Oral history interview with Irving Grad who talks about his family while he grew up, his 'Uncle' and his parents lives. A cousin of his, Sandy, married Leonard Nimoy. His brother was killed during the Canadian Landings in Sicily in 1943. Irving was active in Beth Israel Men’s Club and Senior’s Advisory Council
Oral history interview with Phyllis Serota. Interviewed by Jean Gerber. Phyllis is a painter living and working in Victoria, BC. She graduated with a BFA from the University of Victoria and has shown extensively throughout Western Canada and the United States since 1977.
Oral history interview with businessman and philanthropist Joseph Segal who was born in Alberta, 1925. During the Second World War he spent two years in the infantry and a year as part of the postwar occupational army in Germany. He made his wealth buying and selling companies: Zellers, Hudson's Bay Company, Gamble Canada and dozens more. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 1989. He joined Simon Fraser University's Board in 1981, spearheading the SFU Downtown Campus and has been its Chancellor.
Oral history interview with Wilfred - born in 1929 in New York - & Phyllis - born in 1929 in Massachusetts - Solomon. Wilfred was a chaplain in the United States Air Force and than a rabbi in Spokane. His wife Phyllis worked developing the Jewish Film Festival.
Oral History interview with Ben and Rita Akselrod. Rita was born in Bacau, Romania. They met in a DP camp in Austria. After the war they went to Israel then came to Canada via Italy. They worked as a peddlers then with antiques. Then started a second-hand and antique store in New Westminster. They talk about how antisemitism didn't disappear after the war.
Oral history interview with Michael Ratner, who was born in England, 1912. His father was born in Minsk, Russia; mother was born near Leningrad. Michael studied and worked as a Pharmacist in Vancouver until the 1970's. Michael was involved in the West Coast Historical Medical Society.
Oral history interview with Rabbi Victor Reinstein who discusses rabbinical studies and the importance of adjusting to contemporary shifts in attitudes, views and societal understanding. Rabbi Reinstein is supportive of and has tried a number of times to increase interfaith connections, not just at the public level, but administrative or religious officials.
Oral history interview with Sam Rothstein who was born in Russia, 1921. His family left Russia due to anti-semitism and post-revolution fallout, despite his father’s success in the lumber business. His father was Yisrael Leib and his mother was Elka Raisel. They settled in Vancouver because that’s where the rest of his family had chosen to live when they had arrived years before. He attended UBC for undergraduate studies and did a joined honours program in French and English and completed his masters there in French and English. He did his PhD at Berkeley and then got a teaching fellowship at the University of Washington in 1942 as a French teacher. He was drafted into the Canadian military during WWII. He served in counterintelligence. He was shipped to England in June, 1944 and then to Italy, Belgium and then stopped in Holland. While finishing his service, he came across a Librarianship pamphlet. He had money for the first time in his life and felt it was time for a change as he felt distance from the idea of being a French professor. He was invited to the faculty of the University of Manitoba as a French Professor but decided to go to Berkeley instead to become a Librarian, doing his PhD in Illinois. UBC offered him a job while he was briefly on return to Vancouver. He met his wife Miriam in 1948/49 through youth group activities at the JCC, they wed and then moved to Illinois to do his PhD, which he received in 1954 while Miriam worked as the dietician for the men’s residence. In 1961, he became the acting director of the UBC libraries. He also started the library school at UBC that same fall. Their daughter Linda was born in 1955 and Sharon was born in 1957. They were members of Beth Israel and Miriam was active in Hadassah. Sam served as an advisor to Hillel and joined the board at the JCC and eventually became president from 1970-1972. He served as one of the vice presidents of Jewish Congress.