Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver   Click here for web version

January 12, 2018 | 25 Tevet 5778 | Shabbat Candlelighting at 4:20 p.m.

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Keshet LGBTQ inclusion trainingWe were delighted to receive a visit this week from Dr. Shivi Greenfield, chief strategy officer of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), and their Canadian regional director, Mijal Ben Dori. JAFI played a pivotal role in the founding of the State of Israel and in the early development of its infrastructure, even before there was a government in place. Today, they are one of our primary international partners, working to build a better society in Israel and beyond. Their work today is focused in four areas:

  • Bringing Jews to Israel on Israel experiences trips, such as Masa Israel Journey;
  • Bringing “Israel to your community" through a variety of Jewish education and communal programs, such as shlichim (emissaries);
  • Helping vulnerable Israelis (both Jewish and Arab) and encouraging "Jewish Social Action" through programs such as Youth Futures; and
  • Facilitating Aliyah and helping immigrants integrate into Israeli society.

Diaspora communities face unique challenges like fundraising, engaging Millennials, and addressing the increasing cost of participation in Jewish life. At the same time, Israel is dealing with big issues of its own, like religious pluralism, immigration and security. While these challenges are distinct and sometimes pull us apart from each other as we deal with them, we must maintain our sense of mutual responsibility across the global Jewish community.

As Shivi puts it, we’re family and that means you’re never alone. If we are to foster unity amongst all of the world’s Jews, it is not enough for Diaspora Jews to understand Israeli life. Israelis, too, must have an understanding of and appreciation for the opinions and needs of Jews overseas. This aspect of the Israel-Diaspora relationship was clear to see throughout the discussions our community had around issues related to conversion and the Kotel that I wrote about here. And we see it addressed in many of JAFI’s programs.

Keshet LGBTQ inclusion trainingTake our shinshiniot, for example. JAFI recruits and trains Israeli high school graduates to spend a gap year before their military service volunteering in a Diaspora community. This is the third year we have participated in the program, and you can read more about our current shinshiniot, Diana and Maya, here. During the year they spend volunteering in our community they connect with hundreds of people, many of whom are children, and help them understand Jewish life from an Israeli perspective. But their role doesn’t end when they leave the Lower Mainland. When they return to Israel they bring their unique experiences from Greater Vancouver with them; they help their peers to better understand what it is like to live outside of Israel, from what it means to be part of a minority group to how a community is organized to how Jews in the Diaspora feel connected to Israel when they may never have visited there.

JAFI is finalizing a pilot project that would see their returning shlichim (JAFI employees assigned to work in Diaspora communities for multi-year terms) take up part-time advisory roles with participating Members of the Knesset (MKs), enabling MKs to more fully understand the various facets of issues that are important to the diverse communities of the Diaspora. JAFI has been clear with us that this isn’t about lobbying per se, but about addressing a lack of knowledge and promoting an understanding amongst policy makers of perspectives that might not otherwise be obvious or clear. From there MKs will make their own decisions, but hopefully more fully informed ones. Federation contributes to efforts like this through our national support of JAFI.

Keshet LGBTQ inclusion trainingIn our partnership region of the Upper Galilee, we support two programs run by JAFI in an effort to improve education and foster economic development in Northern Israel. Youth Futures pairs at-risk youth with trustees who act as a bridge between the family, the individual, the school, and public systems, and Yesodot helps Ethiopian children achieve personal and academic success in Israel. We also provide funding for programs that connect young adults to Israel and to their Jewish heritage, including Birthright and Masa, both of which involve JAFI to various extents.

We are incredibly fortunate to have not one but two leaders from our local community involved with JAFI through its Board of Governors. For the past couple of years, our Board chair, Karen James, has had a seat on JAFI’s Board, and I am very proud to tell you that Candace Kwinter, chair of our Israel and Overseas Affairs Committee, will soon be joining her at the table. It is unprecedented for our community to be leading at this level, and we will continue to build on this privilege and responsibility.

Vancouver is held in high regard by JAFI, who value not only our commitment to programs that meet needs locally and in our partnership region, but our commitment to the collective needs of the Jewish people that is demonstrated consistently by our Federation and its leaders, and indeed by our community as a whole. When we accept responsibility for one another as members of a global Jewish family, in addition to never being alone we enable each other to be our best.

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

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