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Did you know that starting this year, May is officially Canadian Jewish Heritage Month? This spring, Parliament unanimously passed legislation to make it so. Here is the statement from Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism:

Canada’s Jewish community numbers 400,000 people from coast to coast to coast, making it the fourth largest in the world. Through their achievements, Canadians of Jewish origin have shaped the social, economic, political and cultural life of our country. Canadian Jewish Heritage Month is the perfect time to recognize their contributions and reflect on how we all benefit from the diversity and openness that are at the heart of Canadian identity.

… I invite Canadians of all faiths to learn more about the culture and history of their Jewish fellow citizens and their contributions to our society.

Kol hakavod to MP Michael Levitt and Senator Linda Frum for spearheading this. Michael is a past member of Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet, and Senator Frum is a member of the board of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA.

Minister Joly’s invitation fits perfectly with the work of many local organizations, not the least of which is our partner, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC). I was very proud to attend their 43rd Annual Symposium on the Holocaust, which was generously hosted by Congregation Beth Israel and welcomed more than 700 students from school districts as far away as Mission. It was one of 16 symposia presented by the VHEC annually and through which they engage senior high school students from throughout the province. Students meet survivors and learn about their experiences, gain an understanding of context from historical documentary film footage, and hear from historians, educators and anti-racism speakers. We are very proud to support their work.

Engaging with individuals, organizations and leaders both within and beyond the Jewish community is a central facet of the work of our advocacy partner, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which hosted the latest in their Building Bridges series of events this week.

The event was a cultural exchange between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver and the Jewish community and took place in two parts, starting with a Shavuot-themed luncheon at the Jewish Community Centre, after which we walked to the Archdiocese for kosher desserts. Presentations from both communities helped foster conversation and provided a unique opportunity to learn more about each other.

Developing closer connections with other ethno-cultural and faith-based groups enables our community to strengthen relationships and advocacy efforts with stakeholders of diverse backgrounds. CIJA’s work on this important file ranges from cultural exchanges, interfaith dialogues, Holocaust education, business exchanges profiling Israel, and collaborative work on policy issues, such as support for ethno-specific health services.

I would like to acknowledge Archbishop Miller; Rabbi Infeld (current head of the Rabbinical Association of Vancouver and co-chair of the Canadian Rabbinical Caucus); our board chair, Karen James; Shelley Rivkin, our vice president planning, allocations and community affairs; Jason Murray, chair of CIJA’s Local Partner Council; CIJA staff, and in particular Carmel Tanaka for taking the lead role on planning this event.

As we celebrate an abundance of invitations for our greater community to connect with our Jewish community and accept similar invitations, we also continue to provide important entry points for Jews who may otherwise struggle to connect with Jewish life.

Our Connect Me In initiative is really going strong, running programs in a variety of the regional communities that have growing Jewish populations but little to no Jewish communal infrastructure. For example, sparked by interest among families in each city and spurred on by parent volunteers, Connect Me In has launched two short-term Hebrew school programs this spring: one in Langley and one in Squamish. The Langley program has 17 children participating in the bi-weekly program, and 11 are signed up in Squamish. Connect Me In has also been running a bi-weekly Preteens and Teens Club in Coquitlam, with social and social-action programs that not only build community amongst participants, but encourage connections between participants and members of the greater Jewish community.

I also had the opportunity to celebrate Lag B’Omer with the Bayit community in Delta. There was a wonderful crowd participating in the event and I had the honour, along with Bayit president, Mike Sachs, and Shelley Rivkin, to light the bonfire. Many thanks to Elana and Joseph Vaupotic for hosting the event on their farm. This event is another example of the important impact of our community engagement grants.

Your eyebrows may be shooting up to learn there is so much interest in Jewish programs in these areas; we are extremely thankful for the support that makes it possible for Jewish Federation to respond to that interest through our Connect Me In initiative and new, innovative grant programs, and to provide these vital connections to Jewish life and community.

Shabbat shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver