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Advocacy is an important part of the work we do, both in the interest of the most vulnerable amongst us and on behalf of our community within our greater society.

A key component of effective advocacy is staying informed, and this week Nico Slobinsky, director of the Pacific Region of our advocacy partner the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), was in Victoria for the provincial government’s budget presentation.

Nico also joined me and my family, our Board chair Karen James and members of Federation leadership for Shabbat dinner last week with the Consul General of Germany, Josef Beck. Mr. Beck will be retiring from his post after serving in Vancouver for the last few years, during which time he has been a good friend to the Jewish community and has been especially supportive of programming related to Holocaust education and remembrance. We wish him the best of luck in his next chapter.

Also soon to embark on a new chapter is Rabbi Philip Bregman, who has served as executive director of Hillel BC for the last five years. Last night, I addressed Board chair Isaac Thau at their small but mighty AGM to tell their Board about our deep gratitude for the phenomenal work Rabbi Bregman, and his whole family, have done in the service of students on campuses across BC. We wish them all the best, and we also wish Rabbi Bregman luck in the upcoming Purim Throwdown. In July, Sam Heller will take the helm at Hillel BC and we're looking forward to working side by side with him.

Building and fostering relationships is another key to advancing our mission, and our two shinshiniot who are with us this year have proven to be extremely skilled at bringing people together. Last weekend Maya and Diana were instrumental in planning and leading programming at the Better Together 2018 Shabbaton held in Loon Lake to bring grade six students from Vancouver Talmud Torah, Richmond Jewish Day School and Edmonton Talmud Torah together to celebrate Shabbat in a glorious natural setting. Events like this facilitate lifelong friendships, and can form the foundation for a lifetime of dedication to fostering the health of the Jewish community. As Diana reported, “By the end of the weekend, the students were exchanging Instagrams and phone numbers so they can keep in touch.” Next year we’re hoping to include students who are involved with our Connect Me In initiative, as well.

In 2015, our Lions of Judah started the Spark a Mitzvah program with the goal of uniting all Jewish women in our community by hosting inclusive events where women come together to learn, laugh, network and have fun, while raising awareness and funds for a specific need in the community. Over time, they’ve narrowed their focus to providing Shabbat dinners for residents of Yaffa House, in cooperation with members of the JCC’s Bagel Club. The dinners are held in the Dunbar Apartments, a housing complex that enables people struggling with mental health issues to have their own apartments in a supportive environment. We are fortunate that there are five apartments in the building that have been designated for Jewish adults. Part of building community is to invite all of the residents to participate.

The next Spark a Mitzvah event will be held on Wednesday, March 14th at 7 p.m. Look for more information about it next week.

Coming back to the components of effective advocacy, certainly the ability to craft and convey a clear and convincing argument is key. On Thursday, March 15th, students in grades four through seven from throughout the Lower Mainland will gather at the Vancouver JCC to compete in the 30th Annual Public Speaking Contest. From its start, the event has been organized by Larry Barzelai, in honour of his father, Morris Black. So strong is the family connection to this effort that Larry’s brother runs a similar one in Hamilton, Ontario. Rabbi Levi Varnai, of The Bayit in Richmond, participated in the contest nearly 20 years ago and has this to say about his experience: “I am very grateful for the opportunity it gave me to speak to a large crowd of people, mostly strangers. This was my first experience in organizing my thoughts into a coherent speech – and within a time limit. There is no doubt in my mind that this instilled in me the confidence that I could be a speaker and an influencer in a variety of situations, whether as the Rabbi of a community as I am now or as a Rabbi on an army base as I was when I served in the IDF.”

Exploring topics from climate change to what makes a home Jewish to the ethical standards we hold our leaders to, participants will take to the stage next month to argue their points. No doubt some of our future leaders will be amongst them, and I’m looking forward to cheering them on.

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

PS We celebrated Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month in our office this week.