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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.

Pat Johnson

Interview with Pat Johnson 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. Pat (he/him) is a non-Jewish gay man who is a prominent figure in Jewish journalism in Vancouver. Pat talks about how he was introduced to Jewish culture and community throughout his education, including taking Jewish Studies at McGill, and political organizing on campus. Pat talks about returning to Vancouver, pursuing journalism school and writing for Xtra which eventually introduced him to the Jewish Western Bulletin. He talks about his 25 year history of working for the JWB, now Jewish Independent, including the story of how he came to co-own the paper. Pat talks about the changing attitudes to LGBTQ and interfaith issues within Vancouver’s Jewish institutions, and Jewish institutions participating in Vancouver Pride. Pat and Carmel discuss a vigil Pat organized for Carmel’s cousin who was murdered in Israel for being gay. Pat talks about experiencing anti-Zionism within the Queer Film Festival community. He also talks about Jewish Family Services and their attempts to offer queer programming. Pat closes by reflecting on the most significant works of his career and academics he admires.

Reva Hutkin

Part 1 of interview with Reva Hutkin 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. Reva (she/her) is a Jewish lesbian who was born in Montreal and residing in Victoria, B.C. Reva recalls her parents and grandparents and their origins in Eastern Europe and livelihoods in Montreal. Reva discusses realizing she was a lesbian while in a heterosexual marriage at age 21 and the distance her family kept when coming out, though finding acceptance being out in her communities, both in person and online. Reva describes her school life growing up with sports and literature, but also antisemitism and fear of communism in Montreal. She talks about university life, working in offices and prominent relationships she hard throughout her adulthood including her current partner Julie. She talks about how she ended up in B.C., how her and Julie met, and having a partner that is also Jewish. Reva talks about her children and grandchildren and how they’ve accepted her as a lesbian, and how they relate to Judaism in their own ways. She closes with the reflection of the importance of self-work and personal change.

Reva Hutkin

Interview with Reva Hutkin as part of the BC Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project, in collaboration with JQT Vancouver. In part 1, Reva shares her experience being both lesbian and Jewish in Canada. Reva discusses not being accepted by her family. In part 2, Reva talks about her involvement in a Jewish LGBTQ+ group called HaChud. In part 3, Reva discusses a feminist Haggadah and lesbian Seders.

More detailed summaries are provided on the respective Part 1, 2, 3 pages nested herein.

Julie Elizabeth

Interview with Julie Elizabeth 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. Julie (she/her) is a queer Jewish woman, born in Toronto and residing in Victoria, B.C. Julie shares about her parents’ lives in Toronto and family origins based in Russia. She talks about various childhood memories including the close relationships with her father and sister, but also the struggles of family members living with mental illness. Julie talks about rediscovering her father’s family connections in Montreal, leading her back to family history in France. Julie talks about discovering her bisexuality and being discouraged from coming out to her mother. She also talks about her journey with Judaism: as a child alienated from upper class Jewish kids in Toronto, to having a bat mitzvah on her 65th birthday after feeling acceptance and belonging on Salt Spring Island with her partner Reva. Julie talks about her education and career changes over her life. She talks about living with Reva and being accepted by her family. She closes with advice to ‘follow ones bliss’ and anecdotes about trying other religions like Wicca to find herself, and ultimately her way back to Judaism.

Jeannie Kamins

Oral Interview with Jeannie Kamins for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Bill Gruenthal. Jean was born in San Francisco, California. She offers an extensive history of her family’s roots in Europe and early American settlement, and shares about her marriages, children both biological and fostered. Jean stayed in California until she was 28, before she moved to Canada in protest of the Vietnam War. She talks about how she has always been entrenched in politics and public demonstration for causes such as Women's Rights, Black Rights and against conflicts in North America and abroad. Reflecting on her time as an arts student, Jean decided to make her art her permanent way of protest. Jean talks about doing political commentary in public murals, having her art used in event posters and sending a message through an expressive style. Jean shares her recent interest in erotic art, and how some of her previous art has been too risque for some gallery shows. Jean also talks about her volunteerism with the 411 Seniors Centre as well as food banks, as she says she doesn’t do art as much as she did before. Jean describes her most recent project which is a collaborative erotic calendar she is working on, alongside grant writing to raise funds for arts in the Seniors Centre where she volunteers.

Elliot Dano

Oral history interview with Elliot Dano. Interviewed by Victor Neuman in Vancouver on October 25, 2018.

Jessica Freedman

Oral Interview with Jessica Freedman for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Daniella Givon via remote Zoom call. Jessica was born in Montreal, but recalls moving around as a child to Israel and back to Canada where she grew up in Calgary. She explains immediate family history which included her mother who was a professional actor, and her father and brother who are musicians. She was primarily introduced to the arts through dance and music, though eventually was trained in visual arts at Simon Fraser University. She describes her different careers as a dancer, choreographer, accountant and yoga studio owner and instructor, but pursued arts full time after quitting her job to take care of her mother who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Jessica explains how her painting style transitioned from realism to more expressive abstracts over time, and how she is inspired by emotions and colour. She also discusses how she is motivated by nature and chaos, collaborating on commissions, and the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, having her art contribute as a light to the world.

Gerry Cuttler

Interview with Gerry Cuttler as part of the Canadian Jewish Congress oral history project.

Norman Epstein

Number: CA JMABC A.1971.001-20.18-47
Name: Norman Epstein
Interviewer: Penny Goldsmith
Date: November 21st, 2018
Place: Vancouver, BC
Project: The Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia Oral History Project

Summary:
00:00: The interviewer, Penny Goldsmith, introduces herself and Norman Epstein, who is being interviewed on behalf of the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir and the Jewish Museum and Archives of BC. Epstein describes his parents’ immigration to Canada, his childhood and his parents’ business.
6:14: Epstein describes his education and adult life. He eventually moved to Vancouver and received a position at the University of British Columbia.
8:09: Epstein recounts the religious education he had as a child in Montreal.
10:02: Epstein’s love of singing led him to eventually join the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir. He mentions the conductor when he was first there was Cyril Freedman.
13:15: Goldsmith asks Epstein what he thinks is important about the choir. He responds that the choir is probably more important to the members than to the larger community.
13:56: Epstein recalls some ways he thinks the choir could evolve.
15:02: Epstein notes some of his favourite songs that he liked to sing when he was in the choir. He still has much of the music that they used in the choir.
17:41: End of interview.

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