Vancouver police explain the statistics behind the surge in reported antisemitic incidents during the final months of 2023
A press conference on Jan. 16 saw the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) announcing that it has seen a sharp increase in hate crimes in the past three months, including a considerable spike in antisemitism— as well as millions of dollars in overtime costs—since the conflict in the Middle East began. “Sunday marked 100 days since […]
Vancouver’s PuSh festival cancels ‘The Runner’ play after a Palestinian artist in the same festival threatened to withdraw his work
Vancouver’s PuSh Festival announced on Jan. 11 that it was not going ahead with a planned showing of The Runner after objections from a Palestinian presenter at the festival. A work by Canadian playwright Christopher Morris about a member of the Israeli rescue operation ZAKA who saves the life of a Palestinian woman, it had […]
Dr. Ted Rosenberg says UBC medical school’s inability to address concerns over antisemitism gave him ‘no choice but to resign’ after three decades as a professor
Ted Rosenberg has stepped down from his post as a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine, citing an unsafe environment, following his repeated attempts to have the school do more to address antisemitism. In a Jan 1. letter to UBC, the award-winning geriatrician, who has taught at the medical […]
Vancouver rallies for Israeli hostages while also remembering those killed on Oct. 7 by Hamas
Members and supporters of the British Columbia Jewish community gathered in downtown Vancouver on Nov. 7 to demonstrate for the release of the 238 hostages currently being held in Gaza and to mourn the 1,400 killed during the Hamas attacks in Israel last month. Local politicians, Jewish leaders and clergy made impassioned statements about the […]
Obituary: Ben Mizrachi, 22, a Vancouverite killed in Hamas attack, remembered for his love of Israeli life
Ben Mizrachi, the Vancouver man killed by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, is being remembered as a bright, joyful and compassionate young person whose life tragically ended far too soon. He was 22. “Ben was one of those kids with a big smile and a wonderful heart. He was a centerpiece that made everyone […]
Andrew Cristall wants to ‘represent’ his Jewish identity in the NHL as he signs with the Washington Capitals
Cristall, 18, fasted on Yom Kippur ahead of his team’s game on Oct. 5, 2022.
The story behind the Israeli-Canadians taking to the streets beneath the banner of UnXeptable
Every Sunday since the start of 2023—rain or shine—a group of demonstrators has gathered in a public square in Toronto to protest the current government in Israel and its plans for judicial overhaul. It’s the same scene in Vancouver where a group carrying Israeli flags and signs that read “Saving Israeli Democracy” meets every Sunday […]
Obituary: Alex Buckman, 83, a tireless force for Holocaust education in Vancouver
Alex Buckman, a tireless stalwart for Holocaust education in British Columbia and steadfast advocate for his fellow child survivors, died in Warsaw on April 21. He was 83. Buckman had been on a trip to Poland accompanying the Coast-to-Coast Canada March of the Living delegation. Described by those who knew and worked with him as […]
Kosher food banks are finding it a challenge to keep up with the growing need for help in 2022
Kosher food banks across the country say the last few months have been unprecedented as growing numbers of people turn to them looking for help while food prices soar and wages fail to keep up. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver food banks all report that they are stretched ever thinner—and, in some cases, they have had […]
Vancouver’s JWest project is getting a $25-million boost from Ottawa
The federal government will match the B.C. government’s $25 million in funding for a Jewish community hub in Vancouver, Harjit Sajjan, the minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, said at a press conference Dec. 5. The project, dubbed JWest, includes the redevelopment and expansion of the existing Jewish Community Centre of […]
