We are proud to announce the establishment of the Justin & Yael Segal Family Fund. 

Please read Justin’s account of how a trip he took when he was a teenager started him off on his path of philanthropy. It’s a powerful testament to how including our children in our philanthropic activities can establish a meaningful lifelong journey of tikkun olam.

When I was 16 years old, my father and I had the unique opportunity to travel to Ethiopia as part of a Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver mission. That life-changing trip was instrumental in igniting my passion for philanthropy and tikkun olam (“repairing the world”).

After witnessing first-hand the derelict conditions of the many children’s schools we encountered while trekking through rural Ethiopian villages, I made a promise to myself that I would return to Vancouver and do whatever I could to positively impact the children of these villages. This led to me founding my first grassroots organization, Spread the Love Project, with the goal of raising enough funds to build a school in Ethiopia. Thanks to the overwhelming support I received from the Vancouver Jewish community, and to many other communities in Vancouver and across North America, Spread the Love Project was able to exceed its original goal – ultimately raising enough funds to facilitate the construction of two multi-use schoolhouses in northern Ethiopia. 

Many years have passed since Spread the Love Project was born, but my passion for tikkun olam burns brighter than ever. I am now married to the woman of my dreams, Yael, who is equally as determined to leave her mark in this world. With the support of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, we are thrilled to announce the launch of the Justin & Yael Segal Family Fund. This fund will provide support to select organizations that represent the various passions, values, and interests that Yael and I feel connected to, with the ultimate goal of both honouring our families’ rich histories and enriching our communities’ futures.

The Talmud teaches us, “Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” Yael and I cannot wait for the journey that lies ahead, and to doing everything possible to create as much of a positive impact as possible through the creation of our fund. We are grateful to the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver for allowing us to focus on the task at hand by handling all of the details. Working with the Jewish Community Foundation has been seamless, easy, and efficient. It is comforting for Yael and I to know that our new fund is in good hands, thanks to this incredible organization.