Oral history interview with Leon Braverman who was born in Ganchasti, Bessarbia in 1890. He learned to be a watchmaker in Russia. Started his own watchmaking business which collapsed, he than worked at Birks jewelry store in Vancouver, than Miller's Jewelers.
Oral history interview with Jack Austin who was born in Calgary in 1932 and worked with the BC Liberal party with Arthur Liang on campaigns and on trade negotiations between Canada and US related to water. In Ottawa he worked with Paul Martin and Arthur Liang as well as Prime Ministers Pierre Elliot Trudeau and Jean Chretien in the energy and natural resources sector. He was awarded Mexico's Order of the Aztec Eagle for his services.
Oral history interview with Bernie Simpson who was born in Vancouver in 1942. He started work as a Social Worker influenced by his time at Camp Habonim, than becoming a lawyer and latter a MLA for Fraser View and he worked with Camp Miriam. Bernie was involved in a number of organizations: The Canadian Council of Christians & Jews; UNICEF; BC Paraplegics Association; Trial Lawyers Association; Brain Injury Association of America; The Canadian Bar Association and The Canadian Cancer Society.
Interview with Sharon Kates as part of the Canadian Jewish Congress oral history project. Sharon served on the board of Congress from 1986 to 1989, and chaired the Jewish Parliamentary Affairs Committee for a period of time. She talks about how the committee worked to engage with Members of Parliament.
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.
