Saturday, Aug. 10
ISRAELI DUO
The Israeli duo of Itamar Erez and Yshai Afterman, who play original jazz with a Middle Eastern twist on acoustic guitar and percussion, appear at the Festival Traditions du Monde in Sherbrooke.
Tuesday, Aug. 13
SHARING CULTURES
Mandragore, a musical ensemble specializing in Arab and Sephardi music, appears in a concert and celebration called Convivencia at the community cultural centre at 6767 Côte des Neiges Rd. at 7:30 p.m. Organized by the Montreal Dialogue Group, the event celebrates the end of the Muslim Ramadan and looks ahead to Rosh Hashanah. The group’s annual general meeting is held beforehand, at 7 p.m. [email protected].
COTLER UPDATE
Mount Royal MP Irwin Cotler provides an “Update from Parliament and Beyond” at the Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors at 10 a.m. 514-342-1234, ext. 7207.
Thursday, Aug. 15
NO SEX, PLEASE
Na’amat Canada Montreal has scheduled a trip by coach to the Upper Canada Playhouse for a performance of No Sex Please, We’re British. Reservations, 514-484-0252.
FOOD BASKETS
Volunteers begin packing Rosh Hashanah food baskets for the needy from 5-8 p.m. at 500 Montpellier St., St. Laurent. The massive effort, a B’nai Brith tradition, continues Aug. 18-22 and 25-26. Most recipients have to pick up their baskets this year; delivery is limited to the homebound. Registration for potential recipients continues on Aug. 8 and 12-15 from 10 a.m. to noon at the YM-YWHA. [email protected].
Friday, Aug. 16
HOLIDAY GIFTS
Today is the last day to order Rosh Hashanah tinned chocolates from Canadian Hadassah-WIZO Montreal. Deliveries take place the week of Aug. 25. 514-933-8461.
…Et Cetera…
PERFORMING ARTS
Registration is open for the Segal Centre Academy’s new season of performing arts education for youngsters aged 8 to 17. Courses, which run from October to May, include musical theatre, music, drama and dance. New this year is a two-year program called Wandering Stars for 15-17-year-olds on Thursdays from 5-7 p.m. Auditions begin Oct. 10. This multilingual troupe provides training in acting, singing and dancing by professional artists. In the second year, they take the show on tour. Registration, Liang Wiener, 514-739-2301, ext. 8331.
THE FONZ FOR CJA
American actors Henry Winkler, best known for his TV role in Happy Days as The Fonz, and Academy Award winner Marlee Matin, appear in conversation at the launch of the 2013 Combined Jewish Appeal Aug. 21 at Place des Arts’ Theatres Maisonneuve at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, Ayala Davis, 514-345-2645, ext. 3133.
SUPPORT PROGRAMS
Chabad Lifeline, a non-sectarian organization for anyone affected by addictions, offers a 12-step speakers meeting, open to the public, every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m., at its centre, 4615 Côte Ste. Catherine Rd. Benjamin Bresinger, 514-738-7700. Among its support programs are those for the family of addicted people and a women’s co-dependency workshop.
Hope and Cope offers a support group for the bereaved in the form of a “Mourning Walk” every Thursday at 10 a.m. – rain or shine – on Mount Royal followed by coffee or tea. Robyn Wilkenfeld, 514-340-8222, ext. 8535.
PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
At the Jewish General Hospital, doctors are now taking biopsies of malignant tumours at different stages of their growth in an effort to gain a better understanding of the genetic profiling of cancers. This is a first step in more personalized medicine, that is, tailoring treatment to the individual patient. The doctors are studying how the genetic composition of cancer cells evolves over time and leads to resistance to drug therapies. With greater knowledge, they hope to be able to prescribe a course of treatment that targets the molecular foundation of a patient’s cancer and adjust it as needed with the cellular changes.
A.M. KLEIN AVENUE?
Shloime Perel has started a campaign to have Isabella Avenue in Snowdon changed to A.M. Klein Avenue, in honour of the poet. Isabella, he notes, was named for Queen Isabella of Spain, who ordered the expulsion in 1492 of Jews who refused to convert to Catholicism. Perel believes it is inappropriate today to commemorate a perpetrator of the Inquisition. He would replace the monument to her in Macdonald Park, which borders on Isabella Avenue, with a sculpture dedicated to a vision of peace among all peoples.
About Ourselves
JPPS APPOINTMENT
Maureen Baron is the new chief educational and administrative director of Jewish People’s and Peretz Schools/Bialik High School, president Jamie Ross announced. She will be responsible for the management of all programs, resources and administrative activities at both campuses, working with principals Adina Matas and Ken Scott. Fluent in English and French, Baron has a master’s degree in educational technology from Concordia University. From 2007, she was a pedagogical consultant at the English Montreal School Board, and, since 1999, has been a lecturer in McGill University’s education faculty. She also has expertise in cyber-bullying, which is the subject of her doctoral dissertation. Her own children were educated in the Jewish day school system. Kevin Lukian, who served as chief administrative officer, has left after completing his two-year term.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Two former Montrealers landed interesting jobs in the United States. Robert Trestan, a 1982 graduate of St. George’s School, was appointed director of the New England regional office of the Anti-Defamation League, based in Boston. A lawyer, he was previously the ADL’s civil rights counsel for the eastern states, leading its fight agains hate on the Internet…
Rabbi David Fainsilber, 32, is the new part-time spiritual leader at the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe in Vermont. He is entering his fifth year of rabbinical studies at Hebrew College in Newton, Mass.,and expects to become Stowe’s full-time rabbi after being ordained next year. Rabbi Fainsilber grew up in the Reconstructionist Synagogue, but was introduced to the Jewish Renewal movement while enrolled in religious studies at the University of British Columbia. The Stowe community, where many Montrealers have second homes, is not affiliated with any denomination, and has members from a range of backgrounds. That pluralism, Rabbi Fainsilber said, is what drew him to the position. The congregation has grown rapidly since the 1980s and today has about 200 member families. In 2005, it opened a new centre on Cape Cod Road.