(image from bastamanography) Purim 2020, which took place in early March, brought with it added significance. For some, it represented the last time they gathered in a Jewish setting in person, outside the home. For others, it was the first…
When I first entered the Zack Gallery to view its new show, the Chai Quilt, my first impression was that it was an amateur show. Only one wall of the gallery featured art, and it looked like the work of…
Dr. Noah Alexander was the keynote speaker at the Jewish Seniors Alliance Spring Forum on March 21. (photo from medicalmentorcommunity.com) Can I Trust That? Evaluating Health Information Online was the topic of the Jewish Seniors Alliance Spring Forum, held virtually on…
Joe Segal accepting the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Rix Award for engaged community citizenship in an April 7 online celebration. (screenshot) The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade paid tribute to Joe Segal on April 7, honouring him with its…
Lana Pulver has agreed to lead the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s 2021 annual campaign. She comes to this role with vast volunteer experience. She has served the past two years as the campaign’s major gifts chair and served as…
On May 2, Kolot Mayim Reform Temple in Victoria welcomes singer, songwriter, teacher, music producer and cantorial soloist Len Udow to speak on Worship with Joy. Drawing on both secular and cantorial music, Udow will recall his journey from 1960s…
Afghanistan is seeking to repatriate a 1,200-year-old siddur, which is currently housed at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. (photo from Museum of the Bible) The National Museum of Afghanistan, established in 1919 at the former Bagh-i-Bala royal palace…
Grilled skewers make great Lag b’Omer fare. (photo from pixabay.com) Lag b’Omer, which this year starts on the eve of April 29, is not mentioned in the Torah. The holiday isn’t mentioned anywhere, actually, until the 13th century, and no particular…
במשך שנים נעשו עבודות נרחבות של שימור וטיפול בציינה טאון של וקיטוריה, וכנראה לעיריית ויקטוריה, לקהילה הסינית ולשאר התושבים זה חשוב מאוד. (רוני רחמני) כפי שציינתי ברשימה הקודמת לאחר שעברתי בדיקת קורונה שתוצאותיה היו שליליות, החלטתי לצאת סוף סוף לחופשה…
בדיקה שלילית לקורונה ונסיעה לוויקטוריה (רוני רחמני) בימים אלה של המגפה שלא מרפה מחיינו החלטתי שהגיע הזמן לעשות בדיקה לגלות באם חליתי בקורונה. הבדיקה נעשית במהירות לאחר תהליך רישום קצר במבנה של מערכת הבריאות המקומית, שאגב נמצא במרחק של פחות…
Hagit Yaso, who was part of Metro Vancouver’s celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut in 2014, is among the Israeli performers who will be joining the online event this year. (photo from hagityaso.com/en/home) The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and its 46…
Dr. Claude Romney speaking to students pre-COVID. (photo from Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre) For many years, people dedicated to educating about the Holocaust and its moral lessons have been adapting to new realities. The declining number of survivors and the…
With 13 parties in the Knesset – and several of those umbrellas encompassing a variety of factions – patching together a coalition will be a challenge. It may not be possible at all, meaning Israelis would see their fifth election…
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, vote on March 23. While the prime minister’s party won the most number of seats in the Knesset, he will still struggle to form a government. (photo from IGPO) Israeli Prime…
There are several opportunities for the local community to commemorate Yom Hashoah this year. On Wednesday, April 7, 3 p.m., the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) is partnering with the Montreal Holocaust Museum for an online program focusing on the…
Since the High Holidays last year, a group of demonstrators has met every Thursday afternoon opposite the Chinese embassy in Ottawa to protest in support of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The protest was initiated by members of Kehillat Beth Israel,…
Shalhevet Girls High School will honour Shelley Rivkin at its gala on April 11. (photo from Shalhevet) On April 11, at its annual gala, Shalhevet Girls High School will honour Shelley Rivkin as a Guardian of the Flame. “Every year,…
Actor Tovah Feldshuh talks about her new book, Lilyville, on April 15, in an event held in partnership with the JCC Jewish Book Festival. (PR photo) The long-awaited Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival closing night event – Tovah Feldshuh…
Ted Littlemore is one of seven dancers in the latest iteration of Idan Cohen’s Orfeo ed Euridice, which will be available online April 6-13. (photo by Flick Harrison) The first article the Jewish Independent published about choreographer and opera director…
Seu Jorge, left, and Noah Schnapp in a still from Abe. (image from Reel 2 Real) The upcoming Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth is not just for youth, though younger viewers are its target audience. There are…
Jesse Waldman was inspired by his great-grandmother Adele Waldman to reimagine the Yiddish song “Papirosen.” (photo from Jesse Waldman) Several weeks ago, I was offered a commission by the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts to do a musical piece for…
Michael Sachs, the new executive director of Jewish National Fund of Canada, Pacific region, with his wife Shira, a Hebrew and Judaics teacher at Vancouver Talmud Torah, and their children Izzy, 8, and Desi, 5-and-a-half. (photo by Michael Sachs) The…
Marion Rom, who works with gender-diverse youth, spoke as part of a Beth Tikvah-hosted panel on the topic Navigating Gender and Sexuality in the 21st Century. (screenshot) “Almost one-third of people who have gender dysphoria will attempt suicide and have…
Illusionist Vitaly Beckman in the midst of fooling Penn & Teller on the March 19 broadcast of Penn & Teller: Fool Us. (screenshot) Illusionist Vitaly Beckman has done it again – he stumped Penn & Teller a second time. The…
Mandy Silverman (photo from mandyliciouschallah.com) Dozens of eager bakers joined Mandy Silverman, aka Mandylicious, for an evening of “thinking inside the braid,” as she shared various ways of making babkas – as well as her enthusiasm towards them – during…
I met my husband long ago at Cornell University Hillel events. One event celebrated what looked like the success of the Israel-Palestinian peace process. It was part of the Oslo Accords and, in October 1994, the Nobel Peace Prize was…
On June 25, 2019, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, as part of Canada’s anti-racism strategy. Widely proposed around the world, the definition has evoked fierce debate. In Canada, the…
Synagogues damaged. Community centres defaced. Children bullied. Threats of violence online. Hate targeting Jewish Canadians is growing. When it comes to hate crime, the Jewish community is the most frequently targeted group. According to Statistics Canada, an anti-Jewish hate crime…
In this year of 2021, someone born in 1948 is or will soon be 73 years old. This is a good round age, surpassing the fabled three score and ten. A Jew born in that tumultuous year in Israel has…
A collage of Israeli wildflowers. (MathKnight/Wikimedia Commons) Every year, spring returns like a miracle and Israel is carpeted with wildflowers. There are nearly 3,000 types of wild plants in this tiny land, a wonderful profusion – among the most abundant on…
