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The Scribe

The Scribe is the annual journal published by the Jewish Museum & Archives of BC. This anthology seeks to document all aspects of the 150 year Jewish experience in British Columbia, from history, culture, and art, to literature, religion, and contributions to the development and progress of Canada.

Click on the cover of any issue to read that issue online.

Contact the JMABC office to order a copy of any past issue: info@jewishmuseum.ca or 604.257.5199

2011-2021

Vol 39 • 2021

Jewish Education in BC

The latest edition of The Scribe celebrates the invaluable contributions of educators in our community history who have passed on Jewish history and tradition to successive generations.

Vol 38 • 2019

Medical Innovators and Pioneers

Featuring interviews with 26 health care professionals, this issue celebrates over a century of pioneering work in diverse fields of medicine.

Vol 37 • 2018

The Food Issue

The Food Issue of The Scribe is now available. Featuring recollections from more than 30 food industry professionals, covering close to 100 years of history.

Vol 36 • 2017

Jewish Cemeteries of British Columbia

Cemeteries are often among the first community amenities established. They are sacred places of reflection and vital stores of community history. This issue of The Scribe takes us into both aspects of the importance of Jewish cemeteries throughout the province. What are the rituals performed before burial, and why? How does a community respond when a burial site is vandalized? Who are some of the intriguing persons buried in our local cemeteries? These and more questions answered within.

Vol 35 • 2016

Focus on the Clothing Industry

From bargain basement to formal wear, factory to retail store, employees to owners, this issue of The Scribe looks at close to a century of Jewish involvement in the clothing industry in Greater Vancouver.

Vol 34 • 2014

Focus on the Scrap Metal Industry

Arriving in Canada with minimal language skills or savings, many Jewish families took to junk peddling. Some transitioned from horse-and-buggy operations to very successful companies.

Vol 33 • 2013

Focus on the Furniture Industry

Building upon success in the peddling industry, some local Jewish families transitioned to furniture sales. At the industry's peak in 1945, there were seventeen Jewish-owned furniture stores along Granville between Smithe and Davie.

Vol 32 • 2012

Focus on Congregation Emanu-El

Congregation Emanu-El opened its doors in 1863, just five years after the first Jews arrived in Victoria. Over the next 150 years, the congregation saw ups and downs, dwindling to 15 families in the 1940s, and embarking on major restorations in 1982 and 2012. It is now a thriving congregation and the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Canada, celebrating 150 years in 2013.

Vol 31 • 2011

Focus on Organizational Life

The BC Jewish community is held together by the active work of its numerous organizations. From the service work of National Council of Jewish Women to the campus advocacy of Hillel, these organizations have provided support and stability for decades.

2001-2010

Vol 30 • 2010

Focus on the Community Newspaper

Through its various incarnations as the Centre Bulletin, the Jewish Western Bulletin, and currently as the Jewish Independent, the community newspaper has been indispensable as a forum for discussion, debate, and keeping us informed. For almost a hundred years, it has held us together.

Vol 29 • 2009

Religion and the Arts / Focus on Sports

Vol 28 • 2008

The Rise of Jewish Life and Religion in BC, 1858-1948

In this extended essay, JMABC founder Cyril Leonoff surveys the growth and development of the BC Jewish community from the earliest arrivals during the Klondike Gold Rush through the population boom following World War II. Immigrants become industrialists, Synagogues and schools are established, and pioneers leave their mark on a young city.

Vol 26.1 • 2007

Links to the Past

Members of the Vancouver Jewish community respond to latent antisemitism by founding their own golf course in the early 1950s.

Vol 24 • 2004

The Hebrew Ladies of Victoria, Vancouver Island

The women of the early Victoria Jewish community played an important role in the establishment of their pioneer community. Their impact has been overlooked by the historical record for many years, something this issue seeks to remedy.

Vol 23.2 • 2003

Founding Fathers

Celebrating the life and work of David Oppenheimer and Max Zack, civic leaders half a century apart.

Vol 20.1 • 2003

Trail-Rossland

The Trail-Rossland area of BC had a booming Jewish community in the mid-20th Century, the largest behind Vancouver and Victoria.

Vol 22 • 2002

A Mensch on Defense

Hy Buller played five seasons in the National Hockey League, first for the Detroit Red Wings and then for the New York Rangers. His professional hockey career ran from 1943 to 1953, during which time he was one of only two Jewish players in the league.

Vol 21 • 2001

Vancouver and Outlying Jewish Communities

Featured in this edition of the Scribe are the Jewish communities of the Metro Vancouver Regional District and Lower Mainland. Included in this edition are pictures and description of notable Jewish communities, families and Jewish owned such as Beth Tikvah Synagogue, the Gold Family and the Petersky General Store.

1989-2000

Vol 20.1 • 2000

Four Families

Vancouver's Jewish community history told through four families who arrived here in four waves of immigration over the past century: the Robinson-Rose family, the Morris family, the Neaman family, and the Papo family.

Vol 19.2 • 1999

New Frontiers

Details the Jewish involvement in the settling of the far Northwest including Vancouver Island and Alaska.

Vol 19.1 • 1999

Victoria’s Curio Dealers

Victoria was a major hub in the 19th century for the trade of First Nations artifacts from the bands living in British Columbia. Throughout Europe there was an increasing fascination with First Nations culture and artifacts and with this interest came demand. The Jewish merchants of B.C. played a key role in facilitating this trade, often acting as the point-of-contact between First Nations groups and their prospective Western markets.

Vol 18.1 • 1998

Stories From The North Country

Details the Jewish communities and their foundations in Northern B.C. focusing on the communities themselves through observing their growth, like in Prince George, Prince Rupert and Trail. In addition, the Jewish communities of the Peace River District and aspects of Vancouver Island Jewish life will also be discussed.

Vol 16.1 • 1996

Jewish Life in the Lower Mainland

Arriving at the mid 19th Century, the Petersky, Jacoby, Gold, and Cohen families established businesses in the Lower Mainland and contributed to the community in many ways.

Vol 15.2 • 1995

War And The Home Front

Highlights Jewish involvement in Canada during World War One, both in the war itself and contributing to the home front by providing essential resources/services.

Vol 14.2 • 1994

Back To Our Canadian Roots: Alberta Roundup

Discusses Jewish Life on the Prairies highlighting the communities they founded and the harshness of farm life in Alberta. Connections between the Jewish Communities of Alberta and their interactions with the B.C. Jewish groups are also talked about.

Vol 13.1 • 1993

Focus On The Sephardi Jewry

This edition will focus on the Sephardi Jewish life in B.C., focusing on the community established in Vancouver. Also detailed is a brief history of the Sephardi people and their journey to the New World including why they began to settle and live in South America, India, Mexico and China in addition to Canada.

Vol 9.2 • 1989

Jewish Mayors and Temple Emanuel

This issue highlights three Important Canadian Jewish figures, although one is a building they all function with the same purpose of showcasing the importance Jewish people and ideas had on British Columbia's society. Included are histories on Myer Freedman, Muni Evers, and the old Victoria synagogue Temple Emanuel.

Vol 1 • 1989

Beginning of Canadian Far West, Canadian Jewish Congress Pacific Region Part III

This issue is broken in half. The first half details the Canadian, more specifically Jewish Canadian history of settling in the Far West, centering on the old community of Victoria B.C. The second half highlights what was discussed during the Jewish Congress at this time.