This message has 584 words and will take about 3 minutes to read.

First things first, I’d like to say a big mazel tov to the graduates of King David High School. I was privileged to attend their beautiful graduation ceremony last night, and we want to wish them all the best as they move on to embrace new and exciting challenges and opportunities.

Last week, when I wrote about honouring our volunteers at our upcoming Annual General Meeting, I noted that we aren’t the only organization with which they share their time and talents. That was on full display Sunday night when Neil and Michelle Pollock were honoured by the Jewish National Fund. It was fantastic to see them in the spotlight for the incredible work they do. Neil is a past chair of our Annual Campaign, and Michelle is a past co-chair of Lion of Judah. Kol hakavod!

Speaking of Lion of Judah, we hosted our annual Lion of Judah Evening of Appreciation on Monday evening at VanDusen Gardens, where we celebrated 13 new Lions. Lion of Judah is a recognition society for women who give $5,000 or more annually to the Federation Annual Campaign, and they lead the way with their commitment to tzedakah and tikkun olam. We are deeply grateful for their support and for the ways in which they model these values for others in our community. These new Lions exemplify the importance of taking on the responsibility of sustaining our community from generation to generation. This annual event is always well attended, and more than 70 Lions came to hear Gevura Davis share her journey of self-acceptance.

Our board chair, Karen James, has been a proud Lion for many years. We are very pleased to announce that Karen is now a voting member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI). Her appointment takes effect this month for a two-year term. JAFI is an important partner of ours and we are proud to support their work to inspire Jews to connect with their heritage, with Israel, and to build a thriving Jewish future. The Board of Governors is JAFI’s central policy-making body, handling governance and policy issues and overseeing budgets and operations.

This is the first time anyone from the Vancouver community has been appointed to such a senior level position with JAFI, and it is a testament to Karen’s longstanding involvement with our work in Israel, her experience as a leader with organizations across our community, and the high esteem in which she is held by her peers internationally. Yasher koach!

While we are on the topic of Israel, there was some excellent news from our partnership region. Two of the mayors with whom we work very closely have announced that within 90 days an emergency medical services clinic will open 24/7. Nearly three years ago the State stopped budgeting for comprehensive medical services, rendering them inaccessible to the majority of residents living in the northern part of the Upper Galilee Panhandle. Average life expectancy for residents of our partnership region is about two years shorter than for residents of Central Israel, so while this clinic is not one of our programs, it is of tremendous value to residents there and we applaud this achievement.

If you’re wondering why this week’s message is a little shorter than usual, it’s because we are gearing up to host executives and volunteer leadership from Jewish Federations across Canada as part of the annual Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA (JFC-UIA) meetings starting this Sunday. It is the first time these meetings have been held in Vancouver, and we are very proud to have been selected as the hosts this year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase our community to a group of very committed leaders from across the system, and it’s yet another way in which Vancouver is continuing to play a greater role on the Canadian stage each year.

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver