President Beryl Tovim 514-877-5000 and then 450-247-2686 Past President Mark Covet 450-462-1409 Vice-President Alain Assor 514-726-2470 Treasurer Rosalie Miller-Hodson 450-462-7870 Secretary Roger Gilor 450-462-1924 Directors Ralph Abergel Laurent Azancot Annette Benchetrit David Bornstein Laurence Herscu Mike Parker Isaac Sayegh Leo Wertheim MAILING ADDRESS C.P. 50547 RPO Carrefour Pelletier Brossard, QC J4X 2V7 PREMISES Place LaCitière 50 Taschereau Blvd. LaPrairie, PQ J5R 4V3 EMAIL ssjccjrs@yahoo.ca. FAX 450-676-4115 COMMUNITY NEWS Happy Birthday February 2007 Danielle Sadoun 5 Belle Velbis 10 Sarah Taylor 14 Richard d'Amours 15 Adam Cader 17 Mélisse Azoulay 18 Alexis Morin 23 Dina Cohen 25 Alfred Arenstein 28 March 2007 Alex Goldring 1 Charles Benabou 1 Jason Clement 1 Margaret Goldring 2 Daniel Baer 2 Sylvie Canizaries-Gold 3 Joella Neron 6 Marc-Olivier Benchétrit 10 Monica Howard-Denham 13 Roberta Mintzberg 13 Adelia Sadoun 19 Philip Gross 20 Katherine Gross 21 David Bornstein 24 Vicki Meyouhas 25 Daphnée Azoulay 31 Happy Anniversary February 2007 David Green & Hélène Joly 20 March 2007 Annette & Max Benchétrit 13 MAZEL TOV Congratulations! To Jerry Stein on the November 25th Bar Mitzvahs of his grandsons, Harley and Tyler. Double Mazel Tov to Harold and Fanny Brender on the birth of their grandson, Max Gabriel, on November 15th, and on the Bar Mitzvah of their grandson Matthew on December 2nd. GET WELL SOON To Ann Simon, hospitalized with a stroke. CONDOLENCES To Emma, Kevin and Simon Hodson whose father passed away on December 26.

MARSH 2007 UPCOMING EVENTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2007 @ 10.00 A.M. BAGEL BREAKFAST: DANYA SCHWARTZ ON "BIRTHRIGHT" PROGRAM SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2007 @ 2:30 P.M. PURIM CELEBRATION AT OUR CENTRE SUNDAY, MARCH 18th, at 10:00 a.m. BAGEL BREAKFAST: JACK BORDAN ON "SAREL" Beryl's 2-week stint in the army! How many of us, at Beryl's age, would think of doing a two-week stint with the Israeli armed forces? The above photo shows Beryl (centre in top row) with her co-workers participating in the army's SAREL program in Israel. LETTER FROM ISRAEL Beryl Tovim Hello everyone, I am writing from sunny Israel, having just completed my two weeks' Army Service as part of the SAREL program, which some of you may have heard of. It has been a very worthwhile and rewarding experience - living, eating and working with the soldiers. I was with a very compatible group of twelve - mainly from USA but one couple from Montreal. Ages ranged from 50- to 74 - some retired some having just taken their annual holiday for this purpose and several having done this before. This program is in its 20th year, or thereabouts. Conditions were simple barracks - food typical Israeli - lots of salads - which I love. Some with previous experience brought their own jars of peanut butter and the second week (weekends were off base on our own or on organized tours) - there were supplements purchased in town. Work was not overwhelming and there was plenty of time to sit in the noon-day sun (hottest between 11 and 2 pm). Most of our companion soldiers were 18 or 19 yrs old - just starting their service - beautiful youngsters. I'll give you more details in person. Now I am staying with my niece in a small town called Kadima - in the Sharon Valley - not far from Nathanya - a very fertile area - the earth is so rich - lots of pardessim - oranges, mandarins and strawberries now coming into season.. I have just planted a mandarin tree in her garden and some rose bushes (just to keep my hand in). This is such a beautiful country. So many contrasts - many, very serious concerns. When I return, I will find an opportunity to talk about all that. I hope to be home by mid February - hopefully in time for the Birthright Bagel Breakfast - I hope we will get a good turn out for that. With a few of us Board Members away for a lengthy period a lot of work has fallen on the remainder - so I do hope that all members will do their best to support all the activities. If you are interested in further information about SAREL - you can check it out on their website and when I return I will be happy to pass on more details of my experiences. Meanwhile - all best wishes. Bagel Breakfast – February 25th On Sunday, February 25th, at 10 a.m., the SSJC will host another bagel breakfast. The speaker will be Danya Schwartz, who is in charge of the Bronfman “Birthright” program. This is a truly valuable program which enables young Jewish adults under the age of 25 to visit Israel for free, and through an educational program of guided tours and visits to historical sites, learn about Israel’s history and development, while reinforcing their Jewish identity. We have had one or two SSJC participants in the past, for example, Kimberley Laliberté, who told us upon returning that it was an experience that changed her life. The South Shore Jewish Community has several young adults that could qualify for this program, so any parent with children in this age group are urged to attend this informative breakfast and learn about this wonderful opportunity. Entrance is $5. Purim celebration – March 4th Members are invited to celebrate Purim at our community centre on Sunday, March 4th at 2.30 p.m. We will have all the usual entertainment and activities that have become a tradition of the SSJC. A flyer with more details will be sent to members closer to the event.

Bagel Breakfast – March 18th Our guest speaker at our bagel breakfast on Sunday, March 18th, at 10 a.m. will be Jack Bordan, the Montreal organizer of the SAREL program. SAREL is the national project for volunteers for Israel, founded as a non-profit, non-political organization, providing world Jewry with an opportunity to participate "hands-on" in helping Israel. Begun in 1982 as a response to manpower shortages caused by the war in Lebanon, most of the volunteers are between 18-65 years of age (but can be older if health permits) and work in IDF (Israel Defense Forces) warehouses on service bases under the direction of soldiers, thereby reducing the demands on Israeli reservists. As our President, Beryl Tovim, participated in this program on her recent visit to Israel, she will be able to provide us with some valuable insights into the program and tell us a little about her own first-hand experience. Entrance is $5. Chanukah 2006 Rachel Gilor The SSJC celebrated Chanukah at the community centre on December 16th, 2006. We were joined by the children of the Yeshiva from Napierville, who gave us a musical and dance performance, and by the president of the CSUQ and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. David Bensoussan. We would like to thank Rachel and Roger Gilor for supplying the gifts for the children at our celebration and for ensuring that there were door prizes for those who came. Our compliments to the catering committee - the latkes and souvganiot were excellent! Leo Wertheim volunteered to be our clown and was much appreciated by the children. Thanks go to our social committee: Jack and Shirley Sibalis, Danielle and Isaac Sadoun, Rachel and Roger Gilor, and Lawrence Herscu for organizing such an excellent afternoon. Bagel Breakfast with Rabbi Schlomo Mahn January 28 Laurence Herscu On January 28, after a delicious breakfast of bagels, smoked salmon, and other temptations, we enjoyed an interesting bilingual talk given by Rabbi Mahn on the subject of the Jewish community. He explained why having and belonging to a community is indispensable for preserving our Jewish identity when Jews live in exile as we do. From birth to death we need this community to enable us to follow the rituals inherent to our religion; whether it be for a Brit, a marriage or a funeral, but also to get together for festivals, or simply to have matzoh at Passover. Following his talk there was an animated discussion and Rabbi Mahn then responded to questions from the floor. Finally, the rabbi offered to help our community prepare for Purim. He also volunteered to come to our community centre and give educational talks on a bi-weekly basis if there is a group interested. The bilingual talk took place in a positive, relaxed atmosphere.