We Did It! The Roadburg Challenge Has Been Met.
Over the past year, we’ve shared stories about vision, leadership, and the people shaping JWest. Today, we’re celebrating a major milestone — one that belongs to our entire community.
A Challenge That Inspired a Movement
When the Al Roadburg Foundation and the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation launched the Roadburg Community Challenge in 2023, their goal was simple yet bold: to inspire others to join them in bringing the JWest vision to life. That call to action resonated across our community. In the months that followed, more than 160 donors stepped forward, each in their own way, each making a difference.
Some donors were drawn by the chance to help shape history. Others, who had supported earlier capital campaigns, reaffirmed their commitment to the next generation. Families honoured loved ones; young leaders stepped forward with passion and purpose.
From $1,000 to $1,000,000, every gift came from the same place — a deep belief in community.
Along the way, we’ve shared some of these incredible stories (the Krell family, Dan and Trudy Pekarsky, Bernard Pinsky and Daniella Givon, the Cristall family, and the Dayson family), and we look forward to sharing many more in the months ahead. Each story is a reminder of what’s possible when a community comes together with heart and purpose.
Together, these contributions brought JWest past the finish line of the $36 million Roadburg Community Matching Challenge, and the project has achieved 87% of its overall fundraising goal.
The Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation and Al Roadburg Foundation are pleased that their combined match challenge gift of $36 million to the JWest project has been matched. Donors have stepped up to support the ambitious development of a new campus for Jewish life on the site of Vancouver’s current JCC. While there is still more to do, the completion of this challenge helps propel the project forward to a very significant degree, sending a strong message of shared purpose. We hope this will help inspire all members of the Jewish community to participate in this commitment to the campus.”
– David Bogdonov, Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation; Robert Matas, Al Roadburg Foundation
What This Means for JWest
This achievement marks the successful close of the first phase of JWest’s fundraising campaign, a phase that brought together visionary donors, partner organizations, and volunteer leaders to turn a bold idea into a concrete reality.
Because of this collective effort, construction planning is moving forward with confidence. Permit applications have been submitted to the City of Vancouver, the design of the new JCC is being finalized and agreements and preparations to break ground in the JCC parking lot are underway.
Planning for Phase 2 of the capital campaign is already underway. In the coming months, you’ll see more updates about the project in your inbox, at the JCC, and at KDHS. As this next phase begins, we’ll be inviting the entire community to take part—and we hope you’ll join others in helping build our new Jewish campus. This is our campus, l’dor v’dor.
To explore the project and see the community of supporters behind it, visit JWestNow.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook for ongoing updates.
We gratefully acknowledge the support this project has received from the
Government of British Columbia and the Government of Canada.