Local politician gives insight into PG’s Jewish roots

It is Jewish Heritage Month across Canada, and a Prince George City councillor is highlighting the community’s deep ties.

Garth Frizzell has been heavily involved in tackling anti-Semitism for the past several years on a local and national scale.

It began through his work with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities after connecting with Montreal-based councillor Marvin Rotrand.

Numerous efforts, mostly by Zoom, allowed Frizzell to connect to the Jewish community across Canada in relation to Holocaust Remembrance Day and anti-Semitism – one of the campaigns is to get cities and communities to recognize Jewish heritage.

Frizzell also connects frequently with B’nai Brith – a Jewish organization committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and combating antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.

He noted it’s typical but also extraordinary of Prince George to see facilities such as a Christian church open its doors to the Jewish community.

“The Jewish community in Prince George when they didn’t have a place to stay and they were welcomed into other houses of worship to use their space. We have a faith community here that is very effective at working together.”

The first Jewish settlers to make their way to the northern capital came well before the 1900s according to Eli Klasner.

Klasner added a lot of the settlers in the 1880s and 1890s were Jews escaping from pogroms in Eastern Europe and there was also a significant number of Jews that came up from California for the Gold Rush as well.

Furthermore, he noted the very first Jewish woman to be elected to public office in Canada was right here in Prince George.

The very first president of the newly-formed Prince George school district in 1917 was a Jewish woman named Hannah Director.

Frizell mentioned while sitting on City Council, motions were drawn up in the past condemning Islamophobia.

“When those moments happen, it’s not just then that you have to highlight we are all in this together – it is at the tough times and at the easy times. That is what Prince George is about – we welcome everybody and we celebrate everybody.”

“It’s not just Israel and Hamas or Ukraine and Russia but we see where there is a world where a lot of challenging problems with international conflict. At times like that it’s really important to embrace what we do have and make commitments to come together and make this a better place,” added Frizzell.

BC Premier David Eby issued the following statement regarding Jewish Heritage Month.

“Jewish Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember and honour the countless contributions Jewish Canadians have made in building our province.

“For more than a century and a half, Jewish Canadians have played an integral role in the development of our communities. The earliest arrivals established schools and synagogues. After the colony joined Confederation, voters in Victoria sent Henry Nathan Jr. to Ottawa, where he served as the first Jewish Canadian member of Parliament, an early symbol of the multicultural nature of the new nation.

“From businessman and philanthropist David Oppenheimer, who was the second mayor of Vancouver, to lawyer Samuel Davies Schultz, who in 1914 became Canada’s first judge of Jewish ancestry, Jewish Canadians have been essential to our province’s growth and vibrancy. We are proud to be home to the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the country and to one of the fastest growing Jewish populations in Canada.

“As we celebrate Jewish heritage, we also stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends and neighbours in the wake of a shocking and unacceptable rise of antisemitic incidents and acts of intimidation here and around the world. These incidents follow the terrorist attack on Israeli civilians last October, which was the deadliest act of violence against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Some taken hostage then remain in captivity months later.

“Our government has launched an anti-hate fund to help protect synagogues, community centres and other places of gathering that have been targeted by graffiti and vandalism. Everyone in our province has the right to feel safe and secure.

“As well, we are making Holocaust education a mandatory part of the high school curriculum, so students have a better understanding of this monstrous crime.

“This month, I encourage everyone to learn about and celebrate Jewish culture, history and heritage.”