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New rabbi settles into post

Victoria’s Congregation Emanu-El welcomed Rabbi Elisha (Eli) Herb as its new spiritual leader at the beginning of September, marking the next chapter for the historic shul, Canada’s oldest synagogue in continuous use. He takes over from Rabbi Harry Brechner, who served the community for the past 24 years.

Herb, a 2016 graduate of the Hebrew College Rabbinical School, joins Emanu-El after serving for nine years as the rabbi for Temple Beth Shalom, a Reconstructing Judaism synagogue in Salem, Ore.

photo - Rabbi Elisha (Eli) Herb is Congregation Emanu-El’s new spiritual leader — Rabbi Elisha (Eli) Herb is Congregation Emanu-El’s new spiritual leader. *(photo from Emanu-El)*

“The Victoria community has been really wonderful,” Herb told the Independent earlier this month. “It feels like I found a niche, and that feels great. I love the people here. And I love Victoria. The island is amazing. I’m enjoying being here immensely.”

When the Emanu-El board announced that they had chosen Herb this spring, following a seven-month selection process, it notified members that a two-thirds majority in a closed ballot was required to confirm the new rabbi. The motion to hire Herb passed with 97% of the vote.

Since late summer, Herb said he has been learning from the community and hearing from people at Emanu-El about what they find satisfying about the synagogue and what they would like to see changed or enhanced. He wants “to listen more than lead right now,” he said.

“Something exciting for me is, in general, that people love Emanu-El. They really like being here, and want more. I like the request for more – more social connections, more diversity in programming, more programming,” he said.

Although Emanu-El has a reputation for supporting progressive causes, labeling it as a “lefty shul,” in Herb’s view, does not fully reflect the range of perspectives held by members.

“Our membership is a big spectrum of backgrounds, orientations, ideologies, and so forth,” he said. “The community I’m experiencing is really much more about developing and strengthening the relationships they have to each other and trying to be a positive presence in Victoria as a whole.”

After Oct. 7, 2023, strong opinions within the Victoria Jewish community emerged, often pitting members against one another and leading to a fracturing of relationships.

“A lot of judgments have been made absent a direct relationship, and that’s very painful. It feels important to me that some healing goes on,” Herb said. “Compared to where I was in Oregon, it feels like it’s been much harder for people here because of the schisms … within the Jewish community.”

Herb is an active social media user, with videos on YouTube about the weekly Torah reading and posts on the Emanu-El WhatsApp and Signal groups about Jewish art, jokes, music, poems and other insights.

“It’s not edgy or politically motivated. It’s I saw this and it touched me, so I’m sharing it with you. This made me laugh, so I’m sharing it with you,” he explained.

One aim as rabbi, Herb said, is to increase commitment to the practice of Judaism and to enhance people’s relationship to God.

“I have this idea of connecting people with the people of Israel and with Torah and with Hashem,” he said. “But, in terms of actual programming, mostly right now, I’m responding to needs rather than directing things, I would say. That’s my philosophy. I need to get a lay of the land and know who I’m working with.”

Herb stressed that he feels fortunate to be in Victoria.

“I want to be here, partly because of the nature of this community and the nature of the people who are involved, but it’s definitely also Victoria and Vancouver Island,” he said.

In addition to serving as a rabbi, Herb has been an outdoor educator, with certification from the National Outdoor Leadership School in the United States, and a river guide for the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education in Monticello, Utah.

Though Brechner is stepping down as spiritual leader of the congregation, he remains an active member of the community and now holds the role of rabbi emeritus.

“As much as I have grown this community, it’s also grown me,” said Brechner, before leaving his post. “The people I’ve met, the joy and pain I’ve had entrée to and the relationships I’ve developed all inform how I understand our place in the world as a Jewish people,” he said. “I hope Rabbi Eli has a similar experience. I know I’m handing our synagogue into very capable and caring hands.”

Last year, Brechner received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his significant contributions to interfaith connections, social justice and community dialogue in British Columbia. Earlier this year, he was awarded an honourary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City for his more than 25 years of distinguished service.

“Rabbi Harry is a gem,” said Ilana Stanger-Ross, president of Emanu-El. “While deeply grounded in tradition, he has always embraced a progressive vision that inspires action and nurtures deep community – things we are known for in Victoria.”

On Dec. 21, Emanu-El will celebrate Hanukkah with its annual menorah lighting in Victoria’s Centennial Square, starting at 5:15 p.m.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

A light for the nations

Linor Attias, deputy director of international emergency operations for United Hatzalah, inspired Raquel Esrock’s bat mitzvah project: Maple Syrup and Mitzvahs. (photo by Robin Esrock)

In a critical medical emergency, life and death depend on the help one receives and how quickly it arrives. By the time an ambulance shows up, it can be too late to stabilize the victim of a heart attack, apply a life-saving torniquet or deliver CPR. However, United Hatzalah, a rapid medical response service in Israel, can get trained medics on site within 90 seconds of an emergency call.

Linor Attias, the deputy director of international emergency operations for United Hatzalah, addressed a small fundraiser at a living room in West Vancouver on Dec. 2. She wore the orange vest of a first responder, shared stories of everyday heroes, tearing up over the tragedy of Oct. 7. As the emcee for the event, I knew there was much to discuss, but I started with a simple fact. Founded in Jerusalem in 2006, United Hatzalah has responded to more than seven million medical emergencies and saved the lives of tens of thousands of people.

Supporting both patients and Magen David Adom, UH has become an integral part of the Israeli cultural fabric. A lifesaving group of more than 8,000 unpaid volunteers, including Jews, Arabs, Druze and Christians, treat everyone and anyone in need, without charging a penny.

After a six-month training period and on-call internship, volunteers use an app that geo-locates their proximity to a medical emergency. When someone calls one of Israel’s three emergency numbers for help (instead of one number, 911, for all emergencies, Israel has different numbers for medical, fire or police) United Hatzalah’s system immediately locates the nearest five volunteers. It pings their app, and they can be on site in three minutes with a fully stocked medic bag. The paramedic volunteer stabilizes the patient, performs life-saving first-aid if needed, and remains until an ambulance arrives.

photo - United Hatzalah’s volunteer paramedics can be on site within 90 seconds of an emergency call — United Hatzalah’s volunteer paramedics can be on site within 90 seconds of an emergency call. *(photo from UH)*

“It’s not just about the person who is not well or injured,” explained Attias. “Everyone surrounding them feels calm and safe knowing someone is handling the situation. When the ambulance arrives, they take over.”

If a volunteer happens to be at work that day, they could be back at their desk within 20 minutes.

Volunteers sign up from all backgrounds: rich, poor, religious, secular, shopkeepers, teachers, accountants, surfers, mechanics, students, and retired grandparents, too. If they’re unavailable, they simply toggle a switch in the app and the algorithm automatically moves to the next volunteer.

UH volunteers are registered, well-trained and passionate to help. Like Attias, many found their way to UH after being impacted personally by a medical emergency. In her case, it was hearing how an ambulance showed up too late to save her uncle, the victim of a bombing attack. For an Arab volunteer, it was the Jewish UH volunteer who saved his father during a heart attack. Two books have been published filled with incredible stories of universal compassion and head-scratching rescues.

At UH’s headquarters in Jerusalem, there are Haredi staff and volunteers working alongside Muslim and secular colleagues. Attias also has directed UH volunteer groups to disasters abroad, rushing to underserved areas after earthquakes in Morocco and Türkiye.

“They hate Israelis in Türkiye,” she told those gathered. “Then they see the Israeli flag on the vest of the rescue worker saving their life, and it’s ‘thank you Israel, thank you!’ We saved 19 people from the rubble.” She still keeps in touch with the family of a 7-year-old girl she saved in Türkiye; the father sent messages of support on Oct. 8.

Attias suffers post-traumatic stress disorder from what she witnessed during the Hamas attack in 2023. She was on the ground, a first responder, her own life at risk; other UH volunteers were murdered and kidnapped. She was part of a UH team that set up critical triage camps to treat the wounded. When a UH volunteer livestreamed the number of bodies, Attias could not believe it was real. Today, UH operates a psycho-trauma unit to help volunteers and the public deal with what they experienced that day.

Attias spoke about how United Hatzalah is preparing for the next Oct. 7. United Hatzalah plans to be better prepared to save more lives. They are running simulated training exercises for volunteers, complete with smoke machines and make-up artists, hoping to acclimatize responders to the chaos that would exist. In the aftermath of Oct. 7, UH has seen a boost in volunteers. People are signing up to give something back, to show their appreciation and to feel less powerless, said Attias.

The ubiquitous orange vests of UH volunteers are seen throughout Israel, often riding a distinctive Ambucycle or Ambuscooter, skirting traffic or entering public markets. This is a crowdsourced, localized and turbocharged emergency medical response system that is being studied and adopted by other parts of the world, including India and Brazil, and the state of Idaho. Jeff Klein, who sits on the board of United Hatzalah Canada, shared that Vancouver City Council was also exploring the model before UH Canada shifted its efforts to support Israel in the wake of Oct. 7. Countries and communities have different cultural attitudes when it comes to volunteering and liability, but a model that works in Israel can work anywhere, with adaptations.

United Hatzalah is funded entirely by donors and receives no money from the Israeli government.

“We don’t call them donors, we call them partners,” explained Attias. Funds go directly towards life-saving medical equipment, she said, and partners receive updates about how that equipment – be it an Ambucycle, oxygen kit or medic bag – has been used. It’s all transparent, and UH is widely regarded as one of the key charities making a meaningful difference in modern Israel.

Attias showed us a picture of all-female volunteer group gathered in a circle after a recent training exercise. There are women wearing hijabs next to Orthodox Jews wearing wigs. Secular, religious, people of all shades, all smiling, all participating in a noble cause greater than oneself. Attias believes this is Isaiah’s prophecy of Israel acting as “a light for the nations” in action, spreading universal compassion, community and life-saving technology where and when it is needed most.

It’s impossible not to be inspired. A doctor in the room, non-Jewish, donated a rapid response ebike. Even my daughter, Raquel, gearing up for her bat mitzvah, committed to a crowdsourced fundraiser for three life-saving oxygen kits – to contribute towards her UH Maple Syrup and Mitzvahs project, which is raising funds for both the oxygen kits and two child-resuscitation kits, visit tinyurl.com/55ur7fm7.

To become a United Hatzalah partner and learn more, visit UH’s website, israelrescue.org.

Robin Esrock is the bestselling author of The Great Canadian Bucket List, and a travel columnist for Canadian Geographic.

Jews in time of trauma

Many Jewish Canadians face unique mental health hurdles right now, and many of the professionals they depend on to help them are themselves struggling with related challenges.

The trauma that has affected Jews in recent years – from the horrors of Oct. 7 to the global explosion of antisemitism societally and in the personal lives of diaspora Jews – has created unprecedented needs in the mental health sector. Professionals in the discipline, including Jewish psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and social workers, are often dealing personally with some of the same issues their clients are confronting.

Dr. Rotem Regev (photo courtesy Rotem Regev)

Dr. Rotem Regev is a Vancouver psychologist with a private practice specializing in trauma, as well as expertise in therapist training, especially addressing practitioner burnout. Burnout in the profession was exacerbated by COVID. Then came Oct. 7.

Within days of the terror attacks, Regev’s inbox filled with requests from Jewish clients, and from therapists. Non-Jewish clinicians approached her about how to counsel their Jewish clients.

She assembled a webinar for non-Jewish practitioners about the intersectionality of trauma and Judaism, called How to Help Your Jewish Client in this Unprecedented Time.

There were 70 non-Jewish therapists in the first webinar.

“At one point, pretty early on, my Jewish therapist colleagues came to me and said, why is this only for non-Jewish therapists? We need to know what to do,” she recalled.

After other collective traumas, like the 9/11 terror attacks or Hurricane Katrina, counselors may have shared trauma with their clients. After 10/7, though, the antisemitism that swept the world meant many clients – and practitioners – did not feel safe seeking the help they needed.

“We can’t turn to our professional colleagues for consultations,” she heard from fellow practitioners. “We feel silenced. We’re unwelcome in places. And then I said, OK, this is unprecedented. There’s nothing about this in the literature. We need to document our experiences.”

Regev sent out questionnaires to more than 250 mental health practitioners in British Columbia who are Jewish. From the responses and her subsequent research, she coined the term “compounded traumatic reality.”

“It’s not only a shared traumatic reality, but it is compounded by the extra layer of antisemitism,” she said. Her paper on the subject was published last month (Nov. 11) in the peer-reviewed Journal of Human Behaviour in the Social Environment.

Regev’s career has taken a decided shift. She created the International Centre for Collective Resilience, which trains mental health professionals in culturally responsive, trauma-informed care around these specific issues. In that capacity, she developed the CHAI Method™ for clinical practitioners to balance the needs of their clients with their own connection to the trauma.

The CHAI Method™ is a four-part framework that begins with “Connect,” where individuals recognize what is happening, followed by “Honour,” which acknowledges identity and lived experience, particularly in an environment where others invalidate these experiences. “Activate” moves the practitioner into culturally responsive strategies and setting appropriate boundaries. “Integrate” transforms the experience into lasting capacity for both the practitioner and their client.

Regev has already delivered trainings in the CHAI Method™ at McGill and Concordia universities in Montreal and will offer it in Vancouver on Feb. 8 and 9.

Eventually, she said, the training could be adapted for healthcare providers – physicians especially are facing profound challenges right now, Regev said – as well as educators, clergy and others who are not accredited mental health providers.

Regev was born and raised in Israel, though she spent several teenage years in Vancouver while her mother was doing a master’s and a PhD in psychology here. She returned to Israel, did her army service, but moved to Vancouver permanently at age 28.

Israelis and diaspora Jews are having parallel but different experiences, she said. While many diaspora Jews lost loved ones on Oct. 7 and in the subsequent war, that experience is almost universal among Israelis. The experience with antisemitism in the diaspora, on the other hand, is not something Jews in Israel live with. Above all, she said, Israelis are having a shared experience with their entire society. For two years, it has been impossible to escape the reality, if for no more apparent reason than the ubiquity of hostage posters and memorial placards everywhere in the country. Jews in the diaspora, no matter how connected they may be to their Jewish community, are nonetheless surrounded by non-Jews living a completely different reality.

For diaspora Jews, finding a mental health practitioner capable of addressing their unique needs has come down to word-of-mouth. Regev hopes there will be a systematization, perhaps a database of professionals accredited in her CHAI Method™, which will provide assurances to clients that the counselor they are engaging with is prepared to consider the specific contemporary experiences of Jews.

There is plenty to be done, Regev said, and she has been balancing these new responsibilities with her clinical and training work, taking on tasks that currently have no dedicated infrastructure or funding behind them. She is seeking financial backing to support her initiatives.

To register for the February seminar or for further information about Regev’s work, visit icfcr.ca. In addition to training, she is also available as a speaker.

What should governments do?

Left to right at the Jewish Seniors Alliance of BC Fall Symposium Nov. 23: Jeff Moss, Joyce Murray, Anthony Kupferschmidt, Dan Levitt and Isobel Mackenzie. (photo by Alex Roque Photography)

The Jewish Seniors Alliance of British Columbia’s fall symposium featured a panel discussion on the responsibilities of governments for seniors. The panelists discussed housing, transportation and healthcare services. They explored challenges in funding, staffing and service delivery, while also touching on topics such as the potential for community involvement in shaping senior support systems.

The Nov. 23 gathering, which took place at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, opened with Jeff Moss, executive director of JSABC. He said provincial advocacy is “at the heart” of what JSA does, “and bringing together politicians in this space is really important, because the conversations that we have when we meet with the provincial government, or when we’re meeting with the opposition, [are] where we are advocating strongly for universal free home support for seniors in British Columbia.”

JSA’s partners in this campaign are Council of Senior Citizens’ Organization (COSCO), the BC Health Coalition, the Independent Long-Term Care Councils Association of BC, Family Caregivers of British Columbia and the BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA), whose chief executive officer, Mary Polak, addressed those gathered.

Polak shared that her father, who’s 96 years old, is in long-term care. He has some dementia issues and needs to have some specialized care, she said. “But in the time that he was at home with us and we were trying to give him the best quality of life we could in our own home, it was a real challenge to try and support that with home health services. And we were in a better place than many because at least we had some of the financial capacity to do that, and we had the family around us. But, for an increasing number of people, that’s becoming impossible, and it shouldn’t be that way.”

Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, which also is a partner and supporter of JSABC, introduced Shay Keil, who sponsored the event with the BCCPA and JSA, along with Michael and Sally Geller, and the Zalkow Foundation.

“Seniors are the foundation of who we are,” said Keil. “You’ve built our families, our traditions and our values, and you deserve to be honoured, supported and celebrated. We often speak of m’dor l’dor, from generation to generation, and that idea is very close to my heart. I strongly believe in the connection between seniors and children and everyone in between. That belief is why I’m here today, and why I’m deeply committed to community through volunteering, supporting and staying actively involved in the organizations that strengthen the lives of those around us, including JSA.”

Keil introduced the emcee of the panel, Isobel Mackenzie, “who served as British Columbia’s seniors advocate from 2014 to 2024, and has spent her career championing the well-being, safety and dignity of our seniors.”

Mackenzie asked each panelist to come to the stage: Anthony Kupferschmidt, strategic lead for aging and older persons with the City of Vancouver, who has worked in similar capacities with other cities and groups, and is also a gerontologist; Joyce Murray, who has served both as a member of the Legislative Assembly and as a member of Parliament; and Dan Levitt, a gerontologist who has worked 30-plus years in seniors care, and is the current seniors advocate for the province.

Each panelist gave an overview of their opinions, starting with Kupferschmidt, who noted that much of what a municipality can do for the aging population requires financial support from other orders of government. However, a city can impact seniors in such areas as “zoning and related development charges, making sure that we have the right type of housing and the right mix of housing across the city.”

Municipalities can work with the provincial government, for example, on where care homes are located and support their development. Transportation is another key area, as are sidewalks and other “elements of an age-friendly city.” Cities have a role with respect to public libraries and the accessible services they offer, community centres, senior centres, pools, arenas, etc.

Levitt was the next to speak. “Currently, there are 5.5 million people living in our province, 1.1 million people are over 65,” he said. “Today, there’s one in five – 20% of all people are seniors. Fast forward just a decade from now and it’ll be one in four, 25%…. We have more people who are living longer and more people who are seniors, so 400,000 more seniors in the next decade.”

Levitt’s office monitors five areas: health care, transportation, housing, income and community services.

“The general trend,” he said, “is that there are more seniors and there are more investments, but there’s less available per senior.”

As an example, he said, a quarter of all seniors are living on $23,000 a year, or less than $2,000 a month. “And it’s not that hard to go find people living in the West End in affordable housing living on less than $1,000 a month, so they really need that income support from all levels of government, they need those subsidies.”

Levitt said there were 13,000 people on the waitlist for affordable housing last year. “How many of them got a space?” he asked. “Six percent, just under 800 people have got a space for affordable seniors housing in our province. We haven’t built enough, and there is a call right now to build more, but we’re not keeping pace with that demand.”

As well, he said, the province has been taking money away from long-term care homes, no longer funding overtime and agency nurses, for example, and this affects places like the Louis Brier Home and Hospital.

“It means that an already very thin margin is now almost impossible to operate without that government subsidy,” said Levitt.

“We haven’t invested enough either in seniors care,” he added. “We did a report in July, and our July report identifies that over 16,000 people are going to be short long-term care because we’re not building enough beds. There are 7,200 people on the waitlist today.” The burden of care, he said, is being transferred to families.

Murray took the conversation in a different direction.

“I was looking at the budget numbers about this when I was thinking about what I would be saying,” she said, “and the total new spending on OAS [Old Age Security] and medical care for seniors alone in the 2023 budget was $110 billion of new money…. Now, that’s going to tie into some of the demographics, for sure, but, when you break that down, that’s $4,300 per retiree 65 and older in new money in the 2023 federal budget versus $755 for younger Canadian under 45 in new money.”

She wondered about how well younger people were being supported. She also spoke of environmental concerns.

“What does it mean to be a good ancestor?” she asked. “And what do we think our society, our province, our country needs to do so that we collectively are good ancestors?”

“To govern is to choose,” said Mackenzie, noting that governments must make decisions about how “to allocate our finite resources to our infinite demands.”

The panelists talked more about that, as well as the way in which different levels of government work with one another. Murray said governments make policies they hope will attract voters, and seniors tend to vote more than younger people, so, for example, “a family with two members can earn up to $180,000 a year and still get their full OAS,” she said, asking, “Is that a good allocation of money?”

Mackenzie asked a variant of Murray’s question, considering how maximum monthly payments for public long-term care work.

“The person whose income is $200,000 a year is going to pay the same for their publicly funded long-term care plan as the person whose income is $70,000 a year,” said Mackenzie. “And so, if, on the one hand, we say, well, the people who have more should get less, which is the OAS argument, to what extent should we flip that and say, well, the people who have more should pay more when it comes to publicly subsidized long-term care? That’s, I think, missing from the discussion…. I think there are very uncomfortable conversations … that governments are going to have to have with their electorate and, as elected officials, you don’t like to have those uncomfortable conversations, for obvious reasons.”

Levitt thought the situation could be improved if governments helped people understand how much money they need to save to age well, what supports there would be for them as they age, and what people could do to support themselves.

Murray suggested, “Maybe what we need is like a citizens’ assembly, to start out by identifying what are the key things that are maybe broken or need improvement so that we can be good ancestors. And then have a citizens’ assembly that looks at what are the best solutions in other countries … and then create a proposal on that. I think we have to crowdsource the solutions here…. We need citizens to help us solve this.”

Kupferschmidt brought up Better at Home, a basket of non-medical services that seniors can access. “There has been public engagement into what those services should be…. However, there are examples of the service that is offered in one neighbourhood in the city is different than another,” he said, explaining that a “model with all the best intentions can sometimes create some disparities as well.”

Mackenzie stressed the complexities, both because everyone’s needs and everyone’s solutions are different. “And, in the end, in those environments, generally, we try to come up with solutions that meet the greatest good for the greatest number, but that certainly doesn’t meet the need for everybody all the time and that is, I think, the political challenge at all levels of government, whether they be the local, the provincial or the federal.”

History as a foundation

In her talk at the White Rock South Surrey Jewish Community Centre on Nov. 23, Elana Wenner articulated what many in the room felt: that understanding our local history is not only a matter of dates and facts, but of recognizing the people and decisions that shaped Jewish life in British Columbia.

Wenner is director of programming and development at the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia (JMABC). She offered participants at the WRSS JCC an opportunity to learn, ask questions and connect with a narrative that continues to inform how communities develop today.

photo - Elana Wenner, director of programming and development at the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia — Elana Wenner, director of programming and development at the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia. (photo from JMABC)

Wenner framed the museum’s work as a living effort: one rooted in storytelling, preservation and accessibility. Since its founding in 1971, the museum has aimed to collect and safeguard materials that reflect the breadth of Jewish life across the province. While the JMABC’s office is in Vancouver, the physical archives are in Steveston, and much has been digitized. The museum’s holdings include an extensive collection of photographs, oral histories, community records and artifacts that trace the evolution of BC Jewish communities from the 1850s to the present. As Wenner explained, the goal is not only to document the past, but to continually bring it forward through tours, public programs and exhibitions that invite ongoing engagement.

A significant portion of the talk focused on the formation of early Jewish communities here, with Victoria serving as the central example. Wenner outlined how Jewish settlement in the province grew in tandem with broader economic shifts – particularly, the Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858, which drew thousands of newcomers, including Jews, arriving largely from San Francisco. Unlike many immigrant populations fleeing hardship, early Jewish settlers often came from stable or middle-class backgrounds, equipped with professional experience and communal networks established during prior periods of Jewish emancipation in Western Europe. This shaped the type of roles they took on upon arriving in British Columbia.

Rather than heading directly into the goldfields, Jewish settlers tended to create the infrastructure that supported the prospectors. Businesses, supply stores and service-oriented ventures were the backbone of Jews’ early contributions. By the 1860s, Jews owned a notable portion of the establishments in Victoria’s commercial district, helping transform what was still a young settlement into a functioning hub. One example highlighted in the talk was the Victoria Dry Goods Store, run by Kady Gambitz. Far more than a retail space, the store became a gathering point where members of the small but growing Jewish community could meet, organize, and exchange news. It became, as Wenner described, “a community centre before the community had a centre.”

This comment led into a discussion about what it takes to build a Jewish community from the ground up. Drawing on both historical evidence and contemporary observations, Wenner outlined several elements: a critical mass of people, stability and safety, access to kosher food and religious rituals, a cemetery, communal leadership and, eventually, the capacity for self-organization. In Victoria, one of the first formal steps was the creation of the Victoria Hebrew Benevolent Society around 1860/61, which coordinated charitable efforts and helped fund essential communal needs, including education and welfare. The society’s earliest priority, Wenner noted, was establishing a Jewish cemetery; a cornerstone of Jewish communal life reflecting the importance of honouring the dead according to tradition.

Wenner also spoke about the construction of Victoria’s Congregation Emanu-El. While today it stands as the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Canada, its path to completion was complicated. Tensions between more reform-minded members, who preferred a church-like architectural style, and traditionalists, who insisted on a recognizably Jewish structure, stalled progress. The turning point came through the efforts of the Victoria Ladies Hebrew Aid Society. Through fundraising events, including a community ball that attracted attendees from across the city, they raised sufficient funds to move the project forward. In the end, both visions were incorporated: a subdued exterior aligned with contemporary preferences and a traditional interior complete with a women’s gallery. The synagogue, completed in 1863, remains a testament to compromise, cooperation, and the decisive leadership of Jewish women, who often worked behind the scenes.

Throughout the presentation, Wenner emphasized how women’s contributions extended far beyond fundraising. They maintained communal spaces, organized cultural events and helped establish social services that supported families and newcomers. Their work, preserved through handwritten receipts, event notes and donation lists – all of which can be found in the archives – highlights a broader pattern: that community endurance is rarely the work of a few visible leaders, but of the collective efforts of many.

Wenner also touched on the political influence of early Jewish settlers. Figures such as Lumley Franklin, Victoria’s mayor and the first elected Jewish mayor in North America, and David Oppenheimer, Vancouver’s second mayor, were presented not merely as historical footnotes but as individuals whose civic engagement reflected the integration and ambition of the province’s early Jewish community. Henry Nathan, Canada’s first Jewish member of Parliament, who represented Victoria in Ottawa, and Samuel David Schultz, the country’s first Jewish judge, further illustrate the ways in which Jews have contributed to the shaping of public life in the region since they arrived.

As Wenner’s talk moved into the Q&A session, attendees asked about migration patterns, economic networks, and how early Jewish settlers balanced maintaining tradition with adapting to a rapidly developing province. Wenner’s responses blended archival detail with broader social insight, giving the discussion a conversational quality that matched the curiosity in the room.

By the end of her presentation, what emerged most clearly was a sense of continuity. Early Jewish settlers faced many of the same issues we do today surrounding organization, leadership, collaboration and identity. The history Wenner shared was not distant; it was grounding. It provided a reminder of how communities form, evolve and endure through intention and shared purpose.

Chloe Heuchert is an historian specializing in Canadian Jewish history. During her master’s program at Trinity Western University, she focused on Jewish internment in Quebec during the Second World War.

Music can comfort us

On Dec. 3, in the second webinar of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2025/26 Building Bridges Lecture Series, Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz guided an interactive examination of the potential to harness the power of music, especially that which provides solace, be it secular or liturgical.

Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz, director of prayer and music at the Hadar Institute in New York. (photo from Hadar Institute)

The director of tefillah (prayer) and music at the Hadar Institute, an educational organization in New York City, Sacks Mintz showed how, through text study, deep listening and participation, comfort (or anchor) songs can ignite creativity and provide strength, resilience and hope in an individual – and also serve communities in times of disruption.

“Tumultuous times are unfortunately nothing new. Times have been tumultuous since the dawn of humanity. And, also since the dawn of humanity, folks have drawn comfort from a variety of modalities,” she said, emphasizing that one of those modalities is communal song.

The talk began with a listening and reflection exercise around the question of comfort. Before playing a version of Hashiveinu, performed by Sacks Mintz and members of the Nigun Circle at Hadar, she asked participants to write down something that gives them comfort. The answers were varied and dynamic, ranging from prayer, food and song to family, friends and nature.

The role of comfort music in Jewish text was explored, starting with 1 Samuel: “So, it came about whenever the [evil] spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand, and Saul would be refreshed/re-expanded, and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.”

Some in the Zoom audience described what happened in this passage as a possible early form of music therapy, bringing Saul healing and comfort.

Moving ahead several centuries, Sacks Mintz quoted Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s encouragement for all to sing a niggun (wordless melody, often used in prayer): “It is good for a person to accustom oneself to reviving oneself with a niggun, because niggun is a powerful and mighty tool, and it has the great strength to awaken a person and point their heart towards the Blessed Name.”

Nachman called everyone to music, even those who could not play an instrument or were able to sing, said Sacks Mintz, for music has the power to revive the self, “for the lift of a niggun cannot be measured.”

She explained, “[He’s] not saying, wow, you should become a pro jazz musician and an amazing singer, and then you too can be sustained by song. You just have to be willing to engage in it on your own, and that can revive the self. It’s about being in a relationship with your internal world.”

Sacks Mintz shared two different pieces from the Jewish canon that comfort her, while asking the audience to reflect and unpack what might be core elements in the language of comfort they offer. She also asked the audience to consider what constitutes a comfort song for them.

One piece was by Rabbi Menachem Goldberger, a prolific composer of niggunim. It was an example of the various feelings one can experience in a piece of music. Reactions ran the gamut from feeling rejuvenated and uplifted to grounded and anchored. Similar feelings were expressed after “Mi Yiten Li Ever,” a song based on Psalm 55:7 by Rabbi Miriam Margles and the Hadar Ensemble, was played. The translation on its Bandcamp page reads: “Who will give me the wings of a dove, that I might fly away and find rest? I would flee to the wilderness; finding refuge from the tempest, from the sweeping wind.”

As well as being a facilitator of Jewish communal music, Sacks Mintz is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. As a performer and composer, she has collaborated on more than two dozen albums across the Jewish soundscape, including her original spiritual works The Narrow and the Expanse (2020) and Yetzira (2023), with Rising Song Records. A third album is expected in early 2026.

Sacks Mintz received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, holds a master’s degree in women’s and gender studies, and earned degrees in music and religious anthropology from the University of Michigan.

Founded in 2006, the Hadar Institute strives to build communities in North America and Israel, offering various programs to support the development of Judaism that is both traditional and egalitarian.

The next lecture in the Kolot Mayim series will feature Broadway historian and lecturer David Benkof on Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. Benkof will deliver his talk – Spotlight on Jewish Broadway with the Broadway Maven – in Victoria in person and on Zoom. For information, visit kolotmayimreformtemple.com.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

New chapter for JFS

Shelley Rivkin is the new chair of the Jewish Family Services (JFS) board of directors. Rivkin steps into the role at a pivotal moment, succeeding outgoing board chair Jody Dales, who led the organization through the pandemic and the milestone of securing a permanent home for JFS for the first time in its 89-year history. Rivkin will guide the next phase of development for JFS’s newly acquired 22,000-square-foot facility on Commercial Drive, which is slated for a major renovation to become a fully integrated hub for food security, mental health, seniors support, housing navigation and counseling services. This renovation represents the most substantial infrastructure improvement in JFS’s history and will ensure the organization can meet the community’s growing needs for decades to come.

“Shelley brings deep strategic insight, decades of experience in community planning and a profound commitment to serving vulnerable populations,” said Tanja Demajo, chief executive officer of JFS. “Her leadership will be essential as we transform our new building into a future-ready social-service centre.”

photo - Shelley Rivkin takes over from Jody Dales as chair of Jewish Family Services’ board — Shelley Rivkin takes over from Jody Dales as chair of Jewish Family Services’ board. *(photo from JFS)*

Rivkin currently serves as the executive director of Congregation Schara Tzedeck, bringing her expertise in community planning, organizational development and social-impact strategy.

Prior to her current role, Rivkin spent 17 years at the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, where she advanced major community priorities including poverty reduction, housing initiatives, mental-health strategies and global Jewish engagement. Her work has shaped policy, strengthened nonprofit capacity and guided some of the community’s most significant collaborative efforts.

In addition to her professional leadership, Rivkin has volunteered extensively across community organizations and advisory bodies, consistently championing inclusive, evidence-based and people-centred approaches to communal service.

“JFS is entering an incredibly exciting phase,” said Rivkin. “Our new facility will allow us to expand our services, integrate programs more meaningfully, and respond to the urgent and growing needs of individuals and families across the Lower Mainland. I’m honoured to support this work alongside a dedicated board, staff team and community.”

photo - Jody Dales, outgoing chair of Jewish Family Services’ board of directors — Jody Dales, outgoing chair of Jewish Family Services’ board of directors. *(photo from JFS)*

Dales reflected on the transition and Rivkin’s appointment.

“It has been one of the great honours of my life to serve as board chair of JFS during such a transformative time,” said Dales. “Shelley is exactly the leader JFS needs for this next chapter. Her deep understanding of community needs, her integrity and her ability to bring people together will be invaluable as we move forward with the renovation of our new home on Commercial Drive. I have complete confidence in her leadership and look forward to seeing JFS thrive under her guidance.”

Dales’ tenure included guiding the organization through COVID-related challenges, the launch of the Kitchen food hub, expanded mental-health and addiction services through JACS Vancouver, and the acquisition of JFS’s permanent facility.

The new Commercial Drive facility will allow JFS to significantly expand its reach and integrate services under one roof. Planned features include an accessible food-security centre; expanded counseling, addiction support and mental-health services; seniors programs and community navigation; purpose-built spaces for group programs and workshops; and infrastructure to support case management, housing navigation and emergency financial assistance.

– Courtesy Jewish Family Services

Chance led to great decision

The list of things that kids learn at summer camp, while having fun and making friends, is almost endless. (photo from Camp Miriam)

Serendipity led us to Camp Miriam. In the span of one week in the fall of 2017, two friends – who didn’t know each other at the time – asked where I was planning to send my then–7-year-old daughter to camp. I had been thinking about it but had no idea where to begin. Having not grown up in Vancouver, I didn’t know the options. Both friends spoke glowingly about Camp Miriam. One was an alum; the other had sent her older daughter.

Camp registration day was approaching, and both of my friends’ daughters were desperate to know who else would be going. I relied on those moms’ advice and, with their gentle prodding, made one of the best parenting decisions I’ve ever made. To this day, these moms remain among my most trusted friends.

That first summer, after the five-day introductory session for her age group at Camp Miriam, our daughter came down the steps at the ferry terminal looking exhausted but happy. She was holding hands with a new friend. She hugged her friend goodbye before she hugged us hello. In the car ride home, we asked her to tell us about camp.

“There was a big holiday and it was so much fun. Can I go to camp every year for that holiday?”

I pulled out my phone to Google Jewish holidays in July. There were a few obscure ones, but nothing that seemed worth traveling on three buses and two ferries to celebrate.

“Do you remember what holiday it was?” I asked.

“They called it Shabbat.”

My husband and I looked at each other.

“Shabbat happens every week – we celebrate Shabbat, too,” I started to explain. From the rearview mirror, I could see her face scrunch up.

“Well,” she said, “they celebrate it much better at camp.”

It turns out Shabbat isn’t the only thing they do better at Camp Miriam.

Recently, I asked my daughter what she loves most about camp. She mentioned a few specifics – tiyul (the overnight backpacking trip), rikud (the weekly Shabbat Israeli folk dance) – and then said something I wasn’t expecting, because it’s exactly the same thing I love most about Camp Miriam. She said her favourite thing is how much she learns there.

photo - two boys carrying a pail — *(photo from Camp Miriam)*

As she rattled off the list of topics – Israel, Jewish traditions, Hebrew, practical skills, responsibility – I realized how often I’m pleasantly surprised by what she has learned from camp. Things beyond the public school curriculum, and often beyond even my most patient and, dare I say, awesome parenting. Camp is both a safe space and a challenging one. At camp, my daughter has the opportunity to hone essential life skills: independence, resilience, teamwork, acceptance, adaptability. She has gained confidence, built friendships, appreciated the restorative power of nature, and enjoyed time away from screens. She has learned to paddle a kayak, varnish a wooden canoe, and passed the swim test doing the backstroke the year she forgot her goggles and decided the chlorine stung her eyes. She didn’t even know what varnish was before camp. And I didn’t know she could backstroke across an entire pool.

I’ve learned a lot, too.

The Camp Miriam registrar later told me I had been the stereotypical nervous mom. I would show up at information sessions full of concerns and fire endless questions at the staff. Eventually, she gently reminded me that my anxiety could rub off on my child. “We’ve got this,” she told me. Then, she gave me the most valuable advice of all: “Tell your kid that when they’re at camp, they should go to their counselors with their concerns and problems. That’s what they’re there for.” I can honestly say that in all the years she’s been at camp, the counselors have been there for her 100%. After a few years, I realized I should leave space at the information sessions for the new crop of nervous parents.

We’re now getting ready to send our daughter to Israel this summer with her Camp Miriam kvutzah (peer group). I’m no longer the nervous mom I was. Camp Miriam has helped me hone my own parenting skills. Even if a bit of nervousness still lingers – though I won’t admit it does – I’m mostly just thrilled for my daughter. I’m full of gratitude for the experiences camp has given her. I know this upcoming trip will be transformative, and that she’ll come back with greater insight, understanding and appreciation of Israel and Judaism. She will make friends from around the world and return home an even more confident, compassionate and resilient human being.

And, after the trip, when I pick her up at the airport, as she hugs her camp friends goodbye, I’ll be busy hugging my camp-mom friends hello.

From the JI archives … camp

image - article from Sept. 3 1937 JWB — Sept. 3, 1937: “It is practically impossible in the space of a short article to fully describe the happy holiday enjoyed by eighty-five children at the Council of Jewish Women Camp at Crescent Beach this summer,” begins this article by Mrs. M. M. Grossman. I know the first “M” refers to Max, but I couldn’t find his wife’s name before we went to press.

What strikes me every time the Jewish Independent does a Camp Guide issue is the staying power of our Jewish summer camps.

Camp Hatikvah was started in 1937 at Crescent Beach by the National Council of Jewish Women. It was run under their auspices until 1944, when, according to the camp’s website, “members of the Young Judaea youth organization arranged to first rent, and then later acquire, the property to create Camp Hatikvah.” The camp is located on Lake Kalamalka in the Okanagan Valley.

The site quotes the Independent’s predecessor, the Jewish Western Bulletin, noting that a 1949 article in the JWB stated that “Camp Hatikvah provided early participants with a ‘place where they could live and express themselves as Jews, unhampered with fear of others and free from the out-of-place feeling that is so often a part of North American Jewishness.’ Developed in the aftermath of the Holocaust, Hatikvah existed to ‘produce proud, happy Jewish youth who were earnest and sincere in their beliefs’ and committed to the re-building of the Jewish people.”

image - April 22, 1955: Camp BB Riback comes into existence. — April 22, 1955: Camp BB Riback comes into existence.

And the camp wasn’t territorial, it appears. According to a 1948 article in the JWB, Camp Hatikvah allowed Habonim Machaneh (Camp) to use its facilities for two weeks. By 1949, Habonim was renting a camp on Gabriola Island and, by 1951, Habonim Camp Miriam was in its third year, but, it seems, its first with the name Camp Miriam.

Camp BB Riback, in Pine Lake, Alta., was founded in 1955, led by Ted Riback of Calgary, who was chair of the B’nai B’rith Camp committee. There were two articles in the April 22, 1955, JWB about it, one about the camp and one about the upcoming B’nai B’rith convention, the highlight of which was anticipated to be a discussion about the camp.

image - July 13, 1956: Kids from Vancouver have always attended Camp Solomon Schechter in Washington state. — July 13, 1956: Kids from Vancouver have always attended Camp Solomon Schechter in Washington state.

While Camp Solomon Schechter was established by rabbis Joshua Stampfer and Joseph Wagner in 1954, the first mention I could find of it in the JWB was in 1956. The week-long camp at Echo Lake, Wash., was also under the supervision of Rabbi Bert Woythaler of Vancouver’s Congregation Beth Israel and the Pacific Northwest Region of the United Synagogue sponsored it. The camp has been located near Olympia, Wash., since 1968.

image - Dec. 29, 2006: Even before Camp Kalsman had a summer session, they were part of the Jewish Western Bulletin’s Camp Guide — Dec. 29, 2006: Even before Camp Kalsman had a summer session, they were part of the Jewish Western Bulletin’s Camp Guide.

Relative newcomer Camp Kalsman started in 2007, and the JWB has followed it since its beginnings, as well. In 2006, the camp ran an ad looking for a director and, in our Dec. 29, 2006, Camp Guide, David Berkman, the newly appointed director, spoke to the paper about the Union for Reform Judaism camp, in Arlington, Wash. “The buildings are under construction. Staff and campers are being recruited; programs are being planned and we must buy everything – bunks, bats, balls, arts and crafts supplies, mops…. I have a long wish list,” he said.

As that 2006 article by Pearl Salkin noted, “The camps might not have big brass bands, but the excitement is already building. If you want your children to join in the fun, sign them up now, before the parade passes by.”

עשרים ואחת שנים להגעתי לונקובר

בראשית השנה החדשה ימלאו עשרים ואחת שנים להגעתי לונקובר ואין ספק שהזמן רץ כל כך מהר. לו יכולתי להחזיר את שעון הזמן אחורה הייתי עוזב את ישראל שנים קודם לכן. כבר בראשית שנות השמונים (לאחר השחרור מהשירות הצבאי) היה לי חלום שלא הרפה ממני והוא לעבור לגור בחו”ל. לאורך המשך שנות חיי הצטרפו סיבות נוספות (לחלום) מדוע רציתי לעזוב את ישראל ולבסוף עשיתי זאת רק בראשית שנת אלפיים וחמש.השנים הראשונות היו קשות במיוחד על רקע העבודה שנאלצתי להתמודד עם המציאות הלא פשוטה שבונקובר לא אוכל לעבוד עוד בתחום המדיה, כפי שעשיתי שנים בישראל. אמנם כתבתי כפרילאנס במשך שנים מכאן לישראל עבור ידיעות אחרונות ווינט, אך אין מקום להשוואה לעבודה הקבועה בארץ. במקביל התחלתי להבין שהמנטליות הקנדית שונה לחלוטין מזו שבישראל וזה לוקח זמן די רב להתאים את עצמך לכך

מכל מקום אחרי שעבדתי במשך כשבע שנים כמחפש מידע עבור חברה פיננסית מקומית, לאור הרקע העיתונאי שלי, הצטרפתי לחברת פרוגרסה שבה אני עובד עד היום – במשך אחת עשרה וחצי שנים. מדובר בחברה פיננסית שמספקת הלוואות ללקוחות שלא יכולים לקבל הלוואה מהבנק (בשל קרדיט גרוע). בשנתיים הראשונות שימשתי מנהל קשרי לקוחות ומזה קרוב לתשע וחצי שנים אני הוא מבקר החברה. זו עבודה אחראית ומאתגרת ואני אוהב לעשותה. אני לא חושב בשלב זה כלל על נושא הפרישה למרות שבקנדה הגיל הרשמי לצאת לפנסיה הוא 65. מבחינתי הכל פתוח לגבי השאלה עד מתי אמשיך לעבוד בחברה

בהיבט האישי יש לי זוגיות קרובה במשך למעלה משמונה שנים וזה מעניק יציבות לחיי שנינו. בת הזוג שלי הגיעה מסין והפכה את ונקובר כמוני, לבית הקבוע שלה. למרות הרקע השונה יש לנו עניין משותף בלא מעט תחומים בהם אמנות, מוסיקה ועיצוב. שנינו מאוד אוהבים את אירופה והקלאסיות שבה. מאוד נהנינו לבקר בשנים האחרונות בציריך, ברצלונה, מדריד, לונדון, דבלין ואמסטרדם – שהיא עדיין העיר האהובה עלי. אנו מתכננים בשנים הקרובות להמשיך ולטייל בערים המרכזיות של אירופה

אני אוהב לחלק את בני האדם לשתי קבוצות מרכזיות: עכברי עיר ועכבר שדה. אנו עכברי עיר שאוהבים את מה שהערים יכולות להציע, ובעיקר בתחום התרבות. בנוסף הנוף העירוני מושך אותנו בעיקר כשמדובר במבנים עם היסטוריה ארוכה

בשעות הפנאי ביוזמתי אנו לוקחים חלק באירועי מוזיקה המתרחשים בונקובר בהם: קונצרטים של התזמורת הסימפונית המקומית ואופרות של בית האופרה המקומי. בנוסף אנו הולכים בקביעות למועדון הג’אז המקומי שמארח אמנים מארה”ב ומקומיים כאחד. בתחום מוסיקת הפופ הלכנו למספר הופעות באצטדיון הגדול (שנמצא סמוך לביתנו) ובהן של: פול מקרטני, אלטון ג’ון, פיטר גבריאל, להקת קולדפליי וטיילור סוויפט.

יש לי כאן גם מספר חברים ורובם לא ישראלים וזה טוב כי חיפשתי להשתלב בחברה המקומית ולא להישאר זר לנצח . גיוון החברים שלא שייכים לקבוצה אחת ואף לא מכירים אחד את השני, הופכים את המפגשים עימם למעניינים ופוריים. מי שמכיר אותי יודע שאני לא אוהב מפגשים חברתיים בקבוצות גדולות, אלה מפגשים של אחד עם אחד או זוג עם זוג נוסף

ונקובר נחשבת לאחת הערים היפות בעולם עם טבע מדהים גם ממש בעיר עצמה. לא צריך להרחיק לכת כדי להגיע לפינות טבע שקטות, כיוון שהעיר מוקפת במים ובתוכה נמצאים מספר פרקים בהם סטנלי פארק שהוא גדול מהסנטרל פארק של ניו יורק. בהחלט עיר שמומלץ לבקר בה