Tag: milestones

Deep belief in Courage

Left to right: Champion rower Silken Laumann, then-Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan and Courage to Come Back chair Lorne Segal. Sullivan, who broke his neck in a skiing accident when he was 19, has since founded many nonprofits, held various public offices, and more. He received the first-ever Special Courage Award, in 2006. (photo from Coast Mental Health)

This year’s Courage to Come Back Awards, which took place May 7 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, celebrated four people for having overcome great adversity and giving back to their communities. First as an attendee, and then as chair of the awards for 20 years and counting, Lorne Segal knows firsthand the inspiration these award recipients offer.

“I was inspired by the incredible stories of resilience and recovery that define the Courage to Come Back Awards,” Segal told the Independent. “From the beginning, I was moved by the courage it takes to not only face adversity, but to come through it with strength and purpose. The opportunity to support mental health through this powerful platform felt both meaningful and necessary.”

Segal, who is president of Kingswood Properties Ltd., is legacy chair of the annual awards event and co-chair is Eric Carlson, core founder and chief executive officer of Anthem Properties.

Segal took on the role of chair because he “believed deeply in the mission and saw the potential for the awards to grow and reach more people.

“I’ve stayed,” he said, “because of the lives it touches – both those we honour and those who are inspired by them. Each year brings new stories, new hope and a renewed sense of purpose. It’s been one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

This year’s awards were given out in four categories and the recipients were Stanley Price (addiction), David Chalk (mental health), Louisa Bridgman (medical) and Omar Bseiso (young adult).

Price overcame childhood trauma, addiction and gang involvement, and now works in addictions and recovery, as well as being a volunteer with KidsPlay Foundation. Chalk, who hid that he couldn’t read until his 60s, has become an AI expert and entrepreneur – he is currently developing an AI-trained platform that will help others build literacy. Bridgman, a disability rights activist, lives with cerebral palsy, and has faced childhood abuse and systemic discrimination. Bseiso has faced poverty, as well as physical and mental health challenges, and gone from being a struggling student to a University of British Columbia scholarship recipient, with the goal of becoming a doctor.

“The awards shine a spotlight on hope and recovery, challenging stigma and encouraging conversations about mental health and other challenges,” said Segal. “They remind people that they are not alone. By celebrating those who have overcome incredible odds, we inspire others to keep going – and we build a stronger, more compassionate community.”

Segal himself has been changed by his involvement with the awards.

“It’s made me more empathetic, more grateful and more aware of the quiet strength people carry,” he said. “Being surrounded by such resilience has profoundly impacted how I see the world and how I approach adversity in my own life. It has grounded me and continually reminded me of the importance of kindness and perseverance.”

And it’s a family endeavour.

“It began 27 years ago when my parents, Joe and Rosalie Segal, attended the first Courage to Come Back Awards and were inspired to help found the Joseph and Rosalie Segal and Family Health Centre at Vancouver General Hospital,” said Segal. “My wife Melita and our children, Matthew and Chanelle, have supported me every step of the way – attending from a young age and sharing courage stories in their own lives. Their belief in this cause has made my work all the more meaningful.”

photo - Lorne and Melita Segal at the 2018 Courage to Come Back Awards
Lorne and Melita Segal at the 2018 Courage to Come Back Awards. (photo by Alex Law from Coast Mental Health)

The cause is mental health in general, but also Coast Mental Health specifically. The Courage to Come Back Awards raise money for the organization.

“Coast Mental Health is one of the quiet pillars holding up those who often feel unseen,” Segal explained. “In the broad landscape of mental health care, we often think first of hospitals, doctors and medication – the primary care that is essential and often life-saving. But what happens after that first step toward healing? Where does someone go when they leave the hospital but still need support, still need connection, still need hope? That’s where Coast Mental Health steps in. 

“Coast is not just a service – it is a sanctuary,” he said. “It offers that vital second tier of support: stable housing, meaningful training, compassionate community. It provides a roof over someone’s head, but also restores something far less tangible and even more precious – dignity. With job training programs, resource centres and drop-in spaces where a kind word and a warm hand can change the course of someone’s day, Coast wraps its arms around people who are trying, day by day, to come back. 

“Mental health recovery doesn’t happen in isolation, and it doesn’t end at the hospital door. Coast Mental Health understands that healing is holistic. It happens in the safety of a home, in the encouragement of a support network, in the pride of a new job and in the trust of a human connection.

“This is the quiet, essential work of Coast Mental Health – and it is work that changes lives,” Segal said. “It is not just about surviving. It is about returning to life with dignity, with purpose and with courage.”

There have been so many memorable Courage to Come Back moments for Segal over the last two decades. “There are countless,” he said. “Standing ovations for recipients who once struggled to leave their homes, families reunited in tears and the thunderous applause of a community coming together. But perhaps the most memorable moments are the quiet ones: personal notes from recipients saying, ‘You helped me believe in myself again.’”

photo - Lorne Segal has chaired Coast Mental Health Foundation’s Courage to Come Back Awards for 20 years
Lorne Segal has chaired Coast Mental Health Foundation’s Courage to Come Back Awards for 20 years. (photo from Coast Mental Health)

Under Segal’s stewardship, the annual event, which began in 1999, has grown to be Western Canada’s largest gala, with more than 1,700 people attending. It has raised more than $27 million for mental health and celebrated 153 British Columbians. But its success wasn’t guaranteed.

“One of the greatest challenges the Courage to Come Back Awards faced was simply staying alive in its earliest days,” said Segal. “I still remember stumbling across the event 27 years ago – not really knowing where I was going or what to expect. I sat down at a table, noticed a Kleenex box in the centre, and quickly understood why it was there. The stories I heard that evening moved me to tears. These weren’t just stories  – they were everyday miracles. I walked out of that room thinking: everyone needs to hear this. Everyone needs to feel this hope. 

“But, at the time, there were only a few hundred people in the room. The organization was struggling, and the idea of shutting the doors on the awards was very real. There simply wasn’t enough awareness, enough support or enough belief that it could become more. 

“That night lit a fire in me,” he said. “I started telling everyone I knew – sharing the stories, the impact, the emotion. And, slowly, over the years, the event grew.”

As for what keeps him involved, Segal said, “Because it matters. Because it changes lives. Because I’ve seen firsthand the power of sharing stories of resilience, the ripple effect of one person’s courage igniting another’s hope. For two decades, I’ve had the privilege of helping shine a light on individuals who prove, year after year, that no matter the hardship, comebacks are possible. It’s not just about honouring the brave – it’s about showing others what’s possible. And that purpose, that impact, keeps me coming back, too.”

The work gives back more than it takes, he said. “In a world full of noise, the Courage to Come Back Awards are a rare and powerful reminder of what truly matters: resilience, humanity and hope.”

To learn more about the impacts of the awards, which are presented by Wheaton Precious Metals, visit coastmentalhealth.com. 

Hebrew U marks 100

Canadian Paralympic athlete and wheelchair racer Rick Hansen, known for his work to break down barriers for people with disabilities, receives an honorary doctorate from Hebrew University from then-Hebrew U president Menahem Ben-Sasson. In December 2010, Hansen visited Hebrew U as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of his “Man in Motion” tour. (photo from Hebrew University)

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem turned 100 this month. Opening officially on April 1, 1925, the university preceded the birth of the state of Israel by more than two decades.

“There was no country yet,” said Dina Wachtel, vice-president, community affairs, for the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University. “It’s the first daughter that gave birth to her mother.”

The history of the campus on Mount Scopus has been tumultuous, like that of the country its alumni have helped shape. 

During Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, Mount Scopus became an isolated enclave, and the university was forced to relocate its main activities to facilities in West Jerusalem. In 1954, a new campus was established in the Givat Ram neighbourhood, followed by the creation of additional campuses, including at Ein Kerem, home to the institution’s medical sciences faculty, and, at Rehovot, where the agriculture department is headquartered.

photo - Allan Bronfman, national president and founder of the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, with Dr. Albert Einstein, honorary president of the Hebrew University, on Sept. 19, 1954, at a Princeton conference called by Einstein to launch a $30 million dollar capital building project for the university, which was in exile from its campus on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem
Allan Bronfman, national president and founder of the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, with Dr. Albert Einstein, honorary president of the Hebrew University, on Sept. 19, 1954, at a Princeton conference called by Einstein to launch a $30 million dollar capital building project for the university, which was in exile from its campus on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. (photo from Hebrew University)

After the 1967 Six Day War, Hebrew University regained access to Mount Scopus and began to restore and expand the original campus. Today, it is one of Israel’s leading research institutions, ranked among the top universities globally, and it remains a symbol of intellectual and cultural renewal in the country.

“Even the word ‘incredible’ is too small to describe the impact of the Hebrew University on the establishment of the state of Israel and on the state of Israel,” Wachtel said. “Most of the Supreme Court judges are graduates of the Hebrew University faculty of law, which was established in 1949. We have eight Nobel Prize laureates – all of them from 2000 and after.” A ninth laureate, Albert Einstein, a founder of the university, won the Nobel for physics in 1921. 

The university was established by the intellectual giants of the last century, said Wachtel. These included Einstein, as well as Chaim Weizmann, the Zionist leader who would become the first president of the state; philosopher Martin Buber; American Reform Rabbi Judah Leon Magnes, who served as the first chancellor and later president of the university; founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud; Ahad Ha’am, dubbed the father of cultural Zionism; poet Chaim Nachman Bialik; and Herbert Samuel, British High Commissioner for Palestine, among many others.

Einstein, Wachtel noted, left his entire intellectual estate to the Hebrew U and the university is in the process of constructing a new Daniel Libeskind-designed archive for his fonds on Givat Ram’s Edmond J. Safra Campus, adjacent to the Knesset, the Supreme Court and the Israel Museum.

“I think it will be the next tourist attraction in the city of Jerusalem,” she said. 

Celebratory events will take place in Israel in June, concurrent with the Hebrew University’s board of governors meeting in Jerusalem. Happenings will include a special event at the home of Israel’s president, a special show at the Tower of David Museum, and other ceremonies.

photo - Gail Asper, left, a Hebrew University honorary doctorate recipient and a member of the executive of the board of governors of Hebrew U, with then-Hebrew U president Menahem Ben-Sasson and guest speaker Chelsea Clinton at the 2015 CFHU Einstein Legacy Awards in Toronto
Gail Asper, left, a Hebrew University honorary doctorate recipient and a member of the executive of the board of governors of Hebrew U, with then-Hebrew U president Menahem Ben-Sasson and guest speaker Chelsea Clinton at the 2015 CFHU Einstein Legacy Awards in Toronto. (photo from Hebrew University)

The university has been a hub for groundbreaking research, reflecting the institution’s commitment to education, scientific advancement and societal impact.

Marking the centenary, Hebrew U’s current president, Prof. Asher Cohen, credited the thinkers who initiated the school, the groundbreaking for which began in 1918.

“They and many others founded a pioneering academic institution to cultivate future leaders in research, science, public service and society – for the benefit of Israel and all humanity,” Cohen said in a statement. “From the moment this vision became a reality, the university has upheld excellence in research and education as its highest priority. Today, it continues to be a hub of knowledge, innovation and groundbreaking research across diverse fields, nurturing generations of leaders, scholars and thinkers.”

Prof. Tamir Shafer, rector of the Hebrew University, contextualized the university in Israeli society.

photo - NBA superstar Amar’e Stoudemire visited Hebrew University in 2013, meeting with students at the Rothberg International School, and with the then-president of Israel Shimon Peres
NBA superstar Amar’e Stoudemire visited Hebrew University in 2013, meeting with students at the Rothberg International School, and with the then-president of Israel Shimon Peres. (photo from Hebrew University)

“As a leading research institution,” Shafer said in a statement, “the Hebrew University sees itself as responsible for educating future generations, conducting groundbreaking research across nearly all fields of study, fostering extensive international engagement in both research and teaching, building strong ties with advanced industries in Israel and abroad, nurturing a diverse academic community, and maintaining deep social involvement in Jerusalem and throughout Israel.”

Diversity is a cornerstone of the institution’s success, according to Prof. Mona Khoury-Kassabri, vice-president of strategy and diversity.

“At the Hebrew University, we believe that diversity is not a substitute for excellence but a driving force that enhances it,” she said. “Our commitment to inclusion ensures that students and researchers from all backgrounds have equal opportunities to thrive, contribute and shape the future of society. By fostering a multicultural environment, we enrich both scholarship and community, proving that true innovation emerges when different voices are heard and valued.”

The centenary will also be celebrated with special events in Canada, some of which will be announced soon. Check cfhu.org for updates. 

Na’amat – 100 years of service

From 1925 to today, Na’amat volunteers across Canada and the United States continue to empower women and children in Israel and abroad. (photo from Na’amat Canada)

At a time when charities are fighting to survive, an organization that’s been helping women and children in Israel and North America is celebrating its 100th anniversary. 

Na’amat Canada and Na’amat USA, which began as a North American chapter in 1925, will mark the centenary at a gala conference in Toronto in May with delegates from across Canada and the United States. 

“It’s a huge deal. It’s a milestone,” said Vivian Reisler, executive vice-president of Na’amat Canada. “We’ve come a long way from Golda Meir sending a message that we need $100 to build X, Y, Z.” 

The forerunner of Na’amat was founded in 1921, in what would later become the modern state of Israel, to empower women, including providing vocational training and advocating for improved working conditions and equal pay.  

Four years later, a North American branch was born and Na’amat chapters were formed across Canada and the United States over the ensuing decades. Today, thousands of volunteers are continuing to empower women and children in Israel and abroad.

“The success of the organization is due to the dedication of the members, volunteers and donors – because, without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” said Reisler. 

Na’amat Canada president Susan Inhaber, a member of the organization for 25 years, agrees.

 “We just want to keep building, get our name out there, build the membership and thank all the donors, supporters and members who are making everything possible,” she said. “This is an exciting time for us to be together. It’s nice that we have an organization that’s lasted so long.” 

While the North American branch of Na’amat (a Hebrew acronym for “Movement of Working Women and Volunteers”) began in 1925, Na’amat Canada and Na’amat USA became two autonomous divisions in 1965.

“We were together, we split, and now we’re back together (informally, at the Toronto conference) celebrating 100 years,” said Reisler. 

Na’amat is the largest women’s organization in Israel. It provides a wide variety of services, including a daycare network for thousands of children, legal aid centres, technological high schools for students who have trouble succeeding in other classroom settings, boarding schools for underprivileged students, and the Na’amat Canada Glickman Centre for Family Violence Prevention.

photo - Na’amat Canada members at the Glickman Centre for Family Violence Prevention
Na’amat Canada members at the Glickman Centre for Family Violence Prevention. (photo from Na’amat Canada)

Established in 1993 in Tel Aviv, the Glickman Centre was the first women’s shelter in Israel. It has three distinct sections: the shelter, a counseling and treatment area, and the Rhodie Blanshay Benaroch Children’s Centre wing, a haven for children living in the shelter.  

The Rhodie Blanshay Benaroch Children’s Centre houses a computer room, baby nursery, kindergarten, audiovisual education corner, library, learning centre and outdoor playground, named in honour of Rhodie’s granddaughter, Rho Schneiderman. A musical playground was built in honour of Rhodie’s two granddaughters. Blanshay Benaroch was a dynamic third-generation Na’amat member who was committed to building a safe, loving environment for children who needed it most. 

Recently, Na’amat Canada was instrumental in building a new middle school at Kanot Youth Village. More than 300 students will now have a state-of-the-art school to enhance their education.  

In the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war, Israel needs Na’amat’s help as much – or even more – than it did a century ago, said Doris Wexler-Charow, past national president of Na’amat Canada.

“I think that Oct. 7 changed everything,” she said of the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust.

Everyone in Israel is suffering from PTSD, said Wexler-Charow, a retired social worker. “Everybody’s been traumatized,” she said, explaining that Na’amat is providing more counseling services than ever. “Israel needs us. It’s important for us to keep going. The cause is a good one and I think we need our young people to continue where we leave off.” 

– Courtesy Na’amat Canada

NCJW marks 100

On the afternoon of Nov. 24, NCJW Vancouver celebrates its 100th anniversary at Aberthau Mansion, which is evocative of the era in which the organization planted its roots in Vancouver. (photo by Chris10Chan / wikipedia)

A century is a long time for any organization. For a Jewish women’s organization on the West Coast of North America, that is an especially major milestone. National Council of Jewish Women Canada, Vancouver section, is marking 100 years since its founding with a Roaring ’20s party this month.

Jordana Corenblum, president of the chapter, said the celebration location – Aberthau Mansion in West Point Grey – is evocative of the era the organization planted its roots in Vancouver. Era-appropriate dress is encouraged at the afternoon event, but not mandatory. The fact that Corenblum has a collection of flapper-era dresses is coincidental to the party’s theme, she said.

The organization itself was founded in Chicago in 1893 to engage Jewish women in social justice work, especially around issues of poverty affecting women and children. The first Canadian chapter started in Toronto in 1897 and the Vancouver branch began 27 years later.

photo - Jordana Corenblum, president of National Council of Jewish Women Canada, Vancouver section
Jordana Corenblum, president of National Council of Jewish Women Canada, Vancouver section. (photo from Jordana Corenblum)

Corenblum emphasized that she is a relative latecomer to the group. Her ascendancy to the presidency represents a generational shift, she said, but she sees herself and others of her age as carrying on the traditions of their mothers and grandmothers while adapting NCJW’s work to women who are deeply involved in careers.

For earlier generations of women who may not have worked outside the home, Corenblum said, groups like National Council, Hadassah and others allowed women – even in the era when they could not vote – to contribute to the larger society. 

Corenblum’s profession is youth work and so she is bridging generations.

“I have a lot of exposure to what young people are doing,” she said, “so I am in the space of honouring all of the beautiful feminist work that has been done, all of the things that I’ve seen that the generations ahead of me have done. I’m really trying to bridge what the younger generations are coming up with. They are very socially justice-minded. They have all different ideas of gender and religion and culture and what all of that looks like, so I’m trying very hard to be this person that can bridge both and honour both, honour the past and move forward into the future.”

The 100th birthday party is a welcoming way to bring light into the figurative and literal darkness, she said. It takes place on a Sunday afternoon – Nov. 24, from 2:30 to 5 p.m. – so people who don’t want to drive in the dark can comfortably attend.

“Especially after the year that we’ve had, we need a feel-good event,” she said. “There is no agenda to this other than ‘Come celebrate.’”

There will be mocktails and a grazing table, as well as professional childminding, live music and swing dance lessons.

Tickets are available at give-can.keela.co/100th.

Artist reflects on career

Imre Székely, left, gives his artwork to then-prime minister Jean Chrétien. (photo from szekelygallery.com)

From his hometown of Győr, Hungary, a city halfway between Vienna and Budapest along the Danube River, to his studio in Victoria’s Chinatown, Jewish community member Imre Székely has been creating art for more than five decades, primarily in the linocut/monotype style of printmaking.

Linocut, also known as lino print, is a design carved in relief in linoleum. The art form was popularized in the early part of the 20th century. In monotype, an artist presses ink directly onto a plate. The plate is then pressed against paper to transfer the ink.

photo - As Imre Székely’s approaches 70 years old, he looks back at his career
As Imre Székely’s approaches 70 years old, he looks back at his career. (photo by Kor Gable)

Székely discovered his calling early in life, under the tutelage of Imre Krausz and István Tóvári-Tóth, both distinguished artists in Hungary. However, Hungary in the 1970s and 1980s was no place for anyone whose views differed from those of the regime. 

“The communist regime at the time did not have a role for a forward-thinking, modern artist. There wasn’t much chance of self-actualization,” Székely told the Independent.

Thus, in 1987, he said goodbye to his family and jumped on a westward-bound bus. His first stop was a refugee camp in Austria, then on to France, the Netherlands and, finally, Canada, in 1988. After stops in Winnipeg and Toronto, he set off west where, in 1991, he settled in Victoria, finding the provincial capital to be an ideal spot for his professional and private life. His wife and children joined him shortly after he arrived in British Columbia.

Székely describes himself as a hyper-surrealist artist, who blends “a variety of colours, patterns and shapes that are the spices of life.”

Throughout his career, he has donated his works and given them to people who couldn’t otherwise afford a work of art. He also has presented his artwork to provincial ministers, foreign dignitaries and prime ministers. 

In 1999, for example, he traveled to Rome for a personal audience with Pope John Paul II, to donate his work “Abba Pater” to the Vatican.

In 2001, he showed his gratitude to his adopted homeland by donating his art-deco-styled piece “Canada: Past, Present and Future,” to then-prime minister Jean Chrétien, who accepted it on behalf of the government of Canada.

“This occasion was especially meaningful to me, as it presented a way to express my thanks to Canada for accepting so many refugees to this country with open arms,” said Székely, who has also presented a work to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

“Gifting Justin Trudeau with one of my art pieces was a highlight in my life … this kind of event was impossible in my home country under communist rule,” he told Senior Living Magazine in 2021.

One of the works of which he is most proud, “Hungarian Conquest (Honfoglalás),” was presented to the Hungarian parliament in Budapest. When, in 2010, Pecs, Hungary, was chosen as the European Capital of Culture, Székely provided the city with 31 of his works for a solo exhibition. His hometown Győr’s city hall houses his artwork and he has donated his works locally, to the City of Victoria and to the Hungarian consulate in Vancouver.

photo - Imre Székely at the Vatican in 1999, giving one of his artworks to Pope John Paul II
Imre Székely at the Vatican in 1999, giving one of his artworks to Pope John Paul II. (photo from szekelygallery.com)

At the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, retreating to his studio, Székely produced “Satan Sneers,” a work in which, as an artist, he detaches himself from shared circumstances to show pity for the human race as it confronts an undetermined fate.

Székely sent a photo of the work to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, director-general of the World Health Organization, in the hope of donating the work. According to Székely, Dr. Tedros (his preferred moniker) liked the piece very much.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t personally hand it over to him in Geneva at the time because the two-week quarantine was introduced before my departure,” Székely recalled. 

In 2021, the artist created a work entitled “Hope and Genius,” dedicated to Katalin Karikó, the biochemist and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, who, together with Drew Weissman, took home the 2023 Nobel Prize in medicine for work leading to the discovery of mRNA vaccines to fight COVID-19.

“She deserves lots of thanks and appreciation from us all,” he said. “My work is recognition and homage to her human and scientific greatness.”

At present, Székely is working on several projects, one of which is called “Magical Artificial Intelligence,” a surrealistic piece on what he views as the issue that offers the most positive potential for humanity – and the most danger.

He hopes to donate works to other notable people in the political and business worlds, such as Bill Gates, Kamala Harris and Ernő Rubik, a fellow Hungarian who invented the Rubik’s Cube.

As he approaches his 70th birthday in December, Székely said he feels freer now than at any time in the past, drawing strength from family, friends and art.

“Artistic creation is the outflow of strength, good mood and joy of life. A true artist enjoys his own creative power. Creation is one of the most difficult things in the world, creating from nothing,” he said.

“I am convinced that art and culture will unite the world again. I know that artistic ability can be viewed as a blessing, but it is worthless without creative work and humility.” 

For more on Székely, visit szekelygallery.com. 

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

King Charles III Coronation Medal recipients

Michael Lee presented the King Charles III Coronation Medal to Grace Hahn at the Jewish Seniors Alliance peer support volunteer recognition celebration. (photo from JSA)

photo - Premier David Eby, left, Rabbi Philip Bregman and BC Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin
Premier David Eby, left, Rabbi Philip Bregman and BC Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin. (photo from Temple Sholom)

The King Charles III Coronation Medal was created to mark the coronation of King Charles III, which took place on May 6, 2023. It is the first Canadian commemorative medal to mark a coronation, and its recipients represent a diverse group of individuals who have made significant contributions to British Columbia or attained an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to the province.

Nominating partners included provincial lieutenant governors and territorial commissioners, provincial and territorial governments, members of Parliament, senators, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and several other organizations. Across Canada, the medal will be awarded to 30,000 individuals. In British Columbia, 551 are being presented, and the honourees include several members of the Jewish community, some of whom were brought to the attention of the Jewish Independent.

screenshot - Rabbi Harry Brechner
Rabbi Harry Brechner (screenshot from facebook.com/dustnbonesdoc)

Rabbi Harry Brechner, spiritual leader of Victoria’s Congregation Emanu-El, was nominated by former MLA Rob Fleming for championing community dialogue, interfaith connections and community service.

Rabbi Philip Bregman, rabbi emeritus of Temple Sholom and founder of the Other People, an intercultural group of individuals committed to breaking down the stereotypes that form the foundation of personal and societal bias, was nominated by BC Premier David Eby. Bregman was honoured for path-breaking interfaith work and his passionate fight against antisemitism and bigotry of all kinds throughout British Columbia.

photo - Gordon and Leslie Diamond
Gordon and Leslie Diamond (photo from kh-uia.org.il)

Gordon Diamond, who was also nominated by Eby, received the medal for unparallelled philanthropic work, making an indelible impact toward health and mental services in the province. Leslie Diamond, nominated by Eby, was recognized for exemplary philanthropic work, especially in the field of women’s health.

Eby nominated Karen James for leadership, philanthropy and dedication to the Jewish community at home and abroad, and Bernard Pinsky for a lifetime of dedication to the justice system and for strengthening and securing the stories and memories of the Jewish community.

Grace Hahn, senior peer support trainer and supervisor at Jewish Seniors Alliance, was nominated by former MLA Michael Lee. On Sept. 23, at the JSA peer support volunteer recognition celebration, Lee presented the medal to Hahn for her leadership, dedication and commitment to advancing the support for seniors living at home. Hahn has trained countless volunteers in JSA’s Peer Support and Friendly Visitor programs, and also provides additional training in support of reducing isolation and loneliness in the vulnerable seniors sector.

To view a full list of nominating partner organizations, visit gg.ca/en/honours/list-nominating-partner-organizations. To view a backgrounder about the recipients, visit news.gov.bc.ca/files/bkgr_premiers_recipients_coronation_medal_2024.pdf.

Emanu-El celebrates its 160th

Left to right: Congregation Emanu-El president Ilana Stanger-Ross, MLA Grace Lore, Prof. Richard Kool, Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto, Emanu El’s Rabbi Harry Brechner, MP Laura Collins and MLA Lana Popham on Aug. 18 at the shul’s 160th birthday party. (photo posted on Facebook by Lana Popham)

Victoria’s Congregation Emanu-El, the oldest synagogue on the West Coast and the oldest synagogue still in continuous use in Canada, has been commemorating its 160th anniversary with various events this summer, including an evening concert and an afternoon of poetry, music and food.

On Aug. 15, Tehila Nini Goldstein, a soprano based in Berlin, performed Ladino, Yiddish, Spanish, Hebrew and Yemeni songs, accompanied by Robert Holliston of the Pacific Opera Victoria and the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Goldstein has won the Tel Aviv Music Academy Singing Competition, received a scholarship from the America Israel Cultural Foundation and taken home a prize in the Liederkranz Foundation Competition in New York.

On Aug. 18, municipal, provincial and federal politicians, as well as representatives from several religious groups, attended an anniversary ceremony, emceed by Richard Kool, a professor of environment and sustainability at Royal Roads University.

photo - On Aug. 15, Tehila Nini Goldstein performed songs in multiple languages, accompanied by Robert Holliston. The event was part of Congregation Emanu-El’s 160th anniversary celebrations
On Aug. 15, Tehila Nini Goldstein performed songs in multiple languages, accompanied by Robert Holliston. The event was part of Congregation Emanu-El’s 160th anniversary celebrations. (photo by Penny Tennenhouse)

The events coincided with a campaign, still underway, by the Conservative shul on the corner of Blanshard and Pandora “to restore, preserve and revitalize” the synagogue. The Romanesque Revival building, a National Historic site, is having work done on both its exterior and interior.

Restoration began this spring, with repairs to the brick outside of the building to ensure structural integrity. Interior restorations include repairing water damage and wall cracks; painting the sanctuary; replacing lighting, smoke detectors, sound and security systems; and refinishing flooring and external doors. Regarding security, Emanu-El plans to set up CCTV cameras, with other systems to improve preparedness.

In August, the congregation held a general meeting at which a motion to increase the complete restoration budget to $1.5 million easily passed, with no objections and one abstention. According to the shul, the meeting filled four Zoom screens, with some members tuning in from Nova Scotia, staying up well past midnight in the Atlantic time zone. 

Scores of individuals and families have contributed to the architectural revitalization project. The synagogue offers the opportunity to “buy a brick” with a minimum donation of $54. The Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, the Victoria City Heritage Trust and the Jewish Federation of Victoria & Vancouver Island are among the organizations supporting the project.

Jews first started arriving in Victoria in sizable numbers in the 1850s, with the majority traveling from San Francisco. During this era of prospectors, fur traders and steamships, those looking for gold needed to stop in Victoria, the provincial capital, for a mining licence, before moving onto the places where gold was discovered on the mainland. 

The first Jews in town came with the prospectors, supplying mining camps with food, clothing, household goods and tools. By the end of the 1850s, roughly 200 Jews were living in Victoria and, by 1860, the Victoria Hebrew Benevolent Society, the first Jewish organization in Western Canada, purchased a burial site, which still serves the community to this day.

The congregation came into being in 1862, when community members purchased the synagogue’s present site, and a cornerstone-laying ceremony, attended by the many local luminaries of the time, took place on June 2, 1863. The building was designed by the first professional architect in Victoria, John Wright.

Over the course of Emanu-El’s existence, there have been some leaner times, particularly in the mid-part of the previous century, as Vancouver became the dominant provincial city. In the 1940s, with only a handful of paid-up families, the synagogue was in bad shape. To prevent the building from being condemned, its brick exterior was covered with stucco, its windows were blocked and a false ceiling was installed to help with heating. 

In 1978, a group of volunteers decided to bring the synagogue back to its original condition, which cost, at that time, some $370,000, much of it coming from the Jewish community. Completed in 1982, the restoration was celebrated in a way similar to the original dedication in 1863, with people from many cultures coming together to honour the occasion. 

In 2003, as the community continued to expand, Congregation Emanu-El added more space to host social and cultural activities. In 2013, the synagogue had its 150th birthday with musical and theatrical events, lectures, an auction, and a gala dinner at the Empress Hotel. There was also a reenactment of the original cornerstone-laying ceremony, including a parade. Today, the synagogue grows still, with hundreds of members of all ages.

On Sept. 15, at 2 p.m., Emanu-El will be the setting for a conversation between Eleanor Wachtel, the writer and broadcaster most known for hosting Writers & Company on CBC Radio One, and Gregor Craigie, who leads the On the Island morning show for CBC in Victoria.

Reflecting on the long history of the synagogue, this year’s b’nai mitzvah class at Congregation Emanu-El wrote: “When you come in the doors, you feel different from how you feel outside. There’s an ancient and respectful vibe here. That’s the sort of feeling we get in this building; we want to honour that age.” 

For more information, visit 160emanuel.ca. 

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

JI picks up four Rockowers

Israeli writer Gil Zohar (standing, seventh from the left) with other 2024 Rockower Award winners in Nashville, Tenn., last month. (photo by Bill Motchan)

At the annual conference of the American Jewish Press Association, which took place in Nashville, Tenn., June 2-4, Israeli freelance writer and tour guide Gil Zohar was there in person to collect his Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism. He won an honourable mention for the article “Identifying the victims,” published by the Jewish Independent Nov. 10, 2023. The Independent picked up four Rockowers this year, for work published in 2023.

Zohar’s article (jewishindependent.ca/identifying-the-victims) won in the Wild Card Category – Award for Excellence in Writing about the War in Israel: News and Feature Writing. It explains how staff at the Israel Defence Forces’ Shura base were working around the clock at the time to identify the remains of the 1,200 people murdered in Israel by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, a process made more grisly and difficult because of the extreme brutality of the attack.

Winning first place in the Wild Card Category for weekly and biweekly newspapers was “New era for world Jewry” by Chaim Goldberg, published by Intermountain Jewish News (Denver, Colo.). Taking second place was “A letter from Israel: It’s okay to start dreaming” by Chaim Steinmetz, published in the Jewish Journal of Greater LA (Los Angeles, Calif.).

The Jewish Independent won first place for weekly and biweekly newspapers in the category of Excellence in Single Commentary with Helen Mintz’s article “Opportunity for healing” (jewishindependent.ca/opportunity-for-healing). Originally presented as a d’var Torah at Or Shalom Synagogue, it was “intended as a beginning of a conversation about how we, as Canadian Jews, can heal our relationship with Ukrainians and Ukraine.” Of the article, the Rockower jury wrote: “A powerful reminder that there are many ways to view complex histories. The beautiful way the story is told is both intimately personal and ultimately universal.”

Taking second place in the Single Commentary category was “Wokeism and the Jews: A reckoning” by Monica Osborne (Jewish Journal of Greater LA), with “The inside story of how Palestinians took over the world” by Gary Wexler (also for the Jewish Journal of Greater LA) receiving an honourable mention.

Local musician, composer and bandleader Moshe Denburg earned the Jewish Independent second place for Excellence in Arts – Review/Criticism, weekly and biweekly newspapers, with his review “Erez’s new CD shows mastery” (jewishindependent.ca/erezs-new-cd-shows-mastery). The Rockower jury wrote: “Sounds like a great CD.”

Placing first Excellence in Arts – Review/Criticism was “Oppenheimer, and the lesson of brainy Jews” by Thane Rosenbaum (Jewish Journal of Greater LA) and Tabby Refael received an honourable mention for the article “For a deaf woman from Iran, freedom never sounded so good” (Jewish Journal of Greater LA).

Winnipeg freelance writer Joanne Seiff won the Independent its fourth award, placing second in the category of Excellence in Writing about Jewish Thought and Life. The JI submitted three of her articles for consideration: “Women’s rights evolve,” “Honouring others in death” and “A yearly reminder to return.” The first article (jewishindependent.ca/womens-rights-evolve) talks about parallels between modern events and talmudic discussions – in particular laws that limit women’s ability to control their own bodies. The second article (jewishindependent.ca/honouring-others-in-death) is about how Jewish tradition could inform the debate that ensued after the remains of four murdered Indigenous women were found in Winnipeg-area landfills, and the third piece (jewishindependent.ca/a-yearly-reminder-to-return) connects the renovation of Seiff’s home with the month of Elul and teshuvah, usually translated as repentance, but also meaning return. “Returning to our best selves might require us to listen, pay attention to our gut feelings, do some renovation,” she writes.

In summing up Seiff’s articles, a member of the Rockower jury commented: “I would love to live in Winnipeg, only to read Joanne Seiff regularly. She is an intelligent writer.”

First place in this category for weekly and biweekly newspapers went to “Ten measures of beauty, of fragility, of hope” by Tehilla Goldberg (Intermountain Jewish News) and Refael won another honourable mention, for the article “I’m an observant Jew, and I need Christmas music more than ever before.” 

To read the writing of all the 2024 Rockower winners, visit ajpa.org.

Stand Up celebrates 20th

Stand Up for Mental Health founder David Granirer. (photo from smhcomedysociety.org)

Stand Up for Mental Health (SMH), a program started in Vancouver that teaches stand-up comedy to people with mental health issues as a form of therapy and to destigmatize mental illness, celebrated its 20th anniversary this spring. 

“It feels like such an accomplishment. Helping so many people has been the highlight of my life,” said David Granirer, the founder of SMH. “One thing I am really good at is making other people into stars, and I feel like I have done that a lot. Over the past 20 years, I have trained about 700 comics. So, that’s a lot of stars.

“I had no idea what I was doing when I started out, so I had no expectations about the program being successful or not. I could never have imagined this,” he said.

Granirer, a counselor by profession, as well as a stand-up comic, told the Independent that the two-decade journey has been unforgettable. “Everything stands out,” he said. “Every show, every comic I have ever trained, every laugh we have gotten.”

When considering some of the more memorable bits over the years, he recalled writing a mental health version of the Beatles song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” In Granirer’s rendition, the guitar has dizziness, dry mouth and is too depressed to get out of bed.

Granirer, who is open about his own struggles with mental illness, has trained groups in more than 50 cities, in Canada, the United States and Australia, in partnership with various mental health organizations. He plans to continue the program and run it in more cities in the coming years.

The idea for SMH originated from a course Granirer has been teaching at Langara College since 1998 called Stand-Up Comedy Clinic. Occasionally, he would see people have life-changing experiences by getting on stage and using comedy to tell a club full of people who they were.

“One woman had a fear of flying and told me that the day after our event she had to get on a plane and she said, ‘My fear was gone. I felt like once I’d done stand-up I could do anything,’” Granirer said. “And I thought, wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to give this experience to people who wanted to do comedy but who also wanted to change their lives? And since I work in mental health and I also have a mental illness, I thought that would be the perfect place to start.”

For Filomena Black, a graduate of the course, SMH has been a lifeline. An introvert by nature, she said she has been able to be more comfortable around people.

“I’ve lost my self-conscious focus and become more engaged in enjoying other people’s company. I’m now looking forward to successfully meeting challenges in all aspects of my life rather than avoiding them,” Black said.

Asked to tell one of the jokes in her repertoire, Black responded, “I used to run away from home a lot, but my kids always found me.”

Another SMH graduate, April Soon, also speaks highly of the program, lauding Granirer for shining a light on what people with mental health issues can do and not letting finances be a barrier to participation.

Soon, a veteran of public speaking through Toastmasters, did not find standing up before a crowd as intimidating as others might have and, these days, she not only performs at SMH gigs but at other venues around Vancouver.

“When bad things happen to me now, I wonder how I can use it as material,” said Soon. “SMH has helped reframe my thinking and provided good resilience training.”

On a lighter note, she added, “Being involved with SMH has exposed me to many other mental illnesses I want to try out.”

Kevin Scow similarly expresses his gratitude, saying the program has given him his voice and was vital to his recovery.

“This came to me at exactly the right time,” he said. “Instead of seeming strange … now they know I am strange … and they love me all the more for it. Thanks to David and my fellow alumni for nurturing my voice and helping with making it funny. My First Nations side says thanks.”

image - SMH’s 20th anniversary was recognized last month with a proclamation from the Province of British Columbia declaring April 13 as Stand-Up for Mental Health Day
SMH’s 20th anniversary was recognized last month with a proclamation from the Province of British Columbia declaring April 13 as Stand-Up for Mental Health Day.

SMH’s 20th anniversary was recognized last month with a proclamation from the Province of British Columbia declaring April 13 as Stand-Up for Mental Health Day. The proclamation reads, in part, that SMH provides a program for thousands of people “to improve their lives and combat the stigma surrounding mental health and … is an opportunity to raise awareness of and show support for people managing mental health issues or illnesses.”

Since 2004, Granirer and his comics have performed more than 500 shows for mental health organizations, government departments, corporations, universities, correctional facilities and the military. Granirer also gives “laughter in the workplace presentations” to organizations across North America, helping them use humour to lower stress, improve wellness and cope with change. Granirer, too, is the author of The Happy Neurotic: How Fear and Angst Can Lead to Happiness and Success.

SMH’s classes in Vancouver last for six months and students step on stage for two shows, a debut and a graduating performance. As Granirer says, “The comics go from knowing nothing about stand-up to killing it.”

Stand Up for Mental Health is currently recruiting for its next class, which starts July 30. For more information, visit smhcomedysociety.org. 

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

The making of a milestone

By the time you read this, I’ll be working on the last days of preparation before my twins’ b’nai mitzvah. This, as many have said, is a big simcha (happy party), a once-in-a-lifetime event, a milestone and an achievement in our lives. It won’t surprise those who know me that this also puts a lot of pressure on us! Don’t get me wrong, my household is excited. We’re also nervous, apprehensive and stressed by all the details.

It helps to put this into context. We’re a family who has been going to services on Saturdays regularly since long before these children appeared on the scene. My kids are familiar with what’s expected of them and want to do a good job. We’re from a family with diverse approaches to Jewish life, so we’ve gone to all sorts of services, as well as different kinds of Shabbat dinners, family outings on Saturdays, and more. Our kids have experienced many more different ways of observing holidays and Jewish life than I did growing up. This was one of my goals for raising well-informed Jewish kids. For a small ethno-religion, we have so many varied traditions.

This came to mind when I chatted with some of my husband’s young cousins long ago. They told something to the effect that there was only one way to sing a particular part of the Shabbat service. When I explained that there were many melodies and ways to recite the same Shabbat prayers, they looked at me with disbelief. Their experiences with only one congregation in a specific ethnic group and religious movement meant they hadn’t been exposed to multiple melodies or the rich musical traditions of other Jewish communities.

Exploring these choices has made my kids’ lessons and preparations more difficult. If they only knew one tune, well, that’s the one they would sing. However, offering learners many choices means it can be harder to narrow down and practise one melody to make it shine.

Staying true to our family’s particular needs and choices when it comes to the celebration itself has been its own adventure. If one is used to a specific type of bar/bat mitzvah party, with loud music, dancing, catered “rubber chicken,” a photo slide show or a candlelighting ceremony, anything different can seem peculiar. At age 12, I attended one classmate’s bat mitzvah party that was (gasp) held at the family’s home rather than at the synagogue or at a party venue. Rather than graciously modeling that people are different, I thought this was weird. No one reprimanded me for saying this. In retrospect, it was a lovely, heimisch (homey) party held by a family who celebrated the way that they felt most comfortable. I wish I’d had the maturity to see that then.

Holding a Jewish event on a June Shabbat in Winnipeg means that it will be light until late at night, so we’re having a seudah shlishit (a third Shabbat meal or supper). Our congregation’s building is under renovation so the meal will be at home, without the loud music or DJ, to align with those who observe more traditionally. We’ve made numerous choices that my tween self would call “weird.” As an adult, I see it as providing the celebration that fits our family the best.

We’re mostly introverts. Three of the four of us don’t usually like noisy, crowded events. An entire weekend of socialization will be a lot of people time for us. Since many of our relatives are coming from far away, it may be more like a week of company. One of us jokingly said he would announce, “Hey! The party’s over! Please leave!” so he could go back to reading quietly in a corner. We’ve encouraged him not to voice this aloud to any of our relatives or guests.

Although some people hire event planners to manage this, for many households, the burden falls on the mom to arrange everything. This seems to be yet another gendered responsibility. I’ve been told that 50-some years ago, women in the community cooked all the food as well, and there was no catering on offer. I’ve had kind supportive offers from older women friends who remember those days. However, even if one wants to hire serving staff, it can be hard to do in these post-COVID days. There’s just nobody out there who seems to want to do it.

Making so many decisions, from catering to dishes to compost bins and yard games for kids, feels overwhelming. In some moments, I find myself excited about when it will be over and I can stop worrying. Yet, I know that, for many people, this event is a lifelong memory. I just want to make it a meaningful one for all of us. With twins, we only get one chance at it, too, so … no pressure?

Often, I have Jewish texts to lean on to help me understand and guide me. Although it’s not my family’s tradition to recite Eishet Chayil (Proverbs 31:10-31), the tribute to a “woman of valour,” it strikes me that the woman in this important narrative knew how to throw a perfect Jewish family event. I hope I can do something that is half as acceptable, where everyone feels welcome, comfortable and full of good food at the end.

In my head, I’m hearing phrases offered by the older people in my husband’s family at the end of every family party: “May we only meet at happy occasions,” for example. After such a difficult and sad time, I cannot forget those messages. While I worry over the details, please take the opportunity, when it is offered to you, to celebrate at these once-in-a-lifetime happenings. Bring your joy and light to make them special for everyone. “May we only meet at weddings (and not funerals). May we only meet at happy occasions,” these aunts would say as they hugged us. It’s about time to find space for some happy moments, too. 

Joanne Seiff has written regularly for the Winnipeg Free Press and various Jewish publications. She is the author of three books, including From the Outside In: Jewish Post Columns 2015-2016, a collection of essays available for digital download or as a paperback from Amazon. Check her out on Instagram @yrnspinner or at joanneseiff.blogspot.com.