Fall 2023

Autumn 2023 | High Holidays 5784 The Fashion Issue The Canadian Jewish News

Happy New Year

& Shana Tova from Jerusalem!

Join us on November 30, 2023 Pathway to the Future Gala Honourary Patrons: The Koschitzky Family Event Co-Chairs: Warren Kimel, C.M. and Debbie Kimel / Lewis Mitz and Wendy Posluns Dinner Co-Chairs: Wendy Eisen, C.M. and Elliot Eisen

Gala Committee: Stephanie Abrahami, Elliott Eisen, Wendy Eisen, C.M., David Golden, Gary Grundman, Debbie Kimel, Sarena Koschitzky, Sarah Krauss, Lewis Mitz, Joel Reitman, C.M., David Rosenbaum, Renee Rubinstein, Carol Ryder, Judi Shostack, Doron Telem Honouring the memory of Julia Koschitzky z”l

The Jerusalem Foundation of Canada / nomiy@jerusalemfoundation.ca / Tel: 416-922-0000 www.jerusalemfoundation.org

What’s inside

THE FRONT PAGES 8

Jennifer Podemski in conversation with Rivka Campbell

14 18

Meet the voice behind The CJN’s podcast Rivkush

A new era for Holocaust museums in Canada LILA SARICK

FEATURES 24

Two rabbis talk Jewish fashion theory AVI FINEGOLD AND MORDECHAI TORCZYNER Catching up with Jeanne Beker on the rebound ELLIN BESSNER COVER STORY: What to wear on Yom Kippur NAOMI HARRIS Pop culture of the 1990s: Good for the Jews? PHOEBE MALTZ BOVY

Contributors

THE BACK PAGES 64

Looking back at the year in culture wars Ron Csillag remembers 5783’s Honourable Menschen The history and mystery of the etrog 94

Shlomi Amiga (p.14) is a commercial and editorial photographer whose work has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar , the Globe and Mail , Toronto Life , Report on Business , Broadview , Chatelaine and more. When not producing work for clients, he enjoys documenting serendipity on the streets of Toronto and beyond. Ellin Bessner (p.34) launched The CJN Daily podcast in May 2021, which she hosts in tandem with reporting breaking news and writing personality proles. She previously worked for CBC and CTV, taught journalism at Centennial College, and is the author of Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military, and World War II . Ron Csillag (p.78) joined The Canadian Jewish News in 1984, le in 1986, returned in 1990, le in 2006, returned in 2017, retired in 2020 and retired again in 2021. He’s now reporter emeritus who appears on The CJN Daily ’s “Honourable Menschen” feature to discuss recent obituaries of great Jewish Canadians.

THECJN.CA 5

The way we wear a new year…

The Canadian Jewish News

T here was a strict dress code at my high school. And the code was even stricter for me. Students at our all-boys yeshiva had to wear kippahs, of course, but also collared shirts, khakis or dress pants—no jeans al- lowed—and formal shoes (sneakers were for- bidden). I could live with most of that, to be honest: there was plenty of room to play with colours up top, and the style guide didn’t say anything about the bagginess of your khakis, or how low on the hips you could try to keep them (hey, it was the mid-’90s). Besides, it was a massive improvement over the dress code at one of the elementary schools I went to, where collared shirts could only be worn in one of three colours: white, blue and, for some reason, yellow. But there was one high school dress rule I could not, would not, abide by. You always had to have your shirt fully tucked into your pants. To my teenage self, this was the height of fashion faux-pas (again, the mid-‘90s). Tucked-out meant nothing less than freedom, tucked-in was how people like my dad looked when they left for work and synagogue. The tuck was the line for me. It was probably the least-enforced rule of the dress code anyways, far behind the holy triumvirate of collar, crease and sensible shoes. Lots of kids paid little attention to the tuck rule, shuffling down the hallway with their shirt tails flying, daring the principal— the enforcer of the code—to make them tuck it in. Many of them got away with it. And yet, you’d have five untucked guys walking together, and the principal would only notice one of them. Why did he pick on me? It became a bit of a joke among my friends. There might have been a few reasons, but I was actually a pretty good kid—and he definitely wasn’t mean or vindictive. Years later, my mother admitted she had spoken to the principal just before the begin- ning of Grade 9 and told him to notice when my shirt was untucked. That explanation made a lot more sense. After high school, I was ready to bust out. I got obsessed with rare Japanese jeans

Yoni Goldstein CEO and Editor-in-Chief Marc Weisblott

Managing Editor Phoebe Maltz Bovy Senior Editor Ronit Novak Art Director Etery Podolsky Designer Sarah Zahavi Design Associate Lila Sarick News Editor Michael Fraiman Podcast Director Grace Zweig Sales Director Kathy Meitz General Manager

for about a decade. I spent too many hours in online style forums sharing poorly lit pictures of the latest cuts and fabrics from obscure mills, then months trying to track down one of the pairs that made its way to North America. I also got big into hats, which were another no-no in high school. And then, for a bizarre few months, I worked as the editor of a fashion magazine. I don’t generally see many connections between Judaism and fashion. There are lots of Jewish designers, of course, but not much in the way of Jewish design, outside of the Orthodox world. I don’t even know what that would look like, but I’d like someone to try and figure it out. Still, I like to get something new for the High Holidays. It doesn’t have to be big, like a suit or anything—just one item that puts me in the spirit of the season. And prefer- ably that no one else will be wearing. But in the end, it’s often hidden under the season’s must-have accessory for Ashkenazi Jews looking to display a deeper link to the liturgy. And it’s a cotton robe. Now that I think about it, the stark white kittel, in its elegant simplicity, might repre- sent the height of Jewish fashion. It makes you look like an angel. Wearing it, you kind of even feel like one. When I put on this kittel—as I did at my wedding, during the High Holidays and at the Passover seder, and eventually when my time comes to an end—I know something life-changing is about to happen. And the best thing of all? You don’t need to tuck it in. — Yoni Goldstein

Board of Directors : Bryan Borzykowski President Sam Reitman Treasurer and Secretary Ira Gluskin

Jacob Smolack Elizabeth Wolfe

For all inquiries info @ thecjn.ca

Cover photo: Naomi Harris Printed in Winnipeg by Kromar Printing Ltd.

With the participation of the Government of Canada.

The producer of Little Bird talks with Rivka Campbell about how her heritage informs her creative work Jennifer Podemski on living at the intersection of Anishinaabe and Ashkenazi

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL EHRENWORTH EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS

THECJN.CA 9

O n May 28, at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Rivkush host Campbell spoke with the filmmaker and actor about her childhood in Jewish Toronto and her newest project, a six-episode show, produced by APTN and Crave, about an Indigenous child adopted by a Montreal Jewish family. Rivka: Jennifer is a wonderful blend of Ash- kenazi Jewish and Indigenous Anishinaabe, on her mum’s side. And Jennifer has been in the biz for like 30 years, which I find just mind-blowing, in film and television.

deep political conversations about identity and all kinds of things.

in my career has been really hard, emo- tionally. Except for one short documentary about going back to Lodz, Poland, with my grandfather, I’ve only ever made Indigenous content, and it’s always been super heavy. Even when you try to do comedy, it inter- sects with the reality of the current situation that we’re in. So when this project came to me, it was 2015, and it was just a pitch. I had known that there was a group of kids that were, when they were taken, were sent through Jewish Family & Child Service in Montreal, because a lot of child-welfare agencies got this catalogue. And the catalogue, when you see it, it looks like a catalogue that’s selling children.

Rivka: So, kind of hardcore Jewish. Okay, so what about your Indigenous side?

Jennifer: So again, growing up here, we were here, I guess until Grade 1, and then we moved to Vancouver to be closer to my mum’s family. So I did have a very immersive experience living in that world. I think the ultimate reality was that my parents’ relation- ship—sorry, Dad, just live on a podcast—my parents’ relationship was challenged, and I think there were cultural barriers and addictions issues and all kinds of different elements and variables. So nowhere was comfortable. I wasn’t comfortable over there. I wasn’t comfortable over here. It’s hard to see your family fall apart when you’re a child, and also be sort of caught in an identity thing. “I wanted to tell a story that was at the intersection of Jewish and Indigenous identities. Who else knew all of that information like I do?” So then when we came back, we started going to the Native Centre in Toronto, which was a very important thing, because that was all I had. I didn’t have any Indigenous friends—I had my sister. We explored our identity together. I don’t know if it would have been the same without her. My sister Tamara is five years younger, and then I have another sister, Sarah, who’s 10 years younger, but it was mostly Tamara and me growing up together, fielding and navigat- ing the complex middle part of always being different. Rivka: Because it is complex, and it’s won- derful that you had a support system in your sister. But let’s fast forward through your life. Tell us about Little Bird . What brought you to that decision to produce it? Because it’s a tough, hard story.

Jennifer: I know, because I look 30.

Rivka: Well, I figure you started when you were like five. And for the last 25 years you have been creating and producing your own stuff with your company, RedCloud Studios. I want to kick it off by delving a little bit into who you are, because you’re this blend of two distinct cultures. How was that as you were coming up in this world? Jennifer: I grew up at Bathurst and Wilson. My father is in Toronto, Saul Podemski. My aunt, Rachel Katz Podemski. My daughter, too—she came later, but more importantly, grew up at Bathurst and Wilson. So this is my area. Being here, to share this story, this is very full-circle for me today, which is excellent, especially because I’m trying to do a lot of full-circle moments. I just turned 50 and I think it’s great to do full-circle moments at those milestones. I think I had a an identity crisis for a long, long time until I felt my true power as a storyteller and recognized the power of using your voice and sharing what’s on your mind to express the things that are inside of you in a way that could potentially be a bridge-build- ing experience. I was surrounded by Jewish people my whole life, and just always got the looks, be- cause I think there was this idea that I didn’t belong. But on the flip side of that, I went to Hashomer Hatzair Camp Shomria from Grade 7, and that’s really where I found my place as a burgeoning activist. So growing up and having that influence really informed the person that I became. Also, it’s my grandfather’s birthday today, Joe Podemski. He would be 101. He just passed away a year and a half ago. But he was the ultimate philosopher, a Holocaust survivor from Lodz, always interested in

Rivka: Yeah, I got kind of stuck on the word catalogue.

Jennifer: It’s a terrible reality, but it was marketed. It was a program out of Saskatch- ewan. The program was called “Adopt Indian and Métis” and it was designed to continue the removal of Indigenous children and filter them through the child-welfare system, which was newly created at the time, in the ’60s, so that the provinces would absorb the cost of foster care. This program that started in Regina creat- ed these catalogues with pictures—and we do tell part of that story in Little Bird —and Jewish Family & Child Services got one of these. That’s why there’s only a handful, as far as I know from all the research we’ve done, like 28 people that were adopted at that time who were raised in Jewish homes in Montreal. The production company came to me, Resolution Pictures from Montreal, and said, We’re interested in making a show about this concept of an Indigenous girl adopted into a Jewish home. Because of your background, we thought maybe this would be something that you were interested in. And anyone who makes television knows that once you say “yes” to making a show, you know that you’re giving at least five to 10 years of your life to make it. In Canada, you usually go through several years of development, and most of the time, a show doesn’t get made. So I did say yes. I was only in foster care for a few weeks, as I understand it. But I was very compelled to tell this story because I had known that nobody else had done it. And I also, really badly, wanted to tell a story

Jennifer: I’m used to doing tough, hard stor- ies. It seems like everything that I’ve done

THECJN.CA 11

Esther is really a culmination of a lot of people’s stories. And although we only had three actual advisers with us the whole time, I had maybe 20 advisers that I worked with throughout the process who helped to inform her perspective and a lot of the PTSD that we were showcasing for her. I really wanted to create Esther’s mom, Golda, like my grandfather. You have to be a very open-minded, very special human being to have the storyline that Golda has. I didn’t expect my grandfather to pass away, to not see this. But that was created for him, to see that he was always one for a very difficult conversation and to argue it out, or debate it

of residential school, although there were things prior to that. I am a second-generation residential school survivor. Both of my grandparents went to residential school in Lebret in Saskatchewan. And terrible things happened at residential school. By design. Many survivors that we speak to—because I’ve worked a lot with survivors in my storytelling work—call it a chil- dren’s prison, and some call it an extermina- tion camp, because they were killing children. And we know that now, because—we always knew it—but we know it now because of all the children’s bodies being found. And then the last residential school closed in 1996. So we’re not very far removed from that dismantling of families. The reason that Indigenous people repre- sent the lowest outcomes when it comes to health and education, and the things that most of us take for granted, is because they’re still living very much in a colonial, violent state with very few rights. And that legacy continues. I don’t have the answers to how that is going to end, but I know a lot of it has to do with voting. I know a lot of it has to do with support and allyship and the education system. Because I don’t think we’re going to raise a very good generation of children if we don’t start figuring out ways to address some of the more devastating social real- ities, especially for Indigenous people who are at the lowest outcomes of all people, but for everybody.

that was at the intersection of Jewish and Indigenous identities. Who else knew all of that information like I do?

Rivka: You’re the perfect fit.

Jennifer: I’m like two consultants in one. So I wanted to humanize this story. I wanted to take the opportunity to explore the connec- tion between these cultures in a way that would uplift the Jewish values that I was raised with and honour my Jewish legacy, and also honour my Anishinaabe legacy.

Rivka: I don’t know if I want to use the word

Rivka: So, what is your challenge to those of us here? What do you wish to see?

Little Bird tells the story of the Sixties Scoop children—with a Jewish twist. Airing on Crave and APTN

Jennifer: You see it a lot in Saskatchewan, because there’s a very rich Jewish commun- ity and a very rich Indigenous community— often you’ll see those two peoples partnering to make social change. So I guess the call to action would be to lean towards being an ally and finding your common values towards dismantling system- ic racism, because it does start in education, it does continue into the workplace, and into other sectors. The thing that I’ve learned through my Jewish value system is, for me, it’s always to find the answer, to do what’s right and what’s good for the whole community. And what’s right for the whole community means that you can’t leave anybody behind. Because that’s how bad things happen. n

out, and see all the sides and the perspec- tives. He was very into survival. And to be into survival like he was, you have to find a way through stuff. So that was like Golda. A lot of my mother is in it. A lot of my own grandparents are in it. So it is a personal story that actually has nothing to do with me, if that makes sense. Rivka: It makes perfect sense. At the end of the first episode, there is a notation that kind of blew my mind. “There are more Indigenous children in custody today than ever.” And I just stopped and thought, how? Jennifer: So today we call it the Millennial Scoop, because there are more children in care today than ever before. And it is a direct connection to the impact mostly

parallel, but there are similarities between you and the main character of Little Bird , whose adoptive name is Esther Rosenblum, but was born Bezhig Little Bird. You are the grandchild of Holocaust survivors?

Jennifer: Of one Holocaust survivor.

Rivka: And Bezhig’s mother is a Holocaust survivor. So tell me, is she a particular per- son? How did she develop? Jennifer: She was created. The basis for her was me. When you create characters, it comes from a very personal place. So that started with the most personal stuff that I could share about myself with my writing partner, Hannah Moscovitch, and Jeremy Podeswa, and days and days of talking about that.

This conversation has been edited. To hear the full interview, visit thecjn.ca/little-bird

THECJN.CA 7

Rivka Campbell recording Rivkush at the Beth Tikvah Synagogue in Toronto, June 2023

Who is Rivkush? Meet the woman changing perceptions of Jewish identity one podcast at a time A Jew of Jamaican descent, born and raised in Toronto, Rivka “Rivkush” Campbell is among the country’s foremost appreciated as leaders within the Jewish community; a world where our identities as people of colour are supported by curator of Toronto’s Luminato festival and a past director of public programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario; lawyer and would-

be leadership candidate for the federal Conservatives Joel Etienne; and J-Rob, a punk rocker, poet and video game streamer in Montreal. However, her show also has an inter- national mandate. She’s interviewed Susan- nah Heschel, a professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College and the daughter of acclaimed civil rights activist Rabbi Abra- ham Joshua Heschel, in a live podcast taping at Limmud Toronto. Other guests have included award-winning chef Michael Twitty, comedian Rain Pryor (daughter of Richard), and controversial Israeli columnist Hen Mazzig. n —Michael Fraiman, director, The CJN Podcast Network Listen to the archive at thecjn.ca/rivkush

Jewish communities that are committed to fighting racism, supporting inclusion and promoting Jewish diversity.” Rivka is also the sole Canadian recipient of the inaugural JewV’Nation Fellowship from the Union for Reform Judaism, and is cur- rently the executive director at Beth Tikvah Synagogue in Toronto. Her podcast with The CJN, Rivkush , now in its third season, and sponsored by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, is the world’s only podcast dedicated to highlight- ing the stories of fascinating JOCs: activists, artists, rule-breakers and change-makers. Over the years, Rivka has sat down for deep dives with prominent Canadian JOCs such as Devyani Saltzman, the founding

community builders for Jews of Colour (JOCs). As the founder of the organization Jews of Colour Canada, as well as the direc- tor of a documentary on the same subject, she has been a candid and vocal activist for Jewish diversity and inclusion, appearing in the media, synagogues, and events as a sought-after expert and speaker. Part of her mandate includes opening new avenues for dialogue with the mainstream Jewish com- munity, sharing stories and perspectives to illuminate the broader Jewish public on what life is like as a JOC trying to fit into predomin- antly white Jewish spaces. “We want to live in a world in which our Jewishness thrives,” Rivka says of her work, “a world where we can be

YOUR GIFT SUPPORTS OUR VULNERABLE STAND UP #

CHANA TOVA

5784

SHANA TOVA U’METUKA! Federation CJA, in conjunction with the Jewish community Foundation, provided $1,013,850 in funding for food security to help support vulnerable households over the High Holidays and Passover holiday period. This increase in investment towards food security programs to local impact partners helped support 9,215 household interactions over the 2022/23 holiday period allowing families to celebrate with joy and dignity. STAND UP # WITH GROCERY COSTS AT A 40-YEAR HIGH, THOUSANDS OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE RELY ON FEDERATION CJA FUNDED FOOD RELIEF PROGRAMS.

2023 COMBINED JEWISH APPEAL 514.345.2600 • federationcja.org

WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU. PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY.

BEST WISHES FOR A SWEET AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR FROM OUR SPONSORS

From Your Liberal MPs Wishing you a healthy, happy, and sweet New Year! De la part de vos député.e.s libéraux Nous vous souhaitons santé et bonheur pour la nouvelle année! שנה טובה Shana Tova

Hon. Omar Alghabra Mississauga Centre Omar.Alghabra@parl.gc.ca

Shafqat Ali Brampton Centre Shafqat.Ali@parl.gc.ca

Rachel Bendayan Outremont Rachel.Bendayan@parl.gc.ca

Hon. Carolyn Bennett Toronto—St. Paul’s Carolyn.Bennett@parl.gc.ca

Hon. Bardish Chagger Waterloo Bardish.Chagger@parl.gc.ca

Shaun Chen

Paul Chiang

Julie Dabrusin Toronto—Danforth Julie.Dabrusin@parl.gc.ca

Scarborough North Shaun.Chen@parl.gc.ca

Markham—Unionville Paul.Chiang@parl.gc.ca

Hon. Karina Gould Burlington Karina.Gould@parl.gc.ca

Hon. Steven Guilbeault Laurier—Sainte-Marie Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca

Anthony Housefather

Hon. Helena Jaczek

Mount Royal / Mont-Royal Anthony.Housefather@parl.gc.ca

Markham—Stouffville Helena.Jaczek@parl.gc.ca

Hon. David McGuinty Ottawa South David.McGuinty@parl.gc.ca

Hon. Marco Mendicino Eglinton—Lawrence Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca

Yasir Naqvi Ottawa Centre Yasir.Naqvi@parl.gc.ca

Hon. Mary Ng Markham—Thornhill Mary.Ng@parl.gc.ca

Hon. Rob Oliphant Don Valley West Rob.Oliphant@parl.gc.ca

Ya’ara Saks York Centre Yaara.Saks@parl.gc.ca

Hon. Judy Sgro Humber River— Black Creek Judy.Sgro@parl.gc.ca

Francesco Sorbara Vaughan— Woodbridge Francesco.Sorbara@parl.gc.ca

Sameer Zuberi Pierrefonds—Dollard Sameer.Zuberi@parl.gc.ca

Staying on top

Contact me today for a free tax-smart portfolio evaluation.

Best practices • Service model • Investing process • Team quality • Specialist support Getting to the top is hard. Staying on top is harder still. Yet again Michael Marcovitz has been ranked among Canada’s top wealth advisors by The Globe and Mail and SHOOK Research* based on: “Every other ranking focuses on the quantitative side... but how do you recommend an advisor based on how much money they make? We want to focus on the quality and the impact on clients’ lives.” – RJ Shook, co-founder & president, SHOOK Research

Michael Marcovitz MBA, LL.B. Senior Investment Advisor TD Wealth Private Investment Advice 79 Wellington Street West, 11th Floor Toronto ON M5K 1A1 T: 416 308 9084 E: michael.marcovitz@td.com W: michaelmarcovitz.com

We believe our tax-eicient approach works and how much money you make is less important than how much money you keep . That’s how we help you stay on top.

*Ranking details: https://theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-magazine/article-Canada’s-2022-top-wealth-advisors/ The Marcovitz Group is a part of TD Wealth Private Investment Advice, a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. which is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The TD logo and other TD trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank or its subsidiaries. ®

THECJN.CA 17

Toronto Holoc Toronto’s newest museum opened June 9, on the Sherman Campus, in Bathurst Manor, the neighbourhood where many survivors rebuilt their lives after the war.

T he museum is divided into four distinct halls that docu- ment the rise of modern anti- semitism, the Holocaust and its aftermath, as well as the lives of survivors in Canada after the war. Artifacts, often donated by surviv- ors in Toronto, explore the wide range of experiences, including a concentration camp uniform and a Torah rescued during Kris- tallnacht. The forest room is a contemplative space in the midst of the galleries that displays the names of family members who died in the Holocaust.

aust Museum

Moses in the Ark / Birth, Novelty, Inventions, Gifts!

T he 10,000-square-foot mu- seum was designed for a time when the numbers of sur- vivors is dwindling and intoler- ance is rising. It relies heavily on technology. Eleven life-size video monitors present over 200 minutes of testimony, telling survivors’ stories. Students, the majority of visitors, will be able to take a tablet-based tour that uses Augmented Reality to bring artifacts and documents to life.

THECJN.CA 19

Holocaust museums enter a dynamic new era

across Canada The art and science of preserving survivor stories for future generations

I n addition to Toronto’s new Holocaust museum, three other centres in Canada— in Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver—are also either being renovated or completely redesigned. All of the museums were initially spearheaded by survivors, who wanted a place to memorialize their loved ones and to teach younger generations. The museum redesigns now contemplate what is being called the post-survivor era, when survivors won’t be able to tell their first-hand stories of the horrors of the Shoah. Museums are also grappling with how to teach about genocide in a time of increasing Holocaust denial. Montreal The most ambitious project is the only mu- seum which won’t be on a Jewish community campus. The Montreal Holocaust Museum, scheduled to open in the fall of 2025, will be located on St. Laurent Boulevard, close to other museums and in the heart of what was once an immigrant Jewish neighbourhood. It will be by far the largest in the country, at 45,000 square feet Architects were selected

in an international competition and construc- tion is expected to start this fall, said Julia Reitman, chair of the capital campaign. The $90-million project has received contributions from provincial and federal governments as well as the Azrieli Founda- tion. About $10 million, which will include an endowment, still needs to be raised. The new building will have a “Dimensions in Testimony” installation, a project by the USC Shoah Foundation, that lets people pose questions to survivors, prompting real-time responses from pre-recorded videos. The first French-language testimony of a Montreal survivor using this technology will be in the museum. The facility will have space for permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as a gallery designed for children and families to open discussions about racism and antisemitism. “We were looking for a temporary exhibit space to be able to refresh the exhibit space, to bring in exhibits from elsewhere and also to be able to talk about other genocides else- where to put it into a present-day context,” Reitman said.

The old building received about 25,000 visitors annually, but was so busy that some groups had to start at the end and work toward the front of the space. That provided a disjointed experience. The new building hopes to see about 100,000 visitors a year. With 14,000 artifacts, the largest collec- tion in the country, curators will still have to make decisions about what to exhibit. However, the prize of the collection, a tiny heart-shaped birthday card made clandes- tinely in Auschwitz, will still be at the forefront of the museum. Winnipeg Winnipeg was the first centre to complete its $200,000 renovation, re-opening its 1,100-square-foot space in January. The Heritage Centre of Western Canada was stripped to the walls to rebuild, with a greater emphasis on life before the Second World War, antisemitism in Canada and the accomplishments of survivors in Canada, said executive director Belle Jarniewski. A large image of Auschwitz that used to dominate the back wall of the museum

The centre is also where researchers can tap into the 55,000 testimonies recorded by the USC Shoah Foundation. Most poignantly, it holds interviews recorded with local sur- vivors, first in the 1980s and then updated, as they aged and were able to reflect more deeply on their experiences. “It’s so important,” said Jarniewski, “be- cause almost of them are now gone.” Vancouver Vancouver’s museum’s redevelopment is part of the massive JWest project that will see new facilities for a Jewish community centre, a school, and housing. Plans are still in the early stages and architects and exhibition designers have yet to be selected, but the centre will more than double in space, from its current 4,000 square feet to about 9,000 square feet, said Nina Krieger, executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. She anticipates the new centre will open in about three years. A budget for the project has yet to be announced. Currently, the centre only has space for visiting temporary exhibits. The new building will have room for a permanent exhibit that introduces the history of the Holocaust and integrates the stories of local survivors. Space will also be available for temporary exhibits that explore new themes. Robert Krell, a child survivor from Holland who has been deeply involved in Holocaust education in Vancouver, was interviewed and filmed for the Dimensions in Testimony project. As the last of the country’s centres to redesign its space, Vancouver’s is learning from the other three museums, Krieger said. Each centre draws on local stories but they share similar challenges in the post-survivor era. “In the span of 11 days, the Vancouver community lost three Holocaust survivor speakers,” Krieger went on. “It just really underscores the urgency of documentation and collections initiatives involving eyewit- nesses and the importance of our work, which we know sadly is more relevant than ever due to the mounting antisemitism and racism and xenophobia, that we witness globally and across Canada and in all the regions that the centres operate in.” n

has been replaced with a projection of the names of the 1,050 Holocaust survivors who settled in Winnipeg. “We wanted to pay tribute to the sur- vivors and a picture of Auschwitz doesn’t define them,” Jarniewski explained. “Cer- tainly, some of them were in Auschwitz, but it doesn’t define the broader experience of survivors. Moreover, we wanted to pay tribute to these courageous people who started new lives, who came here, after having lost so much.” The refurbished centre puts a new empha- sis on the richness of prewar life. Displayed in a large case are a family tree that dates back to 1760, a Talmud printed in the 1800s, and an accordion that was passed down by a French family of entertainers. All the centre’s artifacts were donated by Mani- toba residents. Like all the museums, the Winnipeg centre emphasizes technology, including an interactive table that has stories, maps, photos and short videos about 24 surviv- ors, developed by Yad Vashem in Israel and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The advan- tage of the device, which is also used by the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, is that it can be updated to reflect the latest knowledge about the Holocaust, Jarniewski said.

Architectural design of the new Montreal Holocaust Museum

Freeman Family Holocaust Education Centre

Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

LILA SARICK

THECJN.CA 21

Rabbinics of Clothing A couple of Orthodox rabbis discuss the Jewish notions of sartorial selection R abbi Mordechai Torczyner , who spent the past 14 years in Toronto, recently somebody is able to be in and out. I think of clothing much more as what

somebody puts on to convey a message. And the message can be one of affiliation. Or it can just as easily be something that some- body puts on in order to convey disinforma- tion. Do you know what I’m saying? Finegold: You’re speaking about camou- flage, right? Is clothing a camouflage or is clothing an identity? Torczyner: My thinking on this is shaped by the fact that for much of our history, it hasn’t been an advantage to convey Jewish identity. We tell a convert to Judaism that this isn’t a fun group to be joining. There are a lot of challenges there. A person who dressed Jewishly was not generally doing so in order to receive social advantage. Finegold: Nowadays, there’s a social ad- vantage to being able to go back and forth. If I’m visiting Toronto, I can make a choice to put on a knitted kippah and fit into the crowd at [modern Orthodox synagogue] Shaarei Shomayim. And I can take that off and put on a velvet yarmulke and go to [more traditional- ly Orthodox] Shomrei Shabbos and feel like I’m more on the inside over there. And that clothing enables you sometimes to identify with the in-group. My first year in Toronto in 2009, I delivered a series of classes called “Tzibburology,” It was the study of what it takes to create Jew- ish community and the functioning of Jewish community. And part of it was sparked by the

recorded a series of lectures dedicated to fashion topics like the history of Jews in the garment business, the concept of having a specific synagogue wardrobe, and how clothes create a mood. Rabbi Avi Finegold , host of the Bonjour Chai podcast for The CJN, has significant style-related opinions of his own. And so, they got together to contemplate the concept of Jewish fashion sense. Listen to more of their conversation along with links to Rabbi Torczyner’s entire seven-part “Jews and Clothes” seminar at thecjn.ca/fashion Finegold: Despite the doom and gloom about assimilation, we’re probably living in one of the least assimilated periods of all time. The ability to have loose ties with the Jewish community exists: you can go to shul if you want and then leave and go live your life—however you want. This idea has only existed for the past century or so, and I think clothing enables it, because we’re not forced to have a Jewish wardrobe. What happens when you’re no longer forced to wear specific clothing? Torczyner: The historical contention that this is new in our time is interesting, but I feel like there is a phenomenon like that in Roman times, when you had that option of being out and yet in. I wonder whether that’s some- thing one would do for oneself, or the people around you. In other words, you’re not fooling anybody by adopting the clothing. You’re talking about a world where, as you said,

PHOTOGRAPHY BY COTTONBRO STUDIO / PEXEL

THECJN.CA 25

“The way in which we signal our Judaism using clothing says something. Am I trying to be part of your group or not? Clothing functions in that way more often than we realize.”

work of a sociologist named Rich Sosis, who did a lot of work on the sociology of Jewish communities, for example kibbutzim in Israel, And he writes about the concept of costly signaling, which is an idea that when you identify as a part of a particular group based on a behaviour that comes with a cost, then people in the group are more apt to trust you. So you could think of that in terms of somebody who’s wearing a heavy black ma- terial during the summer must be a believer. I can trust this person. He’s for sure part of the group. Somebody who wears a kippah to take a subway ride through a dangerous part of town, you’re more apt to think, yeah, he’s probably really in this, or he wouldn’t be doing that. There’s an element of dress that convinces you—because it has a price to it. Finegold: I was at a couple of haredi wed- dings recently, and I realized that my dress automatically brands me as an outsider even though I grew up in those communities. I’m not putting on the tie that everybody else would expect me to wear or changing my fabric yarmulke for a velvet one or one that’s three sizes bigger in order to signal to the in-group that I’m part of them. I’m signalling that this is who I am now, and that’s how I live. The way in which we signal our Judaism using clothing to whatever other groups are there often actually says something. Am I trying to be part of your group or am I spe- cifically trying not to be part of that group? Clothing functions in that way more often than we realize. And I find that fascinating. It goes to something very personal. I know you’re not someone who dresses extravagantly—you have a very specific wardrobe. While I’m not saying that you fit this stereotype, there is the image of the schleppy rabbi that exists, often because of what they’re wearing. Where do you think this idea comes from? Because it seems like, on the one hand, it makes per- fect sense. I’m spending time studying and preparing sermons. I don’t have time for my clothing. And yet rabbis are often poised and have a demeanor that signals something. When you look at the priests in the temple, why do you think that rabbis got to the point where it’s a point of pride to say they don’t think about their clothing? Torczyner: The Talmud emphasizes that a Torah scholar is required to be careful in the sense that if there’s a little bit of food that gets on their garb, they’re actually liable for death. And while that language is hyperbolic, there’s a sense that you have to dress in a

way that respects the Torah that you repre- sent. We generally assume it has to do with wearing clean, respectable clothing, and going beyond that manifests a certain concern for worldliness which is considered somewhat im- proper. There’s a Midrashic line about Joseph in the biblical story that he was playing with his hair—kind of curling his hair—and it was a demonstration of immaturity. The idea that you’re gonna try to keep up with trends says, well, your values are in the wrong place. Why is that what you’re focusing on? This isn’t at all my philosophy. Mine is just that I don’t have the head space to keep up with the different things. I tried years and years ago. I tried to learn how to match ties to striped shirts and I couldn’t do it. Finegold: I think about this a lot because I care about clothes. I also remember that when I was the rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal I wore canonicals. On the one hand, it covered up everything that I was going to wear that

Shabbat until kiddush, by which point every- body’s made up their mind about how they feel about me based on the sermon. On the other hand, wearing a robe and a special hat really imparts leadership, and the type of clothing that you wear creates a reality, the world approaches you in a certain way. I think that rabbis would want to approach their day-to-day interactions in some specific fashion. And, until recently, a rabbi that wasn’t wearing canonical clothes in the streets was considered untoward. You were supposed to be presenting as a rabbi. I have a hard time figuring out why rabbis say, I’m going to be presentable, but I shouldn’t be regal. I’m not saying that people should be flashy, but I’ve always wanted to have a day-long seminar for rabbinical students to explain to them, this is how you dress. This is how to pick out a suit, even if it’s a plain navy suit. This is going to affect how you are perceived. What to wear to a funeral, what to wear to a wedding, when you should wear a tuxedo to a wedding when you shouldn’t.

THECJN.CA 27

“There’s a sense that you have to dress in a way that respects the Torah that you represent. We generally assume it has to do with wearing clean, respectable clothing.”

have license to do that. And that has become Jewish tradition. Jewish tradition is plain shrouds, not to dress people up in fancier suits than they ever wore in their lifetime. So we have that as a very specific model of demonstrating humility. Granted, it’s in death, at which point what people think of him doesn’t really matter anyway. But that’s an iconic image of how rabbis approach clothing. We have discussions about rabbis respecting their clothing. Finegold: The famous one about the rabbi picking up the hem of his garment when passing through a thorny area because his skin could heal, but the clothing can’t… Torczyner: You’re talking about Abba Chilkiah. Another one is a rabbi who calls his clothing mechubadai : that which honours me, or is honoured of me. And so he was

I find that rabbis often lay these by the wayside.

Torczyner: You also have Talmudic examples of this—including some that go in the oppos- ite direction: Rabban Gamliel II was around in the period of the destruction of the Second Temple. He’s the one the Romans saved as the descendant of King David. He’s the political leader of the Jews. If you disagree with him in the rabbinic world, you’re toast. Rabban Gamliel gives instructions that when he passes away, to bury him in plain white canvas or linen. At the time, it had become very expensive for people to dress up the bodies of their loved ones when they passed away. The Talmud even records that they reached a stage where people were aban- doning the body because they couldn’t afford to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak, on the burial. And Rabban Gamaliel says to bury him in plain clothing so that everybody will then

Torczyner: You’re making an interesting point in this distinction between attractive clothing and regal clothing, because I think there’s a lot of room for that distinction. Pursuing attractive clothing in a rabbi would actually worry me. I’m a child of the end of the 20th, beginning of the 21st century. And, unfortunately, I’ve seen scandals from time to time. And I would worry a little bit if I saw that there’s a rabbi who’s so concerned about the attractiveness of his appearance. Finegold: There’s an entire Instagram account that got turned into a book called @PreachersNSneakers. It’s about this phe- nomenon in the evangelical Christian world, preaching while wearing these thousand-dol- lar shoes.

also very careful in terms of the way that he handled the clothing. We also look at the quality of clothing for prayer in a unique way. Both in terms of hav- ing special clothing for prayer. But also, when you come to pray, if it’s a time of trouble and suffering, you’re supposed to specifically dress down. Whereas if it’s a time when things are good, then you dress in a more regal way, to reflect that. It becomes a reli- gious identification. We’re getting a little bit away from your point about how rabbis dress, but I think there is the sense of clothing as a communicator. There’s a classic Talmudic idea about the soul, where they talk about a person’s responsibility to make sure that that one enters the next world ready to answer to God. And the phrase that’s used in the Hebrew is, Bechol et yihiyu begadach levanim: At all times, your clothing should be white. They talk about a servant who’s been given clothing by his master, and he never wears it, because he wants to return it clean at the end. He doesn’t know what day the master is going to demand it of him. Finegold: You brought up the type of cloth- ing that one wears during prayer. I find that the people that focus on this a lot, espe- cially in the Orthodox community, suffer in that time from what I would refer to as the triumph of halachic formalism. This idea that if you’re wearing shorts and a tank top, It’s all of a sudden regal clothing so long as you throw a jacket and a hat on top of it. Clothing ends up a crutch. Torczyner: It is silly, the formalism of a jack- et being worn and therefore you’re wearing something nice doesn’t take away from the fact that it doesn’t do the job. You haven’t convinced anybody that it’s respectful. You can’t make a pretense of it any more than when it comes to prayer. If a person says, well, I’m going to say the words really loudly and forcefully, but my head is com- pletely somewhere else. The fact that you said the words loudly and forcefully doesn’t make it a better prayer. So, if you’re dressing with a jacket on, but everything else about your outfit says the beach, it’s just like the prayer that’s loud and forceful, but has no thought behind it. Finegold: I was thinking about how uniforms sometimes come into conflict with the Tal- mudic idea of tzniut—how everybody is sup- posed to be dressing modestly when you’re wearing a uniform that doesn’t necessarily fit

Torczyner: Tzniut should be one of them. This idea that I’m not showy, that I don’t exist for public consumption, is definitely a value— not just because of its close association with clothing, but just in general. I think the world needs more privacy. Respect is also a value that the world needs. And if that can be expressed in clothing, all the better. I wonder about clothing that’s supposed to carry a message in the most literal sense. Someone wears a dress to the Met Gala that has a slogan on it, or a T-shirt with a slogan on it, or Melania Trump with her raincoat that said, “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” I wonder if people should wear clothing with bumper stickers. Maybe magnets more than bumper stickers. You don’t want to be stuck with it. And there should also be something that says I don’t take myself that seriously. That’s another value that you have within Judaism. We’re supposed to take our responsibilities seriously, but not to take ourselves that seriously—to understand that we’re a work in progress. If that could be conveyed also by one’s clothing, I don’t know what it looks like, but it’s a value the world needs. n

in with the rest of what the world is wearing at the time. You’re supposed to not draw attention to yourself as a Jewish individual because of your clothing. And yet, the haredi community dresses in a very specific uniform that really makes themselves stand out when they are out in the world. Torczyner: But what you’re dealing with is the question of competing values. Funda- mentally, I have one value that says, don’t attract attention. I have another value that says, stand apart from a community whose values you don’t share. Don’t present your- self as though you are part of a group that you shouldn’t be a part of. So it could be that I would blend in well walking down the street if I were wearing what they wear. But there will be a price that comes along with that, that maybe is an unacceptable price. It’s not a sole value. It’s part of a constellation of values. Finegold: If a fashion designer invited you to inspire a clothing collection that reflected Jew- ish values, what would you suggest they do?

THECJN.CA 29

YOUR TURN to continue the story

1960-1971

1971-2014

2014-2020

For the first time in its 63-year history, The Canadian Jewish News can accept charitable donations, as one of the Canada Revenue Agency’s registered journalism organizations.

The Canadian Jewish News

You can donate at thecjn.ca/ donate

THE BACK PAGES

The Biggest, The Greatest The Most Comprehensive ISRAEL REAL ESTATE EXHIBITION IN CANADA

Montreal 29 October 2023

Toronto 26 October 2023 THURSDAY 15:30-21:30 “THE BAYT” 613 Clark Avenue West Thornhill, Ontario

SUNDAY 11:00-18:00 Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue 4894 Saint-Kevin Avenue Montréal

IT’S CLOSER THAN YOU THINK!

COME AND MEET REPRESENTATIVES OF HOUSING PROJECTS IN: JERUSALEM, TEL AVIV, RAANANA, BEIT SHEMESH, MODIIN, GIVAT SHMUEL, MA’ALE ADUMIM, ASHKELON, NETANYA & MORE LAWYERS, MORTGAGE CONSULTANTS, MONEY TRANSFER EXPERTS & MORE

EMANUEL GROUP ן שיווק פרויקטים בנדל

PARTICIPATION IS FREE WITH ADVANCE REGISTRATION FOR REGISTRATION AND MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: REALESTATEISRAEL.ORG

Shana Tova! As we welcome the New Year, we extend our warmest wishes for a year filled with sweetness and blessings.

Mortgage Awards of Excellence 2022 Best Private Lender

Globe And Mail, Canada’s Top Growing Companies 2022

At CMI Mortgage Investments, we believe in starting the new year with new opportunities. Explore the potential of lucrative investments to help you build a prosperous future. Our trusted mortgage investment company oers a range of investment options designed to align with your financial goals. With our expertise and commitment to excellence, we provide a reliable platform for your investment journey. Discover the possibilities and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with partnering with a reputable institution. As you gather with loved ones to celebrate this joyous occasion, consider how investing with CMI can help you make the most of the year ahead. We are dedicated to your success and look forward to being a part of your financial growth. Shana Tova, and a prosperous New Year!

Canadian Business 2020 Growth 500 List

1-888-465-8564 info@thecmigroup.ca cmimortgageinvestments.ca

Scan our QR Code to Learn More

THECJN.CA 33

Legendary fashionista Jeanne Beker on how she’s living her best life now From covering catwalks to conquering cancer

By Ellin Bessner for The CJN Daily

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NAOMI HARRIS EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS

Beker at her home in Toronto, June 2023

THECJN.CA 35

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96

Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator