Shabbat Candlelighting 5:41 p.m.                                             Friday, October 26, 2012/10 Heshvan 5773
 

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Beth Israel Congregation Breaks Ground
This past Sunday, about 300 people gathered for the official groundbreaking for the redevelopment of the Beth Israel synagogue building. After many years of planning, the synagogue is moving forward with a dramatic renovation and expansion at its current site on Oak Street. Joining the congregation to mark the celebration were Federal MP Don Davies, and BC cabinet ministers: The Honourable Moira Stilwell, Minister of Social Development, and the Honourable Margaret McDiarmid, MLA for Vancouver-Fairview. Also present was a sizable contingent of leadership from neighbouring school Vancouver Talmud Torah, which is partnering together with Beth Israel on the construction of an underground parkade to serve both institutions.

New Young Adult Planning Committee Convenes
Federation’s new NextGen Planning Committee met for the first time last night, taking its first steps to provide leadership in setting the strategic direction and program priorities for Federation’s NextGen initiatives and activities. Led by Justine Levenberg, chair of Young Adult Activity, the committee’s members are dedicated to working together to build an engaged community of young Jews in their 20’s and 30’s through fun and meaningful social, educational, volunteer, philanthropic and leadership development opportunities. For more information on how to get involved, contact Dana Troster, manager of Young Adult Initiatives.

Campaign Update

The Federation Annual Campaign crossed the $5 million mark yesterday, with the average increase on gifts closed edging upward slightly to 5.2%. More than 1,800 community members have already made their gifts. If you haven’t yet seen our short but compelling campaign video, take a look. And if you haven’t been contacted yet but want to join those who have already stepped up with their support, you can make your gift now.

Our last event of the campaign season is Choices, our annual Women’s Philanthropy event, which features an extraordinary woman whose personal choices through leadership, service or philanthropy provides inspiration for members of our community. Our tradition teaches that the world is built on three pillars: Torah (study), Avodah (prayer) and Gemillut Chassadim (acts of loving kindness). This year the Choices event is bringing a young woman embodies the third pillar, but not as an established, long-serving member of the community, but as a 17 year-old beacon of Gemillut Chassidim. The Tuesday, November 6th event will feature Talia Leman, head of a philanthropic organization she began when she was just 13 years old.

Parashat Lech Lecha
In this week’s parasha, Abraham hears the voice of God commanding him to leave his father’s homeland, and goes forth on a journey that will ultimate bring him to the Land of Israel. The history recounted in the Torah up to this point is shared as common human history. With Abraham begins the molding of a distinctive people grounded in a belief in a single God who defies visible representation, and a commitment to a land around which their history will revolve, even during the many centuries in which they lived in exile from it. And throughout that history there has always been the hope of the opportunity for the Jewish people to live in peace in their homeland.

Today, the claim of Abraham’s Jewish descendants to the Land of Israel is under relentless attack from those who deny Israel’s legitimacy among the family of nations, and especially from neighbours who refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist. This week has seen a dramatic escalation of tensions along Israel’s southern border. This week more than 80 rockets rained down on the south of Israel, causing injury and damage, and bringing daily life to a grinding halt. School has been suspended; families are living in bomb shelters. About 1 million citizens of Israel live in the area affected by this week’s attacks. That represents 14% of Israel’s population. Put in the context of Canada’s population, that would be as if 5 million Canadians were under daily threat of missile fire. That’s roughly the population equivalent of Metro Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton combined.

This coming week, I will be in Israel, together with leadership from our Israel and Overseas Affairs Committee and our Partnership Steering Committee for our relationship with the Upper Galilee region. As we work together with our Israeli partners and friends on strengthening the relationship between our community and that northern region of Israel, we’ll be bringing a message of support and concern from our community here.

We are still on Abraham’s journey.

Shabbat shalom!


 
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