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Incredible things happen when young people are given the confidence to perform. I use the word given because it became very clear to me this week the important relationship between those putting themselves out there and those who support them.

We were blown away when our three ShinShinim volunteers sent this amazing video about how excited they are to be coming to Vancouver on Monday to make Israeli culture come alive for local students. ShinShinim is an acronym for the Hebrew words Shanat Sherut, meaning year of service, and while here the teens will volunteer with the JCC, Temple Sholom Hebrew School, Vancouver Talmud Torah (VTT), King David High School, Richmond Jewish Day School and Beth Israel Hebrew School. So many organizations are supporting this program and these young women, and our Federation is proud to be collaborating with them. ShinShinim volunteers aren’t just any teens - these positions are highly coveted, with only 100 selected out of 1,500 applicants. We can’t wait for you to meet Tomer, Lian and Ophir at our Federation Annual Campaign Opening Event: FEDtalks and throughout the year.

Closer to home, kids from our community were performing with Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! What a polished production these kids put on, under the direction of Perry Ehrlich. It was incredible to see how confident they were performing in front of an audience. I attended with Cathy Lowenstein, head of school at VTT, and she pointed out how many kids from our day schools, camps and other Jewish community programs were involved. Very impressive.

Young people so often mirror what we most want to see in ourselves. Just look at the ShinShinim volunteers devoting a year to our community and embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, or the Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! kids overcoming their nerves to perform their hearts out. When we show leadership and have confidence, the things we can accomplish together are limitless.

Sitting in the theatre that evening, the support these kids received from audience members was palpable. And it was clear that the audience had a role to play in the production, too, because the attitudes of those family members and friends gave the kids strength to put themselves out there. They surrounded them with love and gave them the support they needed to elevate their game.

It got me thinking about the role we all play as members of a Jewish community that is rich in diversity. David Cape and Shimon Fogel, of our advocacy agent CIJA, wrote an article in the Canadian Jewish News yesterday titled, Community Needs Unity, Not Uniformity, about how we act toward and support each other when someone is stepping into an uncomfortable space. They noted a lesson derived from the Talmud that “true unity derives from diversity, not uniformity.” Our ability to surround people with kindness and respect in the most difficult situations is what defines us individually as community members and ultimately as a community itself.

Earlier today, President Obama addressed the Jewish community of North America around the Iran deal (the address begins at 31:17). These are very challenging times, with people staking their beliefs across the spectrum. But, as we heard from CJIA, you have to surround people with respect to keep our community together, even during – no, especially during - our most uncomfortable times. Our Federation is here to bring people together, to embrace our differences with respect, and to allow people to live in those sometimes uncomfortable spaces. Whether we’re welcoming Israeli teens to the Lower Mainland for a year, helping children perform to their potential, or respectfully communicating with fellow community members who may be torn about current events, how we act and react matters. It matters to us as people and as a community.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver