From the Pulpit: Identifying light when surrounded by darkness

By Rabbi Daniel Mikelberg, Temple Israel

Here we are nine months into the pandemic. Last April, when we were desperately regrouping around Passover, we were sure that by the time Chanukah rolled around things would be back to normal-ish. Even as we continue to mark another Jewish holiday wi…

From the Pulpit: A lesson I learned from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

By Rabbi Menachem M. Blum

I pen these lines as the Jewish world mourns the passing of former chief rabbi of the U.K., Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Z”L. A giant in our times, a rabbi of rabbis, a brilliant writer and a master orator who was a great inspiration to many, and to me personally. R…

Ideas and Impressions: Recalling the 1995 referendum 25 years later

By Jason Moscovitz

Somehow, during the pandemic, we lose track of time and we lose track of the calendar and years gone by. My father recently told me he saw me on a documentary about the 25th anniversary of the second referendum campaign on Quebec separation held October 30, 1995. Thanks, …

Focus on Fitness: When the gyms are shut down, take a hike!

By Gloria Schwartz

This is it. This is the moment to make a commitment to yourself to do what you need to do to maintain and even improve your health in the coming months. The winter blues and the more serious Seasonal Affective Disorder may be exacerbated by the constraints of the pandemic…

From the Editor: Is the Trump era about to end?

By Michael Regenstreif, Editor

I’ve just reread my “From the Editor” column written exactly four years ago today, and published in the October 31, 2016 edition of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.

The subject of that column was the U.S. presidential election, in particular the candidacy of…