The federal government has announced $25 million for the new Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.
The infrastructure funding will help the organization to modernize and expand its capacity through a new facility. The two-phase redevelopment project, known as JWest, will provide a diverse community hub with updated arts, cultural, heritage and recreational facilities, in addition to a wide range of community-based support services. JWest will also create new rental housing units and childcare spaces.
The new site will additionally include a new home for the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. This builds on the Government of Canada’s historic commitment to preserving Holocaust remembrance, including recent investments to support new Holocaust museums in Montréal and Toronto.
“The Government of Canada stands with Jewish communities across Canada and around the world. Supporting cultural facilities is essential, not only to retain their viability today, but to help them flourish for generations to come,” said Pablo Rodriguez, the federal minister of Canadian Heritage.
The federal government’s contribution matches the provincial government’s $25 million contribution in 2021. Another $25 million was donated by the family foundation of Jack and Gordon Diamond in September 2022.
The organization will redevelop its current facility, located in Vancouver’s Oakridge neighbourhood, into a mixed-use multi-building campus. JWest will house a replacement community centre with new recreational and retail space, an expanded aquatic centre, an early childhood education centre, a library, a gallery, an auditorium and professional theatre, and non-profit office space.
“We are deeply grateful to the Government of Canada for supporting our vision for a renewed Jewish Community Centre to address the issues that affect so many people in the Lower Mainland. We see this as an opportunity to build a legacy that will benefit people across the region for generations to come,” said Ezra Shanken, CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver
