Shabbat Message - June 18, 2021

This message has 852 words and will take a little more than 3.5 minutes to read.

Every two years, we welcome a new board chair. While no one has a crystal ball, usually the person enters the role having a good idea of the challenges they will face. But, there is no way that Alex Cristall, who has provided steadfast leadership of the highest caliber, could have foreseen all that was in store for our community when he assumed the role of board chair two years ago. Yet, he rose to the challenge in a way that brought us all together as a team—volunteer leaders, staff, partner agencies, and stakeholders from across our community and beyond. His inclusive yet decisive leadership style, combined with his genuine love for this community, positioned him perfectly for the role, and everyone in our community has benefitted from that.
 
With our Annual General Meeting coming up on Monday, Alex will shift to the role of immediate past board chair. Before that happens, we wanted to give him the opportunity to reflect on his experiences and our collective accomplishments over the past two years.

I’ve had the privilege of volunteering with many community organizations over the years. When I was president of the JCC I first saw the importance of the relationships Jewish Federation and its partners have. But as Federation board chair, I saw the full scope of what we bring to the community. So if there is one last thing I want to do as board chair, it’s to show you some of what I have seen.
 
Our community relies on Federation for more than just fundraising, although that’s often the only piece people see. There are other unique functions of our Federation that underpin everything else the organization does. When it came to leading the response to COVID’s impact on our community, we knew we had only one shot at getting it right. So, we brought—and will keep bringing–every tool and every resource we’ve got. As a result, the different parts of our role came together at the same time.
 
The first step in solving any challenge is to understand it, so convening stakeholders was the first thing we did. Bringing together 14 different groups on a regular basis was instrumental in laying the groundwork for our response. It was a huge piece of work, and we were only able to do it when the pandemic struck, because we were doing it long before then.
 
Crisis brings opportunities, too. Convening led to facilitating collaborations, like the partnership between the JCC and Camp Miriam, which meant their campers didn’t have to forego a meaningful, Jewish summer experience.
 
COVID response wasn’t our only work. More than ever, we need an organization that can look a decade or more down the road. Case in point is the work that began years ago around food security in collaboration with Jewish Family Services. We were so proud to see JFS launch The Kitchen this spring. With food insecurity quadrupling during the pandemic, there’s never been a greater need for resources like this.
 
When our partners receive funding, they put every penny out there to help the people they serve. That’s why we direct a small portion of your Annual Campaign donations to an emergency fund—because someone has to be there when crisis hits. This long term planning meant we were prepared to flow these funds into the community immediately, followed by Community Recovery funds, Annual Campaign allocations, special project funding, Federation grants, distributions from funds at the Jewish Community Foundation, and the Foundation’s Unrestricted Grant Program. There have never been more ways for organizations to access the support they rely on to do their work. 
 
To do our work we rely on the most capable and well-respected volunteer leaders in the community to serve on our Board, our Community Recovery Task Force, and our committees. They are supported by astute professionals at the office. At the same time, we’re bringing new leaders on board through young adult programs, like the Ben Gurion Society, so our community is served well for many years to come.
 
While the pandemic was unexpected, there were happy surprises, too. One of my favourite memories was traveling (pre-COVID) to our partnership region in Northern Israel to see our projects for the first time. It was clear how much the residents, leaders and elected officials there rely on the investments we are making to raise the up the whole region.  
 
Lastly, some of the proudest moments for me—and hopefully for you–were seeing the momentum build for the JCC site redevelopment. Years of work came together with the historic partnership between Federation, the JCC and King David High School, followed by the announcement of the $25 million from the provincial government, and the hiring of a capital campaign director. There’s nothing better than positioning our community to go from strength to strength.
 
None of this happens without you, your generosity, and your commitment as a volunteer. So, as my term comes to a close it’s you I want to thank.
 
Todah rabah and Shabbat shalom.

Alex Cristall
Board Chair, 2019-2021

Shabbat shalom.

Ezra S. Shanken
Chief Executive Officer