Jewish Heritage Month is often understood as a celebration. A recognition of contributions, history, and culture woven into the fabric of Canada and, more specifically, into the story of Vancouver.

But this moment calls for something more.

On the morning of May 20, 2026, I had the opportunity to address Vancouver City Council to mark Jewish Heritage Month. The message was not only about what has been built, but about the responsibility that comes with it.

This is also a moment of reflection. A recognition of what has been built, often in the face of challenge, and a reaffirmation of the responsibility we carry forward as a city and as a society.

From the earliest days of Vancouver, Jews have helped shape this city. David Oppenheimer, Vancouver’s second mayor, helped lay the foundations of the civic life we benefit from today. His legacy is one of leadership, contribution, vision, and responsibility.

And he was not alone.

Jewish Vancouverites have contributed across every part of our society, in medicine, law, business, education, culture and public service. Not only for our own community, but for the good of this entire city.

That is what Jewish heritage represents.

In Jewish tradition, we speak of Tikkun Olam, the obligation to repair a broken world. It is not abstract. It is a lived responsibility. We are taught that we are not required to complete the work, but neither are we free to stop doing it.

And here in Vancouver, that work has never stopped.

There are leaders in this city who have demonstrated what it means to act with courage in that spirit. There are those who have chosen to stand with the Jewish community at moments when it would have been easier to remain silent. That is what leadership looks like. It matters, and it reflects the very best of this city.

There are also members of council and public leaders whose consistent and principled support has made clear that inclusion is not just a slogan, but a standard.

But leadership also requires honesty.

There have been actions and voices, including within our public institutions, that have not met that standard. There have been moments when members of the Jewish community have felt isolated or excluded by rhetoric and actions that do not reflect Vancouver’s values of inclusion and respect.

More concerning still are moments when those lived experiences are dismissed outright.

When an integrity commissioner can deny the lived experience of the Jewish community regarding the conduct of certain councillors, and then call for an apology from a mayor who has chosen to stand up for that community, it raises deeper questions about how accountability is being understood and applied.

That must concern all of us.

That is not leadership. And it is not acceptable in a city that prides itself on inclusion.

No one should ever feel they must compromise or justify their Jewish identity in order to belong here. Vancouver must remain a place where every community feels respected, safe, and fully included.

And no one should use the visibility of public office in ways that traumatize a community that has contributed so much to this city.

Those moments must be called out, clearly and consistently, with strength and with dignity.

Jewish tradition teaches us, Tzedek, tzedek tirdof, justice, justice, shall you pursue. Not when it is easy, but precisely when it is difficult.

It also teaches us what we are striving toward. Hinei Ma Tov U’ma Na’im, Shevet Achim Gam Yachad. How good and how pleasant it is when people sit together in unity.

That remains the vision for Vancouver.

Not a city where communities are tested for belonging. Not a public square where identity is used to divide. But a city strong and confident enough to ensure that every community knows, without hesitation, that they belong.

Wise leadership is measured not only by power, but by moral clarity, by the courage to stand up, and by the discipline to bring people together even when others seek to pull them apart.

The Jewish community is proud to be part of Vancouver’s story. It will continue to contribute, to lead, to build partnerships, and to help strengthen this city for everyone.

But Jewish Heritage Month asks something of all of us.

It asks us not only to celebrate, but to reflect. Not only to honour the past, but to take responsibility for the present.

If Vancouver is serious about being an inclusive city, then this cannot be a symbolic exercise. It must be a moment of recommitment. A recommitment to ensuring that no community feels marginalized. A recommitment to leadership grounded in courage and moral clarity. A recommitment to a public square where belonging is not conditional.

The question is not whether we celebrate Jewish heritage.

It is whether we live up to the responsibility that comes with it.