DECEMBER 2012 CHANUKAH 1929 - 2012 Eighty -Three Years …...the sister of Leon Degrelle, leader of...

1929 - 2012 Eighty -Three Years of Service to Canadian Jew

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D EC EMBER 2 0 1 2 C H A NUKAH

(Cover story on page 2)

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2 The Jewish Standard, December 2012

MICHAEL HAYMANPUBLISHER AND EDITOR

JULIUS HAYMANEDITOR AND PUBLISHER

1937-2000

ANITA SURMANEditor

General News Section

The Jewish Standard is published monthly by Michael Hayman, B.A., M.A., , Editor and Publisher. 1912A Avenue Road, Suite E5 Toronto, Ontario M5M4A1 . (416) 537-2696; 4342 Walkley, Montreal, Quebec H4B 2K5 489-3124 Printed and bound in Toronto, Canada by Regal Press Canada. Publication MailRegistration Number 140715545

Yair Lapid has sought out modernOrthodox rabbis who share his viewson religious extremism. He counts amonghis friends rabbis Shai Piron, Benny Lauand Dov Lipman. Indeed, Piron is secondon Yesh Atid’s list. And in contrast to thehome in which he grew up, when guestsvisit Lapid’s Tel Aviv residence they willfind kosher food on the table.

Yair Lapid may be more concilia-tory than his father. He may want toavoid fratricidal conflicts. But Lapidintends to confront those who oppose hisview that “religion should not be involvedin politics”. His party condemns heredileaders who “don’t let followers go to workand release themselves from poverty.” Itwould fight any attempt to reintroducethe expired Tal Law that for too long“released people from their duties as cit-izens”. Indeed, praying for the success ofthe IDF should be encouraged. Using itas an excuse to avoid active participationin the defence of Israel’s citizens cannotbe tolerated. The party would end themonopoly of the chief Rabbinate on mar-riage, scrap MK David Rotem’s conversionbill and welcome women at the wall.Lapid reserves his harshest criticism forpoliticians such as United TorahJudaism’s Yisrael Eichler who maintainthat Reform Jews are “anti-Semites”. ForLapir craven capitulation to religiousextremists and the unilateral impositionof halachic law have no place in Israelisociety. And to help ensure that smallerparties aren’t able to cow the larger par-ties into submission and thereby paralyzepolicymaking, Yesh Atid would raise thethreshold for knesset representa-t ion to 6%. While this is hardly the polit-ical overhaul Israel’s electoral systemneeds, this measure would at least makeit difficult for otherwise inconsequentialpolitical parties to exert an influence thattheir numerical strength does not justify.

Reform, Conservative and secularIsraelis need a strong voice in the nextknesset to continue their fight against thepowers of inequity. They need to be cer-tain that they have a place in the nationalreligious constellation of the country.Polls vary but Yesh Atid is predicted to winup to ten MKs. That result, together witha rejuvenated Labor, would give a strongvoice to those Israelis who resent beingaccused of avoiding the obligations neces-sary to be a good Jew.

With the ceasefire between Israeland Hamas still holding campaigning forthe January 22nd election has resumed.The bi-partisan spirit that Israelis dis-played during Operation Pillar of Defensehas already given way to the vitriolicattacks that inevitably accompany politi-cal debate in Israel. Opposition LeaderShaul Mofaz wasted no time in criticiz-ing the government for agreeing to aceasefire long before the operation’sgoals had been met.

With a month left until voterscast their ballots, every public opinionpoll indicates that Benjamin Netanyahuwill retain power, although Likud’s shiftfurther right during its primaries mightalienate more moderate voters. Still, theopposition is splintered, even more sonow that Tzipi Livni has re-entered thepolitical arena. Likud-Yisrael Beytenushould have little difficulty forminganother coalition. And while we havebeen uneasy with some of the govern-ment’s policies - we did, after all, expressour hope that Kadima would win the2009 election - we have always believedthat Jews living in their comfortableDiaspora pews should permit Israelis tomake the decisions upon which theirlives depend. There is a simple solu-tion for those in the Diaspora who com-plain about the foreign or domestic poli-cies of an Israeli government. Sink yourroots in Israeli soil and become a fullpartner in the political life of your newhome.

But while we will accept the out-come, whatever it is, there is no moralimperative preventing us from expressingour wish list for the make-up of the nextknesset. And we would hope that the Israelielectorate would take a look at Yair Lapidand his new party Yesh Atid. Yesh Atid maynot have the experience necessary to gov-ern. Its foreign policy initiatives lack clarityand consistency. But its domestic platformtakes dead aim at those Israelis who believethat there are “Christian Jews” livingamong them and that “secular Jews are justlike goyim”. A party that believes that allstreams of Judaism must be treated equal-ly deserves representation in the knesset.

Readers may remember YairLapid’s late father, Yosef ‘Tommy’ Lapid,former justice minister and leader of thesecular, almost virulently anti clericalShinui party. But unl ike h i s f a the r

Israelis Turn Attention to January 22nd Election

Cover Story

Top photoshows Israelis inKiryat Malachi head-ing for a bomb shelterfollowing a siren.Bottom photo illus-trates the damage toan apartment in thesame community.Most Israelis believethat another war withHamas is inevitableand the photos on thefront cover andthroughout the currentissue are not the lastwe will see of theimpact of rocketattacks on innocentcivilians. Photos IGPO

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Sister of Nazi LeaderHid Jews

The Jewish Standard, December 2012 3

THE WORLD IN REVIEWNEWS OF THE RECENT PAST IS REVIEWED

By NOAH FREEDMAN

aid who ran a Jewishmedia hub to help thepresident’s re-election bid.“Some mazel” he notedsarcastically.

While it may betrue that Jews in generalare shifting slightly to theright the decline in Jewishvote corresponded with thenational decline forObama.

Jewish PollsterBang On

Polling during elec-tion is a highly competitivebusiness. The public maybecome tired ot the dailypolls released, with all theirminute details, but thereputation of the pollingcompanies is at stake andthey take their numbers,and their methodology veryseriously.

The winner in thepresidential polling sweep-stakes was Nate Silver, theman behind the popularFiveThirtyEight blog.Silver correctly predictedthe results in 49 or the 50states.

During the cam-paign Silver took a lot ofheat from Conservativeanchors for maintainingthat Obama had a 90.9 percent chance of being re-elected. But even BretBaier of FoxNews praisedhis accuracy at the end.And firms like Gallop andRasmussen again wereway off the mark.

Some 90 pollingfirms conducted at leastone poll during the finalweeks of the campaign.There seems little doubtthat Silver deserves whatone comedian called himon Twitter: “The Emperorof Math”.

“We were outspentby Jewish Republicans byover $40 million and theyhave only four points andanother four years in exileto show for it,” said SteveRabinowitz, a formerClinton White House press

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THE HONOURABLE JOE OLIVER, CANADA’SMinister of Natural Resources and Member ofParliament for Eglinton–Lawrence, visited ChabadHouse during a recent his visit to India. “Canadastands united with the friends and families ofthose who were slaughtered in the atrocity thattargeted Chabad House in Mumbai and indirectlyall the Jewish people.” said Minister Oliver. ”Theresilience and strength of Chabad House is aninspiration in the face of unspeakable acts of bar-baric cruelty.” The coordinated attacks ofNovember 26 – 29, 2008, included Chabad Houseand the Taj Mahal Palace. Over 166 people werekilled in 11 shooting and bombing attacks, includ-ing two Canadians. Chabad House has been pre-viously visited by Prime Minister Stephen Harper,the Honourable John Baird, Minister of ForeignAffairs, and the Honourable Jason Kenney,Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism.

Madeline Cornet,the sister of Leon Degrelle,leader of the Belgian NaziRexen movement instru-mental in the deportation ofJews during the Germanoccupation of Belgium, hidthree Jews in her homenear Brussels.

Hanna Nadel, 86,says that she, her niece andher mother was rescued byCornet. The three hadescaped deportation ordersand were wandering aim-lessly around the town ofSint-Genesius Rode.Cornet had a help wantedsign on her door. Cornetimmediately hired them ascook and chambermaids.

Cornet apparentlyrealized that the threewomen were Jewish butdespite her family tiesassured Nadel that theywould survive. “I have”, shetold them, ”broken with thefascism of my brother”.When Nazi visitors came tothe house the three Jewswould hide in the basement.The gefilte fish Nadel’s moth-er cooked, was given to herNazi guests as “oriental fish”.

Hanna Nadel, whowas 16 at the time, eventu-ally immigrated to Israel,Degrelle, who never apolo-gized for his Nazi beliefs,managed to escape deathafter the war and died ofnatural causes in Spain in1994.

fund raising efforts on thepart of Jewish Republicans,and the perceived unfriend-ly attitude of the WhiteHouse towards Israel, failedto make much of a dent inJewish support for the pres-ident.

Jewish VotePropelled Obama

Barack Obama maynot have received the 74%of the Jewish vote he gar-nered four years ago. Butwith 70% of Jews still sup-porting the Democrat, itappears that the massive

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4 The Jewish Standard, December, 2012

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We Are Pleased to Join in Wishing Our Jewish Friends and Customers throughoutMontreal and Area

A Joyous Chanukah Celebration

ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS SEE GAZA OUTCOME DIFFERENTLY

By LINDA GRADSTEIN, MEDIA LINEAt the aptly named

Holy Bagel on Jaffa Road indowntown Jerusalem themorning after a halt to thefighting in the Gaza Stripwas announced, patronswere skeptical that thenascent ceasefire would endthe fighting for a long time.

“It won’t last – I don’tbelieve in it at all,” GavrielYacobovich, 22, told TheMedia Line. “I’m not sure weshould have undertaken aground invasion but weshould have kept fightinguntil we were sure that ourcitizens in the south cansleep quietly without rocketfire.”

Yacobovich, wearinga green knitted skullcapshowing he is a religiouslyobservant Jew, had just

returned to Jerusalem fromthe border with Gaza, wherehe had been called up as areservist. He said many sol-diers were frustrated thatIsrael did not continue thefighting for longer.

“Of course, it is upto the political side todecide, but there was asense that we didn’t doenough in Gaza,” he said.“We should have finishedthe job.”

His girlfriend, ShiraBadici, 22, a university stu-dent disagreed. She said themost important thing is thatresidents can now sleeppeacefully in their homeswithout worrying aboutrocket fire.

“I think it’s goodbecause the people in the

south were living in fear,”she said. But looking at theother side of the coin, Shiraadded that, “At the sametime, Hamas can just usethis time to regroup and getstronger.”

A poll reported onChannel Two televisionright after the cease-firefound that 70 percent of theresidents of southern Israelopposed the cease-fire.Almost two-thirds of themthought it would not lastlong, and a quarter of thosesurveyed thought it wouldnot hold at all. Most of themsaid they wanted to see anIsraeli assault that wouldmake it impossible forHamas to fire rockets in thefuture.

In war torn Gaza,

Palestinians celebrated lateinto the night with fireworksand candy. Many saidHamas had grown strongerby being able to stand up toIsrael.

“I am satisfiedbecause it means no morechildren will be killed,”Sami Abu Salem, aPalestinian journalist toldThe Media Line. “It hasstrengthened Hamas andweakened the PalestinianAuthority (headed by therival Fatah movement).Hamas has more popularsupport and more interna-tional legitimacy.”

Abu Salem, wholives in the Jabalya refugeecamp in northern Gaza,says he had moved his fam-

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%��(�$��' %�DID PRESIDENT OBAMA WIN OR “LOSE” THE JEWISH VOTE

By MITCHELL BARD

Prior to the electionpartisans on both sidessparred over the question ofwhether President Obamawas a friend or a threat toIsrael. We now know howJewish voters felt and theresult was close to my pre-diction that Obama wouldwin 70% of the vote. He fellshort of that total with 69%.The result left partisansspinning the numbers tosuit their arguments, butthe result did provide someunambiguous conclusions.

First, let’s look atthe raw figures. Obama’sshare of the Jewish votewas nine points below whatit was in 2008. It is twopoints below the average fora Democratic candidate andthe lowest percentage sinceMichael Dukakis in 1988.

This was also the secondlowest Jewish vote total fora winning Democratic can-didate, besting only the 55%of Woodrow Wilson in 1916.Romney’s 30% share of theJewish vote was the highestsince 1988 when GeorgeH.W. Bush steamrolleredDukakis. The GOP total wassix points above their his-torical average.

Anyway you look atit, Obama’s support in theJewish community was, byhistorical standards, unim-pressive. And it could haveeasily been worse. Had theRepublicans nominated acandidate who was strongon Israel and moderate onsocial issues (maybeRomney the governor, butnot Romney the candidate),it is likely Obama’s total

would have been even lowerand the Republican’s high-er.

There is no greatmystery about the reasonfor Obama’s poor showing.While some Jews may havevoted based on their con-cerns with the economy orother domestic issues, thereis little doubt that the mainreason for the vote was dis-trust of Obama’s MiddleEast policy based primarilyon his behavior during his

first two years in office andfear that this would be thedirection he would return toafter the election.

Just over a yearbefore the election, inSeptember 2011, Obama’ssupport among Jews fellprecipitously to 54%, and53% specifically said theydisapproved of his handlingof U.S.-Israel relations. ButObama’s policy had alreadybegun to change. For his

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MUSICA CAMERATA MONTREAL, ONE OFCanada’s foremost chamber music ensembles,presented the first concert of their 43rd season onDecember 2 at the Segal Centre for the PerformingArts. The theme was A Salute to the JewishCommunity. Musica Camerata has devoted muchof its energy to promoting the music of Canadiancomposers. Pictured left to right are LambertChen, Luis Grinhauz, Berta Rosenohl, VanAmermenian and Sylvain Murray. For more infor-mation log on to www.camerata.ca.

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NAMES IN THE NEWS IN OUR CITY

By MIKE COHEN

fresh rolls, croutons, and ofcourse the famous butchershop.

The cows outsidehave been painted and halfof the former staff arealready back on board.Laurin was lured out ofretirement. BanquetManager Carole Guerard isback and bookings aresolid. You can reach her at514-739-6336. The firstweek back, a brilliant pro-motion saw free lunchesmade available via a setmenu. It was all done byword of mouth. I was invitedand upon arriving I spottedan endless line. For every-one it was worth the wait,as the famous croutons androlls arrived at the tableimmediately. After a trip tothe butcher shop afterlunch, I revelled in thereturn of the biggest steak-house in town.

REAL ESTATEQUEEN ANITA: If there isone real estate agent in thecommunity who has trulyrisen to the top in such ashort period of time it isAnita Benabou Rozenblat.

Last year at this time wetold you that she was theofficial agent for a newtownhouse developmentcalled Les Cours MarcChagall in Côte Saint-Luc.In less than six months shesold all 21 units. While shehas her sales sign on a widearray of properties in theWest End, Anita’s largestproject these days is on thesite of the former CavendishMall where a significanthousing development is tak-ing shape. The BSRDevelopment Group hashired her to sell what will nodoubt be absolutely spec-tacular luxury cottages on17 lots. They are going for$989,000 plus tax. In addi-tion, she has five additionallots for buyers who want tocustomize their own proper-ties. “These are good deals,”Anita told me. “In today’smarket, homes like the 17we will sell go for between$1.4 and $1.6 million andthose are generally not new,meaning they must be com-pletely renovated. I am real-ly excited about this pro-

MICHAEL SELTZER (FAR RIGHT) AND HIS TEAMat Le Biftheque

LE BIFTHEQUERISES: One of Montreal’smost successful Jewishrestaurateurs, MichaelSeltzer, is back in town. Inmid-November he broughtthe landmark steakhouseLe Biftheque back to life onCote de Liesse. When wemet he gave a big assist tohis wife/business partnerLinda and long time generalmanager Gilbert Laurin

Thirty-one years agoSeltzer introduced LeBiftheque to Montrealers. Aseries of franchises soonsprung up elsewhere inQuebec and Ontario. In2005 he sold the flagshiprestaurant on Cote deLiesse and rights to all of

the franchises, accepting anoffer he just could notrefuse. The two subsequentowners both filed for bank-ruptcy. Seltzer was unsuc-cessful in buying it back thefirst time, but last summerhe sealed the deal. Nowresiding primarily in SouthFlorida, where he operatesanother steakhouse calledGameroff’s, he’s poured asignificant amount of dol-lars into the building.Besides a completelyrevamped and more elegantinterior, there is a newsushi bar right off the lobby,a roast beef cart and specialfruits and vegetable items,to go along with popularstaples like the rib steaks,

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The Jewish Standard, December 2012 7%�� % !�%��From Abba Eban to

Menachem Begin, theLubavitcher Rabbi toTheodore Herzl, there is avaliant history of greatIsrael and Jewish publicrelations advocates whohave been of enormous helpto the Jewish people andIsrael. Today public rela-tions is more importantthan ever before.

