In putting together the Jewish Independent’s special 95th Anniversary issue last month, I came across so many articles of interest. Too many, of course, to include in one issue or series of issues. But I figured it’d be fun to have some random glimpses back into our community’s history. This is the first “Flipping through JI archives” column that will appear through to the end of the year. I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.
July 27, 2001: This clipping isn’t so random. It’s the first Summer issue we put together. Pictured are Pat Johnson (reading), Kyle Berger (fishing and backpacking) and me (playing tennis and baseball). The late Baila Lazarus, who took the photo, is cheering the city’s nightlife.
June 13, 2008: Baila Lazarus, z”l, took most of our staff-filled Jewish Independent Summer covers, and she took this Rockower Award-winning one, which I absolutely love. With the help of Sue Cohene of Kol Halev Performance Society, we – left to right, Ron Friedman, Leanne Jacobsen, Josie Tonio McCarthy, me and Steve Freedman – donned period clothing to play a round of croquet in Cohene’s backyard.
June 28, 2002: Spot colour has been used in the paper since the 1940s, albeit sparingly. In the 1960s, bright red print or text frames would highlight stories the paper’s publishers thought urgent. Less dramatically, the Jewish Western Bulletin and Jewish Independent logos would be in spot colour. It looks like holiday issue covers have been printed in full colour since 1999, but this photo seems like the first we ran as part of an article. Too bad it wasn’t for a happier story!
March 26, 1992: Israel Bonds has long advertised in these pages. This article notes the organization’s inaugural Canadian dollar investments.
May 17, 1934: Safeway was a regular advertiser in the paper’s early years. Imagine berries from Aylmer in tins! Those two cans for 15 cents translates into about $3.36 in today’s dollars and, according to its website, Safeway has a deal on about the same amount of fresh strawberries for $3.99 (down from $6.99). The 59-cent cost of a three-pound tin of Crisco (with a free pie plate!) translates into $13.21, but you’d have to pay slightly more today, $14.29. And, there is no size equivalent to the pound of coffee on Safeway’s website, but based on the price per 100 grams it lists, it’d cost you $13.35 today, but 35 cents in today’s dollars is only $7.83.