Jeff Kaye, vice-president for public affairs and resource development at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, was in Vancouver earlier this month. (photo from BGU) A couple of years ago, many Israelis were beginning to think the country’s legendary solidarity was…
Lady Esther Gilbert speaking at Vancouver City Hall April 8, when Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim proclaimed Ruth Kron Sigal Day in the city. (photo by Keith Morgan) Ruta’s Closet, the Holocaust narrative of the late Vancouverite Ruth Kron Sigal, is…
This summer, Jewish Addiction Community Services (JACS) and Jewish Family Services Vancouver (JFS) launched JACS Family Circle, a group that meets biweekly to provide solidarity and support for family members and loved ones of Jews experiencing addiction. “Most people are…
The annual Music Heals gala raises funds and awareness of the therapeutic use of music. This year’s event takes place Oct. 23 at the Commodore Ballroom. (photo from David Barnett) Vancouver’s business and entertainment communities are combining their philanthropic forces…
A first-of-its-kind program will give 30 Jewish social service professionals, including social workers, doctors and therapists, specialized training to better meet the psychosocial and emotional well-being of Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews. Among the participants will be two members of the…
The Vancouver Fringe Festival runs Sept. 4-14. For the full lineup and tickets, visit vancouverfringe.com. (photo from festival listing) Jem Rolls brings Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots to the Vancouver Fringe Festival Sept. 5-14. “Describing the contents of the show…
Rabbi Dr. Laura Duhan-Kaplan has been appointed the new dean of the ALEPH (Alliance for Jewish Renewal) Ordination Program (AOP). She will assume her role on Sept. 8. Following the leadership of AOP’s retired founding dean Rabbi Marcia Prager, and…
We have a new rabbi at Shaarey Zedek, our Winnipeg congregation. This is exciting as well as reassuring for many people. Why? Well, Rabbi Carnie Rose is the son of a rabbi and professor who lived in Winnipeg for many…
It was the big black square on the cover of the June 11, 1937, Jewish Western Bulletin that caught my attention initially. Then, as I flipped backwards and forwards through the archived papers, it was the weekly drama – that…
Neshama Carlebach comes to Vancouver for Selichot at Congregation Beth Israel on Sept. 13. (photo by Michael Albany) After more than two decades, Neshama Carlebach returns to Vancouver. But not for a concert. The award-winning singer-songwriter will lead, with her…
Lise Kirchner, director of education of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, demonstrates the online exhibition Fragments in Focus: A History of the Holocaust (photo by Pat Johnson) The school year that begins next month is the first in British Columbia…
Back to school is a time of excitement and anxiety for parents and kids. It is a time of new beginnings. For Jewish people, it generally coincides, as it roughly does this year, with the new year and the High…
Recently, I was in the car with one of my twins and we were discussing how easy it is to accumulate too much stuff. We’d just had a conversation with a neighbour who mentioned that his sibling had moved into…
Interim leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada Don Davies, centre, with Itai Bavli and Avril Orloff of Vancouver Friends of Standing Together. (photo from Vancouver FOST) This summer, Vancouver Friends of Standing Together has been holding weekly vigils…
Dr. Robert Krell will be honoured at the Sept. 7 gala of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation’s Western region. (photo from CSZHF, Western region) Ilan Pilo had recently arrived in Canada from Israel in 2013 when he attended a…
Why do international media outlets seem intent on repeating the Hamas narrative? According to British military expert Maj. (ret.) Andrew Fox, there are a few key factors – including antisemitism. “The first [factor] is a human desire not to admit…
On Aug. 5, B’nai Brith Canada hosted an online discussion on the crises affecting Druze communities in Syria and the Iranian people, with a focus on the impact on these diasporas in Canada and potential actions by the Canadian government. …
Left to right: Emily Bonnell-Marcus (Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre), Zelda Dean (Emanu-El), Johanna Herman (FSWC), April Nowell (Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island), Frances Grunberg (JFVVI) and Jaime Stein (FSWC, Western Canada). (photo from FSWC) On Aug. 12,…
Understanding the past, including the darkest eras, can help people recognize the symptoms of a society going off the rails. A forthcoming book for young readers, titled Can Posters Kill? Antisemitic Propaganda and World War II, by Torontonians Jerry Faivish…
On Sept. 16, Stephen Schecter will retell three stories from the Hebrew Bible at the 40th anniversary celebration of L’Chaim Adult Day Centre. He promises the stories will bring laughter and tears. (photo from Stephen Schecter) “I love the Hebrew Bible,”…
Director Francis G. Matheu, right, with actors Nolan Fidyk and Dan Landry rehearsing Alan Segal’s Shade Apparel. (photo by Sarah Nicole Faucher) This year’s Victoria Fringe Festival, billed as “12 days of madcap fun this summer,” started on Aug. 20…
The Vancouver Israeli Folk Dance Society hosted their annual BeLev Echad Workshop at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver May 23-25. The society is holding an open house on Sept. 10 for anyone interested in seeing what Israeli dance…
Arghavan Jenati as Emilia Bassano and Nathan Kay as William Shakespeare in Jessica B. Hill’s The Dark Lady, now playing at Bard on the Beach. (photo by Tim Matheson) There has always been a controversy over whether William Shakespeare was…
Simon Fraser Elementary School’s playground, which opened in 2024, was a beneficiary of financial support from the Dayhu Family Foundation. (photo from Dayhu Family Foundation) For more than 30 years, the Dayhu Family Foundation, formerly known as the Ben and…
Not surprisingly – “People of the Book,” and all – education is an always-relevant topic that has been covered in the Jewish Independent / Jewish Western Bulletin. The paper seems to have steered clear of editorially supporting any particular Jewish…
במדינות מתוקנות מנהיגים כמו ראש ממשלת ישראל בנימין נתניהו, ונשיא ארצות הברית דונלד טראמפ, היו יושבים בכלא כבר מזמן. אך כיום לצערנו ישראל וארה”ב כבר מזמן לא מדינות מתוקנות, הדמוקרטיה בהן חלשה ומחולשת מדי יום. והציבור או שאינו מבין את…
ישראלים רבים כועסים על ממשלת נתניהו והעומד בראשה כותבים את מחאתם בפייסבוק כבר חודשים אנחנו שומעים, מחטופים ששוחררו וממידע שמגיע ממשפחות, שדווקא פעולות צה”ל בעזה הן שמסכנות את חייהם של מי שנותרו בשבי. חלקם לא שרדו. בדיוק בגלל זה. המציאות…
Nina Krieger, centre, member of the BC Legislative Assembly for Victoria-Swan Lake, connects with community members. Krieger is the new public safety minister and solicitor general. (photo from Nina Krieger) After a cabinet shuffle last week, Nina Krieger, member of…
Tamim Academy of Vancouver is accepting kindergarten through Grade 5 applications for the 2025-2026 school year. (photo from TAV) Tamim Academy of Vancouver, a new Jewish day school, is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year. Located at Granville and…
Summer is a time when our routines are happily disrupted. Kids are out of school and many of us take time off from work to enjoy the hometown that draws tourists from around the world. Maybe we wander off the…
