News – Page 3

Federation now across BC

Jewish Federation of British Columbia Community Connectors and others from around the province. (photo from JFBC)

At its June 22 annual general meeting, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver ofﬁcially launched its new identity as the Jewish Federation of British Columbia (JFBC).

The legal name change was approved at last year’s AGM, becoming legally official a few months later. However, it was only soft-launched at the recent Whistler Engagement Summit (May 29-31) and publicly rolled out this week.

“In becoming a provincial federation, JFBC now represents the largest geographic region of any of the 140 Jewish federations in North America, reﬂecting both the scale of British Columbia and the organization’s commitment to serving communities across the province,” reads the press release.

“This moment arrives as Jewish communities everywhere face a substantial rise in antisemitism, heightened security concerns and increasing social fragmentation,” it continues.

“In a moment where distance could easily become disconnection, we are choosing something different,” Ezra Shanken, Federation’s chief executive officer, told the Jewish Independent. “We are choosing to build a network of communities that see themselves as part of a shared whole, where responsibility does not stop at the edge of a city or region, and where no one is left to navigate this moment alone. When people begin to understand that they are not isolated but connected, something shifts. Commitment deepens, relationships strengthen and resilience becomes something we build together, not something any one community carries on its own.”

“Over the past few years, the Federation has steadily expanded its engagement across the province, reaching nearly 9,000 community members this past year alone,” said Mijal Ben-Dori, chief planning officer of JFBC, in an email interview with the Independent. “This growth has been driven by three key initiatives: expanding our team of Community Connectors from a single individual to a robust team of 11; supporting regional supplementary schools through Chabad; and investing in local hubs like Burquest and the White Rock/South Surrey JCC. Our provincial work does not begin with our new name; rather, the name change reflects a reality we have already built.

“This transition is entirely additive,” she said. “At the Federation, we know that our local community’s success relies on the robust network of organizations working day in and day out – including the JCC, JFS, JSA, Hillel, VHEC, the Jewish Museum and Archives, and the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, to name just a few. We are wholeheartedly committed to supporting this network and ensuring it remains vibrant and thriving.”

The expansion has been possible because of a strategic partnership with the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, “which is deeply committed to supporting thriving Jewish life in smaller communities across Canada,” said Ben-Dori. “Moving forward, our focus is on building capacity throughout the province. By leveraging our collective network, regional communities can access expertise and resources more cost-effectively, moving toward self-sustainability without diverting vital Vancouver-raised funds.”

Initially, the primary shift will be in how support is delivered, she said. “Rather than coordinating remotely with a program manager based in Vancouver, community members will now have a direct link to their local Community Connector. This localized approach ensures our team is deeply connected to the ground, allowing us to provide more responsive, personalized and relevant support.”

Currently, there are 11 connectors, who reside in 10 communities, with additional volunteers in additional communities that work closely with Federation, said Ben-Dori. “Our connectors are based in Victoria (two), Salt Spring Island, Comox Valley, Whistler, Squamish, Delta, South Surrey/White Rock, Tri-Cities/Burnaby, Langley, Kelowna. Each of the connectors serves the adjacent communities as well. For example, our connector in Kelowna serves the entire Okanagan and beyond, and our connector in Langley services Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope, etc. We also have very strong lay leaders who lead communities in Prince George, Revelstoke, Kamloops, Nanoose Bay and others.”

The long-term vision is for the regional communities to become self-sustainable.

“Research consistently demonstrates that true resilience is built from within, rather than through prolonged dependency; strong communities are those equipped to meet their own evolving needs,” said Ben-Dori. “By plugging into our broader network, regional communities can significantly lower their operational costs through shared resources, collective expertise and ongoing grant opportunities. Ultimately, our goal is to help build local capacity from the ground up. We are fully committed to providing the training, mentorship and foundational support necessary to pave the way toward that independent future.”

Federation has already integrated more regional voices into its various committees, as well as its board of directors.

“Regarding our operational model, we believe that local leadership and community members know their unique needs best,” Ben-Dori said. “We are not here to dictate identity or leadership styles; we deeply respect local autonomy. True community sustainability is built from the ground up, allowing each region to develop its own distinct character, culture and governance. Communities will always remain independent entities with full decision-making authority.

“While our Community Connectors are always available to provide guidance and support, there are natural operational boundaries,” she added. “Connectors cannot facilitate events, nor can the Federation’s name or resources be lent to initiatives that fall outside our charitable mandate or diverge from our core organization values. However, local communities retain full independence to host and fund these distinct events on their own.”

According to Ben-Dori, JFBC employs approximately 50 people (full and part time) and has an operational budget of more than $30 million, which includes the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, all grants, allocations, flowthroughs, etc.

“We are now in the process of figuring out the exact back-office support required,” she said of the anticipated staffing and annual financial requirements for the provincial organization. “It is in flux because we are currently introducing various systems to Federation in general that would create organizational efficiency. In principle, we are looking at an admin position and a manager position to support the 11 connectors (all are already in place). The total operational budget for our work at the regions is approximately $1 million. We have been working with the same budget for the past two years and do not expect to increase the budget in the year ahead or as a result of the change. If anything, we are hoping to find more back-office support efficiencies.”

Regarding how the success of the expansion will be measured, Ben-Dori said, “We will evaluate the success and growth of our regional communities through several key quantitative and qualitative metrics:

“Community engagement: we will track the number of local events and gatherings relative to community size, alongside the depth of the local volunteer base.

“Leadership and governance: we will look for indicators of sustainable leadership, including individuals stepping into leadership roles, participation in our training programs and the formal establishment of local boards or committees.

“Resource development: we will assess financial capacity, measuring a community’s ability to conduct local fundraising or generate independent revenue streams.

“Network integration: we will monitor how deeply a community plugs into the broader ecosystem by tracking metrics such as youth participation in summer camps and Israel travel, the mobilization of local community security volunteers, and regional members joining the boards of other organizations across our network.

“Qualitative impact: finally, we will measure the deeper, qualitative shifts within these communities, specifically looking for an increased sense of community resilience and Jewish identity.”

The overarching benefit of this provincial model, said Ben-Dori, “is the profound strengthening of Jewish identity, the enrichment of community life and the cementing of a vibrant Jewish presence across the province for generations to come.”

The main risks associated with the expansion are financial sustainability and navigating the centre-periphery power dynamic, she said.

“This initiative is currently made possible through the strategic and generous support of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation. However, relying heavily on a single funding source presents long-term vulnerabilities,” she explained. “Our strategic priority is to develop localized capacity as efficiently as possible to diversify and secure our financial baseline.”

About the possible struggles that can develop between an urban centre and smaller regional hubs, even when local independence is explicitly prioritized, Ben-Dori said, “Balancing central support with local autonomy is a continuous, collective learning process. We are committed to maintaining deep self-awareness and open, ongoing dialogue among all partners to successfully navigate this relationship.”

And what happens when a larger urban centre starts working more closely with a smaller urban centre? One of the yet-to-be-determined aspects of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s evolution into the Jewish Federation of British Columbia is its impacts on the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island, the only other federation in British Columbia.

“Because a standalone federation requires a critical mass of residents to sustain a fundraising model, fund local agencies, cover operational overhead and maintain a consistent pipeline of volunteer leadership, this institutional model has historically only been viable in BC’s two largest Jewish centres,” explained Ben-Dori. “Vancouver holds a population of roughly 24,000, Victoria stands at 6,000, and Kelowna follows at just under 2,000.

“Over the past few years,” she said, “our two federations have actively deepened our collaboration on key priorities, including community security and advocacy. Last year, we partnered to launch two Community Connectors based directly in Victoria. Today, with Victoria’s Jewish population growing at an incredible rate of 67% – making it the fastest-growing Jewish community in the country – both organizations are actively redefining our relationship. We are focused on designing a new structure that maximizes cost efficiency while delivering the most effective support possible to this rapidly expanding community.”

More about the Federation can be found at jewishbc.ca.

Israel fighting for its existence

Pat Johnson, left, interviews Jonathan Conricus at the Friends of JNF Pacific Negev Event on June 7. (photo by Galit Lewinski)

On June 7, a full sanctuary at Beth Israel Synagogue gathered for the annual Friends of JNF Pacific Negev Event.

Howard Jampolsky, vice-president of Friends of JNF Canada Pacific Region, emceed. He spoke of the rise in antisemitism since Oct. 7, including in Canada, “a country that many Jews believed was among the safest and most tolerant countries in the world,” yet where Jewish schools have been shot at, synagogues vandalized, Jewish students intimidated, and Jewish businesses and individuals targeted.

“Antizionism that denies the Jewish people the right to self-determination is antisemitism,” he said. “Israel is not an abstract political issue to us. Israel is family. Israel is history. Israel is survival…. For 2,000 years, we have said, we have prayed, l’shana haba b’Yerushalayim, next year in Jerusalem. Today, there is a Jerusalem. Today, there is a Jewish state – and we will never apologize for defending it.”

Funds raised by this year’s Negev event will support the Beit Elkana Centre for Holistic Therapy, in the Lakhish region of Israel’s Negev. Established by Galit Wiesel in memory of her late husband, Elkana Wiesel, a reserve combat officer who was killed in battle in 2024, the centre will offer care to those suffering trauma-related conditions.

“Projects like Beit Elkana are about more than buildings,” said Jampolsky. “They are about resilience. They are about healing. They’re about ensuring that Israelis living in the south of Israel know that they are not alone – that Jewish communities around the world stand beside them and with them. That’s what Zionism looks like. Not slogans, not hashtags, certainly not hatred, but building, planting, healing, supporting, creating hope…. Because our answer to hatred cannot be silence. Our answer must be courage. Our answer must be pride, and our answer must be action. We must support Jewish institutions. We must educate the next generation.”

In that vein, Friends of JNF Canada presented Rabbi Stephen Berger, head of Judaic studies at King David High School, with its Education Award, “recognizing his tremendous contribution to Jewish learning, Jewish dignity, a Jewish identity, and the strength of our community.” The honour was presented by two of Jampolsky’s children, Elise and Jake.

Berger started his work in the community with NCSY more than 20 years ago, moving to KDHS about 18 years ago. He considers himself a resource for the Jewish community, not just the high school, and half-joked that he’d been teaching the same one idea in 25 different ways.

“The idea, very simply, is that we are souls…. We are spiritual in nature. We are not just super-smart animals…. [Rabbi Israel] Salanter says the big problem with the world is we’re always worried about our own physical needs and everybody else’s spiritual growth, [and] if we just flip that, if we could just worry about our own spiritual growth and everybody else’s physical needs, then the world will be a much better place.”

photo - Rabbi Stephen Berger holds the Friends of JNF Canada, Pacific Region, Education Award, presented to him by siblings Jake and Elise Jampolsky, whose father, Howard Jampolsky, emceed the event — Rabbi Stephen Berger holds the Friends of JNF Canada, Pacific Region, Education Award, presented to him by siblings Jake and Elise Jampolsky, whose father, Howard Jampolsky, emceed the event. *(photo by Galit Lewinski)*

Pat Johnson, who writes for and serves on the editorial board of the Jewish Independent, in addition to being the founder of Upstanders Canada, among other things, spoke about one of the main things he has learned in his 30-plus years of “hanging around” the Jewish community: “the depths of connection between Jewish people in Canada and the land, the state and the people of Israel.”

Engaged in political activism and progressive causes for decades, Johnson said that, during the Second Intifada, his communities diverged.

“Ostensibly, we were asked to choose to side either with Palestinians or with Israelis,” he said. “The real choice we faced, though, was between coexistence, peace and a negotiated settlement to conflict as characterized by the Oslo process, or supporting chauvinistic fanaticism, violence and the eradication from the Middle East of its only oasis of pluralism, democracy and equality.

“Why did I, and why did you, face that choice and make the right one, when so many others faced the same choice and opted to betray the values we thought we shared? Perhaps because we know Jewish history.

“People asked, ‘Could we be right and, seemingly, the entire world be wrong?’ Jewish history, for everything else it teaches us, reveals that the entire world can indeed be wrong – again and again,” said Johnson, who spoke about the inextricable links between Jews and Israel. He held up a JNF Blue Box, pushka, calling it “a tangible symbol of that bond.”

“In Jewish homes in Montreal and Minsk, in Vancouver and Vilnius, in Casablanca and Krakow, parents and grandparents dropped coins into boxes like this, demonstrating from generation to generation the centrality of this eternal connection.”

With Israel reestablished, the Zionist dream today, said Johnson, is “an Israel that is safe and indestructible. An Israel that exists in a changed region, where peace prevails. An Israel that is respected in a world without hatred.”

Jonathan Conricus believes Israel will have to continue fighting for its existence.

A retired lieutenant-colonel in the Israel Defence Forces, Conricus is a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, where he provides analysis and insight on Israel, the Middle East, and the challenges facing democratic societies worldwide. His Vancouver talk was part of a cross-country tour with Friends of JNF Canada.

Significant progress has been made in Gaza and Hamas has been diminished, Conricus said. “In terms of long-range weapons, far less, almost nothing; in terms of capital, far less, almost nothing; in terms of senior terrorists with decades of experience, almost nothing; and, in terms of an ability to project force and to threaten Israeli civilians, almost nothing. But you’ll notice that I said almost in each and every sentence – and almost is a temporary situation. The nucleus of Hamas remains.

“Nobody has disarmed,” he said. And anyone who thinks they will “see a jihadi fighter lay down their weapons, doesn’t know what a jihadi fighter is.”

Laying down weapons “is not in their DNA – they cannot do it,” he said, adding that, if they did, “they are dead men walking … not necessarily because Israel will kill them all … but because there are long lists of grievances within the population in Gaza with most of the thugs and terrorists of Hamas.”

Gaza will continue to challenge Israel, said Conricus, as the IDF continues to fight in Lebanon, “clearing away the last remains of Hezbollah: storage facilities, bunkers, sniper positions and many other things that Hezbollah had built underneath and within civilian homes in Lebanon.”

The goal is to create a cleared area, “where there’s no infrastructure that Hezbollah can use in order to attack Israeli civilians along the border,” he said.

“I believe that, currently, we’re in the best position that we’ve ever been … [to] help our neighbours to the north in being a sovereign state for the first time in their history,” Conricus said. “The Lebanese state was granted sovereignty in 1946 from the French colonial powers [when foreign troops finally left the country], and they haven’t enjoyed a day of sovereignty in their whole lives.”

On the Iranian front, the IDF is ready “to get going against Iran again, with the purpose of dealing much more severe blows against targets that, up until now, have not been engaged by the IDF,” said Conricus, but the Israeli government is holding back.

“Up until now, Israel has decided not to do so, whether independently or together with the US, mostly thinking about the future of the Iranian people and wanting to leave intact infrastructure for the people of Iran to continue with their lives.”

Before Oct. 7, Conricus said, “We were responding, but we weren’t really fighting strategically back.” Now, however, “all the Iranian proxies that the Iranian regime spent billions and billions of dollars building, arming, training and equipping – none of those are even half as strong as they were before Oct. 7. Most have been dealt significant blows by Israel. And Iran itself, the Islamic Republic, is the weakest that it has ever been in its 47 years of existence.”

While concerned about “the looming threat of an imperialistic Türkiye” and about unity within Israel and between Israeli and diaspora Jews, Conricus said people should take everything they see in international media “with many grains of salt.”

“Please know that the situation in Israel is much happier, stronger, more resolute, united, and better than it is portrayed in international media. Please know that Am Yisrael, in Israel, is strong, committed to prosperity, to life, to creation, to peace, to beautiful things, and that, despite two-and-a-half years, almost three years, of relentless attacks against the very basic legitimacy of the state of Israel to exist as the nation state of the Jewish people, we’re here, we’re fighting and, much to everybody else’s disapproval, we’re going to continue to be so.”

In the conversation between Johnson and Conricus that followed, several topics were covered. One of the last questions was about Malmo, Sweden, where Conricus, who was born in Jerusalem, partly grew up.

“For a lot of us, the word Malmo … is shorthand for European multiculturalism gone wrong,” said Johnson. “Is there something from that experience you would want Canadians to know?”

Malmo is “a cautionary tale,” said Conricus, noting that most young Jews have left the city.

“There’s not really a future,” he said. “Within a generation and a half, I think that the Jewish community won’t exist there.”

He encouraged the community to focus on Jewish education and fostering Jewish identity, “how we love each other, how we nurture the bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish state.”

During the event, David Greaves, executive director of Friends of JNF Western region, and Lance Davis, the organization’s chief executive officer, also offered remarks, and Ilene-Jo Bellas, board member and event chair, thanked the speakers.

A campaign to engage

(image from Jewish Federation of British Columbia)

In anticipation of the FIFA World Cup, a series of billboards has been put up across the Greater Vancouver Regional District – across both Canada and Millennium lines, on billboards spanning from Vancouver to Surrey,

Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows, and at transit hubs from Richmond to North and West Vancouver.

The billboards feature messages including:

• Supporting Jews shouldn’t require a PR campaign, but here we are.

• You don’t have to be a Jew to protect Jews.

• Can a billboard end antisemitism? No. But you’re not a billboard.

• Whether you call it football or soccer, antisemitism is a foul.

• You don’t need a whistle to call out antisemitism.

The campaign is designed to be impossible to ignore.

“Antisemitism is rising not only globally, but right here in British Columbia,” said Ezra Shanken, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of British Columbia. “Jewish people are experiencing increased harassment, vandalism, exclusion and threats in everyday spaces. Too often, that reality is minimized or misunderstood.”

The aim of the campaign is to encourage reflection and dialogue on shared responsibility in addressing hate and exclusion. The billboards are not about provocation for its own sake; they’re about breaking through the silence.

The campaign launched June 8, for its run to coincide with the FIFA World Cup. Sport is intended to reflect fairness, respect and belonging. However, real sportsmanship isn’t passive. It requires active participation, including speaking up and calling out harmful behaviour and supporting one another when it occurs. The campaign asks audiences to consider questions of inclusion and belonging in public life. It asks: Who feels safe, welcome and included in our city – and who does not? The messages are intended to encourage dialogue in homes, workplaces, educational settings and community spaces.

“We are asking for honest engagement with what responsibility looks like when hate is not abstract,” Shanken said.

The billboard initiative was made possible through a strategic partnership with the nonprofit JewBelong and PATTISON Outdoor Advertising and is a direct response to the rise of antisemitism. Following Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish communities in British Columbia and across Canada have experienced increasing incidents of harassment, exclusion and vandalism in public and institutional spaces.

In 2025, Federation, in partnership with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, conducted a community survey to assess the lived experience of antisemitism in British Columbia. Key findings included:

• 85% of respondents reported that antisemitism has “increased a lot,”

• 93% reported feeling less secure than they did prior to Oct. 7, 2023,

• 62% reported experiencing at least one antisemitic incident, and

• 46% reported experiencing multiple incidents.

These findings reflect a widespread perception within the community that antisemitism has intensified in both frequency and impact. Jewish Federation of British Columbia invites the public to engage with the campaign and consider the role of civic responsibility in addressing hate and exclusion. Learn more at jewishvancouver.com/combatting-antisemitism.

– Courtesy Jewish Federation of British Columbia

Upstanders’ first live event

Editor-in-chief of the National Post Rob Roberts, left, in conversation with journalist Dave Gordon at Upstanders Canada’s May 24 Media Bias event at Temple Sholom. (photo by Anna-Mae Wiesenthal)

Media Bias: How Media has Mainstreamed Antisemitism and What to Do About It was the first live event held by Upstanders Canada. It featured a conversation between journalist Dave Gordon and National Post editor-in-chief Rob Roberts, and took place in Vancouver on May 24 and in Ottawa May 26. Roberts was honoured with the inaugural Upstander of the Year Award.

Upstanders Canada, founded by Pat Johnson, encourages Canadians, particularly non-Jewish Canadians, to take a stand against antisemitism and antizionism. He started the event hosted at Temple Sholom by highlighting that Canada, which, until recent years, had been viewed as a nation of decency, fairness and pluralism, is now an international hotspot of antisemitism.

Janet Dirks, a retired CTV National News reporter who worked for a time in Jerusalem, wondered, in her introduction of the featured speakers, why most newsrooms in the country have been reluctant to delve into the barrage of antisemitic incidents in Canada.

“Is there fear of angering those who identify as antizionist, anti-Israel? Is there a dread of covering something that might be too controversial? The fear of getting too many emails criticizing the story treatment from both sides? Is there a narrative I’m not understanding?” asked Dirks, who is a member of the Upstanders board.

Citing a May 9 Toronto Sun editorial, she said, “The problem with appealing to our governments and, indeed, to civil society to combat the unprecedented rise of hatred against Canada’s Jewish citizens is that they were the ones who enabled it. By failing to punish countless examples of Jew-hatred ever since Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, they have normalized antisemitism in Canada.”

The Media Bias event took place on the heels of a May 11 opinion essay by veteran New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof, which accused Israeli prison guards and others of sexually abusing Palestinians. The Netanyahu government has subsequently sued the newspaper for defamation.

Roberts faulted the Times for not researching the allegations and examining if they withstood scrutiny.

“It’d be my opinion that every human institution is going to have some problems, but you look at that report and you look at the nature of the allegations, and they just don’t hold the ring of truth,” he said. “The other thing I’ll say is this, you don’t have to publish everything that’s submitted to you, even by the marquee columnists.”

Gordon led the discussion towards the National Post and what he called its decidedly pro-Zionist stance, distinguishing it from other papers in Canada, with the possible exception of the Toronto Sun. Roberts said his newspaper has sought to be “fair and balanced” – not inherently pro-Israel.

The editor spoke about the paper’s decision to drop the Associated Press and the Canadian Press. The decision wasn’t made based on the organizations’ reports from the Middle East, said Roberts, but rather the Post’s preference to not run the same material as other papers. Nonetheless, he did not express a high opinion of the AP’s reporting from the region.

“We all know the story about the bomb that Israel dropped in the hospital – except they didn’t. That was AP, and it took them several hours to fix it,” Roberts said. The Post did not post that AP story, he noted, saying, “… we can’t simply trust even this venerable old wire service to do the job properly.”

Roberts maintained that the Post’s policies of fact-checking and fostering open debate have served the paper well at a time when other publications are struggling.

“We try to be very responsible,” he said. “The fact that people are asking whether journalism is dead is really good for us because we’re thriving at the moment,” adding that the Post is currently hiring.

photo - Pat Johnson, founder of Upstanders Canada, announces the launch of Ask a Jew, an initiative inspired by Selina Robinson, who accepted the honour at the Vancouver event — Pat Johnson, founder of Upstanders Canada, announces the launch of Ask a Jew, an initiative inspired by Selina Robinson, who accepted the honour at the Vancouver event. *(photo by Anna-Mae Wiesenthal)*

Following the conversation, Brandon Lu, an Allied Voices for Israel student ambassador at the University of British Columbia, spoke briefly on the importance of a free press and an informed, discerning public.

At the end of the program, Johnson announced the creation of a new initiative – inspired by Selina Robinson – called Ask a Jew. Modeled on the Human Library concept, Ask a Jew promotes dialogue between curious, open-minded people and Jewish individuals for one-on-one online conversations. The hope is that such conversations will help build understanding and human connection.

Robinson, the author of Truth Be Told – about her experiences with antisemitism, notably within the BC NDP government, in which she was a senior minister for years – has been donating revenues from book sales to Upstanders Canada and the Parents Circle-Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization that advocates for peace. Robinson joined the Upstanders event in Vancouver, presenting Johnson with another cheque in addition to revenues from the book donated previously.

Iddo Moed, ambassador of the state of Israel to Canada, attended the Ottawa event and addressed the audience, emphasizing the importance of allyship.

For more information about Upstanders Canada, visit upstanderscanada.com.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Responding to Carney

Panelists at the event Faith Not Fear: Building Jewish Leadership for a New Era in Canada, left to right: Ben Mulroney (broadcaster), Natasha Pein (researcher), Simon Wolle (B’nai Brith Canada), Matthew Taub (Unapologetically Jewish) and Amir Epstein (Tafsik). (photo by Dave Gordon)

Two weeks after Mark Carney’s address on antisemitism at Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple, Jewish community members offered a counterweight – a gathering led by grassroots activists, journalists and elected officials, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

Called Faith Not Fear: Building Jewish Leadership for a New Era in Canada, the nearly four-hour meeting drew roughly 600 people to the city’s Chabad Flamingo synagogue on June 14. Organizers described it as an unprecedented gathering of local pro-Israel groups – many sharing a stage for the first time – aimed at confronting the question of what kind of leadership this moment demands, and what concrete steps the community must take.

Organized by Yalla, partner groups included Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, B’nai Brith Canada, Chai Tech and Tafsik. Jewish panelists included Matthew Taub of Unapologetically Jewish, Amir Epstein of Tafsik, Jesse Brown of Canadaland and Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman. Non-Jewish allies who spoke included broadcaster Ben Mulroney, educator Ali Siadatan, Juno News reporter Melanie Bennet, former MP Kevin Vuong and Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca.

The central message was that the community can no longer rely on vague reassurances, symbolic gestures or reactive fundraising alone. Speakers argued that the real work now must be proactive: building stronger Jewish identity, demanding governmental accountability, creating civic pressure and abandoning what several described as a culture of managed decline.

photo - MP Melissa Lantsman (Conservative, Thornhill) addresses a June 14 gathering in Toronto that was held in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s June 1 speech on antisemitism — MP Melissa Lantsman (Conservative, Thornhill) addresses a June 14 gathering in Toronto that was held in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s June 1 speech on antisemitism. *(photo by Dave Gordon)*

For Lantsman, the answer begins outside politics. She argued that what this moment demands is “a renewed Jewish identity,” adding that “before lobbying, before the press releases, before the next emergency appeal or the fundraising, more Jewish life is actually what’s necessary.” In her telling, public advocacy will only be durable if it is rooted in private conviction, education and continuity.

She also urged the audience to move outward, into politics and public life, “not as a supplicant” but as citizens who vote, donate, organize and remember. Politicians who abandon the Jewish community, she said, should feel it “at the ballot box,” because “this isn’t a Jewish problem, it’s a Canada problem.”

The insistence on moving from rhetoric to measurable action was sharpened by strategy consultant Maureen Leshem in her remarks. Drawing on conversations with intelligence officials, police, community leaders and counterterrorism experts, she said she had concluded that the community is “dangerously unprepared for what’s currently happening, and even less prepared for what lies ahead.”

Leshem argued that the community must rethink “everything, from our leadership choices, to how we spend our money, to how we work together.” Too often, she said, Jewish institutions and donors are stuck in “reaction mode,” raising funds to mitigate threats rather than forcing governments and public agencies to do the jobs they are already obligated to do.

A shooting at a Jewish institution, she said, is not mere vandalism or mischief but “targeted, potentially lethal violence against the Jewish community that demands the full weight of a national security response.” When Jewish families and institutions are expected to fund their own protection, she warned, the result is “a private tax on Jewish existence,” which risks normalizing public failure.

Leshem’s call to action was blunt: enough slogans. “Do not get up here and tell us that antisemitism is unacceptable. We know,” she said. Instead, leaders should explain what they are going to do, what laws they are demanding, what institutions they are pressuring and what risks they are willing to take.

Daniel Warner, co-founder of Yalla, said that, after Carney’s speech and subsequent committee appointments, it “became pretty clear that we’re going to have to take this into our own hands,” both as individuals and as organizations.

Warner said too many people he knows have already left Canada, but he rejected emigration as an answer. “Plan B is not leaving. Plan B is fighting back,” he said, urging attendees to stand up for themselves in new ways and to use their voices “as if their future here depended on it.”

The point, he said, is not simply to denounce antisemitism but to demonstrate Jewish life confidently and publicly in places where falsehoods about Jews are spreading most effectively.

Unapologetically Jewish’s Taub observed that, since Oct. 7, dozens of Jewish organizations have sprung up, but real coordination remains uneven. “Suppressing what others have to say is not unity, that is division,” he said, arguing that calling out institutional mistakes should be understood as honesty rather than disloyalty.

Taub accused parts of the organized community of applying temporary remedies to a crisis. “They are throwing Tylenol at cancer, and it’s not working,” he said, after arguing that some Jewish organizations have spent more energy lobbying internal critics than lobbying governments on behalf of the community.

Bennet addressed what she sees as the nature of the threat itself. Discussing themes she observed at a Muslim Association of Canada convention, she warned of a “destructive anti-Western ideology” in which Jews are often the first target but not the only one. “You guys feel it the strongest,” she said, but the larger struggle, in her view, is the attempt to reshape institutions and public life more broadly. Beware, she said, of “jihadis in Armani suits,” referring to the public propaganda face of Islamist terrorists.

Vuong, another ally, framed the issue in similarly expansive terms. He said his support was motivated not only by solidarity but by “self-preservation,” because “the people who hate you hate me as well,” adding that the old warning holds: what starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews.

Independent of the conference, several of Canada’s national Jewish organizations also have responded to Carney’s remarks.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Jewish federations across Canada, for example, issued an open letter reading, in part: “Instead of urgent, concrete measures, the government announced an advisory council, tasked first with further evaluating a crisis that has already been studied extensively, and which includes individuals who are not suited to lead government action on antisemitism. For many Jewish Canadians, this felt like the rug being pulled out from under us.”

“This was an opportunity for the prime minister to meet the moment,” said Simon Wolle, B’nai Brith Canada’s chief executive officer, in a release. (Wolle also spoke at the Toronto gathering.) “Instead, Canadians heard a speech that described the problem more than it confronted it. The Jewish community did not require another acknowledgment that antisemitism is raging across the country, we needed a plan proportional to the scale of the crisis.

“Canada is not facing an antisemitism awareness problem. Canada has an antisemitism problem,” he said. “The country has been poisoned with Jew-hatred and we need a remedy.”

The Jewish Independent reached out to other national Jewish organizations, as well.

“Carney is correct to note the rise of antisemitism is tied to larger trends of conspiracism, polarization and hate worldwide,” said Vancouver-based Maytal Kowalski, JSpace Canada’s executive director. “It is important to recognize this, not to universalize or trivialize antisemitism, but, in fact, the opposite – to fight it at its root and along with allies.” She said including “allies and leaders from different minority communities” is important if the work is to happen “holistically.”

Gabriella Goliger, national chair of Canadian Friends of Peace Now, said “Israel” was missing from the prime minister’s remarks. “He could have emphasized that he recognizes diaspora Jews’ emotional ties to Israel, that Canada is a friend to Israel,” she said, while also stressing that Canadian Jews “must not be held accountable for Israeli policy” and that there is “a huge difference between legitimate peaceful protest against Israeli actions, and using protest as a smokescreen for antisemitism.”

For the full reactions and recommendations of CIJA, B’nai Brith and JSpace, visit their respective websites.

Dave Gordon is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in more than 100 publications around the world. His website is davegordonwrites.com.

Having your own home

Lovena Galyide, left, and Polina Gruzinov took part in Tikva Housing’s recent fundraising campaign. (photo from Tikva Housing)

Polina Gruzinov sits in her Richmond apartment surrounded by photos of loved ones and artwork made by her daughter, Lovena Galyide, who lives in the same building just a few floors above her.

At 87, Gruzinov is living independently. “I have always dreamed of having a place of my own,” she said.

Born to a Jewish family in eastern Ukraine in 1939, Gruzinov was just 2 years old when her family fled advancing Nazi forces during the Second World War. Her mother came from Novo-Kovno, a Jewish agricultural colony, and neighbours had warned the family that Jews were in danger as the occupation approached.

“The only thing I still remember is when we were evacuating by train; it was shelled, and it was very loud,” she said.

That traumatic displacement began a journey that would take her family thousands of kilometres across the Soviet Union into Central Asia, where her mother worked in a hospital. During those years, Gruzinov’s father died in battle and her younger brother disappeared while attending boarding school in Kazakhstan.

After the war, stability remained elusive. When the family returned to Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, much of the city had been destroyed. Promised housing never materialized, and Gruzinov’s mother settled for a tiny apartment where the family shared cramped quarters with another woman and her child.

Gruzinov says she and her mother rarely discussed the suffering they experienced during the war years.

“The Holocaust wasn’t really talked about,” she said.

For Talia Mastai, associate managing director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre – which has documented the testimonies of hundreds of Holocaust survivors in British Columbia – stories like Gruzinov’s are an important reminder of the varied experiences of survivors.

“It wasn’t just limited to people in camps, people who were in hiding or people who were rescued,” Mastai said.

In the years that followed, Gruzinov built a career in telemechanics, married and gave birth to her daughter. Yet secure housing remained difficult to find. At one point, she lived with her husband, daughter, mother and aunt in just 20 square metres of living space.

The family later moved to Chechen-Ingushetia for her husband’s work assignment, where they lived in harsh conditions without many basic comforts. From their small temporary hut, they had to walk far to fetch water from a well, and heated the home with coal and wood.

“I couldn’t even let the child crawl on the floor,” she said.

Gruzinov eventually returned to Dnepropetrovsk and the marriage to her husband ended.

On her own, she continued to work while raising her daughter and caring for her mother. Then, in retirement, worsening economic conditions following the collapse of the Soviet Union forced her to consider a new life elsewhere.

“The situation in Ukraine was very difficult,” she said. “The pension was small; it wasn’t enough to live on. At that time, all the shelves were empty.”

In 1995, Gruzinov immigrated to Israel, settling in Ashkelon, about 20 kilometres from Gaza. Although she eventually moved into a retirement residence, instability remained part of daily life. From her window, she could see explosions in the distance during periods of conflict.

When her daughter settled in Vancouver, Gruzinov followed, arriving in Canada in 2016. But the high cost of living in Metro Vancouver meant the family’s housing struggles continued.

“When Mom came to Canada, I gave her my bedroom. The second bedroom was for my son, and I was sleeping in the living room,” Galyide said. “This was very tight for us, but rent was so expensive that I could not afford something bigger.”

Gruzinov continued to hope for a place of her own and, the following year, that dream became reality when she secured an apartment with Tikva Housing, which provides affordable housing solutions for Jewish individuals and families across Metro Vancouver. Today, Gruzinov lives independently in one of Tikva’s buildings, with her daughter close by and a renewed connection to the Jewish community.

“It’s very nice to have my own space but also having my daughter living in the same building,” she said.

Gruzinov is one of several Holocaust survivors supported by Tikva, where assistance from the Azrieli Foundation helps ensure they can age with dignity, financial security and connection.

“For many Holocaust survivors, housing stability is not something that can be taken for granted. Affordable housing allows them to remain connected to their communities and access the support they need,” said Anat Gogo, executive director of Tikva Housing, which owns 213 affordable units in eight buildings across Metro Vancouver and operates a rent relief program that provides short-term subsidies to people experiencing temporary financial crisis.

“Many survivors have experienced profound loss and displacement. While we cannot change what they endured, we can help ensure they have comfort, housing security and community in their later years,” said Gogo.

In 2025, Tikva first received funding from the Azrieli Foundation to support Holocaust survivors living in its housing units, helping the organization maintain significant rental subsidies in one of North America’s least affordable markets.

photo - Naomi Azrieli, chair of the Azrieli Foundation — Naomi Azrieli, chair of the Azrieli Foundation. *(photo from Azrieli Foundation)*

The initiative is part of the Azrieli Foundation’s broader commitment to supporting low-income Holocaust survivors across Canada. In addition to Vancouver, the foundation supports housing programs in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, working with local agencies that already serve survivors in their communities.

For Naomi Azrieli, chair of the Azrieli Foundation, those partnerships are essential.

“We always want to work with the trusted local agencies that are already there doing the work,” Azrieli said. “They know how best to respond to the specific needs of the populations they serve and they really help us maximize the impact of our funding.”

Azrieli has a deep understanding of the experiences of Holocaust survivors. Her own father, David Azrieli, has a story with remarkable similarities to that of Gruzinov and her family. Born in Poland, he fled to the USSR and eventually to Central Asia in 1941, shortly after the Nazi invasion – and he lived in Israel before building a successful international enterprise in Canada and Israel.

An equally ambitious philanthropist, in 1989 he established the Azrieli Foundation, which supports education, healthcare and research, Jewish life, the arts and Holocaust commemoration.

photo - David Azrieli was a Holocaust survivor who was both an entrepreneur and philanthropist. "He always remembered the people who helped him along the way and, as a result, his legacy really highlights how resilience can pair with responsibility," said his daughter, Naomi Azrieli — David Azrieli was a Holocaust survivor who was both an entrepreneur and philanthropist. “He always remembered the people who helped him along the way and, as a result, his legacy really highlights how resilience can pair with responsibility,” said his daughter, Naomi Azrieli. *(photo from Azrieli Foundation)*

“He always remembered the people who helped him along the way and, as a result, his legacy really highlights how resilience can pair with responsibility,” said Azrieli.

Last year, the Azrieli Foundation provided financial support to well over 1,600 low-income Holocaust survivors. Nearly 30% of the survivors helped were over the age of 90 – an age when housing stability, access to care and community connection become increasingly important.

Azrieli emphasized that the support is not charity.

“It is a reflection of respect and responsibility. It is because of our gratitude for all that survivors have endured and all that they have contributed,” she said. “They deserve care, they deserve dignity and they deserve to live in comfort today and always.”

In 2026, Tikva’s initiative expanded through a partnership with Jewish Family Services Vancouver, a Claims Conference partner organization, to identify Holocaust survivors living in market rentals who could benefit from additional support.

“Supporting survivors means ensuring they have access to the services and relationships they need to age with dignity,” said Tanja Demajo, executive director of JFS, which supports more than 160 Holocaust survivors through care management, financial assistance, home support, advocacy and social programs. “Remembrance is important, but so is responding to the realities survivors face today,” she said.

“What’s most meaningful for me,” said Galyide, “is that my mom struggled all her life, and now, at this moment, she is really happy.”

– Courtesy Tikva Housing

Community milestones … June 2026

At Jewish Federation of British Columbia’s annual general meeting June 22, several individuals were honoured for their dedication to and impact on our community.

photo - Jackie Cristall Morris — Jackie Cristall Morris *(photo from Jewish Federation of BC)*

In recognition of her years of dedicated service and heartfelt leadership in Federation’s annual campaign, her role as women’s philanthropy chair and as a Federation board member, Jackie Cristall Morris was recognized with the Elaine Charkow Award.

Federation also recognized leaders beyond our community whose partnership and advocacy make a meaningful difference. Allies of the Year Awards went to Keerit Jutla, chief executive officer of Jutla Strategies; Terry Glavin, author and journalist; and Niels Veldhuis, president of the Fraser Institute.

Young Leadership Awards were given to Daniel Segal (young adult category), Joey Hector (university student category) and Ellie Epstein (high school student category).

***

Jewish Family Services (JFS) was recently named a 2025 Innovation Exchange Winner by the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, a distinction awarded to a select group of organizations whose work demonstrates measurable impact, strong design and adaptability across the broader human services sector.

photo - Tanja Demajo — Tanja Demajo *(photo from Jewish Federation of BC)*

JFS’s Beyond the Waitlist was recognized for addressing persistent barriers to care. In response to growing demand, long wait times and limited system capacity, JFS redesigned how individuals access counseling and support services.

At the centre of this approach is a digital assessment platform that enables real-time triage and connects people to the appropriate level of care. This was paired with the development of an intern counseling clinic, bringing in up to 15 graduate-level students annually alongside a network of registered clinical counselors, family and community.

This model has significantly reduced wait times, expanded access and strengthened future workforce capacity. Through the Innovation Exchange, JFS will join peer organizations to exchange insights and extend the reach of this work to benefit more individuals and families.

As Tanja Demajo, chief executive officer at JFS, shared: “This recognition speaks to the strength of JFS’s mission and values, the creativity and dedication of its team, and the trust placed in its work by partners, funders and the broader community. It also affirms JFS’s role in advancing forward-thinking solutions that improve lives.”

***

The Jewish Independent took home two American Jewish Press Association Rockower Awards this year, for work published in 2025. The honours were presented on June 4 at the 45th Annual Simon Rockower Awards Banquet, held in conjunction with the AJPA’s annual conference, in New York City.

The JI competes in the weekly and biweekly newspapers category. This year’s winners happen to both be Canadians who made aliyah years ago.

Gil Zohar won first place for excellence in North American Jewish history with his article “US long interested in Mideast.” The jury commented: “Timely article traces largely unknown efforts, by private Americans, to colonize or settle the land of Israel.”

Bruce Brown received an honourable mention for excellence in personal essay writing for his piece, “Life amid 12-Day War,” about his and his family’s experiences during the conflict with Iran. The jury called it “[a] sobering view.”

To read these and other JI articles, go to jewishindependent.ca.

***

photo - Henry and Deborah Ross-Grayman with Rabbi Tirzah Firestone — Henry and Deborah Ross-Grayman with Rabbi Tirzah Firestone. (photo by Deborah Ross-Grayman)

Henry and Deborah Ross-Grayman pose with Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, who was in Vancouver recently for an Or Shalom Shabbaton. Firestone holds her copy of Voices of Resilience: An Anthology of Stories Written by Children of Holocaust Survivors, edited by Deborah Ross-Grayman with Wendy Bancroft and the contributors. For more on the book, go to jewishindependent.ca/stories-of-trauma-resilience.

Sharing her passion for Israel

As a tour guide in Israel, Renee Halpert “thrive[s] on engaging with people, the constant learning, and exploring the country.” (photo from Renee Halpert)

In the late 1970s, Renee Swartz was a teenager living in West Vancouver. Even though she went to Sunday school, attended Jewish camps and had her bat mitzvah, she always felt a yearning to be more involved in the Jewish community.

Today, now with the surname Halpert, she belongs the modern Orthodox community in Israel. She has four grown children with her husband Joe and is a tour guide living in Beit Shemesh. She comes to Vancouver often to visit her parents, and I met up with her on a recent visit. She is still her bubbly old self. Thinking back to her experience growing up here, she said, “In terms of Jewish community, we were isolated. Only three Jewish families that I know of attended Hillside High School at the time.”

Everything changed when Renee joined Hillel House in 1980, when she started attending the University of British Columbia.

“When I stepped into Hillel, I found an entire community of young, affiliated and active Jews,” she said. “Rabbi Daniel Siegel was an incredible mentor, encouraging Jewish-focused learning, activism and family-life with his wife, Hanna. We would study Jewish texts. We would discuss current events. He encouraged us to join the North American Jewish Students Network, a non-denominational activist community of university-aged Jews across the continent. Thus began my Jewish activism, advocating for Soviet Jews and participating in Israel Week on campus. I felt connected to a community and inspired by all the energy, creativity and meaningful activity.”

I knew Renee as a fellow student activist. All of us helped Judy Feld Carr fundraise to smuggle or pay for Jews to get out of Syria, which was ultimately a success.

After her first year at UBC, Renee studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. When she returned, she continued being vocal on behalf of Syrian Jews, Ethiopian Jews and Israel.

“I also facilitated Holocaust educational programming and raised awareness of Nazi criminals in Canadian academia,” she said.

Renee’s connection to Israel began with traveling there when she was 14, “thanks to the insistence of my mother, who always acknowledged the importance of Israel for the Jewish people. The trip was a real eye-opener and fascinating,” said Renee. “At 16, I returned to Israel for the summer on USY Pilgrimage. I loved the adventures, hikes, Jewish content and the community feeling.”

After graduating, Renee returned to Israel yet again. “This time,” she said, “it was to deepen my knowledge of Judaism itself through textual study at Pardes. During my year at Pardes, I began to keep kosher and keep Shabbat on a regular basis. You could say that I began my journey as an affiliated but not-so-educated Jewish teenager and peripheral Zionist, and as a young adult became more connected to Orthodox Judaism and modern Israel.”

Renee moved from Vancouver to Toronto in 1986, during the recession, looking for job opportunities. Her romance with her now-husband began when a cousin invited her to a Shabbat dinner at a local synagogue.

“Honestly, I was so new to town that I was not really paying much attention, but Joe and I kept meeting – through mutual friends and at Jewish events,” said Renee. “Both of us loved the outdoors and were on similar personal journeys to deepen our connection to Judaism. Joe and I were married at the Schara Tzedeck in Vancouver in March 1988, with both Rabbi [Mordechai] Feuerstein of Schara Tzedeck and Rabbi [Wilfred] Solomon of Beth Israel officiating.”

A few years later, the couple decided to live in Israel for at least one year.

“We had a house, good jobs, great friends [in Toronto], supportive family and two young daughters, but I never let go of my dream of one day making aliyah,” said Renee. “Joe had also made a quiet promise to himself to give it a try one day.”

Ultimately, Renee says they were successful in adapting to Israeli society because they treated every day as an adventure.

“Our attitude was positive and we were motivated to make the transition work for our family,” she explained. “Our move from urban Jerusalem to Beit Shemesh a few years later provided us with a strong, dynamic community, where we still live today. I think our kids thrived being close to nature within this supportive community atmosphere.”

That was 32 years ago, and the couple hasn’t looked back. In 2013, Renee became a licensed tour guide.

“I thrive on engaging with people, the constant learning, and exploring the country. I am thrilled to be able to share my passion for Israel with others who are interested in experiencing Israel firsthand.”

After Oct. 7, 2023, most tourism in Israel ceased. One of Renee’s sons and both sons-in-laws were called to their army reserve units. Her daughters and grandchildren moved in for several weeks.

“Besides helping them out, I would cook for soldiers, purchase supplies to take to different bases and volunteer at many farms,” she said. “There was no creative energy. There was barely any energy! But I made a choice to keep busy and be useful.”

By early 2024, Renee began leading educational trips to southern Israel and the Gaza Envelope for synagogue missions, educators and individuals supportive of the Jewish state.

“I’ve led almost 100 such trips,” she said. “Many of these trips combine meeting with locals and survivors, volunteering and fundraising for communities or projects. We speak of the heartache, the heroism and the gradual renewal that is taking place. While these trips give me purpose and a chance to process what I am personally going through, the real impact is felt by supporting locals and by helping my overseas visitors gain insights, so they, in turn, can continue to inform others and stay involved.”

And so, my friend continues to be the activist she was all those years ago.

“The past two-and-a-half years have certainly been the most challenging, scary and heart-breaking since we moved here 32 years ago,” said Renee. “There is so much pain … yet, our lives are rich and interesting, our children and grandchildren are well-adjusted, we have a sense of purpose, and we maintain hope for better days ahead. We have no regrets having chosen to live here.”

For more information about Renee’s tours, go to israeldiscovered.com or find her on Facebook at Renee Halpert-Your Guide to Israel. In addition to guiding in Israel, Renee is available for online virtual tours and presentations about sites in Israel, its geopolitics, history and cultural diversity.

Cassandra Freeman is a freelance journalist and improv comedy performer living in Vancouver.

Or Shalom reopens its doors

On May 28, Or Shalom Synagogue reopened its doors after a year of renovations. (photo by Wendy D)

On the evening of May 28, Or Shalom Synagogue reopened its doors after a year of renovations, welcoming celebrants for the Chanukat HaBayit, or homecoming. Co-chairs Sally Thorne and Dalia Margalit-Faircloth emceed the event.

“It is our pleasure to welcome you back to our expanded and renewed bayit, our spiritual home, and the first carbon-neutral shul in North America,” said Margalit-Faircloth, thanking Harriet Frost for opening the gathering with song and the shul’s Rabbi Arik Labowitz for receiving everyone into the space.

“Thank you all for joining us here today to celebrate this incredible milestone, the completion of our More Or renovation and expansion project,” she said. “It’s such a pleasure to see this sanctuary full once again and to share this joyful occasion with so many members of the community, supporters and friends.”

After thanking the elected officials and community leaders in attendance, Margalit-Faircloth read a message from Premier David Eby, which the congregation has framed. The premier congratulates Or Shalom on its reopening.

“Or Shalom began as a havurah in 1982, meeting in members’ living rooms. Today, it has grown into a vibrant community of almost 200 households,” he writes, noting that the present location – at 10th and Fraser – was purchased in 1993. “Or Shalom’s success is a testament to the perseverance and contributions of its congregation as well as the vital role it plays in the community.”

Margalit-Faircloth stressed the vital role congregant John Fuerst played in being “the driving force behind the More Or project.”

Fuerst shared with those gathered the story of how the renovation began eight years ago with a question he asked Rabbi Hannah Dresner, who led the congregation at the time: “How are things going?”

Her response was, “We’re growing out of our clothes. We just don’t have the space we need. We need classrooms – we don’t have those classrooms. We need accessibility – our accessibility for people who need it is so awkward, so difficult. We have water damage in our outside walls – we need those fixed.

photo - Rabbi Hannah Dresner addresses those gathered on May 28 for Or Shalom’s Chanukat HaBayit, or homecoming — Rabbi Hannah Dresner addresses those gathered on May 28 for Or Shalom’s Chanukat HaBayit, or homecoming. *(photo by Wendy D)*

“Well,” said Fuerst, “it’s eight years later and here we are. Actually, not quite so simple. We’re only here today because of the many people who have helped to put this together and it’s my honour to be able to thank them.

“First and foremost, our thanks to the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation. You often hear at events like this, ‘without your donation, this project, this program, wouldn’t have happened.’ Well, without hyperbole, I can say, without [the foundation’s] contribution, this project would not have happened.”

Fuerst also thanked the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver for the “elevator that will be working on Monday”; the Lutsky family Foundation, whose donation allowed Or Shalom to “expand and completely renovate our kitchen”; the Phyliss and Irving Snider Foundation, whose contribution towards the new classrooms was “made in honour of our teacher and our mentor Gloria Levi”; and both the Jewish Federation of BC and the Government of British Columbia, who gave the congregation grants for its security systems.

“My thanks to the Adamah Climate Action Fund, who gave us an interest-free loan, which enabled us to put together our decarbonation system, our heat pump system,” said Fuerst, who thanked RBC Dominion for the shul’s mortgage and architect Erika Gerson, who recently retired. “She heard what we needed and she designed it,” he said, expressing appreciation to Chris Boni and Anthony Boni of Boni Maddison Architects; to the general contractors, Novacom Building Partners; and to Jon Hardybala of PCA Pacific Construction, who was the site superintendent. Instrumental in the decarbonization aspect was Chris Higgins of BC Hydro, said Fuerst. And, offering the congregation a home for the months that the renovations took was Cityview Church, whose spiritual leader, Pastor Trevor Josh, joined the celebration, along with the church’s Pastor Jeff Groulx.

photo - John Fuerst, the driving force behind the renovation project, speaks with attendees after the ceremony — John Fuerst, the driving force behind the renovation project, speaks with attendees after the ceremony. *(photo by Wendy D)*

Fuerst thanked rabbis Dresner and Labowitz, and the synagogue’s Efrat Gal-Or – “Coordinating a construction project needs the skills of a surgeon, the vision of an eagle, the patience of a kindergarten teacher. You’ve shown all three and you’ve helped bring this project to where it is.” He voiced appreciation for Or Shalom staff Tracey Fagg and Katy Ormiston.

Or Shalom members contributed $1.8 million toward the project and there were many volunteers on various committees and on other tasks, Fuerst said. “What a wonderful contribution for our little East Side shul.”

He added, “I do want to mention one member in particular, Jackie Levitan, of blessed memory. Jackie served on the housing task force. She’s actually responsible for much of the redesign of the office space. And, a month before Jackie’s passing … she called me up and said, ‘I want to make a donation.’ Jackie donated the largest single donation towards this project.”

David Bogdanov, a director of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, said, “Or Shalom offers a unique and important pathway to Jewish life in Vancouver,” and noted how thrilled he was that it is the first carbon-neutral shul in North America, as decarbonization is a priority of the foundation.

Mira Oreck, who is a board member of the synagogue, spoke as a parent.

“What is a shul without classrooms for learning, playing, sneaking away from services, and forming Jewish identity and friendships?” she asked. “Our new classrooms will enable our kids, so many of whom do not attend Jewish day school, to be together to learn songs and prayers, holidays and text; a place to study for their simchat mitzvah; and a place to grapple with and hopefully connect to our traditions.

“More than that,” said Oreck, “I want to acknowledge the founders and stewards of Or Shalom for creating a Jewish spiritual community fit for Jewish life and Jewish families today…. The first net-zero synagogue in Canada. A shul with access for people with disabilities. A place where you can come as you are…. A place of songs without words, niggunim, creating more open access to Jewish families of all backgrounds. A Jewish home that incorporates nature, culture, place and community. There is nothing like us in Vancouver.”

photo - Guests check out the synagogue’s new classroom — Guests check out the synagogue’s new classroom. (photo by Wendy D)

When Labowitz returned the bimah, he said, “This moment was built through thousands of visible and invisible acts of devotion, through generosity and patience, through courage, through people saying yes again and again, even when the road was long.” He thanked not only major donors but “those whose gifts may never appear on a plaque but are written into the soul of this place.”

“Judaism understands that there is a holy relationship between the vessel and the light that it carries,” he said. “The vessel alone is not enough, but light without a vessel can scatter and disappear. This renewed bayit is a vessel for the light of Or Shalom. And it is preparing the way for more or [light]: more song, more questioning, more justice, more tenderness, more learning and more becoming, more or.

“This building will continue to hold so much life,” said the rabbi. “These walls will hear children playing, elders teaching, mourners grieving and community growing. They will hold disagreement and reconciliation, search and discovery. They will shelter people who feel at home in Judaism and people still searching for their spiritual home.

“My hope is that everyone who walks through these doors will feel there is room for their whole self here,” said Labowitz, because “that is what sacred community is and can be at its best…. So, we return not simply to a renovated space but to a renewed sense of possibility.”

In calling Dresner up to speak, Labowitz praised her “wisdom, vision, determination and relentless devotion helped bring this dream into a reality.”

“I’m thrilled to be here to mark this milestone in the unfolding of Or Shalom’s history,” said Dresner. “I did put the renovation bug into John Fuerst’s eager ear and, later, I was privileged to write the story of Or Shalom for our seminal Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation grant. Now, I shep nachas, meaning ‘at rest,’ as in resting on my laurels. And I derive profound satisfaction in your achievement bringing this project to near-enough completion. The blessing we celebrate today is not just of a refurbished bayit and what it can hold. We also celebrate the courageous innovations of our leaders who keep Or Shalom on the cutting edge of inclusion and on the cutting edge of social justice work, of dialogue and of spiritual expression in the Jewish world.

“For our elders who created this outreach organization to answer their own unmet needs, this is a celebration of an era and its threshold of paying it forward, as they have given way to renewed policies and modalities that centre you who will carry Or Shalom into its next era,” she continued. “They decided not to wind the experiment of Or Shalom down with their eldering, but instead to outfit her for the next generation, midor l’dor, to bless the next generation with a well-run organization, comfortable in its finances, strong in its professional and lay leadership…. In response and in gratitude, the youngers, you must care for our current role models, taking over their delivery of gemilut chesed, institutional loving kindness, taking over their heroic volunteerism more and more so that they too have a chance to shep nachas, rest in the stewardship of Or Shalom’s younger members, delight in the gorgeous kindness and creativity of the next wave.”

Dresner offered the congregation a benediction framed around the week’s Torah portion, Naso, in which Moshe finishes setting up the tabernacle and sanctifies it. After, Labowitz introduced the mezuzah hanging.

“So, we started this process with a shovel and we’re going to end with a hammer,” he said. “And we have a very special mezuzah that has been gifted to us by our members Harriet Lemur and Ron Einblau.”

photo - Rabbi Arik Labowitz, left, and Jewish Federation of BC’s Ezra Shanken participate in the mezuzah hanging — Rabbi Arik Labowitz, left, and Jewish Federation of BC’s Ezra Shanken participate in the mezuzah hanging. *(photo by Wendy D)*

The mezuzah contains shards from the glass that was broken at the renovation’s groundbreaking ceremony last year. Before it was affixed to the door coming into the sanctuary, Josh presented to Labowitz and Or Shalom the gift of a painting. The pastor said he would miss having the congregation as Cityview’s guests.

“I’m going to miss the oneness of spirit,” said Josh. “I’m going to miss the love, the deep love, the gracious love that we show to one another. And I’m going to miss the friendship, the deep, deep friendships that we’ve made. And can I tell you that we would not have known any of those things if we had stayed closeted in our buildings and not reached out.”

Josh was the first person to help Labowitz hang the mezuzah, followed by Jewish Federation of BC chief executive officer Ezra Shanken, Hardybala, Dresner and Fuerst.

“Thank you all for being here,” said Labowitz. “Thank you for being a part of this moment.”

JFS from past to future

Garry Zlotnik, centre, received the JFS Lighting the Way Award from Brent Davis, left, and Todd Thal at the Innovators event May 26. (Rhonda Dent Photography)

‘Jewish Family Services (JFS) hosted its annual Innovators event on May 26. This year’s gathering commemorated the organization’s 90 years of service to the community and 20 years of Innovators.

Held at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver, guests filled the D/6 Bar & Lounge. JFS board members Candice Stein Thal and Raechelle Paperny were the event co-chairs.

Stein Thal spoke about JFS’s “nine decades of supporting our community with dignity, compassion and care.” Innovators itself is an example, she said, of “People showing up for one another, investing in one another and making sure that no one has to navigate life’s challenges alone.”

Paperny described the wide range of services offered by JFS, “whether that’s putting food on the table, accessing mental health support or simply feeling less alone.” She said JFS’s power lies not in “what we do but how we do it. We meet people with compassion and with dignity, we respond with innovation and we continue to evolve because the needs of our community are increasing and ever-changing.” While proud of their 90-year history, Paperny said they’re even more focused on the future.

photo - JFS Innovators co-chairs Candice Stein Thal, left, and Raechelle Paperny. The event took place May 26 at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver — JFS Innovators co-chairs Candice Stein Thal, left, and Raechelle Paperny. The event took place May 26 at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver. (photo by Ray Shum)

Brent Davis and Todd Thal presented the Lighting the Way Award to Garry Zlotnik for his leadership. Davis noted that Zlotnik had “earned the respect of this community long before he started sponsoring events or making donations.” The award recognized Zlotnik’s capacity for “leadership, compassion and moving others forward.” With financial and volunteer contributions that have spanned decades, Zlotnik “has never failed to make a difference with his time, his leadership and his energy,” said Davis.

Both Thal and Davis described the positive influence Zlotnik has had on their lives, as a mentor and role model. “He showed me that success isn’t just about building a business, it’s what you do with that success, how you help people and give back to the community,” said Thal, who described Zlotnik as someone who “makes connections and helps others succeed – and he does it without wanting any recognition.”

Davis added that donations were a good way to honour a man who is “always one of the first to say yes,” when a cause or an organization needs support.

Before the award was presented, a short video was shown featuring Zlotnik speaking of his involvement with JFS. He said he was raised in a family where the attitude of “giving back was instilled in me at a very early age.” One of the greatest rewards has been, he said, meeting “so many unbelievably fantastic people.” He appreciated that donors could “share the benefits of what you’re doing on a direct basis with people” who have been in hard times. Having turned 70 in 2025, Zlotnik said this was a good time “to reflect on the legacy and the work that I’ve done for the Jewish community,” and he quoted the late Joseph Segal, who said, “the more you give, the more you get – and what you get is fulfilment.” Zlotnik hopes that this legacy of giving back will endure through his kids, grandkids and great-grandkids: “hopefully, they will do the same thing.”

In person, Zlotnik added that he’d had his birthday party in the same room last year. He reminisced about one of his proudest moments, working on the Maccabi Games, and pointed out that his brother, Marty, was a former board member. He reminded everyone that this was a great opportunity to support local people who “just need a little extra help.”

Shay (Shy) Keil, the event’s presenting sponsor, introduced a video about JFS’s 90-year history: “A powerful reminder that, behind every service, every meal, every act of care, there is a person whose life has been changed because this community chose to step forward, extend a hand and act. I encourage you to watch closely and open your hearts.”

Keil spoke about the importance of the Innovators event. “I cannot imagine any other event in our community as important as this one,” he said. “For decades, JFS has been there for people in moments of hardship, uncertainty and vulnerability … not just for support, but for dignity, compassion and hope.”

photo - Shay (Shy) Keil, presenting sponsor of the Innovators event — Shay (Shy) Keil, presenting sponsor of the Innovators event. *(Rhonda Dent Photography)*

He reminded the audience that the need in the community was still growing, and “so does the impact of JFS. From food security and counseling to seniors’ support, addiction services, they’re helping rebuild people’s lives. That is what inspires me about JFS. This organization shows up for people.”

photo - Geoff Glotman of Glotman | Simpson, which was the event’s platinum sponsor — Geoff Glotman of Glotman | Simpson, which was the event’s platinum sponsor. *(photo by Ray Shum)*

The video explained how JFS was founded 90 years ago to help vulnerable community members and newcomers, based on the value of tikkun olam, repair of the world. A main goal was to ensure that the social, physical and emotional needs of Jewish refugees were being met. JFS’s services have expanded greatly since it began – to all members of the Jewish community, as well as local non-Jews in need of care and support, including with food assistance, mental health and counseling, and advocacy and care management.

After the video, JFS chief executive officer Tanja Demajo stressed: “It’s not just about large donations. Every dollar that’s provided makes a difference.”

She explained, in the video, how JFS will continue with the value of tikkun olam as its guide: “to help each other when that help is needed, so that no one is left behind.”

As he does for so many community fundraisers, auctioneer Howard Blank asked the audience for donations. For each dollar amount, he explained what the funds raised would cover, and what kind of difference it would make. For example, a gift of $5,000 meant that families could avoid “having to choose between rent and food,” he said. Other amounts would support the JFS Kitchen, its addiction and recovery program, emergency assistance, preventing evictions, grief and trauma counseling for a year for women fleeing violence.

A digital slide show shared the details of JFS’s impacts: 176 Holocaust survivors are supported by JFS and the agency delivers 2,100 hours of one-on-one client time. It has helped 600 people navigate crises and rebuild lives, and delivers $1.8 million in emergency medical and financial aid annually. Average counseling wait times at JFS have been reduced from 12 months to three weeks, and many thousands of kosher meals have been delivered. JFS distributes 825,000 pounds of food to those in need.

The Innovators event raised more than $600,000 for JFS programs and services that benefit more than 3,000 people each year.

Both Zlotnik’s video and that about JFS’s history can be found on YouTube.

Shula Klinger is an author and journalist living in North Vancouver.