{"id":27232,"date":"2017-12-08T03:50:43","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T11:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=27232"},"modified":"2017-12-08T05:09:17","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T13:09:17","slug":"meet-the-jis-18-under-36-honourees-our-second-group-alphabetically","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2017\/12\/08\/meet-the-jis-18-under-36-honourees-our-second-group-alphabetically\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the JI\u2019s 18 Under 36 honourees – our second group (alphabetically)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fall fun with some of the JI’s 18 Under 36 continued. (photo by Lianne Cohen)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Over the past month, each of the JI\u2019s 18 Under 36 honourees has taken the time to do an email or phone interview with Pat Johnson, so we could get to know them a little better. Once you meet them, you\u2019ll understand why these 18 young achievers and community-minded folk were chosen by the <\/em>JI\u2019s selection panel with the help of external adjudicator Kara Mintzberg, B.C. regional director of CJPAC (the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee).<\/em><\/p>\n

The second group of honourees at the JI Chai Celebration on Dec. 6 at the Rothstein Theatre were (alphabetically):\u00a0<\/em>Ariel Martz-Oberlander, Logan Presch, Maya Rae Schwartz-Dardick, Michael Sachs, Allie Saks, David Schein, Rotem Tal, Carmel Tanaka<\/strong> and Rabbi Levi Varnai<\/strong>. Mazal tov!<\/em><\/p>\n

***
\nAriel Martz-Oberlander
\n<\/strong>Age 24
\n<\/strong>Theatre Artist and Community Organizer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ariel Martz-Oberlander describes herself as \u201ca theatre artist, writer and teacher.\u201d As a \u201cJewish settler on Coast Salish territories with diasporic and refugee ancestry,\u201d her practice is rooted in a commitment to place-based accountability through decolonizing and solidarity work. She divides her time between theatre and community organizing, and specializes in creative protest tactics on land and water.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Ariel Martz-Oberlander\u00a0(photo by Lianne Cohen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those values have led her to co-found Kids for Climate Action while in high school, and to become vice-president of Fossil Free U of T, a leader of B.C. Sea Wolves, a Vancouver-based \u201ckayaktivist\u201d group, and an organizer of Paddle for the Peace (against the Site C hydroelectric project). She worked with aboriginal activists re-occupying and protecting their traditional land, Unist\u2019ot\u2019en Camp, in northern British Columbia, was a founding member of the Peace Camp at BC Hydro offices and has staged protests against the Kinder Morgan TransMountain pipeline.<\/p>\n

This year, she received the (Vancouver) Mayor\u2019s Arts Award for Community Engaged Arts in the emerging artist category. Her award citation stated, in part: \u201cMartz-Oberlander is a facilitator with the True Voice Theatre Project, producing new shows by residents of the Downtown Eastside and vulnerably housed youth, in collaboration with the Gathering Place and Covenant House. Her most recent work, created with support from the LEAP program, won a research and development prize from the Arts Club. Martz-Oberlander is also the associate producer for Vines Festival, presenting accessible, free eco-art in Vancouver parks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She received a community grant to screen environmental documentaries at Gordon Neighbourhood House, and theatre fellowships involving writing and directing original works. She has directed, written and acted in plays, and was a program director for Vines.<\/p>\n

She has guest-taught senior students at King David High School on issues of social justice and volunteered as a facilitator for Or Shalom\u2019s Dialogue Project, as well as leading children\u2019s services at Or Shalom.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy work seeks to invite people to take global issues personally. As the descendant of diasporic refugees, it is my desire to fight for the right of the people of this land to maintain their ancestral homelands and inheritance,\u201d she says. \u201cCommunity, belonging, my inheritance all give me a sense of my right to be in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her future goals? \u201cTo get a puppy.\u201d<\/p>\n

***
\nLogan Presch
\n<\/strong>Age 21
\n<\/strong>Business Student<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Logan Presch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Logan Presch is a University of British Columbia student and a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the traditionally Jewish fraternity.<\/p>\n

Presch, who is from Salmon Arm, B.C., is also a member of the Jewish Students Association, although he is not Jewish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout my life, members of the Jewish community have always accepted me, been my friend, and helped shaped who I\u2019ve become,\u201d he says. \u201cI care deeply about my friends, brothers and mentors, and want to reach out and help in my fullest capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putting that caring into action, Presch has been a leading opponent of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanction movement at UBC. He filed a petition that stated, in part, that the BDS referendum question \u201ccreates a toxic atmosphere for students supportive of the state of Israel, and is destructive of open and respectful debate on an important issue.\u201d He went on to say that the campus referendum \u201cdrove a wedge between religious groups on campus who had previously enjoyed inter-faith outreach and collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

After university, Presch hopes to follow his passion to work in the music industry, as a manager, agent or touring manager, and possibly pursuing a career in singing as well.<\/p>\n

***
\nMichael Sachs
\n<\/strong>Age 36
\n<\/strong>Wholesaler of Diamonds\/President of The Bayit<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bayit describes itself as a warm and vibrant synagogue in Richmond committed to making everyone feel included and, as the name suggests, at home.<\/p>\n

The suburban shul has recently seen a dramatic uptick in membership due to the leadership team of Michael Sachs, the synagogue\u2019s president, and spiritual leader Rabbi Levi Varnai.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Michael Sachs\u00a0(photo by Lianne Cohen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Born in Stamford, Conn., Sachs moved to Vancouver in 1993. Three years ago, with his wife Shira and two children, he moved to Richmond. While his day job is as a wholesaler of diamonds with ERL Diamonds, since last year he has been busy not only with the routine business that comes with the job of a congregational president, but with tasks that go above and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can be caught on my drives to or from work, calling members of our community to see how their job search is going,\u201d he says. \u201cDealing with other professionals in the community, seeing how the apartment hunt is going for a family, checking in with someone who may be under the weather, touching base with the Bayit team on the status of current projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of his nominators calls Sachs a \u201cproblem solver, creative thinker, a sort of advisor at times, and often a sounding board to both individuals and organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to raising a family and taking care of business, Sachs is also founder of Marc\u2019s Mensches, an initiative directed at youth to encourage and reward good deeds, and is the political liaison for the Kehila Society of Richmond.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudaism is the core of my life, from keeping kosher to attending synagogue, and even for guidance in difficult decisions,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

And his efforts have been noticed. He was co-recipient of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver\u2019s 2017 Young Leadership Award.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter moving to Richmond almost three years ago, and experiencing all that the Jewish community offers in Vancouver,\u201d he says, \u201cI felt a calling to jump in and serve to do whatever I can to help the Richmond Jewish community to continue to grow. My goal is simple: keep growing the Richmond Jewish community. Our community is growing every day at record rates, especially with the higher cost of living in Vancouver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Says Sachs of his fellow recipients of the JI\u2019s 18 Under 36 Awards, \u201cEvery one of these 18 members of our community is an ambassador of the Jewish people. Every positive ambassador from our community creates a ripple effect across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

***
\n<\/em>Allie Saks
\n<\/strong>Age 29
\n<\/strong>Occupational Therapist<\/strong><\/p>\n

As an occupational therapist working in hospital settings with people who have Parkinson\u2019s disease, Allie Saks saw a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe medical system tends to treat patients once they are already quite progressed in the disease,\u201d she says. \u201cIn reading the research, I knew that exercise can delay the progression.\u201d<\/p>\n

She heard about a program called Rock Steady, which was founded in Indianapolis by Scott Newman, who was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s at age 39. Newman discovered that non-contact boxing training lessened his symptoms.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Allie Saks\u00a0(photo by Lianne Cohen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rock Steady boxers train to improve overall fitness and strength, as well as speed, balance, agility, reaction time, hand-eye coordination, mental focus, and range of motion. The ultimate goal is to delay the progression of the disease and improve overall quality of life. The movement has now expanded to almost 500 affiliates worldwide, helping people with Parkinson\u2019s \u201cfight back.\u201d One of those affiliates is Rock Steady Boxing Vancouver, which Saks founded in May 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to provide that to people living with Parkinson\u2019s in our community,\u201d says Saks, who also practises as an occupational therapist in Fraser Health Concussion Clinic. In this role, she provides intervention and follow-up services to individuals who have experienced a concussion or mild to traumatic brain injury, in order to manage symptoms and facilitate speedy recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the physical benefits, Rock Steady Boxing also provides a means for people to build social connections and community,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is especially important for the Parkinson\u2019s population, that can often become quite reclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helping people with Parkinson\u2019s live better lives accounts for Saks\u2019 motto that, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always taught being diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s can be the ultimate \u2018lemon.\u2019 I hope I can make a meaningful contribution to my boxers, to delay the progression of the disease with Rock Steady Boxing, and make those \u2018lemons\u2019 a little sweeter,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Her Jewish heritage and commitment to tikkun olam also play a role in making Rock Steady accessible to all.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoon after starting our program, people with Parkinson\u2019s started to call saying they could not afford the cost of the program,\u201d she says. \u201cI felt I could not turn people away because of this, and that everyone should have equal opportunity to participate, despite financial barriers. I decided to create a scholarship program, where people pay what they can, and the remainder is covered by funds raised during Rock Steady fundraisers. We have held three successful Rock Steady fundraisers to date, which have helped cover anywhere from 75% to 100% of the cost of our classes for a number of our boxers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saks\u2019 future plans are to expand Rock Steady to reach as many individuals living with Parkinson\u2019s disease in Vancouver as possible.<\/p>\n

***
\nDavid Schein
\n<\/strong>Age 28
\n<\/strong>Director, Food Stash Foundation <\/strong><\/p>\n

When David Schein saw the documentary Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story<\/em>, it had a profound impact on him.<\/p>\n

The film follows a Vancouver couple, the filmmakers Grant Baldwin and Jenny Rustemeyer, as they survive for six months only on discarded food in order to draw attention to massive food waste in North America.<\/p>\n

Seeing people living with hunger while tons of food went to waste, motivated Schein to found Food Stash Foundation. The group has a straightforward, twofold mission: \u201cto rescue food from producers and suppliers that would have been destined for the landfill, and to deliver edible food items to food-insecure households and individuals in Vancouver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
David Schein\u00a0(photo by Lianne Cohen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Food Stash picks up edible food from bakeries, restaurants and grocery stores, things like imperfect produce, day-old bread and grain products, items that aren\u2019t moving quickly off the shelves and food that has reached its best-before date but remains fine. The food is subsequently delivered to households and individuals who need it, and to charities that feed people. Suppliers include Whole Foods, the August Market, COBS Bread, Rosemary Rocksalt, IGA, Cupcakes, Tractor, Windset Farms, Virtuous Pie, Nesters, Terra Breads, Elysian Coffee, and many other shops, restaurants, caf\u00e9s and bakeries.<\/p>\n

Among the agencies Food Stash supports are the Island Refugee Society of British Columbia, Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, the Kettle Society, MPA Society, Steeves Manor, Watari, Masjid Al-Salaam and Education Centre, Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society, Directions Youth Services, AMS UBC Food Bank, Atira Women\u2019s Resource Centre, and South Granville Seniors Centre, among others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think change happens by starting small in one\u2019s community and setting an example that other communities can follow,\u201d Schein says. \u201cI don\u2019t want to wait for government policy to change or be the driver in creating more sustainable communities, but instead think that we can help and contribute to making our communities better in whatever ways are most important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Food Stash was responsible for rescuing and redistributing 167,110 pounds of edible food \u2013 and the amounts are rising daily. The foundation has only one paid employee, a part-timer who is a refugee from the Philippines. A volunteer team of 16 does the rescuing and delivery. Schein has recruited students to support Food Stash, including some from King David High School, where he previously taught French and Spanish.<\/p>\n

A new pilot program is underway, in partnership with Jewish Family Services. The Grocery Box Program will deliver fresh food to those most in need. The pilot will initially provide 10 Richmond families with four boxes per month of healthy, fresh, quality food. These include produce, bread, dairy and juice, items not frequently available at the food bank because of a lack of ability to store perishable foods.<\/p>\n

Of Schein, one of his nominators stated: \u201cHis humility is a measure of the loving kindness of his food justice mission and of his acknowledgement that he\u2019s at the beginning of a journey to learn more about how to solve a complex and systemic problem and how to build community partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n

