News

Give to increase housing

The Metro Vancouver Jewish community continues to struggle with housing insecurity. There is an urgent need for affordable, safe and stable homes, with more than 300 applicants on the Jewish Housing Registry’s growing waitlist. Of those, 71 are families with…

Helping people stay at home

People are living longer and, ideally, they’d be living longer at home. Pragmatically, this means that they and their primary caretaker(s) would need support not just for medical care, but for errands and companionship, as well. Enter Rona Goodman and…

B’nai mitzvah tutoring

photo - Sasha Kaye

Sasha Kaye (photo from B’nai Mitz-Van) Sasha Kaye recently launched B’nai Mitz-Van, a tutoring service that prepares b’nai mitzvah students for their Torah and Haftarah readings. She also offers basic voice training, performance anxiety management and d’var Torah writing support. Kaye…

Avoid being scammed

Millions of dollars have been lost through the schemes of fraudsters who take advantage of trusting, isolated and vulnerable senior citizens, said guest speaker Patrick Harkness at the latest Jewish Seniors Alliance – Phyliss and Irving Snider Foundation Empowerment Series…

Canadians Jews doing well

photo - Prof. Dr. Morton Weinfeld was the latest speaker in Kolot Mayim’s 2022/23 series

Prof. Dr. Morton Weinfeld was the latest speaker in Kolot Mayim’s 2022/23 series. (photo from Twitter) On Feb. 5, Morton Weinfeld, a professor of sociology at McGill University in Montreal, presented the talk The Jewish Glass Is Half Full, as…

Israelis not that divided

photo - Dr. Einat Wilf and Mark Regev spoke at a Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs event Feb. 9.

Dr. Einat Wilf and Mark Regev spoke at a Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs event Feb. 9. Canadian Jews who don’t like the look of Israel’s new government should not withdraw from engagement with that country and its discourse,…

Richmond adopts IHRA

Richmond city council adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism Feb. 13 after a contentious discussion, as part of a broader anti-racism framework. The vote was 6 to 3. Councilor Alexa Loo had originally moved adoption of…

Vernon’s Jewish community

photo - The exhibit Shedding Some Light on the Jewish Community in Vernon is at the Museum and Archives of Vernon until the beginning of April

The exhibit Shedding Some Light on the Jewish Community in Vernon is at the Museum and Archives of Vernon until the beginning of April. (photo from Alexandra Fox) If you are passing through the Okanagan between now and the beginning…

Building skills and confidence

photo - Shelly Bordensky is the JCC Inclusion Services support worker for PRISM

Shelly Bordensky is the JCC Inclusion Services support worker for PRISM. (photo from JCCGV) A new program at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver aims to equip 13-to-17-year-olds with leadership skills, personal insights and paid work experience. Funded by a…

Concerns over inflation

Last fall, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver surveyed the impact of inflation on its community partner organizations. As with many recent reports on the effects of rising prices, the feedback was sobering, said Shelley Rivkin, vice-president of global and…