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כמו באגדות

photos - Jermaine Mann

ז’רמן מן הסיפור הזה כאילו נלקח מאחת האגדות או מסרט בדיוני, ולא מן הנמנע שבקרוב יעשו עליו סרט אמיתי. אם קנדית מברמטון שבמחוז אונטריו שלא ראתה את בנה במשך שלושים ואחת שנים, זכתה סוף סוף לקבל את ההודעה המיוחלת: הוא…

In solidarity against hatred

photo - Selina Robinson, minister of municipal affairs and housing, speaks at the local memorial for the victims of the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh

Selina Robinson, minister of municipal affairs and housing, speaks at the local memorial for the victims of the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. (photo by Alan Katowitz) On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 28, the day after a gunman…

Bennett makes official visit

photo - Israeli Minister of Jews in the Diaspora and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett addresses a memorial in Pittsburgh on Oct. 28

Israeli Minister of Jews in the Diaspora and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett addresses a memorial in Pittsburgh on Oct. 28. (Alexi Rosenfeld courtesy Ashernet) On Sunday, Oct. 28, Israeli Minister of Jews in the Diaspora and Minister of Education…

A moment of silence

photo - Sunday morning’s cabinet meeting in Israel

Sunday morning’s cabinet meeting in Israel. (photo from IGPO via Ashernet) On Oct. 28, at the regular Sunday morning cabinet meeting in Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, together with ministers, stood for a moment of silence. At the meeting, Netanyahu…

We must focus on justice

photo - memorial candles for victims of the Pittsburgh shooting

(photo by Alan Katowitz) Hundreds of Vancouverites came together Sunday night, driven by the need for community after the news that 11 congregants were murdered during services at a Pittsburgh synagogue a day earlier. The attack – the deadliest terror…

Cairo geniza treasure

photo - Filmmaker Michelle Paymar

Filmmaker Michelle Paymar. (photo from D-Facto Filmstudio) In the 19th century, the hunt for ancient manuscripts was in vogue, and a tip from two Scottish Presbyterian identical twin sisters – Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Dunlop Gibson – led talmudic…

Life lessons of an uncle

image - Still from If You’re Hungry, Sing. If You Ache, Laugh

Still from If You’re Hungry, Sing. If You Ache, Laugh. When Vancouver freelance director and writer Michèle Smolkin interviewed her uncle, Sam Rechtman, he was 103 years old. Born on July 7, 1914, he has experienced two world wars, pogroms,…

Disagreeing respectfully

photo - Left to right: Nico Slobinsky (CIJA Pacific Region), Rabbi Adam Stein (Beth Israel), Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt (Schara Tzedeck), speakers J.J. Goldberg and Jonathan S. Tobin, Cynthia Ramsay (Jewish Independent), Rabbi Hannah Dresner (Or Shalom and RAV) and Rabbi Dan Moskovitz (Temple Sholom)

Left to right: Nico Slobinsky (CIJA Pacific Region), Rabbi Adam Stein (Beth Israel), Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt (Schara Tzedeck), speakers J.J. Goldberg and Jonathan S. Tobin, Cynthia Ramsay (Jewish Independent), Rabbi Hannah Dresner (Or Shalom and RAV) and Rabbi Dan Moskovitz…

שוק הקנאביס הרותח

image - Canadian cannabis flag

(Wikipedia) שוק מגדלי הקנאביס בקנדה רותח בימים אלה בעקבות החלטת הממשלה הפדרלית, כי מכירת מריחואנה היא חוקית החל השבעה עשר בחודש. שלוש מגדלות הקנאביס הגדולות בקנדה הן: במקום הראשון – טילריי שמניותיה נסחרות בבורסה בשווי של למעלה משלושה עשר מיליארד…

Experience range of emotion

photo - Tzahi Grad, left, and Ala Dakka are great together in The Cousin

Tzahi Grad, left, and Ala Dakka are great together in The Cousin. (photo from Shaxaf Haber/Venice Film Festival) The 30th annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, which runs Nov. 7-Dec. 2, has an impressive lineup. Not only is there a wide…

Women at centre stage

photo - Gili Roskies co-stars in Red Birds, which opens Nov. 2

Gili Roskies co-stars in Red Birds, which opens Nov. 2. (photo from Gili Roskies) Jewish community member Gili Roskies co-stars in the world première of Red Birds, written by Aaron Bushkowsky. Presented by Solo Collective Theatre and Western Gold Theatre,…

Exercise your right to vote

image - electoral reform referendum graphic

(news.gov.bc.ca) British Columbians have been tasked, once again, with voting on whether or not to change our electoral system. Until Nov. 30, we are being asked to choose what voting system we should use for provincial elections, whether to keep…

Stories with a message

photo - Michael Klein recently had his first book published

Michael Klein recently had his first book published. (photo from Michael Klein) Dr. Michael Klein has published almost 200 scientific articles. Earlier this month, he launched his first book, Dissident Doctor: Catching Babies and Challenging the Medical Status Quo (Douglas…

Mezuzah at legislature

photo - Selina Robinson, B.C. minister of municipal affairs and housing, admires the new mezuzah on her office door, while Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman looks on

Selina Robinson, B.C. minister of municipal affairs and housing, admires the new mezuzah on her office door, while Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman looks on. (photo from Chabad Richmond) Born and raised in Montreal before moving to British Columbia, Selina Robinson first…

Call for nominations – Lamplighter Award

The Centre for Judaism of the Lower Fraser Valley is looking for nominations for its annual Lamplighter Award, which honours a child who has performed an outstanding act of community service. Candidates must be between the ages of 6 and…

NCJWC Vancouver’s new board

photo - Left to right, National Council of Jewish Women of Canada Vancouver section’s 2018/19 board of directors Catherine Stoller (president), Linda Arato (secretary), Anne Lerner (social action chair), Rochelle Garfinkel (administration) and Debby Altow (past president) were installed by Shelagh Stoller

Left to right, National Council of Jewish Women of Canada Vancouver section’s 2018/19 board of directors Catherine Stoller (president), Linda Arato (secretary), Anne Lerner (social action chair), Rochelle Garfinkel (administration) and Debby Altow (past president) were installed by Shelagh Stoller,…

New centre for excellence

photo - Construction on the Centre of Excellence for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is expected to be complete by fall 2019

Construction on the Centre of Excellence for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is expected to be complete by fall 2019. (photo from WIDHH) British Columbians who are deaf and hard of hearing will soon benefit from a state-of-the-art Centre…

Torah ’n’ This Old House

images from thisoldhouse.com

(thisoldhouse.com) My kids have developed a fascination with the PBS TV show This Old House. They love watching how old houses are fixed, restored and cared for by these talented workmen. I have always liked this show, too, and, as…

Mystery photo … Oct. 26/18

photo - B’nai B’rith event, 1969

B’nai B’rith event, 1969. (photo from JWB fonds, JMABC L.09488) If you know someone in this photo, please help the JI fill the gaps of its predecessor’s (the Jewish Western Bulletin’s) collection at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C.…

סוף סוף: מריחואנה היא חוקית

image - WikiProject Cannabis page

(WikiProject Cannabis) החל מיום רביעי שעבר (ה-17 בחודש) מכירת מריחואנה היא הליך חוקי בקנדה. בכך מקיימת הממשלה הליברלית ברשות ג’סטין טרודו, הבטחה מקמפיין הבחירות, להפוך את השימוש במריחואנה לחוקי בקנדה. כמובן שיש מתנגדים, בהם שמרנים שלא יכולים לסבול התקדמות כשלהי…

A different kind of resistance

photo - A scene from Who Will Write Our History, about the secret Warsaw Ghetto archives that were hidden from the Nazis. The film screens Nov. 1 at the Rothstein Theatre

A scene from Who Will Write Our History, about the secret Warsaw Ghetto archives that were hidden from the Nazis. The film screens Nov. 1 at the Rothstein Theatre. (photo by Anna Wloch / Katahdin Productions) One of the better…

Space for civil discourse

Social media is instrumental in forming and reflecting the prevalent views of our society. One sign of its importance is that leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu communicate mainly through Twitter nowadays. And, while…

We must care for the earth

Some Jewish communities see making eco-friendly choices as the Jewish and socially conscious thing to do. I’ve also participated in Jewish meals and events in which environmental choices were the farthest thing from anyone’s mind. In fact, as they cheerfully…

Heart unites artworks

photo - Claudie Azoulai, left, and Nicole Schouela. Their work comprises the exhibit Heart to Heart, which is at the Zack Gallery until Nov. 9

Claudie Azoulai, left, and Nicole Schouela. Their work comprises the exhibit Heart to Heart, which is at the Zack Gallery until Nov. 9. (photo from the artists) The latest show at the Zack Gallery, Heart to Heart, presents the work…

Shapiro to give lecture

photo - American political commentator Ben Shapiro will give the Faigen Family Lecture on Oct. 30

American political commentator Ben Shapiro will give the Faigen Family Lecture on Oct. 30. (photo by Gage Skidmore) “We live in a world where opinions are formed, far too often, based on preconceived notions and emotion. A hallmark of the…

Models of civil engagement

photos - J.J. Goldberg, left, and Jonathan S. Tobin will participate in Left vs. Right: The Battle for Israel’s Soul on Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver

J.J. Goldberg, left, and Jonathan S. Tobin will participate in Left vs. Right: The Battle for Israel’s Soul on Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. (photos from JFGV) On Oct. 23 at the Jewish…

Revisiting shop class misery

photo - A scene from Shop Class

A scene from Shop Class. (photo from NFB) Hart Snider has followed up his award-winning animated short The Basketball Game with Shop Class, one of four National Film Board of Canada shorts selected for the 2018 Spark Animation Festival, which…

Radner tells her own stories

photo - Gilda Radner scrapbooking in Love, Gilda, a Magnolia Pictures release

Gilda Radner scrapbooking in Love, Gilda, a Magnolia Pictures release. (photo from Magnolia Pictures) The late, great sketch comedian Gilda Radner is a Jewish icon. Offstage and out of character, however, she wasn’t especially Jewish. “I think you would have…

Project Isaiah food drive tally

photo - More than 80 volunteers came together to help Jewish Family Services sort the food on Sept. 26, organizing nearly 1,300 bags of food and toiletries

More than 80 volunteers came together to help Jewish Family Services sort the food on Sept. 26, organizing nearly 1,300 bags of food and toiletries. (photos from facebook.com/JFSVancouver) During this year’s Project Isaiah food drive, the Metro Vancouver community donated…

Marc’s Mensches awards Benson

photo - Left to right: The Bayit president Michael Sachs, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Marc’s Mensches winner Taya Benson

Left to right: The Bayit president Michael Sachs, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Marc’s Mensches winner Taya Benson. (photo from the Bayit) Marc’s Mensches winner Taya Benson fundraised more than $7,500 for the Richmond SPCA, where she also volunteers every…