We want to have an opportunity for people to know that Israeli culture is not just politics
, says Alison Cristall, assistant director of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Vancouver, which organized the event. Despite constant rain, determined festival-goers attended performances while enjoying food from local producers.
When I say I’m proud of Israel, that doesn’t mean I’m proud of the government, proud of the war. For me, that means I’m proud of the culture, of the fact that we’re here
, says 17-year-old Mairav Robens-Paradise, who was promoting her summer camp. His parents are Israelis.
I have already experienced anti-Semitism, things that no one wants to experience. So to be proud of Israel is to be proud of my religion, proud of my people.
Mairav Robens-Paradise sometimes feels further from her Israeli roots because she does not speak Hebrew, but it is all the more important for her to be present at the festival.
Photo: Radio-Canada / William Burr
Maybe we have a judgment in relation to a culture
says Alison Cristall. The festival is an opportunity to know that this culture is much larger than we imagine.
Israeli culture is a mixture of influences. Israel is a slow cooker, especially when it comes to food. You have the cuisine of the Iraqi Jews, and the cuisine of the Moroccan Jews, the German cuisine
explains chef Daphna Kedem, who sells her quiches and pies at the festival.
A diversity of beliefs and cultures
The participants of the festival arrived there by different paths. For example, the artist Maxine Woogman, who sells her paintings there, is Jewish, but not Israeli, and recognizes herself in Jewish culture even if she is not religious.
Artist Maxine Woogman: “Judaism has always meant family, community, and food. Israel is also important. »
Photo: Radio-Canada / William Burr
Daphna Kedem, for her part, has lived most of her life in Israel. The cook feels a wave of nostalgia when she hears the people around her speaking Hebrew at the festival: It’s a small community in Vancouver and we’re not all connected. What brings us together is this festival. What brings us together is the language, the food, the dance and the songs. It brings us home.
Ms Kedem started her business from home at the start of the pandemic when she feared losing her job. She now rents kitchen space and has hired employees. However, while her vegan chicken pot pie is selling well, Middle Eastern-inspired flavors like a shawarma pie haven’t found a huge following in Vancouver.
As for the teenager Mairav Robens-Paradise, she sometimes feels far from her roots because unlike her family, she does not speak Hebrew. I think it’s sad for my parents. It is difficult for them
, she laments. On the other hand, she learned French at school: It’s even more important for me to be at the festival. I want to show my parents that it’s important for me to be Jewish and to participate in the culture.
Daphna Kedem, left, who started a vegan pie business during the pandemic, has lived in Israel for a long time.
Photo: Radio-Canada / William Burr
A secure festival
Security issues are never far from the Jewish community. There is a police presence at the festival. Bag checks are carried out at the entrance, and a line of parked cars acts as a barricade to protect against a car-ramming attack.
About this security, festival-goers of Israeli origin are used to it. If you frequent any post office, bank or mall in Israel, you must open your bag before you can enter
explains Daphna Kedem.
Canada is slower, calmer
she says.
That’s why we’re here, somehow
intervenes his friend Zack Levi. We try to get away from all this chaos.
The festival ends Sunday evening with an evening of Hebrew singing followed by a dancing party.
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca