{"id":20302,"date":"2016-08-19T00:40:44","date_gmt":"2016-08-19T07:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=20302"},"modified":"2016-08-18T15:55:17","modified_gmt":"2016-08-18T22:55:17","slug":"vha-pays-tribute-to-segals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2016\/08\/19\/vha-pays-tribute-to-segals\/","title":{"rendered":"VHA pays tribute to Segals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vancouver Hebrew Academy head of school Rabbi Don Pacht, right, presents Joseph and Rosalie Segal with a Stanley Cup-inspired Kiddush cup. (photo by Jocelyne Hall\u00e9)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Vancouver Hebrew Academy has outgrown its current facility and is looking to build a new school. It\u2019s in the early stages of a capital campaign to raise $18 million, of which almost 15% has been pledged to date. Its annual Summer Garden Party added to those funds \u2013 and it also celebrated the school\u2019s impact, the broader community, and Joseph and Rosalie Segal for their \u201clifetime of commitment to our Jewish future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The party was held on July 21 at the home of Lorne and M\u00e9lita Segal. The other event ambassadors were their siblings: Norman and Sandra Miller, Dr. Mark and Tracey Schonfeld, and Gary and Nanci Segal. The night was emceed by Howard Blank and catered by Chef Menachem.<\/p>\n

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Emcee Howard Blank in action. (photo by Jocelyne Hall\u00e9)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The evening\u2019s program noted that VHA\u2019s facility, which it rents from the Vancouver School Board, \u201cdoesn\u2019t provide the space and the tools for modern education,\u201d and doesn\u2019t allow for growth. \u201cThe main building was built in the 1940s. Three portables have been added. The current 12,000-square-foot space is insufficient and well below the area standards recommended by the Ministry of Education for elementary schools.\u201d VHA\u2019s vision? \u201cA new home for Torah education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starting off the formal portion of the evening, Elizabeth Nider, co-chair of the VHA board of directors, thanked Joe and Rosalie Segal, \u201cnot just for being our honorees, but for providing an inspiration and example to our community of what it means to give.\u201d She said this is a value that the teachers and staff of VHA are effectively imparting to students.<\/p>\n

By way of example, Nider related the story of what happened three years ago, when her father-in-law, Marvin Nider, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her son, Yosef, who was 6 at the time, asked her and her husband what he could do to help. Over the course of a few weeks, Yosef planned and held a violin concert, raising more than $10,000 for the B.C. Cancer Foundation, \u201cknowing that this money might not help his grandfather, but would maybe help others with cancer in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most meaningful part for the family, she said, was that her father-in-law could watch the concert on Facetime from his hospital bed. \u201cTo us, giving back means giving and not expecting anything back. It means giving because you know it\u2019s the right thing to do. And I thank Vancouver Hebrew Academy for teaching our children the importance of giving, and I also thank Joe and Rosalie for leading by example.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his dvar Torah, Rabbi Don Pacht, VHA head of school, gave a brief lesson on the mitzvah of charity, \u201cthe commandment to give and to offer assistance.\u201d One of the most known lessons is that of the half-shekel, he said. \u201cEveryone in the community was invited to participate and the funds raised would be incorporated into the treasury of the Temple and would benefit the entire community equally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCharity is a two-way street,\u201d he added, talking not only about those who give \u2013 making special mention of the evening\u2019s honorees \u2013 but the receivers. \u201cFor those of us who do receive, it creates an obligation, wherever possible, for us to give back. And that is the value we try to impart at the Hebrew Academy for our families, for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

VHA class of 2008 alumna Kira Smordin said, \u201cVHA gave me the values and the skills of a Torah education, a love for my Jewish heritage, the ability to navigate across the broad spectrum of the Jewish world and the tools to engage and thrive in the secular one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smordin spoke of a couple of teachers in particular who inspired and encouraged her to become a teacher herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis past April,\u201d she said, \u201cI finished my second year of a five-year dual degree arts and education program at Queen\u2019s University in Kingston, Ont.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the curriculum, she has to do an annual teaching practicum and, this year, she chose VHA. \u201cMy teaching practicum was the perfect opportunity for me to give back to a school and a community that has given so much to me,\u201d she said, adding that the most important lessons she learned at VHA were about chesed<\/em> (compassion) and tzedakah<\/em> (charity), and that the Segals \u201care those lessons come to life for me\u2026. You demonstrate by example what it means to give back. You set the bar high and challenge all of us to reach for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judy Boxer-Zack, VHA class of 1996, added her reflections.<\/p>\n

She compared a community to an orchestra, in which everyone has a part to play. She then shared why VHA is close to her heart, and a bit about Chimp (Charitable Impact), the organization for which she works.<\/p>\n

At VHA, she said, students were taught to treat everyone with respect, dignity and a sense of inclusiveness. \u201cWhat naturally flowed from this for us was a distinctive sense that we had a responsibility for our local and broader communities. This was one of the many ways that VHA was setting the stage to inspire the next generation of Jewish leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it specifically inspired Boxer-Zack in her career path. She has worked for a variety of nonprofits, leading up to her job at Chimp, and she was visibly proud to introduce Ariel Lewinski, vice-president of Chimp, who was the next speaker.<\/p>\n

Recently, Lewinski and his wife, Rachael, had met with Joe Segal, learning a bit about Segal\u2019s life and business endeavors. \u201cWhat struck me,\u201d said Lewinski, \u201cis how Mr. Segal was so proud to mention that his children and grandchildren have carried on in this tradition of giving back, and thus creating a family legacy of giving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewinski noted, \u201cWe are all here tonight, in some capacity, because we value the importance of Torah education and recognize that, regardless of how each of us chooses to raise our children, a Torah education and an institution that serves that purpose is at the foundation of any vibrant and diverse Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewinski\u2019s wife is a VHA alumna and currently sits on the executive board; his mother-in-law, Ruth Erlichman, was the board\u2019s first president and currently sits on the board of governors; and his son, Yaakov, will be starting school at VHA in September. He said that he and his family are such strong supporters of VHA because not only does it provide a strong Torah education but also an excellent secular education.<\/p>\n

Lewinski spoke about Chimp, and its objective of reversing the trend of declining charitable giving in Canada by creating and nurturing \u201ca culture of giving by making charity accessible and an everyday part of life.\u201d Everyone at the garden party was given a $100 gift from Chimp to give to any charity, or charities. During the proceedings that followed, Hodi Kahn challenged attendees to give to VHA, saying that the Kahn Family Foundation would match all donations, up to $10,000. As of Tuesday, with 15 days left in the fundraiser, more than $17,000 of the $20,000 goal had been donated.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Peter Legge and his wife, Kay, provided a copy to every family in attendance of his book Lunch with Joe<\/em>. (photo by Jocelyne Hall\u00e9)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another type of donation was also presented during the evening, with Dr. Peter Legge and his wife, Kay, providing a copy to every family in attendance of his book Lunch with Joe<\/em>, which features a biography of Joe Segal, shares some of Segal\u2019s philosophies on business and life, and includes the stories of more than 90 people who have had the chance to lunch with Segal at the Four Seasons Vancouver.<\/p>\n

Addressing the honorees, Erlichman said she has had many meetings with Joe Segal over the last 18 or so years. \u201cI always came away not only with material support, but practical suggestions to move the needs of our school forward,\u201d she said. \u201cYou and Rosalie have been and continue to be incredible mentors \u2013 so many of us have benefited from your leadership and generosity of spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pacht then presented the Segals with a Stanley Cup-shaped Kiddush cup. Just as the blessing over the wine helps us transition into Shabbat, said the rabbi, \u201cyou have also taught us how to take the mundane and to elevate it to the spiritual. The way that your family supports the community is exceptional in every way. It\u2019s inspiring for every one of us here, and countless generations of children and families at the Vancouver Hebrew Academy have felt and will always feel the impact of your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inscription on the cup recognizes the Segals\u2019 \u201clifetime of commitment to our Jewish future.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Joe Segal spoke, he acknowledged that, while he and his wife had received many accolades during the night, they were not the only ones deserving. \u201cEverybody in this room, I\u2019m sure, has had a special affinity,\u201d he said, \u201csomething that was important to them [to support]…. The important thing in life is to do what you can. And the measurement is not how you do it or how big you do it, but doing it the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Segal described VHA as a \u201cvery worthy institution\u201d because it is a \u201cnurturing breeding ground of understanding and of belonging and of responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added \u2013 sharing part of a conversation from earlier that day \u2013 that Jews comprise such a small percentage of the world\u2019s population. And so, he said, holding back emotion, \u201cThis is directed to you, Rabbi Pacht, because what you\u2019re doing is so important \u2013 you\u2019re planting the seeds for the evolution and the continuation of the race. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vancouver Hebrew Academy head of school Rabbi Don Pacht, right, presents Joseph and Rosalie Segal with a Stanley Cup-inspired Kiddush cup. (photo by Jocelyne Hall\u00e9) Vancouver Hebrew Academy has outgrown its current facility and is looking to build a new school. It\u2019s in the early stages of a capital campaign to raise $18 million, of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3076,3128,6177,6178,5802,2172,3332],"class_list":["post-20302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-education","tag-fundraising","tag-hebrew-academy","tag-pacht","tag-segal","tag-torah","tag-vha"],"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\/20302","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=20302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}