On Dec. 13, after the lighting of the menorah and a Chanukah party at the Centre for Judaism (C4J) in Surrey, participants in the Iron Chef Chanukah Competition filled the C4J kitchen. The excitement was palpable as the chefs and…
At Camp Shomria, it’s all “about equality and giving the power to the youth,” says one parent. (photo from Camp Shomria) In Ontario, Camp Shomria was established based on the principals of Hashomer Hatzair (The Young Guard), with its Zionist…
Friends at Camp Shomria show off the fresh vegetables they picked in the camp’s garden. The produce was used to make a salad for one of the meals. (photo from Camp Shomria) It is said that there is no better…
שנה חדשה: תוכניות בעברית בג’ואיש קומיוניטי סנטר לקהילה הישראלית הג’ואיש קומיוניטי סנטר של אזור מטרו ונקובר מפרסם בימים אלה מספר תוכניות בשפה העברית לשנת 2018, במסגרת אירועי תרבות יהודית וישראלית, שמיועדים לקהילה הישראלית. את האירועים מארגנת רכזת התרבות של הג’ואיש…
המכתבים נשלחו למוסדות היהודים בערים הבאות: טורונטו (ארבעה בתי כנסת), מונטריאול (שני בתי כנסת), אוטווה, המילטון, קינגסטון, קלגרי ואדמונטון (שני בתי כנסת). מחלקת פשעי שנאה של משטרת קנדה פתחה בחקירה לבדוק את זהות שולחי מכתבי השנאה לבית כנסת ברחבי המדינה.…
קשה להאמין שאדית ומייקל סימס בעלי הקפה המיתולגי צ’יזקייק הלכו לעולמם. (צילום: רוני רחמני) בעת התיישבו בוונקובר לפני כארבעים שנים תחילה מייקל התפרנס מהופעות בבתים של אנשים באירועים כמו ימי הולדת, ובכל אירוע בו יכל לנגן ולשיר. ואילו אדית הכניסה…
Rabbi Binyomin Bitton (photo by Noam Dehan) On Dec. 4, Chabad of Downtown Vancouver, led by Rabbi Binyomin Bitton, held a siyyum, a celebration to mark the conclusion of studying the entire book of Tanya, sometimes called “the Bible of…
Cynthia Ramsay, publisher of the Jewish Independent. (photo by Alan Katowitz) The JI Chai Celebration on Dec. 6 at the Rothstein Theatre was a sold-out event. The high-achievers and community-minded individuals who won the JI’s 18 Under 36 Awards were…
The chair of Vancouver Board of Education (VBE) and even the provincial minister of education waded in after Jewish students at a Vancouver elementary school went public with concerns that they were being made to feel excluded by exclusively Christian…
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. There are a number of issues to unpack in his (un)diplomatic announcement. First, rioting by Palestinians and others around the Middle East, as well as potentially related…
On Dec. 7, Temple Sholom Sisterhood hosted a discussion on the relationship, history and relevance of today’s kosher practices. The panel aimed to “explore, broaden and in some cases challenge the term kashrut” and “explore integrating values such as ethics,…
When you have twins, many people ask questions, particularly about “when” you will separate them. When did they sleep in separate cribs, rooms, go to different activities, or have separate school classes? The answers for every family are different, of…
Jewish Family Services CEO Richard Fruchter with Karen James, who received the 2017 Naomi Gropper Steiner Visionary Award. (photo from JFS) At Jewish Family Service Agency’s 81st annual general meeting on Nov. 29, Richard Fruchter, chief executive officer, announced that…
Matthew Gindin takes a pause in his talk, The History of Jewish Humour. (photo from Jewish Seniors Alliance) On Nov. 24, the first session of the 2017-18 Empowerment Series started with a bang. Almost 80 people came out to launch…
Kelly Sheridan and Peter Wilson in The Realistic Joneses. (photo by Nancy Caldwell) The unfortunate truth is that we are all going to die some day. How we cope with our mortality defines our approach to life. Playwright Will Eno…
For the past five years, Jewish community member Adeena Karasick has been working with Grammy Award-winning composer/trumpeter Frank London on Salomé: Woman of Valor, a total art experience, groundbreaking in its interplay of poetry, music, dance and film. Karasick’s libretto,…
Rabbi Simon Jacobson gives a lecture during a recent Kollel Shabbaton. (photo from Kollel) In an effort to direct Vancouver’s Jewish consciousness from an “I” culture to a “we” culture, Ohel Ya’akov Community Kollel has launched WeLearn, expanding the Kollel’s…
(photo by Baila Lazarus) Josh Epstein raises a glass to toast lyubov (love) in recognition of the theme of the hit play Onegin, in which he plays a jealous lover. In a rare opportunity, theatre-goers are actually encouraged to bring…
The Shadeck family. (photo by Sarah Aginsky) Approximately 300 people showed up to a menorah-making event at the Home Depot in Richmond on Sunday, Dec. 3. Families could come and make menorot out of wood, glue and nails supplied by Home…
Camp allows youth to learn meet new people. (photo from campmiriam.org) There is something special about camps. Transporting kids out of their customary environments into something that is at least somewhat foreign is a great stimulus to change. New people and…
Na’amat Women’s tea, 1955. (photo from JWB fonds, JMABC L.12592) 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.…
קשה להאמין שאדית ומייקל סימס בעלי הקפה המיתולגי צ’יזקייק הלכו לעולמם. (צילום: רוני רחמני) בתאריך ה-17פברואר 2005 עזבתי את תל אביב ועברתי לגור בוונקובר. לפני שעזבתי מסר לי אבי טלפון של זוג מבוגרים מוונקובר שהוא ואימי הכירו באמצעות חברים. הוא…
Cutting the ribbon at the official opening of Storeys on Dec. 1. (photo from Shelley Karrel) “Those involved in Storeys feel like a family,” said Brenda Plant, executive director of Turning Point Housing Society, speaking at the opening gala of the…
Learn more about the treasure that is the B.C. Jewish community newspaper … in just 3 minutes, 36 seconds. Click here to enjoy The Jewish Independent: 88 Years … and Counting!, a video by Heirloom Films. Please help us keep…
Cynthia Ramsay (in 2017). (photo by Lianne Cohen) When we decided to have a celebration marking 18 years since the beginning of the latest chapter of the Jewish Independent’s nearly-nine-decade history, it made perfect sense to focus on the future…
Fall fun with some of the JI’s 18 Under 36. (photo by Lianne Cohen) *** Over the past month, each of the JI’s 18 Under 36 honourees has taken the time to do an email or phone interview with Pat…
Fall fun with some of the JI’s 18 Under 36 continued. (photo by Lianne Cohen) *** Over the past month, each of the JI’s 18 Under 36 honourees has taken the time to do an email or phone interview with…
Teens from Temple Sholom and Al-Jamia Masjid at a dialogue session. (photo from Temple Sholom) “We enjoy great conversation and great food and sharing some bad jokes,” Tariq Tayyib said in a recent phone interview. He was talking about the…
אנט פויטרס, דוגווקר שנעלמה בטבע ,נמצאה בריאה ושלמה עם הכלבים לאחר שלושה ימים. (צילום: Marcel Poitras via CBC) אפשר להגדיר זאת כמעט כנס: דוגווקר שנעלמה עם שלושה כלבים בהר איגל הנחשב לאזור טבע פראי ליד קוקויטאלם, כאשר גשם לא מפסיק…
“Golem,” by Dina Goldstein. Pigment print on paper. 32 x 40 3/8 inch. (© Dina Goldstein) Artist Dina Goldstein is a proven storyteller, so it’s not surprising that she was asked to take part in the exhibit Jewish Folktales Retold:…
