Stories from Kelowna’s tight-knit Jewish community

It's too small to be divisive—yet somehow manages it anyway.
(Photo by Province of British Columbia/Flickr Creative Commons)

There are only a few dozen Jews maintaining a Jewish lifestyle in Kelowna, a beautiful town surrounded by forests, lakes, orchards and mountains in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. When a newcomer wants to join a synagogue—in pre-pandemic times, anyway—they’d get taken out for coffee or ice cream, a warmer reception than you’d see in any big city.

In this episode, two locals, Sandra Blitz and Abbey Westbury, chat about the reality of living Jewish on the ground in Kelowna, touching on the recent rift between Chabad and the JCC, how to find matzah and the surprisingly large contingent of Jews for Jesus.

Yehupetzville is hosted by Ralph Benmergui. Michael Fraiman is the producer and editor. Our music was arranged by Louis Simão and performed by Louis Simão and Jacob Gorzhaltsan. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network—find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

Author

Support Our Mission: Make a Difference!

The Canadian Jewish News is now a Registered Journalism Organization (RJO) as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. To help support the valuable work we’re doing, we’re asking for individual monthly donations of at least $10. In exchange, you’ll receive tax receipts, a thank-you gift of our quarterly magazine delivered to your door, and our gratitude for helping continue our mission. If you have any questions about the donating process, please write to [email protected].

Support the Media that Speaks to You

Jewish Canadians deserve more than social media rumours, adversarial action alerts, and reporting with biases that are often undisclosed. The Canadian Jewish News proudly offers independent national coverage on issues that impact our audience each day, as a conduit for conversations that bridge generations. 

It’s an outlet you can count on—but we’re also counting on you.

Please support Jewish journalism that’s creative, innovative, and dedicated to breaking new ground to serve your community, while building on media traditions of the past 65 years. As a Registered Journalism Organization, contributions of any size are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.