I recently visited some of the small historical Jewish communities of Italy. My travels took me to the regions of Marche, Umbria and Emilia-Romagna and, specifically, to Rome, Urbino, Ancona, Senigallia, Bertinoro, Ravenna, Bologna, Soragna, Modena and Ferrara. Jews have…
Jeff Moss, executive director of the Jewish Seniors Alliance, speaks at the June 2 launch of the Health Care Needs Home Care campaign. (screenshot) The Jewish Seniors Alliance of British Columbia is leading a broad coalition calling on the provincial…
Author and human rights advocate Raheel Raza spoke with Gaza-born American writer and peace advocate Ahmad Fouad Khatib in a June 28 online briefing presented by HR Canada Charitable Organization. (screenshot) A Gaza-born American writer and peace advocate told a…
Canada’s new Combatting Hate Act, which has just come into force, says many of the right things. The question is whether anyone in the justice system will act on them. The passage of Bill C-9 into law creates a distinct…
British Columbia has been home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial, and shaped ever since by people who came from somewhere else. For generations, people have arrived here seeking opportunity, freedom, safety and the chance for a better future. They…
Growing Together – a garden program for young adults with varying abilities, run by the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and Jewish Family Services – is facilitated by Ran Keren. (photo from JCC) This spring, the Jewish Community Centre…
Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld, left, and Rabbi Yechiel Oirechman cut the ribbon at the July 6 dedication of the newly completed Mikvah of Chabad. (photo by Lior Noyman) Metro Vancouver Jewish community members gathered July 6 at Chabad Lubavitch of British…
Rabbi Schneur and Bina Druk and their family are enjoying life in Whistler. (photo from Chabad of Whistler) The Jewish community in Whistler has warmly welcomed Rabbi Schneur and Bina Druk, co-directors of Chabad of Whistler, and their family, who…
By supporting the Al and Lola Roadburg Special Companion Endowment Fund at the Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation, community members can help ensure that more Louis Brier Home and Hospital residents receive the compassionate presence they deserve. (photo from LBJAF)…
Abrasha Wosk testimonial evening at Congregation Schara Tzedeck March 6, 1977. Back row: Joyce Wosk, Sonny Wosk, Esther Aroni and husband Hymie, Rosalie and Joe Segal. Front row: Abrasha and Chava Wosk. (photo from JMABC L.01598) The Jewish Museum &…
Bard on the Beach’s production of Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor is an adaptation set at a recreation centre in a Vancouver suburb, where the women’s soccer team has just won the local championship. (photo by Emily Cooper) World Cup…
Recorded in Nashville, Carol Sokoloff’s latest album, Change in the Weather, went live on several streaming platforms in late May and the CD was launched to a packed house at the Coda in Victoria on May 30. (photo from Carol…
The story of Aloha Wanderwell, an early 20th-century adventurer raised in Qualicum Beach, BC, the first woman to drive around the world – at age 18 – is captured by Victoria Jewish community member Laurel Corona in her newly released…
The Ben-Gurion University student team of BeeShop receives the top prize from Dana Gavish, left, and Gadi Bahat, right. (photo from BGU) Palpably exuberant crowds, both in person in Be’er Sheva and virtually, assembled on June 24 to watch and…
On June 26, Governor General of Canada Louise Arbour announced the latest appointments to the Order of Canada, which recognizes people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to the country. Among the recipients were…
Cayoosh Flat (now called Lillooet), in 1865. Cayoosh Flat (now called Lillooet), in 1865. (image from JGSBC) In the Jewish Cemetery in Victoria, there is a small concrete slab on which is inscribed: “In memory of Morris Price. Killed at…
Laurel Weldon, dean of Simon Fraser University’s faculty of arts and social sciences, and Dr. Gloria Gutman at the April 22 reception celebrating the naming of the university’s Gerontology Research Centre in honour of Gutman’s service and lasting impact. The…
Lone Tratt’s solo exhibition, There’s a Crack in Everything, which was inspired by the lyrics of Leonard Cohen’s song “Anthem,” is at Zack Gallery until Aug. 10. (photo from Lone Tratt) Lone Tratt’s current show at the Zack Gallery, There’s…
This week, Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen were married. The couple had only recently begun building a life together in Ramat Gan when terrorists burst into the home where they were visiting with family on Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct.…
Pat Johnson and Dr. Sheree Trotter at the University of Victoria on June 14, hosted by the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island. (photo by Janet Dirks) “What we’ve seen happen in New Zealand with our indigenous movement is…
Panelists Rabbi Philip Bregman, left, and Aron Csaplaros. Toronto city councilor James Pasternak spoke via remote link. (photo by Pat Johnson) A Toronto city councilor, speaking via remote link at an event at Richmond’s Beth Tikvah Synagogue, slammed Canadian society…
On June 24, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre hosted The Dual Role of Football During the Holocaust, an online conversation with Paul Salmons, Kevin E. Simpson and Liz Berger, three scholars on sport and its place in modern Jewish history.…
Haredi demonstrators protesting the arrest of draft-dodgers block traffic in Bnei Brak on June 17. (photo by Eitan Elhadez-Barak/TPS-IL) When I celebrated my bar mitzvah in Toronto in 1968 by reading parshat Shelach Lecha about the 12 spies Moses sent…
Marcus Stiller was prepping for the Fish Café’s reopening when the Independent chatted with him. (photo by Lauren Kramer) The Fish Café – a beloved Kerrisdale institution for more than two decades – was set to open this week after…
Zander Eke, Ben Elliott, Scott Bellis, Genevieve Fleming and Andrew McNee in The Play That Goes Wrong, playing at Arts Club’s Granville Island Stage until Aug. 16. (photo from Moonrider Productions) Collapsing sets, misplaced props, missed cues, forgotten lines, unconscious…
Theatre Under the Stars opened July 7 with Sister Act, starring Kat Reynolds, which alternates nights with Disney’s The Little Mermaid, starring Madison Simms, until Aug. 22 at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl. (photo by Emily Cooper) This summer, Theatre Under…
Camp Solomon Schechter hosts a first-of-its-kind mahjong retreat Sept. 4-7. Canadians get a discount! (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter) Mahjong enthusiasts and curious beginners alike are invited to experience a unique Labour Day weekend getaway at Mahj & More, taking…
Solomon Leadership Program fellows and mentors celebrate the completion of the 2025-2026 program. Applications for the next session are open till the end of August. (photo by Alan Katowitz Photography) When Riki Oirechman first read about the Solomon Leadership Program two…
The Grade 12 class of King David High School traveled to Panama last month. (photo from KDHS) In February, the outbreak of war in the Middle East meant that the long-awaited Israel trip for the Grade 12 class of King…
The executive of the Vancouver Israeli Folk Dance Society at their annual BeLev Echad event, which took place May 29-31 this year. (photo by Galit Lewinsky) Over the weekend of May 29, the Vancouver Israeli Folk Dance Society hosted their…
