freelancer

JSA leads BC-wide campaign

Jeff Moss, executive director of the Jewish Seniors Alliance, speaks at the June 2 launch of the Health Care Needs Home Care campaign. (screenshot)

The Jewish Seniors Alliance of British Columbia is leading a broad coalition calling on the provincial government to eliminate fees for publicly funded home-support services, arguing that helping older adults remain safely at home would improve their quality of life while reducing pressure on hospitals and long-term-care facilities.

The Health Care Needs Home Care campaign was launched June 2 at the 411 Seniors Centre in Vancouver. Its partner organizations collectively represent or serve more than 400,000 seniors, caregivers and supporters across the province. The coalition is calling for access to home support to be determined by medical and practical need, rather than by a senior’s income or ability to pay.

Home-support workers assist people with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, preparing meals, taking medication and moving safely around their homes. Unlike many physician and hospital services, publicly delivered home support in British Columbia can require income-tested co-payments. The campaign argues that these charges place potentially essential care beyond the reach of many seniors. Its website says a senior earning $31,000 annually can be charged about $10,000 for one hour of home support a day over the year. Ontario and Alberta provide comparable publicly funded services without such fees.

Jeff Moss, executive director of the Jewish Seniors Alliance, said the campaign is not seeking merely to reduce the co-payments. It wants them abolished.

The principle of universality is important, Moss said, because means-testing adds another layer of complexity to a system that can already be difficult to navigate, particularly for people experiencing cognitive changes, language barriers or other challenges.

“It’s the opposite of being a hospitable system,” he said. Under the proposed approach, once someone is assessed as requiring support, “we’ll get it for you.”

Questions inevitably arise about why affluent seniors should also receive publicly funded home support. Moss argued that seniors able and willing to buy customized private care would probably continue doing so. A universal public program, however, would avoid forcing vulnerable people to prove repeatedly that they are sufficiently poor or otherwise deserving of assistance.

The campaign’s broader argument is economic as well as humanitarian. When people cannot obtain affordable help at home, relatively manageable difficulties can escalate into emergencies. Seniors may end up in hospital after falls, medication problems, malnutrition or other preventable complications. Others may be moved into long-term care earlier than necessary because they lack sufficient support to remain at home.

The campaign estimates that an average 24-day hospital stay for a senior can cost about $24,000, compared with approximately $1,200 for 24 days of home support. It also says 61% of people entering long-term care received no home support during the preceding 90 days.

Moss said governments cannot build long-term-care spaces quickly enough to meet the anticipated demand from an aging population. New facilities are expensive, require years of planning and construction, and often replace older beds rather than adding substantially to the total supply. In the Vancouver Coastal Health region, he said, projects completed or anticipated between 2009 and 2029 represent approximately 600 long-term-care beds, but only about 200 are net additions. A bed can cost more than $1 million to build, he added, while the provincial waiting list is already in the thousands and projected to grow substantially.

Providing more home support would not eliminate the need for residential care. It could, however, reserve those limited spaces for people whose medical and personal care needs genuinely cannot be met at home, said Moss.

The coalition involved in the campaign includes the Jewish Seniors Alliance, the Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC (COSCO), the Independent Long-Term Care Councils Association of BC, Family Caregivers of BC, the BC Health Coalition, the BC Care Providers Association, and Seniors First BC.

Together, they represent a range of perspectives, including seniors themselves, unpaid family caregivers, long-term-care residents and families, care providers and advocates for the public health-care system.

The campaign developed from advocacy work already underway at the JSA when Moss became executive director about two years ago. Its advocacy committee had identified home-support co-payments as a major barrier to aging in place and had begun meeting with public officials.

As the 2024 provincial election approached, the organization shifted from contacting individual MLAs to seeking commitments in party platforms. Moss said the proposal was included in the platforms of both BC United and the Conservative Party of BC.

After the election, advocates continued meeting with politicians, government representatives and seniors’ organizations. As more groups endorsed the objective, the effort grew into the present province-wide coalition.

Moss hopes the public campaign will generate at least 1,000 letters to MLAs and create sufficient pressure for meetings with the premier, health minister and finance minister during the coming fall legislative session.

The campaign website provides a form through which British Columbians can contact their MLAs. It is also collecting personal experiences from seniors and families who have experienced difficulty accessing home support because of the required fees.

“Seniors are a big voting bloc,” Moss said. If the government does not move on the issue, he said, the coalition will continue approaching opposition parties to build support for a future policy change.

For Moss, JSA’s leadership in a campaign serving seniors of every background is significant in another respect. At a time when Jewish individuals and organizations have sometimes experienced exclusion from coalitions and public institutions, he views the campaign as an opportunity to demonstrate the Jewish community’s investment in the well-being of society as a whole.

The Jewish Seniors Alliance is rooted in Jewish tradition but provides programs and advocacy intended to benefit older adults throughout the province, regardless of identity. Moss said he deliberately connects the organization’s public work to Jewish values, whether he is addressing political caucuses, seniors’ organizations or community audiences.

“Too often,” he said, “people see our Jewish organizations as only focused on the Jewish community when, in reality, we all know that the Jewish community, as part of tikkun olam, [tries] to repair the world for all.” The home-care campaign, he said, is “a living testament to that.”

And its message is straightforward: home support should be considered part of health care, said Moss, not as an optional service available only to those who can afford it.

Hamas a “net disaster”

Author and human rights advocate Raheel Raza spoke with Gaza-born American writer and peace advocate Ahmad Fouad Khatib in a June 28 online briefing presented by HR Canada Charitable Organization. (screenshot)

A Gaza-born American writer and peace advocate told a Canadian audience that Hamas has been a “net disaster” for Palestinians and that much of the Western pro-Palestinian movement has become detached from the needs of the people it claims to defend.

Ahmad Fouad Khatib, who was raised in Gaza and now lives in Washington, DC, said genuine advocacy for Palestinians must combine criticism of Israeli policies with an honest examination of Hamas, Palestinian political failures and an international aid system that has sustained Gaza without helping it develop accountable institutions.

Khatib spoke in a June 28 online briefing presented by HR Canada Charitable Organization, which carries out research and public education activities to combat antisemitism and anti-Jewish discrimination. HR Canada was founded in 2019, and is a separate legal entity from HonestReporting Canada, which operates as an independent, grassroots organization promoting fairness and accuracy in Canadian media coverage of Israel, the Middle East, and issues related to and affecting Canadian Jews. The discussion was moderated by author and human rights advocate Raheel Raza. It examined Hamas, Palestinian political culture, Western activism, antisemitism and the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Khatib said the central challenge facing Gaza is not simply reconstruction after the current conflict, but the creation of a political and economic future in which Hamas no longer controls the territory or its people.

“Hamas is mainly now holding two million Gazans hostage,” he said.

Khatib argued that Hamas’s remaining military infrastructure no longer represents the same immediate threat to Israel that it once did, but it continues to prevent meaningful recovery in Gaza. International donors, Arab governments and European states, he said, will be reluctant to invest seriously in rebuilding while Hamas retains its weapons, tunnels and political control.

Gaza, Khatib said, should not merely be rebuilt as it existed before the war. It must be “reimagined.”

“If we don’t solve Gaza, there’s no peace,” he said. “If Gaza doesn’t become a role model for effective Palestinian self-governance, if we don’t de-radicalize, if we don’t rejuvenate and reinvigorate Gaza to show what the West Bank can and should look like under Palestinian leadership, there’s no two-state solution.”

Khatib’s criticism of Hamas is rooted in both personal experience and profound loss. He said 34 members of his immediate and extended family have been killed in the war and both of his childhood homes have been destroyed. One of his brothers remains in Gaza and works with a major British medical and humanitarian organization.

He described conditions in the territory as catastrophic. Large portions of the population have been displaced, many people are living in tents or crowded into the homes of others, and residents face shortages of clean water, sanitation, privacy, education and medical care.

“No one is thriving, no one is healing, no one is recovering, no one is moving forward,” he said.

Khatib nevertheless rejected the contention that acknowledging Palestinian suffering requires silence about Hamas. Oct. 7, he said, was a choice, not an unavoidable response to Israeli policy. He argued that Hamas has repeatedly diverted Palestinian resources, undermined opportunities for state-building and used violence in ways that predictably brought further devastation upon Gaza.

“Any way you slice and dice Hamas, it has been a net disaster for the Palestinian people,” he said.

Khatib left Gaza in July 2005, about a month before Israel removed its settlements and military presence from inside the territory under the disengagement plan of then-prime minister Ariel Sharon. Khatib was 15 and traveled to the United States through a US State Department exchange program intended to build connections between Americans and young people from Muslim-majority countries after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

He lived with a host mother in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended an American high school. When he attempted to return to Gaza in 2006, Hamas’s abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit contributed to border closures that left him stranded in Egypt for three months.

With assistance from American human rights activists, including Jewish supporters and a Holocaust survivor, he returned to the United States and applied for political asylum. His asylum interview took place on the day Hamas completed its violent takeover of Gaza.

Khatib said he grew up in a devout Muslim family and was exposed early to the terror organization’s efforts to shape Gaza’s religious and social culture. As a child, he attended part of a summer camp that he later recognized as being dominated by Hamas activists. Even then, he said, he was repelled by its propaganda. He argued that Hamas did not simply promote a political program. It reshaped language and social expectations, making resistance an unquestionable virtue while turning peace into a synonym for cowardice, surrender or betrayal.

The consequences, he said, extended beyond Gaza. Hamas attacks during the Oslo peace process and later from Gaza contributed to the rightward movement of Israeli politics and strengthened Israeli politicians who argued that Palestinian independence would create an additional security threat, he said.

Khatib characterized Israel’s 2005 withdrawal as a missed opportunity for Palestinians to demonstrate that Gaza could succeed without a permanent Israeli military presence. Instead, Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian election and seized exclusive control the following year.

Gaza received vast international humanitarian assistance over the next two decades, he said, but Hamas was able to govern without assuming normal responsibility for public services because the United Nations, foreign donors and humanitarian organizations took on much of the burden of caring for the population. This produced what Khatib called a perverse incentive system: Hamas could prioritize weapons and warfare while outsiders repeatedly paid to repair the damage after each conflict.

He criticized Western activists who reduce Palestinian advocacy to opposition to Israel and refuse to acknowledge Palestinian agency. A credible pro-Palestinian framework, he said, must define a positive political objective rather than rely on demands to destroy or dismantle Israel. Calls to eliminate the “Zionist entity,” he argued, are not policy proposals and offer Israelis no reason to engage.

“Destroying Israel is not a goal,” he said. “That’s rhetoric. That’s hate.”

Authentic Palestinian advocacy should promote governance, economic opportunity, institution-building and political renewal, he said. It must also recognize that approximately nine million Israelis regard the country as their home and are not going to disappear.

Khatib said there is little organized space in the Palestinian diaspora for people who support Palestinian rights while rejecting Hamas and seeking engagement with mainstream Israelis and Zionists. Palestinians who question dominant activist narratives may face social exclusion, accusations of betrayal and pressure from their families or communities. He said people frequently contact him privately to express support for his arguments but are afraid to state similar views publicly.

Criticism of Hamas, he added, remains taboo in parts of Arab, Muslim and Palestinian diaspora life. Since Oct. 7, he has seen some people move from a reluctance to condemn Hamas to open support for the organization.

“This is not a fringe position,” he said.

Khatib has also experienced hostility from pro-Palestinian activists at universities. Although he opposes West Bank settlements, supports Palestinian freedom and has condemned Israeli conduct in Gaza, he said activists have branded him a traitor because he also criticizes Hamas and supports dialogue with Zionists.

At one campus appearance, protesters followed him toward his vehicle and he required a police escort. At another, demonstrators depicted him as having been bought by Israel, using dollar signs in a manner he considered both anti-Palestinian and antisemitic.

The assumption that an independent-minded Palestinian must have been paid by Jews or Israel, he said, denies Palestinians intellectual diversity while reproducing traditional conspiracy theories about Jewish money and control.

Khatib said antizionism can, in theory, be distinguished from antisemitism as an intellectual position. In contemporary practice, however, it frequently serves as a shield for hostility toward Jews.

He drew a distinction between criticizing Israeli policies and demanding Israel’s elimination. Opposition to violent settlers or to statements by far-right Israeli ministers, he said, is legitimate political discourse. Holding Jewish communities abroad collectively responsible for Israeli actions is not.

He cited attacks on synagogues and Israeli diplomatic personnel, as well as rhetoric that treats such violence as an understandable consequence of events in the Middle East.

“That is antisemitic,” he said. “That is double standard. That is normalizing violence against Jewish communities because somehow what happened overseas, over there, 10,000 miles away, needs to come to our shores.”

Despite the obstacles, Khatib ended with a measure of optimism. He believes many Palestinians, freed from social pressure and fear of reprisal, would prefer peace, coexistence and economic security.

“The individual is smart, the group is dumb,” he said. “One-on-one, if left to their own devices, most Palestinians would choose peace.”

He said Gaza, the source of the Oct. 7 attacks and repeated regional conflict, could eventually become the place where a new political direction begins.

“I fully believe that Gaza can, and inshallah [God willing] will, be ground zero for the beginning of the end of the conflict and for true peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Does Bill C-9 matter?

Canada’s new Combatting Hate Act, which has just come into force, says many of the right things. The question is whether anyone in the justice system will act on them.

The passage of Bill C-9 into law creates a distinct hate-motivated crime offence, defines hatred in the Criminal Code and prohibits intentionally intimidating or obstructing people trying to enter places of worship, schools, community centres, cultural facilities and other spaces used by identifiable groups. It also makes it an offence to wilfully promote hatred through the public display of symbols principally associated with listed terrorist organizations, as well as specified Nazi symbols. The legislation removes the former defence based on good-faith expression of a religious opinion in certain hate-propaganda cases.

The law does not ban peaceful protest, political advocacy, religious teaching, disagreement or criticism. Its threshold remains high: expression must amount to the wilful promotion of hatred, which the Criminal Code now defines as an intense and extreme emotion associated with vilification and detestation. Merely offending, humiliating or discrediting someone is not enough.

Despite claims of threats to free expression, Canadians remain free to criticize governments, religions, ideologies and political movements. The law will (theoretically) intervene when protest becomes intimidation or when access to a synagogue or community centre is deliberately obstructed.

Of course, Canada already had laws against assault, threats, arson, vandalism, criminal harassment, intimidation and hate propaganda. Hatred was already an aggravating factor at sentencing. Yet, Jewish Canadians have watched an alarming procession of apparently serious incidents produce no charges, no convictions, no outcomes that reflect the gravity of the conduct.

In October 2023, in Montreal, Adil Charkaoui led a public prayer asking God to count the “enemies of the people of Gaza,” exterminate them and spare none. Prosecutors concluded that the evidence could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the words constituted incitement to hatred against an identifiable group. No charges were laid.

In Ontario, Waisuddin Akbari was convicted after threatening to plant bombs in every Toronto synagogue and kill as many Jews as possible. In July 2025, he received 60 days of house arrest, followed by probation and a weapons prohibition. The judge rejected a discharge, but a sentence served at home for threats of mass murder against Jewish worshippers hardly communicates the full force of public denunciation.

Here in Vancouver, more than two years ago, an unidentified attacker poured accelerant at the entrance of Vancouver’s Schara Tzedeck Synagogue and set it on fire. Police released surveillance footage, but no suspect has publicly been identified or charged. The inability to identify an offender is not the same as prosecutorial reluctance, of course, but, for the targeted community, the practical result is identical: an attack occurred and nobody was held accountable.

These cases reveal different failures at different stages. Police may not recognize the significance of antisemitic language or symbolism. Investigators may lack the resources or specialized knowledge required to build a case. Prosecutors may decide that the high legal threshold or limited prospect of conviction makes proceeding unwise. Courts may convict but impose nominal sentences.

As we have said before in this space, passing a law does not close any of these gaps.

Police officers need training in the legislation and more broadly in the contemporary forms antisemitism (and its sister scourge antizionism) takes, including violence-inciting slogans like “from the river to the sea” and “globalize the intifada.” Crown prosecutors need the expertise and institutional will and support to bring difficult cases forward. Attorneys general must provide timely consent where the Criminal Code requires it. Judges must apply the law in ways that recognize not only harm to an individual victim, but the broader intimidation inflicted on an entire community.

The Combatting Hate Act may help. A distinct hate-crime offence could make motivation central to a prosecution rather than an afterthought at sentencing. The access provisions respond directly to the intimidation that has increasingly surrounded synagogues, Jewish schools and community gatherings, and neighbourhoods with a higher proportion of Jewish residents. Clearer statutory language may also give police and prosecutors more confidence about where lawful protest ends and criminal conduct begins.

Still, legislation is mere paper until institutions give it life.

That said, laws do have a purpose beyond prosecution. They express the moral judgment of society. At a time when antisemitism and antizionism have become louder, more extreme, more brazen and more socially tolerated, Parliament has drawn a line.

That imprimatur is significant in itself. Enforcement will determine whether the Combatting Hate Act becomes an effective instrument or another unfulfilled promise. But, even before the first prosecution, the law sends a necessary message: hatred is not acceptable, intimidation is not activism and Canadians should not have to run a gauntlet of hostility and danger to worship, study, gather or just go about daily life in this country.

What belonging means

British Columbia has been home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial, and shaped ever since by people who came from somewhere else. For generations, people have arrived here seeking opportunity, freedom, safety and the chance for a better future. They brought different languages, traditions, beliefs and experiences. Together, they helped create one of the most diverse and vibrant places anywhere in the world.

That diversity is one of British Columbia’s greatest strengths. But it also comes with a great responsibility. In a province where so many of us have roots elsewhere, belonging is not something we inherit. It is something we build.

As we prepare to celebrate BC Day, I find myself thinking about what that means. Not simply belonging within our own families or communities, but belonging to the broader story of British Columbia. For Jewish British Columbians, that story stretches back more than 160 years.

Like so many communities across this province, ours is an immigrant story. Families arrived from Eastern Europe, North Africa, Latin America, the former Soviet Union, Israel, South Africa and countless other places. Some came fleeing persecution. Others came searching for opportunity. Over generations, they contributed to the economic, cultural, civic and charitable life in our province. Along the way, they found something equally important: a place to belong.

That sense of belonging did not happen by chance. It was built by neighbours who welcomed newcomers, by community leaders who created opportunities to participate and by people willing to reach across cultural and religious differences to form lasting relationships.

Those relationships matter because no community succeeds in isolation. They matter because a healthy society depends on trust, and because our differences do not need to divide us. That lesson feels especially relevant today.

Over the past several years, difficult conversations have strained relationships in communities across Canada. Too often, polarization has overshadowed our shared humanity. Yet, some of the most encouraging moments have come from people choosing another path: dialogue instead of division, partnership instead of polarization, curiosity instead of suspicion.

Those choices rarely make headlines, but they are the choices that strengthen communities. They are the choices that define British Columbia at its best.

This belief in connection is reflected in the recent evolution of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver to the Jewish Federation of British Columbia. While it may appear to be a simple name change, it reflects a larger reality. Jewish life in this province is no longer centred in one city. Today, nearly 30 Jewish communities across British Columbia are helping shape a shared future, and our responsibility is to ensure that every community has the opportunity to thrive, and to support an increasingly connected province. The transformation reflects a belief that, despite differences in geography, background or experience, we are stronger when we remain connected.

That vision extends well beyond the Jewish community. British Columbia has always been strongest when people from different backgrounds choose to invest in one another. Guided by the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples and enriched by generations of newcomers and families who have called this province home, we continue to foster a shared future, one where people continue to build bridges rather than walls. Diversity is not simply something we celebrate. It is something we sustain through relationships, participation and a commitment to the common good.

For more than 160 years, Jewish British Columbians have sought to contribute to that vision. Philanthropy has long been one of the ways our community expresses its values, supporting not only Jewish organizations but also hospitals, universities, social service agencies, cultural institutions and countless initiatives that strengthen life across this province. This tradition reflects a simple belief: when one community succeeds, we all benefit.

The same spirit continues today through volunteerism, civic engagement and partnerships that bring people together across communities. BC Day reminds us that our lives are shaped by the people who show up for us. It is also a reminder that stronger communities are built by those who show up for one another. The neighbour who offers a welcome. The volunteer who lends a hand. The leader who creates opportunities for people to connect. The bridge-builders who choose understanding over division.

These acts may seem small, but, over time, they create something extraordinary. They create belonging.

In a world where it is often easier to focus on what separates us, there may be no greater gift we can give one another than the commitment to keep working toward making the province a place where everyone can belong – and there may be nothing more important than that.

Ezra Shanken is chief executive officer of Jewish Federation of British Columbia.

Make time to congratulate

A few days ago, a press release arrived in my inbox for the 2026 Redress Design Award. In capital letters, it read, “2026 finalists announced, tackling common to complex textile waste.” After I wrote the book Knit Green: 20 Projects & Ideas for Sustainability (Wiley & Sons 2009), I ended up on several PR lists. These marketing specialists somehow concluded that I had unique pull and could publicize their events.

This continued even as Wiley sold off their craft book line, stopped marketing my books, and sales fell away. Then, I discovered that another, remarkably similar book was published, first in German and then translated into English, while my book was pirated for free download. Then Anthropic scraped my books, along with many others, to create an early version of AI. Long story short, although I care about sustainability and the environment, my efforts as an author don’t give me enough clout to warrant all the press releases. That said, I enjoyed reading about new young designers’ efforts to promote textile reuse, so I stayed on this e-list.

I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m writing about this for a Jewish publication. Don’t fear! There are so many references to textiles, their production, use and value in Jewish sources. As well, our investment in tikkun olam – the notion of fixing the world – applies here, literally, when it comes to sustainability.

This year, when the Hong Kong-based, “Asia-focused environmental NGO Redress, dedicated to reducing clothing’s negative environmental impacts since 2007” announced its finalists, the list included something exciting. An Israeli won one of the coveted finalist spots. This is not a minor competition. The “finalists, who out-designed hundreds of applicants globally, represent seven regions across Asia, Europe and Middle East.” These finalists offer circular design solutions for textile waste, including “factory excess, clothing waste and furniture waste.” According to the release, there are currently 92 million tons of textile waste produced by the fashion industry annually, and only a miniscule amount of this is recycled.

The press release describes that “Tal Zohar (Israel) repurposes recycled fibres, discarded leather scraps, second-hand hardware and factory leftover yarn, including wool yarn cones donated from a closed factory.” This is all admirable. Zohar’s sketches show an Israeli/Middle Eastern ethos, with stylistic influences from her Moroccan (North African) family. However, that’s not what struck me as most remarkable.

We’re experiencing a moment in which Jewish and Israeli creatives are harassed and isolated due to the Gaza conflict and wider antisemitism. PEN America recently documented Israeli and Jewish writers’ experiences of growing isolation and exclusion on their social media. I saw the post on Instagram, but its comments absolutely proved the point. They were a dumpster fire, full of hate. Shortly afterwards, Dinaw Mengestu, the PEN America president, resigned in protest. He was protesting the lack of support for pro-Palestinian activism.

In this context, I was ridiculously excited to see that a young Israeli designer’s work was being celebrated on a wider stage. Will Zohar win? Will her designs and sustainability efforts become well-known or upscaled in a meaningful way? I don’t know. Still, I want to thank an NGO for choosing and valuing a designer on her merits, while a country and our people are being actively forced out of many arenas.

This confluence of two of my interests, fibre arts and Judaism, also happened elsewhere. After nearly a year of grassroots efforts, our Winnipeg congregation is beginning to embrace a once-a-month, co-ed needlework group. This group of knitters, beaders, crocheters, spinners, weavers, quilters, embroiderers and others, is largely sourced from our membership. Many of these fibre artists were cast out of their neighbourhood groups after Oct. 7 because they were Jewish or supported Israel.

One in three women in North America knits, so this group of needleworkers is in fact a big market share of our community. We deserve to feel proud and recognized not only in the wider world, via fashion competitions, but also in our neighbourhoods. On a basic level, if you want a synagogue member (me) to wash and mend all the plush Torahs for the family services, you need to show you value that member’s textile skills.

More broadly, you may not care about sustainability, textiles, fashion or traditional women’s work, but our tradition teaches us to say “yashar koach” (“well done”) when someone reads Torah, has an aliyah at synagogue, or does a good deed. We need to celebrate and congratulate each other every day, especially in the current environment.

As a mom, I am increasingly proud of people who step up. Not just my kids, but anyone’s children, and even those who are older than me, all fall under this new feeling of pride. I am proud when someone does something good! Also, I’m proud when someone is there for others or is celebrated for their professional skills. This is a special kind of Jewish joy we can all do more often. Jewish joy is something we all need to feel, share and acknowledge.

So, Tal Zohar, you don’t know me, but I wish you a hearty mazal tov on becoming a finalist in the Redress Design Award competition. As a Jewish mom and an author who writes about fibre arts, textiles and sustainability, I’m here to celebrate people like you who’ve done beautiful work under pressure.

A rising tide lifts all boats. We owe it to one another to applaud a job done well. This is a Jewish tradition, this chance to say “yashar kochech” (for a woman) or “yashar koach” (for a man) – or, in English, “well done!” Let’s do more of this special Jewish form of congratulations to bolster one another during difficult – and, hopefully soon, easier – times.

Joanne Seiff has written regularly for the Winnipeg Free Press and various Jewish publications. She is the author of three books, including From the Outside In: Jewish Post Columns 2015-2016, a collection of essays available for digital download or as a paperback from Amazon. Check her out on Instagram @yrnspinner or at joanneseiff.blogspot.com.

Connecting with nature

Growing Together – a garden program for young adults with varying abilities, run by the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and Jewish Family Services – is facilitated by Ran Keren. (photo from JCC)

This spring, the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver launched Growing Together, a garden program for young adults with varying abilities, in partnership community with Jewish Family Services (JFS). The program runs biweekly on Sundays through August and is offered free of charge.

“It is well established that spending time outdoors can benefit mental health,” Shiri Barak Gonen, Inclusion Services program coordinator at the JCC, told the Independent. “The JCC wanted to create a safe, welcoming space where members of our community could connect with nature, build meaningful relationships and experience personal growth.

“We also have a deep appreciation for agriculture. Living in an urban environment, we felt that community gardening would be a meaningful way to introduce participants to the growing process and foster a stronger connection to the natural world. We recognized that experiencing the entire growing cycle – from planting and nurturing to harvesting – would provide participants with a genuine sense of accomplishment and pride.

“In addition,” she said, “we recognized that our adult inclusion programs serve a broad age range. This initiative was designed to give our young adults the opportunity to connect and build friendships with peers who are closer to their own age and at a similar stage of life.”

It was developed with a clear vision, she said: “to engage participants in gardening and outdoor activities while encouraging connections with one another, with the facilitator and with nature itself. Once we had that vision clear, we began searching for the right location to bring it to life.”

The JCC initially approached Congregation Beth Israel, said Maggie Wilson, coordinator of the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden, which was established in 2020 by Vancouver Talmud Torah, Beth Israel and JFS, and which is situated alongside the synagogue building and behind the school. However, the congregation realized the program would be a better fit for a partnership between the JCC and JFS, she said.

Wilson and Carol Hopkins, director of food security at JFS, explained in an email that “the JCC coordinates the program, managing participant recruitment, registration and the program facilitator” and, through its partnership with JFS, the program takes place in the garden.

“As part of this collaboration, JFS will lead specialized food literacy programming with the participants,” they said. “The participants have also been given the use of a bed to care for throughout the season. This allows them to experience the full cycle of gardening, from planting seeds and caring for growing plants to harvesting food they have grown themselves, all while building confidence, developing new skills and fostering a sense of ownership and connection to the space.

“By combining expertise in inclusive programming, a shared dedication to food literacy and a vibrant outdoor learning environment, this partnership between the JCC and JFS has created an experience that neither organization could have offered on its own.”

Wilson provides professional guidance and ongoing support for the program, which is designed for young adults aged 18 to 25 with a wide range of support needs. Barak Gonen said the initiative has allowed the JCC “to engage new participants who had not previously taken part in our inclusion programs.”

photo - The JCC-JFS Growing Together program takes place in the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden — The JCC-JFS Growing Together program takes place in the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden. *(photo from VJCG)*

For the initiative, the JCC recruited Ran Keren, an experienced facilitator, who, Barak Gonen said, “has done an exceptional job leading the gardening activities while also creating engaging outdoor arts, crafts and nature-based experiences that foster learning, bonding and enjoyment.”

“We started our program this spring with learning about the various herbs, veggies, fruits and greens that grow in the beautiful Jewish Community Garden,” said Keren. “Every meeting, we do some work in the garden and connect with the plants in some way; making herbal tea from the garden herbs, printing T-shirts with the garden flowers, putting together birdhouses and bug hotels, and nurturing our own little plot of veggies. There is something dynamic in gardening work, as it depends on the weather and the ever-changing crop growth and cycles, but the most important part in our work and activities is to create space in which we get to know one another, and feel safe and welcome to share thoughts, experiences and feelings. To borrow from [noted Indigenous botanist] Robin Kimmerer, ‘A garden is a nursery for nurturing connection.’ My main goal, and hope is that our program is shaping to be such a space.”

Growing Together is a seasonal initiative, so it will continue for as long as the weather conditions allow. “We hope to extend it through the current growing season and are planning to offer it again next spring, giving participants the opportunity to reconnect with nature and continue building on the relationships and skills developed through the program,” Barak Gonen said.

“There is still space for new participants to join the current program cycle,” she added, “and we welcome anyone interested in taking part.”

For more information, contact Barak Gonen at shiri@jccgv.bc.ca. For more about the garden, go to jewishcommunitygarden.ca.

Mikvah at Chabad now open

Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld, left, and Rabbi Yechiel Oirechman cut the ribbon at the July 6 dedication of the newly completed Mikvah of Chabad. (photo by Lior Noyman)

Metro Vancouver Jewish community members gathered July 6 at Chabad Lubavitch of British Columbia to dedicate the Mikvah at Chabad, a new ritual bath that will serve Jewish women and families throughout the region. The evening marked the completion of a project first envisioned by Rabbi Yitzchok and Henia Wineberg, founders of Chabad Lubavitch of BC, when the Chabad centre on Oak Street was built more than 25 years ago.

A mikvah has long been considered one of the foundations of a Jewish community. While often associated with the laws of taharat hamishpacha (family purity), a mikvah is also connected with other moments in Jewish life, including preparation for marriage and conversion. As Vancouver’s Jewish community has continued to grow, the need for additional mikvah resources has grown as well. The Mikvah at Chabad represents an expansion of the community’s ability to support women in fulfiling this mitzvah. It builds on the foundation established by those who have been serving mikvah needs for years: Congregation Schara Tzedeck and the Bayit.

