This message has 914 words, and will take about four to five minutes to read.

Spoiler Alert
Tomorrow evening we celebrate the holiday of Purim, a joyous commemoration of the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Book of Esther (Megillat Esther). Major observances of the holiday include the reading of the Book of Esther, generally accompanied by wearing of costumes and blotting out the name of Haman with noisemakers (greggers), and sharing of gifts of charity with the poor. One of the major themes of Purim is that everything it turned on its head, especially with the victimized Jews emerging triumphant. Over the years, the topsy-turvy nature of celebrating Purim has also included humour and satire aimed at pretty much everything.

Today’s message is written in that spirit – keep your salt shaker handy as you read on.

Rabbi Bregman’s Post-Retirement Plans Announced
A few years ago I got it wrong, sharing the news that after his retirement from Temple Sholom this summer Rabbi Philip Bregman would be leaving for Toronto to fulfill his long-held dream of joining the Toronto Blue Jays sports organization. With his retirement coming soon, the real story has emerged; Rabbi Bregman has been engaged by Vancouver Opera, Canada’s second largest opera company. Anyone who has attended services at Temple Sholom is well aware of the Rabbi’s strong vocal skills. The opera company is very excited to strengthen the ranks of their bass section. With Congregation Beth Israel’s youth director, Mijael Lacher, having just left town to enter an opera training program in Argentina, that makes two Vancouver Jewish community contributions to the opera world in the space of a few months.

High School Debates Pits Poppy Against Chocolate
Jewish Federation’s Annual High School Debates took place this past Wednesday evening, bringing together students from King David High School, Pacific Torah Institute and Shalhevet. About 100 students took part and, as usual, most students tackled weighty issues related to Israel. However, one round of debate focused on the coming Purim holiday as teams from KDHS and PTI squared off over the most appropriate and satisfying filling to use for baking hamentaschen. It was a hard-fought argument but in the end, special judges from the Na’amat hamentaschen sales force declared the PTI team the winners. Perhaps not surprisingly, the compelling argument was made for chocolate over poppy.

Jewish Outreach Group to Set Up Cruise Ship Services
With large numbers of Jews from across North America traveling through Vancouver’s cruise ship terminal each summer, the Ohel Yakov Community Kollel is planning a new set of Jewish outreach services to bring yiddishkeit to thousands of vacationers. Services will include a daily minyan at the terminal, a special Shabbat morning minyan (many ships start and end their one week trips on Saturdays), a tefillin laying booth, information on kosher food sources in Juneau and Anchorage, and guidance on how to determine candle-lighting times during the Alaskan summer.

Moishe House Rebranding with New Name
With almost two years of operation under its belt and a steady following of more than 400 young adults attending their programs, the Moishe House residents have recently decided to change the name to Martin’s House. I had a chance to chat this week with the residents and found they thought it was important to respond to the rapidly changing demographic of 20-somethings with whom they work. With many coming from highly assimilated backgrounds, the name Moishe House seemed a bit too Jewish. The group thought a more accessible name might have people feeling more comfortable about trying out program offerings.

Federation and JFSA to Promote Jewish Migration to the Lower Mainland
Recognizing the unique contributions that newcomers have made to the growth and development of our Jewish community, Jewish Federation and the Jewish Family Service Agency will be launching a new project to promote more in-migration to help grow and strengthen our community. Jewish Federation’s Planning Council has carefully studied past community development patterns to determine which communities of origin have historically provided the strongest contributions to communal leadership and participation. The analysis has included communities across Canada, the US, Israel, and the Jewish world. The community of origin emerging at the top of the list is Saskatoon.

The new project will include outreach to Saskatoon and other communities that have also demonstrated past strong contributions to our communal development (i.e. Mexico City, Cape Town). Jewish Federation will provide the marketing and outreach component, while JFSA will work with interested individuals and families to assist in their immigration and resettlement process. For more information or to get involved in the project, contact Shelley Rivkin at srivkin@jewishvancouver.com.

New JCC Exec Seals Deal with Oakridge Developers
During the past year, city planners and developers from Westbank Development have been consulting with various stakeholders about the coming massive redevelopment of Oakridge Centre. Located centrally in the midst of an historic area of Jewish communal concentration, the developments at Oakridge are naturally of keen interest to the Jewish community. Brand new JCC executive director, Eldad Goldfarb, newly appointed to his role this week after several months as interim director, announced an exciting new deal struck between JCC and Oakridge. Under the deal, the JCC will move into the soon-to-be-vacated Zellers space, with the planned Target store taking over the JCC site. In tandem with the JCC relocation a new food court will feature several kosher dining outlets, including local favourites, Nava Creative Kosher Cuisine, Omnitsky’s Deli, and Sabra Kosher Bakery.

Shabbat shalom and chag sameach!