British Columbia has been home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial, and shaped ever since by people who came from somewhere else.

For generations, people have arrived here seeking opportunity, freedom, safety, and the chance to build a better future. They brought different languages, traditions, beliefs, and experiences. Together, they helped create one of the most diverse and vibrant places anywhere in the world.

That diversity is one of British Columbia’s greatest strengths. But it also comes with a great responsibility. In a province where so many of us have roots elsewhere, belonging is not something we inherit. It is something we build.

As we prepare to celebrate BC Day, I find myself thinking about what that means. Not simply belonging within our own families or communities, but belonging to the broader story of British Columbia.

For Jewish British Columbians, that story stretches back more than 160 years.

Like so many communities across this province, ours is an immigrant story. Families arrived from Eastern Europe, North Africa, Latin America, the former Soviet Union, Israel, South Africa, and countless other places. Some came fleeing persecution. Others came searching for opportunity. All came hoping to build a........

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