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Remembering Elie Wiesel …

photo - Dr. Robert Krell, left, listens to Prof. Elie Wiesel, as Wiesel addresses the capacity crowd that came to the Orpheum in 2012 to hear him speak

Dr. Robert Krell, left, listens to Prof. Elie Wiesel, as Wiesel addresses the capacity crowd that came to the Orpheum in 2012 to hear him speak (photo by Jennifer Houghton). Elie Wiesel passed away on July 2. May his memory be for a…

Mourning Elie Wiesel

Dr. Elie Wiesel was motivated by his experience as a survivor of the Holocaust to become one of the world’s foremost advocates for social justice and human rights. He was also a friend to members of the Vancouver Holocaust Education…

Reacting to others’ suffering

Gun violence in America is an intractable, apparently unsolvable crisis. This month, it has intersected catastrophically with other tenacious American ailments: race and police violence. These issues have been inextricable in many ways for decades, of course, but the pervasiveness…

Remembering a friend

image in Jewish Independent - On the back cover of Arnold Wesker’s book Say Goodbye: You May Never See Them Again, Alan Tapper is the third boy from the left seated on the ground and Arnold is the fourth

On the back cover of Arnold Wesker’s book Say Goodbye: You May Never See Them Again, Alan Tapper is the third boy from the left seated on the ground and Arnold is the fourth. British playwright and author Arnold Wesker…

Star-crossed & honky-tonk

photo in Jewish Independent - Bard on the Beach opened its 27th season with Romeo and Juliet

Bard on the Beach opened its 27th season with Romeo and Juliet. (photo by David Blue) William Shakespeare wrote a beautiful but tragic love story in 1595 and called it Romeo and Juliet. Its theme of forbidden love resonates with…

Necessary for people to act

photo in Jewish Independent - Left to right, emcee Yael Dirnfeld with panelists Penny Gurstein, Tom Davidoff and Michael Geller, who discussed the Metro Vancouver real estate market

Left to right, emcee Yael Dirnfeld with panelists Penny Gurstein, Tom Davidoff and Michael Geller, who discussed the Metro Vancouver real estate market. (photo by Lior Noyman) Few topics in Vancouver are debated more intensely than real estate. “It is…

Moving musical

photo in Jewish Independent - Karen Kelm, left, and Judith Chertkow-Levy in Like a Fly in Amber, which premièred at the Toronto Fringe Festival

Karen Kelm, left, and Judith Chertkow-Levy in Like a Fly in Amber, which premièred at the Toronto Fringe Festival. (photo by Victor Dezso) After seeing Like a Fly in Amber, a musical at the Toronto Fringe Festival, I dreamt of…

Learning to live with autism

photo in Jewish Independent - Owen Suskind is the subject of the documentary Life, Animated

Owen Suskind is the subject of the documentary Life, Animated. (photo from A&E Indiefilms) Children’s films – especially the animated variety – always make sure to highlight the moral of the story. But very few children embraced those lessons as…

לא שוכח

photo - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits the Auschwitz death camp

ביקור לרה”מ ג’סטין טרודו במחנה ההשמדה אושוויץ. (צילום: auschwitz.org) ראש ממשלת קנדה, ג’סטין טרודו, לא שוכח את זכרם של קורבנות השואה והניצולים ממחנות ההשמדה. לאחר ועידת הפיסגה של חברי נאט”ו שנערכה בסוף שבוע שעבר בווארשה פולין, הגיע טרודו ביום ראשון…

Fogel on health, Trudeau, BDS

photo in Jewish Independent - Shimon Fogel, chief executive officer of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

Shimon Fogel, chief executive officer of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (photo from CIJA) Shimon Fogel, chief executive officer of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), was in Vancouver June 20 to speak at the Jewish…

Songs with meaning

photo in Jewish Independent - Geoff Berner brings his hard-hitting, eminently entertaining klezmer to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival on July 16 and 17

Geoff Berner brings his hard-hitting, eminently entertaining klezmer to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival on July 16 and 17. (photo by Fumie Suzuki) Geoff Berner doesn’t mince words. An excellent musician, he puts them to melodies that range from mournful…

Preschool widens catchment

photo - Naomi Hazon’s daughter, Maayan Cohen, with the striped sleeves, has been attending Beth Tikvah’s Shalom Preschool for a year. The youngsters have supervised access to an outdoor play area and garden

Naomi Hazon’s daughter, Maayan Cohen, with the striped sleeves, has been attending Beth Tikvah’s Shalom Preschool for a year. The youngsters have supervised access to an outdoor play area and garden. (photo by Naomi Hazon) Watching parents pick up their…

We must keep trying

book cover - Night by Elie Wiesel

No reasonable people contend that the Holocaust did not occur. However, a great many assert that it has been considered enough, that it is time to put the past behind and effectively close the book on that era. Similarly, discussion…

Connecting local food fans

photo in Jewish Independent - With the Tangoo app, Paul Davidescu, centre, brings together restaurateurs, social influencers and diners

With the Tangoo app, Paul Davidescu, centre, brings together restaurateurs, social influencers and diners. (photo from tangoo.ca) Food is more than nourishment, says Paul Davidescu, it builds community. The Vancouver entrepreneur is behind an app that aims to unite people…

New chef’s meals “fabulous”

photo in Jewish Independent - Executive chef Steven Boudreau heads Weinberg Residence kitchen

Executive chef Steven Boudreau heads Weinberg Residence kitchen. (photo from Weinberg Residence) The Weinberg Residence recently hired executive chef Steven Boudreau, whose extensive culinary experience includes stints at Cioppino’s (under chef Pino Posterero) and Il Giardino (under Umberto Menghi). How…

Event in honor of the Rebbe

photo in Jewish Independent - Moishe New makes a point while Rabbi Yitzchak Wineberg and other attendees listen

Moishe New makes a point while Rabbi Yitzchak Wineberg and other attendees listen. (photo by Lior Noyman Productions) On June 21, more than 200 people came to King David High School to hear Rabbi David Aaron, founder and dean of the…

Contribute to new podcast

photo in Jewish Indepedent - The Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia’s Feeding Community project wants your story

The Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia’s Feeding Community project wants your story. (photo from JMABC) What does an egg taste like when it’s been boiled for hours with onion peels and coffee? Have you ever consumed a meal…

Humanitarian delivery

photo in Jewish Independent - Humanitarian goods from Turkey arrive at the Kerem Shalom crossing point into the Gaza Strip; it was the first such shipment to arrive in Israel from Turkey since the reestablishment of ties between the two countries at the end of last month

Humanitarian goods from Turkey arrive at the Kerem Shalom crossing point into the Gaza Strip; it was the first such shipment to arrive in Israel from Turkey since the reestablishment of ties between the two countries at the end of…

Brisket at any price?

photo in Jewish Independent - Why do we love brisket so much?

Why do we love brisket so much? (photo from Jewish Post & News) When Ricki Silver was leaving for Toronto to visit her family, she faced a dilemma: Do you continue the brisket tradition with the skyrocketing price? The plaintive…

התוכנית האסטרטגית ל-2020

screenshot - Jewish Federation has made a long-term program to deliver the future needs of the community and increase the budget to finance its operations

הפדרציה היהודית הכינה תוכנית עבודה ארוכת טווח לספק את הצרכים החדשים של חברי הקהילה ולהגדיל את התקציב למימון פעילותיה. הפדרציה היהודית של אזור מטרו ונקובר הכינה בשנתיים האחרונות תוכנית עבודה ארוכת טווח עד לשנת 2020. העבודה המורכבת על התוכנית נעשתה…

Remembering Muizenberg

photo - Muizenberg, South Africa, was a hub for Jewish families from the 1900s onward

Muizenberg, South Africa, was a hub for Jewish families from the 1900s onward. (photo from Stephen Rom) For Vancouverites who hail from South Africa, the name Muizenberg carries significant resonance. The small seaside town was a hub for Jewish families…

Dancers explore our humanity

photo - Naomi Brand’s En Route will be performed by members of All Bodies Dance Project

Naomi Brand’s En Route will be performed by members of All Bodies Dance Project. (photo by Chris Randle) New works and the pushing of boundaries. Just what audiences expect from the Dancing on the Edge contemporary dance festival, and just…

Greens’ true colors?

Voters in the United Kingdom – well, in England and Wales, at least – have decided to quit the European Union. The referendum last week turned British politics, and world economic markets, upside down. The potential for a Scottish withdrawal…

Affirming transgender rights

Citing both changing social practice and traditional Jewish values, the international association of Conservative rabbis passed a resolution on May 22 calling on Jewish institutions and government agencies to embrace the full equality of transgendered people. The Rabbinical Assembly’s Resolution…

Impact of Brexit vote

In the historic referendum last week, the United Kingdom voted to leave the 28-nation European Union (EU), sending shockwaves throughout Europe and the international community. The results of the so-called “Brexit” vote – 52% in favor of exiting the EU…

Why are you attached to Israel?

I was recently invited to speak to an Ottawa-based Israeli-Palestinian relations group on the topic of Canadian Jews and Israel. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of public opinion data available on Canadian Jewish attitudes. We have some broad strokes on…

New award on literary scene

book cover - Bagels on Board

A new Canadian literary prize was announced recently – the Joan Betty Stuchner Oy Vey! Funniest Children’s Book Award. “With this award, we honor Joan Betty Stuchner’s life-affirming humor and encourage other children’s writers to laugh it up on the…

Shinshin program’s first year

photo - Shinshiniot, left to right, Ophir Golombek, Tomer Tetro and Lian Swissa

Shinshiniot, left to right, Ophir Golombek, Tomer Tetro and Lian Swissa. (photo by Michelle Dodek) Nine months ago, Ophir Golombek, Lian Swissa and Tomer Tetro were just the names of three Israeli 18-year-olds brought to Vancouver by the Jewish Federation…

El Al aids sheep

photo - Friends of the Jacob Sheep directors Jenna and Gil Lewinsky with their flock

Friends of the Jacob Sheep directors Jenna and Gil Lewinsky with their flock. (photo by Mustard Seed Images) El Al has agreed to come on board as a partner and subsidize the flight of the Jacob sheep from Canada to Israel.…