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Summer is in full swing: the days are long and the heat is on. Yet our focus is already on the fall, a time of natural endings and new beginnings as the Jewish year winds down and a new year begins. It may seem strange to be thinking about that on what may be the hottest day of the summer so far, but the welcomes, farewells, shaloms and l’hitraots that we’re saying this week have us thinking ahead.

One set of beginnings and endings that we have to report on this week comes from Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA (JFC-UIA). I am pleased to share with you that Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA has announced the appointment of their new president and CEO, Nikki Holland, who will assume her new role on August 15th. We wish Nikki a warm, Western Canadian welcome and look forward to working with her. Nikki brings extensive experience in public affairs and government relations and she has been actively involved in the Jewish community, including as a member of the advisory board of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee.

At the same time, we say farewell to outgoing president and CEO Linda Kislowicz, with whom we have had a very strong and positive relationship over the years. Seventy-five people gathered in Jerusalem recently to celebrate Linda and wish her well. All agency partners were represented, as well as all staff from the Israeli office, and Canadian lay leaders. Heartfelt tributes came from Jerry Silverman, outgoing president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America; The Honourable Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice; Greg Masel, director general of Keren Hayesod; Yossi Tanuri, director-general of JFC-UIA; Shoel Silver, longtime board member; and Linda's son Rabbi Barry Kislowicz. We wish Linda all the best.

For the past few years summer has been the time that we say l'hitraot to our ShinShinim. A few weeks ago we hosted a farewell party for Maya and Diana, as they headed off for summer adventures and then back to Israel. Now we are looking ahead to welcoming two new ShinShinim to our community, Ofir and Or.

This is the fourth year that we have offered the program and the impact these young emissaries have had on our community has been significant. Many of the youth in our community have been very positively influenced by them and their love of Israel. A number of the host families have also formed strong bonds with them and remain connected to past ShinShinim. Some of the host families have had the chance to visit these young people in Israel and spend time with them and their families.

We are seeking host families for the coming year. It is an amazing opportunity both to build relationships with these impressive young people and to do a mitzvah for the community. If you have school-aged children, live in Vancouver or Richmond, and have a spare bedroom, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Shelley Rivkin at srivkin@jewishvancouver.com if you would like to know more about being a host family or if you have some suggestions of others who might.

In the meantime, let us introduce Ofir and Or.

Ofir Gady is 17 years old, grew up in Reut, and majored in computer science and physics in high school. He has been involved in Israeli scouts for the last two years, and this past year headed up the counsellor team. He has two older siblings, both of whom worked as shlichim in the US. He is physically active, loves to swim and enjoys playing guitar. He is a strong believer in religious pluralism and wants to work in Israel to address the social gaps in Israeli society.

Or Aharoni is 17 years old, grew up in Aviel, and majored in English and dance in high school. She also studied diplomatic-international communication as a way of improving her interpersonal and social skills. She has been a youth movement counsellor for several years and, in particular, worked with children with developmental disabilities. She has two younger siblings with whom she is very close. She also loves running, yoga and aerobics and going to the theatre with friends. Or loves the cultural diversity of Israel, but is also concerned about the social gaps.

Ofir and Or will be coming to Vancouver in September, which may feel like a long time away but is really only a few weeks from now. It’s hard to believe the Federation Annual Campaign and FEDtalks are just around the corner. It seems like we shouldn’t even mention fall while kids are still at camp, but there is so much to look forward to. Starting in a few weeks we’ll be bringing you profiles of our FEDtalks speakers in the Shabbat Message, but if you like to look ahead like we do, you can click here and read all about Rabbi Irwin Kula; comedian and disabilities advocate, Pamela Schuller; Israeli Olympian, Arik Zeevi; and a woman who has a very personal connection to our community, Zoya Shvartzman.

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver