JWest Announces Capital Campaign Leadership!

August 17, 2022

We are very happy to announce a new milestone for the JWest project: the establishment of the Capital Campaign Cabinet! We have brought together an extraordinary group of community leaders and philanthropists who represent a cross section of our community, and we are extremely grateful to these amazing volunteers who will steer the fundraising for JWest.

Gordon and Leslie Diamond will serve as honorary co-chairs, with Alex Cristall as chair of the JWest Capital Campaign Cabinet.

We are incredibly proud that they have agreed to bring their incomparable leadership skills to JWest to move from this project being a vision to a reality.

JWest is one of the largest capital projects currently underway in Vancouver.

Part of what makes it so special is that it will become the thriving centre of Jewish community life—and it will have an impact far beyond what it offers for you and me. This quintessentially Jewish project will create a ripple effect that will benefit people of all backgrounds from across the region. Rather than only looking inward and planning for just ourselves, we are using this opportunity to build for ourselves, our children, and everyone around us.

You already know that the vision for JWest includes a new state-of-the-art JCC—but it goes far beyond that. The new JCC is expected to house more than 20 not-for-profit organizations, an expanded space for the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, a new theatre, and more. The second construction phase is expected to add rental housing at or below market rates, and a new, bigger King David High School, which is bursting at the seams.

Turning JWest from a vision to a reality will take funding from private donors and from all levels of government.

There has already been some good progress in this area. We are grateful to The Government of British Columbia, which has generously provided $25 million to support the first phase of construction. We were also very pleased to see the Government of Canada include a commitment for support in the most recent federal budget. Raising the necessary funds will be the focus of the cabinet’s work.

JWest Capital Campaign Cabinet:

Gordon (O.C., O.B.C) and Leslie Diamond (O.B.C), Honorary Co-Chairs
Alex Cristall, Chair
Michael Averbach
Shirley Barnett
Frances Belzberg, O.C., O.B.C
Barry Glotman
Hodie Kahn
Dr. Jonathon Leipsic
Lana Marks Pulver
Josephine Nadel, Q.C.
Dr. Neil Pollock
Michelle Pollock
Lisa Pullan
They are supported by senior staff leadership from the three JWest partners: the JCC, Jewish Federation and King David High School.

Staff Leadership:

Eldad Goldfarb - Executive Director, JCC
Ezra S. Shanken – CEO, Jewish Federation
Russ Klein – Head of School, King David High School
Marcie Flom – Executive Director, Jewish Community Foundation
Emily Pritchard – Capital Campaign Director

We hope you are as excited as we are to see these new developments on the path to making the JWest dream come to life for our community. We will keep you posted on new announcements as they happen. In the meantime, if you would like more information, please visit JWestNow.com.