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THIS & THAT April 18, 2010
 
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A deli saved in Calgary
Issue:
11.04

 
Important dates

This Month...

Editor's Comment
Michael looks at:
Farewell, Shalom and Adieu

Being Jewish Magazine


see a .pdf copy of the current issue

Features
An Open Letter from Abba to His Family

Enough With The Political Finger-Pointing!

Revisiting the Haggadah

Eddy's Recipe List
Victoria Sponge

Book Review
Unstrung Heroes

The Outspeaker
Encouraging violence is never correct

Batya
Good times and bad times with Batya

Nathan Weissler
What my friendship with Michael Hanna-Fein meant to me


Marjorie Wolfe
An Interview with Paul Reiser

BC's Backlot
The Last Shalom

Lynn Ruth Miller
How we all became part of a bigger story

Mel Yahre
A few words for my friend

Eddy's Thoughts
Don't let life flutter by

The Bear Facts
How I found Michael

 

Sometimes it takes more to save a deli than just writing a book or blog post about it. Sometimes a deli’s salvation needs people to pitch it, help out, and take risks. Sometimes, just sometimes, it requires a community to step up to the plate and do what’s right.

That’s the story out of Calgary recently, when the owners of the Haifa Kosher Deli were hospitalized, and the deli threatened to shut down. In a small community like Calgary’s, where the kosher population relies on a place like Haifa for much of their food, this would have been terrible. ShalomLife picks up the story:

In late December, co-owner Ivor Kavin underwent open heart surgery and his wife Denise was left all alone to run the deli. The job took a toll on her health and shortly after Ivor’s surgery, Denise came down with bronchial asthma and infected lungs. As soon as Ivor returned home from the operation, he took over the store but fell ill again and ended up in the hospital at the same time as his wife. That’s when the community stepped in.

“They are a group of angels,” Denise said about the volunteers to the Calgary Herald. “How do you thank them all?”

Sheila Martin led the pack after hearing about the couple’s misfortunes. She phoned the House of Jacob-Mikhev synagogue to recruit volunteers. Soon, about 20 volunteers signed up for rotating shifts.

There’s another story about the effort in the Calgary Herald as well.

This underscores more than anything I’ve heard, seen, or written about that the link between Jewish delicatessens and their communities are deeper than those of other businesses. It’s not just a restaurant, it’s a lifeline for kosher eating (if it’s kosher), lifecycle catering (bris’ to shivas), and love between patrons and owners.

Zay Gezunt to you all Calgary. Maybe my brother left your city too soon.

Haifa Deli
www.haifadeli.ca 

3109 Palliser Dr. SW
Calgary, Alberta
(T2V 4W5) CANADA

TE: (403) 238-0525
FAX: (403) 640-1977

Visit the wonderful Save the Deli Web site

 
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