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STORIES IN THE
May 21
, 2012 ISSUE

Photo: President Peres welcomed

Sharon Reichstein to receive Young Leadership Award

No deed too large or too small for Shem Tov Award recipient

Not too late for two-state solution

Four Israeli shlichim coming to Camp B’nai Brith

Peres praises Canada during official visit

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin at 75: Article from 1954

Women’s service marks Rosh Chodesh

Israeli film festival returns with five movies starting May 31

Bob Rae says two-state solution is best

Righteous Among the Nations honoured at national ceremony

Ottawan playing on Israeli team in European lacrosse championships

CHW Ottawa Spring Tea to be held June 10

Die Folkshpieler retrospective celebrates 10th anniversary

Shiru Lach Choir to present closing concert

Photo: Fiddler on the Roof in Arnprior

Ottawa celebrates 64th Yom Ha’Atzmaut

Harvey Glatt: Father of the Ottawa music scene

Walking to cure diabetes

Photo: Peres on Parliament Hill

New edition of Ottawa Jewish Telephone Directory will be available in June


COLUMNS IN THE
MAY 21 ISSUE

Editor: Michael Regenstreif
This is a fascinating time for Ottawa’s synagogues

Federation Report:
Mitch Miller, Walkathon
It’s time to walk or run in support of Jewish education

From the Pulpit:
Rabbi Howard Finkelstein,
Beit Tikvah
Bells and whistles and Jewish education

Jason Moscovitz
Pride and pigheadedness usually win the day in politics

Mailbag
Letter to the editor

Guest column:
Sheldon Friedman
OJCS is running and walking for Jewish education

Guest column:
Nikki Shapiro
Women’s mission to Israel focuses on Jewish values

Guest column:
David Bedein
Canada could lead the way in changing UNRWA mandate

Guest column:
Daniel Gordis
What, not who, is a Jew?

Values, Ethics, Community:
Mira Sucharov
‘You don’t make peace with your friends’

World Affairs:
Oliver Javanpour
Israeli politics: Juxtapositioning leadership, elections and coalition

Humour me please:
Rubin Friedman
Random stories from the drawer of life

Book Review:
Rabbi Michael Goldstein
Author reinforces predetermined conclusions

Focus on Fitness:
Gloria Schwartz
Dear Gloria answers your fitness questions

Shavuot food feature:
Jamie Geller
Pie-in-the-sky thinking – Putting pizzazz into pizza

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: CELEBRATING JEWISH EDUCATION IN OTTAWA

Jewish education in Ottawa: a community’s responsibility

Much is new at OJCS

OJCS teachers furthering their own educations

Each Jewish preschool offers a unique approach

Special programs at OJCS

Torah High reaches out to Jewish students in public high schools

Ottawa Torah Institute and Machon Sarah

Rambam Day School

Parents drawn to ‘community’ aspect of OJCS

Torah Academy of Ottawa

Each supplemental school takes a unique approach

Differentiated instruction and gifted program at OJCS

 

 

 

 

 

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President Peres welcomed
President Shimon Peres of Israel receives flowers from Ottawa Jewish Community School students during the Rideau Hall welcoming ceremony at the start of his state visit to Canada, May 7.  (Photo: Michael Regenstreif)

perez

Peres on Parliament Hill
Israeli President Shimon Peres signs the House of Commons guest book, May 7, as House Speaker Andrew Scheer, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Senate Speaker Noël A. Kinsella look on.  (Photo: Michael Regenstreif)


editorAn inspiring visit by Israel’s elder statesman

It was quite extraordinary – if not awe-inspiring – to watch Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres, the State of Israel’s remarkable president and elder statesman, in action over the two days he spent in Ottawa during his official state visit to Canada, May 6 to 10.

At 88, Peres is the world’s oldest head of state, but he seems more than able to maintain a gruelling schedule of travel, meetings, speaking engagements and events that would wear out many half his age.

I was on hand for several of Peres’ Ottawa events, beginning with a Monday morning welcoming ceremony in front of Rideau Hall.

The ceremony was filled with pomp and circumstance.

With Governor General David Johnston and a long line of dignitaries, including Foreign Minister John Baird and Israeli Ambassador Miriam Ziv and a Canadian Armed Forces honour guard and military band there to greet him – as well as an invited gallery of Jewish community leaders and students from the Ottawa Jewish Community School – the Israeli president’s car arrived at Rideau Hall accompanied by Mounties on horseback.

Peres was sure-footed as he inspected the honour guard, greeted the dignitaries, listened to the governor general’s speech, made a speech of his own, and then did a royal-style walkabout to greet the invited guests.

In his remarks, Peres spoke warmly, in both French and English, about “the uninterrupted friendship that your people have shown towards my people from the very first day of our statehood.”

He also recalled his first visit to Canada, more than 60 years ago, when he was sent here by then-prime minister David Ben-Gurion to buy arms for the nascent state.

After the ceremony, the president and governor general held a private meeting inside Rideau Hall. But Peres was soon on the move again – to Parliament Hill where he was greeted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in front of Centre Block.

Stepping inside, there was another brief welcoming ceremony where Peres signed the Parliamentary guest books before going into a private meeting with Harper in the prime minister’s office.

During his visit to Ottawa, Peres also held meetings with Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair and Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae. All three of Canada’s major party leaders are well regarded as supportive friends of the State of Israel.

Other events during the Israeli president’s time in Ottawa included a state dinner in his honour at Rideau Hall, a meeting with academics on joint scien-tific collaboration between Israeli and Canadian institutions, which culminated in the signing of a memo of understanding between the Royal Society of Canada and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and a ceremonial tree planting on the grounds of Rideau Hall.

As Canadian Jews, most of us have planted trees in Israel – if not literally, then through donations. But here was the president of Israel planting a tree in Canada. Quite appropriately for a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has dedicated much of his later career to the peace process, the tree was an Eastern White Pine, which the Iroquois call the ‘Tree of Peace.’

His final event before moving on to Toronto and Montreal was a reception for 600 people hosted by Ambassador Ziv at the National Gallery attended by diplomats, cabinet ministers and MPs, Supreme Court justices, academics, journalists, military officials and Jewish community leaders.

Peres gave a long riveting speech at the reception. Holding the microphone in his hand, he spoke without a script or even notes. He talked about the State of Israel in both historical and contemporary terms, about Israel’s enduring friendship with Canada and about his past visits here. He spoke about a rapidly changing Middle East and, at length, about science and technology, making predictions about breakthroughs a decade or so away. He even cracked a couple of jokes. An amazing performance that earned sustained ovations from the high-powered audience.

As I mentioned, Peres is Israel’s elder statesman. He has been at the very centre of Israeli political life for all of Israel’s history. First as an adviser to Ben-Gurion, and his emissary, and then as a member of the Knesset, influential cabinet minister, and prime minister – he was acting prime minister for several months in 1977 and held the office officially from 1984 to 1986 and 1995 to 1996 – and now as president, Israel’s head of state.

When I heard Shimon Peres speak about the future and confidently envision a Middle East of peace and co-operation, the vision seemed like it really could come to be.

 


Sharon Reichstein to receive Young Leadership Award
By Cynthia Nyman Engel


sharonSharon Reichstein has been named recipient of the 2012 Freiman Family Young Leadership Award. Established in 1988, the award recognizes a member of the Ottawa Jewish community under the age of 40 who has rendered exceptional service to the community.

The award will be presented at the annual general meeting of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Wednesday, June 6, 7:00 pm, at the Joseph and Rose Ages Family Building, 21 Nadolny Sachs Private.

Reichstein is a devoted wife, busy mother of two and dedicated part-time teacher of children with learning disabilities. She also makes considerable time for leadership roles within the community.

“I cannot imagine my life without volunteering,” says Reichstein. “And I always choose to volunteer in areas I feel passionate about.”

That she does. As a young bride, she threw her energy into Na’amat “because of all the great work they do.” Na’amat supports educational and social services in Israel and focuses on providing a fuller life for women and children in Israel and the world.

“The Otzma Chapter of Na’amat was a great fit for me in every way,” she says. “And most of us were newly married, so we were in the same boat. We were a booming chapter.”

Reichstein chaired the organization’s Medical Tea for five years, and, for seven years, chaired the January Fundraising Dinner and Auction and spearheaded the Na’amat School Supplies Project, which involves collecting and stuffing school supplies into more than 200 backpacks for distribution to children living in women’s shelters in Ottawa. She also chaired the highly successful Mother’s Day Tribute Card Fundraiser.

“And,” she chuckles, “when my oldest child was still pretty little, I was president of the chapter.”

As a university student, she volunteered as a part-time residential counsellor at Tamir. It was through that commitment she realized she wanted to teach the learning disabled. She now teaches at MindWare Academy, a private school for children with learning disabilities.

In 2007, when a friend suggested she join the Tamir Board, she accepted with pleasure.

In typical Sharon Reichstein fashion, she threw herself into the new board appointment with gusto. In 2009 and 2011, she chaired the Chai Tea, Tamir’s major fundraising event.

She also initiated Tamir’s Hero Fundraising Program, which entitles $500 donors to become a Hero. The $500 annual donations allow Tamir participants to enjoy their hobbies and interests as well as other necessities of life. The funds from this program also made it possible for several cast members of Tamir’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat production to attend the Ottawa School of Speech & Drama to continue to fuel their love of the stage.

