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The current show at the Zack Gallery – Finding Home – unites three very different artists: Jeannette Bittman, Andrea Dillingham-Lacoursiere and Eri Ishii. Sarah Dobbs, the gallery curator, told the Independent how the show came together. “All three artists…
David Benkof, the Broadway Maven, spoke on Jan. 11 as part of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2025-26 Voices of Jewish Music series. (photo from David Benkof) David Benkof, the Broadway Maven, visited Victoria recently, to give a talk titled Spotlight…
I made my wife a rockstar carrot cake for her birthday last week. Thanks to the JCC Jewish Book Festival, I received a review copy of Sesame: Global Recipes & Stories of an Ancient Seed by Rachel Simons, which features…
Jewpanese comedian Dylan Akira Adler performs Feb. 18-19 at Revue Stage. (photo from Jewpanese Project) “Soy vey” and “mazel tofu” are just two of the word mashups created by Jewpanese comedian Dylan Akira Adler, who is coming to Vancouver’s Just…
Or Shalom Synagogue is launching Awakening to Mortality, a new learning and community series that invites open, thoughtful Jewish conversations about death, aging and what it means to live fully. The series is offered in celebration of OSACK – the…
Communities across British Columbia gathered for Hanukkah, including in Vancouver, shown here, and in Delta, Maple Ridge and Whistler. (photo by Caryl Dolinko) At moments of heightened threat, the instinct to pull inward is natural. Jewish history gives us many…
On the fifth night of Hanukkah, Jewish community members delivered latkes and sufganiyot in the Downtown Eastside. (photo by Pat Johnson) On the fifth night of Hanukkah, a group of Jewish Vancouverites delivered latkes and sufganiyot to frontline workers and…
Pat Johnson has been selected by the government of Romania for the 2025 Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu National Award for outstanding merits in combating antisemitism, xenophobia, radicalization and hate speech. He was nominated for the honour by the Jewish Federation of…
Chabad Lubavitch of British Columbia has received a transformative endowment ensuring that the tradition of lighting the Silber Family Agam Menorah at the Vancouver Art Gallery will continue in perpetuity. The endowment was introduced last year at Legacy of Light,…
Almonds trees on the way to Jerusalem. (photo from PikiWiki) While Israelis are not what you would call nature worshippers, once a year they do celebrate one aspect of nature: trees. Tu b’Shevat (the holiday’s name is derived from the…
Karli Niehaus, husband Josh and their family at Camp Solomon Schechter. (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter) Camp Solomon Schechter alum Karli Niehaus is returning home – as camp director. She brings extensive experience in childhood education, community leadership and Jewish…
Camp Hatikvah’s Family Camp is so popular, a new off-site program has been created to meet demand. (photo from Camp Hatikvah) Camp Hatikvah is celebrating a milestone year after Family Camp 2026 broke all previous registration records. A total of…
Camp Miriam is a place where chanichimot (campers) feel free to be Jewish, to celebrate their traditions and to be part of a community guided by compassion, curiosity and joy. (photo from Camp Miriam) Last year was another remarkable one…
A fundamental part of being a counselor is to support the campers. (photo from Camp Kalsman) Rachel Mintz worked as junior counselor, senior counselor, canoe specialist and assistant director at Camp BB-Riback in the late 1990s. In her work today…
The writer as a kid at Camp Shalom with the camp’s director, Ben Horev. (photo from Uriel Presman Chikiar) I was 9 years old when I first arrived at Camp Shalom. My family had recently immigrated from Argentina, and we…
בעברי כאשר גרתי בישראל לא חשבתי שהמדינה נחשבת לאלימה במיוחד אך בשנים האחרונות שיניתי את דעתי. כיום להערכתי האלימות בישראל מורגשת בהרבה מגזרים וכמעט בכל פינה. חדשות לבקרים אנו קוראים על אלימות מצד אזרחים נגד אזרחים אחרים ועקומת האלימות הולכת…
הנפת דגלים פלסטינים היא חלק מהלחץ להכיר במדינה פלסטינית. בעקבות המלחמה הארוכה מדי והרג חפים מפשע שלא לצורך ישראל הפכה לאחת המדינות השנואות בעולם. ולפיכך, ישראלים ויהודים בעולם משלמים את המחיר הכבד ומסתכנים בחייהם. מה שאני עושה בוונקובר לא מסכן…
Victoria’s Congregation Emanu-El welcomed Rabbi Elisha (Eli) Herb as its new spiritual leader at the beginning of September, marking the next chapter for the historic shul, Canada’s oldest synagogue in continuous use. He takes over from Rabbi Harry Brechner, who…
Linor Attias, deputy director of international emergency operations for United Hatzalah, inspired Raquel Esrock’s bat mitzvah project: Maple Syrup and Mitzvahs. (photo by Robin Esrock) In a critical medical emergency, life and death depend on the help one receives and…
For Jews worldwide, the hope represented by the first candle of Hanukkah was snuffed out by the horrifying mass murder at a communal Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia. At press time, 15 were confirmed dead, ranging from a 10-year-old named…
More than 16 years ago, I was accepted into a master class for writing fiction with a well-known regional author at a university near me in Kentucky. I’d written lots of non-fiction and dabbled in fiction. I thought this would…
Many Jewish Canadians face unique mental health hurdles right now, and many of the professionals they depend on to help them are themselves struggling with related challenges. The trauma that has affected Jews in recent years – from the horrors…
Left to right at the Jewish Seniors Alliance of BC Fall Symposium Nov. 23: Jeff Moss, Joyce Murray, Anthony Kupferschmidt, Dan Levitt and Isobel Mackenzie. (photo by Alex Roque Photography) The Jewish Seniors Alliance of British Columbia’s fall symposium featured…
Azaleah Korn plays the title role in Gateway Theatre’s production of Annie, which runs to Jan. 3. Neko is one of three dogs that plays Sandy. (photo by David Cooper) If you want a warm and fuzzy holiday treat, see…
The thriller Shelter, set in Germany, features Mona, a Lebanese woman, and Naomi, an Israeli Mossad agent sent to protect the informant while she recovers from plastic surgery for her new identity. Mona and Naomi are together for two weeks…
Itamar Erez takes part in International Guitar Night Feb. 1. (photo by Diane Smithers) International Guitar Night returns to Massey Theatre on Feb. 1. This year’s all-Canadian tour features classical and flamenco guitarist Itamar Erez, jazz guitarist and vocalist Jocelyn…
Robert “Lucky” Budd, left, and Roy Henry Vickers have co-authored close to 20 books together, with more to be released in 2026. (photo from “Lucky” Budd) As oral historian Robert “Lucky” Budd tells it, his collaboration with First Nations artist…
As the owner of the 95-year-old Jewish Independent, I know full well that our Jewish community is built on the shoulders of those came before us. It is upon this foundation that we continue to grow, keeping our institutions going,…
In her talk at the White Rock South Surrey Jewish Community Centre on Nov. 23, Elana Wenner articulated what many in the room felt: that understanding our local history is not only a matter of dates and facts, but of…
On Dec. 3, in the second webinar of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2025/26 Building Bridges Lecture Series, Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz guided an interactive examination of the potential to harness the power of music, especially that which provides solace, be…
