In challenging times, it is especially meaningful to share good news.

During a recent visit to Vancouver, Canada I had the opportunity to spend time with a Jewish community that left me inspired—not because it has avoided challenges, but because of the way it is responding to them. At a time when many communities are focused on protecting what they have built, Vancouver is also investing in what comes next.

Like Jewish communities around the world, Vancouver has experienced a significant rise in antisemitism since October 7. The Jewish Federation of British Columbia‘s 2025 community survey found that 93 percent of respondents feel less secure than before October 7, 85 percent believe antisemitism has increased significantly, and nearly two-thirds have personally experienced an antisemitic incident.

The community has responded by strengthening security, advocacy, education, and partnerships. But what impressed me most was that these challenges have not caused Vancouver’s Jewish community to retreat. Instead, it is continuing to build.

Across Metro Vancouver, the Jewish population is approximately 25,000 to 30,000, and throughout its province of British Columbia, approximately 45,000 to 50,000 Jews call the province home.

Its history stretches back more than 160 years, beginning with Jewish settlers who arrived during the Fraser River Gold Rush in the late 1850s. Over generations, waves of immigrants—including Holocaust survivors and Jews from South Africa, Israel, the former Soviet Union, Argentina, the United Kingdom, and many other countries—have created........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)