Tolerance? Understanding?

There will be no synagogue expansion on Hutchison. At least, not this synagogue. And not this time. The real loser here is... (you fill in the blank). Actually I blame both sides. I'm guessing that the Hasids have never invited their neighbours over for tea, let alone smiled and said hello when they passed in the street.

Another referendum in Quebec

I wrote about the Outremont Hasidic community in The Rent Collector and their fight to erect an eruv, a virtually invisible boundary allowing certain practices on the Shabbat. Round two came when the Hasidim asked the local YMCA to cover a window that allowed passersby to view women exercising in skimpy clothes (the Hasidim paid to have frosted glass installed). Round three is at hand - this battle about whether a small synagogue should be allowed to renovate and expand their building. Of course, this is really all about tolerance and the perceived increasing 'encroachment' of a growing religious people on the surrounding secular community. My guess is that rounds four, five and six are not far away.

Strange Bedfellows at the JPL

Did you know that the word "avocado" came from an Aztec word that means 'testicle', just like the word "testify"? Or that the word "porcelain" refers to a 'pig's vagina'? Join me as I introduce Howard Richler and learn about these and other words that originate from unmentionables. Howard is a well-known Montreal logophile, columnist and author who apparently has a fetish with language. Should be a, if not racy, then at least very interesting evening. More here.

Montreal Mashup

Someone once said that a great city is twice built, once in bricks and mortar, and a second time in the imagination. Montreal has been built and re-built over and over again. The good folks at Rover recently staged the second edition of Imagine Montreal at the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival in which parts of The Rent Collector are read along with excerpts from 24 other works by local professional actors. In this video of the event the image of Mount-Royal's cross accompanies an excerpt from TRC.

Imagine Montreal from The Rover on Vimeo.

Thanks For Coming

When you're dealing with a deity with a sense of humour you may be surprised by what the afterlife has in store. Find out by reading my new humorous piece of fiction up at the Shtetl Montreal website. Check it out!

The Mighty Jacobson

Howard Jacobson plays ping-pong and chats about his newly re-issued tour de force.

Halbman Steals Home

The cover of my new novel due out early next year. More details here. Let me know what you think of the cover. Don't be shy to pre-order now.