This message has 709 words, and will take about three to four minutes to read.

Earlier this week, Christine Day, while announcing her resignation as CEO of Lululemon, was quoted saying, “There is no great time to leave a company you love.” I saw that quote this week and smiled, because it so perfectly captured what I was feeling. In a few short months, my family and I will be leaving Vancouver as I take on a new position as Executive Vice-President of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). As exciting and meaningful as it is to have this opportunity, it means leaving a job, an organization, and a community that I love.

Eleven and a half years ago when I came to our Jewish Federation, I think it would have been fair to characterize our community as one in which the Jewish Federation concept was challenged. Among the last of the North American communities our size to “federate”, our fundraising was stagnant, and we weren’t in a position to fully exercise leadership on behalf of the community with respect to planning for our future, strengthening our partner agencies, or contributing meaningfully to the broader picture of Jewish community life across Canada, in Israel or globally.

Today, Jewish Federation is a different organization and I am proud of what our strong board leadership and staff team are able to bring to our daily work of building and strengthening community. We have demonstrated our impact and our relevance time and again. And most important, the accomplishments of the past 11 years are not just mine, but really are a reflection of a tremendous team effort.

Some years ago, my kids and their friends started calling me “JFed”, and I am pretty sure it isn’t because they thought I was cool (They were teens – how could I possibly be cool?). It was because to them, my role in serving the Jewish community through the Federation defines who I am. In their irreverent way, the kids got it right.

I have loved being the CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. I have loved it because it enabled me to spend every day engaged in work that I think is the most important thing in the world that I could be doing. I have loved it because I find the dedication and passion of our volunteer leadership inspiring. I have loved it because I am surrounded by colleagues who share my commitment to serving our community. I have loved it because the Greater Vancouver Jewish community is so wonderfully diverse. We face all the challenges that North American Jewish communities face today, in some ways to an even greater extent. And yet we do so with great energy and creativity. And of course, the natural beauty of our surroundings has been a very special added benefit.

I have now been presented with the opportunity to serve the Jewish community on a wider platform, working to strengthen the resources and capacity of the Jewish Federation system in North America. As I shared this news over the past week, first with Jewish Federation’s top leadership and in the past day with widening circles of leadership, donors and colleagues, I have been very gratified by the grace and enthusiasm with which they have greeted this opportunity. They have all been extraordinarily understanding of why this position represents the next logical step in my career of service to the Jewish community and people. The thoughtfulness and professionalism with which our board leadership has started the work of preparing for a transition of executive leadership exemplifies why our Jewish Federation has grown so much stronger over the past decade. I will be working with our leadership and JFNA Mandel Center for Professional Excellence to support the transition process.

In too short a time that will pass way too quickly, my family and I will relocate to New York. In the meantime, we have work to do – our Annual Campaign is gearing up, our Jewish Education Task Force holds its second meeting next week, our new young adult initiative (Axis) is launching in less than two weeks – and the list goes on. Until I leave I will continue working each day to grow our capacity to touch and nurture Jewish lives in a deep and meaningful way.

Shabbat shalom!