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With Passover behind us, it’s as if our community has kicked into high gear. We had a lot going on this week!

On Tuesday for Yom Hazikaron, over 400 members of our community gathered for a memorial service at the JCC to honour Israel’s fallen soldiers and civilians killed in wars and terrorist attacks. We were joined by members of the Canadian Armed Forces and representatives from the State of Israel. Thank you to chair Geoffrey Druker and his committee for such a meaningful commemoration.

From that place of memory and honour, a grand celebration began at the Chan Centre on Wednesday evening for Yom Ha’atzmaut. Did you know that over the 17 years we’ve held this event it has grown into one of the largest in North America to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day? Kol hakavod to committee chair Pam Wolfman and to all the volunteers, staff, community partners, singers and dancers who worked so hard to make it special. Thanks as well to the many sponsors who helped to keep the event affordable to all community members, including our corporate sponsors Canadian Friends of Hebrew University; Consulate General of Israel - Toronto and Western Canada; the Georgian Court Hotel; the Jewish Independent; and the Jewish National Fund of Canada, Pacific Region. You can see photos from the event here.

On stage at the Chan Centre, our board chair, Karen James, spoke about her experience accompanying our March of the Living delegation last week on the Poland part of their trip. Just a week after they marked Yom HaShoah by marching from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the 23 high school students commemorated Yom Hazikaron standing in silence alongside Israelis in the heart of Jerusalem, then celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut with thousands of other students from around the world. We’re so proud to support this trip by offsetting some of the significant cost and offering scholarships to those who qualify for additional support.

This year’s local delegation is so large due to the tremendous efforts of committee chair Charlotte Katzen over the last two years. As Karen explains, “Charlotte is the reason this trip has been such a success this year. From engaging a record number of students to working tirelessly with them over several months prior to the trip, she and her committee deserve incredible thanks for their dedication and hard work. Along with chaperone Susan Siklos and doctor Barb Duncan, they have truly changed these students’ lives.”

Experiences like March of the Living have a profound effect on the development of a young person’s Jewish identity. Another such experience is attending a Jewish summer camp. We believe that every child, no matter where they live or what their family can afford, deserves to have the chance to go to camp. And we’re thrilled that many in our community have committed to helping with just that for families in the regional communities, where it can be difficult to connect with Jewish programming throughout the year.

We’re pleased to announce that a very generous donor has committed to providing camperships to support three first-time campers living in the regional communities – one each for Camp Hatikvah, Camp Miriam and Camp Solomon Schechter. Once the eligible campers have been selected, the camp will receive sufficient funds to cover the full fee for one session. For information, contact Shelley Rivkin. As well, Megan Laskin, our chair of Women’s Philanthropy, is well aware of the importance of providing meaningful connections to Jewish life for families who live far from the centre of Jewish programs and services. Megan and her husband Elliot have established the Laskin Outreach Fund at Camp Hatikvah to provide financial support to first-time campers from British Columbia living outside of Vancouver and Richmond. If you know of any families who fit this description and have kids in grades seven or eight, please pass this on to them. Thank you to these generous donors for heeding the call and facilitating meaningful connections to Jewish life for families in the regional communities.

We’re excited that JCC Camp Shalom Outreach will be held again this summer at Burquest from August 20-24th. If you’re in Burnaby, New Westminster, the Tri-Cities or beyond, this is a great opportunity.

Last weekend we supported Limmud Vancouver by providing transportation to community members living in Richmond, Burquest or on the North Shore through a Connect Me In engagement grant, and PJ Library was there with some great kids’ programming. Both Shelley Rivkin, our vice president for planning, allocations and community affairs, and I were there, and we were impressed by the diversity of attendees and sessions presented. Our hats are off to the volunteers who make this event so special.

Finally, I want to congratulate Sarah Berger, who was honoured by Shalhevet Girls High School on Sunday with the Guardian of the Flame Award. Sarah brings incredible heart and hospitality to her work in our Federation office, and it’s no surprise to us that she was described as “always ready and willing to give of herself to others. Her generosity knows no bounds, and her home and heart are open to all.”

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

P.S. The JCC has submitted a revised rezoning application to the City of Vancouver to allow a mixed-use development at their current location that includes a new JCC and family-oriented housing. Click here for more information on the open house they’re hosting on April 30th.