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סומדייה זכה בערעור בבית המשפט

photo - Hussein Ali Sumaida: Former Mossad agent received appeal in court - his application for Canadian citizenship will be discussed again

חוסיין עלי סומדייה :סוכן המוסד לשעבר זכה בערעור בבית המשפט – בקשתו לקבל אזרחות קנדית תידון שוב. (צילום מחוסיין עלי סומדייה) הסוכן הכפול לשעבר של עיראק, ולאחר מכן של המוסד, חוסיין עלי סומדייה (53), שגר בהמילטון שבמחוז אונטריו ומנסה למנוע…

Honoured for their heroism

photo - On Nov. 7, members of the Kalkman family – left to right are Danielle, Victoria, Matthew, Peter and Bonnie – received the Righteous Among the Nations award from the consulate general of Israel in Toronto and Western Canada and the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem, on behalf of Dirk and Klaasje Kalkman

On Nov. 7, members of the Kalkman family – left to right are Danielle, Victoria, Matthew, Peter and Bonnie – received the Righteous Among the Nations award from the consulate general of Israel in Toronto and Western Canada and the…

Lessons of Kristallnacht

photo - Kristallnacht, which took place 80 years ago this month, saw hundreds of synagogues burned, Jewish-owned businesses destroyed, 100 Jews murdered and 30,000 incarcerated

Kristallnacht, which took place 80 years ago this month, saw hundreds of synagogues burned, Jewish-owned businesses destroyed, 100 Jews murdered and 30,000 incarcerated. (photo from commons.wikimedia.org) Kristallnacht, which took place 80 years ago this month, was the “Night of Broken…

The Enemy: a fight for truth

photo - Jenn Griffin and Paul Herbert in Firehall Arts Centre’s production, The Enemy, which runs to Dec. 1

Jenn Griffin and Paul Herbert in Firehall Arts Centre’s production, The Enemy, which runs to Dec. 1. (photo by Pedro Meza) A doctor in a small B.C. town discovers that the main tourist draw, the springs, are polluted. As she…

To forgive and to save others

photo - Left to right are Megan Laskin, Sherri Wise, Karen James, Jane Stoller, Jeannie Smith, Alyssa Schottland-Bauman and Sharon Goldman

Left to right are Megan Laskin, Sherri Wise, Karen James, Jane Stoller, Jeannie Smith, Alyssa Schottland-Bauman and Sharon Goldman. (photo from Jewish Federation) For the past 14 years, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has organized a women’s philanthropy event…

Remembering our fallen

photo - Rabbi Steven L. Nemetz organized the commemoration

(photo by Yoram Adler) On Remembrance Day, Nov. 11, a small group of Jewish community members gathered in the Jewish section of Mountain View Cemetery to commemorate Canadians who have served in the armed forces. Organized and led by Rabbi Steven…

Not only grades matter

In the Wisconsin town of Baraboo, high school students in their final year before graduation take formal pictures on the steps of the town’s courthouse. Census figures say that the town of 12,000 in the country’s heartland is 94% white.…

Learning throughout our life

Isn’t life wonderful? It has such potential to deliver joy, beauty, poetry and music for every one of us. More’s the pity that so many of us get only a small fraction of that potential for our portion. Still, gratitude…

Resilience, despair in Sderot

photo - Inside the caterpillar shelter, an orange line indicates where one can safely stand beyond the range of flying shrapnel

Inside the caterpillar shelter, an orange line indicates where one can safely stand beyond the range of flying shrapnel. (photo by Gil Zohar) Miri Asulin personifies the contradictions of those who live in Israel’s cities and settlements bordering the Gaza…

Rivlin visits Netivot

photo - Israeli President Reuven Rivlin addresses a group of local residents in a protected space in the northern Negev city of Netivot on Nov. 13

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin addresses a group of local residents in a protected space in the northern Negev city of Netivot on Nov. 13. (photo by Ashernet) On a tour of the city, Netivot Mayor Yehiel Zohar told President Reuven…

Understanding dyslexia

photo - Bennett and Sally Shaywitz co-founded the Yale Centre for Dyslexia and Creativity

Bennett and Sally Shaywitz co-founded the Yale Centre for Dyslexia and Creativity. (photo from the Shaywitzes) One out of five people has dyslexia. Yet, even with this many people affected, not every school tests for it. This can lead to…

Witnessing her history

image - To Look a Nazi in the Eye book cover cropped

In spring 2015, at Luneburg Regional Court in Germany, the trial of Oskar Groening, “the bookkeeper of Auschwitz,” began. Nineteen-year-old Torontonian Jordana Lebowitz, a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, was among those who witnessed the proceedings. The young adult book To…

A gift of holiday reads

image - Dreidel Day book cover

Many authors of children’s Chanukah books still perpetuate two mistakes. One is that a chanukiyah is the same as a menorah, whereas the latter is actually the seven-branched Temple lamp looted by the Romans when the Temple was destroyed. The…

ביקור מוצלח

photo - Canadian Foreign Minister Christia Freeland met with President Reuven Rivlin

שרת החוץ של קנדה כריסטיה פרילנד ניפגשה עם נשיא המדינה ראובן ריבלין. (צילום: Mark Neiman, GPO) שרת החוץ של קנדה כריסטיה פרילנד קיימה ביקור בישראל לפני כשבועיים, שנחשב למוצלח מבחינת שתי המדינות. מדובר בביקור ראשון של השרה פרילנד בישראל. זאת…

Interdependent communities

photo - The Jewish Federations of North America held its annual General Assembly this year in Tel Aviv Oct. 22-24

The Jewish Federations of North America held its annual General Assembly this year in Tel Aviv Oct. 22-24. (photo by Pat Johnson) The Jewish Federations of North America held its annual General Assembly in Israel, as it does every five…

Shapiro covers myriad topics

photo - American political commentator and writer Ben Shapiro addressed more than 900 people at the Faigen Family Lecture, which was held at Congregation Schara Tzedeck on Oct. 30

American political commentator and writer Ben Shapiro addressed more than 900 people at the Faigen Family Lecture, which was held at Congregation Schara Tzedeck on Oct. 30. (photo by Jocelyne Hallé) More than 900 people came out to hear conservative…

Spotlight on Israeli culture

photo - Shira Geffen shares how she met her husband, Etgar Keret, in the film Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story, which screens Nov. 14

Shira Geffen shares how she met her husband, Etgar Keret, in the film Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story, which screens Nov. 14. (photo from facebook.com/etgarkeretfilm) “I want to write stories so the readers will like mankind a little…

Multiple Israel-Diaspora bonds

photo - Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, speaker of the Knesset, addresses delegates in the parliament’s Chagall Hall

Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, speaker of the Knesset, addresses delegates in the parliament’s Chagall Hall. (photo by Pat Johnson) Before the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America began on Oct. 22, a local delegation, headed by Jewish Federation of…

Teaching our hearts

Today, Nov. 9, is the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Seen by some historians as the moment when the Nazis’ legalized discrimination against Jews turned irreversibly toward genocide, the date has been marked by the Vancouver Jewish community for several decades.…

A heartening message to hear

“I’m writing this while the victims are still being buried at the Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh. This period, just after any death, is a hard time, and lot of meaningful things have been said in the media already.…

Breaking new ground

photo - Or Shalom’s Rabbi Hannah Dresner is both the first woman and the first Jewish Renewal rabbi to be elected head of the Rabbinical Association of Vancouver

Or Shalom’s Rabbi Hannah Dresner is both the first woman and the first Jewish Renewal rabbi to be elected head of the Rabbinical Association of Vancouver. (photo from Or Shalom) “I grew up in a household of many amazingly powerful…

New principal at RJDS

photo - Richmond Jewish Day School principal Ronit Amihude with the award-winning children’s book What Do You Do With An Idea? by writer Kobi Yamada and illustrator Mae Besom

Richmond Jewish Day School principal Ronit Amihude with the award-winning children’s book What Do You Do With An Idea? by writer Kobi Yamada and illustrator Mae Besom. (photo by Coleen Lou) Ronit Amihude is a leader with a vision. The…

Politicon’s Jewish voices

photo - Ben Stein and Ann Coulter at Politicon in Los Angeles on Oct. 20

Ben Stein and Ann Coulter at Politicon in Los Angeles on Oct. 20. (photo by Rich Polk-Getty Images for Politicon) From pundits to Hollywood types, there were many Jewish names on the speaker roster at this year’s Politicon, the fourth…

We’ve got a lot of work to do

photo - Apple cellphone showing apps

(photo from Tracy Le Blanc from Pexels) I am not normally someone who is especially active on social media. I am not normally someone who curates current events, even though I consume them like undergrads do coffee – habitually, obsessively,…

GA pitches softballs to Bibi

photo - Israel’s Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, addresses the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, in Tel Aviv Oct. 24

Israel’s Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, addresses the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, in Tel Aviv Oct. 24. (photo by Pat Johnson) The theme of the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America in Tel…

Four volunteers fêted

photo - Jewish Seniors Alliance’s AGM was held on Oct. 11 at Congregation Beth Israel

Jewish Seniors Alliance’s AGM was held on Oct. 11 at Congregation Beth Israel. (photo from JSA) The annual general meeting of the Jewish Seniors Alliance was held on Oct. 11 at Congregation Beth Israel. As is customary, the AGM was…

Symposium provides healing

photo - The Jewish Seniors Alliance fall symposium on Oct. 28 was about aging across cultures

The Jewish Seniors Alliance fall symposium on Oct. 28 was about aging across cultures. (photo from JSA) The Jewish Seniors Alliance fall symposium, Aging Across Cultures, took place on Oct. 28. The program dealt with inclusivity while Jews everywhere were…

New liaison job created

photo - Storeys, the Diamond Residences, is among the affordable housing sites where the new TCL will be working

Storeys, the Diamond Residences, is among the affordable housing sites where the new TCL will be working. (photo from jfsvancouver.ca) Jewish Family Services has launched a new tenant community liaison (TCL) position to provide stability and support for JFS clients…

Trying to meet needs

photo - Left to right: Anat Gogo, Tikva Housing administrator; Philip Dayson, donor; Shirley Barnett, donor; Heather Kenny, Tikva board member; Alice Sundberg, Tikva director of operations; Eric Fefer, Tikva development committee member; Shelley Karrel, Tikva board chair; and Kasimir Kish, Tikva board member

Left to right: Anat Gogo, Tikva Housing administrator; Philip Dayson, donor; Shirley Barnett, donor; Heather Kenny, Tikva board member; Alice Sundberg, Tikva director of operations; Eric Fefer, Tikva development committee member; Shelley Karrel, Tikva board chair; and Kasimir Kish, Tikva…

Recalling the heyday of radio

photo - The writer’s father listening to the radio, circa 1940 _ photo cropped

The writer’s father listening to the radio, circa 1940. (photo from Libby Simon) This black-and-white picture, lined with age, was taken of Papa in about 1940. His attire reflects a time when a vest was commonly worn under a man’s…