The artist who created the totem pole at the Museum of Fine Arts is making a personal plea to get back the arm, which apparently came off when some yahoo decided to swing their full weight on it at bar-closing time ten days ago.
I was just wondering how a person could arrange to bring back such a thing anonymously. How do you make an anonymous phone call when there are hardly any pay phones left?
Protesters occupied Justin Trudeau’s riding office Monday, intent on pressuring him to denounce the regime of Jovénel Moïse in Haiti.
Anglo media continue the theme against the Loi sur la laïcité de l’État (Bill 21) with more pieces about teachers who feel targeted by the law.
Fight the power, people!
Frank Zampino has been granted a stay of proceedings on his trial for fraud and corruption at city hall. The judge accepted his claim that UPAC overstepped the bounds when it tapped his communications during the investigation.
Le Devoir looks at a new book on Hasidic Montreal, which it says is the first book in French on the subject. Interesting to know that only 16% of the city’s Jews are Hasidim.
They don’t say how they define “Jew” (cultural or religious), so the 16% figure doesn’t mean much.
Presumably people who claim they are Jews, which is the usual way to count it. (Not sure if this normally includes Messianic “Jews”.)
Actually, the Hasidic are “messianic cults”. Which is why you see they sometimes have signs referring to Mossiach (messiah). Those who call themselves “Jews for Jesus” aren’t really Jewish anymore… once you accept a different religion, you can’t claim to be Jewish anymore, really. And those on the far end of the spectrum (and Ashkenazi) are anti-Israel, you even see them protesting against Israel on Israel’s independence day in Montreal. The Lubavich are actually Israel neutral. The Sephardic ultra religious are generally supporters of Israel. (Confused yet?)
Generally in Montreal, the largest community is likely the Mizrachi/Young Israel, Western jews, some who wear kippahs and some who don’t, but if they do, it’s a knitted kippah and they sort of meld in with everyone else. Sometimes hiding their kippah under hats, so you don’t even see them. More orthodox than reform, conservative or reconstructionists, though there are synagogues/temples of all those off shoots.
Messianic “Jews” (a superset including Jews for Jesus) are indeed not Jewish, though some claim to be, but getting into the intricacies of calling Hasidim messianic is . . . complex and makes things more difficult to follow. You can be Jewish and have all sorts of opinions on Israel (many Hasidic groups are anti-Zionist). Honestly I have no idea why you brought up Israel, as it turns a religious/cultural question into a political one well outside the scope of that article.
Jeather, because it’s important to understand that these groups are not the mainstream at all. And that they aren’t uniform either. Naturei Karta, for example, actually used to donate to the PLO. And Satmar is built on the premise that holocaust was caused because Jews weren’t religious enough (which in itself is a sin). And their view on Zionism is directly related to the fact that they are messianic… believing that Zionism lengthens the time that it will take for messiah to come… and they want him to come sooner. Belz, one of the better groups, but still anti-Zionist. While as you move towards the centre, you get groups like Chabad/Lubavitch, which doesn’t wear the old clothing and is Israel neutral. and the Sephardi ultra orthodox, which aren’t anti-zionist. You see pictures of their leader sometimes around Montreal… Schneerson (who died and created a rift, some believing that he is the messiah and will reappear – sound like something we have heard before, about someone else?)
Jews for Jesus is not considered Jews by any part of mainstream Judaism… these are converts to Christianity. Also, proselytizing is strictly forbidden under Jewish law… so handing out those pamphlets is another proof that they aren’t Jewish.
As you’ve both demonstrated, there are many definitions. Which is why it seems really weird to claim an exact number like 16% (not even something vaguer like 1/5th) without even providing a definition for what you’re measuring. Hopefully the actual book is more detailed.
I’m not sure how much clearer I could have been that Messianic Jews are not Jewish every time.
Chris, the two of us are agreeing about who is Jewish, we’re just picking around the edges of different belief systems. There aren’t really that many definitions in common use, though I agree the book should explain which one they chose.
jeather, for me, the big dividing line is Jews that believe in Yahweh vs those that don’t. In the US, about 1/4 of Jews don’t believe a god. https://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-4-religious-beliefs-and-practices/
Chris, are you mansplaining Judaism to jeather?
Ok, and you’re calling them Jews, and I’m also calling them Jews, and it’s a pretty acceptable stance since Spinoza so . . . I don’t get what the point is? Common use definitions of “who is a Jew?” do not regularly exclude Jewish atheists and agnostics.
In case it’s not clear, I am a Jewish atheist (who would be considered a Jew by, as far as I know, every standard).
Ephraim, a Christian cousin of mine posted an “uplifting” quote recently over a picture of Menachem Mendel Schneerson. I don’t think she had any idea who he was except he was a kindly looking old man.
Kate, no; why do you say that? You may be reading into my words something that’s not there.
There’s no word, that I’m aware of, for “believer in Judaism, the religion” other than “Jew”. Let me coin “Judaist”. Hasidics are notable for their, let’s say, devoted Judaism. I’m wondering: are they 16% of Judaists or 16% of “Jews”? Hopefully that’s clearer.
You’re making up a separation that isn’t real, Chris. No one counts “Judaists” (which I am reading as Jews who believe in God) because it’s not a particularly useful measure.
Chris – Simple, if your mother was a Jew, you are a Jew, without any requirement to believe. And that right is passed down through the mother. In fact, in China, where they suddenly switched and passed down through the father, they were required to reconvert back into Orthodoxy to be accepted as Jews.
And yes, there are Chinese Jews (Kaifeng Jews), Black Jews (Falasha as well as African American), Bukharin, and even Indian Jews (who have been in India since the destruction of the temple), etc.
You can leave the Jewish religion, like accepting Jesus, but you are either born into it, or converted and if you converted, it’s a LONG process and you have to start it, since it’s against the religion to try to convert someone.
STM bus ridership was up in 2018 but by less than a percentage point, and this despite issues that made the service a little rocky at times. There are also some stats on various popular and unpopular routes.
The fast bus lane under construction on Pie-IX will now go all the way down to Notre-Dame instead of ending at Pie-IX metro station by the stadium.
Interesting. Perhaps there’s an upcoming announcement for transit on ND to PaT…?
Weird how quickly they are announcing a logical 1.5 km extension to the SRB, but a decision about the logical 700 m REM extension in Dorval is still being shuffled from one agency to another, three years after its initial proposal at BAPE proceedings. Ah, Québec…
Roman 22:57 on 2019-09-30 Permalink
Perhaps the same way they stole it anonymously?
Daniel 06:59 on 2019-10-01 Permalink
Point taken, but I do see a shocking number (to me) of pay phones here. I’ve never seen so many anywhere else in years. In the metro. On the street. In the bagel shop! (There’s barely room for bagels there and yet still a pay phone somehow.) So maybe Montreal is the place it’s still possible?
Chris 08:27 on 2019-10-01 Permalink
Pay phone calls are not anonymous. They have a unique number. They are often watched by CCTV. Your voice can be recorded.
The CRTC requires a minimum number of cell phones, which is why Bell has not got rid of more. You’ll be happy we have them when the cell network goes down for whatever reason.
MarcG 09:24 on 2019-10-01 Permalink
I don’t own a cellphone (how does he survive!?) and don’t find it too bothersome to find a payphone when I need one, although there definitely used to be more and they’re often not in great condition when located outdoors.
When you send a package through the post do they take ID?
Kate 13:03 on 2019-10-02 Permalink
I don’t believe Canada Post wants ID for sending an ordinary, unregistered package. Postal workers probably remind you to put a return address on the parcel but I doubt they have time to check its validity. Going across borders you do have to fill out a small form that gets stuck to the parcel, again I doubt whether the person at the wicket does more than glance to see it’s been filled out.
EmilyG 13:42 on 2019-10-02 Permalink
Good news: The hand has been returned.
https://twitter.com/simon_nak/status/1179442221696901122
EmilyG 13:44 on 2019-10-02 Permalink
And the CBC story:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/totem-pole-hand-mmfa-montreal-returned-1.5306002?cmp=rss
Meezly 15:50 on 2019-10-02 Permalink
The power of a sincere apology.