Canada’s Gateway to the Pacific Rim
Vancouver, situated, on Canada’s west coast is a thriving metropolis of 2 million people from the four corners of the globe. Boastfully locals sing the praises of Vancouver’s natural beauty, once described as the 5th most beautiful city on the planet, to which locals respond, "What did they build 4 new cities?". In Vancouver you can go skiing in the morning, play 18 holes of golf in the afternoon, and dine al fresco at any one of the city’s many fine restaurants while the rest of the country is blanketed in snow. The Pacific ensures mild winters (7°C) and pleasant summers (22°C) with the greatest rainfall from October to March. The local economy is holding its own, the traditional industries of forestry and fisheries are being replaced by the new wave of technology based industries including eCommerce, Environmental and Alternative Energy industries, BioTech and Dot Com business such that Vancouver is now Canada’s Dot Com Capital. When you ask a Vancouverite why he or she lives in Vancouver, the response is "it’s the quality of life".
The first Jewish immigrants arrived in Vancouver during the frenzy of the Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century. Those immigrants, mainly from British Empire stock, the U.S.A. and Central Europe integrated quickly into the language, way of live and relative affluence of Anglo society. The community has mushroomed since then taking in Jews fleeing pogroms, the Holocaust and persecution in the Former Soviet Union. In recent years immigrants have come from a wide spectrum of countries so that today’s Jewish community is modern and highly cosmopolitan, consisting of approximately 25,000 located all over the Lower Mainland. Community services have kept abreast with this growth. Today there are active synagogues and day schools, a full service Jewish Community Centre and a Jewish Family Service Agency providing service for those with special needs.
For further information:
Jewish Family Services Agency,
300-950 West 41st Avenue,
Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 2N7
Tel: (604) 257-5151
Fax: (604) 257-5148
Email: jfsa@intergate.ca
Jewish Family Service Agency, Vancouver www.jfsa.ca
Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver Website:
www.jewishvancouver.com
Shalom BC Website: http://www.shalombc.org/
City of Vancouver Website: http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/