Shabbat Message - October 30, 2020
This message has 852 words and will take about 4 minutes to read.
It was a week of major milestones and events, starting with the sorrowful and ending with the hopeful.
It has been two years since 11 people were murdered in the anti-Semitic attack on three Pittsburgh synagogues: Congregation Dor Hadash, New Light Congregation and Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha Congregation.
Many of you will remember how we packed the JCC for the memorial the day after the attack. The need to come together was overwhelming. We needed comfort, and we sought that in each other and in community. We feel the loss of life in a new way now, knowing that seeking solace through gathering in large groups is on pause.
I participated in a Zoom call on Wednesday about ways to address communities' trauma and crises with leaders from across the Pittsburgh Jewish community, Talia Levanon of the Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC), and Israel Nitzan, acting consul general of the Israeli Consulate in New York. ITC provides trauma care and counselling around the world, and Talia’s advice was to “embrace uncertainty and adversity and still believe we can do our best.”
I think that sums up what we’re all trying to do these days, especially in light of our next update.
The Vancouver Police Department recently reported that hate crimes are up 116%, and that anti-Asian hate crimes are up 878%. This is of very serious concern to us, and we must continue to speak out against hate in all its forms and work together to combat it. Thank you to our advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), for their ongoing work on this important issue.
Last night, we partnered with Camp Miriam and the JCC to present our community’s annual memorial for Yitzhak Rabin z”l. It’s hard to believe it has been 25 years since that tragic day.
Gilad Perry, Dror Israel’s Director of International Partnerships and Collaborations, gave a brief presentation that he ended with the following quote by Yitzhak Antek Zuckerman, Deputy Commander of the Warsaw ghetto uprising: "No storm destroys the seed that lies deep in the earth." Rabin’s assassination is an important reminder that we need to be able to have healthy disagreements in order to create a strong community.
Now, it is time for some happy news.
First, we received an email from someone who recently discovered a Holocaust survivor in her family. He is 95 years old and they wanted to connect on Zoom, but there was a language barrier. Our receptionist, Mila, sprang into action and started a chain of connections between staff at Jewish Family Services and the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, through which a translator was found. It’s a great example of the lengths to which dedicated staff at our local organizations will go.
With the commemoration of Kristallnacht around the corner, we were pleased to see Ontario become the first province in Canada to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which provides a valuable framework to better understand contemporary forms of these prejudicial beliefs. Thank you to CIJA and their partners for their work on this.
The IHRA definition was also adopted this week by the Global Imams Council, and by Albania, the first Muslim-majority country to do so.
In July 2019, we called on Vancouver City Council to adopt the IHRA definition and they referred the motion to committee, where it continues to reside today. It is time for Vancouver to follow the lead of so many others and take this important step to combat anti-Semitism.
One of the highlights of our week was talking about our work with the Madrichim In Training (MITs) who will lead the next round of Birthright Israel trips (when it becomes safe to do so). Kol HaKavod to Dafna Silberstein, our manager of Israel Engagement, for leading this initiative. This is the first time Vancouver is actively engaging with Birthright Israel MITs and connecting them to the local community and Federation’s work.
Here’s what leading a Birthright Israel trip means to them:
Anna Bruder: “Everything I wanted to learn about Judaism, I had to seek out for myself, and I hope to use those experiences to be the best educator and trip leader possible!”
Alexandra Klassen: "Working towards building community is something I’d really love to become better at and help others build too."
Karina Khartanovich: “There is something magical about seeing people visit Israel and experience everything it has to offer for the first time.”
Goldie Turk: "I am beyond excited to be a part of the Birthright Israel team because it allows me to further my own Israel education and assist others on their journey to discovering their unique connection with Israel.”
Jared Bernstein: “I strongly believe in the importance of a healthy Israel-Diaspora relationship, and I see this as a great way to personally contribute.”
Michelle Nifco: “There is really nothing more rewarding for me than inspiring other Jews to explore their Judaism!”
And there’s really nothing more heartening for us than knowing that in this time of stress and uncertainty, young Jewish adults are looking ahead, staying positive, and gearing up to play important roles when the time is right.
Shabbat shalom.
Ezra S. Shanken
Chief Executive Officer