Cote St. Luc synagogue welcomes new spiritual leader Rabbi

Rabbi Yechezkel Freundlich of the TBDJ Synagogue

When Rabbi Yechezkel Freundlich officially assumed the post of spiritual leader of the Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem (TBDJ) Synagogue in Cote St. Luc this past August, after serving as an Associate Rabbi for a synagogue in Atlanta, Georgia since 2007, one of the first conversations he had with a member of the TBDJ congregation dealt with a matter that was more meteorological than spiritual.

“The weather was indeed a starting point. It was 88 degrees that day, and he told me that it must have felt more like the temperature in Atlanta for me. I replied to him that after being used to a place where the temperature would be 96 degrees with the humidity at 11 a.m., 88 degrees was gorgeous for me,” said Rabbi Freundlich during a private luncheon with several journalists early last month.

Born the son of Holocaust survivors in Louisville, Kentucky and raised in New Jersey, Rabbi Freundlich (or “Rabbi Y”, as he was affectionately known as by the members of his congregation in Atlanta), brings to the TBDJ a wealth of experience and knowledge. He holds three degrees (including a Master of Science Degree in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University); was part of group in Atlanta that promoted personal and religious growth through family meetings, personal development classes and social programming; directed an advanced nightly Torah study group and held outreach sessions for university students and preschool parents; developed and produced a “Strengthen Your Marriage” workshop that was presented across the U.S.; and developed a “3 Minute Parenting Through the Parsha” online video series.

Rabbi Freundlich, who replaced Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, the TBDJ’s spiritual leader for 19 years who left the synagogue to accept a position in New York, was part of rigorous selection process that began nearly a year ago. But what was so unique about it was that the members of the congregation took an active role in the process as well.

“The committee decided to involve the members in the selection process,” said TBDJ President Judah Aspler. “We sent out a survey to them, so they could provide us with the necessary feedback, and it helped solidify the criteria of what we were looking for in a spiritual leader.” After the final three candidates were chosen, they were invited to spend a weekend with the members to give them a hands-on feel of what the synagogue, its members and the community were all about, and participated in a wide range of activities from services to classes, to personally interacting with the members. “Each of our guest Rabbis commented to me on how impressed they were by what they saw in terms of member involvement, care and passion for the shul,” said Aspler. “Our candidates were impressed, and I think we all were as well. We demonstrated who we are, and who we will be.”

When Rabbi Freundlich was officially selected to lead the TBDJ, he and his wife Rifki, along with their seven children ranging in ages from 3 to 16, were given a large scale Shabbt dinner on August 19 to formally welcome them to the community, which attracted over 300 people.

Rabbi Freundlich realizes he has big shoes to fill as the successor to a long-serving and popular spiritual leader, and wants to make the synagogue a vibrant focal point of the community. “I know it is very hard to fill the shoes of such a beloved rabbi, especially the impact Rabbi Steinmetz made on the shul and how he left it as a very strong place,” he said. “I would like it to be a vibrant place both socially and spiritually, and engage more people to what we have to offer, so that it can be an important centre of the community, and an important place in people’s lives.”

As well, Rabbi Freundlich and his family relished the exciting challenge of adjusting to a new way of life in Montreal, especially adapting to its unique culture and learning how to speak French. “I like Montreal because it’s such a diverse, multicultural city. And we are bringing our car in from Atlanta so we can get around the city much easier. And all that road construction? Well, I believe that’s being done so that the roads can be fixed up especially for me and my family,” he said. “And I was a big sports fan when I was in Atlanta, so I am looking forward to finally support a winning team in Montreal!”

Cross Kill by James Patterson (Little, Brown, $5.95)

Let’s face it. Mega best selling author James Patterson is a virtual writing machine.

Every year, Patterson and his team of co-authors release a slew of books, which are usually his series of best-selling thrillers, such as the crime thrillers involving Washington, D.C. police detective Alex Cross, the Womens’ Murder Club and the Michael Bennett mysteries, amongst others.

This past summer, Patterson’s publisher Little, Brown introduced a new way to enjoy and appreciate his prolific output of novels, which are called “Bookshots”.

Advertised as “stories at the speed of life”, Bookshots are a continuous series of compact, affordably-priced paperbacks, in which new titles  are released on a regular basis, and feature many of Patterson’s best-known series of books. Basically, you can read a James Patterson Bookshots release in one sitting (or maybe two, but no more than that).

The question for Patterson’s many fans is can a condensed, shorter version of one of his novels be as captivating and entertaining as his full length ones? Well, after reading Cross Kill, the first book issued in the Bookshots, the answer is a resounding “yes”.

In beginning of this story, Alex Cross and his police partner John Sampson are seen volunteering their time at a local elementary school breakfast program, when they are unexpectedly ambushed by a lone gunman. Cross survives the fusillade of bullets, but Sampson suffers a serious bullet wound to the head that becomes life threatening.

However, the eerie thing about this deadly assault is that the gunman resembles serial killer Gary Soneji, who was pursued by Cross in one of his earlier thrillers Along Came A Spider. The strange thing is that it can’t be Soneji, because Cross saw him meet a fiery death at the end of that story. …Or is Soneji really alive and didn’t really have an incinerating death?

Seeing the first titles in the Bookshots series on display at a magazine store in Milwaukee this past July reminded me of what Signet Books did 20 years ago with Stephen King’s novel The Green Mile, and decided to issue the story in six monthly installments in the form of attractive, easy-to-read compact pocket paperbacks. All six installments became instant best sellers, and are regarded as collector’s items after The Green Mile was re-issued in a single volume. Bookshots is indeed a new way to enjoy James Patterson’s growing fiction library. And it does succeed, because they are just as thrilling and suspenseful, but at a fraction of the size. And the narrative of Cross Kill provides a couple of interesting plot twists at the end that leave the reader waiting in anticipation for the next Alex Cross installment in the Bookshots series.

This new series of books is great reading for those on their public transit commute to work, or for those long waits at the airport.

Spike Lee wows large audience at Black film festival appearance with Michael Jackson documentary

Acclaimed film director Spike Lee has been a life-long fan of Michael Jackson and his music. “His joy for life was demonstrated in his music and performing,” he said. “And in turn, he has had a lasting impact on a new generation of artists.”

Lee was in town on October 1 for a special screening to mark the Canadian premiere of his documentary “Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall”, as part of the 12^th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival, and attracted a huge crowd that packed the Hall Theatre at Concordia University.

Through plenty of concert footage, TV appearances and interviews with many of Jackson’s contemporaries (i.e. Berry Gordy, Suzanne de Passe, Valerie Simpson), family members (brothers Marlon and Jackie), and some of today’s leading recording artists (i.e., John Legend, Pharrell Williams and even Kobe Bryant), Lee chronicles the crucial 10-year period from 1969 to 1979 when Michael Jackson transformed himself from the cute idol of millions of teenyboppers to the iconic King of Pop.

The second half of the documentary is dedicated to Jackson’s monumental 1979 album “Off the Wall” and through those interviews, concert footage and early music videos, gives a song-by-song examination of how and why “Off the Wall” was so important to the rock music world in general, and the future path of Jackson’s career in particular. It was amazing to see how many of the interviewees got giddy when they were discussing the songs, whether they had a role in its production or not, and how much they enjoyed listening to them when they were first released, as well as onto the present day.

Following the screening, Lee held a question and answer session with festival founder and president Fabienne Colas. Sporting San Francisco 49ers/Colin Kaepernick gear, Lee answered a steady stream of questions from the members of the packed crowd, ranging from Michael Jackson’s impact on pop music, how he put together the documentary, his life as a filmmaker, and even some current issues that are currently making the headlines.

Here is a sampling of what Lee said that night:

-On Donald Trump: “Right now, the election has gotten to the point where you have to flip a coin, and that’s scary. Can you imagine Trump with the nuclear codes? It’s more like WTF. This is a scary time right now in America.”

-On former Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban: “Why did they trade my man? He was the face of the team. They should have traded him to the New York Rangers.”

On being an acclaimed, award-winning filmmaker: “This is a dream job for me. When you get to do what you love – and make a living doing what you love – you’re blessed.”

As well, Lee revealed that he is currently working on a 10-episode series for Netflix based on one of his early films, “She’s Gotta Have It”, which follows the characters, and what has happened to them since the time of the film’s release. He also hinted about the possibility of a third documentary about Michael Jackson, which would deal with the story behind his legendary 1982 album “Thriller”.

(This article originally appeared in the Oct. 5, 2016 edition of "Wednesday", the Montreal Times' online-only arts & lifestyles publication).