Category Opinion

How to talk about the Middle East peacefully

Some of the violence in the Middle East has inflamed tensions closer to home. Online, there is a recent interview conducted by the University of British Columbia with its resident expert Prof. Robert Daum, who offered his thoughts on navigating…

Playing to win

I’m home when my phone buzzes with a text from my son. Playing for the school basketball team in a city an hour away, his five words carry disappointment, sadness. “I’m just a benchwarmer, mom.” I’m not one of those…

Teaching pride and humanity

Last Sunday, I took my two daughters to the Vancouver Pride Parade. Though I was certain my four- and seven-year-olds would enjoy every ounce of the many colors and sounds, and the energy of the parade itself (few events produce the same…

“The matzav” in Israel

photo - Gaza, July 28, 2014: An Israel Defence Forces soldier examines a newly revealed tunnel in the Gaza strip

Gaza, July 28, 2014: An Israel Defence Forces soldier examines a newly revealed tunnel in the Gaza strip. (photo by IDF via Ashernet) It’s been awhile since I’ve written. There’s a story I’ve been meaning to share but, unfortunately, circumstances…

Hockey brings peace in Israel

photo - My new friends! A mixed group of Arab and Jewish kids playing hockey together in Israel

My new friends! A mixed group of Arab and Jewish kids playing hockey together in Israel. I have to admit that it has been tough to concentrate on much these days with everything going on in Israel this month. The…

Remembering Reb Zalman

I was 15 during the summer of 1962 when a visiting Lubavitcher rabbi named Zalman Schachter came to Camp Ramah. He sang his soft and expressive melody for the first blessing of the Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals), which I…

Internet mostly good thing

What can we possibly add to the billions of words shed on the topic of the Israel-Hamas conflict? If this paper is in your hands – or you’re reading this on our new website or in our affordable and environmentally…