The OJC Annual General Meeting will be held in person at the OJC.
AGM packages have now been sent to OJC members in good standing. Please check your email for all of the detailed information. If you have not received your package, please contact the office.
We urge all members to attend this essential meeting!
Your voice is important and will help determine the direction of the OJC for the coming year.
If you cannot attend, please consider sending your proxy vote with a member who is attending. Note in particular that couples and family memberships have two votes; if only one spouse attends the meeting they can bring a proxy vote for the absent spouse.
All proxies must be registered in absentia by Tuesday, June 10th, or sent in-person with an attending member before 7pm on June 11th
IN ORDER TO VOTE AT THE AGM, YOU MUST BE A MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING (membership dues paid for 2024-2025 or 2025-2026).
Jewish Federation has hired a new Okanagan Community Connector! Abbey Westbury has recently accepted this role, helping to coordinate and bolster Jewish programming across the region.
She’s seeking your (yes, you!) input into cultural and social Jewish programming in our region.
Please take a moment to answer a few questions so that we can tailor Jewish community activities to your needs and interests.
You do not need to be an OJC member to answer this survey!
We are hoping to improve supplementary, secular programming for allof the Okanagan’s Jews.
On November 5th, the OJC hosted an evening commemorating Yad Vashem honourees. It happened at a fitting moment in time, when history is on the verge of repeating itself (yet again). It is critical that we continue to remind ourselves of the public attitudes that allow aggression and persecution to flourish, and more importantly, the situations where humanity wins out.
How fortunate we were to hear Vernon’s own Anne-Marie Johnston speak of her memories of the Holocaust in Holland. Mrs. Johnston’s family hid two Jewish women throughout the war, and her parents, Harry and Josephina Bindels-Jongen, were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.
Henry J. Bindels-JongenYad Vashem Certificate and MedalJosephina M. H. Bindels-Jongen
“We are not our brother’s keeper, we are our brother’s brother.”
Her story is heartbreaking and inspiring: though she was only 6 years old, Anne-Marie’s father refused to shield her from the political situation, instilling in her the idea that has guided her life, “We are not our brother’s keeper, we are our brother’s brother.” We learned how the German invasion affected all Dutch lives, Jewish and gentile, and of the bravery of Anne-Marie’s parents and others involved in the Resistance. From the secret songs all of the children on her block learned to use as a warning when the Nazi soldiers were coming near, to the nuns who regularly provided refuge to the neighbourhood men in order to avoid forced conscription, Anne-Marie painted a picture of a community that took her father’s creed to heart.
There are so few witnesses to the atrocities of the Holocaust still alive to tell their stories. What an honour for the OJC audience to hear about Anne-Marie’s experiences in person, told with an awe-inspiring wit, conviction, and even humour. Todah rabah!
We also watched a video highlighting the work of another Yad Vashem recipient, Aristide de Sousa Mendes. As Portuguese consul-general to France, he secretly saved the lives of tens of thousands of individuals by issuing visas in direct defiance of orders. As a result of his actions, he suffered political and professional disgrace, and estrangement from his family. His bravery was not recognized by his own country until a few years ago. Generations of Jewish families are alive because of his sacrifice.
Thank you to Steven Finkleman and to friends of the OJC Gail and Chris Mobbs for helping to coordinate this wonderful evening.
This program is generously supported by a grant from the Isaac and Sophie Waldman Endowment Fund
