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The wonderful partnerships that our community enjoys is top of mind for us, as we reflect back on the week. Last Sunday, we saw at Limmud a perfect example of how a small group of volunteers can do great things when each carries a bit of the weight. Our Federation was proud to be one of the many community partners that supported the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) Tu B’Shevat event on Tuesday night, which featured former Israeli ambassador to the UN, Dan Gillerman. We also gathered to support our partner agency, the Jewish Community Centre (JCC), as they hosted their annual Sports Dinner. Frank Sirlin, board chair of JNF, Michelle Pollock, president of the JCC, and Mike Averbach, chair of the JCC Sports Dinner, along with their respective teams, did a terrific job of bringing our community together this week. Spending time with the people and agencies that we work with so closely is a reminder of how fortunate we are to have their support, and to be able to support them in turn.

This week’s parsha, Yitro, is often spoken about in terms of the Ten Commandments, but at Federation its other themes of leadership and partnership particularly resonate with us. Yitro speaks to us about finding more effective ways to help others, and of sharing that privilege across the community. When Yitro sees Moshe trying to create change by himself, he knows the task is impossible. Moshe is judging the Israelites’ problems one by one, which he cannot sustain on his own. The line of people is too long, and their wait too burdensome. Yitro sees that the most effective way to help is for Moshe to rely on trusted, capable partners. It’s a lesson our Federation lives and breathes.

One of our calls to action as a community is to make Jewish life more accessible, by breaking down barriers for everyone, regardless of their circumstances, their histories, their abilities. A soul, not a wallet, is one’s passport to meaning, purpose, and community. This goes to the heart of how we and our partners help, from meeting basic day-to-day needs, to providing tuition assistance, developing affordable housing, and more. Through our Federation’s work convening community partners, and raising the funds to support the programs and services that thousands of community members rely on, we strive to build a community that is a tent open on all sides.

Today, in our community the lines of people needing help are long. Sometimes we wonder, will the line ever end? Will our work ever be done? We hope so. That’s certainly our utopia. But, the reality is that new needs will always continue to emerge as our community grows, and our current needs will evolve.

Why do it then, if we may never finally help that last person in line? Because even if we cannot, the hope remains that those who come after us will. There is commentary on parsha Yitro by Arnold Eisen, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, that sums this up beautifully: “No generation, ours included, can do the work of Covenant well without the assurance that those who follow will pick up where it leaves off. For what we see around us generally looks like wilderness. The Promised Land lies ever ahead, sometimes out of view. Without hope of our children reaching it someday, or their children, we would lack the strength to go forward.”

Sometimes one organization or individual feels like they must shoulder the load alone, but it’s only through real partnerships that we can create meaningful change.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver