We need to talk...

Shabbat Message from CEO Ezra S. Shanken
 

Last week, we touched on the importance of mental health, and particularly the impact of the pandemic on children and teens. According to the World Health Organization, anxiety and depression increased by 25% in just the first year of the pandemic.

That is a global stat, but I would think that we are not immune in our community. And I cannot imagine that it has gotten anything but worse during the pandemic’s second year, especially considering the loss and grief many of us have experienced.

It’s something we really need to talk about.

Yet, many of us still aren’t comfortable with that. When we meet up with someone who asks how we’ve been, often the last thing we want to share is that we or our children are going through a hard time. Many people may delay seeking professional help, too.

It can be hard to talk about. We can make it a little bit easier.

The Annual Campaign is only a month away, and we’re going to kick it off with three guests—plus a local panel—of people who have “been there.”

Fran Drescher will join us live and in person.

You probably know her from movies and TV shows, or her books and cancer advocacy. But what you might not know is that Fran survived a traumatic home invasion in the 1980s. In the aftermath she pushed her experience and her trauma aside thinking that this would help her get back on track as quickly as possible. It wasn't until years later that she would work through what happened.

Ok, now pretend you’re on Jeopardy and the clue is “She is a TV star with a PhD in Neuroscience.”

Who is Mayim Bialik? Correct! We have been in touch with Mayim off and on for several years to find the perfect opportunity to work together. Now we've found it.

We were so impressed that at the peak of her career she made time to develop a podcast called Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown in which she and co-creator and executive producer, Jonathan Cohen, seek to dispel myths and misunderstandings about mental health. Together, they are shifting the collective understanding of mental health and emotional well-being. We are delighted that they will both be joining us live from LA.

The event will also feature a panel of local experts, and we will bring you more information about that in the coming weeks.

Speaking of weeks, the event is less than six weeks away!

This is the first large-scale in-person campaign event that we have hosted since before the pandemic, and we are very excited about seeing you and your family there. We know that the pandemic has hit many of our partners hard, and so it was important to us that we host it in a community venue. It is never easy to choose just one location out of so many great options, but we are very happy to be hosting this year’s event at Beth Israel.

Being with us at this event is about more than just attending a campaign opening.

You will be showing everyone that you support more open conversations about mental health and that the stigma is something that you wish to peel away. Being together is important, and so is showing unity on an issue like mental health. We have kept tickets at $18 to make sure that this event is accessible. To ensure that the ticket price is not a barrier to anyone, we will provide some free of charge through Jewish Family Services.

I want to thank our event sponsors, BMO, ZLC Financial and Garry Zlotnik, Sun Life, and KPMG for their very generous support!

Click here for tickets and join us on September 8th.

I also hope you will join us tonight for a different but equally important event: Pride Shabbat. I'll be there and I hope you will be, too!

 

Ezra S. Shanken 
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver