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Survey of Jewish Youth in Greater Vancouver
One of Federation’s planning priorities is the development of a comprehensive approach to addressing issues faced by Jewish youth. Our Planning Council is committed to giving young people a voice in identifying issues and proposing ways to respond to these issues. As a first step, we are conducting a confidential online survey of Jewish youth in the Greater Vancouver area. The information from the survey will help the council make meaningful recommendations. The survey is open to youth (ages 13-22) in the Greater Vancouver area. Please distribute the survey to any Jewish young people you know. All participants are eligible to enter to win a $50 iTunes gift certificate. The survey is open until August 23rd.

Bulgaria Bombing Hits Multiple Nerves
Wednesday’s horrific news of a suicide bombing in Bulgaria that targeted young Israelis traveling on vacation hits hard on many levels. The most immediate, of course, is for the victims and their families. The bombing has claimed seven lives – five Israeli young adults, as well as the bus driver and bomber. Another 32 were wounded and have been evacuated home to Israel for medical treatment. Today the US government cited intelligence sources pointing to Hezbollah terrorists as directly responsible for the attack, with guidance provided by Iranian sponsors.

Earlier this week a Lebanese citizen was detained in Cyprus, accused of planning attacks against Israeli tourists there. The man claimed to be a member of Hezbollah, reportedly held a Swedish passport, and was in possession of photographs of Israeli targets. Initial investigations reveal the suspect planned to blow up a plane or a tour bus.

Of particular note is that Wednesday’s bombing took place on the anniversary of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish communal building in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 84 people and wounded hundreds. A lengthy series of investigations, severely impeded by corruption in the Argentinean justice system, concluded that attack was conducted by Hezbollah under Iranian government direction.

Sadly, the need to provide assistance to victims of terror remains as critical as ever. The Fund for the Victims of Terror, operated by our partner the Jewish Agency for Israel, is supported by contributions from Jewish Federations, philanthropic foundations and donors across North America. It will provide financial assistance to Israelis wounded in the attack in Bulgaria and to the families of those killed.

The additional news this week of a gunfight erupting in the midst of a Toronto neighbourhood barbecue and a movie theatre shooting in Denver, are, of course, not related to Iranian sponsored Hezbollah terror activities. All of them coming together within a week contributes to a sense that our world is growing increasingly dangerous as both criminals and terrorists use violence to meet their aims, regardless of the impact on innocent civilians.

Local Jewish Educators Join Conference in our Israeli Partnership Region
Five educational leaders from King David High School, Richmond Jewish Day School, and Vancouver Talmud Torah joined colleagues from across Canada and their sister schools in the Upper Galilee for several days of joint learning and planning. The sister-school relationships are an integral part of the Gesher Chai (Living Bridge) component of our Partnership2Gether program with the communities of the Upper Galilee Panhandle.

The joint educational programming that we support strengthens the Jewish identity and feelings of peoplehood for students in both communities. Only by bringing the educators from both sides together can they really take the program to its fullest potential. An important by-product of the experience was the opportunity for senior educators from across our local schools to deepen their relationships with each other, which will foster greater local collaboration and cooperation on many fronts.

Shifting Political Sands in Israel
Only a few months ago it appeared that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had pulled off an extraordinary political coup, bringing the Kadima Party into his governing coalition, leading to a coalition comprised of almost 80% of the Knesset. It was anticipated that this broad coalition would give him the political strength and flexibility to deal with a number of thorny legislative issues facing Israel. That hope proved short-lived when the Kadima Party pulled out of the coalition this week over the inability to reach a compromise on the issue of ending military service exemptions for Ultra-Orthodox Israelis and other minority groups. The collapse of the short-lived broad coalition most likely presages early elections coming this fall.

Parashat Matot/Masei
This double portion brings to a close the reading of the book Bamidar. It recounts the journey through the desert, and covers a number of points of law that relate to important national or societal issues. Near its close it focuses on a narrow point of law: how to deal with the inheritance of land when there are no male heirs. The resolution of the issue is that in the absence of male heirs, daughters may inherit their father's land. Rabbi Robert Wolkoff points out that in the sweep of this parasha we see the Torah address issues of both national importance as well as the concerns of individuals. It is a potent reminder that as a people and as a community, we must not only focus on the big issues of the day, but also the needs of individual members of our community.

This week we brought our PJ Library program to the Jewish Food Bank. In recent months the food bank has seen an increase in the numbers of families coming to pick up food, and while the parents were getting their food, their children were sitting around with nothing to do. So PJ Library went to this week's distribution, and provided a story hour for the children and their parents who were there. Often, families relying on this kind of assistance wouldn’t access programs like PJ Library, and we may not have reached them. By bringing the program to them, we enabled those families to expose their children to a Jewish moment that wasn't about meeting basic needs, but rather enrichment and connecting with their Jewish heritage. A few of the families have now enrolled in the program. It was a moment of community outreach very much in the spirit of this week's parasha.

Shabbat shalom!