4 — THE BULLETIN — Thursday. October 12, 1978
LAIPTOREST ;
Sylvia Avery, a resident of Vancouver for 43 years, passed away on Sept. 22. She was 66 years of age.;
Born and educated in Staszow, Poland, the former Sylvia Rosen resided in Toronto from 1928 to
1935. She married in Vancouver in
1936.
Mrs. Avery was affiliated with numerous organizations including: Ha-Shomer Hatzair (in Staszow and Toronto), National Council of Jewish Women, B*nai B'rith Women (gold honor member), / Schara Tzedeck Women^s Branch, Pioneer Women, Jewish Community Centre Chbir, Poafe i:ioiti^ Canadian pph' Cros^, Canadian Mental Health atssociation.
% She was predeceased by ^ her parents, Meir and Pessy Rosen; a brother, Kalmah Rosen; and; t^o: sisters, Deborah and Chaya Rosen. She is survived by her husbanjd,. _ Harry; a son, Marvin, Ottawa; twb daughters, Harriet, Coal Harbor, ' d^C. and Rosalie, Lo3 Angeles; and ttoee brothers, Lieb Wolff Rbseii/' Jack Rosen, Morris Rosen, all 'of Toronto. c^?j
' < > ■
Funeral services were held Sept. 24 with Rabbi B.Zaiehyk and Cantor M. Preis .officiating. Interment followed at Schara Tzedeck cemetery^ Chevra Kadisha was in charge 0^ aurrangements; ■ Jv^
'The family has dedicated a library to Chabad House in memory of Mrs. Avery. Contributions are being received at Chabad House, payable to' "Sylvia Ayery Memorial Libra-
e
marnaaes
Dear Mr. Kiaplan: .
Hfaving received the; recent (Oct. 19) bulletin of Congregation Schara Tzeideck entitled "Hakpl,** I w?is dismayed to red the repriiit of an article by I^abbi Howard Kahii entitled "The Need for Reform to
i,JRefOrmir* vV-.' '.--i-
The message, complete with photo atid an inflamatoryst^tement^elow -it;^ castigates' Reform Judaism's rabbis for, officiating at niixeid ;marriages..?What disturbs me is the blanket condemnation of Reform ^ rabbis; — condemnmg an entire; i^idveiiient ft^^ a -minority of members of th^ Centrail Goiiferenee of American Rabbi^, which hbniber over 1,200 men and
Relatives and Friends are advised that the
For the enlightment of yoiir^ ; readers iand -ihemfers^ . Vaiicpiiver Jewish conimum^ mestate that our Conference is (dead : set against its members officiating aii4/pr co-offidating.,at^such >; ■'.^defemoniesl:; • ^;;
I quote from a resolution passed at the 1973 84th annual convention of the CCAR held in Atlanta, Geoi^gia: **The Central Conference of Ameri-. can Rabbis; recalling its stand adopted in 1909 that *mixed ^ inarriage/is'qontraryOp^lhe Jewish ' tradition and should be discour-
aged," now declares its opposition to participation by its members in any ceremony which solemnizes a mixed marriage."
I am dismayed that now, during: our sacred High Holy Day season, when our community ought to be expressing its commitment to K*lal Yisrael and to working together to build a strong and united Jewish community, that there are those who find it appropriate to attempt to destroy the good will between us that most of us are striving tobuild and to nurture.
Tragically, there, are a few in the Reform rabbinate that officiate at-mixed marriages and there are those unaffiliated with any rabbinical organization that officiate at mixed _ marriages, but these people .do so without the support, and^ indeed, against the position oif the vast ^ majority of their colleagues.
" There are actions that some of my Orthodox colleagues take that many of us would consider unethical but certainly we do not condemn an entire movement because of the
entire movement (which includes me) when.in fact our Vancouver community has no such problems and,Temple Shblpm stands alongside our sister synagogues in a fight against such rabbinical officiating.
I pray that Jn spite of such pejorative articles and rhet6ric,,all of us will continue to look forward; to a'' year of building a solid and united' Jewish community based on mutual trust aiid respect, and that. 5739 will see us building bridges of understanding instead of digging divisive trenches that serve only to polarize segments of our community instead of fusing them together. RABBI RICHARD D. MESSING.
Child used as 'political pawn'
Dear Mr. Kaplan:
With reference to the inane reply from the Centre administration that they prefer not to disnit>t the educational process by admitting my child to their program (JWB, Sept. 2S)i my precise idea* was not to disrupt /his' education as much as possible, and fo^ this reason I wanted him at the Centre.'
I object vigourously .to my unaccepted child being used as a political pawn to solicit fundSj where Other institutions, inasmuch need of funds,, were more than willing to accept him.
1 can't honestly believe that any four-and-a-half year-old bi-lingual sabra could prevent anyone from getting his kindergarten degree. No answer would have been more logical than the one I received.
CYNTHIA CHEIFETZ
MEMO TO READERS -
LeMers to the Editor ore edited only for, spelling, readability and excessive length. Any inaccurote information or siaternents contained in them represent the personal opinion or state of knowledge of the letter writer, not The Bulletin; The column is open at oil times to replies which Willrserve either to correct or to rebut <iny incorrect statements which letter - writers may make.—-THE EDITOR.
foolish behavior of within that movement.
individuals
in loving memory qf the late
DRHMRYH.
I do not officiate ' at mixed marriages nor do L officiate at cremations and it boils my blood wheni Xiead articles condemning my
Examining history in ligl^t of tlie Hoiocaust
sfi^uld bo
will take place '
Sunday, October 29 ' at 11:45 a.ni.
at the
Beth Israel Cemetery
Rabbi W. Solomon and Cantor M. Nixon will officiate
Dear Mr; Kaplan:
i read with interest the letter from ^ a transient Jewish mother, whose : 'imaU child wa^i^sed^^a^ to the Jewish CoinmunityCen^ Idhdei^rteh (JWB, Sept: 28);^^^^
This cold, unbending attitude has contributed to my own family leaving Jucjiaim.
Over 70 years ago, my grieving grandmother was not permitted to put a fewiresh jflowiersx)!! her eldest
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son's grave. Betaiis^; she was hurt, she moved her remaining children froin a Jewish school to the Welcoming arms of the Protestants.
; ;As a grade one teacher here in Vernon, I receive many transients: Being a public school^ we must, by law, admit students^ and of course a newpupil makes extra work;^But much is gained by everyone! The young newcomer is given a warm welcome and the other children enjoy demonstrating their fiiendlyj helpful attitude to a little stranger.
The Jewish communities in both Vancouver, as indee<i throughout the world, are doing a great job by their financial : contributions to Israel.
If these same Jewish communities in thedisapora would.bea little more like the friendly, warm, welcoming Israelis and less like the self-righteous, close-knit, suspicious. Unfriendly societies they so often are, more Jews would return to the fold.
REN FRANCIS, Vernon, B.C.
Dear Mr. Kaplan,
Those who still cannot understand swhy the' Holocaust occurred should ^examine the lifestyle of those ' Jews-. ofr.;the. 21 t(7- x 3!) coun- f' tries (Protectorates of Bohemia and Moraviaand Slovakia considered as Czechoslovakia) that the Nazis captured and murdered. Space will permit examination of only a few of those countries:
Well known are the highly assimilated lifestyles pf the German and: Australian Jews, but little known is the far-reaching corrosive invasion of Haskalah (the Jewish Enlight-ment Movement) on the Jews in Poland and in Russia, promoting assimilation and severing the people from Torah laws and Tradition.
Country..
Germany and \ Austria
Poland
Netherlands
Hungary
SSR White Russia 'Rumania Canada
Lifestyle to 1933 Destruction
80% assimilated 90%
Haskalah 90%
highly assimilated 7S%
highly assimilated ^ 70%
Haskalah 65%
highly assimilated 50%
60% assimilated and 7
'climbing (same " * for B.C.)
We should also be aware that the Canadian dollar is at the lowest I^oiift since 1933; (the beginning of
the Holocaust). Will the Canadian economy eventually collapse as it did in Germany, and facilitate another Holocaust here?
The facts before us, therefore, scream out for the.correct interpretation, that "Those who do riot remember the past are condemned to relive if — Santayana.
Jews! Accept the profound honor of linking souls in the spiritual chain of our destiny. Join countless joyous others jn the. fantastic life-long journey of. discovery — of the unequalled humanity in Judaism and of the exquisite harmony and order in creation and in the universe j proving, without doubt for each one of us that God is not dead, but has revealed himself and is rievealing himself in His special ways; ;
Open the doors to this treasure' house — one like no other. Take the hand of those overjoyed to show you how to see its eternal splendor. Feel the power within of being needed by God and desperately by man, at every stage of life. And feel the exhilaration of living the role God planned for us.
What God asks of us are our finestv efforts; in return we receive inner strength and joy which far oiitlast meaningless, transitory pleasures.
We have only to begin!
- A CONCERNED JEW
TAKES ISSUE WITH GUEST EDITORIAL
Dear Mr. Kaplan: '
With all due respect to the position of Professor Chimen Abramsky, his guest editorial mThe Bulletin (rf Sept. 7 ("The Jews of Russia A People Without an Address") angered me more than anything r have read in recent years. His deduction not only feeds the fuel to the Russian fire that burns upon tlie pharitasmic belief that Jews can be done away with; but denies the fact that wherever a Jew stands, there also stands God and The ■■/Tprah.
"In the West," Professpr Abram-- sky writes, "quite a number of Jews Wisft to lose their identity and assiniilate in the outside environment . . . mixing entirely in a non-
Jewish society ... being fully accepted in a non-Jewish society;.; a Jew who looks obviously jlewish.; . .Soviet Jews are becoming ... the anonymous people. The Jews ... are soon to become a people that may not even be mentioned."
What does he mean, "quite a number of Jews;" "a Jew who looks obviously Jfewiish;" "the anonymous people"?'
The onl}^ thing Jewish about this editorial is the publication that carried it and the writer's name and I wonjder where he got'that?:He writes niore like Yasser Arafat's brother-in-law who also visions the demise of the Jews.
No nation, Russian or otherwise, will ever destroy the Jews! No cluster >f ^^^iMilS^lS^y tht Je,«. The
Torah is the heart of Judaism and Torah is acciuired a\id maintained; through 48 virtues, aii of which fit into the pocket of any Jew, in Russia, Libya or the horrors of u Hitler and/or other maniacs.
Professor Abramsky's editorialise was inappropriate andin someways>p idiotic. He would do well to;? encourage Jews, rather than those who foolishly seek the destruction of the Jews.
But whether he does or not* there: is no Jew anywhere on theface of the earth who has no address: If any Jew ; doubts what I say^ let him ask His Father^- even in a pain-wracked whisper. He will immediately be-giv^n the address.
PAUL LEISTER