The dedication of Rabbi Dovid and Chaya Rosenfeld, together with many others, brought the Mikvah at Chabad project to completion. While the mikvah received support from individuals and organizations beyond Vancouver, most of the funding, both for the construction and the ongoing needs of the mikvah, has been raised locally, reflecting the commitment and generosity of Vancouver’s Jewish community.

The dedication ceremony took place shortly before Parshat Masei, which recounts the 42 journeys of the Jewish people through the wilderness. Rabbi Rosenfeld reflected on the connection between those journeys and the long path toward completing the mikvah.

“There were many miracles that led to this moment,” said Rosenfeld, sharing the personal journey that ultimately brought the project across the finish line. Last Simchat Torah, Rosenfeld made a public commitment that the mikvah would be completed during the coming year.

“Nobody believed me,” he recalled with a smile. “I didn’t even believe, myself!”

Several weeks later, while attending the International Kinus Hashluchim in New York, Rosenfeld visited the Ohel, the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. There, Rosenfeld wrote of his commitment and asked for assistance in making the vision a reality.

Soon afterward, an unexpected chain of events led him to Rabbi David Darli of Israel, whose encouragement provided the momentum to complete the project. Rosenfeld described the experience as a moment of renewed confidence and inspiration.

“I felt right there that the Rebbe was telling me, ‘You can do it,’” he said.

photo - Rabbi Yitzchok Wineberg speaks about seeing the 25-year-old dream of a new mikvah become reality — Rabbi Yitzchok Wineberg speaks about seeing the 25-year-old dream of a new mikvah become reality. *(photo by Lior Noyman)*

The July 6 evening featured reflections from Rabbi Wineberg, who spoke about seeing a dream he had envisioned decades earlier finally materialize. Riki Oirechman, who helped oversee the design of the mikvah, discussed the many people and details that came together to create the finished facility. Amanda Aron Chimanovitch shared her personal connection to mikvah and its role in Jewish life.

One of the night’s most personal presentations came from Chaya Rosenfeld, who spoke about why the mitzvah of mikvah continues to hold deep meaning for Jewish women and families.

“Every month, your marriage starts again,” she said. “The wisdom built into this mitzvah reminds us not to take each other for granted.”

She explained that mikvah creates a powerful connection: to one’s spouse, to God and to generations of Jewish women who came before.

“It connects me to my husband, it connects me to Hashem and it connects me to generations of Jewish women who came before us,” she said, emphasizing that taharat hamishpacha is not only an individual mitzvah but one of the foundations of Jewish continuity.

photo - The Mikvah of Chabad was designed to create a peaceful and welcoming environment — The Mikvah of Chabad was designed to create a peaceful and welcoming environment. (photo by Lior Noyman)

“A community can exist without a synagogue or even a Torah scroll,” she said, “but these mitzvot cannot be observed without a mikvah. That is why a mikvah is so essential.”

She expressed the hope that the Mikvah at Chabad will become a place where Jewish women can prepare for weddings, strengthen their marriages and deepen their connection to Judaism in an atmosphere of warmth, comfort and dignity.

Following the speeches, guests gathered for the official dedication, including the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the affixing of the mezuzah. They then toured the new facility, which features heated floors and spaces designed to create a peaceful and welcoming environment. Throughout the building, plaques recognize the many families and individuals whose generosity helped make the project possible.

The dedication came just weeks before Chabad Lubavitch of BC hosts the annual BC Kinus Hashluchim, which brings together Chabad rabbis and rebbetzins from communities throughout the province. The gathering provides an opportunity for Chabad emissaries to connect, collaborate and share ideas as they reflect on the needs of their communities and discuss how they can continue to strengthen Jewish life throughout British Columbia.

The timing of the Kinus reflects a broader story taking place across the province: the continued growth and expansion of Jewish life in communities large and small. Over the past year alone, new Chabad centres have been established serving the North Shore, the Sea-to-Sky corridor and the University of Victoria community. These initiatives join the network of Chabad centres already serving Vancouver, Richmond, the Tri-Cities, the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan.

For Rabbi Rosenfeld, the purpose of the BC Kinus is not only to celebrate what has been accomplished, but to look ahead – to ask how Chabad can continue to strengthen existing communities and reach Jews in places where new opportunities and needs are emerging.

“The idea is that no matter who you are or where you end up, Chabad is there for you,” he said.

To find out more about the Mikvah at Chabad or Chabad in your local community, email info@lubavitchbc.com.

David J. Litvak is a prairie refugee from the North End of Winnipeg who is a freelance writer and publicist, and a mashgiach at Louis Brier Home and Hospital. His articles have been published in the Forward, Globe and Mail and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. His website is cascadiapublicity.com.

Whistler welcomes Chabad

Rabbi Schneur and Bina Druk and their family are enjoying life in Whistler. (photo from Chabad of Whistler)

The Jewish community in Whistler has warmly welcomed Rabbi Schneur and Bina Druk, co-directors of Chabad of Whistler, and their family, who arrived almost a year ago to establish a Chabad centre in the mountain resort town, to serve it and the Sea-to-Sky corridor.

“The response has honestly been incredibly warm,” Rabbi Druk told the Independent. “We’ve met many locals who’ve lived here for decades, seasonal workers spending a winter on the mountain, families who return year after year, second-home owners, and visitors from around the world. Many have told us they never realized how many other Jewish people were here until Chabad opened.

“People are excited to see Jewish life growing in Whistler and to have a place where they can connect with other Jews,” he said.

“One of my favourite parts has been meeting new people throughout the year. Every season brings a different mix of families, visitors, locals and people from all over the world,” said Bina Druk.

“It’s especially meaningful,” she said, “to watch people from different backgrounds and levels of Jewish observance come together and connect, whether it was a Passover seder, Hanukkah celebration, a Purim après-ski event, a Hebrew school program or a Friday night dinner during the ICSC [global trade association] conference…. Those moments remind us that, despite our different backgrounds, we’re one family. That’s what makes the Whistler Jewish community so special.”

With its relatively new community connector model, the Jewish Federation of British Columbia has increased its support of Jewish communities in places like Whistler, and various Metro Vancouver congregations hold programs in the municipality. For its part, Chabad of Whistler offers a Hebrew school, Shabbat services, Jewish Learning Institute and other classes, and kosher catering.

“Here, pretty much only the fruits and vegetables are kosher,” said Rabbi Druk. “So, keeping kosher in Whistler means regular trips to Vancouver and a lot more planning. But that is one of the reasons we are here. We are working on some ideas on how to make kosher food accessible in Whistler. It’ll take lots of effort and creativity to get it done.”

Efforts are also being made to create a dedicated physical space for their activities.

“For now, we rent different venues for Shabbat services, holiday celebrations, classes and community events, and we partner with one of the local schools for Hebrew school,” said the rabbi. “We try to choose a venue as central and accessible as possible. Our long-term plan is to create a permanent Chabad centre in a central, visible location where anyone can easily find a welcoming Jewish home, where any Jewish person can walk in for a Shabbat meal, a class, holiday celebration or just a conversation.”

Bina Druk grew up in Toronto and has spent many years in Jewish education, serving in various positions at Hebrew schools in Toronto and Brooklyn, and teaching in Jewish camps in several cities.

“Her father is the dean of the Chabad yeshiva there, and her mother teaches young children, as well as in the Jewish high school there. She grew up in a home where Jewish education was a focal point,” said her husband. “I grew up in the Detroit area, where my father is also a teacher in the local yeshiva. My mother actually grew up in the Soviet Union, where her family took great risks to remain religious Jews despite all the attempts of the authorities and their secret police to stamp out religion. Her family immigrated to Montreal in 1971 through a series of what could only be described as miracles…. I myself studied in yeshivot in Manchester, Montreal and New Jersey. In 2022, after our marriage, we moved to New York.”

Rabbi Druk described his wife as having “a real passion for helping children develop a strong and joyful Jewish identity. On my end,” he said, “I am thankfully no stranger to outreach. In the Chabad yeshiva system, students spend every Friday visiting local offices and homes, offering [people] … a chance to pause and connect to their Judaism as the week comes to a close.”

Druk has served Jewish communities across the globe, “ranging from Wyoming to Nigeria, as part of the annual ‘roving rabbis’ program, which dispatches rabbinical students to bolster local outreach efforts in small Jewish communities.” And he has served as a temporary chaplain at prisons across the US East Coast.

“Between the two of us and our experiences,” he said, “we knew that we wanted to open a Chabad House somewhere.

photo - Chabad of Whistler offers Shabbat services, community events, classes and more — Chabad of Whistler offers Shabbat services, community events, classes and more. *(photo from Chabad of Whistler)*

There are Chabad centres in more than 100 countries. For the most part, they run independently, he said.

“When a young couple is searching for a location to set up shop, there is no central bureau that finds you a place,” he explained. “There are two ways that a location shidduch [match] would be made. The couple contacts an existing Chabad centre and asks about a specific location under its purview, where they identify a community that has both a real need for Jewish life and the potential to sustain a Jewish centre. In some cases, when a Chabad rabbi feels they need more hands in their existing centre, they might reach out to young couples who are in the process of searching. We went with the first, more common, approach. We researched several locations before finding out about Whistler.”

The couple found out about Whistler from a cousin, who used to take skiing trips there and saw that there was a local Jewish community.

“After some basic research about the location and the community, we paid our first visit to Whistler for Hanukkah of 2024, and we immediately fell in love with it,” said Rabbi Druk. “What has become clear to us is that, besides the local Jewish community, there are many others who have some connection to Whistler…. Another thing is that people are generally happy here. It’s a place where they come to relax and enjoy themselves. We felt Jewish life should be present in a place that people already love and feel very connected to.”

They arrived last September but almost didn’t make it.

“On our way to look at a house we hoped to rent, we were involved in a serious accident on Highway 99. We sustained serious injuries, but nothing life-threatening,” said Druk. “But our baby son, who was only a few months old, initially appeared to have suffered serious head injuries, and the doctors were concerned there might be bleeding in his brain. I remember praying and saying, ‘G-d, we’re coming here to do Your work. Please show us a miracle.’ Thankfully, after another review (and three days in the hospital!), the radiologist determined the initial reading had been mistaken. Our son recovered quickly and, today, thank G-d, he’s doing great. That miracle helped cement the feeling that we were meant to be here.”

Mendel is now 1 year old and the Druks’ daughter Mushka is 3.

“They absolutely love it here,” said their father. “They’re already learning to enjoy the mountains, the trails and the outdoor lifestyle.”

Last month, the outdoors ventured indoors – with a bear paying a visit.

“It was a hot day and we had left the door open to let in some fresh air and cool down the house,” said the rabbi. “I was upstairs preparing for a class, and my wife and children went to the park. When I came downstairs, I saw a mess in the dining room and immediately knew it wasn’t the kids, since they were at the park. I went outside and saw a black bear eating a bag of rice. When I checked the security cameras, I was shocked to see the bear wandering around the house and on the deck. The door to the elevated deck was broken and being repaired at the time, so the bear was able to get onto the deck and enter the house from there. We know that we live in bear country here in Whistler, and we have seen bears nearby before, but we had never experienced anything like this inside our home.

screenshot - The Druks had a recent uninvited guest – a bear was caught on their home-security system’s video camera — The Druks had a recent uninvited guest – a bear was caught on their home-security system’s video camera. *(image from Chabad of Whistler)*

“We are very grateful that the children were not home at the time, thank G-d. We also made sure all the neighbours knew about the bear in case it returned,” he said.

“One of the nicest cultural adjustments has been discovering how active everyone is,” said Rabbi Druk. “Instead of saying, ‘Let’s grab a coffee,’ people say, ‘Let’s go for a hike’ or ‘Let’s meet on the mountain.’ We’ve really come to appreciate that lifestyle, and it’s become one of our favourite parts of living here.”

For more information, visit chabadwhistler.org.

Companionship is vital

By supporting the Al and Lola Roadburg Special Companion Endowment Fund at the Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation, community members can help ensure that more Louis Brier Home and Hospital residents receive the compassionate presence they deserve. (photo from LBJAF)

At the Louis Brier Home and Hospital, care is measured not only by clinical outcomes, but by moments of connection, dignity and compassionate human presence. It is often the quiet moments, rather than the clinical ones, that leave the greatest impact on a person’s quality of life.

Within a home where residents range in age from 40 to over 100, and where many live with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or complex geriatric health challenges, the smallest acts of care often carry the greatest meaning: a hand held during moments of confusion, a calming voice during agitation or a familiar presence that transforms uncertainty into comfort. A companion’s presence can mean the difference between fear and reassurance, confusion and grounding, isolation and connection. This is the heart of the Louis Brier Companion Program.

Companions at Louis Brier provide an essential layer of care support that extends far beyond what is publicly funded through government care. While essential medical services and daily care needs are covered, companions fill a critical gap in quality of life by offering something health care cannot always provide: time, consistency, emotional connection and genuine human presence.

Their role includes emotional reassurance, cognitive stimulation and one-on-one support, from mealtime assistance and accompaniment to medical appointments, to the gentle redirection of residents who may wander or become disoriented. Equally important, companions provide continuity of presence, particularly for residents experiencing isolation or those without family nearby.

One of the most meaningful yet often unseen contributions of companions is the preservation of personal dignity in daily care. While government-funded services may provide bathing support once per week, companions help residents maintain greater comfort, hygiene and well-being between scheduled care by offering additional personal support. These acts make a profound difference in how residents feel in their daily lives. These are not extras. Through these quiet, consistent moments, residents are reminded that they are seen not simply as patients, but as individuals with histories, preferences and inherent worth.

The Louis Brier Home and Hospital, together with the Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation, is grateful for the generous support of the Al Roadburg Foundation, which has established the Al and Lola Roadburg Special Companion Endowment Fund. This enduring contribution will help sustain and strengthen the Companion Program for generations to come.

Approximately 75 Louis Brier residents, notably those in extended care, have been identified as needing companion support. Because each resident’s needs vary, the number of hours required differs widely. The endowment is expected to provide approximately 3,000 hours of companion support each year, allowing more residents to receive it than otherwise would be possible.

While this extraordinary gift has transformed the program, it does not fully meet the growing need: demand continues to exceed available resources, and families are often left to make difficult choices. Some residents needing mealtime assistance may receive support for only one or two meals a day despite requiring help at all three. Many others would benefit from additional companion hours that provide emotional support and enhanced quality of life.

Louis Brier is recognized as a leader within British Columbia’s health-care community, with honours including Nonprofit Employer of Choice (2021-2025), Stars of Vancouver Awards (2021-2025), BC’s Top 100 Employers (2025, 2026) and Accreditation Canada’s Commendation Standing designation. These achievements reflect the home’s commitment to excellence, innovation and compassionate, person-centred care rooted in the Jewish values of chesed (lovingkindness), dignity and tikkun olam, the shared responsibility to care for one another and help repair the world.

Above all, the Companion Program reflects a simple yet profound truth: no one should experience aging alone. Every hour of companionship creates moments of comfort, connection and dignity that cannot be measured, yet are remembered. By supporting the Al and Lola Roadburg Special Companion Endowment Fund, community members can help ensure that more residents receive the compassionate presence they deserve.

For more information, visit thelouisbrierfoundation.com, email foundation@louisbrier.com or call 604-261-5550.

– Courtesy Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation

Preserving our stories

Abrasha Wosk testimonial evening at Congregation Schara Tzedeck March 6, 1977. Back row: Joyce Wosk, Sonny Wosk, Esther Aroni and husband Hymie, Rosalie and Joe Segal. Front row: Abrasha and Chava Wosk. (photo from JMABC L.01598)

The Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia (JMABC) has launched its 2026 annual campaign – Preserving Our Stories. Connecting Our Future – an initiative that invites the community to help preserve and share the remarkable stories of Jewish life throughout British Columbia.

For more than half a century, JMABC has served as the steward of British Columbia’s Jewish documentary heritage, preserving hundreds of thousands of photographs, documents, oral histories and archival collections, while sharing these stories through exhibitions, programming, publications, research services and community partnerships.

“History isn’t created only in archives,” said JMABC president Daniella Givon. “It begins with families, photographs, letters and memories. This campaign is an invitation for our community to recognize the importance of those stories and help ensure they are preserved for future generations.”

Funds raised through the campaign will support archival preservation and digitization, oral history recording projects, educational programming, exhibits, collections care, research access and province-wide storytelling initiatives that connect communities.

Throughout the summer and fall, JMABC will also launch a new Campaign Stories series on its website, featuring articles that highlight remarkable people, places and moments from its archival collections. Drawing entirely from existing resources, the series will introduce readers to the individuals, neighbourhoods, businesses and institutions that have helped shape Jewish life here. The campaign introduces a unique community storytelling initiative inspired by the simple idea that every family has a story worth preserving.

Also starting this summer, and continuing throughout the year, JMABC will invite community members to bring a treasured photograph of a parent, grandparent or other ancestor to select public programs and community activities, where they will have the opportunity to create a contemporary portrait that connects their family’s history with the present day. The resulting images will celebrate the enduring links between generations while encouraging participants to reflect on the importance of preserving their own family histories.

“Our archives exist because previous generations chose to save photographs, documents and memories,” said executive director Eli Klasner. “This project encourages people to think about the stories in their own families and the role each of us can play in preserving them.”

photo - Jewish young adults on outing at Capilano River, circa 1917. Back: Myer Franks, left, and Birdie Grossman. Middle, from left: Rose Myers, Essie Raphael, Rose Izen, Leah Franks and Birdie Izen. Front, from left: Sara Jocoby, Etta Koenigsberg, Dick Jacoby and Sadie Jacobs — Jewish young adults on outing at Capilano River, circa 1917. Back: Myer Franks, left, and Birdie Grossman. Middle, from left: Rose Myers, Essie Raphael, Rose Izen, Leah Franks and Birdie Izen. Front, from left: Sara Jocoby, Etta Koenigsberg, Dick Jacoby and Sadie Jacobs. *(photo from JMABC L.00020)*

The campaign complements JMABC’s expanding public programming, including initiatives that will be gradually delivered throughout the province this year.

“Every photograph, every oral history and every archival collection tells part of a much larger story,” said Klasner. “By preserving those stories today, we help future generations better understand the people and communities that built Jewish life in British Columbia.”

To learn more about the campaign, explore JMABC’s online exhibitions or support the preservation of British Columbia’s Jewish heritage, visit jewishmuseum.ca.

– Courtesy Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia