September 24, 2023 | 9 Tishrei 5783
Welcome to The Power of Together
Have you ever wondered what it takes to make something truly amazing happen? It's about coming together as a community to support one another. It's about ensuring that our most vulnerable families have food on their tables, roofs over their heads, and the opportunity to fully participate in Jewish life.
It's about guaranteeing that our growing senior population can age safely and stay connected to our vibrant community. It's about Jewish Federation collaborating with over 30 partners to innovate new ways to address our community's ever-evolving needs, moving our community forward.
By contributing to the Federation Annual Campaign, your gift allows us to extend our support wherever it's needed most. From nurturing new Jewish communities across British Columbia to supporting our extended family in our partnership region in the Upper Galilee, we are helping to create a thriving world Jewry. That is The Power of Together.
Amazing happens together. Make your gift today.
Jewish High Holidays Brings Excitement to the JCC for What's to Come
As Jews around the world celebrate the High Holidays, the JCC welcomes everyone into their open, inclusive, and very special space.
The JCC is one of the most diverse community centres in the region, but the rhythm it follows is distinctly Jewish. It plays a valuable role in showcasing the Jewish community as part of the cultural mosaic of Metro Vancouver, which is something we can all celebrate. With the decline in synagogue attendance across Canada, the JCC can be many families’ primary connection to traditional holidays and the customs associated with them.
Throughout the holidays, symbols and customs of the JCC are woven into the programming and physical spaces. During Rosh Hashanah, you’ll see a basket of fresh apples at the membership desk, displayed alongside a poster that highlights the holiday traditions. You may even pass by people setting up the auditorium to welcome congregants for Yom Kippur services.
Starting at the end of September, everyone can share meals in the community sukkah, a large, colourful outdoor tent that is traditional for the week-long festival of Sukkot. And every Friday, all year long, visitors will see challah, candles and a kiddush cup displayed, a reminder that Shabbat starts that evening.
Downstairs, the preschool takes a unique approach; its distinctly Jewish program honours the diverse cultures and backgrounds of its families and staff. Children are just as likely to sing their favourite songs in English and Hebrew as they would in Japanese, Spanish, French and Cantonese, the languages spoken by the preschool’s students and teachers.
"Our family has always been a JCC family,” says Mike Averbach. “We are active volunteers with many of the organizations here, we work out here, and our kids have gone to day camp here. There’s hardly a day that goes by when we aren’t in this building for one thing or another, and we want to see it fulfill its true potential—both as a centre of Jewish community life and as a beacon of diversity for the broader community. That is why we are proud to support JWest and the new JCC that is at the heart of this project.”
With over 300,000 visits each year and having stood on the corner of 41st and Willow since 1961, the JCC will find new life as a key component of JWest. This new purpose-built community hub will expand upon the centre’s current offerings and incorporate many more. Program spaces, such as the Senior’s Centre, will have more room for the oversubscribed Shabbat lunches, holiday crafts and Jewish educational programming. The ECE, already at maximum enrollment, will be able to serve more families grounding our young people with a sense of cultural belonging.
The new space will be a cultural bridge, a space open to everyone, regardless of background. Honouring the legacy of the current JCC, JWest will result in a distinctly Jewish hub that welcomes everyone.
For more details about the JWest project visit JWestnow.com.
Securing the Future: Endowing Your Support for Jewish Federation's Annual Campaign
Your steadfast support of the Federation Annual Campaign plays a pivotal role in addressing the community's immediate, evolving needs. However, the influence of your generosity can extend far beyond the present by endowing it through the Jewish Community Foundation.
Endowing your campaign support represents a profound commitment to ensuring our community's enduring strength and resilience. It guarantees the longevity and stability of crucial programs, inspires future generations, and leaves a lasting legacy. Your gift will continue to make a profound impact long after you’re gone.
This long-term approach is more accessible than you might think, with avenues like gifts in your Will and gifts of life insurance providing a straightforward path. These options lower the barriers to entry, enabling individuals from diverse financial backgrounds to shape our community's future.
By endowing your Annual Campaign support through the Jewish Community Foundation, you become an integral part of the ongoing mission to fortify and sustain the Jewish community for generations to come. Your contribution will leave an indelible mark, ensuring that the values and traditions we hold dear continue to thrive.
Please contact info@jewishcommunityfoundation.com for more information about perpetuating your annual support of Jewish Federation or to explore other ways to create a lasting legacy in our community.
Celebrate Sukkot with Connect Me In
Connect Me In Squamish Shabbat in the Sukkah
Friday, September 29, 2023
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
$ Give what you can ($15/person recommended)
Address provided upon registration
Register: JewishVancouver.com/squamish-sukkah
Connect Me In Sukkot Potluck in Whistler
Sunday, September 30, 2023
12:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Address provided upon registration
Register: JewishVancouver.Com/whistlersukkot
Connect Me In & Kulam Ba'Valley: Wild West Sukkahfest at Stable Harvest Farms
Sunday October 1, 2023
2:00 p.m. I 5848 216 St. Langley
$20/Family
Register: JewishVancouver.com/wild-west
Connect Me In South Delta Sukkot
Monday, October 2, 2023
2:00 p.m.
Address provided upon registration
Register: JewishVancouver.com/south-delta-sukkot
Join us for our Men's Philanthropy Texas Hold'Em Poker Night presented by Jewish Federation and Pollock Clinics.
Sunday October 22 I 5:00 p.m.
Poker Seat & Dinner/Drinks I $180/person
JCC I Wosk Auditorium
Space is limited.
Tickets on sale now.
Thank you to our presenting sponsor
Event sponsors
Our newcomer’s program BeyachadBC is hosting an info session on Jewish summer camp options in the region to help families make the right choice for them.
Jewish Summer Camp Info Session for Newcomers
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
7:00 - 8:00 p.m. via Zoom
Join other community members for a rain or shine walk and talk around Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. Afterwards, head over to our community member’s home less than 5 minutes from the lake for nosh and warm refreshments.
This is an all ages and all abilities event.
Connect Me In Burnaby Community Walk
Sunday October 29, 2023
1:30 p.m.
Deer Lake Park
Free to attend
Contact Kim Berger, manager, community engagement, with any questions.
Join us in celebrating the strength of Women's Philanthropy at our 19th annual Choices – The Power of Together. Featuring guest speaker Eve Barlow, LA-based music and pop culture journalist and one of today's strongest advocacy voices in fighting antisemitism and antizionism.
Choices - The Power of Together
Sunday, November 5, 2023 | 11:00 a.m.
Tickets for Brunch: Early Bird $70 (until October 4) | Regular $85
Tickets on sale now.
Thank you to our Diamond Partner
