Interview with Stan Shear. Interviewed by Michelle Mina. Stan talks about his family's history and Jewish heritage, and compares life in Canada to South Africa. Now a retired electrical engineer, Stan frequently contributes to the Vancouver Jewish community through his music.

Interview with Ruth Wingerin. Interviewed by Nassa Selwyn. Ruth talks about her family and her mother's contributions to the Bnoth Zion in South Africa. Ruth continued to practice as a doctor after settling in Vancouver, BC, and discusses Jewish life in the city.

Number: CA JMABC A.1971.001-20.19-19
Name: Michael Elterman
Interviewer: David Schwartz
Date: December 27th, 2019
Place: Home of David Schwartz, Vancouver, BC
Project: The Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia Oral History Project

Summary:
00:00: Interviewer David Schwartz introduces himself and Dr. Michael Elterman who is being interviewed. Elterman was born in 1953 in Cape Town, South Africa and trained as a psychologist.
00:56: Elterman notes both his parents were also born in South Africa and both of their families were of Latvian origin.
2:30 Elterman describes his parents’ involvement in the Jewish community of Cape Town.
3:29: Schwartz asks Elterman about Elterman’s twenty-year long tenure working for the Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region. Elterman eventually became Chair of the CJC Community Relations Committee.
8:07: Elterman describes some difficult situations and events that the CJC helped resolve while he was working in the organization. He describes the local newspapers’ anti-Israel leanings, Doug Collins and the North Shore News, Canadian Liberty Net and Holocaust denial.
13:25: Schwartz asks Elterman if the CJC had trouble dealing with any particular conflicts during his tenure. Elterman describes how Congress was accused of being against free speech, even internally.
15:45: Elterman describes his and the CJC’s involvement with other ethnic and community groups who formed a coalition with the CJC. This coalition consisted of groups of Sikh, Chinese, Polish, Ukrainian and Black people. The CJC was also aligned with the BC Federation of Labour. Elterman also mentions the CJC’s part in Holocaust denier, David Irving’s, being denied entry in to Canada. Elterman was also on the Committee for Racial Justice with Aziz Kharki.
21:24: Elterman notes that other groups viewed the CJC as a leader.
22:31: Elterman discusses the differences in focus points between the Jewish Federation and the CJC. They speakers also discuss Professor Bill Nicholls.
25:18: Schwartz asks Elterman what he is most proud of while thinking about his time at the CJC. Elterman notes that he is proud of the respect the CJC garnered from the community and other groups. He mentions the organization of a ‘buy-cott’, when the CJC encouraged the Jewish community to purchase as many Israeli products as possible.
27:45: The speakers discuss the restructuring of the institutional structure of the CJC and its centralization.
36:55: Elterman laments that the restructuring meant a loss of local Jewish community engagement since local members had little say in the happenings and advocacy.
39:15: Elterman mentions that be has friends in other area of Canada who feel the same way as he does regarding the structural changes of the CJC.
41:24: End of interview.

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.

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.

Oral interview with Alexander "Lexie" Bernstein. Interviewed by Laura Zitron. Lexie talks about his family's contribution to Jewish life and education in Cape Town, and his own life and spirituality in Vancouver.

Interview with Freda Sher. Interviewed by Laura Zitron. Freda talks about her family history, and her mother's experiences as an Ochberg Orphan. Freda is involved in Jewish organizations such as Jewish Women International, Hebrew Youth, Jewish Family & Child, and Beth Israel. She compares life and Judaism between South Africa and Canada, and talks about her career, family, and philanthropy.

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.