In the last few weeks, I’ve had a lot of people ask me, “So, what really going on at York,” and “How are students feeling about the situation”  so when I saw this video, I decided to post it.  I think it shows what student are feeling, and the comments on the youtube post give you a sense of the frustration at York and across this city.  Students on campus are also asking what they can do, so I’m encouraging everyone to  forward the video as a first step in raising awareness.  Hillel is working on a bunch of initiatives to help students deal with anti-Israel events on campus, and to help them to feel safe and proud of their Jewish identity.  Also check out www.peaceoncampus.ca

I just came from an amazing performance at Hart House at the University of Toronto.  YONA (Youth Outreach Network of the Arts) invited Neshama Carlebach to perform for an intimate audience.    YONA’s goal is to bring programming on campuses  “from darkness to light – from hatred to harmony” by bringing free unity concerts with amazing performers to campuses across Canada.

There were two moments that stood out for me.  First was Neshama’s performance of the song “Return Again” from her album Journey.  It was moving, and the audience dropped their guard and joined in for an amazing moment.  The second notable moment was when she re-told a story about her father and explained the meaning behind the title of her newest album “one and one”.  I’ll do my best to retell it here, but I hope that you’ll have the opportunity to hear Neshama in concert so you can hear her tell it in her own words.  Check her out on iTunes

Neshama recalls attending a meeting with her father many years ago.  At the end of the meeting a man approached her father, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and said that he would love to write the story of the famous Rabbi’s life.  Rabbi Carleback responded “Brother, it sounds like a great idea, but let me ask you a question or two to see if we are on the same page”  “Sure”, replied the man.  “What is one plus one” asked the Rabbi?  “Two” the man responded.  Rabbi Carlebach then asked “What is one plus one plus one?”  The man responded with what seemed a reasonable answer “Three.”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t think this will work out” explained Rabbi Carlebach, and the man walked away puzzled.  Neshama explained that at the time, she too was puzzled by her father’s response.  Had the answers not been correct?  Rabbi Carlebach explained to his young daughter, “one plus one is One” and that “one plus one plus one and one, is still One.  When we come together, we are One.  When you and I are united, we are One.”  “What would it be like if today, one and one and one and one were One?” pondered Neshama.  With her hope and blessing for a renewed world where “one and one are still One” she continued in song.

It was amazing!  Kol HaKavod to Marcel Cohen the founder of YONA for bringing this event to campus.  If you want to know more about YONA, and would like to hear about upcoming events, you can email marcel@yonatalent.com.  Keep your eyes out for an upcoming event at York University.

Rally Banner

Toronto for Israel Rally is the first student led rally supporting Israel since the recent conflict began.

The rally is expected to attract broad community support for Israel will take place this Sunday, January 18th, 2009 at Dundas Square (Yonge and Dundas) at 1 pm.   Toronto for Israel Rally will demonstrate solidarity for the people of Israel who have endured close to 9,000 Hamas terrorist missiles from Gaza.

Torontonians will send a clear and unequivocal anti-terrorism message as Israel continues to defend close to a million residents of Southern Israel who have been targeted by Hamas missiles. The rally has been organized by a cross section of university and college students across the GTA through Canadian Centre for Israel Activism, Hasbara Fellowships and Hillel of Greater Toronto, all organizations representing Jewish students.

Organizers have made security concerns for a safe and peaceful rally a priority. Flags and signs will be provided.

The event info can be seen on facebook.

I am sure you all are aware by now of the situation going on in Gaza and the Western Negev. Saturday marked the start of “Operation Cast Lead,” the name o the operation where the IDF is taking initiative and protecting the citizens of Sderot, Ashkelon and other Western Negev communities and kibbutzim.

December 19 marked the end of the 6-month ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.  Two days later, 84 rockets and mortars were shot from Gaza to the above areas.  No other country in the world would stand-by as its citizens are targeted on such a scale.  Israel must protect its people.

To better understand the situation, we leave you with this article, “What would you do?” written by Lorne Gunter for the National Post.

Israeli news sites are always being updated. Feel free to read any of the following;

www.jpost.com

www.haaretz.com

www.ynetnews.com

The UJA has a constant update with worldwide headlines of the situation here.

Photo Source: Ynetnews.com

Natalie Reznik, born in Haifa, Israel, has made it to the top 10 in So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

We would like to wish her a mazal tov for this great achievement.

Natalie moved to Toronto as a pre-teen. She has been dancing since she was 17, and has performed in Cirque du Soleil and as a back-up dancer for Nelly Furtado’s your last summer.

The show is a spin-off of the American show, So You Think You Can Dance on Fox.

Interestingly enough, Thornhill born, Lisa Oberman, was on last season’s Nolad Lirkod, (Born to Dance), Israel’s version of the show. Lisa was an “oleh hadasha” (new immigrant) when she was on the show, and is now in the Tel Aviv product of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat and a dancer in some Israeli music videos

Lisa Oberman on Nolad Lirkod

On Thursday, August 14th, the UJA has organized a shloshim memorial for Eldad Regev z”l and Ehud Goldwasser z”l.

The memorial will be at the Toronto Centre for the Arts (5040 Yonge Street) at 7pm.

The memorial will honour their memories and give the audience a chance to learn more about their lives and the legacies they left.

For more information, click here.

Israeli singer and songwriter, Aviv Geffen, performed his song Everybody’s Child, earlier this week at a rally to bring back kidnapped IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit.                 

Gilad ShalitAviv Geffen

After singing the song, he explained it with the following:

“Hello everyone.
More than two years have passed since Gilad was kidnapped, and who knows how many doors he is sitting behind, frightened.

He is not far away from us and the job of those who sent him is also to bring him back to his home.  It is our obligation to do everytihng to influence the political echelon to make a courageous decision.

I ask everyone who receives this letter to work towards Gilad’s release.  I wrote this song for Hilad’s family and friends and I am donating all the song’s proceeds to the campaign for his return.

It is our obligation to display humanism in this difficult hour and bring him home.”

-Quote Source: YnetNews

You can hear the song by clicking on the YnetNews link above.

On July 24, there was an op-ed piece in the Globe and Mail written by U of T’s President, David Naylor about his recent trip to Israel.

This trip’s mission was “to understand how Israel has flipped its economy upside down in less than a generation.  In the 1950s, 70 per cent of Israel’s exports were agricultural; today only 2 per cent are.  Much of what Israel sells to the world now comes from high-tech companies based on discoveries at places like the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Israel Institute of Technology (the Technion) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.”

Naylor continues to speak about the success Israel has in turning discoveries into popular products and services.  He describes four reasons for this success.

To read the full article, click here.

Photo Source: www.export.go.il

We all know from numerous studies that red wine, within reason, provides our bodies with various health benefits.  A new study by Israeli’s takes this one step further, indicating that having wine with red meat reduces the formation of toxic cells.

Photo Source: www.cutieswonderful.net

For more information, read the article on Science Daily