Bulletin September 2005

President Beryl Tovim 514-877-5000 and then 450-247-2686 Past President Mark Covet 450-462-1409 Vice-President David Gross 450-632-4400 Treasurer Rosalie Miller-Hodson 450-462-7870 Secretary Agathe Benhamou 450-670-8607 Directors Alain Assor Annette Benchetrit Dina Cohen Roger Gilor Herman Lovi Gerry Mintzberg Mike Parker Isaac Sayegh

THIS MONTH'S EVENTS SSJC's SYMPOSIUM: "IDENTITY" Sunday, September 18, 1:00 p.m. Howard Napper School 6375 Baffin Street in Brossard Lectures, art exhibition, chamber music NOMINATIONS FOR OCTOBER ELECTIONS September 1 - 30, 2005 All that jazz! Hearty congratulations to Gerry Mintzberg and his Jazzmen for providing a wonderful evening's entertainment on Sunday, August 28, 2005. We were so impressed both by their professionalism and the quality of their music. They played many old standards, not to mention a few klezmer favourites thrown in for good measure. So if anyone has a special occasion like a wedding or a bar mitzvah, you now know whom to call.

SSJC Symposium - Identity

Most of our members already realize that we belong to a very special community. We are perhaps the only fully bilingual community in Canada, made up of Ashkenaze and Sephardic Jews from all walks of life and from many different countries. Yet we have managed to strike a balance in our religious and social life that has promoted a special blend of growth, harmony and the bonds of friendship that exist only at the South Shore Jewish Community.
Our Symposium will attempt to examine the Identity of Jews on the South Shore. Are we a microcosm of the future of Judaism, a model for other communities? How has such a diverse community of anglophones, francophones, Sephardim and Ashkenazim managed to survive and grow to almost 100 families?
On September 18, at 1:00 p.m. at the Howard Napper School in Brossard, our South Shore Identity will be up front, supported by art exhibits by our own Max Benchetrit and Anne-Marie Azoulay, chamber musicians from the YM-YWHA, and lecturers (David Bensoussan, President, CSUQ, and Jo Gabay, National VP, CJC).
Max Benchetrit also chaired this event, assisted by Agathe Benhamou, Alain Assor, Rosalie Miller-Hodson and Heather Solomon.
The Symposium is open to members of the general public and to other Jews from Montreal. We urge members to turn out in great numbers to support this very important milestone and to bring your friends and other family members, Jews and non-Jews alike.

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Nominations for elections

You will shortly receive an envelope in the mail containing information and nomination forms pertaining to the upcoming October 30 elections. The positions of Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and four Directors must be filled.
The Board needs active members and fresh ideas. If you would like to be considered for a position and need assistance in obtaining the necessary signatures, or further information on responsibilities, please call the Nominations Chair, Mark Covet.

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Hebrew Education

We are happy to announce that, given the success of our Hebrew class last year, classes will reconvene on October 18th.
Autumn registration will take place at 7:30 p.m. on October 11th. We are planning two classes for adults and adolescents: a beginner class from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and an advanced class from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
There will be 3 sessions: autumn, winter and spring, each of a ten-week duration. Separate registrations will be held for each session. The cost of the session will be the teacher's fee for 10 classes, divided by the number of people enrolled. Fees are not refundable and payment must be made in full at registration. Post-dated cheques will be accepted.
For further information, call Beryl Tovim at 514-877-5000, followed by 450-247-2686 (a local call).

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Special General Assembly held on August 22nd

On Monday, August 22, a special general assembly was held to discuss and approve changes to the by-laws submitted by the By-Laws Committee, chaired by Roger Gilor. Roger was assisted by Mark Covet, Mike Parker and David Bornstein.
Section 8.1 of the By-Laws dealing with the nominating and election procedure was modified to bring it in line with current practice as defined by a Resolution of the Board, thus fulfilling a desire expressed by one of our members at the last AGM.
A minor change was also approved concerning signing officers for banking procedures. Rather than requiring the signature of either the President or Vice-President along with either the Secretary or Treasurer, cheques may be now be signed by any two signing officers. This change was necessary because many people are on vacation for long periods in the winter and the previous by-law was too restrictive.

Rosh Hashanah Message
Beryl Tovim, President

Rosh Hashanah draws close - the end of our Jewish year. It's a time to take stock.
On a personal level, it seems to me that however removed we are in our daily lives from the practice of our Judaism, at this time of the year we are drawn back to our roots, to our parents, and to our childhood.
However scant attendance might be at weekly Shabbat services, invariably the synagogues at Rosh Hashanah and particularly Yom Kippur are overflowing.
From the community's view, we have had a year full of interesting and varied activities and our Centre has been well used. We have endeavoured to celebrate every chag and our resident decorator and artist, Rachel Gilor, has always appropriately arranged the hall. We have tried, whenever possible, to hold a religious service as well as a cultural activity.
We have a solid core of faithful participants and helpers and we look forward to adding to these in the coming year.
We understand that not every member is drawn to us for religious purposes and that you choose to attend an activity for different reasons. We value your membership and participation.
We do hope, however, that you will help us fill our Centre, our synagogue, this coming Rosh Hashanah. It is a time for solidarity and reflection. The world is a troubled place. Meeting together in a place of prayer can be healing. We look forward to your presence.
May I take this opportunity of wishing you all a very healthy and happy and peaceful New Year.

Hiring a new leader for the High Holidays

As many of you are already aware, we lost our beloved leader, Leonard Cohen, when he was hired as Assistant Cantor at a synagogue in Montreal. As a result, the search for a replacement has been on-going since June through ads and word of mouth.
We were fortunate to receive an application from Rabbi Arie Chark. As a result of our interview with him, we decided to hold a Saturday morning service on August 27 to give him a chance to blend with the community before the commencement of the high holidays.
Since the Rabbi does not drive on Shabbat, we held an Oneg Shabbat on Friday evening at the Centre which was attended by several of our members. The Best Western provided courtesy accommodation.
He is an interesting person and describes himself as a mixture of

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HELP WANTED
Volunteers are needed to assist in the kitchen, to help lay out the food for kiddushes, and to clean up after events.
Help is also required to mail The Bulletin : folding it and putting it in envelopes and taking it to the post office.