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KATHARINE HAMER EDITOR

For as long as the Bulletin has existed, it's had its share of loyal readers. From the early days – when social announcements were a staple – to the variety of news we publish today, people have always found something that piqued their interest. For our anniversary issue, several readers shared their thoughts on the paper – and the role it has played in the Vancouver Jewish community.

Joel Bellas has been a Bulletin reader since the late 1950s. His parents, Sonia and Ed, received the paper when he was growing up. Joel and his wife, Ilene-Jo, are present-day subscribers. Ilene-Jo's family, the Greenbergs, also took the paper – and Joel's children read it whenever they're at home. All are lifelong Vancouverites.

"I certainly read it to find out what was going on in the community and in Israel," said Joel. "It was the only publication where you could find out those things – especially being all the way out here in the western outpost of Jewish civilization.

"I can remember even at home, it was a way for my parents to find out what was going on. What the synagogues were doing ... the Lazar column over the years, you always found out what was happening.

"I do remember coming home and asking my mom, 'has the Bulletin arrived?'
"As a teenager, I read it to find out what was happening with the youth groups, USY, NCSY, BBYO ... and always what was happening with Israel, to get perspective. As I grew older, the 1966/'67 wars, I got a different perspective reading the Bulletin than I did from reading the other local papers, and that was important, especially when I was in high school. When I started university and was at Hillel, the local papers would always paint Israel as the bad guy, and that hasn't changed. When I read the Bulletin, it was a whole different perspective, probably more accurate.

"It was important to find out about different people in the community; to read about people I didn't know – famous people in the community, like the Diamonds and the Segals and the Cohens.

"We enjoy reading it, it keeps you up to date. The paper has evolved over the years.

"It used to be a very folksy paper," said Ilene-Jo. "Now, it's more professional. It has a fresher, younger feel to it. It used to be what the Hadassah women were doing, the pioneer women, the B'nai B'rith women. There was a lot more activity in the community. It was more regional. Now, it's more topical. Some of it I agree with and some of it I don't agree with, but it's about what's going on in the world and how it affects Jews.

"I used to look for the Kaplans' Between Us. Now, with Menschenings, it's, 'who do I know?' I like the letters to the editor, the editorials – sometimes they're controversial.

"The Vancouver Sun doesn't give a very Jewish slant. It's nice to have our own paper that does. When my brother left home, we'd send him the Bulletin so he would know what his friends were doing. Now, Joel's kids, whenever they're in our house, they read the paper. I leave it in the kitchen for a week!"

Cissie Eppel, a reader since 1952. Moved to Vancouver from Bradford, England. Founder of the Jewish Genealogical Society of British Columbia.

"England only had one Jewish newspaper, the Jewish Chronicle. It covered all of the U.K. – and living away from London, there were no local Jewish papers, so the only local news we had in the Chronicle was if anybody put something in, which wasn't very often ... so coming to Vancouver and finding a Jewish paper was quite a change. It was all the local news of the Vancouver community. It was kind of an introduction to the community.

"There have been changes with the owners and editors, of course. The first editor that I remember was Abe Arnold. Then there were the Kaplans and the Americans [the Buergers]. I like to see the coverage of the local community and world affairs, particularly Israel.

"When I came, the community was much smaller. There weren't as many Jewish people in the suburbs. There were only three synagogues. Now there's so many because of the growth of the community. Unfortunately that means we need more cemeteries. I've seen a lot. The community centre itself was only a building on 11th Avenue. The Louis Brier was an old house on 13th Avenue. Then it moved to 54th and Oak – and now look at it.

"[As for the paper], it's pretty well the same. There's always a mix of everything. I try to look for local coverage, particularly of the Jewish community, that's what interests me as much as anything. I don't need anything out of the Jewish context – I remember there was an article about stray cats.

"I didn't care for the change in the community calendar. I think when it was all on a daily calendar, rather than itemizing, you could follow it easier.

"I do read it from cover to cover. I want to get my money's worth. I would miss it if I didn't get it. It keeps me up to date on what's going on in the community and overseas."

Barbara Walker, lifestyle coach. A reader since 1990.

"From my perspective, it's always had a strong feeling of a publication that's highly respected by the people in the community. It has excellent coverage – it's very fair and comprehensive."

Gertie Lerner, 100 years old. A reader since 1942. Moved to Vancouver at the end of the Second World War from Winnipeg.

"The paper was at first very, very different, then the editor went to Winnipeg. We don't publish enough about Jews here and there, in different countries, we don't get that much.

"The difference was when we first came, Schara Tzedeck was in an old building in the East End of Vancouver. Then my husband was one of four Jews who helped build the new Schara Tzedeck and I was one of the ones that helped to get women involved. Now, it's very, very Orthodox and it's losing a lot of members. It's losing women. The Reform synagogue is growing by leaps and bounds.

"I like the paper because it tells you what's going on ... it contains the obits and other things about what's going on."

Ralph Rosenberg, age 96. A reader for 20 years. Lives with his wife at Louis Brier and is leader of the home's shul.

"I think we are getting lots more news, but we're not getting enough Jewish news. I love my Israel, I think we need to write more about Israel. Times are bad.
"Of course, when I open up the paper, I like to see what's going on in the world. I like the articles, the opinions ... but this is only a single man. I like opinions, what they think.

"Really, every community in Canada has changed. I feel we have a wonderful community here but for me, it's not too Jewish. There's no one attending synagogues. Where are they?

"I can see that your paper has changed – personally, I think for the better. You are more progressive. You like to wake them up. Jewish newspapers can't be complacent."

Rosalie Gorosh, 97 years old. Her father, Isador Director, was the printer of the predecessor of the Bulletin; her husband, its editor. The family moved to Vancouver in 1923.

"We had a little tiny Bulletin. It was more of a social thing, not a Bulletin like it is now.

"It had all the social news in it. Anybody getting married – even when they had dances and things like that. My mother was known for her masquerades, when they had masquerade balls. My mother was very active, she was the liaison between the local women's club and Hadassah. My husband was very active in B'nai B'rith. They were all very active; I wasn't, I was behind the scenes. I baked for Hadassah and did anything I could do on my own.

"[Vancouver was] such a nice place. On Saturday, we would get dressed up and go to Purdy's on Granville Street, dress up with your gloves and your hat. Now when you go to a dress-up affair, they don't even dress up. It's very casual.

"[The paper has] changed. It's altogether different. The Bulletin now reminds me more of a local paper. The other Jewish Bulletin was more to do with our things, local Jewish things. I've found quite a change in it, there's a lot more things that I'm not interested in – the dramatics and all that, I can't go to them. I don't think the other Bulletin had a lot of that. But it's a bigger paper. It was more like a local paper for the Jewish community. Now, it's for almost anybody to read.

"It's very good. On Friday, everybody [at the Louis Brier] runs for their Bulletin. I like Menschenings. He writes so well. Of course I read the articles, too, and the letters to the editor."

Bernard Reed, a lifelong Vancouverite and a reader since 1930.

"I was reading about my age group, looking for stories about other young people.
"The paper has changed in its style. It was not very competent in those days. It was put together amateurly. It's a little more professional now ... there's the desire to do things properly, a lot of activities that you report.

"It's more efficient; things are done properly."

Marjorie Groberman, 85. A reader for more than 60 years.

"The community owned the paper in 1941, it wasn't owned by an individual.... I had just gotten married in 1941 and that's when I started reading the Bulletin. I knew all the owners, Abe Arnold, Sam Kaplan ... I knew them all very well.

"I think it's a great paper, it's highly improved the last few years. I think that they do a very good job. The community needs this paper very badly. I've always advocated to all my friends to take the Bulletin – I've never cancelled the Bulletin, ever. I think there was no other way for the community to be in touch with each other. It's important – you can see who died, graduations, births.

"I think it's a very newsy paper now. It wasn't as newsy [before] and the coverage wasn't as good – they didn't have as good articles. First thing, I take off my coat, I go to the dining room with the paper and sit down. I like to read it. I just talked my brother into reordering it. I think everybody should take it, I really do.

"Being my age, the first thing you look at is who died. I look to see what's going on in the community. I can pick and choose things I want to go to. I look forward to the paper every week.

"The community, when I came here, there were 400 Jewish families. Now I think there are between six and seven thousand families. The Bulletin is trying very hard to keep up to date. You have more local feature things than you used to have, that's very good, I like that.

"You've got youth and the advertising is good, and I like Alex Kliner, I think that he becomes a little gossip column. I usually read it cover to cover and I'm always passing it on."

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