And again, Richard Marceau was just saying he's not shocked, but it's one of those shocked but not surprised at all that something like this happening in Belleville.

Well, first, I thank Richard for all the important work that he's doing for the Jewish community.

And thank you for bringing attention to this.

Our building was shot up on March 6th of this past year.

And so this is very raw and sensitive.

My first reaction was to think about the Tree of Life massacre that happened in Pittsburgh a few years ago, where the relative of one of our members was one of the victims who was murdered.

And so what we're seeing is the slow creeping forward of violence.

Rabbi, what about, have you reached out to other faith groups? And what is the situation there?

So what is your reaction to the way that was handled? And do you see any change in the way the police are dealing with it?

Well, I would say that it depends on what branch of government we're dealing with.

On the municipal level, on the local level, we have an outstanding mayor, unlike the one in Toronto.

Our mayor of Vaughan is Stephen Del Duca, and he has really been a champion of making sure that the Jewish community feels safe and protected.

He has worked with our police.

And now with our new chief of police for York Regional Police, we really do have a very dedicated team of leaders that are on the municipal level really, really helpful.

A few days after the shooting, Doug Ford organized the delegation to come visit our synagogue with a number of different members of Ontario Parliament and other dignitaries.

Rabbi, do you think that message has gone out to the broader community? As you said, you are very fortunate with your mayor, Stephen Del Duca, really standing up for the community, but other levels and other municipalities, really not so much.

Did you have to make adjustments for that?

Um, I, I like the way you phrased it, um, did, did we have to make adjustments? One of the things that I promised Karen, my wife, when we moved here, is that if we're gonna make this m- monumental change, leave family behind and things like that, we had to be true to ourselves.

I, I, I wasn't going to try to be someone else that I wasn't, and occasionally that got me into trouble, and I was more outspoken when I first arrived than perhaps I should have been, not realizing sometimes the, um, you have to sort of, uh, surmise the lay of the land and be a little bit more circumspect before you open up your mouth.

I've learned that over the years a little, you know, more and more.

But what, what I will say is this: There are many, many very, very intelligent, learned, scholarly people in the Toronto Jewish community.

But what I've noticed is almost like a split personality, and that is people as- associate traditional Judaism with a rejection of secularism, and people associate higher scholarship with a moving away from Judaism.

I think those perspectives are more pronounced, let's say, in a town like Toronto than from where I am used to hanging out on b- both coasts, you know, m- mostly California, but also in the New York area as well.

Fair.

But there was a very, very strong shtetl component to who we were, I would argue, even when you came here in 2011.

Did you have to make adjustments for that? I like the way you phrased it.

Did we have to make adjustments? One of the things that I promised Karen, my wife, when we moved here is that if we're going to make this monumental change, leave family behind and things like that, we have to be true to ourselves.

I wasn't going to try to be someone else that I wasn't.

And occasionally that got me into trouble.

And I was more outspoken when I first arrived than perhaps I should have been.

Not realizing sometimes the, you have to sort of surmise the lay of the land and be a little bit more circumspect before you open up your mouth.

How did you deal with that?

Can you tell us, like, where that came from? And maybe just to connect it to the, what we were just talking about a moment ago, what is the role that non-Jewish people have to play in this exciting evolution of history?

Well, scripture, uh, talks, um, ex-extensively about how the other nations are going to be part of the Messianic process.

Some will be, will have a negative role to play as being the, the bad guys, as being the enemies of the Jews.

But there are going to be many non-Jews who are actually going to be supportive and come to Zion together with the Jewish people to be part of this Messianic process.

I've always believed that, and I have always felt that, um, Jews, especially in the diaspora, need to have good relations with people who recognize the Judeo-Christian ethic upon which the United States was founded.

Um, and I was invited, um, about four or five years ago to become a member of the Canadian board of the, uh, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

And since that time, I've been involved in interfaith dialogue and deepening and strengthening the ties between so many of the parishes, um, in Ontario and beyond who really are looking for ways to support the Jewish people in Israel.

It's about us just equalizing things and saying that the world is kind of going a little crazy right now, and you've been there for us, and now it's our turn to be there for you.

have an

aliyah.

Just a brief thought from our parasha, parashat Bahalotacha.

We read about Moshe Rabbeinu speaking to his father-in-law, who is here identified in our parasha as a man named Chovav.

But according to Rashi in the Midrash, he was none other than Yitro, who we've already met from parashat Yitro.

And here Moshe is depicted as entreating his father-in-law, please stay with us.

He says, He says to Chovav, he says, please don't leave us.

me'ayim yavo ezri.

have an

aliyah.

Just a brief thought from our parasha, parashat Bahalotacha.

We read about Moshe Rabbeinu speaking to his father-in-law, who is here identified in our parasha as a man named Chovav.

But according to Rashi in the Midrash, he was none other than Yitro, who we've already met from parashat Yitro.

And here Moshe is depicted as entreating his father-in-law, please stay with us.

He says, He says to Chovav, he says, please don't leave us.

me'ayim yavo ezri.