west^JEWISH
Bulletin
Sert'ittg Greater Vancouver since 1930
New School in Town
Registration is open for the
newly named Jewish community high school/5
AflensAnNinglls     Separate SotoOon
The truth comes to our Purim section/14
Options for internal peace in Israel/19
$1.00 includes GST FEBRUARY 26,1999/10 ADAR 5759
Building is booming in the Jewisli community
Concerns expressed that funds are spread too thin.
ROBERTA STALEY STAFF REPORTER
Amulti-million-dollar building boom has hit the Lower Mainland's Jewish community. But whether the 25,000-strong community can come up with the capital needed to finance the projects is a question being raised ' by Sheila Milstein, executive director of Har-El synagogue.
When there is a "growtli spurt, you can put the existing capital projects in some jeopardy," said Milstein.
Har-El is a highly acclaimed $6-million structure in West Vancouver that was completed in 1997. Congregants came up with $3.1 million to help pay for the synagogue.
However, financing the balance is proving a challenge for administrators. Milstein attributes this partly to competing capital projects in the Lower Mainland as well as to the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver's fund-raising rules.
Federation, which raises money for about two dozen client agencies in the Lower Mainland, also dictates when clients arc allowed to have capital fund-raising drives.
Har-El's last capital campaign was in 1995. Federation used to allow capital fund-raisers every three years but switched that timeline to once every five years shortly after Har-El's 1995 campaign.
"The Federation capital campaign requirements have changed partly as a result of all the
Please see CAPITAL on page 4
Estlierfest '99 co-monarctis gear up for the Canadian Friends of ttie Hebrew University Purim celebration. See page 7 for Purim activities.
Maimonides high school reincarnation
ROBERTA STALEY STAFF REPORTER
Acommittee looking to revive the fmancially strapped Maimonides secondary school has picked a new location — and a new name. Chair Judy Mandleman said the Community High School Task Fdrce has picked the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver as the new site for Maimonides. And they're calling it the "Jewish Community High School of Greater Vancouver," said Mandleman. "That's not ofiicial," she added.
The" steering committee,,cre-ated in January to rescue the beleaguered institution, was set to meet Feb. 23 with the community centre's board of directors. Tliey were planning to negotiate building a tlirec-storey, $3.5 million structure on the three-and-a-half-acre site.
Due to the Bulletin's Tuesday print deadline, it isn't known what decisions were made at the meeting.
"To me it's the best location," Mandleman told ihe Bulletin last week. "To build a school where you already have existing facilities - an auditorium, gymnasium, swimming pool and library - makes a lot of financial sense.
"It will truly make it a community centre and a place where the kids believe it is part of their home."
Building schools next to community centres is becoming the trend in today's financially strapped times, Mandleman said. "Tliat's the way of the fiiture. It's a lot cheaper because we would build only classrooms."
She believes it will help revitalize the community centre where many of tlie rooms remain empty during the day. "It's a win-win situation for the community," Mandleman said.
Vancouver Hebrew Academy elementary school, located at the Central Organization for Jewish Education, Lubavitch British
Columbia, on 41st Avenue and Oak Street, is also seeking to build a $2.5-million structure on the community centre grounds. . Tlie LubaNatch centre is being demolished in June to make way for a $25-million condominium and office structure.
If the schools get the green light from the community centre and Vancouver City Hall, an underground parking lot will be built with access from a side street, said Mandleman.
United Properties Ltd. president and CEO Victor Setton, who is on the task force with Mandleman, will be responsible for securing the site for the two sdiools, getting approval bom the
city as well as construction.
Setton said up to 250 students are eventually expected to attend the high school. Up to 150 children are anticipated at the elementary school.
Tlie high school will cost about $3.5 million and will be built in phases, said Setton. The elementary school will be about $2.5 million, he said.
Setton emphasized the need for the community to back the schools. Both have recently been on the verge of shutting down.
However, he was buoyed by the support shown at a Feb. 16 meeting that was attended by
Please see MAIMONIDES on page 4
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