Koffler Gallery
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Koffler Arts is a broad-based cultural institution established in 1977 by Murray and Marvelle Koffler and based at Artscape Youngplace in the
West Queen West Queen Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original eas ...
area of downtown
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
.


History

Koffler Arts was established in 1977 as part of the
Bathurst Jewish Community Centre The Prosserman Jewish Community Centre is a Jewish Community Centre for the Toronto area. It is located along Bathurst Street in the Bathurst Manor neighborhood of Toronto. History The Bathurst Jewish Community Centre was founded in 1930 as th ...
(BJCC) in the
North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...
area of Toronto on Bathurst Street. On July 1, 2009, the Koffler was incorporated as an independent not-for-profit charitable organization. The Koffler was home to the Jewish Book Fair (1977-2011), the Toronto Jewish Literary Festival (2012-2014) and the Koffler Chamber Orchestra (2005-2014). In 2008, Koffler Arts was rebranded and restructured, with a multidisciplinary program department that ran complementary to the Koffler Gallery. Unlike the Gallery, with its mandate to exhibit, interpret, and document works in the visual arts, focusing on contemporary Canadian art and programming of interest to the Jewish community, the multidisciplinary programs focused more specifically on Jewish arts and culture from Canada and internationally. The Koffler Gallery moved its programming off-site in 2009 when the original Koffler Gallery was demolished along with the BJCC. Koffler multidisciplinary programs were also programmed off-site around the GTA, with events located downtown, mid-town and the north GTA (Vaughan/Thornhill). In 2013, after five years programming off-site, Koffler Arts opened its administrative offices and a new Koffler Gallery at Artscape Youngplace in downtown Toronto. The Artscape Youngplace facilities showcase Koffler Gallery exhibitions, public programs, expanded school and education programs, as well as programs in partnership with Artscape Youngplace tenants and other neighbourhood organizations. Koffler multidisciplinary programs (concerts, literary events, artist residencies, theatre programs, lectures/talks and more) now take place at Artscape Youngplace, as well as various locations across the GTA. Starting in summer 2014, the Koffler no longer offers studio classes in visual art and ceramics at the Prosserman JCC on Sherman Campus (at Bathurst and Sheppard). Classes at that location are now offered under the management of the Prosserman JCC.


Leadership and Funding

From 2001 to 2014, Tiana Koffler Boyman was the Board Chair. From 2006 to 2013, Lori Starr, former Senior Vice President and Museum Director,
Skirball Cultural Center The Skirball Cultural Center, founded in 1996, is a Jewish educational institution in Los Angeles, California. The center, named after philanthropist couple Jack H. Skirball and Audrey Skirball-Kenis, has a museum with regularly changing exhi ...
(2001–2006) and former Director of Public Affairs and Communications, the
J. Paul Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California, United States, housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. It is operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's wealthies ...
and
J. Paul Getty Trust The J. Paul Getty Trust is the world's wealthiest art institution, with an estimated endowment of US$7.7 billion in 2020. Based in Los Angeles, California, it operates the J. Paul Getty Museum, which has two locations—the Getty Center in the ...
, Los Angeles (1986–2001), was the Executive Director. In February 2013, Starr left the Koffler for the position of Executive Director of the
Contemporary Jewish Museum The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) is a non-collecting museum at 736 Mission Street at Yerba Buena Lane in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The museum, which was founded in 1984, is located in the histori ...
in San Francisco. From 2014 to 2019, Cathy Jonasson was the Koffler Arts’ Executive Director. Karen Tisch was Executive Director from 2019 to 2021. Koffler Arts is supported and funded by the Koffler Family Foundation as well as its patrons, members, donors and corporate sponsors. The Centre receives annual support from the
Ontario Arts Council The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is a publicly funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to foster the creation and production of art for the benefit of all Ontarians. Based in Toronto, OAC was founded in 1963 by O ...
through the Community and Multidisciplinary Arts Organizations Program, and received funding in 2013 for renovations to its new space at Artscape Youngplace through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
CIBC Wood Gundy CIBC Wood Gundy is the Canadian full-service retail brokerage division of CIBC World Markets Inc., a subsidiary of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Through its network of over 1,000 investment advisors working in 80 locations acro ...
is the Koffler’s Cultural Season Sponsor (2009–present). The Centre receives financial support from the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, and is included on the list of the UJA Federation’s Partner Agencies, Programs & Departments. The Koffler Gallery is a public gallery supported by the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council and the
Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study a ...
. Fundraising to support the Koffler’s diverse programs is achieved through several charitable events, philanthropic donations to its exhibitions and programs, and galas. Two fundraisers in 2009, ARTFUL DISH and The Wrecking Ball, were catalysts to support expansion of programs and reach new audience members and patrons. In 2010, the ballet gala ‘’Stars of the 21st Century’' was the Koffler’s major fundraiser. In 2012, the Koffler partnered with
Luminato The Luminato Festival, Toronto's International Festival of Arts and Ideas, is an annual celebration of the arts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, launched in 2007. In its first decade, Luminato presented over 3,000 performances featuring 11,000 artist ...
, Toronto’s Festival of Arts and Creativity, to present the opening night of
Batsheva Dance Company The Batsheva Dance Company (Hebrew: להקת בת שבע) is a renowned dance company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild in 1964. Its inception was inspired by Israel's growing inter ...
‘s North American premiere performance of ‘’Sadeh21’'. Funds raised from the evening supported Koffler Arts and its programs. The evening included a pre-performance dinner at a private residence for Koffler patrons, the contemporary dance performance of ‘’Sadeh21’' at the MacMillan Theatre,
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, and a post-event celebration at the
Gardiner Museum The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art (commonly shortened to the Gardiner Museum) is a ceramics museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is situated within University of Toronto's St. George campus, in downtown Toronto. The museum b ...
. The evening also honoured Senator
Linda Frum Linda Frum (born January 13, 1963) is a Canadian author and journalist, and was a Conservative member of the Senate of Canada from 2009 until 2021. She announced her retirement from the Senate effective August 27, 2021 to devote more time to oth ...
and Howard Sokolowski for their philanthropic support of the arts. In 2013, the Koffler’s major fundraiser was Koffler Rocks! - a benefit evening featuring music performances by
Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman ( ; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. He was the writer and singer of several hit rock songs, ...
,
The Sadies The Sadies are a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas Good, a founding member, died in 2022. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret a ...
, and
Melanie Fiona Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.Wychwood Barns Artscape Wychwood Barns is a community centre and park in the Bracondale Hill area of Toronto. The converted heritage building was built as a streetcar maintenance facility in 1913. It now contains artist housing and studios, public green spac ...
on May 2, 2013. On May 15, 2014, the Koffler revived its ARTFUL DISH fundraiser, featuring intimate dinners in private homes with cultural luminaries and well-known chefs. Luminaries included Ian Brown,
Johanna Schneller Johanna Schneller is an American-born Canadians, Canadian film journalist and television personality, who hosted the film talk show ''The Filmmakers'' on CBC Television. A freelance celebrity interviewer for such publications as ''Vanity Fair (ma ...
, Adad Hannah,
Barbara Astman Barbara Anne Astman (born 12 July 1950) is a Canadian artist who has recruited instant camera technology, colour xerography, and digital scanners to explore her inner thoughts.Georgiana Uhlyarik, "Dear Canadian Art, I was thinking about you..." ...
,
Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta, (; born 15 September 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2 ...
,
Anne Michaels Anne Michaels (born 15 April 1958) is a Canadian poet and novelist whose work has been translated and published in over 45 countries. Her books have garnered dozens of international awards including the Orange Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, ...
,
Bernice Eisenstein Bernice may refer to: Places In the United States * Bernice, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bernice, Louisiana, a town * Bernice, Nevada, a ghost town * Bernice, Oklahoma, a town * Bernice Coalfield, a coalfield in Sullivan County, Pennsy ...
,
Colin Mochrie Colin Andrew Mochrie (; born November 30, 1957) is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and American versions of the improvisational TV show ''Whose Line ...
,
Debra McGrath Debra McGrath (born July 5, 1954) is a Canadian actress and comedian. Education Debra McGrath was born in Toronto in 1954, where she studied theatre at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University). Career McGrath firs ...
,
Louise Pitre Louise Pitre (born January 1, 1957) is a Canadian actress in musical theatre. She performs on Broadway and in Canada. She is best known for her role as Donna Sheridan in the ABBA-themed musical '' Mamma Mia!'', which earned her a 2002 Tony Award ...
,
Veronica Tennant Veronica Tennant, (born January 15, 1946) is a Canadian producer, director, and filmmaker and a former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada. She was born in London, England and moved to Canada with her parents and sister in 1955. ...
. In 2015, the Koffler’s major fundraiser was Art Privé: 3 Nights in June, three intimate evenings in exclusive private settings featuring modern and contemporary art collections.


Activities and Facilities

The Koffler presents exhibitions of contemporary Canadian and international art with the Koffler Gallery, and is home to the
Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature is a major Canadian literary award relaunched in 2016 and presented annually by Toronto's Koffler Centre of the Arts. The Awards honour the best Jewish Canadian writing in four categories, each with a ...
(formerly known as the
Canadian Jewish Book Awards The Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were a Canadian program of literary awards, managed, produced and presented annually by the Koffler Centre of the Arts to works judged to be the year's best works of literature by Jewish Canadia ...
). It presents year-round literary events, concerts, education programs, film screenings, theatre programs, and discussions on contemporary art and culture. Rooted in the Jewish community of Toronto, the Koffler specializes in an interdisciplinary mix of programs to bring artists and the community together. In 2009, Koffler Arts was incorporated for charitable status in Canada.


Koffler Gallery

The Koffler Gallery was established in 1980 and initially developed a successful range of exhibitions on contemporary crafts. It shifted its mandate in 1994 to focus on contemporary Canadian art. From 1980 to 2009, the Gallery was located in its own dedicated space at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre. In 2009, the Gallery moved its programming off-site when the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre was demolished. From 2009 to 2013, the Gallery exhibited its exhibitions and site-specific installations in various locations across the Greater Toronto area, including
Honest Ed's Honest Ed's was a landmark discount store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was named for its proprietor, Ed Mirvish, who opened the store in 1948 and oversaw its operations for almost 60 years until his death in 2007. The store continued to operat ...
, an abandoned house, the Jack Layton Ferry Docks, city sidewalks, parking lots, construction hoarding, and other rented or borrowed spaces. In November 2013, the Gallery opened its new downtown space at Artscape Youngplace.


Koffler Arts at Artscape Youngplace

In November 2011, Koffler Arts announced that it was joining the Artscape Youngplace project in Toronto’s downtown art and design district. The organization signed a five-year lease with Artscape to occupy a prominent space on the main floor of the new arts and cultural centre located at 180 Shaw Street, just north of
Queen Street West Queen Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original eas ...
, in the historic Shaw Street Public School (b. 1914, closed 2000). Artscape Youngplace is a 75,000 sq. ft. centre for creative collaboration in a variety of disciplines, as well as arts, community and social mission organizations. Other owners and tenants include
Luminato The Luminato Festival, Toronto's International Festival of Arts and Ideas, is an annual celebration of the arts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, launched in 2007. In its first decade, Luminato presented over 3,000 performances featuring 11,000 artist ...
Festival, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Inter-Galactic Arts Co-op, College-Montrose Children’s Place, Paperhouse Studio, Red Pepper Spectacle Arts, SKETCH, Small World Music Society, Typology Projects, The Developing Tank, and artists
Barbara Astman Barbara Anne Astman (born 12 July 1950) is a Canadian artist who has recruited instant camera technology, colour xerography, and digital scanners to explore her inner thoughts.Georgiana Uhlyarik, "Dear Canadian Art, I was thinking about you..." ...
, Eve Egoyan, Heather Nichol, Shabnam K. Ghazi, and Vid Ingelevics. Starting in fall 2013, Koffler Gallery exhibitions, related education and public programs, as well as Koffler Arts’ multidisciplinary programs will be based at Artscape Youngplace. Artscape Youngplace opened in November 2013. The Koffler Arts administrative offices and the Koffler Gallery are located in a 4,600 sq. ft. space on the main floor of the building.


Programs


2018-2019

The 2018-19 season featured Books & Ideas, a series of author talks and on-stage interviews, with Indigenous authors
Joshua Whitehead Joshua Whitehead is a Canadian First Nations, two spirit poet and novelist. An Oji-Cree member of the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba,Amitava Kumar Amitava Kumar (born 17 March 1963) is an Indian writer and journalist. He is a Professor of English at Vassar College. Personal Life Kumar was born in the city of Arrah in the Indian state of Bihar on 17 March 1963 and grew up in the nearby c ...
and
Shani Mootoo Shani Mootoo is a Trinidadian-Canadian writer, visual artist and video maker. She was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1957 to Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidadian parents. She grew up in Trinidad and relocated at the age of 19 to Vancouver, British Colu ...
; and
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
critic-at-large
Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (born December 19, 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with J Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast '' Still Processing.'' Previou ...
and
CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...
’s
Amanda Parris Amanda Parris is a Canadian broadcaster and writer. An arts reporter and producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, she hosts the CBC Television series '' The Filmmakers'' and has hosted the CBC Television series ''Exhibitionists'' and ...
. The 2018
Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature is a major Canadian literary award relaunched in 2016 and presented annually by Toronto's Koffler Centre of the Arts. The Awards honour the best Jewish Canadian writing in four categories, each with a ...
were announced and presented at a ceremony at the
Windsor Arms Hotel The Windsor Arms is a boutique hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 18 St. Thomas Street in the southern part of the Yorkville neighbourhood. The hotel includes a restaurant, tea rooms and a spa. The neo-Gothic style building was ...
. The Koffler Gallery season featured the group exhibition ‘’Through lines’' guest curated by Noah Bronstein and featuring artists Lise Beaudry, Scott Benesiinaabandan, Michèle Pearson Clarke, Leila Fatemi,
Maria Hupfield Maria Hupfield (born 1975) is a Canadian artist. She is an Anishinaabe, specifically an Ojibwe and a member of the Wasauksing First Nation, located in Ontario, Canada. Hupfield works in a variety of media, including video and performance. Her perfo ...
, Raafia Jessa, and
Nadia Myre Nadia Myre (born 1974) is a contemporary visual artist from Quebec and an Algonquin member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinaabeg First Nation, who lives and works in Montreal. For over a decade, her multi-disciplinary practice has been inspired by pa ...
(September 13 – November 25, 2018). ‘’Never Never Land’' was the first solo exhibition in Canada for
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
-born Iranian-Canadian artist
Ghazaleh Avarzamani Ghazaleh Avarzamani is an Iranian-born Canadian multidisciplinary artist and curator who lives and works between London and Toronto. Biography Born in Tehran, Iran, Avarzamani studied painting at Azad Art University, Tehran before leaving th ...
(January 17 – March 17, 2019). Israeli-artist Nevet Yitzhak’s ‘’WarCraft’' was a Primary Exhibition of the 2019 CONTACT Photography Festival presented in partnership with
Images Festival The Images Festival is a yearly event devoted to independent and experimental film, video art, new media and media installation that takes place each spring in Toronto. History The Images festival was founded in 1987, originally conceived a ...
(April 4 – May 26, 2019). ‘’Peter’s Proscenium’' was
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
-based painter Christian Hidaka and
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
-based sculptor Raphaël Zarka’s first exhibition in Canada (June 20 – August 18, 2019).


2017-2018

The 2017-18 season included literary events and conversations featuring authors
Nicole Krauss Nicole Krauss (born August 18, 1974) is an American author best known for her four novels '' Man Walks into a Room'' (2002), '' The History of Love'' (2005), '' Great House'' (2010) and '' Forest Dark'' (2017), which have been translated into ...
,
Nathan Englander Nathan Englander (born 1970) is an American short story writer and novelist. His debut short story collection, '' For the Relief of Unbearable Urges,'' was published by Alfred A. Knopf, in 1999. His second collection, '' What We Talk About When W ...
, Eric Beck Rubin, Danila Botha,
Gwen Benaway Gwen Benaway is a Canadian poet and activist. As of October 2019, she was a PhD candidate in the Women & Gender Studies Institute at the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto. Benaway has also written non-fiction for ''The Glob ...
,
Katherena Vermette katherena vermette (born 29 January 1977) is a Canadian writer, who won the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry in 2013 for her collection ''North End Love Songs''. vermette is of Métis descent and originates from Winnipeg, Ma ...
, 2017
Man Booker International Prize The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize, as the Boo ...
winning author
David Grossman David Grossman (; born January 25, 1954) is an Israeli author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. In 2018, he was awarded the Israel Prize for literature. Biography David Grossman was born in Jerusalem. He is the eld ...
in conversation with
Michael Enright (broadcaster) Michael Enright (born 1943) is a Canadian journalist and radio broadcaster. A high school dropout, Enright became a journalist after taking a University of Toronto extension course. As a journalist he held numerous positions at organizations such ...
, and American author and public speaker
Fran Lebowitz Frances Ann Lebowitz (; born October 27, 1950) is an American author, public speaker, and actor. She is known for her sardonic social commentary on American life as filtered through her New York City sensibilities and her association with many p ...
. The second annual
Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature is a major Canadian literary award relaunched in 2016 and presented annually by Toronto's Koffler Centre of the Arts. The Awards honour the best Jewish Canadian writing in four categories, each with a ...
were announced and presented at a ceremony at the
Park Hyatt Toronto The Park Hyatt Toronto is a historic hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in Annex neighbourhood, the hotel was opened in 1936 as the Park Plaza Hotel. History The site The hotel is located at the northwestern corner of Bloor Street and A ...
. The 2017-18 Koffler Gallery season featured ‘’Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970-2012’', an international, touring exhibition featuring 38 artists and curated by Ilana Tenenbaum, Sergio Edelsztein,
Yael Bartana Yael Bartana (; born 1970) is an Israeli artist, filmmaker and photographer, whose past works have encompassed multiple mediums, including photography, film, video, sound, and installation. Many of her pieces feature political or feminist themes ...
and Avi Feldman (September 14 to November 26, 2017). ‘’Nicole Collins: Furthest Boundless’' was a major, new mixed media installation by Toronto artist
Nicole Collins Nicole Collins is a contemporary Canadian artist whose work, which takes the form of painting, performance, video, and sound, explores the effect of time, accumulation, force and heat on visceral materials. She currently teaches at OCAD University ...
(January 18 to March 18, 2018). ‘’Esther Shalev-Gerz’' was Paris-based artist
Esther Shalev-Gerz Esther Shalev-Gerz (born Gilinsky) is a contemporary artist. She lives and works in Paris. Biography Esther Shalev-Gerz was born in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1948. In 1957, she moved with her family to Jerusalem. From 1975 to 1979 she studied Fine ...
’ first solo exhibition in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, a Primary Exhibition of the 2018 CONTACT Photography Festival (April 5 to June 3, 2018). ‘’José Luis Torres: Question d’adaptation’' is a site-specific, multi-roomed, maze-like sculptural installation created by Argentinian-born, Québec-based artist José Luis Torres (June 21 to August 26, 2018).


2016-2017

The inaugural
Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature is a major Canadian literary award relaunched in 2016 and presented annually by Toronto's Koffler Centre of the Arts. The Awards honour the best Jewish Canadian writing in four categories, each with a ...
were announced and presented at a ceremony at the
Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Toronto The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Toronto is a complex consisting of a 204-metre, 55-storey residential condominium tower and a 125-meter, 30-storey luxury hotel tower in the Yorkville district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which opened on O ...
in September 2016. In October 2016, Koffler Arts – together with Why Not Theatre and Complicite Creative Learning – co-presented the Toronto premiere of the theatre/performance project ‘’Like Mother, Like Daughter’', featuring pairs of immigrant and newcomer mothers and daughters on stage in unscripted conversations. In May 2017, the Koffler presented the Toronto premiere of Joshua Harmon’s internationally produced play, ‘’
Bad Jews ''Bad Jews'' is a dark comedy play by Joshua Harmon. After a beloved grandfather dies in New York, leaving a treasured piece of religious jewelry that he succeeded in hiding even from the Nazis during the Holocaust, cousins fight over not only ...
‘’. Other programs included author
Olive Senior Olive Marjorie Senior (born 23 December 1941) is a Jamaican poet, novelist, short story and non-fiction writer based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was awarded the Musgrave Gold Medal in 2005 by the Institute of Jamaica for her contribution ...
in conversation with Toronto playwright Ravi Jain at the
International Festival of Authors The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), previously known as the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), is an annual festival presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Since 1974, the mission of TIFA programming has be ...
; ‘’YidLife does Kensington’', a web series by Yidlife Crisis creators Eli Battalion and Jamie Elman, focusing on the Jewish history Toronto’s eclectic
Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's best-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, ...
neighbourhood; Israeli author
Etgar Keret Etgar Keret (; born August 20, 1967) is an Israeli writer known for his short stories, graphic novels, and scriptwriting for film and television. Early life Keret was born in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1967. He is a third child to parents who survive ...
at the
Toronto Public Library Toronto Public Library (TPL) is a public library system in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest public library system in Canada, and in 2023 had averaged a higher circulation per capita than any other public library system internationally, making i ...
; and Koffler Salon, a series of cross-disciplinary conversations that included evenings on the
2017 Women's March The Women's March was an American protest on January 21, 2017, the day after the first inauguration of Donald Trump as the president of the United States. It was prompted by Trump's policy positions and rhetoric, which were and are seen as mi ...
on Washington, identity and dislocation, and artists as disruptors. The Koffler Gallery season included the large group exhibition ‘’Yonder’' featuring twenty Canadian artists from diverse cultural backgrounds whose works examine the immigrant condition (September 21 to November 27, 2016). ‘’No Work, Nor Device, Nor Knowledge, Nor Wisdom’' was
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
painter Leopold Plotek’s first survey exhibition (January 19 to March 19, 2017). ‘’His and Other Stories’' was a survey of Montreal-based artist/performer 2Fik’s work, and was a Primary Exhibition of the 2017 CONTACT Photography Festival (April 6 to June 4, 2017). Mary Anne Barkhouse: ‘’Le rêve aux loups’' is the first Toronto solo exhibition for the
Vancouver 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 cit ...
-born artist and
sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
(June 22 – August 20, 2017).


2015-2016

In 2015-16, Koffler Arts presented
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning playwright and
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated screenwriter
Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...
in Conversation, Israeli author
Assaf Gavron Assaf Gavron (; born 21 December 1968) is an Israeli writer, novelist, translator and musician, formerly a journalist and hi-tech worker. His books have been translated to several languages and won awards such as the Bernstein Prize for ''The Hil ...
at the
International Festival of Authors The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), previously known as the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), is an annual festival presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Since 1974, the mission of TIFA programming has be ...
, live readings of
Sheila McCarthy Sheila McCarthy (born January 1, 1956) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has worked in film, television, and on stage. McCarthy is one of Canada's most honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), an AC ...
’s new play ‘’Hairbrained’', the Toronto premiere of season two of the web series YidLife Crisis with Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion, among many other literary, theatre, and public programs. In February 2016, after a one-year hiatus, the Koffler announced the
Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature is a major Canadian literary award relaunched in 2016 and presented annually by Toronto's Koffler Centre of the Arts. The Awards honour the best Jewish Canadian writing in four categories, each with a ...
(formerly known as the
Canadian Jewish Book Awards The Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were a Canadian program of literary awards, managed, produced and presented annually by the Koffler Centre of the Arts to works judged to be the year's best works of literature by Jewish Canadia ...
). The new awards have five categories, each with a $10,000 prize. Fiction, Non-Fiction, History and Young Adult/Children’s Literature will be awarded annually; Poetry will be awarded every three years. The Koffler launched Koffler.Digital in October 2015, “a digital arts series available 24/7 on a number of platforms, on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop, that uses the vigorous application of art, thought, and imagination on digital medias to explore the ideas that are shaping Toronto.” Programs included ‘’The Slow Now’', a public audio walk through
Little Italy, Toronto Little Italy, sometimes referred to as ''College Street West'', is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its Italian Canadian restaurants and businesses. There is also a significant Latin American Canadians, Latin-Canadian and ...
that uses Toronto poet laureate
Anne Michaels Anne Michaels (born 15 April 1958) is a Canadian poet and novelist whose work has been translated and published in over 45 countries. Her books have garnered dozens of international awards including the Orange Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, ...
’ iconic, award-winning novel ‘’ Fugitive Pieces‘’ as its foundation; ‘’Koffler X Neighbourhood’'s, which pairs young photographers with professional local writers to examine diverse Toronto neighbourhoods; and ‘’How to Build a Fire’', an original radio play by Kat Sandler and produced by Theatre Brouhaha. The Koffler Gallery 2015-16 season featured the first solo exhibition in Canada of British-Spanish filmmaker Isabel Rocamora. ‘’Troubled Histories, Ecstatic Solitudes’' (September 17 to November 29, 2015) featured four film works – including the world exhibition premiere of ‘’Faith’' – in which Rocamora explores “demographics of identity, then deconstructs the props and processes that hold, and often hurt, them.” ‘’A Brief History’', a solo exhibition of Toronto artist Howard Podeswa’s latest series of paintings (January 27 to March 27, 2016) was hailed by
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
art critic Murray Whyte as “Podeswa’s magnum opus and well worth your time.” Spring exhibition Raymond Boisjoly: ‘’Over a distance between one and many’' (April 14 to June 12, 2016), guest curated by Sarah Robayo Sheridan, is a Primary Exhibition of the 2016 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.


2014-2015

The 2014-15 season included a series of literary events, including the book launch of ‘’The Jewish Comix Anthology: Volume 1’' (published by Alternate History Comics Inc); Koffler @ IFOA (at
Harbourfront Centre Harbourfront Centre is a cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at 235 Queens Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the Government of Canada to create a waterfront park, it became a no ...
‘s
International Festival of Authors The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), previously known as the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), is an annual festival presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Since 1974, the mission of TIFA programming has be ...
) with Shelly Oria (author of ‘’New York 1, Tel Aviv 0’') and
Alison Pick Alison Pick (born 1975) is a Canadian writer. She is most noted for her Booker Prize-nominated novel ''Far to Go'', and was a winner of the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award for most promising writer in Canada under 35. Life and career Alison Pick i ...
(author of ‘’Far to Go’', ‘’Between Gods’'); an afternoon with author/radio producer Jonathan Goldstein (author of ‘’Lenny Bruce Is Dead’' and ‘’Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible!’', host of CBC Radio’s
WireTap Wiretapping, also known as wire tapping or telephone tapping, is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connecti ...
and regular contributor to
This American Life ''This American Life'' is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is ...
); and the illustrated talk ‘’What the %@&*! Happened to Comics?’' by
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning artist/illustrator, comic book legend
Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...
. The Koffler co-presented a number of theatre/stage programs, including a staged reading of ‘’Infinity’' by
Hannah Moscovitch Hannah Moscovitch (born June 5, 1978) is a Canadian playwright who rose to national prominence in the 2000s. She is best known for her plays ''East of Berlin'', ''This Is War'', "Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story", and ''Sexual Misconduct of the Mid ...
(presented together with Volcano Theatre), the North American premiere of ‘’Marathon’' (co-presented by the Koffler Arts as part of Progress Festival, produced by the SummerWorks Performance Festival in partnership with The Theatre Centre), and the North American premiere of Theatre Ad Infinitum’s ‘’Ballad of the Burning Star’' (presented together with Acting Up Stage Company and Why Not Theatre). The Koffler Gallery 2014-15 season featured the group exhibition ‘’PARDES’' (September 13 to November 30, 2014), with new works by sound and multi-media artists Nadav Assor, Ira Eduardovna, Amnon Wolman, Nevet Yitzhak (guest curated by Liora Belford); Kristiina Lahde: ‘’ULTRA-PARALLEL’' (January 22 to March 29, 2015); ‘’Erratics’' (April 16 to June 14, 2015) featuring installations by Toronto author Martha Baillie and artist/curator Malka Greene with Alan Resnick; and ‘’Architecture Parallax: Through the Looking Glass’' (July 2 to August 30, 2015), an architectural installation by Montreal-based Brazilian-Canadian artist Alexander Pilis. The Koffler announced in December 2014 that the
Canadian Jewish Book Awards The Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were a Canadian program of literary awards, managed, produced and presented annually by the Koffler Centre of the Arts to works judged to be the year's best works of literature by Jewish Canadia ...
were being “put on hiatus for 2015 and will resume, invigorated and reinvented, in 2016” as the Koffler recalibrates and revamps several of its current programs.


2013-2014

The 2013-14 season of multidisciplinary programs opened with Koffler @ Uma Nota Community Cultural Fair, featuring the Canadian debut of Brazilian master acoustic guitarist Rick Udler and Toronto four piece band, Tio Chorinho at Lula Lounge on October 20, 2013. For the third consecutive year, the Koffler returned to
Harbourfront Centre Harbourfront Centre is a cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at 235 Queens Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the Government of Canada to create a waterfront park, it became a no ...
‘s
International Festival of Authors The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), previously known as the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), is an annual festival presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Since 1974, the mission of TIFA programming has be ...
with Koffler @ IFOA on October 27, 2013 featuring Israeli first-time novelist Shani Boianjiu. In partnership with the Miles Nadal JCC, the Koffler screened Argentinian films ‘’Tango, A Story with Jews’' / ‘’Tango, una historia con judíos’' and ‘’Rio Klezmer’' in December. KidLit! The Jewish Literary Festival for Children took place at the Prosserman JCC in February 2014. In March 2014, the Koffler presents ‘’Benedictus’', by Israeli playwright and screenwriter
Motti Lerner Motti Lerner (; born September 16, 1949) is an Israeli playwright and screenwriter. Early life He was born in Zikhron Ya'akov, a village south of Haifa, in Israel. His great-grandparents immigrated to Palestine in 1882 from Romania and Russia ...
, a play reading by Toronto’s Volcano Theatre. The Koffler Chamber Orchestra’s 2013-14 final season, led by former
Toronto Symphony Orchestra The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toron ...
concertmaster
Jacques Israelievitch Jacques Israelievitch, CM (May 6, 1948 – September 5, 2015) was a French violinist, and one of Canada's foremost chamber musicians. Born in Cannes, France, at 11 years old he was the youngest graduate in the history of the Le Mans Conservatory ...
, included ‘’Music She Wrote, A Tribute to Canadian Woman Composers’' featuring guest pianist
Christina Petrowska-Quilico Christina Petrowska Quilico is a Canadian pianist. She is a professor emerita, senior scholar at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2020 "For her celebrated career as a classical and contempo ...
in November 2013, and ‘’From Europe to Israel’' featuring the music of Julius Chajes,
Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...
,
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, and
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...
in March 2014. The final Toronto Jewish Literary Festival was presented from May 25 to June 1, 2014 at various venues around the GTA. The 26th annual Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were awarded at a ceremony on May 27, 2014 at the Toronto Reference Library. The Koffler Gallery opened its 2013-14 season with the inaugural exhibition ‘’We’re in the Library’' (November 19, 2013 to January 19, 2014) in its new downtown Toronto space at Artscape Youngplace. Toronto artists Sara Angelucci,
Barbara Astman Barbara Anne Astman (born 12 July 1950) is a Canadian artist who has recruited instant camera technology, colour xerography, and digital scanners to explore her inner thoughts.Georgiana Uhlyarik, "Dear Canadian Art, I was thinking about you..." ...
, Adam David Brown, Michelle Gay, Ido Govrin, Vid Ingelevics and Jon Sasaki created new works engaging the context and history of the new space, formerly the library of the Shaw Street Public School. ‘’Moving to Stand Still’' followed, featuring internationally acclaimed Israeli artist
Sigalit Landau Sigalit Landau (; born 1969) is an Israeli multi-disciplinary artist known for her work in drawing, sculpture, video and performance art, video and installation art. Her works are featured in a number of institutions, including the Museum of Mo ...
(February 6 to April 6, 2014), who represented
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
at the 2011
Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...
. Part of a significant international tour with presentations in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
,
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
,
Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...
and
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, the exhibition brought a selection of Landau’s major video works to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
for the first time. Solo exhibitions by
Vancouver 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 cit ...
-based artist Adad Hannah (April 24 to June 8, 2014), and Toronto-based artist Penelope Stewart (June 26 to August 31, 2014) round out the 2013-14 season.


2012-2013

The 2012-13 season opened on September 3, 2012 with a performance by the Mexican klezmer band Klezmerson at the 2012
Ashkenaz Festival The Ashkenaz Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its purpose is to increase awareness of Yiddish and Jewish culture through the arts. The foundation organizes and sponsors a biennial festival, and has a year-r ...
at Harbourfront Centre. On September 6, 2012, the Koffler presented a talk by author Roy Doliner at the Columbus Centre. Doliner, co-author of the international bestselling book ‘’The Sistine Secrets’', spoke on hidden Jewish messages concealed in the
Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...
. In association with the exhibition ‘’Summer Special’' and together with Suburban Beast, a Toronto-based multimedia theatre company, the Koffler presented ‘’Honesty’' from October 18 to November 4 within Honest Ed’s store. A performance intervention written and directed by
Jordan Tannahill Jordan Tannahill (born May 19, 1988) is a Canadian writer and director. His novels and plays have been translated into twelve languages, and honoured with a number of prizes including two Governor General's Literary Awards.Jon Kaplan raved about the performance, calling it “a truly heartfelt experience” and giving it 4 out 5 stars (NNNN). In June 2013, Virgilia Griffith was nominated for a 2013
Dora Award The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, Dance in Canada, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after ...
for Outstanding Performance – Female (Independent Theatre Division) for ‘’Honesty’'. The Koffler returned to the International Festival of Authors (IFOA) with Koffler @ the IFOA on October 28, 2012 featuring British author Howard Jacobson, author of the 2010
Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
-winning ‘’ The Finkler Question‘’, and ‘’Zoo Time’' (2012). Finkler was in conversation with Dan Friedman, the Managing Editor of New York’s ‘’The Jewish Daily Forward’'. On November 1, 2012, the Koffler together with Size Doesn’t Matter and Sternthal Books presented Tamar Tal’s award-winning Israeli documentary ‘’Life in Stills’' at the
Bloor Hot Docs Cinema The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema (formerly the Bloor Cinema and the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema) is a movie theatre in the Annex district of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the 506 Bloor Street West, near its intersection with the Bathurst ...
on November 1, 2012. The film screening was followed by a Q & A with the film’s Ben Peter. The Koffler Chamber Orchestra opened its 2012-13 season with ‘’Musical Crossroads’' on Sunday December 2, 212 at Temple Emanu-El. The final performance of the Orchestra’s season, ‘’Fuguing Around’', was on March 10, 2013 at the Gladstone Hotel. From February 17 to March 1, 2013, Koffler Arts and
Ashkenaz Foundation The Ashkenaz Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its purpose is to increase awareness of Yiddish and Jewish culture through the arts. The foundation organizes and sponsors a biennial festival, and has a year-r ...
presented the Canadian premiere and artist residency of internationally acclaimed
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
-based musician, artist and educator Simja Dujov. Dujov’s two-week artistic residency included educational activities with youth, including master classes with music students at TanenbaumCHAT and a two-week workshop with SKETCH, an organization focused on bringing cultural opportunities to homeless and underprivileged youth in Toronto. The annual Toronto Jewish Literary Festival (formerly known as the Toronto Jewish Book Fair/Festival) was presented from June 1 to 9, 2013. The “re-envisioned” Festival focused on literary programs geared towards diverse audiences in different locations and in partnership with other Jewish organizations across the City of Toronto and in Vaughan. Participating authors included
Fania Oz-Salzberger Fania Oz-Salzberger (; born 28 October 1960) is an Israeli historian and writer, Professor Emerita of history at the University of Haifa School of Law and the Haifa Center for German and European Studies (HCGES). Biography Oz-Salzberger was bo ...
, David Layton,
Irving Abella Irving Martin Abella (July 2, 1940 – July 3, 2022) was a Canadian historian who served as a professor at York University from 1968 to 2013. He specialized in the history of the Jews in Canada and the Canadian labour movement. Early life Abe ...
, Frieda Forman, Bill Gladstone, Pierre Anctil, Benjamin Hackman, Ronna Bloom,
Jacob Scheier Jacob Scheier (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadians, Canadian poet born in Toronto. His debut poetry collection, ''More to Keep Us Warm'', was published by ECW Press in 2007 and was named the winner of the 2008 Governor General's Awards, 2008 Gove ...
, Dr. Nora Gold, Martin Levin,
Cary Fagan Cary Fagan (born 1957) is a Canadian writer of novels, short stories, and children's books. His novel, ''The Student,'' was a finalist for the Toronto Book Award and the Governor General's Literary Award. Previously a short-story collection, ''My ...
, and Beverley Slopen. Festival events were held at the Miles Nadal JCC, Beth David Synagogue, Ben McNally Books, the
Toronto Reference Library The Toronto Reference Library is a public reference library in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue, within the Yorkville neighbourhood of downtown Toronto and is the largest and most visited br ...
, and the Schwartz/Reisman Centre. Partnering organizations included the Miles Nadal JCC, Committee for Yiddish, Friends of Yiddish, Toronto Workmen’s Circle, ShaRna Foundation, Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation, Ontario Jewish Archives, Jewish Fiction.net, Leo Baeck Day School, Schwartz/Reisman Centre, and PJ Library. The 25th annual Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were awarded at a ceremony on June 6, 2013 at the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library. Hosted by former President & Publisher of
Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
Canada, Cynthia Good, the 2013 award winners included Aili and Andres McConnon for ‘’ Road to Valour: A True Story of World War II Italy, the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation‘’ (Doubleday);
Nancy Richler Nancy Richler (May 16, 1957 – January 18, 2018) was a Canadian novelist. Her novels won two international awards and were shortlisted for three others; Richler was also shortlisted for the Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year awa ...
for ‘’The Imposter Bride’' (Harper Collins); Matti Friedman for ‘’The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible’' (Algonquin Books); Julija Šukys for ‘’Epistolophilia: Writing the Life of Ona Simaite’' (University of Nebraska Press); Isa Milman for ‘’Something Small To Carry Home’' (Quattro Books); L. Ruth Klein for ‘’Nazi Germany, Canadian Responses: Confronting Antisemitism in the Shadow of War’' (McGill-Queen’s University Press); Pierre Anctil for ‘’Jacob-Isaac Segal 1869-1954, Un poète yiddish de Montréal et son milieu’' (Presses de l’Universite Laval); and Sharon E. McKay for ‘’Enemy Territory’' (Annick Press). The Koffler Gallery began its final season of Off-Site programming in 2012-13. ‘’Local Colour Info Centre’' at Miracle Thieves (October 4 to November 11, 2012) was a solo exhibition featuring the work of Toronto artist Erica Brisson. Inspired by tourism information centres as well as the process of public consultation, Brisson set up a social space where passersby could share their personal interpretations of the city’s intentional or informal landmarks. Saskatchewan-based sculptor Clint Neufeld’s solo exhibition ‘’Pipe Dreams of Madame Récamier’', off-site at General Hardware Contemporary, ran from January 10 to March 3, 2013. Off-site exhibitions by Toronto’s Corwyn Lund and
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
’s Iara Freiberg followed in 2013. In fall 2013, the Koffler Gallery opened its 2013-2014 season of exhibitions in its new home at Artscape Youngplace in downtown Toronto.


2011-2012

Koffler Arts presented Koffler @ the IFOA, a day of Russian-Jewish themed literary programs at
Harbourfront Centre Harbourfront Centre is a cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at 235 Queens Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the Government of Canada to create a waterfront park, it became a no ...
‘s
International Festival of Authors The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), previously known as the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), is an annual festival presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Since 1974, the mission of TIFA programming has be ...
on October 23, 2011. The day featured discussions on Soviet Jewry with authors Gal Beckerman (‘’When They Come for Us We’ll Be Gone’'),
David Bezmozgis David Bezmozgis (; born 1973) is a Latvian-born Canadian writer and filmmaker, currently the head of Humber College's School for Writers. Life and career Educational background Born in Riga, Latvia, he came to Canada with his family when he was ...
(‘’The Free World’'),
Gary Shteyngart Gary Shteyngart ( ; born Igor Semyonovich Shteyngart on July 5, 1972)' is a Soviet-born American writer. He is the author of five novels (including ''Absurdistan'' and '' Super Sad True Love Story'') and a memoir. Much of his work is satirical ...
(‘’
Super Sad True Love Story ''Super Sad True Love Story'' is the third novel by American writer Gary Shteyngart, and was published in 2010. The novel takes place in a near-future dystopian New York where life is dominated by media and retail. Plot summary The son of a Ru ...
‘’) and
Irwin Cotler Irwin Cotler (born 8 May 1940) is a retired Canadian politician who was Member of Parliament for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015. He served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal government of Paul ...
, Canadian Member of Parliament (Mount Royal) and international human rights attorney. Award-winning Israeli novelist
Michal Govrin Michal Govrin (; November 24, 1950) is an Israeli author, poet and theater director. Biography Michal Govrin was born and raised in Tel Aviv to a father who was part of the Third Aliyah and one of the founders of kibbutz Tel Yosef, and a mother ...
and translator
Peter Filkins Peter Filkins is an American poet and literary translator. Filkins graduated from Williams College with a Bachelor of Arts and from Columbia University with a Master of Fine Arts degree. His poetry collections include the forthcoming ''Water / Musi ...
also spoke on the subject of translation. Koffler Arts was invited by the
Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...
to create a range of interpretive programs around the AGO’s 2011 exhibition, ‘’
Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...
and the Russian Avant-Garde: Masterpieces from the Collection of the Centre Pompidou, Paris’'. The first was ‘’Chagall’s Musical World’', a two-hour free concert by the Koffler Chamber Orchestra in Walker Court at the AGO on November 20, 2011. Led by violinist and former Toronto Symphony Orchestra concertmaster
Jacques Israelievitch Jacques Israelievitch, CM (May 6, 1948 – September 5, 2015) was a French violinist, and one of Canada's foremost chamber musicians. Born in Cannes, France, at 11 years old he was the youngest graduate in the history of the Le Mans Conservatory ...
, the Orchestra’s performance featured pianist Andrew Burashko and Beyond the Pale‘s klezmer clarinetist Martin van de Ven. The Koffler Chamber Orchestra performed ‘’Music Off the Map’', its second and final concert of the season on March 18, 2012 at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel. Also in association with the AGO’s Chagall exhibition, the Koffler presented ‘’Past Present: Chagall Through Toronto’s Artists’' on December 14, 2011 at the Weston Learning Centre, Art Gallery of Ontario. The evening of music, dance, performance and spoken word included the eight-piece jazz fusion ensemble The Thing Is, selections of contemporary choreography from Kaeja d’Dance, accordionist Sasha Luminsky with Jonno Lightstone, and the debut of an excerpt from ‘’Bella: The Colour of Love’', performed by Yiddish jazz performer
Theresa Tova Theresa Tova (born 1955) is a Canadian actress, singer and playwright."Tova, Theresa"
''Cana ...
together with Montreal pianist Matt Herskowitz. In March 2012, the Koffler produced and presented ‘’Honeycomb Way’', an artistic residency and concert featuring Jewish musical traditions from the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
and
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
. The two-week residency was led by Iraqi-Jewish violinist and oud player
Yair Dalal Yair Dalal (; born 25 July 1955) is an Israeli musician of Iraqi-Jewish descent. His main instruments are the oud and the violin, and he also sings as accompaniment. He composes his own music and draws on Arab and Jewish traditions, as well as ...
and American trumpetist
Frank London Frank London (born 1958 in New York) is an American klezmer trumpeter who also plays jazz and world music. Early life London was born to a Reform Jewish family and grew up in Plainview, New York and Connecticut. He started playing the trumpet i ...
from the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
-winning
The Klezmatics The Klezmatics are an American klezmer music group based in New York City, who have achieved fame singing in several languages, most notably mixing older Yiddish language, Yiddish tunes with other types of more contemporary music of differing or ...
, and included the composition of new music with Toronto musicians Waleed Abdulhamid,
Jaffa Road Jaffa Road, also called Jaffa Street (; ) is one of the longest and oldest major streets in Jerusalem. It crosses the city from east to west, from the Old City walls to downtown Jerusalem, the western portal of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem-Tel ...
‘s Aviva Chernick, Samba Squad‘s Rick Shadrach Lazar,
Lenka Lichtenberg Lenka Lichtenberg is a Canadians, Canadian singer, composer, songwriter, and cantorial soloist of Czech Jews, Czech-Jewish descent. She sings in Czech language, Czech, English, French, Hebrew, and Yiddish. Early life and education She was born ...
, Demetrios Petsalakis, Debashis Sinha, and
Maryem Tollar Maryem Tollar (born 1968 in Cairo, Egypt) is a Toronto-based singer who primarily sings Arabic songs. She played with her own band called Mernie!. Born in Cairo, Maryem went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with her parents when she was one yea ...
. The event culminated in a performance at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on March 28, 2012. Dalal and London also taught a master class and visited several Toronto-area schools. The 34th annual Toronto Jewish Book Festival (formerly known as the Toronto Jewish Book Fair) opened in June 2012 at the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at the
Toronto Reference Library The Toronto Reference Library is a public reference library in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue, within the Yorkville neighbourhood of downtown Toronto and is the largest and most visited br ...
. The Festival featured over 35 international and Canadian authors, panels, book launches, musical events, films, slideshows, student programs, and books for sale over a 4-day period. Opening night featured American author
Shalom Auslander Shalom Auslander (born 1970) is an American novelist, memoirist, and essayist. He grew up in a strict Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Monsey, New York, where he describes himself as having been "raised like a veal". His writing style is notable for ...
(‘’ Foreskin's Lament: A Memoir‘’, ‘’Hope: A Tragedy’'); other talks/readings included
Michele Landsberg Michele Landsberg Order of Canada, OC, (born 12 July 1939) is a Canadian journalist, author, public speaker, feminist and activism, social activist. She is known for writing three bestselling books, including ''Women and Children First'', ''This ...
(‘’Writing the Revolution’'), Steven Gimbel (‘’Einstein’s Jewish Science’'),
True North Records True North Records is a Canadian independent record label. History True North Records was founded in Mississauga, Ontario in 1969 by Bernie Finkelstein. By 1971, True North was producing albums for various Canadian musicians, including Bruce Co ...
founder
Bernie Finkelstein Bernard Finkelstein (born August 12, 1944 in Toronto) is a Canadian music executive and talent manager.McPherson, David, "Bernie Finkelstein's Golden Mountain", ''Words and Music'', Fall 2012 Finkelstein began his career in music as the manager ...
(‘’True North: A Life Inside the Music Business’'), Carol Bishop-Gwyn and Fraidie Martz (‘’A Fiery Soul: The Life and Theatrical Times of John Hirsch’' - also short-listed for the
2012 Governor General's Awards The shortlisted nominees for the 2012 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 11, and the winners were announced on November 13. English French References External linksGovernor General's Awards {{GovernorGener ...
), David Berlin (‘’The Moral Lives of Israelis – Reinventing the Dream State’'), Richard Brody (‘’The Patagonian Hare: A Memoir’') and Lilian Nattel (‘’Web of Angels’'). The Festival also featured a special spotlight on the Azrieli Foundation films ‘’Holocaust Survivor Memoirs’', and a series of daytime children and school programs featuring Karen Levine on the 10th anniversary of the international bestselling ‘’Hana’s Suitcase’', and authors Aubrey Davis, Anne Dublin, and Lesley Simpson. The Toronto Jewish Book Festival culminated in the 24th annual Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards on June 7, 2012. Hosted by broadcaster and host of
CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
One’s ‘’The Sunday Edition’' Michael Enright, the 2012 award winners included
David Bezmozgis David Bezmozgis (; born 1973) is a Latvian-born Canadian writer and filmmaker, currently the head of Humber College's School for Writers. Life and career Educational background Born in Riga, Latvia, he came to Canada with his family when he was ...
for ‘’The Free World’' (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.),
Denis Vaugeois Denis Vaugeois (born September 7, 1935) is a French language, French-speaking author, publisher and historian from Quebec, Canada. He also served as a National Assembly of Quebec, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from 1976 Quebec general ...
for ‘’Les Premiers Juifs D’Amérique 1760-1860: L’extraordinaire histoire de la famille Hart’' (Septentrion), Eli Pfefferkorn for ‘’The Muselmann at the Water Cooler’' (Academic Studies Press),
Richard Marceau Richard Marceau (born August 25, 1970) is a Canadian former Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament, who served as an MP for nearly nine years. He is now Vice President, External Affairs and General Counsel for the Centre for Israel and Jewish A ...
for ‘’Juif, Une Histoire Québécoise’' (Éditions Du Marais), S. Weilbach for ‘’Singing from the Darktime: A Childhood Memoir in Poetry and Prose’' (McGill- Queen’s University Press), Kalman Weiser for ‘’Jewish People, Yiddish Nation: Noah Prylucki and the Folkists in Poland’' (University of Toronto Press), Rebecca Margolis for ‘’Jewish Roots, Canadian Soil: Yiddish Culture in Montreal, 1905-1945’' (McGill-Queen’s University Press), Fraidie Martz and Andrew Wilson for ‘’A Fiery Soul: The Life and Theatrical Times of John Hirsch’' (Véhicule Press), and Lesley Simpson for ‘’Yuvi’s Candy Tree’' (Kar-Ben Publishing). Continuing with its Off-Site program, the Koffler Gallery presented four exhibitions in 2011-12. ‘’Spin Off: Contemporary Art Circling the Mandala’', at 80 Spadina Ave. (September 22 to December 4, 2011) featured Aya Ben Ron (Israel), Mircea Cantor (France/Romania), Vandana Jain (USA), Gary James Joynes/Clinker (Canada), Melissa Shiff (Canada) and Jennifer Zackin (USA) and was guest curated by Evelyn Tauben. ‘’Museum of the Represented City’', the first a solo exhibition at a public gallery by Toronto artist Flavio Trevisan was also off-site at 80 Spadina (January 19 to April 8, 2012). The exhibition featured three-dimensional maps representing Toronto neighborhoods and cityscapes and received press coverage with reviews the National Post, blogTO, and Torontoist. The Koffler Gallery presented the first Canadian survey of the works of internationally acclaimed Israeli photographer
Adi Nes Adi Nes (; born 1966) is an Israeli photographer. He has had solo exhibitions at Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio and the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Life and career Adi Nes was born in Kiryat Gat. His parents are Jewish imm ...
, off-site at Olga Korper Gallery (May 3 to June 2, 2012). A Featured Exhibition in the 2012 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, it included Nes’ most prominent photographs from the ‘’Soldiers’' (1994-2000), ‘’Boys’' (2000) and ‘’Biblical Stories’' (2003-2006) series, including ‘’Untitled (The Last Supper)’' (1999). The exhibition received significant press coverage, including reviews in The Globe and Mail, National Post, Canadian Art,
NOW Magazine ''Now'' (styled as ''NOW''), also known as ''NOW Magazine'' is an online publication based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Through most of its existence, ''Now'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper. Physical publication of ''Now'' was suspended ...
,
Toronto Standard The ''Toronto Standard'' newspaper was published in Toronto before the Canadian Confederation. It is listed among Toronto's early newspapers as the ''Toronto Standard and General Advertiser''. It was a weekly conservative newspaper, published by ...
, and
Canadian Jewish News The Canadian Jewish News is a non-profit, national, English-language digital-first media organization that serves Canada's Jewish community. A national edition of the newspaper was published for 60 years in Toronto. A weekly Montreal edition in En ...
. The Koffler Gallery closed its 2011-12 season the group exhibition ‘’Summer Special’', off-site at
Honest Ed's Honest Ed's was a landmark discount store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was named for its proprietor, Ed Mirvish, who opened the store in 1948 and oversaw its operations for almost 60 years until his death in 2007. The store continued to operat ...
store in Toronto (June 21 to November 11, 2012). Taking inspiration from the signs and show bills of Toronto’s landmark discount store, the exhibition included site-specific installations both inside and outside the store by Toronto artists Corinne Carlson, Robin Collyer, Barr Gilmore, Jen Hutton, Sarah Lazarovic and Vancouver-based Ron Terada. Press coverage included the
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
, NOW Magazine, Canadian Art,
The Jewish Daily Forward ''The Forward'' (), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ''The New York Times'' reported that Set ...
, and blogTO. In association with the exhibition and the
Toronto Fringe Festival The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual theatre festival, featuring un-juried plays by unknown or well-known artists, taking place in the theatres of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Several productions originally mounted at the Fringe have later been ...
, the Koffler presented a free concert in Honest Ed’s alley with the Toronto band The Pining on July 12, 2012.


2010-2011

In 2010-11, the Koffler presented the 34th Annual Toronto Jewish Book Fair, from October 23 to 31, 2010 at Beth David B’nai Israel Beth Am Synagogue. Award-winning Israeli author and peace activist
David Grossman David Grossman (; born January 25, 1954) is an Israeli author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. In 2018, he was awarded the Israel Prize for literature. Biography David Grossman was born in Jerusalem. He is the eld ...
opened the Fair and spoke on his new novel, ‘’
To the End of the Land ''To the End of the Land'' () is a 2008 novel by Israeli writer David Grossman depicting the emotional strains that family members of soldiers experience when their loved ones are deployed into combat. Grossman began writing the novel in May 2003 ...
‘’.
Tarek Fatah Tarek Fatah ( Punjabi/Urdu: ; Pakistani-Canadian journalist">əteh">̪aɾɪk fətah/ [fəteh20 November 1949 – 24 April 2023) was a Pakistani Canadians">Pakistani-Canadian journalist and author.George Gilder George Franklin Gilder (; born November 29, 1939) is an American investor, author, economist, and co-founder of the Discovery Institute. His 1981 book, '' Wealth and Poverty'', advanced a case for supply-side economics and capitalism during the e ...
(‘’The Israel Test’'),
Harold Troper Harold (Hesh) Troper (born January 1, 1942) is a Canadian writer, historian and academic. He specializes in Jewish Canadian history. Together with Irving Abella, he authored '' None Is Too Many'', the story of the Canadian government's refusal to ...
(‘’The Defining Decade’'), David Brody (‘’Mourning and Celebration – Jewish, Orthodox and Gay Past and Present’'), Lynda Fishman (‘’Repairing Rainbows: A True Story of Family’'),
Gregory Levey Gregory Levey (born c. 1978) is a Canadian writer and entrepreneur. He is Associate Professor of professional communication at Toronto Metropolitan University, co-founder of the software company Figure 1, a journalist and an author. Career Levey ...
(‘’How to Make Peace in the Middle East in Six Months or Less Without Leaving Your Apartment’'),
Kate Taylor (novelist) Katherine Mary Taylor (born 1962) is a Canadian critic and novelist, a cultural journalist at ''The Globe and Mail'' newspaper. She is author of three novels, ''Mme Proust and the Kosher Kitchen,'' ''A Man in Uniform'' and ''Serial Monogamy''. B ...
(‘’A Man in Uniform’'), Judie Oron (‘’Cry of the Giraffe’'), Savyon Liebrecht (‘’The Women My Father Knew’'), and Joseph Kertes (‘’Gratitude’'). On October 19, 2010, the Koffler presented the Toronto premiere performance of Israeli jazz composer and bassist Avishai Cohen at the Isabel Bader Theatre, U of T. In November 2010, the ‘’One World, Double Take series’' continued with a panel discussion on boundary-crossing artistic expression presented together with the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies, U of T. The panel featured artist and curator Millie Chen, First Nations artist Arthur Renwick, actor Marika Schwandt, and David Shneer. Shneer, professor at the
University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...
and editor of the books ‘’Queer Jews’' and ‘’Torah Queeries’', was the Koffler’s scholar-in-residence in fall 2010, and gave talks on the Russian Jewish Diaspora and his original research into the Soviet Jewish photographers between the World Wars. The Koffler Chamber Orchestra, led by former
Toronto Symphony Orchestra The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toron ...
concertmaster
Jacques Israelievitch Jacques Israelievitch, CM (May 6, 1948 – September 5, 2015) was a French violinist, and one of Canada's foremost chamber musicians. Born in Cannes, France, at 11 years old he was the youngest graduate in the history of the Le Mans Conservatory ...
, performed three concerts: Music That Survived on November 7, 2010 at Temple Emanu-El; English Gems for Strings on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts, Kitchener; and Back to Bach, Viva Vivaldi on April 10, 2011 at the
Gladstone Hotel (Toronto) Gladstone House (formerly the Gladstone Hotel) is a boutique hotel at 1214 Queen Street West in the Parkdale area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Since renovations in the early 2000s, the hotel has become an arts hub in the West Queen West neigh ...
. On May 4, 2011 the Koffler presented Texas-based singer, performer, author, and political activist
Kinky Friedman Richard Samet "Kinky" Friedman (November 1, 1944 – June 27, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician, and columnist for ''Texas Monthly'', who styled himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Roger ...
at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. The 23rd annual Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were held on May 30, 2010 at the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the
Toronto Reference Library The Toronto Reference Library is a public reference library in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue, within the Yorkville neighbourhood of downtown Toronto and is the largest and most visited br ...
. The 2011 winners included
Alison Pick Alison Pick (born 1975) is a Canadian writer. She is most noted for her Booker Prize-nominated novel ''Far to Go'', and was a winner of the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award for most promising writer in Canada under 35. Life and career Alison Pick i ...
, ‘’Far to Go’' (
House of Anansi Press House of Anansi Press is a Canadian publishing company, founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and Dave Godfrey. The company specializes in finding and developing new Canadian writers of literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. History Anansi ...
),
Tarek Fatah Tarek Fatah ( Punjabi/Urdu: ; Pakistani-Canadian journalist">əteh">̪aɾɪk fətah/ [fəteh20 November 1949 – 24 April 2023) was a Pakistani Canadians">Pakistani-Canadian journalist and author.McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. ...
), Robert Eli Rubinstein, ‘’An Italian Renaissance: Choosing Life In Canada’' (Urim Publications), Charles Foran, ‘’Mordecai: The Life and Times’' (
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
Canada),
Harold Troper Harold (Hesh) Troper (born January 1, 1942) is a Canadian writer, historian and academic. He specializes in Jewish Canadian history. Together with Irving Abella, he authored '' None Is Too Many'', the story of the Canadian government's refusal to ...
, ‘’The Defining Decade: Identity, Politics, and the Canadian Jewish Community in the 1960s’' (
University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calendar. Its first s ...
) and Judie Oron, ‘’Cry of the Giraffe’' (
Annick Press Annick Press is a Canadian book publishing company that was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1975 by Anne Millyard and Rick Wilks. Rick Wilks became the sole owner in 2000. A second editorial office was opened in Vancouver by Colleen MacMillan in 1 ...
). The awards ceremony was hosted by award-winning and bestselling author
Michael Wex Michael Wex (born September 12, 1954) is a Canadian novelist, playwright, translator, lecturer, performer, and author of books on language and literature.Dan Perjovschi Dan Perjovschi is an artist, writer and cartoonist born on 29 October 1961 in Sibiu, Romania. Perjovschi has over the past decade created drawings in museum spaces, most recently in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in which he created ...
(Romania) and was presented in conjunction with Printopolis: International Symposium on Printmaking. From February 17 to April 17, 2011, the Koffler Gallery presented ‘’Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women’' off-site at the
Gladstone Hotel (Toronto) Gladstone House (formerly the Gladstone Hotel) is a boutique hotel at 1214 Queen Street West in the Parkdale area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Since renovations in the early 2000s, the hotel has become an arts hub in the West Queen West neigh ...
and curated by Michael Kaminer and Sarah Lightman. The touring group exhibition featured original drawings, autobiographical comics and graphic novels from eighteen Canadian and international Jewish women artists, including Vanessa Davis,
Bernice Eisenstein Bernice may refer to: Places In the United States * Bernice, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bernice, Louisiana, a town * Bernice, Nevada, a ghost town * Bernice, Oklahoma, a town * Bernice Coalfield, a coalfield in Sullivan County, Pennsy ...
, Sarah Glidden,
Miriam Katin Miriam Katin (born 1942) is a Hungarian-born American graphic novelist and graphic artist. She worked in animation from 1981 to 2000 in Israel and the United States. She has written two autobiographical graphic novels, ''We Are on Our Own'' (2006 ...
,
Aline Kominsky-Crumb Aline Kominsky-Crumb (née Goldsmith; August 1, 1948 – November 29, 2022) was an American underground comics artist. Kominsky-Crumb's work, which is almost exclusively autobiographical, is known for its unvarnished, confessional nature. In 20 ...
,
Miss Lasko-Gross Melissa Lasko-Gross (known professionally as Miss Lasko-Gross) is an American comics creator, known for her semi-autobiographical graphic novels ''Escape from "Special"'' and ''A Mess of Everything''. Early life Melissa Lasko was born in Boston ...
, Sarah Lazarovic, Miriam Libicki, Sarah Lightman,
Diane Noomin Diane Robin Noomin ( Rosenblatt, May 13, 1947 – September 1, 2022) was an American comics artist associated with the underground comics movement. She is best known for her character DiDi Glitz, who addresses transgressive social issues such as ...
, Corinne Pearlman,
Trina Robbins Trina Robbins ( Perlson; August 17, 1938 – April 10, 2024) was an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first women in the movement. She co-produced the 1970 underground comic '' I ...
, Racheli Rotner,
Sharon Rudahl Sharon Rudahl (born 1947) is an American comic artist, illustrator and writer. She was one of the first female artists who contributed to the underground comix movement of the early 1970's. In 1972, she was part of the women's collective that fou ...
, Laurie Sandell,
Ariel Schrag Ariel Schrag (born December 29, 1979) is an American cartoonist and television writer who achieved critical recognition at an early age for her autobiographical comics. Her novel ''Adam'' provoked controversy with its theme of a heterosexual teen ...
,
Lauren Weinstein (comics) Lauren Weinstein (born 1975) is an American comic book artist and illustrator. Her first comics appeared as syndicated strips in the '' Seattle Stranger'' and Gurl.com, a website aimed at teenagers. Weinstein was one of a number of artists who ...
, and Ilana Zeffren. Stephen Cruise: ‘’Share the Moment’', from May 5 to August 28, 2011, was a sculptural installation in the Sheppard Plaza, at Bathurst and Sheppard Streets, Toronto. The artist transformed the vacant Kodak
Fotomat Fotomat was an American retail chain of photo development drive-through kiosks located primarily in shopping center parking lots. Fotomat Corporation was founded by Preston Fleet in San Diego, California, in the 1960s, with the first kiosk open ...
drive-through photo processing booth in the parking lot, rear-projecting images of photographs collected from the North York community. The installation was a feature exhibition of the 2011 Scotiabank CONTACT photography festival. The final Koffler Gallery exhibition of the 2010-11 season was ‘’Lyla Rye: Swing Stage’'. A site-specific installation off-site at Olga Korper Gallery, ‘’Swing Stage’' was a large wooden platform suspended with chains from the building’s structural trusses supporting the roof. A circular screen displayed a video projection referencing the view out of the round window atop the eastern gallery wall. The video spanned a 1930s rendering of the building, footage recorded on site, and a
Google Earth Google Earth is a web mapping, web and computer program created by Google that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satelli ...
model view of the neighbourhood. The exhibition received press coverage in the
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.
, on
Canadian Art (magazine) ''Canadian Art'' was a quarterly art magazine published in Toronto and focused on Canadian contemporary art. The magazine published profiles of artists, art news, interviews, editorials, and reviews of modern art exhibitions. Established in 1943 ...
‘s website, Akimblog and Azure magazine’s blog.


2009-2010

In 2009-10, Koffler Arts presented the second year of off-site programming around the greater Toronto area, the first year of arts education in the new Prosserman JCC facilities, and programs in the new spaces on Sherman Campus, including the book review series ‘’Treasures in Jewish Literature’' and the screening of the Israeli mini-series ‘’A Touch Away’'. The ‘’crEATivity club’', presented together with the Prosserman JCC, was held the last Wednesday of every month and featured interactive cultural programming during the day. The 33rd annual Toronto Jewish Book Fair was held from October 24 to November 1, 2009 in the renovated Lipa Green Centre for Community Jewish Services. Over twenty-five authors were featured, including Noah Alper (‘’Business Mensch: Timeless Wisdom for Today’s Entrepreneur’'),
Michael Wex Michael Wex (born September 12, 1954) is a Canadian novelist, playwright, translator, lecturer, performer, and author of books on language and literature.David G. Roskies (‘’Yiddishlands’'), Fred Kaufman (‘’Searching for Justice’'),
David Sax David Sax (born 1979) is a Canadian journalist. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Sax has written for publications such as ''New York Magazine'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''Bloomberg Business Week'', ''The New York Times'', ''Saveur'', NPR, '' GQ'' and ''Toronto ...
(‘’Save the Deli’'), Lily Poritz Miller (‘’In a Pale Blue Light’'), Nava Semel (‘’And the Rat Laughed’'), Marc H. Stevens (‘’Escape, Evasion and Revenge’'), Rabbi Erwin Schild (‘’And Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Six Walks With a Day of Rest’'), Rosanne Bernard (‘’Knittishisms: The Zen of Jewish Knitting’'), Kathy Kacer and Sharon McKay (‘’Whispers from the Camps’'), Lauren Kirshner (‘’Where We Have to Go’'),
Cary Fagan Cary Fagan (born 1957) is a Canadian writer of novels, short stories, and children's books. His novel, ''The Student,'' was a finalist for the Toronto Book Award and the Governor General's Literary Award. Previously a short-story collection, ''My ...
(‘’Valentine’s Fall’'), Sidura Ludwig (‘’Holding My Breath’'), Adam Sol (‘’Jeremiah, Ohio’'), Aviva Allen (‘’The Organic Kosher Cookbook’'), Karen Fisman (‘’Adventure in Latkaland’'), and Kathy Clark (‘’Guardian Angel House’'). On November 8, 2009, the Koffler presented Israeli musician
Kobi Oz Kobi Oz (, , born Ya'akov Uzan (, ) on 17 September 1969) is the lead singer of Israeli group Teapacks. Biography Yaakov Uzan was born on 17 September 1969 in Sderot to Tunisian Jewish parents who moved to the British Mandate of Palestine in ...
at the
Mod Club Theatre The Mod Club Theatre is an entertainment venue situated at 722 College Street, in Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood. The Mod Club operated from 2002 until the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. In late 2021, the venue reopened as The Axis Club, b ...
in Toronto. Oz, lead singer of the Israeli band
Teapacks Teapacks (also known as Tipex) () is an Israeli band that formed in 1988 as HaHotzaa La'Poal (Hebrew: , ''The Execution'') in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. Originally the band was named after the correction fluid Tipp-Ex, but in 1995 th ...
, performed ‘’Psalms for the Perplexed’' for the first time outside of Israel. On November 18, 2009, the Koffler presented the Toronto premiere of British-born Israeli
Robbie Gringras ''Robbie Gringras'' () is a British-born Israeli living in the Galilee, working in education, performance, and writing.   Since emigrating to Israel with a Literature degree from Oxford University, a teaching qualification, and his own theater co ...
’ one-man play, ‘’About the Oranges’', “a short play about suicide bombs” in which Gringras “stripped the Middle East conflict down to its essentials: pain and comedy.” The following night at the Miles Nadal JCC, Gringras moderated the discussion ‘’Staging Struggle’', as part of ‘’One World, Double Take’' series. A panel consisting of
Philip Akin Philip Akin (born April 18, 1950) is a Canadian actor. Akin has been acting and directing for over 40 years. He has had roles in major American films such as ''The Sum of All Fears'', '' S.W.A.T.'', and '' Get Rich or Die Tryin. He has also d ...
( Obsidian Theatre Company, Toronto), Majdi Bou-Matar (the MT Space - Multicultural Theatre, Kitchener), Jennifer Herszman Capraru (Theatre Asylum, Toronto and ISôKo, Rwanda), and
David Yee David Yee is a Canadian actor and playwright. His play ''lady in the red dress'' was a shortlisted nominee for the Governor General's Award for English language drama at the 2010 Governor General's Awards. His play ''carried away on the crest o ...
(fu-GEN Theatre Company, Toronto) examined theatre as a force for social change. On January 27, 2010, the Koffler presented the first ‘’Musical Melding’' series performance, featuring Toronto-based Juno-nominated world music group Jaffa Road together with Guelph-based Eccodek, at Lula Lounge. On April 25, 2010 the second ‘’Musical Melding’' performance took place at
Hugh's Room Hugh's Room is a live music venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
and featured Jaffa Road performing together with Iraqi-Jewish musician
Yair Dalal Yair Dalal (; born 25 July 1955) is an Israeli musician of Iraqi-Jewish descent. His main instruments are the oud and the violin, and he also sings as accompaniment. He composes his own music and draws on Arab and Jewish traditions, as well as ...
. While in Toronto, Dalal played at elementary and secondary schools and taught master classes on Iraqi and Jewish-Arabic music. In March 2010, the Koffler presented ‘’Cine-Seder Roundtable’' at Victoria College,
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, together with the Centre for Jewish Studies. A panel of U of T professors discussed Toronto-artist Melissa Shiff’s video sculpture ‘’Cine-Seder Plate’', installed for that night. The Koffler Chamber Orchestra, led by former
Toronto Symphony Orchestra The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toron ...
concertmaster
Jacques Israelievitch Jacques Israelievitch, CM (May 6, 1948 – September 5, 2015) was a French violinist, and one of Canada's foremost chamber musicians. Born in Cannes, France, at 11 years old he was the youngest graduate in the history of the Le Mans Conservatory ...
, performed three concerts: ‘’Mendelssohn and More’' on November 22, 2009 at Temple Emanu-El, Toronto; ‘’From Sweden to Italy with Stops in Jerusalem and Prague’' on February 28, 2010 at Shaar Shalom Synagogue, Thornhill; and ‘’An Italian Music Holiday’' on May 2, 2010 at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts in
Kitchener, Ontario Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...
. The 22nd annual Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were held on May 27, 2010 at the Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC. The 2010 winners included
Robin McGrath Robin McGrath (born March 29, 1949) is a Canadian writer from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.Aaron Peach"Robin McGrath (1949-)" ''Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador'', 2006. Early career The daughter of former Newfoundland politician Jame ...
, ‘’The Winterhouse’' (Creative Book Publishing),
Allan Levine Allan Levine (born February 10, 1956) is a Canadian author from Winnipeg, Manitoba, known mainly for his award-winning non-fiction and historical mystery writing. Life and works Levine attended the University of Manitoba and the University o ...
, ‘’Coming of Age: A History of the Jewish People of Manitoba’' (Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada and Heartland Associates),
Michael Marrus Michael Robert Marrus (February 3, 1941December 23, 2022) was a Canadian historian of the Holocaust, modern European and Jewish history and international humanitarian law. He is the author of eight books on the Holocaust and related subjects. Edu ...
, ‘’Some Measure of Justice: The Holocaust Era Restitution Campaign of the 1990s’' (
University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a Non-profit organization, non-profit university press publishing Peer review, peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic comm ...
), Eva Wiseman, ‘’Puppet’' (
Tundra Books Tundra Books is the oldest children's book publisher in Canada. Tundra Books was founded in 1967 by May Cutler, a Montreal-based writer and editor. Cutler established the publishing company in the basement of her home, becoming the first woman ...
),
David Sax David Sax (born 1979) is a Canadian journalist. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Sax has written for publications such as ''New York Magazine'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''Bloomberg Business Week'', ''The New York Times'', ''Saveur'', NPR, '' GQ'' and ''Toronto ...
, ‘’Save the Deli’' (
McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. ...
), Kenneth Sherman, ‘’What the Furies Bring’' (
The Porcupine's Quill The Porcupine's Quill is an independent publishing company in Erin, Ontario, Canada. The Porcupine's Quill publishes contemporary Canadian literature, including poetry, fiction, art and literary criticism. It is owned and operated by Tim and El ...
), Jeffrey Veidlinger, ‘’Jewish Public Culture in the Late Russian Empire’' (
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...
), Goldie Sigal, ‘’Stingy Buzi and King Solomon’' (Lomir Hofn Press) and a Special Achievement Award to
Howard Engel Howard Engel CM (April 2, 1931 – July 16, 2019) was a Canadian mystery author and CBC producer who resided in Toronto, Ontario. He was famous for his Benny Cooperman detective series, set in the Niagara Region in and around the city of Grant ...
. The Koffler Gallery continued to program off-site during 2009-10, presenting
Joshua Neustein Joshua Neustein (; born 1940) is a contemporary visual artist who lives and works in New York City. He is known for his Conceptual Art, environmental installations, Land Art, Postminimalist torn paper works, epistemic abstraction, deconstructed ...
: ‘’Margins’' from June 27, 2009 to March 28, 2010 at the
Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...
(ROM). Organized by the Koffler Gallery and the
Institute for Contemporary Culture The Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) is located in the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and serves as the ROM’s window on contemporary society. While the ROM’s vast collection explores world cultures and natural ...
(ICC) at the ROM, the exhibition ran concurrently with the ROM exhibition ‘’Dead Sea Scrolls: Words that Changed the World’'. The Koffler Gallery also presented the group exhibition ‘’how good are your dwelling places’' from January 14 to March 14, 2010. Curated by Rochester-based curator Cyril Reade and located in a vacant residential and commercial space at 23 Beverley Street in Toronto, the exhibition featured works by artists Rita Bakacs, Susan Lakin, Ross Racine and Allen Topolski. ‘’Auguststrasse 25’', by Toronto-based sound artist E.C. Woodley, was presented from April 22 to May 30, 2010, in the Kiever Synagogue in
Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's best-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, ...
, Toronto. The multi-media exhibition within one of Toronto’s oldest synagogues recreated a living-room setting typical of a middle-class Jewish home from 1920’s Germany, and featured an in-character actress, sounds from 1920’s Berlin radio, and period furniture. The Gallery closed the 2009-10 season with Panya Clark Espinal: ‘’Vagabond Vitrine’' from June 27 to August 1, 2010, a sculptural installation located at the Mon Ton Window Gallery on College Street, Toronto.


2008-2009

In 2008-09, the Koffler presented Israeli art historian Gideon Ofrat in a two-month residency that included a series of public talks on Israeli and Jewish art and art history at the Miles Nadal JCC, and presentations to schools and community groups. The Koffler also presented Israeli musician
David Broza David Simon Berwick Broza (; born September 4, 1955) is an Israeli singer-songwriter. His music mixes modern pop with Spanish music. Biography David Broza was born in Haifa, Israel. His father was an Israeli–British businessman of German-Dutch ...
on December 23, 2008 at the Leah Posluns Theatre. From November 1 to 9, 2008, the Koffler presented the 32nd annual Toronto Jewish Book Fair at the Leah Posluns Theatre. Speakers included
Alan Dershowitz Alan Morton Dershowitz ( ; born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer and law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law, U.S. constitutional and American criminal law, criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law Sc ...
(‘’The Case Against Israel’s Enemies’') on opening night, Ronald Aronson (‘’Living Without God’'), Rabbi Elyse Goldstein (‘’New Jewish Feminism’'), Arie Kaplan (‘’From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books’'), Lisa Alcalay Klug (‘’Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe’'), Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler (‘’A Man’s Responsibility’'), Pearl Sofaer (‘’Baghdad to Bombay: In the Kitchens of My Cousins’'), Bonnie Stern (‘’Friday Night Dinners’'), Gerald Tulchinsky (‘’Canada’s Jews: A People’s Journey’'), Richard Ungar (‘’Even Higher’'), Barrie A. Wilson (‘’How Jesus Became a Christian’'),
Anita Diamant Anita Diamant (born June 27, 1951) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction books."Anita Diamant." ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2015. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2017-09-22. She has ...
(‘’The Red Tent’'), Karen Levine (‘’Hana’s Suitcase’'), Kathy Kacer (‘’The Diary of Laura’s Twin’'), Ami Sands Brodoff (‘’The White Space Between’'), Gina Roitman (‘’Tell Me a Story, Tell Me the Truth’'), Morley Torgov (‘’A Good Place To Come From and Murder in A-Major’'), Howard Shrier (‘’Buffalo Jump’') and Jan Rehner (‘’Just Murder and On Pain of Death’'). In December 2009, the Koffler presented ‘’Crackin’ Up: Canadian Mosaic Comedy Night’' at
The Rivoli The Rivoli is a bar, restaurant and performance space, established in 1982, on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club originally earned a reputation as one of Canada's hippest music clubs, and many major Canadian comedy and musi ...
, featuring Daniel Woodrow, Ron Josol,
Arthur Simeon Arthur Simeon is a stand-up comedian based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was born in Kampala, Uganda on November 14, 1983 and attended the prestigious Namilyango College between 1996 and 2001. In the fall of 2001, Simeon moved to Canada to att ...
,
Simon Rakoff Simon Rakoff (born August 30, 1960) is a Canadian comedian who began performing professionally in 1978. A veteran of the Canadian comedy scene, he has performed in every province and is widely regarded as one of the quickest and cleverest Canadian ...
, and Lori Pearlstein. The Koffler Chamber Orchestra, founded in 2005 and led by former
Toronto Symphony Orchestra The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toron ...
concertmaster
Jacques Israelievitch Jacques Israelievitch, CM (May 6, 1948 – September 5, 2015) was a French violinist, and one of Canada's foremost chamber musicians. Born in Cannes, France, at 11 years old he was the youngest graduate in the history of the Le Mans Conservatory ...
, performed three concerts: ‘’From the Old World to the New World: Music of England and America’' on November 16, 2008 at
Hart House (University of Toronto) Hart House is a student activity centre at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus that offers programming for students across the university's three campuses. Established in 1919, it is one of the earliest North American student centres, ...
; ‘’Folk Feast’' on February 22, 2009 at Temple Emanu-El; and ‘’From Russia with Love’' on May 31, 2009 at the
Toronto Centre for the Arts Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the fourth-most populous city in North America. The city ...
. The 21st annual Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were held on May 25, 2009 at the Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC. The awards, which recognize Canadian writing on Jewish themes and subjects, are presented in the genres of fiction, non-fiction, history, poetry, Holocaust literature, biography and memoir, scholarship, and youth children’s literature. The 2009 winners included
Peter C. Newman Peter Charles Newman (born Petr Karel Neumann; May 10, 1929 – September 7, 2023) was a Canadian journalist, editor and author. He interviewed and wrote about every Canadian prime minister from Louis St. Laurent (1948–1957) to Paul Martin (2 ...
, ‘’Izzy: the Passionate Life and Turbulent Times of Izzy Asper’' (
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
Canada), Ami Sands Brodoff, ‘’The White Space Between’' (
Second Story Press Second Story Press is a book publishing company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company is focused on feminism, focusing on books featuring strong female characters and exploring themes of social justice, human rights, and ability issue ...
), Barrie Wilson, ‘’How Jesus Became Christian’' (
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
Canada), Joseph Kertes, ‘’Gratitude’' (
Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
Canada), Isa Milman, ‘’Prairie Kaddish’' (
Coteau Books Coteau Books was a small, non-profit literary press based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was established in 1975 by Bob Currie, Gary Hyland, Barbara Sapergia and Geoffrey Ursell when they realized that there was little opportunity for Sask ...
), Reinhold Kramer, ‘’Mordecai Richler: Leaving St. Urban’' ( McGill-Queen's University Press), David G. Roskies, ‘’YiddishLands’' (
Wayne State University Press Wayne State University Press (or WSU Press) is a university press that is part of Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 186 ...
), and Kathy Kacer, ‘’The Diary of Laura’s Twin’' (
Second Story Press Second Story Press is a book publishing company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company is focused on feminism, focusing on books featuring strong female characters and exploring themes of social justice, human rights, and ability issue ...
). The Koffler Gallery presented the exhibitions Nina Levitt: ‘’Thin Air’', from March 6 to April 18, 2008; Karilee Fuglem: ‘’here within our curving spaces’' from May 15 to July 13, 2008; and Akira Yoshikawa: ‘’the way of now’' from September 11 to November 30, 2008. Yoshikawa’s exhibition was the last to be held in the former Gallery space in the BJCC. The Gallery was demolished along with the Koffler offices and the BJCC in spring/summer 2009 to prepare for construction of the new Sherman Campus and Koffler Arts. In the interim, the Koffler Gallery began to program off-site at locations around Toronto. The first off-site exhibition was
Iris Häussler Iris Haeussler (or German spelling Häussler; ; born 6 April 1962) is a conceptual art, conceptual and installation artist, installation art artist of German origin. She lives in Toronto, Canada. Many of Iris Haeussler's works are detailed, hyp ...
: ‘’Honest Threads’', from January 22 to March 8, 2009. The exhibition was presented on the second floor of
Honest Ed's Honest Ed's was a landmark discount store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was named for its proprietor, Ed Mirvish, who opened the store in 1948 and oversaw its operations for almost 60 years until his death in 2007. The store continued to operat ...
, a large discount store located at Bathurst and Bloor Streets in Toronto. Haussler’s project, which garnered media attention in the
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
,
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.
,
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
,
Canadian Jewish News The Canadian Jewish News is a non-profit, national, English-language digital-first media organization that serves Canada's Jewish community. A national edition of the newspaper was published for 60 years in Toronto. A weekly Montreal edition in En ...
,
CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
,
Now (newspaper) ''Now'' (styled as ''NOW''), also known as ''NOW Magazine'' is an online publication based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Through most of its existence, ''Now'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper. Physical publication of ''Now'' was suspende ...
and Fiberarts, invited “visitors to wear and live with an article of clothing or accessory they’ve borrowed from the exhibit, donated by strangers who provide background information on their item.” The Koffler Gallery’s second off-site project was Diane Landry: ‘’The Magic Shield’', March 19 to May 3, 2009 at the Beaver Hall Gallery.


Artist Boycott of the Koffler Centre

In May 2021, Koffler Arts was the target of an artist boycott led by a number of Toronto artists, art organizations, and the
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was launched in April 2004 by a group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals in Ramallah, in the West Bank. PACBI is part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions ...
(PACBI). Over 450 artists and 26 art organizations signed the boycott. The boycott asked members of the arts community “not to show at, collaborate with, or participate in any events taking place at the Koffler Centre of the Arts” until the demands of the boycott were met.


Tony Kushner and UJA controversy

In March 2016, the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto – a Jewish charity whose mission is to “preserve and strengthen the quality of Jewish life in Greater Toronto, Canada, Israel and around the world” – disassociated itself from Koffler Arts’ presentation of Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright and
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
-nominated screenwriter,
Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...
. The UJA cited Kushner’s involvement in the group
Jewish Voice for Peace Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP; ) is an American Jewish anti-Zionist and left-wing advocacy organization. It is critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign ag ...
(JVP), to which Kushner sat on the advisory Board, and which supports the BDS
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's ...
movement. Although Kushner acknowledged his involvement in the JVP group, he denied he supports the BDS movement. In a Globe and Mail article, Kushner accused the UJA of “McCarthyism” and a “smear campaign.” Said Kushner in the Globe, “I’m honestly really disgusted by what he UJAdid and I’m very angry about it. It’s depressing that – even in Canada – this kind of censorious, illiberal and really disgraceful behaviour is seen as acceptable.” Koffler Arts, financially supported by the UJA Federation, went ahead with the planned Tony Kushner in Conversation event despite the UJA’s disassociation.


Reena Katz controversy

In May 2009 Koffler Arts announced it was disassociating itself from artist Reena Katz as a result of her support for Israel Apartheid Week, and a petition that she signed “condemning Zionism to the dustbin of history.” The Koffler Centre stated that such activities undermine the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.

, ‘’An Open Letter from Jewish Youth in Canada’', 5 January 2009
As stated on its website, undated documents say that the existence of Israel as a Jewish state is a core value of The Koffler. These documents did not exist at the time the controversy began. The website also stated that “ ile we will support artists with diverse views about Israel, we will not endorse anyone who calls for the demise of Israel as a Jewish state.” Katz “categorically rejects” this interpretation of her position.Murray Whyt
"Will politics wreck Wrecking Ball?"
‘’Toronto Star’', 14 June 2009
Koffler Arts has kept its contractual financial obligations to the project, ‘’each hand as they are called’', which was planned to be associated with Toronto’s
Luminato The Luminato Festival, Toronto's International Festival of Arts and Ideas, is an annual celebration of the arts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, launched in 2007. In its first decade, Luminato presented over 3,000 performances featuring 11,000 artist ...
festival. Katz’ show was to be a non-political celebration of Jewish history in
Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's best-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, ...
, which the ‘’Toronto Star’' described as “a gentle exploration of the layers of multi-ethnic immigrant history in Kensington Market, played out on the market’s streets in performance and, in one notably warm-fuzzy intervention, a game of
mah jongg Mahjong (English pronunciation: ; also transliterated as mah jongg, mah-jongg, and mahjongg) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played ...
between members of a Jewish seniors’ centre and a class of Grade 8 students at a nearby school.” The Centre’s objection was not to the planned installation itself, which they had heartily approved of every step of the way, but to Katz’ anti-Zionist views and activism (which was seen as undermining Israel as a Jewish state), prompting Koffler’s action to be described as
blacklisting Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...
by critics. The Centre’s response was “Just as every individual has a right to freedom of expression, any organization is free to choose with whom it partners.”

, ‘’Lori Starr, Letter to the Editor, “Decision not based on beliefs”, Toronto Star’', 16 May 2009
Katz and independent curator Kim Simon, hired by the Koffler Centre to curate the project, had been working on it for well over a year, and claim that from the beginning they had made Katz’s critical activism concerning Israel clear to the Centre’s own curator, Mona Filip (their link to the Centre) who in turn must have told executive director Starr about it. Katz herself describes the effect of having only a single one-hour meeting with Starr on May 8, who then immediately issued the Koffler’s press statement nationally, as a “stonewalling of internal dissent and debate… At no point along the way was I asked to represent myself, my ideas, or the mandates of the groups I belong to, despite amicable, almost daily contacts with Filip for many months.” As a result of the Centre’s actions, 4 of the 34 artists pulled out of Koffler’s summer art party and fundraiser ‘’The Wrecking Ball’' as a protest. One artist, Gwen MacGregor, stated “It really speaks to fundamental issues about freedom of expression and freedom of association. It’s the thin edge of the wedge, in terms of censorship, and that’s a slippery slope.” Another artist, Yvonne Singer, the only professional artist on the Koffler Board and an associate professor at York University, where she was in charge of the graduate program in visual art, resigned from the Board. She said, concerning a meeting of the Board’s Arts Advisory Committee on May 1 where Starr had raised the issues, “Several of us objected. The exhibition had nothing to do with atz'spolitical views, and in any case, she had a right to them as a citizen.” Singer again objected at the May 4 meeting of the full Board, but a majority agreed with Starr. In addition dozens of faculty from OCAD and York Universities signed a letter to the Koffler Centre stating that the latter’s “decision is a highly political act that serves to discredit Katz, her work and the validity of the political views and opinions she may hold as a Jew, an artist, and a social citizen.” In its FAQ (undated and not posted until well after the controversy began), Koffler Arts denies censorship since it did not cancel the exhibition and continued to fund it. They claim that the decision as to whether the exhibition continues remains in the hands of the artist and curator. This point of view was not accepted by journalists such as Murray Whyte, visual arts reporter at the Toronto Star, or Susan G. Cole, senior entertainment editor at Toronto’s ‘’Now’' weekly magazine,

, ‘’Susan G. Cole, Cover Story, “The show you won’t see…”, Now’', 3–10 June 2009
nor was it the view of then Board member Yvonne Singer who told Whyte she “knew right away it would scuttle the whole thing. You can’t dissociate like that, and reasonably expect it to survive.” Cole noted the domino effect that the Koffler’s quickly issued press release had on others involved in the project, in effect virtually terminating it 12 days before it was to open. ‘’each hand as they are called’' finally went forward after the Koffler’s lawyer reached a settlement with Ms. Katz’s lawyer and was presented (in a much modified form) from October 1 to 25, 2009. The Toronto Arts Council, which provides substantial financial support to The Koffler, addressed the situation: “We’re asking (Koffler) if this signals a change in policy,” said Claire Hopkinson, TAC’s executive director. “We’re taking it very seriously.” While the Toronto Arts Council after a formal review has confirmed that its funding of The Centre will continue, it also noted that Koffler had been “in violation of the City of Toronto’s non-discrimination policy regarding an individual’s right to freedom of political association” but declined to say what changes they were required to make.


Affiliations

The Museum is affiliated with Canadian Museums Association, CMA,
CHIN The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a we ...
, and
Virtual Museum of Canada Digital Museums Canada (DMC; , ''MNC'') is a funding program in Canada "dedicated to online projects by the museum and heritage community," helping organizations to build digital capacity. Administered by the Canadian Museum of History (CMH) wi ...
.


See also

*
Murray Koffler Murray Bernard Koffler (January 22, 1924 – November 5, 2017) was a Canadian pharmacist, businessman, and philanthropist. He was best known for founding the Canadian pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart, establishing the Koffler Centre of the Arts ...


References


External links


Koffler Arts Official website
{{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Ontario Museums in Toronto Art museums and galleries established in 1977 Arts centres in Canada Jewish Canadian culture