Tuskrik Fredericks and Rebecca Margolick in to begin with no end, part of Dancing on the Edge, which runs June 12-21. (photo by Alexander Diaz)
Dancing on the Edge (DOTE), a cornerstone of Vancouver’s contemporary dance season, presents a line-up of established and emerging dancemakers at the Firehall Arts Centre and SFU Woodward’s June 12 to 21.
Spotlighting a range of world and Canadian premieres, as well as works in progress, from Canadian and international artists, the festival offers seven mixed programs, as well as three full-length works. Among the Jewish community members and companies contributing their creativity are Rebecca Margolick, Noam Gagnon, Stefan Smulovitz, Action at a Distance, and others.
“In the turmoil of the world, we look to artists for solace, encouragement and inspiration. For this year’s 37th annual DOTE festival, we are thrilled to present a roster of artists whose works offer a balm for the soul – exploring a pendulum of themes, from isolation to connectivity, from being overwhelmed to feeling joy,” said Donna Spencer, DOTE artistic producer.
Some of this year’s most anticipated performances include the world premiere of the full-length work Lurch from Vancouver’s MascallDance, an evaluation of legacy, in partnership with three commissioned choreographers: Justine Chambers, Ame Henderson and Sarah Chase; the world premiere of a short work, Tunnel 9, from Montreal’s Fila 13 Productions, with dancers Claudia Moore and Sean Ling-Allan, who take refuge in a confined space; and the world premiere from Taiwanese-Canadian dance artist Juolin Lee, Soup of Forgetfulness, a solo inspired by Taiwanese folklore about the afterlife and reincarnation.
Edge 1 (June 12, 7 p.m., and June 13, 9 p.m.) features Gagnon’s being and the work-in-progress My Dance is not a Hobby by Newton Moraes Dance Theatre.
Edge 2 (June 12, 9 p.m., and June 13, 7 p.m.) pairs Windshear / If I were 2 by Inverso Productions with to begin with no end by Tushrik Fredericks and Margolick.
Edge 4 (June 17, 7 p.m., and June 19, 9 p.m) features To Fetch a Pail of Water by Jennifer McLeish-Lewis, with music composed by Smulovitz, and Tidal Wave (Excerpt) by SQx Dance Company.
On June 17, at 9 p.m., Action at a Distance and Belle Spirale Dance Projects present TUNING.
The Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir has its spring concert on June 15, at the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. (photo from VJFC)
The Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir’s spring concert this year celebrates the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture’s 80th anniversary.
Since it was established in 1979, the choir has been recovering, preserving and singing traditional and contemporary Jewish folk music. This year’s concert – on June 15, 7 p.m., at the Peretz Centre – features “Ikh bin a yid,” a cantata by Vladimir Heifetz (1894-1970), based on the poem by Itzik Feffer (1900-1952). Feffer was a Soviet Yiddish poet and member of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee who was executed on the Night of the Murdered Poets. The poem emphasizes how, through courage and creativity, the Jewish people have survived centuries of adversity.
The choir also will perform “Sankt besht,” a poem by Itsik Manger set to music by Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir director David Millard. In the poem, the Baal Shem Tov (the 18th-century Jewish mystic and founder of the Hasidic movement) is awakened from sleep and meditates on grief, joy and dreams.
On the program, as well, is a selection of songs arranged by choir founder Searle Friedman, including “Doyres Zingen” (“Generations Sing”), based on a poem by Ben Chud, first principal of the Peretz Shule.
For concert tickets, visit peretz-centre.org. General admission is $36, but, until May 31, people can get tickets for $12 each. However, no one turned away for lack of funds – there is a “pay as you can” option.
An artist’s rendering of the new Ashdod Rehabilitation and Therapy Centre for which the 2025 Negev Event is raising funds. (photo from jnf.ca/PacificNegev2025)
Hosted by Jewish National Fund of Canada Pacific Region and Israel Magen Fund of Canada, the June 19 Negev Event in Vancouver will feature rescued hostage and speaker Noa Argamani, Australian actor and advocate for Israel Nate Buzz, and editor-in-chief of the National Post Rob Roberts. Funds raised will help build the Ashdod Rehabilitation and Therapy Centre, providing increased levels of care for trauma victims, children with disabilities and children with cancer.
As the name indicates, the new centre will be located in Ashdod, which is about 50 kilometres north of the border with Gaza. With almost 250,000 residents, it is Israel’s sixth largest city. “It is home to the largest Moroccan and Karaite Jewish communities in Israel, and the largest Georgian Jewish population in the world,” notes the JNF.
However, there is a shortage of rehabilitation services in southern Israel, a shortage that has worsened since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks and the ensuing war.
The June 19 Negev Event raises funds to help build the Ashdod Rehabilitation and Therapy Centre, thereby increasing levels of care for trauma victims, children with disabilities and children with cancer. (photos from jnf.ca/PacificNegev2025)
“Thirty percent of wounded patients and most of the war victims are residents of the south,” according to JNF. “Fourteen thousand residents were treated in hospitals following Oct. 7, with 42% coming with injured limbs and 35% seeking support with emotional trauma. The system cannot support the hundreds of thousands of children, adolescents and adults who were physically injured and emotionally crushed by horrific traumas that left deep scars.”
There are only 11 rehabilitation centres in Israel’s periphery communities, while central Israel has 43, says JNF. “Currently, wait times for rehabilitation in the south are at least one year…. Southern residents, including recovering patients and children, must travel about an hour-and-a-half to Israel’s centre for care.”
(photo from jnf.ca/PacificNegev2025)
Among the services the Ashdod Rehabilitation and Therapy Centre will expand upon is the range of care and support that Rachashei Lev, which was established in 1989, provides in other medical centres. (Rachashei Lev roughly translates as Whispers of the Heart, or Heart of Compassion.)
“I visited Rachashei Lev in July [last year] as part of JNF’s resilience task force, a group consisting of professional leaders and lay leadership from across Canada,” David Greaves, executive director of JNF Manitoba/Saskatchewan and Vancouver/Pacific region, told the Independent. “I was there with Harvey Dales and we were all touched by what this organization did. As well, while touring the facility, we were surprised when Noa Argamani joined us and shared her story and how much support she and her family received from Rachashei Lev after her rescue and repatriation. This is, of course, why we chose this particular project, as Noa will be one of our special guests on June 19.” (Argamani was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2025.)
Greaves will be here for the event, working out of the Vancouver office with the local JNF team and Megan Laskin, the event chair. He took on the additional role of Vancouver/Pacific region head after Michael Sachs left the position to become the director for Western Canada of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre.
“My first official meeting with the board was mid-December,” said Greaves. “They were so welcoming, I felt like I had been here for months.”
Greaves gave the JI an update on the Canada Revenue Agency’s revocation of JNF Canada’s charitable status.
“We have two pending court dates,” he said. “We have a judicial review scheduled for May 28 [after the JI went to press]. We are calling on the court to overturn our revocation, as we had a commitment from the CRA that our revocation would not be published, which finalizes the revocation process, until we exhausted our legal options. We assert that a pillar of Canadian justice is the presumption of innocence, so taking action to revoke us before the opportunity to appeal to the courts is fundamentally unjust. Our underlying appeal, which will focus on the merits of our case, does not yet have a date set. We have called upon the CRA to settle this matter before we litigate, as this is a waste of time and resources for both the taxpayer and JNF. Disappointingly, the CRA has rejected our offer to settle.”
JNF Canada is partnering with the charity Israel Magen Fund of Canada (IMFoC) for all the Negev events across the country.
“We are sharing the responsibilities in executing these campaigns and galas,” Greaves said. “Both organizations have signed agreements outlining the nature of the collaboration. The IMFoC has an agency agreement with the two organizations in Israel at which these projects will be realized, the Parenthood Home in Sderot and the Ashdod Rehabilitation and Therapy Centre. We have the same passion for Zionism and supporting vulnerable Israelis from all walks of life, so it was sensible to work together as, through this collaboration, we can achieve more.”
Intergenerational support
JNF Pacific board president Shannon Gorski is excited about the Rachashei Lev project. She knows firsthand the impact that JNF initiatives can have.
“In 2017, our family supported the Tzofei Tzamid (Israeli Scouts) centre in Ra’anana,” she said. “The project raised money to remodel the centre to ensure that it was inclusive to all the scouts who participated. This meant providing resources and equipment that made it possible for all teens to be able to participate in the outdoor excursions regardless of physical or mental limitations.”
She visited the centre that same year and saw how the money raised here positively affected the participants in Israel. “It was quite emotional,” she said.
Gorski is in her third year as board president; she was vice-president from 2019 to 2023.
“I began my service on the JNF board in 2017,” she said, “following the 2017 Negev, in which my father [Gary Averbach] was honoured with the support of my brother, Michael [Averbach], and me.”
It truly has been a lifelong endeavour for Gorski.
“My father was JNF president from 1991 to 1992, and I remember many occasions that I spent time at the home of the residing shaliach’s [emissary’s] residence,” said Gorski. “Of course, our home always had a JNF box, which I believe I took trick or treating with me in place of the UNICEF box. Purchasing trees to forest Israel became a gift that I either gave or received to commemorate many Jewish milestones.”
Board vice-president Howard Jampolsky also grew up with JNF.
“As a child,” he said, “I first became involved in JNF raising money for trees and driving around with my uncle, John Eskin, z”l, picking up blue boxes in the 1970s. Uncle Johnny was a tireless worker for JNF and was honoured in 1976 with a Negev Dinner.
“My father, Abe Jampolsky, z”l, was also involved in JNF as a regional president. He, too, was honoured by JNF in 1987 with a Negev Dinner, during which the guest speaker was Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu, who, at the time, was Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.”
In 2015, then-executive director of JNF’s regional office, Ilan Pilo, asked Jampolsky to join the executive committee of the local board, and he has been involved ever since, becoming vice-president in 2023. Jampolsky has been on the JNF national board since 2022.
For Jampolsky, helping fund projects like the Ashdod Rehabilitation and Therapy Centre is what we, as Jews, do.
“We value life, and part of valuing life is to ensure that each life is fulfilled in every possible way,” he said. “On Oct. 7, 2023, that fulfillment for thousands of Israelis was dashed when Hamas attacked us. I say ‘us’ because when one of our people is attacked, we are all attacked.
“This centre provides life-saving health care for young cancer victims, but it also provides vital health care for many who were impacted by the terrible events of Oct. 7. Both those with physical injuries and emotional trauma will benefit from this important place.”
Dina Wachtel of Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, and Ido Aharoni, a former top Israeli diplomat who now teaches at various universities. (photo by Pat Johnson)
Zionism is as popular now as it has ever been on North American campuses, according to a former top Israeli diplomat who now teaches at multiple American universities.
The bad news, he added, is that Zionism was never a hit on North American campuses.
“Zionism was never popular in academia,” said Ido Aharoni, speaking with the Independent during a trip to Vancouver as a guest of Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University. “In fact, I would argue that … we’ve never had so many Zionists in North America as we have today.”
Protests on campuses and reports of professors inculcating anti-Israel ideas are disturbing, he said, but it’s not new.
“The people that are at the front of the effort, that spearhead the effort, are different,” he said, arguing that the vanguard now is comprised of foreign students and descendants of immigrants from societies where antisemitism is endemic. “But it’s the same thing, the same messaging that was designed by the Soviet Union.”
Aharoni is a 25-year veteran of Israel’s foreign service, a public diplomacy specialist, and founder of the Brand Israel program, which, since 2002, has sought to reposition Israel in the public mind globally. He served in the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles in the 1990s and was consul general of Israel in New York and the Tri-State Area from 2010 to 2016.
Since retiring from government in 2016, Aharoni has lectured and spoken at academic institutions including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Wharton and Berkeley on topics such as Israel’s foreign relations, mass media, the information revolution, public marketing, and nation branding. He has served as a professor of business at Touro University, as a professor of international relations at New York University and is the Murray Galinson Professor of International Relations at University of California in San Diego and San Diego State University’s business school.
In addition to teaching and lecturing, Aharoni provides advice to international companies to accessIsraeli innovation. He also helps businesses and agencies communicate with governments. His third focus is strategy and planning, particularly helping clients tell their story.
Aharoni contests widely held assumptions, including that Israel is unpopular in Western countries. Opinion polls say large majorities of respondents side with the Jewish state, he said. That does not necessarily translate, however, into family vacations in Israel or investments in Israeli enterprises. Changing that mindset could include convincing non-Israelis to consider differently the challenges the country faces.
“Think of terrorism the same way you think of crime in any major urban centre in North America,” he said. “If you only focus on attempts to carry out criminal acts, or the number of criminal acts carried out, then the picture can be very scary.”
If all anyone heard about Vancouver was crime statistics, he said, they might be reluctant to visit or invest. “That’s what happened in Israel,” said Aharoni. “We communicated our problems to the world. At one point, it became the only thing we communicated to the world. As a result, the world doesn’t see us beyond those problems.”
It’s hard to alter a narrative once it is set, he said. And yet, he added, Israel is no more dangerous a place to visit – and far more stable a place to invest – than many other spots in the world.
“You know how many inflammations of violence we have right now in the world taking place?” he asked. “People are talking about Israelis and Palestinians as if it’s the only conflict in the world and I think there’s something wrong about that.”
Early in his career, Aharoni was involved in the beginnings of the Oslo Peace Process. He was the policy assistant to Uri Savir, director-general of the Israeli foreign ministry under then-foreign minister Shimon Peres. “I was part of a very small group of people that knew about the secret negotiations and my job was mostly to prepare him for meetings,” he said.
Aharoni rejects the narrative that the entire process is a story of failure. What did fail was the assumption by Israelis and the broader diplomatic world that Yasser Arafat would confront the extremists on his side, get Hamas in hand, end incitement against Israelis and prepare his people to live in peaceful coexistence.
The Palestinians faced their Altalena moment, he said, citing a pivotal incident in the earliest Israeli history, when the prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, ordered the nascent Israel Defence Forces to attack the Irgun ship Altalena, effectively ensuring there would be a single, unified military force in the country.
“If you ask me, this was the biggest mistake: the assumption that Arafat was of that calibre. But the truth is that Arafat was no Ben-Gurion,” said Aharoni. “Arafat was not of that calibre. He was in it way over his head. He didn’t have the skill or the character – nor the desire. To have the desire, you have to have some knowledge of history, you have to have some depth. He had none of that. He was in love with the position of a rebel, of a revolutionary. He thought he was Che Guevara and that was his historical reference. If you ask me, that was the biggest failure.
“Other than that,” he argued, “Oslo was a big success.”
Before Oslo, he noted, Israel did not recognize the existence of the Palestinians and vice versa. The recognition and direct contact between the two sides, for whatever shortcomings that dialogue has had, allows Israel to coordinate anti-terror efforts with the Palestinian Authority.
“A lot of people don’t know that,” he said, “but the Palestinian Authority, which is the creation of the Oslo Accords … they have been very instrumental helping Israelis curb terrorism coming out of the West Bank.”
Oct. 7, 2023, or “10/7,” changed everything, he said.
“Before 10/7, there was this expectation on the part of Israelis that, somehow, we will be able to introduce peace in its full conceptual meaning.… I think, after 10/7, it’s very difficult for people to imagine that kind of peace.”
The best hope now, probably, is what Aharoni calls “a livable arrangement,” which would protect Israel’s security needs and deliver maximal Palestinian civil self-rule, while limiting the Palestinians’ military capabilities. Eliminating the antisemitism and genocidal incitement in the Palestinian and broader Arab education systems is another priority, he added.
Aharoni forcefully rejects the idea that support for Israel has become a partisan wedge issue in the United States, noting that a vote on an Israeli aid package passed the US Congress after 10/7 with 366 in favour, 58 against and seven abstentions.
“It’s true that we pay a lot of attention to the fringes,” he said, citing vocally anti-Israel representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who, he said, “represent a very marginalized and very narrow agenda.”
Aharoni was in Vancouver to meet with local supporters of Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University. CFHU will host a public event next month, in which the mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, will be in conversation with Rabbi Jonathan Infeld. The event, titled Diversity as Strength During Challenging Times, takes place June 9, at 7:30 p.m. Register at cfhu.org/moshe-lion.
The Jewish Regional Communities Conference April 27-28 brought together Jewish communities from throughout the province to network, engage and learn. (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver)
The Jewish Regional Communities Conference was the first of its kind. The April 27-28 event included Jewish communities from throughout the province and was a time for everyone to come together, connect, hear various speakers and participate in workshops.
The conference kicked off with a message from Ezra Shanken, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. He talked about how the conference was 10 years in the making.
“This conference started with a simple question, how do we support Jewish life, everywhere in BC, in every place where people are trying to connect, trying to build community on their own?” he said. “How do we support them? For years, we’ve been hearing that regional communities want more connection to each other, more access to resources and more chances to share what’s working. So, we listened, we had conversations, we showed up, we learned a lot, and now we’re here together to move the conversation forward – because vibrant Jewish life doesn’t look the same everywhere, and it shouldn’t. What matters is that it reflects you – you in this room, your people and your values. Federation’s job is not to decide what that looks like. Our job is to walk alongside you, to listen and to help open doors.”
