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Selina Robinson

Interview with Selina Robinson 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. Selina (she/her) is a Jewish politician who is the mother of a gay son. She is an NDP representative and Member of Legislative Assembly of BC residing in Coquitlam. Selina talks about growing up Jewish in Montreal, and Richmond, BC where the Jewish community was much smaller. She talks about organizing community-led Jewish education in Burquest that focused on inclusion of all sects of Judaism during the ‘90s. Selina talks about working for Jewish Family Services, and their attempts to make safe spaces for gay Jewish kids and their parents. She talks about guidance from her son Aaron, who is similarly pursuing queer Jewish community initiatives. She also tells an anecdote about Aaron’s coming out and how his leaving for university worried her about his preparedness for the world at large. Selina talks about Aaron being openly Jewish growing up and creating positive spaces for him to share his Jewishness with non-Jewish peers, but the difficulties of not knowing the perfect way to parent a queer kid as a straight parent. She also talks about Aaron inviting her to Shabbat dinner with Pride Colours and how proud she was. Selina talks about how Jewish organizations can become more welcoming to queer Jews by including queer Jews in their leadership and becoming more self-reflective.

Syd Lapan

Interview with Syd Lapan 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. Syd is a Jewish lesbian born in Denver, CO and currently residing on Gabriola Island. She talks about her family’s transition from a well-to-do background in Eastern Europe to starting over again in American midwest. She talks about her and her sister meeting a half-sister that her mother had put up for adoption at the time of WWII. Syd talks about going to university and being taken under the wing of a lesbian couple that she remained friends with for 50 years. She also talks about a gay friend who introduced her to gay activism. Syd talks about her varied education, and moving to Canada with a Canadian partner after attending Queen’s University. She talks about misogyny she experienced as a woman in the tech industry. Syd talks about the Jewish lesbian community in Denver, and also encountering antisemitism in the lesbian community. She talks about how music runs in her family, and how she reconnected with music through choir and the Klezbians. Syd talks about her profession as a private investigator and a significant relationship in her life with a woman named Carolyn. Syd closes by reflecting on her activism and the importance of following one’s heart.

Faye Hassall

Oral history interview with Faye Hassall. Interview conducted by Daniella Givon on December 3, 2020 in Vancouver, BC.

Richard Bass

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.

Ralph Zbarsky

Number: CA JMABC A.1971.001-20.20-05
Name: Ralph Zbarsky
Interviewer: Bill Gruenthal
Date: February 18, 2020
Place: Vancouver, BC
Project: The Jewish Historical Society of B.C. Oral History Project

Summary:
00:00 Bill Gruenthal (interviewer) introduces himself and then asks Ralph Zbarsky (interviewee) to do the same.
00:53 Zbarsky was born in 1948 in Deep River, Ontario. This town was near Chalk River, the site of the Atomic Energy Commission where his father worked as a scientist.
1:21 His father’s name was Sidney Howard Zbarsky to conduct research on isotopes that could be used as an antidote to nerve gasses that had been used during the Second World War. Sidney Howard’s research has been cited as recently as in the Gulf Wars. Zbarsky notes that this is why he was the first Jewish baby in Chalk River.
2:11 Zbarsky’s mother’s name was Miriam Zbarsky (nee [Frankel]). She had a degree in economics and met Zbarsky’s father at the University of Toronto while they were both studying there.
3:02 Zbarsky’s paternal grandparents were from Russia and came to Vancouver and opened a successful tailoring business. The Frankels (maternal grandparents) came to Vancouver from Eastern Europe via Palestine and also set up a business. He notes that they were also Labour Zionists. Both Zbarksy and his brother, Johnathan, are electrical engineers. Johnathan is two years younger and their sister Deborah is six years younger. Deborah is a financial advisor and is fluent in Japanese.
5:48 Zbarsky married Catherine Zbarsky (nee [Everall]) in 1971. They have a son named Michael and daughter, Jordana. Both Michael and Jordana each have one son and one daughter totaling four grandchildren.
6:41 Zbarsky and Catherine met at Camp Hatikvah. He was working there as a lifeguard while she was one of the councillors. At the time, they were both going to UBC, her for Education and him for Engineering.
7:21 Zbarksy’s father moved the family to St. Paul’s for a short time while he went to the University of Minnesota. In 1950 he was recruited to UBC to be the first member of the Faculty of Medicine. He played a role in recruiting the rest of the faculty and designed much of the curriculum although he was a biochemist rather than a medical doctor. He worked at UBC until his retirement in 1985.
9:06 Zbarsky met three Nobel Laureates while his father was employed at UBC. The Nobel Laureates he met were Dr. Francis Crick, Dr. Gobind Khurana and Dr. Michael Smith. A symposium at UBC was established in Sydney Howard’s name as well as the Dr. S.H. Zbarsky Scholarship.
12:32 Zbarsky describes how the scholarship at UBC in his father’s name is awarded to a graduate student of biochemistry who is working towards their PhD and it is awarded based on peer recommendations. Zbarsky also notes how privileged he was to be able to drive to UBC with his father every day.
13:15 Sydney Howard partnered with Dr. Marvin Weintraub to establish a Judaic Studies program at UBC in the early seventies.
13:31 He mentions his father’s involvement with other Jewish professors at UBC and the [‘Stern Gang’].
13:57 Zbarsky tells the story of how his parents started the Metropolitan Biological Laboratories in 1963. They would perform medical tests that hospitals were not equipped to do at the time in their basement. Eventually the business grew to need more office and laboratory space and they had several thousand employees. Eventually the company was called LifeLabs. They eventually sold the laboratories because they were worried the provincial government would take over private labs.
19:20 Sydney Howard was President of Talmud Torah, helped ensure loans for Jewish community members and was a member of Beth Israel Synagogue.
20:04 Miriam Zbarsky’s degree was in Home Economics but she helped in the laboratories and performed some of the tests. She was also active in Hadassah, Talmud Torah and spoke some Yiddish.
22:07 Deborah Zbarksy never married or had children. Johnathan Zbarsky has three children. Zbarsky was named after his uncle, also named Ralph who served in the Canadian Navy. He never met his uncle because Ralph was on the last ship to be torpedoed during the Second World War.
24:44 Zbarksy recounts his time working for BC Hydro in high voltage engineering. He left BC Hydro in 1986 after designing the company’s site for Expo ’86. Then he was recruited to the City of New Westminster which had a separate utility system. He worked as a consultant for several years after his retirement since high voltage engineering is not a popular career anymore. Zbarsky then recounts some of his hobbies including building and racing race cars as well as playing the symphonic clarinet. He also runs triathlons in order to stay healthy and be a good example for his grandchildren.
27:38 Zbarksy recounts his education. The schools he attended were Talmud Torah, Emily Carr Elementary, Eric Hamber Secondary and UBC where he graduated in 1971.
28:27 Zbarsky helped out with some students’ capstone engineering projects at UBC. He fears for high voltage systems such as the ones he worked on because it is not a widely taught field anymore and there will not be enough specialized engineers to maintain them. Gruenthal mentions that his brother graduated from electrical engineering in the fifties.
30:27 Zbarsky speaks some French and Hebrew and is learning Punjabi to more easily communicate with others who are also involved in racing.
31:02 Gruenthal asks Zbarsky if he has ever played with an orchestra. To which Zbarksy replies no, he plays for enjoyment and is trained by Gene Ramsbottom who is a renowned clarinetist. He also notes that he has tried to teach his grandchildren music.
33:51 Zbarsky recounts how mist of his work has been in BC. He laid hundreds of kilometres of high voltage cables and was part of the construction of the Stave Falls Generating System.
36:04 Gruenthal asks Zbarsky about his involvement in the local Jewish community. Zbarsky mentions how he knew the Leonoffs through their friendship with his in-laws and wife.
37:37 Zbarsky discusses some of his work in mentoring other triathletes. He does not consider himself a competitive triathlete anymore but likes to complete the races.
38:39 He describes his racing hobby. He has raced all over North America and his son is also involved.
39:52 Gruenthal asks Zbarsky to talk further talk about his siblings. Zbarsky tells of how he went to visit his sister Deborah in Japan during the eighties and that she still speaks Japanese. She is also involved in some local Jewish organizations.
41:14 Johnathan Zbarsky was involved at Talmud Torah when his children attended the school. Zbarsky’s kids also went to Talmud Torah. Now Michael lives in Courtenay and Jordana in Burnaby.
42:22 Michael is able to connect with Lubavitch when they come to Courtenay. Zbarsky celebrates some major Jewish holidays with his grandchildren.
42:59 Gruenthal and Zbarksy discuss real estate and Zbarsky’s move to a condo in the Jericho area.
44:32 Zbarsky says how he wanted to keep his father’s involvement in the medical field alive. Gruenthal discusses how he and the board wanted those who had involvement in that field to do oral history interviews. Zbarsky mentions how many people in the medical field currently will ask him if he is related to Sydney Howard because they had taken his classes at UBC.
46:04 Gruenthal thanks Zbarsky for his participation and urges his to keep up with his membership.
46:32 End of interview.

Zena Simces

Number: CA JMABC A.1971.001-20.20-07
Name: Zena Simces
Interviewer: David Schwartz
Date: Unspecified, 2020
Place: Zoom
Project: The Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia Oral History Project

Summary:
00:00: David Schwartz introduces himself and then asks Zena Simces, who is being interviewed to introduce herself as well. Both of Simces’ parents were born in Poland. Simces discusses her time growing up in Winnipeg and her parents’ involvement in the Jewish community.
3:05: Simces discusses her establishment of a lecture series with the Atlantic Centre for Human Rights in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She became involved with Canadian Jewish Congress when she moved to Vancouver. She was Chair of the Community Relations Committee as well as Vice-Chair of the board.
5:18: Simces discusses what she believes is the main mission of the CJC. She mentions the large role the CJC played in advocating for Jewish concerns and educating the rest of the community about those concerns and addressing anti-Semitism.
6:48: Simces mentions some of the other groups and organizations that the CJC had strong relationships with including S.U.C.C.E.S.S, other ethnic groups and religious leaders. The CJC was always well-prepared and well-respected.
8:58: Simces recounts the role the CJC played in the Hate Crimes Legislation and Holocaust Remembrance Day. Simces herself was appointed to the Human Rights Advisory Council.
10:35: Schwartz asks Simces what she is most proud of accomplishing during her time at the CJC. She is very proud of the establishment of Holocaust Remembrance Day. But she wishes more members of the Jewish community were involved politically.
11:52: The speakers discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the reorganization of the CJC structure in 2003 and then again in 2011.
17:21: Schwartz asks Simces about her current involvement in Jewish advocacy. Simces speaks of the founding of the Simces and Rabkin Family Dialogue on Human Rights.
21:15: End of interview.

Gyda Chud

Number: CA JMABC A.1971.001-20.20-08
Name: Gyda Chud
Interviewer: Debby Freiman
Date: May 12th, 2020
Place: Vancouver, BC, via Zoom
Project: The Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia Oral History Project

Summary:
00:00: Debby Freiman begins to introduce Gyda Chud, a male voice interrupts her.
00:37: Freiman introduces herself and Chud who are meeting over Zoom. Gyda was born in 1947 and has lived in Vancouver all of her life.
1:53: Gyda has a sister named Rita who kept the full version of their last name, Chudnovsky. Her mother, Gallia Chud was ninety-seven at the time of the interview but her father, Ben Chud had died many years prior. Gallia’s family came from Belarus while Ben’s came from Russia. Gallia’s family lived in Winnipeg. Ben and Gallia met in Toronto and married before coming to Vancouver.
3:56: Chud describes how her parents came to Vancouver and were met by several other community members at the train station. The Chuds arrived to help start the new Peretz school in Vancouver.
6:15: Chud mentions several families that were influential in the beginning of the Peretz school such as the Sarkins, Wynes, [Oberbachs]. The Peretz school was initially in an old Tudor style house on Broadway.
8:20: Gallia Chud was involved in parent’s organizations at Peretz. The students used to be at Peretz school twice a week and on Sunday mornings.
10:03: Chud explains the original secular humanist approach of the Peretz school. The children were taught Yiddish rather than Hebrew. Chud was an early childhood education professional.
13:23: Chud recalls performing plays in the auditorium of the old Peretz school building on the holidays.
16:14: Chud describes having her father as a teacher and his teaching style that attempted to be more interactive and engaging for the students.
18:00: Ben Chud left Peretz school in order to complete his high school education. He then went on to get his Master’s of Social Work and taught at the School of Social Work at UBC.
19:42: The two speakers discuss their memories of Ben Chud’s successor, [Label Bossman].
21:40: Chud describes a group she is part of called the Exploring Jewish Authors Group.
23:30: Chud describes making latkes for the holidays while attending Peretz. She also describes a secular humanist Haggadah that was developed at Peretz.
28:10: Chud tells the story of how the P’nei Mitzvah program and celebration came about.
35:35: The speakers discuss their memories and knowledge of Sara Sarkin.
37:06: Chud discusses the adult programming at Peretz including the Sholom Aleichem Speaker Series. She also discusses the other regular activities and classes that go on at the Peretz Centre.
41:06: The speakers discuss the rumours about the Peretz Centre being a place for communists. Chud rationalizes that people who saw the photo of I.L. Peretz on the wall may have thought he was a Russian man and a communist influencer.
44:30: Chud mentions her son and that he and his wife were married in the Peretz auditorium.
46:31: Freiman asks Chud about the population of Jewish people in Vancouver and how many are regularly involved in the Peretz Centre. Chud mentions that many local Jewish people don’t even know that Peretz exists.
49:18: Chud describes her happiness that the Peretz Centre has become a gathering place for the Jewish community and its organizations.
50:52: The Peretz Centre has several levels of Yiddish classes.
51:44: Chud describes how one of the teachers visited several Jewish families in the Squamish area and described the Peretz services and programs. She also tells of a program where children in the P’nei Mitzvah program gather with students from an Islamic school to learn from each other and cook for the poor of the area.
54:50: End of interview.

Marsha Ablowitz

Interview with Marsha Ablowitz as part of the BC Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project, in collaboration with JQT Vancouver. In part 1, Marsha shares her experience being both lesbian and Jewish in BC. She worked as a social worker in both the Jewish and general communities in Vancouver. Marsha taught the first self-defense classes for women in the city. The classes were held at the University of British Columbia. In part 2, Marsha discusses her late uncle, Max Dexall. She talks about his life as a gay man in Vancouver and shares her own personal stories about him.

More detailed summaries are provided on the respective Part 1 and Part 2 pages nested herein.

Herb Silber

Interview with Herb SIlber as part of the Canadian Jewish Congress oral history project. Herb discusses his role as an honorary legal counsel with CJC, including the work he did on combating hate crimes in Canada.

Jack Huberman

Interview with Jack Huberman 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. Jack (he/him) is a gay Jewish man born in Calgary, Alberta. Jack talks about his family’s origins in Poland and his parents’ livelihoods as grocers and property owners upon immigrating to Canada. Jack shares he realized he was gay very late in life, and how little dialogue about being queer and Jewish at the time made him reluctant to ‘come out’ within his Jewish community in Vancouver. He discusses the writing and mentorship of Rabbi Gil Steinlauf as a catalyst for understanding his sexuality within a Jewish context, though shares how ‘coming out’ did not make him feel welcomed across all parts of his Jewish community, including his own congregation. Jack talks about his desire to foster a greater awareness and acceptance for queer Jews. He discusses his experiences through school, including how he eventually became lawyer, and volunteering throughout the Jewish community in Vancouver. Jack closes by talking about his immediate family, including his husband, children, and grandchildren, and the importance of treating others equally and maintaining good relationships with those around you.

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