Shabbat Message - November 20, 2020

This message has 878 words and will take about 4 minutes to read.

Saving one life is like saving an entire world. Pikuach nefesh, the mitzvah of saving or preserving a life, is a duty that each of us takes seriously–and never more so than during a pandemic.
 
Among the new restrictions outlined in the public health orders issued on Wednesday, synagogues have to press pause on all in-person services. It’s already been hard, and this is going to make it harder. But if this is what we need to do in order to keep people healthy and save lives, then nothing can be more important. It does, however, place a particular burden on the Orthodox segment of our community, whose options for online services are more limited. Rabbis and synagogue staff have done a stellar job of adapting over the months, and we are confident they will find ways to rise to this new challenge.
 
Shelley Rivkin, our VP Global and Local Engagement, and I had the privilege of participating in the latest in the series of briefings that Premier Horgan, Minister Dix and Dr. Henry have been holding regularly with representatives of faith-based communities. These continue to be a great opportunity for community leaders and clergy to showcase what they are doing, learn from each other, and ask questions about the latest public health orders.
 
Minister Dix mentioned how challenging it has been for his own church community, and Dr. Henry affirmed how important connections are to faith and religious practices, especially during a pandemic. We are thankful that they are making these briefings a priority.
 
We have said for a while that our community will likely feel the effects of the pandemic well into next year, which is exactly why we have spent the last several months gearing up and planning ahead. The members of our Community Recovery Task Force, which is chaired by Risa Levine, have completed their series of meetings with community organizations and are now moving into the next phase of their work. If you have already made a gift to the Community Recovery Fund, on behalf of all of our partners and the thousands of people who rely on the programs and services they provide, thank you.
 
Despite much tough news, this week has not been short on inspiring moments. I had the pleasure of speaking with the Camp Miriam board to ask their directors to support the Annual Campaign. After all, they know firsthand the importance of our work together. My understanding is that only two overnight summer camps in the province are in a position to have already opened registration: Camp Miriam and Camp Hatikvah. Why? Because our community has their backs. Camp Miriam said they never would have been able to do this without the support they receive from Federation. It means a lot to hear a partner say that, but the truth is that we couldn't do our work without the incredible work that our partners do, day in and day out.  
 
Speaking of partners, we want to say mazel tov to the Jewish Museum and Archives of BC on their 50th anniversary. Dr. Elizabeth Shaffer, executive director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia, delivered the keynote at their AGM on Wednesday, which marked the kick-off for a year-long series of events planned in celebration of this milestone. View the talk here.
 
There were plenty of ways to get connected to community last week, including some great events with which we were involved. More than 150 parents and children from across the Pacific Northwest sang along with PJ Library at Havdalah-la-la. Gilad Babchuk, a social entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Compass, addressed local Hebrew speakers on a Zoom call about what to expect in a post-COVID job market. In collaboration with the Joint Distribution Committee, the JCC Warsaw and our local JCC, we presented a talk with Agata Rakowiecka, the JCC Warsaw’s director, on how she transformed from a teen who happened to be born Jewish into a young woman with a strong Jewish identity. Watch it here, if you missed it. There’s no need to feel apart from community just because we can’t hold these events in person.
 
As the pandemic drags on, one of the key issues we expect will ramp up in the community is mental health. We’ve written before about the toll isolation is taking on seniors and people with disabilities, many of whom have not left their homes for months. We’ve also written about the observations educators have made about students, and how it is often the children and teens they would least expect to be affected who experience things the hardest. Many educators are dealing with these challenges, too.
 
Today is World Children’s Day, and it is a reminder that even the youngest children in our community are having a hard time. Some, like my own boys, are simply longing for normalcy, like eating pizza at Nava while visiting with friends who are walking through the JCC’s atrium.
 
Those days will come again. In the meantime, your community is here for you. There is no need for anyone who is suffering to feel alone. If you need help, or if you know someone who does, call the Jewish Family Services Crisis Line at 604-558-5719 or email them at communitycare@jfsvancouver.ca. They are open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days a week.

Shabbat shalom.

Ezra S. Shanken
Chief Executive Officer