Delightful. That’s the first word that comes to my mind for two new hardcover children’s books by members of the Jewish community that will soon find their way to my youngest nieces’ bookshelves: Pip & Pup by Eugene Yelchin (Godwin…
Dr. Brian Goldman is an emergency physician at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. (photo by Christopher Wahl) According to Dr. Brian Goldman, author of The Power of Kindness: Why Empathy is Essential in Everyday Life (HarperCollins Publishers, 2018), we all have…
February 2015 Collected the mail this morning. A few flyers and bills. And my son’s draft notice. A quick double take. A flashback to my son playing with plastic dinosaurs. Then I texted my wife, “It’s here.” A few hours…
Israel’s beauty is a definite asset. (photo by Cynthia Ramsay) During the month of Elul, as we approach Rosh Hashanah, which this year falls on Sept. 9, Jews traditionally practise a kind of spiritual stocktaking. These are days when we…
What do we really know about the marvelous vessel we are fortunate enough to inhabit? Don’t we mostly just take it for granted? We were popped into the world without our say so, but, in return, we inherited millions of…
Queen Tamar’s Hall at Uplistsikhe. (photo by Deborah Rubin Fields) I would venture to say not many people know about the ancient Jewish community of Georgia. Yet, Jews have lived there since at least the fourth century CE and, according…
Stuart Weitzman built up his father’s business into an empire. (photo by Phillip Pessar) There are so many styles of women’s shoes, including the stiletto, platform, wedge, kitten, sling backs, peep toe, mule or sneakers. Unlike our favourite outfits, the…
(photo by Jonathunde) Although summer is still in full swing, apples come into the markets here in Israel before Rosh Hashanah. I love apples; they are probably my most favourite fruit, especially in fall and winter. Here are some apple…
On Rosh Hashanah, the challah is round and sweet, symbolizing our collective wish for a good, sweet year. (photo by Przemyslaw Wierzbowski) It was two years ago that I fell in love with challah. I attended a challah baking workshop…
A sudden powerful gust of wind whipping through an open window slammed the door shut…. (photo from wikiHow) It was one of those hot and humid fall days in Montreal and my sister-in-law “Sadie” decided to make a stew. After…
Barring disaster, this season’s apple harvest would be bountiful. (photo from maxpixel.net) “I don’t want to do my job any more.” That loud thought just popped into Rabbi Yohon Abrahms’ head. It was dawn, and the birds were singing. He…
“King David Playing the Harp,” by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622. All of the biblical heroes are imperfect, as are we. (photo from artsandculture.google.com) One of the beautiful ideas behind Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is the notion that we need…
A mosaic of the Akeida in Bet Alfa National Park in Israel. (photo from hartman.org.il) For many of us, the approach of the Jewish New Year offers an opportunity to take a moment from our harried lives to reflect on…
סוכן המוסד לשעבר: “עזרתי לישראל לחשוף את תוכנית הגרעין של סוריה” – חלק שני. (צילום מחוסיין עלי סומדייה) המשך הראיון עם הסוכן הכפול לשעבר של עיראק, ולאחר מכן של המוסד, חוסיין עלי סומדייה (53), שגר בקנדה ומנסה למנוע את גירושו…
Israeli judo master Arik Zeevi will speak at FEDtalks Sept. 16. (photo from JFGV) When we’re faced with a challenge, most of us are naturally cautious. But, says Israeli judo master Arik Zeevi, if you have a passion for something,…
Maxime Bernier quit the Conservative party last week, at the precise moment that Conservatives from across the country were gathering in Halifax for their national convention, preparing for the federal election that is 13 months away. Canadian political history would…
Repetition is good for us. (I may have said this before!) If you exercise, you’re in touch with “reps” or, if you walk your dog, you’ve been down this block with someone sniffing at the end of the leash before.…
On Sept. 5, Vancouver City Council will hold a public hearing to help determine the next steps of the planned redevelopment of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC). Serving more than 40,000 community members each year, the JCC…
Claire Sicherman began writing Imprint: A Memoir of Trauma in the Third Generation after her grandmother passed away. (photo from VHEC) Claire Sicherman’s grandmother didn’t share much about her experiences in the Holocaust. There were three stories – one about…
Michael Schwartz speaks at the launch of East End Stories on June 24. (photo from JMABC) When Louis and Emma Gold arrived in Granville, precursor to Vancouver, the merchant family from Kentucky became the first members of what would grow…
B.C. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin addresses the July 27 Shabbat Dinner with Pride Colours event. (photo by Matt Hanns Schroeter) On July 27, the Metro Vancouver Jewish community celebrated Jewish Pride with guests ranging from B.C. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin, to government…
Left to right, are Sally Berry, Debby Altow, Judy Stern, Linda Arato and Shirley Hyman. (photo by Sharon Stern) Judy Stern was honoured at a luncheon July 31 for her long service to National Council of Jewish Women of Canada,…
B’nai B’rith, circa 1970. (photo from JWB fonds, JMABC L.09504) If you know someone in this photo, please help the JI fill the gaps of its predecessor’s (the Jewish Western Bulletin’s) collection at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C.…
Mordecai Richler’s typewriter is among the many items on display in the exhibit Shalom Montreal, which is at Montreal’s McCord Museum until Nov. 11. (photo by Arthur Wolak) Shalom Montreal: Stories and Contributions of the Jewish Community is at Montreal’s…
Jordan Billinkoff, left, and Josh Glow started the company Gryd, winner of the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations’ New Product or Service of the Year Award. (photo from Gryd) The Toronto-based start-up Gryd is reinventing the look and feel of…
Take a seasoned children’s book author like New York-based Jane Breskin Zalben – who has created more than 50 children’s books and is an abstract painter – and pair her with Mehrdohkt Amini, an illustrator of children’s books who lives…
Uri Geller holds a water or oil jug that was found during the construction of a new museum dedicated to his activities. (photo by Dilila Bar-Ratson courtesy Ashernet) During the construction of a new museum in the Old City of…
סוכן המוסד לשעבר: “עזרתי לישראל לחשוף את תוכנית הגרעין של סוריה” – חלק ראשון. (צילום מחוסיין עלי סומדייה) לאחרונה שני עיתונים מרכזיים ‘הטורונטו סאן’ ו’הנשיונל פוסט’ דיווחו בהרחבה על הסוכן הכפול לשעבר של עיראק, ולאחר מכן של המוסד, חוסיין עלי…
The JDC’s Zoya Shvartzman is part of the FEDtalks lineup Sept. 16. (photo from JFGV) In returning to Vancouver, Zoya Shvartzman is retracing the route that has seen the Moldova-born woman help “write the next chapter of the history of…
Pamela Schuller will share her story at FEDtalks Sept. 16. (photo from JFGV) On Sept .16 at Vancouver Playhouse, as part of FEDtalks, Pamela Schuller, an internationally known disability and mental health advocate and professional stand-up comedian, will share her…
