In The Ottawa Community
* = New item this week
Community Events and Announcements
* Invitation from KBI to demonstrate on behalf of the Uyghurs. This year, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, members of Kehillat Beth Israel (KBI) demonstrated every weekday afternoon opposite the Chinese embassy on St. Patrick Street on behalf of the oppressed and
persecuted Uyghur population of China. At the conclusion of the week they decided to continue the demonstrations and protests on a weekly basis – they continue to meet and demonstrate one day a week, on Thursday afternoon. They have also reached out to other faith communities to join them in this stand and their numbers have grown over time.
The mistreatment of the Uyghurs, including forced labor and “re-education” camps, is reminiscent of the Jewish experience with concentration camps of the Second World War, in the opinion of campaign organizer Andre Brantz, which inspired him to start the protests in September. Since then, a committee of the Parliament of Canada has described the Uyghur persecution as a form of genocide.
This week, the Guardian newspaper published an article by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis: "As chief rabbi, I can no longer remain silent about the plight of the Uyhgurs." The subtitle is: "An unfathomable mass atrocity is being perpetrated in China. The responsibility for doing something lies with all of us."
(https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/15/chief-rabbi-silent-plight-uighurs-atrocity-china)
We invite all members of the Ottawa Jewish community to join us on Thursday afternoons at 3 PM opposite the Chinese Embassy on St. Patrick Street. It is our hope and our prayer that this action, taken in conjunction with other political and economic actions, will raise awareness and will lead to the end of these atrocities.
* Gamliel Institute, Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains and several other groups will provide a regular forum, called Renewing Bikur Cholim, for exchange of ideas and concerns about the spiritual challenges of the pandemic.
Biweekly on Monday nights from January 4 to May 10 it will address emerging challenges of volunteers and staff involved in Bikur Cholim facing the pandemic. Speakers include Rabbis Simkha Weintraub, Shira Stern, Karen Landy, Fred Klein, Cheryl Weiner, Joe Ozarowski, Jason Weiner, Richard Address, Dayle Friedman, Anne Brener, Miriam Hechsher, and others. The topics include caring for the caregiver, being a caring presence with technology, providing for the dying, shiva under the pandemic, new approaches to prayer, dealing with dementia, new forms of loss, and grappling with isolation and loneliness.
The 10-part series costs USD$72 or USD$18 for a single session. There is a robust scholarship program available. Information and how to register at https://www.jewish-funerals.org/2021-bikur-cholim-conference/
Special Notice for Holocaust Survivors: Any survivor who has received the one-time Hardship Fund compensation payment from Germany through the Claims Conference may now be eligible for two supplemental payments, beginning in 2021. The Claims Conference will mail a personalized application to you, based on the address they have on file. If you have moved since the time you received the Hardship Fund, you will need to notify the Claims Conference. The Claims Conference has all the information about the Supplemental Hardship Fund on their website including all the contact information you, or someone acting on your behalf, will need. The Claims Conference website is: www.claimscon.org If you require additional information and, or support please contact Jewish Family Services 613 722-2225 x 311 (English), or x 326 (Russian)
The City of Jerusalem: Ideas and Images, an art history course developed by Dr. Loren Lerner at Concordia University, is now available for free at https://jerusalemjournal.concordia.ca/jerusalem_ideas_and_images.html
The latest episode of Meet the Author is now live! In the current episode, Ruth Panofsky, a professor of English at Ryerson University where she specializes in Canadian literature and culture, discusses her recent edited volume (The New Spice Box: Contemporary Jewish Writing). Her interviewers are Catherine Caufield (Concordia University of Edmonton) and Jesse Toufexis (University of Ottawa). Enjoy, and stay tuned for more episodes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAwQ0n44_48
