It is always nice to visit with my constituents.

This week I dropped by the home of Jason Genis and Samantha Druzin to chat with their  wonderful two children Matthew, 9, and Paige Madison,6.

Matthew shown here all suited up.

Matthew recently got to be one of the mini captains for a Montreal Canadiens home game at the Bell Centre. Paige wanted me to visit with their pet bunny Hershey (don’t let the name fool you, Hershey is a girl). The fact that this was Easter Sunday made it only too perfect. Both children attend JPPS Elementary School in Côte Saint-Luc.

First let me tell you about Matthew. The Mini Captains of the Game contest, presented by IGA, rewards two lucky members of the  team’s 1909 Fan Club with a unique opportunity to participate in the opening ceremony during each home game. The winners   welcome the players on the ice and proudly stand with the team during the national anthem(s). The prize also includes a captain's jersey for the winner, and four tickets for the whole family to attend the game and have an extraordinary experience!

Matthew where the press conferences are held.

Samantha credits hubby Jason for entering Matthew into the contest daily for the past three years. Matthew is quick to remind us that last season he had a chance to ride on the Zamboni at a Habs-Islanders game.

This time the Buffalo Sabres were in town to face the Habs. Matthew is a huge fan and I must say very knowledgeable about the game and the team. He plays for the Canucks in the CSL Minor Hockey Assocation and wears number 62.

What was his favorite part of the Habs experience? "Holding the flags during the warmup and the national anthem was so cool! “ he was quoted in the JPPS newsletter. “The flag lit up! I got to fist bump all the players as they were coming onto the ice. One of them fist bumped me so hard I stumbled backwards. 

  How did it feel to be on the big screen? “I was nervous,” he admitted. “I had to guess the player that was on the screen. I knew right away it was Cole Caufield, so I won a hat, and some snacks.”

See my Instagram chat with Matthew.

Paige Madison (she goes by Paige but I told her that using the middle name makes her sound like a movie star) is full of personality. She and Matthew adore their three year bunny, who takes up a of space in the living room. Jason and Samantha placed two cages and playpen with passageways so the kids can climb inside and play.

See my Instagram chat with Paige Madison

The City of Côte Saint-Luc will name park space in the memory of Alexandre Look, who was tragically killed in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

The late Alexandre Look.

Alexandre Look Place  will be dedicated in my District 2 in early summer, fittingly between Bialik High School and Beth Chabad CSL.

Alexandre attended Bialik and grew up in our community. Mayor Mitchell Brownstein knows the family well. His son was childhood friends with Alexandre.

A photo taken in 2018 of part of the land that will be named after Alexandre Look.

Raquel Ohnona Look, Alexandre’s mom, told the CBC that she was on a video call with her son while he was attempting to evade Hamas gunmen on October 7. She could hear young women screaming and crying in the background. She told her son to listen to Israeli authorities. She told him to hide. "And then I heard him tell his friends, 'They're coming back. There's a lot of them. And then all I heard was a lot of gunshots, lots of rounds and then we heard nothing," she said.

Raquel strained to listen with her husband. The couple then heard sound of people chanting: "Allahu Akbar," an Arabic expression that roughly translates as "Allah is greatest," and which can be heard in video recordings linked to the carnage that has since been posted online.

"I knew," Raquel Look recalled to CBC. "I said, 'They're killing my son as we speak.'"

Alexandre, 33, was among thousands in attendance at an outdoor techno music festival near the Gaza-Israel border when it was attacked by the militant group, his family told CBC News in their Montreal home. About 260 bodies were removed from the festival following the ambush.

We have been seeking to name the greenspace for a few years now. It is city-owned land, but used regularly by Beth Chabad CSL for wedding ceremonies.

While I have consulted with both Beth Chabad CSL and Bialik a few times for a name, Sadly this opportunity was a natural choice when the mayor called and asked how we could properly memorialize Alexandre.

I should note that this space will honour the memory of Alexandre and all of the victims of the October 7 massacre.

Sarah Raskin from Beth Chabad CSL told me:" Alexandre grew up in Côte Saint-Luc. He spent countless of Friday nights in our home. We are extremely touched and humbled that Beth Chabad CSL will have the honor of having the park adjacent to our building."

Stay tuned for more information in the weeks ahead.

La Place Alexandre Look

La Ville de Côte Saint-Luc nommera un parc à la mémoire d'Alexandre Look, tragiquement tué lors de l'attaque du Hamas contre Israël le 7 octobre dernier.

La Place Alexandre Look sera inaugurée dans mon district 2 au début de l'été, à juste titre entre l'école secondaire Bialik et Beth Chabad CSL.

Alexandre a fréquenté le lycée Bialik et a grandi dans notre communauté. Le maire Mitchell Brownstein connaît bien la famille. Son fils était un ami d'enfance d'Alexandre.

Raquel Ohnona Look, la mère d'Alexandre, a déclaré à la CBC qu'elle était en communication vidéo avec son fils alors qu'il tentait d'échapper à des tireurs du Hamas le 7 octobre. Elle entendait des jeunes femmes crier et pleurer en arrière-plan. Elle a dit à son fils d'écouter les autorités israéliennes. Elle lui a dit de se cacher. Puis je l'ai entendu dire à ses amis : "Ils reviennent. Ils sont nombreux. Ensuite, tout ce que j'ai entendu, c'est un grand nombre de coups de feu, beaucoup de balles, puis nous n'avons plus rien entendu", a-t-elle déclaré.

Raquel s'est efforcée d'écouter avec son mari. Le couple a alors entendu le bruit de personnes qui scandaient : "Allahu Akbar", une expression arabe qui se traduit approximativement par "Allah est le plus grand" et que l'on peut entendre dans des enregistrements vidéo liés au carnage de samedi qui ont depuis été mis en ligne.

"Je le savais", se souvient Raquel Look à CBC. J'ai dit : "Ils sont en train de tuer mon fils en ce moment même".

Alexandre, 33 ans, faisait partie des milliers de personnes qui assistaient à un festival de musique techno en plein air près de la frontière entre Gaza et Israël, samedi, lorsqu'il a été attaqué par le groupe militant, a déclaré sa famille à CBC News dans leur maison de Montréal. Environ 260 corps ont été retirés du festival à la suite de l'embuscade.

Cela fait quelques années que nous cherchons à donner un nom à cet espace vert. Il s'agit d'un terrain appartenant à la ville, mais utilisé régulièrement par Beth Chabad CSL pour des cérémonies de mariage.

Bien que j'aie consulté Beth Chabad CSL et Bialik à plusieurs reprises pour trouver un nom, cette occasion s'est malheureusement présentée comme un choix naturel lorsque le maire nous a appelés pour nous demander comment nous pourrions commémorer Alexandre comme il se doit.
Je tiens à préciser que cet espace honorera la mémoire d'Alexandre et de toutes les victimes du massacre du 7 octobre.

Restez à l'écoute pour plus d'informations dans les semaines à venir.

In recent days I have been receiving some complaints about JPPS-Bialik School creating what appears to be a private one lane road to their facility for vehicles and placed an  orange cone on the street, closing off the second lane. As my constituent Jason Ullman states, "Anyone not going to Bialik has to wait in single file to be able to turn on  to Marc Chagall. Why am I waiting from Rembrandt in bumper to bumper traffic in single file when there should be a  two lanes?"

Parking, Jason points out, is not allowed going west on Kildare during morning rush hour but he complains this is being ignored. And on Kildare driving east, between Rembrandt and Marc Chagall he wants to know  why cars are allowed to park there? 

 

Jason Ullman took this photo of the traffic issue.

 

I went to our Director of Public Safety Philip Chateauvert. "Normally parents dropping off their kids at this location do line up in the Eastbound Lane in single file and the left lane turning onto Marc Chagall is free and clear," he explains. "Unfortunately, the city had to issue a tolerance for parking restrictions along Kildare Between Rembrandt and Marc Chagall   due to the large number of vehicles that are parking in the street as a result of  garage repairs at 5790 Rembrandt. While I understand the issues this causes, I feel that the problems caused by this are far less than those that would be experienced by the residents of the area if parking was not allowed in this location for the duration of the work. The work should be finished by the end of September."

That being said, our Public Safety Department sees no reason why the school crossing guard is reducing eastbound Kildare between, Merrimac and Marc-Chagall.  Director Chateauvert has dispatched his lieutenant to meet with school  officials and request that they stop doing this immediately since it is unnecessary and prohibited by our bylaws. Another meeting is planned with the school administration next week to explore other solutions.

Today  I met with JPPS-Bialik Co-Heads of School Avi Satov and Marnie Stein and President Lee Wise, along with Mark Sidloi and Regine Banon from the Meadows Condominium executive.

During the 13 years I have been on council, we deal with different issues regarding JPPS-Bialik parents blocking access to driveways and more recently parking their vehicles during pickup time in the private Meadows parking lot on Kildare Road.

The JPPS-Bialik team have always done their best to work with us and I must emphasize that the perpetrators are a small minority of parents.

With the Passover Break now underway, the JPPS-Bialik administration will communicate with parents again upon the school’s return and repeat the ground rules. I will be speaking with our Public Safety Department and VCOPs to see if  they can help.  Avi and Marnie themselves will try and police the lot.

With the arrival of JPPS to the building a few years ago, there are now 600 students in that building so traffic has naturally increased.

“The school recognizes that this is a real and pressing issue and in no way condones the disrespectful behaviour that was displayed,”   reads a statement from Avi and Marnie.  “Clear instructions to refrain from parking at the Meadows have gone out to our parent body several times this school year, from both our principals' desks and our parent Safety and Security committee.”­­­­

In response to recent confrontation between some illegally parted parents and Meadows residents,  another strong email was sent by the school administration. “We certainly understand and share your frustration,” they added.  

 We will stay on top of this issue.

One of our community’s most dedicated school teachers, longtime District 2 resident Mindy Shulman Croitoru, has announced her retirement from JPPS after a remarkable career spanning nearly four decades.

“For close to four decades, Mindy Shulman Croitoru has shared her skill, experience and love of teaching with the children of JPPS,” wrote Marnie Stein, Principal and Co-Head of School at JPPS. “ She has inspired her students to reach their individual potential in English, Math and Science.”

Mindy and her new student, grandson Charlie

Mindy’s retirement is effective January 2019.  Will she join our Volunteer Citizens  on Patrol (VCOPs) like her husband Marty, recently recognized as one our Volunteers of the Year? My guess is she will try and take it easy for a while and also enjoy life as a grandma!

 “With care and warmth, Mindy taught the students of JPPS the love of learning and the personal rewards of being a lifelong learner,” Stein continued. “As a role model to her students, she taught each and every one of them that hard work and perseverance pays off. The energy she devoted to that end is very much appreciated by the entire JPPS family.”

Stein noted that  throughout her years at JPPS, Mindy remained committed to her students and to helping develop their confidence as learners. “Her colleagues will cherish their memories of working alongside her and we feel so fortunate that our students were taught by such a special teacher,” she stated.

In the Talmud it is written that, "He who teaches a child, it is as though he created it." Stein wishes to  thank Mindy for the years of hard work and devotion to JPPS, and wish her good health, enjoyment, and nachas from her family, as she embarks on a well-deserved retirement.

As the parent of one of Mindy’s former students, I can attest to her excellent work in the classroom.

Good luck Mindy!

Only a few weeks after Herzliah High School inaugurated its new campus in snowdon, JPPS-Bialik in Côte Saint-Luc’s District 2 formally unveiled a  new regulation-sized, state- of- the -art artificial turf sports field, basketball court and healthy living curriculum under its Project Fit banner.

Guests admire the new complex.

I was pleased to be at the VIP breakfast-time ceremony and tour, attended by parents, supporters and some community leaders. Dubbed the Cons Family Sports Facility and Tehrani Basketball Court, it is an absolutely extraordinary facility.

Officials noted that Project Fit will benefit the entire JPPS-Bialik Community through Mind, Body, and Spirit. This will include ensuring that their rigorous International Baccalaureate Programme is balanced with physical activity to promote a healthy mind and body; building on  strong academic programs with an enriched and accelerated curriculum; and backing up sport science studies which show that participation in sports activities improves school performance and builds self-esteem, especially in schools.

With Mayor Brownstein, David Birnbaum and some students.

JPPS will introduce the Brain Break Program, with lunchtime fitness activities, such as CrossFit and yoga for students and teachers at JPPS and Bialik. More team opportunities at the high school level, providing students with physical activity options to counter sedentary screen time .A new hockey program is being launched in conjunction with the City of Côte Saint-Luc., to prepare for the new GMAA regulations. In the area of spirit, Jewish life events and programs designed to highlight all aspects of Judaism to our students and community. Mindfulness will be practiced daily at JPPS. It allows   students and staff to focus inward and start their day intentionally and purposefully.

JPPS-Bialik President Lee Wise, Foundation President Joanna Yufe Naimer and Co-Heads of School Avi Satov and Marnie Stein were elated with the final result of the complex. “Today is a very happy moment for all who love sports and our school,” said Wise.  “I have been here daily for weeks and  I am still in awe of what was transformed here. The community at large can take great pride in knowing JPPS-Bialik has taken a leadership role in creating an environment where every student is seen as an individual, and where every student can challenge themselves to excel with confidence and enthusiasm in sports and all areas of their education. “

With Joanna Yufe Naimer, Lee Wise, Glenn J. Nashen, David Birnbaum and Mitchell Brownstein.

It was a couple of years ago that a past board officer, Etan Jagerman planted the seed that grew into a comprehensive effort to implement the concept of Project fit.  The baton  was then passed to Dave Perlis, who along with Jeff Fixman worked diligently assessing what was to be built and how.  Bobby Titleman, Ora Loeb  and John Dore were also in the mix. “The next stage was meeting with contractors and designers,” Wise explained. “I am going to be blunt now and tell you that we would not have such a gorgeous facility here without Luciano Catalogna and Ken Gilman.”

Gilman   is a new parent in the school and has a long family history in the artificial turf industry. He introduced Wise  to Catalogna whose family owns the huge The Catalogna Soccerplex in Lachine. “Together, they helped design, pick colors and most of all negotiate an incredible deal for us to build something that many thought was impossible,” Wise said.

Yufe Naimer credited Foundation staffers  Amy Finkelstein and Naomi Blumer for their diligent work on the project.  "Tuition alone cannot cover all of our costs," she said. "Fundraising is critical today."  

Satov said the opening of the complex marked an important moment in JPPS-Bialik’s history, “a moment that will propel our school to new heights.”

Satov said that  when he was growing up, his favorite movie was Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner. “For those of you who may not be familiar will the movie, the premise revolved around farmer Ray who heard mysterious voices one night in his cornfield,” Satov said. “The voices said ‘If you build it, they will come.’ Despite taunts of lunacy, Ray builds a baseball diamond on his land, then baseball legends start emerging from the crops to play ball. As Ray learned, the field of dreams was about much more than bringing former baseball greats out to play.This project has been in the making for a few years.  Just as in sports, teamwork, dedication and commitment reap great results. “

Past presidents and board members, under the leadership of Jamie Ross and Harley Eisman, were thanked for their guidance, insight and support for the project  

Satov said that the new field will be used for regulation sports such as soccer, touch football, track &and field, field hockey, lacrosse to name a few, as well as Physical Education classes. " It will also allow for winter sports. It will provide and support a higher profiled academic sports leadership; most recently with the hiring our  Senior Athletics Coordinator Matt Starr," he said.

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and D'Arcy McGee Liberal MNA David Birnbaum were also at the ceremony as was JPPS-Bialik parent, alum and present-day board member Glenn J. Nashen with his wife Dr. Judy Hagshi.

The safety of students attending JPPS  Elementary School and Bialik High School on Kildare Road near Marc Chagall remains paramount for the City of Côte Saint-Luc.

Public Safety Director Jordy Reichson and I met with JPPS Principal Marnie Stein, Bialik Principal Avi Satov, JPPS Bialik Director of Security Avi Sela and executive assistant Jennifer Wilson recently.

Myself, Jordie Reichson, Avi Satov, Avi Sela and Marnie Stein.

It has been a year and a half now since JPPS relocated from its Van Horne campus (now owned by Yaldei) to cohabitate with Bialik High School. There are 150 JPPS students and 332 at Bialik. This makes for a lot of traffic at drop off and pickup in particular. The school employs existing staff to handle traffic circulation. For those kids who walk, Côte Saint-Luc has Traffic Guard Norman Klein at the corner of Cavendish and Kildare from 7 am to 9 am and 2 pm to 4 pm.

In our meeting I reiterated our concerns about JPPS and Bialik parents  often parking illegally, blocking driveways and not showing proper courtesy to cars trying to turn on to Kildare from Rembrandt Avenue. The school will continue to work with parents. Our local Police Station 9 also does spot checks. I have noticed a significant improvement since I began meeting with them more regularly over the years. My goal is to start a Student Traffic Committee that can sensitize parents and other students to our various concerns. Hopefully we can arrange for a student delegation to visit City Hall for an information session.

JPPS-Bialik, located on Kildare Road in District 2, has made a very impressive hire. Their Foundation has announced the appointment of John Dore as he school’s new Athletics Consultant.

John Dore

Dore is the former head coach of the Concordia Stingers basketball team and prior to that head of athletics at St. George's School. He  is considered a legend in college basketball, having taken his team to the finals 13 times. He has also been the recipient of key recognition awards and honors throughout his career from prestigious university sports organizations and has led several national teams, including Canadian entries at World University Games and the Maccabiah Games.

This new position is  considered a vital, driving component of the JPPS-Bialik new Project Fit initiative. Dore will no doubt be working closely with the school's Athletics Department which was ironically previously headed by Emerson Thomas, one of his former players with the Stingers.

Project Fit, as announced in August 2016, is an all-encompassing fitness/health program for the school that includes the building of a new state of the art field right on the JPPS-Bialik school campus. As the city councillor  for the district I will be following this closely to see about how we might be able to make this accessible to the community at large when school is not in session. There is even talk about an outdoor skating rink being built.

Project Fit is also designed to offer a specialized and dedicated school environment whereby students can participate and thrive in both competitive and recreational sports activities while promoting physical education, team spirit and a healthy lifestyle. Ultimately, the schools' objective is to have all students internalize and practice health-enhancing attitudes and behaviors.

Dore’s leadership and expertise is considered essential in the positioning of JPPS-Bialik as the leading sports school in this city and his impressive track record and experience is invaluable to the Project Fit development team. I  could not agree more. They found the right man!

Thanks to the generosity of Cons Family, Secondary III and IV students  at Bialik High School, located in District 2, were privileged to have met Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, the Chief Rabbi  of Migdal HaEmek in Israel and Founder and President of the Migdal Ohr Educational Institutions. Rabbi Grossman is endeared to many Israelis as the 'Disco Rabbi' for his work years ago in going to the discos to seek out youth from disadvantaged and troubled homes, offering them a place to go, a grounding in their Jewish identities and an education at no cost.

As Rabbi Grossman related his inspiring story to the students, he emphasized the significance of Chanukah, the importance of having great pride in being Jewish, and in supporting Israel. He concluded his remarks asking each student to strive to be a light to others.

Photo caption: Bialik students Max Kadanoff-Greenberg, Daniel Chetrit, Josh Schacter, David Ratner-Nemirovski, Mark Tchinov, Aidan Bienstock, Lewis Brandman and Evan Stern were among the many students who warmly welcomed Rabbi Grossman (3rd from left) to Bialik.

It has been just over a month now since the staff and students from JPPS Elementary School left their long-time home on Van Horne Avenue and relocated to beautifully renovated premises at what is now known as the JPPS-Bialik campus on Kildare Road and Marc Chagall in Côte Saint-Luc. In fact, the slogan they use is “The Campus of Tomorrow.”

The mayor and I are greeted by Maureen Baron, Marney Stein and some students.

As the city councillor for District 2, where the campus is situated, I was delighted to accept an invitation to tour the facility in the company of Mayor Mitchell Brownstein. We were warmly greeted at the front door by a team of students who shook our hands and introduced themselves. In fact the same thing occurred at every class we stepped into, even at the Kindergarten level.

The younger students wanted to show us their projects.

Work began last summer to renovate the building, which has always housed Bialik High School. It was nicely done, carefully separating the Kindergarten to Grade 6 students with the Grade 7 to 11 level. The fully updated and modernized JPPS Elementary School is now firmly rooted in the Bialik building, complete with a newly renovated library, state-of-the-art classrooms, new furniture including bicycle and standing desks, enhanced technology, a new fenced–in playground area, two gyms, and the Lederman Foundation Synagogue. The elementary and high schools have separate start, finish and recess times. There is an idea paint whiteboard in each class (that means you can write on the walls and it comes off).

Here are more eager little ones.

“At JPPS, we are preparing a new generation of innovative Jewish thinkers who will have the creativity, insight, knowledge and empathy to make a positive difference in the world,” said Principal Marnie Stein, who gave us the tour along with Head of School Maureen Baron and communications director Shelley Paris. “Every day our students discover, uncover and explore the world around them with the guidance of our dedicated and talented faculty. While we pride ourselves on academic excellence, we are equally invested in our students’ developing a strong moral character and a dedication to derech eretz (ethical living). We believe that school can be much more than simply a place of academic enrichment. It can be the place where learning memories are made, friendships are cultivated, self-esteem can blossom and where future leaders are encouraged to question and think divergently.”

Meeting the Israeli Sofer.

JPPS will hold a couple of Open Houses to showcase their new digs: Thursday, April 14 ( 7 pm to 9 pm) and Friday, April 15 ( 9 am to 11 am). -

On April 14 the Lederman Foundation Synagogue will receive a new Torah. The Israeli Sofer who wrote the Torah has been in town all week. During this time, he has been working with all of the students on a grade-by-grade basis, teaching them about the tradition of Torah calligraphy. I had a chance to see him in action.

While there is now increased traffic in the area due to the influx of more students, JPPS-Bialik staff are keeping order as they have been in recent years. The police due perform spot checks and  on one recent day they gave out a slew of tickets for parking infractions.

I saw many familiar faces among staff and they are all so pleased to be in Côte Saint-Luc, none more than a resident of Merrimac Road who has the quickest walk to work she ever dreamed of.