In 2010, Reichstein was among a 75 women honoured by the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa for leading by example and making a difference in the lives of others in the community.

Sharon and her husband, Sol, have two children, Noah, 11 and Kayla, nine.

“I’m very lucky,” says Reichstein. “Sol is extremely supportive of my involvement in the community. I do it because I believe in it, and I do it, too, to be a model for my children.”

The benefits have already come home to roost. Daughter Kayla has twice donated her hair to Angel Hair for Kids, and son Noah regularly donates to the Madagascar School Project, a twin educational project affiliated with MindWare Academy, his mom’s employer.

“It’s nice to see how they find their way to help,” says Sharon. “Volunteering is not anything remarkable; it’s just how you live your life.”

The recipient of the Freiman Family Young Leadership Award also receives the Lawrence Greenberg Young Leadership Development Award. This award allows the recipient to attend the General Assembly of United Jewish Communities (GA), where young leaders from across North America are honoured. The GA will be held this year from November 11 to 13 in Baltimore.


No deed too large or too small for Shem Tov Award recipient
By Cynthia Nyman Engel


Issie

When it comes to doing good works, Issie Scarowsky is definitely a ‘Yes’ man.

Scarowsky has been named recipient of the Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award for 2012. Created in 2003, the award recognizes an outstanding volunteer within the Jewish community who, through many years of service, has contributed to the enrichment of Jewish life in Ottawa.

The award will be presented at the annual general meeting of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Wednesday, June 6, 7:00 pm, at the Joseph and Rose Ages Family Building, 21 Nadolny Sachs Private.

“I learned it at home,” Scarowsky says of his passion for volunteerism. “When I was growing up, my father was involved in our synagogue and always helpful when the mishlochim came to the house.”

Home was Montreal where, as a boy, Scarowsky was the newsletter editor for his Jewish youth organization.

“In those days, we actually typed up the newsletter on stencils,” he laughs. “Then we would put it on a Gestetner and print out each issue by hand. And then we had to collate each issue by hand.”

In 1977, Issie and Leah Scarowsky moved to Ottawa where Issie took a position with Bell Canada. They joined the Young Israel Synagogue where his editing background was put to good use.

“We were asked by the leaders of Young Israel if we’d help out and, among the things we did, we worked on the synagogue newsletter,” he smiles.

Issie served on the board of the Young Israel. For many years, the couple also volunteered their help with the synagogue’s bingo fundraisers, among other shul endeavours.

When the Scarowsky offspring were attending École Maimonides, their dad made it his business to pitch in to make school life better.

“I used to round up used equipment,” he says. “I’d buy used stuff from the school board; things like books, chairs, other discards. It gave the students things they couldn’t have had otherwise.”

Later, when his boys moved on to secondary school studies at the Ottawa Torah Institute and his girls to Machon Sarah, both he and Leah were involved on the boards of the schools.

“Our view always was to help out in any way we could,” he explains.
Several years ago, Scarowsky’s mother came from Montreal to reside at Hillel Lodge. The Lodge not only gained a new resident, it also gained a gabbai for its Shabbat and holiday services.

“Once my mother was here, I began going to services at Hillel Lodge and I’ve been doing it for nine years,” says the devoted son, who is also a past member of the Hillel Lodge Board.

In addition to handing out aliyas at services, Scarowsky makes a point of visiting individual floors on the High Holidays to blow the shofar for those residents who didn’t have the opportunity to come down to the chapel. On Sukkot, he visits each resident with the lulav and etrog and, at Pesach, he leads a sample seder at the lodge so that all the residents get a taste of the holiday. He can also be counted on to take photos at the Lodge’s monthly birthday parties.

After he retired in 2005, Scarowsky became active with the Chevra Kadisha. In addition to doing taharas, he sits on the Chevra Kadisha board. He also sits on the board of the Kollel of Ottawa.

Scarowsky lends his time to help other worthy organizations when they have specific needs, and no deed is too large or too small for his consideration. At Purim, he often helps JET deliver Mishloach Manot orders to homes around the city.

Scarowsky is quick to point out that he is not alone in his good works.

“A lot of what I do is done with my wife’s support and co-operation,” he says. “And she, too, is involved in many organizations. With us, it’s really a family thing.”

Issie and Leah have four children, two in Israel, one in New Jersey and one in Ottawa. Tragically, a fifth child was killed in an automobile accident. They are also the proud grandparents of 10 grandchildren.

“It’s very nice that the community chooses to recognize its volunteers, but helping is always the right thing to do,” says Scarowsky.

“The award is superfluous, but very nice. I hope that it serves as an example to others to volunteer their time, too.”

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