Shabbat Candlelighting 4:31 p.m.                                             Friday, January 20, 2011/25 Tivet 5772
 

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Campaign Update
As we wind down our 2011 Annual Campaign, we are working to reach donors who have regularly supported our community in past years. The campaign now stands at $7.53 million and we project finishing a bit over $7.6 million this year. This will represent a reduction of about 2.5% from last year’s result. While there are many contributing factors, the primary one is the continuing economic turmoil and uncertainty, which has affected the ability of many donors to sustain their giving at previous levels, and which has also caused many to wait longer before reaching a decision. If our campaign donors are feeling the strains of the economy, we know that other community members are also affected, and that they are more likely to be turning to Federation funded programs and services for help.

We are grateful to the many volunteers who have worked tirelessly to reach out to thousands of community members, and to all of you who responded generously. You have touched hundreds of thousands of lives with your contributions this year. You can still make your commitment or fulfill a pledge you made recently by clicking here.

Israel Facing Internal Challenges to its Democratic Nature
Over the past few weeks, there has been much difficult news from Israel related to religious extremists who have blatantly disregarded both the law and basic human respect in pursuit of a radical fundamentalist agenda. A small group of extremists within the Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) community have perpetrated violent acts against the Israeli army, against Muslim houses of worship, and against women. Broad segments of Israeli society have responded unambiguously in condemning these acts, and we are also hearing from those within the Ultra-Orthodox community, both in Israel and North America, who are speaking out against the actions of a small minority of zealots. However, the violent actions of a few highlight an inherent challenge facing a political system that seeks to balance democracy with religious authority. Unless Israel is able to strike that balance in a healthier way, it will continue to lose population from among the segment committed to democracy, and that will leave a society with even greater challenges to maintaining the internal cohesion and external relationships necessary for its survival.

New Local Advocacy Council Forming
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver are pleased to announce several developments related to the formation of a new local advocacy council. This follows the national reorganization of Jewish communal advocacy organizations this past summer. These developments include the appointment of co-chairs for the new council, as well as the hiring of key staff.

A key part of the reorganization that led to the formation of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is the development of local partnership structures – advocacy councils developed collaboratively between the national centre and local Jewish Federations. The Pacific Region council is now moving forward with the appointment of two local leaders, Paul Goldman and Stephen Schachter, as co-chairs, each of whom brings expertise in Israel and domestic advocacy.

The local council will act on behalf of both Jewish Federation and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs on all local and national advocacy issues, fulfilling a mandate to improve the quality of Jewish life in Canada and abroad, while strengthening the Canada-Israel relationship. The council will also ensure that local perspectives are reflected in the national decision making process.

Following a rigorous search process, Darren Mackoff has been hired as the new Pacific Region director. Born and raised in Vancouver, Darren brings with him a wealth of both academic and professional experience. A graduate of UBC, Ryerson and Tel Aviv University, Darren has spent more than three years in a senior communications role at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Prior to that, he worked for some of North America’s largest news broadcasters including NBC, FOX News and Global TV.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs will also be filling an additional professional position for a manager of community relations and outreach. For more information, click here.

Parashat Va’era
This week’s parasha recounts God’s instructions to Moses to speak with Pharaoh and demand freedom for the Israelites. The parasha encompasses much of the story that is the basis of the Pesach holiday, in which we annually relive the story of our redemption from slavery. The prominent Jewish educator Avraham Infeld talks about the distinction between history and memory. Most cultures have histories, but Infeld claims that Jews don’t have history; they have memory. What others might consider history is for Jews a family record. The narrative of the exodus, receiving the Torah, the Holocaust, the creation of the State of Israel – these are all part of our family story that we relive by retelling.

In my role, I meet a great many community members and get connected to them and their families. And so, I attend a lot of funerals and make a lot of shiva calls – part of the circle of life in our community. In the past few weeks, I have attended funerals for three extraordinary women, each of whom lived to her 90s. Each was a powerful figure, both in their families and our community. Eliza Shawn was among the founders and long-time supporters of Beit Hamidrash, the Sephardic synagogue in our community, ensuring that an important and distinctive segment of our community would continue to find expression in future generations. Edwina Heller reached beyond our Jewish community to become one of the great patrons of classical music and visual arts in Vancouver, helping a small provincial city emerge as an important cultural centre. Gertrude Zack became a role model for women interested in stepping beyond the traditional boundaries prescribed for women, going to school later in life to study and pursue her passion for art, at a time when few women did such a thing. Beyond these distinctive achievements they each provided tremendous leadership and service to a broad range of organizations in our community. Hearing the memories of families and friends, what was so striking about these three women was the degree to which they combined tremendous force of character with passion for Jewish life and community. Each of them played an extraordinary role in binding together their families across generations.

Some have said their passing marks the end of an era in our community, and in a sense it is true. These women lived and spent their life force building our community in a very different time and environment. If we are serious about being grounded in memory as Jews, we don’t have to view this as the end of an era. Rather, we can carry with us their memories and our appreciation for the extraordinary lives they led, the wonderful contributions they made to our community and people, and the foundation they have provided upon which we can continue to build.

Shabbat Shalom!

 
 
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