5 Jewish Things to do in Vancouver

Jewish settlers in Vancouver were found in the stores of the Gastown area and the homes of the Strathcona neighbourhood at the East End of Vancouver. In fact, the first Jewish businessman in Vancouver, Louis Gold, opened a general store on the waterfront in 1972. His wife and son went on to will valuable land to the Jewish community for charities and building projects, creating the community. The Jewish community represents about 1% of the census with the Jewish population of Vancouver being 25,000 people. Jewish Strathcona Walking Tour This tour begins at Pender and Heatley street in Strathcona. Here stands the now-condo-ized first synagogue in the city. B’nai Yehuda, Sons of Israel, was an Orthodox Jewish place of worship that was the heart of the Jewish community. This is Vancouver’s earliest Jewish community and you will be witness to the neighbourhood that they once called home. All tours begin at 10am Duration: 2 hours Price: $15 per person Website: jewishmuseum.ca/program/jewish-strathcona-walking-tour/ Vancouver Jewish Film Festival Canada’s longest running Jewish Film Festival begins in October and is held annually at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre and Cineplex Fifth Avenue Cinemas. 2020 marks the Festival’s 31st year of operation. There is a range of art shows, films and live acts to see from art house films and comedians and discussion panels surrounding Jewish culture. We highly recommend being a part of this festival and witnessing the talented film markets and Yiddish films running this year. Website: www.vjff.org/ Jewish Gastown Walking Tour This tour takes you on a journey of the rough and tumble days of the Jewish community. You will learn how the early Jewish community established some of the city’s very first businesses and helped build it to become the metropolis it is today. This tour begins at the corner of Dunlevy and Alexander Street. All tours begin at 10am Duration: 2 hours Price: $15 per person Website: jewishmuseum.ca/program/jewish-gastown-walking-tour/ The Kosher Food Warehouse This grocery store and restaurant has an amazing selection of kosher meats, cheeses and produce to choose from. It is quite small but the selection is wide. They offer a tourist friendly menu, take away and in house service. They are a retail and wholesaler of the finest Canadian poultry, cheese, cooler products and groceries. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 8:30am-1pm and 3pm-6pm, Friday 8:30am-2pm, Sunday 9:30am-2pm. The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC This museum has an extensive collection of historical artefacts, photographs and historical pieces from the early Canadian Jewish community. The museum offers a variety of walking tours for you to have the full historical experience of what life was really like before the turn of the century and gain an insight into the way of life and culture of the early Jewish community. The museum currently offers both online and temporary exhibits in it’s space. The online exhibits show East End Stories celebrating the history pioneers, organizations and landmark events that defined the Jewish community. The museum features an extensive archive of educational resources if you wish to research more broadly on the history and area of the Jewish pioneers. At the moment the museum is calling on the public to share their stories for the COVID community collection. This collection is calling upon reflections of what Passover was like and how your family adapted this year with COVID. What was it like to do a Zoom sedar? If you would like to contribute and have a great story to tell you can find out more information here: jewishmuseum.ca/jmabc-covid-19-community-collection/. Website: jewishmuseum.ca/ We love hearing from our community and welcome you to share your own experiences and thoughts on these places if you have been yourself or planning a holiday in Vancouver. Help our community grow by suggesting any places you recommend in the comments or by adding a new Jwall post on the Vancouver Travel Page.