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About the Summer 2023 cover

photo - Singing Creek Campground

Singing Creek Campground (photo by Ingrid Weisenbach) This year’s Summer issue cover was taken at Singing Creek Campground in Garibaldi Park over the May long weekend. It was a relatively easy hike to the campsite, and gorgeous, as can be…

A foolproof eggplant recipe

photo - Rebbetzin Chanie’s eggplant dish is “super-easy and ridiculously yummy”

Rebbetzin Chanie’s eggplant dish is “super-easy and ridiculously yummy.” (photo by Shelley Civkin) A recent Shabbat dinner with Rabbi Yechiel and Chanie Baitelman and a few other guests was like waking into the light after being in darkness for three…

Recipes for special moments

As my kid peered over the counter, straining to see into the mixer bowl, I had a moment that I hope I will always remember. “Egg chemistry is amazing!” I commented, as he asked what cream of tartar did and…

Beauty in indrawn breath

An indrawn breath. What are the things that cause your eyes to widen, that are such a surprise, good or bad, that they literally take your breath away? There may not be many things that do that to you, but…

Settling Ukrainian newcomers

photo - With the help of Jewish Family Services, Belmont Properties and others, the Zubrys family – Alexander, holding Artem, Sophie and Katrina – are getting settled in Vancouver

With the help of Jewish Family Services, Belmont Properties and others, the Zubrys family – Alexander, holding Artem, Sophie and Katrina – are getting settled in Vancouver. (photo from JFS) For Oleksandra Liashyk and her family, who fled the Ukraine-Russia…

A double anniversary

photo - Congregation Schara Tzedeck is celebrating 20 years since Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt and Dr. Cirelle Rosenblatt arrived in Vancouver, and 115 years as the city’s flagship Orthodox congregation

Congregation Schara Tzedeck is celebrating 20 years since Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt and Dr. Cirelle Rosenblatt arrived in Vancouver, and 115 years as the city’s flagship Orthodox congregation. (photo from Schara Tzedeck) Members of Congregation Schara Tzedeck are celebrating 20 years…

Deep, dangerous bias

The sale by George Soros of a (comparatively) modest holding in Elon Musk’s Tesla car company seems to have sent Musk into a Twitter tirade last week. “He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization,” Musk tweeted in a…

Honouring others in death

There’s nothing like a tree stump to put things in context. I walk the dog in an area full of mature trees and wildlife. Tucked in a bend of a river, we’ve got a lot of trees here. However, this…

Living under fire of missiles

Working from home, it was after 6 p.m. and my global Teams meeting had just started. Comfortably settled and talking about suppliers, delivery times and prices, my smartphone beeped incessantly – the Code Red missile warning app. More than 350…

Laugh for good causes

photos - Helen Schneiderman headlines and David Granirer emcees the Stand Up for Mental Health show at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on June 1

Helen Schneiderman headlines and David Granirer emcees the Stand Up for Mental Health show at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on June 1. (photos from JCC) “There are many comedy shows out there, but not many like this…

Sizzlin’ Summer in June

photo - The Vancouver Men’s Chorus “brings such an effervescent joy to the shows and the spring season in particular is a big party for the chorus and audience alike.”

The Vancouver Men’s Chorus “brings such an effervescent joy to the shows and the spring season in particular is a big party for the chorus and audience alike.” (photo by Mark Burnham Photography) The Vancouver Men’s Chorus (VMC) Sizzlin’ Summer…

Parker Art Salon on display

image - “Aqua,” by Violette Zohar Fiszbaum, who is one of the more than 50 artists participating in the Parker Art Salon exhibit at Pendulum Gallery

“Aqua,” by Violette Zohar Fiszbaum, who is one of the more than 50 artists participating in the Parker Art Salon exhibit at Pendulum Gallery. (photo from Violette Zohar Fiszbaum) Pendulum Gallery in downtown Vancouver opened a new show on May…

Helping animals and people

photo - Pets & Pickers producer Tyson Hepburn confers with Regional Animal Protection Society chief executive officer Eyal Lichtmann during the film shoot

Pets & Pickers producer Tyson Hepburn confers with Regional Animal Protection Society chief executive officer Eyal Lichtmann during the film shoot. The Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) in Richmond operates a cat sanctuary, a fostering network, thrift stores and a…

New LGBTQ+ resource guide

image - A screenshot of Jeff Kushner’s July 2, 2020, interview with Carmel Tanaka for the B.C. Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project, which can be found on YouTube

A screenshot of Jeff Kushner’s July 2, 2020, interview with Carmel Tanaka for the B.C. Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project, which can be found on YouTube. JQT (Jewish Queer and Trans) Vancouver has compiled a resource guide in…

Innovators in serving the community

photo - Emcee Michael Newman, left, and keynote speaker Anders Sörman-Nilsson at the Jewish Family Services Innovators Lunch

Emcee Michael Newman, left, and keynote speaker Anders Sörman-Nilsson at the Jewish Family Services Innovators Lunch. (photo by Josh Bowie) “I believe that the next trend is not necessarily digital transformation, but it is the alignment of two of these…

First Jewish Prom a success

photo - Rachel Gerber and Judah Moskovitz, regional co-presidents of BBYO Vancouver, at the first annual Jewish Prom on May 6

Rachel Gerber and Judah Moskovitz, regional co-presidents of BBYO Vancouver, at the first annual Jewish Prom on May 6. (photo from BBYO & JCC Teens) BBYO, in partnership with the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC), held its first…

Prince George proclaims Jewish Heritage Month

photo - Members of the Prince George Jewish community with Mayor Simon Yu

Members of the Prince George Jewish community with Mayor Simon Yu. (photo from Eli Klasner) Members of the local Jewish community were invited to attend the official reading and proclamation of May 2023 as Jewish Heritage Month in Prince George.…

Düsseldorf returns painting

image - Wilhelm von Schadow’s “The Artist’s Children” (1830)

Wilhelm von Schadow’s “The Artist’s Children” (1830). The German city of Düsseldorf reached an agreement recently with the heirs of Max Stern (1904-1987), a Jewish art dealer forced to flee the city in 1937, ending a long-standing battle over the…

קנדה גדלה במיליון איש

קנדה גדלה במיליון איש בשנה בגלל מהגרים. זאת לאור ההחלטה של ממשלת טרודו לפתוח את שערי המדינה לאזרחים זרים מכל העולם, כדי להניע את הכלכלה ולתמוך באוכלוסייה המזדקנת. ולכן כצפוי בשנה שעברה צמח מספר התושבים של קנדה בלמעלה ממיליון איש,…

Garden welcomes visitors

photo - Vancouver Talmud Torah students of all ages worked together to prepare the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden

Vancouver Talmud Torah students of all ages worked together to prepare the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden. (photo from VTT) The first few weeks of spring have been a particularly busy time for Vancouver Talmud Torah (VTT) students. Armed with child-size…

Spotting disinformation

photo - On May 30, the Global Reporting Centre’s Peter Klein will give the talk Disinformation and Democracy

On May 30, the Global Reporting Centre’s Peter Klein will give the talk Disinformation and Democracy. (photo from VST) Emmy Award-winning journalist Peter Klein will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Making Meaning in a Time of Media Polarization…

A family metaphor

As British Columbia’s Jewish community and friends come together Sunday to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary – a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, capping a multitude of celebratory events over the span of weeks – no one doubts that this…

Hate crimes down a bit

image - Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2022 cover

The number of antisemitic hate crimes in Canada declined a fraction last year, according to the B’nai Brith Canada League for Human Rights Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2022. The decline, though, is from 2021, which saw the highest number…

First mikvah in B.C. Interior

photo - Okanagan Chabad House’s Rabbi Shmuly and Fraidy Hecht with their family

Okanagan Chabad House’s Rabbi Shmuly and Fraidy Hecht with their family. (photo from Okanagan Chabad) For almost three months now, residents of Kelowna have had the opportunity to participate in the mitzvah of mikvah, following the completion at the Okanagan…

Check out JQT Artisan Market

photos - The JQT (Jewish Queer Trans) Artisan Market on May 15, 6-9 p.m., at the Peretz Centre features several local artists

(photos from JQT Vancouver) The JQT (Jewish Queer Trans) Artisan Market on May 15, 6-9 p.m., at the Peretz Centre features several local artists, and international performer Stav Meishar presents Oy Slay! at 8 p.m. For more information on the…

Yiddish alive and well

image - Yiddish Lives On book cover

Yiddish has the odds stacked against it – the vast majority of its speakers were murdered in the Holocaust, its use was repressed in the postwar Soviet Union, Israel favoured Hebrew over it, and it faced the challenges that any…

Celebrating 30th year

photo - This year’s West of Main Art Walk will be event founder Pnina Granirer’s last open studio

This year’s West of Main Art Walk will be event founder Pnina Granirer’s last open studio. (photo from Pnina Granirer) In European cities such as Paris, art has been blooming for centuries and is an essential component of life and…

Get ready to laugh it up

photos - Carol Ann Fried as herself, and as Groucho Marx. Fried presents the program Laughing Matters at the May 28 Jewish Seniors Alliance Spring Forum

Carol Ann Fried as herself, and as Groucho Marx. Fried presents the program Laughing Matters at the May 28 Jewish Seniors Alliance Spring Forum. (photos from Carol Ann Fried) Carol Ann Fried helps people find their “joy spot.” When she…

Supporting Beth Israel’s light

photo - Standup comedian Cory Lupovic will perform at Congregation Beth Israel’s gala next month

Standup comedian Cory Lupovic will perform at Congregation Beth Israel’s gala next month. (photo by Joan Ullyett) Congregation Beth Israel’s Be the Light Gala Presented by Gerry & Ruby Gales & Family takes place June 4. The fundraising event features…