoke English, interrogating suspected war criminals and SS officers captured in the vicinity. He enjoyed it.”

Young Peter survived after his mother was arrested because his aunt discovered him alone at home. She took him and decided, with his grandparents, that he should be hidden.

“They somehow found out that the International Red Cross had some orphanages started around the city. They were for war orphans but they smuggled a few Jews in when they thought they could get away with it,” he said. “I was a good candidate for hiding because I was blond and had blue eyes so I could get away with pretending I wasn’t Jewish.”

Like many survivors, Suedfeld’s existence is a result of an incalculable number of close calls and lucky chances. In just one instance, near the end of the war, the group of orphans he was with were being transported from one location to another. They were lining up to cross over a little fence when some soldiers saw them and may have assumed they were enemy forces. Machine gun fire burst forth.

“Shots were fired and the kid on my left was hit,” said Suedfeld. “And the kid on my right was hit. But when it was pointing at me was the time that the next cartridge was being fed into the gun and so there was no shot. Pure dumb luck.”

Peter and his father fled Hungary when the communists took power. Suedfeld made his way to the United States in 1948, served in the US Army, eventually received a doctorate from Princeton University in 1963 and taught at American universities before moving to Vancouver. He was appointed professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia in 1972. His work and research are concerned with how human beings adapt and cope with challenge, stress and resilience.

At the commemoration, the Bayit’s Rabbi Levi Varnai reflected on the word zachor, remember.

“We are obligated to remember, today, tomorrow and really every single day,” he said. “Zachor is always important but it feels like today it’s even more important than ever before.”

He acknowledged the nine Holocaust survivors in attendance and expressed regret that, after their childhoods were stolen, their golden years are now tarnished by witnessing a new surge of antisemitism.

“As much as we want to focus on the future and as much as we want to continue to build and not always think about our dark past, the only way to ensure a proper future is by remembering the atrocities, the hardships of the past,” the rabbi said. “We are lucky that we still live in an age that we can come into a room to witness survivors and share their testimonies. It is our obligation to take these stories and make sure that they will never ever be forgotten.”

Ezra Shanken, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, noted the significance of the presence of elected representatives at the event.

“If only our ancestors had public officials showing up like this and talking about how we have to create a safer space,” said Shanken, who said that people have asked him how bad antisemitism needs to get in Canada before Jews consider leaving the country.

“When do we get out of here?” he asked. “We get out of here when the government starts making laws against us.” Governments in Canada of all parties, he said, “have been steadfast in trying to voice the need for safety and security for the Jewish people and for all people across our country, our province, our cities. I want to thank them for spending time with us tonight.”

Michael Sachs, director for Western Canada of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre and a past president of the Bayit, who initiated the annual Holocaust remembrance event six years ago, noted that the commemoration was taking place “amidst the worst, most sustained amount of antisemitism that Canadian Jews have ever experienced.”

“Survivors are a constant source of inspiration and wisdom for us,” he said. “No one can speak with a greater authority on what can happen when hate is left unchallenged than these survivors. For them, having witnessed firsthand and paid a dear price for society not standing up to the worst impulses of humanity, this is not academic.”

He asked everyone in attendance to redouble their efforts toward education about the Holocaust and about modern-day manifestations of antisemitism.

“Jews cannot fight antisemitism alone, nor should we – not if we want a better society for all,” said Sachs. “The light of education shall lead our way.”

Steveston-Richmond East Member of Parliament Parm Bains represented the federal government and read greetings from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Kelly Greene, MLA for Richmond Steveston and minister of emergency management and climate readiness, brought greetings from Premier David Eby. All three of Richmond’s other MLAs – Teresa Wat (Richmond-Bridgeport), Steve Kooner (Richmond-Queensborough) and Hon Chan (Richmond Centre) – were present. Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brody read a city proclamation and was joined by councilors Bill McNulty, Andy Hobbs and Alexa Loo. Richmond RCMP chief superintendent Dave Chouhan was also in attendance. Bayit president Keith Liedtke emceed.

Nine Holocaust survivors lit candles. Cantor Yaacov Orzech chanted El Moleh Rachamim. Dr. Abby Wener Herlin, associate director of programs and community relations at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, introduced Suedfeld.

The event was co-sponsored by the Bayit, Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Kehila Society of Richmond.

Healing trauma possible

Claire Sicherman read from her book Imprint, about intergenerational trauma, at UBC Hillel on Jan. 21. (photo by Pat Johnson)

Understanding of intergenerational trauma has expanded in recent decades. Two granddaughters of Holocaust survivors discussed the larger phenomenon and their personal experiences recently at the University of British Columbia’s Hillel House, part of Hillel’s Holocaust Awareness Week.

Claire Sicherman, author, workshop facilitator and trauma-informed somatic writing coach, shared her experiences and read from her book, Imprint: A Memoir of Trauma in the Third Generation, which was published in 2017. She was in conversation with Dr. Abby Wener Herlin, associate director of programs and community relations at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, which co-sponsored the Jan. 21 event with Hillel BC.

Sicherman attributed to psychologist Dr. Arielle Schwartz the definition of intergenerational trauma as the ways in which the unresolved experiences of traumas, losses and griefs of one generation can become a legacy that is passed down to the next generation.

“In other words,” said Sicherman, “the experiences of my grandparents are passed down through my parents to me.”

In addition to the “nurture” component of family legacies, there is the “nature” component of epigenetics, which Sicherman described as “the study of how genes turn on and off in response to environmental change.”

“I’ve heard it talked about like it’s sort of like light switches switching on and off in the body,” she explained. “Whatever switches switched on for my grandparents would then be switched on, passed down to my parent, passed down to me.”

Experts in the field say it’s not a biological prison, Sicherman said. “They are actually malleable, so what you’re born with, you are not necessarily stuck with. We do have the ability to change certain things. There is hope in that.”

Growing up, Sicherman knew little or nothing about inherited trauma.

“When I started reading about it, I began to understand that what was going on with me wasn’t really my fault or that it wasn’t really something wrong with me,” she said. “It was just that I was carrying this huge thing.”

Reading excerpts from her book, Sicherman recounted being “disconnected from my body.” The inherited trauma manifested as a nervous system on overdrive and a tendency to hypervigilance. She was always ready to bolt out the door, looking for exit signs, aware of potential dangers, unable to fully rest, and prone to stress and anxiety.

She said that untold stories often pass more powerfully from generation to generation than stories that are recounted.

“When you think about that,” said Sicherman, “it’s what we don’t talk about that has more weight. It’s the silence. It’s the secrets.… That’s why it’s also important to me to speak out about these things, because it’s healing that goes across generations.”

Her survivor grandparents thought they were protecting their children through silence, Sicherman said. In response, the second generation learned not to ask questions.

There were other silences. In addition to the limited discussion around the Holocaust, Sicherman did not learn until well into her own adulthood that, when she was 4 years old, her grandfather had taken his own life, and not died of a heart attack, as she had been led to believe.

As someone who writes about and works with others on issues of healing intergenerational trauma, she urges people to embrace the totality of what they have inherited.

“Aside from trauma, what are the legacies that your ancestors bring to you?” she asked. “What are the gifts? What are the strengths? That’s also an important question to ask yourself, and a way of connecting with Jewish heritage. What are the strengths of your lineage? Is it survival? Is it tenacity? Is it humour? Is it creativity? Those are questions that you can ask yourself.”

Her son, Ben Sicherman, a UBC student, was present and also spoke of his family’s legacy of trauma. He described struggling with anxiety when he was younger and learning mechanisms for addressing issues through his parents’ modeling. He also spoke of carrying the legacy of his ancestors in ways like choosing 18 as his hockey number, not only because it represents chai, life, but because the numbers on his great-grandmother’s Auschwitz tattoo added up to the number 18.

Intergenerational trauma is a major component of her life’s work, said Sicherman.

“I do feel a sense of obligation, as a third generation,” she said. “But I also feel like this is part of my calling, too. It’s very meaningful. It’s an obligation that is not homework. It’s part of what I was set out to do.”

Enduring horrors together

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Richard Lowy shared his father Leo’s story at Congregation Schara Tzedeck. (photo © Silvester Law)

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Richard Lowy stood in the spot where his late father, Leopold Lowy, davened and kibitzed for decades after arriving in Vancouver as a young man who had survived some of the most grotesque inhumanity history has known. Leo Lowy was a “Mengele twin” and a survivor of Auschwitz.

“This is where my father sat in synagogue,” Lowy said Jan. 27 to a packed audience at Schara Tzedeck Synagogue, beginning a unique and emotional commemoration that doubled as the launch of Kalman and Leopold, Lowy’s book about his father’s survival.

Leo Lowy was just one of many survivors who joined Schara Tzedeck after their arrival on the West Coast in the late 1940s and 1950s. They didn’t burden others with their stories of survival, the son told the audience.

Wearing his father’s tallit and carrying his siddur, Richard Lowy shared a little of his father’s story. The complete narrative of Leopold’s survival in Auschwitz – and the relationship the 16-year-old developed with a 14-year-old boy named Kalman Braun – is detailed in the book, which took Richard Lowy years of work to complete.

As twins, Leopold and his sister Miriam, as well as Kalman and his sister Judith, were of special interest to physician Josef Mengele, known to his victims and to history as Dr. Death.

“My father was a boy when he arrived in Auschwitz,” said Lowy. “He and his twin sister Miriam were sent to the twin barracks, torn apart from the rest of their family.” Leo and Miriam’s parents, grandparents, eldest sister and the sister’s baby were murdered on arrival. His three other sisters were taken to a forced labour camp.

Leopold and Kalman were recruited as servants in the guard barracks.

“In that unimaginable darkness, they became brothers, bound by a hope to survive,” Lowy recounted. “In Auschwitz, my father became Kalman’s protector, not because he wanted to, but because he had no choice. Kalman was a naïve, religious boy. He was dangerously unaware of the brutal reality they faced. His innocence threatened to draw the attention of the SS guards. Leopold knew that even the smallest misstep could lead to a beating or worse. Leo, my father, wanted to be invisible. When there was a roll call, he would go to the back of the line. He didn’t want to draw attention. He refused to make friends. He was unwilling to endure the anguish of getting to know someone and then they would end up on the pile. He buried his emotions deep, forcing himself to see the heap of bodies as nothing more than lumber. Yet, despite his efforts to remain detached, he was now compelled to guide Kalman, shielding him as a means of survival. What began as a necessity slowly evolved into a bond of friendship. Together, they endured the horrors of the SS guards and Mengele’s experiments.”

When the camp was liberated, the survivors parted with little fanfare. Kalman and Leopold assumed they would never see each other again.

In 2000, Richard Lowy produced a documentary film, Leo’s Journey, about Leopold’s survival. A year later, it aired on Israeli television.

Reading from his book, Lowy described the moment that Kalman Bar On (né Braun), by now an elderly Israeli, was stunned to see a photo of the young Leo on his TV. There was not a doubt in Bar On’s mind that this was the boy whose protection and friendship had saved his life.

A few months later, Richard reunited the two.

“Their reunion was a moment beyond words,” he recalled. “Two men, now in their 70s, embraced as if no time had passed at all, as if the decades of separation had simply melted away. In that instant, they were no longer old men. They were boys again, transported back in time to when their survival depended on each other.

“For the first time in over 50 years, they stood face-to-face with someone who truly understood the horrors that each of them went through and endured. In each other, they found more than the shared memories,” said Lowy. “They rediscovered the unshakable bond of two souls who had witnessed, experienced and survived the unimaginable together.”

Leo Lowy was a collector of cantorial recordings, which Richard Lowy entrusted to Vancouver Cantor Yaacov Orzech, who chanted El Moleh Rachamim at the book launch. Also at the event, Lowy presented to Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt a 78 RPM recording of the rabbi’s great-grandfather, the renowned Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt.

Speaking to the audience, Rosenblatt reflected on the amount of desensitization that has to happen to get to the pinnacle of evil that Leo Lowy experienced.

“Our presence here tonight is our attempt to ensure that our culture does not approach even the distant horizon of the periphery of such atrocities,” he said.

Peter Meiszner, Vancouver city councilor and acting mayor, brought greetings from the city.

“May we work together to ensure that the tragedies of the past are never repeated and that the principles of justice and equity guide our way forward together,” he said.

Selina Robinson, former BC cabinet minister and author of the recently published book Truth Be Told, introduced Lowy.

“Richard’s work is a call to action,” Robinson said. “It challenges each and every one of us to remember, to teach and to prevent hatred and antisemitism from taking root. That’s incumbent on all of us as we bear witness. It reminds Jews of our ability to overcome these hatreds. In sharing Kalman and Leopold’s journey, their memory lives on, guiding us to build a more compassionate and tolerant world.”

The book is available at kalmanandleopold.com, where the video of Leo’s Journey can also be viewed.

New podcast launched

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jan. 27, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) and the Walrus Lab launched The Hidden Holocaust Papers: Survival. Exile. Return. The six-part documentary podcast, hosted by best-selling Canadian author Timothy Taylor, offers a personal exploration of his family’s hidden Holocaust history.

Through the series, VHEC furthers its mission of Holocaust education and remembrance by supporting stories that bring the realities of the Holocaust to new audiences. Taylor’s journey of discovery is not only an act of personal reconciliation but also a vital contribution to preserving the memory of Holocaust victims and survivors for future generations.

As Taylor unpacks long-forgotten family archives, the series takes listeners on an emotional journey from his home in Vancouver to Germany, revealing a tapestry of stories about survival, resilience and loss. Alongside his search for answers, Taylor reflects on the universal lessons of justice, remembrance and identity in the face of historical atrocities.

“The Holocaust isn’t just a chapter in history – it’s a call to action to remember, educate and prevent future acts of hatred and genocide,” said Hannah Marazzi, acting executive director of VHEC. “We are honoured to work with Timothy Taylor to amplify his family’s story and underscore the importance of safeguarding these narratives.”

In conjunction with the podcast, Taylor’s accompanying feature article, “Paper Trail,” will be published in The Walrus in May; it was made available online on Jan. 27. The article is an account of Taylor’s journey to instal Stolpersteine memorial stones for his family members who suffered under Nazi persecution.

For more information and to listen to the trailer, visit lnkfi.re/thehiddenholocaustpapers.

– Courtesy Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

JQT-JFS partnership thrives

JQT Vancouver’s table at the BC Hospice Palliative Care Association’s Grief, Bereavement and Mental Health Summit 2024, which took place Nov. 20-22. (photo from JQT)

In 2024, JQT Vancouver, a queer and trans nonprofit, and Jewish Family Services Vancouver teamed up – through financial backing from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver and private donations – to create the JQT Mental Health Support Series, a set of informational workshops, resources and events for the LGBTQ2SIA+ community.

The organizations have now entered 2025 invigorated by the response and eager to continue and expand their offerings.

“Like any marginalized community, queer and trans people are aware of their needs and are tired of being surveyed. They have been historically, persistently and systemically marginalized and are waiting for changes in society and health care to be more inclusive of them,” JQT founder and executive director Carmel Tanaka told the Independent.

Tanaka added that a limited operating budget can present challenges when providing the necessary safe spaces, programs and awareness resources for Jewish queer and trans community members and beyond. These needs for support far outweigh JQT’s capacity alone, she said.

In her view, moving away from the survey model to a model of outreach and engagement not only fosters community between Jewish queer and trans people but ensures that Jewish queer and trans people are seen and treated as more than survey data.

Tanaka credited JFS Vancouver chief executive officer Tanja Demajo for understanding this. Demajo listened to the recommendations JQT had been urging for a long time and took steps to fill the gap in mental health support services for the Jewish queer and trans community, said Tanaka.

“This partnership has been an incredible learning experience for me personally,” Demajo shared with the Independent. “Working closely with Carmel and the JQT team made me recognize the importance of being present, listening and understanding how JFS needs to evolve to better serve populations that may have felt isolated. Empowering others to take the lead in this context was inspiring and has already resulted in some truly amazing programming.

“Seeing the community come together – sharing laughs, conversations and moments of joy – has reinforced one key takeaway: we should continue building these connections and creating even more opportunities to collaborate.”

The partnership between JQT and JFS dates back several years. In 2020, the two groups started conversations pertaining to diversity education, ensuring JFS supports for the social, physical and emotional wellness of all people, and providing a welcoming and inclusive organization for the Jewish LGBTQ2SIA+ community. Their partnership was given the name Twice Blessed 2.0: The Jewish LGBTQ2SIA+ Initiative. The Mental Health Support Series, rolled out last year, is the second phase of the initiative; it follows the 2022 Community Needs Assessment.

The mental health series provided numerous offerings last year that encompassed an array of topics – some serious, some lighter – such as dying and death, clay as a medium for mindfulness, and belly dancing. There was also an evening of comedy with Los Angeles-based performer Antonia Lassar and music from Victoria’s Klezbians.

“This series deals with very heavy issues, a lot of which are highly contentious and divide our communities in a number of ways. Our series also provides opportunities to laugh, have fun, relieve stress and move energy. When it comes to mental health, there needs to be a balance,” Tanaka said.

“There are many highlights for me personally,” she continued, “but one that stands out was when a group of queer Chinese folx attended our mahjong event to learn how to play mahjong because they didn’t have the opportunity to learn in their community. That’s when you know that you’re making a positive difference, when you are also helping out communities beyond your own.”

With the positive reaction thus far, JQT and JFS are maintaining their partnership into 2025 to bring more programs and support to the Jewish queer and trans community.

“We look forward to continuing our learning journey and offering meaningful programming and support for the LGBTQ2SIA+ community. In partnership with JQT, we’re excited to develop programs over the next year that will clearly reflect our ongoing commitment to inclusivity and connection,” Demajo said.

Throughout the partnership, Tanaka said, JFS “has learned our preferred style of collaboration and communication, and has borne witness to JQT’s growth and its limitations as a 100% volunteer-led organization.

“Today,” she said, “our quarterly JQT-JFS meetings run quickly, smoothly and are a whole lot of fun because we all genuinely like each other, enjoy the work we are accomplishing together, and can see the fruits of our labour.”

In 2024, JQT gained charitable status. This is a significant accomplishment for a small nonprofit, noted Tanaka, who this month starts her seventh year with JQT.

In 2025, she aims to secure an annual salary for the organization’s executive director position, as well as extended health benefits and program funding. These, she believes, will set JQT up for further success and future executive directors.

“With an increase in queer Jewish event offerings in town,” said Tanaka, “JQT can now focus on heavier lifting, specifically education and training of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations in and out of community and health care, which has been a decades-long request from Jewish queer and trans people.

“We are starting to feel the synergy around our work and are finally being invited to the table,” she added. “It’s all been worth it and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with JFS in a good, organic way.”

The first event of the 2025 Mental Health Support Series, Jewish Magic Herbal Pottery, takes place on Feb. 25, 6 p.m., at Or Shalom Synagogue. To register, visit jqtvancouver.ca.

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

Growing a garden together

Volunteers, seniors and youth dedicate their time each week to tending, planting and harvesting at the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden. (photo courtesy VJCG)

The Vancouver Jewish Community Garden (VJCG), which opened in May 2023, began as a dream – a vision shared by Vancouver Talmud Torah, Jewish Family Services Vancouver and Congregation Beth Israel. The dream was made possible by the Diamond Foundation, which secured a long-term lease of the land for future development and has allowed for the opportunity to use it for a Jewish community garden on a temporary basis. Significant seed gifts from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation and the Jewish Community Foundation also played a vital role in its creation.

photo - A Vancouver Jewish Community Garden volunteer — A Vancouver Jewish Community Garden volunteer. *(photo courtesy VJCG)*

Generous donors, volunteers, students, garden experts, builders, designers and a project manager all contribute to its success. Every seed planted, every helping hand and every heart involved makes a meaningful impact – both on those who tend the garden and those who benefit from its harvest. As Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said, “A garden is not just a patch of soil, but a place for the cultivation of the soul.”

Reflecting on two years of growth – including a full harvest season – it is possible to truly appreciate the impact the VJCG has on the Vancouver Jewish community. Under the care of garden coordinator Maggie Wilson, the VJCG has blossomed into a hub for connection, learning and nourishment. Sacred spaces are woven among beds of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

“The garden is more than a place to grow food – we’ve built a wonderful community where people can experience the healing effects of digging in the soil, and witness the miracle of nature,” said Wilson. “Some participants are having their first experience planting a seed or picking a fresh bean. They are learning what it takes to grow food, and understanding, in a concrete way, how their work contributes to tikkun olam.”

Volunteers, seniors and youth dedicate their time each week to tending, planting and harvesting, ensuring that fresh, nutritious produce reaches Jewish Family Services to support community members facing food insecurity. Beyond its bounty, the garden is also an outdoor classroom. Students engage in hands-on workshops, learning about sustainability, collaboration and the growth cycle.

The VJCG is a community treasure that needs the community’s support to continue to thrive. Feb. 20 will be the first-ever Day of Giving in support of the VJCG. Donations will help sustain the garden, expand programming and continue to provide nourishment, education and inspiration. To contribute, visit jewishcommunitygarden.ca.

– Courtesy Vancouver Jewish Community Garden

Community a work highlight

Marcie Flom leaves the Jewish Community Foundation after 21 years, to pursue the next chapter of her professional life. (photo from Jewish Federation)

“I just want to say that I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to serve this community for as long as I have, and I want to acknowledge all the support of the staff and volunteers I have had the pleasure of working with,” said Marcie Flom, whose last day as executive director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver was Dec. 27. “Community work is a team effort, and we are very fortunate in the Vancouver community to have a wealth of talented and passionate volunteers and professionals who care deeply and contribute wholeheartedly to its success.”

Flom leaves her post after 21 years.

“It is always good to leave on a high note and I achieved my personal goal of stewarding the Jewish Community Foundation over the $100 million mark,” she said. “There is a very strong and competent team in place at the Foundation and Federation and exceptional lay leadership in the Foundation governors under chair Howard Kallner.

“With all that in place, it is the perfect time for me to move on to pursue the next chapter in my professional life. I’m planning to continue my work with donors and families to assist them with their philanthropy – it’s the piece of life’s work that brings me the greatest joy and fulfillment.”

Flom joined the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver in 2004, when she was recruited by then-new executive director of Federation Mark Gurvis, who now serves as chief executive officer of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, for the role of Foundation director. (The Foundation was founded in 1989 as the endowment program of Federation and has developed from there.)

“I had spent most of my career in the not-for-profit sector working in the arts, first for the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto and then for the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company,” said Flom.

This experience in marketing and development is one of the reasons Gurvis reached out to her.

“I was a new mother and consulting at the time, and I felt strongly that I wanted to raise my daughter in the community,” said Flom about why she accepted the Foundation position. “It was also a challenging time in Israel, and I thought it was the perfect time to use my experience for the benefit of the community here and in Israel. It was an excellent role for me, and I saw a great deal of potential for growing the Foundation and raising my daughter in a caring community.”

Flom’s role at the organization also grew.

“After a few years as Foundation director,” she said, “the Federation recognized that it needed a more donor-centric and holistic approach to working with donors to match their interests to fill gaps in community services and to meet emerging needs. I had the relevant experience in marketing and fundraising to integrate those functions operationally into a new philanthropic model which addressed financial resource development across the organization.

“I moved into a VP role, which was largely operational. With the level of operational experience and knowledge that I cultivated, I was positioned to serve in greater capacity, culminating in my most recent role, with oversight of the community engagement and local and overseas allocations processes. It was the perfect role as I wrapped up my time with Federation, the integration of revenue and the distribution and granting of charitable funds. I also managed the allocation of our communities Israel Emergency Funds alongside chair Stephen Gaerber and the director of Federation’s Israel office, Rachel Sachs. I cannot begin to express how meaningful and impactful that process has been for me personally during one of the darkest periods in the history of the country.”

Federation is currently recruiting a senior development professional to fill the vacancy Flom’s departure leaves. Not an easy task.

“One of the things that stands out most about Marcie is her people-first approach,” wrote Ezra Shanken, Jewish Federation chief executive officer since 2014, in his weekly Shabbat message last November, when he announced Flom’s decision. “She has mentored many of our staff over the years, and has built authentic and long-lasting relationships with partners and donors who speak of her impeccable integrity, her strategic approach, and her genuine care for community.”

Shanken wrote that it was with “mixed emotions that we share that Marcie will be stepping down from her role with us at the end of this year. We will miss her, but she is ready to start a new chapter in her career, and we are excited for her.”

Among the highlights of her time at the Foundation, Flom said, “Of course, participating actively in our community’s growth and seeing the funding directly impact capacity across community has been incredibly rewarding, but I am also so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many community members to help them achieve their philanthropic goals through association with Federation and through their funds at the Foundation. That aspect of my work has always been a true pleasure, and it was only possible because of the many trusted relationships I have with the people I have worked with across our community, including lay leaders and the professionals. Those are treasured and greatly valued.”

There were challenges over the years, notably COVID and Oct. 7.

“I also distinctly remember the financial crisis of 2008,” said Flom. “Isaac Thau was chair of the Foundation’s investment committee at the time, the markets were significantly down and there was tremendous pressure related to portfolio performance. Isaac fondly recalls it as ‘the time that we couldn’t walk through the JCC lobby without wearing a helmet.’ It was challenging for sure, but the Foundation closed the year with a moderate loss compared to others like the Vancouver Foundation and, in the end, the way we navigated that time helped to build our reputation.”

That reputation no doubt helped the Foundation reach the milestone of more than $100 million in assets under management.

“The growth is attributable to the strategic plan but, more importantly, the trust and confidence the Foundation has built in our community,” Flom affirmed. “The governance and committee structure in place, the passion, knowledge and expertise of our volunteers, particularly at the governor and investment committee tables, have all built confidence so more and more community members and charitable organizations are turning to the Foundation to manage their assets and assist them with their philanthropy.”

The Foundation distributes more than $3 million annually to “a broad range of charitable organizations and areas of service across community through its unrestricted grant program and from donor-advised and -designated funds,” she said. “The Foundation works with fund holders to meet new and emerging needs in the community, support organizations and their program delivery, and to provide legacy support for organizations to carry out their important work in perpetuity.”

“We will dance again”

Rabbi Susan Tendler at Beth Tikvah’s aron hakodesh, where two Torahs feature covers memorializing heroes lost in the latest war. (photo by Pat Johnson)

On Simchat Torah, Jews worldwide celebrate the completion of the annual Torah reading and the beginning of another cycle. The day of rejoicing, which across centuries has been marked with often ecstatic festivities, is a time of dancing and spiritual uplift. How, though, do Jews celebrate this day after Oct. 7? The mass murders and litany of horrors perpetrated on Simchat Torah 5784 cast a pall over the occasion.

Rabbi Susan Tendler of Richmond’s Beth Tikvah Congregation expressed the emotional challenge of marking the festive holiday in the changed world.

“I can get through Oct. 7,” she said, “but how am I supposed to joyfully sing and dance on Simchat Torah?”

Last summer, a friend was headed to Israel and told Tendler about the Simchat Torah Project. The friend was going to attend a ceremony at the Kotel, the Western Wall, with family members of individuals killed on Oct. 7 and in the ensuing war. At the ceremony, specially crafted Torah covers would be transferred to individuals from around the world, who would carry them back to their congregations.

Each cover has the name and date of death of the person it commemorates. So far, 635 Torah covers have found homes in 525 congregations in 287 cities in 31 countries. Two of those are in Beth Tikvah’s ark. Another is at Congregation Schara Tzedeck in Vancouver.

The project is inspired by ancient and modern words. King Solomon declared: “There is a time for everything under the heavens … a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” More recently, Israelis, in defiance of the enemy’s determination to break their national spirit and in emphatic solidarity with those murdered at the Nova music festival, declare, “We will dance again.”

For Tendler, the resonance was crystal clear. With most of the other congregational rabbis in Metro Vancouver, she was part of a trip to Israel in December 2023, which included an emotional visit to the Nova site, where 364 young people were murdered and crimes against humanity were perpetrated, including torture and rapes.

At the same time, in Tel Aviv, the exhibition commemorating the Nova festival pogrom was just opening and everywhere the rabbis saw the defiant declaration, “We will dance again.”

When Tendler heard about the Simchat Torah Project, it was the answer she had been seeking.

“I thought, that’s the pathway for me to be able to breathe and dance again on Simchat Torah,” she said. “On Simchat Torah, as we lifted up the sefer Torah, we would symbolically be lifting up those human beings and enabling them to dance again.”

The rabbi’s family and another family, Mindy Zimmering and Allan Seltzer, purchased a Torah scroll in honour of the bat mitzvah of Daniella Sadoff, the daughter of Tendler and her husband Ross Sadoff. The Beth Tikvah community united to provide a home for a second cover.

photo - Rabbi Susan Tendler holds one of two Torahs featuring memorial covers from the Simchat Torah Project — Rabbi Susan Tendler holds one of two Torahs featuring memorial covers from the Simchat Torah Project. *(photo by Pat Johnson)*

One of the covers honours the life of Itamar Shemen, a 21-year-old medic in the Israel Defence Forces who fell in battle on Dec. 23, 2023. He was also a volunteer for Magen David Adom and was known to spend his days off volunteering to help the emergency responders.

The other cover is dedicated to Ermias Mkurio, a 19-year-old known for his leadership and constant smile. He died a national hero on May 10, 2023.

The Torah covers note the date of death and not the date of birth because, as Tendler describes Jewish tradition, it is the totality of a life that is marked on a yahrzeit.

“We’ve done nothing when we come into this world,” she said. “But the day of our death is about the culmination of the life we’ve lived and our deeds and our legacy.”

The two Torah scrolls – blue lettering on white cloth – stand in Beth Tikvah’s aron hakodesh.

On Simchat Torah, it was these two Torahs that the community lifted first and foremost.

“We wanted to make sure that these were the ones that were lifted the highest and that sense of connection, that sense that it’s up to us to ensure that these individuals are still rising and still connected and that their lives were not for want or that they are quickly forgotten but instead they are still impacting us and they are still dancing and they are still teaching us,” she said.

“The symbolism of having brought out the scrolls and people going and kissing them was incredibly emotional,” she said. “Watching people, knowing that these are very much in memory of people who have fallen for the state of Israel, recognizing what we are doing, and having these individuals symbolically pass around the congregation, and people finding holiness and treating them with holiness and respect, reaching out to kiss them, to interact, to engage with them, recognize them, and knowing that, no, they’re not here, but symbolically they are with us, and we are grateful and we are moved and we are humbled by your service, by the sacrifice of your life, that you’re still here with us and we are going to continue to keep your memory alive, brought many of us to tears.”

JWest takes next steps

An artistic rendering of JWest’s new Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, as seen from 41st Avenue. (image from Federation)

JWest has submitted the development permit application to the City of Vancouver for the first building of the planned community hub, the new Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC) at the corner of 41st Avenue and Willow Street.

The design for a six-storey community centre is now being reviewed by the city after consultation with city planners. Rezoning for the site was approved in 2018 and includes a new JCC, a new King David High School and residential towers. Once completed, the hub will provide both housing and amenities for the expanding Oakridge neighbourhood.

