In the late 1990s, the collective Jewish community organizations in North America acknowledged a crisis. What had been increasingly evident anecdotally was being confirmed by statistics, research, published works and commentary. Affiliation with Jewish communities and agencies was declining precipitously…
The following remarks were delivered at the Israel hostages rally at Vancouver Art Gallery on Sept. 15, which is also the International Day of Democracy. In recognition of the International Day of Democracy, I will talk about how antisemitism is…
Recently, a stranger responded to a forum post I wrote on Ravelry, a knitting website. I’ve worked off and on for many years designing knitting patterns. In the last four years, I’ve been distracted by the pandemic, by moving house…
BC New Democratic Party candidate Kelly Greene, left, represented the incumbent party in Richmond-Steveston, and BC Conservative Party candidate Michelle Mollineaux, who is challenging Greene for the seat, spoke at a candidates forum last month, hosted by Beth Tikvah and…
Nina Krieger is the BC New Democratic Party candidate in the riding of Victoria-Swan Lake on Vancouver Island. (photo from ninakrieger.bcndp.ca) Nina Krieger, former executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, will be the New Democratic Party candidate for…
Policy priorities of Claire Rattee, the BC Conservative Party candidate in the riding of Skeena, include mental health and addictions, low-income housing, emergency weather shelters, economic development, and antisemitism. (photo from conservativebc.ca) There is not much of a Jewish community…
Isobel Mackenzie, left, and Selina Robinson will be honoured at Jewish Seniors Alliance’s AGM Nov. 3. The Jewish Seniors Alliance of Greater Vancouver’s annual general meeting on Nov. 3 will serve as an opportunity to welcome the organization’s first-ever executive…
Jeremy Goldstein, centre, and volunteer participants in the Newcastle, Australia, performance of Truth to Power Café earlier this month. Members of the Vancouver community will participate in the event here on Nov. 3. (photo by Cassandra Hannagan) “Who has power…
Chutzpah! resident artists Livona Ellis, left, and Rebecca Margolick in their debut collaborative piece, Fortress, which is part of a double bill at the Dance Centre next month. (photo by Benjamin Peralta) Strength, vulnerability, love, pain, joy, healing, creation. Two…
The new season of Early Music Vancouver started with a presentation of the Goldberg Variations and continues with DanteNova: Music from Dante’s Commedia Oct. 25. From the wailing cries and silences of Inferno to the angelic concerts of Paradiso, this…
Actor Kieran Sequoia (Breaking Bad, Disney’s Night at the Museum) is one of the performers in The Keep It Raw Cabaret: A Tribute to Jay Hamburger, co-presented by the Heart of the City Festival and Theatre in the Raw on…
Opening Ballet BC’s 2024/25 season Nov. 7-9 is the world première of Dawn, from French choreographer Pierre Pontvianne. Also featured in the season opener are Heart Drive, from Dutch choreographic duo Imre and Marne van Opstal, with music by Israel-born…
The Israeli Chamber Project’s semi-staged production of Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire features soprano Hila Baggio. The Vancouver Recital Society presents the production on Dec. 1. (photo from Israeli Chamber Project) Celebrating the 150th birth year of Arnold Schoenberg, the Israeli…
Rabbi Jonathan Infeld, left, in conversation with Thomas Hand at Congregation Beth Israel. (Adele Lewin Photography) Emily Hand was a healthy 8-year-old girl with chubby cheeks on Oct. 7, 2023, when she was abducted by Hamas terrorists from a sleepover…
The medical centre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where at least five people were murdered Oct. 7, 2023. (photo by Melanie Preston) I’m sitting in the dining hall at Kibbutz Be’eri, as people begin to enter for their Sunday lunch at 11:39…
Claudia Goldman, left, presents Bev Corber with the Claudia Goldman Award for Excellence in Leadership. (photo by Pat Johnson) Diplomatic relations between Israel and Canada have never been worse, according to Israel’s envoy to Toronto and Western Canada. “The relationship…
Left to right: Weizmann Canada national board members Dr. Rose Geist, Dr. Arthur Slutsky (chair), Myra Slutsky and Dr. Moira Stilwell at the Healing Power of Science gala on Sept. 17. (photo from Weizmann Canada) Former BC MLA Dr. Moira…
The reasons why Wendy Atkinson, who owns Ronsdale Press, wanted to publish Have Bassoon Will Travel: Memoir of an Adventurous Life in Music by the late George Zukerman, are the reasons people should read it. Zukerman had a long and…
מונטריאול היא עיר נמל וגם אי ששוכנת על נהר סנט לורנס. היא התגלתה לראשונה במאה השש עשרה על ידי מתיישבים צרפתים. במאה שלאחר מכן החלו להתיישב בה בדרך קבע, עד לשנת אלף שבע מאות שישים ושלוש, בסופה של מלחמת שבע…
BC Premier David Eby says election is “about the values of who we are as a province and how we move forward on the big issues of our time.” (photo from news.gov.bc.ca) David Eby, the incumbent BC premier and leader…
BC Conservative leader John Rustad believes “we need to have a heavy focus on getting our economy back up and running in this province.” (photo from conservativebc.ca) John Rustad’s party has been on a bit of a losing streak. It’s…
BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau wants to “make sure we have a province that is centred around well-being, that is centred around everybody’s basic needs being met and is centred around creating communities where everybody can thrive.” (photo from…
CJPAC, the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee, wants you to vote in the Oct. 19 British Columbia provincial election. But they want you to do more, too. “Yes, you should vote,” said Kara Mintzberg, CJPAC’s director for BC. “But you…
The experience of the Jewish calendar is ever-changing because, while the week’s parshah is the same every year, the people experiencing it have changed. This seems especially true for the year just passed. Pesach held stark resonance this spring, as…
The Vancouver and Victoria Jewish communities will each hold a memorial ceremony Oct. 7 to honour and remember the victims of the attacks on Israel a year ago. Led by the Rabbinical Association of Vancouver (RAV) and in partnership with…
Ari Kinarthy’s nightmare before the live recording session. (screenshot from Salazar Film) The 43rd Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) officially opens Sept. 26 with the screening of Ari’s Theme, a TELUS original feature documentary about local composer Ari Kinarthy by local filmmakers…
Dr. Oheneba Boachie, left, and Dr. Rick Hodes, centre, with patients. The JDC spine program in Ethiopia is seeing patients full-time and has evaluated more than 5,000 patients with spine deformities. (photo from Gary Segal) The two previous Bring Back…
Kommuna Lux (photo by Maria Dmytrenko) [Editor’s Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances related to flight restrictions, the Chutzpah! Festival must postpone Yamma Ensemble’s performances to March. However, the festival has found a vibrant alternative for Nov. 5: Itamar Erez Trio…
Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, was in British Columbia to promote partnerships. (photo by Pat Johnson) Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, was in Vancouver last week, meeting with businesspeople, university administrators and the Jewish community. It was his…
