The revival of a printed publication is a rare occasion. The folks behind the Spring 2026 Parchment: Contemporary Canadian Jewish Writing should be commended. It is the first issue of the journal to be published since 2014. The hope is…
On June 25, Gabriella Safran, the Eva Chernov Lokey Professor of Jewish Studies at Stanford University, presented Give Alms to the Jewish King Lear: Eldercare in Yiddish Literature. It was the last of four online public talks from the Peretz…
PJ Library’s Sephardic Stories Initiative is entering its third year. PJ Library’s Sephardic Stories Initiative (SSI) was launched in 2024 to inspire, motivate and empower authors of Sephardi and Mizrahi backgrounds to leverage their cultural histories and meaningfully add to…
Grief is an interesting thing. You can think you feel fine, but then you feel anything but. You can think you’re operating as per usual but then find you’re missing things. In the months after my father passed away in…
It might be a sign of the times. The three children’s books that have come across my desk have serious themes: defending freedom, speaking up for human rights and standing up to bullies and dictators. The two recent books I…
The story of Aloha Wanderwell, an early 20th-century adventurer raised in Qualicum Beach, BC, the first woman to drive around the world – at age 18 – is captured by Victoria Jewish community member Laurel Corona in her newly released…
In Seattle, hours after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, two FBI agents knock on Monty’s door, asking questions about his Afghan partner, who has seemingly disappeared. How much does Monty really know about Jamal? What does he know about himself?…
“Everything changes when we are rooted in our sacredness,” writes Jeff Golden in his self-published, award-winning book Reclaiming the Sacred: Healing Our Relationships with Ourselves and the World (2022). “When we can feel that we are an essential part of…
Considering the extra challenges Jews have faced these last few years, there are many of us who have reacted by delving more into our Judaism and our Jewish identities. Perhaps that’s why a book the Independent received a handful of…
Elana Epstein shares her family’s narrative of recovery in Today I Will Be Fearless. (photo from Elana Epstein) When Elana Epstein and her husband, David, confronted the reality that their son, Noah, was an addict, her life shifted on its…
