6 — THE BULLETIN — Thursday, March 17, 1994
Remember the Sabbath, to keep It holy . ..
Fourth Commandment, Exodus, 20:8
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Friday, March 18,6:04 p.m. Sedra Vayikra Havdala Shabbat ends
March 19, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, March 25, 6:15 p.m. Sedra Tzav Havdala Shabbat ends March 26, 7:16 p.m.
> ••m • • • • aj
Beth Hamidrash (Sephar-dic Orthodox), 3231 Heather St. Rabbi Y. Benar-roch. Daily 7 a.m.; Shabbat. Sun., and public holidays 9 a.m.; Fri. 5 p.m.; Sat. sunset. 872-4222 or 873-2371.
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Beth Israel (Conservative). 4350 Oak St. Rabbi W. Solomon, Cantor M. Nixon. Torah reader D. Rubin. Choir S. Pelman. Daily 8 a.m. (public holidays, 9 a.m.) and 6 p.m. Fri. 8:15 p.m. Sat. 9:15 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Sun. 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. 731-4161. ■ ,
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Beth Shalom Sanctuary
(Traditional). OJCC, 108 North Glenmore Rd., Kel-owna. 852-2312. • r
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Beth Tikvah (Conservative), 9711 Geal Rd., Richmond. Rabbi M. Cohen, Torah reader T. Wolinsky. Fri. 8 p.m.; Sat. 9:30 a.m. 271-6262. .
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Burquest Jewish Community (Traditional). Oneg Shabbat services second Friday of each month, 8 p.m. 526-7235.
Chabad House Kabbalah Centre (Chassidic). 3673 W. Broadway. Rabbi L. Dubrawsky. Sun. morning minyan 10 a.m. 737-1574.
Chabad-Lubavitch (Chassidic), 5750 Oak St. Rabbi Y. Wineberg. Daily 7 a.m. Sat. 10 a.m.; Sun. 9 a.m. 266-1313.
Louis Brier Home (Orthodox), 1055 W. 41st Ave. C. Kornfeld, D. Kornfeld, R. Rosenberg. Dally mincha, 4:30 p.m.; Friday 4:15 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.
261-9376.
6.
(Orthodox), Rd., Rich-A. Feigel-
Eitz Chaim 8080 Frances mond. Rabbi stock. Dally minyan 7 a.m.; weekday evenings 6:30, p.m. Fri. sunset; Sat. 9 a.m. and sunset; Sun. 9 a.m. 275-0007. r
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Emanu-EI (Conservative). 1461 Blanshard, Victoria. Rabbi V. Rein-stein. Thurs. 7 a.m.; Sat. 9:15 a.m. 382-0615.
Har El (Conservative). North Shore JCC, 1735 Inglewood Ave.. West Van. Rabbi I. Balla, cantorial leader R. Edel. Fri. 7 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. 922-8245 or 922-9133.
Or Shalom (Traditional
Egalitarian). 710 E. 10th
Ave. Rabbi I. Marmorstein.
Wed. 7:15 a.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.
872-1614,
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Schara Tzedeck (Orthodox), 3476 Oak St. Rabbi M. Feuerstein, Cantor Yaacov Orzech, Torah reader Rev. J. Marciano. Daily 7:15 a.m. and sunset; Fri. 1/2 hr. 'before sunset; Sat. 9 a.m. and sunset; Sun. 8:30 a.m. and sunset. 736-7607.
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Shaarey Tefifah (Traditional) services at Laurel Room, Ramada Centre, 898 West Broadway. Torah reader: Rabbi I. Birnbaum. Sat. and Sun. 9 a.m. Daily 7:30 a.m. at 6792 Granville
St. 266-4612.
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Temple Shoiom (Reform). 7190 Oak St. Rabbi P. Bregman, cantorial soloist A. Guttman. Morning minyans; Mon. and Wed. 7:15 a.m.; Fri. 8:15 p.m.; Sat. 10:30 a.m. r 266-7190. O-
Jewish Historical Society JHS394
THE HUB, Max Freeman's men's wear store on East Hastings Street, as it appeared in 1940.
From Page I
While studying for a BA at UBC, Freeman became a member of the Menorah Society, a cultural group for Jewish university students.
"It was an intellectual, rather than a recreational, group," he recalled. "Plenty of speakers and debates."
Other Jewish groups sprung up around the same time, such as the Labor Zionists. On the right wing of the political spectrum, Brith Trumpeldor appeared as well.
"They're one of the precursors of the modern-day Likud,"explained Freeman. "They were brought to Vancouver by post-war immigrants from Russia."
Post-World War One immigration brought other changes to the Vancouver Jewish community.
Whereas the community's earlier centre of gravity had been what is now known as the downtown east side, more and more families began to move into Fairview Slopes and into "Second Shaughnessy", between 25th and 41st Avenues.
The Freemans followed the trend. In 1929, the family moved from Victoria and William to 26th and Hudson.
"What concentration there had been in the Vancouver Jewish community quickly dissolved around this time," the pioneer pointed out.
Freeman reflected that the community here did not face the same amount of discrimination as other Canadian Jewish communities.
"Discrimination at the time was deflected onto Chinese, Japanese and East Indians," he noted.
"Orientals faced restric-
Don't take offense at a fool.
Yiddish Saying
People do not kill time kills them.
time
BySHLOMORISKIN
Moritz Saphir
— DEATHS —
MAX GUTKIN Mar. 2
As another Bulletin community service. Deaths will be published as they are received.
VAYIKRA
EFRAT, Israel — WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN? What defines our essence? Are we the social animal of Aristotle, or the thinking of Descartes (cogito ergo sum — I thik therefore I am)?
Clearly one can come up with a variety of definitions for the human from the creature who loves for no reason to the creature who hates for no reason . . . (insert almost any verb) therefore I am. Alternate the verb and you create a myriad of possibilities.
I would like to suggest that the opening verses of the Book of Leviticus present us with a different, somewhat surprising, idea of what it means to be human, a verb that not too many people use, and certainly not the usual first-choice definition for the human spirit.
The verb I have in mind is in effect the theme of the Biblical Book of Leviticus: "/ sacrifice, therefore I am."
I call this surprising because we are searching for a universal human definition, and the sacrificial cult detailed in Leviticus is rather particularistic, parochial in scope, and even primitive.
So great is this perception that large segments of modern Jewry, intent on erasing all barriers between Jews and the rest of humanity and endeavoring to put only Judaism's best foot forward, have practically edited out all references to sacrifices from time-honored prayers in the Prayer Book and from Festival Torah readings.
But in their haste to whitewash Jewish texts, they sometimes overlook concepts whose underlying message strikes at the heart of the human existential need,
Leviticus begins with G-d calling to Moses and presenting a command which is the theme of the entire book and perhaps of all life: "Speak to the children of Israel, when arty man of you shall bring from themselves a sacrifice to G-d from the cattle, from the herd, or from the flock . . . "[Lev. 1:2]
"When any man o/j^om" doesn't really do justice to the original Hebrew, adam. Human beings, when they shall bring from themselves a sacrifice, is how it should read. Adam is after all the most universal term for person, since it evokes the first human who ever lived and from whom every single person in existence is descended, and is the root word of adamah, earth, from which all life emanates.
Not only does adam seem out of place in this particular context, but if we remove the word adam, the verse still makes perfect sense.
Hence, the Torah is teaching that the essence of the human being is his need, and his ability, to sacrifice; the logic
behind this concept inheres in the most fundamental aspect of the human predicament. It is after all only the human being, among all other physical creatures of the, world, who is aware of his own limitations, wholives in the shadow of his own mortality. And since Adam is aware of the painful reality that no matter how strong, powerful or brilliant he may be, he will ultimately be vanquished by death, his only hope is to link himself to a Being and a cause who is greater than he, which was there before he was born and which will be there after he dies.
Most people amass wealth and material goods in order to utilize them for themselves, in order to enjoy them in a physical, here-and-now sense.
However, mortality teaches that our material possessions do not really belong to us; one day we will be forced to leave them, and the entire world, behind, and they will often fall into the very opposite hands from those we would have liked to have received them.
Hence the real paradox: only those objects which we commit to a higher cause, which we give to G-d, to His temple, to His Study Hall, to His home for the sick, to His haven for the poor — only those are truly ours, because they enable us to live beyond our limited lifetime, perhaps to all eternity. Only that which we sacrifice is really ours!
The expressions of sacrifice are various, but common to building a yeshiva or funding a new hospital wing to ease the sufferings of humanity, is that both Hnk us to a greater good, a hope for the future. I may die, but to the extent that i devoted my life to causes that will not die, that live on, then I also live on. Sacrifice makes it possible to bathe in the light of eternity.
Jewish History, and City of Jerusalem, emanate from this fundamental truth, in G-d's initial command to Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac on Mt. Moriah, the Jerusalem Temple Mount.
Isaac was the first olah, whole burnt offering. In effect, G-d was teaching Abraham that his new-found faith would only endure in history eternally if he, Abraham, were willing to commit to it his most beloved object, paradoxically his very future. In his willingness to make that sacrifice, Abraham secured his religion's and his own, eternity.
But the Bible teaches that the most significant sacrifices of all are not our material goods, but are rather our own selves, our time and our effort, our intellects and our unique abilities.
Peole must sacrifice '"mikem", from themselves/JLcv. L'2J.
Giving a child the gift of a cheque is hardly as significant as giving a child the gift of our time, of our personalities, of our thoughts and of our struggles.
And this, too, G-d teaches Abraham. G-d ultimately instructs Abraham not to slay Isaac, but to allow Isaac to live, because the greatest sacrifice we can make is not in dying for G-d but rather in living in accordance with His commands and desires. Isaac in life is called an olah tim-imah, a whole burnt offering.
— Page 12
tive land covenants, were not allowed to vote, and were not admitted to many professional societies in the 1920s and 30s," Freeman ruefully noted. "But the Jews were free to do whatever they wanted."
Freeman's first encounter with anti-Semitism was in the mid-1930s, when the Osgoode Hall graduate tried to find an articling position with a Toronto law firm.
"None of the firms would hire Jewish graduates at the time," he said. "That sort of professional discrimination was completely foreign to Vancouver."
The young man finally lucked out when he met a sympathetic Irishman at a small firm. "He empathized with my situation because, as a Roman Catholic, he encountered discrimination in Toronto himself."
Freeman believes there was more anti-Semitism in Vancouver after the Second World War than before.
"The Holocaust exposed the 'non-Jewish community here to ahfi-JewisH ideas. Some of those ideas, unfortunately, stuck."
The post-war period brought in another influx of Jewish immigration to Vancouver. "Many arrived from Europe, but just as many came from other Canadian cities, especially Winnipeg."
The continuing flow of new residents has made the Vancouver Jewish community less distinctive than it was. Freeman opined. "It's just like any other community in Canada now."
Returning to his home town in 1935, Freeman co-founded the law firm of Murphy and Freeman. The small firm eventually metamorphosed into Freeman and Company. At its peak, the firm, which dissolved early in 1993, employed 55 lawyers.
Freeman told JWB he is proud to be this year's Negev Dinner honoree.
"I've always been a strong supporter of the JNF and the work it does," he declared. "I've been to Israel several times, and seen JNF forests and park developments. I very much believe in the concept of communally-owned land in Israel."
The 1994 Negev Dinner honoree noted that the rest of his family share his enthusiasm for the JNF. "My father and older brother Harold were joint Negev dinner honorees in 1957," he noted with pride.
"And I'm pleased to have been able to offer my support, too.
Call 257-5155 for tickets to the annual JNF Negev Dinner.