Shabbat Message - June 11, 2021

 

This message has 745 words and will take a little more than 3 minutes to read.

 

There is a family in our community who are in desperate pain, and you can help. Bernard “Bernie” Grempel has been missing since May 14, when he was last seen at 11:00 p.m. on the Skytrain and bus 340 towards the North Delta/Surrey area. Bernie is 28-years-old, 6’0” tall, 160 pounds, Caucasian with brown eyes and curly brown hair. Surrey RCMP is investigating and there have been numerous search efforts, but his whereabouts are still unknown.
 
Sign up here to join Bernie’s friends and family this weekend as they continue their search. We are all hoping for a happy outcome, and I hope you will join the search. It is what any of us would want, if this were to happen to our loved one. To the entire Grempel family, I want to say that we are holding you in our hearts and praying that Bernie comes home to you soon.
 
Our hearts also go out to Fayez Afzaal, the nine-year-old boy whose parents, sister and grandmother were killed in the terror attack in London, Ontario. We joined local rabbis and Jewish organizations in reaching out to the local Muslim community to express our condolences and stand with them in solidarity against acts of hate. Many of us also attended the memorial at the local mosque to show them that they are not alone. Most Muslims and Jews are in lock step on this issue, and while there are always some outliers who will try to use tragedy to advance their own agenda, the only agenda that should matter is standing against hatred. After all, we can’t get to the thorny issues if we don’t first help each other survive. You can read the letter here.
 
Together with our advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and representatives from our partner agencies, we met today with Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, to discuss the horrific surge of antisemitism in BC and how it affects our community. It was a timely meeting, considering that BDS supporters have placed BDS stickers on the shelves at Save on Foods calling for shoppers to boycott Israeli products and kosher food. Targeting Israeli products and kosher food is not a protest. It is antisemitism. If you are shopping today, please make a point of adding Israeli and kosher products to your cart. We can send a clear message by clearing out the shelves.
 
There is happy news, too. At our upcoming Annual General Meeting, we will be honouring four inspiring community leaders.
 
Jonathon Leipsic, who chaired the Federation Annual Campaign in 2018, 2019 and 2020, will receive the Harry Woogman Award, for his consistent and conscientious leadership and his long-standing and diligent campaign involvement.
 
Yael Segal and Becky Glotman will receive the Lou Zimmerman Award for their integral role in the revitalization of the Ben Gurion Society—a recognition society for young donors who give $1,000 or more to the Federation Annual Campaign.
 
Enav Zusman will receive the Young Leadership Award for her outstanding leadership in the Jewish community.
 
I hope you will join us for the AGM on Monday, June 21st at 7:00 p.m., where we will also elect directors to our board. Register here.
 
You also have a chance to get involved on a continental level at Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly on October 3-5. It is North America’s premier Jewish leadership conference. The past year has seen dramatic events with far-reaching consequences for Jewish communities in North America, from the COVID-19 pandemic that was still in its deepest phases when the year began to the violent protests and rise in antisemitism of the past few weeks.
 
The 2021 General Assembly: What’s Next? will enable the leadership of the North American Jewish community, together with our brothers and sisters from Israel and around the world, to consider these significant developments and set a course for the year ahead, determined to provide the vision and practical responses needed to ensure the health, safety, and continued flourishing of the Jewish people. Learn more here.
 
This is a Shabbat when there are more ways than ever for you to get involved. I’ve always said that community is only possible because of those who make a point of showing up. So, whether you aid in the search for Bernie, buy Israeli and kosher products, or add the AGM and GA to your calendar, this is your chance to make a difference.

 

Shabbat shalom.

 

Ezra S. Shanken
Chief Executive Officer