As I wait for my son to return home from Camp Hatikvah in the Okanagan, I find myself thinking about the families living beneath the smoke.

Here in Vancouver, we see the images. We follow evacuation alerts. We read the headlines. But distance has a way of softening reality. The true weight of these fires is felt by those who have packed their cars in the middle of the night, left homes and animals behind, crowded into hotel rooms, and wondered what will still be standing when they return.

Over the past several days, that reality has been arriving in my inbox.

As CEO of Jewish Federation of British Columbia, I have been in constant contact with our Community Connectors, volunteers, and Jewish leaders across the Interior. Many are people my wife, Rachel, and I sat with only weeks ago during our journey through British Columbia’s smaller Jewish communities. We shared meals, heard their stories, and talked about what it means to build Jewish life across a province where communities can be separated by hundreds of kilometres.

Today, those same people are sending evacuation updates, road closures, emergency needs, and stories of neighbours helping neighbours.

What I have read has been sobering.

It has also been inspiring.

Because beneath every update about smoke, fire, and uncertainty has been another story unfolding. A story about responsibility. A story about resilience. A story about Jewish community and people who simply show up.

One of the first messages I received was simple:

“Scary how quickly that came up.”

Within hours, community members were checking on one another. Families were accounted for. Outreach was underway.

The next day came another message:

“Everyone I know of has gotten out safely. They are in emergency accommodations........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)