In The Ottawa Community
* = New item this week
Community Events and Announcements
* The New JEW? The New PEW! American Jews: A first look at the 2020 Pew Portrait of American Jewry, Wednesday, May 12, 9am EDT.
Program: includes a Presentation of the Pew Report’s Main Findings and short analyses by JPPI experts - Dr. Shlomo Fischer on Jewish Identity, Dr. Inbal Hakman on US Jews and Israel, Dr. John Ruskay on the Next Generation, Maj. (Res.) Dan Feferman on the Jewish Streams. Comments by Isaac Herzog, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Amb. Stuart Eizentstat, JPPI Co-Chair, and Prof. Yedidia Stern, President, JPPI. The event will be an hour long. More information and Zoom link: http://jppi.org.il/images/jppi-pew.pdf
* Jerusalem Crisis: What ‘s Happening, What’s Being Done, What’s Needed. Members of Reconstructionist communities and rabbis in the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association are invited to join in an urgent webinar with leading Palestinian and Israeli experts from Jerusalem to update about what is happening on the ground, what Israelis and Palestinians are doing, and what we can do from afar. Wednesday May 12 at 2pm Eastern.
Recent days have seen an escalation in violence in Jerusalem, and sadly, violence has been flaring throughout today, Jerusalem Day. With the violent events at Al Aqsa mosque, police crackdowns on Palestinian protesters, the threat of home evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, and today’s incendiary Flag March, the city is in a state of crisis. Hamas rockets have fallen on Jerusalem and other parts of Israel and have been met by retaliatory attacks in Gaza. This is a highly volatile and dynamic situation — and we don’t know where it will lead. Join the conversation on Wednesday May 12 on Zoom. Sign up here to receive the link.
A Conversation with COLUM McCANN, author of Apeirogon (Winner of the National Jewish Book Award, longlisted for the Booker Prize), Wednesday, May 12 at 6:30pm PDT. In conversation with GARY BARWIN, author of Yiddish for Pirates (finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize) and Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted - the Ballad of Motl the Cowboy. Tickets: $18 (taxes and fees included) – Register here. Purchase the book here.
* Jewish Disability Awareness: The Community Conversation Continues
TAMIR Foundation (www.tamir.ca) is pleased to invite you to participate in an engaging 90-minute session on May 20th from 1:00 – 2:30 pm where we will share and discuss the results from the 2021 Jewish Disability Awareness Inclusion Month (JDAIM) survey. This will be the first of two sessions. Session one will focus on a review the questions asked on the Crowdbridge platform, the eliciting of new feedback, for respondents in attendance to validate the themes that surfaced during the initial conversation, and to have the opportunity to share any additional insights.
The second session will follow two weeks later on June 2nd 1:00 – 2:30PM and will focus on moving beyond conversation to exploring and planning for steps that can be taken in both the short and long-term to address barriers to inclusion. Both sessions will be facilitated by People Minded Business, an organization that specializes in inclusive consultation, collaboration, and co-creation.
We hope you will join us, as we are confident that we can accomplish great things together.
Here is the link to register for JDAIM Follow-up Session #1 on May 20, from 1 – 2:30 pm.
Here is the link to register for JDAIM Follow-up Session #2 on June 2, from 1 – 2:30 pm.
Opportunities
Scholarship opportunity for Students Studying in Israel 2021/22.
The Canadian Zionist Federaton/Kronitz Memorial Scholarship valued at $1000 is given to a worthy student who will be studying in Israel and is in need of financial aid. If you are aware of a student who is about to graduate or has recently graduated from high school, a university student or graduate student pursuing teacher training, or general studies in Israel, please encourage them to apply for the CZF/ Kronitz Memorial Scholarship. Applications are now available at www.canadianzf.ca. Deadline for applications is June 30, 2021
Upcoming Chevrah Kadisha events and courses that may be of interest:
19th Kavod v’Nichum North American Chevrah Kadisha and Jewish Cemetery Conference. Sunday - Wednesday, June 13-16, 2021, with daily plenary and workshop sessions, informal schmoozing, and opportunities for poster sessions and “evening-like” programming. Advance rates through April 30, 2021
Harvesting Your Life – Writing Your Own Obituary with Jean Berman. Wednesday May 12 & 26, 2021, 8 - 9:30 PM EDT, Course Fee is $72 USD. What has been important as you reflect on your life. Enjoy memories, reflect on meaningful experiences, think about where you are in your life, and how you would like to be remembered. Humor, things that people don’t know about you, the flavor of telling your own story can all impact those you know. This workshop will include exploring different styles of obituaries, writing to prompts and optionally reading aloud what you have written.
For more information, www.jewish-funerals.org (note the hyphen)
