Interview with Yosef Wosk, interviewed by Carol Herbert. Yosef speaks about his family’s history in Ukraine and Russia and how pogroms and anti-Semitism led to their immigration to Vancouver, Canada. Yosef discusses his father’s beginnings in Vancouver and the growth of the Wosk business as peddlers in the furniture business, primarily in South Granville. He talks about his upbringing and relationship to his family and their immense presence in both the Jewish and business community. He speaks about his lengthy education at numerous secular institutions and rabbinic schooling at two Yeshivas and with scholars in North America and Israel. Yosef discusses his career as a rabbi in North America and his directing of interdisciplinary programs at Simon Fraser University.

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 History of Susan Quastel. Mrs. Quastel was born in Amsterdam in 1923. During the early part of WW2 she worked at the Jewish Hospital in Amsterdam. After the war she moved to London, where she had family. While in the UK, she trained to be a nurse at Charing Cross Hospital. She then went to Israel, where her sister lived, and worked at Hadassah Hospital. During her time in Israel, she met her husband, who was from Vancouver, at the Hebrew University. She moved to Canada with him and they got married here. In Vancouver, she worked for many Jewish organizations including Hadassah, The National Council of Jewish Women, the Vancouver chapter of Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University, and the Zack Gallery.

Oral Interview with Stacey Lederman for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Perry Seidelman. Stacey talks briefly about her family history and growing up in Tsawwassen. Her post-secondary education led her to working in business and finance, but having children changed her career path after not working for more than a decade. Stacey discusses her introduction to recreational art classes in Vancouver and how attention from peers quickly saw her realize her talent, and also book her first art show. She describes her work as mixed-media, which includes using different mediums such as acrylics, ink, resin, and photography. Stacey talks about how she is drawn to edgy, colourful pieces including graffiti which can be seen in her own art pieces. Stacey talks about the artists who inspire her as the motivations behind her pieces. Stacey discusses the theme of hearts in her work, art crawls, and her favourite pieces of work. She speaks about how visiting Israel inspired her, and how things like real life, emotion and intuition informs her art practice.

Oral History Interview with Sima Elizabeth Shefrin for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Brynn Gillies. Shefrin was born in Ottawa in 1949. . She is married to Bob Bossin, a Canadian folk musician, and they live together on Gabriola Island. She spent her youth part-time in Italy, surrounded by family fabric-workers and tailors. She describes how this informed her enthusiasm for fabric as a medium, and how she aims to convey stories through sewn projects. The name of Shefrin’s studio as well as her website is Stitching for Social Change, which she explains how she does fabric arts while integrating folk art tradition with activism, including feminism, anti-war sentiments, and reclamation of her Jewish heritage. Most notably, Shefrin tells the story of the Middle East Peace Quilt which aimed to discuss what peace would look like between Israel and Palestine with participants sending her quilt squares with their visions of peace from around the world. Shefrin also shares her exploration of comic and illustrative arts working on Jewish themed children's books and comics about her own life, including her husband's cancer diagnosis and life over the Covid pandemic.