Danny Fenster is coming home.
You may not know the name in the Canadian press, but Danny grew up not far from where I was born, is friends with some of my university classmates, and is a member of the Reform Jewish community around Detroit, Michigan.
Working as a journalist, he was amongst many arrested when the Myanmar military deposed the Aung San Suu Kyi – a Nobel laureate.
For six months, he sat in captivity while “Free Fenster” was a political anthem in Detroit. Thanks to U.S. Representative Andy Levin and others, enough political pressure meant that days after receiving an 11-year jail sentence, he was released into the hands of the former US ambassador.
The mitzvah of Pidyon Shvuyim פִּדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִים Redeeming the Captive last made news when Gilad Shavit was held captive in Gaza. Thankfully this latest case didn’t require anything more than political sacrifices. According to Maimonides, “The redeeming of captives takes precedence over supporting the poor or clothing them. There is no greater mitzvah than redeeming captives for the problems of the captive include being hungry, thirsty, unclothed, and they are in danger of their lives too.”
While there are other journalists and political prisoners being held in Myanmar and around the world, it is a sigh of relief for the Jewish community around the world, knowing that Danny Fenster has been freed.
This Shabbat, let us give thanks for this moment of freedom and appreciate what it means to be free. And after Shabbat – let’s work to bring more light and freedom to others through the mitzvot. While this is thankfully a rare mitzvah, there are others that you can engage in on an ongoing basis. Check out this upcoming webinar to see how some members of our community have been involved in helping others move from a narrow place to one of freedom: https://holyblossom.org/event/from-refugee-to-citizen-sharing-stories-about-resettlement-in-canada/
The Vine Awards honour the best Canadian Jewish writers and non-Jewish Canadian authors who explore Jewish subjects. This year, awards will be given in the categories of Fiction, History, Non-Fiction, and Young Adult/Children’s literature, each with a $10,000 prize.
In association with this year’s awards, we hope you’ll join us for three virtual panels featuring shortlisted Vine Awards authors and the online Awards Ceremony:
Vine Awards Panel 1: WWII Fiction & Stories of Survival
Tues, November 16, 2021 | 7 PM | FREE
Shortlisted authors Michelle Barker, Gordon Korman, and Carol Windley in conversation with juror Naomi K. Lewis, reflecting on writing WWII fiction, stories of survival, and the coming-of-age genre.
Hosted by Cynthia Good.
Details & registration.
Vine Awards Panel 2: Storytelling, Family & Loss
Wed, November 17, 2021 | 7 PM | FREE
Shortlisted authors Sidura Ludwig, Nessa Rapoport, Rick Salutin and Gideon Salutin, in conversation with juror Nathan Adler, discussing the complexities of family dynamics, storytelling, loss, and grief in their shortlisted titles.
Details & registration.
Vine Awards Panel 3: Memoir & Motherhood
Thurs, November 18, 2021 | 7 PM | FREE
Shortlisted Sharon Kirsch, Rachel Matlow, Myriam Steinberg, and illustrator, Christache in conversation with juror Zelda Abramson, on memoir, motherhood, and lived experience.
Details & registration.
2021 Vine Awards Online Ceremony
Tuesday, November 23, 2021 | 7 to 8 PM | FREE
Celebrate the winners of the 2021 Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature in the online Awards Ceremony. Awards will be announced in four categories: Fiction, History, Non-Fiction and Young Adult/Children’s – each with a prize of $10,000 – with winning authors in each category attending.
Details & registration
by Sharoni Sibony
“I hold the Torah like a baby, as lovingly and firmly as I can,” says Rabbi Kevin Hale. A sofer – or scribe – who has been entrusted with the responsibility of tending to more than 1,500 Torah scrolls that were rescued from Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust, Rabbi Hale joyfully practices the sacred craft of Torah restoration and brings new life to these scrolls.
Next week marks Toronto’s annual city-wide commemoration of the atrocities and the aftermaths of the Holocaust. At Holy Blossom, we are hosting Rabbi Hale on Wednesday, November 3, along with our own guests of honour: a Torah from the small town of Chotěboř’ outside of Prague, which is on permanent loan to our community from the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust; and John and Nora Freund, whose generous sponsorship has allowed us to give a sacred new home to this survivor scroll. Please join us in person or on Zoom as we also welcome filmmaker Miriam Lewin, scroll Trustee Lois Roman, and Andrew Keene of the World Union of Progressive Judaism, who was instrumental in returning one of these scrolls from Kutz Camp to the Progressive Jewish Community of Prague, Ec chajim.
The film opens up for us so many questions that are central to contemporary Jewish life. It takes its title from what the rabbis understood to be the last mitzvah in the Torah: “Therefore, write down this poem and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, in order that this poem may be My witness against the people of Israel” (Devarim 31:19). Did the rabbis think we were actually each obliged to learn the Torah well enough to write our own copy of it? The early sage Rava certainly thought so: “even if a person’s ancestors left him a Torah scroll, it is a mitzvah to write a scroll of one’s own” (Sanhedrin 21b:19). In a contemporary world where we are so often divorced from the processes of making and crafting the objects we live with, to reimagine and adopt this task would be a radical – and radically sacred – task. The film asks us to consider how we each devote ourselves to Torah learning and where in our own lives we could engage in sacred craft. (I can’t help but think here of Archie Rand’s monumental project of painting a canvas for each of the 613 mitzvot and inviting us to pause over each one anew. Whether or not you enjoy his artistic choices, I hope you’ll agree that the concept is a profound exploration of mitzvot.)
The story of the Czech Torah scrolls is also a beautiful metaphor for resilience and restoration after the Shoah. The scrolls, as you’ll hear at our program, came from at least 350 deserted or destroyed synagogues across Bohemia and Moravia, and landed up in the Nazi-controlled Jewish Museum in Prague by 1942, where they were catalogued and classified as artifacts, not as living scrolls for religious use. The scrolls were eventually brought to London in 1964, where they were examined. Some were deemed reparable and have found their ways to communities that can use them for worship – like Rabbi David Maxa’s progressive community in Prague; others – like ours – stand as silent witnesses to the atrocities of the Holocaust and educational tools for inter-and intra-faith work. One of the volunteers connected with the Trust has returned to Czechia and visited each of the towns from which these scrolls came and tells the story of her discoveries in the beautiful book, Light Beyond the Shadows. These Torahs now act as our teachers not just of Jewish law but of modern history, as well, and through them we can even learn more about the rise of Progressive Judaism in Europe today.
Ok, now that you’ve got the background, I’m looking forward to a deep and lively discussion when you join us for the film screening and panel next week! And I hope you’ll join us again throughout Chanukah, when we showcase another post-Holocaust restoration project with the film Raise the Roof and a conversation with curator Evelyn Tauben on November 30th. Shabbat shalom!
By: Richie Borins, Team Captain
The championship game on October 17, was much closer than the final score indicates. We were up 9 – 7 going into the ninth inning before we exploded for 14 runs to pull away with a 23 – 7 win. I think that was the biggest inning that we have ever had and it was definitely the biggest inning that we have had in a playoff game.
This one was a true team effort. I have noted below the contributions of each player in the line-up today. I also wanted to thank others who helped us during the season and of course to our many fans in attendance today.
Here is the breakdown of the contributions from the winning game:
Coaches – Jeff, David and Marc – Many thanks as always to Jeff who schlepped the equipment for us each week, filled up the cooler and provided us with support from the bench. David did a great job coaching 3rd base for us during the playoffs. I am pleased to advise that his injuries are healing up and we expect him to be back on the field for 2022. Marc, thank you very much for tracking the Beth Emeth hitters for us today and for handling the bench apps all season. We hope to see you back on the field in 2022.
We had over 20 guys suit up for the Holy Bs this season. Thanks to everyone for their contributions to bringing back the trophy. Jeff told Rabbi Splansky and she extended congratulations to all.
Have a great off-season guys!
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Founded in 1856, Holy Blossom Temple is Toronto’s first synagogue with a rich history of tradition and modernity in our religious and spiritual expression.
