Jewish Community
Foundation
of Greater Vancouver
Canadian Je^sh Congress. Pacific Re^on
Congregation BeUi Israel
Jewtsli Federation of Greater Vancouver
Cordially Invite the community to a lecture given by
Lord Greville Janner ofBrauhstoner Q.C.
Lord Janner, a sitting member of Britain's House of
Lords, was Labour Member ofPariiament for 27 years, ilighly respected for his involvement in Jewisti and Zionist causes. Lord Janner recently produced a report on funds of Nazi victims appropriated by ttie Nazis and by British banks.
Topic:
Recovery and Restitution: Nazi Looted Assets Today and Tomorrow
Romantic Lunch for 2, 3 or ?
Join the Teva for lunch at the top of a mountain peak. Call Fern at 221-1970.
ca oc
LU
I—
CO
B
Whaf s New
A full selection of KOSHER FOODS at your neighbourhood BUY-LOW FOODS
What's Less?
Everyday better buys like these...
$3.48„
MANiSCHEWITZ DaayUmahed Matzo 275g
$2.98e,
MANISCHEWITZ Matzo Meal Daily 300g
$3.99e.
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt 1.36kg
$3.48ea
KEDEM Grape Juice 650ml
$3,58/ib
$2.08/ib
KOSHER Chicken Breasts
$7.89/kg
KOSHER Chicken Drums
$4.59/kg
BUY-LOW FOODS Q
3151 Arbutus Street at 16th Avenue, Vancouver
Religion
Crossing boundaries
Annual multi-denominational gattiering brings Jews together for study, prayer, meditation and enjoyment.
KITTY HOFFMAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
More than 1,000 Jews from across . North America, and from as far away as Brazil, recently recreated an event from the time of the Babylonian exile. Meeting in Corvallis, Ore., July 19-25, the eighth international ALEPH hallah ^thering) brought together spiritual seekers from all branches of Jewish life and practice for Torah study, prayer, ritual, meditation and artistic expression. Just as Jews from all parts of the far-flung ancient world would gather periodically in a kaUah in Babylon to share new teachings, interpretations of law and rituals, so this modem-day kallah gathered Jews from diverse places and practices for ancient and new ap>-proaches to the tradition.
Tlie biennial kallah is a core prcgect of ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, a non-denominational organization dedicated to applying the ancient wisdom of the Jewish tradition to the creation of a spiritually mean-ingfiil contemporary Judaism.
With the theme of Dancing Between the Lines: Tradition, Midrash and Beyond, this kallah offered such diverse workshops as the meditative techniques of medieval kabbalist Abraham Ab-ulafia, taught by best-selling author Rabbi David Cooper; spiritual commentary on Torah, facilitated by presidential advisor and Tikkun magazine editor Michael Lemer; and contemporary Midrash writing with renowned poet Alicia Ostriker.
A week spent in Jewash spiritual practice and quest in the company of 1,000 is far more than a collection of workshops and teachers. The kallah created its own world for a week, a world of prayers, learning and celebration. And, because Tisha B'Av fell during that week, the experience included the tragic side of Jewrish history.
Daily morning prayers offered a range of options, from a workshop for beginners wanting to learn about traditional services to an egalitarian service. Tallit-wrapped groups under trees were swajdng to traditional prayers, while others performed "Jewish yoga" where the postures are inspired by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Rabbi Shefa Gold led a service which included ancient meditative chants, and experienced participants could learn in a special minyan how to enhance their leadership of prayer services
back home. Searching for a prayer minyan became an exercise in diversity and opportunity.
Vancouver Rabbi David Mi-vasair led a Talmud study session imder the shade of an oak tree, on the topic of baseless hatred, which is said to be the cause of the destruction of the Second Temple. As the group discussed the text, particularly a passage dealing with the failure of the rabbis to take action, a lost little boy in tears walked by, presenting a real-life coimterpart to the Talmudic teaching. Who will leave the teaching to care for a child? Whose responsibility is it?
On the evening of Tisha B'Av (July 22), the entire kallah took the opportunity to commemorate the destruction of the Second Temple by sitting on the groxmd in a huge tent in the dark. The Book of Lamentations, or Aysha, was chanted and wailed, in a cacophony of mourning, transporting the kallah through the centuries to all the scenes of destruction in Jewish history. This was not a mere recounting of past events, but a visceral re-living of the incidents: the destruction of the Second Temple rolled in with the Crusader slaughters and the perennial pogroms; the destruction of ghettoes and the murder of millions.
hi contrast, on the night after Tisha B'Av, participants came together for drumming and Middle Eastern dancing in the dark in a joyous celebration of life.
On Friday afternoon, a circle of 48 women, standing in a clearing among the Oregon trees, shared the experience of a pre-Shabbat mikvah (ritual bath) in a lake, the mayim chaim or liv-, ing water in its natural state. For* many, this was their first experience vwth the ritually purifying power of this ancient tradition, and for all it was a strong moment of female spiritual energy.
After the workshops, eager shoppers crowded into the well-stocked book and gift shop, organized and operated by a local ultra-Orthodox Corvallis resident who wanted to be a part of this Jewish gathering.
Women offered advice on whether a particular silk-screened tallit looked good, or whether this or that Middle Eastern Idppah went with their hair color. Men offered to model prayer caps for strangers seeking gifts for people back home. Others exchanged rec-
Please see BOUNDARIES on page 7