{"id":12920,"date":"2015-06-05T00:06:11","date_gmt":"2015-06-05T07:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=12920"},"modified":"2015-06-03T13:12:59","modified_gmt":"2015-06-03T20:12:59","slug":"retiring-from-the-jcc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2015\/06\/05\/retiring-from-the-jcc\/","title":{"rendered":"Retiring from the JCC"},"content":{"rendered":"

In her retirement, Jocelyne Hall\u00e9 plans to keep working as a photographer. (photo by Rachel Lando)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Members of the Vancouver Jewish community know Jocelyne Hall\u00e9. For years, she has been the official photographer of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, taking pictures at gala dinners and art presentations. As well, her smiling face and helpful optimism have enhanced the centre\u2019s membership desk and greeted many members, new and old, whenever they enter the building. But, after June 25, she will no longer be there. She is retiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to work at the JCC in 2001,\u201d Hall\u00e9 said in an interview with the Independent<\/em>. \u201cBefore, I used to work for several engineering firms, as a translator or executive assistant, but, by 2001, I grew unhappy with my job. I wanted a change, so I applied to an employment agency.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had never thought about a job at the JCC. \u201cMy agent took me for an interview but she didn\u2019t tell me where she was taking me,\u201d Hall\u00e9 recalled. \u201cShe just said it would be a new environment for me and that I would like it. She brought me to an interview with Gerry Zipursky [executive director of the centre at the time]. The interview lasted for two hours, the longest interview of my life, and, after that, he hired me to be his personal assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she started her new job, Hall\u00e9 didn\u2019t know anything about the local Jewish community or Jewish culture, or even about working at a community centre in general.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked him why he hired me, a non-Jew,\u201d she said, wondering aloud. \u201cBut he said he only wanted his assistant to be competent and sensitive to the situation in the Middle East. I guess I was both, although I don\u2019t remember talking much during the interview. He did most of the talking.\u201d<\/p>\n

She admitted that the adjustment period wasn\u2019t easy. \u201cI had to learn so much. But the more I learned about the community and the Jewish culture, the more I fell in love with it. When, in 2005, I went with the others for a working trip to Israel, I felt very comfortable, as if it was home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The year 2005 was a milestone for her in many respects. She took thousands of photographs in Israel, and the experience propelled her lifelong passion for photography to a new level. Her photos of Israel adorned an entire wall of the JCC atrium for three years. Her affection for the country and the people reverberated through the images she captured. \u201cIt was so gratifying to see people standing in front of that wall, looking at my pictures,\u201d she said. (In 2009, Hall\u00e9 landed a show at the JCC\u2019s Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery. \u201cMy friends told me that if they didn\u2019t know better and only judged by my photos, they would\u2019ve thought Israel a green country,\u201d she confided happily.)<\/p>\n

Another, sadder event also happen in 2005 \u2013 she was diagnosed with breast cancer soon after she returned from Israel. \u201cCancer changed me, in a good way,\u201d she said. \u201cContrary to everyone\u2019s expectations, it was a positive experience. I realized what was important in life. I learned who was a real friend and who wasn\u2019t. Before, I was working too much, always tired and heading for depression, but my illness gave me leave to take care of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

She took time to recover and, after two years, returned to the JCC. Her former boss was no longer there, so she started working at the membership desk. \u201cIt was a different environment,\u201d she explained. \u201cI finally met many community members and I was away from all the politics. I loved it. Everyone was very friendly and helpful; I felt almost a part of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued learning about the community, immersing herself in the culture and traditions. \u201cBy now, I know so much about Jewish ways, people often ask me questions. I explain to them about Rosh Hashana and Shabbat and other celebrations. Many are surprised to learn that I\u2019m not Jewish. To tell the truth, sometimes I feel that I\u2019m kind of Jew-ish. We joke about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In January this year, Hall\u00e9 turned 60, and decided it was time to retire.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last couple of years, a few of my friends died,\u201d she shared. \u201cIt was very upsetting, but I\u2019m alive. I\u2019m ecstatic to be 60. I want to travel, to take some class, to work more on my photography. Recently, I went to Nicaragua for a month; I worked there as a volunteer and I want to do it again. I want to visit Galapagos and Kenya. I might volunteer with the JCC Seniors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall\u00e9 is sure that her work for the JCC created an opportunity for her to develop as an artist photographer. With the support and encouragement of her colleagues and friends, she continues to explore her chosen art form. \u201cI have nine photographic events booked this summer, right after I retire,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll do a bar mitzvah, a wedding, a fundraiser, even a dance festival.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall\u00e9\u2019s plans are still in flux, but they expand every day, perhaps enough to fill the next 60 years.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Hall\u00e9, the photographer, visit her website, jocelynehalle.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Olga Livshin<\/strong> is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at olgagodim@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In her retirement, Jocelyne Hall\u00e9 plans to keep working as a photographer. (photo by Rachel Lando) Members of the Vancouver Jewish community know Jocelyne Hall\u00e9. For years, she has been the official photographer of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, taking pictures at gala dinners and art presentations. As well, her smiling face and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[42,1182,3903,2747],"class_list":["post-12920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-jcc","tag-jewish-community-centre-of-greater-vancouver","tag-jocelyne-halle","tag-photography"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}