***
\nMaya Rae Schwartz-Dardick
\n<\/strong>Age 15
\n<\/strong>Student\/Musician<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maya Rae Schwartz-Dardick recorded her debut album this year and has already been recognized by CBC Music as one of Canada\u2019s Top 35 Jazz Musicians Under the age of 35.<\/p>\n

Under the performing name Maya Rae, she was just 13 when she performed at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. While her voice has wowed audiences, it is also her philanthropic spirit that is gaining attention. She routinely performs at fundraisers for organizations and causes, raising $20,000 to date. Of this, $6,000 was raised to help resettle two refugee families in British Columbia. Other causes for which she has shared her talents include support of homeless youth, anti-bullying campaigns and a fundraiser for Nepal earthquake victims. The CD release party for her first album was a fundraiser for Covenant House, which helps youth 16 to 24 who have fled physical, emotional and\/or sexual abuse or are street-involved.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Maya Rae Schwartz-Dardick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI like to use music to make the world a better place,\u201d she says. \u201cI like the way my music touches people.\u201d<\/p>\n

A member of Temple Sholom\u2019s Youth Board, Schwartz-Dardick enjoys singing at synagogue and reading Torah during the High Holidays. She plays regularly at Louis Brier Home and Hospital to bring music to seniors in the community.<\/p>\n

Now working on her second album, she plans to tour in 2018, and \u201ccontinue to use my music to help raise awareness around important community issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world of jazz has been blessed with child prodigies for as long as the genre has existed,\u201d CBC Music writer Scott Morin wrote of Schwartz-Dardick. \u201cMaya Rae is faithfully continuing the tradition of young, prodigious voices taking their incredible talents to the jazz art form, and at only 15 years old she has an incredibly bright future ahead.\u2026 Her debut album, Sapphire Birds<\/em>, produced by Cory Weeds, one of the hardest-working cats in the business, was released earlier this year on the Cellar Live label, and shows a supremely gifted artist who is able to phrase like Sarah Vaughan but write a lyric like Joni Mitchell. Watch out for this talented singer and composer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf my music can make a difference towards helping people and making the world a better place, I can\u2019t think of anything else that I\u2019d rather be doing,\u201d Schwartz-Dardick told the Independent<\/em> last year.<\/p>\n

***
\nRotem Tal
\n<\/strong>Age 34
\n<\/strong>Restaurant and Food Truck Owner\/Entrepreneur<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rotem Tal was born in Haifa, Israel, and has been in Vancouver since 2008. But the d\u00e9cor in the Main Street restaurant Chickpea, which he cofounded with fellow sabra Itamar Shani, shouts \u201cIsrael!\u201d<\/p>\n

The entrance sports a Dizengoff Street sign, winking at the Tel Aviv hotspot, and a mural features David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Dayan, Theodor Herzl and Golda Meir crossing Abbey Road.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Rotem Tal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After traveling the world following his military service, Tal settled in Vancouver for its laid-back vibe, yoga classes and mountains. He studied at Simon Fraser University, where he was active in Hillel and, after graduation, took a job as Hillel\u2019s outreach and special events director. That involved a lot of cooking and hospitality. He was also a founding resident of Vancouver\u2019s Moishe House, a hub for young Jewish adults.<\/p>\n

Tal is committed to environmental sustainability. At Hillel, he replaced all plastic utensils with reusable ones and instituted a composting program.<\/p>\n

He also made a very personal commitment to the health of children in the developing world. He raised $3,500 in a fundraising effort for Save a Child\u2019s Heart by cutting off his signature dreadlocks. Save a Child\u2019s Heart is an Israeli charity that provides life-saving heart surgeries to kids in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

Tal left Hillel to follow his dream of becoming a professional full-time chef and restaurateur. With his friend Shani, Tal started the Chickpea food truck, an Israeli vegetarian option that gained quick fame and a strong following. Earlier this year, they opened the 2,400-square-foot storefront restaurant on Main Street and took the vegetarianism a step further, eliminating eggs and dairy to make the place vegan. Even the shakshuka replaces eggs with a spicy vegetarian sausage.<\/p>\n

While running a restaurant has been a long-term goal, now that he has realized it, there\u2019s another vision on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\u201cMyself and Itamar \u2013 aka Chickpea \u2013 are going to open a few more restaurants and raise money for our ultimate goal: opening up a farm\/retreat-wellness centre\/space for music festivals and arts,\u201d he says. \u201cWe are working towards finding a piece of land around 200 acres and designating it to being a community space. We will grow our own food (within the limitations of the seasons), have our Chickpea community live there, and hold space for healing and rejuvenating others. Think permaculture, Burning Man, yoga centre = Chickpea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tal\u2019s connection with his Judaism emerged largely after he left Israel. \u201cI was traveling for many years by myself, or would meet friends in different countries like Australia or the States,\u201d he says. \u201cI noticed that, although Judaism never played a major role in my upbringing (since I was raised in Israel and Jewishness is just all encompassing), wherever I landed, no matter where I came from, the Jewish community always welcomed me with open arms. I was always able to find a place to stay, work, and friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough I truly believe that connection and helping others is a human attribute,\u201d he continues, \u201cI think that it is strongly ingrained in Jewish culture … probably because we were persecuted for so many years and we had to stick together. I myself try to bring this vibe to everyone, not only the Jewish community. I believe that the Jewish community is a special one within the human community, and I strive to make connections with everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

***
\nCarmel Tanaka
\n<\/strong>Age 30
\n<\/strong>Community Relations Manager,
\n<\/strong>Centre for Israel <\/strong>and Jewish Affairs, Pacific Region<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carmel Tanaka credits her unique family history with helping form her worldview and ability to meet people on their own terms.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurns out, I\u2019m pretty good at connecting people and building bridges,\u201d she says. \u201cMight have something to do with my eclectic professional background and varied personal interests and experiences, which helps me relate to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

She found this out, she says, while serving as the director of Hillel Victoria, where she enhanced the connections between the Jewish students organization and other individuals and groups on campus. That bridge-building was on full display during Hillel\u2019s Holocaust Awareness Week at UVic last year.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Carmel Tanaka\u00a0(photo by Lianne Cohen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tanaka created an imaginative and moving commemoration. As is traditional, six candles were lit in memory of the six million Jewish lives lost in the Shoah. A seventh candle was lit to symbolize hope. To light the candles, she brought together the diversity of the campus community, including representatives of First Nations, African, German and Slavic communities. UVic\u2019s Multifaith Services participated, as did the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island and advocates from the Sexualized Violence Task Force. UVic Holocaust educators and representatives of the administration lit candles, as did children of Holocaust survivors. Student leaders, including some who had returned from the university\u2019s I-witness Field School, which takes students to Central Europe to explore how the Holocaust is memorialized, joined the ceremony.<\/p>\n

In another symbolic act, recollecting Kristallnacht, participants took shards of a broken window and pieced them back together, creating a \u201cresilience window\u201d that has been used at subsequent community commemorations.<\/p>\n

During the ceremony, Tanaka spoke about her family\u2019s history. She is a granddaughter, on her mother\u2019s side, of survivors of the Holocaust. On her father\u2019s side, her Japanese-Canadian grandparents were interned during the Second World War, losing everything, including a prosperous fishing and cannery business, which was confiscated by the federal government. \u201cIt takes a community to overcome trauma and rebuild a peaceful future,\u201d Tanaka said at the commemoration. \u201cIt also takes a community to prevent trauma from happening in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

During her time in Victoria, Tanaka also assisted the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island\u2019s Yom Hazikron and Yom Ha\u2019atzmaut events. To help raise funds for a Syrian refugee family sponsored by Victoria\u2019s Congregation Emanu-El, she performed as the Fiddler, as well as volunteering as the music director, in a staging of Fiddler on the Roof<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Tanaka recently took the position of community relations manager at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Pacific Region, another role that requires making connections. \u201cIn many ways, my new role is a natural progression from what I did at a local level, just now at the provincial level,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Recently, she says, she has been putting her health first, \u201cbecoming part of the Megaformer (Lagree Method) fitness family, shedding 30 pounds and counting, strengthening my core and breaking under 200 pounds on my 30th birthday! It\u2019s going to make the upcoming ski season so much more amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her family history also reflects her food choices. \u201cI identify as \u2018Jewpanese\u2019 and it permeates everything that I do, especially in my cooking,\u201d she says. \u201cSoy sauce and chicken schmaltz are my two secret ingredients in just about every dish.\u201d<\/p>\n

***
\nRabbi Levi Varnai
\n<\/strong>Age 29
\n<\/strong>Rabbi, The Bayit<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Richmond synagogue known as the Bayit has its roots back a few decades in the Eitz Chaim congregation, an early institution in the emerging Jewish community of the southern suburb.<\/p>\n

As young families have been priced out of the Vancouver real estate market, a large number of them have moved across the bridge to find more affordable housing. In response, a plethora of Richmond-based organizations have popped up to meet the demands of the growing Jewish population.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Rabbi Levi Varnai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Bayit, though, had fallen on difficult times for a few years. After a series of rabbis, the congregation went a spell without a spiritual leader until July 2016. That\u2019s when a new congregation president and a new rabbi took the helm, ushering in a younger leadership team and sparking what has been, so far, a dramatic renaissance in the life of the shul.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Levi Varnai was assistant rabbi at the Ohel Ya\u2019akov Community Kollel on West Broadway, providing spiritual care and connections especially for young families. Then, Michael Sachs, who had recently moved from Vancouver to Richmond, became president of the Bayit and, at the first board meeting, the congregation hired Varnai as rabbi. In little more than a year, the synagogue has grown exponentially.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichmond is becoming a pretty big place,\u201d says Varnai. \u201cThere are many, many young families here and, of course, you\u2019ve got Richmond Jewish Day School. We do a monthly Friday night dinner, which is very, very popular for young families. We get an average of 100 people for such an event. On the holidays, we\u2019ve got 250, 300, sometimes even 350.\u201d<\/p>\n

Varnai laughs that, as a born Vancouverite, moving to Richmond meant breaking down a stigma. But it wasn\u2019t the biggest move in his life.<\/p>\n

When he was 12, his family made aliyah. He studied in yeshivah in Israel, then went to New York for rabbinical studies. He married an Israeli woman and served as chaplain to the elite, top-secret intelligence unit 8200.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I had nothing to do with the unit itself,\u201d Varnai clarifies. \u201cI just ran the synagogue and supervised the kosher food in the kitchen.\u201d Nevertheless, he adds, \u201cIt was quite an experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of economics, Varnai says, the Richmond Jewish community is diverse and comparatively youthful. \u201cYou talk about the young South African family, the young Russian family, the young Israeli family or a family from Montreal,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re moving to B.C. because it\u2019s a beautiful province and you have the option of either living in Vancouver or paying 30% or sometimes 40% less in Richmond. It\u2019s like a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaching young families is key to the future, he says. \u201cIf our parents are involved but we can\u2019t get our kids involved, where is the future of Judaism?\u201d Religious services are only part of the Bayit\u2019s appeal, he adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn English, we say synagogue, in Yiddish we say shul. The word in Hebrew is beit haknesset, meeting place,\u201d he says. \u201cA gathering place. When Jews gather, obviously one of the things they do is have services. But the main point is the gathering place. That\u2019s where the emphasis is. A place where the Jewish community is together, to laugh, to have fun, to gather together, to have social events and whatever it may be that provides community and takes care of one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see a huge potential here,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fall fun with some of the JI’s 18 Under 36 continued. (photo by Lianne Cohen) *** Over the past month, each of the JI\u2019s 18 Under 36 honourees has taken the time to do an email or phone interview with Pat Johnson, so we could get to know them a little better. Once you meet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7668,7674,7505,7677,7675,1276,7564,7671,7672,7673,7678,7676],"class_list":["post-27232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-18-under-36","tag-allie-saks","tag-ariel-martz-oberlander","tag-carmel-tanaka","tag-david-schein","tag-jewish-independent","tag-ji-chai-celebration","tag-logan-presch","tag-maya-rae-schwartz-dardick","tag-michael-sachs","tag-rabbi-levi-varnai","tag-rotem-tal"],"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\/27232","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=27232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}