An eight-day journey through the Okanagan, the Kootenays, and Revelstoke revealed a simple truth: the challenge facing smaller Jewish communities is not a lack of desire for Jewish life. It is access to it. And when people find one another, remarkable things happen.

Earlier this year, we officially launched Jewish Federation of British Columbia. The change was more than a new name. It reflected a belief that Jewish life in this province extends far beyond any one city, institution, or region. It recognized that our responsibility is to support and strengthen Jewish communities wherever they exist.

I understood that in principle. Over the past eight days, I had the opportunity to experience it firsthand.

While our children were away at camp, Rachel and I packed up The Beast, our family’s well-travelled ten-year-old Yukon Denali, and set out across British Columbia. Two nights in Naramata and Penticton. Four nights in Nelson. Two nights in Revelstoke. Then home.

At first glance, it looked like a vacation. And it was. We walked lakeshores, explored wineries, read books, and slowed down. But somewhere along the way, work found us. Not the kind of work that happens in boardrooms or spreadsheets, but the kind that begins with a conversation, an invitation, a story, and a connection.

This journey became my first opportunity to experience Jewish British Columbia through the lens of our new identity as Jewish Federation of British Columbia. What I discovered was a reminder that Jewish life is not defined by buildings or institutions alone. It is defined by people choosing to gather, to create, and to care for one another.

One evening overlooking Okanagan Lake, we spent time with people who had chosen to build new Jewish lives in the Interior. Their stories reflected themes that would surface throughout the journey: belonging, reinvention, community, and the determination to create meaningful Jewish lives wherever they call home.

That same spirit was present in Nelson. A casual invitation led us........

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