Chutzpah! Festival – February 7th – March 3rd

No sooner is the PuSh festival out of the way there is another regular feature festival that is hot on its heels!

PuSh is still happening, check it out

http://pushfestival.ca/

Chutzpah! Returns to Vancouver and is now in its 13th year – this is a festival that began with humble beginnings, and over time, it has grown considerably into one of the most important cultural festivals of our winter calender within the local Jewish Community….it is also designed for everyone to enjoy and you really will have a blast at this festival.

The Festival is primarily based at The Norman Rothstein Theatre where many of the shows will be performing, the theatre is also one of the main hubs for the Jewish community within Vancouver. Take a look at the link below to read more about the theatre and what is going on there.

http://www.normanrothsteintheatre.com/

This year the Festival will be dedicated to the memory of Lisa Nemetz (1955 – 1997) Lisa was a performance dancer, lawyer and a lover of the Arts. She was also known for her tireless advocacy work for the treatment of women with breast cancer. This year the festival will be named in memory of her under the banner of Chutzpah! The Lisa Nemetz International Showcase of Jewish Performing Arts.

The actual meaning behind the word Chutzpah (pronounced: ho’ots-pä) is Imprudence, or in other words offensively bold behavior….this sounds like our cup of tea already! The word originates from the Yiddish language and had quite a negative meaning in Hebrew in the sense that it equates to mean ‘Impertinence’. In the modern English language is has a more positive vibe to it, it is now used to mean as a sense of admiration, that is non conformist and gutsy…..in our mind that is very very Vancouver!

For further information on the shows, times and tickets, please see the link below.

http://chutzpahfestival.com/daily-schedule/

The Jewish community within Vancouver is quite vibrant too, maybe not as large as say the New York community but it is a presence none the less. For further information on the community and tourism please follow the final link below.

http://www.jewishindependent.ca/tourism/index.html