{"id":47670,"date":"2025-09-26T01:55:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=47670"},"modified":"2025-09-24T13:08:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T20:08:18","slug":"chw-expands-helping-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2025\/09\/26\/chw-expands-helping-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"CHW expands helping efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israeli journalist Rolene Marks, chair of WIZO\u2019s Hasbara Division, was the keynote speaker at CHW Vancouver Centre\u2019s Opening Lunch and Fashion Show on Sept. 14. <\/i>(photo by Cynthia Ramsay)<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI know that, as a community, you are feeling vulnerable and you are feeling that you have to be the mouthpiece or, as I call it, the litmus test, for however Israel is prosecuting a war so many miles, so far away, from you,\u201d Israeli journalist and advocate Rolene Marks told those gathered at CHW Vancouver Centre\u2019s Opening Lunch and Fashion Show on Sept. 14. \u201cAnd I want to tell you that, although Israel\u2019s not perfect \u2013 even though we are the only country in the world expected to prosecute a perfect war \u2013 you can be proud of the state of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Left to right: Claudia Goldman, Rolene Marks and Toby Rubin at the Sept. 14 event. (photo from CHW)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marks, who, among other things, chairs WIZO\u2019s Hasbara Division, was the event\u2019s keynote speaker. Toby Rubin, president of CHW Vancouver Centre, welcomed the 150-plus guests at the Richmond Country Club Sept. 14, acknowledging the presence of Judy Mandleman, Rochelle Levinson and Claudia Goldman \u2013 three local Jewish community members who have been presidents of national CHW. She noted that the current national president, Tova Train, would be speaking, as would Lisa Colt-Kotler, chief executive officer of CHW, and Marks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis luncheon today is raising funds for two very important projects that we have here locally,\u201d said Rubin. \u201cOne is JOLT, and the other is Franny\u2019s Fund [which supports six youth advocacy centres across Canada, including the Treehouse Vancouver Child and Youth Advocacy Centre]. JOLT is the Jewish Outreach Leadership Training program at Canadian Young Judaea, and provides camperships to seven camps across Canada, including our very own Camp Hatikvah. Today, we are honoured to have with us the president of Camp Hatikvah, Joanna Wasel, who, along with the camp director and staff has worked with CHW these past two summers with the campers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Wasel and staff spearheaded making keychains and bracelets for Israeli soldiers, which Colt-Kotler and Train hand-delivered on a visit last January to patients at the Gandel Rehabilitation Centre at Hadassah Hospital, said Tobin.<\/p>\n

This year, campers in Hatikvah\u2019s first session created their own version of the Maccabi Games, as a fundraiser for HaGal Sheli <\/i>(My Wave), \u201ca surfing program that is used to help people combat stress, anxiety and PTSD,\u201d said Rubin. \u201cAnd you can only imagine, since Oct. 7, how important that program is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initiative raised more than $7,000 for HaGal Sheli, said Rubin, who also noted that the brunch\u2019s table decorations of books, toy cars and pens would be given to Treehouse Vancouver. Many of the books were donated by Vancouver Talmud Torah, she said.<\/p>\n

Train, who came to the event from Toronto, spoke about being from Edmonton, calling herself \u201ca Westerner at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never imagined myself taking on the role of national president,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I\u2019ve always believed with my whole heart that, if I cannot serve Israel by wearing a uniform, then my obligation is to serve in every other way I can. That\u2019s why CHW speaks so deeply to me. For more than a century, this organization has invested in education, health care and social services. And, today, especially after Oct. 7, those needs have never been greater \u2013 Rolene shared with me a statistic this morning that more than 10,000 IDF soldiers have been treated for mental health issues across the country since Oct. 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a video about CHW\u2019s various impacts, Colt-Kotler presented a plaque to Bernard Pinsky, in his role as chair of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cCHW, at our core, is philanthropy, and we were founded, as you know, in 1917, by a very dedicated, special woman named Lillian Freiman,\u201d said Colt-Kotler, describing Freiman as \u201can example of philanthropy\u201d and \u201cof dedication to the Jewish community,\u201d and as \u201cthe essence of what a CHW woman is \u2026 an empowered woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Lisa Colt-Kotler, chief executive officer of CHW, presents a plaque to Bernard Pinsky, chair of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation. (photo from CHW)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She continued, \u201cWe created the Lillian Freiman Society to recognize individual donors for their generous philanthropy, starting at $100,000, and the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation generously donated to Michal Sela Forum \u2026\u00a0 <\/span>to combat domestic violence, to provide innovative solutions for the protection from and prevention of intimate partner violence,\u201d said Colt-Kotler.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pinsky said he pushed the foundation to have women\u2019s empowerment as one of its focuses because, from the time he was a teenager, he has been influenced by his sister, Helen Pinsky, who attended the brunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a real feminist,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd somebody who taught me that women\u2019s empowerment and women\u2019s protection is very, very important in life, and I think it\u2019s no less important today than it was over 50 years ago, when she talked to me about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Marks took to the podium, she acknowledged the Israel Defence Forces soldiers, who are \u201cfighting 24\/7 to protect the state of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI also want to take a moment to acknowledge the over 900 soldiers who have fallen in defence of the state of Israel and the many who are wounded, both physically and who carry those invisible wounds,\u201d said Marks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an absolute imperative that I mention that we still have 48 hostages languishing in the hell of Gaza,\u201d she added. \u201cEvery second counts\u2026. We want them home now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marks specializes in media, public relations and training on Jewish- and Israel-related issues. She hosts a radio program called Modiin and Beyond<\/i> and is a contributor on Johannesburg\u2019s Chai FM. She co-founded Lay of the Land, hosts The Israel Brief <\/i>on YouTube and serves as a national spokesperson for the South African Zionist Federation. She is currently doing a doctorate at Middlesex University London, in media, politics and antisemitism.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the W in the CHW [Canadian Hadassah-WIZO] \u2013 I represent World WIZO, Israel\u2019s foremost women\u2019s organization in terms of working for empowerment,\u201d said Marks. \u201cAnd we have seen, certainly in the last two years, the voices of Jewish women and the experience of Israeli women on the 7th of October completely erased from the feminist landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel is fighting a war on multiple fronts, she said, acknowledging how vulnerable the diaspora community feels because of what is put out in the media, which filters onto the streets and makes it into government policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that every day you hear the accusations: genocide, mass starvation, bombing of civilian infrastructure, like hospitals. And I can tell you that, as somebody who is living through the war and covering the war, the situation is not what you are being painted out to answer for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marks was in Gaza a few weeks before the CHW brunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw mountains \u2013 mountains and mountains \u2013 of humanitarian aid marked United Nations, UNICEF, World Food Program, and more. Things like medical kits, baby formula, flour, oil, pasta, hygiene kits, all languishing in the sun. Now, accompanying the few of us that went in, apart from our incredible soldiers, were two journalists from Australia\u2019s ABC [network]\u2026. The IDF said to us, we\u2019re here to answer questions, but, guys, go off, find your stories; there was no interference. And these two journalists stood in front of a big mountain of aid marked United Nations and, in his piece to camera, the correspondent said, \u2018This is the image that Israel wants you to see with regards to humanitarian aid.\u2019 And you could hear the collective jaw drop from the rest of us, including colleagues from the Arab media, because we know what we saw. But my point is this: the bias and the narrative-building start in the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had several instances where I\u2019ve gone into the field with the foreign media,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, despite what they have seen, they have turned it into an agenda that they can push to put the pressure on Israel, and to put the pressure on you as a community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marks stressed that \u201cwe can hold our heads up high as a community and as a people. There is nothing dirty about the Z word.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zionist, she said, \u201cjust means a belief in the existence of the nation-state of the Jewish people in our ancient homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the fight against antisemitism, everyone must play a role, said Marks, whether \u201csharing on your social media or writing letters to the press or getting involved in your community organizations. We are a people that have survived millennia of blood libels, persecution, and attempts to erase our history and our narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n

This can include something like wearing a Magen David, she said: \u201cWhen you show your pride and you show your strength, you stand up to the hate, you stand up to the misinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cThe truth always comes, but we need your help to make that happen. When people accuse us of genocide, I can tell you, as somebody who has been working on the ground, the complete opposite is true.\u2026 Our army inoculates children against polio in the Gaza Strip, and drops leaflets, and moves civilians out of harm\u2019s way.\u201d<\/p>\n

She recommended people follow Israel\u2019s COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) website, where you can track the humanitarian aid going to the Gaza Strip and related news.<\/p>\n

Referring to the murder of American activist Charlie Kirk, she said \u201cit was symptomatic of something very, very frightening that is spreading around the world, and that is a move to disengage in discourse, a move to shut down conversation. And it is so important that we have these conversations. It is so important that we interrogate the truth and the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the question-and-answer period, Marks suggested the lack of support from allies like Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Australia and others, is \u201ca big campaign to deflect from problems that are domestic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very, very distressing for us in Israel to see our allies taking the side of Hamas, and also treating us like the naughty child of the world,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd part of that is, we believe, that many countries have forgotten or don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like to live under constant threat. We live under constant threat \u2026 wars within wars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marks recalled what Israeli President Isaac Herzog told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a recent meeting: \u201cFriends can sometimes disagree \u2013 but don\u2019t reward terror.\u201d<\/p>\n

While in Vancouver, Marks also spoke at a CHW-Community Kollel event on Sept. 12.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
The fashion show part of CHW Vancouver Centre\u2019s opening event featured local community members sporting clothes from Maison Labelle Boutique and After Five. (photo from CHW)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Sept. 14 speeches and brunch were followed by an intergenerational fashion show, with models sporting clothes from Maison\u00a0<\/span>Labelle Boutique and After Five. Walking down the runway were grandmothers, mothers, daughters, granddaughters and friends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Israeli journalist Rolene Marks, chair of WIZO\u2019s Hasbara Division, was the keynote speaker at CHW Vancouver Centre\u2019s Opening Lunch and Fashion Show on Sept. 14. (photo by Cynthia Ramsay) \u201cI know that, as a community, you are feeling vulnerable and you are feeling that you have to be the mouthpiece or, as I call it, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[24373,801,1513,22197,20646,1668,24371,2791,3225,22729,6531,22459,24372,2530,22725,2763,23672,24074,1959,3234,24370,228,3021,24369],"class_list":["post-47670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-after-five","tag-antisemitism","tag-bernard-pinsky","tag-bias","tag-canadian-hadassah-wizo","tag-chw","tag-fashion-show","tag-genocide","tag-health-care","tag-israel-hamas-war","tag-journalism","tag-lisa-colt-kotler","tag-maison-labelle-boutique","tag-media","tag-oct-7","tag-philanthropy","tag-rolene-marks","tag-ronald-s-roadburg-foundation","tag-tikkun-olam","tag-toby-rubin","tag-tova-train","tag-united-nations","tag-women","tag-world-wizo"],"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\/47670","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=47670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}