April 7, 2014: The message of Passover is a message for our time

By Michael Regenstreif

I ’ve mentioned before that Passover is my favourite Jewish holiday because the message of freedom from slavery and oppression is so inspirational.

During Passover, we recall the slavery endured by the ancient Israelites in Egypt and celebrate their struggle for freedom and the exodus from Egypt led by Moses. As the Passover Haggadah tells us, all of us, in every generation, must view ourselves as personally moving from the bondage of slavery to freedom.

That message of every generation viewing ourselves as moving from slavery to freedom via the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt seems to me to be a lesson from our sages that the message of Passover is not just to remember something that may have happened thousands of years ago, it is that the message remains eternally relevant for all time.

In the 1850s – not very long ago in relation to the many centuries since biblical times – when African American slaves in the United States were struggling for their own freedom from slavery, they took great inspiration from the story of our exodus from slavery in Egypt. Harriet Tubman, the leader of the Underground Railroad, which spirited slaves from the American South to freedom in Canada, was code named “Moses.” The code name for Canada was “the promised land.”

As Jews, we remember the six million of our people murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. We also remember the Nazis enslaved millions of Jews, including so many of those they murdered. That dark period of our history ended just 69 years ago. Later this month, on April 27 and 28, we’ll mark Yom HaShoah, and it’s not a coincidence that the Holocaust Remembrance Day comes so soon after Passover as it is tied to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising that began during Passover in 1943.

Shockingly, the Global Slavery Index indicates there are now 29.8 million people living in some form of slavery around the world. And, while the vast majority of those are in such countries as India, China, Pakistan and Russia, no country is immune. Even Canada is listed as having about 6,000 people living in slavery.

The journey from slavery begun by Moses continues in our own time.

The Jewish state debate

There is a debate raging about whether Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is essential to a peace agreement and that debate has found its way to page 33 of this issue. Guest columnist Bob Dale insists the recognition is essential, while columnist Mira Sucharov says it is unreasonable.

Israel was created as a Jewish state after the United Nations voted in 1947 to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. Rejectionism of a Jewish state has been at the heart of every conflict Israel has faced, from the 1948 War of Independence, to the rocket barrages the villagers in Sderot face from Gaza, and to the delegitimization campaigns on university campuses. It seems to me that two states for two peoples needs the acceptance of who those people are (which, of course, does not mitigate the imperative for minorities within Israel to enjoy full rights of equal citizenship).

March 17, 2014: The Quebec election is all about values

By Michael Regenstreif

In May 2008, less than a year after I moved to Ottawa from Montreal to work at the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, I attended a talk at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre given by Queen’s University historian Gerald Tulchinsky.

Tulchinsky was here to speak about his then-new book, Canada’s Jews: A People’s Journey, a history of Canada’s Jewish community. At one point in his talk, Tulchinsky was describing the Protestant school system in Quebec in which the vast majority of Montreal’s Jews in the 20th century were educated. He asked if anyone in the audience had been through that system. About two-thirds of us put up our hands.

All that to say that there are many of us in Ottawa’s Jewish community with roots in Quebec. And many of us retain deep ties there. So, we feel like we have a stake in what goes on in Quebec. And, as Jason Moscovitz notes in his Ideas and Impressions column in the space below, the campaign has begun for the Quebec provincial election on April 7.

One of the main issues in this election – I would argue the main issue – is the so-called Charter of Quebec Values proposed by the separatist Parti Québécois (PQ), which seeks to take away the right of public sector workers to wear clothing or obvious symbols of their religion. Under the charter, a Jewish doctor, a Muslim teacher or a Sikh bus driver would be banned from wearing the kippah, hijab or turban they might feel is important to their religious observance. And there are PQ ministers who have said they would like to see private sector companies adopt the charter as well.

In essence, the proposed charter is a decidedly unsubtle message to religious minorities that they are not welcome in mainstream society – at least the society envisioned by the PQ.

That this proposed charter runs contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and to Quebec’s own Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, is of no consequence to the PQ. They want nothing more than to provoke court battles with the federal government as a way of proving the need for separation to their followers.

Yes, this election is very much about values – and it remains to be seen which values Quebecers will choose.

March 3, 2014: Israeli singer David Broza reaches out with a powerful message of peace

By Michael Regenstreif

I’m somewhat of a music maven, and singer-songwriter-guitarist David Broza – who performed a sold-out concert 15 months ago at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre – has long been one of my favourite Israeli artists. In his music, he often combines elements of folk, flamenco, pop and rock styles to create something that is both universal and uniquely his own. Many of his songs are compelling and intense keeping listeners’ attention glued both to the music and to the messages in the songs.

Broza has long advocated Israel’s seeking a comprehensive peace treaty with the Palestinians – one of his most beloved songs is “Yihyeh Tov,” which, decades ago, became an anthem of the Israeli peace movement – and nowhere is that clearer than on his latest album, East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem.

Broza purposefully recorded the album in an East Jerusalem recording studio owned by a Palestinian and on it he collaborates with a cast of Israeli, Palestinian and American singers and musicians on a repertoire of songs – some of which he wrote or co-wrote, others borrowed from other sources – most of which advocate for peace and cooperation.

The songs on East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem are written and sung primarily in English although a couple of them also have verses in both Hebrew and Arabic. Some of the songs are specific to the Israeli-Palestinian situation, while others take on that meaning due to the context of the album, the artist and his collaborators. Several of the songs are controversial just by virtue of who wrote them.

Among the highlights of Broza’s own songs is the title track, “East Jerusalem/ West Jerusalem,” which he co-wrote and sings with American-Haitian hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean. The song recognizes the essential humanity of all people – Israelis and Palestinians and others from around the world – and expresses a longing for shalom and salaam, and a time when “the world will be a better place.” The musical interaction of Broza’s singing and Jean’s rapping is captivating and convincing.

But, without doubt, the most poignant song on the album is Broza’s musical setting of “The Lion’s Den,” a poem written by Judea Pearl, the Israeli-American university professor, about the horrific murder of his son, journalist Daniel Pearl, by Islamist terrorists in Pakistan.

Written and sung as an imagined narrative by Daniel of what he was witnessing in Pakistan in his final days and hours, he observes that unspeakable evil is being committed and justified in God’s name. Although it is sung quietly, “The Lion’s Den” is a song of unmistakable and unforgettable power.

One song that I think misses its intended mark is “Jerusalem,” written by Steve Earle, the acclaimed American folk and alt-country artist who co-produced the album. While it’s certainly well intentioned, the song absurdly seems to suggest the conflict between “all the children of Abraham” will be resolved when Jews and Muslims get around to accepting the peaceful teachings of Christianity. The song’s essential message ignores centuries of war and oppression wrought in Jesus’ name. (I made this same point in 2002, when I reviewed Earle’s album, Jerusalem, in the Montreal Gazette.)

I mentioned that several songs are controversial just by virtue of who wrote them. The most notable of these is “Mother” from Pink Floyd’s The Wall, which was written by Roger Waters, perhaps the most fervent anti-Israel boycotter in popular music.

Others are “Every Day I Write the Book,” by Elvis Costello, who cancelled a concert in Israel in 2010 following pressure from Palestinian solidarity activists; and “Where Do the Children Play,” by Cat Stevens, a British convert to Islam, who is alleged to have provided support to Hamas.

I think that by including those songs Broza is reaching out to anti-Israel boycotters with a message that peace will be found through dialogue, co-operation and collaboration. If only they could understand that message.