By Michael Regenstreif
Just over six weeks ago, on Thursday, March 12, I left the
Ottawa Jewish Bulletin office at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre (SJCC),
knowing I’d be working from home the next day but hoping I’d be back on my desk
at the beginning of the following week.
The SJCC was closing temporarily because of suspicion that a
member who had been at the centre had been exposed to COVID-19. The person was
being tested and we expected to return to the office quickly if the person did
not have the virus. And while that person’s test was negative, by that Monday,
March 16, everything had changed – virtually everywhere.
Schools, most businesses, libraries, community centres and
houses of worship – any place where people normally gather – all closed their
doors that week. All cultural and sporting events were postponed or cancelled and
everyone was asked to remain at home as much as possible and to observe
physical distancing from other people in an attempt to “flatten the curve” of the
spread of this novel coronavirus.
I expect it will still be some time before life begins to
return to normal – or to whatever will be the “new normal.”
And while it has been inspiring to see our community come
together in solidarity to take care of each other while remaining physically
distant (documented in numerous Bulletin stories and columns), the loss of our
way of life – even if temporary – has been difficult.
For me, it has been hard not being able to zip into Montreal
for regular visits with my mother (who turns 92 next month) – although we talk
daily on the phone. This Passover was the first time that we weren’t together as
a family on seder nights.
But much more difficult has been witnessing the staggering
loss of life to COVID-19 – here in Ottawa, across the country and around the
world. It became personal when three people I knew in the U.S. died from it.
Much closer to home, Norma Moscovitz, the mother of my friend and fellow
Bulletin columnist Jason Moscovitz, was one of numerous residents of the
Maimonides Geriatric Centre, the largest historically-Jewish long-term care
home in Montreal, who died from COVID-19 this week. To Jason and his family,
and to all families who have lost loved ones to this pandemic, I send my
deepest condolences – and know that I speak for virtually all Bulletin readers
in doing so.
Long-term homes have been particularly hard-hit by COVID-19
with more than half the deaths in Ontario and Quebec, and in may other locations,
occurring in such centres. Thankfully, there have not been cases at Hillel
Lodge, the Jewish community’s long-term care home in Ottawa. Strict measures,
introduced early on at the Lodge, seem to have kept the disease at bay there.
The COVID-19 crisis and the economic uncertainty that came
with it has taken a heavy toll on so many enterprises and Jewish community
newspapers – struggling to remain viable in the digital age – have not been
immune. As I announced in my previous column, the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin has
had to temporarily suspend our print edition until we can return to some
semblance of normal activity. We continue, though, to use our website as a
forum for columns and news reports. Please visit the site regularly for new
content or follow us on Facebook or Twitter for updates and links when new
content is posted.
Although we are maintaining our online presence and plan to
return in print as soon as possible, the Canadian Jewish News (CJN), which had
editions serving Toronto and Montreal, Canada’s two largest Jewish communities,
was not so lucky.Elizabeth Wolfe,
“Unfortunately, we too have become a victim of COVID-19,”
wrote Elizabeth Wolfe, president of the CJN board,” in an announcement online
on April 2 (and published in its final edition, April 9). “Already struggling,
we are not able to sustain the enterprise in an environment of almost complete
economic shut down. It is with deep sadness that we announce the closure of our
beloved CJN, both in print and online.”
This was actually the second time the CJN has announced it
was shutting down. The paper previously announced its closure in 2013, but
found a way to restructure and move forward following an outcry from the
community. But while the paper was able to hang on for almost seven more years,
“The CJN suffered from a pre-existing condition and has been felled by
COVID-19,” wrote Wolfe.
While I started in journalism as a music critic at the
Montreal Gazette, my career in Jewish community journalism began as a freelance
CJN reporter and feature writer in Montreal about 30 years ago. Even after
moving to Ottawa to work at the Bulletin, I remained a weekly reader of the
Montreal edition – and an occasional reader of the Toronto edition as well. So,
my connection to the paper runs deep and as both a reader and a Jewish
community journalist, it pains me greatly to see Canada’s two largest Jewish
communities be without a newspaper.
I’ve seen some speculation from several writers connected to
the CJN that “a new CJN” may be launched in the months ahead – perhaps as an
online publication. I hope that’s the case. Jewish community newspapers have a
long and rich tradition – the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, for example has been
serving our community for almost 83 years – and are vital to our communities.
As we continue to navigate through this pandemic and these
strange days, please stay safe and stay well.
Shabbat Shalom.
