Jewish Stories told in music Lecturer analyzes | eonard Cohen's songs By NATHAN GAN Jewish cultural centre con- tinues its “Radical Read- ings” lecture series, with a secular lens on the work of the late Leonard Cohen. “Radical Readings 2: Torah of Leonard Cohen’ clarifies that secu- lar refers to discussions that are not based in any specific religion or faith, concurrent with the values of the Peretz Centre for Secular Jew- ish Culture. Matthew Gindin, education di- rector for the centre, said the class takes a deeper look into Cohen's Jewish influences and his musi- cal interpretations. Cohen writes highly reflective and self-aware sce- narios and characters into his songs, which speaks to Gindin’s interest in spirituality and self-reflection. “T’ve always had an interest in Ju- daism and Buddhism,” said Gindin. “When I was younger, I was a Buddhist monk, and after I left the monastery, I came out [to B.C.] and began teaching meditation and yoga.” Cohen's _ fasci- nation with the stories of the He- brew Bible come to life in his lyrics, which is dissected in the four songs Mathew Gdn chosen forth RELIGION two-hour lecture. There is emo- tional gratification in discussing Cohen for those in the Jewish com- munity, said Peretz Centre program coordinator Donna Becker. “I’m proud of Leonard Cohen, because he had an understanding of Jewish literature, and it showed in his music. He’s like a part of our ‘tribe’, in a sense,” said Becker. ‘The topic of Cohen and the na- ture of secularity turns out to be a favourable combination, as the at- tendance turnout of this month’s Radical Readings class was made up of more than the usual Peretz Centre members. Participant Judahs Doyle said that even though Radical Readings is technically in a lecture setting, its format allows for a lot of interac- tion and sharing. “T came to listen to a talk, but as I was experiencing this process, I re- alized it was much mote, ironically, a conversation,” said Doyle, who emphasized the word “verse”. Infamous song released in 1994. Inspired by Canadian sculptor Armand Vaillancourt's girlfriend. Inspired by an old coat, Cohen admitted he was not satisified with this song. SOURCE: ROLLINGSTONE. COM Jacky Yenga, teaches a dance movement healing class for women on Oct. 21, 2018. Jacky is from Cameroon and is passionate about bringing her dance culture to B.C. SHABNAM JESSA PHOTO Mending soul with dance African dance instructor teaches alternative ways of healing By SHABNAM JESSA ovement is the key to unlocking trauma that is trapped in both body and mind, said Jacky Yenga an African dance instructor. Based in South Vancouver, Yenga teaches a dance healing program called Mbombo, which means friend. Yenga grew up in Cameroon, Africa and said dance as healing is vital to the Cameroonian people, adding that she wants to introduce this to others. “I want to bring this to western culture,” Yenga said. “We are too much in our minds here. Dance brings us more into our bodies.” Yenga said she doesnt teach dance for the purpose of exercise but encourages participants to connect with themselves and their ing with trauma. It’s very deep and gentle,” said Schur. Dance therapy programs usually range from ballroom to yoga and stretching, and involves structured schooling and certification. community. Langara Peta Schur, . College was co-founder of “We are too much m the first in B.C. the expressive arts therapy program at Langara Col- lege said art has the ca- pacity to help people achieve a better state of mind. “It’s extremely powerful when work- our minds here. Dance brings us more into our bodies.” —JACKY YENGA, DANCE INSTRUCTOR to bring in the expressive arts therapy program that incorporates theatre, drama, movement, vi- sual arts, and creative writing in their teachings. Mariam Barry, an attendee at the Mbombo class said dancing helps her focus on how her positivity transfers out to the world. “It helps me to be of service to others and elevate our community as we elevate ourselves,” said Barry. Sound engineer, Anoushka Ra- jan was paralyzed at 16 years old and started dance therapy with a physiotherapist who was a trained in Kathak, a classical Indian dance form. Rajan said her life would not have been the same had it not been for dance therapy. “I began as a dead mass in a wheel- chair and after several months, I walked out of the hospital,” said Rajan. Tacklin Women come to- gether to discuss their experiences with postpartum By MATHILDA de VILLIERS he Secret Garden Tea Com- pany opened their doors last week to host an event that brought women together to share their stories and experiences with postpartum depression. Kathy and Erin Wyder, owners of the teahouse, wanted to do more fundraisers and decided to start with this event. one hundred per cent of the pro- ceeds went to Pacific Post Partum Support Society. "I think it’s important to raise awareness about postpartum de- pression, so women are more aware as 4 mom or as a support position,” said Kathy Wyder. One in five mothers will ex- perience postpartum depression. tough topics over tea PPPSS is a non-profit organization that supports anyone with postpar- tum symptoms during pregnancy up until their youngest child is three years old. “One of the biggest risk factors is that if you've had depression or anxiety in the past then you would be a high risk of having postpar- tum depression,” said Sheila Duffy, director at PPPSS. The teahouse has been estab- lished for over 20 years. The idea behind it was to cre- ate an environment where people could come together for tea and food to connect with one another. “T think with all the social media that’s going on today it’s really im- portant to have a place where you can connect,” said Wyder. ‘The teahouse does not provide Wi-Fi because they want to en- courage people to talk to each other face to face. Postpartum depression occurs when a new mother or a mother- to-be experiences feelings of anxi- ety or depression. Often it is a result of being com- pletely overwhelmed and isolated. Many women feel that they are the only ones who are experienc- ing it and they don’t talk about how they are feeling, because of the stigma behind mental illness. An attendee, Elisabeth Cooke is currently pregnant and even though she doesn’t have personal = experience with postpartum de- pression, she wanted to attend the event to support it “Everyone’s re- ally chatty and keen to meet people and tell each other their stories,” said Cooke. » 4 p a Ss £ Guest Elisabeth Cooke with other guests picking from the buffet at the Secret Garden Tea Company on Oct. 18, 2018. MaTHILDA DE VILLIERS PHOTO