We Stand Together Against Terror and for Tolerance

In the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Jewish and Indo-Canadian communities across the country reached out to one another in a show of solidarity unlike any seen or done before.
 
In Toronto, in an unprecedented convergence of our two communities, more than 1500 Jews, Indo-Canadians and others gathered in a show of solidarity with the people of India.  This event, which was co-sponsored by Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario Region, included representatives of more than 70 ethno-cultural and religious organizations who came together to mourn the victims and stand firm in the ongoing battle against terror.
 
In Ottawa, CJC Co-President Rabbi Reuven Bulka attended a prayer service sponsored by the India Canada Association.   Rabbi Bulka spoke on behalf of the Jewish community of Canada, as one of the spiritual leaders who offered prayers from several communities including the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and Aboriginal communities. CJC also sent a letter of condolence and solidarity to the High Commissioner of the Republic of India to Canada, His Excellency Rajamani Lakshmi Narayan.

 
In Montreal, CJC Quebec Region organized a vigil for more than 300 members of the Jewish, Indo-Canadian and South-Asian Muslim communities. The evening was enriched by touching personal stories recounted by Rabbi Asher Jacobson about his personal friends Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah, who were murdered at Chabad House in Mumbai. Heartfelt expressions of support, solidarity and sympathy for all of the victims of the atrocities were shared by all in attendance.
 
In Vancouver, Rabbi Yitzchak Wineberg, director of Lubavitch B.C, along with Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region, and Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, organized a memorial service in memory of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Holtzberg. Wineberg's message of "turning tears into action" encouraged attendees to bring light to the world through doing good deeds. The program included a video presentation on the lives of Gavriel and Rivkah and the other three victims who were killed in Chabad House.  The Jewish community of Vancouver will gather with the city's Indo-Canadian community for a Solidarity Rally and Candle Light Vigil in the coming days. 
 
Similar memorials have also taken place in Halifax, Calgary and Edmonton, and others are planned in cities such as Hamilton and Winnipeg, so that we can, together with our Indo-Canadian friends, stand together against terrorism and for tolerance.

Canadian Jewish Congress Quebec Region helps to bring 150 Teenagers Together to Mark Sixty Years of Hope and Despair

How do you get 150 high school students of all faiths and backgrounds to sit through speeches and multimedia presentations for an entire day?  You ask the leaders of The Human Promise to lead an event. 
 
The Human Promise - a group of teenagers from Montreal who are strongly committed to helping those in Darfur and other such places - held a first-of-its-kind conference on November 20 at the Gelber Conference Centre in Montreal  to mark the 60th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
 
Thanks to Conference Chair Rosie Behar, and the support of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Quebec Region, (CJC,QR) The Human Promise members received the equivalent of a college semester in such topics as human rights advocacy, networking, marketing and media relations in advance of the event.  Their hard work paid off handsomely.  For instance, one mother wrote to CJC,QR to say that her initially-reluctant 13-year-old was so excited after the conference that she insisted on becoming a member of The Human Promise.  Teachers from non-Jewish schools have also called to inquire about how they could open a Human Promise Chapter in their schools.
 
One of the many highlights came when The Human Promise Co-Presidents Adam Eliesen and Shawn Greenstone proudly presented a cheque for $10,000 to UNICEF Canada for a building project in Darfur.
 
The spirit that filled the room on November 20 will stay in the hearts of all those who participated forever.  When the students spontaneously sang the John Lennon classic "Give Peace a Chance" (in the city where it was written), we all knew that strong lasting bonds had been created that day that will forever transcend race, faith, religion, social or cultural origin. For more information on the Conference and pictures of the event see: Facebook: The Human Promise.

In early November, Canadian Jewish Congress Pacific Region (CJC-PR) helped bring together over 550 high school students and teachers in the East and West Kootenay Region of British Columbia and Northern Idaho. The students heard eyewitness accounts of the atrocities of the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide and the Aboriginal Residential Schools at the 2008 Creston and Invermere Social Justice Symposiums.  
 
Mr. Robbie Waisman, a Holocaust survivor, captivated the audience with his personal experiences and memories of growing up in Poland and living under Nazi domination as a Jew.  Robbie was ten years old when the Nazis invaded his town of Skarszysko, Poland.  He survived a ghetto, forced labour camps, the loss of his family and, at the age of 14, was liberated from Buchenwald concentration camp.  Robbie spoke to students with a message of acceptance and love for others and against silence and indifference.
 
Following Robbie's presentation, Mr. Eloge Christian Butera, who survived the Rwandan genocide, shared his painful recollection of the 100 days of genocide in 1994.  Students were mesmerized as Eloge recounted his experiences of brutality at the tender age of 10, and how it affected both him and his family. 
 
Herman Alpine, a survivor of St. Eugene Mission School in Cranbrook, BC, shared his story of abuse and cultural genocide that began the day after he entered school.  He carried a lot of hate, anger and pain but after years of counseling and healing, Herman now devotes his times to being a Healthy Elder in training, working with youth and families, teaching his Ktunaxa language and sharing his healing journey. 
 
Romy Ritter, Regional Director of Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee - Pacific Region also spoke at the event, emphasizing the importance of Holocaust education as a tool for fighting other forms of racism and prejudice.

Photo: L to R - Romy Ritter, Regional Director of CJC Charities Committee - Pacific Region; Eloge Christian Butera, Rwandan genocide survivor; Julius Malovat, Holocaust survivor and storykeeper; Robbie Waisman, Holocaust survivor.

The 16th Biennial Convention of the Atlantic Jewish Council (AJC) was held in Halifax from November 28-30, 2008, with the Jewish communities of Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Halifax well represented at the event.  The AJC, which represents CJC across Atlantic Canada, organized the convention, and CJC was represented by Co-President Rabbi Reuven Bulka, who was the keynote speaker at the Shabbat dinner and by National Executive Director and General Counsel Benjamin Shinewald, who led a session on Jewish advocacy.   
 
The weekend event provided ample social opportunities as well as a forum for addressing concerns specific to Atlantic Canada - namely, the future of Rabbis in Atlantic Canada and how Jewish life may be preserved.   Jewish life is vibrant across Atlantic Canada, though the challenges of small Jewish communities are acute.  CJC is working with the AJC to assist smaller communities and help ensure a bright future for Atlantic Jewry.  Please see photo gallery below for more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very good issue. Thank you.
 
BJ 

* * *

 
I so appreciate receiving this and the many other vital articles and info you send.
 
Evelyn