Jewish Federation

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.

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

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.”

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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.

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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.

Yellowknife seder a first

Yellowknife held its first community-wide Passover seder, with support from the Jewish Federation of British Columbia, at the Sundog Trading Post on April 1. (photo from Jewish Federation Facebook page)

Yellowknife held its first community-wide Passover seder, with support from the Jewish Federation of British Columbia, at the Sundog Trading Post on April 1. Now, the small Jewish community in the Northwest Territories capital is planning more events.

Jewish celebrations are not unknown in the Northwest Territories, of course. Rosh Hashanah dinners, Hanukkah gatherings and seders have been held in various homes over the years. Yet, according to a community member interviewed by the Independent, there has never been an effort to identify and bring together the larger community in a more formal way. That changed in December 2025, when seven Yellowknifers formed the NWT Jewish Cultural Society.

“We are still in infancy and working to create a website, but right now we have a WhatsApp group with 30 adults in town. People have been added in from word of mouth,” said a Yellowknife organizer who wished to be identified by only her first name, Sari.

When the group thought about hosting the first community seder, there were talks of having it at a home; yet, in the end, due to the growing interest, that option was not possible. Two weeks before Passover, in an effort to find a venue, they reached out to Sarah Mackenzie, associate director of community engagement at the Jewish Federation, for support, which came through shortly after the request.

The seven-member board scrambled to organize everything, bringing in seder plates and setting up the tables. They used the PJ Library Haggadah. For food, there was a potluck. Decorations were ordered, Passover crafts were arranged for the children, and wine and juice were placed on each table.

“All the Jewish people I’ve met in town grew up with a connection to their culture. I think it has just fallen to the wayside without the opportunities to gather,” said Sari.

“One Jewish person hadn’t been to a seder in decades. This was my second in the 18 years I’ve been in Yellowknife. It was definitely the first seder for some of the young kids and probably only the second or third for some non-Jewish partners.”

Sari added that several people in Yellowknife are part of multi-faith households. After the Oct 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel, she explained, there had been feelings or questions from parents of how are we going to share Jewish identity with our kids here?

A crucial moment for the more formalized Jewish community in Yellowknife happened earlier though, in August 2023, when an out-of-control wildfire caused the city to be evacuated. At the time, Sari was in Edmonton, where she visited Temple Beth Ora and picked up a copy of the Alberta Jewish News. In it, she found an article about another Jewish resident of Yellowknife.

“While I was evacuated, PJ Library reached out to me and asked me if I needed anything and provided a bunch of support. You can always count on the Jewish community,” said Sari.

“When I returned home, I had a new Jewish connection in town, and having another person to connect with nearby was a lifesaver. In the months that followed, we knew we needed more community. Our Jewish identity, which was a small piece of ourselves, suddenly skyrocketed to a top concern in our lives.”

They decided to take part in a one-week Momentum Canada trip to Israel. This presented a challenge because, typically, one must do so through a Jewish organization, but there were none in Yellowknife.

In her efforts to raise funds for the trip, Sari emailed contacts who had supported her during the evacuation in Edmonton, and they suggested reaching out to the Jewish Federation in British Columbia.

“There, Sarah Mackenzie took it upon herself to become a champion for our little community. We just happened to reach the right person,” Sari said. “She related to the experience of being disconnected from large cities with high numbers of Jewish people. She offered to take Yellowknife under her wing and do the same for us in the Northwest Territories.”

For her part, Mackenzie said, “Jewish Federation … is honoured to come alongside the Yellowknife Jewish community in alignment with our mission of creating vibrant, caring and inclusive communities, together.”

Looking to the future, the goal of the NWT Jewish Cultural Society is to organize community gatherings for the Jewish holidays. They have started an informal Hebrew school that meets once a month; it is currently in members’ homes, but they are looking for a space.

“We hope to also do small things – maybe a Purim mishloach manot (Purim basket) exchange. It will depend on capacity and resources,” said Sari, noting that many of the people who live in Yellowknife are transient.

“Two of our board members will be leaving this summer,” she said. “Grassroots events definitely depend on the efforts of a small group of determined people.”

In his weekly message on April 17, Jewish Federation chief executive officer Ezra Shanken had this to say about the Yellowknife seder: “For those involved, it was described simply as a powerful beginning for Jewish communal life in a place where opportunities to gather are few and deeply appreciated.”

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

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.

Musical celebration of Israel

Local Israeli cover band HaOpziot will get people dancing at this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations on April 21. (photo from JFGV)

“As we hold Israel close to our hearts, we are reminded that our connection transcends oceans,” wrote Ezra Shanken, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, in a recent enewsletter. “We have the power to bring Israel closer, to feel it and to celebrate it together right here at home through our community’s signature Yom Ha’atzmaut event.”

On Yom Ha’atzmaut, April 21, 7:30 p.m., Israeli musician and producer Ben Golan will headline our local celebration of Israel’s 78th Independence Day. (See jewishindependent.ca/story-of-israels-north.)

Golan came onto Federation’s radar when Shanken saw him perform during a 2024 visit to our community’s partnership region in Israel, the Upper Galilee. Golan is from Kiryat Shmona, where he also runs a recording studio.

In addition to his own performance, Golan will join local Israeli cover band HaOpziot for a couple of songs during their set.

HaOpziot is comprised of Goor Cohen (vocals, guitar), Kobi Gabay (vocals, guitar), Yotam Ronen (bass guitar), Avishai Weissberg (lead guitar) and Omer Yehi Shalom (drums). The group was founded by Ronen and the band’s former drummer, Maoz Kaufmann, in 2022. The pair posted a call-out on Facebook looking for musicians.

“The rest of us responded, we clicked instantly, and the Optziot were born,” said Cohen.

The band performs a few times a year, at clubs around Vancouver, as well as at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. To find out where and when they’re playing, people can follow the band on social media: Instagram, Facebook and/or YouTube.

When asked how to describe their musical sound or style, Cohen said, “In short: high-energy, loud and often fast.

“Our sound is a fusion of hard rock, punk and heavy metal, with subtle touches of Mizrahi influences, creating a style that strongly resonates with Israeli musical taste and culture,” he elaborated.

Each band member brings their different influences to the music, said Cohen, “ranging from mainstream to underground, old-school to contemporary, and classic to anarchistic. That diversity is a big part of what shapes our unique sound.”

Federation’s website page promoting the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration highlights some of the songwriters whose music HaOpziot performs, including artists like Mashina, Eifo Hayeled, Berry Sakharof and Monica Sex.

The band’s popularity in the local Israeli community is how they came to Federation’s attention, their sound suiting the vibe that Federation would like the event to have, with the night ending in a dance party.

“This will be the biggest crowd we’ve played for so far,” Cohen told the Independent, “and we’re really excited to have more members of the community come see us in action.”

Unfortunately, Gabay won’t be able to make the Yom Ha’atzmaut concert. But no worries.

“For this show,” said Cohen, “we’ve asked Noga Veiman, our unofficial band manager, to join us on stage and take part as a band member – so, together, we’ll deliver the high-energy show we’ve been planning.”

The night, of course, will begin in a more sombre fashion, with the conclusion of Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembrance for Israel’s fallen soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in war and terror attacks. In Vancouver, the community’s memorial service will take place on April 20, 7:30 p.m., both in person and online. To attend or watch, register at jewishvancouver.com/zikaron.

For tickets ($36/adult, $12/youth, $75/family pack) to the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations on April 21, go to jewishvancouver.com/yh2026.

Sharing latkes and light

On the fifth night of Hanukkah, Jewish community members delivered latkes and sufganiyot in the Downtown Eastside. (photo by Pat Johnson)

On the fifth night of Hanukkah, a group of Jewish Vancouverites delivered latkes and sufganiyot to frontline workers and people living in the Downtown Eastside.

Mordehai Wosk came up with the idea while speaking to a doctor about antisemitism. The doctor commented that the dark days of winter were a good time to bring light into the world by demonstrating the values of Jewish ethics.

“I thought it was a great idea,” said Wosk. “I loved it.”

Wosk called Ezra Shanken, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. Within a few hours, the whole thing was organized and arranged under the Federation’s program of Brighten BC.

The event turned into a family affair. Wosk enlisted wife Hana, their son Ariel, daughter-in-law Ayami and grandson Rey J Wosk.

Rabbi Philip Bregman, meanwhile, mobilized the Chickpea food truck, which is owned by Bregman’s daughter and son-in-law Jordana and Itamar Shani.

“The message is that we’re on this planet together,” the rabbi said. “We need to help to dispel darkness, not just for our own community, but for the world.

The food truck set up outside Firehall No. 2, in the Downtown Eastside. Volunteers fed firefighters and police before spreading out across the neighbourhood distributing food.

“People are very grateful,” said Hana Wosk, as she handed out food along Hastings Street. “We often say ‘happy Hanukkah’ and get a bit of a blank stare back, but we also say ‘happy holidays’ and this is just a gift to light up your winter.”

Terry Yung, member of the BC Legislature for Vancouver-Yaletown and minister of state for community safety and integrated services, was also on hand. He is a retired 30-year veteran of the Vancouver Police.

“Firehall No. 2 is actually the busiest fire hall in the country,” Yung said. “Day in and day out, they see people in crisis, in chaos. I think it’s really important for them to know that the public is supportive, is on their side.”

Stories create impact

Choices keynote speaker Mandana Dayani, centre, with event co-chairs, left to right, Gail James, Briana James, Lola Pawer and Lisa Boroditsky. (photo by Rhonda Dent)

On Nov. 16, Choices once again celebrated the work of Jewish women philanthropists. This year’s theme, “L’dor Vador” (“Generation to Generation”), reflected the more than 400 people who attended the 21st annual event, which took place at Congregation Beth Israel.

“We saw so many younger, first-time attendees,” said Ricki Thal, associate campaign director at Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver.

The event’s four co-chairs also represented the theme: Gail James and her granddaughter, Briana James; Lola Pawer and her daughter, Lisa Boroditsky.

Briana James introduced the keynote speaker, business leader and activist Mandana Dayani. In doing so, James said “our future shines bright,” with Dayani leading the way in philanthropy and activism, fighting antisemitism and advocating on behalf of women’s rights.

Dayani took the stage with her husband, Peter Traugott, presenting her material in conversation with him.

A Hollywood film producer with credits including HBO, Apple TV and Netflix, among others, Traugott also holds a master’s in business administration from Harvard University. He set a light-hearted tone, quipping, “This is my first at this – [being] Mandana’s ‘plus one’!” Speaking about their Jewish life in Los Angeles, where several members of the Dayani family live close by, he described a cross between Everybody Loves Raymond and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Traugott asked Dayani about her experiences as a new immigrant in New York. She spoke of the culture shock, the lights and traffic in New York. She also spoke, with gratitude, about HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), which supported her family’s flight from Iran, found her father a job as a shoe salesman and found them a place to live, where they became part of the community.

Dayani said her earliest memories of Iran are of “the morality police, the fear in everyone’s eyes.” She recalled having a gun pointed at her when she was just 4 years old. She is now 43.

Her family, who had wanted to leave Iran since the revolution in 1979, finally got a visa to Italy in 1987. They fled there, “leaving everything behind.” The experience has left her, she said, with an enduring sense of “how quickly this escalates, seeing my country taken over by lunatics.”

Despite having to live “with no safety net, starting over and over again, with no money,” Dayani said, “I’ve never missed a Shabbat in my life…. Shabbat is everything to us.”

Dayani’s grandfather was a rabbi and the family Orthodox. She understands the sacrifices that had to be made to maintain their traditions and feels “a responsibility” to do so as well, she said. As for integrating into American life, she described watching TV to learn how to dress, speak and behave as an American. She said, “I feel very Persian. Being a Persian Jew, that’s integral to who I am.” She also describes herself as “deeply patriotic – the US saved my life.”

Dayani takes her two daughters everywhere, she said. “If I meet my heroes, they meet my heroes. If I’m going to the UN General Assembly or the White House, they come with me.”

She and Traugott are trying to raise active, responsible citizens. “We have conversations about what’s happening in the world and they’re always rooted in kindness, through the lens of compassion,” she said.

Dayani advises caution when it comes to internalizing the messages we see online. “If we cave to the algorithms, we’ll believe that everyone hates Jews and it simply isn’t true,” she said, adding, “So many people stand with us and love us. The kids are good!”

In response to a question from Traugott about her process as a storyteller, Dayani spoke about “using storytelling to create impact,” to change society in significant ways.

Dayani acknowledged that anger spurs some of her work, such as her fight against the first Trump administration’s policy of attempting to deter migrants by separating children from their parents. She recalled her fears as a child, landing in New York, not wanting to let go of her mother’s hand. “I can’t think of a worse thing you could do to the most vulnerable population in the world,” she said. This sentiment led her to travel to Texas to see the policy in action, as the disconnect was just too powerful, she said. “The country that saved me is doing this?”

Her strategy in situations like this, she said, is to “call all the women I know who are smarter than me” to together “redirect the world’s attention to what we want them to look at. Real issues. It worked.”

She explained, “We received hundreds of millions of dollars of donated advertising…. I was so moved by how everyone showed up.”

The advertising aspect – the dissemination of information – was absolutely essential, she said, noting that “20% of the pro-Hamas information being spread on social media right after Oct. 7 was disseminated by bots, not real people…. It was planned. There was spin on the day it happened.”

When Mandani posted a video about this online within days of Hamas’s attack, the post got some 50 million views within a couple of hours. Death threats started coming in.

“I am a progressive leader and none of those people were speaking up,” she said, referring to other human rights and anti-hate activists.

Even though, as Traugott noted, Dayani doesn’t just work for a single demographic, but rather does outreach on behalf of various groups who have experienced different kinds of trauma and marginalization, she lost friends after Oct. 7 – or, as she put it, “so-called ‘thought leaders’ remaining silent because they couldn’t stand 10 negative comments” on their social media accounts. Dayani said the people she thought were her peers lacked the courage to stand up for justice when it came to Jews.

Among many other initiatives, Dayani founded, in 2024, the Calanet Foundation for young people, to harness “the power of Jewish stories in response to the branding work done by the Palestinian contingent.” After Oct. 7, she saw “so many black squares on people’s feeds,” as a mark of Jews’ grief. She also wanted people to focus on “the desert flower growing out of a crack,” the calanet (Hebrew for anemone), which symbolizes strength and resilience. She quoted the adage “They tried to bury us – they didn’t know we were seeds.”

One of Calanet’s projects is One Mitzvah a Day, which entails expressing thanks to those who stand up against antisemitism and/or in support of Israel – “one text a day, such as expressing gratitude to Trader Joe’s for selling Israeli feta,” said Dayani, noting that 5.5 million messages have been sent since the project’s January launch. Traugott pointed out that “most of the allies weren’t Jewish.”

Dayani asked the audience to consider “the power of this room, when everyone does the work.” She said, “Just do what you’re doing today – keep showing up.”

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

Orr action sparks complaint

Jewish agencies have filed a complaint against Sean Orr, a Vancouver city councilor who spoke earlier this month at an event they say has links to terrorism.

Orr was elected to council in a by-election last April, representing the Coalition of Progressive Electors. He spoke at the “Flood Vancouver for Palestine” rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery Oct. 4.

The protest was organized by Al-Awda Vancouver, an organization that the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) says has documented links to Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Movement, which the Government of Canada last year designated as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code.

CIJA identified Al-Awda Vancouver as being connected with Samidoun through Samidoun’s international coordinator, Charlotte Kates, who was listed as a member of Al-Awda’s national board as recently as Nov. 6, 2024, on a webpage that has since been deleted. Both Al-Awda and Samidoun are members of the NY4Palestine Coalition, according to CIJA, which noted that Dave Diewart, a director listed on Samidoun’s corporate filings, was seen working at the Oct. 4 event.

CIJA, with the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, filed a formal complaint with the City of Vancouver’s integrity commissioner, Lisa Southern, regarding Orr’s participation in the protest.

“Sean Orr is an elected official of the city of Vancouver,” Nico Slobinsky, CIJA’s vice-president, Pacific region, told the Independent. “We strongly believe that those who hold public office should hold themselves, and should be held to, a higher standard. We believe that it is inappropriate for an elected official to use their public office, to use their platform, and to give legitimacy to organizations that have links to terrorist organizations, terrorist entities.”

The complaint was filed on Oct. 9, and an acknowledgment from the integrity commissioner’s office was received. The complainants are now waiting to hear back.

Sean Orr, a Vancouver city councilor, spoke at the “Flood Vancouver for Palestine” rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery Oct. 4. (photo from vancouver.ca/your-government/sean-orr)

Orr’s speech was shared on social media. The councilor insists there is nothing controversial in his remarks.

“Being against what the UN calls of a genocide is not controversial,” he said. “Being against apartheid is not controversial. Calling for an end to illegal settlements is not controversial. Being in favour of enforcing international law is not controversial. Condemning the murder of journalists, doctors and children is not controversial. Calling for an arms embargo is not controversial. Calling for a boycott on Israeli wines is not controversial. But here we are. I think silence is controversial. I think famines are controversial. I think blockades are controversial. I think intercepting aid ships is controversial.”

Orr cited his family’s history as explaining his position.

“As someone whose parents are from the north of Ireland, I’m deeply aware of the effects of colonialism, famine, checkpoints and collective punishment,” he said in the speech. “So, while some will criticize me for speaking here today, I will remember where I’m from.”

Slobinsky said Orr’s presence at the rally sends the wrong message.

“At a time when cities in our country are seeing an unprecedented rise in antisemitism,” said Slobinsky, “and when cities like Manchester … have come face-to-face with the deadly impacts of extremism and support for terrorism, our civic leaders in Vancouver should be a model for dialogue, for inclusion and for protection and safety for all communities. I would like to remind Sean Orr that that is his duty to the residents of the city.”

Prior to and after his election on April 5, Orr was called out by Jewish organizations and others for statements on social media, including statements after the 10/7 terror attacks in Israel.

“[M]erely 23 days after Hamas’s barbaric Oct. 7 massacre in which over 1,200 Israelis were murdered, Councilor Orr falsely accused the state of Israel of committing acts of genocide while it acted to defend its citizens and sovereign territory from terrorist aggression,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and CIJA said in a joint statement three days after Orr was elected. “Such reckless and inflammatory language not only distorts reality but also endangers Jewish communities by further inflaming antisemitism and denying Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Work still left to finish

Last week, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, in conjunction with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, released the results of a community survey on antisemitism. There were, perhaps, few surprises.

Of those surveyed, 85% said that antisemitism has “increased a lot” since Oct. 7, 2023. More than 60% of respondents said they avoid displaying items that would identify them publicly as Jewish and almost two in three said they avoid particular places and events out of concern for their safety.

A public opinion poll released around the same time indicated that the often-discussed “silent majority” is on our side – most British Columbians are concerned about antisemitism. More than three-quarters of respondents to a Research Co. poll said they are concerned about “aggressive behaviour by pro-Palestinian protesters,” “protesters targeting Jewish neighbourhoods and Jewish-owned businesses” and “rising prejudice against Jewish Canadians.”

While we would appreciate if the solidarity expressed in this survey were articulated more vocally and visually, it is reassuring to know that the targeting of our community is not unnoticed or uncontested. The survey is, in any event, a rare encouraging sign.

It may seem delusional to seek rays of light amid reports of unabating antisemitism. But is one narrative of Passover not precisely to remind us that we have met and overcome suffering and subjugation in the past? When we celebrate the holiday, we are reanimating our collective experience of resistance to tyranny and oppression, the birth pangs of our peoplehood, and the victory over apathy and forgetting. An unequivocal through-line across Jewish history is resilience.

We retell the story of Exodus every year during the seder not as history but as a living, spiritual framework for Jewish identity and values.

While this is a very difficult time, it also has the capacity to bring out tenacity, determination and unity among the Jewish people.

Difficulty can also create cracks in unity. This is the night when, more than other nights, we reflect on liberation from literal or figurative slavery – in today’s situation, perhaps, freedom from violence and discrimination – and the imperative of Jews to protect and advocate for liberation. So, as we witness growing fissures in the Jewish world, let us rededicate ourselves to the project of liberation and peoplehood based on fundamental values of freedom, love, unity and community.

On Passover, we are reminded that there are pharaohs in every generation who seek to destroy and oppress. We utter the words “You shall tell your children,” because a vivid memory of the past is central to facing our present and creating our future. Every generation faces its own “Egypt.” The work of liberation is not yet finished.

May those who are held captive in Gaza, those who are fighting to defend Israel, those experiencing violence and discrimination, or seeking freedom in any form, be redeemed.