development

What wellness means at JCC

There are places that become part of who you are. For our family, the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver has been that place across generations. As JWest prepares to build a new fitness centre that will carry our family’s name, we wanted to share, in our own words, what that space has meant to us, and why what gets built next matters.

Gary Averbach: When we moved from Richmond to the Oakridge area in 1975, joining the Jewish Community Centre was one of the first things I did. I enrolled my 5-year-old daughter in day camp and found my way into the gym shortly after. For the next four decades, until my office and home eventually moved downtown, I was there virtually every day it was open.

photo - Left to right: Justin Averbach, Mike Averbach, Gary Averbach and Benjamin Averbach (in front) — Left to right: Justin Averbach, Mike Averbach, Gary Averbach and Benjamin Averbach (in front). (photo from JWest)

The fitness centre has served this community well for a long time and, now, like the building around it, it’s ready for its next chapter. But, what kept me coming back was never the facility itself – it was the people within it. My community was the health club, and it was filled with friends I looked forward to seeing and connecting with.

I have a weak eye, which meant competitive sports were never really an option for me. Walking became my discipline instead. Over years of daily workouts at the JCC, including the treadmill, and long circuits around Stanley Park, I built myself up to at least 17 kilometres a day. In 2022, I decided to find out what that foundation could hold, and I walked from Calgary to Vancouver. It took about 42 days. [See jewishindependent.ca/ averbach-reaches-kamloops and jewishindependent.ca/averbach-back-home.]

I’m 83 now – and I still show up. My goal is to reach 93 in good health. I don’t want to let the old man in.

When the opportunity arose to support JWest, I knew exactly where to direct my support. It was a natural choice to have our family’s name on the fitness centre. It’s where I spent most of my time.

What I hope for is simple – that the people who walk through those doors feel that this is a quality place. And that some of them, over time, find what I found: not just a gym, but a second home.

Mike Averbach: For me, the JCC gym was a rite of passage, and one that I have many fond memories of.

As a teenager, I spent a lot of time there, working out and goofing around with friends. It added a lot to my life in terms of strength and physicality, but it wasn’t all just physical. The mental discipline of showing up regularly, of pushing yourself in a space surrounded by people you knew, added something to how I understood myself. I grew up in that gym, in more ways than one.

My father has given a lot to the JCC over the years, and this gift reflects a connection that spans nearly five decades. It resonates for me too, because I lived it alongside him.

What I think about now is the next generation – my kids, and the families joining the JCC for the first time. A state-of-the-art fitness facility inside a Jewish community hub is not something every young person gets access to. To offer a space where physical wellness and Jewish community life coexist is genuinely special.

When my kids walk into that gym and see our name, I hope they feel what I felt growing up there: that this place is theirs, that it was built for them, and that the people who came before them believed it was worth building. That belief is what carries a community forward, generation to generation.

Gary Averbach chaired a fundraising campaign in the early 1990s that resulted in a renovation of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and Mike Averbach has served on the RBC JCC Sports Dinner committee for years.

Building JWest together

A rendering of JWest as seen from above. (image from JWest)

There is a version of the JWest story that is easy to tell – the renderings, the numbers, the names on the donor wall. However, there’s another story that came before that: the story of what this community had to agree to before a single dollar was raised publicly, and what it took to get there.

JWest is, at its core, a collaboration between three independent institutions – the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, King David High School and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. Each has its own governance, its own mandate and its own community of stakeholders. Over decades, each has built something distinct and worth protecting. Getting all three to formally commit to a shared campus, shared planning and shared accountability wasn’t a given. It required a multi-party agreement that had never been attempted at this scale in Vancouver’s Jewish community. It required each organization to trust the others with something it had always controlled on its own.

That trust didn’t emerge from enthusiasm alone. It was earned through years of consultation, through difficult governance conversations and through a shared recognition that what any one of these institutions could build alone was smaller than what all three could build together. The agreement that confirmed this partnership wasn’t a formality; it was the trust in one another and a level of collaboration that our Jewish community had never tested before.

The philanthropic chapter of this story required the same kind of leap. The JWest campaign has now secured more than $147 million from our community, a figure that reflects confidence in the project’s direction and the people steering it. Major donors took their positions early, when the vision was still largely on paper and the path forward still unknown. They weren’t simply giving gifts – they were signaling to our Jewish community that this project was worth investing in, and the community responded by expanding that circle, one family at a time, with each gift a vote of confidence in the ones that came before.

What that philanthropic momentum produced is something harder to quantify but just as important: proof of what the Jewish community can accomplish when it organizes around a shared long-term vision and commits to making it a reality. That proof compounds. Each milestone – the matching funds, the families who stepped in at every level – made the next conversation easier, and the project’s momentum more visible to everyone watching.

The move to a public campaign this spring marked another milestone. For the first time, JWest opened its doors to the full breadth of our community, including JCC members, KDHS families, Jewish Federation supporters, and people who have never thought of themselves as major donors but who care deeply about what Jewish life in Vancouver looks like for the next generation. That broadening matters not just for what it raises, but for what it means: this campus is being built by our community, not simply for it. Ownership is the point.

We are now approximately $14 million from completing the philanthropic goal. That number is not small. But it is the most achievable it has ever been, because of everything that came before it. The governance works. The partnership holds. Our Jewish community has shown, at every stage, that it is willing to bet on itself.

Every milestone in this project has asked something of us, whether it’s a new level of coordination, a new threshold of trust or a new circle of participation. This one is no different. The final milestone belongs to whoever chooses to step into it.

For more about JWest, visit jwestnow.com.

Emily Pritchard is executive director of JWest Foundation and Alex Cristall is chair of JWest Foundation.

Art chosen for new museum

From a specific vantage point, the dispersed lines of Nicolas Baier’s Candelabra – winner of the Montreal Holocaust Museum’s public art competition for its new building – create the shape of a sphere. (photo from MHM)

The Montreal Holocaust Museum (MHM) has selected Montreal-based artist Nicolas Baier as the winner of its public art competition for its new museum opening in 2027.

Baier’s artwork, Candelabra, will be installed on the museum’s rooftop terraces. The sculpture is a luminous, constellation-like network of polished stainless-steel lines and points of light set against the Montreal sky. The work is reminiscent of countless survivor stories about imprisonment in ghettos and concentration camps, where the only form of escape was looking to the night sky. Inspired by the human impulse to connect stars into meaningful patterns, the piece reflects bonds built between individuals, communities and generations.

Rather than reproducing traditional constellations, Baier has created a new network based on astronomical data from the sky above Montreal. From a specific vantage point on the terrace, the dispersed lines create the shape of a sphere, evoking our shared planet and humanity.

photo - Nicolas Baier’s Candelabra — Nicolas Baier’s Candelabra. *(photo from MHM)*

In a museum dedicated to Holocaust remembrance, Candelabra speaks to the fragility and resilience of human connection. The Holocaust was marked by the systematic destruction of Jewish life, the devastation of whole communities and the severing of social bonds. At a time when antisemitism and other forms of hate are on the rise, the sculpture serves as a reminder that societies are shaped by the networks we build and protect, and that, even in darkness, light endures.

The competition was held in accordance with Quebec’s Politique d’intégration des arts à l’architecture et à l’environnement des bâtiments et des sites gouvernementaux et publics, which mandates that approximately one percent of the construction budget of public buildings be dedicated to the commissioning of a work of art.

The selection committee was composed of Marie-Blanche Fourcade (head of collections and exhibitions at the MHM); Adrian Sheppard (user representative); Renée Daoust (architect); Suzelle Levasseur (visual arts specialist); Stéphanie L’Heureux (ministry representative); Martha Townsend (visual arts specialist); and Helen Malkin (observer, chair and consultant for the new MHM).

“Nicolas Baier’s proposal moved us because it expresses the importance of human connection,” said Rachel Gropper, Holocaust survivor and co-president of the museum. “In a place devoted to memory and education, this work reminds us that each individual life matters, and that together we have the responsibility to uphold compassion and hope.”

To contribute to the MHM’s building campaign, Give Voice, go to museeholocauste.ca/en/give-voice.

– Courtesy Montreal Holocaust Museum

An invite to join JWest

If you’ve been through the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver lately, you may have noticed a simple question appearing in the hallways and around the building: “Are you in yet?”

It’s the invitation to join JWest, the re-construction of the JCC and King David High School, but it didn’t start as a marketing slogan. Its origins are more personal.

Some time ago, Shirley Barnett – a longtime JCC visionary and supporter who regularly works out there – made an observation that stuck with me. We were talking about the campaign, and she said, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have something that made it easier to start a conversation about what we are building here? The community centre is full of people who recognize each other from being there regularly. You see the same faces in the gym, in the hallways, or in the change rooms. But, often, you just smile and move on.”

That idea resonated with me. What if the campaign had a line that felt natural for one person to say to another to get them engaged? Something simple and inviting: “Hey, are you involved in the project? Have you thought about contributing?”

From there, we worked with Traction Creative, a small agency that has deep ties in the Jewish community. They came back with a few ideas, including the one I had penned, and when we saw “Are you in yet?” with some sample layouts, we knew that was indeed the one. It’s friendly. It’s direct. And, most importantly, it sounds like something people would actually say.

The creative team had some fun with the idea by tailoring messages to different parts of the building. For example, in the long hallway between the gyms, one sign reads: “Less long hall, more pickleball,” a nod to the multi-use athletic courts planned for the new space. Wherever you see the signs, they all tie back to that same question: “Are you in yet?”

Over the past several years, the JWest project has raised close to $200 million from governments, foundations, and donors from the Jewish community and beyond. At one point, many people believed government funding at a significant level for a project like this would be impossible. Eldad Goldfarb, the executive director of the JCC, doggedly courted them. After years of making our case, both the provincial and federal governments stepped up at the early stages of the project, and it was a moment of elation. This could and would be a reality.

photo - Alvin Wasserman in front of a model of the proposed JWest development — Alvin Wasserman in front of a model of the proposed JWest development. (photo from JWest)

Now the campaign is in its public funding phase, with an invitation extended to the entire community. Yes, major gifts were instrumental in getting us here, but JWest has always been about something bigger than that. It’s about participation. When someone contributes, whether it’s a “good luck multiple of $18” gift or a larger one, they’re signaling, “I’m a part of this.”

This sense of belonging is exactly what the centre has always been about. I often describe it as the living room of the community, a heimish space to come together. On any given day, you might see kids from daycare singing, seniors gathering for coffee and students from KDHS stopping by between classes. The mix of ages, backgrounds and activities is inspiring. It’s like a small, vibrant city inside one building. The JWest project will make that experience even stronger and ensure its continuity.

So, if you see the campaign message and wonder whether to get involved, my answer is simple: you’ll want to be part of this. It’s going to be amazing.

I encourage community members to give at whatever level feels comfortable. Remember, stretching always makes you feel better. What matters is being able to say, years from now, that you helped build something that will serve the community for generations.

So, are you in yet?

Alvin Wasserman is a JWest Foundation and Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver board director, and was a two-time board chair of the JCCGV.

An ever-changing city

Summer is a time when our routines are happily disrupted. Kids are out of school and many of us take time off from work to enjoy the hometown that draws tourists from around the world. Maybe we wander off the beaten path and see parts of our own city we usually miss on our repetitive commute. Perhaps we leave town for a week or two and return with fresh eyes.

Anyone who has lived in Vancouver and environs for more than a few years can’t help but see change at every turn. Many of us are watching our old elementary and high schools being replaced with new structures, memories being ploughed under with the old bricks. Community centres throughout the city are seeing replacements. Canada’s oldest business, the Hudson’s Bay Company, is being liquidated, leaving another gaping hole (for now, at least) in the retail landscape at the heart of downtown. Woodward’s is a distant memory. And, of course, what old-timers call “the new Oakridge” is being redeveloped into the new new Oakridge, as anyone trying to navigate by car or bus along 41st or Cambie cannot help but be reminded.

Not everyone likes change, put mildly. But, it is inevitable.

It is simplistic to say there is only one way to go – up. There is an alternative, albeit not a good one. We could continue a 20th-century trend to suburban sprawl, in which we lay housing and concrete across precious arable land.

Novelties like laneway houses have attempted to increase capacity in erstwhile single-family neighbourhoods. Along arteries like Oak, Cambie and Granville, single-family homes are giving way to four-, six- and eight-unit developments. As was always the plan, mixed residential and commercial hubs are skyrocketing from the ground up around transit stations, as evidenced most profoundly around Brentwood, Metrotown, Marine Drive and Oakridge.

Which brings us back to what, for most of the past century, has been the “Jewish neighbourhood.”

That term is a bit of a misnomer. A place where most Jews live does not equate to a place where most people are Jews. Even in the most Jew-dense neighbourhoods, we remain single-digit or low-two-digit proportions of the population. Emotionally, traditionally, spiritually and institutionally, since the 1950s at the latest, the rough area around Oakridge, down Oak and Granville and the surrounding blocks, have been home to Metro Vancouver’s Jews.

This reality began fraying about three decades ago, when housing prices began their notorious upward escalations. (Great for homeowners. Not great for first-time buyers.) And the Jewish community became more geographically dispersed, with inevitable positive and negative consequences.

While the City of Vancouver still holds the largest share of the BC Jewish population (at 58%), other municipalities now have significant Jewish populations, including, in order of size, Richmond, Surrey, the District of North Vancouver and Burnaby. Greater Vancouver’s proportion of the BC Jewish population has decreased, though, from 81% in 2011 to approximately 75% in 2021. (For much more data, see jewishindependent.ca/quick-look-at-canadian-jews.)

For Jewish institutions, this reality has demanded accommodations, with services becoming less geographically rooted. Many agencies, notably the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Jewish Family Services and even the Jewish Community Centre, which by its nature is geographically rooted, are successfully delivering programs across the region.

For Metro Vancouver’s Jews, and for every cultural group, this relentless change has personal and collective impacts.

The JWest development on the 41st and Oak JCC site will include – among other things – hundreds of new homes, notably purpose-built rentals, the scarcity of which is a major contributor to the crisis in the housing market. These hundreds of new homes will not, of course, all be occupied by Jews. But they will be a dramatic increase in available homes in what was, and may again become, the heart of a “Jewish neighbourhood.”

This does not take into account the thousands of other new homes being developed within a radius of a few kilometres, not least at the Oakridge site. Will these be affordable housing? In Vancouver, that term has perhaps lost all meaning. Everything is relative. But volume and variety of housing options are the key to what approaches the concept of affordability.

We can only remotely predict the sociological impacts these dramatic physical changes in our city will have on our day-to-day life, including the vibrancy of Jewish life – not only here, but around the Lower Mainland and the rest of the province.

JWest questions answered

A drawing of the new Jewish campus at Oak Street and 41st Avenue. (image from Jewish Federation)

With construction of the new Jewish campus at Oak Street and 41st Avenue set to begin in spring 2026, many in our community still have questions. What exactly is JWest? Is it replacing the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver? What about King David High School? Here are some answers to those questions.

JWest is the name of the redevelopment project and the campaign behind it. It is not a new name for the JCC, which will continue to serve as a hub for wellness, learning, culture and community connection. JWest is the vision, planning and fundraising effort driving the creation of a new, integrated Jewish campus that includes a new, expanded JCC and KDHS, and two residential rental towers.

Inside the new JCC

The new JCC will be a six-storey, 200,000-square-foot facility designed with inclusion, flexibility and sustainability at its core. Among its many features, it will include an eight-lane, 25-metre swimming pool and significantly expanded fitness and wellness spaces to support active living for all ages.

Families will benefit from a much larger childcare centre, complete with a rooftop outdoor play area. The facility will also house two full gymnasiums, universal changerooms with private cubicles for added comfort and accessibility, and a multi-function theatre with retractable seating and full wheelchair access – ideal for performances, films and community events.

At the heart of the building, a larger welcoming café will serve as a natural gathering space, while a new, purpose-built home for the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre will provide enhanced opportunities for learning and remembrance.

image - A drawing of part of the interior of the new Jewish campus — A drawing of part of the interior of the new Jewish campus. (image from Jewish Federation)

The JCC has long been a home for a wide range of Jewish organizations – and that legacy will continue in the new campus. In fact, the new facility is designed to foster even greater collaboration and increased programming for all ages and interests.

While the list is still being finalized, most of the community partners and organizations currently housed in the JCC will move into the new building, joined by some new partners who will bring fresh energy and offerings to the campus.

Why a new KDHS

KDHS has been a vital part of Jewish life in Vancouver for decades, but, like the current JCC, the school has outgrown its space. The existing building cannot support further enrolment growth or accommodate the full scope of programs and facilities that today’s students – and tomorrow’s – need to thrive.

Also, the current school and the JCC are separated by a big parking lot and a busy street, which makes it hard to have shared programs, casual interactions, or really feel like part of one community. The new campus changes that. By bringing the school and the JCC right next to each other, it will become a true shared space. With students spending time at the JCC every day, the whole place will be filled with energy, laughter and activity. This kind of daily connection will open the door for more collaboration between teachers, families and community members, and help everyone feel like they belong. It won’t be just a campus but a place where Jewish life can grow and be shared across generations.

The phased approach to construction ensures that both the JCC and KDHS will remain fully operational in their current buildings throughout the project. Each organization will only move once its new home is ready, minimizing disruption and allowing continuity in programs, services and learning.

The residential towers

The two planned residential rental towers are an essential part of the long-term sustainability of the new campus. They are designed to generate stable, ongoing revenue that will help support the operations and maintenance of the entire site. In addition to strengthening the financial foundation of the project, the towers will contribute to addressing Vancouver’s broader need for rental housing. They will include below-market rental units, providing much-needed affordable housing options for members of the Jewish community and others in need.

During construction?

Construction will begin in spring 2026, starting in the current JCC parking lot. Once the new JCC is complete – estimated at about three years – the current building will be removed to make space for the new KDHS, outdoor areas, residential towers and long-term parking. Throughout construction, the current JCC will remain open, and all programs and services will continue.

JWest is working closely with Grosvenor, the developer behind the Mayfair West project across 41st Avenue, to coordinate temporary parking for JCC members, staff and visitors. While final details are still being confirmed, this location is expected to be the primary parking option during construction. At the same time, drop-off and pick up zones will be provided at the current JCC building for the childcare centre and for people with limited mobility.

Funding for JWest

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of donors – and major support from the governments of British Columbia and Canada – more than 90% of the required funds have already been raised. As the project prepares to break ground, the final phase of the campaign will soon launch. This next stage is a chance for everyone in the community to take part and help shape the future.

Why this matters

“I truly believe that, together, we’re creating something special – a vibrant new Jewish campus that brings out the best of our community and our city. This is what we do,” said Alex Cristall, chair of the JWest Foundation. “We come together and we invest in our future because we care deeply about it. This new campus isn’t just about buildings – it’s about building a home for Jewish life, culture and values in British Columbia that will last for generations.”

JWest will continue to share updates – including construction timelines, additional parking details and news about the public phase of the campaign – in the months ahead. Visit JWestNow.com.

– Courtesy Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

Or Shalom breaks ground on renovations

Or Shalom held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 27, launching the MoreOR project. (photo from Or Shalom)

On Sunday, April 27, Or Shalom Synagogue marked a major milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony, launching the MoreOR project – a long-anticipated renovation and expansion that will transform the synagogue on East 10th Avenue into a more sustainable, accessible and welcoming community hub for generations to come.

photo - John Fuerst, lead for Or Shalom’s housing task force, at the April 27 groundbreaking — John Fuerst, lead for Or Shalom’s housing task force, at the April 27 groundbreaking. *(photo from Or Shalom)*

The ceremony began with a niggun, a wordless melody, and a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the tragic events at the Lapu Lapu Day festival, grounding the day in both reflection and hope.

Several special guests joined the community to mark the occasion, including David Bogdonov of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation and Quelamia Sparrow, who offered a meaningful land acknowledgement. Sparrow’s words reminded those gathered of the importance of community, and the deep history and ongoing responsibilities connected to the land on which Or Shalom stands.

Synagogue board member Mira Oreck and project lead John Fuerst shared the story of the MoreOR project. Reflections from Bogdonov and board member Jodie Eaton emphasized the importance of building spaces that will serve future generations.

Rabbi Arik Labowitz highlighted that MoreOR is far more than a construction project – it’s a bold investment in the spirit of Or Shalom, a commitment to nurturing Jewish life in Vancouver.

photo - The shul’s Rabbi Arik Labowitz was one of the speakers — The shul’s Rabbi Arik Labowitz was one of the speakers. *(photo from Or Shalom)*

The groundbreaking ceremony included a ritual inspired by Jewish tradition: the breaking of a glass. Commonly seen at Jewish weddings, this act served as a poignant reminder that, even in moments of profound joy, we remain mindful of the brokenness in the world – a symbol of resilience, responsibility and hope, as Or Shalom embarks on this next chapter.

The MoreOR project takes advantage of the current synagogue building’s solid foundation and central location. It will add new classrooms, expand the kitchen, renovate the social hall, improve accessibility with the addition of an elevator and create a zero-carbon, environmentally sustainable facility.

“We are deeply grateful to all of our donors and community members, whose vision, commitment and generosity have brought us to this milestone,” said Oreck. “This project is about more than just bricks and mortar – it’s about building a future rooted in sustainability, inclusivity and connection.”

To learn more about the MoreOR project or to contribute, visit orshalom.ca/moreor.

– Courtesy Or Shalom

Helping bring JWest to life

A sketch of the new Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, by Acton Ostry Architects. (© Acton Ostry Architects)

The JWest capital campaign’s goal of raising $161 million is only possible with the generous spirit and foresight of community members who rally to this generationally important project. Daniella Givon and Bernard Pinsky’s gift is an example of bringing the future JWest campus closer to reality.

photo - Bernard Pinsky and Daniella Givon — Bernard Pinsky and Daniella Givon’s gift is an example of bringing the future JWest campus closer to reality. *(photo from Bernard Pinsky and Daniella Givon)*

Both joined the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC) immediately after settling in Vancouver in 1979. Givon, who grew up in Israel, found friendship and community by joining Israeli folk dancing and becoming involved with Canadian Hadassah-WIZO. Pinsky, a lawyer who grew up in Winnipeg, got to know the JCC by working out in its gym. He noticed how JCC activities and just being around the JCC brought community members together in meaningful ways that sparked and fostered increased community participation.

“I realized that the JCC is a critical connector and gateway to deeper involvement in the Jewish community,” he said.

Pinsky began his local volunteer work with the Canadian Jewish Congress in 1981 and, over the ensuing 44 years, served in leadership roles for many Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ national board and Beth Israel Synagogue. Today, he is board chair and director of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, one of the lead donors to JWest.

Givon served as Vancouver regional president for Canadian Hadassah-WIZO and took leadership roles in the Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia and the Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival.

Pinsky and Givon, children of Holocaust survivors, continue a legacy of community involvement in their respective families. Givon was inspired by her mother’s many years of leadership in the parent-teacher association of her Israeli school and her grandfather’s participation as a board chair of his moshav’s governing council. Pinsky recalled how his grandfather headed the Zionist Federation of Manitoba, among other leadership positions.

“It’s inconceivable to me to imagine our community without a JCC, and our building is tired,” Givon noted. “A tired, crowded building attracts a limited number of people.”

Pinsky agreed that the JCC is in need of replacement.

“Right now, things are squeezed into pre-set spaces that restrain increased participation,” he noted. “The new JWest will have more space for Jewish organizations, flex spaces for more programming and an expanded daycare. We’ll be able to offer more programs that attract young families, which is a crucial way to build for the future.

“And it’s not just the Jewish community that uses and will continue to use this important facility,” he said. “Former BC premier Christie Clark sent her son to the JCC daycare. I became friends with Terry Yung, who is a current MLA, and his wife, Sarah Kirby-Yung, a city councilor, because we met at the JCC. They’ve been very connected to and helpful for the Jewish community.”

With just $19 million left to raise to achieve the $161 million target, JWest is poised to break ground in early 2026.

JWest recently submitted its development permit application with a new JCC as pictured here. In line with the guiding principle of responsibly using community funds, the design maximizes efficiency, with an increased number of multi-purpose spaces. For example, the JCC auditorium and theatre have been combined and will feature a state-of-the-art, automated, retractable seating system. Operating as a campus, the JCC and King David High School will be more integrated, with greater cross-sharing of spaces.

Visit JWestnow.com to learn more and share the link to get others excited about the project. The newly updated site includes a detailed look at the project and construction timeline, fresh renderings of the JCC, a list of the donors to date, news articles and information on the project team.

– Courtesy Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

JWest takes next steps

An artistic rendering of JWest’s new Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, as seen from 41st Avenue. (image from Federation)

JWest has submitted the development permit application to the City of Vancouver for the first building of the planned community hub, the new Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC) at the corner of 41st Avenue and Willow Street.

The design for a six-storey community centre is now being reviewed by the city after consultation with city planners. Rezoning for the site was approved in 2018 and includes a new JCC, a new King David High School and residential towers. Once completed, the hub will provide both housing and amenities for the expanding Oakridge neighbourhood.

The new JCC will be a 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, multigenerational community centre on what is currently the JCC parking lot. The centre will include expanded childcare, services for seniors, arts and cultural spaces, and amenities for all Vancouver residents. More than 20 not-for-profit organizations are expected to call the centre home. In particular, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, the largest Holocaust-based museum in Western Canada, will double in size to meet the growing demand for anti-racism education.

This is Phase 1 of the two-phase project. Phase 2 will include mixed-use rental housing, with units offered at or below market value and open to Jews and non-Jews.

While JWest is a community-led initiative that is Jewish at heart, it will benefit everyone. At $450+ million, it is also the most extensive project in the history of the Jewish community in Western Canada. And fundraising is proceeding apace, with keystone grants from the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia, the Diamond Foundation, the Al Roadburg Foundation, the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, and dozens of community-minded individuals and families bringing the vision into reality. The plan is to break ground within 13 months.

For more information, go to jwestnow.com. For philanthropic opportunities, contact Emily Pritchard at JWest ([email protected]).

– Courtesy Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

The search for a new home

A crane lifts a tunnel boring machine part out of the excavated Arbutus Station. With all the changes the Broadway Subway Project is bringing, the Accidental Balabusta and her husband are looking for a new condo – going from renters to owners. (photo from broadwaysubway.ca)

Growing up in the 1960s and ’70s in the then-Jewish neighbourhood of Oakridge, I was certain my future would include a beautiful house and a large yard. And, of course, a husband. Only part of that dream came to fruition, in 2009, when I got married at age 53. Before Harvey came along, I was a single woman making a decent but not extravagant living, and a house was way out of reach for me. So, I rented apartments. For decades. Welcome to my bad-news, good-news story.

As I got older, the importance of attaching myself to the Jewish community became stronger and, as luck would have it, I ended up renting a place a mere seven-minute walk from a shul. And I stayed put for 37 years. Now, faced with expulsion from our apartment because of the Broadway Subway Project, I am struck not by anger or nostalgia, but by gratitude. And maybe a touch of anxiety about having to move at this stage of my life. At 68 years old, I have never owned anything in my life, except a car.

Having a deep-seated faith, I try, I really try to remember that everything that comes from G-d is good. I try, also, to take the mindset of “I don’t understand why this is happening to me, but I know in my bones that it’s good for me in some way.” This imposes a much-needed positive outlook. One that will propel me forward, rather than keep me stuck in a negative “Why me?” loop.

As renters in this situation, we are entitled to compensation by law. However, it’s cold comfort when confronted with the stark reality of having to find a new home. Politicians talk blithely about “affordable, below-market rental housing,” but, in reality, no such thing exists for those who are retired and on a fixed income. In short, living in Vancouver has become an absurd luxury.

As luck would have it, I am a thrifty kind of gal and, over the decades, I have saved a respectable amount of money. So, along with my husband, we have finally decided to buy a condo – in Vancouver. One of the most expensive cities to live in.

Having spent the past while looking for a condo to purchase, I am bombarded by conflicting emotions:

excitement, fear and trepidation. But mostly gratitude. Waking up at 3 a.m. for a full week while battling insomnia, I got to the point where, instead of trying to think of five foods starting with each letter of the alphabet (a trick to induce boredom and sleep), I started to think of everything I am thankful for. I’m happy to report that the list is very long. This is just a sampling.

I am grateful that I can choose between carpeting and hardwood.

I am grateful that I will finally have in-suite laundry.

I am grateful that I will have a bigger kitchen, where I can bake challah regularly and cook luscious Shabbat meals in a space that is larger than a Smart Car.

I am grateful that I can, within reason, afford a condo in Vancouver.

I am grateful that I have friends who are guiding me through this process.

I am grateful that I have the energy to run around looking at prospective homes.

In short, I am grateful that I have choices. Plenty of choices.

It’s common knowledge that Jewish family values begin at home, and that’s what I’d like to continue nourishing and cultivating. From a real home. My home. For now, I am focusing on having faith and trust that Harvey and I will find a comfortable forever home. I have accepted that we may or may not still be a seven-minute walk from a shul. Thankfully, faith isn’t tied to geography. We can practise our Judaism anywhere.

As for the nuts and bolts, the experience of condo-hunting is an eye-opener for me. Little by little, condo by condo, I’m readjusting my priorities, figuring out what I can and can’t live without. Our realtor, thank goodness, has the patience of a saint and the temperament of a golden retriever.

Pragmatists that we are, we’ve started the search for a new home early, long before we are forced to move out of our rental apartment. But, as I’m learning, our property owner seems loathe to put money into a building that will be torn down within two years. So, we are living with stained hallway carpets, communal washers and dryers that rarely work, and balconies that haven’t been power-washed since before COVID. Am I enjoying this? Not even a scintilla. But still, I practise gratitude.

My constant refrain these days is: “It’s not the Vancouver I grew up in!” There are cranes everywhere on the horizon and there’s no telling what will be torn down next. It’s very unsettling. But at least we are fortunate enough to have options.

My periodic anger (which I am trying valiantly to contain) stems from the fact that I’ve lived and worked in Vancouver nearly my entire life and, while I was single until 15 years ago, I could never afford to buy a home. Thank G-d, my situation has changed, circumstances have opened up choices that never existed before, and the planets have aligned, allowing us to finally buy a home.

Now, we just have to find one that meets my simple needs: in-suite laundry, hardwood floors, a good-sized kitchen and not south-facing. I say “my needs” because we can all agree on the universal truth: “happy wife, happy life.” It’s a buyer’s market at the moment, so yippee for us. This whole roller-coaster journey offers a new chapter in our lives; one filled with hopefulness, possibilities and joy. I look forward with gratitude to a beautiful mezuzah on a new door to bless our new home. All I can say is l’chaim!

Shelley Civkin, aka the Accidental Balabusta, is a happily retired librarian and communications officer. For 17 years, she wrote a weekly book review column for the Richmond Review. She’s currently a freelance writer and volunteer.