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Sometimes, when we look at our community today it’s very hard to imagine it without all the resources we have available and all the institutions that have been built. In many ways it’s easy to take for granted the wonderful programs offered by our community centres and synagogues, the help that’s available during the toughest times from our social service agencies, the countless organizations that help in our old age, and the camps and schools that serve our children.

On Tuesday night I had the pleasure of having my annual conversation with members of Temple Sholom’s conversion class (Jewish Information Class – Intro to Judaism). The experience of talking to people who are making a journey into our community is always deeply inspiring for me. My job is to give them a picture not just of where our community is today, but of where we came from.

Many of you know that some of the earliest Jewish settlers in Vancouver were German Jews who came via San Francisco for the gold rush. These Jews were responsible (in part) for something quite interesting - the creation of our first synagogue, Schara Tzedeck – an Orthodox synagogue.

Why is that so interesting? And why does it speak to the kind of community we’ve built here? Many of these early settlers were Reform Jews who lived very differently in terms of observance and practice from the Eastern European Jews who attended Schara Tzedeck at the turn of the century. So why would they want to invest in the creation of an Orthodox synagogue rather than a Reform synagogue? The answer’s quite simple. While their own numbers were limited, they knew the number of Eastern European Jews who would need a synagogue was on the rise.

Even in our earliest days we were looking not at our own needs, but at the needs of the community as a whole. Out of that fertile soil grew the myriad community institutions we have today. For many people in our community their success today is tied to the success and to the communal commitment of their grandparents and great grandparents. Someone stood beside their family generations ago to help them be successful. That’s just the kind of community we are here.

Today, with everything we have, both personally and communally, it’s hard to believe there are still those waiting for this type of support. But it’s true. There are new people arriving every day with not nearly as much as those of us who’ve been here longer, but they have the same determination to succeed, the same intellectual capabilities, and the same values. We understand that but for those who came before us, we would not have the opportunities we have today. It’s why we’re still here today doing the work of our community, and helping others to do their part.

I told parts of this to the conversion class because I wanted them to understand that being a part of our community is about finding a balance between learning and doing, and between the individual and the collective. We need them, and you, and all of us to be people of action. How fitting that we remember that today, as we prepare to light the first Hanukkah candles on Sunday.

As we bring light into the darkest time of year, we will also be recounting stories of miracles, of oil, of victories, and of freedom. As we say nes gadol haya sham (a great miracle happened there), I think about the great miracles we can make happen right here. During this time of year, I ask you to do your part in making miracles happen in our own community. There are times when it may be hard to dig deep and to give big, but our community’s continued success will be built on the actions we take today. This Hanukkah, make miracles happen for everyone around you by supporting our community through the Federation Annual Campaign.

Shabbat and chag Hanukkah sameach,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver