IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT SHOFAR OJC Newsletter

September 2014
Volume 3, Issue 27
OJC Newsletter
The Okanagan’s Jewish Community
IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT SHOFAR
by Steven Finkleman
Annual General
Meeting
THIS THURSDAY
September 4
At 7:00 pm.
Location:
Heading down the B2 from
Swakopmund to Windhoek, I
could see by the road signage that this would be a
prime location to search for
the perfect shofar. As you
can see from the signage, with each of these
kudus, one would have 2
shofars to blow on Rosh
Hashanah.
Okanagan Jewish
Community Centre

Inside this
issue:
“Somehow I knew this
would be a good place to
In Search of the
Perfect Shofar
1
AGM Details
2
High Holiday
2
Details
Membership
2
Renewal Details
Community BBQ
3
Rabbi Schwartzman 4
article
Hebrew School Info 6
purchase Shofarot”
So, I went on the prowl for
the perfect shofar in Windhoek, Namibia. It was interesting that when I was in
Windhoek last spring and
was at the airport awaiting
my return flight back to the
big city, Johannesburg, I
happened to notice a Chasidic gentleman on my flight
carrying
several
long,
Yemenite-style
shofars.
Although I didn't
speak to him at the time, it
was clear that with the abundance of African antelope in
the country, that Namibia
would clearly be a source of
shofarot for us Jews scattered around the world.
Apparently, there are two
types of shofarot that we
use. The original form was
a ram's horn, dating from
the fact that on Isaac's
release from the sacrificial
altar, Abraham was able
to find a ram tangled by
its horns in the bush, and
more appropriately used
the ram for sacrifice instead of Isaac.
The
second type of shofar is
the Yeminite or Sephardic
style, which came from
Yemen, where there was
an abundance of antelope
or more specifically kudu,
from which the Yemenite
Jews were able to make
shofarot. Both styles are
used today, and indeed in
my very own synagogue
sanctuary is a painting by
Gertrude Zack of a Rabbi
blowing a Yemenite -style
shofar. Whether there are
still kudu in Yemen is unclear to me.
Perhaps, it
is too dangerous for Chasidic Jews to fly into Sanaa, Yemen looking for
kudu horns.
Therefore,
why not come to the safe
locale of Namibia, known
amongst tourists as "Africa
Lite" for a safe supply of
kudu-horn shofars.
hoek Jewish Community, and
visited the synagogue, now
about 80 years old, took
great pictures and attended
the Friday night service.
A
small community, very diverse and very welcoming.
Indeed, the second
Shabat, I had arranged to
lead the service in my Reform-style tradition, with lots
of traditional and vibrant
Shabbat songs.
Probably
quite a distinction from the
South African Orthodox service that the congregation
was used to. Indeed after
services, I was fortunate to
be invited to Barbara and
Alexandra's home for Shabat
dinner. All very welcomed an open invitation for all.
I was able to ask Zvi the all
important question in order
for me to pursue my quest of
the perfect shofar.
So, Zvi,
where do these come
from?
I was immediately
directed to the Nakara Tannery in the North Industrial
area to case the place out.
Continued Page 3
I was fortunate to have a
work project this past April
in Windhoek, Namibia,
and clearly one of my
main goals, besides the
"work", was to track down
that supply of kudu-horn
shofars.
It sounded like
a great article - "In search
of the perfect shofar direct from its source."
I made contact with Mr.
Zvi Gorelick, of the Wind-
What a wonderful set of kuduhorn Shofarot
Page 2
OJC Newsletter
OJC AGM: Thursday September 4th 7:00pm
Registration will begin at 6:30pm with the meeting beginning at 7:00pm.
IMPORTANT:
*In the past we've had difficulties attaining quorum at our AGMs. We urge all of
you to attend. In particular, there are many families who have two votes with only
one spouse in attendance. Please obtain a proxy from your spouse before coming
to the meeting (this is included in your AGM package).
*You must be a Member in good standing to Vote at the AGM. If you are not yet a
member then please go to our website to register online or contact the OJC office
to register over the phone. If you would like to be resent a membership package
then please contact the OJC office or David Spevakow 250-317-5283.
High Holiday Schedule
Rabbi Joel Schwartzman and Melina Moore
Tickets required:
OJC membership includes high holiday tickets.
Wednesday September 24
High Holiday Ticket Prices:
Tickets are included with your OJC Membership.
Non-Member Rates
7:30pm: Erev Rosh Hashanah
Single Adult $200
Thursday September 25
Family Rate: $500
10:00am Rosh Hashanah
Children 13 & Under $50
Oneg (Pot Luck) and Tashlich service to follow
Students of UBCO and Okanagan College, and
Children under 7 are free
Sunday September 28
Community BBQ at Sarsons Beach House
12:00-4:00 (See Page 3 For details)
Membership Renewal…
Saturday October 4
We would like to remind you that it is now time to
renew your membership. Please note that this is not
done automatically, as we do not keep credit card information on file.
10:00am: Yom Kippur
Membership dues remain unchanged:
3:00pm: Afternoon Service
$550 for a family (2 votes)
4:30pm: Yizkor
$475 for a couple (2 votes)
Friday October 3
7:30pm: Kol Nidre
5:30pm: Nei'elah
6:45pm: Havdallah
Community Break Fast to Follow (Pot Luck)
$375 for a single (1 Vote) and students are free.
RENEW ONLINE ojcc.ca or contact the office.
***We would like everyone to have the opportunity to attend the High Holiday services. If you require assistance please
contact David Spevakow as part of the Means Committee.
Page 3
Volume 3, Issue 27
It's BBQTime
Who: OJC members, family and friends. Rabbi Schwartzman will be there.
What: BBQ, beach, games and socializing
When: Sunday, September 28, 12:00 to 4:00 pm
Where: Sarson's Beach House 4398 Hobson Road
On the corner of Hobson and Sarson Road (off Lakeshore Road)
We have rented the house at Sarson's Beach for this event. A playground is located on site, and
in addition designated swimming areas and washroom facilities are offered.
• OJC will provide the veggie or all beef hamburgers and the fixings, juice, pop and water.
• bring a non-dairy side dish (salads, veggies, dips, etc.)
• bring outdoor games (bocce, croquet, balls etc.)
• bring beach chairs
Please RSVP to the OJCC by September 16th. We will need to know numbers attending and
food preferences
(beef burger or veggie burger)
Call 250-862-2305 or email [email protected]
IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT SHOFAR
continued from Page 1
Testing the shofar for Rosh
Hashanah use
The raw product - kudu skulls
In the shofar factory, Josiah is polishing the horns to make them into
Shofarot
The $2 cab ride took me directly
to the Factory and the Factory
shop. Trying to keep things low
-key and not to come across as
a camera nut-case snapping 4
million pictures, I kept very calm
as I checked out the factory
warehouse, and then the factory
store.
The warehouse was
filled with hides of all sort, the
most distinctive being the piles
and
piles
of
Zebra
hides.
Quite a site! And we
think in Canada, it's cool to have
a bear skin on the wall!
South Africa a few years
ago?
She replied that they
do have horns, and as I stammered away asking for a kuduhorn sort of trumpet, sort of, she
responded immediately in her
Afrikaans accent, if I was interested in buying a shofar for
Rosh Hashanah! Somehow, I
knew immediately that I was
at the correct spot.
I cooly
ordered 4, but subsequently
placed an order for another
3. Darn good price - perhaps I
ought to import them.
I wonder whose making the ten times
As I entered the factory store, I mark-up in North America!
noticed some kudu horns on
the grounds, polished, and I then asked to see not only the
some of very gaudy colouration warehouse, but to go down to
blue,
orange,
red, the factory where the shofarot
etc. Obviously not suitable for are made.
Starting with raw
a shofar!
skulls, the horns are removed,
soaked in water to
Trying to play it cool, I asked the remove the central core, then
sales lady at the desk, Marie- polished and finally the tip is
Luise, if they sell vuvuzelas cut off in order to turn it into a
made of kudu horns.
Do shofar.
I took my usual 4
you remember all those horns million pictures of the work shop
at the world cup of soccer in and the production line.
With
my calling out the tekiyah, shevarim, truah and tekiyah gedolah, Jacoby did a marvellous job
blasting the shofarot with the
perfect rhythm. It was certainly
one of the longest tekiyah gedolahs that I've heard, certainly
rivalling our very own community's President David.
So here I am packing up my
multiple shofarot, wondering
and hoping what sort of grief a
custom's official is going to give
me. After all, I will be crossing multiple borders, Botswana,
Zambia, Zimbabwe, US and
finally Canada. I suppose that
I'll tell them that these are religious articles - no way would
they refuse my entry. I'm sure
that the border guards at Robert
Mugabe's Zimbabwean customs
office will be sympathetic!
Page 4
Volume 3, Issue 27
A TROUBLED APPROACH TO THESE HOLIDAYS
by Rabbi Joel Schwartzman
I wish I could say that I
come to these High Holy Days with
anything other than an anxious and
worried heart. But that is not the
case. We have all witnessed and
are witnessing Israel’s latest confrontation with radical Islam in the
form of Hamas. While the Israel
Defense Forces (IDF) pursued missiles and their launchers in civilian
neighborhoods throughout the Gaza Strip, which included in schools,
hospitals, and mosques; while they
uncovered command centers that
were placed clearly in violation of
Geneva Conventions; while the
world media castigated Israel for
her “disproportionate responses” to
having her entire country targeted
by Hamas missiles and rockets,
our dismay, disgust, and senses of
irony grew.
We have also seen the rise
of European and, dare I say, North
American anti-Semitism in guises
that were far from veiled. Mayhem
and violence once again have entered our midst. Lies, calumny,
insults, false accusations including
blood libels have once again appeared in our midst. These have
emanated from Operation Protective Edge and the gargantuan efforts that Hamas and its supporters
have poured into their propaganda
machine. Uncooperative foreign
journalists have been intimidated
and even assaulted. The world
has been treated to the gruesome
photos of dead children in the
streets of Gaza never fully knowing
who actually was responsible for
these deaths. Hamas has controlled and released statistics
which do not reflect reality while a
naïve and gullible press has report-
ed what it was being fed, leading to
more savagery against the Jews of
France, Holland, Germany and
England, not to speak of rallies
which besmirch Israel’s name and
which defame Jews everywhere,
even here in the Okanagan Valley.
These High Holy Days
come at a sad and frustrating time
for us and for the world. While barbaric acts are rampant in Syria,
Iraq, Southern Sudan and Libya;
while thousands are being slaughtered in the name of radical Islam
and its warped dream of a renewed
Caliphate, the world ironically has
turned on…Israel! The U.N. Human Rights Commission only
seems to issue condemnations of
the Jewish state, never seeming to
recognize the rapes and wholesale
slaughters taking place throughout
the Middle East. It has nearly totally ignored the Russian moves on
Ukraine.
It barely can muster
enough relief money for the millions
of new refugees which have fled for
their lives from despotic, brutal onslaughts which have arisen in various parts of the globe.
We need the healing balm
of these coming holidays to both
regain our footing from the shock of
the Jew-hatred that now stalks our
people. We need these moments
of respite to shore up our resolve
and renew our ties with each other,
with the Jewish people, and with
our God. We need to confront what
threatens us, to clear our thinking
and to apply for a new year of quiet
confidence, of complete security
and of the courage to confront what
is evil in our world.
Lastly and with no
small amount of passion, Ziva and I
wish each and every one who
reads this column a healthy,
sweet New Year.
Though
there may be dark clouds
hanging over us and possibly
more on the horizon, we know
that there are also rays of protective sunshine which radiate
support and decency in our
direction. May these continue
to grow. May we find the protective strength and unending
energy to enter this new year
of 5775 with the help of our
God who has implanted within
us the vision and purpose to
fulfill the challenge of living life
to our fullest potential.
Rabbi Joel Schwartzman
Page 5
Volume 3, Issue 27
Welcome Allan to the Okanagan Jewish Community:
Allan Holender
Allan Holender has been in the
radio biz since he was ten
years old. He began by broadcasting to his Mother in the
kitchen in his home town of
Edmonton. His Dad set him up
in the den with a turntable and
a microphone and a small
speaker in the kitchen. She
became his greatest fan ! That
was 60 years ago. Between
then and now Allan hosted the
first Jazz show on KGVO, Missoula Montana while going to
the U of Montana. He had the
number one listened to live
show in Vancouver on Saturday nights . “Big Al’s Dance
Party” dubbed “Memories, Music and Mayhem or “Comedy,
Records & Fun”. The show
outranked the CBC during that
time slot. Allan has interviewed
everyone from Maynard Ferguson, Cal Jader to Dave Stewart
and Michael Buble. He knows
his stuff and loves to play his
private collection of some
1,000 LP’s. And now he produces and hosts “Rise and
Shine Peachland on Canada's
first ALL digital online radio
station. He calls the music on
his station "the greatest music
of our time". Whether it’s Jazz,
Blues, Soul, or R & B, the music from the 40,s 50,s, or big
bands,
Peachland
Radio
weaves a tapestry of stories
and
personal
anecdotes
about these legendary artists
and their music. It’s a musical
buffet to tempt the listener
palate and makes you want
to come back for more and
more. Check out their programs
at www.peachlandradio.com
They are the talk of the Okanagan.
Allan Holender was born in
1941 to Polish immigrant
parents, grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and
studied at the University of
Montana before settling in
Vancouver, B.C. For ten
years he worked tirelessly
with the Big Brothers organization before beginning a 25
year career as a professional
fund raiser with non-profits,
hospitals and universities. He
later became a serial entrepreneur, but returned to his
boyhood love of radio as a
syndicated broadcaster and
co-owner of three radio networks, including terrestrial
and digital. His first book,
"Zentrepreneurism" was published in 2006 and became a
ground breaking success that
initiated a global movement
to change the way the world
does business. He followed it
up with his latest e-book
Zen 3.0- "The Inner Game
Of Conscious Business"" .
He was the President and
CCO of Conscious Planet
Radio Network, a digital
network providing intelligent
conversation, inspiring entertainment and world class
Jazz. Currently he is a rejuvenated retiree in Peachland B.C. living with his wife
and their newly adopted
rescue dog Sawyer, and
has launched Canada's first
all digital online radio station. His two grandchildren,
Mikayla, and Taylor live
with his daughter Lisa and
son in law Michael in Vancouver, and his son Dan,
a pilot and his wife live in
Seattle.
Allan Holender hosts Peachland's first morning radio show. Start your day on
the bright side in the sweetest place under the Okanagan sun with local news,
events, personalities, weather, and of course lots of music. The perfect way to
start your day, with just the right mix of warmth, intelligence and humour. .So
Rise and Shine Peachland! Weekday mornings at 9:00 a.m. if Allan is up. If
not later. You can even join him in the "live" chat room and say Hello!
LIVE AT 9:OO A.M. PST WEEKDAY MORNINGS
He's broadcasting on Mixlr join him at - http://mixlr.com/jazzmentor
Listen
to
the
Podcast
at www.peachlandradio.com
archive
of
each
morning's
show
OJC Mission Statement
102 Snowsell Street, N
Kelowna, BC, V1V 2E2
Telephone:
250-862-2305
The mission of the Okanagan Jewish Community Centre is
to work towards building a strong and unified Jewish Community in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The
OJCC encourages an inclusive atmosphere of understanding
and respect amongst Jews of different backgrounds,
and maintains cooperative relationships with other regional
and national Jewish community organizations. The OJCC
also aims to promote a positive and active relationship with
the Okanagan Community at large.
Executive Board:
President: David Spevakow
[email protected], 250-317-5283
Vice-President: Mondy Challmie
250-762-6690
Treasurer: Eddie Aizen
[email protected]
Secretary: Marcia Turner
Hebrew School: Hilla Shlomi
Member at Large: Susan Jacobs
CALLING ALL KIDS FOR
HEBREW SCHOOL
Thank you to those parents who completed the parents survey online for this years Hebrew school. Our
first Hebrew school meeting for students and parents
is the weekend of September 20 and 21. Natalie
Spevakow will contact you with a specific day and
time once the results from the survey are in. If you
are reading this and have not received any information about the Hebrew school, and would like your
child involved, please contact Natalie at
[email protected] or call 250-863-1510.
LETS GET OUR JEWISH CHILDREN TOGETHER!
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Don’t
September Birthdays
September Yahrzeit
Samuel Voth
Golda Ratza Bidner
Rose Shaprio
Genia Chwaiewsky
Rachel Sarah Kolber
Manya Katz (Stern)
Naomi Ruth Smith
Samuel Levin
Hilla Shlomi
Deborah Segal
David Segal