Colin’s Corner – Week Three!

Week 3 was a pretty successful week when considering exercise: I was able to make both Eliana’s Flow Yoga on Tuesday, and Janet’s Power Yoga on Thursday; I performed 25 minutes of cardio on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I worked out with weights on Wednesday and Friday.

My nutrition was very healthy for the entire week… until Saturday! We attended my aunt’s 65^th birthday party, and the food offerings were delicious, yet high calorie. I know that I should be telling you that I resisted the chips and dip, but … I didn’t. I’d love to say that I skipped the cheese platter, but… I didn’t. The thing is, based on all the exercise I performed during the week, I was able to indulge a little bit. I haven’t slipped backward in my weight loss goals based on the weekends over indulgences, but I didn’t progress any further forward, either. Writing this blog is forcing me to stay real with myself by reporting honestly on my health habits!

This week’s workout was strictly weights. No debilitating circuits this week, just pure, straightforward pumping iron:

Chest:

3 x 15 flat bench

2 x 12 incline bench

Back:

3 x 6 chinups

2 x 12 Lat pulldowns

2 x 12 seated row

Legs:

3 x 12 deadlifts

Biceps:

3 x 10 biceps curls on incline bench

3 x 10 cable curls narrow grip

Triceps:

3 x 10 overhead triceps extensions

3 x 10 triceps rope pressdowns

Shoulders

3 x 15 side shoulder raises

3 x 15 rear shoulder raises

3 x 10 shoulder presses

Colin’s Corner-Week Two

Week 2 has got off to a good start, I have to say. Monica (my wife!) and I attended a birthday party on Friday night. While there were some very tempting not so low calorie treats there, we managed to keep our appetites in check. A few beers that night, and no alcohol for the rest of the weekend. Phew! Did I just say that?!

Diet

Monica is very keen on eating salads every day. Like, a lot of salad. Which I know is really good for me, but if I eat a large salad for lunch, I’m not always going to want to eat another salad for dinner. Even a side salad can test my resolve to eat healthier. But, I soldier on. When I’m feeling and looking trim, I’ll have all the salad to thank for it, won’t I? My only weak point came on Monday night when I got hungry before bed. I knew there were some healthy options in the kitchen cupboards, (a handful of nuts and seeds, a piece of fruit), but I also knew that we had a tin of cookies lingering from the holiday season. I’m ashamed to say, the cookies won out. 3 cookies = 140 calories. I was so sure I could stop at 3 cookies! Okay, how many calories are in 5 cookies? I guess about 225. That’s like eating a full meal before bed. A full meal full of carbs and fat. Need to work on the bedtime cookie habit.

Exercise

I got out to play some hockey on Sunday morning for about an hour, which left me feeling energized and exquisitely fatigued.

Mondays I teach a Cardio Strength Circuit, and I’ve been making sure to stay involved and perform most of the exercises. So I count that as a 30 minute workout. I play in a hockey league on Monday nights, so I count that as a 20 – 25 minute workout.

Tuesday’s workout consisted of a total body circuit. I performed 20 repetitions of each of the following exercises: (feel free to email me any exercise questions – alternatively, you can google the exercise names)

Up & Down plank

Swimmers Press

Bulgarian Lunge (20 each leg)

Burpees

Wood Chop (20 each side)

Tornado Press – chest press on a ball using only one dumbbell

After this workout, I ate lunch (another salad!) and then attended Eliana’s yoga class. I really felt the muscles in my neck start to give way from some of the yoga stretches. This feels very good to me.

Wednesday I did 20 minutes of cardio on the AMT machine. I really like this machine – I can really feel my legs and lungs working away as I pedal.

Thursday was Power Yoga with Janet. Phew! What a workout. This week I made it to two yoga classes, in keeping with my New Year’s resolution. Feeling good…

Hockey on Saturday morning (a 2 hour skate; I’m probably on the ice for about 40 minutes), and then a smorgasbord of non-healthy options at my sister’s Super Bowl party. My brother-in-law Stephen made two kinds of chili, and 3 kinds of chicken wings. I made a taco salad to bring to the party (recipe to follow). I ate a decent sized portion of the offerings, but I didn’t go overboard.

Taco Salad

2 heads Romaine lettuce

1 tin organic black beans

1 tin peaches and cream corn

1 bunch green onions finely diced

1 red pepper finely diced

1 yellow pepper finely diced

1 large or 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped

2 avocadoes medium dice

4 – 5 tostadas broken into medium sized pieces

½ cup grated skim milk mozzarella cheese

1tsp cumin

Juice of 2 limes

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a bowl, add corn, beans, green onions, and red and yellow peppers, cumin, lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. The lime juice and the salt will start to break down the vegetables and soften them, blending their flavours. Wash the Romaine lettuce, spin or pat it dry, and chop into small pieces. Just before serving the salad, mix all remaining ingredients (tomatoes, lettuce, avocadoes, and cheese) together in the bowl, and enjoy!

Colin’s Corner

Hello, and welcome to Colin’s Corner, my little section of the MNjcc blog. My name is Colin Blayney, and I have been a personal trainer for 15 years; I have been working in the Fitness Centre of the Miles Nadal JCC for the past seven. It may seem odd to you that a trainer is keeping a “body transformation” fitness blog, but, last year was a busy one, and my lifestyle has slowly crept away from being as healthy as I would like it to be.

It was a year in which I went back to school (twice!), got married, went away on our honeymoon, and basically spent a lot of time sitting at a desk, and a lot of time enjoying life very much. A little too much, it seems.

On my wedding day, June 18, 2011, I was 6’ tall, weighed 205lbs, and I was 18% body fat. At the beginning of this week, I was 224lbs, and 24.5 % body fat. Time for a trimming!

I have chosen to keep a public record of my own fitness journey:

1. to share my story
2. to keep myself accountable to the program
3. to show that we all need a little help and inspiration sometimes (even personal trainers!) and
4. to encourage anybody who wants to follow along with me.

Over the next 12 weeks, I will be posting updates weekly to share with you my workouts, my food intake, physical changes that are taking place, even some thoughts and feelings along the way.

First off, I have a confession to make. This is my first week blogging, but I started my exercise regime the first week of January 2012. My New Year’s resolution was to get back to my yoga practice that has been shelved for far too long now. My objective is to attend two yoga classes per week. This being the first full week of February, I have managed to average 1.5 classes per week (and I’m feeling great for it).

One of the things about exercising where you work is… something always comes up! I empathize with all of you who are trying to make time before, during or after work to get to the gym. I’m at the gym already, and it is hard to set the time aside!

I will say that I do enjoy exercising – this is part of the reason why I began to work in fitness in the first place. I try to get to Eliana’s Yoga on Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 pm, and Janet’s Power Yoga on Thursday at 10:30 am. In addition, I play hockey on Monday nights and sometimes Saturday mornings, and I try to work out with weights and perform cardio exercise 2 to 3 times each a week.

My bigger challenge is my food intake. I must admit, as I am getting older, my tastes have become richer! It’s harder now to ignore a cheese plate with fresh baguette, or when dining out, to choose the grilled chicken salad when there are braised short ribs and garlic mash on the menu.

My workout for the week is a “40-20” workout. Perform each exercise for 40 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds, then perform your next exercise until all of the exercises are completed. This is one round. Perform three rounds. The exercises I chose for this are pretty tough ones to perform; if you are beginning an exercise program, you may want to try some variations on them:

1. Jump squats            
2. Pushups      
3. Mountain climbers
4. Plank twists            
5. Burpees     
6. Squat Press

In Conversation with Gilad Sharon

On November 10, Gilad Sharon, youngest son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, will be joining us in the Al Green Theatre.

Gilad will be in conversation with host Ralph Benmergui and will present a piercing, authoritative and intimate portrait of Ariel Sharon the Prime Minister, the father, and the military hero, in a narrative that traces his evolution into a powerful and influential force at the center of Middle Eastern and world politics.

In anticipation of the event, please continue to check back to this post to read reviews, stories and opinions of Gilad’s work, his tour, and his book.

Please join us in the Al Green Theatre at 7:00 pm for a chance to hear Gilad speak and answer your questions.

To find out more about the event please click here.

To RSVP to the event via Facebook, please click here.

“What Would Sharon Do?” from The Jewish Week by Gary Rosenblatt

“Shalit Trade Continues Long Standing Israeli Policy” from The Highland Park Patch by Steve Sadin

“The DC Interview: Ariel Sharon’s Son Gilad on his New Biography of his Father” from The Daily Caller by Jamie Weinstein

Time to Celebrate!

What? What are we celebrating?
Shavuot!
Shavuot? What is that?
It is the festival of weeks…we end the anticipatory period of counting the weeks from Passover to TONIGHT!
In the times of the Temple it was the festival of the wheat harvest (but the crops on Bloor Street are a bit behind this season) and is also the celebration of the receiving of the Torah!
Torah? What is the Torah?
It depends on who you ask The Torah can be thought of as the Jewish Bible, but it also refers to the accumulated wisdom, laws and stories of the Jewish People. It begins with the five books of Moses, followed by the Prophets and the Writings and then the oral tradition that was written down as the Talmud. But it doesn’t stop there… many Jews will say that the wisdom that is accumulated by Jews throughout the centuries is all a part of the Torah! So, we are celebrating the receiving of wisdom, from the time of Moses all the way to us today.
How do we celebrate?
Traditionally we celebrate by staying up all night learning Torah and eating dairy (which is the Official Food for the holiday)! We will be having a Tikkun Leil Shavuot (that is the name for this all night learning party), right here at the MNjcc tonight (from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.)! Please come join us (even just for an hour)! We are expecting 400 people for learning, laughing, cheesecake and ice cream.
How else does the MNjcc celebrate?
By getting excited about all that we have learned this year! You could take a moment and reflect on a lesson from this past year, or find someone to teach you something new, or find someone to share a nugget of wisdom with!
Chag Sameiach (Happy Holiday)!
Join us tonight (Tuesday, June 7) at the MNjcc (750 Spadina Avenue, Toronto) for our third annual Tikkun Leil Shavuot beginning at 9:00 p.m. There’s something for everyone to learn and enjoy – and plenty of food to eat. Stay for an hour or spend the night and watch the sun rise with us on our rooftop.

Camping in the City

It’s that time of year again – parents all over the GTA are wondering what to do with their children over the summer.

Recently, Risa Antoine and Deanna Di Lello, Summer Camp Directors with the MNjcc shared their thoughts about what they would have wanted from a summer camp when they were young, and what parents can expect from the MNjcc summer camps that will ensure their kids have a summer camp experience to remember!

Living the Active Life – Risa Antoine, MNjcc Summer Camps

Children always have an abundance of energy; as a child, I was no different. Running around with my friends all day and playing until we were called in to dinner was the norm. If a camp would have been offered that would have allowed me to do the same, while learning new skills (like gardening, cooking or yoga), meeting new people and going on field trips, I would have been the first one begging my parents to sign me up!

 Often, children attend camps which are specialized to their interests – and that’s important for those looking to enhance their skills in those areas. But there are other children who thrive in a non-competitive, play-based environment where the focus is on personal bests, action and adventure. With MNjcc summer camps, children ages 3 to 12 are encouraged to participate at their own comfort and skill level. For the youngest campers, the half-day Mini-Me camp is an ideal intro to full-day camp, nursery school or kindergarten in the fall. For the older children, a full day of activity and adventure with friends old and new is a great way to learn something new in an encouraging, nurturing environment.

 Finding Their Light – Deanna Di Lello, Co-Director, Not Your Typical Arts Camp

I’ve always been a ham.

As a child I read stories I had written to anyone and everyone. I put on so many plays that my parents installed a curtain in our basement so I could have a “stage.” I jumped in front of every camera lens. If my parents had decided to sign me up for an arts camp I would have been overjoyed. I never gave much thought to those too shy to stand in the spotlight.

During a tech run a theatre director must ensure that their actors “find their light” so they are not lost in the shadows. And so it is with our Not Your Typical Arts Camp. From July 18-22 children ages 9 to 14 can participate in theatre, dance and music without worrying about outgoing extroverts stealing the spotlight or the pressures of a final production. It’s camp. It’s a time to explore, be encouraged, to have fun and make memories.

Parents will be delighted when they hear all about how much fun their child had playing theatre games, writing songs and dancing to different styles of music. No matter what their interests, all children participating in Not Your Typical Arts Camp will have the chance to find their light.

MNjcc summer camps are filling up fast! Come into the centre today to sign up your child so they don’t miss out on a summer filled with fun, friendship, creativity and adventure! Summer Adventure and Mini Me Camps run from July 4 to August 19, while Summer Active camp runs between July 4 and July 29. Not Your Typical Arts Camp runs one week only, from July 18 to 22. For more information, visit the Summer Camps page on our website or contact Risa Antoine risaa@mnjcc.org or Deanna Di Lello deannad@mnjcc.org.

Partisans: The Unseen Heroes of the Holocaust

 

Group of Soviet Partisans who were members of the Shish detachment of the Molotov partisan brigade. Photo Credit: Faye Schulman.

When I discuss the subject of the partisans as part of a unit on the Holocaust, I am invariably reminded that the decision to leave behind one’s family and friends, knowing that you may never see them again, was a heart-wrenching and painful decision. Leaving behind one’s family and familial commitments was just the first step in deciding to become a partisan. For those who could even escape a ghetto or camp to join the partisans, this was coupled by the Nazi policy of “Collective Responsibility” that extracted retribution on the remaining family members, friends or community. Escaping a ghetto or camp to join the partisans meant living with the legacy that one’s family and friends could be killed.

Faye Schulman discusses this in her autobiography “A Partisan’s Memoir” (1995 Second Story Press, pp 79-80) when she writes: “Should a son or daughter leave elderly parents and endanger their lives? Should a husband forsake his wife and children? Others felt that their responsibility was to remain with their community. Was it more morally right to leave the ghetto community and confront the enemy as a free agent or should one stay to protect the populace? Never before had we been confronted with moral issues of such magnitude.”  These were the choices Jewish men, women and teenagers faced when deciding whether or not to seek out partisan units to join – and there was no guarantee of acceptance into a unit. Ultimately for Schulman, the decision to join the partisans was a consequence of the Nazis having already murdered her family when they liquidated the ghetto in Lenin. Spared because as a photographer she possessed a skill the Nazis needed, Schulman sought the join the partisans.

A wounded partisan is treated in a field hospital. Photo Credit: Faye Schulman

A second point to note when learning about the partisans is the realization that these partisan units lived and fought under tremendously difficult conditions. Life in the forests of Nazi-occupied Europe meant enduring harsh winters with minimal clothing and temporary shelters, seeking food from villages and farms or from within the forest, and always staying one step ahead of a Nazi-German army and its collaborators that were determined to annihilate the Jewish people. The fragility of life under these circumstances becomes central to understanding the conditions under which these units of armed fighters existed.

Finally, it is critical to understand the role of the partisans within the wider context of the Holocaust. These units of armed resistance fighters we call the partisans existed in both eastern and western Nazi-occupied Europe. Historians estimate there were between 20,000 and 30,000 such partisans while the total number of men who served in the German military, in all theatres of war, between 1939 and 1945 exceeds 12 million. Clearly this was not, and cannot be, interpreted as a conflict between equal or near-equal forces. Partisan units resisted Nazi terror and conducted their operations even though they lacked sufficient armaments and ammunition, and while many of their members lacked any real military or even medical training. Improvisation and ingenuity were critical not only to their survival in the forests but also to their success in disrupting the Nazi killing operations. 

Outnumbered and against overwhelming odds, the partisans are an element to understanding the diverse ways in which Jews resisted the genocidal actions of the Nazis. Whether it was through physical, spiritual, or emotional resistance, Jews defied the Nazis with whatever means they could.

Carson Phillips is the Educator with the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and a PhD Candidate at York University.

See Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime Photographs of Jewish Partisan Faye Schulman at the Gallery in Jacobs Lounge at the MNjcc until May 31. On May 26 at 7:30 p.m., all are welcome to the exhibit’s closing program featuring Faye Schulman with Professor Doris Bergen, Chancellor, Rose and Ray Wolfe Chair of Holocaust Studies at the University of Toronto. Admission is free.

Heart-Warming Testimonials

It’s getting warmer, the sun is out (well, sometimes…) and we’re all feeling pretty happy around here so we thought, why not spread the love?  Here are some kind words that others have had to say about us!

Dave Scott, Nursery Parent:

Cathy,  thank you for leading such a wonderful event yesterday!  As a gentile   I am unfamiliar with all the holidays and events that are recognized and celebrated by the Jewish people, and it has been enlightening and educational and has enriched our lives!   I was so proud of Lily yesterday, but to hear how proud you and your staff were of her speaks to the dedication of your staff. We constantly talk about how wonderful the JCC is and particularly the Nursery School, you and your AMAZING staff have been fantastic and we are lucky that Lily is involved at the JCC Nursery School.

Elliot Rovan, Winner of March Madness:

Wow! I never win anything except when my daughter’s involved! So naturally I had to take her to the Raptor game since I won the tickets by signing her for March Madness.

 The seats were great, the roast beef sandwiches went done well at half time, and the Raptor girls enthralled us.

Although the Raptors were playing without 5 of their better players they dominated the New Jersey Nets for the first 3 quarters and had a 21 point lead. They ran out of gas in the 4^th quarter and the lead dissipated to 4 with two minutes to go but Jarryd Baycliss managed to curtail the collapse and the Raptors prevailed 99-92 against a lousy New Jersey team.

Thanks to all concerned.

Mariana Katz, Member:

Hi Ellen! I hope this message finds you well. I needed to write to you and share some thoughts as I have spent almost 5-6 days a week at the JCC for one reason or another (my son does a ton of stuff there, I am doing a lot for the Board at DJCS and Joan, and now I have a personal trainer there twice a week and Ethan’s school uses the facilities a lot). There are some things you need to know:

1. I am a very very hard customer to please. I have spent my career fixing organizations to make them run better more cost-efficiently, more client centered etc etc. On top of that I am a perfectionist so I notice every thing that is not done with attention to detail (yes try living with me! ).
2. I don’t think I have ever been to an organization (except for one restaurant in Toronto that is consistently excellent in service and food) where there was consistency of service and organizational culture. I experience bouts of incidents of good service but that is the exception.

So here is what you need to know! EVERY SINGLE staff member at the JCC that I have dealt with always impresses me. Each and every one of them always goes above and beyond their job spec to do more and better for their clients. From the front desk to the fitness staff to my amazing trainer (Pippa Lubek who thanks to her I joined the JCC even though I am a member at the Yorkville club!).  I emailed some feedback to Jason about the children’s programs not only did he call back and told me what they were changing as a result of my feedback he even thanked me! When the front staff don’t know the answer they call you later to give you the answer always with a smile. Everyone is always in a good mood and appear happy to work there.

I could go on with many more observations but I won’t bore you.

Sooo you need to know that whatever it is that you and your team are doing is superb! And you should go and run Air Canada next! Now there is a company who has no clue about service!

Do you have your own special MNjcc story?  We’d love to hear from you!  Contact tawnyaz@mnjcc.org to find out how to contribute YOUR voice to our blog!

Jennifer’s helping us love our bodies!

Jennifer Hicks’ passion for Nia, a cardiovascular fitness program that combines dance, martial arts and healing arts, stemmed from a low point in her life. While on medical leave from her job as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Jennifer discovered Nia which led her to a place where she could appreciate her body, feed her spirit and, in her words, “cope with the highs and lows of my on-going illness.”

Here’s how Jennifer connects Nia, dance, and self-love, in her words:

Every time I dance, I tell my body “I love you.” Not through words, but through the magical benefits my body, mind, emotions and spirit receive in the process.

Through my Nia practice, I’ve learned how to move in ways that heighten the sensation of pleasure in my body. Yes that’s right. All pleasure, no pain.

What I used to accept as “feeling good” during exercise is not longer satisfactory. So just how is it that I tolerated the pain of all those joint crunching, mind-numbing activities for so long?

I know exactly how.

It’s because I didn’t know there could be another way.

The messages I and others hear about exercise is that:

1. It takes a lot of effort and is a drag

2. It is painful, but without the pain, you won’t see the gain and

3. It is NOT fun. Not in any way. You just do it. Because you should.

When I look back to those days and think about my relationship with exercise, I now realize that I was inadvertently saying to my body, “I don’t really care about your needs. This is good for you and so you should continue. Don’t question it, just do it.”

Back then I didn’t know there could be such deep satisfaction from respecting my body. I had no idea that I could get an amazing workout by moving my body in the way it was actually designed to move. I didn’t know it was more important for me to listen to MYSELF instead of all the ‘shoulds.’

I didn’t know that I needed Nia to tell myself, “I love you Jennifer.”

My whole being thanks me now. Every single time I dance.

Jennifer is a Nia instructor, Speech-Language Pathologist and Reiki practitioner. She is grateful to have Nia in her life to help her live successfully with Bipolar Disorder. The MNjcc is lucky to have her teaching NIA on Wednesdays as part of our Adult Specialty Fitness class schedule.

Social Media and Judaism

For those of you not officially cyber-introduced to me yet, my name is Maytal Kowalski, and I frequently Tweet/update Facebook for the MNjcc (but more about me in the bio below!)

When I initially started “moonlighting” in the art of social media, it was mainly because I wanted an excuse to hang out on Facebook and Twitter at work (you can follow our Twitter stream here, and my personal Tweets here). From the MNjcc Twitter account, I began to follow a variety of Jewish organizations, publications, notable figures and news sources. I realized that, although I am Jewish and very connected to my religion, customs and traditions, my day-to-day involvement in the community was lacking. As an Israeli and Canadian citizen, I couldn’t believe how much I didn’t know about current events in both countries and how they related to me.

One of my first tweets was while I was watching an episode of Glee in which Artie, the most talented kid at McKinley High on no legs, gets what can only be described as robot legs to help him walk. He proudly mentions that they were invented by “some Israeli guy.” For real?! I couldn’t believe it. The system is called the ReWalk and you can read about it here. I always knew Israel was incredibly technologically advanced, but advanced enough to get a mention on Glee? I was so proud, I was kvelling! (Oh hey, want to know what that, and other popular Yiddish terms mean? Follow this guy here).

In a world where Israel is always in the spotlight, most often in a controversial way; where it’s hard to stay connected to your Jewish roots in the Diaspora, where the majority of your friends’ knowledge of Judaism comes from Curb your Enthusiasm or Woody Allen movies (fun fact – I can’t watch Woody Allen movies because he reminds me too much of a particularly neurotic ex-boyfriend), I found myself re-connecting to my roots in the most surprising way – through social media.

There are simply so many great organizations, with so much fantastic information, that want to share it with you- and all in 140 characters or less! Today Jewish Tweets posted “Action: It’s Still Mimouna! Invite friends over this evening to celebrate Mimouna!” Huh? What’s Mimouna? It turns out it’s this. As it is primarily celebrated by the Mizrahi Jews it was not something that had ever entered my life. Oh and also because I eat bread during Passover so the end of Passover doesn’t really mean much to me. 

And there’s another good point – I struggle with my Judaism sometimes, as I’m sure most people struggle with their faith – whether it’s Judaism, or another religion in which they were brought up. I also struggle with my love of Israel. No, wait. I don’t struggle to love it. I simply LOVE it. The most devastating day for me was when you no longer had to step outside off the plane in order to get to the terminal. Those days looked like this. There is absolutely nothing like getting off a 10-hour flight to the warm Israeli air and that smell that is just… indescribable. But I digress…

I don’t agree with every decision the Israeli government makes, just like I don’t agree with every decision the Canadian government makes. When you live in Israel, you can criticize your government. It’s a more sensitive topic in the Diaspora. Think of it like this – if you complain about your brother to your friend, you’re just venting, letting off steam. If your friend complains to you about your brother, you jump to defend him, right? So where does that leave me? If I criticize, am I a bad Jew, a bad Israeli? And if I post a fantastic story about Israel, do I risk criticism and backlash? With social media, I can ask those questions, and I can read articles, and I can comment on them, and read others’ comments and thoughts. I can find out that other people struggle just as I do, and that helps me struggle a bit less.

Sometimes I tell people I work in social media. They scoff. That’s not a job. That’s a person going on Twitter and Facebook! Like it or not, social media IS changing the way we live. The revolution in Egypt? Check out this book. Want some more examples? How about these tweets that shook the world in 2010? Information is getting out into the world in higher quantities than we’ve ever seen, faster than we’ve ever seen, more widely spread than we’ve ever seen. What would’ve happened if twitter had existed during World War II? Or the founding of the state of Israel? The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. or JFK?

Our world is changing, and we can reject it or embrace it. If you struggle with your own identity, whatever that identity is, or if you don’t and love reading about your culture, religion, tradition and homeland, try getting involved in social media. And if you have any questions, there’s a comments section just below this post waiting to hear from you!

Maytal Kowalski is the Administration and Production Coordinator for the Al Green Theatre in the MNjcc. In her spare time (because she has oh-so much of it!) she Tweets and FBs for your reading pleasure. Maytal graduated with a BFA (Hons) from York University’s dance program and has lived in Israel off and on since the age of 11.