The Shattered Peace of Belleville's Jewish Community

 

       Bullet holes in the stained glass windows of the Sons of Jacob synagogue, Belleville, Ontario

As we listened to the CBC Radio national news this morning we were startled to hear of a serious police-involved community of Belleville, Ontario. An exchange of gunfire took place of the Sons of Jacob synagogue last evening as the service to mark the beginning of Yom Kippur commenced. A police officer and an armed assailant were injured and there is little doubt that this was a targeted attack on the Jewish community, a hate crime. The photo, above. was taken from inside the synagogue by one of the congregants and shows bullet holes in a stained glass window.

Belleville is a city of under 60,000 residents and the Jewish population is small. Even on such an important Holy Day there were only 20 or so congregants in the building at the time. The 1950s building itself isn't notable although the exterior menorah clearly identifies it as a Jewish place of worship. We usually drive past it a couple of times a week as we make our downtown. 

When I was in ministry at Bridge St. United Church, just a few blocks away, I wrote a letter of solidarity to the congregation during a rash of anti-Jewish hate crimes in Canada. Other than that I had no interaction with the community but I have often wondered about how this small group feels in the midst of a disturbing rise of anti-Jewish words and actions in this country and around the world. Anti-Semitism is a centuries-old poison, an irrational hatred given that Jesus and his first followers were Jewish and firmly rooted in their religion. Of course, hatred is so often irrational and rooted in prejudices and lies. 

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day in Judaism and marks the end of ten days of reflection and repentance. It seems to me that our society needs to enter into a fuller outlook of repentance, education, and protection for the Jewish population of Canada. Canada has the fourth largest Jewish community in the world behind Israel, the United States, and France with roughly 350,000 members. This is, in part, because the Jewish populations of European countries were largely destroyed during the Holocaust or Shoah of the Nazi regime. Canada must remain a safe home for Jews rather than becoming a place of fear 

Today I pray for the traumatized members of the  Sons of Jacob congregation, for anxious Jewish communities across this country which upholds religious freedom, and around the world. 

Vincent, Faith, Hope, and Charity

 

 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 King James Version

[Verse 1]
Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land

[Chorus]
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now.

                              Don McLean 1970

Vincent Van Gogh's revolutionary painting style and his chaotic personal life contributed to the sad fact that he only sold one painting before his untimely death. Fortunately his sister-in-law Johanna,  wife of Vincent's brother who also died young, became the executor of his work and published the correspondence between the close siblings. 

These efforts meant that by the early twentieth century Van Gogh was being recognized for his genius and his paintings were in demand. I came across an article about a new exhibition of Vincent's paintings in a smaller museum which owns 88 of them but has never displayed the entire collection at one time:

The Kröller-Müller Museum, which owns pictures donated by the greatest private collector of Van Gogh, has just hung all of its paintings by the artist for the first time since 2003. Based in a national park near the Dutch village of Otterlo, the museum usually has space for only half this number. The remainder of the Van Goghs are usually in store or on loan, with an occasional one in the conservation studio. 

Helene Kröller-Müller, a connoisseur and the wife of a wealthy businessman, acquired the works in the period 1908-30 (it remains the world’s largest collection of the artist’s work, after that left by his family at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum).

Van Gogh’s Terrace of a Café at Night (September 1888) and Country Road in Provence by Night (May 1890) Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

Seeing this collection would be wonderful in itself but I also found the theme for the exhibition fascinating:  

The exhibition is divided into three sections loosely inspired by the three Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity. Curator Renske Cohen Tervaert has played with the concept, changing charity (as in towards one’s neighbours) into “love”. 

Tervaert’s idea came from Van Gogh’s only known sermon text, which he delivered 150 years ago on 29 October 1876 at Richmond Methodist Church. Aged 23, Van Gogh had recently been sacked as an art dealer in London’s Covent Garden and was then working as an assistant teacher in a small school in Isleworth, in west London. We have no idea what the congregation thought of this young Dutchman with his strong accent, but his preaching career lasted only a few weeks.

More framed pictures in Van Gogh, All Our Paintings 

Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo (photograph Marjon Gemmeke)

I've read an extensive biography of Van Gogh which describes his earnestness about his Christian faith and anguish at his failure while in London. He returned to the Netherlands where he worked with impoverished mining families. For all his suffering and dissolute lifestyle in subsequent years there was an underlying element of faith and devotion in many of his paintings, some more overt than others, and he always had a passion for Christ. 

Perhaps Van Gogh could be the patron saint of preachers although it might be better to imagine St. Francis in that role, even if he too was unconventional. Vincent also served as a Sunday School teacher in London, which must have been an adventure!

[Outro]
Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will

Canada, the EU, and Erasmus

 

Once again Canadian political cartoonist Michael de Adder nails it with his take on Canadian Prime Minister wooing the European Union, much to the chagrin of the jilted President of the United States. I repeat myself in saying that cartoonists are often the prophets of our age, speaking truth to power. 

PM Mark was slyly eloquent in his address, pointing out that there are other fish in the sea of trade agreements, and those fish have better manners. The EU wants to shake up the status quo by including Canada, although we're not exactly sure what being the first "associate member" means. To use Hebrew Scripture language, does this make us the most important concubine without being married? 

I was curious about the possibility of Canada now being able to participate in Erasmus+, the  EU's program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. It has an annual budget of roughly $42 billion CAD so this would be an impressive inclusion for Canadians. 

                                                                       Erasmus of Rotterdam 

What intrigues me is the source of the name of the program which none of the descriptions  mention. Being a theological history nerd I did some looking and, sure enough, it does refer to Erasmus of Rotterdam, the 15th/16th century theologian, philosopher and humanist. Erasmus was one of the most influential scholars of the Northern Renaissance and a major figure of Western culture. He understood the need for reform in a Roman Catholic church yet resisted the radical direction of reformers such as Martin Luther.

It's ironic that in a time when Christianity is in serious decline in Europe, and Canada as well, that a coveted educational program is named after one of the most prominent Christians figures of his time. 

Slow Horses and a Traditional Funeral?

 

Lord of All Hopefulness

1. Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares can destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

2. Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

3. Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

4. Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Traditional Irish Tune
Lyrics by Jan Struther, 1931

Summer streaming series' can be slim pickin's so we were delighted to see that first episodes of a new season of the thriller Slow Horses are available. This is season six of this series about a motley crew of British spies exiled to Slough House (hence the nickname for the Horses), essentially purgatory for misfits and failures. Jackson Lamb, the flatulent, slovenly boss of the bunch is played brilliantly by Gary Oldman who treats his underlings more like mules than horses.

The first episode of this season includes a funeral for a retired elderly spy. Even though these are people responsible for a fair amount of skullduggery and mayhem the custom is to have a Christian sendoff. Ecclesiastes 3, which tells us that there is a time and season for everything, is assumed as a scripture reading by the MI5 director. And the service begins with a hymn, Lord of All Hopefulness which turns out to be a great favourite in Britain, one I didn't know. We do sing the tune Slane for the wonderful Be Thou My Vision. The Jan Struther lyrics are poetic. 

The inclusion of the funeral with its traditional elements in a quaint old church is incongruous, part of the reason the series as a whole is so watchable. Apparently Mick Herron, author the Slow Horses book series makes a cameo in the congregation. 

 For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
 a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up;
 a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
 a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;

a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;

a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.

                           Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NRSVue

Caring for Our Common Home

 

Pope Leo XIV gestures as he celebrates Mass at the Borgo Laudato Si' center in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sept. 1, 2026, marking the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Credit: (OSV News photo/Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters)

Christians around the world are currently taking part in what is known as Creation Time/Season of Creation/Creationtide, depending on denomination. This is a liturgical development of the past 30 years which acknowledges and celebrates Creation, leading to action. These few weeks commence on September 1st, now called the Feast of Creation in Christ and conclude with the Feast of St. Francis on October 4th. 

Recently the Roman Catholic church released a timely document which is in many respects a sequel to the late Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home from 2015. The International Theological Commission (ITC)  published “Caring for Our Common Home — A Responsible and Fraternal Response to the Triune God” with the authorization of Pope Leo XIV, on Wednesday, 2 September This was one day after World Day of Prayer for Creation and is the fruit of reflections carried out between 2022 and 2025.

This is a text of more than 29,000 words, so a serious exploration of Creation Care with a number of important themes including "the sin against creation". In the United Church we aren't inclined to speak about sin or sinners a lot because of the emphasis in some traditions on individual wrongdoing as a form of manipulation that fosters guilt. Yet sin as transgression, a destructive turning away from God and others is an essential aspect of the path to redemption for humans and all living beings. 

This may seem a tad heady but what's happening in the Roman Catholic church is important theological stuff. 

2 Why are we attacking our common home so severely? The sin against creation .

2.1 Breach of the original mandate

84. [ Deception at the root ]. In the first chapters of Genesis, Scripture expresses in an exemplary way how from the beginning of humanity human freedom gives in to deception and claims to occupy the place of God (cf. Gen 38), distancing themselves from the Creator's original mandate. The deception is formulated by the serpent's forked tongue: "You will not die; for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" ( Gen 3:4-5). God has manifested His plan to human beings as rational and free beings. However, when they believe the serpent, they have already distrusted God and distanced themselves from Him. The promise of being like God, provoked by envy, leads to disobedience, typical of those who do not believe what God has said.

85. [ The dynamics of temptation ]. At the key moment, in the formulation of the temptation and in what induces the woman to follow it, three factors come together simultaneously that support and strengthen each other, plus a fourth that unifies everything.

1) The promise of knowledge that would make us like God "in knowing good and evil" ( Gen 3:5), taking God's place in judging good and evil.

2) Food that is truly satisfying and proportionate to human needs. Food, what can and cannot be eaten, is one of the fundamental threads of the plot ( Gen 1:29-30; 2:5, 7:9, 16-17; 3:2-3:5-6:11-14:17-19:22). The temptation consists in not respecting what God has established as good food for us.

3) The attraction that seduces desire and greed contains the false promise of the understanding of good and evil linked to food, providing the final impulse (cf. Gen 3:6). Action based on this radical deception has the paradoxical effect of revealing the essential vulnerability of human beings (cf. Gen 3:7). Human sin has introduced a cosmic disorder (cf. Gen 3:16-17): we no longer inhabit the garden of paradise, but a place where we must coexist with catastrophes and the struggle for life between different species.

4) Eve falls into the deceptive seduction that promises immortality through the forked tongue of the serpent: "You will not die" ( Gen 3:4). The gift of immortality is received from the One who is immortal and eternal. For this reason the Fathers of the Church already spoke of the Eucharist as a medicine of immortality: " phármakon athanasías ", [141] alluding to the gift of immortality in Christ conferred by eating it.

86. [ Breakdown of essential relationships ]. Transgression of God's original plan results in the breakdown of the three essential relationships in which human beings unfold their existence: with God, with other human beings, and with creation, which inevitably leads to deterioration on the personal, social, and cosmic levels. Creation remains wounded by human sin until the Savior, taking on the full weight of the misfortune caused by sin, redeems it with his redemptive suffering.

The Legacy of Daisy Peterson Sweeney

 

                                                 Daisy Peterson and brother Oscar (194?)

At the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) several Canadian film figures were asked who might be honoured with a Heritage Minute, a national institution. 

One of them suggested Daisy Peterson, sister of jazz icon Oscar Peterson. Daisy taught Oscar to play the piano. along with hundreds of others through a lengthy music career that unfolded alongside raising nine children and working at a variety of jobs. She also taught other jazz giants including Joe Sealy and Oliver Jones who died in July of this year.

Daisy, Oscar, and Oliver were involved in choirs and churches in Montreal when segregation was still prevalent and congregations were safe havens for faith and musical creativity. According to one biographical source Daisy was...

An accomplished organist as well, she played the organ for services at St. Jude’s Anglican Church, the Union United Church https://www.unionunitedchurchmtl.ca/ and at the Robert Campbell Presbyterian Church. It was at the Union United Church where she started a choir which she later turned over to Trevor Payne. The Black Community Youth Choir (1974–81) later became the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir in 1982.

Daisy Peterson Sweeney received accolades and honours through the years but I think adding a Heritage Minute is a brilliant idea. Thank God for Daisy!

                              Daisy Peterson Sweeney Mural, 1791 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, QC.

A Hopeful Prayer for Unity

 

Through the decades I have participated, albeit sporadically, in what are termed Prayer Cycles. Basically this is following a discipline and direction for regular prayer that may include personal, local, and world concerns. I haven't done so for a few years but this prayer from the World Council of Churches for the week that began yesterday struck me because of its economy of words yet remarkable breadth. It calls us to repentance and encourages us to trust that the Holy Spirit will lead us into new ways of seeing and hearing. Amen!