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A Canadian Haggadah

image - The cover of the new Haggadah, with one of its authors, Rabbi Adam Scheier

The cover of the new Haggadah, with one of its authors, Rabbi Adam Scheier. (photo from cjnews.com) A new Haggadah in Hebrew, English and French has been created by Canadians for Canadians and celebrates the Jewish experience in this country.…

IBD effects and treatments

image - from trustedtherapies.com

(photo from trustedtherapies.com) Every year, 15 out of every 100,000 Canadians is diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). More concerning are the statistics for Ashkenazi Jews, one of the more at-risk populations for the disease. IBD is a group of…

Five things every kid needs

What do children require in order to thrive? Here are five vital things we must give to our children. 1. Self-worth All children have the need to feel accepted. When we nurture our child’s feelings of self-worth, we create a…

הבניין השלישי בגובהו באזור ונקובר

image - artist's rendering of Burrard Place will extend over the entire block between four blocks downtown: Borard, Drake, Hornby and Davie

בורארד פלייס ישתרע על פני בלוק שלם בין ארבעה רחובות בדאון טאון: בורארד, דרייק, הורנבי ודיווי. (הדמייה של הפרויקט: City of Vancouver via globalnews.ca) הבניין השלישי בגובהו בוונקובר יבנה בפרוייקט החדש של ג’ים פטיסון בדאון טאון הבניין השלישי בגובהו באזור…

Elections will hold surprises

photo - Tens of thousands, at a rally in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on March 7, call for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be replaced in the upcoming elections. The rally, organized by a group called Million Hands, had as its keynote speaker the former head of the Mossad, Meir Dagan

Tens of thousands, at a rally in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on March 7, call for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be replaced in the upcoming elections. The rally, organized by a group called Million Hands, had as its…

Dancing in gratitude

photo - Serge Bennathan with Erin Drumheller in Monsieur Auburtin, which is at the Dance Centre March 26-28

Serge Bennathan with Erin Drumheller in Monsieur Auburtin, which is at the Dance Centre March 26-28. (photo by Michael Slobodian) Serge Bennathan’s Monsieur Auburtin is an autobiographical work, which promises to offer “audiences a keyhole through which to rediscover their…

An equal, just society

photo - Dr. Hannah Kehat

Hannah Kehat (photo from New Israel Fund Canada) A crowd of 100 people – mostly women – filled Temple Sholom’s sanctuary on Feb. 23 to hear Dr. Hannah Kehat, a prominent feminist religious activist in Israel. Kehat’s Kolech, founded in…

Netanyahu lacks leadership

photo - At a rally in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on March 7, calling for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be replaced in the upcoming elections, protesters held signs saying “Change Now”

At a rally in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on March 7, calling for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be replaced in the upcoming elections, protesters held signs saying “Change Now.” (photo by Ashernet) This week’s pre-election tempest is over whether…

Apology spoof short-sighted

screenshot - In a HaBayit HaYehudi election ad, party head Naftali Bennett has an apology problem

As election season progresses in Israel, how Israelis are seeking to position themselves is becoming clearer than ever. In its attempt to unseat Bibi Netanyahu, the joint Labor-Hatnua slate is billing itself as the “Zionist Union,” a moniker that rankles…

Digital lending gets a boost

photo - Rita and Marvin Weintraub with Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library librarians Karen Corrin, left, and Helen Pinsky, second from the right

Rita and Marvin Weintraub with Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library librarians Karen Corrin, left, and Helen Pinsky, second from the right. (photo from Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library) The e-book market has been growing by leaps and bounds, particularly in…

JFSA still has garden plots

photo - The Jewish Family Service Agency’s community garden was halved by CPR

The Jewish Family Service Agency’s community garden was halved by CPR. (photos by Cynthia Ramsay) As many residents have witnessed, the legal dispute between the City of Vancouver and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) has reached a point of no return,…

Making people aware

photo - The Victoria Children’s Choir (below) were among the many participants in the Holocaust awareness event at the University of Victoria

The Holocaust awareness event at the University of Victoria was a collaborative effort. (photo from Hillel BC) On Feb. 5 and 6, Hillel BC, University of Victoria’s Kibbutz Hillel Student Club and I-witness Field School presented a Holocaust awareness event.…

A legacy of stewardship

photo - The author in 1974 at a tree planting event organized by her father in England

The author in 1974 at a tree planting event organized by her father in England. (photo from Shula Klinger) It all began with my great-grandfather, Simon Picker. In the early 20th century, the timber industry in Bukowina was booming. Before…

Living on the wet West Coast

Living in the wet Pacific Northwest, mold grows with reckless abandon. It only needs moisture, moderate temperatures and a food source to grow. In the outdoors, mold is necessary to breakdown dead, organic material. Unfortunately, however, it isn’t really too…

AJD on Road to Peace

photo - Road to Peace: left to right, Josh Morry of the Arab Jewish Dialogue on Campus, and AJD’s Howard Morry and Ab Freig

Road to Peace: left to right, Josh Morry of the Arab Jewish Dialogue on Campus, and AJD’s Howard Morry and Ab Freig. (photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa) Founded in 2006, the Arab Jewish Dialogue (AJD) is a national organization based in…

Family’s little white lie

Lacey Schwartz celebrates her bat mitzvah with her parents, Peggy and Robert

Lacey Schwartz celebrates her bat mitzvah with her parents, Peggy and Robert. (photo from littlewhiteliethefilm.com) From Hollywood films like Next Stop Greenwich Village and Reversal of Fortune to documentaries like The Times of Harvey Milk, hyper-verbal Jews are practically a…

Secure a future for Studio 58

image - from Studio 58 Legacy Fund

(photo from langara.bc.ca) It’s 50 years in the future. You’re in your landspeeder, zipping along the desert horizon to the Langara oasis for the opening production of Studio 58’s 2065 season! It features the usual outstanding student acting and production talent,…

Na’amat stands in solidarity

photo - The Canadian contingent included representatives from Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver

The Canadian contingent included representatives from Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. (photo by Israel Malovani) Leaders of Na’amat Canada joined representatives of the organization from the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Belgium, Argentina, Uruguay and Israel for the…

Paris synagogue visit

photo - The Hon. Rob Nicholson at the Great Synagogue of Paris during a trip to France, accompanied by Joël Merghi and Rabbi Moshe Sebbag

The Hon. Rob Nicholson at the Great Synagogue of Paris during a trip to France, accompanied by Joël Merghi and Rabbi Moshe Sebbag. (photo from the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs) The Hon. Rob Nicholson, minister of foreign…

A designer for real living

photo - Berlin-based photographer David Meskhi took shots of ordinary people wearing Maya Bash clothing

Berlin-based photographer David Meskhi took shots of ordinary people wearing Maya Bash clothing. (photo from israel21c.org) When fashion designer Maya Bash began renovating a grimy auto-parts store in Tel Aviv’s Gan Hahashmal (Electric Garden) district eight years ago, she could…

נתניהו בקונגרס האמריקני

photo - Canadian media extensively covered the speech of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US Congress on Tuesday last week.

כלי התקשורת בקנדה סיקרו בהרחבה את נאומו של ראש הממשלה, בנימין נתניהו, בקונגרס האמריקני ביום שלישי בשבוע שעבר. (צילום: Amos Ben Gershom / IGPO via Ashernet) כלי התקשורת בקנדה סיקרו בהרחבה את נאום נתניהו בקונגרס האמריקני כלי התקשורת בקנדה סיקרו…

All ears on Netanyahu talk

photo - Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addresses AIPAC

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addresses AIPAC. (photo by Amos Ben Gershom IGPO via Ashernet) Washington, D.C. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the AIPAC Policy Conference Monday, presaging his address to the U.S. Congress Tuesday. “Never has so much been written…

Nisman was a true hero

photo - Gustavo Perednik, right, with Alberto Nisman in Jerusalem. Nisman’s work inspired Perednik’s novel

Gustavo Perednik, right, with Alberto Nisman in Jerusalem. Nisman’s work inspired Perednik’s novel. (photo from Gustavo Perednik) The day before he was to present to Argentina’s parliament allegations that the government tried to cover up Iran’s involvement in the 1994 terror…

Whipping Man a must-see

photo - Left to right, Carl Kennedy, Tom Pickett and Giovanni Mocibob hold a seder in The Whipping Man. The symbolism of Passover is an integral part of Matthew Lopez’s play

Left to right, Carl Kennedy, Tom Pickett and Giovanni Mocibob hold a seder in The Whipping Man. The symbolism of Passover is an integral part of Matthew Lopez’s play. (photo by Emily Cooper) On April 9, 1865, the day before…

Making personal impressions

photo - Leonard Shane’s artwork is on display at the Waldman Library until March 31

Leonard Shane’s artwork is on display at the Waldman Library until March 31. (photo by Olga Livshin) When Leonard Shane was a child, his mother enrolled him in music lessons. “It lasted only a few months,” he told the Independent…

The three trials of Gett

photo - Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) and Carmel (Menashe Noy) in Gett

Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) and Carmel (Menashe Noy) in Gett. (photo from Music Box Films) The marvelously claustrophobic and deeply damning Israeli courtroom drama Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem – which opens March 13 at Vancity Theatre – actually consists…

Bipartisan support of Israel

The controversy around Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech to the U.S. Congress this week was so fraught with partisan rancor – or at least with punditry alleging partisan rancor – that the theme at the AIPAC conference in Washington,…

The value of duty, empathy

When Vancouver-based philanthropists Rosalie and Joe Segal announced a lead gift of $12 million towards a new centre for mental health, I felt deeply moved. I had had occasion to visit a loved one at the old facility a few…