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Dear Member,
Please allow me to take a moment to explain my vision: We want to keep the Jewish community of Canada apprised of what’s happening throughout the country. If there’s an event, or an issue or a person that would be of interest to the Jewish community at large -- we want it included in this newsletter. We want representation from as many communities as possible nation-wide --- no matter how big or small. If there’s a story happening in Moncton, we want the people of Victoria to know about it and vice versa. There are no rules and there are no parameters. People are only limited by their imagination. It is this sharing of information and knowledge that we believe will help other communities to thrive and to unite. For instance, Calgary was the first city in the country to deal with the Rachael Corrie play--which you can read about in this issue. They did a wonderful job with their messaging, media relations and community relations and because of that, the play came and went with little to no attention. This play is going cross country so I hope that this newsletter can be that vehicle of information so everyone can learn from these successes and duplicate in their own communities. I have now breached the number one rule for any editor. . .to keep to my word limit. Please, if you’re submitting a story for consideration, keep it to about 300 words and wherever possible include a photo. We need to keep this newsletter tight and extremely focused so I will not be able to include every story every month but I will do my best to make sure that all regions are well represented. We look forward to your input and hearing about all the tremendous work being done by our community. Sincerely, Jordan Kerbel
When “My Name is Rachel Corrie” Comes to Your TownBy: Judy ShapiroIn June, Calgary Jewish Community Council learned that a small local theatre company was planning to stage the Canadian premiere of “My Name is Rachel Corrie.” This play is based on the diary of a young American woman, a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, who was killed during a demonstration to stop a house demolition in Gaza. After reading the play, members of the Community Relations Committee met with the artistic director of the theatre company and the actual director of the play to express our concerns that the play misrepresents the Palestinian-Israel conflict because of its strong bias and lack of context. We learned before the meeting that the company had already publicized its season, so the possibility of convincing them to drop the play was not an option. For the next few months, until the play opened in November, we consulted with other cities, particularly Seattle and Denver to help us in our deliberations on what our response should be. And we had many ideas. The most dramatic idea was to mount a theatrical demonstration outside the theatre, with students wearing T-shirts saying “My Name is Rachel” and placards describing the lives of young Israeli women murdered in the intifada. Other ideas explored were the possibility of purchasing an ad in the playbill, distributing a pamphlet at the theatre, and participating in panel discussions after the play (all of which were done in Seattle). The discussions were agonizing because of two seemingly contradictory goals:
After much deliberation, our committee decided that in this instance, less is more. We chose to do nothing. And in my opinion, this was the correct decision. The theatre is small – altogether only 600 people saw the play over the course of the run. The reviews, although positive, did point out the naiveté of Rachel Corrie and the limited nature of the production. To others facing the same decision, I would strongly advise consultation with the theatre company. We were fortunate that there were no guest speakers brought in – in Seattle, both Rachel Corrie’s parents and the editor Alan Rickman spoke. Also, the ISM did not distribute literature here – as they did in Seattle, where they passed out a glossy magazine showing children killed by Israeli soldiers. These factors perhaps would have necessitated a different response, and any advance information gleaned from the theatre company is useful. In conclusion, “My Name is Rachel Corrie” is not the most riveting theatre; it is damaging to Israel’s image, but the sophisticated theatre-goer will see it for what it is – the naïve opinion of a young girl who really didn’t know what she was getting into. The goal in any strategy to counter the play should be to minimize the attention it gets. If the Jewish community comes out screaming and yelling, the media will be intrigued, those who don’t ordinarily go to theatre will be interested and the play will receive larger audiences than it deserves. Choose Your Voice
CYV is provided free of charge and includes four lesson plans, an assessment strategy and an educational DVD. The resource is specially designed to help educators meet the needs of the provincial curriculum. Since its launch, nearly half a million students across Canada have been exposed to the program and by June 2008, we hope to reach an additional 315,000 students. In Ontario alone, 32 Boards representing 373,491 students subscribe to the program. CYV is also warmly received at Faculties of Education in Ontario and Quebec. One student teacher had this to say about the program: “I enjoyed the "Choose Your Voice" video and think it can be a fantastic tool in the classroom. As many of the speakers said, history does repeat itself and racism is not dead. We try to remain optimistic and hope that society has learned something from the travesties of the past, but the truth is that this is an ongoing battle and I feel part of our job as teachers is to make students aware that they do have choices. They need to think about their choices and realize that, even though they may be young members of society, the choices they make can have great impact and consequence. Thank you for this wonderful resource.” “Students who have reputations as being 'bullies' have written with responses about how they didn't realize what they were doing was so harmful. Students in some situations began to befriend others from different ethnic/cultural backgrounds which had previously been excluded. Students began to have conversations at home with their parents and this would spill over into classroom discussions.” By the end of 2008, CYV will be available to Canadian students in three more provinces: British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia. For more information about CYV, please contact msimons@on.cjc.ca Philip Riteman – Genuine CourageEdna LeVine, AJC Program Associate
The first time I heard Holocaust survivor Philip Riteman speak, it was apparent that I was in the presence of genuine courage. His message, undiluted and honest, heightened my sense of compassion. His palpable energy was mesmerizing, and the cliché “you could hear a pin drop” accurately defined the atmosphere. Talking with Philip Riteman you get a sense of how the numerous recounts of his past have emotionally exposed him, and you are acutely aware of his vulnerability and the strength and courage he possesses to continue retelling the past for the benefit of others. Philip Riteman’s personal message is of love and compassion, because he has experienced the harm of hatred. This message resonates as the audience grasps that the direction of the future is dependent on how we choose to respond. I share the same thankfulness that I have read in hundreds of letters to Philip Riteman for being given the responsibility to tell his story and spread his message. Hamilton Observes U.N. Holocaust Commemoration DayUJA Federation of Hamilton, the United Nations Association in Canada – Hamilton Branch and McMaster University recently served as co-sponsors of the third annual UN International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. Over 300 people attended the invitation only event. The January 27th commemoration coincided with the first ever Canadian exhibition of eighty original photographs from the world famous Roman Vishniac collection. “A Vanished World” touchingly documents Jewish life in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust. The exhibition will remain on display at McMaster University Museum of Art until March 1st. Featured speakers at the commemoration included McMaster Provost and VP Academic Dr. Ilene Busch- Visniac, Secretary of State Jason Kenney, Israel Consul General Amir Gissin and Roman Vishniac’s daughter Mara Vishniac Kohn. Perhaps of equal importance was that transportation was provided to bring close to 10,000 school children to view the exhibition and to participate in special education projects related to the Holocaust and Human Rights. Several other related events took place in the Hamilton area. In confluence with International Day of Holocaust Remembrance, Redeemer Christian College held a very moving program featuring Holocaust survivor Dr. Eva Olsson and a member of their teaching staff, Dr Wolters, whose family saved Jews in Holland during the Holocaust and were named Righteous Gentiles at Yad Vashem. The Art Gallery of Hamilton screened a documentary film “General Roméo Dallaire and the Rwanda Genocide: In Conversation with Ted Koppel.” Produced by the Committee on Conscience, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the film links to the universal implications of the Holocaust – lessons not learned. The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust serves as an essential reminder to not only honor the memory of the victims, but also to strengthen the resolve of all peoples to work together in peaceful and respectful ways to prevent such atrocities against future generations. It's another step on our quest for humanity. All of these events were developed as the result of a very strategic outreach effort conducted by the Holocaust Education Committee of UJA Federation of Hamilton.
From left to right: A busy time for the Quebec Region on the political front:
Our President, Dr. Victor C. Goldbloom, led a delegation of Jewish community leaders to the Quebec National Assembly. Key meetings were held with Premier Jean Charest, PQ leader Pauline Marois and Opposition leader ADQ Chief Mario Dumont as well as all 3 party caucuses. Goldbloom also presented the community’s brief on Reasonable Accommodation before the Bouchard-Taylor Commission. To read a copy of the CJC, QR brief please visit www.cjc.ca. CJC, QR hosted a working luncheon with British parliamentarian John Mann who is the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee Against Antisemitism. He was accompanied by representatives of the British Government, The British Consul General in Montreal and leadership of the Montreal Jewish Community. In cooperation with the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre and Human Promise (www.humanpromise.org), CJC, QR hosted a public lecture on Darfur with special guest, noted activist Professor John Weiss of Cornell University. The program was part of Holocaust Education week. An op-ed by Professor Weiss was printed in The Montreal Gazette, highlighting the importance of action on Darfur and the significance of choosing Holocaust Education Week as the appropriate time to raise this issue. For more details on these or other current initiatives please e-mail etay@cjc.ca for a copy of our regional newsletter. CJC Pacific Region Reviews Draft of Social Justice Curriculum for Students in BCThis past fall, the BC Ministry of Education piloted Social Justice 12, a new course intended to help Grade 12 students understand and act against poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia and other injustices. The course is part of a settlement reached in 2006 between the government of BC and Peter and Murray Corren. The Corren’s had launched a Human Rights complaint, stating that the BC curriculum discriminates against gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered people. The settlement includes other measures as well, which include making the curriculum in general more inclusive and guaranteeing to the Corren’s the right to have significant input. Because of our history of working on various educational initiatives for the province, CJC-PR was approached by the Ministry of Education to review the Draft Integrated Resource Package (IRP) for the course. The package accompanies the curriculum and provides information about the rationale for the program, intended outcomes, guidelines for student assessment, etc. It is the opinion of CJC-PR that the course is an excellent beginning to teaching high school students about vital issues related to social justice. We are very supportive of this initiative and believe it will have a positive long-term impact on our province. We have written to the Ministry of Education to ask them to include religious discrimination and anti-Semitism. It has been our experience over the years that learning about the history of anti-Semitism and other forms of religious intolerance in Canada is critical for students’ understanding of contemporary social justice issues. The IRP can be downloaded at http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/. My first trip to IsraelBy: Jen ScharfsteinIsrael is amazing. I have already been here for three months and it feels like a week. The first three month session is called Israel Experience and is designed to give us an idea of what it is like to work in Israel and live on our own. My time began in Kfar Saba and I was volunteering at the local Fire department. After about two months I transferred to Beit Issy Shapera, which is a center for mentally disabled children. I worked in the fundraising department. It was really rewarding to know that I was helping to raise money so that the children could get the attention at school that they need. I loved knowing that I was helping better the community. I have done many very exciting things during my time here. In late October our group went to Mamshite, which is in the middle of the Negev. We stayed at the Beduin community there. I got to see how different people live in Israel and it was really neat. During our stay there we drank the traditional tea, played drums, rode the camels and slept in tents. It was quite the experience, to say the least. I also got the opportunity to go to Eilat for the weekend. I went in early November and it was the best weekend so far in Israel. I went with my three roommates and we relaxed on the beach and checked out the amazing shopping down there. My community volunteering project is teaching English in a religious elementary school. We will work one-on-one with the students and actually be able to watch them progress, it should be very rewarding. I will be working in the school four days a week for 5 hours each day. Along with volunteering we also have Ulpan (Hebrew lessons) twice a week. So hopefully I won’t get my parents lost when they come to see me, or at least if I get them lost it will be on purpose. In early December I went on a three day hike through the mountains in Eilat and sleeping outside. WOW. Other than volunteering and learning Hebrew I hope to travel as much as I can and get the most out of these three months in Bat Yam as possible. One of the things I am enjoying a lot here is the opportunity to visit with Saskatoon’s previous areivim. I have been so lucky to be able to spend time with everyone, even Natan when he was in Israel for his brother’s wedding. It is so amazing to have family I can count on so far away from home. Hanukkah was amazing here in Israel. On the first night our group went to the assumed grave sites of the Macabee soldiers. It was really cool. We sang songs and lit the first candle. The history of the site alone was so moving, and the fact that we celebrated this festival on the place it happened is even better. Students study Afghanistan’s emerging human rights
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Welcome to Congress Amcha, Canadian Jewish Congress' revamped monthly national newsletter. 
In September 2005, CJC and Fighting Antisemitism Together (FAST) launched an award-winning antisemitism and antiracism education program entitled Choose Your Voice (CYV). Available in both French and English, this innovative program educates grades 6, 7 and 8 students about the dangers of intolerance in all its manifestations. CYV helps empower teachers and students to fight against bigotry and is a powerful component of character education and bullying prevention programs. 
I have calculated that during the past few months Philip Riteman has spoken to over 7,000 people in elementary schools, community colleges, jr. high schools, high schools and community centres throughout Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Philip Riteman is committed to fulfilling the requests for speaking engagements and his tentative spring schedule (which is presently wait listed) will bring him to all the Atlantic Provinces. This extensive schedule could not be accomplished without the support and safeguard of his wife Dorothy, her intuitive sense has facilitated his story to reach and affect thousands of lives. 
The Quebec Region has been at work on a number of issues and initiatives affecting our Jewish community. 
