Voices

Submissions from members of our community. (Archived columns from Bulletin columnists).

Guest Column: When did elderly people like me become disposable?

By Paul Socken

TORONTO (JTA) – The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 is shaking the world in disturbing ways.

As someone who is no longer young, I find one aspect of the crisis to be particularly unnerving: the attitude toward the elderly.

The media is filled with stories about the problem repr…

Focus on Fitness: Some wellness tips for these challenging times

By Gloria Schwartz

If you’re not used to exercising at home and you don’t know where to start, you can follow along with my latest exercise videos at www.personalbestthebook.com/read. There are literally millions of exercise videos online, but I thought it would be of interest to my rea…

From the Editor: Observations from these strange days

By Michael Regenstreif, Editor

Just over six weeks ago, on Thursday, March 12, I left the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin office at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre (SJCC), knowing I’d be working from home the next day but hoping I’d be back at my desk at the beginning of the following week.

Ideas and Impressions: ‘The unfortunate reality of long-term care homes’

By Jason Moscovitz

I recently lost my mother Norma to COVID-19 – but I really lost her five years ago to Alzheimer’s disease. That’s when she stopped calling me on my birthday. We are not the first family to endure the pain that goes with Alzheimer’s, and unfortunately, we won’t b…

From the Pulpit: We surely live in interesting times

By Rabbi Eytan Kenter, Kehillat Beth Israel

There is a famous curse, “May you live in interesting times,” and we surely live in interesting times. Our world has been turned on its head in innumerable ways and it does not appear to be returning to normal any time soon. In fact, in any nu…