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How do we as the collective Jewish people think about safety and security when it comes to Israel? The Iran deal brings this question to the fore for many of us. At Federation we’ve been immersed in discussion about it. Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and our advocacy arm, The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs both released statements, which we’ve linked here for you to read. There was also thoughtful commentary from past and future Federation Annual Campaign Opening Event speakers: Alan Dershowitz in the Jerusalem Post and Rabbi David Wolpe in Time, who you’ll hear from at FEDtalks on September 17th. We are fortunate in our community to have access through this event to some of the great Jewish minds of our day, and I hope you will join us at FEDtalks when the Hon. Irwin Cotler will provide a Canadian perspective on the Iran deal and other issues impacting our community. If you’d like to keep up with the latest on the deal, JFNA has set up a page of continuous updates.

Certainly, the deal and its potential implications were on my mind as I hit the road and visited two of our local overnight summer camps. Accompanying me to Habonim-Dror Camp Miriam were Marcie Flom, Bernie Simpson and former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Fraser. We were there for the official opening of the Janusz Korczak Pavilion. The Janusz, as it is affectionately called by campers, is the result of a generous gift through the Jewish Community Foundation from the Estate of Paul and Edwina Heller through Irene Bettinger, trustee. It is a fantastic new addition to the camp experience. Whether there’s rain or intense sun, the kids will be able to enjoy this protected space for outdoor activities. I also visited Camp Solomon Schechter, and spoke to the directors at both camps about how they are teaching campers about Israel. I was inspired to see the dedication of the leadership, staff and campers in this deeply immersive Jewish experience. They are helping our young people develop both their Jewish identity and a love for Israel. And there’s no better time to be teaching about Israel in camps than this week.

While the threats to the modern State of Israel have stayed the same over the years, the country has evolved from a fledgling nation to an economic powerhouse with thriving tech and research and development sectors. Israel is a global leader in many areas and there is much to be proud of. At the same time, there exists a significant socio-economic divide that means many young people simply do not have the opportunity to live up to their potential. Nowhere is that more prevalent than in our partnership region, where many kids are at risk of perpetuating the cycle of poverty in which they grew up, unless someone intervenes and changes their trajectory.

That’s where Federation and our partners come in. Together, we are breaking that cycle of poverty one teenager at a time. Well, several dozen at a time, really. Today’s Israel is a place where someone like Dafna Lifshitz, CEO of Appleseeds Academy, can seize on the energy of the tech sector’s success to educate those in the periphery. Appleseeds runs the Net@ program, which we fund in our partnership region of the Upper Galilee. Through Net@, students gain high-level computer skills which have immediate and long term benefits. They become the local go-to teens for things like computer repair by running workshops in the community. They achieve Cisco Systems official certification that leapfrogs them into elite army units. And in a country where every employer can relate to your army experience, this translates into highly-skilled, well-paying jobs in civilian life. This is one way we jump kids – and by extension their families and their communities - over socio-economic barriers.

We are thrilled that Dafna will be addressing our community at FEDtalks to give us an insider’s view of how the North is developing into a bio-tech hub - a Start-Up Region, if you will. She is leading this charge. And it’s a strategic focus we share, from our investment in Net@ to the Sidney Warren Science Education Centre to the Bar-Ilan University – Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee and beyond.

This is today’s Israel. And whether we’re sending local kids to summer camp where they develop a love for Israel, or we’re helping their Israeli peers fulfill their potential, our work ensuring long-term economic stability and security in the North is more important than ever.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver