Prof. Brian Berkowitz, Sam Zuckerberg Professorial Chair in Hydrology, at his lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science. (photo from Weizmann Institute) Prof. Brian Berkowitz of the Weizmann Institute of Science recently visited Vancouver and Calgary for meetings with members…
Hebrew University researchers have discovered that non-psychoactive cannabis compounds reduce liver fat and improve metabolic health in obese mice. (image from HU) A study led by Prof. Joseph (Yossi) Tam, Dr. Liad Hinden, PhD student Radka Kočvarová and Tam’s team…
Recently, my kids walked home from high school late because of their games club, which meets once a week. On their way, they saw a man on the sidewalk, coming from a pedestrian trail. He wore a sign on his…
Communities are not built in theory. They are built in presence. They depend on people feeling safe enough to walk through the door, to gather, to participate, to be visible. Judaism is not something we observe from a distance. We…
I am graduating and, somehow, my school, the University of British Columbia, feels more isolating than ever. This campus prides itself on the ideas of critical thinking and open dialogue. But, right now, it feels like neither is being practised.…
My mother, Joyce, met my father, Bernie, at a dance at the Jewish Community Centre in Vancouver. She was selling tickets. He just wanted to talk to her, but she sent him upstairs to check out the other young women…
Left to right, at Ben-Gurion University’s Spark to Start-Up gala in Vancouver April 12: David Berson, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, Michael Fugman, Martin Thibodeau, Caroline Desrosiers, Andrea Freedman and Adam Korbin. (photo from BGU Canada) Israel is set to catapult into…
Wes Bell’s photography and Hope Forstenzer’s sculptures are on display at the Zack Gallery until May 18. (photo by Sarah Dobbs) The current exhibition at the Zack Gallery is actually two separate shows: Wes Bell’s series of black and white…
The landslide defeat of Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party in the recent Hungarian parliamentary elections could herald a seismic shift in European and global politics. Or not. There were many issues at play in the election, obviously, including pocketbook…
Feeding teenage boys healthy, homemade food is no joke. It’s a marathon and not a sprint. Every time, I start with “Where did the leftovers go? Did you eat them all?” and “What else can I possibly throw together from…
The following is the executive summary of the study The Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Its Nakba Exhibit: Bias and Animus in Process and Outcome and the Nature and Impact of the New Antisemitism in Canada, written by Dr.…
Jackie Tohn, left, and Sarah Podemski play longtime best friends Nomi and Mara in The Floaters. (still from film) The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival opens on April 30 with the award-winning The Ring (Israel/Hungary) and closes on May 10 with…
Left to right: Josh Epstein, Lisa Horner, Steffanie Davis and Madeleine Suddaby in the Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of Kimberly Akimbo, now at the Stanley until May 3. (photo by Moonrider Productions for Arts Club) High school is a…
Over the weekend of May 8, Temple Sholom celebrates Rabbi Dan Moskovitz’s “bar mitzvah” year as leader of the congregation. (photo by Pat Johnson) Rabbi Dan Moskovitz will celebrate his bar mitzvah for the third time on May 9. Marking…
David Bogoch, second from the left in the second row, is one of three generations of his family to attend Vancouver Talmud Torah. (photo from David Bogoch) “David has been so dedicated to VTT,” Vancouver Talmud Torah head of school…
Rabbi Jonathan Infeld, centre, with his wife Lissa Weinberger, and their kids, left to right, Yair, Naomi and Avishai. Congregation Beth Israel’s Be the Light Gala on June 4 celebrates Infeld’s 20th year as the synagogue’s spiritual leader. The rabbi…
A rendering of JWest as seen from above. (image from JWest) There is a version of the JWest story that is easy to tell – the renderings, the numbers, the names on the donor wall. However, there’s another story that…
Anat Ishai, aka Challah Mom, leads a women’s bake session on May 13. She teaches challah baking as a form of therapeutic self-care, mindfulness & spiritual grounding. After years marked by grief, conflict & collective trauma, this gathering is an…
Rob Roberts, editor-in-chief of the National Post, will discuss bias and truth in media with writer and journalist Dave Gordon, a regular contributor to the Jewish Independent, at Upstanders Canada’s first-ever live event. Media Bias and What to do About…
Left to right: Minister and Solicitor General Nina Krieger, Holocaust survivor and keynote speaker Lillian Boraks-Nemetz, Premier David Eby and survivor Leo Vogel at the Legislative Assembly on April 14. (photo from Province of BC) The annual Yom Hashoah commemoration…
Malka Pischanitskaya, centre, told her story of survival at the Vancouver community’s Yom Hashoah ceremony. Her daughter, Inna Turner, and granddaughter, Sophie Turner, also spoke at the April 14 event. (Rhonda Dent Photography) Even before the Holocaust upended her life,…
Michael Posner, author of Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories, was Kolot Mayim’s final speaker in this season’s Zoom lecture series. (photo from Michael Posner) Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2025/26 Zoom lecture series on Jewish music concluded April 12 with a talk by…
ראש ממשלת ישראל בנימין נתניהו ונשיא ארצות הברית דונלד טראמפ פתחו במלחמה נגד איראן, הנחשבת למסוכנת ביותר. לשני המנהיגים הללו לא הייתה תוכנית מסודרת לגבי המלחמה באיראן, והם כנראה לא חשבו מספיק על התוצאות ההרסניות שלה. הן מבחינת כמות הנפגעים…
BC students at the StandWithUs conference in Las Vegas March 15-18 included, left to right, Adar Latak, Alexis Moscovitz and Ethan Doctor. (photo by Pat Johnson) What happens in Las Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. That was the defiant message…
Jews are not a homogeneous group in ritual, beliefs, thought or experience. We are diverse, coming from many different places, speaking countless languages, putting our unique spins on food, music and other cultural aspects. We are both a religion and…
Driving south along Oak Street on a recent sunny spring morning, it was hard not to feel the hope of renewal. Paralleling Vancouver Talmud Torah is a majestic line of cherry blossoms in full flourish. A few metres on, outside…
Local Israeli cover band HaOpziot will get people dancing at this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations on April 21. (photo from JFGV) “As we hold Israel close to our hearts, we are reminded that our connection transcends oceans,” wrote Ezra Shanken,…
Leo Franken, left, with Manny (the mannequin) and David Downing. The community is invited to join the 25th anniversary open house at the store on April 15. (photo from Spectacle Shoppe) On April 15, the Spectacle Shoppe will host an…
At Richmond Public Library’s Human Library® event April 12, people will be able to choose from about a dozen “books,” people who will share their personal stories. (photo from RPL) Join the conversation at Richmond Public Library’s fourth annual Human…
