Shabbat Message - June 25, 2021
This message has 851 words and will take a little more than 3.5 minutes to read.
In any given week, there are tragedies that take place across our country and around the world. While it isn’t possible to mark them all—nor is that the purpose of our Shabbat message—we want to acknowledge the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan. Our hearts go out to the members of the Cowessess First Nation, and all the Indigenous communities who are suffering from the intergenerational trauma of the residential school system.
We have also been in touch with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), which are playing an indispensable role supporting community members affected by the collapse of Champlain Towers. The building was home to many Jewish community members who have lost loved ones or who are anxiously awaiting news of them as rescue operations continue.
What we had expected to begin with this week was our 2020-2021 Annual Report and a celebration of our new Board of Directors. We welcomed five new directors at our AGM: Gil Kimel, Dean Lederman, Lana Pulver, Michelle Pollock, David Porte, and Daniel Steiner. They join Bruce Cohen, Alex Cristall, Catherine Epstein, Jessica Forman, Sue Hector, Hodie Kahn, Shay Keil, Rick Kohn, Candace Kwinter, Shawna Merkur, Kyra Morris, Lianna Philipp, Lisa Pullan, Stan Shaw, and Diane Switzer.
We made this short video highlighting the new Board. It’s less than a minute, so I hope you’ll check it out and send a mazel tov to them.
We also want to introduce you to Candace Kwinter, our new Board chair!
Candace’s central challenge as Board chair mirrors that of our community: how to navigate recovery and reopening in a time of great uncertainty. We are confident that Candace has the knowledge, skills and passion to be the right leader to see our organization through this critical next phase, and we are so pleased that she has agreed to take on this role.
I want to start by thanking each of you for the different ways you make our community vibrant. Whether you attend an event, volunteer, participate in a class, become a member of an organization, give tzedakah, or find another way of contributing, you are part of what makes our community a better place for everyone.
I am very proud to serve alongside a remarkable group of leaders on our Board, as well as to see so many positions filled by women. Catherine Epstein is our vice chair; Lana Pulver is chair of the Annual Campaign; Jessica Forman is chair of our HR Committee; and Michelle Pollock is chair of our Israel and Global Engagement Committee. At the Jewish Community Foundation, Diane Switzer is chair of the Board of Governors, Shannon Gorski is vice chair, Judi Korbin is immediate past chair, and Shira van den Berg is chair of the Grant Distribution Committee.
Over the past year, I have held a dual role as vice chair of the Board and chair of the Israel and Global Engagement Committee, which has immersed me in our work. And through my position on our Community Recovery Task Force, I’ve gotten to know the organizations in our community and see how our community planning, convening, facilitating, and fundraising functions create a valuable synergy. The health and strength of our local community is paramount, and it will continue to be a focus throughout my term.
Israel also holds a very special place in my heart, and I am actively involved with our partner, the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Board of Governors, where I serve on three committees: Antisemitism; Unity of the Jewish People; and Aliyah. In 2018 I was privileged to be part of a group of community leaders who traveled to Far East Russia to see the impact of our overseas work. As travel restrictions begin to ease, I hope we will have the opportunity to visit our partnership region in the Upper Galilee Panhandle and resume our Israel experience programs for young adults.
At the same time, I remain connected to the work we do across the continent as part of JFNA. I have attended several General Assemblies over the years, and now is the perfect time for you to experience this epic gathering of Jewish leaders, because you can participate without the time and expense of traveling.
Looking ahead, I know we have challenges to face, but this is also an exciting time in many ways. COVID has accelerated change and has prompted us all to look at new ways of strengthening our community. Rather than looking ahead to the “new normal” we need to work together to create the “next normal.” That will be our collective journey over the next two years, and I am looking forward to the future we can build together.
Thank you, Candace.
Before we close, I want to wish a big mazel tov to all the students in our community who graduated or reached major milestones in their education this week. From the grade ones who had their siddur celebrations to university-bound grade twelves: your community is proud of you!
Shabbat shalom.
Ezra S. Shanken
Chief Executive Officer