Shanken’s statement encompassed what the conference was about: having regional communities coming together to network, engage and learn. The conference had numerous breakout sessions where attendees could learn about different subjects.
One session was on developing leaders in small communities, which was led by Lyssa Anolik, community connector, Squamish/South Sea to Sky, at Jewish Federation. In the workshop, attendees brainstormed on various questions, and ideas were discussed on how to motivate and support volunteers, create visions for each community, and event planning.
Another keynote speaker was Rabbi Mike Uram, chief Jewish learning officer for Jewish Federations of North America. The presentation was held over Zoom and questions were welcomed throughout. One person asked how to maintain relationships within a community, especially if they are challenging. Uram, who had worked with the late John McKnight and John Kretzmann at Northwestern University, said they had advice on this topic.
“If you make a map of everything that’s wrong and then try to fix it, it creates a whole bunch of unanticipated negative consequences,” said Uram. “One of those consequences is that, when you’re thinking about things from a position of scarcity, then there’s always a debate about what is the one magic bullet answer that’s going to solve the issue, and both of them talked about [how,] just by flipping the conversation and beginning with the assets that you have – like, how do you map out what works? – that it actually dispels some political infighting, because you’re not approaching what is the future of the community. So that, I think, works across the board as a way of preventing burnout in leadership.”
He added, “One of the tricks is to make sure that you’re pitching the future and the conversation you’re having as a community way off at the horizon and thinking about all the things we could do, rather than fighting about how we’ve divided the pie as we have it, because that actually does, I think, tend to bring out people’s fear and a little bit of animosity and that kind of zero-sum thinking.”
The rest of the presentation talked about different theories or strategies that can build lasting and prosperous regional communities.
In addition to other speakers and breakout sessions, there was a conversation with Nova music festival survivors Raz Shifer and Inbal Binder, who participated in many activities when visiting Vancouver from Israel. Both talked about who they are and their own experiences on Oct. 7. (See jewishindependent.ca/healing-from-trauma-of-oct-7.)
Nova music festival survivors Inbal Binder, left, and Raz Shifer spoke at the conference. (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver)
Having had trouble getting back to work after the horrific tragedy, the two attended a program at Healing Space Rishpon.
“We went there three times a week … and we made ceramics and candles,” said Shifer. “From just creating with our own hands, it helped us process all the trauma and just feel useful…. For me, it really made movement again in my life and then I met Inbal – we’re good friends now.”
Speaking at the conference was challenging, said Shifer.
“Almost the day before I came here,” she said, “it was like, oh my God, how am I going to do it? I think the twist that came after is the power of the group. I heard that you all came from different places – but we are all Jewish, and it’s something that I expect here in many kinds of communities.”
Chloe Heuchert is an historian specializing in Canadian Jewish history. During her master’s program at Trinity Western University, she focused on Jewish internment in Quebec during the Second World War.
The bright, happy cover of The Scribe Summer Camps Issue, which was released last month by the Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia (JMABC), draws readers right in. The 95-page magazine-format journal is packed with colour photos of campers having a great time, doing some amazing things in the beautiful place we live, the Pacific Northwest.
The issue features seven camps. In the order they are presented, they are overnight options Camp Miriam (Gabriola Island, BC), Camp Hatikvah (Okanagan Valley, BC), Camp Solomon Schechter (near Olympia, Wash.), Camp Kalsman (Arlington, Wash.) and Sephardic Adventure Camp (Cle Ulum, Wash.), and day options Camp Gan Israel (Vancouver) and the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver’s Camp Shalom. The basic structure of each profile is an overview of the camp and its history, then oral history segments from camp directors; all the overnight camp sections include interviews with former campers, as well.
Many Jewish Independent readers will recognize the names at least of most of the former attendees of the BC overnight camps: Bernie Simpson, Selina Robinson, Robert Krell, David Levi, Danya Rogen, Sam Gutman, Ted Zacks, Arthur Dodek, Stephen Glanzberg, Susan Fine and Kayla Cohen. And, from the Jewish Independent’s annual Camp Guides, many of the directors and staff might even be familiar: Leah Levi (Miriam), Liza Rozen-Delman (Hatikvah), Zach Duitch (Solomon Schechter), Rabbi Ilana Mills (Kalsman), Rabbi Dovid and Chaya Rosenfeld (Gan Israel) and Ben Horev (Camp Shalom).
The one camp that was new to the JI was a long-established one, Sephardic Adventure Camp, whose director is Rabbi Kenneth Pollack. It’s been around for decades and yet hadn’t crossed our radar. There are always things to learn!
In the interviews, people talk about how they became involved with their camp, how it is/was to work there, what makes/made their experience special. They are also asked why Jewish camps are important in their view, what they have learned, in what ways camp inspired them, and more.
Interviewees share some of their personal history, as well as answer more light-hearted queries, like “Your favourite food served at camp?” “Your favourite day at camp?” “If you were still attending camp, what activity would you want to excel at?” “If you weren’t working in the career you’re in, what would you be?”
As unique as all the camps are, there is overlap of such things as activities offered, lessons learned, inspirations gained, even though some camps are more ideological, some place more emphasis on Judaism and religious observance, others prioritize sports and outdoor life.
“Regardless of ideology or format,” writes Elana Wenner, the museum’s director of programming and development, in her introduction, “the camps are united in their intention to organically build community through immersive and engaging experiences.”
She observes: “Through the articles in this publication, three overarching themes emerge that serve to unite the experiences shared at all seven camps. They are: 1. The role of the personal camp experience as a grounding point for Jewish self-identity; 2. The influence of Jewish camp experience on personal values and ideals; and 3. The integral link between Jewish summer camp attendance and Jewish community involvement, both in childhood and later in life.”
While there is much data to support the personal and communal benefits of Jewish camp, there’s nothing like personal expressions to bring that message home.
“The personal stories shared by alumni and staff and supporters reveal how these camps forge deep, lasting connections that extend well beyond the summer months,” writes archivist Alysa Routtenberg in the journal’s concluding section. “These connections create a network of relationships that continue to enrich participants’ lives and bolster their sense of belonging.”
And Routtenberg underscores the need to preserve, as the JMABC does, these experiences through oral histories.
“By recording and sharing these stories,” she writes, “we ensure that the essence of Jewish summer camps is preserved for future generations, offering them a window into a cherished aspect of Jewish life.”
That includes the serious and the less serious of life. Reading about how Jewish summer camp allowed people to connect more deeply with their Jewish identity, learn valuable personal and professional lessons, make lifelong friends and more, is as interesting as discovering that anyone has a favourite camp food and what camp activity people would have wanted to excel at.
Carol Crenna was the managing editor and features writer for this edition of The Scribe; Sonia Bishop, graphic designer. Among the many people who donated their time and skills to getting the journal to publication were Heather Glassman Berkowitz, as copy editor, and Helen Aqua and Judith Gurfinkel, who chair the Scribe committee, were editorial consultants. Other volunteers acted as interviewers and transcribers. The journal committee is Aqua, Gurfinkel, Glassman Berkowitz, Gary Averbach, Debby Freiman, Daniella Givon (president of the JMABC board), Barb Schober and Ronnie Tessler.
The Camp and other issues of The Scribe can be purchased from the museum and archives for $20. Call 604-257-5199 or email info@jewishmuseum.ca.
The Jewpanese Project Archives was launched online earlier this month.
I grew up in a mixed Jewish and Japanese Canadian family. My Jewish grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Poland and what is now Belarus, and my Japanese Canadian grandparents were survivors of the New Denver internment camp here in British Columbia.
Earlier this month – which is Asian Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month – I launched on my website the Jewpanese Project Archives, which highlights a selection of 35 US-based interviews, which were collected between May 2022 and April 2025. (See carmeltanaka.ca/jewpanese-project-archives.)
The collection phase of the interviews was funded by my year-long fellowship with the Anti-Defamation League – the Collaborative for Change Fellowship – and the aggregation of data from the US-based interviews was funded by a Jews of Colour Initiative research grant.
Each profile in the Jewpanese Project Archives contains the name of the interviewee and a photo of them; the place and date of their interview; their Jewpanese connection and birthplace; a link to a short video and a written paragraph on being Jewpanese; a link to the full audio and written interview; a link to the Instagram writeup with pictures; and archive notes.
The Jewpanese Project evolved organically. In my early 30s, I started to learn about what happened to my families (as I didn’t know much) and, then, the opportunity fell into my lap to find and interview fellow Jewpanese in Canada, the United States, Japan and Israel. Originally intended to be a 20-interview endeavour, it turned into an 85-plus interview community archive.
The project also has grown into a comic about a kimono heirloom in my Jewish family, an animated film about my journey to Białystok, and a play about being Jewpanese, for which I received an artist grant from the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society (JCLS). I also received an intergenerational wellness grant from JCLS to record the forgotten Japanese Canadian history of the Okanagan Landing Station House in Vernon, BC, which is also available on my website, carmeltanaka.ca.
Growing up, I thought it was just my sister and me who had Japanese and Jewish heritage. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be connected to 230-plus Jewpanese community members worldwide. And there must be more, which is an exciting thought. Many of us in North America hadn’t met another Jewpanese person – other than our siblings – until this project, which was birthed out of our monthly community Zoom calls during the pandemic.
While you peruse the archives, I welcome you to listen and read through the interviews and Instagram highlights to learn about the experiences of being mixed in Japanese and Jewish communities in the United States, which are comparable to those in Canada. Whether it’s language, culture, rituals, identity or traditions, Jewpanese people have a wide spectrum of lived experiences, but one thing is pretty constant – our love of food. We have a number of Jewpanese fusion recipes!
One of the questions I ask in the interviews is whether or not participants have done “roots trips,” going to their ancestral homelands. Many of us haven’t, and many of our parents (including mine) haven’t either, especially here in North America. My first trip to Japan was last year, at the age of 37, as part of this project, and it was life-changing. Even though the collection phase funding has ended, I have used my Avion points to go to Europe to retrace the steps of my Jewish family – and that’s where I am now. I experienced firsthand how healing my Japan trip was for me and for my dad, whom I dragged along virtually, as his health is declining, so I am doing the same for my mom, whose health is also deteriorating.
My journey to Japan inspired a number of Jewpanese and Nikkei people to seek out family members there through a process to obtain one’s koseki (family register document), and I hope that my journey to Poland also will motivate my Jewpanese and Jewish communities to do the same. It can be inspiring to know our history and where we come from.
Many Jewpanese families are asking when the rest of the interviews (all the non-US-based interviews) will be processed, and my answer is “when I get funding.” I never expected this project to blossom as it has. It’s been the project of a lifetime and deeply personal. If you are in a position to support it, please do reach out. It would be wonderful to have the Canadian, Israeli and Japanese interviews processed for the archives, as well.
If you are a Jewpanese person, couple or family and would like to participate in this project, I am still accepting written interviews. Please contact me for an interview package.
Todarigato! (Toda + arigato, “thank you” in Hebrew and Japanese!)
Carmel Tanakais the founder and executive director of JQT Vancouver, and curator of the B.C. Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project (jqtvancouver.ca/jqt-oral-history-bc) and the Jewpanese Oral History Project (Instagram: @JewpaneseProject). A version of this article was published in the Victoria Nikkei Forum.
The JWest capital campaign’s goal of raising $161 million is only possible with the generous spirit and foresight of community members who rally to this generationally important project. Daniella Givon and Bernard Pinsky’s gift is an example of bringing the future JWest campus closer to reality.
Bernard Pinsky and Daniella Givon’s gift is an example of bringing the future JWest campus closer to reality. (photo from Bernard Pinsky and Daniella Givon)
Both joined the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC) immediately after settling in Vancouver in 1979. Givon, who grew up in Israel, found friendship and community by joining Israeli folk dancing and becoming involved with Canadian Hadassah-WIZO. Pinsky, a lawyer who grew up in Winnipeg, got to know the JCC by working out in its gym. He noticed how JCC activities and just being around the JCC brought community members together in meaningful ways that sparked and fostered increased community participation.
“I realized that the JCC is a critical connector and gateway to deeper involvement in the Jewish community,” he said.
Pinsky began his local volunteer work with the Canadian Jewish Congress in 1981 and, over the ensuing 44 years, served in leadership roles for many Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ national board and Beth Israel Synagogue. Today, he is board chair and director of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, one of the lead donors to JWest.
Givon served as Vancouver regional president for Canadian Hadassah-WIZO and took leadership roles in the Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia and the Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival.
Pinsky and Givon, children of Holocaust survivors, continue a legacy of community involvement in their respective families. Givon was inspired by her mother’s many years of leadership in the parent-teacher association of her Israeli school and her grandfather’s participation as a board chair of his moshav’s governing council. Pinsky recalled how his grandfather headed the Zionist Federation of Manitoba, among other leadership positions.
“It’s inconceivable to me to imagine our community without a JCC, and our building is tired,” Givon noted. “A tired, crowded building attracts a limited number of people.”
Pinsky agreed that the JCC is in need of replacement.
“Right now, things are squeezed into pre-set spaces that restrain increased participation,” he noted. “The new JWest will have more space for Jewish organizations, flex spaces for more programming and an expanded daycare. We’ll be able to offer more programs that attract young families, which is a crucial way to build for the future.
“And it’s not just the Jewish community that uses and will continue to use this important facility,” he said. “Former BC premier Christie Clark sent her son to the JCC daycare. I became friends with Terry Yung, who is a current MLA, and his wife, Sarah Kirby-Yung, a city councilor, because we met at the JCC. They’ve been very connected to and helpful for the Jewish community.”
With just $19 million left to raise to achieve the $161 million target, JWest is poised to break ground in early 2026.
JWest recently submitted its development permit application with a new JCC as pictured here. In line with the guiding principle of responsibly using community funds, the design maximizes efficiency, with an increased number of multi-purpose spaces. For example, the JCC auditorium and theatre have been combined and will feature a state-of-the-art, automated, retractable seating system. Operating as a campus, the JCC and King David High School will be more integrated, with greater cross-sharing of spaces.
Visit JWestnow.com to learn more and share the link to get others excited about the project. The newly updated site includes a detailed look at the project and construction timeline, fresh renderings of the JCC, a list of the donors to date, news articles and information on the project team.
Margaux Wosk, left, receives a Community Award from BC Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia (photo from BC Achievement Foundation / Don Craig, photographer)
On May 1, Premier David Eby and Walter Pela, chair of the BC Achievement Foundation, named the recipients of the 22nd annual Community Award. The program, presented by BC Achievement – an independent foundation that honours excellence and inspires achievement throughout the province – recognizes extraordinary British Columbians who build better, stronger and more engaged communities. This year’s recipients included Jewish community member Margaux Wosk.
Wosk is an advocate, artist, designer and entrepreneur who champions disability justice and neurodivergent inclusion.
As president of BC People First, they provide leadership to elevate disabled voices and advocate for meaningful change across the province. Their work breaks down barriers, fosters pride and amplifies underrepresented perspectives through creativity, advocacy and education.
Through their business, Retrophiliac, Wosk designs communication tools and products by and for disabled, LGBTQIA2+ and neurodivergent individuals – empowering others to express themselves, reduce stigma and build community. They also founded the We Belong market, which highlighted neurodivergent and disabled entrepreneurs, and were featured on AMI’s Our Community episode for their advocacy and small business endeavours.
An emerging leader, Wosk spoke on Parliament Hill at the Disability Without Poverty rally and has collaborated with People First of Canada, McMaster University and Curiko on accessibility and small business development. Their artwork – featured in York University’s Mental Health Literacy Guide for Autism, to which they also contributed – reflects their commitment to advocacy through creativity. Several of their products are available from the Museum of Vancouver on their open MOV platform.
“The recipients of this year’s Community Award remind us that the strength of British Columbia lies in the compassion, creativity and commitment of its people,” said Eby. “Whether they’re leading grassroots initiatives or mentoring future changemakers, these individuals exemplify the power of community and the impact of selfless service. Their efforts uplift us all and set a powerful example for what we can achieve together.”
“This year’s program shines a spotlight on emerging leaders alongside long-standing changemakers,” said Pela. “Each recipient demonstrates what’s possible when individuals step up with purpose and heart. Their contributions strengthen our communities and remind us that leadership isn’t defined by title or age – it’s defined by impact, generosity and vision.”
The Community Award recipients are selected by an independent jury panel, whose 2025 members include Mayor Suzan Hewat of Kaslo, Mayor Sarrah Storey of Fraser Lake, and past recipients Herman Ho of Vancouver, Meeka Morgan of Ashcroft and Upkar Singh Tatlay of Surrey.
This year’s award recipients were recognized in a formal presentation ceremony held in Victoria on May 7 in the presence of BC Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia.
Each awardee will receive a medallion designed by Robert Davidson. They will also be celebrated through the online campaign #shinethelightbc, to commemorate their inspirational achievements positively impacting British Columbians.
For more information about the BC Achievement Foundation or Community Award program, visit bcachievement.com.
* * *
Rabbi Dan Moskovitz
Rabbi Dan Moskovitz was honoured with the doctor of Jewish nonprofit management, honoris causa, from Hebrew Union College at its 2025 Graduation Ceremony in Los Angeles.
Moskovitz has served as senior rabbi of Temple Sholom since July 2013. Before joining Temple Sholom, he was associate rabbi at Temple Judea in Los Angeles for 13 years. He is also a past chair of the Reform Rabbis of Canada and was on the steering committee for Canadian Reform Judaism. Moskovitz is the author of numerous articles and publications, including The Men’s Seder (MRJ Press), an experiential journey through the Passover seder for Jewish men.
“As we continue our celebration of both emerging and established leaders through thisseason of ordination and graduation, we take special pride in awarding honorarydegrees to graduates whose professional journeys exemplify our mission and values,” said Dr. Andrew Rehfeld, president of Hebrew Union College. “Through their vision, service and enduring impact, they define how bold leadership can shape a vibrant Jewish future.”
* * *
The fifth edition of the Western Canada Jewish Book Awards, presented by the Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival in Vancouver, took place May 13 at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. There were winners in six awards categories.
Helen Pinsky presented the Nancy Richler Memorial Prize for Fiction to Dave Margoshes for his novel A Simple Carpenter. Set in Middle Eastern “Holy Land” in the early 1980s, against the backdrop of the civil war in neighbouring Lebanon, the protagonist is a Christ-like character trying to live a low-key life in Israel/Palestine. Part biblical fable, part magic realism and part thriller, A Simple Carpenter is a meditation on memory and identity, religious faith and doubt, the yearning for a messiah, and the perennially tangled, fraught state of Arab-Israeli relations.
Bernard Pinsky presented Prof. Richard Menkis with the Pinsky Givon Family Prize for In a “Land of Hope”: Documents on the Canadian Jewish Experience, 1627-1923, which Menkis edited with Prof. Pierre Anctil. The collection prioritizes diverse Jewish voices that express the multiple realities of the Canadian Jewish experience. Organized chronologically, from the arrival of the first Jewish migrants to New France, to Jewish Canadian experiences during and shortly after the First World War, this volume includes sources never before published.
Robert Matas presented the Cindy Roadburg Memorial Prize for memoir/biography to former federal cabinet minister and senator Jack Austin who wrote, with Edie Austin, Unlikely Insider: A West Coast Advocate in Ottawa. The memoir is a reminder of the value of public service as a force for economic progress, social justice and nation-building. As a British Columbian, Austin worked to ensure that BC’s perspectives and interests mattered in Ottawa; as someone who came from a disadvantaged background, he is sensitive to the need to make the country a place of fairness and opportunity for all.
The Diamond Foundation Prize for writing for children and youth was presented by Daniella Abramowich to Ellen Schwartz for Schwartz’s Friends to the Rescue, illustrated by Alison Mutton. Inspired by a true story, and told in two different time periods, the book takes place in Fossa, Italy, a small mountain village that offered refuge to Jews during the Holocaust. When the village suffers a devastating earthquake 65 years later, the Jewish refugees whom the town had helped travel to Fossa to return the favour.
Rhea Tregebov received the Betty Averbach Foundation Prize for poetry from Leanne Averbach for the book Talking to Strangers. In it, Tregebov mourns, praises, prays, regrets, summons, celebrates and bears witness with artistry and tenderness. Talking to Strangers was also awarded the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for poetry in 2024.
The Kahn Foundation Prize for writing on the Holocaust was presented by Saul Kahn to Marie Doduck for her memoir A Childhood Unspoken. Mariette was only 5 years old when the Nazis invaded her hometown of Brussels, Belgium, in 1940. She and her siblings were scattered across the city and countryside, hiding with non-Jews and in convents and orphanages or working for the resistance. Mariette emerged from the war quick-thinking, independent and ready to start a new life in Canada. As she navigated to a new identity as Marie – an industrious and resourceful community member, mother and advocate for children’s rights – Mariette, the silent child, found her voice.
Jurors for the 2025 Western Canada Jewish Book Awards were Miranda Burgess, Susanna Egan, Elisabeth Kushner, Roger Nash, Norman Ravvin and Harriet Zaidman.
Daniella Givon, chair of the awards committee, introduced the evening and Dana Camil Hewitt, director of the JCC Jewish Book Festival, concluded the awards celebration.
* * *
Jessica Kronis
Jessica Kronis is the new director of the Jewish Community Foundation. She brings a wealth of experience from Toronto’s philanthropic sector and a deep commitment to mission-driven work. From her leadership at ACCESS Community Capital Fund to her role with Hillel at Florida International University and helping launch the Nova Exhibition in Toronto, Kronis has consistently built strong programs and meaningful connections.
The Jewish Community Foundation plays a vital role in building a strong, sustainable future for our community. Through endowments, legacy gifts and other forms of planned giving, it helps ensure support for community institutions and responds to emerging needs. The foundation closed the fiscal year with $108 million in assets, surpassing the $100 million milestone. This achievement reflects both the trust our fundholders place in the foundation and the oversight of its investment committee, whose guidance has kept the investment strategy focused, effective and responsibly managed.
* * *
Dr. Siamak Boroomand
Dr. Siamak Boroomand has been appointed as King David High School’s new deputy head of school. He will be taking over the position from Alex Monchamp, KDHS’s deputy head of school for the past 24 years, who is moving on to new ventures.
Boroomand brings more than 20 years of experience as an educator and leader in Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) institutions across Canada. A proud British Columbian, he graduated from St. George’s School and earned his teaching certification from Simon Fraser University. He began his career teaching chemistry and math at Southridge and Meadowridge schools before relocating to Ontario.
For the past 15 years, Boroomand has been a leader at Branksome Hall, an all-girls International Baccalaureate school in Toronto. There, he served as a science and math teacher before moving into administrative roles, including assistant head of middle school, assistant head of operations and, most recently, assistant head of grades 9-10, where he supported 220 students and their families.
Boroomand will be moving back to Vancouver with his wife, Bonnee, son Aaron and daughter Kayla. He steps into his role at KDHS in August.
* * *
The Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation has awarded a $350,000 multi-year grant to support the new USY (United Synagogue Youth) Lower Mainland Community Director initiative. This funding will subsidize the program’s growth through 2029 and aims to foster deep Jewish engagement for teens through enriching programming, mentorship and community involvement.
The initiative is a collaborative effort between multiple synagogues in a geographic area to serve teens. In the Lower Mainland, the three main participating Conservative congregations are Congregation Beth Israel (Vancouver), Congregation Har El (West Vancouver) and Beth Tikvah Congregation (Richmond). Launched in September 2024 with the hiring of Shayla Brewer as the Lower Mainland’s first community director, the program has already seen growth in local and international USY participation by teens.
Scribe Mordechai Pinchas concluded Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2024/25 Kvell at the Well series with the talk Torah Tales: Adventures in Scribal Art. (photo from Mordechai Pinchas)
On April 6, Mordechai Pinchas spoke about his experiences as a Jewish scribe (sofer, in Hebrew) in the final webinar of the 2024/25 Kvell at the Well series. Titled Torah Tales: Adventures in Scribal Art, the event was organized by Victoria’s Kolot Mayim Reform Temple.
Based in London, Pinchas, who is known academically as Marc Michaels, has been writing Torah scrolls, Megillat Esther, ketubot and the scrolls inside mezuzot and tefillin for more 30 years. He is a Cambridge scholar, earning a PhD in Jewish manuscripts from University of Cambridge’s faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern studies.
A Jewish scribe writes and restores holy works using quills, parchment and special inks, all the while following a strict set of rules, explained Pinchas. Indeed, there are many, many rules, which Pinchas came back to through the course of the talk.
The scribal art, he said, goes far beyond calligraphy and requires a detailed knowledge of Jewish law and a relatively high level of religious observance.
Pinchas provided a recipe for the special ink a scribe might use, which includes gum arabic, gallnuts (from oak trees), iron sulfate and water. The gallnuts are crushed to form tannic acid, mixed with the other ingredients and cooked on an open flame until a residue is left. The larger lumps of gallnuts are strained out and the mixture is left for six months to turn black and be used as ink.
For quills, Pinchas believes that a swan’s quill is too soft and a goose quill too hard and prefers a turkey quill. “As Goldilocks would say, it is just right,” he said.
Quills, Pinchas warned, must be adjusted in such a way to limit the risk of a scribe sneezing because, if that happens on parchment, it is impossible to remove. Scribes shifted to quills on the move to Europe, he said. Beforehand, they used reeds – which were used to write the Dead Sea Scrolls.
“We switched to quills because that’s what the Christians were using and they were getting a much finer, nicer point on their calligraphy,” he said.
A large part of a scribe’s job is repairing scrolls. Returning again to the rules, he said, “It only takes one letter to be wrong, and that means maybe the ink has come off or it’s broken or whatever, for the whole scroll to be pasul (invalid).”
If a scroll is deemed pasul, Pinchas told the audience, then it must be placed in the ark with an indicator to show it’s invalid, such as arranging its belt outside of its mantel. Jewish law states that it must be repaired within 30 days, but, he said, it may take much longer.
Among the Torah scroll repair horrors presented by Pinchas were gauze that joined seams together, stains from tape that had to be scraped out, and a patch that was sewn onto the scroll.
Typical repairs, he said, are not so extreme and mostly involve fading and broken letters, which require much overwriting. On occasion, whole columns no longer exist, having been completely rubbed away by time. Sometimes, members of a congregation might mark the scrolls with a pencil or ballpoint pen. In one slide Pinchas displayed, someone had drawn a flower onto the scroll.
In his career, Pinchas has also encountered incorrect spellings, deletions and Hebrew characters that were mistakenly joined together. Missing words, mixed-up letters and omitted characters from various Torah scrolls were shown to the Zoom crowd as well.
“And then you get wear and tear, dirt, holes, rips and things like that. You have to be very careful. You can patch a Torah, but you’re not allowed to do half patches,” he said.
What’s more, accidents can happen, especially when lifting the Torah during times when one side is much heavier than the other, ie., at the start and at the end of the yearly reading cycle. In one example, a Torah was torn through columns, thus the columns had to be removed and rewritten in the style of the original scribe.
Perhaps topping the list of Torah misadventures is the case Pinchas came across of a young person studying for her bat mitzvah and the family dog chewed through a section of the Torah.
“It was literally the best excuse for not learning a bat mitzvah portion – the dog ate my portion,” Pinchas joked.
“I had to do an emergency fix because there wasn’t enough time. I repaired it in the style of the original scroll, but only part of it, which you’re not normally supposed to do except in the case of an emergency – and this was a massive emergency. Because the parchment was much older than the shiny new parchment, I coated it with Yorkshire Tea. And it worked.”
A prolific author, designer and presenter, Pinchas designed the prayer book for the Movement for Reform Judaism and has written numerous books and articles on scrolls, the Bible and art; he wrote the children’s book The Dot on the Ot. Pinchas is currently working with Kolot Mayim to restore a Torah scroll.
Sam Margolishas written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.
