Guest speaker Marsha Lederman addresses the crowd at the launch of the 40th issue of The Scribe on April 19. (photo from JMABC) Last month, the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia (JMABC) released its 40th issue of The…
Rachel Gerber, playing Donna Sheridan, performing “Money, Money, Money” in King David High School’s production of Mamma Mia! (photo from KDHS) High school theatre programs have the power to unite a student body. At King David High School, community values are…
Lucy Samuel, left, and Tori Segal, co-chairs of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s Ben Gurion Society. (photos from BGS) “Both of us were BGS members before becoming co-chairs. We are so grateful for the leadership opportunities that BGS has…
There was no question that Zac Abelson (centre) would attend the Excelerate23 Summit in New York City this past March. (photo from Zac Abelson) “I believe my Excel journey is only just getting started,” Zac Abelson told the Independent. “The…
The house directly behind ours is for sale. This neighbourhood doesn’t have back lanes, so we look out over their backyard as well. Occasionally, when I’ve stepped outside with the dog, I encounter a family checking out that house’s yard,…
Smartphones, even if you hug them, won’t hug back. It’s not revelatory, but an effective allegory to understand what’s missing with screen interactions. Though screens replaced direct, in-person human interactions during the pandemic, by necessity, it only worsened a problem…
Food insecurity is a growing problem on the University of British Columbia campus. The Alma Mater Society (AMS) Food Bank saw a 600-visit spike in the past year. Around “40% of undergraduate students and 50% of graduate students said they…
You can really put anything in a quinoa salad, depending on your taste. (photo from flickr / Marco Verch Professional Photographer) Until recently, I had a very casual relationship with healthy foods. Neither me nor the veggies/tofu/fruit could commit. But…
(photo by Roni Rachmani) בוונקובר כמו בעשרות רבות של ערים ברחבי העולם ממשיכים ישראל ויהודים מקומיים להפגין נגד המהפכה המשפטית של ממשלת נתניהו, ובעד שמרית הדמוקרטיה בישראל. ההפגנות בוונקובר נערכות זה החודש השלישי ברציפות עד כה נערכו כבר שנים עשר…
Israeli music pioneers Teapacks perform at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre May 14 (photo from Teapacks) “We will bring a lot of Mediterranean happiness, with a lot of Jewish chutzpah,” Israeli singer-songwriter Kobi Oz told the Independent about Teapacks’ upcoming concert…
At the community’s commemoration of Yom Hashoah, child survivor Janos Benisz spoke about his experiences during the Holocaust. (photo by Rhonda Dent) Over the past year, Janos Benisz has watched the news of Ukrainian parents fleeing to Poland and elsewhere…
Peter Julian, the New Democrat member of Parliament for New Westminster, recently tabled a bill to address what he suspects are algorithms that encourage online extremism. B’nai Brith’s annual audit of antisemitic incidents, released recently, said three-quarters of antisemitic incidents…
Recently, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau visited Winnipeg. CBC reported that his trip involved promoting the federal budget, meeting with students, trade workers, apprentices and the mayor. The visit included celebrating with members of the Jewish community for Passover, as it…
Art House SF’s Max Khusid is one of several artists who will be at Art Vancouver May 4-7. (photo from Art House SF) Once again, galleries and artists from across Canada and around the world will come together to exhibit…
Lili Flamenco / Liat Har Lev performs two solos in the Dance Centre’s Open Stage Edition #3 on May 6, 8 p.m. (photo from Lili Flamenco) The Scotiabank Dance Centre’s Open Stage Edition #3 on May 6 includes two solos…
Kol Halev Performance Society in action. (photo from Kol Halev) On May 7 at White Rock South Surrey Jewish Community Centre, Kol Halev Performance Society is holding a two-hour klezmer dance workshop, which is open to kids 8 and up,…
Rabbi Paul Plotkin returns to Congregation Beth Israel for the Canadian launch of his new book, Wisdom Grows in My Garden. (photo from AIA Publishing) In part to fill his need to nurture – his kids off to college and…
Mark your calendars for May 14. The Festival of Israeli Culture, a one-day free series of events at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, is a multicultural celebration of music, dance, art, sports, food and drink. Get ready for…
King David High School Golden Thread Gala co-chairs Heidi Seidman, left, and Sherri Wise. (photo from KDHS) Heidi Seidman and Sherri Wise are excited to be back as co-chairs of the gala, which this year takes place May 18, 6:30…
Into the Little Hill runs May 19 and 20 at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre. (photo by Flick Harrison) “Into the Little Hill is a powerfully emotional opera,” soprano Heather Pawsey told the…
The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre maintains significant holdings of Nazi and antisemitic propaganda that bears witness to centuries of anti-Jewish hatred. Acquired through the generosity of local historians and collectors – Peter N. Moogk, professor emeritus, history, University of British…
Founding RJDS society members with their original photo: Cindy Rozen, left, Marvin Lithwick and Marilyn Jordan. (photo by Lianne Cohen Photography) On March 19, the Richmond Jewish Day School (RJDS) gymnasium became a fancy ballroom as students, alumni, school parents…
Courtney Cohen delivers donations to Jewish Family Services as part of this year’s Rose’s Angels. (photo from Rose’s Angels) Since 2012, Rose’s Angels has donated more than 7,000 care packages to date in honour of Rose Lewin and Babs Cohen,…
While some seniors see growing old as a negative, it really is an adventure, said clinical psychologist Miguel Mendez, a facilitator for the Jewish Seniors Alliance of Greater Vancouver’s Peer Support Services program. Mendez was the featured speaker at the…
Dr. Kamil Kijek of the University of Wrocław, in Poland. (photo from University of British Columbia) For Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust, the question of where to begin life anew after the cataclysm was not as clear as it…
Rabbi Suzanne Singer of Temple Beth El in Riverside, Calif., ended the 2022-23 Hineini lecture series in April on a distinctly positive note. Her Zoom talk, hosted by the Victoria congregation Kolot Mayim, focused on “finding hope in a world…
Left to right: Lauri Glotman, Leslie and Gordon Diamond, and Jill Diamond. The Diamond family has donated $7.2 million to the BC Cancer Foundation to expand BC Cancer’s Hereditary Cancer Program – expanding identification and screening for the BRCA gene…
The author’s family Machzor, which was printed in Warsaw in 1913, was most likely owned by her grandfather. (photo by Shula Klinger) Growing up, I was never taken to shul. I never saw my parents pray, read religious texts or…
Playing the game of Risk. (photo © Jorge Royan) I’ve always thought of the Nordic region as peaceful. Admittedly, my knowledge of the area is largely limited to Risk, the board game, where Greenland, Iceland and the Scandinavian countries are…
The signage at the site of 1,700-year-old synagogue ruins in Albania was recently replace after a Canadian tourist informed the municipal government of the old signs’ illegibility. (photo from Dave Gordon) During a trip to Albania in September 2022, Toronto-based Jewish journalist…
