Historic Walking Tours of Jewish Strathcona & Gastown
These popular tours are back for a 4th season! We’ve got new stories to tell and new sites to explore. Discover the fascinating tales of life in the heart of the early Jewish community in Vancouver.
In the 1880s and 1890s, the town of Granville quickly became the city of Vancouver following the arrival of the transcontinental railway. Jews participated in the city’s economic growth, political incorporation and cultural development. Jewish businesses opened in Gastown and a wave of Eastern European immigration from the 1890s to the 1920s made Strathcona the new centre of British Columbia’s Jewish population. In Strathcona, the Eastern European Jewish immigrants shared the Yiddish language, a religion, and concerns common to new immigrants in a foreign land. They soon established a synagogue, a mikvah (ritual bath), and cheder (Hebrew school) to meet their religious needs.
"...I remember when I went to Strathcona School, where I went until I was 8 years old, there was a statement going around then that Strathcona was the home of 95 different nationalities. And it may very well have been true. So I went to school with Chinese and Japanese, there were substantial colonies there. There were Italians, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, lots of immigrants of various kinds. But it was the centre of Jewish life." - Sam Rothstein
A tour guide from the Jewish Museum and Archives of BC will provide insight into the landmarks, architecture, events and evolution of Gastown and Strathcona districts, while sharing anecdotes of Jewish daily life in the area. The tour lasts 2 hours and is approximately 2 kilometers in distance.
2010 Summer Walking Tour Dates
All tours begin at 1:30 pm
Fridays:
June 11
June 25
July 2
July 23
August 13
August 27
Sundays:
June 6
June 20
July 18
August 8
August 22
Special Tours
Sunday, June 6: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Presented with Chabad of Downtown Vancouver. Tour ends at Chabad of Downtown Vancouver (633 Prior Street), the new Jewish presence in Strathcona. Dessert and light refreshments will be served at Chabad. Donations accepted.
Saturday, July 24: 10:00am - 12:30pm
Presented with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. To register for this tour, click here
Friday, August 27: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Jewish/Japanese Strathcona: Presented with the Japanese Canadian National Museum A tour guide from the Japanese Canadian National Museum will provide insight into the history of Vancouver's old Japantown. The tour will focus on Strathcona and Powell Street landmarks.
WHERE TO MEET?
Tours meet at 700 E. Pender St. (corner of East Pender Street and Heatley Avenue) in Strathcona, in front of the original Schara Tzedeck Synagogue. Parking is available on nearby residential streets and site is accesible via public transit as well.
Tickets
$10 per person & includes a copy of the booklet, In the Footsteps of Jewish Vancouver – 1886 to 2006.
Group Rates- $75 for parties of 8 to 10 people. RSVP required.
Reservations:
Group Tour reservations and tickets can be arranged by calling the Jewish Museum & Archives of BC at (604) 257-5199 or by emailing info@jewishmuseum.ca.
Partnering organizations:
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact the Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia
At (604) 257-5199 or email info@jewishmuseum.ca
