October 2014 - London Jewish Federation

October 2014
T i s h re i 5 7 7 5
S A V E T H E D AT E • S A V E T H E D AT E
Melanie Phillips
An Age of Tumult
7:30 PM
Tuesday, October 28th
at the JCC
Children Rescued
from the Nazis
Sat., November 22nd, 6:30 PM
at the Wolf Performance Hall
Call the JCC for tickets
519-673-3310
w w w. j e w i s h l o n d o n . c a
VOLUME 13 NO. 2
Pepa
Livingstone,
the
nonagenarian Londoner who was
rescued from the looming Nazi
invasion via the 1939 Czech
kindertransport will share her
story at the Wolf Performance Hall
on Saturday evening, November
22. Hana Gartner, the noted former
CBC
presenter
who
has
interviewed prime ministers and
is
best
known
for
her
groundbreaking journalism for the
programme Fifth Estate, will lead
the discussion. The on-stage
interview will be preceded by a
reception where guests can meet
Ms. Livingstone and Ms. Gartner
and sign a petition nominating Sir
Nicholas Winton, the English
architect of the kindertransport, for
the Nobel Peace Prize. Sir
Nicholas, now 105 years old, was
responsible for the rescue of nearly
700 Jewish children from
Czechoslovakia; the Nobel Peace
Prize is not awarded posthumously.
Following the interview there
will be a screening of the
acclaimed documentary Nicky’s
Family which tells the complex
and moving story of the
kindertransport’s organization and
how those saved have gone on to
do heroic, lifesaving endeavors
themselves. The film was the
winner of Best Documentary at the
Pepa Livingstone, childhood photos. ▲
▼
Pepa Livingstone to Reveal Kindertransport Story to Hana Gartner;
Live Interview Followed by Screening of Nicky’s Family
Montreal World Film Festival and
numerous other awards. This event
is sponsored by the Holocaust
Education Committee of the
London Jewish Federation and by
the London Jewish Film Festival,
in gratitude to the community for
supporting the Festival.
UJA Young Leadership Trivia
Night Offers Great Fun For All
By Monica King
What was John Grisham’s first
#1 Bestseller? Whose image is on
the Canadian fifty dollar bill?
What was Mahatma Gandhi’s
profession?
These were just a few of the
many fascinating and intriguing
questions posed at the UJA Young
Leadership Trivia Challenge
evening.
Held on Tuesday September
9th, the Young Leadership Trivia
Challenge was a truly enjoyable
evening and a tremendous
success. With many familiar faces
and also many joining us for the
first time, we were pleased to have
a great turnout for this first young
leadership event of the year.
Federation Executive Member
and Emcee Tammie Ashton
warmly welcomed guests and
spoke about the importance of the
evening. “At Federation, we
believe that the future of our
community rests with the younger
generation – all of us here
tonight,” began Tammie. “As
young leaders of today, you are
our community’s leaders of
tomorrow – and our future. That is
why in the months to come, the
London Jewish Federation will be
focusing more efforts on you
through our Young Leadership
programs – organizing events to
get you more involved…. keeping
you informed about matters that
are important to London Jewish
people and working with you to
build a solid future for our
community.”
“The
London
Jewish
Federation is an umbrella
organization which creates and
delivers a vast variety of Jewish
programming and services in
London,” continued Tammie.
“This includes programs at the
JCC such as Purim celebrations,
Yom Ha’atzmaut, Yom Hashoah
programming and PJ Library for
the little kids. The Federation
provides outreach with our
Holocaust Remembrance programs
to thousands of students in
London each year. Federation also
gets involved when issues arise
that are relevant to the London
Jewish community, such as
ensuring letters are written to the
media when current events
warrant our voice being heard and
working with members of other
faith communities to encourage
tolerance and understanding. The
Federation’s main fundraising
platform is our annual United
Jewish Appeal Campaign (UJA).
The funds raised through UJA
provide the foundation which
allows Federation to support the
many vital programs and services
which keep our community
strong.”
Ian Stone, 2015 UJA Campaign
Chair then shared a few words
with the guests, thanking
Trivia Challenge teams ponder questions.
everyone for joining us, speaking
briefly about the importance of
UJA for the future of our
community and encouraging
young leaders to get more
involved to help strengthen our
London Jewish community.
Following
these
formal
remarks, and without further ado,
it was time to let the games begin!
After taking a few moments to
randomly place guests into teams,
the exciting Trivia Challenge was
underway. With each round of
difficult and often tricky
questions, the room was filled
with
debates,
discussions,
excitement and laughter. While
the lead changed hands among
different teams many times
throughout the night, in the end
there could only be one winner.
Congratulations to Team Rachel,
with team members Sonia
Halpern, Eric Robinson, Robert
Stein, Alon Shatil and Darlene
Zaifman-Guslits. A very deserving
winner, each member of the team
provided valuable contributions
Function Facilitators Amanda Baggaley-Lacerte and Heather Levite.
throughout the game to help land
the team on top.
A heartfelt thank you to
Sondy and Stephen Taran for so
graciously opening their home to
host this important and fun event
for young leaders in our
community. Thank you to Tammie
Ashton for doing a wonderful job
as emcee of the evening. Thank
you also to our Function
Facilitators, Heather Levite and
Amanda Baggaley-Lacerte for
organizing and running the
challenging and enjoyable event
without a hitch. And thank you to
everyone who joined us that
evening, helping to make the
night a fun and memorable one.
If you are between the ages of
25 – 50 and would like to receive
invitations to future Young
Leadership events, please contact
Monica King, Director, UJA
Campaign at 519-673-3310 or at
[email protected]
Winning team deliberates some tricky questions.
PA G E 2
THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
OCTOBER 2014
2015 UJA Campaign Launch
Amazing time had by all!
By Monica King
Astonishing. Amazing.
Astounding.
How DID he do that?
These are just some of the
many expressions heard at the
2015 UJA Campaign Launch, and
every so often since then, with
regard to the remarkable and
thoroughly enjoyable Mind Power
Show of Sidney Friedman. A true
entertainer, Sidney’s combination
of futurist, mentalist, musician,
‘mathemagician’ and mind power
expertise provided an exciting
experience for all. While everyone
in the audience enjoyed his feats,
no guests were more intrigued
than the audience members who
joined Sidney on stage to participate.
The participants reactions revealed
their true amazement after each of
Sidney’s remarkable displays of
telepathy and accurate predictions.
The entertaining, intriguing and
inspirational show truly proved to
be fun for all.
This was only one of the many
facets of the evening which helped
to make the 2015 UJA Campaign
Launch a hugh success, providing
a thoroughly enjoyable evening
filled with heartwarming tributes,
delicious treats and great fun!
That evening, guests were
particularly pleased to pay special
tribute to one of our community’s
truly exceptional and deserving
volunteers, Terry Marcus, honouree
of the David Rubinoff Family
Leadership Award. Terry’s dear
and long time friend Carmi Levy
provided a heartwarming tribute to
Terry outlining his numerous
contributions and unwavering
support to so many charitable
causes in our community. In his
thank you, Terry reiterated the
importance of giving back, whether
through time, talent and/or
resources, to help ensure a strong a
vibrant community for today and
for the future. We are pleased to
extend a very special thank you to
Bob Rubinoff who joined us from
Toronto to present the Rubinoff
Award to Terry on behalf of their
family.
Following this tribute, 2015
UJA Campaign Chair Ian Stone
addressed this year’s Campaign.
“The Jewish community, and
indeed the entire Jewish world,
will face extraordinary challenges
in the coming year,” began Ian.
“The geo-politics of the Middle
East, terror overseas, the world
economic situation; the struggle
for Jewish identity and meaning;
and the building and nurturing of a
vital and viable Jewish community
right here at home as well as across
the world are some of the many
future challenges. As the modern
day embodiment of the Jewish
values of tzedakah and tikkun
olam, the 2015 Annual Campaign
is a fundamental component which
ensures the future strength and
vitality of our community.”
“The annual UJA Campaign
works tirelessly every day here in
London, and around the world,
providing emotional, economic
and spiritual support to those
who need it most, wherever and
whenever they need it,” continued
Ian. “That is why it is imperative
that we, as a community, help to
ensure the health of our Federation
by supporting UJA, which in turn
will ensure the continued strength,
health and well-being of our
London Jewish community.”
The 2015 Campaign Launch
could not have been the success it
was without the support of so
many. Special thanks to William
Frydman who, as Emcee of the
evening, did a wonderful job and
ensured that the program flowed
flawlessly. Thank you to our
enthusiastic and energetic student
volunteers – Maya Kelly, Josh King,
Ben Levite, and Shuli Grosman
Gray – you all helped to make the
evening shine. Thank you to the
family and friends of Terry Marcus
who provided touching tributes in
his honour. And thank you to
everyone who joined us to share in
this very important celebration and
special evening – we hope you
enjoyed it.
We believe that helping people
in need and nurturing the Jewish
community is our privilege and our
responsibility, but we cannot do it
alone. It is your support that gives
our community strength. If you
have already made your gift to the
2015 UJA Campaign, thank you. If
you have not yet made your
donation, please call or drop by the
JCC today to make your gift.
Please join us in making a positive
difference in our community –
together we can build a brighter
future for all.
To volunteer, make a gift or for
more information, please contact
Monica King, Director UJA
Campaign at 519-673-3310 or at
[email protected].
Bob Rubinoff presents the David Rubinoff Family Leadership Award to Terry Marcus.
Debbie Kapp is amazed by mentalist Sidney Friedman.
Thank you to our
Corporate Sponsors
for their generous support
BMO Nesbitt Burns
Best Western Lamplighter Inn
and Conference Centre
Eastpark
Logan Funeral Home
NeuPhysio Rehabilitation
Paramount Painting London Inc.
Emcee William Frydman (centre) with Terry and Carol Marcus.
Zagjo Holding Ltd.
M.J. Stone and Campaign Chair Ian Stone with Sheldon and Betsy Aaron.
BU I L D I N G
A
B R I G H T E R
F U T U R E
–
U N I T E D
J E W I S H
A P P E A L
J E W I S H
OCTOBER 2014
LO N D O N
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O RG A N I Z AT I O N S
•
S Y NAG O G U E S
The first four sessions of the
JEM year have attracted just over
200 attendees, and we’re just getting
started! We are so excited to have
brought so many people out,
especially since we are seeing a
diverse crowd. Sometimes when I
welcome an attendee who isn’t
one of the regulars, they say that
they look over the flyer when it
comes and mark on their calendars
immediately the programs they
want to attend. We know we
cannot appeal to everyone all of
E D U C AT I O N
THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
Two Hundred…and Counting
By Gail Bass
•
the time, but we are pleased that
with our broad range of Jewish
programming, we catch the interest
of many at least some of the time.
Coming up for the rest of the
fall and early (sorry I have to
mention this word) winter, we will
be offering 90 minute soundbites
of Judaism through music, art,
film, pirates(!), and Maimonides ,
to name a few topics. Once again
these evenings will be presented
by both local speakers, who
generously donate their time and
knowledge as well as imported
lecturers.
To help us pay an honorarium
to the latter, we rely on our support
from our regular sponsors as
outlined on the flyer, along with
periodic individual donations
and some solicited individual
sponsorships as spelled out in the
publicity. Sponsorships for some
sessions are still available for
$200 (tax deductible).
We hope you continue to avail
yourselves of our exciting series.
I’m confident you’ll be happy you
came out.
PA G E 3
PEOPLE
By Susan Merskey
ALAIN GOLDSCHLÄGER
participated in the walk to
Santiago di Compostela this past
summer. The journey, a famous
historical pilgrimage route (which
was featured in the movie The
Way) starts in south western
France and continues through the
Pyrenees range of mountains
between France and Spain before
finishing
in
Santiago
di
Compostela, the capital of Galicia,
northern Spain. His daughter
Arielle and sister-in-law Henny
joined him for the last part of the
walk.
ROBYN ISRAEL continues to
enjoy success with her writing.
She is one of five featured
playwrights in this year’s Lost
Soul Stroll, an annual event which
celebrates London’s macabre
history. Death on Dundas
describes the suicide of Edward
Matthews, a prominent 19th century building contractor who committed suicide at the corner of
Richmond and Dundas. Robyn’s
play Forest City Dreaming, about
a young woman who dreams of
moving to London because Victor
Garber was born here, will be one
of 14 plays included in the 2015
Playwrights Cabaret in January.
She will also be at St. Vincent de
Paul School in Strathroy as one of
the 2014-2015 London Artists in
Residence, a programme funded
by the Ontario Arts Council and
run by the London Arts Council.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S
Mazel tov to the following community members and their families:
BIRTHS
• BORUCH ALTER JUDAY, parents Tamara and Air
C O N D O L E N C E S
Sincere condolences to the following community members:
Faces of rapt JEM audience at Oct. 6 presentation by Orit Sarfaty of the New Israel Fund of Canada.
OR SHALOM
Or Shalom ushered in the New
Year with beautiful music and
spiritual davening led by the
High Holy Day Choir and Junior
Choir, and numerous service
leaders who brought their unique
and exceptional talents to our
sanctuary. Since that time our
foyer has filled with scores of
bags of food to be donated to the
London Food Bank, and our new,
beautiful, and improved succah
debuted in time for numerous
Sukkot kiddushim and meals
following minyanim. We also
celebrated Simchat Torah with
great joy and more than a few
l'chaims. The children have enjoyed
junior congregation, tot Shabbat,
and back in September the teens
stayed late on selichot combining
a study session with opportunities
for fun.
Amid all of the past month's
chagim Or Shalom also hosted the
Opening of Courts on October 1.
Mr. Justice Thomas A. Cromwell
of the Supreme Court of Canada,
as well as Rabbi Clark and other
community leaders, addressed
a full sanctuary after a procession
of legal and law enforcement
officials in dress uniform marched
to the synagogue.
By the time you have the
opportunity to read this article the
Or Shalom Film Society will have
screened the first film of the new
year, Above and Beyond, and their
next screening will be announced
shortly. On Friday evening October
24 Kabbalat Shabbat services will
begin at 6pm, followed by a 7pm
fundraising dinner for Or Shalom
Youth Programs ($25 for adults,
with great discounts available
for children and families). The
following Thursday, October 30,
Jared Zaifman will lead a beer
tasting event that promises to be
both wonderful and educational,
and the play Looking for Hayim,
written and directed by Jim
Stevens and featuring numerous
familiar faces, will be performed
on Thursday, November 13 and
Saturday, Nov.15 at 8 pm and
Sunday, Nov. 16, at 2 pm ($18 for
adults, children half price).
Please call the Or Shalom office
at 519-438-3081 to register for
any of these fun-filled events.
• LORNA, MICHAEL and ANDREW BROOKE, on the death of their husband
and father, Ralph
• ROBERT BREUER, on the death of his mother, Elsa
• KEITH SAMITT, on the death of his brother-in-law, Barry Cohen, in Toronto
This autumn we also look
forward to the b'nai mitzvah of
Shalom Guslits and Sephena
Mann, and to Rabbi Clark's Lunch
& Learn series on November 1
and November 15 following
Shabbat services. Please turn to this
column in the next issue of the
LJCN to find out about our
upcoming Hanukkah celebrations
now being planned.
• BARRY TOBIN, on the death of his father, Sidney, in Toronto
“A Niche Brokerage”
Michael Shmukler
Broker of Record
Direct: 519-318-1622
Office: 519-434-3700
Fax: 226-663-6433
Email: [email protected]
www.ShmuklerRealty.com
T H E LO N D O N J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y N E W S T H A N K S YO U F O R S U P P O RT I N G O U R A DV E RT I S E R S .
J E W I S H
LO N D O N
PA G E 4
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O RG A N I Z AT I O N S
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S Y NAG O G U E S
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E D U C AT I O N
THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
OCTOBER 2014
TEMPLE ISRAEL
Hand decorated envelopes with cash
donations to the Food Bank.
Taschlich at Stoney Creek Park.
Religious School children learning how to blow the shofar.
By Wally Zimmerman
The High Holy Days 5775
have just concluded. We assembled
as a congregation at the London
Jewish Community Centre on
Erev Rosh Hashanah to welcome
the New Year and to begin
our annual Cheshbon ha-Nefesh,
accounting of the soul. Following
the service, about fifty of our
members, along with a few
guests, enjoyed a catered holiday
dinner and good fellowship back
at our regular location on
Windermere Road. The following
day, we met again for morning
services at the JCC and returned
to the Temple building for a
luncheon. On Sunday morning, in
place of Religious School, families
with young children assembled for
a brief Rosh Hashanah childrens’
service where the children had the
opportunity to try blowing the
shofar, some with remarkably good
results. Following this, we enjoyed
snacks and then we walked en
masse down Windermere Road to
Stoney Creek Valley Park for our
annual Tashlich observance. This
was followed by families driving
to Apple Land Station east of
London where we enjoyed a corn
maze, apple picking, feeding
some farm animals, and playing
on the gigantic (and that’s no
exaggeration) sand pile. Friday,
October 3rd was both Shabbat and
Erev Yom Kippur. Kol Nidre was
chanted movingly by the choir
with Hersch Rosenberg and
Lana Koslow as soloists. Many
members and guests commented
positively on the contribution of
our choir to the beauty of the
services. The next morning, we
continued our Yom Kippur
prayers and in the afternoon,
Michael Bernstein led a lively
and interesting discussion on the
Book of Jonah. This was followed
by a special service called From
Creation to Redemption which
retells the history of the world and
of the Jewish people from
Bereishit to the founding of the
State of Israel using poetry,
prayers, and song while at the
same time, the teen service was
led by Rabbi Dressler. Finally
came Yizkor and Ne’ilah and a
break the fast consisting of
apples, apple juice, and honey
cake, generously provided by
Ailene Wittstein and Tom Casler.
Yom Kippur also means our
holding of our Fast Food Drive
where we collect food for the
London and Area Food Bank to
help the less fortunate among us.
This year, we also collected
monetary donations in envelopes
created artistically by our Religious
School students to add to the
donated food. While we collected
less food than last year - 1293
pounds - we were also able to
provide a donation of at least $400
to the food bank to allow them to
purchase food in bulk and to fill in
their missing food groups.
Of course, this isn’t the end of
our “busy season” as we met at
the Temple the following Sunday
for Sukkah building and a pancake
breakfast. By the time you read
this, the holidays of Sukkot and
a week later, Atzeret/Simchat
Torah, will have come and gone.
On Simchat Torah, we held a
Consecration service for our
newly joined Religious School
children and the children were
given their own mini-Torah scrolls.
This year, our school has grown by
5 new children to a total enrollment
of 28 and we have had to shuffle
classrooms around to fit the
growing numbers.
Speaking of our Religious
School, many thanks are due to to
Jeff Phillips
and his staff have joined
phone: 519.432.0632 x236
email: [email protected]
www.cplaw.com
Jeffrey M. Phillips
216 - 700 Richmond St.
London, ON N6A 5C7
LL.B., A.C.C.I, F.C.C.I
BU I L D I N G
A
Apple picking at Apple Land Station for a sweet New Year.
Michael Bernstein leading a discussion
on the Book of Jonah on Yom Kippur
afternoon.
Elizabeth Teevan, a high school
math teacher in the Thames Valley
District Board of Education and
our VP-Education, and Rabbi
Dressler for their hard work over
the summer spent updating and
modernizing
our
Religious
School curriculum including the
introduction of online syllabi and
assignments and learning materials
as well as the addition of high
tech equipment — an iPad, Apple
TV, and a large flat screen TV
and, all generously donated by
Elizabeth. Thank you, Elizabeth!!!
On the weekend of November
21st and 22nd, Rabbi Larry
Englander, recently retired as the
rabbi of Solel Congregation,
Mississauga, will be spending the
weekend in London for our
annual ARZA Canada Shabbat.
Rabbi Englander is a Board
Member of ARZA Canada and his
wife, Cheryl, is a Vice-President
of the Board. ARZA Canada
(http://www.arzacanada.org/) is
the Canadian affiliate of the
Association of Reform Zionists of
America and serves as a voice and
support for progressive Judaism
in the State of Israel in areas such
as civil rights, education, the
creation of synagogues and
schools, etc. On Shabbat morning,
Rabbi Englander will speak to our
congregation during services.
Following services, he will join us
for Kiddush and this will give
congregants a further opportunity
to ask questions about progressive
Judaism in Israel and the ways we
B R I G H T E R
F U T U R E
–
Social Action Committee members loading bags of food into the London & Area Food
Bank truck following Yom Kippur.
can support our Reform brothers
and sisters in Eretz Yisrael. This
weekend is always one of the
highlights of the year at Temple
Israel and all are welcome to
come for the Saturday service and
kiddush.
This year 5775 is palindromic
but it is important for three other
reasons at Temple Israel. During
this year, we will be celebrating
our thirtieth anniversary as a
member of the Union of American
Hebrew Congregations (UAHC)
which is now the Union for
Reform Judaism (URJ.) It is also
our Bar Mitzvah year (or is that
our Bat Mitzvah year?) in our
building at 605 Windermere Road
and the fifth year with Rabbi
Debra Dressler as our spiritual
leader. With three good reasons
to celebrate, we certainly plan to
do so. Please watch this column
and the Temple Israel web site
(www.templeisraellondon.ca, or
more easily, www.tilondon.ca)
throughout the coming year for
details as they develop.
Gail Bass has just become our
new Vice-President - Programming.
In case you are wondering about
the VP for Programming I
U N I T E D
J E W I S H
Shake that Lulov and Etrog!!!
announced in the previous issue,
Jacob Megdell has stepped down
due to the difficulty of holding
that portfolio while living in
Petrolia, a one hour drive each
way. While Jacob will still
remain very involved with Temple
activities, the travel was becoming
too much but he gave it the “old
college try.” Thank you, Jacob,
for all that you have done and that
I know you and Heather will
continue to do for our congregation.
Your extraordinary volunteerism
is very much appreciated.
A P P E A L
J E W I S H
OCTOBER 2014
LO N D O N
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O RG A N I Z AT I O N S
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S Y NAG O G U E S
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E D U C AT I O N
THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
PA G E 5
LONDON COMMUNITY HEBREW DAY SCHOOL
Holidays at LCHDS!
By Nechamie Silberberg
It has been a busy month here
at the London Community
Hebrew Day School. Having the
school year start at the same time
we celebrate the new Jewish year
has our students and classrooms
alive with new information and
lessons, the beautiful sounds of
song and prayer floating through
the hallways, and the feeling of a
new year is truly palpable. It is
always amazing to see how the
children are so passionate about
their Judaism and proud to learn
about the customs and traditions
of our people.
Beginning
with
Rosh
Hashana, the Grade 1-2 class,
under the leadership of Morah
Lana Etigon, led a beautiful and
meaningful presentation. They
called up each class to help
explain the reason we eat the
special foods designated for the
Rosh Hashana meal. With songs,
readings and blessings for a sweet
new year the children were left
feeling prepared to usher in the
holiday.
In preparation for Yom
Kippur, the Grade 5-6 students
led the school assembly. They
discussed the Yom Kippur War of
1973 and how hard it must have
been for the people of Israel to be
called up for war on the holiest
day of the year. The students came
away with an understanding of the
importance and seriousness of the
day.
For the holiday of Sukkot, the
London Community Hebrew Day
School joined up with the seniors
of the Jewish Community Centre
for lunch in the Sukkah.
The students enjoyed pizza and
treats and each other’s company.
Seeing the children sitting together
was a beautiful sight, and we are
truly thankful to the staff at the
JCC for organizing this wonderful
event.
The final holiday celebrated in
the Hebrew month of Tishrei is
Simchat Torah. It is the time that
we celebrate the completion of the
Torah. Although we celebrate the
completion of the Torah on
Simchat Torah, we do not pause or
break before returning to the
beginning. The students were
taken to Congregation Beth
Tefilah for a hands-on learning
experience. Rabbi Lazer showed
the children the Torah and
many other important parts of the
synagogue.
The students at LCHDS are
a living testimony to a new
generation of young Jewish
children keeping the flame of
Judaism burning. Seeing them
thrive in both Secular and Judaic
studies with the morals and values
of a true “mensch” gives much
nachas to the parents and teachers
alike.
Autumn & Holiday bulletin board.
Shabbat preparations.
TASHLICH
ROSH HASHANA GRADE 1 & 2 leading assembly.
ROSH HASHANA SK & GRADE 1 & 2 APPLES!
YOM KIPPUR GRADE 5 & 6 leading assembly
NOAH’S ARK PRESCHOOL
By: Rachael Greenwald
Noah’s Ark Preschool welcomed many new faces this
September! We had a busy month
and we are happy to be settling
into our routines. Our fall theme is
well underway and we read many
fall stories and the children
learned some new songs such as
Acorn Brown. The craft table had
many little hands making beautiful
fall artwork. From painting egg
shells to stamping and pasting on
fall shapes, our little artists were
busy creating their masterpieces!
We look forward to making both
apple and leaf prints over the next
few weeks.
Our first class field trip was to
Apple Land! Everyone had a great
morning apple picking, riding the
train, learning about the farm and
seeing some animals.
The children look forward to
show and tell every Monday.
They love sharing their favourite
toys, stuffed animals and much
more. This activity promotes
important skills such as turn taking
and question development.
With the mild temperatures,
we have been fortunate to be able
to get outside almost every day.
The children have been enjoying
the play structure and ride-on toys
as well chasing the flying discs
and soccer balls across the field.
Sidewalk chalk has also been a
favourite this month! While
outdoors, we have been playing
some new group games to further
promote coordination and listening
skills. Such games include Red
Light, Green Light and What
Time is it, Mr. Wolf.
We look forward to getting to
know each other’s families with
our upcoming Families and
Feelings theme. Our “Wall of
Families” will display everyone’s
family photographs.
T H E LO N D O N J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y N E W S T H A N K S YO U F O R S U P P O RT I N G O U R A DV E RT I S E R S .
• JCC PROGRAMMING •
536 HURON STREET, LONDON, ONTARIO • 519-673-3310 • www.jewishlondon.ca
Book Fair Returns, and will be
Tastier Than Ever
The London Jewish Book Fair returns to the Jewish Community Centre from
December 5-7, 2014 with a great selection of Jewish books and an all new Food
Festival component. Sue Estabrooks, proprietor of Mandala Books on Central Ave.,
is overseeing the book sales and has added a wide variety of recently released
Judaica and has specifically sought out an amazing selection of Jewish cookbooks.
Speaking of cookbooks, the event's keynote
speaker on Saturday evening, December 6th,
will be Leah Koenig, author of the Hadassah
Everyday Cookbook: Daily Meals for the
Contemporary Jewish Kitchen. The New York
based writer, who contributes to the Jewish Daily
Forward, the New York Times, Tablet Magazine and
Epicurious, will present a cooking demonstration
with suggestions just in time for Hanukkah. The
event is co-sponsored by the London Council of
Canadian Hadassah-WIZO and attendees will
have the opportunity to have Ms. Koenig sign
copies of her book following the event.
Cookbook Author Leah Koenig
The Book Fair and Food Festival continues on
Sunday when cookbook author Leah Koenig leads
a children's Hanukkah baking program and will
be followed by an adult program led by dynamic
presenter Risa Alyson Cooper.
Ms. Cooper is the director of Shoresh Jewish
Environmental Programs. Shoresh, along with
Hazon in the U.S., has led North American Jewry
in a wide-ranging conversation about our relationship
with food, kashrut, and stewardship of the Earth.
Cooper and Shoresh founded the Kavanah Garden,
deemed one of most innovative projects in North
America, and Ms. Cooper was awarded the 2013
Pomegranate Award for outstanding Jewish educator. We would love to hear from you!
Please contact us with your ideas and suggestions!
Also, volunteers are always needed. If you can spare a few hours
every now and then in a very nice environment, or to achieve your
high school volunteer hours, come volunteer at the JCC.
For more information please call Eric Robinson
at 519-673-3310 ext. 103
BU I L D I N G
A
B R I G H T E R
Lunch will be available at the JCC on Sunday,
December 7 and we hope you join us for all of the
day's events and programs. A precise schedule for
the Festival's events will be published in the next
issue of the London Jewish Community News.
F U T U R E
–
U N I T E D
J E W I S H
Shoresh CEO Risa Alyson
Cooper
A P P E A L
J E W I S H
OCTOBER 2014
LO N D O N
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THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
PA G E 7
JCC Garden Set to Spring Forward with TD FEF Grant
Firstly, mazal tov to everyone who has volunteered to make the summer 2014 inaugural season of the Jewish Community Garden a success.
In May and June the ground was broken and new soil was spread, and beans, potatoes, carrots, Swiss chard, peas, mesculin, herbs,
tomatoes, spicy peppers, and more were all carefully planted and tended. During the height of summer campers from the JCC’s Camp
Yeladim weeded, watered, and planted squash while other volunteers added a beautiful marigold border around the garden’s edge.
The vegetables harvested provided food for campers, students the London Community Hebrew Day School (the tomatoes were
the perfect addition to taco day!) and provided garnish for the burgers at the PJ Library picnic in September.
With the help of the TD Canada Trust’s Friends of the Environment Fund the Jewish Community Garden is set to become more
accessible to more members of the community than ever before. The funds include money designated for elevated garden beds
that will improve access for seniors and those with disabilities. Removable covers designed to
fit on the elevated beds will also allow for a more controlled environment and protection from
some weather conditions. We’re grateful to the TD FEF selection committee for finding our
garden worthy of its support and look forward to improving upon the 2014 season next year.
Animals Join the Fun at PJ Picnic!
The PJ Library barbecue event Happy ZOO Year! featured animal friends that
included a bearded dragon, massive tortoises, hedgehogs, chameleons, geckos,
a variety of unusual frogs, and much more, all to the delight and education of
the children in attendance. Before the animal show began everyone enjoyed
a barbecue thanks to the grillmeistering of Derek Mazer. Volunteers Charles
Burnetts, Chaya Halberstam, and Lilia and Diana Golverk were also instrumental
in ensuring the day’s success. The September event was made all the
more pleasant with glorious weather and the opportunity to reconnect
with community members as the school year gets underway.
Seniors and Students Enjoy Sukkot
Lunch Despite Touch of Weather
Students from the London Community Hebrew Day School, seniors from
the London Community Village Apartments, and others enjoyed a delightful
lunch on Tuesday, October 14. At the last moment the planned sukkah
lunch had to be moved indoors as the skies began to open, but the
intergenerational ruach was sustainedwith delicious food and fun songs.
Many thanks to Darlene Guslits and Harry and Robin Tugender
for preparing the lunch, and to the staff and students
of the London Community Hebrew Day School who
created beautiful sukkah decorations. Thanks also
to Erica Reshef for the wonderful art that now
covers all three walls of the Jewish Community
Centre sukkah.
~~~
D on’t miss this
o pportunity!
--T he London Jewish Community Foundation
is pleased to be accepting applications
for grants and scholarships for its fall allocation
process. Funds may be allocated to a group,
organization or individual where the need is for
charitable, religious or educational purposes
that will benefit our community.
D eadline for Ap
p plications
f o r t he f all 2 01
1 4 a llocation i s
T hursday,, N ovember 2 0,, 201
14
If you have any questions or to request an
Application Form, please contact Monica King at
(519) 673-3310 or at [email protected].
B uilding our community…together.
T H E LO N D O N J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y N E W S T H A N K S YO U F O R S U P P O RT I N G O U R A DV E RT I S E R S .
J E W I S H
LO N D O N
PA G E 8
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O RG A N I Z AT I O N S
•
S Y NAG O G U E S
•
E D U C AT I O N
THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
OCTOBER 2014
C A N A D I A N M A G E N DAV I D A D O M N E W S
By Hazel Friedman and
Naomi Sheinbaum
Thanks to donations from
Londoners and from friends
contributing to celebrations,
almost $10,000 was raised for
MDA during July and August.
This enabled London to provide 2
Medumat CPR Ventilators which
are voice-guided devices used to
assist First Responders with
emergency ventilation and CPR,
($3500 each), as well as other
emergency equipment which
needed to be replenished.
THANK YOU LONDON.
Leading up to and including
the 50 days of Operation
Protective Edge, MDA was on red
high alert: all MDA ambulances,
standard and Intensive care
ambulances, Jeep ambulances,
4x4 vehicles and medicycles
(three wheel scooters) were
prepared and manned, while
paramedics and volunteers were on
alert in every region throughout
the country.
MDA Israel reported that
during the 50 days of the conflict
842 casualties resulting from
rockets fired at Israel were treated.
They also treated 791 people who
were injured by shattered glass,
anxiety attacks, falls and road
accidents which occurred when
the sirens were heard.The Blood
Services Laboratory teams worked
In honour of her special birthday, friends
honoured Eilene Gerofsky with donations
to Magen David Adom for the purchase of
emergency equipment during Operation
Protective Edge.
When friends celebrated Betty Valinsky’s
special birthday recently, they contributed
to Magen David Adom to purchase and
replenish emergency supplies for
Operation Protective Edge.
in shelters and provided 59,000
units and blood components to the
hospitals and the IDF. Among the
units of blood collected, 15%
came from new donors. When
needed wounded soldiers were
transported to hospitals by MDA
Intensive care ambulances.
MDA set up 4 emergency
shelters in Beersheva, Dimona
and Kiryat Ono; also 4 mobile
showers for soldiers in the field
and distributed First Aid kits in
shelters in Dimona and Yeruham.
MDA Youth visited wounded
soldiers in hospitals and packaged
gifts for them. Sadly, a stalwart of
the MDA family, Ze’ev Atzion,
was killed during a mortar attack
on Kibbutz Nirim.
Meanwhile MDA continued
with its usual work: 154 victims
of violence were treated, 114
people were treated for suspected
heart attacks, there were 10 cases
of drowning and 53 women gave
birth in MDA ambulances en
route to a hospital.
MDA Director Eli Bin said:
”MDA teams have proved in the
past 2 months that they are a
considerable link in the chain
protecting the citizens of Israel.
This is the time to thank all the
15,000 workers and volunteers
who, during the past 2 months
have shown their strength,
dedication and their values and
have been the “Protective Edge”
for the citizens of Israel all over
the country”.
---------------------Report from Jonathan Brooke
who volunteered with MDA in
Israel this past summer:
My experiences with MDA in
Israel were absolutely amazing.
The ten day training was extensive
and gave me insight into the inner
workings of the paramedic field.
However, when I started
the actual volunteering, riding
alongside the driver inside the
ambulance, things really started to
take off. From helping to deliver
babies, to assisting people in
JEWISH NATIONAL
FUND of CANADA
519-432-2139
IN MEMORY OF...
• YEHUDA FARHI: Rabbi Tzvi & Linda
Berman
• FATHER OF BARRY TOBIN: The
Dubitsky family, Frank Simkevitz, Steve
& Trish Kaplan, Harold & Susan Merskey,
Elaine & Aaron Richmond, Beryl & Noam
Chernick, Eric Cartman, Tracy Shuster
and family, Alan & Cathy Perlmutter,
The Faulkner family
• ORWELL HUGH BREEN: John &
Natalie Gould
• RED McCONVILLE: The Faulkner
family
• FATHER OF BIJAN GHALEHPARDAZ:
Elaine & Aaron Richmond
• FATHER OF JORDAN HERSHORAN:
The Ublansky family
• DOROTHY MYERS: The Kogon family
• FATHER OF BETTY STEPHENS:
Anonymous
• DR. HERBERT COSMAN: Eric
Cartman, Tracy Shuster and family
• ELSA BREUER: Cathy & Alan
Perlmutter, Beryl & Noam Chernick,
The Faulkner family, Fern Kochberg
& family, Naomi & John Stoffman,
Randi & Bill Fisher, Michelle & Arnon
Kaplansky
• RALPH BROOKE: Dorothy & Allan
Kroll, Elaine & Aaron Richmond, Manny
& Hazel Friedman, Frank Simkevitz,
Stan & Sheila Kogon, Syd & Sharon
Newman, Adela Gorodzinsky, Randi
& Bill Fisher, Rose Harris
• DAVE EVANS: Sharon & Syd Newman
• MARIA MAURANTONIO: Deb &
Danny Rich
• DONALD PERWIEN: Ellen Joy &
Bernard Lazarus
• BARRY COHEN: Jeff & Joyce Phillips,
Frank Simkevitz
• KEN DOW: Danny Rich
• MADELINE GOLD: Sid & Sonny
Steinberg
IN HONOUR OF...
• MICHAEL BERNSTEIN: Gerry &
Donna Kleiman
• RALPH BROOKE: Gloria & Joseph
Gilbert, Rose Harris, Harold & Susan
Merskey, Gerry & Donna Kleiman
• GERRY & DONNA KLEIMAN: Helen
& Ken Ashton, Terry & Carol Marcus,
Beryl & Noam Chernick, Rose Harris,
Frank & Elaine Simkevitz
• MIRIAM RUTH ROBINSON: Dorothy
& Allan Kroll
• RICKY & JACK PASTERNAK: Dorothy
& Allan Kroll, Gloria & Joseph Gilbert
• ALANA PASTERNAK: Dorothy &
Allan Kroll
• MITCHELL & ANN MAX: Syd &
Sharon Newman
BU I L D I N G
A
physical and mental distress, my
experiences were wide ranging
and truly unforgettable.
I particularly enjoyed being
with my fellow volunteers and we
shared some incredible memories
during this highly charged summer.
Thanks to MDA I have formed
some great friendships and I plan
on visiting some of my fellow
volunteers in Europe next summer.
---------------------TODAH RABAH TO THE
FOLLOWING FOR THEIR
GENEROUS DONATIONS TO
PURCHASE EQUIPMENT
FOR OPERATION
PROTECTIVE EDGE:
♥ In honour of Pepa
Livingstone’s 90th birthday –
David Livingstone purchased
a First Responder Life-saving
Kit equipped with life support
equipment.
♥ In honour of Larry Scolnik’s
80th birthday - Family &
Friends purchased a
sphygmomanometer &
stethoscope.
♥ In honour of Gerry & Donna
Kleiman’s 50th wedding
anniversary friends purchased
an Emergency One Button
Tourniquet Device.
Larry Scolnik celebrated his 80th
birthday. Friends purchased much needed
emergency equipment to be used by
MDA during Operation Protective Edge.
♥ Other emergency equipment
was purchased by friends
♥ In honour of Betty Valinsky’s
special birthday.
♥ In honour of Eilene Gerofsky’s
special birthday.
♥ In honour of Michael
Bernstein’s 65th birthday.
♥ In honour of Natalie Chipper’s
Bat mitzvah – by Barb & Joel
Glynn.
♥ Students at Or Shalom
Afternoon School –
emergency equipment.
---------------------On behalf of the London chapter
of Canadian Magen David Adom,
we want to thank all who so
generously supported MDA thereby
providing a lifeline for all citizens
in Israel. The conflict with Gaza
may be over, but MDA continues
to provide blood, emergency care,
deliver babies – often inside the
ambulance – and so there is always
the need to replenish supplies.
Therefore we need your ongoing
support which is greatly
appreciated.
To send a card or certificate
please call Naomi Sheinbaum
519-455-5411. ou may also donate
to MDA online (cmdai.org) or via
Canada Helps.
~ a glorious selection of cards and certificates for an
✡ ANNIVERSARY ✡ BIRTH ✡ BIRTHDAY ✡ BUSINESS GIFT ✡
✡ BAR OR BAT MITZVAH ✡ GET WELL ✡ GREETINGS ✡
✡ CONDOLENCES ✡ IN MEMORY ✡
• LARRY SCOLNIK: Eva Freiman, Syd
& Sharon Newman, Penny & Michael
Lander, Anna Leich
• JANICE GORODZINSKY: Eva Freiman
• LARAINE HURWITZ: Eva Freiman
• OLIVIA TOVA SPANGLET: Rose Harris
• DAHRA GRANOVSKY: Anna Leich
• JEANNE GREENBERG: Rose Harris
• ALAN & CATHY PERLMUTTER:
Frank & Elaine Simkevitz
• ESTHER & MARTIN MARCUS:
Frank & Elaine Simkevitz
• VERA SCHWEITZER: Donna & Gerry
Kleiman
• BERYL & NOAM CHERNICK:
Eva Freiman
• HENRY & CLAIRE BENDHEIM:
Paula Zaifman & family
• BERNIE & BEV ZAIFMAN:
Paula Zaifman & family
• FANNIE GOOSE: Paula Zaifman
& family
• ROSE & BILL KLEIN: Irwin & Ann
Zaifman & family, Stephanie Loomer
& Steven Dain and families
• STACEY & BRIAN UBLANSKY:
Irwin & Ann Zaifman & family
• SONDY & STEPHEN TARAN: Irwin
& Ann Zaifman & family
• BARRY & FERN TEPPERMAN:
Stephanie Loomer & Steven Dain and
families
B R I G H T E R
In honour of Michael Bernstein’s 65th
birthday many friends contributed to
Magen David Adom during Operation
Protective Edge, in order to purchase
much needed emergency supplies and
equipment which needed to be replen-
F U T U R E
–
• GOLDA & NED STEINMAN AND
FAMILY: Stephanie Loomer & Steven
Dain and families
• JULIA ABELSON & JONATHAN
SUSSMAN: Rebecca Abelson and
Stephanie Loomer
• HOWARD GRANVILLE: Penny &
Michael Lander
• MURIEL FENWICK: Penny & Michael
Lander
• DIANE GOLDSTEIN: Penny Lander
• DR. DAVID KOGON: Stan & Sheila
Kogon and family
• JACK BENJAMIN BERENS: Bev &
Bernie Zaifman and family
• POLLY SOLOWAY: Elaine & Aaron
Richmond
• STUART & AVRIL HAMBURG:
Susan & Harold Merskey and family
• BARBARA LENT & ROBERT
SOLOMON: Rene Silberman &
Ted Medzon
• LORNA BROOKE: Rose Harris
YISKOR CAMPAIGN:
Jan Lesser: in memory of husband,
JACK LESSER…Ms. Stephanie Goble:
in memory of ALEC RICHMOND
…Miriam & George Lazarovits: in
memory of parents NICHALA &
SAM GREENBAUM and MIKSHA
LAZAROVITS…Beryl & Noam
U N I T E D
J E W I S H
Chernick…Lisa Klinger: in memory of
husband TOM KLINGER and parents
SIMON THEEBOOM, AUREL
& LENKE KLINGER…, Eva & Jacob
Ryten…Pepa Livingstone: in memory
of husband KEN, and parents MARIE
& BERNHARD RETTIG…Stephanie
Loomer: in memory of parents RICKIE
& JOE LOOMER…Vera Schweitzer: in
memory of husband WOLF and his parents,
her parents LEON & RENE ROSNER
and sister PUICA ROSNER…Deb
Laskin-Rich and Danny Rich: in memory
of parents ADELE & SAUL LASKIN and
FLORENCE & SOL UROVITCH(RICH)
…David & Naomi Sheinbaum…Lisa
Pearlman & Lyle Goorvich: in memory of
KERRY PEARLMAN SOL & RAE and
MEYER (SPIKE) PEARLMAN, SARA
and SHANA GOORVICH… Manny &
Hazel Friedman: in memory of parents
ABE & CHERRY FELDMAN and SOL
& RAE FRIEDMAN…Neil Gelman: in
memory of BESS & MEYER GELMAN
…David & Liya Vayner…Joseph &
Gloria Gilbert: in memory of ROSE &
HY ANCHEL, SYLVIA & MORRIS
GILBERT and JACK, EVELYN and
MINDA OPAL…Bill & Rachelle
Chodirker: in memory of parents GITEL
& WILLIAM RAIZEN, GOLDIE &
LOU CHODIRKER and EVELYN &
JOSEPH RAIZEN
A P P E A L
J E W I S H
OCTOBER 2014
LO N D O N
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S Y NAG O G U E S
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E D U C AT I O N
THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
J E W I S H NAT I O NA L F U N D
THE ISRAEL WE DON’T GET TO SEE
By Frank Simkevitz
On August 27th, I accompanied
a group of YOUNG LEADERS
from Quebec and Ontario and
headed off to Israel on a JNF
Solidarity Mission. It was a short
but intense mission which ended
back in Toronto FIVE days later.
We were there to show support
for Israel and to talk to people, to
better understand what was going
on. No one wanted to tour but
rather to meet people, to volunteer
and to help in any way we could.
The ceasefire went into effect two
days before we arrived and the
first impression that I got was one
of resilience. As an example, in
the park behind our hotel, there
was a BEER FESTIVAL complete
with rock music and lots of
people. Even among the people
we met, the feeling seemed to be
the same … ‘let’s get on with our
lives!’
Our final itinerary only
became clear once the ceasefire
was in effect since there was no
way we were going to travel into
areas where rockets were falling.
After landing in Israel, we
were transported down to Sederot,
where rockets had been landing
just a few days before. We met with
the chief of operations there who
explained how the community
prepares itself for attacks. We then
went off to a protected PLAYGROUND (with built-in bomb
shelters) which JNF built a few
years ago to provide the children
of Sederot a safe place to play
when the community is under
siege. What an amazing place …
even several days AFTER the
threat of attack had ended, there
were more than 75 children there,
most with their parents … playing
games and having a wonderful
time. Life goes on!
The space doubles as a
community centre and the people
who use it truly appreciate having
this kind of a facility especially in
times of crisis. We met the former
mayor of Sederot, David Buskila
whose message really focused on
how resilient the people of Sderot
are and that despite the almost
constant rocket fire over the last
number of years, the population
base has remained stable. The
residents don’t want to show
weakness and if they leave, Hamas
will see it as a sign of weakness.
We also visited B’nai
Netzarim on the Egypt and Gaza
border. It is part of Halutza, a
small group of communities that
were relocated from Gush Katif.
Standing about 200m from where
rockets fell a couple of weeks
earlier, brought home the message
about how vulnerable these families
are and how important those
bomb shelters that our donations
have helped pay for, really are.
Probably one of the most
poignant and emotional experiences
for the group was when we met
Racheli Frenkel, mother of Naftali
Frenkel who was murdered by
Hamas along with two other
teens. Racheli is truly an amazing
woman … and she is surrounded
by a community that has been
wonderfully supportive. One
comment that really stuck with
me was that she hoped something
good would come of this tragedy.
We met Racheli, accompanied by
three of her young children at
Givat Oz ve’Gaon, which has
become a memorial site for the
three fallen boys and eventually it
will become a campground and
tourist site. She too is moving on
too – speaking to people everywhere and anywhere. Because we
had offered to volunteer, they put
us to work, clearing a place for a
security shelter … clearing rocks
and prickly shrubs. It was much
easier to relate to what our JNF
pioneers had to go through to
prepare the land for cultivation …
not easy work.
On one of our other
volunteering programs, we picked
vegetables for poor families –
through Leket Israel … and when
I say poor, I don’t mean only Jewish
poor … Bedouin, Druze, Arab,
Muslim, Christian … they don’t ask
you … if you are in need you get
food. And, who are the regular
volunteers? People on tours, school
children and SOLDIERS!! Where
else would you find this?
We also had the opportunity to
visit Bachad Eser – a training
facility for IDF medical staff. We
learned a lot about how they teach
medics and paramedics who have
to deal with trauma in the field. In
the end, the most important
message I got was that Israelis
CARE … not just for each other
but for their fellow human beings.
The medics are all taught to deal
with the most seriously wounded
first, regardless of whether they
are civilians, soldiers, Arabs, Jews
or even Hamas terrorists.
We also visited the orthopedic
rehab unit of the Sheba Medical
Centre in Tel Hashomer. There,
we met soldiers who were injured
in Gaza and their positive attitude,
despite what they experienced
was amazing. One of the soldiers
we met, by the name of Idan wrote
on Facebook, “Thanks to people
like, you it was worth every
minute to stay in the army. It is
heartwarming that Jews who don’t
live in Israel care about what is
happening here. I just want to say
thank you from me, my friends
and from all the IDF soldiers. You
make us proud.” I can tell you
that we were ALL proud of these
soldiers.
We met several people from
the media, including paying a visit
to the latest news channel, i24
NEWS. We were very fortunate to
meet an Israeli reporter (Aviram
Zino), a freelancer for the
Jerusalem Post and Maariv who
was one of 10 Israeli reporters
that was imbedded with the IDF
and got to go into Gaza on 3
different occasions, each for 24
hours. He had to wear a protective
vest and helmet. He was with a
unit where there was an attack on
the soldiers, and one soldier he
was with died. He said it was the
most emotional story he ever had to
write. He sees his role as “bearing
witness”, which is why he's willing
to risk his life for it. He knows it's
a dangerous business, being a war
correspondent; he has had close
friends killed - one two years ago
in Syria, but he believes it is so
important.
There were other stories as
well, including hearing from
Lieutenant Colonel Hezi Oushia,
a former military attaché in
Washington, D.C. Rather than talk
about his military history, he
shared what it’s like to be a parent
of a soldier, like his son who was
in Gaza. I described how they felt
when they could not talk to their
son for days when he went into
Gaza since soldiers are not
allowed to bring their phones with
them.
All these experiences taught
us a great deal about Israelis. They
are resilient. They care about one
another and about human life.
Despite all the challenges facing
Israeli society and living life in
Israel, it is an awesome country
and everyone of us has a vested
interest in its welfare. Anything
we can do as Jews living in the
Diaspora to support them is more
relevant today than it ever has
been. I am proud to consider
myself a Zionist and a supporter
of Israel – I hope you all are as
well.
T H E LO N D O N J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y N E W S T H A N K S YO U F O R S U P P O RT I N G O U R A DV E RT I S E R S .
PA G E 9
J E W I S H
LO N D O N
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PA G E 1 0
O RG A N I Z AT I O N S
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S Y NAG O G U E S
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E D U C AT I O N
THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
OCTOBER 2014
CHW LONDON CENTRE
As always Fall is a busy time
and the women of London CHW
have been very busy with both
new and old fundraisers and
events. Kol Hashalom Chapter
kicked off the New Year with a new
and very successful fundraiser
called "Hadassah's Holiday
Honey". Community members
could order honey to be delivered
to friends and family to wish them
a sweet new year and each
recipient received one large,
beautifully wrapped jar of honey
with an attached gift card listing
the sender(s) and a lovely wooden
honey stick delivered to their
home in time for Rosh Hashanah.
This fabulous project was made
possible through a generous
donation of 100 jars of honey
from Norine and Tommy Faulkner
as well as honey sticks donated by
Bev Zaifman-Todah Rabah! And
special thanks also to Stacey
Ublansky and all of the Kol
Hashalom "worker bees" who
donated their time and energy to
organize, wrap and deliver the
honey. A sweet, sucessful project
which we hope to see continued in
years to come!
Still to come, our annual
major Fall event, Hadassah
Bazaar! This year marks our 54th
Annual London Hadassah Bazaar
which makes it our triple chai
year! Please come out to support
ths event which has truly become
a community event, bringing
people together from the Jewish
and larger London community
whether as an organizer, volunteer
or shopper! As they say, "It's a
tradition in London"! We remain
the only Canadian centre which
still holds an annual Bazaar,
something we are proud of and
hope to continue for many more
years. We do need help and
support however, so everyone is
encouraged to send donations of
saleable goods, and to donate time
and energy to help out if possible.
All are welcome!
Finally, to wrap up our Fall
line-up of events, London CHW
looks forward to co-sponsoring
the 2014 London Jewish Book
Fair and Food Festival taking
place Dec 5-7 at the JCC. This
promises to be a wonderful weekend
event and the Hadassah women
are especially excited to participate
in a cooking demonstration by
renowned cookbook author Leah
Koenig on Saturday night. Please
watch for more details and plan to
attend!
WESTERN HILLEL
By Stacey Weltman
Our executive.
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BU I L D I N G
A
Western Hillel provides a
centre for Jewish life on campus,
and the student executives
administer decisions that make
Hillel such a strong community.
The 2014-2015 committee is made
up of very diverse individuals,
who together see a bright future
for Hillel. President Michelle
Tsesler manages and organizes
the work of Vice Presidents Orli
Bogler (Jewish Life), Daniel
Brener (Social), Ilan Levy
(Outreach),
Nicole
Sender
(Tzedeck), Valerie Torjman
(Admin), and Stacey Weltman
(Communications). Students on
the executive team are a group
consisting of second and third
year undergrads, who have all had
previous
commitment
and
involvement within the Hillel
community.
Although the year has just
begun, the executive team has
already seen some great
achievements from their events.
Hillel’s Welcome Back BBQ
kicked off the year as students
came together for an evening of
socializing with old friends and
new. Despite the rain, the First
Year BBQ was a successful turn
out. Many first year students
gathered at the Hillel House to
educate themselves on how to get
involved. The Second Annual
Flag-Football Tournament saw a
tremendous improvement in
numbers from last year when 65
people signed up to play. This
great accomplishment in such a
short period of time hopefully
predicts even more successful
events.
Hillel’s upcoming year is set to
be an incredible one for Jewish
students at Western University.
With a variety of events such as
Shabbat Across London, Mitzvah
Missions, Manicure For a Cure, and
the first ever annual Bar-Mitzvah
Bash, there is sure to be something
for everyone.
By Adam Gurza
When I tell people that I go on
Taglit Birthright Israel, often
times they believe that it is just a
free trip and you are only there to
party. This is the understanding
that many North American Jews
have as well as what many Israeli
people think the trip is. After
leading more than one trip, I can
honestly tell you that very few
people actually come back with
the same mindset, and the Israelis
that join the group have their
mindset changed as well. For me,
I know what the trip was all about
and what the participants thought
it would be all about. Now I had
been to Israel in the past and seen
most of the sites we were going to
in a group setting. However, being
able to give the experience to
fourty Canadians who most likely
otherwise would not have the
same opportunity to is truly life
changing.
One of the greatest challenges
with these trips is that you go to
Israel for ten days and have an
incredible time, but you always
wonder what kind of impact the
trip will have when everyone
returns home to their normal daily
lives. My experiences on the trips
have taught me ways to get
involved back in the Jewish
community and I believe that I
have allowed and encouraged my
participants to become involved.
They have held reunions, Shabbat
dinners, and also started chapters
of charities, which give money to
the state of Israel. I would not be
where I am today as a person
without Taglit Birthright Israel so
I truly encourage everyone to take
advantage of this truly amazing
gift.
B R I G H T E R
F U T U R E
–
U N I T E D
J E W I S H
A P P E A L
OCTOBER 2014
THE LONDON JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
Melanie Phillips:
Recognising Palestine
won’t promote peace
Times of London, October 13, 2014
British MPs should reject this
dangerous proposal – just as the
Arabs have so often done
With all the terrifying security
issues now facing Britain, just
what urgent topic is parliament
debating today? Support for an
independent Kurdistan, perhaps?
Britain’s ties with Islamic State’s
backers, Qatar? Whether Turkey
should be expelled from Nato for
refusing to help to fight Islamic
State?
No. This afternoon a motion
proposed by a group of backbench
MPs wants the government to
“recognise the state of Palestine
alongside the state of Israel”.
On so many levels this is just
nutty. The idea that IsraelPalestine lies at the core of global
danger has been exploded (literally)
in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia,
Yemen and other Muslim states.
According to the motion’s
main proposer, the Labour MP
Grahame Morris, the international
community has “cruelly refused”
the Palestinians their right to a
state and thus hindered peace and
security in the region.
Totally untrue. The sole reason
no Palestine state exists alongside
Israel is that the Arabs have
consistently refused to accept one.
Such a state was proposed in
1937, 1948, 2000 and 2008. The
Jews agreed to or promoted every
such proposal. The Arab answer
has always been rejection, war and
terrorist campaigns.
DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERS
Jeff Phillips
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The reason the peace process
has now stalled is that even the
supposedly moderate Mahmoud
Abbas remains committed to
exterminating Israel. He has
repeatedly said the Palestinians
will never accept the existence of
Israel as a Jewish state. His
Palestinian Authority glorifies
those who murder Israelis and
teaches children to hate and kill
Jews. In 2012, its TV service
broadcast Palestinian leaders
applauding children singing: “Oh
my pure land, I shall saturate you
with my blood, redeem you with
my life.”
Now Abbas is trying to turn
diplomacy into a weapon of war
by building international support
to isolate Israel. Recognising
Palestine, however, makes no
sense as such a state has no agreed
boundaries. Negotiations with
Israel are supposed to hammer out
the borders. Unilaterally declaring
a state tears up the Oslo treaty that
committed both sides to a
negotiated settlement. Imposing
Palestinian demands upon Israel
in this way would destroy the
peace process altogether.
Since Abbas has now
embraced Hamas as a partner in
the Palestinian Authority, MPs
may also be about to recognise
and thus legitimise a state partgoverned by a terrorist outfit. And
given current realities, if Israel
withdrew from the West Bank it
would instantly fall to Hamas (and
maybe other Islamists, including
Islamic State), thus enabling rocket
attacks and terror tunnels just
down the road from Jerusalem.
In addition, Palestinian leaders
have repeatedly said (in Arabic)
that Jews would not be allowed
to live in Palestine. “When a
Palestinian state is established it
will be empty of any Israeli
presence,” said Abbas in 2010. So
how can British MPs support such
racist ethnic cleansing?
Palestine has become the
progressive cause of causes
through an effective, decades-long
campaign to twist western minds.
It was Yassir Arafat who, in the
1970s, started to reframe the
5775 T I S H R E I
Palestinian Arabs as freedom
fighters on the historically
illiterate claim that they were the
original inhabitants of the land.
Yet the Jews are the only
people for whom Israel was ever
their national kingdom, centuries
before Islam invaded. Contrary to
general assumption, the occupation
and the settlements are legal,
upheld both by the international
law of defence against persistent
belligerents and the unabrogated
treaty obligations of the British
Mandate for Palestine.
That will surprise many. For
no other conflict has ever been so
misreported and misrepresented;
no other victims of a century of
annihilatory aggression have been
so demonised and delegitimised.
Last summer’s media coverage
of the Gaza war, which caused a
huge outbreak of anti-Jewish
hatred, uncritically transmitted the
Hamas falsehood that the vast
majority of casualties were
civilians. Analysis by Israel’s Meir
Amit Intelligence and Terrorism
Information Centre shows that
49 per cent of fatalities were
terrorists and 51 per cent civilians,
a far lower civilian toll than in
other wars.
Israel is the West’s one ally in
the Middle East and is essential to
British intelligence and military
security. Passing today’s motion
won’t itself change anything. But
as a propaganda stunt, its capacity
to do harm is immense. It will
turn parliament into a human
shield for Palestinian rejectionism,
help to weaken and endanger
Israel and incentivise yet more
Palestinian hatred, mass murder
and war.
In security terms, passing this
motion would be an act of national
self-harm. It would also be a
moral stain on parliament and
place Britain on the wrong side in
the great battle for civilisation.
Melanie Phillips will be
speaking at the London Jewish
Community Centre on Tuesday,
October 28, at 7:30 pm. The
event is free.
OCTOBER 2014
Stephen Kleiman
519-697-3000
Editor in Chief, In House
Art/Technical Director, Lisa Flesher
Susan Truppe
www.SusanTruppeMP.ca
For deadlines, advertising rates and to
place an ad, please call 519-673-3310
Contributors: Susan Merskey
The Carpet Department
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Published by The London Jewish Federation
536 Huron St., London, ON N5Y 4J5
The London Jewish Community News
reserves the right to edit or reject material.
London Jewish Federation Executive
President, Bernie Zaifman
Past President, Ron Wolf
Treasurer, Terry Marcus
Members: Tammie Aston,
Stephen Taran, Brian Ublansky
PA G E 11
Mead: The Next Generation
New Producers Offer Dry, Nuanced Honey Wines
By Leah Koenig
Jewish Daily Forward,
September 26, 2014 [edited for
tense]
On Rosh Hashanah, Ben
Alexander and his family toast[ed]
the new year with apples and
honey — literally. Instead of just
dipping slices of the autumnal
fruit into honey, they sip[ped] apple
cyser, a fragrant mixture of apple
cider and mead. It’s only fitting,
since Alexander is the co-founder
of Maine Mead Works, a Portlandbased company that’s offering the
ancient honey wine to a new
generation.
Mead tends to conjure up
images of Renaissance fairs and
syrupy-sweet liquid served in
gilded chalices, but Alexander is
among a growing crop of mead
makers across the country who are
producing delicate, dry-style
honey wines. “People believe that
mead is the earliest fermented
beverage, before wine or beer,” he
said. “My inspiration was to make
a high-quality mead that people
would enjoy drinking today.”
His meads, which range from
pure honey to versions flavored
with hops, lavender and elderberry,
among other botanicals, are crisp
— and every bit as nuanced as a
glass of white wine. They’re also
certified kosher. Alexander is not
Jewish, but his wife, Carly Cope,
is. Early on, Cope’s grandfather
Gerald Cope, a co-founder of
Maine Mead Works, suggested that
the company seek out certification.
“I thought, ‘Gee, this is just honey,
water, herbs and berries — so why
not make it a kosher product?” he
said.
Family Business: Ben Alexander
and Carly Cope started Maine
Mead Works with Cope’s
grandfather. The fourth generation
seems poised to jump in.
According to Gil Marks’
Encyclopedia of Jewish Food,
mead was “probably created
accidentally when some wild
yeasts settled into a container of
diluted honey and fermented.”
Over time, people figured out how
to harness that natural process to
create a drink that, throughout its
storied history, has played an
important role in cultures across
Europe, Asia and Africa.
In Jewish tradition, grapes, not
honey, have historically been the
primary winemaking medium.
And yet there are connections to be
made. In Ethiopia, for example,
where honey wine is common,
Jews traditionally blessed and
drank a honey wine called tej on
the Sabbath and on holidays. “It
was difficult to find grapes, but
honey was available,” explained
Beejhy Barhany, founder of the
Beta Israel of North America
Cultural Foundation.
In Israel, where the vast
majority of Ethiopian Jews live
today, the tradition of making tej,
which is typically fermented at
home using honey and a native
African plant called gesho,
continues. “Ashkenazi Jews make
cholent; Ethiopian Jews brew tej.
Every family has their own special
recipe for it,” said Allan Farago,
co-founder of Lost Tribes Beverage,
a New York-based brewing
company that works to resurrect
ancient brewing cultures.
This past March, Lost Tribes
released a bottled tej — a nuanced,
complexly flavored drink brewed
using recipes the company gathered
from Ethiopian families in Israel.
“Our goal is to help bring the
drink to a larger audience,” Farago
said. To that end, Lost Tribes’
website includes recipes for a
variety of tej-based cocktails,
among them a gold fashioned,
made with the honey wine and
with plum brandy and orange
juice, and a marigold margarita,
which mixes tej with tequila and
fresh citrus juices.
Mead once held some
significance for American Jews.
Ricky Klein, who founded
Groennfell Meadery in Colchester,
Vermont, in 2013, came across a
surprising link while researching
the drink’s cultural importance. In
The Complete American-Jewish
Cookbook, a mid-20th-century
book written by Anne London and
Bertha Kahn Bishov, he found a
homemade honey wine recipe that
included the following headnote:
“The amber liquid used to be a
tradition during Passover. In the
past two decades it has gradually
disappeared so that the present
generation is almost completely
unaware of its existence.”
As someone who regularly
brews special, small-batch meads
for
his
family’s
holiday
celebrations — including a
vanilla-infused apple cyser for
Rosh Hashanah, and a grape and
honey mead for Passover that he
jokingly named The ManlySchewitz — Klein was intrigued
by the discovery.
Despite a fair amount of
follow-up research, he’s been
unable to pinpoint exactly why
homemade honey wine came to
hold a prominent spot at the
Passover table in early 20th-century
America, or why it had so
thoroughly faded by the 1950s
when London and Kahn Bishov
were writing their book. “The
only real proof we have of it is this
cookbook,” he said. And yet he
wholeheartedly supports the notion
of bringing back the practice.
Alexander and Carly Cope do,
too. “We are working on getting
Passover certification for our
meads right now,” Alexander said.
Meanwhile, ever since obtaining
kosher certification, the family
has been exploring the possibility
of explicitly marketing its apple
cyser as a Rosh Hashanah-friendly
drink. “We like to have a lot of
wine with our holiday feasts,” Cope
said. “And mead is the perfect fit.”
Cookbook author Leah
Koenig will be offering a
cooking demonstration at the
London Jewish Book Fair &
Food Festival on Saturday
evening, December 6.
T H E LO N D O N J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y N E W S T H A N K S YO U F O R S U P P O RT I N G O U R A DV E RT I S E R S .