Four Pillars of Peretz: A New Short Documentary Film Project

Bluma Field (1924–2021)

Claire Klein Osipov (1931–2020)

Sylvia Friedman (1928–2016)

Gallia Chud (1923–2025)

Announcing a new short documentary film project! Four Pillars of Peretz is a rollicking celebration of four women—Bluma Field, Sylvia Friedman, Claire Klein Osipov and Gallia Chud—and their invaluable contributions to Vancouver's Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. As the Peretz marks its 80th anniversary, this short film explores the important roles these women and the centre played (and continues to play) in preserving Yiddish culture while providing an inclusive place for Vancouver's secular Jewish community.

Support the Project

Relying on interviews with the children of the four women and members of the Peretz community (past and present), photographs and other archival materials, the film is an oral history of the Peretz and these four women. Though they were not the only ones who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, they shared a unique bond. Together their contributions—from Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir to Canadian Jewish Outlook Magazine and more—were integral to the centre’s existence, laying the foundations for future generations. The film aims to be celebratory and insightful, funny, quirky and, like Bluma, Claire, Sylvia and Gallia, full of chutzpah.

Watch the trailer:

Filmmaker Michael Kissinger is writing and directing the project, situating the story of these four women within the history of Peretz and highlighting the role Peretz plays and continues to play in Vancouver's secular Jewish community.

As a former community journalist, I am attracted to stories about communities—the colourful, “force of nature” characters who inhabit them and the essential role community plays in a healthy, robust society. The Peretz is no different. For 80 years, it has been a hub of activity, education, arts and culture for Vancouver’s secular Jewish community, for those seeking connection to their Jewish heritage, history, and experience but who may have struggled to find a home within the confines of mainstream Jewish institutions. As Donna Becker, a longtime fixture of the Peretz, says: “It’s the Yiddish, it’s the secular humanism and it’s the left-wing politics.”

Filmmaker Profile

Michael Kissinger is an award-winning writer, journalist, filmmaker and former editor of the Vancouver Courier community newspaper. He directed and edited the animated short film series Bayla’s Issues, which screened at the JxJ Washington DC Jewish Film Festival and 2021 Vancouver Jewish Film Festival. His short documentary film, Hinda and Her Sisterrrz, about Vancouver artist Hinda Avery, can currently be seen on Knowledge Network and was an official selection of the 2017 Toronto Jewish Film Festival, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Boston Jewish Film Festival, Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, and the Victoria Jewish Film Festival. He lives in Victoria, BC.

Support the Four Pillars of Peretz Film Project

The project has already received significant support from a generous, anonymous donor. We invite members of the Peretz community, especially those who love and miss Gallia, Bluma, Sylvia, and Claire, to contribute to the making of the film and the preservation of our community's legacies for generations to come. (Charitable contributions of all amounts are eligible for a tax receipt.)

For more information, please contact the Peretz Centre at info@peretz-centre.org