In This Issue: The Scribe East End Stories Amazing Grace Two Views From The Sylvia The Kitchen Stories Archives Report Britannia Sukkot Festival FALL 2017 Founded in 1971 as the Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia Founding President: Cyril Leonoff, z”l The Chronicle BOARD STAFF Volume 23, Issue 2 © JMABC, 2017 President Administrator Perry Seidelman Marcy Babins Cover Image: Vice President Archivist The Sylvia Hotel Phil Sanderson Alysa Routtenberg stands on the shore Treasurer of English Bay soon Michael Levy Director of Community after its completion Engagement in 1912. Across the Secretary Michael Schwartz street, bathers and Gordon Brandt beachgoers enjoy Members-At-Large Editing and Design the August weather. Alan Farber Michael Schwartz © JMABC Alisa Franken L.00208 Immediate Past President Join us at the We gratefully acknowledge Gary Averbach Waterfront Theatre the generous support of our November 8 - 12 Directors sponsors David Bogoch as Kol Halev Samara Bordan Jewish Federation of Greater Performance Shmuel Carmeli Vancouver Ensemble mounts a musical retelling of Alex Farber The Government of Canada Daniella Givon the hotel’s origins. The Province of British Columbia Bill Gruenthal Carol Herbert The City of Vancouver Jory Levitt The Jewish Community Evan Orloff Foundation Ronnie Tessler Michael Tripp The Waldman Foundation Jennifer Yuhasz The Diamond Foundation Council of Governors The Betty Averbach Foundation Isabelle Diamond Marie Doduck Instafund Michael Geller The Peretz Centre for Secular Bill Gruenthal Judaism Richard Henriquez Cyril Leonoff z”l Risa Levine Josephine Margolis Nadel Richard Menkis The Jewish Museum Ronnie Tessler and Archives of BC is a registered non- profit with CRA # 10808 5259 RR0001. All contributions are tax-deductable. 1 President’s Message Simon Leiser’s second “Big Store”, opened April-May 1900 in Cumberland, B.C. L.06619. Did you know that the gramophone was invented by Family Journey from Svatatroiske to Vancouver, Emile Berliner, a Jewish Montrealer, in 1887? Since then, the first in our series of family history books; and, the contributions of Canadian Jews - including those • Producing The Kitchen Stories podcast and from BC - have been incredible and ongoing. In politics, creating and hosting The Chosen Food Supper science, and law; literature, journalism, and theatre; Club. music, television, film, and countless other disciplines. 4. By helping us to live in the present through recording The role of the JMABC has been to record and our history with: document Jewish history in B.C. and, through the course of my presidency over the last five years, it has done this • Seven new online exhibits very well. • Editions of our annual journal The Scribe that have focussed on the furniture industry, scrap metal For the JMABC, the past five years have been notable: industry, fashion industry, and soon the history of 1. In helping our recall of Jewish history in BC and our local Jewish cemeteries and burial practices understanding of the present and future with events • The 150th Anniversary celebrations of such as: Congregation Emanu-El; and, • The exhibit Fred Schiffer: Lives in Photos • Over 150 oral histories recorded. • From Schmata to Chic, the Ivan Sayers curated fashion show launch of our 2015/16 edition of The This impressive list of accomplishments has been made Scribe: Focus on the Fashion Industry possible through the generous ongoing support of you, • The restoration of Mountain View Cemetery and our members and donors. Our dedicated Board of development of the accompanying walking tour Directors and our wonderful, creative and hardworking • The addition of 160 new JMABC members; and, staff devote each day to safeguarding our community • Thousands of research requests. history and envisioning new ways of making it accessible and engaging. 2. Through building on earlier accomplishments by: As a registered non-profit, the JMABC receives support • Adding Michael Schwartz as our Director of from the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and Community Engagement and Alysa Routtenberg as other foundations. However, we still depend on the our Archivist generous support of our members and supporters to • Building a new website at: www.jewishmuseum.ca enable us to complete our important work. We are • Adding fourteen new board members with a grateful for member support for more than forty-six diverse range of skills, ages and experience years and count on membership renewals, new members • Adding vast amounts of new material to the and ongoing contributions. archives; and, • Increasing the visibility of the JMABC. Perry Seidelman 3. In providing opportunities to learn about shared President experiences by: • Publishing Don’t Break the Chain: The Nemetz 2 Four Questions This summer, two major projects have been underway here at The second project is East End Stories, an innovative approach to the JMABC. The first is the 2017 edition of our annual journal, making our community history more widely accessible. The JMABC The Scribe, this year on the topic of Jewish cemeteries and burial has partnered with acclaimed filmmakerGordon McLennan to practices. It is being edited by Cythia Ramsey, who has been our produce a series of six short videos chronicling significant moments, editor since 2009. locations, people and organizations from our community’s early history. Each of these videos will be available for viewing on the JMABC website, and will be linked to a location in Strathcona, a neighbourhood once known as “The East End”. In anticipation of these two exciting projects, we asked Cynthia and Gordon a few questions about their approach to their work. Cynthia Ramsey Editor, The Scribe What are some stories that you’ve found How challenging has the research The process has been to start with a most interesting? process been? committee meeting and decide on our wish list of articles and images to include. After a This year’s issue of The Scribe focuses Previous editions of The Scribe have had few meetings, we pare that down to what’s on British Columbia’s Jewish cemeteries many more oral history excerpts, which have feasible, prepare an outline and then start and, therefore, includes oral history on to be fact-checked as best as possible and gathering and editing the material. Jewish burial traditions. The respect given this issue has required much less research to someone once they’ve died, how the in that regard. As well, we’re including a few What do you enjoy about working on this community cares for the deceased, is quite articles that have been published elsewhere type of community history project? Why beautiful. already, so the editing goes more quickly. do you keep doing it? The other aspect that moved me is how Based on your experience with similar Knowing more about the history of the difficult - or impossible - it is to have a projects, what is your approach in community makes me feel more part of it. Jewish burial if you live in a small town. We beginning a project such as this? While I did not grow up in Vancouver, I know often talk about kashrut, a Jewish education its Jewish community better than any other, The journal has a publications committee. or other parts of Jewish life being harder to and that gives me a stronger foundation Most of us have been on it several years find in smaller communities, but not as much and connection than I otherwise would have. but then we invite onto it temporarily - for about what happens when we are Jewish and And, speaking of community, the people on the length of the production process - a we die in these places, which have been our the committee are one of the main reasons I knowledgeable person on the topic being home. keep doing it - I enjoy working with them. highlighted. (A couple of community experts have ended up joining the committee, which has been great.) Note: As the 2017 edition of The Scribe nears completion, work has begun on the 2018 edition, which will feature the history of restaurateurs in the community. If you or a family member has run restaurants, we want to hear from you! Contact 604.257.5199 or [email protected] 3 Gordon McLennan Director, East End Stories What are some stories that you’ve found the medium of photography had not been interesting is meeting the people who are most interesting? around very long so photographs are scarce. behind the stories - often second, third or While all the stories we’re doing for East Rather than reuse the same iconic photos even fourth generation family members of End Stories are interesting, the story of from that era that many have seen before, the subjects of the stories. In the stories David Oppenheimer is remarkable. Before those found in the local public archives, it’s a themselves, the struggles and triumphs of becoming the second mayor of Vancouver in challenge to try and find fresh images. These individuals, or groups who came together 1886, he had already been involved in the key are most often found in individual and family for mutual aid, are inspirational and never events of what would become the province collections. cease to amaze me. From many countries, generations of immigrants have built one of British Columbia - from the Fraser Gold Based on your experience with similar of the most multicultural countries in the Rush to helping raise funds to build the projects, what is your approach in world. It’s a privilege to be able to gather Canadian Pacific Railroad to the coast. Mr. beginning a project such as this? Oppenheimer had lived in Victoria and in these stories and make them available to I’ve been making documentary films for Yale on the Fraser River before moving to audiences of all ages.