You are here: Home > 2017 > Archives for December 2017

From the Editor: The Ottawa Jewish Bulletin at 80

By :

Michael Regenstreif

Michael Regenstreif, Editor

This edition of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin – dated December 11, 2017 – is an important one. We celebrate Chanukah – the first candle will be lit this year on December 12 – and we have the final instalment of our Canada 150 series that has been running in every issue throughout Canada’s sesquicentennial year. The series has highlighted important contributions of 19 Jewish Canadians in such fields as politics, community leadership, the military, the arts, and more. I hope you’ve enjoyed the series.

But what excites me most about this issue is that we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin. The Bulletin has now been telling the story of the Jewish community of Canada’s capital city for eight full decades. [Read more…]

Comment

Ottawa Jewish Bulletin: A history of our first 80 years

By :

October 22, 1937
October 22, 1937

October 22, 1937 – The front page of the first issue of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.

They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. This can certainly be said about the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2017. Despite changes in design, focus, content, personnel, length, and frequency of publication, for eight decades the newspaper has been the unwavering voice of Ottawa’s Jewish community.

The first edition, published on October 22, 1937 by the Ottawa Jewish Community Council, proclaimed the newspaper to be “a force for constructive communal consciousness.” This goal continues to be the Bulletin’s philosophy and motivation. Indeed, that statement still appears in the masthead of every issue, along with its mission to communicate “the messages of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and its agencies” and its aim “as the city’s only Jewish newspaper” to “inform, inspire and enrich the lives of all members of this diverse community.”

For 80 years, the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin has recorded the events and opinions of the time. In doing so, it has preserved the history of the growing and ever-changing Jewish community, documenting the lifestyles, priorities and concerns of generations of Ottawa Jews – and it has continued to be the “official” organ of Ottawa’s Jewish community. [Read more…]

Comment

Photo spread: Tamir steps out in style

Debbie Applebaum and Deputy Mayor Mark Taylor
Shirley Harris and lawyer Lawrence Greenspon.

Shirley Harris and lawyer Lawrence Greenspon

Tamir presented a new event, “Stepping Out in Style,” a fashion show created to demonstrate that regardless of shape, size or ability we all have beauty, talents and aspirations to be celebrated, November 20, at the Canadian War Museum.

The sold-out event – a completely integrated fashion show – brought together Tamir and professional models from Models International Management (MIM), fashion industry retailers, and public figures “for what proved to be an amazing evening!” [Read more…]

Comment

Federation Report: Camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa — Our children’s home away from home

By :

Adam Tanner, Chair, Camp B'nai Brith of Ottawa
Adam Tanner, Chair, Camp B'nai Brith of Ottawa

Adam Tanner, Chair, Camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa

Over the years, and prior to assuming my current role on the board of Camp B’nai Brith (CBB) of Ottawa, I would often get asked the same question: “Why?”

Depending on who was posing the question, I typically knew the general context of their inquiry. Most times, it took one of two directions: “Why CBB of Ottawa?” or “Why do you give up your time?”

For me, the two questions are interrelated, but I’m sure the same could be said for most as it relates to your organization or cause of choice. [Read more…]

Comment

My Israel: ‘My faith in the Israeli people has only deepened’

By :

Barbara Crook

Barbara Crook

Five years ago, I was given the honour of writing about Israel for the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin. I gave careful thought to the column’s title, and decided that calling it “My Israel” would allow me to write about a range of issues, people and events, not just politics.

And I would be able to share so many of the things that I loved about the country that has become my second home, as well as address the domestic and foreign issues that make Israel both fierce and fragile.

I’ve written close to 100 columns since then, and I’d like to think I’ve had more hits than misses. I will be forever grateful to Editor Michael Regenstreif and former publisher Mitchell Bellman for giving me this amazing opportunity. [Read more…]

Comment

Ideas and Impressions: The era of silence is over

By :

Jason Moscovitz

Jason Moscovitz

We’ve come a long way from the twin beds that couples shared on American TV in the 1950s and ‘60s. Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore had separate single beds in their master bedroom in New Rochelle, New York as did Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Manhattan. Yet both of those famous TV families had little boys. It was as if those little boys came from Macy’s.

In those most prudish days, sex was a subject that was off limits all the time on television as well as in daily life. The sexual revolution of the late-‘60s got the wheels turning but who would have guessed we’d be where we are today. [Read more…]

Comment

From the Pulpit: The passion for doing a favour

By :

Rabbi Menachem Blum, Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad
Rabbi Menachem Blum, Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad

Rabbi Menachem Blum, Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad`

I am writing this article on an airplane as I fly back home from New York where I attended the International Conference of Chabad Rabbis. It was a truly inspiring experience being with 4,000 colleagues, Chabad shluchim (emissaries) posted around the globe, who dedicate their lives to spreading light, Judaism and kindness to all they encounter.

What stood out for me during this conference is the readiness and enthusiasm of Chabad shluchim to be there to help another human being in times of need. During terror attacks around the world this past year in St. Petersburg, Manchester, Barcelona or Israel, Chabad rabbis were providing help to the victims, their families and first responders. During the wildfire crisis in California, the hurricanes in Texas, St. Martin and Puerto Rico, the rabbis were at the forefront of relief efforts to help locals and tourists, Jews and non-Jews alike. [Read more…]

Comment

Campus Life: The stunning ignorance of BDS

By :

Alexander Chuchin

Alexander Chuchin

In his 1938 book, In Dreams Begin Responsibilities, Jewish American author Delmore Schwartz wrote of a young man in a crowded movie theatre. This is no ordinary cinema. Playing on the screen is his own mother and father, repeating their teenaged romance. The young man hates it. The lighting is bad. Worse, his parents play their roles wrong – his father is too anxious, and his mother isn’t the right fit.

Since action begets action, the young man tries to change the plot, much to the dismay of the other patrons. When his father proposes to his mother, the unnamed narrator starts to yell madly: “Don’t do it. It’s not too late to change your minds, both of you. Nothing good will come of it.” But, of course, this is a cinema, and nothing is achieved besides a threat from the usher. Although the movie and the outbursts continue, by the end, the usher with his heavy flashlight escorts the young man out, and the young man wakes up in his bed. [Read more…]

Comment

Focus on Fitness: Have yourself a very healthy Chanukah

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

‘Tis the season for gift giving. Forget the box of chocolates. We already tend to overeat during the holidays and there’s usually no shortage of sugary treats. The chachkas that you carefully select for your loved ones may end up gathering dust or being regifted. Gift cards sound like the ideal gift because they’re easy to buy and the recipient can select a gift of their choice. However, according to Consumers Reports one-third of gift cards are never used.

Whether the person you’re shopping for is fit as a fiddle and eats for optimal health or is just dreaming about self-improvement, you can express your love with practical gifts that promote health and fitness. [Read more…]

Comment