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“The idea of partnerships... enables a cross dialogue all over the Jewish world." That is what Isaac Herzog, the new chair of our partner, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), said when he spoke at Wednesday morning’s Partnership2Gether (P2G) meet-up at Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly (GA). It was a great coming-together of the three events that brought us to Israel last week and this week.

The focus of the GA was “Let’s Talk,” a concerted effort to bring people together on some of the most challenging issues we face as Jews today, whether we live in Israel or the Diaspora. More than 3,000 people attended and you can experience it for yourself here.

With the close of the GA earlier in the week, we turned our attention to JAFI’s Board of Governors meeting. Karen James, our Board chair, holds a voting position on JAFI’s Board of Governors, so she was at the table when they continued to address some of the challenging issues on which many of us do not see eye to eye. JAFI honoured the Druze community for their contributions to Israel, and the Board of Governors ratified their commitment to the basic principles set out in Israel's Declaration of Independence for a Jewish and democratic state.

From the Nation-State Bill to an egalitarian prayer space at the Kotel to recognition of non-Orthodox conversions, there are many opinions and considerable passions at play - which isn’t actually a problem. The problem lies in those times when we cannot seem to come together in respectful debate. It’s exactly what Rabbi Jay Henry Moses of the Wexner Foundation spoke about at FEDtalks last year, and it’s worth revisiting now. 

Back at home, an event on Tuesday evening was a great example of people being prepared listen to different perspectives on Israel. Left vs. Right featured journalists J.J. Goldberg and Jonathan Tobin on the topic of The Battle for Israel’s Soul. We co-sponsored the event along with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the JCC, the Jewish Independent, Ameinu, Temple Sholom, Or Shalom, Beth Israel, and Schara Tzedeck. Despite the very different opinions shared by the speakers and audience members, the tone was respectful. We’re proud to have been part of such a productive collaboration among organizations in our community.

Earlier in the week, we were excited to see more than 20 children and their parents come to the information session for the Langley Hebrew School. This program started last year through our Connect Me In initiative, and we are thrilled to see it continue. It is part of how we are delivering on our commitment to develop Jewish programs in the regional communities.

Our partner, Jewish Family Services (JFS), introduced a new healthy food program for lower-income Jewish households in the Richmond and Tri-Cities areas. The Jewish Food Link will provide nutritious food on a regular basis at no cost to households earning less than $40,000/year. We are very proud to support this program through a grant from our endowment program, the Jewish Community Foundation, and our Connect Me In initiative is playing a part by connecting families to JFS. If you are interested in the program, please send a confidential email to Donna Riback, driback@jfsvancouver.ca, or call her at 604.637.3305.

As our community continues to expand geographically and as the cost of living continues to rise, ensuring that everyone has access to Jewish programs and services, and can fully participate in all that our community has to offer is only going to become more important. The affordability and accessibility of Jewish community life are the primary focuses of this year’s Federation Annual Campaign.

If you haven’t yet made your campaign gift, please do so today. Every single one of us plays a part in making our community stronger, not just for today, but for those who will come after us. Tzedakah is a mitzvah that we must each do ourselves. This year, when you increase your gift, you can direct 100% of your increase to one of three areas of need: Jewish education, the regional communities, or helping more people get their basic needs met and participate fully in community life. Or as always, donors can choose to direct 75% of their new or increased gift to the partner agency of their choice instead.

We started the message writing about partnerships, and we want to end with a huge kol hakavod to our partner, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) for engaging 800 high school students at their symposium yesterday. The VHEC engages 25,000 students and teachers each year, and we are very proud to support their important work.

Shabbat Shalom.

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

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