We were new parents when we bought our house 24 years ago and settled our then-2-year-old son into his bedroom. The house seemed large and I remember wondering how the three of us would fill it. The solution came organically.…
The mitzvot of taharat hamishpachah (family purity) – abstinence from physical contact between a married couple for two weeks each month – are among the least understood mitzvot. The implications of abstinence deter many couples from following the practice. But…
A violinist played tunes from Fiddler on the Roof, as dignitaries and community members joined the JWest groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 14, amid tight security. A mound of soil in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver parking lot symbolized the…
Approximately 800 members of the Metro Vancouver Jewish community and allies were at Temple Sholom on Sept. 9 to hear musician Boy George in conversation with Rabbi Dan Moskovitz. Wearing a bright orange hat, the 65-year-old performer reflected on his…
As Yom Kippur approaches, teshuvah, forgiveness, looms large on Jewish minds. It’s a time to think about wounds we may have inflicted on others and fractured relationships. What’s our responsibility to apologize? Where should we be mending bridges? These fractures…
Every Jewish New Year, just before we stand to hear the sound of the shofar, I get nervous for the blower. What if they can’t produce the sound? I remember a Rosh Hashanah when this occurred, and the red, exasperated…
I’m looking at the stone floor of what used to be a mikvah (ritual bath), inside the Sahar Hassamaim Synagogue on the island of Sao Miguel in the Portuguese Azores. In the room next door, the synagogue has been restored…
Marcus Stiller was prepping for the Fish Café’s reopening when the Independent chatted with him. (photo by Lauren Kramer) The Fish Café – a beloved Kerrisdale institution for more than two decades – was set to open this week after…
Solomon Leadership Program fellows and mentors celebrate the completion of the 2025-2026 program. Applications for the next session are open till the end of August. (photo by Alan Katowitz Photography) When Riki Oirechman first read about the Solomon Leadership Program two…
The Grade 12 class of King David High School traveled to Panama last month. (photo from KDHS) In February, the outbreak of war in the Middle East meant that the long-awaited Israel trip for the Grade 12 class of King…
