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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…
Summer camp experiences, which encompass a range of activities campers get to try, can be costly. (photo from Camp Hatikvah) If you get sticker shock when you see the cost of Jewish summer camp, you’re not alone. Pay full fare…
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,…
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…
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…
More than 18 months ago, Charlotte Kates, who is identified as the international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, made inflammatory remarks at a rally in Vancouver. She celebrated the 10/7 terror attacks by Hamas against Israel, calling them…
We were intrigued to receive notice of the 2026 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, which takes place in January and February. The festival has been running for more than two decades and bills itself as “a creative hub for dialogue.” …
The Gaza Strip is currently divided between the Israeli-held zone (green) and Hamas territory (red). (Screenshot from Channel 14) More than 25 months after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and the consequent multi-front Middle East war, and more than one…
Margaux Wosk is a cast member of The Assembly, currently streaming on CBC Gem. (photo by Erich Saide / The Assembly) “I am so proud of what we accomplished,” Margaux Wosk told the Independent about The Assembly, which is now…
Azaleah Korn, who plays the title role in Gateway Theatre’s production of the musical Annie, takes guidance from director Josh Epstein. (photo from Gateway Theatre) Vancouver Jewish community member Azaleah Korn plays the title character in Gateway Theatre’s production of…
Into the Light – featuring the art of Gillian Richards, left, and Pilar Mehlis – is at the Zack Gallery until Jan. 5. (photo by Olga Livshin) The current show at the Zack Gallery, Into the Light, introduces two artists:…
When Erin Brandt founded the Antisemitism Legal Helpline in January 2024, the employment and human rights lawyer had no idea how much time this volunteer position would consume. “The fact that we’re getting this many calls is a little terrifying,”…
Choices keynote speaker Mandana Dayani, centre, with event co-chairs, left to right, Gail James, Briana James, Lola Pawer and Lisa Boroditsky. (photo by Rhonda Dent) On Nov. 16, Choices once again celebrated the work of Jewish women philanthropists. This year’s…
Presenters at the World Religions Conference, which was held at Star of the Sea Community Hall in White Rock on Nov. 17. Rabbi Arik Labowitz of Or Shalom is second from the right and, to his right, is the writer,…
Hannah Presman Chikiar spoke and moderated at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, on Oct. 10, as part of Girls Speak Out 2025, held in celebration of the International Day of the Girl. (photo from Hannah Presman Chikiar)…
Shenandoah University Prof. Lori Şen spoke about Sephardic music on Nov. 2, as part of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2025/26 lecture series. (PR photo) Kolot Mayim Reform Temple started its 2025/26 Building Bridges Zoom lecture series – six music-themed talks…
Stephen Falk, president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of British Columbia, spoke at the White Rock South Surrey Jewish Community Centre on Nov. 16, offering guidance on tracing one’s Jewish ancestry. (photo by Chloe Heuchert) The White Rock South Surrey Jewish…
Bar-Ilan University’s Dr. Mordechai Kedar spoke in Vancouver Nov. 17 at Temple Sholom on root causes of Jew-hatred. (from idsf.org.il) The Enlightenment of the 18th century carried hopes for Jews that their long history of persecution would end, but the…
When Ariel Louwrier speaks about StressMarq Biosciences – the Victoria-based company he founded that specializes in the development and commercialization of high-quality bioreagents – in terms a layperson would understand, he draws an analogy to another era. “If you think…
Chabad of Nanaimo’s annual Hanukkah menorah lighting gathering is one of its most publicly visible events. Last year, it was held in Maffeo Sutton Park. (© Norm Wolf) When Rabbi Bentzi Shemtov and his wife Blumie established Chabad Nanaimo and…
The lighting of the Silber Family Agam Menorah in the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza is an annual tradition. This year, the first candle will be lit on Dec. 14. (photo from Lubavitch BC) The lighting of the Silber Family Agam…
(photo from Queer Jewish Art Society) The second annual Drag & Dreidel: A Queer Jewish Hanukkah Celebration, hosted by the Queer Jewish Art Society, takes place Dec. 9 in Vancouver. Created by queer Jews for queer Jews and their allies, everyone is…
Randy Wolfe, left, with Aharon Botzer, co-founder of Livnot U’Lehibanot. (photo from Livnot U’Lehibanot) Reuven (Randy) Wolfe of Winnipeg recently returned to Tzfat, Israel, to reconnect with the founders of Livnot U’Lehibanot and with the place where his Jewish journey…
I recently celebrated Shabbat morning in a way I don’t recommend. I stepped out of my house for the dog walk, thought, “Oh, slippery!” The next thing I knew, I lost my footing. I fell down several stone steps. I…
Buried next to Maharam of Rothenburg’s grave is Alexander ben Salomon of Wimpfen (known in some sources as Alexander Süsskind Wimpfen) – the man who paid for the release of the rabbi’s remains. (photo by Pat Johnson) They say that…
I know what my wife and I will do for at least part of our winter break – go through the latest edition of Robin Esrock’s The Great Canadian Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences together and make plans. For when?…
Karen Bermann’s The Art of Being a Stranger: A Family Memoir, published by New Jewish Press, an imprint of University of Toronto Press, is a work of art. It is moving in ways hard to describe. It might not capture…
One of my guilty pleasures is Hallmark-style holiday movies. Fine, they’re Christmas movies mainly. But, whenever there is a Jewish character, plotline or, in rare instances, it’s a Hanukkah movie, I am even more a fan. Comfortable in their predictability,…
A postcard featuring the work “In Prayer – In War” by Polish-American artist and cartoonist Mitchell Loeb (1889-1968). (internet photo) Of all the Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is the one most intimately connected to Israel and the Zionist dream. It mirrors…
Last year, a great miracle happened here: Beaver Point Hall on Salt Spring Island. (photo by R. Shefa) Hanukkah is a celebratory festival with oodles of delicious food – mostly fried – songs, candles and gatherings. It is also considered…
