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Southern Israel Relief Fund Opened
In a separate message today, we shared that the Jewish Federation has reopened its Southern Israel Relief Fund in response to the dramatic escalation of rocket attacks on Israel this week. Funds contributed will support the immediate relief needs of vulnerable populations, respite opportunities for children and families trapped for prolonged periods in shelters, and trauma counseling for the affected population. To read the earlier message, click here.

Correction Re: Choices Sponsors
Last week’s message, reporting on our Women’s Philanthropy Division’s Choices event, accidentally omitted one of our event sponsors – Marni and Shannon – Real Estate Outside the Box from the listing of our sponsors. We gratefully acknowledge their generous support.

Corporate sponsors provide an important source of financial support for our campaign events, enabling us to keep our costs for key events low, and priced to encourage maximum participation.

Training Workshop Brings Community Professionals Together
Twenty-seven youth workers representing the JCC, synagogue youth groups, the camps and the day schools participated in a three hour youth-at-risk workshop yesterday. A key objective of the workshop was to provide participants with some specific skills to support youth in emotional distress and to effectively respond to crises involving youth. The workshop was a collaborative effort of the JCCGV, JFSA and Federation with support from community experts. If you are interested in accessing a copy of the crisis intervention protocol, click here.

Holocaust Education Centre Reaches Out to High Schools
One of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre’s hallmark initiatives presents historians and survivors of the Holocaust to senior high school students from school districts across the Metro Vancouver area. The program is now going into its 39th year. This month, the VHEC orchestrated symposia in partnership with the Coquitlam, Burnaby, and Surrey school districts, reaching approximately 2,300 students. Program speakers included historian Dr. Jay Eidelman, and Holocaust survivor outreach speakers David Ehrlich, Peter Parker, and Alex Buckman.

Stuart McLean Features Holocaust Survivor’s Story
Stuart McLean of the Vinyl Cafe, one of Canada’s most prominent storytellers, recently featured the personal story of Holocaust survivor David Kilberg, the grandfather of a close friend. The broadcast is available online and is worth listening to and sharing with others.

Parashat Toledot
This week’s parasha shares the fateful story of Jacob and Esau, in which the birthright available from their father, Isaac, can only go to one of the children. A deception unfolds in which the younger son, Jacob, obtains the birthright, but then must flee in fear for his life.

Parents who have more than one child quickly learn the difficult challenge of apportioning their love (and possessions) among their children. Can it ever be fairly done? How many different emotions enter into the calculation?

As members of a community, as we survey the ever-expanding range of needs facing us, we too can feel caught in that bind. We are working to complete our Jewish Federation Annual Campaign, our primary communal vehicle for responding to a wide spectrum of Jewish needs here and abroad. We are also compelled to respond to the urgent needs which have erupted in Israel this week, and to the still urgent needs of tens of thousands affected by Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey. We have important capital campaigns going in our community, and many other important causes seeking our help as well. And they are all our family.

Isaac, willfully or not, allows himself to bestow his birthright on only one child. As we survey our various communal responsibilities, what choices will we make to balance the various needs at hand? This is one of those times that calls for those who are able to dig deeper, and to respond to the greatest extent possible, so that we can do right by our family, both near and far.

Shabbat shalom!