Michael Sachs moves to Tulsa, helps others make a similar shift.
When Michael Sachs and his family moved from Vancouver to Tulsa, Okla., he did not expect the response that followed.
“After I came down, I just got lots of people reaching out to me,” said Sachs, who relocated to become senior director of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa. The messages came from all over Canada – Toronto, Windsor, Montreal, Halifax, Winnipeg, Vancouver.
A significant number of Canadian Jews seem to have decided on – or are pondering – relocation, he told the Independent.
Tulsa’s Jewish community has been running an organized outreach effort called Tulsa Tomorrow, designed to give Jewish families a chance to visit, experience the city and its Jewish life, and consider relocating there. After hearing from so many Canadians, Sachs suggested Tulsa Tomorrow create a specifically Canadian-focused initiative. Together, they created Lech L’Tulsa (“Go to Tulsa”), an enhanced Tulsa Tomorrow program that addresses obstacles that face Canadians.
To date, the new initiative has drawn more than 350 applications from Canadian families, representing more than 1,000 people. Groups of prospective movers are invited to come for multi-day exploratory trips that include meeting community leaders, attending Shabbat services, touring neighbourhoods, and connecting with local resources to help them assess whether moving to Tulsa would make sense for their families.
Sachs’ enthusiasm for his new city is palpable, but he is careful to position the campaign in ways that do not threaten other Jewish communities.
“We’re not trying to steal people,” he said. “We’re not trying to recruit.”
Instead, he describes the effort as practical support for people already considering a move. “We’re just trying to find ways for those who have made this decision … to help lower the bar, to make it be a possibility.”
The exploratory visit planned for late February has already outgrown expectations. “The average cohort in the past would be 15 to 20 people,” Sachs said. This time, they have already reached that capacity and have expanded it to 55.
Cost of living is one of the most significant differences families notice.
“If you are sitting in a decent position on your house in Vancouver and you sell it, you can get a house here, possibly mortgage-free,” said Sachs.
Oklahoma, he added, is “a very friendly state.” Taxes are lower and “you bring home more of your paycheque,” though health care works differently than in Canada.
Health care is a cost, he acknowledged, but it is also more speedily accessible.
Tulsa’s Jewish community, he said, numbers about 7,500, with roughly 2,500 actively involved. There is a 16-acre Jewish community campus, a community centre, a retirement facility, a Jewish day school through Grade 5, a Holocaust centre and synagogues.
“It is a very warm community,” he said. “Southern hospitality is a big thing here.”
Sachs is intentional about how he frames the program.
“With every conversation we have, we start off with two things,” he said. “One, we are not lawyers, so we don’t give you legal advice.” Immigration is complex, and families are directed to law firms offering consultations. “We’re highly encouraging everyone … to use them because we don’t want people to try to do stuff themselves.”
Second, he said, “we’re not finding people jobs.” Each family must evaluate its own employment prospects. Immigration is not simple.
Sachs emphasized that Lech L’Tulsa is a nonpolitical program and he hedged on whether the United States is a better place than Canada for Jews to live.
“A decision of this magnitude cannot be made on a single issue,” he said. For his family, the calculation included “cost of living, future for our children, the fentanyl crisis … antisemitism was one of those factors.”
He cautioned against moving solely because of antisemitism.
“Nowhere is immune,” he said.
At the same time, he said, based on data from Statistics Canada, “a Jew in Canada is nine times more likely to suffer a hate crime than a Jew in the United States.”
That said, most families are driven primarily by practical concerns. “People decide because of economic reasons, cost of living, opportunities,” said Sachs.
He described Tulsa as having a similar hip vibe to Austin, Tex., a decade ago.
Sachs admitted he remains emotionally tied to Vancouver.
“The community of Vancouver is in my heart always,” he said. “My mom is there. My friends are there.”
Ultimately, he views his family’s move and the Lech L’Tulsa project as part of a broader obligation. “This is part of the commitment that I made ultimately … many years ago,” he said, “to speak up, to advocate … and to help.”