Praying for peace this Shabbat

Shabbat Message from CEO Ezra S. Shanken
 

Most weeks we know ahead of time what is going in this Shabbat Message, and other weeks it changes at the last minute.

Early this morning Vancouver time, the IDF announced ‘Operation Breaking Dawn,’ in response to an anticipated terrorist attack by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The PIJ, which Canada has designated a terrorist entity, is an Iranian proxy group that is owned, funded and operated by the Iranian regime. The IDF declared a ‘special situation’ on the home front, and by this afternoon PIJ had fired over 100 rockets from Gaza into Israel, targeting civilians in the centre of the country and in the south. 

The collective pain of conflicts like this is often borne hardest by those who are most vulnerable, and so it is with concern that we watch this unfold. We are praying for peace across the region this Shabbat, and for a lasting peace one day soon.  

Our Victims of Terror Fund is always open.

Within the first 48 hours after a terror attack, victims receive a visit from a representative of the Jewish Agency, who provides more than $1,000 to help with immediate expenses. Over the following months, the Jewish Agency provides thousands of dollars' worth of other grants and services for things like counseling, job retraining, and summer respite camp for children.

Sometimes it seems like everything between now and the start of the pandemic is a blur.

As community needs expanded, the pace of work picked up, and it has barely let up. When that happens, it becomes even more important than usual to pause, look back, and take stock before moving ahead.

Producing our Annual Report has been an opportunity for us to do that, and we are ready to share highlights with you. (That said, we do encourage you to read the whole thing and see the work being done on your behalf here and around the world.) You can read the Annual Report here.

One of the highlights is that we distributed $15.3 million during the 2021-22 fiscal year! Here’s the breakdown:

$6.6 million = 2020 Annual Campaign Allocations to Partners Locally and Globally
$3.6 million = Distributions from Funds at the Jewish Community Foundation
$2.6 million = Special Project Funding Distributions
$1.1 million= Distributions from the Community Recovery Fund (COVID-19)
$1.4 million = Distributions from Emergency Relief Funds

Why were the 2020 Annual Campaign funds distributed in the 2021-22 fiscal year? Good question!

After the economic downturn in 2008-2009 we moved to a two-year allocations process that enables us to provide greater predictability to our partners who rely on the funding provided through the Annual Campaign. The two-year cycle means we can look ahead and they can know that as long as the campaign results remain healthy their funding will be stable. In turn, they can plan ahead.

That layer of stability and predictability is important.

So are the other ways in which our partners can receive funding. They can apply for various grants through Federation and the Foundation, they may receive special project funding from Federation donors who give above and beyond their campaign gifts, and over the past two years every organization received either emergency funds or Community Recovery grants—or both.

Over the years, we have diversified our funding streams so that now there are more ways for partners to access more funding than ever before. It is one of the many ways that we are delivering on the commitments we made to our community back in 2015 as a result of our consultations toward the development of the strategic priorities that now guide our work.

We always end on a happy note, and today is no exception.

Some of the distributions I mentioned above fund camperships so that every family who wants to send their children to Jewish summer camp is able to do so. Our board chair, Candace Kwinter, and I continued our tour of the overnight camps with a visit to Camp Solomon Schechter, and what fun we had! While this camp is in Washington, many campers are from our community. Camp is often a child’s first immersive Jewish experience, we get such a charge out of seeing the memories they are making!

I also want to share with you some photos from last week’s Pride Shabbat, where over 140 of us celebrated together. Todah rabah to our advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, for organizing this event. I also want to thank JQT and our partner, Jewish Family Services, for representing our community with their booth at the Pride Festival last weekend.

Shabbat shalom and I wish you a meaningful fast on Tisha B’Av this Sunday.

Ezra S. Shanken 
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver