Jewish community participates in Capital Pride

Members of the Jewish community gather, August 25, before marching in the Capital Pride Parade. (Matthew Horwood)

By Matthew Horwood

An enthusiastic delegation of people from the Jewish community marched in this year’s Capital Pride Parade in Ottawa on August 25. Marchers included representatives from the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Hillel Ottawa, Jewish Family Services of Ottawa, Kehillat Beth Israel, Temple Israel, and Or Haneshamah.

The parade was the culmination of the week-long Capital Pride Festival, which included more than 60 events held across the region.

Among the events was a potluck Shabbat dinner at Temple Israel on August 16 and a Shabbat dinner at Kehillat Beth Israel, co-sponsored by Federation and CIJA, on August 23.

Jess Burke, who staffs CIJA’s LGBTQ2+ Advisory Council, said the August 23 Shabbat dinner was attended by 170 people, which made it the largest Pride Shabbat dinner since CIJA first began hosting the dinner three years ago.

CIJA received a grant from Federation’s Jewish Experience Microgrants program to support the dinner, as well as a tailgate party that took place before the Pride Parade began.

“We are very grateful to the Federation Microgrant program for their continued support on meaningful, engaging community programs,” Burke said.

Burke was also enthusiastic about community participation in Capital Pride.

“Through this channel and our strong community partnerships with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Temple Israel, Kehillat Beth Israel, Or Haneshamah and Hillel, we were able to mobilize a large marching contingent of both LGBTQ2+ Jewish community members and allies,” she said.

Dara Lithwick, a member of CIJA’s LGBTQ2+ Advisory Board, is a long-time supporter of Pride, having come out more than 20 years ago with the “instrumental support” of her rabbi.

Lithwick said her role with CIJA involves advocating for inclusivity, as well as working with local Prides to ensure that “Jewish spaces are queer friendly, and queer spaces are Jewish friendly.”

Lithwick said in the future, she would like to see broad participation from all the major congregations and Jewish organizations in Ottawa.

“I think there has been a wonderful evolution over the past 15 to 20 years, and it’s only going to get better. We are all created in God’s image and we have a duty to both love our neighbour, and also love and care for the stranger,” Lithwick said.

Miriam Izbinsky, who marched in the Pride Parade for a second year in a row, said she attended to support her Jewish friends in the LGBTQ community.

“I love coming out here and supporting them as much as I can. People who are Jewish and are a part of the Pride community need to be supported as much as possible,” she said.

This year’s Jewish Pride delegation included a homemade float: a car decorated with balloons and streamers, and topped with a giant inflatable unicorn. The car’s owner, Sasha Kathron, Jewish student life coordinator at Hillel Ottawa, said she was “honoured” to march in the parade as an ally of the LGBTQ community.

“Times are changing and I think we are moving in the right direction. I think we need to lead by example and lead with love, not hate,” Kathron said.

Jewish Federation of Ottawa President and CEO Andrea Freedman said she makes a point of attending Pride every year because she believes it’s important for Jewish leaders in Ottawa to be allies to the LGBTQ community.

“Seeing Ottawa come together to have community groups and businesses marching – as well as families bringing their kids – was fantastic,” Freedman said.

“It’s such a remarkable message of inclusiveness and care for our fellow citizens.”

Federal Election: Help ensure Jewish community issues and priorities are understood and appreciated

By Allyson Grant

CIJA

The federal election campaign is now in full throttle in anticipation of Election Day, October 21. The preceding weeks will provide many opportunities to engage with local candidates seeking support at community events, townhalls, or front doors – and it is important for all candidates to hear from the Jewish community.

By combining our voices, we are more likely to be heard. After consultation with grassroots community members, Jewish agencies, organizations and institutions, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), the advocacy agency for the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, has identified several key issues for discussion with your local candidate during this election.

Real-world violence – including lethal antisemitism – can be fueled by online hate and radicalization, as seen in recent attacks on synagogues in Pittsburgh and San Diego County and on mosques in Christchurch and Quebec City. In 2019, the House of Commons Justice Committee conducted a study of online hate and made a series of recommendations, including a robust plan to track online hate, prevent online hate through education, and make better use of legal tools to stop online hate. The Justice Committee study was an excellent first step. Now, the federal government should create a national strategy to tackle this issue using the Justice Committee’s report as a foundation, and the effort should include a significant focus on online antisemitism, referencing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.

From 2011 to 2016, the number of Canadians who reported they are Jewish by ethnic origin dropped by more than half. This was due not to demographic change but to the removal of “Jewish” as a specific example in a census question, which, in previous census surveys, had been regularly included as an example alongside other ethnic origins. If this omission is not corrected for 2021, the work of Jewish charities will be drastically undermined. Jewish federations and federation-funded social service agencies collectively spend tens of millions of dollars annually on charitable work throughout Canada, including projects to support seniors, alleviate poverty, educate students, and integrate new Canadians. This vital work requires access to accurate census data providing a clear portrait of Jewish communities across Canada. While Statistics Canada is working to address the issue, the federal government should ensure the ethnic origin question is amended to prevent underreporting of Jewish Canadians in the next census.

Under the Elections Act, federal elections take place every four years on the third Monday in October. Unfortunately, this fixed date often overlaps with the Jewish High Holy Days, as was the case in 2008 and this year. On High Holy Days, observant Jews cannot work, drive, or write – basic activities required of candidates, volunteers, and voters. Elections Canada provides significant alternatives for voters who wish to cast their ballot early, including advance polls and special ballots, ensuring all Jewish voters can participate. However, this requires advertising and awareness campaigns – as well as logistical efforts – to engage Jewish voters. Advance voting options can also coincide with Jewish High Holy Days, and observant candidates and volunteers face even greater challenges. The next federal government can avoid this entirely by moving the fixed election date to later in the calendar to avoid all future scheduling conflicts with the Jewish High Holy Days. You can learn more about voting options for this year’s federal election at CIJA’s Election Hub. www.cija.ca/election-hub

The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) has proven to be a pillar of the financial health of Canadians with disabilities or special needs. Unfortunately, fewer than 40 per cent of adults who report qualifying disabilities currently claim the DTC. A Senate study noted that people with certain disabilities are disadvantaged by the application criteria. The federal government should reform the DTC to ensure it is more inclusive, particularly for those with non-physical and/or episodic disabilities that make gaining employment difficult or impossible.

Talking about these issues with your candidates will ensure Jewish community priorities are understood and appreciated when the next federal government is formed. So, make sure to take every opportunity to engage with local candidates this election season, and enjoy what is sure to be an exciting race!

To learn more about this issues and the many other on our community’s agenda, please refer to CIJA’s Federal Election Issus Guide which can be downloaded at www.cija.ca/election43.

Allyson Grant is the advocacy adviser to the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and director of government and university relations at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa, CIJA and CJPAC will host “The Federal Election, the Jewish Community and You,” an evening of awareness, discussion and education about the upcoming federal election, on Thursday, October 3, 7 pm, at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre. Admission is free but advance registration at https://tinyurl.com/y3jcb5sn is required.

PDF -- September 2, 2019 print edition

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