The Jewpanese Project Archives was launched online earlier this month. I grew up in a mixed Jewish and Japanese Canadian family. My Jewish grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Poland and what is now Belarus, and my Japanese Canadian grandparents were…
A sketch of the new Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, by Acton Ostry Architects. (© Acton Ostry Architects) The JWest capital campaign’s goal of raising $161 million is only possible with the generous spirit and foresight of community members…
Margaux Wosk, left, receives a Community Award from BC Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia (photo from BC Achievement Foundation / Don Craig, photographer) On May 1, Premier David Eby and Walter Pela, chair of the BC Achievement Foundation, named the recipients of…
Scribe Marc Michaels concluded Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2024/25 Kvell at the Well series with the talk Torah Tales: Adventures in Scribal Art. (photo from Marc Michaels) On April 6, Marc Michaels spoke about his experiences as a Jewish scribe…
Shifra Sharfstein and her husband, Shlomo, run Georgia Tech Chabad House with the help of their children. (photo from Shifra Sharfstein) My parents invited countless people into their home over the decades and fed them on Shabbat and Passover. Little…
When we moved to Canada for my husband’s academic job in 2009, we had work permits. Mine stated I couldn’t work with children or do farmwork. I’d previously been a teacher, but, with this work permit, I only taught adults.…
As a member of the Jewish community, I’ve come to recognize a powerful truth: when crisis strikes, we show up. That’s who we are. It’s not performative. It’s not for headlines. It’s rooted in Jewish values that demand action –…
In times of rising antisemitism and violence, fear is valid. When the world feels like it’s unraveling, anchoring yourself in a deeper sense of purpose can be healing. (screenshot) Fear is not a weakness. It’s a deeply human response to…
It is raining today in our area of Vancouver. I am specifying our area because things could be very different in other areas of our metropolis, with the variety of climatic zones it presents on the shores of our western…
Semi-Vegan Mini Fake Marry Me Cheesecakes, adapted from joyfoodsunshine.com. (photo by Shelley Civkin) It seems that smashing food is having a moment. And I don’t mean smashing as in the British term for fabulous. I mean literally smashing. Like smashed…
בחודשים האחרונים לא מעט ישראלים שעברו לקנדה עקב המלחמה, בעקבות אירועי השבעה באוקטובר, חוזרים בחזרה לישראל. קנדה הפעילה תוכנית מיוחדת עבור הישראלים עקב המלחמה, ואיפשרה להם לקבל רישיון עבודה לשלוש שנים. לאחר מכן יתאפשר להם במקרים מסוימים לקבל תושבות קבע…
Solidarity with and support for Vancouver’s Filipino community have suffused Jewish community events since the tragic deaths at the Lapu Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver April 26. Eleven people were killed and many more injured, several critically, after a car…
A photograph by David Seymour (Chim) of children in Normandy, in 1947. Part of the exhibit Chim’s Photojournalism: From War to Hope, at the Zack Gallery until June 15. (photo from Ben Shneiderman) The new show at the Zack Gallery,…
In the closing days of the recent federal election campaign, CBC’s flagship news program, The National, found it newsworthy enough to run a segment about how many Canadian Jews were supporting the Conservative party, many for the first time. Concerned…
The horrific car-ramming that killed attendees at the Lapu Lapu Day Festival on April 26 was Vancouver’s baptism by fire into a club into which no city seeks membership. This urban gem of “Beautiful British Columbia,” where one can ski…
Tamara Kronis was elected in the Vancouver Island riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith. (photo from rossmcbride.com) Conservative candidate Tamara Kronis was elected in the Vancouver Island riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith, making her one of a small number of Jewish members of the new…
Survivor Miriam Dattel, right, with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre’s Ellie Lawson at the Yom Hashoah commemoration April 23. (screenshot) Miriam Dattel was born Branka Friedman, in September 1940, in the Croatian city of Zagreb, then part of Yugoslavia. She…
Geoffrey Druker leads the Vancouver Yom Hazikaron ceremony at Temple Sholom on April 29. (photo by Pat Johnson) On the morning of Oct. 7, Sgt. Tomer Nagar started his guard duty at 6 a.m. on the Israel Defence Forces base…
Left to right: Champion rower Silken Laumann, then-Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan and Courage to Come Back chair Lorne Segal. Sullivan, who broke his neck in a skiing accident when he was 19, has since founded many nonprofits, held various public…
Dr. Oren Wacht of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will be in Vancouver this month, giving a public lecture May 25 and promoting Heartbeat of Education, a project geared to helping more Israeli paramedics further their education in emergency medical…
This year’s Festival of Jewish Culture takes place May 25. (photo from JCCGV) Throughout May, there are numerous events being held at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver in celebration of Jewish Heritage Month. They culminate in the Festival…
David Bloom, left, and Richard Newman share two different roles in Western Gold Theatre’s production of Caryl Churchill’s Here We Go, which is at PAL Studio Theatre until May 25. (photo by Colleen Bayati) “I love Caryl Churchill – she…
Or Shalom’s after-school program open house takes place May 28. (photo from Or Shalom) Designed for ages 6 to 13, Or Shalom’s after-school program brings Jewish learning to life through music, storytelling, art and experiential activities. To learn more about…
Laen Hershler performing REMNANTS. Hershler brings an interactive version of Dr. Hank Greenspan’s play, which is based on 40 years of conversations with Holocaust survivors, to the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture on June 8. He will be joined…
Mosaic Revival: Three Contemporary Expressions features the work of BC artists Maria Abagis, left, Lilian Broca, centre, and Daryl Lynne Wood. Shining the spotlight on this ancient medium, these artists challenge the viewer’s perception of what a mosaic is, and…
The organizer of a conference panel I’m going to be on asked me some questions ahead of the event. He asked how to find hope from a Jewish perspective amid challenging times. I responded with both academic Jewish content and…
Michelle Biton has released a new book. Written in the same style as The Instant Anxiety Solution: 5 Simple Steps to Quiet the Mind & Achieve Calm, her recently released The Menopause Weight Loss Solution: A Woman’s Guide to Menopause…
Full Support shines a positive, life-affirming light on Noa’s Bras, in Jaffa. (photo by Tulik Galon / Go2Films) The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival is now underway, with screenings at Fifth Avenue Cinemas through May 1, then at the Rothstein Theatre…
In her lab at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Prof. Sigal Ben-Yehuda and her team have observed that bacteria can exchange molecules, genetic material and survival strategies through tiny structures called nanotubes. These findings suggest that, rather than acting independently,…
You may have received anxious emails or other messages from friends in the last few days. Throughout the community, there is concern about a Vote Palestine campaign for Monday’s federal election. Emails and social media posts are flying. However wrongheaded…
