Temple Beth Ora
Edmonton’s Reform Synagogue
Take advantage of an opportunity
to celebrate a communal Passover
by Debby Waldman
If you’re looking for a change of
pace and place for your second seder
this year, consider attending the first
joint Temple Beth Ora-Beth Shalom
seder at Beth Shalom on March 30.
Kol Ora
“We thought it would be fun to
partner with Beth Shalom and to give
people the option of just sitting back
and enjoying a seder while someone
else does all the food fussing on the
second night,” says TBO Ritual
Committee member Karen Gall.
“This is a way to build community
between the two congregations,”
TBO member Karen Gall organizes
Voice of Light
Harmony Brunch this Sunday
by Debby Waldman
Humanitarian Intervention and the
Responsibility To Protect is the title
of the keynote speech at this year’s
Harmony Brunch, commemorating
the International Day for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The Harmony Brunch, which is
open to the public and organized by
TBO’s own Karen Gall, will be held
at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, March 21 at
the Ramada Inn and Conference
March 2010
Centre at 11834 Kingsway Avenue.
12313 - 105 Avenue, Dr. W. Andy Knight, chair of the
Edmonton, Alberta Department of Political Science at the
T5N 0Y5 University of Alberta, will deliver the
780.487.4817 keynote.
e-mail: tboffice@shaw.ca
Dr. Knight, an excellent speaker
www.templebethora.org who has worked with and written
Join our Facebook group extensively about the United Nations,
is past vice-chair of the Academic
Council on the UN System and
is currently editor of the Global
she adds. “It’s not going to be a
‘Conservative seder’ or a ‘Reform
seder.’ It’s going to be a seder for
people who want to celebrate
Passover. It’s going to be fun.”
Rabbi David Kunin and Rabbi
Carmit Harari will lead the seder
together.
The cost is $48 for adults, $40
for seniors and students, and $28
for children six to 12. A number of
discounted tickets will be available
for TBO members. Contact Rabbi
Harari at 780-486-5871. For
reservations, call 488-6333, ext. 301.
Governance Journal. He was recently
awarded a three-year research
grant by the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of
Canada to study children and armed
conflict.
The brunch is sponsored by the
Canadian Multicultural Education
Foundation, and the speech isn’t the
only reason to attend. The food itself
is also impressive, a mix of breakfast
and lunch dishes prepared by the
Ramada’s excellent catering staff.
Among the 300 people expected
to attend are Lieutenant Governor
Norman Kwong and his wife, Mary
Kwong. The Hobbema Community
cadets will provide a colour guard,
adding to the pomp and circumstance
of the event.
For more information, visit www.
cmef.ca
Kol Ora...Voice of Light Page 2

TBO website to undergo a facelift

Do you know who breathed new
life in to our website which had been
stagnating for many years?
It was Dave Chodos, our resident
tech volunteer extraordinaire! Dave
has quietly been working in the
background for the past two to three
years, shaping and molding the TBO
website.
With contributions from Tamara
Stecyk, our Kol Ora editor, the
website has grown more and more
appealing. Many individuals have
commented to us that Dave’s revised
website was what attracted them to
TBO!
Thanks to the input and initiative
of new member Jay Palter, we will be
using the WordPress platform to re-
design the website.
This platform will allow us to make
use of a number of web-based tools,
such as a calendar, photo sharing, and
weblogs.
The redesign process will
be happening within the
communications committee over the
next few months, and we are hoping
to unveil the new website at this year’s
annual general meeting in June.

Thank you to our donors...

Donations from Jan. 13 to March 15 memory of their parents, Z’l
General Fund
From Debbie Davis to Felix
Fridman, in honour of his 60th
birthday
From the Frank-Shaw Family to
Felix Fridman, in honour of his 60th
birthday
Oneg Shabbat Sponsorship
From Cathy Adachi and Ann
Goldblatt in memory of their
grandmother, Minnie Marcus, Z’’l
From Bente Simonsen in memory of
her mother, Agnes Jelhoff-Jensen, Z’’l
From Miriam and Alan Devins in
From David Cowan in memory of
his son, Jay Lawrence Cowan, Z’’l
From Ann Goldblatt in memory of
her mother, Sylvia Goldblatt, Z’’l
Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund
From Rebecca and Matthew Van
der Giessen to Rabbi Carmit Harari
with thanks for your help in our hour
of need.
Music Fund
From Chavarat HaShir to Graham
Usher with many thanks
From Maita Silver and Jim
Bowron to Jerry Gall in honour
of his receiving the Distinguished
Service in Legal Scholarship Award
of the Alberta Law Society and the
Canadian Bar Association
Mishkan T’Filah Dedication
From Sheila Bailin and Dan Barer
to Felix Fridman, in honour of his
60th birthday
From Stephanie, Mike, Ariel and
Loren Hendin to Felix Fridman, in
honour of his 60th birthday
From Susan and Glen Binnington
to Felix Fridman, in honour of his
60th birthday

What’s happening at TBO on Saturday mornings?

Learning and laughter along with food for the body and for the mind!
Twice monthly (2nd and 3rd Shabbat) join Rabbi Harari and her welcoming regulars at Torah
Study: an interactive discussion about elements of the weekly Torah portion and concepts in
Jewish tradition at 10 a.m.

Service Schedule Family Kabbalat Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat

Kabbalat Shabbat
March 19............8 p.m.
Kabbalat Shabbat
March 26............8 p.m.
Apr. 2 ...............7 p.m.
Kabbalat Shabbat
Apr. 9 .................8 p.m.
Apr. 16..............8 p.m.
Kabbalat Shabbat
Apr. 23...............8 p.m.
Kabbalat Shabbat
Apr. 30...............8 p.m

Office: 780.487.4817 www.templebethora.org

Kol Ora...Voice of Light Page 3

TBO hosts a Tu Bishevat seder

Kol Ora photos, design and

editing by Tamara Stecyk

Office: 780.487.4817 www.templebethora.org

Kol Ora...Voice of Light Page 4

Learn more about the Krahn family

One of our “newer” member families, Dave Chodos
and Natasha Krahn, have been with us for the past few
years. Little Sam has joined in the past year. Both Dave
and Natasha jumped into TBO life immediately: Dave
continues to serve on the TBO board of directors and on
several committees; Natasha is always ready and willing
to help out informally in many ways. Although they are
now “TBO regulars,” we thought we’d find out a bit more
about them:
1) Where did each of you grow up?
Dave grew up in New Hamburg, Ont., about two hours
south-west of Toronto. Natasha grew up just outside of
Saskatoon, SK. Both Dave and Natasha went to school at
the University of Waterloo in Ontario (Dave for bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in Computer Science, and Natasha
for a bachelor’s of arts in English), and met through
trip to Austria this spring.
mutual university friends about six years ago.
As for the youngest member of our family, Sam, who
2) What brought you to Edmonton and to Temple
is almost a year old, enjoys crawling around the house,
Beth Ora?
wreaking barely-controlled havoc wherever he goes.
We moved to Edmonton in August 2007 when Dave
He also likes greeting his parents, strangers and toys
decided to do his PhD in Computing Science at the
with an enthusiastic “Hi!” and reading board books to
University of Alberta. Natasha got a job as a research
himself! On top of these interests, he goes to swimming
assistant for the Kidney Health Research Group, also
lessons and Kindermusik classes, and plays with various
at the university. Once in Edmonton, we looked for a
friends around his age. We are thrilled that Sam has
synagogue to attend. Since Dave grew up in a Reform
recently started sleeping through the night, which gives us
congregation in Waterloo (Temple Shalom), and the
the energy to keep up with him during the day.
Reform tradition is welcoming to interfaith families
such as ours, Temple Beth Ora was a natural choice for 4) Dave: We’re very pleased to have you on the board
us. We felt very warmly welcomed at TBO, and have and communications and youth committees and
appreciated various opportunities to become involved in Natasha: we thank you for all your contributions so
the community. far. Can you tell us about other types of volunteer
involvement you have enjoyed in the past?
3) Can you tell us about the kind of work each of
you does and what you enjoy doing outside of work/ We have volunteered with the Edmonton Folk Music
school? Festival for the past two years. This has given us a chance
meet lots of new people, and enjoy some fantastic music
Dave is in the third year of his studies. His research
each summer.
involves creating realistic educational programs using
new online technology. Natasha is currently on maternity Dave has created websites for a number of non-profit
leave, but will be returning to work at the end of March. organizations over the years, including his synagogue
She enjoys the challenge of working on systematic reviews, in Waterloo, Jewish Family Services in Edmonton, and
which attempt to summarize large numbers of studies into Project Teach, an organization based in Winnipeg that
a cohesive report. Ask us if you want to know more! trains teachers in Haiti.
Outside of work and school, we enjoy playing piano, In Waterloo, Natasha was very involved in her church
going for walks in various neighbourhood parks, visiting community (Waterloo North Mennonite Church),
with family and friends, playing squash and reading. teaching Sunday School and leading worship, as well as
Dave also keeps busy with a variety of freelance/volunteer being a youth mentor and assisting with a weekly kid’s
web design projects, and Natasha is involved with several program.
mom’s groups and a book club. We also enjoy travelling, ...continued on Page 5
both in Canada and abroad, and are looking forward to a

Office: 780.487.4817 www.templebethora.org

Kol Ora...Voice of Light
...continued from Page 4
She has also been involved with various social justice
organizations, both in Canada and internationally.
5) Do each of you have any hopes and dreams for this
TBO congregation and your involvement with it?
We hope that, as Sam grows up in our interfaith family,
Page 5
he can find a nurturing home at TBO and fully explore
his Jewish identity.
We are also encouraged by the formation of the social
action committee, and look forward to the seeds that are
being sown this year developing into action that helps
bring about tikkun olam.

Celebrate TBO’s growing membership

by Ann Goldblatt,
Membership Chair
Temple Beth Ora saw its largest
growth in many years during
2008/2009.
We are getting close to 100 but
we’re not quite there yet! We have
developed a tradition of holding
a new and returning members
welcoming Shabbat service for the
congregation.
We invite you to be part of our
next New and Returning Member
Welcoming Shabbat on Friday, April
16 at 8 p.m. Chavurat HaShir will
be singing that evening and we will
make a special presentation to the
people we are welcoming.
The membership committee is
currently working on strategies to
both welcome and integrate members.
We are picking up on one idea from
Temple Jeremiah in Illinois.
For the last four years, they
have visited with each of the new
individuals or families to both learn
about their interests and let them
know what is going on.
Our plan is to introduce this idea
at TBO and make our visits in
twosomes. We will contact each new
(or newish) member to see if this is
something that would interest them.
Temple Jeremiah provided a
description of their welcoming
approach on the Union for
Reform Judaism website, under
the Communicate section, where
synagogues all over North America
share program ideas.
We followed up with a phone call
to their former membership chair to
hear him talk about lessons learned.
We are working on a new TBO
telephone/e-mail address directory
to keep our community connected
(helpers welcome!) and we are
exploring software to allow us to
gather membership information only
once, with updates only as required
(e.g. change of address). We will keep
you posted.

TBO youth program undergoing changes

by Dave Chodos
The Temple’s youth group has gone through a tumultuous
few months, and has seen a great deal of change.
In October, we hired Chris (Chaim) McBain as TBO’s
Youth Co-ordinator.
He came to the position with a great deal of enthusiasm,
and thought up a number of exciting and engaging events
for teens in the congregation. Chris also initiated several
outreach efforts, such as creating a youth contact directory
and a blog for the youth group.
The youth group got off to a strong start in December,
with a kick-off event at the West Edmonton Mall
waterpark, which was to be followed by other weekly
events such as bowling, discussion and parties.
However, these subsequent events were not well-
attended, and this forced a re-evaluation of the planning
and direction of the youth group.
In January, Chris was forced to quit the Youth
Co-ordinator position because of conflicting work
commitments.
We are currently discussing how best to proceed
with the emerging youth group, and hope to be able to
continue the work and energy that was started by Chris
and the synagogue’s youth.
We would like to thank Chris for his energy and
enthusiasm in taking on this new endeavour, and look
forward to seeing what shape the youth group will take
over the rest of this year.

Office: 780.487.4817 www.templebethora.org

Kol Ora...Voice of Light
TBO weaves a Middle East Side Story for Purim
The Purim celebration was a warm and wonderful lively
event, attended by 90 people! We began with Purim
songs, led by Karen Gall, and a portion of Megillat Esther
— the story of Esther, chanted by Rabbi Harari.
“Middle East Side Story” was this year’s musical
rendition of the story of Purim, using familiar melodies
and characters from West Side Story. The warring gangs
were the Jew Crew vs the Persian Aversion. The play was
directed by Kathy Werner with tech support by Oriana
Shaw.
Darwin Werner, in a most attractive skirt, an endowed
pink top, and long blonde hair, played Vashti; Bill
Dolman was a very evil Haman; Henk Deinum was
King Ahashverosh; Lori Forbes played Esther; and Daniel
Larson played Mordechai.
Office: 780.487.4817
Page 6
The supporting cast, each of whom played a variety
of characters, were Rabbi Carmit Harari, Trudianne
Dolman, Adam Larson, Peter Dushenski and Francie
Nobleman.
Rabbi Harari and Lori chose fun prizes for the brave
children and brave adults who came in costume and took
part in the costume parade.
The evening was balanced with another portion of
Megillat Esther.
Thank you to Matthew and Rebecca Van der Giessen
and Karen Gall for the wonderful ice cream sodas,
sundaes and banana splits along with the traditional
hamentashen and other goodies to finish off the very
freilach evening!
www.templebethora.org
Kol Ora...Voice of Light Page 7

Purim photos by Canada Jewish Pipeline

Office: 780.487.4817 www.templebethora.org

Kol Ora...Voice of Light Page 8

‘Rabbitracks’ is to let congregants know about some of Shabbat Shacharit

the activities of Rabbi Carmit Harari between times when
most people see or meet with her.
Here are highlights from Rabbi Harari’s tracks from
February and March.
• Co-planned and led Darfur Shabbat with Jerry Gall
• Led Tu Bishvat Seder/Kabbalat Shabbat
• Tutored bat mitzvah student
• Taught Beit Sefer, Jewish thought and adult Hebrew
classes
• Participated in the community program to
commemorate the 65th liberation from Auschwitz
• Participated in Beth Tzedeck Congregation’s Womens’
Shabbat along with TBO members
• Co-led Torah on Tap with Rabbi David Kunin
• Led services: Kabbalat Shabbat, family services, and
• Taught Beit Sefer
• Taught Torah Study
• Taught adult Education classes including Jewish
Thought and Hebrew
• Helped plan and participated in an interfaith service
which was to be part of the weekend workshop, “The
Binding.”
• Planned and coordinated Purim festivities with the
help of Kathy and Darwin Werner, Lori Forbes, and
Francie Nobleman
• Took part in an education committee meeting
• Officiated at two funerals
• Tutored B’nai Mitzvah students

Temple Beth Ora president’s message

As we
approach the
end of another
TBO fiscal year,
the board begins
taking stock of
what has been accomplished. Quite
naturally we shift our focus to the
year ahead, on our goals, and on our
own abilities, and our available time
and energy.
Overall it has been another good
year, in terms of membership,
rabbinic leadership, rituals services,
educational activities, b’nei mitzvahs,
and simchas. To be fair, we did not
accomplish as much as we wanted to
in the area of increasing activities for
our youth and social action.
We received a major shock to our
system when our safe was stolen, but
we recovered and emerged in better
shape in terms of our security and
administrative procedures. And you,
our congregation, were incredibly
supportive.
At the Purim shpiel a few weeks
ago it was wonderful to see not only
many of the “regulars” enjoying the
proceedings but also great number of
young families and young children.
This is a delightful harbinger for the
future, I thought, because we will
see in the not too distant future,
increased enrollment in our Beit
Sefer, the jewel of the TBO crown.
But the immediate future is what
I want to talk about. We have an
upcoming annual general meeting
(AGM) and the election of a new
board.
I will be completing my two year
term as board president this summer.
Two of our key vice-presidents are
also completing their terms. The VP
Ritual position remains vacant.
I am now leading a nomination
committee which is being tasked with
identifying and recruiting candidates
to fill the leadership roles that will
be vacated. And it is evident to me
that we could (should?) have spent
more time doing succession planning,
fostering participation of new people
in support of the activities of TBO,
so that they would be willing to take
over from the group completing their
congregational tour of duty.
I don’t believe it is a matter of
readiness. I am sure that there are
many of you who have considerable
experience and accomplishment
...continued on page 9

Office: 780.487.4817 www.templebethora.org

Kol Ora...Voice of Light
...continued from page 8
in volunteer or professional organizations who have
a great deal to offer in a leadership positions in our
congregation. One thing we are known for at TBO is
mentoring each other to help contribute to our unique
and very special congregation.
I urge you to come forward to ensure the continuity of
this generous, inclusive, socially conscious and progressive
Rabbi Carmit Harari’s secret talent revealed
by Francie Nobleman
Our Rabbi Carmit Harari is a star! She is one of the
members of the Aviv Dancers who will be performing
on Sunday March 21 at a joint Naam’at/Aviv Dancers
fundraiser supporting both “at risk” youth in Israel and
the dance troupe.
By answering the questions below, Rabbi Harari filled
us in on her love of Israeli dancing and how she became
one of the Aviv dancers. Two other well known TBO
congregants, Shoshana and Paul
Messenger, are also talented Israeli
dancers.
1) When did you first start Israeli
dancing and what drew you to it?
My mother and aunt have been Israeli
folk dancing for years. When I was a
young child, maybe five or six years
old, my mom would take me to the
family dance nights held outdoors by
the beach in Nahariya.
In Grades 4 and 5, we had an Israeli
dance class as part of our curriculum,
but I didn’t really become involved in
Israeli folk dancing until I was 12 years
old.
When I was in Grade 7, my family had just moved to
Chicago and I joined the Shig’aon Dancers, a performing
Israeli folk dance troupe for young people ages in Grades
7 to 12. I didn’t know many dances at that point yet, but
I found that the choreographies were easy for me to pick
up.
I enjoyed the opportunity to perform, and if we had
a Friday off from school, my mom would take me with
her to the local recreational Israeli dance group on
Thursday nights. The more I was able to attend these
Thursday night sessions, the more dances I learned, and
consequently, the more fun it became, because I could
participate even more.
Office: 780.487.4817
Page 9
congregation which strives to preserve and promote Jewish
values in our modern context.
For the children who were dazzled by the Purim Shpiel,
a perfect example of something that only happened
because of the imagination, inspiration, and perspiration
of a group of congregants. We want TBO to be there for
them, the same way it is there for you today. Call me to
discuss, in confidence.
I used to choose dances, based on what looked fun, and
my mom would teach them to me in our family room at
home.
I performed with the Shiga’on Dancers for six years and
the older I got, the more I was able to go dancing at the
Thursday night recreational group with my mom. My
repertoire was growing and I was making friends in the
group.
Once I was in university, I was also able to begin
attending weekend workshops where
Israeli folk dance choreographers and
teachers are brought in from Israel,
and they teach new material. These
gatherings bring together dancers from
all around the world and provide a
wonderful social experience in addition
to the fun of dancing.
I’ve been attending workshops for
15 years now and most recently, a
workshop in Toronto last summer.
Israeli folk dancing is a world-wide
phenomenon. It is also a growing
field. New dances are constantly being
choreographed and new recreational
sessions are popping up all over.
I have a community of friends who live everywhere from
London to Brazil, to Chicago, Israel, and Edmonton! We
may only see one another a few times a year (if that), but
we share a common love for dance and have truly become
a community.
2) How did you connect with the Aviv dancers here?
In January 2009, I discovered, after four months in
Edmonton, that there was a recreational Israeli dance
group in town.
I went to the Jewish Community Centre one Wednesday
evening, and was pleasantly surprised to discover a small
but dedicated group that loved dancing as much as I did!
...continued on page 10
www.templebethora.org
Kol Ora...Voice of Light
...continued from page 9
I began attending the recreational sessions and through
the group’s leader, Doron Or and his wife, Meirav, I found
out that there were also two performing groups in town. I
first saw the Aviv Dancers perform at Yom Ha’atzma’ut
last spring, and then again at the Heritage Festival. It
was around that time that Meirav and Doron introduced
me to Sari Uretsky, the Aviv Dancers’ choreographer and
leader, and they all encouraged me to try out for the group
in the fall.
I attended the group’s first rehearsal just after the
High Holidays, where our newest choreography, adama
v’shamayim, was taught. Sari watched to see how well I
kept up. I did fine and was invited to join the group.
A bit of background to the Aviv Dancers:
The Aviv Dancers were formed in the Spring of 2006,
by choreographer and artistic-director, Sari Uretsky-
Leung. “Aviv” is the Hebrew word for “Spring” and this
group definitely has a spring in their step! The not-for-
profit group consists of men and women ages 15 and up.
All the dancers are volunteers who devote their spare time
to rehearse and perform Israeli Folk Dance. The Aviv
Dancers are members of the Edmonton Folk Arts Council
(www.efac.com) and perform regularly with other
performing folk dance groups of cultures from around the
world.
3) How often do you practise and what are the
practices like?
Typically, we practise once a week for two
hours. However, as shows near, we often add extra
practices, so that we are dancing somewhere between two
and four times a week. Practices are a lot of fun. We
usually dance for most of the two hour time slot, going
through different choreographies and making changes as
needed. The dancers are all very friendly and we usually
laugh a lot in addition to dancing. As a show nears, such
as our Ru’ach Aviv Fundraiser on March 21, we run dress
rehearsals including costume changes. Although we are
all volunteers, we are all committed to the group and to
the performances.
4) How does it feel to be performing in front of large
audiences here in Edmonton?
I find being on stage and performing an exhilarating
experience. I get energy from the experience and from the
support of the crowd. Personally, large crowds don’t make
me too nervous. I loved being on stage at the Winspear
on Family Day, and I am really looking forward to our
upcoming performances.
5) Any other thoughts or feelings about this
Office: 780.487.4817
Page 10
wonderful activity that you would like to share with
us?
Israeli folk dancing is an amazing and wonderful
activity! It began more formally with the chalutzim, the
pioneers in the state of Israel, and it is a fascinating mirror
of sorts, reflecting cultural experiences and shifts over
time. For example, the dance U’shavtem Mayim B’sasson,
often simply called Mayim, was a dance choreographed
to mark the celebration of water being found on a desert
kibbutz.
Israeli dances reflect the diversity of the population of
Israel. There are debkas, which are traditionally Arab
men’s dances, or music in Ladino, Amharic, or Spanish to
which Israeli dances have been choreographed. Dances
are usually done in circles, partners, or lines, and
incorporate some of Israel’s most recent musical sensations
such as hadag nachash, sarit hadad, and sh’lomo arzi.
Anywhere you go around the world, you can find a
recreational Israeli folk dance group. Dancers gather for
a few hours each week to dance all their favourite dances,
and to learn some new ones as well. There are dozens of
well known choreographers and teachers, and to date,
there are something like 4,000 or so Israeli folk dances
that have been created.
With rare exception, dances are the same all around the
world, and much like going to shul, you can walk into
any recreational Israeli dance group anywhere around the
world and immediately feel at home.
Being a choreographed form of dance, there are lots of
steps to memorize. Although a challenge for some, others,
like me, find it preferable to free-form dancing. Gadi
Bitton, perhaps the number one choreographer of Israeli
dancing for the past 15 years, sees about 1,000 people at
his session on Thursday nights in Tel Aviv each week.
This is a growing, vibrant, and exciting activity that
is catching on all around the globe! Choreographers
have recently begun workshops in places like Romania,
Bulgaria, France and Belgium. Places like Mexico City
and Cracas, Venezuela hold huge Israeli dance festivals
showcasing performing groups, and Israeli folk dance
videos can be found on Youtube from China, Japan, and
Korea.
Everyone is Israeli dancing and so should you!
I invite you to try your hand and your feet at it,
Thursday evening at the JCC from 8:15- 10:15pm.
The cost is only $4! All are welcome — no previous
experience necessary.
Hope you can join us!
www.templebethora.org