As a member of the Jewish community, I\u2019ve come to recognize a powerful truth: when crisis strikes, we show up. That\u2019s who we are.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not performative. It\u2019s not for headlines. It\u2019s rooted in Jewish values that demand action \u2013 to heal the world (tikkun olam<\/i>), to care for the stranger (ve\u2019ahavta et hager<\/i>) and to take responsibility for one another (arevut hadadit<\/i>).<\/p>\n
So, when tragedy struck our Filipino neighbours at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver, the Jewish community responded \u2013 as we always strive to do, with compassion. Our community mobilized within hours. Not just with condolences, but with coordinated, tangible action. A dedicated fund was quickly established for affected families. We partnered with Filipino BC, the United Way, the Archdiocese of Vancouver, the City of Vancouver and other local organizations to ensure a compassionate, coordinated response.<\/p>\n
These aren\u2019t symbolic gestures \u2013 they are meaningful efforts to help a community recover, rebuild and feel supported in its darkest moment. And it\u2019s not the first time our community has responded like this \u2013 not even close.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve shown solidarity with Indigenous communities through Truth and Reconciliation events, advocating for justice, supporting families of missing and murdered women, and bringing in speakers.<\/p>\n
After the Quebec mosque shooting, we stood with our Muslim neighbours, condemning Islamophobia, and supported Syrian and Afghan refugees with sponsorship, fundraising, housing, and provided immigration help.<\/p>\n
In response to George Floyd\u2019s murder and rising anti-Asian hate, we participated in rallies, spoke out and called for systemic change in policing.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve actively supported LGBTQ+ rights by participating in Vancouver\u2019s Pride Parade and advocating for policies against discrimination.<\/p>\n
In the wake of floods and wildfires, we provided aid, opened our homes and joined environmental campaigns for climate justice.<\/p>\n
From Haiti to Ukraine, and East Africa to Nepal, our community has raised money and supported global aid efforts to provide humanitarian relief to those affected.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t burn flags, we build bridges. We don\u2019t chant hateful slogans, we extend hands in solidarity. We don\u2019t destabilize, we stabilize, support and stand together. That is the spirit that lives within the Jewish community here in Vancouver. In moments of crisis, we don\u2019t disappear \u2013 we show up.<\/p>\n
That is the spirit embedded in Jewish life. These values are part of who we are. They guide us \u2013 especially in moments of pain and need. We act when it matters most.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to be Jewish. Proud to be part of a people whose instinct is to act with compassion \u2013 no matter who is in need. Tzedakah, tikkun olam and arevut hadadit are not just words we recite. They are the path we walk. That\u2019s who we are.<\/p>\n
Lana Marks Pulver<\/b> is board chair, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As a member of the Jewish community, I\u2019ve come to recognize a powerful truth: when crisis strikes, we show up. That\u2019s who we are. It\u2019s not performative. It\u2019s not for headlines. It\u2019s rooted in Jewish values that demand action \u2013 to heal the world (tikkun olam), to care for the stranger (ve\u2019ahavta et hager) and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[24084,4261,1122,24085,218,5116,9407,8119,1959,3339],"class_list":["post-46858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-op-ed","tag-arevut-hadadit","tag-climate-justice","tag-human-rights","tag-humanitarian-relief","tag-judaism","tag-multicultural","tag-multifaith","tag-solidarity","tag-tikkun-olam","tag-tzedakah"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46858\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}