Jews are not a homogeneous group in ritual, beliefs, thought or experience. We are diverse, coming from many different places, speaking countless languages, putting our unique spins on food, music and other cultural aspects. We are both a religion and a nation. Yet, despite the differences, we are connected to one another in myriad ways, linked by shared ancestry and core values, as well as by external forces that, all too often, are hostile.
“The documentary you are about to watch highlights the resilience and unity of the Jewish people, surviving thousands of years of persecution, violence and dispersion while staying connected, hopeful and shining light in the darkest times,” narrates Becky Wosk at the beginning of her film One Thread, which screens May 3, 1 p.m., at Fifth Avenue Cinemas, as part of the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival.
The documentary is a reminder that, while there are so many reasons to be proud of being Canadian, many (most?) immigrants to Canada, Jews included, have come here from somewhere else not so much by choice, but because of adverse conditions in their home country. We must also remember that Canada has not always been a welcoming place for newcomers or, of course, for the peoples who were here before any Europeans arrived. Sometimes, Canada has completely closed its doors, as in the case of Jews fleeing the Holocaust on the MS St. Louis in 1939.
In One Thread, Wosk interviews 15 members of the BC Jewish community. They share brief overviews of their family histories, how they ended up in British Columbia. Most of their ancestors were fleeing persecution or arrived as a survivor of it. Their families sometimes traveled via other countries or provinces before settling here.
Wosk asks interviewees what being Jewish means to them, what they wish non-Jews knew about Jews and Judaism, their favourite parts about being Jewish, and other questions. The answers are both similar and different. They offer a glimpse into the challenges and joys of being Jewish.
Wosk has done a masterful job at editing some nine hours of interview recordings into a 42-minute documentary that includes some wonderful archival footage and photographs. She lets viewers know that Jews are roughly 0.9% of the Canadian population (2021 data) and 0.2% of the global population (2023). She bookends the film with two quotes that reinforce her themes of resilience, unity and hope, and she highlights Canada’s message to Jews wanting to come here after the Holocaust: “None is too many.” But, mostly, she lets her interviewees tell the story.
“I was a student in the Langara film arts program (directing stream) and the head of the program, Jonas Quastel, sent me the application for the Earl Parker Award for Jewish Film via the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival,” Wosk told the Independent about the film’s origins. “I applied with the idea to document some of the history of the Vancouver Jewish community, as well as the commonalities of Jews in the diaspora. As someone who is a documentary lover, and a genuinely curious human, I really wanted to share local community members and their stories.”
She found those community members by putting a call out through local organizations and social media groups. She wanted people from a range of ages and genders. While everyone she spoke with lives in British Columbia, some of them are from other places originally, including Argentina, the United States and other provinces.
Her own family history illustrates the different places from which community members have come and the impacts they have had here.
“My paternal great-grandparents came to Canada from Ukraine in the early 1900s,” said Wosk. “That side of the family was actually documented in the book by Shirley Barnett, Don’t Break the Chain: The Nemetz Family Journey from Svatatroiske to Vancouver. My paternal great-grandfather, Abrasha Wosk, was a pioneer of the Vancouver Jewish community. He secured the building and funding for the original Schara Tzedeck and helped start the Hebrew Free Loan Association.”
Her paternal great-grandmother, Abrasha’s wife, Chava (Nemetz), was a community builder in her own right.
“My maternal great-grandmother, Rose Cohen (Beckerman), came from North Dakota; her family came over from Eastern Europe. My maternal great-grandfather, Maurice Cohen, was from Lithuania, the rest of his siblings went to South Africa. He came to Prince Rupert and opened a dry goods store called Director, Cohen & Co.”
Wosk’s grandparents were all born in Canada, she said, except for her paternal grandmother, who was from Manchester.
“It reinforced the feeling of being part of something bigger than oneself, something very deeply rooted in ancient spirituality,” said Wosk about making the film. “I loved being able to chat with the interviewees about our favourite foods and holidays. I just love witnessing the common thread in our existence, the ties to our ancestors, and the genuine desire to learn.”
As winner of the 2024 Earl Parker Award for Jewish Film, One Thread screened at the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival in 2025.
“It’s one thing to create something, but to get it in front of an audience is a whole other matter, so having these opportunities is invaluable,” Wosk told the Jewish Federation of Edmonton’s HaKol at the time.
She is very excited to have the film now screen at the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival. “I want our community to know that we are stronger together, and we need to lift each other up – especially in the face of adversity,” she told the Independent.
“As a people, we face a lot of hate, especially online” she said. “It’s easy to open up Instagram and just be bombarded by antisemitic individuals and just awful comments. I try to find peace and strength in the fact that we do have this incredible community of resilient, strong and compassionate people. We are part of an ancient quilt, and we can always tap into that communal comfort whenever we need to.”
Currently working as a freelance director and videographer, Wosk said she will soon be starting a feature screenplay that relates to her family history and, separate from that, she is hoping to start a new documentary film in the next year or two. Her band, Hollow Twin, will be releasing some new music later this year.
The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival runs April 30-May 8 at Fifth Avenue Cinemas, which is a 19+ venue, and May 10 at the Rothstein Theatre. For the full lineup of films and tickets, go to vjff.org.