Local News
Shaarey Zedek Cemetery update
By BERNIE BELLAN
In previous issues we reported on changes the Shaarey Zedek had made to the maintenance of its cemetery as a result of the pandemic.
In our June 10 issue we noted that the synagogue board had decided to forego the planting of flowers on graves that would ordinarily have had flowers planted in keeping with perpetual care agreements.
In an email issued by the Shaarey Zedek in late May, recipients of the email were told that, notwithstanding the commitment that “Perpetual Care shall include the planting of flowers, (emphasis ours) cutting of grass, changing the soil and sod, renovating of concrete (if same surrounds the plot), as determined necessary by the Cemetery Committee in its sole discretion… After a lengthy discussion and in consideration of the unique situation this year due to the Coronavirus, the Cemetery Committee agreed unanimously to suspend the purchase and planting of flowers for this year.”
Not surprisingly, therefore, the conditions of gravesites that had, until this year, been planted with flowers, began to be festooned with weeds.
On July 24 we received an email from a reader who was particularly disturbed over the condition of his spouse’s gravesite. That reader sent pictures with his email which showed a gravesite covered in weeds. He noted that he had also sent an email to Ian Staniloff, Executive Director of Shaarey Zedek Congregation, in which he asked why his wife’s grave was in such deplorable condition, even though he had a perpetual care agreement?
Subsequent to our receiving that email, we received an email in which Ian Staniloff responded to the reader’s complaint. Ian wrote, in part:
“In order to compensate for the loss of additional employees whose main focus was planting flowers, watering and weeding individual graves, we incorporated a volunteer component from within the synagogue to handle these duties, leaving the overall grass cutting/weeding to the regular maintenance staff.. As you can imagine however, with almost 11,000 graves to maintain in a cemetery that covers 24 acres, the process takes quite a bit of time to complete the entire cemetery.
“We didn’t stop the spraying of weeds due to high cost. The most effective weed spray that we utilized had been banned by the province of Manitoba 2-3 years ago due to it containing 24D, and we were not able to control the spread of weeds/dandelions with an inferior product (which by the way was more expensive). Over the last couple of years we have been able to keep the weed problem at bay by having the specific flower planters, remove the weeds on each individual grave as they tended to the flowers.
“By not having these planters initially it was left up to the regular grass cutters to maintain the overall cemetery. However, we have determined that the problem is growing and have now hired additional staff specifically to deal with the weeds/existing flowers on all the graves. The results of their efforts should be evident. I will advise that this all takes some time, but I wanted you to be assured this is not something we take lightly. We are very proud of the appearance and grounds of our cemetery and are doing
our utmost to ensure that the high quality we have enjoyed in the past is being maintained.”
I decided to go down to the cemetery myself to see what the situation was. On Thursday, July 30 I rode my bike to the cemetery. (I thought it would be easier to take in the entire cemetery by bike rather than on foot and it gave me a convenient excuse to go for another long bike ride.)
The majority of the cemetery appeared to be in excellent shape, but I did notice that several gravesites which would normally have had flowers on them were still weed-infested, as our reader had pointed out. However, I did come across two young women who were hard at work pulling weeds out by hand. They told me they were working their way westward to the newest graves and expected to have all graves properly weeded in due course.
While I was in the cemetery I sent this email to Ian Staniloff:
“Hi Ian
“I’m in the cemetery now it all looks pretty good to me. I’m just curious: Did you take care of the problem by hiring additional workers?
“I’m in the newest section now and from what I can see you’re going to run out of room in a short while. What’s the plan going forward?
“Bernie”
Ian Staniloff responded:
“Bernie,
“I’m glad you see that we have done our utmost to respond to our congregants’ concerns regarding the cemetery. Some of the work was done utilizing volunteers, but the majority of the work was done by re-hiring some of the seasonal people who were not initially brought back.
“In terms of our future, we have at least 15-20 years of available space in our cemetery. There are areas that remain to be developed, including and most notably at the front (East Side) of the property.
“I hope this provides a bit of an answer.
“Cheers,
“Ian”
Local News
Join the Sewing Circle at Chesed Shel Emes
Local News
Talented Winnipeg composer Sara Kreindler teams up with her mother Reena Kreindler to create new satirical show to premiere here in May
By BERNIE BELLAN It’s been many years since I’ve heard from Sara Kreindler. Sara’s name first appeared in The Jewish Post & News in 2002 when a satirical musical titled “A Touch of Class” was reviewed by the late Arnold Ross. That particular production featured songs from popular Broadway shows that touched upon themes such as “greed, poverty, oppression, and social unrest.”
When she appeared in that show, Ross noted, Kreindler had just recently returned to Winnipeg from England, where she had obtained a doctorate in Social Psychology from Oxford University.
While at Oxford, Kreindler found time to compose a satirical musical titled “Charity,” which played to rave reviews there, and was performed five times.
Continuing in the theme of writing satirical musicals, Sara has now teamed up with her mother, Reena, to write a new musical titled “A Perfect Man,” which is set to run at the Gargoyle Theatre from May 6-17.
According to a press release we received, “A Perfect Man” is “a satirical musical, set on a fictional analogue of ‘The Bachelor’.
“The story follows an anthropologist who arrives to research TV’s hottest reality-dating show — only to discover she’s been made a contestant, and the bachelor is her high school crush. Past and present collide against an exuberant pastiche score that uses vintage musical styles to highlight modern absurdities.”
“Praised as ‘a musician [who] can make biofuels funny’ (CBC), Sara is known for whip-smart satire on a panoply of topics. Her digital musical, ‘Larry Saves the Canadian Healthcare System, created during her former life as an academic, has garnered over 84,000 YouTube views. Naturally, she had a field day with the subject of reality dating.
“The topic just begs for campy zaniness, which I think we all need in these times — but also for a more cerebral critique of what these shows say about the culture that spawned them,” says Kreindler. And thanks to the romance context, the satire is woven into a deeper, more personal story. “It’s satire with a heart.”
Here is some more information about Sara Kreindler, taken from a 2009 article I wrote about her:
“Born in Israel, Sara’s precocious talent was nurtured by her mother, Reena, whose own particular talent is literary, not musical. According to Reena, however, Sara was singing from the time she was a baby, and she began to study piano at the age of four.
“As a young girl, Sara began writing her own songs and poems, along with the “occasional musical”, notes Reena. Yet, Sara’s rare talent put her at odds with the typical interests of other children her own age, on top of which she attended a school to which she was exposed to a fair degree of antisemtism.
“As a result, Sara says, being bullied was a common aspect of her childhood. On one occasion, when she was nine, she notes, Sara fought back against one particular bully by reciting the following little ditty:
“I write so many epigrams to you that all the people laugh.
I’m tired of writing epigrams.
I want to write your epitaph!”
“Sara went on to compose a musical titled ‘Flutesong’ while she was a student at Vincent Massey Collegiate, she says. After doing her undergraduate work at the University of Manitoba, majoring in Psychology, Sara won a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University.
“Sara eventually earned a doctorate in Social Psychology and returned to Winnipeg, where she began teaching at the University of Manitoba, but she said she didn’t enjoy the “mass production” style of teaching upwards of 300 students at a time, so she switched careers and began doing health research for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.”
All the while Sara has been continuing to compose and perform her own songs, often teaming up with her mother, as she has for “A Perfect Man.”
Showtimes and ticket information for The Perfect Man are available at:
http://www.thegargoyletheatre.com/upcoming-events/the-perfect-man
Local News
Rabbi Kliel Rose to leave Congregation Etz Chayim for new post in Ottawa
The following email from Congregation Etz Chayim Executive Director Morissa Granove was sent to members of the congregation on Friday, April 10:
“Dear Members and Friends,
“As we know, Rabbi Kliel recently spent a weekend with Kehilllat Beth Israel where he has since been offered a position. After much thought and consideration, he has made the decision to sign a contract in Ottawa. He will continue to lead our congregation through Yom Kippur.
“This news marks a significant ending for our Etz Chayim community, and at the same time with change comes opportunity. Congregation Etz Chayim will soon embark on our own Rabbinical search with excitement as we look for our perfect candidates and explore the new possibilities that will help us to continue to shape a strong future for our synagogue and members.”
Kliel Rose took up the position of rabbi at Etz Chayim in August, 2018.
In an article announcing his appointment to the position in the June 6, 2018 issue of The Jewish Post & News, Myron Love wrote:
The congregation has been without a permanent rabbi since last summer when Rabbi Larry Lander chose to retire – after ten years here – and relocate to Toronto.
Kliel Rose is already a well-seasoned rabbi. He was ordained in 2004 by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
He previously served as spiritual leader at the West End Synagogue in Nashville and Temple Enamu-El in Miami Beach. His current posting is Beth Shalom Synagogue in Edmonton.
Following the example of his parents, Kliel Rose has been active in interfaith dialogue and human rights work for which he was honoured in 2014 with the Human Rights Hero Award by Truah: The Rabbibic Call for Human Rights.
He has also participated in the Kellogg Management Education for Jewish Leaders program at Northwestern University and was most recently chosen to be among 20 rabbis from different denominations chosen to train in the Clergy leadership Incubator – a two-year program, under the leadership of Ranni Sidney Schwarz, intended to educate younger rabbis in innovative thinking, change management and institutional transformation.
In Edmonton, Rose also served as Jewish chaplain at the University of Alberta and took the lead on a program called “Faith and Inclusion”, whose mandate was to support individuals with cognitive and physical learning challenges to feel more welcome within various faith communities.