The Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture is a centre for

secular Jewish culture Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not a faith-based religion, but an orthoprax and Ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, practic ...

and

humanistic Judaism Humanistic Judaism ( ''Yahadut Humanistit'') is a Jewish movement that offers a nontheistic alternative to contemporary branches of Judaism. It defines Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people rather than a religio ...

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. The stated purpose of the Peretz Centre is to "provide a quality alternative approach to Jewish life through the appreciation of Jewish history and culture in the context of world history, and the celebration of secular (non-religious) and humanist Jewish traditions." The Peretz Centre is affiliated with the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews, Cultural and Secular Jewish Organizations, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. With roots including the Jewish Bund, the Peretz remains committed to social justice and diversity. Though as a cultural organization it doesn't take a position on Israeli, Canadian or world politics, it is associated with Vancouver's Jewish left community.

History

Social gathering at Peretz School and Progressive Club

The Vancouver Peretz Institute, also known as the Vancouver Peretz Shule, was founded in 1945 at 13th Avenue and Birch Street in response to the threat to

Jewish culture Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not a faith-based religion, but an orthoprax and ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, practice, and identity. Jewi ...

and

Yiddish language Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

posed by the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The Centre was named after

Isaac Leib Peretz Isaac Leib Peretz ( pl, Icchok Lejbusz Perec, yi, יצחק־לייבוש פרץ) (May 18, 1852 – April 3, 1915), also sometimes written Yitskhok Leybush Peretz was a Polish Jewish writer and playwright writing in Yiddish. Payson R. Stevens, Cha ...

, who, along with Sholem Aleichem and Mendele Mochim Sforim, is one of the "fathers of

Yiddish literature Yiddish literature encompasses all those belles-lettres written in Yiddish language, Yiddish, the language of Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic Jewry which is related to Middle High German. The history of Yiddish, with its roots in central Europe and locus ...

and culture." In 1959–1960 it had 118 children, but by 1971 its enrolment had dropped to below 50. In 2001, a new building was constructed at the same location, and the name was changed to the "Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture".

Programs

The Peretz Centre runs a two-year bnei mitzvah program, a coming-of-age ceremony for boys and girls, that focuses on developing a connection to Jewish heritage through learning about

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, and their nation, religion, and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions, and cultures. Although Judaism as a religion first appears in Greek records during the Hellenisti ...

and culture. The Centre also hosts the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir, which performs

Jewish songs Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

in Yiddish,

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

Ladino Ladino, derived from Latin, may refer to: * The register of Judaeo-Spanish used in the translation of religious texts, such as the Ferrara Bible *Ladino people, a socio-ethnic category of Mestizo or Hispanicized people in Central America especi ...

, and English. In addition, the Peretz Centre has Yiddish classes, Sholem Aleichem Speakers Series (SASS), Exploring Jewish Writers (EJW), and regularly hosts secular humanist versions of

Jewish holidays Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...

. It is also home to the Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia, Ahavat Olam Synagogue, Jewish Food Bank storage and distribution, MOST/Bridge Russian Seniors, and the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival.

Pandemic

During the current restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, all Peretz programs and shabbes/holiday observances have moved online.

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control Humanistic Judaism Jews and Judaism in Vancouver Secular Jewish culture in Canada Education in Vancouver Buildings and structures in Vancouver Community centres in Canada Culture of Vancouver Educational institutions established in 1945 1945 establishments in British Columbia