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.
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.
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.”
***
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.
***
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.