Local Jewish groups plan vigils for those killed in Israel

Article content

Everyone in B.C.’s Jewish community is directly affected by the slaughter of hundreds of Israelis by the Hamas terrorist group over the weekend in Israel, says a community activist.

“There are countless people (in B.C.) who are connected to what is the largest single day of loss of (Jewish) life since the Holocaust,” said Ezra Shanken, head of the Jewish Foundation of Greater Vancouver.

Article content

Article content

“Everyone in our community feels this personally,” he said. “It’s our friends, our family, everyone knows someone who has been impacted.”

Volunteers and workers at the federation have spent the past couple of days — since Hamas gunmen entered Israel and began killing or taking hostage civilians, including children, women and the elderly, — trying to help local people connect with loved ones.

The federation is trying to help local people locate family and to also help them with mental health support.

B.C. Jewish groups planned gatherings to get together to support and console one another as the numbers of dead and missing continued to mount in Israel on Monday.

And it has hired private security guards at local Jewish centres, schools and synagogues ensure locals feel safe, he said. The Vancouver Police Department has also provided a police presence at synagogues, he said.

The federation has a gathering at Jack Poole Plaza planned for Tuesday at 5 p.m., to provide the opportunity for attendees to console and support one another, he said.

Meanwhile, at other gatherings, including at downtown Vancouver and in other cities and countries, people waved Palestinian flags and shouted their support for a free Palestine, often met by pro-Israel counter-protesters.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim was among politicians who spoke out against the pro-Palestine rallies “in light of the tragic and horrific terrorist attacks which targeted Israeli civilians.”

“It is uniquely disturbing to learn there rallies are to celebrate these attacks, and the terror group which sponsored them, Hamas,” he said a statement on Monday. “There is no justification of terrorism. Hamas is a terrorist organization, full stop. … I unequivocally denounce and condemn any glorifying of the indiscriminate violence from this weekend.”

He said he spoke with Vancouver police and it said it would investigate any incidents of hate.

Article content

Article content

VPD said it has sent extra officers to respond to gatherings and demonstrations if necessary on Monday and said in a statement it supports everyone’s right to peaceful assembly.

“We encourage everyone who gathers today to express themselves in a way that is peaceful, lawful and respectful of others,” said Sgt. Steve Addison in an email.

Selina Robinson, MLA for Coquitlam-Mallardville, posted on Monday on X, formerly Twitter, that she is “horrified that people in #Canada are choose to ‘celebrate’ the rape, mutilation and murder of people in #Israel — those who do, do not embody Canadian values. You have no humanity. We have seen this before in other genocides. #StandwithIsrael.”

B.C. Premier Eby said on X on Saturday that, “I unequivocally condemn the attacks from Hamas on the people of Israel.”

Travel agent Neal Chark, who specializes in trips to Israel and sends more than 300 tourists there a year, said he expects there will be no tourism travel to Israel for at least two months.

He’s been there too many times to count, including during war times, but the risk now is too great for casual travel beause of the kidnappings and the “barbarism,” he said. And if you got to a relatively safe area, such as Jerusalem, you wouldn’t be able to move around freely because you would have to remain close to your safe room.

Article content

He said he is spending his time now trying to get seats for people who are already in Israel back to Canada home and spent five hours securing one seat Sunday.

Rabbi Jonathan Infeld of the Beth Israel Synagogue in Vancouver, whose son, 18, is spending a gap year in Israel, said the weekend attacks on Israel were “shocking” and that the synagogue would continue its regular twice-daily prayer services to offer spiritual support to its congregation.

He said he knew of local residents who are in the middle of holidays in Israel, some of whom are choosing to remain to the end of their planned vacations and others who were returning home earlier than expected.

Global Affairs Canada said in a statement on Monday that Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv remained open on Monday and some commercial airlines are still operating and offering assistance in departing Israel for a nearby destination and for onward travel.

Flights are available, although may be limited and/or cancelled at the last minute, it said.

Air Canada announced on the weekend it was temporarily suspending its service from Toronto and Montreal to Tel Aviv.

— with files from Cheryl Chan

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.

Article content