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freelancer

A tragedy in progress

(photo from internationalaffairs.org.au) The interview was a moment of clarity and despondency. A cable news anchor asked an Afghan-Canadian activist what the West should do to save the Afghan people, especially women and girls, from the Taliban. The hesitation by…

Brian Jessel BMW turns 35

photo - Brian Jessel has loved cars since he was a kid

Brian Jessel has loved cars since he was a kid. (photo by Alfonso Arnold) Brian Jessel chose one of the most consequential years in Vancouver’s history, 1986, to embark on his self-named BMW dealership. Since Expo 86, both the city and…

Virtual reality as a therapy?

photo - Philip Be’er

Philip Be’er (photo from Philip Be’er) Philip Be’er, a counselor based in Sidney, B.C., 27 kilometres north of Victoria, has recently introduced virtual reality therapy consultations to anyone, anywhere, “as long as they have a good internet connection.” Sessions are…

Khazzoom has new EP

EP cover - The cover of Iraqis in Pajamas’ new album, Pijamama, features Loolwa Khazzooom’s grandfather, Abraham Khazzoom

The cover of Iraqis in Pajamas’ new album, Pijamama, features Loolwa Khazzooom’s grandfather, Abraham Khazzoom. The multifaceted, multicultural and impossible-to-pigeonhole Loolwa Khazzoom is back, along with her band, Iraqis in Pajamas, with a studio-produced album, Pijamama, that was released on…

Caring for cemetery

photo - In the Jewish Cemetery at Mountain View, a shroud was erected to protect the Kravitz family headstones

In the Jewish Cemetery at Mountain View, a shroud was erected to protect the Kravitz family headstones. (photo from Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board) Responsible for three Jewish cemeteries in the Lower Mainland, the Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board recently completed several…

Teaching Israeli teens

Want to make a difference in the lives of Israeli teens? Consider joining Israel Connect, a program where local adult volunteers connect online, one-on-one, via Zoom, with Israeli high school students who want to improve their English conversation and reading…

Building connection to Israel

photo - Grade 2 and 3 students of the B.C. Regional Hebrew School in Coquitlam with teacher Shifra Rabiski

Grade 2 and 3 students of the B.C. Regional Hebrew School in Coquitlam with teacher Shifra Rabiski. (photo from Lubavitch BC) In time for the upcoming school year, Lubavitch BC, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, is…

Comedy tour now on

photo - Left to right, comedians Andrew Packer, Jacob Balshin and Che Durena are currently on the JNT Comedy Tour, which takes them to small towns around Alberta and British Columbia until Sept. 6

Left to right, comedians Andrew Packer, Jacob Balshin and Che Durena are currently on the JNT Comedy Tour, which takes them to small towns around Alberta and British Columbia until Sept. 6. (photo from David Cyr Photography / JNT Comedy Tour) The…

Choose kindness in 5782

A friend of mine is an essential grocery store worker. Her colleagues are a mix of international newcomers, along with a sampling of Canadian-born workers. This Canadian friend’s favourite colleagues are often the immigrants from elsewhere, who are trying hard…

Change the conversation

It’s high time we changed the conversation. I know unequivocally that the whole world is sick of every conversation starting with: “The case numbers today.…” Or “Two people died today of COVID.” Or “I can’t believe how many idiots wear…

Instiling Jewish values

photo - The 46th summer season of the Phyliss and Irving Snider Camp Gan Israel of British Columbia ended with tears, hugs and good resolutions

The 46th summer season of the Phyliss and Irving Snider Camp Gan Israel of British Columbia ended with tears, hugs and good resolutions. (photo from CGI) Tears, hugs and good resolutions capped off a unique camp experience in Vancouver on…

BGU studies health tweets

photos - Dr. Odeya Cohen and Dr. Rami Puzis

Dr. Odeya Cohen (photo by Dani Machlis/BGU) and Dr. Rami Puzis (photo courtesy) Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers discovered patterns of significantly decreased joy, increased sadness, fear and disgust among healthcare professionals (HCP) in the largest social media study to…

Tackling the hatred head on

When white supremacists converged on Charlottesville, Va., four years ago chanting “Jews will not replace us,” it was the first encounter most of us had had with the conspiracy theory known as “the Great Replacement.” In the pretzel logic of…

About the Rosh Hashanah cover art

image - JI Rosh Hashanah issue cover - Two and a Half by artist Deborah Shapiro

Deborah Shapiro is a self-taught, award-winning artist from Akron, Ohio, who creates collages from bits of magazine paper – no paint is used. Her subjects include nature scenes, animals and still life images. Many of her pieces have words and added…

Being a Jewish woman

image - The Daughters of Zelophehad by artist Frederick Richard Pickersgill, engraver Dalziel Brothers, 1865-1881

The Daughters of Zelophehad by artist Frederick Richard Pickersgill, engraver Dalziel Brothers, 1865-1881. (photo from metmuseum.org) “A cobbler passed by the window of Rabbi Levi Yitzhak, calling out: “Have you nothing to mend?!” The rabbi began to cry: “Woe is me!…

Try new-ish dish in new year

Quinoa (keen-wah) is a plant whose seed is eaten like a grain, like wheat, originally from the Andean region of South America. However, it is not a true grain. Quinoa contains higher amounts of protein compared to true grains, and…

Add a spinach salad to menu

Spinach may have originated 2,000 years ago in Persia but it is native to central and western Asia. Now widely popular, there are many tasty ways to prepare it. In addition, its health benefits are many, especially if eaten raw,…

Jewish life in Newfoundland

photo - Rabbi Chanan and Tuba Chernitsky and their family before the couple had another baby this past spring

Rabbi Chanan and Tuba Chernitsky and their family before the couple had another baby this past spring. (photo from lubavitch.com) In the fall of 2019, my husband and I traveled to Newfoundland to take in its beauty and bounty. Both…

Age no concern to Sar-El

photo - Sar-El volunteers from Canada, the United States, England, Germany and the Caribbean at a base not far from Sderot in 2018

Sar-El volunteers from Canada, the United States, England, Germany and the Caribbean at a base not far from Sderot in 2018. (photo from Ed Rozenberg) This past July, I found myself shlepping boxes full of medical supplies and loading them…

Tour guides struggle

photo - Unemployed tour guide Hannah Rosenberg is now serving up hot dogs for about $12.50 Cdn an hour

Unemployed tour guide Hannah Rosenberg is now serving up hot dogs for about $12.50 Cdn an hour. (photo by Gil Zohar) For Anglo tour guides who have been unemployed since March 2020, the Israeli government’s recent decision to impose a seven-day…

Ancient foods still popular

screenshot - Dates being harvested from Hannah, a tree germinated from ancient seeds in Israel

Dates being harvested from Hannah, a tree germinated from ancient seeds in Israel. (screenshot from arava.org) The Mediterranean Diet is not a recent lifestyle development, but rather a form of eating going back to ancient times. Based on the foods…

1,500-year-old artifacts

photo - The winepress unveiled in Ramat Ha-Sharon

The winepress unveiled in Ramat Ha-Sharon. (photo by Yoli Schwartz, IAA) An Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) excavation has yielded evidence of human activity in the Ramat Ha-Sharon region from as early as 1,500 years ago. The excavation was prompted by…

Lessons from the pandemic

screenshot - Zoom presentations became a regular affair at Beth Israel during the pandemic. Inset: JFS director of programs and community partnerships Cindy McMillan provides an overview of the new Jewish Food Bank

Zoom presentations became a regular affair at Beth Israel during the pandemic. Inset: JFS director of programs and community partnerships Cindy McMillan provides an overview of the new Jewish Food Bank. (screenshot from BI & JFS) As Vancouver-area synagogues cautiously…

Back to school, safely

Cautious optimism. That seems to be the consensus among Jewish school administrators as students and teachers prepare to return to classes in September. One of the key lessons of the past year-and-a-half has been that things can change swiftly and…

Three new heads of school

photos - Left to right are new heads of school Ian Mills (Shalhevet Girls High School), Sabrina Bhojani (Richmond Jewish Day School) and Rabbi Barak Cohen (Vancouver Hebrew Academy)

Left to right are new heads of school Ian Mills (Shalhevet Girls High School), Sabrina Bhojani (Richmond Jewish Day School) and Rabbi Barak Cohen (Vancouver Hebrew Academy). (photos from interviewees) Three new principals will be joining the Metro Vancouver network of…

Get involved in election

Canadian elections do not generally pivot on issues of foreign affairs. Yet, the split screen image Sunday of Justin Trudeau calling a federal election juxtaposed with images of the Taliban seizing control of Afghanistan was a stark one. Canada left…