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Celebrating 30 years

photo - Among those celebrating L’Chaim’s 30th anniversary were original board members, left to right, Sylvia Gurstein, Gloria Hendin and Marion Poliakoff

Among those celebrating L’Chaim’s 30th anniversary were original board members, left to right, Sylvia Gurstein, Gloria Hendin and Marion Poliakoff. (photo from L’Chaim) More than 70 people gathered recently in the L’Chaim Lounge at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater…

Meet Minnie’s family

What a mouth on Minnie! And I don’t mean it pejoratively. (I just wanted to get your attention.) Grandma Minnie Bloch is articulate and sensitive as she meticulously narrates the three-generational story that includes her own early life with her…

Fathers of biblical greats

The great epic poet Homer once said, “For rarely are sons similar to their fathers; most are worse, and a few are better.” In honor of Father’s Day, here are some quick facts about some rather unfamous (though not all…

עשרים שנות פעילות בישראל

photo - Boeing Dreamliner 787-8

אייר קנדה שבסיסה במונטריאול מפעילה קו יומי בין הערים טורונטו ותל אביב. לאחרונה מופעל בקו זה מטוס הבואינג החדיש (הדרימליינר). (צילום: CNW Group/Air Canada)  אייר קנדה מציינת עשרים שנות פעילות בישראל חברת התעופה הלאומית של קנדה אייר קנדה מציינת בימים…

Dunbar makes movie

photo - Left to right, Susan Skemp, Ken Charko and James E. Taylor are making a movie about Dunbar Theatre’s history

Left to right, Susan Skemp, Ken Charko and James E. Taylor are making a movie about Dunbar Theatre’s history. (photo by 5U54N & J4M35 Productions) To celebrate Dunbar Theatre’s 80th anniversary, the theatre is making a short film about its history…

Reconciliation efforts

Ve’ahavta and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) were among the Jewish organizations participating in the ceremonies supporting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), an independent commission whose mandate is to acknowledge experiences, impacts and consequences of Indian…

Shul needs help after flood

photo - Daniel Ogorek and Morgan Davis rescue Rabbi Emeritus Joseph Radinsky in a canoe.

Daniel Ogorek and Morgan Davis rescue Rabbi Emeritus Joseph Radinsky in a canoe. (photo from UOS) The historic flooding that hit the Houston area late last month dealt an especially hard blow to the city’s Jewish community. The United Orthodox…

Moishe House moves

photo - Ben Groberman outside of Moishe House’s new location in the 41st and Granville neighborhood

Ben Groberman outside of Moishe House’s new location in the 41st and Granville neighborhood. (photo from Ben Groberman) The Vancouver chapter of Moishe House has found a new home. It will be the third location since the local branch started…

A Jewish take on Magna Carta

The 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta falls on June 15. It is a significant document not only in the history of England and the history of democracy, but also in the history of the Jews. There is a surprising…

Creating, choosing kids’ art

photo - A son’s fascination with diggers has led to many other farm-related and animal designs

A son’s fascination with diggers has led to many other farm-related and animal designs. (photo by Shula Klinger) When our son, Joel, started to talk, most of what he said was, digger, referring to the large machines that dig earth,…

Razzmatap fills the Rothstein

photo - Gwen Epstein is the second on right in this photo of Sister Suffragette, performed by Razzmatap. The troupe’s upcoming show at the Rothstein has already sold out

Gwen Epstein is the second on right in this photo of Sister Suffragette, performed by Razzmatap. The troupe’s upcoming show at the Rothstein has already sold out. (photo from Razzmatap)   The audience at the Norman Rothstein Theatre on June…

Driverless cars one step closer

photo - Prof. Zvi Shiller in the RAV Lab

Prof. Zvi Shiller in the RAV Lab. (photo from israel21c.org) Within a few years, you may be traveling in a car with nobody at the wheel. Whether you call it an autonomous, driverless or self-driving vehicle, this automobile of the near…

Five-minute charger

screenshot - StoreDot’s technology would enable drivers to charge their car batteries in less time than the company needs to explain how it works

StoreDot’s technology would enable drivers to charge their car batteries in less time than the company needs to explain how it works. (screenshot from israel21c.org) StoreDot made headlines when it unveiled its prototype instant phone battery charger at last year’s Microsoft…

הורה ליצרניות הסיגרות לשלם …

photo - Cigarette manufacturers ordered to pay more than $ 15 billion

הורה ליצרניות הסיגרות לשלם למעלה מ-15 מיליארד דולר. (צילום: Andrew Magill via commons.wikimedia.org) התביעה הגדולה בתולדות קנדה: בית המשפט העליון בקוויבק הורה ליצרניות הסיגרות לשלם למעלה מ-15 מיליארד דולר למעשנים בית המשפט העליון של מחוז קוויבק הורה לשלוש יצרניות סיגריות…

Israeli poet talks to JI

After years of writing poems that blend his Algerian/Arabic background and his Ashkenazi-influenced schooling, Israeli poet Erez Biton, 73, this year received the Israel Prize for Hebrew literature and poetry. Born to Moroccan parents in Oran, Algeria, in 1942, he…

Scratching below the surface

photo - David Bloom

David Bloom (photo from Theatre Plexus) There are a few remarkable things that one notices when looking at the press material for Scratch, which is being presented by Theatre Plexus at Havana Theatre until June 13. First, the play itself. Part…

Promoting new dance

photo - Dance Centre’s 12 Minutes Max features works from five up-and-coming choreographers on June 12. Pictured here is Con8 Collective: Charlotte Newman, left, and Georgina Alpen

Dance Centre’s 12 Minutes Max features works from five up-and-coming choreographers on June 12. Pictured here is Con8 Collective: Charlotte Newman, left, and Georgina Alpen. (photo by Andy White) An abundance of riches. Scotiabank Dance Centre’s 12 Minutes Max on June 12…

Iron, fire meet cool waters

photo - Gregorio Scalamogna

Gregorio Scalamogna (photo by Olga Livshin) The current double show at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery has its origins in the two artists’ friendship. “I met with Greg Scalamogna through a mutual friend,” said Miran Elbakyan, an artist-blacksmith and…

Retiring from the JCC

photo - In her retirement, Jocelyne Hallé plans to keep working as a photographer

In her retirement, Jocelyne Hallé plans to keep working as a photographer. (photo by Rachel Lando) Members of the Vancouver Jewish community know Jocelyne Hallé. For years, she has been the official photographer of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater…

A party for Hebrew Free Loan’s 100th

photo - Hebrew Free Loan Association president Michelle Dodek, second from the right, with, left to right, past association presidents Errol Lipschitz, Diane Friedman and Mannie Druker

Hebrew Free Loan Association president Michelle Dodek, second from the right, with, left to right, past association presidents Errol Lipschitz, Diane Friedman and Mannie Druker. (photo by Dan Poh) One hundred years of anything in Vancouver is fairly unusual. On…

The trouble with Gaza repairs

Germany’s foreign minister was in Gaza the other day, surveying the miserable conditions there, including the lack of repair to the thousands of homes and other buildings damaged or destroyed during the Gaza War last summer – Operation Protective Edge,…

Camp’s decision misguided

In March, Young Judaea’s Camp Solelim made headlines for turning away a prospective camper because he’s not Jewish. Before having made their final decision, I wish they would have spoken to Aaron Ingram. A Winnipeg-based real estate and corporate commercial…

Cooperation in space

photo - MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates-designed RADARSAT-2 features state-of-the-art synthetic aperture radar technology and supports all the existing RADARSAT-1 beam modes, while offering many new capabilities, including the ability to acquire images to the left and right of the satellite. In partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., MDA will study the feasibility of an advanced payload for a potential future mission that would enhance the flexibility of the next generation of satellite communications

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates-designed RADARSAT-2 features state-of-the-art synthetic aperture radar technology and supports all the existing RADARSAT-1 beam modes, while offering many new capabilities, including the ability to acquire images to the left and right of the satellite. In partnership…

המונדיאל לנשים יוצא לדרך בסוף השבוע

photo - Joseph Sepp Blatter was elected for the fifth time

 הנשיא המתפטר של פיפ”א ג’זף ספ בלאטר, שאף אחד לא עצוב על שהוא עוזב. (צילום: Agência Brasil via commons.wikimedia.org)   בצל האירועים החמורים בפיפ”א והתפטרותו של הנשיא בלאטר: המונדיאל לנשים יוצא לדרך בסוף השבוע בקנדה בתקופה הגרועה ביותר בתולדות פיפ”א כשבכירה…

Champion of Jewish folklore

Janie Respitz’s fascination with Yiddish, its history and its role in Jewish culture grew naturally. “My grandparents spoke Yiddish at home,” she said in an interview with the Independent from her home in Montreal. “I knew Yiddish songs and expressions.…

Drought stress takes toll

photo - A July 2014 Planet Labs satellite image of a reservoir in California’s Lake County that supplies water to nearby Yolo County. In a non-drought year, according to Planet Labs, the visible water would cover roughly twice the area as it does in this picture

A July 2014 Planet Labs satellite image of a reservoir in California’s Lake County that supplies water to nearby Yolo County. In a non-drought year, according to Planet Labs, the visible water would cover roughly twice the area as it…