Jewish Family Services Innovators Lunch committee, left to right: Sherri Wise, Tamar Bakonyi, Candice Thal and Shannon Ezekiel. (photo from JFS) On May 14, Jewish Family Services held its 15th annual Innovators Lunch at the Hyatt Regency downtown. The sold-out…
Prof. Yuval Shahar, left, and David Berson with Dr. Rachael Ritchie of Vancouver Coastal Health. (photo by Shula Klinger) The use of artificial intelligence is intended “to harness the power of computers with math and statistics theory to improve the…
The deed is finally done. For years, Quebec politicians have been talking about secularism, or laïcité, proposing a range of actions to ban the presence of visible religious symbols among government employees. On Sunday, following a weekend of almost round-the-clock…
My Southern friends and family often joke, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” This morning, I wondered what I would write for this column. I was walking dogs in the sunshine and things were mostly going well. Except, right after…
George and Tamara Frankel at Masks, Revelations and Selfhood, the spring forum of Jewish Seniors Alliance, in partnership with the Louis Brier Home and Hospital, which was held May 26 at the Peretz Centre. (photo from JSA) Since August 2018,…
Israelis Ofir Gadi and Or Aharoni are rounding up their year of volunteering in Metro Vancouver. (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver) In Israel, high school graduates can go straight into the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) or opt to…
(photos by Kobi Gideon / IGPO via Ashernet) A special cabinet meeting was convened in the Golan Heights on June 16 to name a new settlement there in honour of U.S. President Donald Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, together…
קנדה רוצה מיליון מהגרים נוספים בשלוש השנים הקרובות קנדה מונה למעלה משלושים ושמונה תושבים החיים בשטח ענקי המשתרע על פני כעשרה מיליון קמ”ר. מדובר בשטח אף גדול מזה של ארצות הברית (רק רוסיה מחזיקה בשטח הגדול מזה של קנדה). קנדה…
Tour organizer Carmel Tanaka at one of the tours last stops. (photo by Kayla Isomura) The first Jewish neighbourhood in Vancouver was in Strathcona, which also served as the first home for many, if not most, cultural communities that make…
Words matter. In a period when traditional media compete with social media, where everyone on the planet can pretty much find a place to say whatever they want, the weight of words can seem lost in the deluge of opinions,…
So, I’m thinking about the times of our growing up, and who did what in the story of our lives. We never think much about it while it’s happening, during the years when we are coming to our senses. During…
Left to right: Oree Gianacopoulos, Chali-Rosso Gallery director; James Sanders from Dali Universe (Switzerland); and Susanna Strem, president of Chali-Rosso Gallery. (photo by Shula Klinger) May 17 and 18 saw the unveiling of two sculptures by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali,…
This child’s shoe and sock were found in January 1945 among thousands of others at Auschwitz-Birkenau, abandoned by the Nazis as the Red Army approached. (photo from Collection of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Oswiecim, Poland. ©Musealia) On display now at…
(photo by Cynthia Ramsay) This year’s Summer Celebration cover photo was taken from the Vancouver General Hospital palliative care unit’s outdoor garden, on the 16th floor of the Jim Pattison Pavilion. It is dedicated to our dear friend and colleague…
Babka gone bad: The Accidental Balabusta’s first attempt at this Jewish treat was less than a stellar success. (photo by Shelley Civkin) After I conquered challah and cholent, I felt it was time to tiptoe into the forbidden realm of…
(photo from pixnio.com) In Israel, asparagus is not widely seen in the outdoor markets but, when it is, I am always happy to buy it. There are at least 10 reasons why we should eat more asparagus. It contains lots…
קהילת היהודים בטורונטו מפגינה עמדת כוח של תמיכה בישראל למעלה משלושים אלף איש צעדו בדאון טאון טורונטו לאחרונה בפרוייקט השנתי: “ללכת עם ישראל”. זאת הפגנת עמדת כוח לתמיכה במדינת ישראל. מדובר באחד מאירועי התמיכה בישראל מהבולטים ביותר עולם, כמובן אחרי…
Architects Acton Ostry, who designed the original building of King David High School, are back for the expansion. (image from KDHS) Bucking a trend that is seeing Jewish day schools across North America struggling to maintain enrolment, Vancouver’s King David…
Itamar Erez’s new CD, Mi Alegria, is being launched with a concert at the Annex. (photo by Wolfgang Vogt) Composer, performer and teacher Itamar Erez releases his new CD in a concert June 20 at the Annex. The title, Mi…
For the first time in its history, Israel will go to the polls because the Knesset Israelis elected in April could not form a government. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu crowed after the election results came in that his Likud had…
Lately, I’ve been thinking about Elijah the Prophet, or Eliyahu Hanavi. He’s that guy who somehow travels worldwide, to drink all the wine at every Passover seder every year. (What a hangover he must have!) Elijah is also supposed to…
Adam Henderson stars in Jerusalem, at the Jericho Arts Centre June 7-30. (photo from United Players) The play Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth sees its debut in Vancouver this month at the Jericho Arts Centre and its lead actor, Adam Henderson,…
Dr. Robert Krell and VHEC executive director Nina Krieger at the display case for Het Achterhuis, a first edition of Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. (photo by Shula Klinger) In November 2017, the Jewish Independent published the story…
Dayson Here portrays Ben Dayson’s innate business acumen and his economic success, as well as his unwavering devotion to his wife, Esther. Following the publication of the Nemetz family biography Don’t Break the Chain: The Nemetz Family Journey from Svatatroiske…
Keynote speaker Irene Dodek and Bill Gruenthal, from the Temple Sholom 60+ group, at the latest JSA Snider Foundation Empowerment Series event, which took place May 15. (photo by Marcy Babins) Jewish Seniors Alliance of Greater Vancouver and the seniors…
Deema Abdel Hafeez placed third in the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies’ annual speech contest. (photo from Janet Lee Elementary School) Every year, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies puts out a call to…
Rabbi Uri Kroizer from the Ashkenazi track with his students. (photo by Itai Nadav) Some 50 prayer leaders recently completed the first session of the inaugural Ashira program. The program’s goal is to train prayer leaders (schlichei tzibur) from across…
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and his wife, Nechama, in Jerusalem in May 2018. (photo from Ashernet) Nechama Rivlin died June 4 at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, at the age of 73. She had undergone a lung transplant operation three…
אושר הסכם הסחר החדש בין קנדה לישראל בתקווה להכפיל את היקף הסחר. בזמן שנשיא ארה”ב, דונלד טראמפ, מאיים על מדינות בעולם ונלחם בהן כדי להשיג הסכמי סחר חדשים, קנדה וישראל אישרו את הסכם הסחר החדש ביניהן. ביום שני בשבוע שעבר…
The June 12 performance of Moshe Denburg’s The Longing Sky features Yuji Nakagawa on sarangi, left, and Harrie Starreveld on shakuhachi. (photos from VICO) This year’s Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO) Global Soundscapes Festival highlights the instruments and traditions of Japan.…
