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Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

January 19, 2018 | 3 Shevat 5778 | Shabbat Candlelighting at 4:30 p.m.

This message has 770 words and will take about 4 minutes to read.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the important role Jewish communal professionals play in our community. Much of our work is centred around building strong relationships with individuals and with organizations, so having the right professionals in place is crucial to our success. This is especially important as we reach out and try to engage people who might not otherwise find an entry point into the Jewish community. People connect for a wide variety of reasons, and we work hard every day to create the kinds of invitations that resonate, to foster the kinds of connections that are meaningful and lasting, and that, all together, enrich individuals’ lives and strengthen our community.

Strategic PrioritiesWe placed particular emphasis on young adult engagement in our 2020 Strategic Priorities, dedicating an entire area of focus to programs for this group that differs so much from other generations; learn more about Axis here. We even created a position on the Federation Board for the chair of the Axis Steering Committee, which is currently held by Bryan Hack. Behind every great volunteer leader is a stellar professional, and Bryan is about to get a terrific new partner in our work.

I am very pleased to announce that Elizabeth Fesherman is being promoted from her role as campaign coordinator to manager of young adult initiatives at the end of the month. We look forward to seeing the invitations she will create and the connections she will foster. If you know a young adult who should be connected and isn’t, please let Elizabeth know so she can reach out.

Another opportunity to invite people to find their way into the local Jewish community is to welcome people who are new in town. It’s well known that newcomers to the Lower Mainland can feel quite lonely.  We are seeing a significant increase in the number of Israelis who are new to our community, and we’re committed to ensuring that loneliness is not a part of their adjustment to our rainy city. That’s where our Gesher Newcomers Welcoming Services program comes in.

Breakfast ClubIn partnership with the JCC, Miri Tal, our Gesher Newcomers Support Program coordinator, has been hosting a program for Israeli women called The Breakfast Club. Working alongside her is Ayelet Cohen, the JCC’s Israeli and Jewish culture coordinator. Four years ago, a committee member had the idea to develop the club as a way to warmly welcome Israeli women who are new to the city and connect them with their peers who have been living here longer. It’s been going strong ever since. The club meets about every six weeks on a Sunday; there’s always plenty of food and all the schmoozing is in Hebrew. They typically have about 35 women of a variety of ages attend each time, and the length of time they’ve been in Vancouver ranges from one week to over 30 years. If you fit anywhere into that range, come on out and join other Israeli women at the next event on Sunday, March 4th.

Miri says that what is especially nice about the club is that “there are familiar faces and new faces. People aren’t seeing the group as only effective when they first arrive, but they’re building friendships and finding the social connections valuable years down the road.”

Israelis who are new in town can connect with Miri through Gesher’s Facebook page or at the JCC between the membership and reception desks.

Teens and Pre-teens ClubFinally, I want to highlight another time in life when an invitation to connect to our community can have a lasting impact. With more Jewish families living in the regional communities, programming for youth and teens is an important focus of our Connect Me In initiative and Orly Naim, our manager, community development. Together with Habonim Dror-Camp Miriam and our Shinshiniyot, Orly has put together a Preteens and Teens program designed to create strong connections through fun activities related to Judaism and Israel that runs every two to three weeks at Burquest Community Centre. There are two groups: one for grades five through seven and another for grades eight to 11. Their next event is this Sunday evening. Find out more here.

We frequently make the point in this message that community is composed of individuals, and that the strength of a community is bolstered when individuals get themselves and each other involved. We have the professionals and the volunteers in place – all we need is you. If you’re already involved in the community, fantastic. If you want to be but aren’t, there are more ways than ever to find an option that works for you.

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

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