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We should be more civilized

When we read Exodus, some people imagine what Egypt was like as an ancient civilization. If you’re a synagogue regular, you’re hearing the story unfold each week as the Torah is read. If you’re more likely at a Pesach seder…

Iron Chef Chanukah 2017

photo - On Dec. 13, after the lighting of the menorah and a Chanukah party at the Centre for Judaism (C4J) in Surrey, participants in the Iron Chef Chanukah Competition filled the C4J kitchen

On Dec. 13, after the lighting of the menorah and a Chanukah party at the Centre for Judaism (C4J) in Surrey, participants in the Iron Chef Chanukah Competition filled the C4J kitchen. The excitement was palpable as the chefs and…

Camp fosters independence

photo - At Camp Shomria, it’s all “about equality and giving the power to the youth,” says one parent

At Camp Shomria, it’s all “about equality and giving the power to the youth,” says one parent. (photo from Camp Shomria) In Ontario, Camp Shomria was established based on the principals of Hashomer Hatzair (The Young Guard), with its Zionist…

Immersed in Hebrew

photo - Friends at Camp Shomria show off the fresh vegetables they picked in the camp’s garden. The produce was used to make a salad for one of the meals

Friends at Camp Shomria show off the fresh vegetables they picked in the camp’s garden. The produce was used to make a salad for one of the meals. (photo from Camp Shomria) It is said that there is no better…

תוכניות לקהילה הישראלית

image - Israeli Sing-along at the JCC Jan 28, 2018, poster

שנה חדשה: תוכניות בעברית בג’ואיש קומיוניטי סנטר לקהילה הישראלית הג’ואיש קומיוניטי סנטר של אזור מטרו ונקובר מפרסם בימים אלה מספר תוכניות בשפה העברית לשנת 2018, במסגרת אירועי תרבות יהודית וישראלית, שמיועדים לקהילה הישראלית. את האירועים מארגנת רכזת התרבות של הג’ואיש…

אנטישמיות בקנדה

photo - The letters were sent to Jewish institutions in the following cities: Toronto (four synagogues), Montreal (two synagogues), Ottawa, Hamilton, Kingston, Calgary and Edmonton (two synagogues).

המכתבים נשלחו למוסדות היהודים בערים הבאות: טורונטו (ארבעה בתי כנסת), מונטריאול (שני בתי כנסת), אוטווה, המילטון, קינגסטון, קלגרי ואדמונטון (שני בתי כנסת). מחלקת פשעי שנאה של משטרת קנדה פתחה בחקירה לבדוק את זהות שולחי מכתבי השנאה לבית כנסת ברחבי המדינה.…

קשה להאמין חלק שני

photo - It is hard to believe that Edith and Michael Simms, the owners of the legendary cafe Chizkiek, have passed away

קשה להאמין שאדית ומייקל סימס בעלי הקפה המיתולגי צ’יזקייק הלכו לעולמם. (צילום: רוני רחמני) בעת התיישבו בוונקובר לפני כארבעים שנים תחילה מייקל התפרנס מהופעות בבתים של אנשים באירועים כמו ימי הולדת, ובכל אירוע בו יכל לנגן ולשיר. ואילו אדית הכניסה…

Completing the Tanya

photo - Rabbi Binyomin Bitton

Rabbi Binyomin Bitton (photo by Noam Dehan) On Dec. 4, Chabad of Downtown Vancouver, led by Rabbi Binyomin Bitton, held a siyyum, a celebration to mark the conclusion of studying the entire book of Tanya, sometimes called “the Bible of…

Celebrating chai, community

photo - Cynthia Ramsay, publisher of the Jewish Independent

Cynthia Ramsay, publisher of the Jewish Independent. (photo by Alan Katowitz) The JI Chai Celebration on Dec. 6 at the Rothstein Theatre was a sold-out event. The high-achievers and community-minded individuals who won the JI’s 18 Under 36 Awards were…

School bars Chanukah

The chair of Vancouver Board of Education (VBE) and even the provincial minister of education waded in after Jewish students at a Vancouver elementary school went public with concerns that they were being made to feel excluded by exclusively Christian…

Games with capital

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. There are a number of issues to unpack in his (un)diplomatic announcement. First, rioting by Palestinians and others around the Middle East, as well as potentially related…

Being kosher in today’s world

On Dec. 7, Temple Sholom Sisterhood hosted a discussion on the relationship, history and relevance of today’s kosher practices. The panel aimed to “explore, broaden and in some cases challenge the term kashrut” and “explore integrating values such as ethics,…

How to treat siblings, others

When you have twins, many people ask questions, particularly about “when” you will separate them. When did they sleep in separate cribs, rooms, go to different activities, or have separate school classes? The answers for every family are different, of…

Changes in community

photo - Jewish Family Services CEO Richard Fruchter with Karen James, who received the 2017 Naomi Gropper Steiner Visionary Award

Jewish Family Services CEO Richard Fruchter with Karen James, who received the 2017 Naomi Gropper Steiner Visionary Award. (photo from JFS) At Jewish Family Service Agency’s 81st annual general meeting on Nov. 29, Richard Fruchter, chief executive officer, announced that…

A history of Jewish humour

photo - Matthew Gindin takes a pause in his talk, The History of Jewish Humour

Matthew Gindin takes a pause in his talk, The History of Jewish Humour. (photo from Jewish Seniors Alliance) On Nov. 24, the first session of the 2017-18 Empowerment Series started with a bang. Almost 80 people came out to launch…

Play faces our mortality

photo - Kelly Sheridan and Peter Wilson in The Realistic Joneses

Kelly Sheridan and Peter Wilson in The Realistic Joneses. (photo by Nancy Caldwell) The unfortunate truth is that we are all going to die some day. How we cope with our mortality defines our approach to life. Playwright Will Eno…

Reinvention of Salomé myth

image - For the past five years, Jewish community member Adeena Karasick has been working with Grammy Award-winning composer/trumpeter Frank London on Salomé: Woman of Valor

For the past five years, Jewish community member Adeena Karasick has been working with Grammy Award-winning composer/trumpeter Frank London on Salomé: Woman of Valor, a total art experience, groundbreaking in its interplay of poetry, music, dance and film. Karasick’s libretto,…

Kollel launches WeLearn

photo - Rabbi Simon Jacobson gives a lecture during a recent Kollel Shabbaton

Rabbi Simon Jacobson gives a lecture during a recent Kollel Shabbaton. (photo from Kollel) In an effort to direct Vancouver’s Jewish consciousness from an “I” culture to a “we” culture, Ohel Ya’akov Community Kollel has launched WeLearn, expanding the Kollel’s…

A toast to love, Onegin

photo - Josh Epstein raises a glass to toast to love

(photo by Baila Lazarus) Josh Epstein raises a glass to toast lyubov (love) in recognition of the theme of the hit play Onegin, in which he plays a jealous lover. In a rare opportunity, theatre-goers are actually encouraged to bring…

Menorah-making in Richmond

photo - The Shadeck family

The Shadeck family. (photo by Sarah Aginsky) Approximately 300 people showed up to a menorah-making event at the Home Depot in Richmond on Sunday, Dec. 3. Families could come and make menorot out of wood, glue and nails supplied by Home…

Camp’s benefits

photo - Camp allows youth to learn meet new people

Camp allows youth to learn meet new people. (photo from campmiriam.org) There is something special about camps. Transporting kids out of their customary environments into something that is at least somewhat foreign is a great stimulus to change. New people and…

Mystery photo … Dec. 15/17

photo - Na’amat Women’s tea, 1955

Na’amat Women’s tea, 1955. (photo from JWB fonds, JMABC L.12592) 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.…

קשה להאמין חלק ראשון

photo - It is hard to believe that Edith and Michael Simms, the owners of the legendary cafe Chizkiek, have passed away

קשה להאמין שאדית ומייקל סימס בעלי הקפה המיתולגי צ’יזקייק הלכו לעולמם. (צילום: רוני רחמני) בתאריך ה-17פברואר 2005 עזבתי את תל אביב ועברתי לגור בוונקובר. לפני שעזבתי מסר לי אבי טלפון של זוג מבוגרים מוונקובר שהוא ואימי הכירו באמצעות חברים. הוא…

Storeys is now officially open

photo - Cutting the ribbon at the official opening of Storeys on Dec. 1

Cutting the ribbon at the official opening of Storeys on Dec. 1. (photo from Shelley Karrel) “Those involved in Storeys feel like a family,” said Brenda Plant, executive director of Turning Point Housing Society, speaking at the opening gala of the…

Publisher’s welcome

photo - Cynthia Ramsay (in 2017)

Cynthia Ramsay (in 2017). (photo by Lianne Cohen) When we decided to have a celebration marking 18 years since the beginning of the latest chapter of the Jewish Independent’s nearly-nine-decade history, it made perfect sense to focus on the future…

Communities dialogue

photo - Teens from Temple Sholom and Al-Jamia Masjid at a dialogue session

Teens from Temple Sholom and Al-Jamia Masjid at a dialogue session. (photo from Temple Sholom) “We enjoy great conversation and great food and sharing some bad jokes,” Tariq Tayyib said in a recent phone interview. He was talking about the…

דוגווקר נמצאה בריאה

photo - Annette Poitras, a dog walker who disappeared in nature, was found safe and sound with the dogs after three days

אנט פויטרס, דוגווקר שנעלמה בטבע ,נמצאה בריאה ושלמה עם הכלבים לאחר שלושה ימים. (צילום: Marcel Poitras via CBC) אפשר להגדיר זאת כמעט כנס: דוגווקר שנעלמה עם שלושה כלבים בהר איגל הנחשב לאזור טבע פראי ליד קוקויטאלם, כאשר גשם לא מפסיק…