A View from the Bleachers: Celebrating that which unites us

Rabbi Steven Garten

By Rabbi Steven Garten

On Sunday evening, September 29, a significant percentage of the Ottawa Jewish community celebrated/observed Rosh Hashanah. Many gathered around family tables for a festive meal. Some observed the “first day of the seventh month” by worshipping in synagogues, temples, auditoriums and even in people’s homes. The next day, many of the same individuals returned to worshipping or continued with more private observances. The entire pattern will be repeated 10 days later on Kol Nidre eve and the day of Yom Kippur. Regardless of one’s personal choices, there is something special and unique about the two days when our Jewish community gathers together to celebrate that which unites us, rather than focusing on that which divides us.

I felt that unique sense Jewish unity on September 10 when I attended the Jewish Federation of Ottawa Annual Campaign Kickoff. Regardless of our personal feelings about Federation and the work it does, the gathering was transformative. Six hundred members of the community laughing together, mostly at our own foibles and nuances of tribal behaviour. We don’t often laugh together. In fact, we more often than not separate into denominational and ideological camps for our group gatherings. There is nothing inherently wrong with having alternative views/opinions on prayer, the Deity, Jewish tradition, Israel, interfaith coalitions, aboriginal reconciliation. However differences which serve to keep us apart are not a reflection of our potential strength as a community.

I felt the unique power of community on September 8. That Sunday afternoon I travelled to the wilds of Barrhaven to sample the products of the Ottawa Kosher BBQ Cook-off. This unique event was the brainchild of my colleague Rabbi Menachem Blum of the Ottawa Torah Centre. As I walked amongst the crowd, I was struck by mixture of kippot, black hats, Israelis now living in Ottawa, synagogue-goers, committed atheists, and most noticeably, young and old together. The food was nice, not Texas or southern barbecue, but nice. What was more than nice was the celebratory crowd. Hats off (black hat off) to Rabbi Blum and the volunteers who drew us all to the wilds of Barrhaven.

The sense of community pride was also on display during the Capital Pride weekend in Ottawa. Members of our community walked in the Pride Parade on August 25 identified as Jews. Unlike at some U.S. Pride Parades, the Star of David was prominently displayed, not forbidden. On Erev Shabbat there were dinners and programming in two synagogues. These outreach programs that bring together members of the LGBTQ community, their parents, and their supporters represent special opportunities for Ottawa’s Jewish community to display its commonality, not just its differences.

There are many other projects that will be supported by Federation’s Jewish Experience Microgrants that have the intentional purpose of bringing the community together. Stock the Freezer, a series of group cooking events, in which community members come together to cook and freeze healthy meals for Ottawa Kosher Food Bank clients, modelled on Soup Sisters of Calgary and other Canadian cities, has the potential of enticing whole families to have fun while manifesting Jewish values.

One more example of unique cross denominational programming is Jbotics, an opportunity for students in Grades 5-8 with an interest in sciences to learn about the intersection of Judaism, Israeli innovation, and hands-on building and computer programming. Though the program – supported by a Federation Jewish Experience Microgrant – is hosted by Temple Israel Religious School, it is open to all members of the community in those grades.

The High Holy Days are a time when members of our community observe and celebrate our Hebrew calendar in diverse ways. It is lovely to see so many members of the “people of Israel” gathering in prayer and observance. But these religious days do not resonate as they have in the past.

Growing up in the Bronx, living along the Grand Concourse, there were 200 minyanim, synagogues, and one large temple filled with primarily male worshippers on the High Holy Days. It was glorious to walk the 40 blocks between 201st Street and 161st Street nodding “Shana Tova” to one and all. But the Grand Concourse has changed. We no longer live in ‘gilded ghettos.’ The High Holy Days has lost its clarion call for many younger members of our community.

If we are to look forward and not backward, then we will need to innovate opportunities for communal celebrations and observances that supplement the traditional approaches.

Woodstock and its relevancy to our community

Jewish Federation of Ottawa President and CEO Andrea Freedman reflects on lessons we can learn from the legendary rock festival.

I recently watched a documentary on Woodstock, produced to commemorate the 50th anniversary, last month, of the legendary 1969 music festival. While the largest crowd estimates were 500,000 attendees, like all seminal events, I suspect that two million people now proudly claim to have been there! And many more have a story they tell about personal connections to the festival; some of these stories might even be true.

Max Yasgur, a successful Jewish dairy farmer who, by most accounts, was a staunch Republican and supporter of the Vietnam War, rented his farm, to the chagrin of his friends and neighbours, so that Woodstock could take place after the festival was not welcomed by other towns in the Catskills.

I suppose an occupational hazard of mine is to view most things through the prism of the work I am privileged to do. When I go to a museum, I spend time looking at the donor wall. I watch a documentary on Woodstock, and begin to ponder its relevancy for Ottawa’s Jewish community. In this case, I believe there are three fundamental lessons.

What we can learn from Max Yasgur

It is important to dialogue with the “other” and respect their rights. Yasgur was not a fan of the counterculture. He did not like how hippies dressed or wore their hair, but he respected freedom of expression. He rented his land for money and ended up providing the “kids” with free food and water, for the simple reason that they were hungry.

What I take away from this for Jewish Ottawa is two-fold. Firstly, despite our differences, we should prioritize finding common ground and focus our efforts in these areas. Secondly, we have a responsibility to help others and provide for those who are in need.

What we can learn from Woodstock’s four Jewish Organizers

Dream big and don’t let anything stand in your way. There are always problems and there will always be naysayers who claim it cannot be done. Before the festival, Woodstock’s organizers almost didn’t have a venue. When the festival got underway, problems included hundreds of thousands more people than they prepared for, not enough food, too much rain, too many drugs, and the complete inability for cars to get in and out of the festival grounds – to name but a few. But if your vision is strong and clearly articulated, the impossible becomes possible.

In terms of Jewish Ottawa, the past year has been all about building the Jewish Superhighway. It is a metaphor for meaningful Jewish experiences, where Jewish life is vibrant and no one is left behind. The idea of the Jewish Superhighway has inspired giving at unprecedented levels and through strategic funding – for example, Jewish Jumpstart and Microgrants – it has created tremendous positivity and momentum in our community. I believe the Jewish Superhighway is resonating and people are helping to build it, with more and more people beginning or expanding their Jewish journeys.

What we can learn from the Woodstock attendees

If something is important enough to you, then you are willing to endure and be inconvenienced for it. To be honest, no showers, sleeping on the ground, and having to walk miles and miles to get to the festival site does not sound like fun to me. But being part of something greater than yourself seemed worth the sacrifices to a generation of young people who wanted desperately to believe they could change the world.

Jewish life is not always easy. There are 613 separate mitzvot (commandments) – and 365 of them are don’ts. There are expenses. There are disagreements on how we observe, and we have disparate political points of view.

But when we work collectively to build Jewish life. When we engage newcomers to the community. When we take care of the vulnerable. When a child learns the aleph-bet. When an isolated senior receives compassionate care. When we support the Jewish State of Israel. We truly are changing the world … one person at a time.

I am truly excited to continue building the Jewish Superhighway with all of you in 5780!

Jewish Experience Microgrants create funding opportunities for unique initiatives in the community

Rabbi Idan Scher of Congregation Machzikei Hadas leads the blessings at a pre-Shabbat dinner, July 12, at the home of Gail and Dan Pfeffer in Gatineau. The dinner, for Jews living in Gatineau, was supported by a Jewish Experience Microgrant from the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

By Matthew Horwood

Thanks to generous donations to the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s 2019 Annual Campaign, organizations and individuals in the community have begun benefitting from Federation’s Jewish Experience Microgrants program.

The Jewish Experience Microgrants program is meant to fund events, projects and initiatives that “connect people, meet a unique need, or fill a gap in our Jewish community.” The new iteration of Microgrants grew out of the Federation’s Emerging Generation Grants program, and was developed to align with Federation’s Jewish Superhighway initiative.

Sharon Diamond, chair of the Committee for Jewish Experience Microgrants, said Federation wanted to broaden the EG Grants program to “create more opportunities to engage different demographics, backgrounds and levels of connection to Jewish community.”

Diamond said Jewish Experience Microgrants will fund up to 75 per cent of the cost of a project, and can provide up to $2,500 in funding, decided on a “case-by-case basis.”

Once an application is submitted, it is reviewed by the Jewish Experience Microgrants Committee. When an application is approved, a funding agreement is finalized between Federation and the microgrant recipient.

The Gatineau Pre-Shabbat Dinner, organized by Congregation Machzikei Hadas on July 12, happened in part due to a Jewish Experience Microgrants.

Stacy Goldstein, director of community building at Congregation Machzikei Hadas, said the aim of the pre-Shabbat dinner was to serve Jews who are underserviced due to their geographic distance from the “Jewish superstructure,” specifically those living in Gatineau and Orleans.

“We wanted to take down barriers and give Gatineau’s Jewish families the chance to meet and develop their own community identity in Gatineau,” she said.

Goldstein said the microgrant offset the costs associated with the dinner, made it inexpensive for families to attend, and made it more affordable for the hosts – Gail and Dan Pfeffer – to offer their home to host the dinner.

Another Jewish Experience Microgrants recipient was the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank (OKFB) for its Stock the Freezer program, in which community members prepare dishes to be frozen for distribution to OKFB clients.

Dahlia Milech, manager of the OKFB, said the first session of Stock the Freezer was geared toward bar mitzvah-aged students and their parents, and the next four sessions will have different community groups preparing foods.

OKFB received a $1,000 microgrant, which was spent on ingredients and packaging materials. Milech said she didn’t think the program could have been possible without the funding.

“I think it was initially very important to use Jewish Experience Microgrants in order to create knowledge of what this program actually is, create interest and work out the kinks before going further with it,” she said.

The PJ Library Book Club – which was created three years ago to allow women to discuss books and socialize – received an $800 Jewish Experience Microgrant to cover expenses associated with hosting meetings at member’s houses.

Emma Mallach said members would initially meet at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre. But as the book club grew in size, members began hosting the gatherings at their homes.

Mallach said the PJ Library Book Club applied for a microgrant because members believed it would be a great way to offset the costs associated with hosting the gatherings, as well as “ensure the long-term sustainability of the club.”

Mallach said the microgrant will enable the club to “continue to thrive and hopefully grow over the next year or two.”

Other Jewish Experience Microgrants have funded a Shabbat Shopify Dinner held in the ByWard Market for young professionals, screenings of the films “Monkey Business” and “Punk Jews,” and a community Havdalah potluck dinner at Stanley Park.

Diamond said the Jewish community’s interest in Jewish Experience Microgrants has been “significantly higher” than she expected it would be.

“As somebody who has really been in the weeds in this community, I love seeing the new ideas coming through and success stories coming out of it,” Diamond said. “So reach out to Federation if you have an idea.”

Visit https://jewishottawa.com/giving/jewish-experience-microgrants for more information or to apply for a Jewish Experience Microgrant.