JNF Pacific region executive director Michael Sachs, left, in a meeting at Aviv House for autistic adults in Israel. (photo from JNF-PR) Three Israeli projects supported by the Pacific region of the Jewish National Fund of Canada are advancing well,…
Left to right are Yoseph Hayun, Brian Libin and Shimon Kalhon, founders of Kehillat Klal Israel. (photo by Pat Johnson) Vancouver has a new Sephardi congregation – and, while unique in the city, its structure would be familiar to plenty…
David Broza has a new album out, and more. (photo from davidbroza.net) This past spring, Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza, with the support of Temple Emanu-El in New York City, released Tefila, a collection of traditional prayers with new musical compositions…
Manfred Gottfried and a group of men on the stairs to the Dr. Sun Yat-sen mausoleum. (photo from VHEC: RA001-5-o7-5-9-0339x) A little over 20 years ago, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre started the Shanghai Oral History Project. Led by Roberta…
Want to make a difference in the lives of Israeli teens? Consider joining Israel Connect, a program where local adult volunteers connect online, one-on-one, via Zoom, with Israeli high school students who want to improve their English conversation and reading…
As a former World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder Fellow, I attended the first Ronald S. Lauder Fellowship Diplomacy Summit. The fellowship is an international cohort of top Jewish students with an interest in global Jewish advocacy who are invited…
Before the pandemic, we were once at synagogue on Shabbat when the clergy person leading the family service reminded us that, hey, Elul was here, and we could hear the shofar blown if we came to morning minyan. The next…
Editor: Your editorial of Aug. 19 entitled “Does history matter?” recounts some of the terrain of recent right-wing Polish political machinations against an open, self-critical approach to Shoah research and discourse in the country. It is sad, unfortunate and, I…
As students prepare for the upcoming school year, supply shortages may limit the options available to shoppers – and make them more vulnerable to scams when shopping online. “Last year, nearly one-third of scams reported by Canadians to BBB [Better…
Jonathan Cohen and Mayim Bialik, co-hosts of the podcast Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, help launch the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s annual campaign on Sept. 8. (PR photo) Television viewers watched Mayim Bialik grow up, most notably as the character Blossom…
Supporters join Gary Averbach as he completes his walk from Calgary to Vancouver. (photo from Instagram @bobswalkforcancer) When Gary Averbach told friends and family he was going to raise money for cancer research by walking from Calgary to Vancouver, they…
The promise of the internet was that people could access unprecedented volumes of information for the benefit of themselves and society as a whole. What has regrettably proven to be the case is that it is a fount from which…
Canadian Hadassah-WIZO’s S.O.S. – Starting Over Safely campaign is 27 hours long, beginning at 9 a.m. PT on Aug. 23. (photo by Mickey Noam Alon) With the COVID-19 government shutdowns and mandatory quarantines, domestic violence has increased significantly across the…
On Aug. 2, Statistics Canada released police-reported hate crime data for 2021revealing, once again, that hate crimes targeting the Black and Jewish populations remain the most common reported by police. “We are deeply concerned that incidents of hate crime rose…
Siblings Becky, left, and Margaux Wosk (photo from We Belong!) The first-ever We Belong! Festival will take place Aug. 27 in Downtown Vancouver. Organized by siblings Margaux and Becky Wosk, We Belong! is a “one-of-a-kind creative arts market with a…
As a new school year approaches, many parents are looking for fresh ways to rekindle their child’s spark for Jewish – and general – learning. Chabad Richmond Hebrew School has put forward a curriculum that offers children an immersive experience.…
“She Was Like a Walking Flower, Centred by a Rod of Steel,” by Suzy Birstein, inspired by Frida Kahlo’s “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940.” “She Was Like a Walking Flower, Centred by a Rod of Steel,” by Suzy…
Katherine Matlashewski is creator, performer and co-producer of Disclosure, which “explores the struggles of a survivor searching for pathways toward healing in an adversarial medical system.” (photo from Disclosure Productions) “Disclosure was inspired by a true story that focuses on…
Take This Waltz performers Ted Littlemore, left, and Daniel Okulitch. (photo by Victoria Bell) Take This Waltz world premières at Rothstein Theatre Sept. 10-11. “The concert as a whole tells a story, and each song finds its place within that…
Henry Garf (photo by Herve Lebley) Montreal guitarist and member of the Jewish community Henry Garf takes part in this year’s Vancouver International Flamenco Festival. Presented by Flamenco Rosario, the festival features live performances, with both ticketed and free events.…
Ambassadors of Light putting together more than 2,000 packages of matzah at Lubavitch BC. (photo from Chabad Lubavitch of BC) Ambassadors of Light in Kelowna. (photo from Chabad Lubavitch of BC) “A little light pushes away a lot of…
When they were having their animated disagreements so many centuries ago, could the wise Jewish sages Hillel and Shammai have imagined how much we would still look to them today to help us navigate our fragmented world? Mishna Avot, a…
We’re hoping the school bus will know to pick up our twins at the right address when school starts. They’re starting Grade 6 this fall. We’ve finally gotten good at figuring out the back-to-school letter, so we send them with…
מהצצה לאתר של קבוצת ישראלים בקנדה שמופיע בפייסבוק ניתן להבין מה הם רוצים, מה חסר להם, מה הם מחפשים ובמקביל מה יש להם להציע. קרוב לששת אלפי ישראלים חברים בקבוצת ישראלים בקנדה שנוסד בנובמבר אלפיים וחמש עשרה בטורונטו. הנה לקט…
לפני חמש שנים קיבלתי אישור מהמנהלים הבכירים במקום העבודה שלי לעבור לעבוד מהבית. ארזתי את מעט החפצים שלי שהיו במשרד בדאון טאון ונקובר והעברתי אותם לביתי. חברת הובלה העבירה את הכל השאר, כולל: מחשב, שולחן למחשב עם שני מוניטורים, כיסא…
הקוביד תפס גם אותי וזה לא היה כך כל נורא אני כמו רבים אחרים נדבקתי בוירוס הקוביד ואחרי פחות מיומיים חזרתי אל עצמי. אינני יודע איך נדבקתי וממי אך בעצם זה לא משנה. באוקטובר אשתקד קיבלתי את החיסון השלישי של…
The recently released report, Twice Blessed 2.0: The Jewish LGBTQ2SIA+ Initiative, offers a hint of just how diverse the Metro Vancouver Jewish community is. In that diversity lies challenges and opportunities. “Embarking on Twice Blessed 2.0: The Jewish LGBTQ2SIA+ Initiative…
Marty Katzoff’s The Light Within the Shell was created specifically for the Zack Gallery. (photo by Lauren Zbarsky) The Light Within the Shell exhibit opened at the Zack Gallery on July 4. There is a sign beside the door: “This…
Team Canada’s 600-strong contingent marched into the opening ceremonies of the quadrennial Maccabiah Games July 14 at Jerusalem’s Teddy Coliseum. They were led by a trio of flagbearers – Toronto’s Molly Tissenbaum, a hockey goalie who has overcome serious health…
Much of the humour in Something Rotten! comes from Nostradamus (Jyla Robinson), right, leading Nick (Kamyar Pazandeh) astray with incorrect visions of the future. (photo by Emily Cooper) Theatre Under the Stars is a fun, relaxing way to ease yourself back…
