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freelancer

The rise and fall of a giant

Michael Shamata directs The Lehman Trilogy, which will be at Victoria’s Belfry Theatre from April 23 to May 19. (photo from Belfry Theatre) From April 23 to May 19, Victoria’s Belfry Theatre will stage The Lehman Trilogy, a three-act play…

Take a trip back in time 

photo - School girls, Lord Strathcona School, 1915

School girls, Lord Strathcona School, 1915. The JMABC Walking Tours take participants on a journey through the girls’ Strathcona neighbourhood, as well as to the Mountain View Jewish Cemetery, where many of the community’s pioneers are buried. (JMABC L.00172) This summer,…

Reflections on Shoah

For 20 years, on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, Prof. Chris Friedrichs delivered a lecture to the congregants of Temple Sholom on the subject of the Holocaust. It started in 2004, when Rabbi Philip Bregman, now rabbi emeritus of the…

Many invaluable contributions

photo - Harley Rothstein has just released a three-CD compilation of Jewish music and secular folk songs

Harley Rothstein has just released a three-CD compilation of Jewish music and secular folk songs. (photo from harleyrothstein.ca) A little over a year ago, my friend and musical colleague Harley Rothstein – cantor, songwriter, folk singer – shared with me…

Dance as an act of solidarity

image - Iraqis in Pajamas’ new album is a tribute to the victims of the Oct. 7 massacre

Iraqis in Pajamas’ new album is a tribute to the victims of the Oct. 7 massacre. In the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis…. And the celebrations that followed worldwide – glorifying the raping, burning and decapitating of…

The story of my mother’s narrow escape

In February, I attended the Canadian première of the movie 999: The Forgotten Girls, directed by Heather Dune Macadam, who also wrote the book on which it is based, 999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Transport to…

Mitzvah to return lost items

During the winter and spring in Winnipeg, sometimes one sees a child’s toy or a colourful mitten attached to a tree or hedge along a sidewalk. These are lost items. The neighbourly thing to do when you see something in…

Many make gala successful

photo - Left to right: Ken Levitt, Tamara Frankel, Tammi Belfer and Marie Doduck

Left to right: Ken Levitt, Tamara Frankel, Tammi Belfer and Marie Doduck. (photo by Marchant Photograophy) The Jewish Seniors Alliance commemorated their 20th anniversary with a gala titled A Night in the Catskills, which showcased Jewish humour from past to…

Richmond teen speaks in New York

photo - CTeen Shabbaton Havdalah in Times Square this past February

CTeen Shabbaton Havdalah in Times Square this past February. (photo from Chabad Richmond) Richmond teenager Miriam Kriche addressed a global  audience at the CTeen (Chabad Teens) International Jewish Teen Summit in New York City during the group’s annual Shabbaton. She…

Immersed in animation

photo - Alex Greenberg’s family experience drove his work for the Dallas Holocaust Museum

Alex Greenberg’s family experience drove his work for the Dallas Holocaust Museum. (photo from Alex Greenberg) It was a winding road for Alex Greenberg to become head of animation at a leading creative technology firm in Vancouver.  Born in Moldova,…

Art beyond the gallery walls

For Dan Russek, art abounds in urban settings, whether it be in the form of manhole covers, bike racks or other items and scenes that city dwellers regularly encounter. Spurred by an early love of photography, he has been surveying…

The joys of making matzah

photo - Left to right: Joanne Belzberg, Henia Wineberg, Rabbi Yitzchok Wineberg, Arnold Silber, Tammi Kerzner and Syd Belzberg

Left to right: Joanne Belzberg, Henia Wineberg, Rabbi Yitzchok Wineberg, Arnold Silber, Tammi Kerzner and Syd Belzberg. (photo by Yaletown Photography) For more than three decades, the Model Matzah Bakery, organized by Chabad Lubavitch in British Columbia, has offered a…

Storytelling at the Pesach seder

image - “Landscape with Moses and the Burning Bush,” by Domenichino (Italian, 1581-1641), painted sometime between 1610 and 1616

“Landscape with Moses and the Burning Bush,” by Domenichino (Italian, 1581-1641), painted sometime between 1610 and 1616. The Maggid, the storytelling portion of the Haggadah, is lengthy, yet it seems to dispense with the story of the Exodus in the…

In Every Generation

This introduction appears in In Every Generation: A Haggadah Supplement for 5784, recently published by the Shalom Hartman Institute (hartman.org.il).  The injunction, “Bekhol dor vador chayav adam lir’ot et atzmo keilu hu yatzah mimitzrayim,”  “In every generation, each person is…

Tasty plant-forward recipes

photo - Chef and dietitian Micah Siva

Chef and dietitian Micah Siva’s new cookbook, NOSH: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine, proves that plant-forward meals can be bursting with flavour and colour. (photo by Hannah Lozano) “This is really good,” said my wife, as she tasted the…

האם יהודים וישראלים נמצאים בסכנה מחוץ לישראל

Anti-Israel protest in Vancouver March 2024

(צילום – רוני רחמני)  אירועי השבעה באוקטובר שהביאו למלחמה הקשה בין ישראל והחמאס ברצועת עזה הגבירו משמעותית את השנאה והאנטישמיות כלפי יהודים וישראלים שגרים בעולם. נשאלת השאלה האם הםנמצאים בסכנה קיומית? והאם השנאה והאנטישמיות יתמתנו לאחר סיום המלחמה בין ישראל…

The aftermath of resignation

photo - Selina Robinson, centre, with then BC premier John Horgan and Kate Ryan-Lloyd, clerk of the Legislative Assembly, at Robinson’s swearing-in ceremony in 2017

Selina Robinson, centre, with then BC premier John Horgan and Kate Ryan-Lloyd, clerk of the Legislative Assembly, at Robinson’s swearing-in ceremony in 2017. (photo from Selina Robinson) Selina Robinson says she was fired from the British Columbia cabinet. Premier David…

Rally highlights resilience

photo - Those who gathered for the weekly rally to call for the release of the Israeli hostages take their message down Georgia Street on Sunday, March 17

Those who gathered for the weekly rally to call for the release of the Israeli hostages take their message down Georgia Street on Sunday, March 17. (photo by Cynthia Ramsay) After five months of attending almost every one of the…

Using politics to divide

The House of Commons passed a watered-down motion about Israel and Palestine Monday night after a raucous day in Parliament. The compromise amendments on the New Democratic Party’s motion seemed as much about saving face for the governing Liberals as…

Premier hears concerns

screenshot - Premier David Eby announces on Nov. 15, 2023, that the province is taking action against hate-motivated violence in British Columbia by supporting community organizations throughout the province and by providing resources to individuals

Premier David Eby announces on Nov. 15, 2023, that the province is taking action against hate-motivated violence in British Columbia by supporting community organizations throughout the province and by providing resources to individuals. (photo from Province of BC / flickr)…

New face in BC media

photo - There was a ceremonial handing over of a goat when Spencer Hall, left, bought the Rocky Mountain Goat newspaper from Laura Keil, who founded the paper in 2010. The goat, Buddy, was loaned for the occasion by Amanda Cameron

There was a ceremonial handing over of a goat when Spencer Hall, left, bought the Rocky Mountain Goat newspaper from Laura Keil, who founded the paper in 2010. The goat, Buddy, was loaned for the occasion by Amanda Cameron. (photo…

King David head retires soon

photo - King David High School principal Russ Klein at the school’s 2023 Golden Thread Gala fundraiser. About to retire, this year’s event will celebrate his 16 years of service

King David High School principal Russ Klein at the school’s 2023 Golden Thread Gala fundraiser. About to retire, this year’s event will celebrate his 16 years of service. (photo from  KDHS) Russ Klein stepped into the role of head of…

Parade’s story remains relevant

photo - Josh Epstein stars as Leo Frank in Raincity Theatre’s production of Parade, which runs until April 13

Josh Epstein stars as Leo Frank in Raincity Theatre’s production of Parade, which runs until April 13. (photo by Nicol Spinola) Raincity Theatre’s production of the musical Parade opened March 21 at 191 Alexander St., a heritage venue in Gastown.…

Songs released since Oct. 7 

photo - At Beth Tikvah Synagogue on April 2, Israeli music expert and radio personality Josh Shron will present A Musical Hug from Israel

At Beth Tikvah Synagogue on April 2, Israeli music expert and radio personality Josh Shron will present A Musical Hug from Israel. (photo from Josh Shron) Beth Tikvah Synagogue in Richmond welcomes Israeli music expert and radio personality Josh Shron…

Movies that offer optimism

image - still from the film Stay With Us

Stay With Us (still from the film) Healing. Of body and soul. Of self, community, family, friends. This year’s Vancouver Jewish Film Festival offers many poignant films – dramas sprinkled with humour that invite contemplation, and hope that we flawed…

Art as an anchor amid chaos

photo - Lisa Wolfin, executive director and founder of Art Vancouver International Art Fair, which is at the Vancouver Convention Centre East April 11-14

Lisa Wolfin, executive director and founder of Art Vancouver International Art Fair, which is at the Vancouver Convention Centre East April 11-14. (photo from Art Vancouver) “Art serves as a vital anchor amidst the chaos of the world, both as…