Latest news with #JewishCommunityCentre
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Elderly Jewish refugees from Ukraine pine for home
A dozen elderly Ukrainian Jewish people gathered around a table in Warsaw, enjoying biscuits and tea. A few men sported azure kippahs on their grey hair. The regular attendees of a weekly "Let's Talk" seniors' club at the Jewish Community Centre have all found refuge in Poland following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Scrambling to fill their mugs with drinks was Zhanna Maisterenko, the club's 71-year-old coordinator and herself a refugee from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, near the front line. "I started this club because the seniors needed to express themselves," Maisterenko said. "I realised that people needed not just material help but also spiritual support." Maisterenko has welcomed more than 1,000 Ukrainian Jewish people, also helping them with their accommodation search and the immigration process in Poland. The elderly are often the most vulnerable refugee group, as they can struggle with settling in. Maisterenko said that she was moved to act because many members of the Jewish refugee community were "depressed" and worn out by prolonged exile as the war drags on in its fourth year. "We are still processing everything that happened to us," said Yevgenia Fogel, 76, to whom these weekly meetings bring "mental comfort". "Here, we are united in calamity. And this helps ease the blow." According to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, there were 45,000 to 140,000 Jewish people living in Ukraine before the war -- one of the largest populations in Europe. Vladimir Levin, 67, a retired engineer, teaches the group about Jewish history. "Growing up in the Soviet Union, we weren't taught real history. We weren't even allowed to say that we were Jewish," Levin said. Galina Ivannitskaya, 75, who worked as a tour guide in Kyiv, has started conducting tours around the Jewish sights of Warsaw. "I use a lot of the information that Volodya tells us here," she said. - 'No end in sight' - A photograph of Maisterenko's pink orchids is passed around the table. Her friend back in Kharkiv looks after her apartment while she's gone. The windows were blown out last month as a result of a nearby bombardment. "I thought I'd be here for only a few months," said Maisterenko, who was the director of the local JCC in Kharkiv, with more than 60 employees. "Now we are in the fourth year of war and there is no end in sight," she said. "We all wish to go back. That's where the bones of our parents lie. That's where my husband lies... We want to spend the rest of our days at home." Tetiana Wojciechowska, a psychologist who works with elderly people, said that the trauma they are experiencing is rooted in the generation of their parents: the survivors of the Holocaust. "The idea of transgenerational trauma originated after the Holocaust was recognised and began to be studied," she told AFP. "The same thing is happening now to Ukrainians," she added. Maisterenko saw a reflection of her past when the Ukrainian war broke out, with her grandson the same age then as her mother was on the eve of the Second World War. "When it began, I thought with horror, my God, is my grandson also destined to spend his entire youth in the war?", she asked. Victoria Bykova, who teaches Hebrew and Jewish culture classes to Ukrainian children in Warsaw's Nozyki synagogue, left Melitopol for Warsaw in 2022. "It was that kind of feeling, the one that grandma told me about," she said, explaining that evacuating from Melitopol felt like "being taken out to a ghetto somewhere". Funds for Ukrainian refugees are drying up and the club has felt the impact on its own activities. Despite these hurdles, Maisterenko expressed "gratitude to the Jewish community that hosted us in Warsaw". Speaking of the JCC Warsaw, she said: "The doors are always open." sn/dt/bc
India Gazette
02-07-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Argentina seeks deeper ties with India, backs Mercosur reform and anti-terrorism stance: Envoy
By Sahil Pandey Buenos Aires [Argentina], July 2 (ANI): Argentina is committed to strengthening its strategic partnership with India, advocating for a reformed Mercosur and standing firmly with New Delhi in the fight against terrorism, said the Argentine Ambassador to India, Mariano Caucino, on Wednesday. Speaking on bilateral relations, the envoy stressed the need for Mercosur to embrace global integration. 'There is a common understanding that Mercosur needs to reform, it needs to open, it needs to connect to the world,' he told ANI, adding, 'We are convinced that India is a major player in the world. India has a great future, and we hope to collaborate with our Mercosur partners to advance in this field.' With trade between India and Argentina touching USD 5 billion, India ranks among Argentina's top six trading partners, bolstered by a strategic partnership established in 2019. Condemning the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the ambassador reiterated Argentina's solidarity with India. 'I was among the first ambassadors in India to convey this message,' he said, recalling Argentina's own experience with terrorism in the 1992 Israeli Embassy attack and the 1994 Jewish Community Centre bombing in Buenos Aires. 'Terrorism is unacceptable in any form. We have to take into account those states that promote or hide terrorism, and we are with India in this case,' he asserted. On economic cooperation, the envoy highlighted Argentina's role as India's top supplier of soybean oil and third-largest supplier of sunflower oil. He also revealed a proposal to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India and noted Indian investments in Argentina's lithium sector in the northern regions. 'We want to enhance that cooperation,' he said, signalling deeper collaboration in agriculture, energy, and critical minerals. The ambassador described a recent high-level visit from India as 'extremely important' for Argentina and the region. 'We are talking about the leader of a country that has become the 5th largest economy in the world and is going to become the 4th largest economy,' he said, underscoring India's growing global stature. As Argentina pushes for stronger economic and diplomatic ties, the envoy's remarks reflect a shared vision for enhanced trade, energy cooperation, and a united stand against terrorism with India, a key partner for the Mercosur bloc. (ANI)
National Post
11-06-2025
- National Post
Shooting near Jewish community centre in Vaughan, Ont. targeted but not a hate crime, police say
A shooting near the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Vaughan, Ontario on Wednesday morning is not being ruled a hate crime, York Regional Police said during a midday press conference. Article content 'There's no indication at all that this is a hate bias incident,' media relations officer James Dickson said in response to a question from National Post. Article content Dickson told reporters at the scene that officers responded to reports of a shooting at 10:25 a.m. and confirmed that a 33-year-old man had been shot. The individual was taken to hospital with 'serious but non-life threatening injuries' from a gunshot wound, he said. Article content 'We do believe that the shooting was targeted,' Dickson added, while refusing to provide 'any additional information in terms of identifying any of our victims.' Article content York Regional Police are currently looking for one 'white male' suspect 'operating an older-model, dark-coloured sedan.' Dickson asked people in the community with any information about the incident to contact local law enforcement but said they 'don't believe that there's any public safety (concerns) at this time.' Article content 'None of the criteria that would be there for the Hate Crime Investigation Bureau to be brought into consultation have been met,' the spokesman said. 'We do believe this to be a targeted incident. We do know that there's been a lot of incidents this year right across Vaughan that have brought hate bias to the front of people's minds and I can confirm that this is not related to that whatsoever nor the (Jewish Community) Centre.' Article content The neighbourhood was quiet on the sunny afternoon. A few local students walked by, and captured images of the police tape blocking off streets. Local residents expressed alarm at the sight of their neighbourhood being filled with police cruisers. Article content Article content 'I figured it's probably another kid just setting up a firework,' one eyewitness, who asked not to be identified, told the Post. 'I don't know what this government is doing,' he said, adding that the community is home to the elderly and kids and the threat of violence is disconcerting. Article content He told the Post that he heard lockdown announcements broadcast from the Jewish schools located nearby. Article content
News18
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Scarlett Johansson Says She Always Dreamt Of Being A Director
Scarlett debuted her first film as a filmmaker in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2025. Known for her versatility and captivating performances, Scarlett Johansson has now taken on a new role—as a director. She made her directorial debut with Eleanor the Great at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where the film was showcased in the Un Certain Regard section. The movie follows Eleanor, a 94-year-old woman played by June Squibb, who takes a shocking and heartbreaking action driven by grief. After her best friend's death, Eleanor moves to New York and accidentally joins the wrong support group at the Jewish Community Centre. From there, she starts pretending to be a holocaust survivor, borrowing the story of her friend whom she just lost. It is a risky and emotional story, and Scarlett does not shy away from its complicated theme. 'There's a lack of empathy in the zeitgeist. It's obviously a reaction to a lot of things," said the 40-year-old, as quoted by AP. She reflected on the world we live in today, saying, 'It feels to me like forgiveness feels less possible in the environment we're in." Although Scarlett is new to directing, the dream has been with her for years. She explained, 'It has been for most of my career. Whether it was reading something and thinking, 'I can envision this in my mind,' or even being on a production and thinking, 'I am directing some elements of this out of necessity.'" Eleanor the Great received an overwhelmingly emotional response, which ended in a rousing five-minute standing ovation from the Cannes audience. Many videos from the moment showed both Scarlett and June standing side-by-side, visibly emotional and smiling as the audience showered them with applause. Apart from June, the film also features Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, and Erin Kellyman. Speaking about that moment, Scarlett said, 'Something I'll never forget is holding June in that moment. The pureness of her joy and her presence in that moment was very touching, I think, for everyone in the theatre." She continued, 'Maybe my way of processing it, too, is through June. It makes it less personal because it's hard for me to absorb it all." Her appearance at Cannes came right after she hosted the season finale of Saturday Night Live season 50. It has been a whirlwind few days for the actress, and it's far from over. Scarlett will soon be seen in Jurassic World Rebirth, scheduled to release on July 4. First Published:
Ottawa Citizen
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa councillors give city staff nine months to craft 'bubble bylaw'
City of Ottawa staff will have nine months to craft a draft 'bubble bylaw' aimed at protecting vulnerable 'social infrastructure' while respecting the right to protest, Article content On Thursday and Friday, councillors faced a roster of 42 speakers who had signed up to speak to a motion from Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill to develop a bylaw that would prohibit 'specified nuisance demonstrations' within a defined distance of vulnerable social infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities and places of worship. Article content Article content The proposed bylaw comes in the wake of anti-trans protests and counter-protests on Broadview Avenue, where there are two high schools and an elementary school, and an anti-Israel protest outside the Jewish Community Centre, which is near the Hillel Lodge long-term care facility, Article content Article content Among the most contentious issues was the definition of what would define a 'nuisance demonstration,' and there were concerns that a bylaw would give police and bylaw officials blanket authority to suppress dissent. There were also concerns over a proposal for a 100-metre bubble, which would result in many neighbourhoods, especially those downtown, being covered by dozens of overlapping bubbles with no room to protest. Article content Katy de Souza, a Broadview Public School parent, said she had attended counter-protests on Broadview Avenue. 'I can say from the display of solidarity I witnessed and got to be part of, the community is more than capable of handling something like this without having to resort to this kind of blanket ban on protests,' she told councillors. Article content Article content Hillel Lodge CEO Ted Cohen said disruptions, especially those with load noises and visual chaos, could trigger confusion, agitation and even medical episodes among vulnerable LTC residents. Article content 'Protesters arrived with signage, flags, banners, bullhorns, loudspeakers and drums,' Cohen said of the anti-Israel protest last September. 'The protest was loud, forceful and unrelenting.' Article content Hill said the goal of the motion was to be narrow and 'surgical,' minimizing the impact on protesters while maximizing protection for vulnerable people. Article content For example, Knox Presbyterian Church is very near Ottawa's city hall, but that would not preclude a protest at city hall, he said. Article content 'If you choose to protest city hall, the fact that Knox Presbyterian is next door and that there's a daycare in this building will not deny anybody the ability to assemble and speak out at city hall. Common sense prevails,' Hill said. Article content 'We're asking staff to consider time-limited protective zones so that, if a school is closed for a weekend or a place of worship is outside its hours of operation, we're not placing protections on empty buildings,' he said.
