Category Archives: Tikun Olam (Repairing the World)

27

Nov. ’10

Then Puke up Whatever is leftover Part 2

There is so much pain and suffering in our world.

We don’t have to go to the Congo and watch as little boys are raped, or Darfur where men are butchered in front of their children. We can stay right here in Toronto where thousands of children go without 3 solid meals a day.

Poverty and hunger is rampant in Toronto. It is out of control and as the million dollar condos go up so too does poverty.

What would happen if we were all conscious of what was really going on in our world? What would happen if each one of us decided that we really could not stand aside while terrible things happened around us, and instead took a courageous stand to stop them?

I include myself in this question for I think that I have been a safe humanitarian, a computer d0-gooder and I’m tired of it. I have been witness to the great courage of mighty people in the world, individuals with children, who put themselves in harms way to help others. That is not me.

I am not being self-deprecating only trying to be honest and encourage you to do the same. Very few of us are righteous Gentiles, righteous Jews, righteous Muslims, or righteous atheists. Very few. From time to time you’ll meet someone who consistently hurls themselves in front of a streetcar to save another life, somehow surviving and going ahead and doing the same thing the next day.

So with all the talk of saving the world, rescuing it from ourselves, not enough has happened, is happening or likely will. My guess is that every century has had those few chosen individuals whose balls were larger than watermelons, big enough to allow the person carrying them to stand up against the Knight, challenge the church, and grab a sword by the blade so as to save a child’s life.

Does it have to be that way? I don’t think so. I believe those people exist to remind us that we can achieve our own level of greatness; they remind us that lofty actions can be done by human beings.

And from time to time, all of us are faced with something lofty, but we hope with all of our heart that we can run from anything like that again. If we are to save our world from ourselves; stop war, famine, rape, murder, diarrhea that kills millions of children just like pneumonia does and malaria – then we have to decide that Wall Street and Bay Street are only streets, and that yachts, boats, pools and jewels do not go to the grave with us. We have to remind ourselves that our good name does; and our deeds do; and the life we saved or rescued is always ours.

What with the diamonds and the Mercedes? How does it feel to wear a 5-karat VVS rock and drive in a half-a-million car? I don’t know. Is it fun? Special. I imagine so. But there is no doubt, that saving 10,000 women from being enslaved as prostitutes (as the most recent CNN hero has done) is a shit load more fun…you’ll pardon my use of ‘fun’.

Because it is then you have saved a life, and out of that comes other lives, and out of those come more. And if you were to follow the slave’s lineage backwards and forwards you would find worlds upon worlds upon worlds. Just imagine indeed..Not winning a fucking lottery, but saving a 12 year old from a life of rape and prostitution.

It’s time for me to have some balls, to be stronger and braver. It’s time for you to have the same. If we all mustered up the courage to change things, things would change. This is the truth. This is what religions try to teach us, and strong valiant men and women try to show us.

One day you will come face to face with yourself as I will and I hope I/you will see something special….really special. I hope we will be able to say, we gave a shit and did everything we could to help the crying and shouting man tortured in a prison somewhere by a gutless and ruthless despot.

This is history. This is the present and while everything seems okay outside my window, it’s not.

There’s puke there, dripping down the windowsill. It’s been barfed up by all of us when we were witness to terrible things, but we just let it stay there.

We didn’t clean it up, like a women who’s drunk and too wasted to undress or wipe her face off. History is full of piles of puke, mountains of barf. We sure enough have the energy and ingenuity to destroy; why shouldn’t we use that to create?

Why?

 

Posted by . Categories: Humanity, Simple Ideas, Tikun Olam (Repairing the World). Tags: , , , , , . Leave a comment

18

Jan. ’10

Tikkun olam by a Whisker: Avrum’s CJN Article January 15, 2010

It’s 2 a.m., and Roz Gelade might be walking through your backyard. A little while ago, Roz, the president of Fostering Felines Cat Rescue, rescued a six-year-old brown tabby by the name of Bruno. He was about to go into an adoptive home, but instead he got away. Only days before, he had been shaven in a lion cut, so his fur was very thin.

Roz and some dedicated volunteers put out cat cages, and she recruited other volunteers to look for Bruno, including me. (Recently, I became one of Roz’s board members.) It was indeed 2 a.m.

Roz came by to pick me up in her proud yet dishevelled mobile office, with notebooks, cages and food scattered throughout. I smiled as I always do with Roz, because I am so incredibly proud of her for doing what she loves, and for doing it well.

I told her we had to first stop at an all-night convenience store for some hot chocolate. We did. So there we were, in the wee hours of the night, hanging out in front of that store, sipping a hot drink and shmoozing. At 49 years of age, that made me very happy. It’s good to hang.

She told me how sad she was that Bruno was out in the cold alone.

You think to yourself, “Cats? That’s nuts. Why would anyone give time to saving a cat when they could save or help a person?”

Roz might agree with that, or something close to it. Her love for cats, she told me, enhances her love for people. Animal activists like Roz are refreshing, because many of them are so stridently anti-human. But Roz isn’t like that.

Five years ago, she started rescuing cats, fostering them out and then finding them adoptive homes – or “forever homes,” as she calls them. Later, she was instrumental in launching the first Canadian spay/neuter clinic. Recently, Roz orchestrated the amalgamation of two cat rescue organizations. She is a pioneer, an innovator, a not-for-profit entrepreneur in an industry dotted with some very extraordinary people.

Like the prophets who loved animals – such as Moses, who went after a lone sheep – Roz is a compassionate and resourceful animal lover. She’s the real deal. She should run the Humane Society.

It was cold, and standing around meant fidgeting in somebody’s backyard in the middle of the night. The cat wasn’t waiting for us in the cages. They were empty. But slowly, meticulously and with soft, loving care, Roz placed a folded blanket under the cages so the metal wouldn’t freeze, and therefore the cat wouldn’t, either.

We drove up to my condo at 3:30 a.m. and talked for a little while. Roz was still melancholy because Bruno was nowhere to be found. But, she said, “maybe he will be soon and things will be alright.”

I told her to read the story of Jacob, who didn’t know if Joseph, his son, was dead or alive and, therefore, couldn’t mourn or celebrate – a terrible condition for a loved one to be in. She did. It helped. We talked about the importance of developing a philosophy of suffering.  

Despite all the fun that people have at her expense – calling her “cat lady” – Roz has never wavered from her dreams, her very humane and compassionate dreams of rescuing, fostering, adopting out and protecting the cat population.

So if you see the bushes in your backyard moving late one night and start to reach for your rifle, look more closely. It might be a very special person acting out her dreams, repairing the world while whispering to a wild cat, “Everything will be OK.”

It might be Roz Gelade.

Posted by . Categories: animals, Characters & People, Tikun Olam (Repairing the World). Tags: , , , , . Leave a comment

14

Jan. ’10

Haiti – Help an Orphanage, a Miracle Story

Haiti Earthquake Update A Glimmer of Hope Amidst a Sea of Devastation

It is now well known that Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, suffered the devastating impact of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, January 12th. The death toll from Haiti’s earthquake is currently estimated to be between 45,000 and 50,000, with a further 3 million people hurt or homeless in an increasingly desperate country (Haitian Red Cross).

Unfortunately, at this time there is no precise number of victims and no mechanism available to confirm the death toll or the number of persons affected, which could number up to 3 million injured or homeless. Relief agencies are faced with the challenge of lack of communication from the field due to damaged and destroyed infrastructure, as well as difficulty navigating the streets and hillsides due to the sheer magnitude of debris following the earthquake. Ve’ahavta’s Response Ve’ahavta responded quickly with the immediate creation of a designated Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

A generous donor has committed matching funds for every dollar raised through Ve’ahavta. Ve’ahavta has in recent months been corresponding with The House of Hope Orphanage, located in Gressier, Haiti, which is home to 200 children and staff. When disaster struck, we waited, anxiously, to hear from them. The orphanage is located just a few miles from the epicenter of the earthquake.

Miraculously, despite the surrounding village having been flattened and the decimation of surrounding infrastructure, all 200 children plus staff are alive, with no injuries, although the orphanage has suffered significant damage. The orphanage has now been transformed into a temporary relief center, providing respite and support to those in its surrounding catchment area who have been left injured or homeless.

Ve’ahavta will partner with Canadian Feed the Children to provide relief and to rebuild The House of Hope Orphanage and its surrounding community which has been so devastated by this disaster. Funds rasied will provide emergency relief supplies to assist this effort, and will be directed towards the rebuilding and strengthening of the orphanage and its surrounding area, in the hope of providing continued support to the residents of the orphanage as well as the individuals living in Gressier. Ve’ahavta will stay in close contact with our partner agencies who are first responders on the ground to determine what support is most urgently needed.

First responders provide medical aid, critical assessments, water purification, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, as well as other urgently needed assistance to victims of this disaster. Why direct your donation through Ve’ahavta? An anonymous Ve’ahavta donor has committed to doubling the Haiti relief funds raised through Ve’ahavta. Plus, the federal government recently announced it will match, dollar for dollar, Canadians’ individual donations to registered charities to support the relief and recovery efforts in Haiti.

By donating to Ve’ahavta, your funds will be tripled. In these critical days, please support Ve’ahavta’s efforts to provide aid to the men, women, and children of Haiti. Donate.

 Now A Personal Note From our Founding President, Avrum Rosensweig.

 This Shabbat please make sure to add a t’phillah (prayer) at home and in shul for the people of Haiti. We as Jews have suffered. Our Israeli family is always aware of stress and sorrow.

Remember this and draw upon your strength and experiences to help the men, women and children of Haiti. Speak to your family and friends about the hardships of others and our responsibility to help where and when we can because of the blessing of living in Canada. Let us hope and pray that a new garden grows soon in Haiti, one which emanates an everlasting fragrance of life and hope. B’Shalom, Avrum Rosensweig Ve’ahavta is a member of the Canadian Coalition for Disaster Relief, a coalition of Jewish NGOs which meets regularly during times of crisis to coordinate the direction of relief

Posted by . Categories: Humanity, Tikun Olam (Repairing the World). Tags: , , . Leave a comment

27

Oct. ’09

TonyBlair Faith Foundation: My Blog Post

In 2008, I was asked, as the President of Ve’ahavta (www.veahavta.org)  to join a multi-faith committee hosted by The TonyBlair Faith Foundation. I was honored to be part of Tony’s ‘movement’ and excited about the opportunity to meet him, and speak on behalf of the Jewish people. 

Tony Blair is a good man and a friend of the Jewish people.

The objective of the committee is to encourage our respective communities to engage in humanitarian work, together, more specifically to underwrite malaria nets for Africa.

It has been an interesting process, one that has put me at the table with Imams, Priests, Ministers, Native Canadians and spiritual leaders of all backgrounds. The truth is I was born for this; born into this. What do I mean? Read below.

Make friends with peoples of all backgrounds. It serves the Jewish people well. It strengthens the world we live in!

_________________________________________________________________________

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/blog/entry/my-motivations-as-a-faiths-act-volunteer-in-canada/

My father, Rabbi Shragah Phyvle Rosensweig, of blessed memory, was an Orthodox Rabbi. I therefore grew up in a home which was imbued with state-of-the-art Judaism — an environment which was multi-cultural at its very core equipped with all the spiritual bells and whistles a Rabbi’s son would want.

As a child, it was not unusual for our home to be packed with activists, hippies, yippees, yuppies and seekers of truth. I would frequently sleep under our dining room table so that a stranger, a guest, would have a comfortable mattress to rest their weary back on. My Father and my dear Mother, she should be well until 120, taught us that all men, women and children are creations of God and deserve respect and a share of our resources.

Therefore when I sit around the Faith Acts Table, I am at home. I feel warmth. Therefore when an Imam sits next to me, and a priest, minister or spiritual leader is across the table, I am excited about the possibility of carrying forward the lessons my Father, taught me – the idea that inherent to each one of us regardless of our where our faith is anchored is that we are creations of God, or at least equal in the eyes of good people. And I am delighted to teach my colleagues and friends something about my beloved Judaism.

Thank you for including me in this movement and allowing me the opportunity to share my enthusiasm with my Jewish brothers and sisters. The work we do is lofty and holy and I hope and pray that one day soon, all peoples will be healthy, free and have the ability to actualize themselves to the fullest and live lives that glow like the fruit of the Garden of Eden. I wish great success in the coming year. 

B’shalom, Peace

Avrum Rosensweig, President Ve’ahavta: The Canadian Jewish Humanitarian & Relief Committee

Posted by . Categories: Jewish, Tikun Olam (Repairing the World). Leave a comment