Better Place works toward a better world for all

In these difficult economic times, vacationers are increasingly choosing "stay-cations" as an option to help save on the traditional costs of air travel and the like. This leads to an increased reliance on our cars for vacation travel. Making that choice, our four-wheelers still cost us a fair bit in gas and oil expenses, which in turn contributes to a greater release of toxins and pollutants into the Earth's atmosphere.

The CJN recently visited the Better Place education and demonstration center at Toronto's Evergreen Brick Works. Better Place is an American-Israeli company and a global provider of networked charge spots, battery switch stations and systems that will optimize the driving experience by helping reduce our dependence on oil and its petroleum byproducts.

Sunday Feb. 26 was the last day the Better Place Brick Works demonstration center was open to the public to promote "green power" and sustainable living by employing newly adopted EV (Electric Vehicle) car models. The Ontario government provided them with a one-year grant to help spread the "drive clean" message.

It was an eye-opening experience, as The CJN got to test drive an EV from Nissan. The car drove just as a Better Place educator explained it would – incredibly smooth and amazingly silent. Without gears and traditional vehicle mechanisms, the Nissan EV relies solely on the electric systems for propulsion. With but a gentle press on the accelerator, the car just about took off at high speed.

Ontario is working to reach its goal of having one car out of every 20 be an EV and on the road by the year 2020.

It will be an exciting feat and a miraculous innovative shift when we truly do, one day, leave the world of the combustion engine behind for hybrid cars and all manner of eco-friendly affordable alternatives.

Canadian shines on The Voice Israel

We're well into the competition now on The Voice Israel (essentially the Hebrew arm of NBC's The Voice), and Canadian olah Kathleen Reiter, continues to impress the judges.

On the program's debut episode, Reiter soulfully covered Adele's Rolling in the Deep and in this clip, she brought her powerful vocal register to Katy Perry's monster hit I Kissed a Girl. The audience clearly liked it.



Recently, Viva Sarah Press, The CJN's Israel correspondent, conducted an in-depth interview with Reiter. If you happened to miss the article, you can read the full story here. Many people apparently agree Reiter is one we will hear more about in the weeks and months ahead.

John Baird tells PA to drop unilateral statehood bid

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty are in Israel this week.

And they've been proclaiming Canada's everlasting friendship and support for Israel. Not surprising considering Canada's enhanced position vis-a-vis the Jewish state since the Stephen Harper government came to power.




But Baird also just told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to let go of the idea of declaring a unilateral state without negotiating with Israel.

According to a report in the Israel media, Baird had the following to say to Abbas and his PA cohort on Monday:

On Monday, the duo met with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and other senior officials in Ramallah. During the meeting Baird expressed Canada's position that the unilateral PA statehood bid at the UN was “profoundly wrong.”

Baird also backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position, telling PA officials it was time to return to bilateral face-to-face negotiations with Israel, without any preconditions.

In related news, Canada also just increased economic sanctions on Iran. Read the full story on The CJN website here.

In case you missed it... PM Spins dreidel with aplomb!

Over the Hannukah holiday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper took time out to engage with the Jewish community on a serious matter... the famous dreidel spin.

Yes, the PM and his wife, Laureen, spent a few moments with kids at the Calgary Jewish Community Centre on the third night of Hannukah to play a game of dreidel. No word on how much money he put down on the famous Jewish game of chance, but rumour has it he's working on a new spin technique for next year because he got smoked by that kid with the white kippah on the right.

 

 

Stephen Harper, second from left, demonstrates his deftness with a dreidel last week in Calgary. [Photo courtesy of the PMO]

Sexual abuse of female journalists continues in Egypt

In February it was CBS reporter Lara Logan. Yesterday it was U.S. based Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy.

Both have now become symbols of a long-lasting, much larger problem with women's rights in the Muslim Middle East: the fact that the gender is viewed as inferior and treated as such.

Ongoing reports of brutality against women and girls – a well-known example being a case of the Taliban throwing acid into girls faces as they "dared" go to school for an education – the despicable practice of honour killings, and a general attitude of disdain for female rights are sadly all too prevalent across the region, with the notable exception being Israel.

Lara Logan

As you might recall, last February, while covering the uprising by Egyptians against their now-ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, Logan and her crew were assaulted and eventually separated from one another by a mob in Tahrir Square. And as Logan herself later revealed, during that time, she was sexually molested and violated by hundreds of men for nearly 25 minutes who shouted at her all the while, and incited each other by calling her a Jew and an Israeli spy while "raping me with their hands," she said in a CBS interview months later.

Meanwhile, yesterday Eltahawy – who writes for both The Toronto Star and The Jerusalem Post – was arrested by Egyptian security forces while covering more unrest at the square. During her detention she also claims to have been sexually assaulted by her captors.

Mona Eltahawy

In tweets she sent after her release – she spent 12 hours under the authority of Egypt's Interior Ministry – she wrote that she was sexually and physically assaulted by a half dozen men on the security force. Eltahawy also noted that her arms were now in casts and her hand severely injured. Here are some of her tweets from the last 24 hours:

"5 or 6 surrounded me, groped and prodded my breasts, grabbed my genital area and I lost count how many hands tried to get into my trousers."

 "The past 12 hrs were painful and surreal but I know I got off much much easier than so many other Egyptians."

So what did Eltahawy, Logan and so many other women in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East do? Simple, they were born girls.

What do you think?

Canada has Israel's back (again) at the UN

Canada has stood up once again for Israel on the world stage.

A series of resolutions brought forth at the UN General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonization Committee – which deals with a variety of subjects, including Palestinian refugee issue, human rights, peacekeeping and mine action – were voted on by member states on Nov. 10.

Canada voted “no” or abstained on all of them.

Read the full story in The CJN online and in print next week.

For Gilad... FREEDOM!!

GILAD SCHALIT IS FREE! GILAD SCHALIT IS FREE!

Chag sameach to all.

Noam Schalit embraces Gilad upon his arrival in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu looks on in background.

Netanyahu welcomes Gilad back home to Israel.

Sukkot preparations in song

What is a Jewish holiday these days without some form of a musical parody? Here at The CJ Shmooze on the eve of Sukkot, we thought we'd bring you this musical tale of preparing to build the holiday dwelling of the sukkah to you. Enjoy and Chag Sukkot sameach! from The CJ Shmooze and The CJN.

Shana Tova from The CJN and The Maccabeats

Jewish song-spoofers, The Maccabeats, have done it again with a parody of One Republic's hit single "Good Life". It arrived just in time to greet the Days of Awe with song.

Next week’s supplement

The CJN’s annual Community Focus supplement is done! But you’ll have to wait until next week to read it.

The special section will be part of our Aug. 25 issue, and will be downloadable online.

In my editorial for the supplement, I wrote that it offers a bit of a mixed bag – just like Toronto’s Jewish community – and that it reflects changes that have come about in recent years.
How are congregations dealing with diminishing appeal of synagogues to some men? What approaches are different denominations taking with intermarried couples? How are university students adjusting to living away from the community they grew up in?

There are also articles about Israeli and Russian Jews, deaf Jews and a program for bar mitzvah students with Asperger Syndrome.

Now that the supplement is done, I’m already thinking about what to include in it next year.

It's a beautiful thing when the community gives back

After writing a story, specifically covering charitable events, it's always a bit humbling when someone tells the reporter that as a result of their article many people contributed to a charity that will help others.

Usually, in the course of reporting, one doesn't think about the long-term impact of a specific story. It's all about getting the facts, presenting them to the reader in as unbiased a way as possible, and then moving on to the next assignment.

But occasionally, a reporter pauses in his or her tracks when confronted with how their story added some tikkun olam to society.

Last week, I had the honour of being invited to attend the Canadian Friends of Meir Medical Center's annual awards gala in Toronto. After writing an advance story on how this Israeli hospital is in need of funds to complete a children's wing, the organizers of the event contacted me to thank me for the story and tell me that it had led directly to an influx of donations from Canadian donors and philanthropists.

This was terrific news.

But there was another element to this story in The CJN.

The gala organizers also were honouring the Florence family of Toronto with a humanitarian award. Why? Because Dana and Jared Florence have been blessed with miraculous triplets, all of whom have Cerebral Palsy.

Since just after their birth, the Florence children, diagnosed with the impairment to their motor functions, have undergone various surgeries, therapies and protocols to help them progress physically as much as possible. And despite being told not to expect too much by doctors, the Florences have never given up on their children. Quite the opposite. They decided to wage war on CP in the form of their foundation "ThreeToBe".

Having had the pleasure of interviewing Dana and Jared and listening to their story, and having been told by the Canadian Friends of Meir Medical Center executive that my story had brought much-needed funding to their cause as well, I was reminded that one can and does make a difference through their work.

Here's a small video from ThreeToBe's website that tells you all you need to know.

-Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf

Facing Tomorrow Today

Facing Tomorrow 2011, the third annual conference under the auspices of Israeli President Shimon Peres, is coming to a close.

The two and a half day conference focused on vital issues and the solutions to them, all designed to bring about a better tomorrow.  Approximately 200 of the world's best minds, global leaders, international scholars and activists, scientists, entrepreneurs and industrialists, came together to take part in plenary sessions and incredibly varied panels. The decisions they come to over the two and a half days are to be implemented without delay, improving the quality of life for all mankind in addition to diaspora Jews, those within the State of Israel and the state itself.

One of the main issues deliberated at the heart of the conference is the deligitimization of Israel and the underlying fuel that powers it; the Boycott, Disinvestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Campaigns against Israel on university campuses around the world as well as many anti-Israel condemnations at the UN Human Rights Council are also of great concern.

Chief among the world's best minds, making a repeat appearance at the conference, Canadian Liberal MP Irwin Cotler. He asserts that of the two great evils of the 20th Century, Apartheid and Nazism, Israel is accused of both. To anyone who lifts the blinders, it can clearly be seen that Israel's vibrant democracy bears no resemblance to Apartheid-era South Africa. The BDS activists demonize Israel as the embodiment of ultimate racist evil, designed inexplicably to remove any moral grounds for the Jewish state's existence.

Perhaps from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address today toward the close of the conference, the world's brightest lights will have devised the newest, best strategies on how we can win the war against those who have made it their mission to deligitimize Eretz Yisrael.

The CJN's Sheri Shefa has been on site reporting live from the conference. Click here to see what she's seen and heard.

Bocelli, Noa duet at Masada

You'll have to pardon the shaky camera on this beautiful video from Israel.

Recorded on Sunday June 12, renowned Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli performed at the foot of Masada with the Rishon LeZion Symphony Orchestra and the opera choir as the closing concert of the
second international opera festival at Masada-Dead Sea and Jerusalem.

Below is Bocelli alongside Israeli singer Noa (Achinoam Nini), singing a rendition of "Santa Lucia Luntana."

It's quite amazing when you think about it: a Christian Italian and an Israeli singing their hearts out about a town named after an Italian saint... in the Jewish state.

Canada Votes 2011 - CJPACers Blog (Part II)

The hardworking team over at the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) continue to provide terrific insight into the minds of young, Jewish, Canadian federal party volunteers as they campaign towards the May 2 vote.

The following are four more blogs from the CJPAC members – Julien Newman, Sarah Kitai, Zach Paikin and Aaron Silver – each reveal more about their experiences with their chosen parties this election. Read on and enjoy. Oh, and don't forget to go to the polls on May 2. 

Your vote counts. 

- The Shmooze Team.

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Julien Newman – My first time:

The first time I volunteered in a large-scale political campaign was to elect Ed Broadbent in 2004. Mr Broadbent was a former leader of the NDP. He had delivered the party’s most successful electoral results and he was returning to federal politics to support of our promising new leader – Jack Layton. We had thousands of volunteers throughout the campaign and we managed to win the seat from the Liberals.

Read more at Julien's www.itsup2you.ca  blog

-----------------------------------------

Sarah Kitai – Lessons Learned:

Sometimes, it’s the unpleasant experiences in life that teach us the best lessons.

This was certainly true of my early encounters with political organizations. As a high school student, concerned about environmental issues and eager to get involved, I naively decided to volunteer with a certain left-wing environmental advocacy group which shall henceforth remain unnamed.

Read more at Sarah's www.itsup2you.ca blog

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Zach Paikin – My First Political Campaign:

This week’s topic is about our very first political campaign and what we wished we had known at that age.

My first political campaign was when I was 13 years old, and funnily enough it was working for John Tory in his race to become leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in 2004. (I have only been a partisan since 2008, when I decided to join the Liberal Party.)

Read more at Zach's www.itsup2you.ca blog

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Aaron Silver – My First Time:

Thinking about when I was first involved in a campaign takes me back to September 2008.  I was a junior CJPAC fellow and hungry to get involved in politics.  I lived in Toronto at that time, in the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence and wanted to get involved in a Conservative campaign.  My desire to work on a campaign led me to the nomination campaign of Joe Oliver.

Read more at Aaron's www.itsup2you.ca blog

Canada Votes 2011 - CJPACers blog their party allegiances!

In case you hadn't noticed, Canada is smack-dab in the middle of an election campaign.

And what better way to honour our democratic system than to give voice to Jewish community youth taking an active part in shaping our country's next political landscape.

The Shmooze is proud to present four takes from volunteers working with the major Canadian political parties, telling you to get out and vote.

The Canadian Jewish Shmooze wishes to thank Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) for its kind permission in reprinting and posting these four blogs from their members: Aaron Silver, Zach Paikin, Sarah Kitai and Julien Newman. We're sure you'll figure out where their party allegiances are as you read their posts.

- The Shmooze Team 

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By Aaron Silver

My vote doesn’t matter. What can one person possibly change? Elections are just hype and spin, nothing changes. My life won’t change one way or another.

Ever felt like this? Keep reading.

Read more...                 

http://www.itsup2you.ca/en/2011/03/aaron-silver-introduction/



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By Zach Paikin

Hi everyone! Zach Paikin here. I’m a student at McGill University pursuing a B.A. in Middle East Studies with a minor in Political Science, and am a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Read more...

http://www.itsup2you.ca/en/2011/03/zach-paikin-introduction/

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By Sarah Kitai

I’ll let you in on a little secret… I’m really not cut out for politics. I can’t regurgitate talking points, I hate spin, and I find every issue so incredibly nuanced that I tend to question my own opinions at least five times a day. Yet, here I am volunteering on a Green Party campaign (yes, you heard that right) when I should probably be focused on my upcoming exams.

Read more...                 

http://www.itsup2you.ca/en/2011/03/sarah-kitai-go-green/

 ----------------------------------------------------

By Julien Newman

I have been an active member of the NDP since the ripe age of 14 and I worked in many campaigns in my home ridding of Hull-Aylmer. Like everywhere else in Quebec at the time, the NDP didn’t have very bright electoral prospects. Over the years our results gradually improved and after Thomas Mulcair was elected in Montreal it became extremely exciting to be involved.            

Read more...

http://www.itsup2you.ca/en/2011/03/election-2011-making-gains/

 

Tikkun Olam תיקון עולם‎ and Technion

The accomplishments of Technion graduates have been recognized largely only within the industries they serve. Now with its "Spotlight on Success" The Canadian Technion Society, through its website is providing these graduates public exposure on their accomplishments.

The Canadian International Auto Show, the country's largest showcase of new and concept model vehicles, held annually at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the SkyDome opens its doors for its 2011 event tomorrow. It seems fitting then, to make mention the work of Toronto's Gil Hadar. 

The Technion grad is making strides to advance Canada's greater adoption of "Mild Hybrid", "Hybrid", and "Electric Cars", that might soon utilize his "IEP" (Integrated Electric Pump), as well as the work being done by the company Better Place in Israel. Technion alumnus Shai Agassi is the founder and chief executive of Better Place, the leading electric vehicle services provider. Agassi and his company have been focused on one of this century's biggest challenges: moving the world from oil-based to sustainable transportation. The result of the work completed by Better Place so far is an infrastructure and intelligent network, delivering a range of services to drivers, enabling widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and optimizing energy use.

A glimpse into their accomplishments can be seen in the video below.



The Shmooze is proudly helping to follow the accomplishments being made by Technion graduates. You too can learn more on all that The Technion is offering to world-wide scientific exploration.

Join the Canadian Technion Society at their event being held March 31st with the great Canadian philanthropist and entrepreneur, Seymour Schulich.

Tickets for the event can be obtained today by calling 416 789 4545.

Yehoram Gaon in Toronto

Getting a chance to see one of Israel's iconic showbiz personalities is a treat. And two nights ago, I was able to do just that when I took in the larger-than-life personality that is Yehoram Gaon performing at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.

He was brought in by the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University. (CFHU) who are also helping give exposure to one of the university's major initiatives: the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC), which is on the forefront of "unlocking the mysteries of the genes and proteins that control fundamental processes in living cells." A truly amazing project.

Now, I'm not Israeli nor am I very fluent in Hebrew (to my shame), so a lot of Gaon's banter with the audience in between songs would have been lost on me had it not been for my wife's ongoing translating, bless her. And while he's a very charismatic story-teller, his greatest talent is his singing voice.

Above, from left: CFHU National President Nathan Lindenberg, Yehoram Gaon and CFHU National Director, Rami Kleinmann pose post-event in Toronto this week.

The man who starred in Casablan and made the song "Kol HaKavod" an integral part of Israeli culture was in fine form on Tuesday night. The mostly Israeli crowd sang with him, clapped along and kibbitzed with the star as he belted out tunes as the 71 year old entertainer enthralled his audience over the course of two hours.

And while I wasn't able to sing along, the feeling of being part of Israel for a night was worth every moment. Thanks to CFHU for their hospitality and their efforts to bring this giant of Israeli entertainment to Toronto for a night of magic.

See and hear the Toronto mayoral candidates debate for Jewish seniors

Last week, the Top 5 Toronto mayoral candidates took the stage at Shaarei Shomayim synagogue to answer questions of interest to the city's Jewish seniors. As at most debates, things got a little heated, a little off track but also very enlightening as to who the candidates are and what they represent.

The Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) and the Association of Jewish Seniors (AJS) co-hosted the event. CJPAC kindly offered The Shmooze the video of the debate. So click below to watch, hear and absorb what they all had to say and decide for yourselves who you like best or least. Below are the candidates' answers to the first question of the debate. For the rest of the debate videos, please click CJPAC's Youtube channel here.

Which Jewish women top your list?

The theme of The CJN's 2010 Rosh Hashanah supplement will be "Which Jewish Women Top The List?"

It will be highlighting the lives and contributions of 16 Jewish women, all of them prominent, but not all of them well-known today - who have made significant contributions to Jewish life and Jewish history.

The list of 16 will sweep across the wide swath of Jewish history over the last 500 years.

The women selected will have left marks in the world on the Arts, Literature, Academia, Scholarship, Politics and Social Action. This supplement will aim to inform and instruct The CJN's readers about the lives of these women and hopefully inspire readers through the awareness of the rich, resplendent history of which readers may only have scant knowledge.

We here at The Shmooze invite you, our dedicated followers and all CJN readers, to submit your Top 4 picks in our comments section below.

Thank you and we look forward to comparing and contrasting your picks with ours.

The CJShmooze Team

Changing of the Guard at JUMP

Top: Debbie Osiel

In a late day communication from JUMP, Debbie Osiel the Jewish Urban Meeting Place's founding director, announced with mixed emotions she has resigned effective Friday July 23rd. Osiel leaves the organization after three years, founding it in 2007 working alongside trip co-ordinator Shlomo Buzaglo. In Osiel's parting words she says, "I have had the opportunity to work with an unbelievably talented and passionate team of professionals, meet amazing new friends and be part of an organization that is truly making an impact in the Toronto Jewish Community."

Although Osiel will be moving on to a new professional venture, JUMP will remain close to her heart and she looks forward to continuing to serve the community as a volunteer. On occasion, she will undoubtedly involve herself though less officially instead as a participant with JUMP's activities.

We at The CJN and on behalf of our Young Professional network at Heebonics wish Osiel all the best in her future endeavours and on-going community participation. We thank her for all the good works she has put forth.