Shabbat Message - December 18, 2020

This message has 831 words and will take about 3 minutes to read.

This week, we reached an important milestone in the work of the Community Recovery Task Force. After several months of interviewing partner agencies, listening to community members impacted by COVID-19, and hearing from leaders in the broader community not-for-profit sectors, the Task Force has announced its first grant round. Applications have been distributed to our communal agencies, the day schools, Hebrew Free Loan Association, and Louis Brier Home and Hospital.
 
These grants are for urgent and immediate needs resulting from the pandemic. The committee will bring their recommendations to our board on January 25th and the cheques will be in the hands of our agencies the next day, because we recognize how important it is to start getting these funds into the community quickly–just as we did when we distributed emergency funds in March. The synagogues will be receiving their grants in mid-February.
 
The Task Force has very wisely decided to undertake three grant rounds, recognizing that the impact will be long-term and sustained, and that new needs will emerge as time goes on. This work is an excellent example of our strategic approach and our role as the central address for community recovery. We all know that the effects of the pandemic will be felt in our community for some time, and these multiple grant rounds address that. Many thanks to everyone who has been giving to the Community Recovery Fund. 
 
One of the big COVID success stories in our community has been the approach that Louis Brier Home and Hospital has taken to ensure the safety of residents and staff. We were very pleased to come across this article about a UBC study that has taken a closer look at Louis Brier and the factors involved in their success.
 
It is heartening to see the Louis Brier and their leadership held up as examples of how to manage well during a pandemic. While they have been proactive in their approach, they have been cautious about accepting praise. Every day brings new challenges to tackle, and they take nothing for granted. Now, with their achievements the subject of a published study, it’s time we shine the spotlight on them for the community to see. Their success brings a sense of pride to all of us.
 
During the pandemic, you’ve seen us write more about the Louis Brier than in previous years. They are one of the few community organizations that does not receive funding through the Federation Annual Campaign, and so we do not refer to them as a partner in that sense. However, they are very much a partner in other ways.
 
Over the course of the pandemic, Louis Brier has been actively participating in our consultations about the impact of COVID-19 on services to seniors, and we are proud of the various forms of support that we have been able to offer them. We delivered hundreds of masks for residents and staff, and the Jewish Community Foundation facilitated two massive deliveries of fresh spring flowers to brighten residents' rooms. Just this past week, members of our young adults program, Axis, delivered dozens of sufganiyot, and our Lions of Judah (women who contribute $5,000 or more to the Annual Campaign) purchased and delivered over 100 personal hygiene items from a wish list curated by the Louis Brier. This was the second year in a row that the Lions led this Hanukkah Helper Care Package Drive, and we want to give special thanks to co-chairs Judith Cohen and Candice Thal for taking it to new heights.
 
We remain hopeful that one day young adults will be able to return to Israel on organized trips, and so the planning for that is underway. We want to be ready when the time comes. On Wednesday night, we had our second session for local Birthright Israel Madrichim in Training (MIT). (These are young adults who will lead Birthright Israel trips once it is safe to resume traveling.) The goal of the MIT program is not only to create a high-quality cadre of educated future trip leaders, but to also gather great personalities and introduce them to the Jewish world and their role in shaping the future of our communities. The MIT program is run by our Israel and Global Engagement department, in collaboration with Canada-Israel Experience.
 
The group of six local young adults had a chance to meet representatives of the Jewish Addiction Community Service, Jewish Family Services, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Jewish Community Centre, and Tikva Housing Society. Thank you to Shelley Karrel, Tanja Demajo, Etti Goldman, Debbie Tabenkin, and Anat Gogo for taking time out of their very busy schedules to work with these young people. They were truly inspired by the work of these agencies and our ongoing collaborations.
 
With Hanukkah behind us, the end of 2020 is now firmly in sight. The New Year is an opportunity for reflection on a year that has impacted each of us like no other. And although there is still a long road ahead for all of us, it is a time for hope.

Shabbat shalom.

Ezra S. Shanken
Chief Executive Officer