Peretz’s 80th Anniversary: A Wedding Between Peretz and the Past, Present, and Future

What’s a wedding without a khosen-kale (bridal couple)? Come find out at the Peretz Centre’s 80th anniversary gala event on Saturday, May 23rd!

In Eastern European Jewish tradition, weddings were the most joyous celebrations at the epicentre of communal life, convening people across generations, families, and backgrounds in simkha and hope for the future. In Ashkenazi folk tradition and literature, they also bring together the living and the dead. Drawing on this colourful tradition, our shtetl wedding-themed gala celebrates the achievements of the community and our commitment to supporting the future of Peretz and a sheynere un besere velt!

This once-in-a-lifetime event will feature live klezmer music, Yiddish dancing, magic, tasty Eastern European treats, the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir, and hilarious (and lovingly irreverent) interpretations of traditional wedding rituals – from the more well-known khuppa and sheva brokhes to the bedekens and badkhens and even visiting the graves of the ancestors!

Saturday, May 23rd, 2026

Doors open at 4:30pm (Event starts at 5pm)

Gallia & Ben Chud Auditorium at the Peretz Centre

6184 Ash. St., Vancouver, BC

➤   How to Get Here / Building & Accessibility Information

Free street parking and underground parking available (elevator access).

Registration is required in advance and space is limited! Ticket prices include dinner, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages. There will be a cash bar for attendees ages 19 and older (IDs will be checked at the door).

Dress code is shtetl glam! Bonus for wearing traditional kittels, ornamented bindaliks (kerchiefs), brusttukhs/bristekhs (sashes), kupkes (bonnets), shterntikhls (bejeweled headdresses), helzls (fancy collars), and any diverse traditional dress.

A Nadn (Dowry) for the Future: Support Our Youth Programs

Build up the inheritance for future generations at our Peretz at 80 Auction! Come prepared for wild offerings from the community, from basement antiques to hand-crafted trinkets to table-top role-playing experiences! (You can submit auction items here to support the fundraiser).

The Peretz Centre is in the midst of an unprecedented cultural revival, with a growing number of young Peretzniks of all ages who are building bridges between generations and ensuring the future of thriving, diverse, and progressive Jewish life in the place where we live. That's why our 80th Anniversary fundraising campaign is targeted towards supporting existing kids programs like Cultural Pnei Mitzvah, new successes like Zumershule Arts Camp, Kindervelt Storytime and a new youth group that is just getting started.

Ticket prices, contributions to our anniversary booklet, and proceeds from the auction will support youth programs, helping to keep them growing, exciting, accessible, and affordable for everyone.

Image: Art by Jess Goldman