Oral interview with David Kaplan. Interviewed by Bill Gruenthal. David talks about his family's involvement with the steel industry and the Jewish Botanical Gardens. Eventually settling in Vancouver, David opened a very successful R&D tax consultation firm and later on became heavily involved with the Jewish Family Services Agency. He also discusses Jewish education in South Africa.

Interview with Ivan and Lynette Buchman. Interviewed by Alysa Routtenberg for The Scribe, 2018. Prior to their immigration to Canada, Ivan and Lynette owned a franchise of 17 bakeries in South Africa named Bread Ahead. In Vancouver, the couple opened their restaurant Enigma, which they ran for 13 years before its sale in 2017. Post-retirement, Ivan and Lynette produce and sell sticky toffee pudding across specialty supermarkets.

Interview with Jack Aaron. Interviewed by Irene Dodeck. Jack talks about his family's history, his career, and immigration to Vancouver from Cape Town. He opened a law firm in Vancouver and was ordained Queen's Counsel in British Columbia. Jack discusses his view of Judaism and Jewish life.

Oral History Interview with Janet Esseiva for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Helen Aqua. Janet Esseiva was born in South Africa in 1964. She is an artist currently based out of Bowen Island, B.C. Esseiva describes her younger years in South Africa during the time of Apartheid and her meaningful exposure to the arts. She explains her transition from an Information Technology professional in Cape Town to an immigrant in Canada eventually working as a full time artist. Esseiva is known for painted works that focus on nature, and she explains how these works can evoke strong emotions and meaningful connections between art and artist, as well as artist and viewer.

Oral interview with Lauren Kramer. Interviewed by Bill Gruenthal. Lauren talks about her family's history in the medical and health profession, their immigration from South Africa to Canada, and her various experiences across North American cities.

Oral history interview with Leila Getz. Leila Getz was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1940. Leila is a musician who helped develop the Vancouver Recital Society and had previously established the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival - defunct as of 2006.

Interview with Linda Stein. Interviewed by Michelle Mina. Linda discusses her family history and their contribution to the Cape Town Jewish community, including the establishment of synagogues. Upon immigrating to Vancouver as a dental hygienist, she became involved in the local Jewish community.

Interview with Lolita Aaron. Interviewed by Irene Dodeck. Lolita talks about her family's history, her mother's involvement with Zionism, life under the Apartheid, and her career as an early childhood educator. She discusses her family's decision to immigrate to Vancouver, life in the city, and her volunteer work at the hospice.

Number: CA JMABC A.1971.001-20.18-23
Name: Marcus Stiller
Interviewer: David Goldman
Date: June 4th, 2018
Place: Vancouver, BC
Project: The Jewish Historical Society of BC Oral History Project

00:00 Interviewer David Goldman introduces themselves and Marcus Stiller, the owner of Fish Café, who is being interviewed.
0:21 Stiller was born in Durban, South Africa in 1961. His family lived in a near a Jewish community and Stiller went to Jewish schools. Stiller also describes the significant role food has played in their life since they were young.
1:53 Stiller went to hotel school in South Africa but decided they preferred the culinary industry. Later they worked in Israel for two years.
3:10 Stiller’s first restaurant was in Tel Aviv. They developed a restaurant for a wealthy family and enjoyed the social aspect of the business.
4:18 Goldman asks Stiller how they started the Fish Café in Vancouver. Still recalls that he modeled his business after one with a similar concept in South Africa that sells only seafood.
5:21 Stiller provides an overview of their time in the food industry. After working in Israel for two years, they went to Pretoria, South Africa and joined a friend’s steakhouse business. Around that time, Stiller met their wife to be who was planning to move to Cape Town. Stiller moved with her where they got involved in a successful pizza and pasta restaurant chain. Later, Stiller moved to Johannesburg where they joined their brother-in-law in an electronics business before also working in the security industry. In 1996, Stiller and their wife moved to Vancouver and in 2000, opened the Fish Café.
8:25 Goldman asks Stiller about the extent that Judaism had an effect on their business. Stiller describes how the Jewish community in Vancouver continuously supported their restaurant.
9:33 The speakers begin discussing the changes that have occurred in the food industry during Stiller’s career. Stiller notes that they have noticed a growing trend of smaller food businesses that are independent and family-owned opening in the Kerrisdale area. Stiller recalls their sons’ involvement in the restaurant.
11:39 Goldman asks what Stiller thinks regarding the future of the Fish Café and whether their children will continue it. Stiller replies that it is unlikely their children will take over the business and they will work in it until they are no longer able to.
13:27 Stiller recounts what they’ve learned after working in the restaurant industry. They describe how they are starting to see young people whose parents brought them to the Fish Café as children come in themselves. The Fish Café has allowed Stiller to develop many relationships within the community.
15:11 Stiller recalls how Kerrisdale has changed since the Fish Café began. They notice that it has become increasingly commercialized. Stiller also mentions how they feel very fortunate to be part of the community in Vancouver.
16:19 End of interview.

.Interview with Renee Kursan. Interviewed by Sara Bernstein. Renee talks about her family's history, her education, and her childhood growing up in Cape Town and Mossel Bay, South Africa. She discusses her career as a nurse and life raising her young children outside of Queenstown and in Cape Town. Renee speaks about her and her family’s immigration to Vancouver, Canada. She compares Jewish life in South Africa to Canada and the countries’ culture, race and the Apartheid in South Africa.