Oral History Interview with Tanya Bub for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Daniella Givon. Tanya was born in Minnesota in 1969. Tanya speaks about her family history and her upbringing in Beit Yanai, Israel as a child as well as London, Ontario. Tanya discusses her life in academia while also focused on parenthood and finances, and how she transitioned into an art career in Vancouver. Tanya describes her art as part of the ‘eco-art’ genre, as her mediums are often natural, like driftwood, or recycled and/or found materials. Tanya tells stories of finding community by creating interactive sculptures, especially driftwood people and animals, shared through public art installations across B.C.
Oral Interview with Susy Naylor for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Helen Aqua. Susy was born in Brooklyn in 1943 and talks about her family history in the city and abroad, as well as her immigration to Canada as an adult. She talks about her education including two nursing degrees which led her to teach nursing upon moving to Winnipeg. Wanting to transition to counselling, Susy moved to Coquitlam and commuted to school in Washington which eventually enabled her to open a private practice. Susy describes her challenges doing art from home as a middle-aged mother and how her outlook on her artistic ability changed as she did more workshops and gained mentorship, albeit still experiencing impostor syndrome. Susy discusses how her paintings don’t truly have stories, but are ambiguous and she loves to hear the interpretations of the viewers. Susy also discusses how participating in a Leonard Cohen themed art show made her realize her difficulties visualizing imagery in her head when she had an idea, helping to clarify her artistic process. She talks about her involvement in galleries and art crawls, and teaching classes to others who question if they can be an artist.
Oral history interview with Isaac Messinger. He was born in Poland in 1929. During the war he was moved to Siberia, Russia. Later in the war he became a chauffeur for a General in the Polish Army, he was 16 or 17 at the time. After the war he ended up in Germany and was a pickpocketing. He got sent to an American school in Germany that was teaching children that were going to immigrate to North America, but he couldn’t sit still in class, so they gave him a job in the garage where he learnt English with the Americans that worked there. He came to Canada at age 18 or 19. He got a job as a tin smith, then he got a job as a carnie and made his way to Vancouver where he worked at the PNE. He eventually opened a steak Restaurant and ran it for a while. He talks about Casinos and Las Vegas. He talks about how he met his wife and their life together.
Oral Interview with Noam Dolgin. Interviewed by April Thompson for Feeding Community podcast. Noam has a degree in Environmental science from UBC and has spent a decade teaching around the connection between Judaism and environmental responsibility at the Teva learning center in New York.
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.
Follow-up interview with Sheila Romalis. Interviewed by Debby Freiman. Sheila talks about growing up in Vancouver during the Cold War, her education, and her involvement in the community. Her husband, Garson "Gary" Romalis, was a gynecologist who specialized in abortions. She talks about their shared beliefs on women's rights, and the attempts made on his life by by antiabortionists.
Interview with Bill Levine. Interviewed by Debby Freiman for The Scribe, 2018. Bill talks about his family's history, his childhood and education in Vancouver, and his career. He also talks about his late brother John Levine (d. April 17, 2012) who had owned and operated John's Pizzarama. Bill discusses his involvement in the community through organizations such as Jewish Committee Foundation and UBC Board of Governors among many others.
Interview with Richard Bass about his father, Sam Bass, who founded London Drugs in 1945. The first store was on 800 Main Street in Vancouver. Around 1961, Sam opened the second London Drugs location on Georgie and Granville. He sold the business to American retail conglomerate Daylin in the late-1960s. Sam tried to buy London Drugs back in 1976; he was unsuccessful and the business was acquired by H.Y. Louie Group. In the late 70s, Sam and a colleague opened the first Real Canadian Superstore in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Throughout his life, Sam Bass was heavily involved in Jewish community in Vancouver, including with the Louis Brier. He died of a heart attack in the 90s.
Interview with Shira Macklin for On The Record: The BC Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project in collaboration with JQT Vancouver. Interviewed by Carmel Tanaka via remote Zoom video call. Shira (she/her) is a Jewish lesbian woman, who was born in Estevan, SK and currently residing in Vancouver. Shira shares about her family origins in England and Russia, and growing up on the Canadian prairies. Shira tells the story behind how she realized she was a lesbian, coming out to her university aged children, and discovering lesbian community in Winnipeg. Shira talks about finding spirituality after experiencing a plane-jacking in India, which led her to the Diamond Approach spirituality school in Colorado and eventually Vancouver. Shira talks about her youth including education, awareness of the Holocaust and early investment in zionism. She talks about her relationship and career histories, and her involvement in Or Shalom. She reflects on women’s/lesbian Seders in Vancouver, and the relationship between the Jewish and queer communities.
