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Western Jewish I
BULLEHN '■
Offensive Dress
Residents complain about a roofer wearing a shirt with a swastika/2
Seninji British Cftltniibia since 1930
$1.00 includes GST JULY 13,2001/22 TAMMUZ 5761
Friend or Foe?
What role should the U.S. play in the peace process?/15
OuterlMls
Paula Shaw helps people push their boundaries/5
Israelis living in the greater Tel-Aviv area stock up on bottles of spring water after a ban on using tap water, even if it's boiled, was issued by the health ministry Monday. Several million people were affected. Shoppers cleared supermarket shelves of bottled water in a fit of panic buying Tuesday. As of press time, the exact cause of the contamination was not known. For more news from Israel, please see page 13.
Richmond's Jews join forces
The Kehila Society promotes a team atmosphere within the island city.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
Taking a lead from agencies within the Jewish community of Greater Vancouver that often work together for events and projects, the smaller community of Richmond has heen developing a group to help their organizations work more closely, as well. Several years ago, a number of Richmond residents began voicing their complaints about having to travel to Vancouver in order to receive the type of services they required for their family. The result was the formation in August 1999 of the Kehila Society.
The society was established to promote a team atmosphere within the island city in order to facilitate outreach, create additional Judaic programming and support existing programs
and organizations.
Members of Kchila's council, made up of representatives from all of Richmond's organizations and synagogues, the Jewish Family Service Agency (JFSA) and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, meet regularly to compare notes.
The current presidents of the society are Brenda Halliwell and Tammy Godfrey and the administrator is Lynne Fader Lines.
In an interview with the Bulletin, Lines said the council meetings have created a refreshing attitude in Richmond.
"I think [Kehila] has helped to develop a true sense of community in Richmond," she said. "Before, it was more territorial and nobody was working together. Now, instead of the T mentality, we have the 'we' mentality,
where everybody is working together for the same immediate goal, which is to create a better Jewish life in Richmond."
The Kehila Society has ah^dy been responsible for creating or facilitating several community projects, such as the Richmond Seniors Lunch Club in partnership with the JFSA and Eitz Chaim synagogue, the Jewish Book Club with Beth Tikvah synagogue and the Community Kol-lel, and a community Pesach seder at Eitz Chaim.
"Kehila is a community agency and it is represented by all the agencies in Richmond," Lines stressed. "There's no one core group. It is a true community."
The society has spent much of its first couple of years solidify-Please see KEHILA on page 2
Speed-dating: A how-to
Surviving the match-made-in-seven phenomenon.
BAILA LAZARUS EDITOR
So, you're a single 25-to-35-year old, or 35-to-45-year old, or whatever, and you're looking for a Jewish partner. You've read about this speed-dating thing and now you're wondering whether to do it or not and how freaky is it really?
Here's the answer: Do it. It's great Really.
The idea, in case you're new to this phenomenon, is to give men and women (in this specific case, 20 Jewish men and women) an opportunity to meet each other in quick succession on a series of seven-minute "dates." It's organized through the Community Kollel and registered participants gather at Trees cafe on an evening designated for their age group.
The women sit, each at specified table, while the men move from one seat to another. Yes, it smacks of chauvenism but is, after all, an efficient way of rotating the participants. You sit, you chat for sevfen minutes, you rotate, you sit, you chat, and so on. You're provided with a card on which you write the person's name and whether or not you want to see them again. ■
But, you're wondering, what do you talk about in seven minutes? Do you skirt around with standard, mundane questions like, "How's it going so far?" or do you go for the jugulars: "What do you do?" "How old are you?" "How much money do you make?"
No, Fm kidding. I never cared to ask how old someone was or how much they earned; but I did find that the easiest way to lead into a conversation was to talk about jobs. It sounds unoriginal, but if it's something the person's been doing for 15 or 20 years (which was the case with several participants I spoke to) then chances are they will have a great deal of identity wrapped up in their career. WTiat better way to find out about an individual?
On the form we had to fill out, there were suggested questions
to ask one another. Things like, "What are some small things that make you happy?" or "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" So, you'd read the questions and practically memorize an answer, as if you're doing an exam or applying for a job. I found that the answers to these questions sounded rehearsed.
The ones that led to more interesting conversations were the curve balls: "What CD or tape do you have in your car stereo right now?" "Tell me a joke that goes around in your field." "What do you think about war crime trials?"
The evening gets more fun as it progresses. Nerves relax, people's reactions are more natural, laughter comes more easily and frankness replaces caution.
At this point, you should feel comfortable saying something like, "No, having 17 children really doesn't interest me," without worrying that you're letting a good one get away.
But to make the evening go as smoothly as possible, right irom the start, it's worth remembering a few tips:
Wear something cool and comfortable. It can get hot in the cafe and no matter how calm and collected you are, you'll sweat. Everyone was dressed pretty casually so, as long as your shirt doesn't have coffee stains from the morning's breakfast, it's OK
Cut back on the perfume and cologne. One guy nearly knocked me out of my chair wiUi the aroma wafting from around his neck. I couldn't take a sip of my latt^ until he moved on to the next table.
Smile. It's amazing how good you feel when you extend a hand and the person responds with a firm handshake and a smile.
Don't roll your eyes if someone asks an obvious question like, "What do you do for a living?" or "Where are you from?" It's an acceptable way to start a conversation and can lead to some very
Please see SPEED-DATING onpa9e2
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