Alix West Lefler plays Frida in The Fast Runner. (photo from thefastrunnerfilm.com) The Fast Runner, a 15-minute short from director David Bercovici-Artieda is about a young girl’s courage during the Holocaust. (See jewishindependent.ca) The film screens April 19, 7 p.m.,…
Co-stars Evan Roberts, left, Jerry Callaghan, centre, and Carl Powell in rehearsal for Bema Productions’ presentation of Perseverance, April 22 to May 3. (photo by Becca Elliot) Bema Productions in Victoria presents Perseverance, by L.E. McCullough, from April 22 to…
The Bellas family, left to right: Oksana, Aliza, Yaakov, Maya and Matthew. (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter) When Camp Solomon Schechter (CSS) hosts their annual Spark fundraiser event at Beth Israel Synagogue May 3, it might be a more emotional…
On May 7, in Vancouver, Dr. Noya Shilo, director of Sheba Medical Centre’s Back to Life Clinic, will share firsthand insights into the journey from trauma to healing. (photo from Sheba Medical Centre) Following the success of last September’s event…
Hundreds of terrorists entered Kibbutz Be’eri. Of the 1,000-plus residents, 101 kibbutz members were killed, 30 people were abducted and one-third of the houses were severely damaged or destroyed. (photo by Larry Barzelai) My wife and I frequently travel to…
Israeli Minster of National Security Itamar Ben G’vir holds up a champagne bottle in the Knesset on March 30, toasting the passage of Israel’s new death penalty law. (screenshot) On March 30, two days before erev Passover, Israeli Minister of…
A few days ago, our beloved, big, senior dog had a limp. We went to the vet, on short notice. Our regular vet was away. It was icy and snowy. I got the dog into my 23-year-old car, backed it…
My friend Susan Kars recently got a male rescue dog from Chile so, of course, I volunteered to come over and speak to him in Spanish. As my husband and I walked into her apartment, we were greeted by a…
From a specific vantage point, the dispersed lines of Nicolas Baier’s Candelabra – winner of the Montreal Holocaust Museum’s public art competition for its new building – create the shape of a sphere. (photo from MHM) The Montreal Holocaust Museum…
Kindergarten children preparing matzah, 1925. (photo by Joseph Schweigh, KKL-JNF Photo Archive) In uncertain times like these, as the war with Iran continues, attention often turns to the traditions and customs that have carried generations through both hardship and renewal. Against…
RuhamaFoods’ Oven-baked Schnitzel, made by yours truly, the Accidental Balabusta. (photo by Shelley Civkin) There has recently been some heated debate (in my living room) over what can accurately be called the national food of Israel. Family would claim it’s…
Kiryat Shmona musician Ben Golan will perform at the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations in Vancouver April 21. (photo from Ben Golan) “Music for me is a way to say: we are still here, still alive, still building a future. It gives…
Another day, another missile alert: Israelis sheltering at the Herbert Samuel Hotel miklat. The writer and his wife take refuge there, but their dog, Max, won’t leave home. (photo by Gil Zohar) Those who think history doesn’t repeat itself may…
We are failing in a battle we cannot afford to lose. Canadians and the world are trying, unsuccessfully, to control the spread of misinformation and disinformation at the source, policing online platforms, flagging content and regulating perpetrators. This “supply-side” approach…
A friend from my grad school, Jill, has a distinguished academic career. She’s now the chair of her university’s religious studies department. She’s co-authored a book on dialogue in education and works with an organization called Essential Partners, which “helps…
Harley Kushmier and his mother, Samantha Kushmier, at the March 8 Car Rally for Iranian Voices. (photo from the Kushmiers) Members of the Kelowna Jewish community participated in the Car Rally for Iranian Voices on March 8. Every Sunday in…
“I Betrayed Him and the Fate of Becoming Him” by Yongzhen Li is part of Li’s solo exhibit – Structures of the Unsaid – at the Zack Gallery. (photo from Yongzhen Li) On March 5, the Zack Gallery opened its…
The delayed celebration of Beth Tikvah’s 50th anniversary takes place April 19, with a night of comedy headlined by Juno Award-winning comedian Jacob Samuel. (photo from byjacobsamuel.com) Beth Tikvah, the Conservative synagogue in Richmond, was founded in 1973. That placed…
On March 8, Joshua Jacobson, professor emeritus of music at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., spoke on the topic Jewish Music: What’s That? The Zoom lecture was the fifth of six talks in Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2025/26 Voices of Jewish…
The annual North American Jewish Choral Festival brings hundreds of singers together to enjoy a musical experience of Jewish identity and community. This year’s festival takes place Aug. 2-6 in Stamford, Conn. (photo by Jennifer Weisbord) The annual North American…
Left to right, at CHW Vancouver Centre’s SHE DAY event March 8: Ruthi Akselrod, Laura Lewko (kneeling a bit), Pam Wolfman, Toby Rubin, Jocelyn Brown, Ruth M’Rav Jankelowitz, Tamara Shenkier and Laura Mossey. (photo by Shula Klinger) On March 8,…
Artists Claire Kujundzic and Bill Horne have created a Bondi Beach memorial shirt. Monies raised are being donated to Bema Productions’ high school Holocaust education tours of Wendy Kout’s Survivors. (photo from Amazing Studios) After the terror attack at Bondi…
The federal government must develop a comprehensive national digital literacy program aimed at protecting young people from a wide range of online harms, because current efforts are fragmented and insufficient, according to B’nai Brith Canada. The national advocacy group is…
Warren Kinsella has spent much of his career studying the darker corners of political life. A lawyer by training, author of about a dozen books and a longtime political strategist, he has written about Holocaust denial, far-right extremism and organized…
Alycia Fridkin holds the Wheel of Fortune tarot card, which features the Tetragrammaton of G-d’s name interspersed between the letters T, A, R, O. (photo from Alycia Fridkin) I love tarot. I love how you can receive insight anywhere, anytime using…
King David High School students prepared a high-end Italian meal for some 90 guests on March 12. (photo by Galit Lewinski Photography) There were 90 diners in the restaurant, and Italian music played in the background as servers whisked around…
Larry Barzelai addresses those gathered for the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s Public Speaking Contest on March 5. (photo from JFGV) On March 5, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s annual Public Speaking Contest took place at the Jewish Community…
Left to right: May Stefanov, tenant relations coordinator with Tikva Housing Society, and Courtney Cohen, co-founder of Rose’s Angels. (photo from Rose’s Angels) Eleven not-for-profits received donations from this year’s Rose’s Angels, including Mamas for Mamas, Richmond Food Bank Society,…
My Aunt Hazel is 98 years old. They call her “the Queen” at Louis Brier Home and Hospital because, when she enters a room, she commands attention. I visited her in February, and she told me about her life in…
Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ezra Ben-Shalom’s debut solo album, Known and Unknown, was released in 2025. (photo by Michelle Behr) With his debut solo album, released last year, Kelowna musician Ezra Ben-Shalom shows off his personal side, with a uniquely Jewish…
