Honouring him, she said, \u201cmeans that those opportunities for him to continue teaching and passing on his ethics and his education are not lost, and we can continue to pass that spark on to more people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya said her dad had a special relationship with CSS as a child.<\/p>\n
\u201cCamp was where he could express most sides of himself in the silliest way possible,\u201d she recalled. \u201cAt camp, he was able to be playful, be an athlete, be artistic and do different visual arts, and sing and dance, while also expressing his religious side.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recalled her dad saying that he found his calling to be a rabbi while he was leading prayers (tefillot) <\/i>as an 8-year-old. \u201cGetting to practice Judaism and [Jewish] traditions was key to who he would become. He had lots of nostalgia and gratitude [to CSS] for that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Rabbi Bellas grew up in the Vancouver Jewish community, attending CSS as a camper and participating in Oded, the junior counselor program. He became bar mitzvah and got married to his wife, Oksana, at Beth Israel. The couple raised three children here \u2013 Maya, Yaakov and Aliza \u2013 before moving to Olney, Md., in 2014.<\/p>\n
While studying to become a rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Bellas returned to camp in 2001 and 2002 as \u201cRabbi Matt,\u201d writing curriculum and making other contributions. After receiving ordination in 2004, he continued to build a distinguished career in Jewish education, serving as school rabbi at Brandeis School in Lawrence, NY, and at Vancouver Talmud Torah. He spent the last decade of his life as a principal at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Md., where he apparently coined the daily reminder: \u201cAsk a good question, learn something new, and be kind to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Camp Solomon Schechter\u2019s annual Spark event celebrates the camp\u2019s legacy, community and future, with simultaneous events in Vancouver, Portland and Seattle, bringing together alumni, supporters and friends from across the region. This year\u2019s theme \u2013 Body, Mind and Spirit \u2013 reflects the camp\u2019s commitment to nurturing the whole person through meaningful experiences, relationships and Jewish values.<\/p>\n Bellas is being recognized for the Spirit element of the event.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was so passionate about Jewish continuity,\u201d Maya said of the spirit her dad brought to his work, including his time at CSS. \u201cHe wanted to create that experience for other youth and families. He knew that the continuation of our traditions and people relies on joyful, immersive and strong Jewish communities, and that Judaism is a community and family-based activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt Schechter, along with the Judaics team, he created an experience that was fun, engaging and hands on,\u201d she said. \u201cCreating the Jewish memories for the campers that he had as a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Maya and Yaakov also both attended CSS as campers, while Maya continued her staffing journey there as a young Jewish leader, serving as the director of Oded the past two summers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen we started going to camp, being part of this lineage of going to camp, we got to talk about how it evolved over time,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are a part of this history and story of camp, and it\u2019s something that connected us, and that\u2019s something that he appreciated, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Maya said witnessing her dad\u2019s legacy has led her to seriously consider her own impact and the work she did at CSS.<\/p>\n \u201cTo see the mark he\u2019s left on the world and on the people he\u2019s come across, at my age, it definitely makes me start to think about what I\u2019m going to leave behind me,\u201d she said. \u201cI just hope it\u2019s a warmer, safer, connected place and I hope this event helps camp [provide] that for many more kids.\u201d<\/p>\n For the Vancouver event co-chairs, Lisa Boroditsky and Sandy Hazan, Bellas\u2019s aunt, honouring Rabbi Matt is extra special.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst and foremost, it is a true honour to be connected to Matthew Bellas, z\u201dl, as part of our extended mishpachah<\/i> [family] through the Switzer family clan,\u201d said Boroditsky. \u201cTo have the opportunity to carry on what was so truly important to Matt is a meaningful way for me to honour his legacy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI also strongly believe in the profound impact that Jewish summer camp has on young people,\u201d she said. \u201cIt helps shape identity, build community and instil a lasting love for Jewish life and tradition. Being part of an event that both honours Matthew\u2019s legacy and supports something that was so important to him and our shared beliefs is incredibly meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n Hazan said her nephew taught them all what it means to be proud of being Jewish and loving our traditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHis impact in fostering love of Judaism and showing Jewish pride was felt in every aspect of his professional and personal life,\u201d she said. \u201cHe also loved bringing people together and Schechter Spark is an opportunity for the Vancouver Jewish community to gather and celebrate Matthew\u2019s spirit and the Jewish values we all hold so dear. These past years have shown us all that we are stronger together.\u201d<\/p>\n Boroditsky made a point of noting Bellas\u2019s impact on those around him, and how that made him an especially appropriate honouree for this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n \u201cHe touched hundreds of lives through his teachings, kindness, leadership and unwavering spirit,\u201d she said. \u201cBy honouring him at the Spark event this year, the community comes together not only to remember him, but to celebrate the legacy he leaves behind.\u201d<\/p>\n The Schechter Spark events this year will also recognize Debbi and Alan Montrose in Portland, Ore., as the Body honourees, and Cindy and Bob Strauss in Seattle, Wash., as the Mind honourees.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we celebrate another year of impact, Spark is a time to honour our past, celebrate our present and invest in our future,\u201d said Zach Duitch, executive director of Camp Solomon Schechter. \u201cWe are especially grateful to honour Rabbi Bellas\u2019s memory and the spiritual legacy he leaves within our community.\u201d<\/p>\n For more than 70 years, CSS has been a cornerstone of Jewish life in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Spark reflects the soul of camp, bringing people together in gratitude, remembrance and hope. Registration and sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, visit campschechter.org\/spark<\/a> or contact Leah Conley at lconley@campschechter.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kyle Berger<\/b> is Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver sports coordinator, and a freelance writer living in Richmond.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Bellas family, left to right: Oksana, Aliza, Yaakov, Maya and Matthew. (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter) When Camp Solomon Schechter (CSS) hosts their annual Spark fundraiser event at Beth Israel Synagogue May 3, it might be a more emotional gathering than it has been in past years. That\u2019s because the honouree, Matthew Bellas, z\u201dl, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48773,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5218,8039,24793,24792,24794,8676,2319,23182,6153,21171],"class_list":["post-48772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-camp-solomon-schechter","tag-fundraiser","tag-lisa-boroditsky","tag-matthew-bellas","tag-maya-bellas","tag-remembrance","tag-sandy-hazan","tag-schechter-spark","tag-summer-camp","tag-zach-duitch"],"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\/48772","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=48772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"photo](\"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/apr-10-Jewish-Life.10.Bellas-2-Matthew-with-Yaacov-1.jpeg\")
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