Shabbat Message - December 11, 2020
This message has 810 words and will take about 3 minutes to read.
It would be easy to write about celebrating another holiday without our usual gatherings, but I think that on this Hanukkah there is a very strong sense of being thankful for what we have, as opposed to thinking of how things used to be. So, with that in mind, we want to bring you eight bright lights from our community and around the Jewish world.
Bright light number one is another exciting announcement about affordable housing. In partnership with Polygon and with BC Housing’s financial support, Tikva Housing Society will develop and operate 20 units for seniors, families, and individuals living independently with mental health challenges on the third floor of a five-storey building in South Burnaby. They are proudly naming their floor Susana Cogan Place in loving memory of Susana Cogan (z’l), an innovative and dedicated individual who initiated Tikva’s first three housing communities. Sadly, Susana passed away in 2017, but her legacy lives on to this day. Kol hakavod to Tikva for being selected as one of the organizations to receive support from BC Housing’s Building BC initiative.
Throughout the regional communities we are seeing our years of partnerships and efforts to build a more connected community growing ever stronger. This past Sunday, in collaboration with BC Regional Hebrew Schools, we held a COVID-special Hanukkah drive-in in Fort Langley for the Fraser Valley Jewish community, where we played a Kahoot game, gave out Hanukkah gift bags, and lit the menorah, with everyone remaining safely in their own vehicles. We will be holding a similar event in Coquitlam for the Tri-Cities Jewish community. In addition, Adam Ben-Dov, our community engagement manager, will be hosting a Hanukkah Zoom sing-along with the Langley Jewish community on December 16th, featuring Monika Schwartzman. He has also partnered with Chabad BC to distribute Hanukkah boxes to people in the regional communities across the Lower Mainland.
One thing that is very special about our community is the high level of collaboration between rabbis from different synagogues. Now they have gotten together to produce a series of eight videos, with one to be released each day of Hanukkah. You can watch the first one here and find them on our Facebook page throughout the week. Be sure to check out the one we’re in with the JCC on Sunday. Special thanks to Rabbi Moskovitz for coordinating this.
Hanukkah is always a great time to engage with the broader community, share our traditions, and help people understand why the holiday holds special meaning for us. From Hanukkah box deliveries to drive-by menorah lightings, community organizations are continuing to innovate and find new ways for people to make the best of Hanukkah 2020. Click here to listen to my interview on CBC’s As It Happens with Carol Off and Chris Howden, or here to read Rabbi Rosenblatt’s interview with News1130.
Hanukkah celebrations are in full swing in our partnership of the Upper Galilee Panhandle, too. Yesterday, Hameginim school in Kiryat Shmona (sister school to Richmond Jewish Day School) and other twinned schools in Canada and Israel held a virtual Hanukkah candle lighting, with over 100 in attendance from across the globe. You can see a recording here.
On Sunday, the Coast to Coast Canadian Jewish communities and the communities in our partnership region are holding a virtual Hanukkah ceremony at the Arthur and Ancie Fouks Community Centre in Kiryat Shmona. We are honoured to have Sondi Green and her family join us, and her daughter, Romy Ritter, will be speaking on behalf of the family. I am honoured to be hosting this special ceremony with Kiryat Shmona's mayor, Avichai Stern, members of Kiryat Shmona's Boys' Choir, and other friends in the Galil Panhandle. Click here to participate by Zoom. Meeting ID: 922 6607 5205. Passcode: 727685.
On Wednesday, the Abraham Accords–the joint statement recently signed by Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States–were the focus of a community briefing with Galit Baram, Consul General of Israel to Toronto and Western Canada. Todah rabah to Geoffrey Druker, board chair of our advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)-Pacific Region, who moderated the event. The next day we heard the good news that Morocco has agreed to sign on, too–another bright light for the future of the region.
There’s no brighter light than a superstar, and we’re thrilled to announce that The Jewish Federations of North America is partnering with iconic superstar Matisyahu for an end-of-year celebration dedicated to safety and security. This livestream two-hour program, which will include a pledge to global Jewish safety and security, will take place on Thursday, December 17, at 6:00 p.m. PST and remain available for 24 hours. Find out more at www.jewishtogether.org/matisyahu and join us for a final Hanukkah celebration of the season!
Shabbat shalom and chag sameach!
Ezra S. Shanken
Chief Executive Officer