Welcome to Our Jewish Community

Burquest Jewish Community is located in Coquitlam, British Columbia. We selected the name Congregation Sha'arai Mizrah, Gates of the East, to reflect our geographic position relative to Vancouver. Our community encompasses the Jewish ritual and lifecycle activities that occur on a regular basis.

Burquest nurtures our rich Jewish heritage by facilitating ritual events such as Shabbat services, Jewish Festivals, High Holy Days, baby-namings, B'nai Mitzvah and other life cycle events. If you are planning on a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, both the Hebrew school and our staff will be eager to help you make your important milestone a memorable and meaningful experience. Whether our children race around with the Torah on Simchat Torah, hunt for Chametz (leaven) before Pesach, decorate a Sukkah or light the candles on Hanukkah, we are proud to have a warm, supportive, joyful and welcoming environment where friendships grow.

Our services are led by Cantor Levin, and occasionally by rabbis or guests. We also rely on community members, visitors and our past or current Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to contribute to the services by leading or assisting in various parts of the service. This does not mean that you have to be an expert at Jewish customs to participate in our services or community events. Congregation Sha'arei Mizrah's rich inclusive and egalitarian medley is something we cherish.