Yad l’Yad - Working Hand in Hand

On Wednesday we shared with you the important announcement from Premier Horgan that the province will use the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

This is good news and I hope you will join me in sending a thank-you letter to Premier Horgan. Just click here. 

It literally takes one minute, so if you do nothing else before Shabbat, please do this. It is very important that we express our gratitude.

Advocacy work like this is led by our advocacy agent, The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). 

The premier’s statement was years in the making, and I want to thank everyone who played a part. Leading this effort were Nico Slobinsky, senior director of CIJA-Pacific Region, and Geoffrey Druker, chair of CIJA’s Local Partnership Council, and Shelley Rivkin, our vice president of global and local engagement. At different stages the process involves multiple organizations, including our Federation and the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC).

The VHEC plays an important role in educating people, including elected officials, about things like the IHRA definition of antisemitism and why it is important.

We asked their executive director, Nina Krieger, to share some background with you:

As the international standard for defining antisemitism, the IHRA definition and list of illustrative examples serve as an educational resource and a practical tool to distinguish hatred of Jews from legitimate discourse. Premier Horgan’s important statement affirms that antisemitism must be recognized and addressed by society as a whole. The IHRA definition supports this shared responsibility; it provides a common language and signals that hatred of one group, and of any group, will not be tolerated. Because we know that when one group is discriminated against, all groups are at risk of the same.

This is a great example of how much we can accomplish when organizations work hand in hand.

CIJA has relationships with every political party, as does the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC). If you want to get involved in the democratic process, CJPAC can facilitate opportunities for you with your party of choice. On Wednesday, I was proud to join them for an evening of discussion featuring The Hon. Selina Robinson Minister of Finance and MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville, who also happens to be a member of our community.

Our Jewish community extends across the continent and around the world.

That was apparent when I attended the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) board meetings in New York, where we discussed strategic and programmatic updates that showcase how our work is progressing across the Federation system. We also honoured JFNA’s outgoing board chair, Mark Wilf, and other leadership. I am delighted to welcome JFNA’s new board chair, Julie Platt, about whom you can read more here.

It was a very quick trip, and when I returned we welcomed important international guests.

Solly Kaplinski and Shaun Goldstone from our partner, the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) visited for the first time since the pandemic began. They met with major donors who support JDC with special project funding. 

Next we received a visit from Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and representatives from the Jerusalem Foundation, who attended a meeting with a number of local community organizations before meeting with major donors and then leaders of the evangelical Christian community at an event organized by CIJA and Jewish Federation.

A huge mazel tov to the Pomegranates in our community!

Pomegranate is our new recognition society for women who give $2,500 or more to the Annual Campaign. With Pam Wolfman as chair, they could not ask for a more passionate and dedicated leader. They held their first event this week, and we know it is the start of much more to come. Click here to see the gorgeous photos, and then consider joining them next time!

Shabbat shalom.

Ezra S. Shanken 
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver