Viktor Ullmann, 1924. (photo from Arnold Schoenberg Centre Los Angeles) The memories of City Opera Vancouver’s production of The Emperor of Atlantis in 2009 still resonate. Written by Viktor Ullmann (composer) and Petr Kien (librettist) in 1943-44 at Theresienstadt concentration…
Last week, at the annual parade of speeches by world leaders at the United Nations, Binyamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas were among those using the General Assembly podium as a pulpit for their respective cases. To say there is disagreement…
Alien Contagion: Rise of the Zombie Syndrome tasks audiences with finding a downed UFO that has crashed on earth. Virtual Stage’s interactive adventure runs to Nov. 1. (photo from Virtual Stage) For anyone who has dreamed of saving the world,…
Camille Legg as Romeo, left, and Adelleh Furseth as Juliet share an intimate moment in Studio 58’s Romeo and Juliet. (photo by David Cooper) Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is such a well-known play, done so many times on stage and…
A screenshot of Dr. Gabor Maté and Rita Bozi in The Damage is Done, from video by Patrick McLaughlin. The Cultch often presents non-traditional shows that confront uncomfortable questions. This year, one such show, The Damage is Done by Rita…
Kyra Zagorsky as Emily and Patrick Sabongui as Amir in Arts Club’s Disgraced. (photo by David Cooper) Politics and religion generally are considered taboo topics for discussion. But, sometimes, they can’t be avoided. This is the case in Ayad Akhtar’s…
Beyond the Edge by Lori Goldberg , part of the exhibit Urban Forest, which opens at the Zack Gallery on Oct. 15. (photo from Lori Goldberg) “Urban Forest is a body of work exploring the relationship between urban dwellers and the natural…
The Confucius temple is a must-see in Beijing. (photo by Thyristorchopper) On Sept. 7, I arrived in Beijing for a 10-month adventure – teaching Hebrew at Peking University. (Yes, this is what it is still called.) Among the many preparations I…
Tobey Maguire stars as Bobby Fischer in Edward Zwick’s Pawn Sacrifice. (photo by Takashi Seida) If there is any lingering goodwill in the world toward the late Bobby Fischer – the once-in-a-century chess whiz who achieved fame as an unlikely…
בחודש שעבר הגיע לוונקובר העיתונאי האנגלי של “האינדיפנדנט“, רוברט פיסק, שנחשב למומחה בנושאי המזרח התיכון. הוא נתן הרצאה בפני אולם מלא פה לפה בכנסייה המאוחדת בדאון טאון. (צילום: Roni Rachmani) חוסר הצדק והיעדר חינוך יצרו את המלחמות והפליטים הרבים אם לתושבים…
בשבוע שעבר הגיע לוונקובר העיתונאי האנגלי של “האינדיפנדנט”, רוברט פיסק, שנחשב למומחה בנושאי המזרח התיכון. הוא נתן הרצאה בפני אולם מלא פה לפה בכנסייה המאוחדת בדאון טאון. (צילום: Roni Rachmani) בשבוע שעבר הגיע לוונקובר העיתונאי האנגלי של “האינדיפנדנט”, רוברט פיסק,…
Artist rendering of Storeys in Richmond, one of two projects with which Tikva Housing Society is involved. (illustration by Duane Siegrist of Duane Siegrist-Integra Architecture Inc.) Of the 26,000 Jews living in Greater Vancouver, 16% live below the poverty line (more than…
More than 100 people were at the Museum of Vancouver on Sept. 9 for a New Israel Fund of Canada-hosted panel discussion, The Backstory: Behind What You Know About Israel. Moderated by Temple Sholom’s Rabbi Dan Moskovitz, the evening featured…
For political nerds, last week offered a cornucopia. A week ago Wednesday, 11 Republican candidates for president of the United States lined up in front of Ronald Reagan’s Air Force One and squabbled, insulted, demeaned and debated one another. The…
At 100 years old, the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Vancouver (HFLA) is a fairly spry organization, keeping current with the community’s changing needs. So, as the new year begins, it is introducing three new lending programs for trial in…
Left to right are Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver CEO Ezra Shanken, campaign chair Dr. Neil Pollock, women’s philanthropy chair Lisa Pullan, board chair Stephen Gaerber and major donors co-chairs Alex Cristall and Andrew Merkur. (photo from JFGV) On Sept. 17, Jewish…
SUCCESS chief executive officer Queenie Choo, left, with federal election candidates, left to right, Jody Wilson-Raybould, Erinn Broshko, Wes Regan and Mira Oreck. (photo by Jocelyne Hallé) More than 100 people filled Choi Hall on Sunday to hear local candidates…
Man with two girls holding a plaque, Peretz School, circa 1965. (photo from JWB fonds, JMABC L.14084) 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…
טימה כורדי (צילום: Facebook) בראיון הטלוויזיה מול ביתך בראשית החודש האשמת את עצמך בטביעה של האחיינים שלך וגיסתך כיוון שאת נתת להם כסף שישלמו למבריחים, שהעבירו אותם מטורקיה ליוון דרך הים. “זה נכון. אני נתתי לאחי עבדאללה חמשת אלפים דולר…
Jason Kenney, Canada’s minister of national defence and minister for multiculturalism. (photo from forces.gc.ca) Jason Kenney, Canada’s minister of national defence and minister for multiculturalism, says this country should prioritize Christian refugees and other minorities who constitute the most imperiled…
In Love, Theft and Other Entanglements, Sami Metwasi plays Mousa, a likable but unlucky car thief. (photo from Vancouver International Film Festival) Men in turmoil. If there were a common theme between the films the Jewish Independent reviewed in anticipation…
Left to right, shinshiniot Ophir Golumbek, Tomer Tetro and Lian Swissa are volunteering with various organizations in the Greater Vancouver Jewish community. (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver) For the first time, Vancouver is participating in the Shinshin program…
Ian Penn’s exhibit at the Zack Gallery, Pole, “isn’t happy but it’s genuine.” (photo by Olga Livshin) The poignant tale behind Pole, Ian Penn’s new multimedia exhibit at the Zack Gallery, is a bleak travelogue detailing his recent journey to…
East Side Jews observes Shabbat at Trout Lake. (photo from Carey Brown) When Rabbi Carey Brown and her family moved to Vancouver in 2011, they made their home in East Vancouver. “We settled down in East Van and really loved…
Political parties are sometimes accused of pandering to blocs of voters, especially at election time. The Conservative government’s vocal support for Israel, for example, is seen by some as a slick means of grabbing Jewish votes. (Jason Kenney, the minister…
For more cartoons, visit thedailysnooze.com.
Uri Yoeli, left, at the Elvis Inn, his restaurant/convenience store/gas station in Neve Ilan. (photo by Deborah Fineblum Schabb) To appreciate how much Israelis love Elvis Presley, you just have to hear three generations of the Mizrachi family of Rehovot…
Judaism requires men and women to fast at specific times throughout the year. On Yom Kippur, the holiest of days, fasting – no food or drink – from sunset to sunset, is part of our path to achieve atonement. By…
(צילום: Facebook) רציתי לדבר עם טימה כורדי ולשמוע קצת על תחושותיה הקשות, לאחר שאיבדה בראשית החודש את שני האחיינים שלה וגיסתה, עת ניסו לחצות עם אביהם עבדאללה כורדי את הים התיכון, בסירה עמוסה בת 16 פליטים של מבריחים, מטורקיה לאי…
Rabbi David Wolpe joins FEDtalks on Sept. 17 at Queen E. Theatre. (photo from Facebook) When the man Newsweek calls the most influential rabbi in America gets up to speak in Vancouver this month, he may be as surprised as…
