By MYRON LOVE They say there are two things you can count on in life – death and taxes.  I don’t know about taxes – but no one escapes death.
 When we are younger, few give much thought to dying. As we age though, we come ever closer to that final reality.  The best we can hope for – in my view – is to live to a relatively old age in relatively good health and pass away quickly – preferably in your sleep.
 
So what would one consider a “good death?” That was one of the questions that was discussed by a panel of three experts on the subject who appeared together on Sunday, November 24, in a program at the Chesed Shel Emes titled: “The Last Stop – Reflections on Living and Dying”.
 (The Chesed Shel Emes is our community’s non-profit Jewish funeral chapel; the only one of its kind in North America).
 
About 180 people were in attendance – both in person and online, as independent Rabbi Matthew Leibl, palliative care specialist Dr. Bruce Martin, and Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, a psychiatrist who is one of the world’s authorities on the subject of the emotional aspects surrounding death and dying, shared their experiences and perspectives.  Alison Gilmur, popular culture and lifestyles reporter for the Free Press. served as the moderator.
 A “good death” – as opposed to a “bad death” – is important for patients and families alike, Chochinov noted.

 “Is dying in your sleep a good death?” Rabbi Leibl asked.  “That depends on both the individual and the family. It certainly doesn’t give the individual much time to think about it beforehand.  I think the major concern for most people is that death be as painless as possible.”
 “The problem is that you only die once,” Chochinov pointed out. “There is no rehearsal.  Many fear the unknown. And you don’t know what the path will be, what it will be like for you. Or if you will still be you afterward.”
 
Gilmour asked the panelists what people fear most about dying? Chochinov cited the case of one woman who refused to take her medication because she feared it would make her confused – the way it had her mother prior to her death. Reassuring her that she was in capable hands allowed her to accept proper pain management and die peacefully.
 
 Another anecdote from Chochinov concerned  the case of a young woman who was facing death – with a young family and a young child at hand.  “She was concerned that her little girl would have no memory of her,” Chochinov noted.  “We completed something called Dignity Therapy, which allowed her to create a written legacy that would eventually be shared with her child.”
 
Rabbi Leibl referred to a member of the Shaarey Zedek who had been suffering for some time.  She chose to die at home but, before her passing, she asked her children to leave the room. She and the rabbi talked.
 “I asked if she was afraid,” he recalled.  “She said that she wasn’t afraid, but that she worried that she would never see her family again.”
 Dr. Martin noted that every death is personal.  “There is no common thread,’ he said.  “A last conversation can be profound or trivial.
“One concern for the dying is not being able to live to see their grandchildren grow up and the shared moments they will miss.”
 Chochinov also added that some people are worried about the process of dying and what it may be like.  “While dying is inevitable, suffering ought not to be”.
 Gilmour asked what people can do to help comfort someone who is dying? 
Chochinov’s answer was simple: “Be sure to show up”. “When you know someone is dying,” he noted, “for many the impulse is to stay away, to withdraw.  You don’t know what to say,” he observed.  “Don’t try to fix what can’t be fixed.  But do show up and listen.”
 
Martin recalled a former mentor who suggested that the most important question that someone who is visiting someone who is terminally ill is: ‘What can you do to help?’ “
 
“People who are dying don’t need to be reminded about it,” Rabbi Leibl observed.  “Although every case is different, a visitor should talk to the afflicted individual the same way you would talk to anyone else. You can talk about life, for example, or what you are reading, or a show you are  watching together.”
 
Gilmour concluded her questioning by bringing up the issue of government-approved Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) – medically assisted suicide.
 
A number of liberal rabbis Are in favour of MAID, Rabbi Leibl noted.  “Judaism however dictates that we must do everything we can to prevent death,” he pointed out. 
“I have officiated at funerals for a few people who have chosen IAID,” he reported.  “One such funeral was for a Holocaust survivor – in her 90s. I spoke with her the day before she died.  She was at peace.  I viewed what she was doing as courageous.”
 
Chochinov said it is also important to look at factors that can undermine a patient’s will to live, such as poorly controlled pain, limited access to palliative care and lack of supports, including respite.“MAID is driven by a desire for personal autonomy,” he observed.  “It was originally designed as an option for patients who were suffering and facing a reasonably foreseeable death.” Eligibility criteria have been expanded, making patients not imminently dying, but suffering, able to request MAiD.He expressed grave concerns about extending MAiD for people who are mentally ill.  “We simply can’t know which of these patients might improve with adequate time, support and care.”
 In response to a later follow-up question from a member from the audience, Bruce Martin added that, in the case of people with dementia and MAID, the latter may prevent children and grandchildren from spending more time with the parent/ grandparent.  After all, who then decides when the time is right?
 The panelists were asked about talking about death and dying and how to cope. Martin noted that when he speaks to kids in schools, there is a lot of interest in the subject.      
 A question about planned giving elicited a comment from Chochinov about the importance of not only leaving a will, but letting family know what your wishes are. “It’s never too early to talk about these things”, he said, “but if you put it off long enough, there may come a time when it’s too late”.

By MYRON LOVE Most shuls have a library of religious texts – or genizah (storage space) for discards – often books that were either donated specifically to the congregation or private collections dropped off at the synagogue after the original owners passed away.  
On Sunday, December 8, the egalitarian Chvera Mishnayes synagogue in Garden City hosted a Lunch and Learning program, the highlight of which was an overview of the books housed at the Chevra Mishnayes – including Chumashim,  machzorim, various assorted Talmudic tractates and commentaries on the Torah and Talmud. The program featured a presentation by Justin Jaron Lewis, during which the Yiddishist, bibliophile and professor of religion, revealed subtle features of some of the books, unveiling clues revealing when and where they were published, some direct connections to Winnipeg’s Jewish community and other interesting features.   
The Chevra Mishnayes dates back to 1906.  It has been at its present location on Jefferson Avenue since 1966. The former  Ohel Jacob congregation merged with the Chevra Mishnayes in 1971.
“It’s amazing what people brought with them from the old country,” Lewis commented.
He cited as an example a book from the Chevra Mishnayes collection which was identified as having been bought from a Jewish books store in Toronto, but which had been printed in Poland.  He pointed out other books that were  published in the 19th century in cities such as Lublin, Vilna and Warsaw – all cities with large Jewish populations. 
“The Warsaw edition had Cyrillic writing (based on the Russian-language alphabet) in it,” he noted. ‘Warsaw, Lublin and Vilna were all part of the Russian empire at the time.”
He added that a fourth book was published in Lviv in Ukraine which was part of the Austrian Empire in the 19th Century.  “Because the Russians used to tax books that were printed in Russia but were to be taken out of the country, some claimed that their books were published in Austria or another country to avoid the tax,” Lewis explained.
Of interest also, for Jewish geography enthusiasts, Lewis noted, were books with the owners’ names written in them.  One book belonged to the family of the well known comedian David Steinberg.  
In a second book, Grade 9 Talmud Torah student Israel Pudavick had written his name.
There were other books originally from the collections of a shoichet named B.M Yahweis and one Rev. Martin Weisman.
There are religious commentaries in the Chevra Mishnayes collection penned over the years by Winnipeg rabbis such as Rabbi Y. H. Horowitz, Rabbi Meyer Schwartzman, Rabbi Shmuel Polonsky and one Rabbi Zorach Diskin – who lived in  Winnipeg in the early 1900s.
“Some of the books offer a glimpse into Jewish history,” Lewis pointed out. There is one, published in 1865 in Warsaw, which he pointed out, includes a paean to Jewish life in Russia.
Censorship was strict in Russia, he explained.  You had to satisfy the censors.
Lewis pointed out that trying to figure out the date of printing for some of the books can be challenging.  In some cases, he noted, the book may be a copy – and the copyright date may be the date of the publication of the original.  In other cases the date is written in Hebrew letters – leaving researchers to have to translate the letters to their numerical equivalent.  What was thought to be the oldest book in the collection, for example, and which was originally estimated to date back to 1819, on further study was determined to be published in 1918.
Lewis also delved into the artwork in some of the books.  With the Jewish injunction against  recreating human images or those of angels or heavenly bodies, one book in the collection does have a scene where angels are watching as Moses hold the ten commandments and light is streaming from his head.
Another has a scene with Moses and Aaron  opposite each other with lions overhead and Roman numerals also in the picture – an  example, Lewis suggested of cross  cultural influences.
Other popular scenes include the hands of the Cohen doing the priestly blessing   The print design and layout can also offer opportunity for artistic flair.
Lewis further note that some of the machzorim have prayers inserrted in Yiddish – for instance, asking for good health – or a good life – or a prayer for one who is ill.
Incidentally, for readers with older Yiddish books at home who are considering trying to find a new home for them, Lewis is one of a handful of Winnipeggers who are collecting Yiddish books for transfer to the Yiddish Book centre in Amherst, Massachusetts.
 The book centre,, he reports, is dedicated to finding good homes for such books in university libraries, or the homes of other scholars or other private homes.  “A lot of younger people,” he said, “are rediscovering Yiddish and writing songs and poems in Yiddish.”
As to the Chevra Mishnayes’ library, Lewis observed that, as is the case with many other modern shuls, there has not been much interest in more recent years in studying Talmud and Torah. 
“Some of the older books are crumbling,” he reported.  “Perhaps we should form a committee to cull some of the books that we don’t need and look into ways to better preserve the remainder.
Readers with Yiddish books they no longer want can contact Justin lewis at justin_lewis@umaniotoba.ca

By MYRON LOVE I have known John Plantz for 25 years or so.  I first met him in the late 1990s when he was volunteering as a librarian at the old Jewish Public Library on north Main Street. While he is a devout Christian – for as long as  I have known him, he is also passionate about supporting Israel and the Jewish People.
Along the way in his life’s journey, John Plantz did learn that his zaida was Jewish – a revelation that further strengthened his identification with the Jewish people.
On the evening of Thursday, November 14, in his long time role as the Friends of Israel Canada Church and Fields Ministries Canada director, Plantz emceed a “Stand With Israel Night”, the highlight of which was the presentation of $25,000 in cheques to five Israel-based  charities.
The event, which was held in the Multipurpose room at the Asper Campus, attracted about 100 people – comprising both members of our Jewish community and Christian supporters of Friends of Israel. Plantz noted that the funds were raised over the past few months by FOI supporters across Canada.
The evening began with music by Myron Schultz and his Klezmer Trio.
“On October 7, 2023, the world changed” Plantz observed in his opening remarks, “not just for Israel. I have a lot of Israeli friends. Israelis are stressed out. They are not sure what to do. We at FOI are praying for Israel and also redoubling our efforts to help.”       
Plantz then introduced Robert Gottselig, FOI’s Canadian director.  Gottselig, who lives in Regina, pointed out that FOI was founded in 1938, fully ten years before the establishment of the Jewish State, in response to the plight of the Jews of Europe.
“At the outset,” Gottselig noted, ”FOI formed a relief committee to raise funds for food, clothing and shelter for Europe’s endangered Jews. We also worked to provide passports for those who wanted to escape.
“Our mission remains constant,” he continued.  “Unlike some other Christian groups whose religious philosophy is based on replacement theology (that Christianity supersedes Judaism), we stand in solidarity with our Jewish brethren.  After all, the Jews gave Christians both our bible and Jesus.”
Gottselig spoke about how his own passion for Israel developed.  He also spoke about FOI’s recent successful efforts, along with Regina’s Jewish community and other national Jewish organizations, to persuade Regina City Council not to raise the Palestinian flag at City Hall. 
Following a  break for refreshments, John Plantz introduced one by one the recipients of the $250,000 in donations.  The first was the Canadian Magen David Adom, Israel’s world leading, largely volunteer, national  emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service.
Accepting the cheque on behalf of Canadian Magen David Adom Canada was Israeli-born Sharon Fraiman, the Calgary-based CMDA director for western Canada.
“The Magen David Adom’s history reflects the history of Israel,” she commented.  “Every dollar CMDA raises counts.”
She noted that CMDA raises money in Canada to buy ambulances, medical equipment, supplies and blood testing kits to support the life saving efforts of MDA in Israel.
The second recipient was the Jewish National Fund.  Plantz observed that he himself has been a supporter of the JNF for many years.  Speaking on behalf of David Greaves, the JNF’s executive director for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Nola Lazar thanked the FOI and noted how much she appreciated being in a room full of welcoming allies.
The third recipient was an organization that I am not familiar with: Christian Friends of Leket Israel, which raises funds in support of Leket Israel – which has been feeding the hungry in Israel since 2003. In a video appearance, Ray MacDonald, the director of Christian Friends of Leket Israel, expressed his appreciation for FOI”s donation and spoke about the organization’s work on behalf of disadvantaged Israelis.
 “We provide about 255,000 Israelis weekly with nutritious food and meals,” he reported.  “We supply 330 non-profit partners that deal with poverty.”
He added that, surprising, there is a high level of homelessness in Israel and that 20% of Israeli children go to bed hungry, also that the situation has worsened over the past year due to the war.
MacDonald described Leket Israel as a “food rescue” organization that gathers its food from a variety of sources.  “We work with 500 farmers (at least that was the situation before the war) that share their crops with us,” he said. “we also source food from hotel and resorts.”
According to the Leket website, “millions of tons of healthy, fresh food are wasted or destroyed because of excess quantity, minor imperfections, or financial cost. 
“Food waste has severe consequences for society, the environment, and the economy. Food rescue addresses these problems by productively using surplus food instead of destroying it.  With Leket’s fleet of 27 refrigerated trucks and vans, our staff and volunteers transport thousands of tons of rescued food throughout the country.
“All rescued produce is brought to the logistics center or other cold storage facilities, where it is sorted, stored, and prepared for delivery to one of our 330 nonprofit partners.
“All rescued cooked food is either brought directly from where it was cooked to a recipient nonprofit partner, or brought to one of our regional hubs to be stored overnight and reheated the following morning for timely service of a hot lunch. The food rescued by Leket Israel is distributed to 296 nonprofit organizations, including homeless shelters, soup kitchens, elderly centers, battered women’s centers, community help organizations, and schools for at-risk youth.”
Ariel Karabelnicoff is well known to many in our community.   He came to us from Argentina by way of Israel and held a series of high profile positions here – including as the State of Israel Bonds’ point man here,  executive director of the local chapter of the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev – followed by filling the same role for the JNF here.  In 2019, he was lured to Toronto by former employer Israel Bonds to serve as national sales director.
About two years ago, Karabelnicoff left Israel Bonds for a new gig as executive director of Canadian Friends of Haifa University.  It was in the latter capacity that he thanked FOI for its substantial donation to the university.
“We are honoured to be the recipient of your generous donation,” he said.
In an earlier interview with the Jewish Post, he noted that among the largest universities in Israel, the University of Haifa is the youngest.  Fully accredited in 1972, the university has an enrolment of 18,000 students – with a student body that reflects the diversity of Israel’s population.  About 40% of the students come from the Druze, Circassian and Arab communities and – among the Jewish students – there are many whose families are from Ethiopia.
The University of Haifa , he adds, also boasts the highest percentage among Israeli universities – of students who are the first generation in their families to attend university.
Among the feathers in the university’s cap is the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences that offers the only graduate program in Israel in that field..
Coming soon for the University of Haifa,  Karabelnicoff reported, will be a new school of medicine.   “There is a serious doctor shortage in Israel,” he pointed out.  “The University of Haifa is proud to lead in the efforts to train medical doctors and to be able to serve and take care of the population in the North of Israel.”
The final recipient of the FOI’s largesse was another organization I am not familiar with: Operation Lifeshield. Operation Lifeshield’s mission is to provide bomb shelters for threatened Israeli communities. Rabbi Shmuel Bowman, Operation Luifeshield’s executive director, was in Winnipeg to accept the FOI cheque.
He reported that the organization was formed 18 years ago by a small group of American olim and Israelis who were visiting the Galilee during the second Lebanon war in 2006 and found themselves under rocket attack – along with thousands of others – with no place to go.  Th y decided to take action.
“Our shelter construction design and manufacturing process conform with the strictest guidelines and approval of the Israel Defense Force Home Front command,” Bowman reported.  “Several types of shelters are available in order to best protect schools, kindergartens, synagogues, parks, sidewalks, bus shelters and senior centres.”
He noted that Lifeshield’s more than 1,000 shelters have been donated  by caring individuals and organizations – both jewish and Christian – from around the world.
He closed his remarks with a “dvar Torah” based on God’s admonition to King David that he “will not fear terror that comes by night or the arrow that flies by day”.
owman wondered aloud how that is something that Hashem can command?  “David understood that to mean that he should find a solution that would remove the threat,” the rabbi commented.
 This admonition also applies to Israel and Operation Lifeshield’s bomb shelters.
John Plantz concluded the evening with the hope that we can all gather again next year to celebrate other Israeli non-profits that will be benefitting from Christian Friends of Israel’s largesse.