education

Connecting with nature

Growing Together – a garden program for young adults with varying abilities, run by the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and Jewish Family Services – is facilitated by Ran Keren. (photo from JCC)

This spring, the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver launched Growing Together, a garden program for young adults with varying abilities, in partnership community with Jewish Family Services (JFS). The program runs biweekly on Sundays through August and is offered free of charge.

“It is well established that spending time outdoors can benefit mental health,” Shiri Barak Gonen, Inclusion Services program coordinator at the JCC, told the Independent. “The JCC wanted to create a safe, welcoming space where members of our community could connect with nature, build meaningful relationships and experience personal growth.

“We also have a deep appreciation for agriculture. Living in an urban environment, we felt that community gardening would be a meaningful way to introduce participants to the growing process and foster a stronger connection to the natural world. We recognized that experiencing the entire growing cycle – from planting and nurturing to harvesting – would provide participants with a genuine sense of accomplishment and pride.

“In addition,” she said, “we recognized that our adult inclusion programs serve a broad age range. This initiative was designed to give our young adults the opportunity to connect and build friendships with peers who are closer to their own age and at a similar stage of life.”

It was developed with a clear vision, she said: “to engage participants in gardening and outdoor activities while encouraging connections with one another, with the facilitator and with nature itself. Once we had that vision clear, we began searching for the right location to bring it to life.”

The JCC initially approached Congregation Beth Israel, said Maggie Wilson, coordinator of the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden, which was established in 2020 by Vancouver Talmud Torah, Beth Israel and JFS, and which is situated alongside the synagogue building and behind the school. However, the congregation realized the program would be a better fit for a partnership between the JCC and JFS, she said.

Wilson and Carol Hopkins, director of food security at JFS, explained in an email that “the JCC coordinates the program, managing participant recruitment, registration and the program facilitator” and, through its partnership with JFS, the program takes place in the garden.

“As part of this collaboration, JFS will lead specialized food literacy programming with the participants,” they said. “The participants have also been given the use of a bed to care for throughout the season. This allows them to experience the full cycle of gardening, from planting seeds and caring for growing plants to harvesting food they have grown themselves, all while building confidence, developing new skills and fostering a sense of ownership and connection to the space.

“By combining expertise in inclusive programming, a shared dedication to food literacy and a vibrant outdoor learning environment, this partnership between the JCC and JFS has created an experience that neither organization could have offered on its own.”

Wilson provides professional guidance and ongoing support for the program, which is designed for young adults aged 18 to 25 with a wide range of support needs. Barak Gonen said the initiative has allowed the JCC “to engage new participants who had not previously taken part in our inclusion programs.”

photo - The JCC-JFS Growing Together program takes place in the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden — The JCC-JFS Growing Together program takes place in the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden. *(photo from VJCG)*

For the initiative, the JCC recruited Ran Keren, an experienced facilitator, who, Barak Gonen said, “has done an exceptional job leading the gardening activities while also creating engaging outdoor arts, crafts and nature-based experiences that foster learning, bonding and enjoyment.”

“We started our program this spring with learning about the various herbs, veggies, fruits and greens that grow in the beautiful Jewish Community Garden,” said Keren. “Every meeting, we do some work in the garden and connect with the plants in some way; making herbal tea from the garden herbs, printing T-shirts with the garden flowers, putting together birdhouses and bug hotels, and nurturing our own little plot of veggies. There is something dynamic in gardening work, as it depends on the weather and the ever-changing crop growth and cycles, but the most important part in our work and activities is to create space in which we get to know one another, and feel safe and welcome to share thoughts, experiences and feelings. To borrow from [noted Indigenous botanist] Robin Kimmerer, ‘A garden is a nursery for nurturing connection.’ My main goal, and hope is that our program is shaping to be such a space.”

Growing Together is a seasonal initiative, so it will continue for as long as the weather conditions allow. “We hope to extend it through the current growing season and are planning to offer it again next spring, giving participants the opportunity to reconnect with nature and continue building on the relationships and skills developed through the program,” Barak Gonen said.

“There is still space for new participants to join the current program cycle,” she added, “and we welcome anyone interested in taking part.”

For more information, contact Barak Gonen at shiri@jccgv.bc.ca. For more about the garden, go to jewishcommunitygarden.ca.

Group buying platform wins

The Ben-Gurion University student team of BeeShop receives the top prize from Dana Gavish, left, and Gadi Bahat, right. (photo from BGU)

Palpably exuberant crowds, both in person in Be’er Sheva and virtually, assembled on June 24 to watch and vote in Leaders’ Spark Night, a live-pitch session featuring six student teams from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Yazamut 360° entrepreneur program. The teams presented startup venture concepts they had been developing throughout the year.

Originally planned as a live RBC Lions’ Den competition in Vancouver in April, travel disruptions in Israel led to the postponement of the event. In the interim, the students continued building, and last month’s Leaders’ Spark Night showcased the culmination of their work.

Dana Gavish, founder of Yazamut 360°, began the event by offering thanks to the Friends of BGU organizations in the diaspora, making special mention of those in New York, Boston and Vancouver for “pushing the program forward.”

“The past year was extremely challenging for all of us, and especially for our dear students. Yet, even after all the uncertainty that we experienced, here we are today showing you their amazing and incredible work,” Gavish said.

“As the world is transformed by AI, big data and automation, the pace of change often exceeds our ability to predict it. In this reality, the most valuable skill is the ability to adapt. This is exactly what we try to instil in our students – the confidence to navigate uncertainty, embrace it and lead it.”

Before introducing the teams, Gadi Bahat, head of academic programs at Yazamut, said, while the program fosters the development of ideas into fruition, its objective is also to promote leadership, to get students through difficult situations, such as standing on a stage or hearing the word “no” when pitching their ventures.

Each student group had five minutes to pitch their concept. Industry experts from North America then asked questions. Afterwards, audiences in Israel and abroad scanned a code to vote. The three teams with the most votes won cash prizes to help them continue to develop their startups.

The pitches reflected the times, with an emphasis on computer and cellphone applications, as well as harnessing the positive potential of artificial intelligence.

DEXO, an online platform that connects customers and skilled designers to create precisely customized products, led off the proceedings. According to the student entrepreneurs, the venture has already launched in the United States, aims to complete 100,000 projects in 2028 and expand to other countries.

NightLine, a tele-health service linking new mothers with professional consultants for personalized, accessible and immediate parenting support, followed. The group, which will use AI to triage urgency, addressed the universal need for postpartum care and the market it represents.

In the third slot was BuilDEER, whose goal is to change the construction industry through an AI plugin that analyzes design codes and past solutions to generate the engineering fix that is compliant with building regulations, thereby reducing delays and costs.

Heedly, a service that prevents phone scams in real time – before damage is done – came next. Such scams are a problem worldwide, with elderly people most likely to fall victim. Heedly representatives said their fraud detection alerts the victim, a trusted family member and the financial institution when a scam call is taking place.

BeeShop, a group buying platform that hopes to leverage shared demand to lower prices, was the fifth to pitch. The concept behind the venture is that the more people who want a particular product and shop in bulk will force a supplier to reduce the cost of an item, whereas a single shopper is forced to pay a higher markup.

CourtX concluded the pitches. The startup focuses on sports, particularly basketball. Their service analyzes data in real time – i.e., during a game and using AI – to help coaches make quicker decisions than pen and paper allow. Capitalizing on basketball’s popularity internationally, the group plans to market its product in Europe initially and later in North America. They also intend to branch out into other sports.

The atmosphere online and in the Negev turned electric after the pitches wrapped up and voting began on the question: Which venture would you invest in? A screen appeared with the logos of all six teams, and the attendees could watch the results as the votes were tallied.

In the end, BeeShop was the convincing winner with BuilDEER in second and CourtX a close third. The three top finishers received cheques to invest in their ventures.

The three Vancouver industry experts who were slated for the April competition took part virtually, asking questions of the teams. They were Wendi Campbell, president and chief executive officer of Junior Achievement of British Columbia; Ryan Benn, CEO of Alive Publishing Group Inc.; and Shuli Gortler, CEO of SimplyAsk and a BGU alumnus.

Since its establishment in 2018, Yazamut – which means entrepreneurship in Hebrew – has seen more than 240 startups and ventures, with more than 2,000 program participants, 11,000-plus members of its entrepreneurial community, and more than $45 million in funds invested in its companies.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Students and mentors inspire

Solomon Leadership Program fellows and mentors celebrate the completion of the 2025-2026 program. Applications for the next session are open till the end of August. (photo by Alan Katowitz Photography)

When Riki Oirechman first read about the Solomon Leadership Program two years ago, she knew she needed to do everything she could to bring it to Vancouver. Geared to high-achieving, community-oriented Jewish students in grades 11 and 12, the year-long program aims to foster participants’ growth as leaders, thinkers and engaged members of their communities. The Ohel Ya’akov Community Kollel undertook the initiative, under the direction of Rabbi Shmulik Yeshayahu, with Oirechman as coordinator of the local chapter.

The Solomon Leadership Program pairs student participants with local volunteer mentors, members of the Jewish community who have excelled in a variety of industries. Among them are doctors, a tech innovator, a judge, business executives and entrepreneurs. The mentors are assigned a small group of student participants, and there are meetings twice a month to listen to hosted speakers and discuss various issues.

“I love this curriculum, which explores topics such as leadership, character, communication, tolerance, vision, empowerment, persistence, strategy and judgment,” Oirechman said. “It encourages students to develop confidence, resilience and a strong sense of purpose, but it also creates meaningful connections between generations. Students have an opportunity to build relationships with successful professionals and community leaders, expanding their personal and professional networks.”

Daniel Friedmann, a director at Solutum Technologies, which develops sustainable materials, is one of the mentors. “When I saw the amazing course material and the incredible speakers on the roster, I knew I wanted to participate,” he said. “Any time you mentor a completely different age group, you learn a lot. As a mentor, I get to see the world through the eyes of the students and learn about their issues, concerns and what they’re struggling with. But I also get the benefit of listening to the speakers, who are not paid public speakers, but individuals working at the top of their respective industries.”

He gave an example. “One of our speakers was Howard Chow, senior deputy chief of the Vancouver Police,” said Friedmann. “And though his speech was months ago, it was mind-boggling and I’m still thinking about what he said. We had many diverse speakers for each of the core topics, and they all brought something unique to that topic.”

The program’s website lists the other 2025-2026 mentors: Itamar David, co-founder of Update Capital, Inc.; Dr. Gabriel Hirsch, who works in physical medicine and rehabilitation; Mark James, president of MJG Brewery Restaurants, Red Truck Brewing Co., and Triple F Investments Corp.; Dr. Neil Pollock, surgeon and director of Pollock Clinics; Barry Rivelis, a board director and executive in diverse organizations; and Sunni Stromberg-Stein, a retired judge, who presided at all three levels of the BC courts.

Pollock has been a mentor in the Solomon Program since 2024 and also supports it philanthropically. “I was drawn to this program because it invests in the future of our youth and helps prepare the next generation of leaders. It’s been a privilege to be part of it,” he said.

“The program brings together a remarkable group of young people who are curious, thoughtful and eager to learn, grow and make a positive impact on the world and in their communities. And it offers something that is increasingly rare: meaningful conversations where students are exposed to leaders from diverse professional backgrounds and are encouraged to think critically about character, resilience, communication, responsibility and the importance of personal growth and leadership.”

photo - Mentoring hour in action, as fellows connect with their mentors for conversations and guidance — Mentoring hour in action, as fellows connect with their mentors for conversations and guidance. *(photo by Alan Katowitz Photography)*

While he shares some of the lessons he’s learned over the years, Pollock said he’s learning a lot from the students, too. “I am continually inspired by the students’ perspectives and creativity. They ask thoughtful questions and challenge us to think about the future in new ways. Working with them gives me confidence that the next generation is well equipped to lead.

“One of our greatest responsibilities is to help develop the next generation of leaders,” he continued. “Strong communities don’t happen by accident, they are built by people who are willing to invest their time, experience and resources in young people. I support the Solomon Program because I have seen firsthand the difference it makes and how the relationships formed, the confidence gained and the opportunities created can have a lasting impact on a young person’s life.”

Friedmann said he wishes he could have been a student in the program when he was a teen. “It would have changed my life,” he said. “Students in the Solomon Program have access to really good, fundamental information on leadership that you just can’t get otherwise, knowledge that they use to figure out where they’re headed and why. They become better public speakers and develop good bonds with other students in the program.”

Rotem Eilon Kfir was one of the students who participated in the 2025-2026 program and her mother, Rachel Eilon Kfir, witnessed her daughter’s growth as a result. “She began the program as someone who was afraid to stand in front of people and talk and, over the year, she developed more confidence and grew considerably. She connected and related to her mentor, loved the guest speakers and found the program genuinely interesting,” Eilon Kfir said of her daughter’s experience. “I strongly recommend it to anyone who has a chance to attend, because it builds confidence and adds a strong sense of community.”

Pollock agrees. “I’d encourage parents to see the Solomon Leadership Program as an investment in their teenager’s future,” he said. “It gives students the opportunity to learn from accomplished mentors, build meaningful relationships and develop skills that can’t easily be taught in a classroom. It also helps strengthen their connection to the Jewish community and encourages them to think about the role they can play in shaping its future. If your teenager is willing to learn, grow and challenge themselves, this program is an exceptional opportunity that can influence not only what they do, but the kind of person they become.”

Applications for the 2026-2027 program are open now through the end of August. Prospective participants are interviewed, and must demonstrate academic excellence and volunteerism, and provide references. The program accommodates a maximum of 30 students, and costs $500. Upon successful completion, participants earn three university credits. For more information, visit solomonprogram.org.

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond.

Once-in-a-lifetime trip

The Grade 12 class of King David High School traveled to Panama last month. (photo from KDHS)

In February, the outbreak of war in the Middle East meant that the long-awaited Israel trip for the Grade 12 class of King David High School was cancelled. It was the third cancellation in five years, as COVID and the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre had made two prior planned visits impossible. Head of School Seth Goldsweig knew he had just three months to pull an alternative together – and it needed to be fabulous. The destination selected was Panama, both for its fun, unique tourism experience and its thriving Jewish community.

Over eight days in June, a group of 43 students and six staff members visited the Panama Canal, hiked, spent time in Panama’s Old Town, interacted with monkeys on Monkey Island, and got to know members of the indigenous Embera people on a day-long visit to their community.

The travelers dined at kosher restaurants, spent Shabbat experiencing two of the city’s synagogues, packed food and organized supplies for a local Jewish organization, and learned about the Jewish history of Panama.

“Panama was a great choice,” said Goldsweig, who had visited the country previously with his family. “The city has 40 kosher restaurants, so we knew food wouldn’t be an issue. The country’s Jewish life is thriving – even the mayor is Jewish! And, while they’ve not experienced security threats, they’re incredibly proactive security-wise, with some of the most intense security I’ve ever seen.”

Before the group could attend services on Shabbat, King David was required to show proof of each individual’s connection to the school, as well as their passports. “We couldn’t get into the synagogues until they confirmed each person’s name, one by one,” Goldsweig said.

“Staying at our hotel felt like being in Jerusalem, because the majority of the 18-floor hotel was occupied by Orthodox Jews!” he added. Some were in town on business, but many came because Panama has developed a reputation as a fascinating and welcoming Jewish destination. (See jewishindependent.ca/panama-city-welcoming.)

photo - On their trip to Panama, KDHS students did many things, including visiting and learning from the indigenous Embera community — On their trip to Panama, KDHS students did many things, including visiting and learning from the indigenous Embera community. *(photo from KDHS)*

Goldsweig noted that some 18,000 Jews call Panama city home, the majority of them Sephardi. The city has several synagogues and its kosher supermarkets are the largest of their kind outside of Israel.

Eitan Arazi, 18, said Panama City felt like a hidden gem. “I was blown away by its infrastructure and how well developed it is,” he said. “It was also incredible to see the city’s synagogues and to experience a tight-knit Jewish community with a lot of energy. On Friday night and Saturday morning, it felt like the whole community came for shul services.

“Shabbat was the highlight of the trip for me,” he continued. “I’m not shomer Shabbat in Vancouver but, over Shabbat in Panama, I put my phone away for the whole 24 hours and was surrounded by friends and having a great time.”

Sierra Brosgall, 18, concurred that the Grade 12 group’s celebration of Shabbat was special and deeply memorable. “We went to the Sephardic synagogue on Friday night, sang songs together at dinner at our hotel and experienced Panama’s Jewish culture,” she said. “I also loved visiting the Embera tribe and learning about their culture. They performed traditional dances for us, and we played soccer with kids in their community. It was amazing!”

During the Havdalah service at the hotel, students shared the trip’s highlights, Goldsweig said. “Many talked about their day with the Embera community. The Embera were so welcoming, and they really engaged with our students. Their kids were on our students’ laps, and they painted henna-like tattoos on students’ arms. They seemed very happy to have us there.

“Other students spoke of how amazing it was to see the thriving Jewish community in Panama,” he continued. “They said the trip provided an incredible opportunity to bond with their classmates, and that it was unforgettable.”

The timing for the Panama trip was perfect, said Lev Shustik, 17. “It was right before graduation, so schoolwork was not stressful, and everyone in our group was focused on the moment, and just having fun,” he said. “The trip itself was well-planned and amazing, teaching us about Panama’s Jewish vibrancy, but, also, the country’s history and its rich culture. And being able to do this while bonding with our peers was truly a meaningful, once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m beyond grateful for that.”

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond.

Sharing her passion for Israel

As a tour guide in Israel, Renee Halpert “thrive[s] on engaging with people, the constant learning, and exploring the country.” (photo from Renee Halpert)

In the late 1970s, Renee Swartz was a teenager living in West Vancouver. Even though she went to Sunday school, attended Jewish camps and had her bat mitzvah, she always felt a yearning to be more involved in the Jewish community.

Today, now with the surname Halpert, she belongs the modern Orthodox community in Israel. She has four grown children with her husband Joe and is a tour guide living in Beit Shemesh. She comes to Vancouver often to visit her parents, and I met up with her on a recent visit. She is still her bubbly old self. Thinking back to her experience growing up here, she said, “In terms of Jewish community, we were isolated. Only three Jewish families that I know of attended Hillside High School at the time.”

Everything changed when Renee joined Hillel House in 1980, when she started attending the University of British Columbia.

“When I stepped into Hillel, I found an entire community of young, affiliated and active Jews,” she said. “Rabbi Daniel Siegel was an incredible mentor, encouraging Jewish-focused learning, activism and family-life with his wife, Hanna. We would study Jewish texts. We would discuss current events. He encouraged us to join the North American Jewish Students Network, a non-denominational activist community of university-aged Jews across the continent. Thus began my Jewish activism, advocating for Soviet Jews and participating in Israel Week on campus. I felt connected to a community and inspired by all the energy, creativity and meaningful activity.”

I knew Renee as a fellow student activist. All of us helped Judy Feld Carr fundraise to smuggle or pay for Jews to get out of Syria, which was ultimately a success.

After her first year at UBC, Renee studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. When she returned, she continued being vocal on behalf of Syrian Jews, Ethiopian Jews and Israel.

“I also facilitated Holocaust educational programming and raised awareness of Nazi criminals in Canadian academia,” she said.

Renee’s connection to Israel began with traveling there when she was 14, “thanks to the insistence of my mother, who always acknowledged the importance of Israel for the Jewish people. The trip was a real eye-opener and fascinating,” said Renee. “At 16, I returned to Israel for the summer on USY Pilgrimage. I loved the adventures, hikes, Jewish content and the community feeling.”

After graduating, Renee returned to Israel yet again. “This time,” she said, “it was to deepen my knowledge of Judaism itself through textual study at Pardes. During my year at Pardes, I began to keep kosher and keep Shabbat on a regular basis. You could say that I began my journey as an affiliated but not-so-educated Jewish teenager and peripheral Zionist, and as a young adult became more connected to Orthodox Judaism and modern Israel.”

Renee moved from Vancouver to Toronto in 1986, during the recession, looking for job opportunities. Her romance with her now-husband began when a cousin invited her to a Shabbat dinner at a local synagogue.

“Honestly, I was so new to town that I was not really paying much attention, but Joe and I kept meeting – through mutual friends and at Jewish events,” said Renee. “Both of us loved the outdoors and were on similar personal journeys to deepen our connection to Judaism. Joe and I were married at the Schara Tzedeck in Vancouver in March 1988, with both Rabbi [Mordechai] Feuerstein of Schara Tzedeck and Rabbi [Wilfred] Solomon of Beth Israel officiating.”

A few years later, the couple decided to live in Israel for at least one year.

“We had a house, good jobs, great friends [in Toronto], supportive family and two young daughters, but I never let go of my dream of one day making aliyah,” said Renee. “Joe had also made a quiet promise to himself to give it a try one day.”

Ultimately, Renee says they were successful in adapting to Israeli society because they treated every day as an adventure.

“Our attitude was positive and we were motivated to make the transition work for our family,” she explained. “Our move from urban Jerusalem to Beit Shemesh a few years later provided us with a strong, dynamic community, where we still live today. I think our kids thrived being close to nature within this supportive community atmosphere.”

That was 32 years ago, and the couple hasn’t looked back. In 2013, Renee became a licensed tour guide.

“I thrive on engaging with people, the constant learning, and exploring the country. I am thrilled to be able to share my passion for Israel with others who are interested in experiencing Israel firsthand.”

After Oct. 7, 2023, most tourism in Israel ceased. One of Renee’s sons and both sons-in-laws were called to their army reserve units. Her daughters and grandchildren moved in for several weeks.

“Besides helping them out, I would cook for soldiers, purchase supplies to take to different bases and volunteer at many farms,” she said. “There was no creative energy. There was barely any energy! But I made a choice to keep busy and be useful.”

By early 2024, Renee began leading educational trips to southern Israel and the Gaza Envelope for synagogue missions, educators and individuals supportive of the Jewish state.

“I’ve led almost 100 such trips,” she said. “Many of these trips combine meeting with locals and survivors, volunteering and fundraising for communities or projects. We speak of the heartache, the heroism and the gradual renewal that is taking place. While these trips give me purpose and a chance to process what I am personally going through, the real impact is felt by supporting locals and by helping my overseas visitors gain insights, so they, in turn, can continue to inform others and stay involved.”

And so, my friend continues to be the activist she was all those years ago.

“The past two-and-a-half years have certainly been the most challenging, scary and heart-breaking since we moved here 32 years ago,” said Renee. “There is so much pain … yet, our lives are rich and interesting, our children and grandchildren are well-adjusted, we have a sense of purpose, and we maintain hope for better days ahead. We have no regrets having chosen to live here.”

For more information about Renee’s tours, go to israeldiscovered.com or find her on Facebook at Renee Halpert-Your Guide to Israel. In addition to guiding in Israel, Renee is available for online virtual tours and presentations about sites in Israel, its geopolitics, history and cultural diversity.

Cassandra Freeman is a freelance journalist and improv comedy performer living in Vancouver.

Canada’s mixed messages

In mid-May, a Winnipeg Free Press article by John Longhurst announced a new online database for research. This open access resource lists the names of German Nazi party members. The article’s target audience: the Manitoba Mennonite community.

As background: Many German Mennonites, previously pacifist, joined the Nazi party starting in the early 1930s. In the article, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, a Toronto researcher, said the goal of researching and publicizing the records was not to condemn or shame anyone. “The point,” he said, “is to understand what made their choices feel plausible at the time, and what this means for us now in Canada and the US.” Aileen Friesen, who teaches Mennonite History at the University of Winnipeg, said it could serve “as a lesson for our current time.”

I’m concerned about this “lesson.” Nazi membership before and during the Second World War is nothing to be proud about. Still, this does make it easier to understand the views of some Mennonites in 2026.

Some Winnipeg Mennonites often offer public opinions about Israel, Gaza and the war. They’re staunchly against war, but support Palestinian resistance and are against Israelis or Jews. This stance appears in local Mennonite gallery exhibits, fundraising, petitions and protests. It’s on stickers on lampposts near a neighbourhood Mennonite school. While out walking, I peel off “Free Palestine” stickers with cartoon characters doing a Sieg Heil and QR code stickers with “Boycott Israel.”

This “pacifism” chooses a side just like German Mennonites chose the Nazi party. This stance doesn’t examine what these choices mean to the safety of others, such as Jewish Canadians who live nearby. It doesn’t reflect a morality-based Christian religious tradition or teachings from a Jewish guy named Jesus, let alone Jewish texts or culture.

Actions have consequences. This failure to understand logical outcomes echoes throughout Canadian society. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos speech described Canada’s goals for trade alliances and Canada’s role as a “middle power.” It’s easy to see that this dream is failing on a practical level.

Canada, a “human rights champion,” has an uneven track record. According to United Nations Watch, on April 8, Canada, as part of the 54-nation United Nations Economic and Social Council, “participated in the consensus nomination of the Islamic Republic of Iran” to a committee responsible for funding women’s rights, human rights, and terrorism prevention. The United States was the only nation who objected to this nomination.

Previously, Canada objected in similar UN processes, but, this time, Canada supported the Iranian regime. Iran’s government has enforced a nearly complete internet blackout since Feb. 28. It kills protesters. The regime uses morality police to force women to cover their hair. Female “offenders” suffer arrests, assaults, rapes, torture and murder. Iran’s regime funds terror proxies, including in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen. Yet, Canada didn’t object to the UN nomination.

Canada also has problems fighting terrorism at home. In October 2024, Canada listed Samidoun, an organization supporting Palestinian terrorism, as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. Eventually, in March 2026, Canada revoked Samidoun’s nonprofit status. Based on federal anti-hate provisions, Vancouver police arrested Samidoun’s international coordinator, Charlotte Kates, for inciting hate and released her with conditions. Apparently, those conditions allow speaking on Iranian state television, attending the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon and continuing permission to live in Canada. (Kates is an American whose status in Canada is not publicly known.) The same goes for her husband, Khaled Barakat, Samidoun’s founder, who was deported from the United States in 2003.

This spring, Canada welcomed international leaders for the FIFA Congress, including Palestine Football Association head Jibril Rajoub, who was previously convicted of throwing a grenade at an Israeli army bus. Israel later released Rajoub in a prisoner exchange, and he committed further offences. Once in Canada, Rajoub publicly refused to shake hands with the FIFA Arab-Israeli representative, Basim Sheikh Suliman. Meanwhile, Canada refused to let the Iranian FIFA representative into the country. These decisions were inconsistent, not the “pragmatic and principled” actions of a country committed to human rights.

If Canada wishes to be a human rights champion, it must work to stop terrorism at home. The government should protect Canadians from danger. Consistent law and immigration enforcement and UN decisions that support these rights would be a good start.

Education’s another way to be an effective middle power. Increase funding for teaching and researching social sciences, including international relations, political science, religious studies and history. These disciplines offer perspectives to better understand global issues and events. Canada must move beyond popular theories like the oppressor/oppressed model that doesn’t adequately explain conflicts beyond biased white/black racial narratives. This oppressor theory fails in Middle Eastern, African or Asian contexts where Western conceptions of colonization, race and power don’t easily apply.

With a broader social science approach, future Canadian leaders could better understand complicated global situations. Educated Canadians with these skills could better examine global economics, conflicts and the geographic strengths.

For instance, our media and government often ascribe outsized power to Israel. This is a common antisemitic conspiracy theory. Israel’s a tiny democracy of 10 million people, with sizeable minority populations. Many also demonize Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister. Canada, like many Israelis, may not agree with Netanyahu’s government’s policies, but no other Middle Eastern leaders were elected by functioning democracies. Further, media seldom hold any other Middle Eastern country responsible for its role in the conflict.

Canada’s resources, educated population and multicultural diversity could make it a powerhouse. Yet, its foreign policies don’t use intellectual rigour. Historically, Canada has offered up inconsistent international policies, and bias regarding many of its minorities. Past prime ministers have apologized, promising to forge a better Canada. Instead, Canada’s “oppressor” rhetoric poses as a “peaceful” bystander and blames Israel.

Canada has a tradition of simplistic politics of blame like “war is bad.” Our geographic isolation protects us. It allows Canada to watch hate happen and reproach others without getting involved. Our country must accept that consistently being a bystander isn’t good enough. Failing to condemn or shame those who committed grievous wrongs isn’t good enough. It wasn’t OK to join the Nazi party 90 years ago. It wasn’t OK to reject Jewish refugees. We know where this kind of hatemongering leads. Canada, and Canadians, can do better than this.

Joanne Seiff has written regularly for the Winnipeg Free Press and various Jewish publications. She is the author of three books, including From the Outside In: Jewish Post Columns 2015-2016, a collection of essays available for digital download or as a paperback from Amazon. Check her out on Instagram @yrnspinner or at joanneseiff.blogspot.com.

A healing Shabbaton

Or Shalom hosts Rabbi Tirzah Firestone for a Shabbaton in Vancouver June 12-13. (photo form tirzahfirestone.com)

A community Shabbaton featuring teacher, author and psychotherapist Rabbi Tirzah Firestone will take place June 12-13, offering participants the opportunity to explore ancestral healing, resilience and spiritual transformation through the lens of Jewish wisdom.

Drawing from the insights of her book Wounds into Wisdom, Firestone guides individuals and communities in transforming inherited pain into sources of strength, compassion and clarity. Through storytelling, guided meditation, embodied practice and real-life case studies from around the world, Shabbaton participants will engage in an experiential journey of healing across generations.

Jewish tradition has long recognized that we inherit not only the blessings of our ancestors, but also the residues of their unhealed wounds. While these inheritances can offer resilience and meaning, they can also shape us in ways that keep us reactive rather than reflective. This Shabbaton invites participants to approach these inheritances with awareness, tenderness and courage, transforming what has been carried unconsciously into wisdom and renewed possibility.

Over the course of the weekend, Firestone will explore what Viktor Frankl described as humanity’s “uniquely human potential to transform personal tragedy into triumph.” The Shabbaton will include a community dinner and Kabbalat Shabbat June 12, 6 p.m. (registration required); morning services with Firestone June 13, 10 a.m.; and a beachfront gathering focused on sacred stories and teachings June 13, 8 p.m. (registration required, after which location will be disclosed). To register and for more information, contact programs@orshalom.ca.

– Courtesy Or Shalom

Ishai energizes, unifies

Anat Ishai, aka Challah Mom, energizes the crowd at Beth Israel Synagogue June 13, at an event spearheaded by National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, Vancouver chapter. (photo from NCJWC Vancouver)

Anat Ishai swept into the hall at Beth Israel Synagogue the night of May 13 in a twirl of silver, dancing exuberantly as Israeli music played loudly on speakers. The room, filled with 300 Jewish women and children of all ages, exploded with sound and energy as Ishai enticed onlookers onto the dance floor.

Ishai, known on social media as “Challah Mom,” was in town at the invitation of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada’s Vancouver chapter. Attendees gathered around tables to bake challah using Ishai’s recipe, to reflect on the meaning of challah-making and to hear her story.

Ishai describes herself as a digital content creator and blogger who “shares her Jewish life through challah, dance, hair-wrapping tutorials, Israel and Jewish wisdom.” Born in Israel to Russian-Israeli parents, she grew up in a secular home and the family moved to Toronto when she was 5 years old.

Ishai – who is now married and has kids – started the Challah Mom social media account during the COVID lockdown. It was an attempt to find happiness during a sad time, she said. To date, Challah Mom has a global platform with 300,000 followers across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Ishai and her family made aliyah in September 2023, but she flies all over the world for Challah Mom events in different Jewish communities. In May alone, she appeared in Toronto, Winnipeg, Washington, DC, and Vancouver.

“I allow my Challah Mom community to enter my world and to see Judaism and Israel through my eyes,” writes Ishai on her website. “I share my insights, my perspective and my thoughts about Judaism, growth, Israel and everything in between. In courageously showing up as a proud Jewish woman, I hope to inspire my community to unleash their Jewish soul within.”

Jordana Corenblum, president of NJCWC Vancouver, said the goal of the recent event was “to create a community-wide, grassroots gathering, free and accessible, where women and children from different backgrounds could come together in a warm, inclusive environment.”

The event was supported by many Jewish community partners, including Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Schara Tzedeck, Chabad Lubavitch of BC, Chabad Richmond, Community Kollel, Congregation Beth Tikvah, Temple Sholom, Or Shalom, PJ Library and Bitachon, a Jewish Federation of BC security volunteering initiative.

Yamila Chikiar, a member of the local NJCWC board and a Jewish Federation staff member, said the Challah Mom event was incredibly moving. “It was filled with energy, music, and a real sense of togetherness,” she said. “There was such diversity in the room, women and children from different walks of life, ages and levels of connection to Jewish practice, all coming together with a shared openness.

“That translated quickly into a sense of belonging,” she added. “What might have started as a large gathering very quickly felt intimate, connected, and a moment of genuine community-building. Through baking, music and storytelling, Ishai creates an experience that feels joyful, nonjudgmental and unifying.”

While NCJWC Vancouver has hosted impactful programming in the past, this event stood out for its scale, accessibility and cross-community collaboration. “It reflects the kind of programming the organization hopes to continue building,” Corenblum said.

“This event was a reminder of what is possible when community is built intentionally, when it is open, collaborative and grounded in shared values. It brought together people from different backgrounds in a way that felt both simple and meaningful,” she continued. “At its heart, it wasn’t just about baking challah. It was about connection, inclusion and creating space for people to come together.”

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond.

Eco-Sisters mentorship

Reut Mealem, left, and Shahaf Ella Salach are coordinators and mentors for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Eco-Sisters program. (photo from BGU)

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Eco-Sisters allows graduate students to mentor first-year female students or students considering studying STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.

“Our involvement in Eco-Sisters is both as coordinators and as mentors,” Reut Mealem, a PhD student in the department of information systems engineering, told the Independent of her and Shahaf Ella Salach’s connection to the program.

As a coordinator, Mealem – whose research focuses on applying machine learning methods to biological data to uncover meaningful insights – helps shape and guide the program’s activities, works closely with the mentors and supports the development of initiatives designed to encourage more female students to pursue STEM fields.

As a mentor, she provides direct support to women at different stages of their academic journey. This includes creating accessible channels of support, offering personalized guidance and building a community where women can ask questions, share concerns and feel less alone in the process.

“We chose to join Eco-Sisters as mentors because it is important to us to be a real source of support for women at the beginning of their journey and to offer guidance at eye level,” Mealem said.

Salach added that an involved mentor can make a meaningful difference by helping reduce uncertainty, organize information, support informed decision-making and strengthen the confidence that it is possible to succeed in academia while also enjoying the process.

“For us, personally, the program has highlighted the power of support and belonging. Meeting candidates and students, listening to them, guiding them and offering both practical and emotional tools has strengthened our sense of purpose. It gives us the opportunity to help other women take their first steps with greater confidence,” said Salach, a master’s student in mechanical engineering, whose research involves understanding the flow mechanism driving the cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.

Eco-Sisters was initiated in 2022 by Prof. Halleli Pinson, who served at the time as the president’s advisor for gender equity at BGU. The program was established as part of a broader national effort to promote gender equity in academia. Israel’s Council for Higher Education launched a five-year strategic plan in response to persistent gender gaps.

One of the clearest findings from the early research was the underrepresentation of women in STEM disciplines, despite these fields being both vital to the economy and offering strong professional opportunities.

“This underrepresentation is not seen as the result of innate differences, but rather as the outcome of long-standing social and educational patterns that often steer women away from STEM and toward more traditionally ‘feminine’ fields, typically associated with caregiving, interpersonal work and lower pay,” said Yael Hashiloni, a professor in the department of sociology and anthropology, who served as the president’s advisor for gender equity until October 2025.

“In response, increasing the number of women studying STEM became a national priority, and universities received dedicated funding to help advance this goal,” Hashiloni said.

Eco-Sisters was created to encourage women to take that first step into STEM fields and to support them along the way. The program does this through dedicated scholarships, mentoring and the creation of peer networks among women. These efforts are grounded in research showing that personal support, community and access to role models can play an important role in driving social change. Additionally, Eco-Sisters promotes women’s entrepreneurship through collaboration with the university’s entrepreneurship centre.

“This reflects not only a commitment to advancing women themselves, but also a broader understanding that diversity strengthens creativity, leads to more innovative solutions and helps address the needs of diverse communities in a more equitable way,” said Hashiloni.

Since its start, Eco-Sisters has supported dozens of female students, according to Hashlioni. And, this year, the program continued to grow, with the number of mentors increasing from 10 in 2025 to 13, and three additional university departments joining: computer science, software engineering and data engineering.

Last year’s program evaluation indicated strong mentor engagement and encouraging signs of increased women’s enrolment in the departments where the program has been active.

Mealem and Salach joined the program this year, so most of what they have seen by way of impact comes from their first conversations with prospective students, particularly during University Open Day, where they ran an Eco-Sisters booth and met young women considering STEM studies.

“Even in brief interactions, it was clear how much personal connection matters. Many were not only looking for information, but also for reassurance, encouragement and someone they could speak to openly,” said Mealem.

According to Salach, last year’s mentor survey reflected the program’s impact. Mentors described helping students with both practical and emotional aspects of the transition into university, from questions about registration and courses to the uncertainty that often comes with starting a degree.

“Many shared that the most meaningful part of the experience was knowing they had helped prospective students feel more confident and less alone,” Salach said of the mentors’ comments.

“From our experience so far,” she continued, “we feel that even a short conversation can make a difference. Seeing someone a little further along the same path can help prospective students imagine themselves there, too. That is part of what makes the program so meaningful: it gives women a welcoming first point of connection and helps them begin their journey with greater confidence.”

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

UBC needs a wake-up call

I am graduating and, somehow, my school, the University of British Columbia, feels more isolating than ever. This campus prides itself on the ideas of critical thinking and open dialogue. But, right now, it feels like neither is being practised. Instead, I see a culture where misinformation about Israel and the Jewish people spreads easily, where hateful slogans replace dialogue and where Jewish students are intimidated and harassed for expressing their Zionism and connection to Israel as an integral part of their Jewish identity. More than that, it feels like expressing these views comes with a social cost – one that many students quietly calculate before deciding whether it is even worth speaking at all.

I’m a Jewish student at UBC. And I’m done pretending this is normal.

Universities are supposed to be spaces where ideas are tested, challenged and debated openly. My four years at UBC have shown me that certain perspectives are treated as inherently unacceptable before the conversation even begins. If freedom means anything, it must include viewpoints that fall outside dominant campus narratives, including Zionist perspectives.

The role of campus groups and student politics cannot be ignored. UBC Staff for Palestine and the way BDS (boycott, divestment and sanction from Israel) is promoted within spaces like the Alma Mater Society elections are not just frustrating. They reflect a campus environment where hateful and discriminatory movements and campaigns are tolerated and normalized.

While BDS is framed as a progressive, justice-oriented movement, it seeks to end Israel’s existence and strip away Jewish rights to self-determination. If BDS were to achieve its political goals, Israeli Jews would either be killed, ethnically cleansed or forced to live as an oppressed minority. According to an official BDS handbook, campus divestment is merely a “stepping-stone” to larger-scale boycotts and other measures aimed at ending Israel’s existence. This hateful and destructive movement is experienced by most Jewish students as contributing to an environment that marginalizes and endangers the campus community.

At its core, this is where the disconnect becomes impossible to ignore. A movement presented as advancing human rights dismisses the legitimacy of a Jewish homeland altogether. When that position becomes the norm on campus without any serious scrutiny, it is not political activism but the legitimization of hate and exclusion.

It is also worth asking why this issue dominates student political spaces in the first place. In a world full of ongoing conflicts and humanitarian crises, Israel is consistently singled out in student government discourse with false and misleading accusations. It does not feel like a coincidence or a legitimate concern for human rights, but rather a pattern of disproportionate focus that shapes how we are perceived and treated on this campus.

These narratives often leave no room for nuance. There is no space to acknowledge complexity, no willingness to engage with perspectives that don’t fit a predetermined frame, and no recognition that calling for the dismantling of a Jewish homeland has real implications for Jewish students on this campus. BDS, for instance, actively tries to shut down Israeli-Palestinian cooperation and dialogue.

You cannot claim to advocate for justice while erasing the legitimacy of other people’s existence. And yet, that contradiction is increasingly accepted here at UBC.

Students like me are excluded from conversations that directly affect them. Discussions about our own homeland often unfold without any Zionist Jewish perspective present. And, many of us are hesitant to speak up, not because we lack arguments, but because we know how quickly disagreement is shut down or mischaracterized.

And there is one final point that cannot be ignored.

The rhetoric and imagery that have surfaced within anti-Israel activism on this campus go far beyond political critique and cross into something far more disturbing. Slogans, symbols and messaging that frame violence as “resistance” or elevate martyrdom are not abstract ideas. For Jewish students, they are not theoretical – they are deeply personal, and they create a real and growing sense of fear for our safety on campus.

When violence is normalized or even implicitly justified, it sends a message about whose lives are seen as expendable. That is not activism. That is not justice. And it has no place at a university that claims to value safety, inclusion and critical thought. UBC cannot continue to ignore this.

What kind of campus we are willing to accept? One where certain students feel unsafe, unheard and pushed to the margins, or one where difficult conversations happen without crossing the line into dehumanization? Right now, we are closer to the former.

A university should not act as an ideological gatekeeper. Its role is not to decide which perspectives are acceptable, but to ensure that all students can participate in good faith without fear of exclusion or intimidation.

UBC, it’s time to wake up.

Avigail Feldman is a fourth-year student at the University of British Columbia, completing a bachelor’s in political science, and set to begin a master of management. She is also a StandWithUs Canada Emerson Fellow.