After the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver received two bomb threats in less than a week, the provincial government is stepping up to support Vancouver’s Jewish community.

The provincial government is contributing $100,000 to the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver for increased security measures.

“For 150 years, Vancouver has been home to a thriving, vibrant Jewish community – and in all that time, they have made outsize contributions to the community, and the fabric of our province,” said Premier Christy Clark. “Unfortunately, B.C. is not immune to the growing number of threats to Jewish communities around the world. These acts of hate do not represent British Columbia – the outpouring of support for the Jewish community does.”

The Jewish Federation will use the funds to establish a security grant program to help community agencies upgrade existing security measures.

“The Greater Vancouver Jewish community is deeply grateful to the provincial government for standing with us at this difficult time,” said Stephen Gaerber, board chair, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. “This funding will enable us to more effectively support our community organizations to implement or upgrade needed security infrastructure to keep members of our community and the general public safe.” 

There are approximately 26,000 members of the Jewish community in British Columbia, half of whom live in Vancouver. There are 21 community buildings in Vancouver and 8 spread throughout the Lower Mainland. These institutions serve a variety of Jewish and non-Jewish groups including children, families and seniors.

“We thank Premier Clark and the provincial government for their prompt response to the challenging times the Jewish community is facing and for their ongoing concern for public safety,” said Jason Murray, local partner council chair of The Centre For Israel and Jewish Affairs. “We deeply appreciate this investment, which will help make our community facilities safer as they welcome people from all faiths and backgrounds.”