VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — JWest, the largest development project in the history of Western Canada’s Jewish community, has announced that the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) of Greater Vancouver has transferred legal title and beneficial ownership of its 3.3-acre property to JWest Foundation in June 2026. The land transfer, made by gift, places one of Vancouver’s most significant community-led development sites under independent governance, ensuring the campus remains in the hands of the Jewish community for generations to come. As the permanent steward of the future JWest campus, JWest Foundation will oversee the charitable developments on the land and manage future revenues on behalf of the community.
Plans are well underway for JWest to transform the 3.3-acre site at Oak Street and 41st Avenue in Vancouver’s Oakridge neighbourhood into an integrated campus featuring a new and expanded JCC, a new King David High School, hundreds of new rental homes, including below-market units, and expanded childcare and seniors’ services. The project is a partnership between the JCC, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and King David High School, made possible through more than $200 million raised by the community, alongside both provincial and federal government funding.
The transfer reflects a founding principle shared by all three partners: that a campus built by the community should be governed by the community. Once the transfer is complete, JWest Foundation will be the legal and beneficial owner of the land. Its board includes three independent directors, an independent chair, and representatives from each partner organization, ensuring governance that reflects the full breadth of the community the project serves.
“The Jewish community has been raising money, rallying support and building the future vision of JWest brick by brick since 2018,” said Alex Cristall, Chair of JWest Foundation. “This land transfer now allows us to move forward with construction this year. When the new campus is complete, the ground it will stand on will belong to the community that made it possible.”
The decision to establish a separate foundation, rather than vest ownership in any one partner organization, reflects the project’s original vision: shared ownership, with a shared campus serving multiple Jewish community institutions. This model requires a governance model that is broad enough to represent the entire community. The JCC’s gift of the land puts commitment into action.
“This land transfer is more than a legal milestone; it’s a significant statement of intent,” said Emily Pritchard, Executive Director of JWest. “It tells every donor, neighbour and community member that the JWest project was never about any one organization or vision. It’s about what we can build together, and transferring the land into community hands is how we will keep that promise.”
“Gifting this land is one of the most meaningful decisions the JCC has made in its history,” said Eldad Goldfarb, Executive Director of the JCC. “This property has been at the heart of Jewish life in Vancouver for decades, and by transferring it to the JWest Foundation, we’re ensuring it remains exactly that. The JCC didn’t build this community alone, and we won’t carry it forward alone either.”
The announcement comes as JWest continues to build momentum and advances both the public phase of its capital campaign, alongside the rezoning process with the City of Vancouver. Together, the land transfer, community fundraising efforts through the public campaign and anticipated municipal approval mark a pivotal moment for the project and a tangible demonstration that JWest’s commitment to the community is being realized.
About JWest
JWest is the most extensive project in the history of the Jewish community in Western Canada. Jewish at heart and open to all, the project will redevelop and transform the existing 3.3-acre property in Vancouver to further expand its impactful services to the community. The partnership between Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, the Jewish Community Centre, and King David High School will address some of the concerns of the region including increased childcare spaces, expanded seniors’ services, and the delivery of hundreds of new rental homes—including below-market housing—for the Oakridge neighbourhood. The project has been made possible by the Jewish community, together with financing and support from multiple levels of government. JWest will reimagine the future for Vancouverites and the Jewish community by creating a thoughtful space that is a beacon of diversity and inclusion for people to connect, learn, grow and celebrate together.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b0da527-24f3-46a8-bbc7-5297700f88ad