{"id":48519,"date":"2026-02-27T01:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T09:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=48519"},"modified":"2026-02-26T09:04:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:04:49","slug":"community-milestones-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2026\/02\/27\/community-milestones-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Community milestones … February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"photo<\/a>
Rabbi Schneur and Bina Druk and family (photo from Chabad of Whistler)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rabbi Schneur<\/b> and Bina Druk<\/b> and their two children have recently made Whistler their home.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Druk was ordained at the central Chabad-Lubavitch rabbinical seminary in Brooklyn and has served Jewish communities across North America and around the world, leading Shabbat services, holiday programs and outreach initiatives in a wide range of settings. His approach is guided by listening to the unique needs of each community and creating a welcoming, inclusive environment.<\/p>\n

Bina Druk, a Toronto native, has extensive experience in Jewish education and community engagement, having taught in Jewish schools and held leadership roles at Chabad centres in Toronto and New York.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Druks are excited to serve Whistler and the Sea-to-Sky corridor and to help ensure that every Jew, resident or visitor, has a place to connect with Jewish tradition, learning and community.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

The Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia has appointed Eli Klasner<\/b> as its new executive director.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Eli Klasner (photo from JMABC)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Klasner brings decades of leadership experience in arts, culture and community development, most recently in Prince George and north central British Columbia, where he played a key role in strengthening cultural infrastructure and fostering inclusive creative communities. His work there included the development of new arts facilities, as well as the revitalization of civic venues.<\/p>\n

In addition to his work in the arts, Klasner was instrumental in organizing and supporting the Jewish community in north central British Columbia,<\/p>\n

As executive director, Klasner will lead JMABC\u2019s strategic direction, oversee development, public programming and archival initiatives, and work closely with partners across the Jewish and cultural sectors in the province.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am incredibly honoured to be joining the Jewish Museum and Archives of BC,\u201d said Klasner. \u201cJMABC plays a vital role in preserving and sharing Jewish history and lived experience in this province. I am excited to \u2026 help expand the organization\u2019s work and capacity over the coming years, and to be collaborating with the many Jewish organizations in BC that make this province so rich and dynamic.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

The Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance!<\/b> production of Law Law Land<\/i> has won a BroadwayWorld Regional Award for best theatre for young audiences production. The musical theatre summer program based at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver was runner up for the award for best ensemble.<\/p>\n

The awards honoured regional productions, touring and other shows that had their first performance between Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025. Law Law Land<\/i>, written by Perry Ehrlich<\/b> and David Hudgins<\/b>, was the show that last summer\u2019s Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! participants worked towards and performed at the end of their respective sessions.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! program runs July 7-30 and Aug. 4-27. For an audition, apply online at jccgv.com<\/a> or gottasinggottadance.ca<\/a> by April 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rabbi Schneur and Bina Druk and their two children have recently made Whistler their home. Rabbi Druk was ordained at the central Chabad-Lubavitch rabbinical seminary in Brooklyn and has served Jewish communities across North America and around the world, leading Shabbat services, holiday programs and outreach initiatives in a wide range of settings. His approach […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[24679,24678,430,24676,22249,1712,5969,130,24677,1711,24680,24681,6092],"class_list":["post-48519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local","tag-bina-druk","tag-broadwayworld","tag-chabad","tag-david-hudgins","tag-eli-klasner","tag-gotta-sing-gotta-dance","tag-jewish-museum-and-archives-of-bc","tag-jmabc","tag-law-law-land","tag-perry-ehrlich","tag-schneur-druk","tag-sea-to-sky-corridor","tag-whistler"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48519\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}