2005 Annual Report Rapport annuel - Jewish Public Library

2005
Annual Report
Rapport annuel

Agenda
Ordre du jour
Opening remarks
Janie Respitz, President
Remarques préliminaires
Janie Respitz, Présidente
Greetings
Sylvain Abitbol, President, Federation CJA
Discours d’accueuil
Sylvain Abitbol, Président, Fédération CJA
“Many Stories, Many
Faces” – The Library’s 90 th
Anniversary
Exhibition
Reports
Joanne Garfinkle Greenspoon,
Nominating Committee
Nicholas Kasirer, Ombudsman
Daniel Frajman, By-Laws Committee
Hillel Rosen, Financial Report
Eva Raby, Annual Report
Guest Speaker
Edward Hillel “The Use of History and
Collective Memory in the Creative Process”
An illustrated presentation
Rapports
Joanne Garfinkle Greenspoon,
Rapport du Comité de nomination
Nicholas Kasirer, Rapport du Protecteur
Daniel Frajman, Rapport sur les Règlements
Hillel Rosen, Rapport financier
Eva Raby, Rapport annuel
Invité d’honneur
Edward Hillel « The Use of History and
Collective Memory in the Creative Process »
Une présentation avec diapositives
Wine Tasting “New jewish Life in Berlin” M. Rosenthal Eva Raby honours volunteer Henri Rabin Display showcasing the Archives
Dear Friends,
When I agreed to take on the role and
responsibility of President of the JPL one
year ago I anticipated hard work and a
challenge. I am pleased to say that stepping
into the position has proven to be fascinating
and rewarding. I had the privilege of
beginning my term with great festivities
celebrating the 90th Anniversary of our library.
Although the year has not been only
celebration, the feeling of pride and great
accomplishment of the past ninety years
has helped us look toward the future with
great optimism and devotion.
Looking forward, we have embarked on a
Long Term Planning effort that is re-evaluating
the existing structure of the library.
After consulting with our dedicated staff,
members, and focus groups throughout
the community we are looking to make the
necessary changes and adjustments to meet
the evolving needs of our community.
Due to financial constraints, we looked to
partnerships to help subsidize or otherwise
facilitate programming and this has turned
out to be a great success. Our partners have
included the Israeli Consulate, the German
Consulate, The Goethe Institute, the Saidye
Bronfman Centre, Concordia Institute
for Canadian Jewish Studies, the CSUQ,
JFS, and Congregations Dorshei Emet and
Shaarei Zion. We are looking forward to
more joint and co-sponsored programmes
with these institutions, as well as others.
Our fundraising efforts are still in full swing.
Thanks to the remarkable efforts of Micky
Rosenthal, we are closer to meeting our 90th
Anniversary Capital Endowment Campaign
goal but still have some hard work ahead
of us. Because of a sharp budget cut for
2005/2006 we are now required to self-finance
more and more of our services. Other
fundraising events this year have included
a Wine Tasting evening and, of course, our
Gala where we honoured Robert Adams.
We are excited to announce a new Volunteer
Recruitment initiative at the JPL. Much
effort has been made to pinpoint where
the help is most needed and what skills are
required. After an orientation and interview
process individuals who are looking to
share their time and talents will be carefully
matched with the appropriate department
where their efforts could be most utilized.
We wish all our new volunteers the best of
luck and we welcome anyone who would be
interested in working with us.
A great deal of thanks goes to our Executive,
Board, committee chairs and committee
members for hours of hard work and
tireless devotion. The library would not be
what it is today without the dedication of
all these individuals, each one bringing to
the table his or her own expertise in a wide
variety of fields. I would also like to thank
our wonderful, professional, dedicated staff
members who are always there when we
need them and help the library serve the
community. It is through the great efforts
and hard work of our Executive Director
Eva Raby that all of us look so good. I
thank her for all she does with deep admiration
and appreciation.
Being the President of the JPL is a privilege.
This year we have set the pace and opened
the path that will lead us to our 100th. I
look forward to the many challenges and
exciting opportunities that lie ahead in the
coming year. Wishing everyone A Shana
Tova, A Gut Gezunt Yor,
Respectfully,
Janie Respitz
Note from
the President
September 2005
New partnerships help
compensate drastic
budget cuts
2 3

Message de la
Présidente
Septembre 2005
Janie Respitz,
President
Présidente
De nouveaux partenariats
ont compensé pour les
compressions budgétaires
Chers amis,
Quand j’ai accepté, il y a un an, d’assumer
le rôle et les responsabilités de présidente
de la Bibliothèque publique juive,
je me doutais que j’allais me heurter à des
difficultés et faire face à un grand défi.
Aujourd’hui, j’avoue que ce rôle s’est révélé
fascinant et satisfaisant. J’ai eu le privilège
de débuter mes fonctions avec les grandes
festivités célébrant le 90e anniversaire de
notre bibliothèque. Bien que cela n’ait pas
toujours été facile, je me dois de préciser
que la sensation de fierté et le succès rencontré
au cours de ces quatre-vingt-dix
années nous ont aidés à envisager l’avenir
avec optimisme et enthousiasme.
Ainsi, nous nous sommes lancés dans une
planification à long terme pour évaluer la
structure actuelle de la Bibliothèque. Après
consultation avec notre personnel, nos
membres et des groupes focalisés à travers
la communauté, nous envisageons de faire
les changements et les ajustements nécessaires
aux besoins d’une communauté qui
ne cesse d’évoluer.
En raison de restrictions financières, nous
avons recherché des partenaires pour nous
aider financièrement ou autrement dans nos
programmes. Cette initiative a remporté un
grand succès. Le Consulat d’Israël, le Consulat
d’Allemagne, le « Goethe Institute »,
le Centre Saidye Bronfman, le « Concordia
Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies », la
Communauté Sépharade Unifiée du Québec,
les Services juifs à la famille et les Congrégations
Dorshei Emet et Shaarei Zion se
sont joints à nous. Nous espérons pouvoir
compter à l’avenir sur leur participation
ainsi que sur celle d’autres organisations.
Nous sommes toujours en pleine campagne
financière. Grâce aux efforts incroyables de
Mickey Rosenthal, nous ne sommes pas loin
d’atteindre notre but, mais nous avons encore
du chemin à faire. En raison de sévères compressions
budgétaires pour 2005/2006, nous
nous voyons dans l’obligation d’autofinancer
de plus en plus de services. Pour augmenter
nos revenus, nous avons aussi organisé une
dégustation de vin ainsi que la soirée de gala
en l’honneur de Robert Adams.
Récemment, nous avons instauré un nouveau
système pour recruter nos bénévoles.
Nous nous sommes renseignés où l’aide
était la plus nécessaire et quelles étaient
les normes requises. Après une orientation
et une entrevue, les personnes offrant
leur temps et leurs talents seront placées
adéquatement. Nous souhaitons à tous
nos nouveaux bénévoles bonne chance
ainsi que la bienvenue à quiconque désire
travailler avec nous.
J’exprime ma profonde gratitude au Comité
de direction, au Conseil d’administration,
aux présidents et membres des comités
pour tous leurs efforts et leur dévotion.
La Bibliothèque leur doit énormément. Je
remercie aussi notre personnel dévoué qui
est toujours présent et qui aide la Bibliothèque
à servir la communauté. Je tiens
aussi à ajouter que nous devons notre
bonne réputation aux efforts et au travail
de notre directrice générale, Eva Raby. Je
la remercie et lui exprime ma profonde
admiration et reconnaissance.
Servir comme présidente de la Bibliothèque
publique juive est un privilège. Cette année,
nous avons établi le rythme à suivre et tracé
le chemin qui nous conduira au centenaire.
Je suis prête à affronter les nombreux défis et
à accueillir toutes les merveilleuses opportunités
que nous réserve l’année qui vient.
Bonne et heureuse année! Shana Tova! A
Gut Gezunt Yor!
Janie Respitz
Présidente
receive a two-year grant from the Jewish
Community Foundation that enabled us
to hire a full time professional archivist.
In the few short months since Shannon
Hodge joined our staff, she has organized
several collections, mounted monthly
archival displays in the Library, given tours
to groups of students and visitors, organized
an Archival Roadshow for Friends
of the Library, put together a preservation
and disaster plan and worked with new and
prospective donors to preserve their and
the community’s heritage. She and other
senior staff members are currently putting
together a proposal to seek funding for the
digitization of unique materials in order
that they may be preserved and easily accessed
by scholars throughout the world.
Our ability to attract outside funding is
critical if we are to remain a first-class research
and cultural centre. The budget cuts
sustained by all agencies funded by Federation
CJA will severely impact our ability to
purchase books, upgrade computer hardware
and software, support programming
initiatives and provide service to the public.
We have met with private corporations and
foundations over the past year and are gratified
by the interest and support shown by
first-time visitors. They have been quick to
recognize the importance of our institution
to the wider Montreal community and to
scholars worldwide. We continue to sustain
our cultural programming mandate entirely
through the generosity of private foundations,
family endowments and individual
donations, acknowledged elsewhere in this
annual report. With every passing year we
undertake the self-financing of increasing
portions of our operating budget. The fiveyear
Capital Endowment Campaign, led by
our outstanding chair, Michael Rosenthal,
is vital to our future. We are immensely
grateful to Micky and the individual generous
donors for their support and continue
to work hard to reach our goals.
We continually play a balancing act between
fulfilling the Library’s mandate to
purchase Judaic materials and meeting the
needs of patrons whose reading needs extend
to general interest books and fiction.
That we do this in five official languages is
an additional challenge. We worked within
the confines of our budget this past year,
but are left with lists of desiderata that must
be met by grants and fundraising efforts.
Additional challenges are posed by everevolving
technology in the delivery of information
services. For example, although
the power of technologies that can deliver
on-line full text databases to patrons is
thrilling, the costs of providing such service
is prohibitive, particularly when the same
dollars are required for the purchase of
books and audio visual materials. Upgrades
of computer hardware and software are a
constant requirement. We have no shortage
of goals for which to strive.
It was never the goal of the founders of the
JPL to have the Library act as a mere repository.
On the contrary, it was a place that
not only housed books, but was also where
people could talk about them. We continued
this tradition – the JPL as a folksuniversitet,
the people’s university – through
our Legacy for Learning series that brought
discussions on Jewish intellectual history,
kabbalah, history, philosophy, and more,
to interested members. We supported our
different cultural heritages by presenting
films, plays, music and lectures in Yiddish,
French and Hebrew to sold-out audiences.
These events were entirely self-financed.
We accomplished these multiple missions
of library service, research support and cultural
programming through the outstanding
efforts of our small but dedicated staff.
Eva Raby,
Executive Director
Directrice générale
The JPL – a place a place
that not only housed
books, but was also a place
where people could talk
about them
Note from
the Executive
Director
The 91 st year of the Library’s existence
featured an exhibit that celebrated its illustrious
past. During a three-week period
during the fall, members of the public were
able to peruse photographs and artifacts
chosen from the Library’s archival treasures.
Over the past few years we have
become increasingly determined to better
preserve, promote and add to this unique
collection. We were therefore gratified to
4 5

Message
de la Directrice
Générale
Septembre 2005
Following the retirement of several senior
staff members over the past few years, we
have become reinvigorated through the addition
of a new generation of enthusiastic,
energetic, and visionary young professionals
who have been trained in cutting edge
methodologies to deliver superior service
to our patrons. It is imperative that we
give them the resources to continue their
important work.
This anniversary year has been one of
both introspection and planning for the
future. The By-Laws have been revised, a
Long Range Planning Committee is set to
report in the Fall of 2005, the Investment
Committee has worked hard to review our
finances and a new Volunteer Committee
has created the infrastructure whereby
members can become more involved in the
Pour son 91e anniversaire, la Bibliothèque
a présenté une exposition célébrant son
passé illustre. L’automne dernier, le public
a pu admirer, pendant trois semaines, des
photographies et artefacts choisis parmi les
trésors archivistiques de la Bibliothèque.
Nous avons pris à cœur la tâche de mieux
préserver, promouvoir et accroître ce fonds
sans pareil. Ainsi, nous avons reçu une
subvention de deux ans de la Fondation
communautaire juive qui nous a permis
d’engager une archiviste diplômée à temps
plein. En l’espace de très peu de temps,
Shannon Hodge a organisé plusieurs fonds,
monté une différente exposition archivistique
chaque mois, a accueilli des groupes
d’étudiants et des visiteurs, a organisé un
spectacle archivistique pour les Amis de
la Bibliothèque, a préparé un plan en cas
de catastrophe et est entré en contact avec
de nouveaux donateurs pour préserver un
héritage qui est tant le leur que celui de la
communauté. Avec d’autres membres du
personnel cadre, elle prépare une demande
de subvention pour la numérisation de
matériel incomparable afin de le préserver
et de le rendre accessible aux érudits du
monde entier.
delivery of service. All this has been in addition
to the outstanding efforts of the dedicated
men and women who serve as lay
members of our various committees and
whom I thank profoundly. The direction
and guidance of the Board of Directors has
been invaluable in dealing with a myriad of
new issues and most especially the budget
cuts required for the coming fiscal year. I
am equally fortunate to have the invaluable
support and guidance of the members of
the Officers Group, led by an extraordinary
woman – Janie Respitz, President of
the JPL. Her vision and leadership have
helped us forge ahead with plans to create a
stronger institution, no mean feat in a time
of shrinking resources. I look forward to
achieving our goals in the coming year as
we continue to work together.
Il est essentiel de trouver des ressources
supplémentaires pour continuer à être un
centre culturel et de recherche de première
classe. Les compressions budgétaires
souffertes par toutes les agences financées
par Fédération CJA auront un grand impact
sur l’achat de livres, sur l’amélioration
de notre système informatique, sur nos
programmes et sur nos services au public.
Nous avons contacté des corporations et
des fondations privées au cours de l’année
dernière et sommes satisfaits de l’intérêt
et de l’appui reçus durant leur première
visite. Elles ont immédiatement reconnu
l’importance de cette organisation pour la
communauté montréalaise en général et
pour les érudits du monde entier. Nous
continuons à offrir des programmes, tel
qu’indiqué dans notre mandat, grâce à la
générosité de fondations privées, de dotations
familiales et de donations individuelles,
reconnues plus loin dans ce rapport.
Chaque année, nous devons autofinancer
de plus grandes portions de notre budget
d’exploitation. Notre campagne financière
de cinq ans, sous la direction de
l’exceptionnel Michael Rosenthal, est vitale
à notre avenir. Nous sommes extrêmement
reconnaissants à Micky et à tous
nos généreux donateurs de leur appui et
continuons à travailler fort pour atteindre
notre but.
Nous essayons continuellement d’équilibrer
le mandat de la Bibliothèque – qui est
l’acquisition de matériel judaïque – avec
les goûts des clients qui souhaitent des
livres d’intérêt général et des romans. C’est
un défi de grande envergure car nous le
faisons en cinq langues. L’année passée,
nous avons respecté les limites de notre
budget, mais nous avons à présent des
listes de desiderata que nous espérons
réaliser grâce à des subventions et des
levées de fonds. Nous nous heurtons aussi
à une technologie de la propagation de
l’information en constante évolution. Par
exemple, bien qu’il soit excitant de savoir
que la technologie d’aujourd’hui a le
pouvoir d’offrir aux clients, directement en
ligne, le texte intégral des bases de données,
le coût d’un tel service est prohibitif,
notamment si la même somme d’argent
doit servir à l’achat de livres et de matériel
audio-visuel. La mise à jour de matériel
et de logiciels est une nécessité constante.
Comme vous pouvez le constater, nous
avons d’innombrables buts à atteindre.
Ce n’était nullement l’intention de ses fondateurs
de faire de la Bibliothèque un simple
entrepôt de livres. Au contraire, c’était
aussi un lieu où les gens pouvaient en parler
et en discuter. Nous avons continué la
tradition de la Bibliothèque publique juive
comme une folksuniversitet, l’université du
peuple, en offrant une série de discussions
sur l’histoire intellectuelle juive, la kabbalah,
l’histoire, la philosophie et bien d’autres
sujets. Nous avons célébré nos nombreux
héritages culturels en présentant des films,
des pièces de théâtre, de la musique et des
conférences en yiddish, français et anglais à
des salles combles. Ces programmes étaient
entièrement autofinancés.
Toutes ces services – services de bibliothèque,
aide dans la recherche et programmes
culturels – sont possibles grâce
aux multiples efforts d’un personnel
dévoué. Plusieurs membres de notre personnel
cadre ont pris leur retraite dernièrement
et nous les avons remplacés par une
nouvelle génération de jeunes professionnels
pleins d’enthousiasme, d’énergie et
d’idées et entraînés de la façon la plus moderne.
Nous devons à tout prix leur fournir
les moyens de poursuivre leur travail.
Cette année a été à la fois une année
d’introspection et de planification de
l’avenir. Les Règlements de la Bibliothèque
ont été revus; un Comité de Planification
à long terme présentera un rapport en automne
2005; le Comité des investissements
a revu nos finances et un nouveau comité
des bénévoles a créé l’infrastructure qui permettra
aux membres de la bibliothèque de
s’impliquer davantage dans nos services. Je
tiens aussi à mentionner les efforts remarquables
des femmes et des hommes dévoués
qui servent dans nos nombreux comités et
que je remercie profondément. Les conseils
et l’aide du Conseil d’administration ont été
inestimables, notamment dans le cas des
compressions budgétaires prévues pour la
prochaine année fiscale. Je suis extrêmement
fortunée d’avoir pu compter sur
l’appui et les conseils du Comité de direction
qui a à sa tête une femme admirable,
Janie Respitz, Présidente de la Bibliothèque
publique juive. Grâce à sa vision de l’avenir
et à son leadership, la Bibliothèque publique
juive en sortira fortifiée, une tâche qui est
loin d’être aisée compte tenu des moyens
financiers à notre disposition. J’attends avec
impatience d’atteindre ensemble tous nos
buts, dans l’année qui vient.
La Bibliothèque publique
juive – non seulement un
lieu ou nous trouvons des
livres, mais aussi ou nous
pouvons en parler
6 7

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t
fi
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Doors open 30 minutes
prior to the event.
Free parking at the Y for JPL members
with membership card only
Our special thanks to the supporters of the JBM:
Alvin Segal Family Endowment . Marvin A. Drimer Foundation . Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation . J.I. Segal Foundation . Concordia
Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies . Paul Trepman Memorial Lecture Fund . Nathan Igelfeld Foundation . Helen Bassel Endowment Fund
Cormorant Books Inc . Éditions Robert Laffont
Flyer Daytime Book Discussion A5 - WI.qxd 10/25/2004 5:45 PM Page 1
It happens at the Jewish Public Library
West Island Jewish Community Campus . 13101, Gouin Boulevard . Pierrefonds
For information, please call (514) 624-5005
Cultural
Programmes
2004-05
This past year our seven cultural programming
committees have worked hard to nurture
the exploration of ideas and culture, and to
promote a passion for reading and learning.
With the support of several endowments
and foundations, as well as publishers, organizations,
businesses and government agencies
such as the Canada Council, the Library
programmed a total of 13 book launches
and readings, 10 lectures, 7 book discussions,
4 plays and staged readings, 8 films,
and numerous other events attracting more
than 6,000 people, a 17% increase over the
previous year. Our partnership with several
different organizations, such as the Consulate
General of Israel, Concordia Institute for
Canadian Jewish Studies, Alliance Israélite
Universelle, Goethe-Institut and McGill-
Queen’s University Press, has enabled us to
further our offerings. Independent organizations,
such as the Jewish Genealogical Society
of Montreal, utilize our meeting rooms,
for workshops and lectures.
Of course it is the people who support and
attend our programmes that make all this
worthwhile. The pursuit of lifelong learning,
and especially the fostering of Jewish culture
and intellectual history in Montreal and
elsewhere, is the hallmark of our Library.
This year’s gala launch of the annual First
Fruits Anthology drew the largest number
of people yet. The 22nd edition itself, which
had its humble beginning as a creative writing
project for students at Montreal Jewish day
schools, grew to an impressive 419 pages,
containing the original literary contributions
and artwork of some 300 Quebec high
school students. A highlight at the gala was
the performance by the exceptionally talented
Yu Xi Qin, first-prize winner of the Clarence
Fink Memorial Music Scholarship. The
Jewish Public Library wishes to acknowledge
the generous First Fruits prize donors: Barbara
Kay; Lippman Leebosh April Chartered
Accountants; Reuben Brainin Endowment;
Mona Elaine Adilman Endowment; Alliance
Israélite Universelle; Mendelson Endowment;
Yetti Kallus (Z”L) Memorial Fund; Augenfeld
Family Foundation; Shulamis Yelin Z”L Memorial
Fund; Clarence Fink Memorial Music
Scholarship, and a special thank you to the
Mendelson Endowment Fund for the continued
support over the years. We are proud
to announce the establishment this year of the
Professors Peter and Ellen Jacobs Endowment
for First Fruits.
The J.I. Segal literary awards, including the
Jacob Zipper Education Award, were distributed
this year in seven categories. The winner
of the Film/Video Award on a Jewish Theme,
Prisoner of Paradise, went on to become a
highly popular Library event, in conjunction
with Vermont Public Television and the Montreal
Holocaust Memorial Centre.
As part of the Jewish Public Library’s ongoing
commitment to encourage intellectual
learning, we continued the popular Legacy
for Learning series, in its second season. In
cooperation with Shaare Zion Congregation,
the Library offered six lectures entitled Jewish
Intellectual History – 16th to 20th Century
with Prof. David Ruderman of the University
of Pennsylvania, and moderated by six
Montreal-based scholars and rabbis. Other
Legacy for Learning programs included Kabbalah
101 with Rabbi Michael Whitman and
Love and Longing: Jewish Letters from the Past
with Prof. Elisheva Carlebach, and Around
the Seder Table: Spiritual Preparation for
Pesach, a two-part series with Rabbi Adam
Scheier and Prof. Moshe Szyf.
The Jewish Genealogical Society of
Montreal holds its monthly Sunday Morning
Family Tree Workshops at the Jewish
Public Library, which has a comprehensive
collection of genealogical materials and
other available resources. In addition, the
JGS co-sponsored several events and public
lectures on genealogy throughout the year.
The Jewish Public Library was able to keep
admission prices to a minimum (and sometimes
free to the public) with the aid of several
generous grants and foundations, as well as
its co-sponsors. We would like to thank the
following:
The Philip and Dora Grossman Endowment
Fund; Yentl Fishman Memorial Lecture
Fund; Helen Bassel Endowment Fund; Alliance
Israélite Universelle; Nathan Igelfeld
Foundation; Marvin A. Drimer Foundation;
Paul Trepman Memorial Lecture Fund;
st
Fru
s
60 YEARS
JEWISH BOOK MONTH
Lecture with
Chava Rosenfarb
Monday
October 25, 2004
7:30 p.m.
Admission:
$5 members
$8 others
Chava Rosenfarb is one of
the foremost writers of
Yiddish living today. She is
the author of novels, stories,
essays, plays and several
collections of poetry.
Most recently she has published
a collection of short
stories entitled Survivors:
Seven Short Stories. The first
volume of her trilogy, The
Tree of Life, a novel about
the Lodz ghetto has just
been republished by
University of Wisconsin
Press. A Montrealer from
1950 to 1998, Rosenfarb's
Gelber Conference Centre, 1, Cummings Square
For information, please call (514) 345-2627 ext. 3017
Daytime Book Discussion
on Mondays
with Kathy Diamond
free admission for members, $5 non-members
“Embers”
by Sandor Marai
Monday,
October 25, 2004
1:30 to 3:00
p.m.
Set against a backdrop
of prewar
splendor, this 1942
novel by a forgotten Hungarian
novelist, rediscovered and beautifully
translated, is a brilliant and
engrossing tapestry of friendship
and betrayal. Two old men, Konrad
and Henrik (“the General”), once
the closest of friends, meet in 1940
in the General’s Hungarian castle,
after being separated
for 41 years, to ponder
the events that
divided them.
“Fateless”
by Imre Kertesz
9
0
“My Life as a
Yiddish Writer”
Monday,
November 29, 2004
1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Fateless is
Nobel-Prizewinning
Kertesz’s
haunting
novel about a
Hungarian
Jewish boy’s
experiences in
German concentration camps.
Fourteen years old when he returns to
Budapest after the war, Gyorgy
encounters indifference and even hostility.
Trying to maintain his equilibrium
and re-adjust to “normal”
life, Gyorgy
responds to his camp
experiences in a curiously
ambivalent way.
fi st
Fru t
talk will describe how she
was born a writer out of the
ashes of the Holocaust and
how the literary world of
Yiddish Montreal nourished
both her life and her work.
Introduced by Janie Respitz,
President of the JPL.
Thanked by Elaine Kalman
Naves, Journalist and
Writer.
Books and autographs available.
Reception to follow.
In conjunction with the
Montreal Holocaust
Memorial Centre.
iR
s
Canada Council; McGill-Queen’s University
Press; Shaare Zion Congregation; Penumbra
Press; Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal;
Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre;
Beth Israel Beth Aaron; Jewish Community
Council; Concordia Institute for Canadian
Jewish Studies; J.I. Segal Foundation; Communauté
Sépharade Unifiée du Québec;
Vermont Public Television; Augenfeld Family
Endowment; Consulate General of Israel;
Montreal Goethe-Institut; German Consulate
General; Habait Ha-Israeli; McGill University;
Joseph Kagedan Kage Cultural Endowment
Fund; Mindy Spiegel; N.E. Mendelson
Endowment Fund; Michael Lauter Memorial
Fund; Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation;
Joseph and Ida Berman Foundation; Canadian
Institute for Jewish Research.
Summary of the JBM and English programs
Book Launches (5)
The Journals of Yaacov Zipper, 1950-1982:
The Struggle for Yiddishkeit with Prof.
Mervin Butovsky and Ode Garfinkle; Before
Whispers Become Silence by Andrew Clyde
Little; Canadian Jewish Literary Voices with
Prof. Norman Ravvin and Richard Menkis;
Jews in Poland-Lithuania in the 18th Century
by Prof. Gershon Hundert; Israel Today – The
Pot that Melted by Hirsh Goodman.
Lectures (6)
Montreal: The Rise and Decline of the Canadian
Metropolis by Graeme Decarie; My Life as a
Yiddish Writer lecture in English by Chava
Rosenfarb; Franz Kafka’s Poetic Paths in Kabbalistic
Garb: Frightening or Enlightening? by
Prof. Barbara Galli (lecture series on classic literature);
University over the Abyss: Spiritual Resistance
in Theresienstadt, 1941-1945 by Elena
Makarova; Between the Wars: Canadian Jews
in Transition, (translated from Israel Medres’s
Yiddish original) by Vivian Felsen; Remembering
Sam Borenstein by Joyce Borenstein.
Readings (4)
A Tribute Evening to Yehuda Amichai readings
in English and Hebrew by Stephen
Schecter; Puppet by Joy Fielding (Canada
Council Reading); The Haunted and the
Hopeful: Novels by Yehuda Elberg (in Yiddish
and English); Natasha and other Stories by
David Bezmozgis (Canada Council Reading).
8 9

7:30 p.m.
Our special thanks to the supporters of Jewish Book Month:
Alvin Segal Family Endowment . Marvin A. Drimer Foundation . Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation . J.I. Segal Foundation . Concordia
Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies . Paul Trepman Memorial Lecture Fund . Nathan Igelfeld Foundation . Helen Bassel Endowment Fund
Cormorant Books Inc . Editions Robert Laffont
Lancement de livre avec
D r Marc-Alain Wolf
Ce livre propose une lecture psychologique
de quelques récits bibliques, un exercice
d'éclaircissement portant sur les conflits,
les ambitions, les craintes et les espoirs qui
animent les protagonistes de la Bible. Nous
pouvons, aujourd'hui encore, nous insinuer
dans les consciences
muettes des héros,
sonder leur cœur,
imaginer, interpréter,
produire du sens. Il y
a du plaisir à s'identifier
aux personnages,
à s'introduire dans la
réflexion des commentateurs
et à se
promener dans ses
propres pensées. Il y a un plaisir de
l'interprétation qui est inépuisable. Tant
que les hommes continueront d'en jouir, la
Bible continuera de défier le temps.
Livres et autographes disponibles.
Réception à suivre.
Présenté par Sophie Jama, anthropologue
et écrivain. En collaboration avec
l'Alliance Israélite Universelle.
Centre de Conférence Gelber . 5151 Côte Ste-Catherine
Frais d’admission: 3$ membres, 5$ autres.
Pour plus de détails : (514) 345-2627, poste 3017.
Les portes n’ouvriront que 30 minutes avant la conférence
Special thanks to our Jewish Book Month Supporters:
Alvin Segal Family Endowment . Marvin A. Drimer Foundation
Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation . J.I. Segal Foundation
Concordia Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies . Paul Trepman
Memorial Lecture Fund . Nathan Igelfeld Foundation . Helen Bassel
Endowment Fund Cormorant Books Inc . Éditions Robert Laffont
, 80 ."" " "
2005 – 2004 , .
Jewish Book Month
Films (4)
Jewish Book Month Keynote Speaker
,
2004-05 Hebrew Cultural
Documentary Impact of Terror with director Churchill and the Jews by Sir Martin Gilbert,
. .
and English
Committee
Cultural Committee Tim Wolochatiuk and volunteer paramedic who delivered an outstanding address to a
. :
. Achievements
Orly Pinchuk; The Last Sephardic Jew (the sold-out audience.
, "
Achievements
Library’s first Spanish presentation under
.
"
.
Special Events
the auspices of the French and English cultural
committees); Taking Sides (directed by
. 80 ." "
:
J.I. Segal Awards 2004 presentation.
. ""
István Szabó), Prisoner of Paradise (J.I. Segal Sunday Walks with Stan Asher (3)
,
""
.
. 200 , 300 .
award-winning documentary by Malcolm
.
,
Mordecai Richler’s Montreal; Marco
. .
.
Clarke and Stuart Sender)
Micone’s Italian Montreal; Shulamis Yelin’s
:
: -
Montreal.
Exhibits (3)
300 ." "
" "
Display of Holocaust-Related Books (in Daytime Book Discussions
"
"
) . 320 .
. . 50 ." " .. . , (
conjunction with the Montreal Holocaust with Kathy Diamond (4)
. 50-
.
Memorial Centre); Many Stories, Many Embers by Sandor Marai; Fateless by Imre
.
:
Faces: 90 Years of the Jewish Public Library; Kertesz; Mme. Proust and the Kosher Kitchen
by Kate Taylor; The Curious Incident of
." " .
" , ,"
New Jewish Life in Berlin exhibition and lecture
with Dr. Hermann Simon and Deborah the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon;
"" ", " ,""
. 350
"
–
.
:
,
, 80 ."" " "
Simon (in conjunction with the Goethe-Institut
and the German Consulate General).
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews.
. .
. "-"
"
Jewish Genealogical Society
. .
, .
,
Staged Play Reading (1)
Sunday Morning Family Tree Workshops;
,
. .
I.B. Singer’s The Last Love directed by
,""
Echoes that Remain film event; How to Enjoy
' 2005 – 2004 : Yiddish Cultural
Gregory Ziskin (in Russian).
Yourself in Las Vegas Pre-IAJGS conference
, , --- "
meeting; History Unearthed Daily lecture.
. " Committee
Achievements
.
. . 80
." "
,
.
– -
.
Bilan du
Cette année le comité culturel francophone (invité d’honneur du Mois du Livre juif);
. .
comité culturel
a offert un programme excellent. Grâce à la Écrire, c’est prier : judaïsme et littérature
, ""
.
:
francophone
collaboration de plusieurs organismes (Alliance
Israélite Universelle, les Éditions Robert Deschamps; Juifs et chrétiens : l’à venir du
dans l’œuvre de Franz Kafka par Bernard
.
300 ." ,
"
-
.
,
. ." "
Laffont, Communauté Sépharade Unifiée du dialogue, table ronde avec Jean Duhaime.
.
. 50-
Québec, Université de Montréal, Université
Lancement de livre
" : "
McGill), la Bibliothèque a présenté six manifestations
culturelles d’importance qui ont
Quand Dieu parlait aux hommes. Lecture psychologique
de la Bible par D
. 50 " , ," ..
attiré plus de 700 personnes, soit une augmentation
de 43 % par rapport à l’année dernière! Film
.
r " .
Marc-Alain Wolf.
.
, . .
350
,
. "
El Último sefardi, un film du réalisateur
–
.
Par ailleurs, grâce à la générosité de nos
. "" " " ,""
Miguel Angel Nieto.
commanditaires, le coût d’admission est
.
.
resté très accessible.
Pièce de théâtre
"-"
,
La Manigance de Sylvia Assouline (qui a
.
3 conférences
,
,
été acclamée par une salle comble).
New-York Brûle t-il? par Feu Larry Collins
,""
.
'
1914
2004
, , ---
Lecture in Hebrew with Yehudit Katzir
“Israeli Reality and its Influence in Writing”
« QUAND DIEU PARLAIT
Monday, March 21, 2005
JPL Gala
AUX HOMMES »
Lecture psychologique de la Bible
at 8:00 p.m.
The Hebrew Theatre Workshop of the JPL presents:
honouring Robert Adams
"
.
Yiddish Café - Encore Presentation of
" “Wife, Husband, Home” (Isha, Ba’al, Bait)
, ," " . , ,
by Samuel Hasfari, directed by Yael Feingold
Itsik Manger's “Megileh”
. ," " - " "
"" . ,1963 ,
, , , " , ,"
, .- ,
:
. -
.
. " , -
,
spring summer
." "
, , . ,
.
programmes
. .- ,
. ,
WEDNESDAY
, , .
.-
Sunday
printempsété
," " ,
October 31, 2004
MAY 25, 2005
," " . , ,
" :
".
– -
La Sala Rossa
. ,
4848 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Thank you
Admission: $5 per person
For information call (514) 345-2627 ext. 3006
For advance tickets call (514) 345-6416
for your support
.
10
11
.
-
Gelber Conference Centre, 1 Cummings Square . Admission: $7 members, $10 others.
For information, please call (514) 345-2627 ext. 3017 . Doors open 30 min. prior to the event
I T H A P P E N S A T T H E J P L
Lundi
15 novembre 2004
à 19h30

Bibliographic
and Information
Services
Reference: The reference staff responds
to a little under 3000 questions every year.
There are simple ones (“Where can I find
information on the town of Brzenin where
my grandparents were born?”), there are less
simple ones (“I need to trace these French
references to divorce law in the Shulhan
Aruch using the English translation.”) and
then there are the ones that are seemingly
simple but virtually impossible. Last winter,
an elderly grandmother called us to help
her find a Yiddish poem she could recite
on the occasion of her granddaughter’s bat
mitzvah. There were two conditions: the
poem had to be in transliteration, and it had
to be a poem celebrating life and the future.
While it’s true that the JPL has more than
1300 works of Yiddish poetry in its collections,
it took us a week of sifting through
the melancholic literary canon of Eastern
European Jewish verse to find something
appropriate. The seven people who comprise
our reference staff never turn people away;
if we can’t find an answer here, we’ll turn to
other libraries, museums, and documentation
centres in the world.
Collections, Old and New: 1200 rare books
dating back to the 15th century live in a dark
climate-controlled room on the lower level
of the library. The earliest in the collection,
Antiquitatis Judaice (1481) by Flavius
Josephus is the oldest in the collection. Later
works of Hebrew grammar, Talmudic commentary,
kabbalistic treatises, biblical commentaries,
and medieval travelogues are not
uncommon in the collection, but they only
see daylight when groups tour the Library.
One of the more unusual volumes in this
collection is a 1784 anthology (a late work
compared with the rest of the collection) of
liturgical prayers for the Sabbath, holidays,
new moon, and burial of the dead. Common
enough, but what makes this goatskin
bound volume with a wooden front cover
and pasteboard back cover special is that it is
in manuscript, written in a language called
Ge’ez, the liturgical language of Ethiopian
Jews. The inscription states that it hails from
the Gondar province of Ethiopia during the
reign of Ali the Great; Ge’ez is the precursor
of Ethiopia’s three major Semitic languages,
and although younger than Hebrew, was
brought to Africa by south Arabian immigrants
during the first millennium BCE.
This collection was donated by some of the
early founders of the Library, book collectors,
some of whom saved these books from
a comfortable obscurity. We show these
crumbling artifacts to group tours and prospective
donors not to highlight the library’s
persona as a repository of dusty artifacts, but
to show that they represent a community
that holds the printed word in high regard.
Impressed to see books whose pages disintegrate
just by breathing lightly on them,
we acknowledge the self-fulfilling prophecy
and see ourselves in the idea that a 221 year
old book written in a language only linguist
historians understand can withstand acidification
and time. Sometimes it just has to
be old to be worthwhile, something that
we need to keep reminding ourselves at the
age of 91. This was boldfaced last autumn,
when one of the preproduction crew from
an upcoming film shot in Montreal called
Lucky Number Slevin came to the library to
take photographs of some our 17th century
Talmudic commentaries. The film’s art staff
needed to reproduce these books for scenes
in the film starring Ben Kingsley who plays a
rabbi in the film.
To most, these books are artifacts, but no less
valuable than a current Dan Brown novel
that has lived on the NY Times bestseller list
for over 150 weeks, selling over 25 million
copies and translated into 44 languages will
be 221 years from now. Incidentally, the only
mark the JPL has made on the phenomenon
of the Da Vinci Code is that although we
don’t have 25 copies like some libraries, we
do have translations in French, Hebrew, and
Russian, 3 of the 5 official languages of the
Library (Yiddish being the other one, if there
are any takers for a limited Yiddish run of
the novel).
One of the more unusual acquisitions this
past year was Golems Among Us: How a Jewish
Legend Can Help Us Navigate the Biotech
Century by Byron L. Sherwin. The golem
story has been retold through twentieth-
century literature, art, music, drama, film,
science, technology, and popular culture.
Sherwin briefly traces the history of the
golem legend in Western culture through the
philosophical theological, and ethical minefield
of social and biological engineering
currently facing us. One other title of interest
is a catalogue from an exhibition held at The
Jewish Museum in New York entitled Jewish
women and their salons: the power of conversation.
This widely-acclaimed exhibition,
which opened earlier this year at the Jewish
Museum in New York, probes the role that
private conversations had in fostering the
careers of celebrities like Felix Mendelsohn,
Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Gustav Klimt,
Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, and Greta
Garbo. Amalie Beer and Fanny Mendelssohn
Hensel, who convened music salons in
Berlin; Gertrude Stein, in whose Left Bank
home leading avant-gardists met in Paris;
Ada Leverson, who welcomed Oscar Wilde
to her London literary gatherings.
The Library’s mission mandates that 75%
of what we collect comprise Jewish content
and related material in 5 languages. This is
unusual for a community library that owes
its daily life to members who tend to prefer
borrowing books one would normally find
in other community libraries, but the Judaica
collection stands as a formidable adjunct
academic library to the city’s 4 university
libraries who serve not only students but faculty,
visiting researchers and scholars, as well
as members of the lay community whose
capacity for self-enrichment is insatiable.
These books are not inexpensive, but sometimes
a stranger comes calling with a story
to which we somehow become a beneficiary.
In the spring of 2005, we were contacted by
An Ethiopian prayer book written in
Ge’ez, the liturgical language of
Ethiopian Jews (ca. 1785). It contains
prayers for the Sabbath, the new moon,
and protective chants against harm for
the Jewish community.
someone names Linda Schwey, a Danish
television executive from Copenhagen. She
arranged to have Nathan Barkan’s Latvia
synagogues and rabbis (Riga, 2003) sent to
us. This is a Yizkor (memorial) book of sorts
which recounts in picture and text the history
of Latvia’s Jewish community and communal
leaders. The book would have cost us
an exorbitant sum, even out of endowments,
but Ms. Schwey told us that she wanted to
memorialize her late father who was from
Riga, and wanted us to have the book as a
testament to his spiritual rigour. We still
don’t know how she found out about us, but
after 91 years one’s name gets around.
Several books chronicling the history of
Yiddish were published last year. Picturing
Yiddish: gender, identity, and memory in the
illustrated Yiddish books of Renaissance Italy
(Brill, 2004) by Diane Wolfthal, professor of
art history at Arizona State University confers
an eclecticism to the lingua mame loshn,
and Early Yiddish texts, 1100-1750 (Oxford
University Press, 2004) anthologizes some of
the oldest published prose narratives and poetry
of Yiddish that originated in Ashkenaz.
Also notable are Dovid Katz’s Lithuanian
Jewish Culture (Baltos Lankos, 2004) and
the controversial Words on Fire: the Unfinished
Story of Yiddish (Basic Books, 2004)
in which Prof. Katz disputes the origins of
Yiddish as a Judeo-Germanic language.
Perhaps not coincidentally, we were recently
contacted by a member of the diplomatic
staff from Canada’s official representation in
Vilnius to provide background information
on the history of Yiddish at the inauguration
of Vilnius Yiddish Educator Program where
Katz now serves as director.
12 13

Wednesday, October 18, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Barbara Victor, M.S.W., P.S.W. Director of School Services,
Jewish Family Services.
A handy toolbox of the social assets children need to
succeed in school.
Monday, November 15, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Featuring the Rick Lavoie tape: “First To Be Picked On,
Last To Be Picked”.
Pam Wener, Pre-School Teacher, Learning Disabilities Association
of Quebec, Co-Founder of Ambassadors Project
Learn how to intervene early and advocate for your
child.
Monday, December 6, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Emmett Francoeur, Community Based Pediatrician, Director
Learning Progress Clinic, Acting Director Child Development
Program, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Associate Professor
Pediatrics, McGill University
Practical guidelines on how to identify and handle behavioral
problems, limited attention span and school issues.
Gelber Conference Centre, 5151 Cote Ste-Catherine
Admission: Free for members, $5 per person per lecture
Tickets are available at the circulation desk or at the door
A VALID LIBRARY CARD MUST BE PRESENTED
Information and Reservations: (514) 345-2627 ext. 3028 or 3012
www.jewishpubliclibrary.org
Monday, March 7, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Perle Feldman, Ass. Professor Family Medicine, Mc-
Gill University, Medical Director of the Goldfarb Breastfeeding
Program, Herzl Family Practice Centre
Will it ever be easy again?
Monday, April 11, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Ronald Clavier, Toronto, Clinical and Counselling
Psychologist. Host of the 13 part video series: “Adolescence,
the Stormy Decade”, Consultant to the Montreal
Alouettes C.N. Adopt an Alouette “Youth Mentor
Program”
His humourous, yet insightful discussion of this important
topic, is open to both parents and teens.
Monday, May 16, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Rosemary Reilly, PhD., C.C.F.E., Full-time Faculty, Applied Human
Sciences, Concordia University
Anger is one of our most powerful emotions and the one with
which most people have difficulty accepting and dealing.
Norman Berman Children’s Library
Children under the age of
7 must be accompanied by
an adult.
The Norman
Berman
Children’s
Library
2004-05
The parents who bring their families to the
Norman Berman Children’s Library not
only introduce their children to a lifetime
of learning, but they also form their first
links to the Jewish community as a whole.
Members of the Library visit us to choose
from our vast selection of books, CDs,
DVDs, and videos in 5 languages. The
Children’s Library hosts many activities
throughout the year, which has helped
make visiting the Library a truly interactive
learning experience. Children from
3 months to 14 years old partake in our
popular pre-school Story Time and Music
programmes and monthly Entertainment
Series concerts, or come to complete their
homework and research assignments and
play with the toys. They begin early to
equate libraries and reading with fun times.
The Library is always hopping with children
and their parents or caregivers reading
or socializing with friends. The phones
ring constantly with requests for help and
advice. Many are the parents who call with
child-rearing questions or for information
on an especially elusive school topic. We
have answers for all of them!
Sundays are a particularly busy day for us.
Our fifth annual Children’s Entertainment
Series provided different forms of culture
at a reasonable cost to huge audiences for
6 Sundays this past year while our Sunday
Morning Children’s Story Time combines
great storytelling with a relevant art project
and a video. Four of our students in our
Sunday Creative Writing Workshop will
have their poetry published as a result of
having learned how to properly express
themselves on paper.
The Library continues to be a popular
destination for School Trips from many
schools, daycares and preschools as the
children are given tours and enjoy stories
in 4 languages. Through these story times,
we encourage the children to become successful
readers and lifelong learners.
Our Jewish Book Month honouree this year
was award winning illustrator and author
Neil Waldman, who has over 60 children’s
books to his credit. Neil spoke to almost
2,000 children and kept them enthralled as he
told stories of his own childhood.
“Once Upon a Chocolate” was the theme of
our Passover school break activity. Children
listened to chocolate-themed stories, watched
a movie based on chocolate and made
chocolate chip matza. We had a great time.
Our ParenTalk Discussion Series once
again gave parents lots to think about, as
well as practical tools to use on their journey
to becoming successful parents. Participants
learned how to prepare their children
for the school year and how to diagnose and
handle suspected learning disabilities. We
also had a discussion on substance abuse
and a humourous talk on the positive approach
to anger management.
The Young Authors’ Workshop, organized
by the Norman Berman Children’s Library
and and co-sponsored by the Bronfman Jewish
Education Centre and the Association of
Jewish Day Schools, once again welcomed
over 300 children from the Jewish Day
School system over a two-day period. The
children wrote and had their work critiqued
by two of the five internationally renowned
published children’s authors. The grade 5
and 6 students were taught different techniques
and actually wrote in either English
or French. We hope one day to see some of
these young authors in print!
Every month, the members of our Mother
Daughter Book Club have the rare opportunity
to open up the lines of commu-
nication and strengthen their relationships
through discussions of issues raised in riveting
and stimulating books for young teenagers.
Opinions, ideas, arguments and counterarguments
fly as mothers and daughters
talk about the ideas in the selected book.
All members were invited and encouraged
to read, read and then read some more, this
past summer by joining our Summer Reading
Club. Fiona Stuart on guitar, and Louise
The Jonathan & Elyce Joy Berman Multimedia
Centre remains as popular as ever with
members of the local community. In order
to keep up with the demand for our services
new software has been purchased in order
to facilitate access to the computer room.
Patrons will be able to reserve blocks of
time, increasing the efficiency with which
patrons are accommodated. Our on-site
help with computer questions and problems
and personalized attention has won over
patrons who now prefer to use the facilities
of the Jonathan & Elyce Joy Berman Multimedia
Centre over those libraries whose
service ends at the sign-up sheet.
Volunteers play a vital role in the success
of the library. We look to them for help
in maintaining our services. We formally
thank them at our annual volunteer luncheon
held in the fall.
Thanks to: Connie Abramovitch, Syd
Abramovitch, Bill Bookbinder, Mervin Butovsky,
Shirley Braverman, Shirley Browns,
Ellen Clavier-Rothstein, Victoria Galperin,
Campbell on clarinet, had children singing
and dancing “around the world” with songs
in all languages as we kicked off this year’s
programme. Pre-schoolers and readers alike
got “Caught Up in a Good Book” and read
hundreds of books from May through August.
Participants were given prizes and had
their names displayed on the Library walls
as they reached their reading goals. What
a way to have children continue learning
while having a wonderful time!
The patronage of the Multimedia Centre
includes senior citizens, recent immigrants,
and graduate students. The Jewish Public
Library provides a valuable service to these
people as well as to visitors passing through
Montreal, and to people who simply feel
“safer” knowing there is somebody there to
help them with their computer needs. By
maintaining its high quality of equipment
and services, the Jonathan & Elyce Joy
Berman Multimedia Centre stands ready
to meet the challenges of the upcoming
year, and will continue to grow and prosper
while meeting the needs of the Montreal
community.
Anna Gonshor, Eiran Harris, Suzanne
Herscovitch, Malca Hubner, Barbara Kay,
Clayre Kogan, Bonnie Langburt, Vanessa
McCance, Joy Melnick-Smith, Marilyn
Nayer, Julia Nelson, Nitza Parry, Henry
Rabin, Allan Raymond, Ira Robinson, Louise
Roskies Goldstein, Bejoy Saha, Helen Segal,
Jerrick Segal, Mia Schwartzman-Barsheshat,
Janice Steinberg, Mang Sun, Zelda Yaffe,
Avraham Zryl, Peretz Zylberberg.
The Jonathan
& Elyce Joy
Berman
Multimedia
Centre –
Courses
A Tribute
to our
Volunteers
Sunday,
November 7, 2004
11:00 a.m.
Geordie Productions presents:
Gremlin
Angela is just
like any other
kid. She lives
in a complicated
world, and
sometimes feels
bad about herself.
Watch what happens when
Angela’s inner self comes to life
in the form of a mischevious,
hilarious Gremlin who lives in
her mirror. Gremlin is a musical
play that explores issues of
self-esteem, assertiveness and
friendship in a delightful way.
For ages 4 to 12 years.
Children’s Entertainment Series
Sunday,
December 5, 2004
11:00 a.m.
Loony Lorny presents:
Holiday Concert
Come celebrate the holiday
through dancing, singing,
and music with Loony
Lorny. Thrill your child
and yourself with a concert
full of joy.
For ages 6 months to 6 years.
Sunday,
February 6, 2005
11:00 a.m.
BEAR Productions presents:
A Day in the Circus
Join us for “A Day at the Circus”,
an enjoyable and amusing
tale set in the circus ring: a tale
about self discovery, self esteem
and acceptance.
For ages 2 to 99 years.
Sunday,
March 6, 2005
11:00 a.m.
Claude Marroni presents
Wings of Illusion
Family show of humour and
magic. Come, be amazed and
let your imagination soar.
Participation of children will be
encouraged.
For ages 2 to 12 years.
ParenTalk
A series of discussions on topical
issues to inform and support today’s
concerned parents.
Co-ordinator: Dr. Ellen clavier
“Back to School:
Getting Your Kids and Yourself
Off to a Great Start!”
“Parenting the Child with
learning Difficulties”
“Attention Deficit and
Hyperactivity Disorder:
A Parent’s Guide”
“Sleep and Sex
After the Baby”
“Substance Abuse and Our
Children: For Parents and
Their Teenagers”
“Beyond Yelling and Screaming:
A Positive Approach to Anger
Management”
The Norman Berman Children’s Library
celebrates its 90 th
Anniversary with a
huge Birthday Party
Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 11:00 a.m.
featuring
Fran Avni
world famous singer and songwriter for
Sesame Street, Leapfrog and Scholastic
“I’m All Ears: Sing into
Reading” with Fran Avni
promises to be the
best concert of the
year!
9
0
Gelber Conference Center
1 carré Cummings Square (5151 Côte Ste-Catherine Road)
Admission: $5 per person per event.
An adult must accompany all children under 7 years of age.
For tickets and information call (514) 345-2627 ext. 3028 or 3012.
Norman Berman Children’s Library
Norman Berman Children’s Library, 5151 Cote Ste-Catherine
Admission: $5 per person.
To reserve tickets or for further information please call:
514-345-2627, ext. 3028 or 3012.
14 15

The Archives
of the JPL
16
The Archives of the Jewish Public Library
has long been an indispensable and enjoyable
visit for any serious scholar of Canadian
Judaica. Our collections of photographs,
original documents, posters, microfilms,
artefacts and multi-media contain history
found nowhere else. The most important
contribution the Archives makes to the
community, however, is illustrated through
our efforts to preserve the quality of history
from one generation to the next.
Donations
During April and May, the Archives had on
display those family records, photographs,
and artefacts which are most commonly
found in attics and old trunks. The display
illustrated the importance of family memories
to the building of community history.
Many Library patrons and visitors were
drawn to the glass to view the photographs,
letters, and diaries housed there. No visitor
was more significant though than the 93-
year old World War II veteran who happened
upon his picture and war memorabilia
quite by accident. Included in the display
was a photograph of a young Mannie Lecker
in his Canadian Air Force uniform as well
as a tin of European money he collected
during his march across war-savaged lands.
The highlight of Mr. Lecker’s memorabilia
was the very lifebelt, stained with seawater
and age, which he wore when crossing the
English Channel during the allied invasion
of Normandy. Mr. Lecker originally donated
this material in 1978 to Paul Trepman who,
at that time, was director of the Library.
Since this last visit, Mr. Lecker has continued
to donate various memorabilia collected
during his time in the Canadian Air Force.
Mr. Lecker joins several other community
members in donating their personal and
business records for preservation in the
Archives. Notable among the donations
include the papers and records of:
.
.
.
.
Leon Crestohl, Q.C. former MP for Cartier
(1950-1962) as well as material from his
son, Harvey Crestohl, former president of
B’nai Brith.
Samuel Gesser, renowned Montreal impresario
who has worked with the likes
of Leonard Cohen, Harry Belafonte and
Nana Mouskouri.
Harry Gulkin, Montreal film producer
of such classics as Jacob Two-Two Meets
the Hooded Fang and the internationally
acclaimed Lies My Father Told Me.
Family of Samuel Lapitsky, Mr. Lapitsky
is credited as a founding member of the
Jewish Public Library. His generosity to
the Library during its formative years was
unbounded.
Research
The Archives welcomed many visitors and
researchers over the last year. Our clients
are numerous and varied, from Montreal
and abroad but what they all have in common
is an enrichment of their research
through the use of the Jewish Public Library
Archives.
Researchers
BBC
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Concordia University
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Crane School of Music (SUNY-Potsdam)
Gala Films, Inc.
Handel Productions
Indiana University
McGill University
Memoirs Productions
Pacific Lutheran University
Université du Québec à Montreal
University of Ottawa
University of Toronto
Yale University
Topics Researched in the Archives
Aviva Ravel
Bagels
Canadian Jewish Chronicle
Federation CJA
Ida Maze
Jewish immigration
Jews in the Canadian military
J.I. Segal Fund
The Jewish Public Library counted a total
of 5,175 members in its different categories
as of December 2004. An average of 150
children attended the weekly programmes of
the Norman Berman Children’s Library. More
than 2,300 children and parents came to the
many parenting lectures, entertainment series
and other programmes.
La Bibliothèque publique juive comptait
un total de 5 175 membres en décembre
2004. Une moyenne de 150 enfants ont pris
part aux programmes hebdomadaires de la
Bibliothèque pour enfants Norman Berman
et une moyenne de 2 300 enfants et parents
assistèrent aux multiples programmes offerts
par la Bibliothèque des enfants - Parents
d’aujourd’hui, series de divertissement, etc…
The Library continues to focus on the 90th
Anniversary Capital Endowment Campaign
bringing its total to date over $2,000,000
pledged. Under the continued strong leadership
of Michael Rosenthal, the Financial
Development department is working hard
with the canvassers to reach our goal.
Once again grants from the Alvin Segal Family
Endowment, Marvin A. Drimer Foundation,
Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation,
370
139
117
954
1,068
Memberships 2004
43 308 43
409
633
Children's Donor Family Family - no bill
Federation CJA Free Friend Golden Age
Governor Individual Sponsor Student
84
1,007
Keneder Adler
Léa Roback
Louis Rubenstein, Champion Figure Skater
Montreal delicatessens
Montreal rabbis
Rochl Korn
Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue
Temple Emanu-El Beth Shalom
Zionism in Canada
Over a 12-month period, 114,677 books,
videos, DVDs, CDs, and audio cassettes
were borrowed from the Library (Main
Library and Children’s Library).
An additional 17,560 items were consulted
in the Main Library and 22,975 items in the
Children’s Library.
Sur une période de 12 mois, 114 6770 livres,
vidéos, DVDs, CDs and cassettes audio de
la bibliothèque des adultes et de la bibliothèque
des enfants sont été empruntés.
De plus, il y a eu consultation de 17 560
articles à la bibliothèque des adultes et de
22 975 articles à la bibliothèque des enfants.
J.I. Segal Foundation, Alliance Israélite
Universelle, and Concordia Institute for
Canadian Jewish Studies ensured that Jewish
Book Month was in the black. In February,
the Library held a Wine Tasting evening; the
profits raised were used to purchase books.
The Gala generated an income equivalent to
the amounts raised in prior years with the
help of an ad book, and revenues from the
ongoing book sale help purchase new books
and materials.
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
9,996
Aug 04
8,300
Sep 04
9,986
Oct 04
11,145
Nov 04
Circulations 2004-05
9,738 10,204 9,642 9,573
Dec 04
Jan 05
Feb 05
Mar 05
8,435
Apr 05
9,889
May 05
8,844 8,925
Jun 05
Jul 05
Facts & Figures
Faits & Chiffres
Fundraising
17

Pledges to the
90 th Anniversary
Capital
Endowment
campaign
18
We are grateful to all the members of the
Jewish Public Library for their continuous
support and wish to express our thanks to
the countless donors who have commemorated
important life events by donating
books, bookshelves and endowments in
the name of loved ones. As well, several
bequests have been received this year in
support of Library collections.
$250,000
Alvin & Leonor Segal Foundation
$100,000 - $249,999
Cummings and Gold families
Nathan Steinberg Family Foundation
$50,000 - $99,999
Marjorie Bronfman Foundation
Stephen & Claudine Bronfman
Geoffrey Gelber
Glasrot Family
Peter & Ellen Jacobs
Lighter Family
Matrox Graphics Inc.
R. Howard Webster Foundation
$20,000 - $49,999
Evelyn Steinberg Alexander Family Foundation
Augenfeld Family
Azrieli Foundation
Divco
Estate of Alex Dworkin
Garfinkle Family
Claude Helwani
Michal Hornstein
Phyllis Lambert Foundation
Joel & Alice Raby
Reitman Family
Richter Charitable Foundation
Michael Rosenthal
David & Elaine Sela
Leesa Steinberg
$10,000 - $19,999
Aaron Ain Family
Anonymous Donor
Black Family
Ronald Black
Irwin & Freda Browns
Mel & Mitzi Dobrin Foundation
Michael & Bryna Garmaise
Jack & Pascale Hasen
Kaufman Foundation
Ron & Barbara Kay
Joel & Marlene King
Avi & Dora Morrow
Power Corp
Pratt & Whitney
Jacob & Eva Raby
RBC Foundation
Miriam Roland
Barry Schwartz
Hershel & Jane Segal
Helen Steinberg
Tauben Family Foundation
Wen-Maur Holdings Inc.
$5,000 - $9,999
Sylvain & Gilda Abitbol
AVS Technology
Bob Bassel
Richard Bergman
Reuben Brainin Family
Alen & Jane Brandman
Immanuel & Shirley Braverman
Browns
Simon & Marilyn Cobrin
EJLB Foundation
Eldee Foundation
Ernst & Young
Gewurz Family Foundation
Zachary Gillman
Gluskin Sheff & Associates
Morris & Roz Goodman
Steven & Saryl Gross
Gustav Levinchi Foundation
Philip Gutherz
Thomas Hecht Foundation
Mel & Rosemary Hoppenheim
Nicholas Kasirer
David & Sylvia Kastner Foundation
Helen Kornreich Foundation
Harvey & Alta Levenson
Moe Levin Family Foundation
Irwin Litvack
Doug Mayoff
David and Sonia Oberman
Paperman & Sons
Polachek Family Foundation
Ira Robinson
Hillel & Liane Rosen
Allan Rubin
Lyon & Dundi Sachs
Gerald & Soryl Soiferman
Abe Stern Family Foundation
Eva Roskies Raby,
Executive Director/Directrice générale
Main Library/Bibliothèque des adultes
Eddie Paul
Head of Bibliographic and Information
Services
Directeur des services de bibliographie et
d’information
Eleanor Steinberg
Head of Circulation
Directrice du comptoir des prêts
Shannon Hodge
Archivist
Archiviste
Debi Ancel
Coordinator, Multimedia Centre
Coordinatrice du Centre de multimédia
Kathy Diamond
Access Services Librarian
Services d’accès au public
Valentina Rojinskaia
Cataloging Assistant; Serials
Technicienne, Traitement des publications
Frumet Singer
Circulation Assistant
Adjointe au comptoir des prêts
Eddie Stone
Cataloging Assistant; Hebraica
Technicien, Traitement des livres en hébreu
Judith Wolfthal
Reference Librarian; Yiddish
Référence - Yiddish
Programming, Marketing & Fundraising/
Programmes, Marketing et Levée de fonds
Roxana Brauns
Director, Cultural Programming
Directrice des programmes culturels
Norman Sternthal
Murray & Harriet Waxman
Leo Hubermann
Director, Marketing & Communications
Directeur de Marketing et Communications
Jennifer Solomon
Financial Development Officer
Chargée des ressources financières
Angelina Spilberg
Assistant to Programming and Marketing
Adjointe aux programmes et au marketing
Norman Berman Children’s Library/
Bibliothèque pour enfants Norman Berman
Penny Fransblow
Head of the Children’s Library
Directrice de la Bibliothèque pour enfants
Debby Mayman
Cataloging Assistant; Marketing and
Special Projects
Technicienne - Marketing et Projets spéciaux
Marielle Miller
Reference Assistant; Children’s
Programmes
Référence; programmes pour enfants
Sonia Silva
Reference and Cataloging Assistant;
Children’s Programmes; Special Projects
Référence et Technicienne; programmes
pour enfants; projets spéciaux
Administration
Allan J. Oberman
Head of Information and Administrative
Services
Directeur, Informatique et Administration
Belline Litman
Secretary
Secrétaire
Sheilah Rovniak
Accounting-Membership
Comptabilité-Abonnements
Library Staff/
Personnel de la
Bibliothèque
September 2005/
Septembre 2005
19

Jewish Public Library • Bibliothèque publique juive
1, carré Cummings Square (5151 Côte Ste-Catherine Road) • Montréal (Québec) H3W 1M6
www.jewishpubliclibrary.org