The many pathways into community involvement
 

Shabbat Message from CEO Ezra S. Shanken
 

There are so many ways to get involved in our community. No matter where your interest lies, there is a pathway into community involvement. We can help you find it. 
 
Involvement in the democratic process, regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, is a great way to get involved.  
 
This past week, our advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), and the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) co-presented Municipal Elections Community Training sessions in Vancouver and Coquitlam. One of my first jobs as a young adult was in Washington DC, so I am always interested in this and I love seeing people get involved. 
 
It was great to see our young adult program, Axis, partner with CJPAC for a networking event where they heard from three incredible speakers from our community, Dr. Lara Aknin, Assaf Yogev, and Sason Ross, who spoke about their passions and successes in their respective fields. 
 
Last Sunday we co-hosted a get together for local Hebrew speaking families.  
 
Over 100 adults and children participated in a drum circle, face painting and fun Rosh Hashanah activities. Thank you to the Burquest Jewish Community for hosting us when poor air quality forced the event indoors, and to The World Zionist Organization-The Department of Irgoon and Connections with Israelis abroad, WE- Israeli Women Empowerment, Mamatefet, Burquest Jewish Community, Kulam BaValley and the JCC for joining together to make this a success. 
 
One area of strategic importance where partnerships have been crucial is community security. 
 
On Monday, we celebrated the outstanding contributions of past Jewish Federation president and outgoing chair of our Community Security Advisory Committee, Bernard Pinsky. His leadership in this area spanned seven years, during which the committee’s work grew and evolved significantly.  
 
Shelley Rivkin, our VP of global and local engagement works with the committee, and here is how she summed it up: 
 
In 2015, amid concerns about the growing number of security breaches against Jewish community institutions both globally and locally, we decided that there was a need to establish a community security advisory committee. The overall goal was to elevate security consciousness in the community, coordinate security activities across the community and to provide a consistent approach to critical incidents that affected individual organizations or agencies.  
 
When considering who could chair the committee, we were looking for a person who held respect and credibility among community members, understood the Federation system and was well regarded by our partner agencies and could take on this leadership role in a measured and thoughtful way. Bernard Pinsky immediately came to mind, and we were delighted when he agreed to take on this role.  

Over the past seven years, the committee has achieved many milestones including the hiring of Daniel Heydendrych-Davis as our director of community security. We are confident in saying our community is a safer place as a result of his leadership. 
 
I couldn’t agree more! On behalf of all of us at Jewish Federation, I want to thank Bernard for his exceptional leadership. We also want to welcome Jason Murray as the new chair of the committee. Many of you will know Jason from his extensive involvement across the community, including as a past Jewish Federation board member and a past chair of CIJA’s Local Partnership Council. I am very pleased that Jason has agreed to be our Shabbat Message guest writer next week, right before Rosh Hashanah. 
 
One last note of good news:  
 
We were thrilled to hear that The Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation (which was founded by Bernard Pinsky) has provided a grant of $255,000 to our partner, Tikva Housing Society, to support their mission to offer affordable housing solutions to the Jewish community.  
 
We have been supporting Tikva’s work from the beginning when in the early 2000s we recognized the need for affordable housing for families in our local community. Through strategic planning, we helped establish Tikva Housing Society. Today, it is the preeminent housing society in our community, and it is fantastic to see them go from strength to strength. 

Shabbat shalom.

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver