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Tonight, more than 20 Shabbat tables will include loaves of challah that Inclusion Services at the Jewish Community Centre and the Bagel Club community baked with young adults involved in our Axis program at Challah-luyah. This was a joint program to celebrate Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month. Participants each took home a challah, and the remaining loaves were distributed through the Jewish Food Bank.

Courtney Cohen, an Axis Leadership Committee member and event participant had this to say: “The Bagel Club is an amazing team who showed the true meaning of family while we prepared the challahs together. It's important for us as a Jewish community to facilitate events such as Challah-luyah to get new individuals involved and current organizations working together on projects that give back within our community.”

Sometimes, older generations can have a tendency to question whether younger generations are as committed to community as they are. But between the Jews in their 20s and 30s who we see engaged through Axis, and the teens we see getting involved, there is every reason to feel positive for the future of our community.

Case in point is the cohort of 23 high school students who will be going on this year’s March of the Living (MOL). Last weekend they attended a Shabbaton hosted by Eva and David Kaplan, and facilitated by Charlotte Katzen, chair of the MOL committee and 2018 chaperone, and Susan Siklos, past participant (1994) and 2018 chaperone. With more than three times the usual number of participants this year, organizers are working hard to ensure the teens have ample time to get to know each other and form bonds that will support them through the emotional journey they’ll embark upon in April.

The Shabbaton brought participants together in a more relaxed setting than their weekly preparation meetings allow for, giving them a chance to socialize and get to know each other better. It was also an opportunity for them to hear the personal stories of survivors, and to engage in a more personal and intimate way with their experiences.

Jewish Federation supports March of the Living by offsetting the cost of the trip by $2,000 for each participant, by providing scholarships for participants who qualify for additional financial assistance, and by providing staff resources. We know the cost of living in and around Vancouver is especially high these days, and we are committed to supporting subsidies that make participation in programs like March of the Living more affordable.

As we support the teens who will soon travel across the world to connect with their history and identity as Jews, we’re also following up on efforts our community took last summer to support British Columbians affected by the record-breaking wildfire season in our province.

As fires raged across our province, we launched the BC Wildfire Relief fund. The nearly $10,000 contributed by community members was matched by our Board of directors when they approved a $10,000 distribution from our emergency fund. Karen James, our Board chair, worked with members of the Kamloops Jewish community to determine where these funds would have the greatest impact. The fires left deep emotional scars, and I am very pleased to report that the funds will support mental health services for those who were traumatized by these traumatic events, including first responders. Our Board felt it was important not just to support the needs of individuals affected by the fires, but also those whose job it is to support others.

We had always planned to write about this and about young adults today, but both took on additional meaning when we heard from our colleagues at the Jewish Federation of Broward County about the response to the school shooting on Wednesday that they and their communal rabbis are leading. Several of the victims were Jewish, and funerals for girls aged 14 and 18 took place today. More will take place on Sunday. In addition to deploying mental health professionals to counsel families and youth, Federation and the rabbis are coordinating counseling for clergy, teachers and mental health workers who, in turn, will need support in the weeks to come.

There is much that needs to be done, but this Shabbat their community is focused on combating evil with good, and they have posted a list of suggestions. Let me leave you with one that is a simple act each of us can join them in, no matter how far away we are, and that is to be in touch with your friends, family and show them your love.

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver