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Lanyi’s live Canadian debut

photo - The Vancouver Recital Society hosts London, England-based pianist Ariel Lanyi on March 3

The Vancouver Recital Society hosts London, England-based pianist Ariel Lanyi on March 3. (photo © Kaupo Kikkas) “Art is there to remind us that there is something bigger and greater than the present moment, something that will remain long after…

2024 public speaking contest

The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s Public Speaking Contest has been happening annually in Vancouver since 1989 and is open to students in grades 4 to 7. The registration deadline for this year’s event – which takes place March 7,…

Show Your Heart

photos - Natalie Portman, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen

Natalie Portman, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (photos from Variety) On Feb. 25, 1-5:30 p.m., the 58th annual Variety Show of Hearts Telethon will be broadcast on Global BC. The fundraising event will feature celebrity guests, including appearances by Natalie…

A way to support Israel

photo - Raquel Benzacar Savatti, chief executive officer of Israel Bonds Canada

Raquel Benzacar Savatti, chief executive officer of Israel Bonds Canada. (photo from Israel Bonds Canada) The phones at Israel Bonds Canada have been ringing off the hook since Oct. 7, according to Raquel Benzacar Savatti, chief executive officer of the…

Why pick segregated funds?

photo - Segregated fund products can offer greater peace of mind for those looking to participate in the market but wanting the reassurance of insurance guarantees to help them sleep better at night

Segregated fund products can offer greater peace of mind for those looking to participate in the market but wanting the reassurance of insurance guarantees to help them sleep better at night. (photo from pxhere.com) Looking for an investment option that…

טרודו: יש להבטיח את שלומם של היהודים בקנדה לאור העלייה באנטישמיות

ראש ממשלת קנדה, ג’סטין טרודו, נועד עם מפקד משטרת טורונטו על רקע העליה החדה במספר האירועים האנטישמיים בקנדה. טרודו ציין כי הוא דן עם מפקד משטרה להבטיח את שלומם של היהודים בעיר ולפעול בכל דרך נדרשת כדי להתמודד עם השנאה…

Rallies help keep hope alive

photo - Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver chief executive officer Ezra Shanken addresses those who gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery Jan. 14

Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver chief executive officer Ezra Shanken addresses those who gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery Jan. 14. (photo by Pat Johnson) Vancouverites gathered Jan. 14 to mark the 100th day since the Oct. 7 terror attacks…

Exploring ideas, worlds

“If there is one thing we learn during difficult times, it’s that community plays a crucial role, fostering unity, resilience and offering emotional support,” writes Dana Camil Hewitt, director of the annual Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival, in her…

End the war: surrender

This week’s suggestion of a time-limited ceasefire that would free remaining hostages in Gaza and return the bodies of the dead to their families seems, in the context of a bleak historical moment, encouraging. The optics of bartering for the…

Protests, picketing alarm Jews

image - Screenshot of Nelson City Council’s Oct. 22, 2023, meeting. Left to right, Topaz Zafrir, Yael Finer and Judy Banfield of the Kootenay Jewish Community Association present their concerns about the rise in anti-Israel and antisemitic events to the council

Screenshot of Nelson City Council’s Oct. 22, 2023, meeting. Left to right, Topaz Zafrir, Yael Finer and Judy Banfield of the Kootenay Jewish Community Association present their concerns about the rise in anti-Israel and antisemitic events to the council. Last…

Help vs antisemitism

screenshot - The Antisemitism and Israel Crisis Response Team’s hands-on guide can be found at jewishvancouver.com/toolkit

The Antisemitism and Israel Crisis Response Team’s hands-on guide can be found at jewishvancouver.com Since Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver launched the Antisemitism and Israel Crisis Response Team (AICRT) in November 2023, the team has been dedicated to helping Jewish…

Artist’s threat sees PuSh cave

At the weekly rally Jan. 14, Ezra Shanken, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, called on attendees to take action around the latest flashpoint of anti-Israel activism locally. Earlier in the week, the PuSh International Performing…

Mission endorses Canada’s Antiracism Strategy

photo - Left to right: Michael Sachs, director of JNF Pacific Region, with Mission Mayor Paul Horn and city councilor Mark Davies, councilor Danny Plecas, Mission resident Eitan Israelov, councilor Angel Elias, councilor Carol Hamilton (back) and councilor Jag Gill

Left to right: Michael Sachs, director of JNF Pacific Region, with Mission Mayor Paul Horn and city councilor Mark Davies, councilor Danny Plecas, Mission resident Eitan Israelov, councilor Angel Elias, councilor Carol Hamilton (back) and councilor Jag Gill. (photo from…

What happens after the war?

image - Area of Gaza controlled by the Israeli Defence Forces on Jan. 11, 2024

Area of Gaza controlled by the Israeli Defence Forces on Jan. 11, 2024. While the war in the Gaza Strip continues between Hamas guerillas and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the labyrinth of tunnels burrowed beneath Khan Yunis and…

Critical thinking a vital skill

As a 20-something in the mid-1990s, I taught high school English. Part of my course load was a collaborative Grade 10 World Civilizations course that I co-taught with a social studies teacher. One day, I flippantly advertised our next assignment…

Nuance is vital path to empathy

On the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, I was in Vancouver, celebrating the holiday of Simchat Torah with my family. We woke up, my father went to synagogue, and I lay on the couch sipping coffee and reading a book.…

Past trauma can help us

photo - Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone spoke in a Zoom webinar hosted by Victoria’s Kolot Mayim Reform Temple on Jan. 14

Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone spoke in a Zoom webinar hosted by Victoria’s Kolot Mayim Reform Temple on Jan. 14. (PR photo) Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone unraveled intergenerational trauma, and offered solutions to help remedy it, in a Zoom webinar hosted…

Celebrating in Victoria

photo - Left to right at Chabad of Vancouver Island’s 20th anniversary gala last November: Rabbi Meir Kaplan; Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada; Dr. Elior Kinarthy and Leah Kinarthy, founders of Kineret Tamim Academy of Victoria; and Rebbetzin Chani Kaplan

Left to right at Chabad of Vancouver Island’s 20th anniversary gala last November: Rabbi Meir Kaplan; Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada; Dr. Elior Kinarthy and Leah Kinarthy, founders of Kineret Tamim Academy of Victoria; and Rebbetzin Chani Kaplan. (photo…

Remembering, learning

Hillel BC’s Holocaust Education Week takes place on campus at the University of British Columbia Jan. 29-Feb. 2. Every day of that week, there will be something going on to attend and learn from, including the exhibit from Yad Vashem…

Mental health series begins

photo - The first session in the new JQT-JFS mental health series will be facilitated by Alycia Fridkin, left, and supported by Anat Kelerstein

The first session in the new JQT-JFS mental health series will be facilitated by Alycia Fridkin, left, and supported by Anat Kelerstein. Listen & Be Heard takes place Feb. 11, 1 p.m., at Or Shalom. “JQT and JFS are working…

Just for Laughs coming soon

photos - Ben Schwartz and Jessica Kirson are on the lineup of this year’s Just for Laughs Vancouver

Ben Schwartz and Jessica Kirson are on the lineup of this year’s Just for Laughs Vancouver. Just for Laughs Vancouver, which runs Feb. 15-24 at various venues in the city, features several members of the Jewish community. All three of…

Celebrating two new years 

It would be fun to be a fly on the wall at Vancouver Talmud Torah on Feb. 14 as Richard Ho reads from his book Two New Years, illustrated by Lynn Scurfield, and discusses it with the children. Being that…

Don’t let your lemon loaf

photo - Lemon loaf using a recipe by Jo-Anna Rooney, creator of A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

Lemon loaf using a recipe by Jo-Anna Rooney, creator of A Pretty Life in the Suburbs. (photo from aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com) So, a husband walks into Costco … with no shopping list. And what happens? He comes out with $200 worth of…

Rabbis’ emotional journey

photo - Left to right: Rabbis Susan Tendler, Hannah Dresner, Philip Bregman, Carey Brown, Andrew Rosenblatt, Jonathan Infeld, Philip Gibbs and Dan Moskovitz in Israel last month

Left to right: Rabbis Susan Tendler, Hannah Dresner, Philip Bregman, Carey Brown, Andrew Rosenblatt, Jonathan Infeld, Philip Gibbs and Dan Moskovitz in Israel last month. (photo from facebook.com/jewishvancouver) Eight Vancouver-area rabbis recently visited Israel where, among many other things, they…

Sculpturing with wood

photo - “Constellation” by Rosamunde Bordo

“Constellation” by Rosamunde Bordo. (photo by Sol Hashemi) Every true artist at the start of their career undergoes a period of intense search: for their voices, for their themes, for their artistic expressions. Rosamunde Bordo is at that exciting stage…

Poll addresses bigotry

For Jews around the world, 2023 was among the most traumatizing years in recent memory. The advent of a new secular year, the turning of the calendar page to 2024, presents a figurative new beginning, some optimism and hope for…

CANCELED – See The Runner at PuSh

photo - Christopher Morris as Jacob in The Runner, which is at Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre Jan. 24-26

Christopher Morris as Jacob in The Runner, which is at Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre Jan. 24-26. (photo by Dylan Hewlett) Since this article was published, PuSh has canceled the production. For the statement, click here. Among the offerings…

CANCELED Play should not be canceled

photo - Christopher Morris as Jacob in The Runner

Christopher Morris as Jacob in The Runner. (photo by Dylan Hewlett) Since this article was published, PuSh has canceled the production. For the statement, click here. The Belfry Theatre in Victoria has removed Christopher Morris’s play The Runner from its 2024…