About Town: Dec. 17

Thursday, Dec. 17


JEWISH-RUSSIAN FEST

The Jewish-Russian Folk Art Festival at the YM-YWHA Ben Weider JCC continues through Dec. 20 with  a program reflecting the diverse culture of Jewish and other ethnic groups from the former Soviet Union. Events include exhibitions, symposia, music, history, geography, folk art, dancing, foods, and more. Organized by the United Community of Russian Speaking Jews of Quebec. Contact Mark Groysberg, at 514-573-7282.

WELCOME TEVET
Women and children are invited to a Women’s Rosh Chodesh service for Tevet, 8:30 a.m. at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim. Contact Judy, 514-484-7862, Shelley, 514-489-9094, or Barbara, 514-683-4926.

HAUNTED HILLBILLY
SideMart Theatrical Grocery is staging its award-winning musical adaptation – described as a “cowboy carnival caper” – of Derek McCormack’s novel The Haunted Hillbilly today and Dec.19, 8 p.m. at the Segal Centre Studio, written by Graham Cuthberton, directed by Andrew Shaver, with music by Matthew Barber. Visit www.sidemart.ca.

CHANUKAH LUNCHEON
The Chomedey Seniors Club at the Young Israel of Chomedey holds a 1:30 p.m. Chanukah luncheon party, with entertainment by Yaacov Sassi. Call Toby Banks at 450-688-7020.

Friday, Dec. 18


SING-A-LONG

Gerry Baum leads a 10 a.m. Hebrew, English and Yiddish sing-a-long at the Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors. Contact Donna at 514-342-1234, ext. 7220.

Saturday, Dec. 19


LIFELONG LEARNING

“The Way into the Jewish Mystical Tradition” is the topic Rabbi Leigh Lerner addresses at the 9:15-10:15 a.m. Morning Torah Study session, part of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom’s Lifelong Learning series. Call 514-937-3575.

MEDITERRANEAN CONCERT
Popular Israeli singer Shlomi Shabat performs a “Mediterranean Concert,” 7:30 p.m. at Concordia University, Loyola campus’ Oscar Peterson Hall. For tickets, call Milli Raviv at 514-941-4450.

SAVE THE DELI AUTHOR
David Sax, author of Save the Deli, is interviewed by host Leslie Lutsky on Jewish Digest, 8:30 a.m. on Radio Centre-Ville, 102.3 FM.

ISRAELI FILM FEST
The Jewish Public Library’s annual Israeli Film Festival gets underway with the 8 p.m. screening of Avraham Kushir’s 2006 film Bruriah. The title refers to a religious married woman and the plot revolves around the main character’s search for her late father’s book, which was about the talmudic legend of a  second-century rabbi who tested the faithfulness of his wife, also named Bruriah. In Hebrew and  English with subtitles in the same languages. Tickets at 514-345-6416, with more details at 514-345-2627, ext. 3017.

Tuesday, Dec. 22


MARRIAGE MEETING

Couples contemplating intermarriage or one-partner conversion are invited to meet 5:30 p.m. with Rabbi Leigh Lerner to learn about Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom policies and practices and to tour the facilities. Call 514-937-3575.


…Et Cetera…


JPL HOLIDAYS

The Jewish Public Library, for the first time in memory, closes for the holidays on Dec. 20 and reopens on Jan. 5. Call 514-345-2627.

HUMAN PROMISE HELPS
The Human Promise, a grassroots group of Jewish high school students founded by student Adam Shapiro a few years ago to help the people of Sudan’s Darfur region, which is riven by civil war and mass death, recently collaborated with the local Senegalese community after torrential rains and flooding left Senegal with 264,000 disaster victims. The event, organized as part of an S.O.S. Inondations initiative, was a benefit concert held at the O Patro Vys club.

NICE TOTAL
Emunah Women of Montreal recently raised $100,000 at a benefit evening/gourmet dinner at Beth Zion Congregation. More than 200 guests attended the event, co-chaired by Sari Newman and Elizabeth Israel, which featured a talk by Barbara Crook of Palestinian Media Watch and presented awards to stalwarts Marla Veres, Lisa Hamaoui and Annie Homa. Funds raised were earmarked for the establishment of an Emunah crisis centre for teenage girls in Neve Michael, Israel.

WEST ISLE REGISTRATIONS
Registration is underway at the West Island Jewish Community Centre for the Parent and Tot program for infants and toddlers up to age 2-1/2, and for the preschool nursery for children 18 to 35 months old. Contact Heather Ingberg at 514-624-6750, or e-mail [email protected].

IN MEMORY
The Spanish and Portuguese synagogue was the site for a recent “end of shloshim” tribute to the late Aharon Ben-Tovim, a Herzliah Snowdon Jewish studies teacher and mentor to many. The event was organized by his family and included the participation of Herzliah teachers Rabbi Menachem White and David Azerad, and United Talmud Torahs Snowdon teacher Esther Even Hen.

GRASSROOTS KNITTING
Channah Koppel, a former Montrealer living in Israel, is behind a “grassroots knitting” project that is spreading word-of-mouth and involves knitting winter hats for Israeli soldiers stationed in cold areas during the winter. Details at www.hatsforisraelisoldiers.blogspot.com/2008/11/blog-post.html.

VOLUNTEERS, VOLUNTEERS
CLSC René-Cassin needs volunteers to animate activities for house-bound seniors, as well as for individuals and groups, and it also needs bilingual volunteers for its Info Abuse-Line Care-ing Voice Network lines. Call 514-484-7878.

JPL VOLUNTEERS
The Jewish Public Library is looking for physically fit and energetic volunteers to sort, cart and shelve books and other materials. Call 514-345-2627, ext. 3003.

BEUTEL BLOG
Herzliah Beutel reports that the blog of the school’s assistant campus director, Tracey Hill, has really caught on, with students., parents and teachers all checking it out on a regular basis. The blog and the school’s website are considered tools to help the Herzliah community communicate and grow.

GNO5@JPL
The recent fifth annual Girls’ Night Out at the Jewish Public Library was declared an unqualified success, with Montreal native and author Jordana Fraiberg, author of In Your Room, speaking to a sold-out crowd of mothers, daughters, aspiring authors and avid readers.

Earlier this fall, Dr. Roderick McInnes took up duties as new director of research at the Jewish General Hospital. McInnes is a geneticist and a leading researcher in the field of inherited eye disease and was recently named to the Order of Canada. His previous position was chair of molecular medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

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The recent annual meeting of the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital saw tax lawyer Barbara Novek elected as its president and chair of its board of directors. Novek has sat on the board for 12 years.

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At the recent annual meeting of the YM-YWHA, Frank Elekes, a 30-year stalwart with the Y Wolf Pack running group, was bestowed with the Wolf Bronet Running & Jogging Trophy.