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A childhood spent on the run

Survivor Miriam Dattel, right, with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre’s Ellie Lawson at the Yom Hashoah commemoration April 23. (screenshot)

Miriam Dattel was born Branka Friedman, in September 1940, in the Croatian city of Zagreb, then part of Yugoslavia. She was about six months old when the Nazis invaded and her family began a life in hiding. Fleeing ahead of the Nazis and their collaborators, the family survived together through a series of close calls, lifesaving tips from compassionate officials, luck, determination and exhausting treks through the wilderness in search of refuge.

Dattel shared her family’s story at the annual Yom Hashoah commemoration at Temple Sholom on April 23.

Upon invading Yugoslavia in April 1941, the Nazis, aided by their Croatian fascist Ustaše collaborators, immediately instituted the Nuremberg Laws and set up the first concentration camps in Yugoslavia. Dattel’s father and uncle were thrown out of the university and all Jews were forced to don the yellow star – including on young Branka/Miriam’s baby carriage.

The family was set to flee to Budapest, where they believed they would find refuge with family. When the day came, the baby Branka was ill, so her grandmother, Irma Stern, was sent on ahead. It was the last time the family saw her.

In her haste, the grandmother left behind her prayer book, which was her ubiquitous companion. Branka’s mother viewed the holy book as a fortuitous omen that all would be well in the end. At the commemoration last month, Dattel held the prayer book, now more than a century old and suffering the inevitable evidence of time.

Eventually, the family fled – but not to Hungary. Branca/Miriam, her parents, Andor and Margita Friedman, and her aunt and uncle, Lili and Fritz, were transported with the help of a friend of her uncle’s southwest to the Croatian city of Split on the Adriatic coast. Sections of the city were controlled by the Italian fascists and others by the Croatian regime.

One day, her father was tipped off by a high-ranking Italian officer that the Croatians were preparing to deport Jews from the areas of Split they controlled. He returned home in the middle of the night and evacuated the family to the Italian side. Eventually, the family’s race against fate continued, with a journey under false identities by ship to northern Italy.

“In 1943, when eventually Mussolini was finished, the Germans took over,” Dattel said in a video at the ceremony. Again, her father was tipped off by an Italian official, who warned him to disappear.

“From then on, from what I saw in my father’s diary, we went through 18 different hiding places,” she said, noting assistance from underground operatives.

As a child forced to race from one place to another, few distinct memories remain. However, in various barns where they took refuge, people would roast chestnuts and that remains an evocative taste-memory for her.

Ovaltine is another. And it is a flavour from the very moment that may have saved the life of Miriam and her family.

The group – now six with the addition of her newborn cousin Gerardo – had made their way through northern Italy, around Lake Como and toward the Swiss border. After walking for hours, crossing under fences and trudging through difficult terrain, they came to the frontier of Switzerland.

“There were two Swiss border guards there,” said Dattel. “They said the border is closed. And my father said, impossible, you are not going to let two kids be killed. My recollection is this Swiss soldier [with] a German Shepherd coming towards me, lifting me up and carrying me to the station, to the border house.”

There, the guard gave her Ovaltine and, while she has tried to recreate the flavour, it has never tasted the same.

The family members were placed in refugee camps, Miriam separated from her parents. In Switzerland, the family lived out the war, returning to Zagreb afterward before Miriam and her parents made their way to Israel.

About 1.5 million Jewish children were murdered in the Holocaust. Miriam was one of an estimated six to 11% who survived. In addition to the video screened at the event, Dattel spoke on stage with Ellie Lawson, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre’s education manager.

Claire Sicherman, a granddaughter of survivors, was the third-generation descendent speaker. She spoke of being consumed by grief in early life and growing up in a family filled with silences. (Sicherman shared her story of trauma and recovery earlier this year. See jewishindependent.ca/healing-trauma-possible.)

Hannah Marazzi, acting executive director of the VHEC, noted that this year marks the 82nd anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a symbol of defiance in the face of annihilation. In addition to remembering the millions of lives lost and the resilience of survivors, she said, “We remember the young Jewish fighters who rose up against the Nazis and whose courage continues to inspire us to stand against oppression in all of its forms.”

Rabbi Carey Brown, associate rabbi of Temple Sholom, welcomed attendees to the synagogue and reflected on the past’s lessons for the present.

Dr. Abby Wener Herlin, associate director of programs and community relations for the VHEC and a member of the third generation, introduced survivors, who lit candles of remembrance.

Cantor Shani Cohen chanted El Moleh Rachamim, the memorial prayer for the martyrs.

Wendy Bross Stuart was responsible for musical direction and arrangement, and played piano. Eric Wilson played cello. Cantor Michael Zoosman, Erin Aberle-Palm, Matthew Mintsis and Lorenzo Tesler-Mabe sang.

As is traditional, the annual ceremony ended with the singing of “Zog Nit Keynmol,” “The Partisan Song.”

Honouring Israel’s fallen

Geoffrey Druker leads the Vancouver Yom Hazikaron ceremony at Temple Sholom on April 29. (photo by Pat Johnson)

On the morning of Oct. 7, Sgt. Tomer Nagar started his guard duty at 6 a.m. on the Israel Defence Forces base at Kibbutz Kissufim, near the Gaza border.

He was alone with his weapon and the standard 675 rounds of ammunition. Half an hour into his shift, the base was hit by massive mortar fire, then swarmed by Hamas terrorists. The surveillance soldier who was monitoring the border told Nagar to retreat because he was massively outnumbered.

Nagar chose to ignore the instructions and remain at his post, intending to prevent or delay the terrorists’ entry into the base, to give his colleagues time to prepare and to fight for their lives. The battle went on for hours.

“The Kissufim base did not fall into the hands of Hamas,” said Geoffrey Druker, as he began the annual Vancouver ceremony marking Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembrance for the fallen of Israel’s wars and all victims of terror, April 29, at Temple Sholom. “But 13 Golani solders and three from the Egoz unit were killed. When they finally reached Tomer Nagar, they found his body. Around him lay 675 empty bullet casings. He fought ’til his last bullet. He was 21 years old.”

Members of the British Columbia Jewish community lit candles in memory of loved ones, family and friends who have died during the 77 years of Israel’s existence as a state. The day of remembrance closed the following night at Congregation Beth Israel, prior to Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, celebrations.

Druker, who for many years has led the local commemoration, highlighted instances in which fighters risked and often lost their own lives to prevent the advance of terrorists, thereby saving countless lives.

There were 31 police officers securing the 3,500 or so attendees at the Nova music festival. Equipped mostly with handguns, the officers held off as many infiltrators as possible. In the process, 16 of the 31 were killed, as were another five officers from teams that arrived as reinforcements.

“Their battle helped prevent the terrorists from penetrating deeper into Israel and attacking other communities,” said Druker.

Nearby, in the city of Sderot, the police station was attacked by Hamas terrorists in white pickup trucks, armed with anti-tank rockets. Seven police officers raced to the roof of the station to fight off dozens of attackers. With limited ammunition, they held out for nine hours. A special rescue unit managed to reach the scene and save most of the officers, but Mor Shakuri, one of two police on site that day, was killed. She was 28.

Inbar Heyman was a world-renowned graffiti artist, whose works can be seen throughout Tel Aviv under the name Pink. She attended the Nova festival to provide emotional support to the attendees.

“When the attack started, she hid, and then tried to flee,” Druker said. “Around 1 p.m., she was caught and could be seen taken on a motorcycle into Gaza. Her family waited in fear to hear her fate – 71 days they waited until they were told she was murdered in captivity. She was 27 years old.”

Inbal Binder and Raz Shifer, friends of Heyman who were with her at the festival, were in Vancouver. They lit a candle in her memory and read Yizkor.

At the IDF base at Nahal Oz, 54 soldiers were killed after the kibbutz was overtaken by Hamas on Oct. 7. These included 15 tatzpitaniyot, female surveillance soldiers. Another seven tatzpitaniyot were taken hostage in Gaza.

“One was later rescued by the IDF,” said Druker, “and one, Noa Matziano, was murdered at the Shifa hospital in Gaza. It took 482 days until the final tatzpitaniyot returned home in January this year.”

Among those killed at Nahal Oz on Oct. 7 was Roni Eshel, the eldest daughter of Eyal and Sharon Eshel’s three children.

“She would typically end her text messages to her family, signing off with five emoji hearts, one for each family member,” Druker said. “On the morning of Oct. 7, when attacked, she was texting her parents. It was the last morning of her life. She ended her message with four hearts. Later, her father Eyal said, ‘I should have realized then what she was telling us.’”

Ruthie Mizrahi, a Vancouverite who is a childhood friend of Eyal Eshel, lit three candles at the ceremony – one for Roni Eshel, one for Rotem Dushi, whose father Yaron was an army friend of Mizrahi, and one for her uncle, Oded Lifshitz, a founder of Kibbutz Nir Oz, whose family had to wait 503 days to hear that his body had been identified.

Kfar Aza was the first kibbutz Hamas conquered on Oct 7. An estimated 250 terrorists entered the kibbutz, murdering 64 residents and taking 19 hostage.

Vancouverite Micha’el Richenshtein’s father, Eliyahu (Aliko) Reichenstein, was among those murdered. Richenshtein lit a candle in memory of her father and all who were murdered on Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

More than 300 terrorists invaded Kibbutz Be’eri, where they murdered 102 people and took 32 civilians hostage. Among the hostages was Carmel Gat, who was later found executed with five others, murdered as the IDF advanced on their location in Gaza. Lynn Adam Saffery, a British Columbian who is a member of Gat’s extended family, lit a candle of remembrance.

Mushon Mizrachi recited kaddish for his nephew, Ben Mizrachi, the Vancouver-raised IDF medic who died a hero saving others at the Nova festival.

Other fallen were also commemorated.

Dany Guincher made aliyah with his family from Chile and, in 1967, joined the IDF, became a tank crew member, a commander and then an officer.

“On the sixth of October 1973 – Yom Kippur – Egypt and Syria tacked Israel,” said Druker. Guincher was then studying at university in Pennsylvania, but he managed to find a flight back to Israel.

“He was greeted at the Ben Gurion Airport by his brother, Lito,” Druker said. “Dany joined the forces in the Sinai and led his tanks into battle in the city of Ismailia. On the 23rd of October 1973, his tank was hit and Dany Guincher was killed.”

Lito, who was a member of the Vancouver community, has since passed away, but his son-in-law, Jack Micner, who is married to Dany’s niece Karen, lit a candle in Guincher’s memory and read Yizkor.

Also present was Zev Tanne who, with his 17- and 18-year-old classmates of Mikveh Israel agricultural school, fought in the 1948 War of Independence as part of the elite Palmach unit of the Haganah. He survived a battle in which 11 of his classmates were killed.

Lihi Shushan and Or Shukrun, shinshiniyot (teen emissaries), honoured fallen soldiers and civilian casualties from Vancouver’s partnership region in the Upper Galil.

Ruchot Hatzafon, headliners of the following evening’s Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration, performed.

Druker thanked the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver for supporting and Temple Sholom for hosting the event, as well as the musicians who performed.

Israel’s deputy consul general for Toronto and Western Canada, Shani Azulai, addressed the event in a recorded video message.

Rabbi Eliahu Barzilai of Congregation Beth Hamidrash recited El Moleh Rachmim.

Deep belief in Courage

Left to right: Champion rower Silken Laumann, then-Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan and Courage to Come Back chair Lorne Segal. Sullivan, who broke his neck in a skiing accident when he was 19, has since founded many nonprofits, held various public offices, and more. He received the first-ever Special Courage Award, in 2006. (photo from Coast Mental Health)

This year’s Courage to Come Back Awards, which took place May 7 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, celebrated four people for having overcome great adversity and giving back to their communities. First as an attendee, and then as chair of the awards for 20 years and counting, Lorne Segal knows firsthand the inspiration these award recipients offer.

“I was inspired by the incredible stories of resilience and recovery that define the Courage to Come Back Awards,” Segal told the Independent. “From the beginning, I was moved by the courage it takes to not only face adversity, but to come through it with strength and purpose. The opportunity to support mental health through this powerful platform felt both meaningful and necessary.”

Segal, who is president of Kingswood Properties Ltd., is legacy chair of the annual awards event and co-chair is Eric Carlson, core founder and chief executive officer of Anthem Properties.

Segal took on the role of chair because he “believed deeply in the mission and saw the potential for the awards to grow and reach more people.

“I’ve stayed,” he said, “because of the lives it touches – both those we honour and those who are inspired by them. Each year brings new stories, new hope and a renewed sense of purpose. It’s been one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

This year’s awards were given out in four categories and the recipients were Stanley Price (addiction), David Chalk (mental health), Louisa Bridgman (medical) and Omar Bseiso (young adult).

Price overcame childhood trauma, addiction and gang involvement, and now works in addictions and recovery, as well as being a volunteer with KidsPlay Foundation. Chalk, who hid that he couldn’t read until his 60s, has become an AI expert and entrepreneur – he is currently developing an AI-trained platform that will help others build literacy. Bridgman, a disability rights activist, lives with cerebral palsy, and has faced childhood abuse and systemic discrimination. Bseiso has faced poverty, as well as physical and mental health challenges, and gone from being a struggling student to a University of British Columbia scholarship recipient, with the goal of becoming a doctor.

“The awards shine a spotlight on hope and recovery, challenging stigma and encouraging conversations about mental health and other challenges,” said Segal. “They remind people that they are not alone. By celebrating those who have overcome incredible odds, we inspire others to keep going – and we build a stronger, more compassionate community.”

Segal himself has been changed by his involvement with the awards.

“It’s made me more empathetic, more grateful and more aware of the quiet strength people carry,” he said. “Being surrounded by such resilience has profoundly impacted how I see the world and how I approach adversity in my own life. It has grounded me and continually reminded me of the importance of kindness and perseverance.”

And it’s a family endeavour.

“It began 27 years ago when my parents, Joe and Rosalie Segal, attended the first Courage to Come Back Awards and were inspired to help found the Joseph and Rosalie Segal and Family Health Centre at Vancouver General Hospital,” said Segal. “My wife Melita and our children, Matthew and Chanelle, have supported me every step of the way – attending from a young age and sharing courage stories in their own lives. Their belief in this cause has made my work all the more meaningful.”

photo - Lorne and Melita Segal at the 2018 Courage to Come Back Awards — Lorne and Melita Segal at the 2018 Courage to Come Back Awards. *(photo by Alex Law from Coast Mental Health)*

The cause is mental health in general, but also Coast Mental Health specifically. The Courage to Come Back Awards raise money for the organization.

“Coast Mental Health is one of the quiet pillars holding up those who often feel unseen,” Segal explained. “In the broad landscape of mental health care, we often think first of hospitals, doctors and medication – the primary care that is essential and often life-saving. But what happens after that first step toward healing? Where does someone go when they leave the hospital but still need support, still need connection, still need hope? That’s where Coast Mental Health steps in.

“Coast is not just a service – it is a sanctuary,” he said. “It offers that vital second tier of support: stable housing, meaningful training, compassionate community. It provides a roof over someone’s head, but also restores something far less tangible and even more precious – dignity. With job training programs, resource centres and drop-in spaces where a kind word and a warm hand can change the course of someone’s day, Coast wraps its arms around people who are trying, day by day, to come back.

“Mental health recovery doesn’t happen in isolation, and it doesn’t end at the hospital door. Coast Mental Health understands that healing is holistic. It happens in the safety of a home, in the encouragement of a support network, in the pride of a new job and in the trust of a human connection.

“This is the quiet, essential work of Coast Mental Health – and it is work that changes lives,” Segal said. “It is not just about surviving. It is about returning to life with dignity, with purpose and with courage.”

There have been so many memorable Courage to Come Back moments for Segal over the last two decades. “There are countless,” he said. “Standing ovations for recipients who once struggled to leave their homes, families reunited in tears and the thunderous applause of a community coming together. But perhaps the most memorable moments are the quiet ones: personal notes from recipients saying, ‘You helped me believe in myself again.’”

photo - Lorne Segal has chaired Coast Mental Health Foundation’s Courage to Come Back Awards for 20 years — Lorne Segal has chaired Coast Mental Health Foundation’s Courage to Come Back Awards for 20 years. *(photo from Coast Mental Health)*

Under Segal’s stewardship, the annual event, which began in 1999, has grown to be Western Canada’s largest gala, with more than 1,700 people attending. It has raised more than $27 million for mental health and celebrated 153 British Columbians. But its success wasn’t guaranteed.

“One of the greatest challenges the Courage to Come Back Awards faced was simply staying alive in its earliest days,” said Segal. “I still remember stumbling across the event 27 years ago – not really knowing where I was going or what to expect. I sat down at a table, noticed a Kleenex box in the centre, and quickly understood why it was there. The stories I heard that evening moved me to tears. These weren’t just stories – they were everyday miracles. I walked out of that room thinking: everyone needs to hear this. Everyone needs to feel this hope.

“But, at the time, there were only a few hundred people in the room. The organization was struggling, and the idea of shutting the doors on the awards was very real. There simply wasn’t enough awareness, enough support or enough belief that it could become more.

“That night lit a fire in me,” he said. “I started telling everyone I knew – sharing the stories, the impact, the emotion. And, slowly, over the years, the event grew.”

As for what keeps him involved, Segal said, “Because it matters. Because it changes lives. Because I’ve seen firsthand the power of sharing stories of resilience, the ripple effect of one person’s courage igniting another’s hope. For two decades, I’ve had the privilege of helping shine a light on individuals who prove, year after year, that no matter the hardship, comebacks are possible. It’s not just about honouring the brave – it’s about showing others what’s possible. And that purpose, that impact, keeps me coming back, too.”

The work gives back more than it takes, he said. “In a world full of noise, the Courage to Come Back Awards are a rare and powerful reminder of what truly matters: resilience, humanity and hope.”

To learn more about the impacts of the awards, which are presented by Wheaton Precious Metals, visit coastmentalhealth.com.

Emergency medicine at work

Dr. Oren Wacht of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will be in Vancouver this month, giving a public lecture May 25 and promoting Heartbeat of Education, a project geared to helping more Israeli paramedics further their education in emergency medical services. (photo from BGU Canada BC & Alberta Region)

Dr. Oren Wacht, who heads the department of emergency medicine and is the academic director of the Field Family Medical Simulation Centre at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, will be in Vancouver May 23 to 25. As part of his visit, he will speak to the community on May 25, 7 p.m., at an event titled Emergency Medicine in Action: Healing the Negev Post-Oct. 7.

An experienced emergency medical technician and the first paramedic in Israel to receive his PhD, Wacht serves, too, as a volunteer paramedic for Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service. Since Oct. 7, 2023, he has seen months of active service between his teaching and training responsibilities. Thousands of BGU faculty, staff and students were called to serve after the Hamas attacks.

Wacht said his May 25 talk will be about his department, which trains paramedics, and will briefly touch upon his own experiences as a paramedic.

“Since the war, I have spent most of the time in the military, in the infantry, as a paramedic,” he told the Independent. “I am trying to combine this with my work at BGU as a head of department and researcher, and, of course, my personal life and family. It is very challenging, but there is no other choice.”

Wacht’s visit to Vancouver will promote Heartbeat of Education, a project geared to helping more Israeli paramedics from all walks of life access and earn a bachelor’s degree in emergency medical services (EMS).

As the national EMS system, Magen David Adom (MDA) has very close ties with the program. In February 2022, MDA and BGU signed an affiliation agreement as part of an academic initiative designed to improve training for paramedics and EMTs. The affiliation, believed to be the first between a national EMS service and a university, strives to bolster the quality of pre-hospital emergency care in Israel and elsewhere.

“We want Israel to have the best paramedics and, with the program’s support, we can help our students go through our very intense program with less financial stress,” Wacht said.

“Our program is unique,” he added, “because students do EMS shifts at MDA from the first year of studies. We are incredibly excited about this opportunity – and being able to support our students, especially since the war, is one of the most important things we need to do.”

In Israel, MDA paramedics are among the first on the scene in emergencies to provide critical care. However, many paramedics lack the financial means to pursue higher education. The purpose of the Heartbeat of Education program is to enable paramedics to take on more specialized roles within the health-care system, bring enhanced expertise to emergencies and thereby save more lives and improve outcomes, drive innovation and support a diverse, inclusive environment that can provide life-saving services to everyone who lives in Israel.

Wacht also has created a summer program, in English, in emergency medicine at BGU. It will open this year, from July 20 to 30, and is geared towards laypeople and professionals alike. The program uses the extensive experience of tactical medicine – the delivery of care in hostile or high-risk situations that integrates medical and tactical operations to preserve life – at BGU and brings it to people in the course in a realistic environment at the school’s medical simulation centre. In addition to offering graduates a certificate from BGU, the program hopes to provide participants with the confidence to handle demanding medical challenges.

The Field Family Medical Simulation Centre occupies four floors of the Rachel and Max Javit Medical Simulation and Classroom Building at BGU. It includes classrooms equipped with medical devices, advanced simulators and research laboratories, and features state-of-the-art medical simulation rooms to train doctors, nurses and paramedics. The rooms are designed to reflect real-life medical situations, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, procedures for trauma victims and emergency surgeries.

Since Oct. 7, many medical teams, from army and civilian organizations, have asked for guidance at the centre, and the centre has helped prepare many Israel Defence Forces teams.

“Despite the challenges we face, and despite the fact that a significant part of the team has been called up for reserve duty, hospitals and MDA, this is our small contribution, and we stand united with the medical community in these difficult times,” Wacht said in October 2023.

“The support of Jewish people from around the world gives all of us, and me personally, a lot of strength in these challenging times,” Wacht told the Independent. “We invite readers to visit BGU and see the fantastic work in many fields of research.”

To register for the Metro Vancouver event, visit bengurion.ca/events/vancouver-events.

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

Join Jewish culture festival

This year’s Festival of Jewish Culture takes place May 25. (photo from JCCGV)

Throughout May, there are numerous events being held at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver in celebration of Jewish Heritage Month. They culminate in the Festival of Jewish Culture on May 25, which features music, food, dance, art, a market, workshops and more at the centre, from noon to 4:30 p.m.

While some of the events leading up to May 25 have happened, there are still many activities coming up. Tied into the festival are the Western Canada Jewish Book Awards May 13 (for the list of finalists, visit jccgv.com/jewish-book-festival); an Israeli-style vegetarian potluck Kabbalat Shabbat dinner – Shishi Yisraeli – on May 16; a Jewish Street Art workshop for youth on May 22; a joint presentation on May 22 with the JCC Jewish Book Festival, with Ben Shneiderman talking about Journey Through the Spanish Civil War, an English translation of his father’s book; and a Shabbat picnic breakfast and tiyul (walk) on May 24.

photo - The Festival of Jewish Culture features live music — The Festival of Jewish Culture features live music. *(photo from JCCGV)*

“The main event and pre-event activities have evolved from previous years and successful ideas that people looked forward to, as well as years of the festival being harikud [about Israeli dance], and many traditions have stayed from then,” said Nomi Zysblat, coordinator of Jewish and Israeli cultural programming at the JCC, about how this year’s events were chosen. She credited Hila Olya, director of programs, for being supportive and encouraging.

“She really is someone who both leads and shines but also gives you freedom for whatever comes to mind,” said Zysblat. “I really have the pleasure of working with some great people here at the J.”

photo - Like last year's festival, this year will have a cooking workshop — Like last year’s festival, this year will have a cooking workshop. *(photo from JCCGV)*

There will be four workshops offered on May 25: krav maga, where youth, adults and families are invited to train together; Liat Pakes teaches how to make falafel, pita and different styles of tahini; Zohar Hagbi leads an intuitive art session, in which participants will be able to express their inner creativity; and people will have the chance to create their own Havdalah spice bags.

“One of the four blessings of Havdalah is for besamim (fragrant spices),” explained Zysblat. “Creating our own spice bags is fun for children, too, as they get to touch and breathe in a variety of aromatic spices, and then create their favourite combination.”

There will also be live performances. Award-winning musicians Yonatan Dror and Itamar Erez will play in different Jewish styles with guitar, piano and several types of woodwinds and brass instruments. The JCC choir, led by Shir Barzel, will sing several Hebrew melodies, and Perry Ehrlich’s ShowStoppers will perform. HaOpziot, a band of local Israeli Vancouverites, will entertain with Israeli rock classics.

Food trucks will include Planted and Meet2Eat, and there will be around 12 different stalls of local jewelry, textiles, Judaica and sweets.

Keeping the event safe will be a combination of JCC security, extra paid security, Vancouver Police Department involvement, as well as a team of Bitachon volunteers.

“It’s seriously going to be an amazing day, and I’ll be selling my popsicles, too!” said Zysblat.

For more information on any part of the festival, visit jccgv.com/program-category/israeli-festival.

A funny look at death

David Bloom, left, and Richard Newman share two different roles in Western Gold Theatre’s production of Caryl Churchill’s Here We Go, which is at PAL Studio Theatre until May 25. (photo by Colleen Bayati)

“I love Caryl Churchill – she is quirky,” actor Rosy Frier-Dryden told the Independent. “She makes you think, makes you work. You can’t just rely on lines! You have to bring her lines to life.”

Frier-Dryden co-stars in Western Gold Theatre’s production of Churchill’s Here We Go, which centres around a funeral. Director Kathryn Bracht describes the work as “a deceptively simple, 45-minute exploration on death and dying that is a surrealist meditation wrapped up in her crafty, clever dialogue.”

For the run at PAL Studio Theatre, which goes to May 25, Frier-Dryden is joined by fellow Jewish community members David Bloom and Richard Newman in the cast, which is rounded out by Bernard Cuffling, Kate Robbins and Peihwen J. Tai.

“Without giving all of the storyline away, the general structure of the play is that it’s in three parts: a funeral scene; a monologue scene, where the deceased speaks; and a final scene without words,” explained Newman.

“We did our first runs today, and it’s quite remarkable how the three scenes build on each other to explore relationships with aging and death,” added Bloom. “It’s startlingly funny and weirdly moving.”

Bloom and Newman share roles, as do the other actors: Frier-Dryden with Robbins, and Cuffling with Tai.

“In half of the shows, I am on stage in the first third playing one of five people attending a funeral,” said Newman. “In the other half of the shows, I play the subject of the funeral, the guy who died, who has a lengthy monologue – six pages of script, to be precise. This monologue is brilliantly written – emotional, scary and, always, funny. Quite a challenge, but such a great scene to play.

“Because of Churchill’s writing and Kathryn Bracht’s direction, each actor has a lot of leeway to interpret their lines and define their characters. Like me, David will have his own interpretation of both roles, and we’ve agreed not to watch each other, so we’ll not be influenced by the other – we’re developing our characters independently. Each of us rehearses alone in the room with the director.”

Frier-Dryden also spoke enthusiastically about the latitude the actors have in this play.

“The most marvellous thing is, you are allowed to create your own character, based on what Caryl Churchill writes and the freedom she gives you,” said Frier-Dryden. “In the first scene, I am playing a character that is older and a big personality. She is a Londoner, upper class, and lives in Eaton Square with a vast array of friends. She had an affair with the guy whose funeral we are attending. In the final scene, she is ill, has dementia and she is slipping away. She and her husband have come to terms.”

photo - Rosy Frier-Dryden’s character in Here We Go had an affair with the man whose funeral the characters have come to attend — Rosy Frier-Dryden’s character in Here We Go had an affair with the man whose funeral the characters have come to attend. *(photo by Colleen Bayati)*

“Caryl Churchill is quite simply a remarkable playwright,” said Western Gold Theatre artistic director Tanja Dixon-Warren. “She has an extraordinary command of language and deep understanding of human nature. Her work is very reminiscent of Pinter and Beckett, in that the text is pared down to its absolute essentials. There is nothing extraneous or gratuitous.

“She has a distinctive, truly singular approach to writing,” Dixon-Warren continued. “Very often there is no punctuation, and lines are not assigned to specific characters, thus allowing the director and actors to find multiple stories and characters within the piece – knowing that they will bring their life experience to the work. This requires that the director, actors, designers really dig into the play, to find all the nuances and be very, very specific about what they are saying. Her material is, essentially, just the beginning of the conversation.”

It certainly has the actors thinking beyond the play and about their own lives: Bloom is 65, Newman is 78 and Frier-Dryden is 90.

“I find myself being grateful for being alive and still being able to move around under my own power,” said Bloom, who commented that the monologue “is both a marathon and a sprint” in which he immerses himself every bus journey, so he’s physically and emotionally exhausted at the end of each day.

“I think about my parents a lot,” he added, “because the play reminds me of their last years and the different ways they faced bodily decline and death. There’s a scene I’m not in that brings up heartbreaking memories of my father’s last years. But, mostly, I’m so delighted to be working on such a beautiful piece of writing with a group of wonderful people, many of whom are even older than I am.”

“You start to think about what’s really important, what I want to do with whatever is left of my life,” said Newman, who has lost many friends in the last year-and-a-half or so.

“What strikes me most strongly is that I am enjoying being here and am looking forward to sticking around to enjoy life as best as I can, as long as I can,” he said. “I consider myself fortunate – I run, work at keeping my body as healthy as I can – and believe my mind will follow…. This play kind of dovetails with my life and the issues and experiences that arise, the things I’m doing and how I’m dealing with life at this age. It’s a kind of serendipity to be in this play.

“At the end of the day,” said Newman, “I’m reminded that life is a gift, a miracle. I have my work, friends both young and old, family. I’m blessed.”

Here We Go also resonates with Frier-Dryden, who recently lost a family member.

“I have lived through the deaths of many, especially recently, and I think of this play and its themes … all the time,” she said. “I am not just going to rehearse – I am going with the knowledge that someone dear has died, and I can send them off and honour them. I love that every day I think of the person I loved, and he is gone, but not gone.”

“Here We Go features some of the best actors in Vancouver,” concluded Newman. “This will be unlike anything you’re liable to see in the Vancouver theatre season! I hope people will come to the show to watch our performances.”

For tickets to Here We Go, visit westerngoldtheatre.org.

OrSh open house

Or Shalom’s after-school program open house takes place May 28. (photo from Or Shalom)

Designed for ages 6 to 13, Or Shalom’s after-school program brings Jewish learning to life through music, storytelling, art and experiential activities. To learn more about it firsthand, check out the school’s open house on Wednesday, May 28, 5-6:30 p.m., at Cityview Church, 4370 Sophia St. – Or Shalom’s temporary home while the synagogue is being renovated.

Rooted in Jewish Renewal values, Or Shalom’s educational program offers a holistic approach that nurtures curiosity, compassion and a vibrant connection to Jewish life. In addition to creative exploration, the school also teaches Hebrew, Jewish prayer and traditional skills, giving children the tools to engage meaningfully with Jewish texts, rituals and community. Children are encouraged to participate fully – mind, body and spirit – in an inclusive environment that honours both tradition and innovation.

Or Shalom invites everyone to meet its community, experience the program and explore how your child could thrive in it. Email [email protected] with any questions.

– Courtesy Or Shalom

Theatre from a Jewish lens

Laen Hershler performing REMNANTS. Hershler brings an interactive version of Dr. Hank Greenspan’s play, which is based on 40 years of conversations with Holocaust survivors, to the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture on June 8. He will be joined by Vancouver Playback Theatre. (photo from grad.ubc.ca)

In June, Laen Hershler celebrates his first year as artistic director of Theatre Terrific. He also hosts, on June 8, Listening with Survivors, “an evening of deep listening and shared reflection as monologues from Holocaust survivors open into a live, interactive performance with Vancouver Playback Theatre.”

“I was deeply honoured and excited to step in as the artistic director of Theatre Terrific,” he told the Jewish Independent. “This community has always felt like home to me, both as a person and an artist. I look forward to continuing this welcoming tradition.”

“Theatre Terrific Society is a trailblazing mixed-ability theatre company that has been championing inclusivity in the arts since 1985,” reads the website. The society is “dedicated to tackling the challenges of accessibility, representation and inclusion in the arts by breaking down stereotypes and fostering empathy across diverse communities. It creates work that resonates with universal human experiences, bridging differences through storytelling. With a compassionate yet bold approach to theatre-making, it cultivates spaces where respect, rigour and risk drive the creative process.”

Theatre Terrific’s last production, called Proximity: The Space Between Us, was well received at the Vancouver Fringe Festival last September. Directed by Hershler and Susan Bertoia, it was created with the cast and is about the struggles of aspiring artists.

photo - In June, Laen Hershler celebrates his first year as artistic director of Theatre Terrific — In June, Laen Hershler celebrates his first year as artistic director of Theatre Terrific. (photo from instagram.com/theatreterrificvan)

Hershler is also an actor and improviser, and he is pursuing a doctorate in research-based theatre at the University of British Columbia. He is part of Vancouver Playback Theatre, as well, and, as an observant Jew, he performs complete with head-covering and tzitzit.

“Since my shift to diligently keeping Shabbat about eight years ago, my acting career moved from mainstream theatre, which almost always necessitates working on Friday/Saturday nights, to applied forms of theatre,” he said. “These include playback theatre, forum theatre and academically situated theatre, which are much less dependent on weekend shows. I love performing in these types of shows since they tend to be very socially engaged and meaningful projects.”

Hershler’s responsibilities at Theatre Terrific include arranging all the classes, courses and productions, and hiring the instructors, directors and other artists for TT’s projects. He teaches, directs and sometimes performs in the company’s offerings, and works on establishing connections with the broader community of theatre companies regionally and internationally, especially all-abilities arts organizations.

“I love the meaningfulness of the work, the creative freedom and the amazing human beings I get to work with,” he said. “I appreciate the opportunity to create work and opportunities for theatre artists of all abilities and to produce meaningful and evocative theatre. The challenge of the work – which is learning to hold a radically inclusive space that allows for high-level artistic work while including artists across spectrums of physical, neurodiverse and cognitive abilities – is also something I cherish.”

Hershler’s theatre career began at the Jewish Young People’s Theatre of Vancouver, which was based out of the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. The program was guided by Lynna Goldhar Smith, who he credits as being a huge influence – he began classes with her when he was 8 years old and stayed with YPT until he was 14. He said a large percentage of people that he acted with in YPT are still involved in the arts today.

Since graduating with his master’s at the University of Cape Town in 2011, Hershler has been an instructor in the education faculty at UBC in Vancouver and in the creative studies faculty at UBC in Kelowna. He began his career as a performer and educator touring and giving workshops in France, Korea, Australia, Kenya, South Africa and elsewhere on various aspects and uses of physical theatre for both children and adults.

“I loved my role as the Tooth Prince while performing for 5-year-olds (and their parents) at one of the most prestigious theatres in Seoul, Korea,” he said.

A couple of years ago, at the Peretz Centre and at Or Shalom, Hershler performed the one-man show REMNANTS, which was written by Dr. Hank Greenspan and first produced, for radio, in 1991. Based on 40 years of conversations with Holocaust survivors, the work delves into the survivors’ experiences, exploring themes such as loneliness, rage, storytelling and the dynamics of relationships across generations.

“It was a deeply meaningful project,” said Hershler, who is bringing REMNANTS back to the Peretz Centre on June 8, in a different form.

“In this version,” said Hershler in an email, “these monologues will open into a space for collective reflection, storytelling and discussion through playback theatre – a form of theatre that invites the audience’s voices and experiences into the performance itself, creating a space for deep listening and dialogue. For this, we will be joined by Vancouver Playback Theatre.”

The evening will be about listening to the Holocaust survivors, as well as one another, he said, “to find overlap and connection with our own lives, today, in this moment in time – to learn with, to learn from, to learn alongside.”

Hershler would like to do more Jewish storytelling.

“I would love to create work that brings down the mystical tales of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, an interest I inherited from my father, who has long been a storyteller of Nachman tales…. Being Jewish is who I am, and it pulsates through all the work I do,” he said. “All my artistic work emerges from this prism, from a Jewish lens, from a Jewish neshamah (soul).”

For tickets to Listening with Survivors, go to peretz-centre.org. For more information about Theatre Terrific, visit theatreterrific.ca.

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

Ancient as modern

Mosaic Revival: Three Contemporary Expressions features the work of BC artists Maria Abagis, left, Lilian Broca, centre, and Daryl Lynne Wood. Shining the spotlight on this ancient medium, these artists challenge the viewer’s perception of what a mosaic is, and its relevance in the art world today. The exhibit is at CityScape Community ArtSpace, in North Vancouver, until June 6. (Images courtesy CityScape)

Don’t miss Jewish film fest

Full Support shines a positive, life-affirming light on Noa’s Bras, in Jaffa. (photo by Tulik Galon / Go2Films)

The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival is now underway, with screenings at Fifth Avenue Cinemas through May 1, then at the Rothstein Theatre May 2 and 4. There are numerous films being presented, from documentaries to mysteries, dramas and more.

Being supportive

It may seem like a strange thing to say, but women should put Noa’s Bras, in Jaffa, on the itinerary of their next trip to Israel. If you don’t need a bra, you can go try some on, just for the experience of being well taken care of. At least, that’s how it seems a visit would go, from watching Michal Cohen’s documentary, Full Support.

Full Support shines a positive, life-affirming light on this store to which women come in need of varying sizes, looks and fits. Some brave clients share their stories with the filmmakers, and the result is a moving portrayal of women of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds and life circumstances. Among them are cancer survivors, victims of abuse, divorcées; one woman wants something sexy, another just wants something comfortable, a preteen looking for her first bra comes in with her mom. The staff – maybe one or two of whom are proprietors? (it’s not clear) – are knowledgeable, respectful and helpful. It is amazing to see the staff literally size up a client from across the counter and then know which of many, many boxes they must go to for the bras they’re looking for. The store apparently offers 189 sizes!

Outside the store, the camera catches men walking by the shop, some even peeking in, then almost running away with embarrassment. There are other moments of humour, as well as many touching moments, including when one of the store clerks pops into the tailor next door for him to sew up this or that and we find out that he and his wife are waiting for a permit to visit their daughter in Nablus.

Full Support is an interesting, thoughtful and funny film.

– CR

A murder mystery

photo - In Highway 65, a demoted Tel Aviv detective, Daphna (Tali Sharon), finds herself assigned to investigations in the hick town of Afula — In *Highway 65*, a demoted Tel Aviv detective, Daphna (Tali Sharon), finds herself assigned to investigations in the hick town of Afula. *(still from film)*

Family secrets are the theme in Highway 65, in which a demoted Tel Aviv detective finds herself doing slashed tire and lost phone investigations in the hick town of Afula.

Daphna (Tali Sharon), the downgraded cop, is a shlubby Columbo with appalling table manners but proficiency at her job. The lost phone – a seemingly innocuous investigation – leads to something much larger. The phone’s owner, Orly, has been missing for a week and no one has reported her absence.

It’s a small town where everyone knows everybody’s business and outsider Daphna finds herself in the midst of a perversely convoluted family drama, crossing personal and professional boundaries with nonchalance.

The family is marking the 10th yahrzeit of the missing woman’s husband and Daphna’s investigation puts a serious crimp in the commemoration. The family has an ominous mafia feel to it and the film jolts the viewer with an instant of truly shocking violence that illuminates the narrative and ultimately fingers the culprit.

Fans of quality Israeli TV will recognize Sharon from her role as Hodaya in Srugim, about Orthodox singles in Jerusalem. The male lead, Matan, is played by Idan Amedi, a singer-songwriter and actor known for playing Sagi Tzur in Fauda. Amedi was seriously injured during reserve duty in January 2024, when six fellow soldiers were killed in Gaza.

– PJ

Relentlessly talented

photo - Diane Warren: Relentless introduces audiences to the seemingly chaotic genius of songwriter Diane Warren — *Diane Warren: Relentless* introduces audiences to the seemingly chaotic genius of songwriter Diane Warren. *(still from film)*

Everyone knows a song that was written by American songwriter Diane Warren – everyone. For more than 40 years, she has been writing hits in multiple genres. From “Rhythm of the Night,” performed by the band DeBarge; to “When I See You Smile,” for Bad English; to “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” sung by Aerosmith; to multiple songs performed by Beyoncé, Michael Bolton, Cher, Celine Dionne, Meat Loaf, Whitney Houston and so many others. Her writing has earned her a long list of awards and 16 Academy Award nominations – while she has yet to win an Oscar for a particular song, she was recognized with an honorary Oscar in 2022 for her achievements.

The documentary Diane Warren: Relentless, directed by Bess Kargman, introduces audiences to the seemingly chaotic genius of Warren, who was born in Van Nuys, Calif., into a middle-class Jewish family. The third daughter of David and Flora Warren, she is much younger than her sisters and knew, from a young age, that music – rather than something more conventional – was the path she wanted to follow.

Her parents struggled with how to parent Warren. Her dad was supportive of her music dream, at least, but her relationship with her mother was troubled till the end. Warren grew up feeling an outsider both at home and at school. It is not clear when she was diagnosed, but having Asperger’s syndrome contributes to both Warren’s genius and her struggles. She also shares that she was molested as a child, in the context of having written “Till It Happens to You,” which Warren wanted Lady Gaga, also a survivor of sexual assault, to sing.

A lot of Warren’s collaborators lend their views to this documentary, and their respect for Warren is clear, even when there are hurt feelings. For example, she gave both LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood the song “How Do I Live,” but both versions ended up being a hit.

A master of romantic songs, Warren has no romantic partner, only a love for creating music – something she is driven to do and will continue to do as long as she is able.

Relentless is a fascinating look at a fascinating person.

– CR

Quest for the past

photo - The Property closes the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival May 4 — *The Property* closes the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival May 4. *(still from film)*

One probably wouldn’t expect lots of yuks in a film about a grandmother and granddaughter traveling from Israel to Poland to reclaim property lost during the Holocaust. But the first great guffaw in the closing night film of the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, The Property, comes early, with the frustrated chaperone of ill-behaved high school students shouting, “You don’t deserve to be taken to the concentration camps!”

Dark humour and subtle situational absurdity shine a light on serious paradoxes, twists of fate, loss and possible redemption. The film by Dana Modan, based on a graphic novel by her brother, Rutu Modan, centres around distinctive characters and intersecting personal and world history.

The trip’s mission seems straightforward, but Savta has a secret – and a secret agenda. Secrets abound, actually, but the conundrum, as the granddaughter observes drily, is that no one really cares.

Ostensibly, the family is returning to Poland to regain physical property stolen during the war – an apartment building – but it becomes clear almost immediately that the grandmother is after something else. The viewer’s assumptions about her motivations will be subtly upended.

The grandmother, Regina (Rivka Michaeli), and granddaughter, Mika (Sharon Strimban), spend much of their time in Poland doing their own things, but their experiences – past and present – imitate the other’s. History and the present day seem to merge, then diverge, when Mika stumbles into a too-authentic immersive experience at a museum that is the essence of dark humour, as is the interaction with a museum curator who takes her work just a tad too seriously.

Family secrets, though, are the heart of the film, as are the complex interactions between Jewish and non-Jewish Poles across generations.

Beginnings and endings and the sense that the past keeps repeating are a thread throughout The Property.

“How many times can you start a life all over again?” asks the grandmother at one point. But Mika’s experience suggests it’s all a big repetitive cycle anyway.

– PJ

For tickets to the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, visit vjff.org.