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Our office is abuzz this week with two big projects. First, we are gearing up for our AGM on Thursday the 18th, where we will be honouring four of our incredible volunteers: Harvey Dales, Karen James, Alvin Wasserman and Mira Robin. Second, we are incredibly proud to be hosting the bi-annual Steering Committee meetings of our Israel partnership region.

It’s fitting that I write about Israel and volunteerism today, in light of the incredible response to our reflections on Bob Coleman z”l last Shabbat. Bob’s nephew by marriage and our former president, Arnold Fine, shared with us his reminiscences, which so perfectly tie together Bob’s love of Israel and his commitment to community:

“After his family, one of Bob’s greatest passions was the State of Israel... he would often remark that “we kids” have never known life without it.... but he did and would not forget it. A great deal of his reading time was spent learning the issues surrounding Israel and passing on that information to all he knew. He was a community leader and he and Helen attended virtually every event that had to do with our Jewish community. Bob, along with Helen, supported our Vancouver Jewish community with the most generous gift of all - their time in supporting our Jewish community events and endless hours working on boards and committees to enrich our community. Our community has suffered a loss in his passing; however, Bob leaves our community richer and more vibrant for his having been a major part of it for almost a century.”

That same commitment to building up our community is being carried on today by the two volunteers I want to tell you about this Shabbat - Harvey Dales and Alvin Wasserman.

You may know Harvey as the $8 million man, for he was the chair of our campaign when it reached that record achievement last year, but his commitment to Federation and to our entire community goes far beyond that. Harvey is an absolutely tireless advocate for almost every community organization and every cause that comes to his door, and he has a track record of doing all he can to make each one of them successful. Just when you think you know all the volunteer and philanthropic commitments he has taken on, it is inevitable that you uncover another one. And then another one. And then, quite often, one more after that. It’s a commitment he shares with Harry Woogman z”l, and so it is fitting that at our AGM Harvey will be honoured with the Harry Woogman Award for his hadracha v'dugma (leadership by example). Harry Woogman z”l was known for stepping up to help no matter what was needed of him, whether it was on a community level or a personal level with individual community members. We talk about the behaviour of the matriarchs and patriarchs of our community that we hold dear. In many ways, these are the values Harvey holds dear and brings to life every day.

They are also shared by Alvin Wasserman, someone who cares about our community like we’re his extended family. Lou Zimmerman z”l, whose namesake award we are honouring Alvin with, viewed our community the same way, and like Alvin was a true believer in doing the right thing and taking care of people. Alvin is universally respected among his peers in the marketing and advertising industries, in the Jewish community, and beyond. Ask any one of them to describe Alvin, and they’ll inevitably smile and tell you this: he’s a mensch. He is unfailingly selfless with his time and many talents, but what so often strikes me about Alvin is his humble nature. He has excelled in some of the most demanding and high-profile volunteer roles in our community, while at the same time you’ll find him contributing on small committees and in myriad quiet ways behind the scenes. Along with organizations like the JCC, Jewish Federation and Jewish Family Service Agency, Alvin has been an active and long-time supporter of the United Way and NABS (the National Advertising Benevolent Society). Giving back is something he actively encourages those around him to do, too. From his children to his friends to his employees, he inspires others to make a difference with whichever cause touches their heart.

I hope you will join us this coming Thursday, June 18th when we will honour Harvey and Alvin, along with Karen James and Mira Robin, at our AGM.

Leadership takes many different forms, and one of our great successes as a Federation is the creation of a group of lay leaders who care about the future of our community and our partnership region in Northern Israel. We are privileged this week to play host to a group of mayors and senior volunteers and professionals from Israel and across Canada for the Partnership2Gether Joint Steering Committee meetings. The group is strategizing around our support in the areas of youth and education, Gesher Chai (living bridge) programming, and capacity building in Northern Israel. Our host team is led by Stephen Gaerber, national chair of the Coast-to-Coast partnership; Karen James, chair of the Israel and Overseas Committee; and Pam Wolfman, chair of our Gesher Chai Committee. True change comes from creating leaders like Stephen, Karen and Pam, who, together with their counterparts, are making a lasting difference by evolving the structure of how we address the change we need to see.

Whether we are remembering past community leaders like Bob Coleman z”l, Harry Woogman z”l and Lou Zimmerman z”l, or recognizing the tremendous work of today’s volunteer leaders, our belief is reinforced that it is through our people and our actions that we can change the world.

Here in Vancouver changing the world starts early. Just look at the grade six Chesed Club at Vancouver Talmud Torah, who raised over $4,000 for the people of Nepal. Thank you and todah rabbah to these amazing young people who already developing a robust commitment to the values of chesed, tzedakah and tikkun olam. We are heading into graduation time at our day schools, and I would like to send a big kol hakavod to the graduating classes. I had the privilege of delivering greetings at Shalhevet’s end-of-year celebration, and I am looking forward to attending many more graduation ceremonies in the coming weeks. I can tell you that there’s no limit to what these young people will accomplish. In so many ways, they are already finding their pathways to becoming community leaders. I look forward to watching them shape our community and our world.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver