“A Lifetim e of Learning” - Partnership for Excellence in Jewish ...

TAMIRTamir is a proud and caring team of participants,families, volunteers, and professionalsdedicated to assisting people withdevelopmental disabilities to live with dignityand respect in a supportive Jewish environment.Our organization has spearheaded severalnew initiatives this year to promote Jewisheducation and continuity, including:The Ottawa Jewish community’s specialeducation (including gifted) needs assessment,(see results on Jewish Ottawa website)and the Inclusion Matters proposal todevelop special education resources in ourcommunity; Keshet for Kids summer andMarch break camps for disabled Jewishchildren; Yad B’Yad which offers Jewishyouth (including students from YitzhakRabin) opportunities to assist children andadults with developmental disabilities.Building a more inclusive community leadsto a stronger sense of belonging and attachmentto Jewish life for us all.Congratulations and Yasher Koach toYitzhak Rabin High School on the publicationof their Community Magazine.Alicia GreenTORAH ACADEMY OF OTTAWATorah Academy of Ottawa is proud to becelebrating its tenth anniversary this year.During these ten years, Torah Academy hasestablished itself as an educational institutionthat provides a serious alternative forparents who are seeking the highest standardsin both Judaic and secular studies,coupled with the warmth and intimacy thata smaller school is able to provide. Inkeeping with its mandate to foster withinits students a life-long commitment tolearning and living according to the idealsof Jewish tradition, and by providing an environmentin which Torah ideals and middos(positive character traits) are taught andmodeled by its faculty, Torah Academy hasdone much to promote Jewish Educationand Jewish Continuity over the past tenyears. Torah Academy graduates have continuedtheir Jewish education on the secondaryand post-secondary levels and arenow beginning to establish families that areproudly Jewish and committed to the idealsfirst instilled in them during their years atTorah Academy.Rabbi Yisroel GoldbaumUIA—CANADAThe Canada-Galilee Panhandle Partnershiptwins six Canadian communities coast-tocoast– Atlantic Canada, Ottawa, Winnipeg,Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver – withfive Galilee Panhandle development townsand councils – Galil Elyon, KiryatShmonah, Metulah, Mevo’ot Ha-Hermon,and Yesud Ha-Ma’alah. Comprised of smalltowns, kibbutzim and moshavim, theGalilee Panhandle is located along theconfrontation line on the Lebanese border,far from the heart of Israel. Despite thesechallenges, the region makes great effortsto provide its 50,000 residents with thesame social, educational, and employmentopportunities available in the centre of thecountry.Since its establishment in 1997 as one ofover forty Jewish Agency Partnership 2000programs across Israel, the goals of theCanada-Galilee Panhandle Partnership areto:• provide deep, meaningful people-to-peopleconnections between Canadian andGalilee Panhandle residents so as to supportand strengthen Israeli society, whilepromoting global Jewish identity and AmEchad – a united people.• advance and enhance living standards inthe Galilee Panhandle through a range ofeducational, social, and community initiativesin order to improve quality of life, retainpopulation levels, and spur growth inthe region.Mitchell Bellman, President and C.O.O.,Jewish Federation of OttawaTHE VERED JEWISH CANADIANSTUDIES PROGRAM AT THEUNIVERSITY OF OTTAWATHE VERED ISRAEL CULTURE ANDEDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AT THESOLOWAY JEWISH COMMUNITYCENTREHistory is an important component ofJudaism. Our culture shapes our identity.Recognizing the importance of these twoelements of Jewish life, the Vered Familyestablished “The Vered Jewish CanadianStudies Program” at the University ofOttawa and “The Vered Israel Culture andEducational Program” at the SolowayJewish Community Centre.In Hebrew the word for forward is kadimah,and the word for times long past is kedem.Both words come from the same root. Wecannot go forward without relating to ourpast. Each generation faces new challenges.The challenges of the past wereovercome by our belief in our future andthis belief was passed from one generationto the next.Our culture is part of our everyday life andgives meaning to our existence. By imbuingour children with our Jewish heritage wedevelop strong individuals who know whothey are and where they are going.The program at the University of Ottawais also directed at non-Jews, in order topromote a dialogue between Jews and non-Jews, to expose the perils of antisemitism,and to show students how to combat thisphenomenon in Canadian society.Sarah VeredP A G E 46 • C O N T I N U I T Y M A G A Z I N E