March 28, 2025

A woman and a man are smiling while holding a framed certificate that reads "THE MACCABEE AWARD" at a formal event. A Canadian flag and a microphone are visible in the background.

March 28, 2025 | 28 Adar 5785 | Candle lighting at 7:20 p.m.

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Each year, we come together to celebrate the dedication of our volunteer canvassers and partner agencies, who are at the heart of our annual campaign. Our canvassers don't just give generously at all levels—they also make time in their busy lives to reach out to others, inspiring even more acts of giving. Similarly, our partners play a pivotal role in supporting our community, standing as vital pillars of strength and service. Together, their collective efforts, along with the leadership of campaign chair Shay (Shy) Keil, have been crucial to our campaign's success (stay tuned for Annual Campaign results coming soon!), and we are deeply grateful for their commitment.

If you are inspired by the canvasser's commitment to community and have some time available in your calendar, I encourage you to reach out to our campaign director, Gayle Morris, to learn more about canvassing or other volunteer opportunities.

We are thrilled to share that this year, a record 20 partner agencies achieved 100% board participation in the Federation 2024 Annual Campaign. Todah Rabah!

Beth Tikvah Congregation & Centre
Burquest Jewish Community Association
Camp Hatikvah
Congregation Beth Israel
Congregation Schara Tzedeck
Habonin Dror Camp Miriam
Hillel BC
Jewish Family Services
Jewish Federation Greater Vancouver
Jewish Museum & Archives of BC

Jewish Seniors Alliance
King David High School
Or Shalom Synagogue
Richmond Jewish Day School
Temple Sholom
Tikva Housing Society
Vancouver Holocaust Educational Centre
Vancouver Jewish Film Festival Society
Vancouver Talmud Torah
White Rock South Surrey Jewish Community Centre

Speaking of partners, this week, we joined Hillel’s Night of Resilience, an event that highlighted the strength and leadership of students.

Since October 7th, Jewish students have faced heightened hostility and antisemitic rhetoric, yet they have risen with remarkable resilience.

I had the honour of presenting Yael Toyber with the Macabee Award. As the recipient of the 2024 Young Leadership Award from the Jewish Federation, Yael has been a fierce advocate for the Jewish community at Simon Fraser University, particularly through her work with StandWithUs and the Jewish Student Association. Mazel Tov, Yael.

More on university life, the recent UBC student “strike” was both frustrating and eye-opening.

While activism is a key part of campus life, this protest raised real concerns about the safety and academic freedom of Jewish students. It was reassuring to see our partners, Hillel BC, the Jewish Academic Alliance of BC (JAABC), and our advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), continue to advocate for student safety and clarify that this was not an official university strike. This moment reinforced the power of our community’s voice and the need to push back against misinformation. More than ever, it’s clear how important it is to stand together and ensure all students feel safe and supported on campus.

In the face of challenges like these, it’s essential that we continue to educate and raise awareness.

Congratulations to the dedicated teachers who make up the Holocaust and Antisemitism Educators Association (HAEA) for their outstanding work in this important area.

They’ve recently released their first professional development video, filmed at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre’s Shafran Teachers’ Conference. The video features five B.C. teachers who share their approaches to teaching the Holocaust in their classrooms.

You can watch the video and learn more about their impactful work here.

If you’re looking for information and resources to address antisemitism in K-12 public and non-Jewish independent schools, you can find specifically designed tools to help parents here.

Now more than ever, Jewish Canadians and our allies need to be engaged in elections at every level.

The Vancouver City Council bi-election is currently underway, with advance voting available at Vancouver City Hall on April 1st, and election Day taking place on April 5th. For more details, click here.

Additionally, our federal election is just around the corner. After 18 months of rising antisemitism and hatred, many feel this is the most critical election of our lifetime. We are asking all candidates who seek to represent us in Parliament to answer four critical questions:

1. PHYSICAL SAFETY.

If elected, what will you do to support our community and to help keep us safe?

2. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HATE.

If elected, what will you do to hold accountable those who attack and threaten Canadian Jews?

3. STRENGTHENING CANADA-ISRAEL TIES.

If elected, what will you do to strengthen the trade, diplomatic, and security ties with our ally Israel?

4. SAFEGUARDING CANADIAN SOCIETY AND VALUES.

If elected, what will you do to help guarantee our Jewish community has a secure and vibrant future in Canada?

We encourage you to get involved, as we all share responsibility for shaping the future of our community. For more information, visit https://www.jewishcanadavotes.ca/.

We've been highlighting the importance of community involvement, and one individual who truly exemplifies this is Marcie Flom.

To honour Marcie and her more than twenty years of invaluable service to both Jewish Federation and community, we are proud to launch the Marcie Flom Community Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation. It will help make Jewish life more affordable for families in Vancouver.

As you know, the cost of living has made it harder for many—especially single-income households—to send their kids to Jewish day schools, summer camps, or Israel programs. As a community, we can come together to ease this burden and ensure everyone has access to these meaningful experiences, regardless of financial constraints. To support this fund, click here.

On a final note, with Passover fast approaching, there are many exciting events happening across our community. From a Women’s event in South Surrey to a chocolate seder for kids, you can find all the details here.

Shabbat shalom,