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I hope you are having a very happy Sukkot. Our staff, along with Or and Ofir, our new ShinShinim, had a great time on Wednesday afternoon in the sukkah at King David High School. Many thanks to the school and to Rabbi Berger, head of Judaic studies, for modeling the value of Hachnasat Orchim (welcoming guests), and to Shelley Rivkin, our vice president, allocations, planning and community affairs, for organizing. Rabbi Berger explained the meaning of the etrog and each part of the lulav, and helped everyone take turns shaking them. It was very special, in particular for those for whom it was their very first time.

The sukkah is adjacent to a lovely little apple orchard at the back of the school. One of the children who joined us picked a few of the apples that had fallen and brought them into the sukkah, which was a perfect reminder of some of the themes of the holiday, like impermanence and the closeness to nature, the elements and the harvest.

There’ll be a whole lot of shaking going on in the JCC’s sukkah this Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until noon, when the JCC and PJ Library host their Open Sukkah Party. Come join us and bring your babies, toddlers and preschoolers for a fun time complete with crafts and music. If it rains, we’ll bring the fun inside.

In addition to this event, we were also very pleased to support The Bayit’s Pizza in the Hut on Wednesday night with a Community Engagement grant. More than 200 people attended, and the kids had a great time in the Gymboree bus and decorating their very own flags for Simchat Torah. Fifteen local politicians showed their support for our community and learned a little more Sukkot.

Building relationships with members of political parties from across the spectrum is an important part of the work of our advocacy partner, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). Karen James, our Board chair, and I have just returned from Ottawa, where CIJA and the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) hosted their annual Israeli Wines Meets Canadian Cheese reception.

We joined Jewish community leaders from across Canada, along with hundreds of Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff at the reception. This annual reception is always a terrific opportunity for our community to showcase our contributions to Canadian society through political involvement and engagement.

While in Ottawa, we participated in a number of meetings, including a briefing on the Middle East with Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, MP Andrew Leslie, and MP Michael Levitt, who is a Federation National Young Leadership Cabinet alum and was just promoted to the chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee. We also attended a meeting with the Leader of the Official Opposition, the Honourable Andrew Scheer, and we met with Jewish Parliamentarians and Senator Linda Frum; with Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez; and with NDP members of the Canada-Israel Friendship Group, BC MPs Murray Rankin and Randall Garrison.

We also met with our partners at the Federations in Toronto and Montreal, and with the new CEO of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, Nikki Holland.

There’s a lovely symmetry between our small community gatherings in the sukkah this week and our gatherings on Parliament Hill. Inviting each other in, getting to know each other, sharing our values and sharing a meal: these are the building blocks of a strong community.

Another important building block is, of course, the Federation Annual Campaign. We have crossed the $2 million dollar mark, and I would like to thank the donors who have contributed so far.

The holidays have kept us all very busy, so we understand if you haven’t yet had a chance to make your gift. But we really do make it super easy. Just click here and you can make your gift online. Give a little more and you can direct 100% of your increase to Jewish education, the regional communities, or affordability. Or you can take advantage of our Plus Giving offer, just like in past years, and direct 75% of your increase or your first-time gift to the partner agency of your choice.

Chag sameach and Shabbat shalom.

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver