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CSL synagogues battle for the Kiddush Cup; TBDJ defeats BIBA

In an unprecedented Jewish sports spectacle which now promises to become an annual affair, the first Kiddush Cup took place February 12 at the Bell Centre – home to the  Montreal Canadiens – and featured teams representing the Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation  (BIBA) and Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem Congregation TBDJ ended up winning a hard fought 6-5  decision, but it was the thousands of dollars raised for youth programming and community events for  the two City of Côte Saint-Luc synagogues which was the most important result.

I would like to thank Martin Banoon Photography for some of the excellent shots here of the BIBA and TBDJ teams and of the opening ceremony.

The idea of the Kiddush Cup was conceived by Lawrence Witt, president of BIBA and a lawyer with the firm Heenan Blaikie and TBDJ vice-president Judah Aspler. Each player paid an unidentified fee to play. Funds also came in via ticket sales, silent auction bids, event sponsors and a family skate on the Bell Centre ice. Michel Lacroix, the true Canadiens public address announcer, introduced the starting lineup. They even had the familiar organ music in the background. Rabbis Reuben J. Poupko and Chaim Steinmetz of BIBA and TBDJ respectively served as coaches. The event co-chairs were Ted Quint and Warren Greenstone of  TBDJ and David Diner and Alex Feld from BIBA.

Witt joked that even though BIBA was on the short end of the 6-5 loss, he plans on making a few minor off-season acquisitions to ensure that his club sips from the coveted Kiddush Cup after the 2013 rematch. “Next year, we may even produce a Jewish version of "24/6 - The Road to the Kiddush Cup," he said in reference to the popular HBO  documentary which follows  NHL teams participating in the outdoor Winter Classic.

Talk has already begun about a possible baseball game between the synagogue’s two teams. “This one will for the Seder Plate,” Witt notes.

“TBDJ came into this inaugural game as the underdogs, but keeping with Jewish  tradition, faith and perseverance turned the story around and into a celebration that will last eight days,” added Aspler, who works for Microsoft. “We have no doubt that BIBA will be gunning for us next year, but we've got a team roadmap that will secure our hold on the coveted Kiddush Cup for generations.”

The  RSM Richter Chamberland opening ceremony included Canadian and Israel national anthems interpreted by Cantors Yossi Fleischman (TBDJ) and  Moishe Shur. The ceremonial puck drop was performed by local Police Station 9 Commander Sylvain Bissonnette and Côte Saint-Luc City Councillor Dida Berku.   Some 500 spectators were in attendance.  

Scoring opened at the five minute mark of the first period with a Witt tip-in of a Russell Samuels shot from the point. TBDJ blew the game open in the second frame with a pair of goals by Evan Ellbogen and singles by Greenstone, Avi Miller, Lorne Svarc and Michael Ziegler. BIBA responded with goals by Jeremy Wallace, Howard Wallace and a pair by Oren Nahoum. BIBA pulled Goalie Jake Singal-Kohn in the last minute for the extra attacker, but Team BIBA was stymied by the stingy TBDJ netminder Shaya "Leather Larceny" Csillag, who drove in from New Jersey to play in the game (and drove back immediately after).
One of the goals went to a video replay but was declared a "good " upon review by referee Mark Gross.

The adult game was broken up by a 15 minute kids (ages six to 10) contest and a 15 minute youth (ages 10 to 15) match.

Team BIBA's honourary captain was Israeli Consul General. Joel Lion. He wore   the Israel National Hockey Team uniform and "played" for BIBA. “It was an amazing experience,” said Rabbi Steinmetz. “Everyone had fun at an enjoyable and competitive game.   Of course I am proud of my coaching - in particular because I know so little about hockey. Now that I am unbeaten I’m working on my coaching memoir entitled: ‘The Rabbi's Way: How Studying the Talmud Can Make You into a Better Hockey Player, or at Least, Into a Better Person.’
We left the Bell Centre with our prayers for the Canadiens’ success.”

Svarc of TBDJ noted that the funniest moment of the day came when Consul General walked into the locker room and exclaimed ‘On the ice I have diplomatic immunity." He added how every kid who plays hockey dreams of playing in a professional arena. “They really brought out all the stops for the full experience,” he says. 

 

Celebrity wedding: Rabbi Poupko and Mindy Shear tie the knot

Rabbi Reuben J. Poupko, the charismatic spiritual leader of Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation in Côte Saint-Luc, is no longer the most eligible bachelor among the local Jewish clergy. He recently walked down the aisle with the gorgeous Mindy Shear, a high profile makeup artist/entrepreneur  in the community. The happy couple are pictured below at their nuptials.

In 1986 Pittsburgh native Rabbi Poupko, then   27, arrived via New York . From the start, everyone who met him knew he was not your average spiritual leader. At the pulpit his tremendous oratory skills, both in praise of Judaism and Torah and in the defence of Zionism and the modern State of Israel, provided audiences with a tremendous lift. He also showed an extraordinary sense of humour, prompting many to suggest he should consider a sideline as a standup comedien. In fact, he got rave reviews for his performance in the nationally televised Schmelvis: The Search for the King’s Jewish Roots, a documentary investigating Elvis Presley’s supposed Jewish roots.

From the moment he arrived in Montreal, students turned to him for guidance and leadership. So did the community at large and over the past 21 years he has served in some high ranking leadership positions. He remains a media darling in this city, with the press constantly at his doorstep for what they know will be a catchy soundbite. He has been on more than a dozen March of the Living trips and visited Israel  more than 100 times.

I have known Mindy since she was a teenager and was part of the  same mission to Israel with her about 20 years ago. That just happened to mark her first trip to the Jewish homeland and from that point on her devotion to Judaism grew. In 1987  she established Mindy Shear Makeup Studio with the aim of bringing superior performance and elegance to the daily ritual of make up. After extensive beauty industry training and of her completion of a fine arts degree, she  set out to approach the make up business with an artist’s eye.  Over the years she  has had the opportunity to work with various actors, models, photographers and fashion designers in different countries.  She now has her own line  of makeup products. 

While Rabbi Poupko's five children and  seven grandchildren all live out of town, he now has a new youngster in his life: Mindy's young son Shalev  Shear Yaacov.

"We've known each other for many years as we are both involved in community,"  said Mindy.  "We had a long friendship, but we lost touch for a few years.  About a year ago we ran into each other and went out for dinner to catch up.  Slowly over time, we started spending more time together and our friendship blossomed into a more serious relationship. And the rest is history!"

Good luck to the happy couple!

 

A "BeautiFeel" visit to Côte Saint-Luc

Last week my  colleague on Côte Saint-Luc City Council, Dida Berku advised me that her husband Jacob Kincler would be picking up a special friend from Israel at the airport and bringing him over  to City Hall to meet with elected officials. This "friend" was Ami  Bar Nahor, the owner of BeautiFeel Shoes in Israel.

Today,  the BeautiFeel brand enjoys recognition through more than 1,000 high-end stores in  17 countries, including Israel, Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Bar Nahor was in Montreal  for  three days to meet with his distributors, Irving Brownstein and Sylvain Valois, spend time with  his close friends  Jacob   and Dida   and most importantly visit the shoe store which has given his shoes worldwide attention for all of the wrong reasons. He is pictured above with some members of council and Jacob Kincler.

Last fall Kincler and his wife Berku were on holiday in France when they received an email  from BarNahor inquiring about a campaign back in Montreal to boycott the purchasing of his shoes. Kincler, a native Israeli who actually met Bar Nahor by chance in 2008 while vacationing in  Italy, made some calls and found out that such a campaign had indeed been launched. Boutique Le Marcheur, a shoe store in the heavily French speaking  Mile End District, had become the target of protesters from  a group called PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity) in condemning the fact that it carried  BeautiFeel shoes. Amir Khadir, the rebel anti-Israel Member of the National Assembly for the separatist Québec Solidaire, through oil on the fire by joining in the call for a boycott.  The protesters, carrying placards, began marching in front of the store each Saturday. Yves Archambault,  the owner of the store, refused to back down. Given the fact BeautiFeel  accounted for no more than three percent of his inventory that would  have been the easy approach.

Kincler was incensed. So were other members of the Jewish community, notably activist Sharon Freedman, Suburban Newspaper editor Beryl Wajsman and a list of personalities which grew each week.  Before long there were counter protests, with high ranking elected officials from all  political stripes stepping forward in  support of Archambault. Following many months of this activity and condemnations continuing against the protesters, Khadir finally backed off while PAJU turned its attention across the street to the Naot shoe store, which sells shoes almost exclusively made in Israel.

Bar  Nohar paid a visit to Boutique Le Marcheur last week.  Regrettably, Archambault and his wife were on vacation so their face to face meeting will have to wait for another day. However, as he discussed the boycott campaign with me, Ben Nahor grew angry. “What these people did was completely wrong,” he said. “They took a store hostage for no good reason. There should be a law against such activity. This is not the first Israeli product to be the target of a boycott and it won’t be the last. I have lived in Israel all of my life. I know the kind of tricks these people try to  play. It is disgusting.”

Last week Bar Nahor also walked across the street to Naot to express solidarity with them. While it has not received a lot of publicity, Kincler said that some PAJU protesters continue to march each Saturday in  front of Naot and calling on people to boycott. “We won the round with Le Marcheur and now we have to do the same thing for Naot,” he said. “I think that this  is already happening. They are down to about four or five protesters each Saturday while we have 25. Ami is right. There should be a law on the books that states stores must be allowed to conduct business in peace and harmony.”

Bar Nahor met with Mayor Anthony Housefather and members of council. Driven by the profound conviction that "women deserve shoes that feel as beautiful as they look, for any time of the day, in any season, or for any occasion,”  Bar Nahor established BeautiFeel  in 1989.  He bought a small factory, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. Accompanied by only five employees  he kicked off the development and production of this innovative idea, giving birth to a whole new concept in the comfort shoe line – "Dressy Comfort Footwear.”

This is one smart guy!

 

 

Does the Jewish community fear Amir Khadir?

 The following is a column I filed for  the Jewish  Tribune Newspaper last week. It prompted a call from at least one high ranking Liberal who wanted to let me know that Premier Jean Charest is doing a stellar job and will certainly be  re-elected. I beg to differ. However, there are a few wild cards: PQ leader Pauline Marois is not very popular; the ADQ is gaining steam; former cabinet minister Francois Legault might start his own party or join the ADQ and most worrisome, Amir Khadir is the most popular politician in Quebec.  Charest could conceivably come up the middle with a minority government.

Here is the column.

In about two years time Quebecers will go the polls  and unless Premier Jean Charest resigns and his party finds a new charismatic leader, the Liberals will likely be booted out of office. For federalists, the best case scenario would be a minority government.  That could be a frightening prospect for the Jewish community here given  the presence of  one  Amir Khadir.

Khadir is the sole member of the hardline separatist Québec solidaire, representing the swing  Montreal riding of Mercier. A physician specializing in microbiology and infectious diseases, there is no questioning his educational credentials. According to a recent Léger Marketing poll, he is in fact the most popular politician in Quebec. At 45 percent, he has the highest approval rating.
Charest, now in his third mandate, has simply lost the trust and respect of Quebecers. His party has been mired in scandal and he just does not seem to read the signs that it is time to go. He benefits from the fact that Parti Québecois  leader Pauline Marois is not highly  regarded by the electorate either.  This is where the potential minority government comes in.  The Action démocratique du Québec, considered dead after the last election, are showing signs of life under new leader  Gerard Deltell. Former PQ cabinet minister  Francois Légault is making waves about launching a new party minus the sovereignty plank. Then there is Eric Duhaime, founder of the Réseau Liberté-Québec (RLQ) — the Quebec Freedom Network. While he and five other founders insist they’re not building a new party,  rather promoting values they believe  are sorely under-represented here, you could see them on the  ballot as well.

 

This brings us back to Khadir and why he is such a threat to the Jewish community. He has been openly critical of Israel, marching in protests against the Jewish State and making troubling statements. But most disturbing is his high profile role in the despicable campaign to boycott a Montreal shoe store in his riding which sells shoes made in Israel.

 

Since last fall Khadir  has been taking part in demonstrations  organized by Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU), a Montreal-based human rights group that advocates for the right of Palestinians to live in safety. Khadir has been strongly condemned by all facets of the political community. He was recently a guest on a highly rated French-language Montreal radio show where the host, Benoît  Dutrisac, raked him over the coals.  “Stop attacking a small boutique that is selling Israeli shoes!” he lectured Khadir.

  

While the protests may have backfired, bringing a lot of new customers to the store and politicians from different stripes, what’s troubling is that Quebecers still seem to consider him their most popular elected official. What happens if his party wins a number of seats in the next election and he holds the balance of power in a PQ government?   With a potential slew of parties  in the next race, this is a distinct possibility.

 

Perhaps the Liberals should draft Yves Archambault, the owner of the show store called Le Marcheur, to run against Khadir in the next election. This would  make a statement. The Israeli –made shoe brand,   Beautifeel shoes,  accounts for only two percent of his stock. It would have been very easy for him to just drop them from his inventory. He did not.

  

"I was sickened to see him (Khadir) distributing flyers and stopping people who were coming into the store to tell them they shouldn't support a business that sells Israeli products," Archambault said. "In Quebec we have free enterprise, and as long as it is legal, nobody has the right to tell me what I can and cannot sell in my store.”

 

In recent weeks three federal Liberal Members of  Parliament, Marlene Jennings and Marc Garneau   of the Liberals and Steven Blaney of the Tories and three  Members of the Quebec National Assembly, Deltell and  François Bonnardel from the ADQ, Lawrence Bergman of the  Liberals and Martin Lemay of the PQ, have shown up to demonstrate their solidarity with Archambault.

 

The PQ’s Marois and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe have both released statements in support of Archambault.

 

In his column in Le Journal de Montreal, Duhaime called out Khadir for his behavior. « For Amir Khadir,  he should do nothing less than apologize to Mr. Archambault and to all Quebecers,” he wrote. “To attack an honest businessman is totally unacceptable. Quebecers have the right to expect more from their most popular politician.”

 

Last week  the leader of Québec solidaire, François David, declared that Khadir’s participation in the shoe store protests was an error and that he would not continue such an activity. However, she took the opportunity to reaffirm her party’s support for the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign against Israel.

If Marois gets elected in two years and needs support to stay in office, let us hope she does not turn to Khadir.

The once proud Canadian Jewish Congress About to Expire

After 91 years of existence, the Canadian Jewish Congress  appears to be on life support and is unlikely to  celebrate anniversary  number 92.  The one-time proud national Jewish advocacy organization lost its mojo a number of years ago. And while it still has some stars in its midst, notably CEO Bernie Farber (right)  in Toronto, I believe the time has indeed come to pull the plug. What allows me to present such a strong position? 

Well, I spent 11 years as the organization’s national director of communications at a time when it truly was the democratically elected representative of the Canadian Jewish community. It is no more.

The fact that CJC remains an entity at all is quite a feat to begin with. I was hired in the spring of 1988. At the time the head office was a beautiful building at 1590 Dr. Penfield Avenue called the Samuel Bronfman House Museum and Archives. The CJC was established in 1919 at a convention held here at the Monument National Theatre.  For decades it gained notice for excellent work combatting antisemitism, defending Israel and advocating for oppressed Jews in the former Soviet Union and in Arab lands. There was even as a social advocacy arm and an outreach component for small Jewish communities.

 Doors opened wide whenever the CJC came  calling, be it to politicians from any level of government  or the media.  During the three year term of Professor Irving Abella as president, he himself was treated like a head of state. His predecessor, Les Scheininger, was another outstanding performer while Moshe Ronen, whom as chairman of the executive and later presidentwas equally impressive.

CJC played a crucial role in enticing the federal government to adopt legislation to prosecute and deport Nazi war criminals. I remember when I was hired. My new boss Jack Silverstone welcomed me a board and asked  that I organize a press conference on Parliament Hill in a few days time so that CJC could report on a meeting it had scheduled  with the Justice Minister regarding Nazi war criminals. I turned  out to be the driver to Ottawa. My passengers were Silverstone and Professor Irwin Cotler, then a CJC past president and now of course the Liberal MP for Mount  Royal. I personally called most of the media in Ottawa and was I surprised with the respect the CJC name attracted. The turnout was strong. People really wanted to hear what we had to say.

And so it went. CJC was truly an independent organization. Yes, we were funded by the Jewish federations of Canada, but we had our own board of officers and a National Executive. There was true representation from coast to coast. Every three years we had a National Plenary Assembly and attracted more than 1,000 delegates from across the country who debated and voted on policy resolutions and elected a new corps of officers.  On several occasions there were heated elections, most notably in 1995 when Goldie Hershon narrowly defeated Thomas Hecht in a fierce battle.

In 1998 word came down that the CJC head office was to move to Ottawa. This was being touted a progressive development. I felt otherwise and began looking elsewhere, landing at the English Montreal School  Board as head of communications and marketing.  CJC did maintain a presence here. Thanks  to the hard work of Abe Smajovits, the head of finance, a deal was struck with Concordia University to take over the management and cost associated with the building on Dr. Penfield. In return, Smajovits’ accounting department, a graphic artist and the National Archives would remain in place at no cost to the community.

The decision to give up this valuable real estate just made CJC more dependent upon the federations. Initially, the Ottawa office seemed like a good fit. But when executive vice-president Jack Silverstone stepped down to become the chief of staff for a federal minister, he was replaced  by Farber and Toronto became the new de facto head office.

Oh yes  and how was Smajovits rewarded for his clever move to save the community money? His position and that of his two assistants  were abolished.  He took them to court and won a significant judgment for unlawful dismissal. It was appealed  by CJC and went to the Court of Appeal, where a ruling is expected  in the spring.

For CJC, the writing was on the wall when the  Canadian Council for Jewish and Israel Advocacy  (CCJIA)  was established a few years ago.  Gone was the CJC’s autonomy. All of sudden this new entity provided the marching orders. National Plenary Assemblies went from exciting three day affairs to a one day gathering in a synagogue. When Montrealer Sylvain Abitbol and Rabbi Reuven Bulka of Ottawa both declared  their candidacy for president a few years back, the “democratically elected” representative of the Canadian Jewish community bartered a partnership. A potential exciting election race was halted and the two became co-presidents. The  National Executive  also ceased to exist, the latter not such a bad thing given the fact meetings occurred at  great cost only about twice a year and not a lot could be accomplished.

There are people like Bernie Farber and head of government relations Eric Vernon whom are real gems. I hope that the new entity being created to replace CJC, the Canada-Israel Committee and the university advocacy group finds prominent places for them.

What will become of the CJC regional structure? Only Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia had true regional bodies. The others were all  clones of their local Jewish federations.. Here in Montreal, CJC lost a lot of credibility when it was rechristened the Quebec Jewish Congress (QJC).  Despite many protests from the community, the name change went ahead. The QJC is not very effective or visible. Its time has come  to be cast adrift.

The Jewish community is well served by B’nai Brith Canada, which does not rely on federation dollars  to exist. Ditto for the Canadian Jewish Public Affairs Committee and organizations like the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research.
My sources tell me that takeover of CJC is a done deal and will be ratified this month at a board meeting of the United Israel Appeal of Canada.  They even have a code name for the entity set to take over from CJC, CIC and university advocacy:  Newco. Shimon Fogel, for many years the head of CIC, will be the big boss.

For those of us in the Jewish community, this will not mean a thing.  The CJC that gained respect across the globe (and I know because I represented the organization in places such as Israel, Poland, Switzerland and in every province in Canada) has been gone for years. It was a shadow of its former self.

 

The federations wanted it this way. They had a plan which took a number of years to execute, taking an organization which was most effective and ultimately making it irrelevant. I feel badly for someone like Farber, probably the brightest Jewish advocacy expert in this country. He has stood up to hatemongers and delivered countless lectures and presentations to spellbound audiences. His talent has been underutilized. It is time for Bernie to become a politician.  For Stephen Harper’s Tories, I could not think of a better star Jewish candidate in the Toronto area than him. Add B’nai Brith Canada executive vice-president Frank  Dimant into the mix as a potential Tory Senator and our community  will really be well served.

 

Yes, it is sad in a way to bid adieu to CJC.  Had they stayed put on Dr. Penfield Avenue, they would have survived to celebrate a 100th anniversary. Below is a story which appeared in the  National Post:
Sarah Boesveld, National Post • Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010
The legacy of Canada’s oldest Jewish organization may soon be at risk if its umbrella group pursues plans to form a central advocacy group for Jewish Canadians, observers say.
The 91-year-old Canadian Jewish Congress, founded by Montreal Jews who left Europe after the First World War, could be amalgamated into a larger unified Jewish public affairs organization if members at two board meetings in early December vote in favour of it. The Canadian Council for Jewish and Israel Advocacy, which oversees the CJC and four other Jewish groups, has been drafting the restructuring plans for months and says the community would be stronger and more efficient if there’s a consolidation of decision-making and and public affairs.
But though the CJC board says it’s all in favour of a more streamlined approach to advocacy, they worry the name and identity of their time-honoured institution will get lost in the shuffle, said vice-president Barbara Bank.
“We hope that it will not do anything to in any way undermine or destroy that very valuable brand and that it won’t relegate the Canadian Jewish Congress to the garbage bin of history,” she said. “We believe [that would be] a monumental error in judgment.”
Ms. Bank, who gets a vote at the December meetings, fears the group will be “dissolved” should it fold into whatever the new group -- which would include the Congress, the Canada-Israel Committee, the University Outreach Committee, the Quebec-Israel Committee and UIA Federations Canada – becomes.
“It’s important that people feel empowered, it’s important that people feel included -- that [the group] is truly the voice of the Canadian Jewish people,” said Ms. Bank. “That’s why we feel our legacy is historic – it’s synonymous with Canadian Jewry.”
Earlier this year, the CJC struck a sub-committee and crafted its own recommendations for the new group, which included keeping the Canadian Jewish Congress name and playing up the group’s heritage in the new mandate. The sub-committee sent unsolicited recommendations to the The Canadian Council for Jewish and Israel Advocacy committee in the summer, but have yet to receive a response.
Reached Tuesday, CIJA’s acting CEO Susan Davis would not comment on the restructuring except to say the process has been an ongoing one that is “not a public issue.”
“It’s a community issue and we’re growing it organically within the community,” she said, adding that hundreds of people have seen the plans, which remain confidential to the public in a brief called the “Newco Document.”
In a recent interview with the Canadian Jewish News, chair Steven Cummings said it’s important for Canadian Jews to speak with one voice, and a consolidated group would allow for that.
“We feel that the issues that are of most importance to the Jewish community really leach into each other,” he said. “Whether they’re issues around anti-Semitism, around anti-Israelism, difficulties on campuses...all of them are informed by the core values we have in the Jewish community around human rights and the dignity of all people.”
He was not available for comment on Tuesday and Ms. Davis would not speak to the timeline and specifics of the plan or respond to the CJC’s concerns about its identity.
Still, there are frustrations over the plan, which seem to stretch beyond the CJC itself, with emotional stakeholders entering the fray. Andrew Cohen, whose great-uncle Lazarus founded the CJC, is angered by the proposed re-organization. He compared the plans to the amalgamation of small towns or villages into a larger city – those areas can lose control and services, he said, all without the benefit of a tighter bottom line.
“This is a dangerous, ill-considered decision,” he said. “You don’t just throw [an historical organization] away like a piece of tissue, in the same way you don’t raze a heritage building.”
He argues that the organization is working well and meeting the needs of Canadian Jews.
“This is not an argument for perpetuating waste or inefficiencies or something that has long passed its purpose,” said Mr. Cohen, who is president of The Historica-Dominion Institute, Canada’s largest independent history, heritage and culture organization.
In the week or so before the plan goes to vote, community members are just waiting to see what happens. Though the CJC has come forward with its concerns, Ms. Bank said they hope their wishes are considered if the plan is accepted by CIJA and UIAFC, which is a fundraising body for Jewish organizations

 

Sukkot at Congrégation Sépharade Or Hahayim

I had the pleasure today of attending Sukkot Services at Congrégation  Sépharade Or Hahayim on  Einstein in the company of fellow city councillor Mitchell Brownstein, who represents that area. Many of my constituents from District 2, though, are members and were on hand. It was a beautiful ceremony run by Rabbi Moïse Ohana. What Mitchell I enjoyed the most was the absolutely beautiful singing from all of the members. Interestingly, at certain points the rabbi or cantor  would stop leading the ceremony and a member in the audience just picked things up with energy and style. After the ceremony Councillor Brownstein and I were invited to the kiddish (ceremonial meal), where members gave us a warm greeting. Executive Director Roger Dahan was charming as usual and introduced us to his bright young son, Emmanuel, 26, who is in the electronic signage business.

Human Rights Walkway Ceremony July 1: Issues close to my heart

I am very proud to be co-chairing the July 1 Côte Saint-Luc Human Rights Walkway ceremony with Councillor Glenn J. Nashen. At 5:30 p.m., immediately following a Canadian Citizenship ceremony and preceding the kickoff of Canada Day celebrations at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park, we  will honour those who spoke out and fought for Jews oppressed in the former Soviet Union, Syria, and Ethiopia.

For Glenn and I, this will be a very special moment. I was the national director of communications for Canadian Jewish Congress for 11 years, from 1988 to 1999. When I arrived the Soviet Jewry movement was making the type of progress nobody ever thought possible.  Canadian Jews, and those in Montreal very specifically, had played a critical and influential role in allowing the ‘prisoners of zion” to leave the former USSR. Glenn and I participated in the emotional Simchat Torah rallies where thousands congregated in Phillips Square (“Turn Phillips  Square into Red Square” was our catch phrase). Together we marched to the Soviet Consultate. Leading the way were a group of Dynamic Women calling themselves the Group of 35 and a polished speaker and advocate in Martin Penn. Marty was employed by the CJC for many years as the staff person for the Soviet Jewry dossier. He would ultimately leave that post and go to rabbinical school, remaining very much involved in the movement.

By the late 1980s, the Soviet-Jewish protest movement had achieved far more than its founders had expected. The large majority of Soviet Jews applying to emigrate were being permitted to do so, and inside the Soviet Union, for the first time since the Communist revolution of 1917, a yeshiva was established. In early 1990, more than ten thousand were leaving Russia monthly. I remember being in Israel on CJC missions where we went to Ben Gurion Airport to welcome the  new Israelis as they stepped off the plane.

We owe a lot to individuals like Martin Penn, who sadly suffered a debilitating stroke more than a decade ago. He lost his greatest gift – the ability to speak. We very much hope Marty will be with us on Canada Day.

In addition to Soviet Jewry, we are focusing on two other movements – Ethiopian and Syrian  Jewry. Glenn and I were preoccupied with these dossiers as well. Myself in the role of a staff person and Glenn as a volunteer and staff person at Federation CJA.

The story of Ethiopian Jews is an interesting one and local lawyer Stan Cytrynbaum was a hero on that front. He will be with us July 1. As for Syrian Jewry, Toronto’s Judy Feld Carr was nothing short of a miracle worker. Why someone has not made a movie of how this Montreal born former music teacher and grandmother of 10 was responsible for the rescue of 3,228 Jews from Syria over 28 years, is  beyond me.
 

We have gone beyond the July 1 ceremony thanks to the talents of Darryl Levine, our director of public affairs and communications. Darryl  has produced a 20-minute mini-documentary called “Human Rights Activists for Oppressed Jews in Foreign Lands.” The video features interviews with Irwin Cotler and Stan Cytrynbaum. Professor Cotler, who today is the Member of Parliament for Mount Royal, discusses his involvement, including serving as the legal counsel for political prisoners in the Soviet Union. Stan provides a personal account of how the first learned about Ethiopian Jews and later helped create a movement in Canada to draw attention to their plight and advocate for their rescue. The video is available at CoteSaintLuc.org. 

I would also like to salute the late Alan Rose, who as executive vice-president of Canadian Jewish Congress played a huge role in this movement. The same goes for Jack Silverstone, who as national executive director of CJC hired me when I was only 25 to assume an important role and schooled me on this issue in very quick order. Jack is now an immigration lawyer in Ottawa and remains a close friend.

 Our mini-documentary is meant to educate young people about these events and to inspire them to join or create human rights movements of their own.  

The Human Rights Walkway was inaugurated in 2000 and is dedicated to men and women who, through their actions, have promoted and defended human rights. This will be the tenth plaque unveiled on the walkway.

“Many of the past honourees have been people who put their lives on the line in many parts of the world,” Councillor Nashen said. “By selecting a movement of people—many of them local—we wanted to highlight the fact anyone, anywhere can help those in need, even from the safety and comfort of our suburban homes in Canada. Professor Cotler, Stan Cytrynbaum, and Judy Feld Carr—an unassuming former music teacher and grandmother of 10 who was responsible for the rescue of 3,228 Jews from Syria over 28 years—are three examples of a movement that helped rescue hundreds of thousands of people.”
The public can learn more about the past honourees at www.CoteSaintLuc.org/en/Walkway.

You can view the documentary below:

Yom Hashoah Ceremony is Sun. April 11 in CSL

The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre is inviting citizens at large to join the Jewish community in commemorating the 65th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust and honouring the memory of all the victims of the Nazis:

Sunday April 11 from 7:30- 9:00 p.m.

Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem Congregation (6519 Baily Road, Côte-Saint-Luc)

The service will act as a public appeal to assume responsibility and take action today. All individuals have a responsibility to stand up when the rights of others are violated by prejudice, discrimination and racism.  The commemoration focuses this year, on the righteous and rescuers who made a difference by saving lives.

Sixty five years later - making a difference - The Yom Hashoah commemoration is particularly relevant in Montreal, as the city became home to a large refugee survivor community after World War II. About 5,000 Holocaust survivors still live in Montreal and many are members of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.  In this 65th anniversary year of the end of the Holocaust, a call to action to assure the respect of human life and dignity is of great significance.

The Yom Hashoah service will honour, as moral examples for today, those who saved lives over 65 years ago.  Michael Kutz, Edgar Lion, Max Grunfeld, Saul Fenster, Renata Skotnicka-Zajdman and Thomas Strasser, Holocaust survivors, will give their testimony through videos. Through their stories, they will explain how and thanks to whom they survived.

Dr. Hans Möller will speak of his experience s in the Danish resistance. His participation will remind the public that there are important choices which can be made, even in extreme situations such as genocide.
Other participants will read texts and poems and the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue Choir will also contribute to the service .

A commemoration which concerns us all - Quebec (in 1999) et Canada (in 2005) proclaimed Yom Hashoah as the day of remembrance of the Holocaust. A large delegation of political and diplomatic representatives are expected to join the community in commemorating and mourning the millions who were brutally killed.

The Yom Hashoah commemoration is organized by the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre. The mission of the Centre is to inform and sensitize people of all ages and backgrounds about the Holocaust, as well as antisemitism, racism, hate and indifference. 

CJC Quebec Region Name Change is Wrong!

Without any form of real consultation with the community-at-large, the Canadian Jewish Congress, Quebec Region, has changed its name to the Quebec Jewish Congress, or in French, Le Congrès juif québécois. I am not at all pleased with this development and I can tell you that the feeling among members of Côte Saint-Luc city council and others from the Jewish community I have spoken to is much the same.

First a little background.

For 11 years, between 1988 and 1999, I served as the national director of communications for Canadian Jewish Congress. Since our head office was based in Montreal, I was also responsible for the Quebec Region.

CJC is the national representative body of Canadian Jewry, founded 90 years ago in Montreal. In fact, it became known as "the Parliament of Canadian Jewry," given the fact its officers and executives, both nationally and regionally, were democratically elected. I was extremely proud to work for this organization, for which I travelled across Canada and to different parts of the world. Government office doors always swung open for our delegations. Ditto for newspaper editorial boards. We were a proactive body when I was there, defending the community against acts of anti-Semitism, serving as a voice for Israel, pushing the dossier to bring Nazi war criminals to justice and even touching on social justice issues.

As for Quebec, one of the highlights of my time at CJC, vis-à-vis this province, was a national unity coalition we put together with the Greek and Italian communities. We travelled around the country to promote the Charlottetown Accord and played a crucial role in the 1995 sovereignty referendum, which was narrowly won by the federalists. When then premier Jacques Parizeau went on his horrible rant and blamed his loss on "money and the ethnic vote" he was talking specifically about our coalition.

The "Canadian," in Canadian Jewish Congress, was something to be proud of. Well, I left the employ of the CJC in 1999 to join the English Montreal School Board. Soon after, CJC moved its head office to Ottawa, while the Quebec Region relocated to Federation CJA headquarters. Few will argue that the organization has never been quite the same, becoming more "reactive" than anything else.

Nationally and regionally CJC would always hold Plenary Assemblies, which would attract delegates in the hundreds. In order to become a national or regional officer (president, secretary, treasurer etc) there was an election process. Only delegates to the Plenary could vote. For most of my years at CJC, particularly at the national level, we often saw heated races for the top positions. Regionally the president tended to be pre-ordained and part of a slate that few opposed. Nonetheless, the Jewish community at large was always brought together to approve or vote on these selections and adopt policy. I have not seen much of this sent I left. The CJC National Plenary, which used to be a grand affair of at least three days, has now been reduced to a one day event. Two years ago, at a synagogue in Ottawa, CJC actually had a pretty spectacular race for president with the very prominent Rabbi Reuven Bulka facing off against Montreal Jewish community leader Sylvain Abitbol. How did the "democratically elected governing body of the Jewish community" handle this? Somehow the two agreed to be co-presidents. Irgo, no election!

When I worked for CJC, the Quebec Region Executive Committee met four to six times a year. This was a useful body, composed of representatives from nearly every Jewish organization in Quebec. Not only did they vote on issues of importance –such as a name change – but the local community press was always invited to observe.

So what happened with the name change? In a letter from Rabbi Bulka and Mr. Abitbol we are told the following: The name change was first brought to the Quebec regional officers on January 15, 2009, and subsequently to the Quebec regional board on March 18, 2009, where it

received unanimous approval. These Boards are representative of Jewish Quebecers from all streams. It then was placed on the agenda of the national CJC Board of Directors for consideration. At its meeting of March 22, 2009, the motion was approved with only one opposing vote. At neither board level was there any controversy or negativity expressed and, in fact, the comments made only reflected how this would be appreciative and illustrative of our two founding nations.

As a member of Côte Saint-Luc city council, representing one quarter of Montreal’s Jewish population, I think it would have been appropriate to be consulted. Is the Quebec regional board what used to be the Quebec Executive? Was the local media allowed to write about and float this idea?

I am sorry, but I believe this name change is the wrong approach. Rabbi Bulka and Mr. Abitbol, can the Ontario Jewish Congress be far behind?