Submitted by Will Arscott January 12th, 2016

JANUARY 12TH 2016 - MEETING RECAP - REGULAR MEETING AT THE BESSBOROUGH WITH GUEST SPEAKER RABBI CLAUDIO JODORKOVSKY

The meeting was presided by President Bev D.

Greeter - Clare H.

Cashier - Jack B.

Visitors and Guests - Clare H. (for Vic D.)

O Canada was led by Wayne M.

Grace - Steven Wilson

Visitors and Guests

Elmer Andres - guest of Clare H.

Ron McConnell - guest of Will A.

Rabbi Claudio Jodorkovsky - guest of the club and speaker

Announcements - President Bev D.

- Regular Board Meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4:00pm

- Members are reminded about the club assembly and AGM next Monday. Please attend if at all possible.

- Wayne M. Reminded us that grocery cards are still for sale and it is an easy ongoing fundraiser. Please bring your cheques.

Sergeant at Arms - Wayne M.

- Vic D. was quite properly fined for providing the Sergeant with a pen that was too complicated for him to use.

- Clare H. and Vic D. were fined for switching duties without obtaining the proper permission from Adriana V.

- Adriana V. quizzed us on the history of the Traffic (Victoria) Bridge. Our members were quite ignorant of the fact the bridge was begun in 1907 and was completed in 1909. A few more members were familiar with when it had come down.

- The sergeant quizzed our President as to the contents of our club history display box. Bev said it contained club history memorabilia but this was not sufficiently specific for our sergeant. In the end Bev put in a dollar for the fine work done by Al M. in preserving our history.

HAPPY AND SAD

- Wayne S. put in a sad dollar for leaving Wynyard after cleaning out his mother's residence. Wynyard has been part of his life but now he is unlikely to be back on any regular basis.

- Dave S. put in a happy dollar for the closing of the 'Enchanted Forest' This project has been a significant fundraiser but was a very large commitment for the three persons involved. The project will have to be assessed for next year.

- Gary R. put in a sad dollar for the passing of his older brother. His brother had a major stroke and required level IV care. This was very difficult for everyone as he had always been a physically active person. The profound loss was also mixed with relief that the suffering has ended.

- Wayne S. put in an indeterminate dollar for obtaining tickets for half the Roughrider games next year. The question we are all wondering is whether he has tickets for the half of the games they will likely lose or whether he has tickets to the half of the games they could possible win. I guess we will know when we see how many sad dollars we collect next fall.

- President Bev put in a happy dollar for our exchange student Samuli who is over the moon after the Finnish win at the world juniors. Apparently, he has erected a shrine to his team.

Introduction of Guest Speaker Rabbi Claudio Jodorkovsky - Bill J.

Rabbi Claudio Jodorkovsky was born in Santiago Chile and trained in Argentina. He was 'ordained' a Rabbi in 2002. He initially became a Rabbi in Columbia serving a couple of congregations. His last the last one was in Bogota. He has been Rabbi at the Agudas Isreal synagogue since 2009.

Rabbi Claudio Jodorkovsky '3,500 years of Jewish History in only 20 minutes'

The Rabbi began by thanking our club for the invitation. To understand Judaism you must realize it is both a religion and a culture. Some Jews identify more strongly with being religiously Jewish and others with being culturally Jewish.

As Religion:

Judaism believes in one personal God who is active in human affairs. This God does not have multiple manifestations (such as the Trinity of Christianity). God reveals himself through the first five books of the bible (The Pentateuch). Jewish history goes for 3,500 years because it dates from God's covenant with Abraham. This relationship was sealed with the receiving of the Torah which is the first five books of the bible.

As culture:

Traditionally all who descend from a Jewish mother are Jews. In our time this is being expanded to include descending through fathers though this is still not fully accepted in conservative strains of Judaism. Conversion to Judaism is also possible. Only 0.2% of the world is Jewish. It is not necessary to be religious to be Jewish. An atheist can be a Jew. Most Jews connect with the Jewish state of Israel.

Principals of Faith:

There is one God who does not appear in different manifestations. The one God created the world. Individuals pray directly to God and have a personal relationship with God. God is not mediated through a priestly class. Rabbi is a word for teacher but Rabbi's do not claim to mediate between individuals and God. Within modern Judaism there is a large range of opinions on nearly everything. At its best this constant debate gives Judaism a special dynamism.

After the time of the Torah (Moses), Judaism was developed through prophesy. The current opinion is that the age of prophesy ended in the second century AD and the interpretation of the faith has been left to the Rabbis. Traditions need to be interpreted for our time. God is present in human affairs and he cares about us. Judaism believes in a god of reward and punishment. There will be a messiah but he has not arrived and Jews are waiting.

Jewish Practice:

There are 613 commandments. Not all are carried out in contemporary Judaism. In fact some are now impossible. The commandments fall into two broad categories 1) those that regulate a Jew's relationship with God and 2) those that regulate a Jew's relationship with his fellow man.

A Jew is to pray three times a day preferably in a community. The Hebrew language is used for Jewish prayers though relatively few contemporary Jews understand the language in a more than rudimentary way. The language provides a commonality for Jews throughout the world.

Most Jews maintain kosher food rules. Some strains of modern Judaism are more insistent in this area than others but most Jews observe kosher rules in at least a symbolic way. Some people think some of these rules may have come from foods not being safe at the time the rules were developed. Rabbi Claudio holds it is more likely that the rules serve to remind Jews that not everything on the earth is theirs to consume.

Other Jewish practices include charity where a Jew is expected to give 10% to 20% of his income. There is also a requirement for a Jew to study.

The Jewish Week and Year:

Shabbat (sabbath) observances are important. This is a time of prayer and all physical work is to be avoided. Shabbat lasts from sundown Friday till sundown on Saturday.

There are three major holidays: Passover which celebrates Moses bringing the Jews out of Egypt; Rosh Roshana the Jewish New Year which unlike our New Year takes the form of a reflection on the past; and Yom Kippur the day of atonement. The holidays ask Jews to do a self-examination and try to improve themselves.

There are several more minor days in the Jewish year including Hannukah which is not a major festival but has become widely known due to its date being in proximity to the Christian Christmas. In very recent times days of remembrance have been added to the Jewish calendar for the Shoah (Holocaust). The Agudas Israel Synagogue does a Shoah memorial service for the public in Saskatoon.

Growing Up Jewish:

Male circumcision is important but is not related to becoming Jewish. The Bar Mitzvah (boys age 13) and Bat Mitzvah (girls age 12) is an important rite of passage. At this ceremony the child is expected to lead the worship in Hebrew and speak to the congregation.

Jews do not recognize intermarriage. In marriage there are rules preventing intimacy during the time of a woman's period. Homosexuality is a problem within Judaism as more conservative strains do not recognizing homosexuality. Some Reform Congregations are quite welcoming to homosexuals. This is an evolving area in contemporary Judaism. Divorce is possible in Judaism.

At death Jews must be buried quickly (though these rules are not as absolute with some as in the past). Embalming or cremation is not allowed. Jews must traditionally be buried in an all Jewish cemetery though again things are not as strict, particularly in the case of intermarriage.

The Rabbi took several questions:

- Jews do not recognize Jesus Christ in any way (though he was referred to as Rabbi in his time). Christianity began in the synagogue and there was a second century split. The split created animosity you can see in the New Testament and each group went its own way.

- The head coverings (Yamulka) are a tradition and are not biblical.

- Clare H. asked about the state of Israel and concerns that the US and Canada may be drifting in our traditional support and may leave Israel exposed to its enemies. The Rabbi indicated that is it impossible to ever know what the future may bring. He believes that both Jews and non-Jews should feel free to criticize particular policies of the state of Israel. He also believes that sometimes this criticism goes beyond what is reasonable and justified and hides anti-semitism. This, he believes, is particularly the case at the United Nations and in some left-wing politics.

- Our guest Ron McConnell (pastor McClure United Church) pointed out the Rabbi's recent co- presentation with RC Bishop Don Bolen on the music and poems of Leonard Cohen. He also pointed out the Synagogue's joint commitment with a local Mosque to sponsor a Syrian Refugee family. The Rabbi said it was a special aspect of being in Saskatoon that these multi-faith initiatives are possible.

Rabbi Jodorovsky was thanked by President Bev.

Editor's Note: I think the members of our club were very impressed with the Rabbi and are honoured to have him as a member of the Saskatoon community.

Next Meeting: January 18th 2016 Club Assembly and AGM

PLEASE ATTEND IF AT ALL POSSIBLE THIS IS YOUR CLUB