The new JCC will be a 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, multigenerational community centre on what is currently the JCC parking lot. The centre will include expanded childcare, services for seniors, arts and cultural spaces, and amenities for all Vancouver residents. More than 20 not-for-profit organizations are expected to call the centre home. In particular, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, the largest Holocaust-based museum in Western Canada, will double in size to meet the growing demand for anti-racism education.

This is Phase 1 of the two-phase project. Phase 2 will include mixed-use rental housing, with units offered at or below market value and open to Jews and non-Jews.

While JWest is a community-led initiative that is Jewish at heart, it will benefit everyone. At $450+ million, it is also the most extensive project in the history of the Jewish community in Western Canada. And fundraising is proceeding apace, with keystone grants from the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia, the Diamond Foundation, the Al Roadburg Foundation, the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, and dozens of community-minded individuals and families bringing the vision into reality. The plan is to break ground within 13 months.

For more information, go to jwestnow.com. For philanthropic opportunities, contact Emily Pritchard at JWest ([email protected]).

– Courtesy Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

Learning about aging

On Jan. 12, Dan Levitt, seniors advocate of British Columbia, spoke at the Jewish Seniors Alliance’s winter symposium. (photo from JSA)

On Jan. 12, Jewish Seniors Alliance, with Kehila Society of Richmond and the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture, presented the winter symposium titled The Future of Aging. The featured speaker was Dan Levitt, seniors advocate of British Columbia.

Jeff Moss, executive director of JSA, opened the afternoon event and Toby Rubin, co-executive director of Kehila Society, offered some remarks, including that Kehila is always happy to be a co-presenter with JSA.

Gyda Chud, representing the Peretz Centre, told a few stories about the Levitt and Gofsky families (Dan Levitt’s parents) and their history with the Centre. Levitt’s great-grandparents, Rose and Abe Smith, were among the founders of the Peretz. Chud spoke of her mother, Gallia, who is 100 years old – she lives by and instils the values of diversity, inclusion, social justice and advocacy. Chud also mentioned that she had been Dan Levitt’s preschool teacher at the Peretz Centre, where the symposium was held.

Tammi Belfer, chair of JSA, reminded everyone of the organization’s commitment to all the seniors of British Columbia, and thanked everyone for working to enhance the quality of life for all seniors.

Levitt, who is an honorary member of JSA, then educated the 125 attendees about the situation of seniors in this province. He began by giving an example from his time at a home in Mission. The story involves giving plants to seniors on one floor of the facility and telling them that they were responsible for the plants’ upkeep. Plants were also given to residents on another floor, but they were told that the staff was responsible for their care. The residents who were given the responsibility had plants that flourished, whereas the plants on the other floor died. Given purpose and responsibility, said Levitt, people will rise to the challenge.

Levitt continued with some statistics: there are presently 1.1 million seniors in British Columbia and, by 2036, there will be 1.6 million. More than 90% of seniors live independently, but the fastest growing segment of this cohort is over 85 years old, and one in three of them will need care.

In his travels across the province, Levitt has heard from seniors about age discrimination in the workplace, often related to the regulations of employment, such as losing long-term disability and group insurance coverage after age 65. Many were concerned about the cost of driver’s licence renewal medical forms, which can vary from about $80 to $250, depending on the doctor’s discretion.

Levitt’s office is planning on holding a panel on transportation that will look at the needs of seniors. Some of the concerns are the distances between bus stops and the availability of HandyDART services.

There are many challenges ahead, said Levitt, noting that there are 6,500 people in British Columbia waiting for a publicly-subsidized long-term care bed. Home support, which would enable many seniors to “age in place,” is expensive here – these services are free to users in Ontario and Alberta. There is a need for more advocacy, he said. Support is also needed for caregivers, so they are not lost to other jobs. Combating ageism is also important.

Some other problems include the seismic upgrading needed in many care homes and digital access for seniors. The future must include help at home, with aid in reminders regarding medications, and help with technology. There needs to be age- and dementia-friendly places like they have in Bruges, Belgium.

Recommendations from Levitt and the Office of the Seniors Advocate include improving SAFER (a rental help program for seniors, the rates of which are inadequate); free home support; the funding of shingles, RSV and enhanced flu shots; and developing cross-ministry synergy for seniors’ issues.

After a lively Q & A session led by Chud, Ken Levitt, Dan’s father, who is a longtime board member of JSA, said a few words of appreciation. Larry Shapiro, JSA past chair, presented Dan Levitt with a gift and Moss thanked him. Refreshments followed, and the audience lingered and talked with Levitt before leaving with more knowledge and confidence than when they arrived.

Shanie Levin is a Jewish Seniors Alliance Life Governor. She is also on the editorial committee of Senior Line magazine.