As Zionist leaderZe’ev Jabotinsky once said:“The work of the publicist isa legacy from the Prophetsof Israel…Our passion is tospeak, to proclaim---“Shouting” is what thesame audience calls it, ‘wehave no need for words, giveus actions.’ One thing thataudience forgets is that

wide.Alan Dershowitz:

The famed Harvard law pro-fessor is a stalwart defenderof Israel, who regularlystands front and center dis-cussing the Jewish state.As he says in his book “TheCase for Israel”, there are“unfair attacks on the onlydemocracy in the MiddleEast.” The two fundamentalviewpoints on Israel whichhe describes and discussesso clearly and passionatelyare perfectly right-on: Theright of Israel to exist andthrive as a Jewish state, andthe right of Israel to defenditself, to defend its citizens.

Chabad EmissariesWorldwide: It’s said that one

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THE TOP 10 ISRAEL AND JEWISH PUBLIC RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS

BY RONN TOROSSIAN

speech is also an action –Perhaps the most authenticof all other actions. Citieshave been destroyed, andmore will fall, but what wasshouted in the wildernessthousands of years ago isalive and still relevant. Theworld was created by theword. The world will bemended by the article.”

Here then is The Top10 Living Israel and JewishPublic RelationsProfessionals, people who

help Israel and the Jewishpeople’s image and brand,and help foster a love ofIsrael and Judaism. Thelist is in no particular order.

B e n j a m i nNetanyahu: The IsraeliPrime Minister is the epito-me of a strong, passionateleader with an unwaveringcommitment to the survivaland strength of the Jewishstate. He is well-spoken,speaks “American”, andcaptivates audiences world-

Ronn Torossian founded 5WPR, a leading PR firm.He is a philanthropist who serves on the board of numerousnon-profit organizations, and his book "For ImmediateRelease: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Resultswith Game-Changing Public Relations" has been called “thebest book ever on Israel public relations” by the DeputySpeaker of the Israel Knesset, Danny Danon. - The Editor

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city. The stylish interior ofThe Back Bay Hotel offersvibrancy and warmthunique to this luxuryBoston hotel and theirteam complements thatwarmth with a highlyengaging and personal formof service that makes yourstay a genuinely luxuriousexperience.

The hotel is equallywell located for exploringthe tourist riches of Bostonor doing business in thisstrategically importantbusiness capital. Just bythe Charles River, this is theperfect base from which toexplore or exploit this com-pact and beautiful city. TheDoyle Collection boasts aselection of eleven “collec-tively individual” hotels setin the most fashionable

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HELPFUL HINTS FOR THE JEWISH TRAVELLER

By MIKE COHEN

T R A V E LT A L E S

Meilleurs voeux et sincères

félicitations à la communauté juive de

MONTRÉALet à nos clients et

amis juifsNous sommes

toujours heureux de vous servir.

A CONCERT INBOSTON: One of film andstage’s most extraordinaryJewish performers, IdinaMenzel, headlined her ownconcert at Boston’s WangTheatre recently. It was thereason for my family’srecent trip to the city for abrief weekend getaway.Menzel has starred in suchhits as Wicked and Rent onBroadway. The latter wasmade into a motion picture.We got to meet her back-stage after the show andshe came across as verysweet and down to earth.

WHERE TO GO: TheCiti Performing Arts Centerincludes the Wang, Colonialand Shubert Theatres. It isone of the nation’s foremostnon-profit performing artsinstitutions. The Center hasa large number of Jewishmembers of its Board andsenior management, withnames like Elliot Surkin,Esta Gordon Epstein, HarryNudelman, Fred Seigel andBarry Finegold. It has alsobeen known to host eventswith Jewish themes. Suchwas the case with the 2011world premiere of “AMelancholy BeautyOratorio,” celebrating theRescue of 49,000 Jews dur-ing the Holocaust.

WHERE TO STAY: Amere five minutes from thetheatre sits the magnificentBack Bay Hotel, part of theprestigious Doyle Collection(www.doylecollection.com).Located in the former head-quarters of the BostonPolice Department, it is nowan even more arrestingproposition after a stunningrenovation program thathas created a modern-daylandmark in this magnificent

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We Join in ExtendingBest Wishes to the

Jewish Community ofMONTREAL

On the Occasion ofCHANUKAH

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ily from the three-storyhouse they lived in to asmall apartment out of theline of Israeli artillery firewhile hostilities raged.

“It was so good to getback to my own bed aftermore than a week,” he says.

Abu Salem arguesthat Hamas is coming out ofthis conflict stronger thanever, having stood up to the

BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY��

strongest in the world – andproving it can hit Israel’smajor population center,the greater Tel Aviv area,and even reach to the out-skirts of Jerusalem with itsarsenal of rockets. For morethan a week, he points out,life came to a completestandstill in southern Israelas more than a millionIsraelis huddled in bombshelters. And a Grad rockethit a building in RishonLetzion near Tel Aviv, com-pletely destroying the build-ing, although there were nocasualties.

At the same time,Israeli officials insist theyhave achieved a new level ofdeterrence with Hamas,which saw that Israel isunwilling to accept contin-ued rocket fire on southernIsrael. Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu saidHamas is now responsiblefor ensuring that the small-er terrorist groups, likeIslamic Jihad, also stop fir-ing at the Jewish state.

Yet, Israeli analystssay it is too early to knowwhether these goals havereally been achieved.

“We need to see if itis sustainable or not – it’stoo soon to see whetherHamas is capable ofrestraining all of the otheractors,” Uzi Eilam, a security

expert at the INSS thinktank in Tel Aviv told TheMedia Line. “Time will showwhether deterrence hasbeen achieved or not. De-

terrence is fuzzy but in afew weeks time we will bemore knowledgeable abouthow much deterrence hasbeen strengthened.”

We Join in Extending Best Wishes to theJewish Community of

MONTREALOn the Occasion of

CHANUKAH

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ural Jewish DemocraticDNA had an impact and hispoll numbers slowlyclimbed so that Gallupnearly hit the final vote onthe head when it reported inSeptember 2012 that 68%of Jews would vote forObama and 29% forRomney.

Obama’s improve-ment in the polls also coin-cided with the Republicanprimary campaign thatforced Romney so far to theright that his moderatepositions as governor wereforgotten and he lost theopportunity for manyJewish votes. Still, JewishRepublicans are touting thefact that nearly one-third ofAmerican Jews repudiatedObama’s policies, particu-larly on Israel, and that thisis another sign that theGOP is attracting moreJews to the party. Sadly,this is not the case. If theycould not get a betterturnout against a candidatewith so much baggage onIsrael, it is hard to imaginea Republican doing betteragainst a Democrat whoseattitude toward Israel is



CHANUKAH

unambiguously supportive.It’s also worth not-

ing that Israelis still areextremely distrustful ofObama and overwhelminglypreferred Romney.Overcoming this trust gapwill be crucial if Obamahopes to succeed in workingwith Israel not on only theIranian issue but the peaceprocess.

Ultimately, the elec-tion wasn't close and theJewish vote didn't play asignificant role in the out-come (though many individ-ual Jews were importantObama donors, fundraisersand advisers). The key toObama's victory was hisability to attract the votes ofwomen and minorities.Jewish Democrats may stillhave some soul-searchingto do over the alienation ofso many Jewish voters, butin the end the only numberthat really counted onNovember 6 was 332, thenumber of electoral votes hewon to be reelected.

Now the questionwill be which Jewish voterswill be vindicated. WillObama pursue pol ic ies

JEWISH VOTE��

COPIES OF JOE KING’S NEW HANDBOOK“Mideast Deception” are presented to MichaelCrelinsten, (centre) Director of the Jewish PublicLibrary in Montreal. The presentors are authorKing (left) and Dr. Thomas Hecht, Chairman ofthe Advisory Council of the Montreal JewishPublication Society. The presentation is alsoavailable on line at the website ofHonestReportingCanada.

last two years, he did notpublicly criticize Israel, heexpressed more anger at thePalestinians and stoppedtheir UN efforts to gainstatehood and declare set-

tlements illegal. He alsoincreased military coopera-tion with Israel and tookevery opportunity to asserthis commitment to Israel.This combined with the nat-

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toward Israel more likehis first two years or thelast two? He will be test-ed early on the mostimportant issue of all,Iran, and how he han-dles the nuclear issuemay not only affect hisstanding with Jews butthe success of his entirepresidency.

Mitchell Bard is theauthor of The Arab Lobby:The Invisible Alliance ThatUndermines America'sInterests in the MiddleEast (HarperCollins) andIsrael Matters (BehrmanHouse).

•EYE ON MONTREAL��

ject. We are bringing in evenmore Jewish families to thecommunity, even some fromFrance. I have always prid-ed myself on working with aloyal clientele. They know Iwill go the extra mile forthem.” For more informa-tion call Anita at 514-502-6627, email her at [email protected] orcheckout her website ath t tp ://www.an i taben-abou.com/"

ELLEN’S BOOK:Dollard des Ormeaux’sEllen Lechter had her firstbook A Few Simple Truths, acontemporary novel set inMontreal with hints ofmagic realism, published inOctober (Wings-Press). Thebook, about a woman who’sdissatisfied with her life buthas little idea why, took sev-eral months to write. “Thechallenge for me was addinga bit of fantasy to a modernday setting,” says Lechter,who teaches creative writingat Concordia University’sSchool of ExtendedLearning. She is currentlyworking on a second novel.A Few Simple Truths isavailable through Amazonand Barnes and Noble.

PUTZ OF THECENTURY: MontrealJewish writer and filmmak-er Jon Tucker picked sometitle for his new novel. Putz

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EYE ON MONTREAL��

We Join in Extending

Best Wishes to Our

Jewish Friends

and Customers

On the Occasion of

CHANUKAH

May your Festival of

Lights celebration be

a joyous occasion.

We Join in Extending Best Wishes to OurJewish Friends and Clients

throughout Montreal and AreaWe wish you well in the years ahead.We are always pleased to serve you.

Meilleurs voeux et sincères félicitations àla communauté juive de

MONTRÉALet à nos clients et amis juifs

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Of The Century recognizesthe lifetime body of work bythe fictitious Irving Rosen,53, of Montreal, for alienat-ing his wife and daughterwith “putzy behaviour.”Rosen’s plan is to remarryhis ex-wife so he can divorceher again for a better settle-ment. This opens a flood-gate of old emotions andnew promises, and whenIrving's schemes get all tan-gled up, the family findsitself closer to destructionthan ever before. All he'sever really wanted was afamily. Fortunately, forIrving Rosen, it's never toolate. The 206 page publica-tion is available in paper-back and Kindle editions atAmazon.com, as well as inePub at KOBO, Barnes &Noble, Sony, and the AppleiBookstore. The paperbackis also available at theDrawn & Quarterly Store inMontreal.

MAURICE ANDMARVIN CELEBRATE :Congratulations to tworemarkable Jewish citycouncillors, Maurice Cohenof St. Laurent and MarvinRotrand of Snowdon, for 30years of service to theircommunities. Maurice canstill be found Fridays cut-ting hair at Inter CoupeMonsieur at 5850 Decarie.Victor Soussana andGeorges Ouaknine areproud to have the happy golucky Maurice with them.Call 514-739-4746 or justdrop by. As for Marvin, hehas always been at the fore-front of important issuesand the media hang on toevery word he says.

SPORTS BREAK-FAST APRIL 14: The highlyanticipated CummingsJewish Centre for SeniorsFoundation Sports CelebrityBreakfast will take place onSunday, April 14 at theGelber Conference Centre.Michael Wagen and BramNaimer are the event co-chairs. Cookie Lazarus ishonourary chair while Roy

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We Join in Extending

Best Wishes to the

Jewish Community of

MONTREAL

On the occasion of

CHANUKAH

May your celebration

be a joyous one.

Joignez vous à nous pouroffrir les meilleurs voeux

à nos amis juifs de partoutà Montréal

et du West Island à l’occasion deCHANUKAH

Nous sommes toujoursheureux de vous servir.

Salomon, a leader in theMaccabi, will be the guest ofhonour. The 1993 StanleyCup Champion MontrealCanadiens will be honouredas well.

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Jewish people”, and “As aJew I see my role as a melitzyosher, a defender of Israel:I defend even her mis-takes… I must identify withwhatever Israel does..”, andas he has been known totell critics of Israel, “The

nations that kept silent dur-ing the Holocaust ought tokeep silent now as well. Theworld that then condemneditself by its silence has lostall rights to judge Israelnow.”

�� •

THE TOP TEN��

can find two items all overthe world – Coca Cola andChabad. The Shluchim(emissaries) of Chabad workhard to show the beauty

and warmth and wisdom ofJudaism worldwide. Thesepeople do so much for thepeople of Israel and the coreof Judaism.

Dennis Miller: Thecomedian and politicalthinker is often in the main-stream media discussingthe vast dangers facingIsrael (and America) by theMuslim dominated MiddleEast. He is charismatic,clear and a cherished voicein the media on Israel andWestern values.

Mark Regev: TheAustralian-born Israelidiplomat and mediaspokesman currently servesas a spokesperson for thePrime Minister of Israel andan advisor on foreign press.He is simply great at his jobof protecting and defendingIsrael. As an article in TheGuardian said: “If the menfrom Mars ever wanted tomanufacture a PR man,they would model theirrobot on Regev. No matterhow formidable the inter-viewer, or how aggressivethe questioning, he neverbuckles under pressure. Hisdisarming Aussie accentand unfailing politeness –he calls interviewers ‘Sir’and uses phrases like ‘I begto disagree’ – almost lullslisteners into overlookinghis aggression...As a PRperformer he is horriblycompelling.”

Elie Wiesel: TheNobel Prize winner a Jewishhero, the living embodimentof survival. The man is asymbol of so much ofJewish history, and hasbeen outspoken on so manyimportant Jewish issues.He speaks and the world lis-tens. As he says,“Jerusalem must remainthe spiritual capital of the

Mike Cohen’s emailaddress is [email protected] Log on towww.mikecohen.ca and fol-low him on Twitter @mikeco-hencsl.

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Meilleurs voeux et sincères

félicitations à la communauté juive de



toujours heureux de

We Join in Extending Chanukah Holiday Greetings

to Our Jewish Friends throughout

MONTREAL

May your celebration be a

joyous occasion.

Nos meilleursvoeux à

la communautéjuive de

Montréal à l’occasion de

CHANUKAH

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Azure Magazine, and is wellspoken on Israel.

Honorable men-tions: Broadcasters MikeHuckabee & Glenn Beck,Dr. Mordechai Kedar (Israelischolar from Bar-IlanUniversity), Rabbi Avi Weiss,

We Extend Best Wishes to Our Jewish Friendson the Occasion of

CHANUKAHMay your Festival of Lights celebration be a

joyous one for family and friends.



CHANUKAH

Noa Tishby: Named“sexiest woman in Israel”,today Tishby lives in LA andhas credits in films and TVshows including NCIS, CSI:Miami, Las Vegas andNip/Tuck. While her web-site boasts that her Israeliarmy service trained her to“wield any weapon like shemeans it and kick someserious ass”, she is anactive outspoken supporterof Israel. She’s a vocalmember of AIPAC and theIsraeli Leadership Council,and co-founder of Act forIsrael, whose websitedeclares, “We believe thatIsrael has the right to live inpeace and security, andthat all people deserve theright to live in dignity. Ourgoal is to share this centristposition with a wide audi-ence to correct misinforma-tion, end demonization,stop delegitimization, and togive Israel a well-neededvoice.”

Bret Stephens: Theforeign-affairs columnist ofThe Wall Street Journal anddeputy editorial page editor,he formerly served as edi-tor-in-chief of theJerusalem Post. For the lastmany years he has writtenrepeatedly on Israel’s view-points in the world’s mediaand made Israel’s positionsso clear.

Christian friends ofIsrael: From Pastor JohnHagee to Jay Sekulow, themillions of Evangelicalfriends of Israel have beenso vitally outspoken forIsrael over the last manyyears. The Christians havestood by Israel, politically,in the media, and financial-ly and their Public Relationssupport is vital for Israel.

Noah Pollak: He’s arising star, an Americanpolitical writer who writesregularly in mainstreammedia, includingCommentary and was for-mally an assistant editor ofthe Middle East Quarterly.He previously worked for

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Ido Aharoni (Diplomat &creator of “Brand Israel”concept), David Saranga (Abrilliant Israeli diplomat,former Consul for Media ofIsrael in the US, whom TheJewish Chronicle describedas “The man whose cam-paigns are rebrandingIsrael”), Dan Gillerman(Israel's LongtimeRepresentative at the UN)and every Jew who supportsIsrael in digital media inthis era of citizen journal-ism.

service, five dedicated meet-ing rooms, in-room safes,full audio, visual and com-plimentary wired and wire-less internet service, acomplimentary 24-hour fit-ness gym with state-of-the-art equipment, a 24-hourbusiness center, 37" LCDTV's, all natural bathamenities, ADA accessibili-ty and all non-smokingrooms.

DINING OUT: Whenin Boston, my first choice

quarters of six major citiesacross Ireland, the U.K. andthe U.S. Each hotel has itsown unique and contrastingcharacter. Their portfolio ofluxury hotels can be foundin prime city centre loca-tions in Dublin, Cork,London, Bristol, Boston andWashington DC.

There are 225 roomsand suites here in all: supe-rior, deluxe, luxury and thePresidential Suite. Guestrooms at the Back Bay fea-ture lush fabrics in tranquilshades, down-filled pillowsand comforters, and bath-rooms with marble and oak.The hotel has a restaurant,the stylish Stanhope Grilleand Cuffs, an Irish Bar. Ithas valet parking, eveningturndown service in de luxer o oms , 2 4 - h ou r r o om

for dining is always LegalSea Foods(www.legalseafoods.com). The Jewish-owned chain was born in1950 when GeorgeBerkowitz opened a fishmarket in the Inman Squareneighborhood of Cambridge,Massachusetts. In 1968,the Berkowitz family openedits first seafood restaurant,right next to the fish mar-ket. George's son, Roger,has been at the helm since1992 and has expanded the

business into new marketswhile maintaining the com-pany's focus on its proudtradition and core values.Besides, of course,Massachusetts, there arenow Legal Seafood locales inWashington Florida,Georgia, Maryland, NewJersey, New York,Pennsylvania, Rhode Islandand Virginia.

We dined at theBoston Copley Place restau-

��

•TRAVEL TALES��

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We Extend BestWishes to Our

Jewish Friends onthe Occasion ofCHANUKAH

May your Festivalof Lights

celebration be a joyous one for family

and friends.



CHANUKAH

Meilleurs voeux etsincères félicitations

à la communautéjuive de



toujours heureux devous servir.

TRAVEL TALES�� rant, located at the upperlevel of Copley Place (100Huntington Avenue), withdirect indoor access to boththe Westin and Marriotthotels as well as to thePrudential Center. Keep inmind that there is also aLegal Seafoods in thePrudential Center and peo-ple often show up to thewrong locale. This can be aproblem if you have reserva-tions. Panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows overlookBoston’s historic SouthEnd. Here the views and theseafood are second to none.Operating hours areMonday to Thursday, 11a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday andSaturday, 11 a.m. to 11p.m.; and Sundays, noon to10 p.m.

Our party of threeenjoyed a fabulous meal. Westarted off with a Caesarsalad and two bowls of clamchowder, one of which was aclear broth with a lowercalorie count. The mainmenu has so much tochoose from. Specials onthe night we visited includ-ed swordfish, salmon andhaddock - all goodchoices if you are keeping akosher-style dining choice.

Mike Cohen’s emailaddress is [email protected]. Read more about histravels at www.sandbox-world.com/travel.

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We Join in Extending Chanukah Greetings to theJewish Community of Montreal

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A CHANUKAH GIFT TOthe city.

Happy Chanukah

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We Extend Best Wishes to the

Jewish Community ofMONTREAL

On the Occasion ofCHANUKAH

May your Festival of Lightscelebration be a

joyous one.

We Extend BestWishes to the Jewish

Community ofMONTREALWe are always

pleased to serve you.

We Join in Wishing Our Jewish Friends and Customers throughout

Montreal and Areaa joyous Chanukah celebration

for family and friends.

Airport Security“Nabs” El Al Pilot

An El Al pilot washeading to his flight out ofJFK a few weeks ago. In hisbag was a retractable baton.

Security at Terminal 4detained the pilot. He wasarrested by Port Authoritypolice and charged withcriminal possession of aweapon.

In a statement El Alsaid that “the first officerwas detained following aroutine security check afteran item relating to martialarts was found in his lug-age, against procedure. Hewas questioned andreleased”.

The pilot is awaitingarraignment by the QueensCriminal Court.

Jewish Pot ActivistWins His Fight

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WORLD IN REVIEW��

Mason Tvert was theface of the campaign tolegalize marijuana inColorado. Tvert grew up ina Jewish home inScottsdale, Arizona. Hebegan his fight while in col-lege at the University ofRichmond.

Tvert’s long battleculminated in victory onNovember 6th. The measurepassed permits residentsover 21 to possess up to anounce of marijuana and togrow up to six plants forrecreational use. “We haveforced a major internation-al, let alone national dis-cussion on this issue”,Tvert said. “And I trulybelieve the more people talkabout this issue amongsteach other, the quicker we’regoing to see broader changesin how our country and ourstate and our world treatmarijuana”, added the exec-utive director of SaferAlternative for EnjoyableRecreation, or SAFER.

Tvert is well-knownfor his sense of humour.Some years ago he chal-lenged the mayor of Denverand the heirs to the Coorsbrewing family to a dual.Tvert would smoke potwhile the other two drank��

We Extend Greetings to the Jewish CommunityOn the Occasion of Chanukah

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WAS THEsubject of a compelling post-election discus-sion organized by the Cummings CentreSocial Action Committee that featured JeanLapierre, television and radio political punditand former federal politician. Henry Aubin,Montreal Gazette Columnist, moderated theevening that welcomed over 350 guests.Pictured from left to right: Cummings CentreSocial Action Committee Chair Maria Sarai,Vice-Chair Herb Frank, Jean Lapierre, HenryAubin, Cummings Centre Social Action StaffAssociate Carole Klein and Cummings CentreDirector of Social Services Rebecca Levy.Photo by Eddie Lesser

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>2<9?129?>��98></+6� beer. They would see whoended up dead first. Butneither the mayor nor theheirs decided the contestwas worth it.

Lawsuit Against ArabBank Can Proceed

The following itemwas submitted by ShuratHaDin, the Israel LawCenter. - the Editor

A lawsuit against aLebanese bank accused offunneling money to theIslamist group Hezbollahthrough a local bankaccount can be heard inNew York, the state's topcourt has ruled. The federalsuit was brought by dozensof victims of two 2006 rock-et attacks in northern Israelthat were allegedly perpe-trated by Hezbollah. The

plaintiffs claim that Beirut-based Lebanese CanadianBank used an account withAmerican Express in NewYork to wire millions of dol-lars to the group.

In a unanimousdecision, the Court ofAppeals found that becausethe claims arose from analleged transaction thattook place in New York,courts in the state may hearthe case.

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We Join in Wishing Our

Jewish Clients throughout

Montreal and Area

a joyous Chanukah celebration

for family and friends.

WORLD IN REVIEW��

The plaintiffs' allega-tions "show purposefulavailment of New York'sdependable and transpar-ent banking system, thedollar as a stable and fungi-ble currency, and the pre-dictable jurisdictional andcommercial law of New Yorkand the United States,"Judge Susan Read wrote forthe court.

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fers were being used to fundterrorist plots. They alsosued American ExpressBank for negligence.

U.S. District JudgeGeorge Daniels in 2010dismissed the case againstboth banks, finding that thealleged use of the AmericanExpress account to wirefunds was incidental to theattacks.

The U.S. Court ofAppeals for the 2nd Circuitin March reinstated thecase against the Lebanesebank and asked the Courtof Appeals to weigh in onwhether New York courtshad jurisdiction.

The federal courtasked whether the Lebanesebank's alleged wire transac-tions constituted a "trans-action of business" understate law, and whether theplaintiffs' claim arose fromthem. The Court of Appealsanswered both questions inthe affirmative.

The court found thatNew York courts have juris-diction over the case becausethe alleged wires happenedrepeatedly, and the bank wasaccused of knowingly fund-ing terrorism.

The Lebanese bank"did not (allegedly) route atransfer for a terrorist grouponce or twice by mistake,”Read wrote. "Rather, plain-tiffs allege that LCB deliber-ately used a New Yorkaccount again and again toe f f e c t i t s s u p p o r t o f(Hezbollah) and allegedlyshared terrorist goals."

Chief JudgeJonathan Lippman andJudges CarmenCiparick,Victoria Graffeo,Eugene Pigott and RobertSmith concurred.

The lawsuit wasspearheaded by the ShuratHaDin Israel Law Center inTel Aviv. In a statement thefounder of the center,Nitsana Darshan-Leitnersaid "every bank around theworld, whether they havebranches in New York ornot, now knows that ,if theymove terror money throughNew Yo rk t h e y c an b e





toujours heureux devous servir.





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The decision sentthe case back to federalcourt, where it was initiat-ed.

The victims of theattacks and their relativesfiled suit against theLebanese bank in 2008,claiming it knew the trans-

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“Big Bang” ActressSplits With Husband

Mayim Bialik,known today for her role asAmy Farrah Fowler on theTV hit sitcom, “The BigBang Theory”, is partingways with her husband ofnine years, Michael Stone.Bialik denied that the split

had anything to do withher somewhat controver-sial philosophy on parent-ing as outlined in herrecently released bookBeyond the Sling. Bialikencourages constantphysical contact with chil-dren in order to form closebonds in later life.

Mayim Bialik holdsa Ph.D. in Neuroscience andis the current spokespersonfor the Holistic MomsNetwork.

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DECEMBER 2012 CHANUKAH 1929 - 2012 Eighty -Three Years …...the sister of Leon Degrelle, leader of...

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