June 19, 2015 | 2 Tammuz 5775 | Shabbat Candlelighting at 9:02 p.m.
 

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Volunteer Award WinnersWere you at our AGM last night? If you were, you know where I have to start today. We need to give a huge todah rabbah to Consul General, DJ Schneeweiss for his incredibly eloquent and insightful update on Israel, and of course, to the more than 100 community members who were there to support our Federation and honour our volunteers. It was literally standing room only.

Why? Because exciting things are happening at our Federation, and last night’s event reflected that. I want to share with you two milestones that will help bring to life the new path we are on.

First, our Strategic Priorities. A year ago at our AGM, I promised that we would spend the year listening to issues that matter to you. That’s exactly what we did. We delved into the National Household Survey data to better understand what our diverse community is expected to look like in the coming years. And we sought input from a broad range of community stakeholders, including partner agencies, volunteers, donors, and Stephen Gaerbercommunal professionals. These discussions generated new ideas that informed our community plan for 2020. We’ve outlined short-term actions that we are committed to undertaking as the first steps in a five-year plan to build the community of our future. You can review them here, and then join the conversation on Twitter using #ourcommunity2020.

Second, our Annual Report. I know, Annual Reports are not always so exciting. But trust me on this one. Our 2014/15 report reflects the renewed vigor we are showing toward building community here in Vancouver. Understanding where we’ve been is a critical piece of moving forward together. It’s worth a few minutes of your time to see what was accomplished over the past year.

Our AGM was also a chance to honour four of our volunteers who have worked tirelessly to make our community a better place. If you weren’t with us to celebrate them, I invite you to read about Karen James, Harvey Dales, Alvin Wasserman and Mira Robin’s important contributions.

Judi KorkinWe also marked a transition in our leadership, and welcomed Stephen Gaerber and Judi Korbin as our respective Federation and Foundation board chairs. Stephen has served as a Federation board member, as our Allocations chair, and for over a decade as co-chair of our Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration. He is currently the Canadian co-chair of Partnership2Gether’s Coast-to-Coast committee, and comes to his new role with board chair experience with the Jewish Family Service Agency. Volunteering is a way of life for Judi, who has chaired our Annual Campaign, and served on both the Federation and Jewish Community Foundation boards. She was instrumental in developing our Gift Acceptance Policy. We are very fortunate to have the right people in place at the right time as we take our organization to the next level.

Our community turned out in force last night at our AGM, but earlier that day we were drawn together in a different and much more somber way. We know what it is to be targeted in prayer, and we stand in solidarity with the people of Charleston, South Carolina. Faith community to faith community, we are with them as they reel from this tragedy and the raw hatred that appears to have motivated it. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of this appalling attack. I’ve written before about my father and my grandfather’s involvement in the civil rights movement. My grandfather was a freedom rider, and they both marched on Washington in an attempt to bring racial equality to America, so attacks like this strike a deeply personal chord for my family and me. This Shabbat, as we reflect on the week that was, let our thoughts turn to the victims, their families, and the community of Charleston.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

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