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Celebrity Megillah

image - Showcased by Kedem Auction House earlier this month, the Megillah from which the above image is taken features politicians and celebrities as the story’s characters

Showcased by Kedem Auction House earlier this month, the Megillah from which the above image is taken features politicians and celebrities as the story’s characters. For example, Osama bin Laden is Haman, George W. Bush is King Ahasuerus and Madonna…

תפסיקו ליילל ותתחילו להילחם

photo - Vivian Bercovici

ויויאן ברקוביצ’י (צילום: Foreign Affairs/Government of Canada via National Post) שגרירת קנדה בישראל לשעבר ויויאן ברקוביצ’י: “השימוש בביקורת על ישראל כדי לבקר את היהודים הוא פשוט אובסביבי” “קל לבקר את ישראל וקל לפעול נגדה. בכל המוסדות באו”ם רואים את הפעילות…

Envisioning the world

photo - Brothers Tony and Ryan Smith are in the process of bringing the feature film Volition to the screen

Brothers Tony and Ryan Smith are in the process of bringing the feature film Volition to the screen. (photo from Smith Brothers Film Company) Local Jewish brothers Ryan and Tony Smith have worked in the film and television industry in…

Wildlife takes over the Zack

photo - The Intersection of Science & Art, now at Zack Gallery until March 24, features the works of Joanne Emerman and Mike Cohene

The Intersection of Science & Art, now at Zack Gallery until March 24, features the works of Joanne Emerman and Mike Cohene. (photo by Olga Livshin) The Intersection of Science & Art exhibit at Zack Gallery features the works of…

Dance that speaks out

photo - Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion’s The Gettin’ is among the repertoire the company will be bringing to Vancouver March 11-13 for the Chutzpah! Festival

Kyle Abraham’s The Gettin’ is among the repertoire the company will be bringing to Vancouver March 11-13 for the Chutzpah! Festival. (photo by Jerry and Lois Photography) Kyle Abraham is bringing to Western Canada for the first time a sample…

We must be united

screenshot - More than 100 headstones were vandalized at the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in University City, Missouri

More than 100 headstones were vandalized at the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in University City, Missouri. (screenshot from cbc.ca video ) We do not need to delineate the full roster of antisemitic incidents that have made the news recently. Toppled…

These times call for solidarity

When a multicultural country like Canada faces a stark rise in hatred targeting one ethnic group, its social and ethical solidarity is put to the test. The question for Canada’s Jewish establishment is, how will it respond to the shocking…

Why not wait and see?

Things seem to be way out of control these days. So many of the things we used to take for granted in our lives now seem topsy-turvy. There used to be a right and a left, liberal, conservative, moral, immoral.…

Teachings of the Land

On Feb. 12, at Shaughnessy Heights United Church, there was a dialogue featuring Rabbi Dr. Laura Duhan Kaplan, director of Inter-Religious Studies at Vancouver School of Theology, and Rev. Ray Aldred, director of VST’s Indigenous Studies Program. Held under the…

United against racism

photo - Artur Wilczynski, Canada’s ambassador to Norway, gave the keynote address at the Feb. 22 SUCCESS community forum

Artur Wilczynski, Canada’s ambassador to Norway, gave the keynote address at the Feb. 22 SUCCESS community forum. (photo from SUCCESS) SUCCESS’s Safeguarding Our Communities, Upholding Our Shared Values: A Community Forum on Immigration and Racial Discrimination was a full-house event…

Guichon visit RJDS

photo - The Hon. Judith Guichon with Richmond Jewish Day School students

The Hon. Judith Guichon with Richmond Jewish Day School students. (photo by Lauren Kramer) Students at Richmond Jewish Day School were thrilled to receive a visit from the Hon. Judith Guichon, lieutenant governor of British Columbia, on Feb. 22. Guichon addressed…

Time to make hamantashen

photo - When Eastern Europeans immigrated to America, they brought their hamantashen recipes with them

When Eastern Europeans immigrated to America, they brought their hamantashen recipes with them. (photo from Infrogmation via Wikimedia Commons) When it comes to Purim pastries, hamantashen are what most of us think of first. The word is taken from the…

אפקט טראמפ

photo - Dozens have fled the United States and crossed the border into Canada, hoping for shelter

עשרות בורחים וארה”ב ועוברים את הגבול לקנדה בתקווה לזכות במקלט (צילום: Jimz47 via Wikimedia) בחירתו של דונלד טראמפ לנשיאות ארצות הברית והכרזתו כי יאסור על כניסת מוסלמים ממספר מדינות וילחם במהגרים הלא חוקיים במדינה, הגדילה משמעותית את מספר אלה שעוברים…

Looking to Brier’s future

photo - Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation’s new executive director, Stephen Shapiro

Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation’s new executive director, Stephen Shapiro. (photo by Lauren Kramer) It’s been awhile since Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation had an executive director, but the fundraising branch of the organization is in good hands since Stephen…

Life stories told in dance

photo - Allen and Karen Kaeja perform their latest lifeDUETS series March 9-11, as part of the Vancouver International Dance Festival

Allen and Karen Kaeja perform their latest lifeDUETS series March 9-11, as part of the Vancouver International Dance Festival. (photo by Zhenya Cerneacov) As a dancer, how do you tell the story of a couple’s life together that has deep…

Garfinkel wins nomination

photo - B.C. Liberal candidate Gabe Garfinkel

B.C. Liberal candidate Gabe Garfinkel. (photo by Larry Garfinkel) Gabe Garfinkel was nominated Sunday afternoon, Feb. 19, by the B.C. Liberals in Vancouver-Fairview. The former aide to Premier Christy Clark defeated Elizabeth Ball, a Vancouver city councilor. He will be…

Condemning bigotry

A group of people gathered outside a Toronto mosque last Friday carrying signs reading “Ban Islam” and “Muslims are terrorists.” The idea that a group of Canadians would stand outside a place of worship and call for an entire religion…

Bibi’s visit to Washington

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House generated more buzz than policy direction. But there’s nearly as much to be gleaned from what he and U.S. President Donald Trump didn’t say as from what they did. Here…

MLA’s father hid past

photo - Judy Darcy with her father, Youli

Judy Darcy with her father, Youli. (photo from Judy Darcy) For years, Judy Darcy’s father carried in his wallet a photo of a little girl. It was one of very few mementoes of the man’s past – a murky history…

Fiery fusion of musical styles

photo - Lyla Canté’s Cristian Puig, left, and Cantor Alty Weinreb

Lyla Canté’s Cristian Puig, left, and Cantor Alty Weinreb. (photo from Chutzpah!) The best creative ideas often come when you least expect them. This was certainly the case for Lyla Canté, which performs on March 9 as part of the…

A musical consensus

photo - Sound of Dragon Ensemble plays at Orpheum Annex on March 9

Sound of Dragon Ensemble plays at Orpheum Annex on March 9. (photo from Sound of Dragon Ensemble) Sound of Dragon Ensemble takes the name of its upcoming concert, Consensus, from a work of the same name by Vancouver composer John…

A swing and a hit play

photo - Hasan (Nadeem Phillip) tells Haseena (Risha Nanda) about his dream of playing cricket in Canada

Hasan (Nadeem Phillip) tells Haseena (Risha Nanda) about his dream of playing cricket in Canada. (photo by Emily Cooper) I have to admit I’ve never seen a cricket match in all the years I’ve lived in Vancouver. I’ve seen games…

Curiosity, activism, Judaism

screenshot - Rebecca Baron gave a TEDx talk last year, calling for more encouragement and more opportunities for women in the STEM fields. Her nine-minute talk can be viewed at tedxkidsbc.com/rebecca-baron

Rebecca Baron gave a TEDx talk last year, calling for more encouragement and more opportunities for women in the STEM fields. Her nine-minute talk can be viewed at tedxkidsbc.com (screenshot) Rebecca Baron, a teenager who does research on air quality…

Balin wins Chopped

photo - Justine Balin had to think quickly on her feet to win Chopped Teen Canada

Justine Balin had to think quickly on her feet to win Chopped Teen Canada. (photo from Chopped Teen Canada) Vancouver Grade 12 student Justine Balin recently walked off with the top prize at Chopped Teen Canada, leaving the reality television…

Trying to make a difference

photo - Lesley Morris, left, and Gayle Robyn Morris at the Bayit’s Ladies’ Sushi Night

Lesley Morris, left, and Gayle Robyn Morris at the Bayit’s Ladies’ Sushi Night. (photo by Lauren Kramer) In every community, and ours is no exception, there are folks who frequently capture the spotlight for their work while others quietly get things done…

New LGBTQ+ council

Earlier this month, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) announced the establishment of an LGBTQ Advisory Council. “Our LGBTQ+ family and friends are an integral part of the Jewish people and Canadian society as a whole,” said CIJA…

Blessings of love, religion

Once a month, my husband (a secular humanist Jew) and I (Roman Catholic) join the Fraytik tsu Nakht at the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. At the Friday night secular humanist Shabbat celebration, we sing songs, light candles, eat…

Six weeks in Ottawa

image - This graphic designed by Andrea Schwartz represents Yiddish as growing and dynamic. It serves as the graphic for all of University of Ottawa’s Yiddish activities

This graphic designed by Andrea Schwartz represents Yiddish as growing and dynamic. It serves as the graphic for all of University of Ottawa’s Yiddish activities. Yiddish is the language of a thousand years of European Jewish civilization and the shared…