Category: News

Harper speaks at gala

Dr. Robert Krell will be honoured at the Sept. 7 gala of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation’s Western region. (photo from CSZHF, Western region)

Ilan Pilo had recently arrived in Canada from Israel in 2013 when he attended a Jewish National Fund gala in Toronto honouring Stephen Harper, Canada’s then-prime minister. Pilo thinks it may have been the largest kosher dinner ever on Canadian soil – but what struck him most was the rapturous enthusiasm among attendees for the country’s head of government.

“Harper was, and has been, one of the most genuine and strong allies and voices on behalf of Canadian Jewry and Israel,” said Pilo, now Western Canada executive for the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation.

Pilo will dine again with Harper, when the former prime minister is the keynote speaker at the first-ever gala of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation’s Western region, which takes place Sept. 7. 

“In these challenging times, we all deserve to get some hope and strength by having a strong ally like him speaking in front of us,” said Pilo. “We all were astonished and so proud to hear his great support, his genuine support for Israel, and just now we need it more than ever.”

The gala, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation, will see the Kurt and Edith Rothschild Humanitarian Award bestowed upon Dr. Robert Krell.

The founding president of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, Krell is a child survivor of the Shoah and a renowned Vancouver-based psychiatrist, academic, author and educator, who has devoted his life to supporting survivors, educating on genocide and combating intolerance. In 2020, he was inducted into the Order of Canada.

The Kurt and Edith Rothschild Humanitarian Award is named in memory of the late Kurt Rothschild, a Canadian philanthropist, Jewish community leader and co-founder of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation. Along with his wife Edith, Rothschild devoted his life to strengthening the Jewish people, the state of Israel and institutions like Shaare Zedek Medical Centre in Jerusalem; he also served as president of the World Mizrachi movement. The award recognizes exceptional individuals whose integrity, leadership and service have left a meaningful impact both locally and globally. 

Krell told the Independent that he has felt a special connection with Shaare Zedek Medical Centre in Jerusalem since he read Dr. Gisella Perl’s 1948 memoir, I Was a Doctor in Auschwitz.

Imprisoned in the death camp, Perl, a gynecologist, was forced to work under the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele in the camp’s women’s infirmary. She performed countless life-saving – but excruciating – procedures without anesthesia, including secretly conducting abortions to save pregnant women from certain execution. Later, while serving in the maternity ward at Shaare Zedek Medical Centre, she would say a silent prayer before every delivery, “God, you owe me a life.”

“So, Shaare Zedek has been on my mind for a long time and, therefore, to be asked to be an honouree of that particular hospital talked to me,” Krell said.

The hospital’s maternity ward delivers 20,000 babies annually – by comparison, that’s three times as many as Vancouver’s BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre. About 1,000 of those newborns are premature and the Sept. 7 gala is the culmination of a campaign to generate revenue to purchase five new $50,000 incubators for the Jerusalem hospital.

Krell is especially honoured, he said, to receive the award in the presence of Harper.

“It’s a great honour to be with someone who is truly admired for their statesmanship,” he said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a statesman in Canada.”

Pilo noted that Krell’s selection for the award was unanimously supported by the award committee, which was chaired by Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt, and included Dr. Arthur Dodek, Marie Doduck, Shannon Gorski-Averbach and Dr. Jonathon Leipsic, as well as Pilo.

“We were aiming to find the right person to be awarded for the first time ever with the Kurt and Edith Rothschild Humanitarian Award in the Western region,” Pilo said. “The committee agreed, without any hesitation, that our award recipient should be Rob Krell, since he is renowned for support of Canadian Jewry and Israel. His lifelong efforts at preserving the memory of the Holocaust and his dedication for children, which aligns with our incubator drive, [made it] so natural that he is the right person to receive this award.”

Pilo credited the foundation’s national executive director, Rafi Yablonsky, for securing the former prime minister’s presence at the celebration, which will be emceed by Dr. Marla Gordon. Dinner co-chairs are Yael Segal and Carol Segal. Community partners for the event are the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee, Congregation Schara Tzedeck, the Jewish Medical Association of British Columbia and the Jewish Independent. Tickets are at hospitalwithaheart.ca. 

Battling disinformation

Why do international media outlets seem intent on repeating the Hamas narrative? According to British military expert Maj. (ret.) Andrew Fox, there are a few key factors – including antisemitism.

“The first [factor] is a human desire not to admit when they are wrong and we don’t understand how powerful this is because it means that they have to admit that they have been wrong for the last 18 months,” he told JNS during a visit to Israel earlier this year.

Fox continued: “The second reason is the power of the narrative. Once you have achieved the dominance of your narrative, it is very, very difficult to present another narrative. The third one is antisemitism. While everything is not antisemitism – and I am really wary of saying that it is – certainly there are biases.”

Fox was a panelist at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism hosted by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs in Jerusalem on March 27. As a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society who served as a top officer in the British army from 2005 to 2021, he is an authoritative voice supporting Israel, explaining how the Israel Defence Forces operates, and fighting disinformation about the Israeli military and its terrorist enemies.

In December 2024, Fox released a report under the auspices of the Henry Jackson Society titled “Questionable Counting: Analyzing the Death Toll from the Hamas-Run Ministry of Health in Gaza.” The report presented clear indications that Hamas was padding casualty numbers. Despite this, he said, many in the media repeated, without question, whatever Hamas put out.

Fox is not the only publisher of a report that backs Israeli data with empirical evidence. On March 18, he pointed out, British historian Lord Andrew Roberts presented the All-Party Parliamentary Group report on the atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023. The 318-page report lays bare the depravity of the Hamas attack in detail.

“The immediate reaction online is that it’s biased,” Fox said. “Lord Roberts is not Israeli, Israel is not his area of focus and everything is meticulously referenced. Yet, it has been utterly dismissed out of hand, and that is absolutely astonishing.”

He added: “Of course, there will be a strong counter campaign with Qatari money. I had the same thing with my report. The final aspect is that the Palestinian campaign has 10 times the supporters that Israel does. It’s a numbers game, ultimately.”

Is antisemitism in the form of anti-Zionism, or what some call “Israelophobia,” ingrained in some media institutions?

According to Fox, the answer is yes. “It is institutional with the BBC. Twice this year [as of March] they have had to put out major apologies breaching their own impartiality guidelines – when they platform Hamas royalty in a documentary about kids in Gaza or when they email the Israeli embassy asking for a speaker who is specifically anti-Netanyahu,” he said.

“There are three parts to an apology: ‘I am sorry, it’s my fault and I will do better.’ They haven’t really done that third part at all. It is endemic and institutionalized.”

While the IDF has faced criticism from journalists who are not being allowed into Gaza, with some saying this strategy has impaired Israel’s ability to present the facts on the ground, Fox backed the Israeli military’s position.

“If you give a journalist free rein in Gaza, they will either do what Hamas tells them or they will be killed – and that will be blamed on the IDF anyway. From a military perspective, you don’t want anyone filming an airstrike because they don’t have all the supporting data to report fairly without knowing what went into the targeting process.”

To illustrate his point, Fox said he had flown to Israel with Sir John McColl, a former British army four-star general who had been “very anti-IDF.”

“All week he was pushing the IDF like a hawk – and then came home and wrote an op-ed saying he was convinced Israel is doing everything it can to protect civilians, and that’s what the IDF should be showing journalists,” Fox said.

He added: “You can’t send journalists in with fighting troops; that is too dangerous. Fighting in Gaza is a 360-degree war. You have high-rise buildings, ground level, underground. As a soldier, I would probably refuse to take a journalist into that battle.”

Fox expressed concern that we are in a very dangerous information environment when many people turn to social media for information because of the 24-hour news cycle, and very often what is posted is not factual and has not been verified. In the rush to make the news cycle, journalists are also not fact-checking properly, he said.

“The fight against antisemitism is the most important thing to me,” he said. “The stories I hear from my friends are just shocking.”

When asked what communities around the world could be doing better, he said: “We are not going to stop 2,000 years of antisemitism; it is not something we can defeat. It is not easy, but I would work to bring the silent majority on to our side.”

He added: “From a British perspective, we need to make it about a community that is part of the country. The ‘Palestine’ marches are horrendous and very un-British. It’s about how we frame it.” 

Rolene Marks is a journalist and commentator specializing in Israeli advocacy, global Jewish affairs and Middle Eastern politics for JNS.org. She is a member of Media Team Israel and Truth be Told, both dedicated to promoting accurate reporting on Israel. Additionally, she serves as the chair of WIZO’s hasbara division, where she leads efforts in public diplomacy and advocacy. This article was originally published on jns.org.

* * *

Marks’s two stops here

photo - Rolene Marks
Rolene Marks (photo from CHW)

Israeli journalist, advocate, and chair of WIZO’s hasbara (communications) division Rolene Marks is touring Canada this September with Just the Facts, about the current situation in Israel, the realities of the war between Israel and Hamas (and other hostile groups), and the resilience of the Israeli people. Marks stops in Vancouver on Sept. 12 for an event hosted by CHW and the Ohel Ya’akov Community Kollel, and also helps open CHW Vancouver Centre’s new year, on Sept. 14.

At the Kollel young professionals event, Marks will talk about the United Nations, Gaza and Israel-related topics, and the Canadian government’s agenda, as it affects Israel and the Jewish diaspora. She will dispel lies, misinformation and blood libels, sharing links for where people can find accurate information and sources, stressing the need for Jews in Canada to share accurate information on social media. As well, she will discuss WIZO’s work in Israel and the importance of belonging to CHW (Canadian Hadassah-WIZO).

To join the CHW-Kollel Young Adults Shabbat experience on Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m., go to chw.ca/just-the-facts. Registration is by donation.

The CHW Vancouver Centre’s opening luncheon and fashion show on Sept. 14, 10:30 a.m., will feature fashions from After Five and Maison Labelle,  lunch and door prizes, as well as an exclusive pre-event meet-and-greet for sponsors with Marks, CHW national president Tova Train and CHW chief executive officer Lisa Colt-Kotler. Tickets ($96) are available at chw.ca/region/western-region. 

– Courtesy CHW

Webinar on Syria and Iran

On Aug. 5, B’nai Brith Canada hosted an online discussion on the crises affecting Druze communities in Syria and the Iranian people, with a focus on the impact on these diasporas in Canada and potential actions by the Canadian government. 

The speakers were Kiumars Rezvanifar, president of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association and founder of the Iranian Canadian Cultural Fellowship, and Jamal Sehnawi, an advisor to the Supreme Druze Council and a member of the Canadian Druze Society. 

Rezvanifar said the recent violence in Syria’s Suwayda (Sweida) governorate could have resulted in “hundreds of thousands” of Druze deaths if the Israel Defence Forces had not intervened. He said the attacks included the killing of civilians and kidnappings, highlighting the case of a 5-year-old girl who was kidnapped, assaulted, and her family killed, allegedly by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). He lamented that major Arab media outlets like Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya have downplayed the crisis, a silence he called “a moral issue.”

Independent casualty figures vary. The Washington Institute reported more than 800 dead and 900 injured. Reuters-verified footage and the Syrian Network for Human Rights cited more than 1,000 deaths, mostly Druze, including women and children. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented 182 executions by government-affiliated forces as of July 19. Le Monde reported 1,311 deaths, while Anadolu Agency cited at least 321 killed, including six children and nine women. 

These attacks have deeply shaken Canada’s Druze community, said Rezvanifar, who estimated the Druze population in Canada at about 50,000, mainly in Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton. 

Sehnawi described the violence in Suwayda as “ethnic cleansing,” attributing it to the Syrian Ministry of Defence and Interior and to foreign fighters. He said the Druze community’s requests were for peace and recognition similar to that afforded to other communities worldwide. 

Throughout the discussion, Sehnawi spoke about historical and cultural ties between Jewish and Druze communities, referring to Druze as “direct descendants to the sons of Jacob (Israel)” and noting traditions of service and community support. 

The online conversation also addressed the situation in Iran. Rezvanifar spoke about decades of repression by the Iranian government, citing executions, censorship and the suppression of protests. He criticized European countries for “prioritizing economic interests over human rights,” noting that international attention often came “too late to effectively help the Iranian people facing brutal repression.”

In the face of internet blackouts and censorship, Rezvanifar praised citizen journalists, saying, “The Iranian population is tech-savvy and educated, constantly finding ways to circumvent restrictions.”

Rezvanifar alleged that Iranian regime operatives live openly in Canadian cities such as Vancouver and Richmond Hill (part of the Greater Toronto Area), claiming “thousands of visas may have been issued to regime members” and “fewer than 10 deportations have occurred in the past five to eight years.” These figures have not been independently confirmed. 

He commented on the fact that it took repeated calls before Canada designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization in 2024. The measure had been sought by various groups since the January 2020 downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which killed 176 people, most of them Canadian citizens or residents. Both speakers called for Canada and the international community to take action in support of affected communities.

“In real estate, it’s all about location, location, location,” Sehnawi concluded. “In this situation, it’s all about information, information, information.” 

Uriel Presman Chikiar is a student at Queen’s University and serves as executive vice-president of external relations at Hillel Queen’s.

FSWC gives workshop

Left to right: Emily Bonnell-Marcus (Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre), Zelda Dean (Emanu-El), Johanna Herman (FSWC), April Nowell (Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island), Frances Grunberg (JFVVI) and Jaime Stein (FSWC, Western Canada). (photo from  FSWC)

On Aug. 12, more than 80 people from diverse faith backgrounds gathered at Victoria’s Congregation Emanu-El for Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s flagship antisemitism education workshop – Antisemitism: Then and Now. 

Geared for professionals, community members and volunteers who are interested in combating hatred, the workshop is presented by Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island in partnership with FSWC. It is designed to build historical understanding of antisemitism and the Holocaust, examine how antisemitism shows up today, offer practical strategies to recognize and respond to antisemitic rhetoric and behaviour, and strengthen an organization’s capacity for allyship and inclusivity.

While in British Columbia, FSWC advocacy team members also attended the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference. During the event, they strengthened their partnership with the Canadian Police Knowledge Network to advance the development of a national antisemitism training module, which will be made available to police services across the country. They also established new connections to support their law enforcement training initiatives, and promoted the upcoming Building a Case Against Hate Conference in Vancouver, scheduled for February.

For more information, visit fswc.ca. 

– Courtesy Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre

Hebrew Bible stories inspire

On Sept. 16, Stephen Schecter will retell three stories from the Hebrew Bible at the 40th anniversary celebration of L’Chaim Adult Day Centre. He promises the stories will bring laughter and tears. (photo from Stephen Schecter)

“I love the Hebrew Bible,” Stephen Schecter told the Independent. “It is, after all, the template of Western literature and the DNA of the Jewish people. Its stories are all told twice, inviting the reader to ask what is going on here. And the stories invariably end badly, teaching us the importance of getting a handle on our passions if we want to have a halfway decent life together.”

On Sept. 16, in celebration of L’Chaim Adult Day Centre’s 40th anniversary, Schecter will share a few of his favourite biblical tales. 

“Retelling these stories,” he said, “is my way of giving the Jews back their pride and their backbone, steeling them to be proud Zionists, once again going back to ‘In the beginning,’ which is the title of my show on Sept. 16. The stories – and I will be retelling three of them – when you examine them closely are rather funny, but this is no laughing matter. Some of them bring you even to tears.”

Schecter, who was a sociology professor at Université du Québec à Montréal, has always been interested in literature, but not necessarily the Hebrew Bible. 

“When my kids had their bat and bar mitzvahs, I started going to Shabbat services again, which meant I read the weekly Torah portion and, lo and behold, I was swept away,” he said. “When a friend put me on to a contemporary rewrite of some of the books of The Iliad, I thought I could do that too but within my tradition. The upshot turned out to be a 170-page poem called ‘David and Jonathan,’ published in 1996. 

“From there, I went on to lecturing about the Hebrew Bible to multiple audiences in Montreal and ended up doing a one-man show on the first half of the book of Genesis in 2003 at the Saidye Bronfman Centre theatre [now the Segal Centre for Performing Arts]. In 2005, I moved to Vancouver and gave a number of series of talks on the Hebrew Bible to seniors at the JCC.”

Schecter continued to write about sociology and, in 2012, published a book called Grasshoppers in Zion about Israel’s situation in the Middle East. In that book, he said, “I explained how a reading of the Hebrew Bible could help Jews immeasurably in dealing with the Palestinians. No one listened, but I continued to write and now do so on Substack at schecter.substack.com.”

He also noted how people don’t listen to – or even know about – the lessons of the Hebrew Bible. Hence, he quipped, “the constant rewrites. Steinbeck’s East of Eden retells Cain and Abel. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet turns the Dinah story into a five-act play. The end of the Book of Judges replays Sodom and Gomorrah, which now finds its rehash on our TV screens in Gaza. Not for nothing is the Hebrew Bible laced with irony, engendering that particular form of Jewish humour Sholem Aleichem and S.Y. Agnon each captured.”

The English-speaking world once used the Hebrew Bible to learn to read, but people have stopped reading it altogether, said Schecter.

“Many Jewish day schools do not teach it, especially at the high school level, which is where Jewish youngsters could begin to immerse themselves in their tradition,” he said. “When I attend shul, I often hear more about food banks than the wild poetry of the parashah [weekly Torah portion]. The answer to antisemitism lies not in refuting the arguments of those who slander us; it is in asserting the timeless truths of this sacred text, which lay out the indissoluble link between the Hebrew Bible and the land of Israel and our identity as Jews.

“I am blown away every time I reread these stories,” he said. 

“So, I hope Jews come to see the show,” said Schecter. “I hope especially community leaders, activists, rabbis, principals and teachers come and hear these magnificent tales and see how they still speak to a modern audience. It is a show to celebrate the 40th anniversary of L’Chaim, the only adult Jewish day centre in the Lower Mainland, whose exceptional level of care would have well served even our founding patriarchs, all of whom could have used its services. Come and see why.”

“We are on our way to becoming the gold standard of adult day programs in Vancouver,” said L’Chaim executive director Leah Deslauriers of but one of the many reasons to celebrate the organization’s 40th year.

“L’Chaim is fortunate to have community support, from foundations to private donors, which allows us to offer an enriched program to our clients and their families. All of us at L’Chaim are forever grateful for this support,” she said, adding that “L’Chaim continues to grow, and shows no signs of slowing down.”

In the coming years, said Deslauriers, “L’Chaim will prepare to move into the new JWest building upon its completion. In the next 10 years, our hope is to increase our funded spaces from 16 to 22 each day. And, if demand increases, maybe even add an additional day and be open on Sundays.”

Tickets ($18) for In the Beginning, which takes place Sept. 16, 7 p.m., at the Rothstein Theatre, can be purchased at eventbrite.ca. 

Israeli dance sessions

The Vancouver Israeli Folk Dance Society hosted their annual BeLev Echad Workshop at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver May 23-25. The society is holding an open house on Sept. 10 for anyone interested in seeing what Israeli dance is all about. (photo from VIFS)

The Vancouver Israeli Folk Dance Society (VIFS) hosted their annual BeLev Echad Workshop at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver May 23-25. With a spring theme and the Dance with One Heart slogan, VIFS welcomed more than 100 dancers from at least 12 different cities from all over the world, as far east as Italy and as far south as Costa Rica. This year’s guest choreographers/teachers were Tamir Shalev from Israel, on his first visit to Vancouver, and Marcelo Marianoff from Argentina – on his fifth consecutive visit.

The weekend started with a Shabbat dinner catered by Nava Creative Kosher Cuisine, followed by a dance party that only wrapped up at 1 a.m. Saturday was devoted to teaching and dancing, meeting new friends and catching up with old acquaintances, and even trying one’s hand at a 1,000-piece puzzle. Attendees could choose between a more relaxed-paced room or the main auditorium for more advanced dancers.  Both circle and couple dances were taught. The evening session began with games of balloon pickle ball, and there was a caricaturist artist on site as well. After Havdalah, the dance party began with line dances, circle and couple dances. The hardiest and most energetic dancers continued dancing until 2 a.m.! On Sunday morning, dancers once more gathered for some new learning and a review of all the dances introduced over the weekend.

The event was sponsored by the Snider Foundation, the Lorna Donner Fund, the JCC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. It could not have been as great a success as it was without all of those who organized and led it. Many thanks to the wonderful volunteer helpers throughout the weekend. Planning for next year’s workshop is already underway: mark May 29-31, 2026, on your calendar.

VIFS is an inclusive and welcoming community where people of all ages, background and abilities come together to explore and nurture a deep love for Israeli dance and music. On Wednesday, Sept. 10, the society will hold its annual open house, and all those who are interested are encouraged to come and see what Israeli dance is all about.

On Oct. 22, VIFS starts its next season of Beginner’s 1, where new dancers and those who may want a refresher course can learn the basics and start to learn the repertoire. The intermediate class season will also begin on this date, and it will help incorporate dancers into the larger group, as well as teach more of the repertoire. This will be followed by an open session, which combines circles and couples, teaching the newer dances that are currently circulating. There will also be a Monday afternoon session that is only circles, and is devoted to dancing and teaching older repertoire that may not have been danced for many years.

Everyone is welcome to any of VIFS’s sessions – no dance experience is necessary, just a smile and lots of enthusiasm. For more information, contact Pam at 604-839-3931, Nona at 778-834-3488 or Yael at 604-993-0223; or visit vancouverisraelidance.com. 

– Courtesy Vancouver Israeli Folk Dance Society

Making space for kids to play

Simon Fraser Elementary School’s playground, which opened in 2024, was a beneficiary of financial support from the Dayhu Family Foundation. (photo from Dayhu Family Foundation)

For more than 30 years, the Dayhu Family Foundation, formerly known as the Ben and Esther Dayson Charitable Foundation, has helped create playgrounds both locally and in Israel.

“My mother and father always liked the idea of children playing,” said Shirley Barnett, chair of the Dayhu Family Foundation, about her late parents, Esther and Ben Dayson.

In Vancouver, finding the monetary support for playgrounds can be orchestrated by parent advisory councils (PACs) within the public schools. The PACs initiate the fundraising drives, sometimes years in advance, through a multitude of means, from bake sales and lemonade stands to other forms of financial outreach.

According to Barnett, the PAC at Simon Fraser Elementary School was an enterprising group that canvassed the neighbourhood in search of support for their playground project. Dayhu Group of Companies, a real estate investment, development and property management company with a large development near the school, was approached and quickly recognized that this was a worthy endeavour. Before the playground, put together by Habitat Systems, opened in 2024, Simon Fraser had to make do with an area ill-suited for children’s recreational activities.

“My son Jonathan said to me, ‘Didn’t we build two playgrounds in Israel and one at the JCC?  Why don’t we just stick with playgrounds and fund a couple because children need to play?’  It is such a good fit for us,” Barnett explained.

photo - Shirley Barnett at Dayhu Family Foundation’s first venture into playgrounds – the Dayson Playground in Modi’in, Israel, which was built in 1993
Shirley Barnett at Dayhu Family Foundation’s first venture into playgrounds – the Dayson Playground in Modi’in, Israel, which was built in 1993. (photo from Dayhu Family Foundation)

The foundation has a long history of providing financial support to cultural, educational and social causes both within and outside the Jewish community of Greater Vancouver. Its first venture into playgrounds started with the Dayson Playground, a Jewish National Fund project, which was built in Modi’in (outside of Jerusalem) in 1993.

The second playground was also in Israel. Launched in 2018, the Ben and Esther Dayson Outdoor Learning Centre at the Ilanot School in Jerusalem was designed for children with special needs, as the Ilanot School serves children with severe motor and cognitive impairment, including many with cerebral palsy. Its pupils come from many cultural backgrounds, including Jewish, Muslim and Christian. 

“We have also been very involved with the JCC for many years, and so we helped the early childhood education playground, on my son’s initiative, in 2012, at the current JCC,” Barnett said of the Dayhu initiative at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.

A new project at Britannia Community Elementary School is a good fit for the foundation as well, said Barnett, who described the reactions from both Simon Fraser and Britannia as “phenomenal.”

“These are schools that really needed help. The parent committees at Simon Fraser and Britannia have worked so hard to bring about these playgrounds. They are in need and the parents can’t raise much money,” Barnett said.

“A playground can make a huge difference in getting kids outdoors and getting them active, rather than them just running around a gravel field. I think it is obvious that kids need to play. We trust their design, we trust their need and their rationale.”

With both elementary school playground projects, Dayhu operated swiftly after being approached, understanding that there is a process involved before work can commence. Dayhu is not involved in the creativity or development of these projects; rather, it looks at a site and how much money has been raised. When it sees that more funds cannot be raised, it steps in as the lead donor. 

Cassandra Torok, a parent at Britannia, said that, after four years of advocating and fundraising for an expansion and upgrade to the school’s playground, the East Vancouver community felt stuck, unable to obtain the money needed. 

“Meeting Jonathan and Shirley was this amazing tipping point for our school’s playground project,” Torok said. “Her family’s generosity and openness gave our community the support and agency needed to reach the fundraising goals that felt impossible before. Providing the necessary funds to meet students’ needs was a surprising gift that we are so grateful for.

“Without her, her family’s and Dayhu’s philanthropic commitment, we know that we would not be getting the playground needed at our school, the playground our children deserve to grow, develop and improve their well-being as a whole,” Torok added.

image - A rendering of the proposed playground enhancements at Britannia Community Elementary School, which will be built with financial assistance from the Dayhu Family Foundation
A rendering of the proposed playground enhancements at Britannia Community Elementary School, which will be built with financial assistance from the Dayhu Family Foundation. (image from Dayhu Family Foundation)

Britannia school expects to have shovels in the ground within the next few months. When it opens, the playground will also be accessible to the larger community after school hours, on weekends and during the summer months. 

Dayhu’s efforts have led others to back the creation of playgrounds. At least one other family foundation saw what Dayhu had supported at the JCC and was motivated to help fund similar projects, said Barnett.

“It is a huge accomplishment to be an inspiration for someone else,” Barnett said. “We are not trying to promote our philanthropy. I would love it if someone read this article, and said, ‘You know, we have a few dollars and there is a neighbourhood school with a gravel field, maybe we could do something there.’” 

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

טראמפ עוזר לנתניהו ונתניהו עוזר לטראמפ

 במדינות מתוקנות מנהיגים כמו ראש ממשלת ישראל בנימין נתניהו, ונשיא ארצות הברית דונלד טראמפ, היו יושבים בכלא כבר מזמן. אך כיום לצערנו ישראל וארה”ב כבר מזמן לא מדינות מתוקנות, הדמוקרטיה בהן חלשה ומחולשת מדי יום. והציבור או שאינו מבין את חומרת המצב או שלא אכפת לו. מכל מקום: הנזק שגורמים נתניהו וטראמפ למדינותיהם הוא קבוע ובר קיימה ולא יתוקן גם לאחר שהם יעלמו מהמפה הפולטית. יקח מספר דורות אם בכלל להחזיר את המצב לקדומו

בביקורו השלישי בחודשים האחרונים של נתניהו בבית הלבן, נראה המנהיג הישראלי זורח כאילו זכה בפייס. הרי בישראל נתניהו כבר אינו מקובל, ורבים מבינים עד כמה הוא הזיק ומזיק למדינה. אך בבית הלבן כשטראמפ לצידו, מרגיש נתניהו ממש כמו בבית. הרי מה אפכת לו שהוא האחראי הראשי למחדלי השבעה באוקטובר, שחטופים נהרגו כיוון שהוא סירב להגיע להסכמות עם החאמס, ושחיילים רבים כמו פלסטינים רבים נהרגים כמעט כל יום לחינם בעזה

נתניהו המושחת לא התבייש להציע שחברו האמריקני המושחת יקבל את פרס נובל לשלום. עבור מה? עבור הצלחתו להפסיק את המלחמה בין רוסיה לאוקראיינה? האם הצליח טראמפ להביא שלום בין ישראל לאיראן, או בין ישראל לפלסטינים, או בין ישראל לחמאס, או בין ישראל לסוריה, או בין ישראל לערב הסעודית, או בין ישראל ללבנון

אך כאשר שני מנהיגים מושחתחים נפגשים, כל אחד רוחץ את גבו של השני ויש הרבה מה לרחוץ שם. לכן טראמפ לא התבייש לקרוא למערכת המשפט בישראל להפסיק את משפטו של נתניהו. איזה מעמד יש לנשיא ארה”ב שהוא יכול בכלל לצאת בדרישה שכזו

ועל התערבות טראמפ במערכת המשפט בישראל כותב פרופסור אמנון סלע:
אינני קורא מתמיד של ישראל היום. לכן מזמן לא קראתי כתבה של אמנון לורד. כבר לפני שנים רבות הוא הסתמן כאיום כעיתונאי של ה-דיפ-סטייט, מתלהם, לא מדוד. בכתבה החדשה של רבעי אמיתות וחצאי שקרים, הבנתי את גודל החרפה בהתערבותו החצופה של טראמפ במערכת המשפט. נצחון הבורות השמרנית התאפשר, בין השאר בשל התערבות האוונגליסטים ושאר עובדי הדת. מיד יצא הקבינט המטורלל נגד הדמוקרטיה, ומה שנשאר, תוך עשרים וארבע שעות הוא ליבה את המלחמה בין רוסיה לאוקראינה. בהבל-פה הוא סיפח את קנדה וגרנלנד. והסיר מיסים משכבת המיליונרים שהשמינה

בשניה הפכה אמריקה לגדולה כשמפרץ מכסיקו הפך למפרץ אמריקה. באצילות אופיינית לימין לורד תקף את הנשיא ביידן. באותו שאר-רוח שביבי תקף את אובמה. את תמיכת שתי המפלגות ביבי ולורד השליכו הימה לאחר הליך הרס שיטתי של מערכת המשפט האמריקנית, עם נגיחות בקונסטיטוציה. נפנה הנשיא האמריקני הידיד (לפעמים) לנפץ את מערכת המשפט בישראל. זה הנשיא שעסק בפרוסטיטוציה תחת שמי אותו אל. לפני שבע שנים בעצת ביבי ידידו הוא סייע לאיראן להעשיר אורניום. בעצת ביבי ידידו הוא יצא למלחמה נגד אותו איום, ולא הואילו אזהרות הפנטגון והסי.אי.איי, נגד סמכות הקונגרס, אותו קונגרס שתקפו תומכיו, בליווי תפילות דרעי בעל הנס הטרמפיזם מטמא את העולם. נכון, לא לדעת כולם

ועל התנהלות ממשלת ישראל הפוגעת בשלטון החוק אומר איש הצבא הבכיר לשעבר בני ברבש: מחובתנו להציב מול הבריונות השלטונית אמצעי הרתעה יעילים ולמתוח קו עצירה שממנו לא נסוגים. מחיקת עברו והוויתו של כל אדם, יהיה זה אלוף, טוראי או סתם אזרח שלא בא לשלטון טוב בעיניים, היא פרקטיקה מוכרת וידועה של המשטרים האפלים ביותר במאה העשרים, שמפני אחד מהם הזהיר יאיר גולן עצמו. מחר תחליט הממשלה לשלול את תאריו האקדמיים של מדען מזהיר ומחרתיים היא תפקיע משופט עליון את משרתו כי פסיקתו לא תישא חן בעיניהם

ישראלים שנמאס להם מנתניהו כותבים בפייסבוק

ישראלים רבים כועסים על ממשלת נתניהו והעומד בראשה כותבים את מחאתם בפייסבוק

כבר חודשים אנחנו שומעים, מחטופים ששוחררו וממידע שמגיע ממשפחות, שדווקא פעולות צה”ל בעזה הן שמסכנות את חייהם של מי שנותרו בשבי. חלקם לא שרדו. בדיוק בגלל זה. המציאות הזו ברורה לכולנו כבר יותר מידי זמן. ובכל זאת, ממשלת ישראל ממשיכה באותה מדיניות: להילחם כאילו יש עוד מה לנצח. דובר צה”ל בעצמו מדבר על חמאס שהוכרע. אף אחד מהשרים לא יודע להסביר מה עוד נותר להשיג, אבל אף אחד מהם גם לא מוכן להניח את הנשק. אז מה כן. עוד מאותו הדבר. עוד חיילים. עוד קורבנות. עוד חטופים שלא חוזרים

אנחנו החיילים אלו שיצאו להילחם, לא מוכנים לשתוק עוד. אסור להמשיך ככה. הגיע הזמן לחדש את החוזה בין האזרחים לבין הממשלה: חוזה שבו החיים שלנו באים קודם. שבו למנהיגים יש אחריות, שבו הציבור לא שוכח ולא מסתחרר מכל ספין שהממשלה זורקת. אנחנו, בניגוד אליהם, משלמים את מחיר המלחמה הזו כל יום. יחד עם החטופים, יחד עם החפים מפשע, יחד עם משפחות שכולות שלא קיבלו שום תשובה או מזור. נקודת הרתיחה כבר כאן

העסקה היא הדרך היחידה להשיב את החטופים מבלי להקריב את מי שנשאר בחיים ומבלי לאבד את החללים בין ההריסות. זו החובה המרכזית של מדינת ישראל, זו המטרה היחידה ממטרות המלחמה שעוד בכלל נוכל להשיג בעזה לפני שגם זה יהיה מאוחר מידי

מחבלים יהודים, משיחיסטים שמאמינים בביאת המשיח, שרוב המדינה דוחה אותם על הסף, פוגעים בחיילי צהל ובאזרחי המדינה. חרדים שלא מוכנים להשתתף בהגנה על המדינה ומתעלמים מצורכי בטחון וכלכלה והקיום של מדינת ישראל, חונקים מדינה שלמה בשביל לקיים חיים פרזיטיים על חשבון ציבור הרחב, בדמו. אדלשטיין מסתמן שנכנע לנתניהו רק כדי לקבל עוד כמה חודשים בשלטון. ממשלה שמנצלת את המלחמות כדי להרגיל אותנו לדריסת זכויות יסוד שלנו. נתניהו בוחר בחרדים בזמן שאתם במילואים

ומסתבר שאפילו הבן החמוד של נתניהו אבנר, נגוע בהתנהלות ערכית מזעזעת. מחליף שם וקונה דירה בבריטניה במזומן, יאיר נתניהו שכבר עזב מזמן את הארץ וחי במיאמי, בלתי נתפס המשפחה הזאת. מזכירה לכם מה אמרה שרה נתניהו: אנחנו נעזוב את הארץ ושתשרף המדינה. ולקינוח, נתניהו ממנה שר שיכון חדש אייכלר שכינה חילונים כבהמות אדם וחיות בן גביר פונה לסמוטריץ לסכל עסקת חטופים. אין תחתית לממשלת האסון

הניסיון ליצור קשר בין שחרור החטופים לבין שחרור נתניהו ממשפטו, היא בלתי מוסרית ובלתי חוקית. רק אדם חסר עכבות ומוסר כמו ביבי יכול להפעיל אדם חסר עכבות, מוסר ושכל כמו טראמפ כדי ליצור את המשוואה הזו וגם לאיים. מיותר להזכיר מה היה אומר, או צועק, נתניהו אם היה מדובר בראש ממשלה אחר. או לחלופין, אם נשיא אמריקאי היה מתערב כדי להפסיק את ההפיכה המשטרית, למשל. אבל נתניהו מוכן למכור את הריבונות שלנו תמורת הכיסא שלו והשילטון. אולי כשלב הבא יעודד את טראמפ לקרוא לביטול הבחירות במדינת החסות ישראל. וכשמדובר בנשיא אינפנטיל חסר הבנה, מציאות הזאת קרובה מתמיד

בהתחלה הם באו לקחת את הקומוניסטים, ולא השמעתי את קולי כי לא הייתי קומוניסט. אחר כך הם באו לקחת את היהודים, ולא השמעתי את קולי כי לא הייתי יהודי. אחר כך הם באו לקחת את הסוציאליסטים ואת אנשי איגוד המקצוע, ולא השמעתי את קולי כי לא הייתי אחד מהם. בסוף הם באו לקחת אותי ולא נותר אף אחד שישמיע את קולו למעני

Krieger takes on new roles

Nina Krieger, centre, member of the BC Legislative Assembly for Victoria-Swan Lake, connects with community members. Krieger is the new public safety minister and solicitor general. (photo from Nina Krieger)

After a cabinet shuffle last week, Nina Krieger, member of the legislative assembly for Victoria-Swan Lake, is the new public safety minister and solicitor general, replacing Garry Begg, who became parliamentary secretary for Surrey infrastructure. 

Saying she is “humbled and excited” to take on the position, Krieger told the Independent: “Our province faces complex challenges, and I am committed to working with my colleagues, local governments, Indigenous leadership, police services, business and community organizations to build safe, healthy and resilient communities for everyone.

“Public safety is one of the central issues of our time,” she said, “and British Columbians are looking to us to strengthen public safety through effective support of our law enforcement services and working across government to address the root causes of public disorder. 

“I look forward to working with partners around the province to take meaningful action to keep BC a safe place to live, work and enjoy this beautiful province we call home,” she added.

Before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia last fall, Krieger was the executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC). She takes over her new cabinet position after having served as parliamentary secretary for arts and film. Prior to this shift in roles, she spoke with the Independent about her time in office since being sworn in.

“The role of MLA is a unique opportunity and responsibility. I don’t think anything can quite prepare you for the busy, ever-changing schedule, and the range of issues and people that you encounter on any given day,” Krieger said.

“The learning curve is steep but exciting and I’m grateful to be learning alongside other new MLAs, from veteran members of caucus and from the incredible teams behind the scenes at the BC legislature.”

Krieger describes the move from the VHEC as “bittersweet,” saying it was difficult to leave an organization and a community for which she cares deeply. Nonetheless, she said the skills, experience and values she honed during her work at VHEC have proved meaningful and timely in her current role.

“I keep in close touch with former colleagues and the Holocaust survivor community and was honoured to return to the VHEC this spring to emcee a Yom Hashoah commemorative program featuring Premier David Eby, presented in partnership with the Province of BC and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs,” she said.

Her introduction to the legislative side of the MLA job came during the recent spring session that concluded in May. She sat in the house and committee rooms, sometimes late into the night, delivering speeches about her community and constituents’ achievements and needs, as well as debating and voting on proposed legislation. 

“I was proud to deliver several statements in the house, marking days of significance for BC’s Jewish community,” said Krieger.

“This spring, government passed legislation to protect consumers, respond to the threat of tariffs and implement countermeasures, deliver more renewable energy projects and major infrastructure projects, among other work,” she said.

During the summer months, MLAs return to their communities. 

“I visit and meet with local organizations to hear about the work they do and how we can spotlight and support them,” she said. “I also have the chance to attend local events as an MLA over the summer, from graduation ceremonies to festivals, markets and sports games. With so many amazing people putting on great events around town here over the summer, it adds to the fun of this role.”

As the parliamentary secretary for arts and film, Krieger worked closely with the minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport to advance the 

development and growth of British Columbia’s film, television and animation sectors, as well as supporting and growing the arts and culture sectors in the province. One of the perks of that job was attending film-related events and meetings, like local film festivals.

“It has been amazing to see the talent and work coming out of BC, and rewarding to stand strong in support of workers in the face of tariff threats,” she said.

Krieger acknowledges that it is a difficult time for Jews in the province and throughout Canada, with challenges in finding their political “homes.” She is grateful that there were Jewish voters whose values aligned with those of the BC NDP.

“I know that there is work to do to ensure that Jewish people in BC feel safe and supported, and that nobody is targeted because of who they are,” Krieger said. “Combatting antisemitism – which is illiberal, toxic to democracy and dangerous – requires the work of all levels of government and civil society.”

She continues to be in active contact with Jewish constituents and community leaders in Victoria, which, she says, is home to a diverse Jewish community. Constituents from a range of backgrounds have contacted her and expressed deep concern about the toll of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war on the civilian populations of the region. 

“While foreign policy is beyond my scope as a provincial representative, it is vital to discuss ways to ensure that BC is a safe and inclusive place for all people,” Krieger said. “From my work as a Holocaust educator, I know that it is vital to counter misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories, which can fan the flames of xenophobia, antisemitism and hate, and keep communities divided. In my work as MLA, I hope to counter this by bringing people together, modeling respectful dialogue and upholding the values of truth and trust in democratic institutions.”

Krieger explained that her experience as an anti-racism educator showed her the importance of listening and continually learning with openness and compassion. It is relevant to her current work, she believes, because she is entrusted with the stories and experiences of many constituents, which are often shared to build a more just and inclusive society.

“The province helps fund anti-racism and anti-hate work done around BC,” said Krieger, “and I have the opportunity to talk to organizers that are the recipients of grant funding and hear about their work, share experiences and learn how we can continue to collaborate to do this vital work effectively.”

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