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Every year on this Shabbat – Shabbat Mishpatim – we focus on one of the many ethical and ritual commandments Moses conveys to the people after he receives the Ten Commandments: “If you lend money to My people, especially the poor, do not act as a creditor nor take interest.” Fundamentally, this rule is one that commands us to treat all people with the dignity they deserve. It’s something that drives our work and the work of our partners and organizations throughout the Jewish community every week of the year.

In the spring of 2015, our Federation began community consultations to examine our strategic priorities, and one of the things we learned is that there’s a great need for more flexible funding models and for the facilitation of inclusion for children and youth who may face barriers to participating in certain aspects of community life. Our Inspiring Inclusion Grants program was borne from these needs. These grants are an opportunity for community organizations and grassroots groups to come up with innovative ideas that have never been tried before and to implement them in their organization or to remove some physical barriers to participation.

The goals of the grant program are to:

• Increase social, spiritual and cultural connections for children, youth and young adults with a range of challenges;
• Create and expand academic and/or employment opportunities for young adults;
• Increase the accessibility of existing programs, services or community events to children, youth and young adults facing a range of challenges; and
• Facilitate meaningful relationships for children, youth and young adults with disabilities who do not currently have adequate pathways to develop peer relationships in the Jewish community.

On Wednesday night, at the Share the Journey event at the JCC that launched Jewish Disabilities Awareness and Inclusion Month, we announced the first five projects to receive funding through this granting program:

Beth Israel Synagogue: to hire a tutor to enable children with learning challenges to learn to read Torah, so they can fully participate with the other Hebrew School students.

Beth Tikvah: to hire the appropriate professionals (educational assistants, psychologists) to enable children and youth with invisible disabilities to participate fully alongside their peers in a range of programs offered by the synagogue.

Jewish Community Centre: to offer a new program called Family Yoga Fundamentals to all families, regardless of abilities, and to involve recreation aids to maximize participation.

Richmond Jewish Day School: to offer a fully inclusive music program using Orff percussion instruments, which are ideally suited to different levels of engagement that suit students’ abilities.

Vancouver Hebrew Academy: to install a wheelchair ramp to enable all students to access new playground equipment that has been specially designed for children of all abilities.

We estimate that over 100 children and their families will have a greater opportunity to connect with and fully participate in our Jewish community as a result of these programs. Congratulations to everyone! This is a great step forward.

Also this week, for the fifth year in a row, our Federation joined Federations from Calgary and Edmonton in Palm Springs for an event to celebrate our major donors. It was an important opportunity for us to connect with many of our most committed supporters about the impact we are making. This year we were thrilled to hear from Richard Sandler, chair of Jewish Federations of North America and executive vice president and trustee of the Milken Family Foundation. Many thanks to Pam and David Margolus of Edmonton for graciously hosting the event, and to PearTree Financial for generously sponsoring Vancouver’s participation. We were fortunate to have company founders Ron Bernbaum and Rene Bleeman in attendance.

I want to end this message where we began, by highlighting the work of the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Vancouver (HFLA), which provides interest-free loans in order to give Jews a hand up with financial assistance while maintaining their dignity. They have an incredible $424,863 in loans out in the community right now. Here’s more about their work from Michelle Dodek, past president of HFLA of Vancouver:

HFLA helps people before they slip into poverty, and helps them build up their capacity while maintaining their independence and dignity, so they can become contributing members to our community and society.

We provide up to $7,000 for a personal loan and $10,000 for education, new businesses or special purposes (like in-vitro fertilization). Emergency loans of up to $1,500 can be processed within 48 hours. In addition, we have a new student loan that extends over a maximum of four years of post-secondary education with a reduced repayment schedule.

Increasingly, we find we are helping people who have been running on a treadmill with their credit card payments. By taking a loan from us, borrowers eliminate their 21%+ interest and pay down their debts so they can start fresh.

HFLA of Vancouver is always looking for qualified applicants. If you’d like more information, please visit their website.

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver