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SeniiigBritish Coltnnbia since I'J.W
Fencing Rnale
Canada's best will meet at the JCC/8
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Arthur Schneier becomes first rabbi to receive citizens medal/19
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Options abound for summer retreats/22
$1.00 includes GST JANUARY 19,2001/24 TEVET 5761
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Burquest Jews eye new home
A shul and community centre are being planned for a Coquitiam site.
PATJOHNSON REPORTER
If all goes as planned, there will be a new synagogue in the eastern suburbs of Vancouver in time for the High Holy Days next year. Burquest Jewish Community Association, which has been meeting for 27 years in various makeshift locations, has closed a deal that will see the group get a permanent home.
Burquest is named for the communities of Bumaby, Coquitiam, Port Coquitiam and New Westminster, but members include people from communities as far away as Langley and Abbotsford, said Dov tank, the association's president. Several legal details needed to be cleared up, but Lank is optimistic that Biurquest will be dale to take possession of a former Jehovah's Witness meeting hall by early in the summer. The
building is located just south of Coquitiam Centre, at 2870 Dewd-ney Trunk Rd.'
"We've been wandering," Lank said of the group's transient nature. For the past five years or so, members have been meeting in space provided by an Anglican church, while Sunday school takes place at Douglas College and other events are scheduled for whatever location can be foimd that fits the inuTjediate need.
Lank pointed out that about 10 per cent of British Columbia's Jews live in the catcluncnt area for his group, though so far only about 70 fainilies are formally affiliated with Burquest. The association, which was brought together by geography, is not affiliated with any of the Jewish religious streams.
"We are non-denominational,'' he said. "We can't be everything to everybody, but we can be as much as we can be to as many people as we can be."
Although Burquest does not have a congregational rabbi and does not expect to rush into hiring one even after they attain a permanent home. Rabbi Yosef Wosk plays an important role in their activities.
"We have a unique relationship vnth Yosef," said Lank. The group consults \vith Wosk on ritual issues and relies on him for spiritual leadership, but there is no formal tie..
"He is not employed by us, although he has in the past run our High Holy Days servio
Please see BURQUEST on I
Poverty battle heats up
Speakers at forum will help motivate local action.
PATJOHNSON REPORTER
Ordinary people can move mountains if they realize their potential. That's part of the message that Danny Siegel - otherwise kno\vn as the Mitzvah Man - \vill bring to a Vancouver forum later this month.
Siegel \vill speak at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver Simday, Jan. 28. Tlie forum, being organized by more than a dozen local agencies, will provide the impetus for a major anti-poverty initiative.
Siegel hesitates to use the word "inspiration," but he acknowledged his speeches are intended to make people aware of tlie potential they harbor %vithin themselves to make positive clianges in the world. He tells stories of ordinary individuals who have done extraordinary tilings to improve their communities.
The Maryland resident uses Jewish texts and stories to motivate what he refers to as people of vision and insight to action. Siegel hopes to motivate people into giving more of themselves than just Uieir cash.
"What we want to do is try to harness everything everybody's got," he said. That means maik-ing people realize they have skills they may not even recognize.
"We hope that people will be moved to look at their own talents," he said. Already, word is spreading about the enthusiasm wliich the poverty forum is generating in Vancouver and Siegel said he hopes to be able to harness that energy and encourage people to get involved in fighting the problem.
While Siegel's message will be one of motivation, the other main speaker at the event will help the participants channel their efforts into a successful project.
Linda Kslowicz is tiie executive director of Jewisli Family Services in Montreal. Her community undertook a major anti-poverty campaign begiiming about five years ago and her presentation in Vancouver will focus on the success-
es and shortcomings of their work.
Kislowicz will discuss the process Montreal's Jewish com-mimity went through, new programs they developed and the conclusions they came to about the problem.
A major factor in Montreal's effort was around the issue of food. In addition to a food bank, the agency, along witli community partners, arranged food-buying groups, community kitdiens and shared gardens.
"We kind of have a whole food-chain going," she said.
Some programs were in place before Montreal laimdied its major initiative, but programs were streamlined, some projects were made more relevant and a well-rounded community development program was adopted to give people both immediate help and long-term skills.
One of tlie major accomplishments was to improve social interaction among Jews living in poverty in order to reduce their isolation and incorporate them into the larger community.
The Vancouver event is titled Poverty in the Jewish Community: What Can We Do? Organizers claim that one in six members of the Jewish community lives in poverty. Twelve per cent of the members of Vancouver's Jewish commvmity have a gross annual income of less than $20,000. Among single mothers in the community, 41 per cent are said to have an annual income of less than $30,000.
In addition to the two guest speakers, five breakaway discussion groups will focus on employment and education, food and nutrition, health and housing and advocacy.
The co-ordinating group for the forum is the Social Services Coimdl of tlie Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. The forum will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, or to register, call the Federation office at 257-5100. □
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