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Report Annual Fall dialogue at St. Cecilia's
Professor Doris Bergen addressing the fall dialogue of the Council of Christians and Jews in Calgary.

Prof's. Myron Weber and Doris Bergen Photo: David Gravell

The annual fall dialogue of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews Alberta Region took place this year on November 1 at St. Cecilia’s Parish and featured Dr. Doris Bergen, professor of Holocaust Studies at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on issues of religion, gender and ethnicity in the Holocaust. Her topic, “Mothers and Daughters in the Holocaust: Maintaining Bonds of Affection for Personal and Communal Survival,” encouraged a lively discussion among the many Christian and Jewish participants in the forum.

One of the table dialogue groups. Photo: David Gravell

The event was enhanced through a brief performance by cantorial soloist Rebecca Levant.
In addition, Halley Girvitz was honoured for the many contributions of her late father, Sid Macklin, for both the Jewish and the broader community in Calgary.

Professor Bergen, who grew up in Lacombe, Alberta, gave other talks while in the city. She is a widely published researcher and author, including studies on the German Christian movement during the Third Reich and the role of Christian military chaplains in the German army in World War Two.

With kind permission: Richard Bronstein, The Jewish Free Press, November 20, 2009

Report Holocaust Remembrance Service
April 29, 2009, 7: 30 p.m.
Lutheran Church of our Saviour, Calgary

I had the distinct privilege of attending CCCJ-AB’s annual Holocaust remembrance service, co-sponsored with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada; it was one of the most moving and compassionate services I have ever had the opportunity of attending. It provided a unique opportunity and challenge as noted by the old saw, “those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” The centre of the commemoration was the lighting of six candles in memory of the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust, including 1.5 million children, and a seventh candle to remember the millions of other minorities murdered by the Nazis.

Lighting of the first candle, in memory of helpless infants, children and teenagers, was accompanied by the song "Ani Ma’Amin", an affirmation of faith sung by Jews even as they were marched to the gas chambers. It was movingly sung by the Cantare Children's Choir, brilliantly conducted by its founder and artistic director, Catherine Glaser-Clime. Many in the audience were moved to tears by their performance.

Following an opening prayer and confession asking for forgiveness of sins, the second candle was lit in memory of mothers who died with their children in their arms, followed by the Cantare Children’s Choir's spirited rendition of Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem, and a poignant reading from Elie Wiesel’s “Night.”

The third candle was lit in memory of all mothers and fathers who were cruelly separated from their families, followed by the reading of the 23rd psalm, both in Hebrew and English. The lighting of the fourth candle, in memory of all scholars, teachers, and rabbis were the first to be seized, was followed by a reading from "The Hiding Place " by Corrie Ten Boom and another plaintive song by the Cantare Children’s Choir, "When I am Silent" by Joan Varner.

The keynote speaker of the evening, Dr. Sid Cyngiser, spoke movingly of life in the concentration camps, of his lost of family, the horrendous circumstances he had to endure, and of the indomitable spirit and faith which allowed him to survive the unspeakable conditions of the camps. As he so movingly emphasized, when ignorance and hatred are allowed to fester, the result can lead to unimaginable consequences.

Candle 6 was then lit in memory of the martyrs, both Jews and righteous gentiles, who gave their lives to help their brothers and sisters under the Nazis; and candle 7, in memory of the countless others killed in the concentration camps. Cantare Children’s Choir then beautifully performed Randall Stroope’s "I Had a Paint Box", a prayer for peace, followed by a Congregational hymn, "O Day of Peace" and Congregational Prayers.

Cantare’s moving performance of Paul Read’s "Birdsong", drawn from the words of a child interred at the Terezin concentration camp, celebrates life and the beauty of the world, rather than the horrors of the camp. An expression of thanks to participants and the audience was followed by the Jewish evening prayer, "Hashkivenu" in both English and Hebrew, performed beautifully by Rebecca Levant, Cantorial Soloist. The program concluded with a benediction.

A bouquet was presented to Bronia and Sid Cyngiser in honor of the many services they have provided to the community, and their witness to the Holocaust and the indomitable spirit they displayed in surviving its horrors. Flowers were also presented to Catherine Glaser-Clime in appreciation for her magnificent Choir’s presentation. She spoke touchingly about her own experiences, including a trip to Auschwitz concentration camp with a touring choir at age 16, and of her plans to travel to Germany with her choristers to provide them with the opportunity for similar insight. She emphasized how her early experiences had molded her determination to make a difference through promoting harmony among diverse cultural communities.

The evening concluded with a reception and the opportunity to discuss with the over 200 participants the meaning and implications of this intense, but uplifting, program. The audience expressed their appreciation for the chance to share this difficult, but important, memorial to those who cannot speak and to bear witness by their presence to the focus of the evening, “We shall remember and never forget.”

Myron Weber