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PJ Library Celebrates Tu B’Shevat - And Soon, Passover
PJ Library held another successful event recently at the Mt. Pleasant Community Centre. Families with children ages six months to five years old, celebrated Tu B’Shevat together with a festive birthday party for the trees including story time, decorating planters, and planting parsley in preparation for Passover. Tu B’Shevat is the Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the new year of the trees.

PJ Library is an outstanding program that introduces young children and their families to the joys of Jewish literature and music. The monthly arrival of new books and CDs quickly becomes an exciting moment for participants. We now have 500 children on the Lower Mainland receiving their monthly package.

The next PJ Library event is scheduled for Monday, March 18th at the Richmond Public Library and will be a celebration of Passover. For more information about upcoming programs, to enroll in the program, or to learn more about the PJ Library program in general, please check out our website or contact Rachel Kest at rkest@jewishvancouver.com. To see pictures of past PJ Library events, visit their Facebook page and like them while you're at it.

Dragon Boat 2013 – Last 4 Seats Going Soon!
Last year’s inaugural Dragon Boat Festival on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) in Israel was an extraordinary experience, with over 800 paddlers from Canada and Israel launching this new annual festival. In addition to the paddlers, the festival drew coaches, family members, and spectators to witness the introduction of a new sport in Israel. Our community was well represented by the Pacific Chai team, which finished first in its category and had a great time.

This year’s festival takes place May 9-10, 2013, and Pacific Chai is looking for its last four participants to complete their team. If you are interested, please contact If’at Eilon Heiber at 604.257.5140 or iheiber@jewishvancouver.com.

The Chutzpah! Festival is Upon Us
The Chutzpah! Festival, the Lisa Nemetz International Showcase of Jewish Performing Arts, is our community’s outstanding annual performing arts festival, and this year’s line-up looks as promising as ever. A rich menu of music, theatre and dance stretches over the next several weeks. To access the program guide or buy tickets online, visit the festival website.

Jewish Federation’s Israel and Overseas Affairs Committee provides funding to Chutzpah! to enable the inclusion of Israeli artists, providing access for our community to some of the best in the Israeli cultural scene.

Shabbat Mishpatim
This week’s parasha includes a lengthy compendium of laws intended to govern our behavior in dealing with familial relationships, with neighbours and in business. As Rabbi Infeld from Congregation Beth Israel commented last night, it comprises a guide to being a mensch.

The list includes one law related to lending money to the poor, in which we are enjoined not to charge interest (Exodus 22:24). It is this verse that provides the guiding philosophy of the Hebrew Free Loan Society, an organization whose mission is to provide no-interest loans to members of our community who need a short-term source of funds to deal with any number of situations. For some it might be to deal with extraordinary household or health-related expenses. For others it might be to engage in further education in order to improve their employability. For many years, the Hebrew Free Loan Society has been helping people get back on their feet or improve their lives, while preserving their dignity.

Click here for more information about our local Hebrew Free Loan Society, its loan program or to become a member.

Shabbat shalom!