Federation – Page 2

Helping youth at risk

Beit Vancouver is a centre for youth at risk in Kiryat Shmona. (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver)

The Etzbah HaGalil, or Galilee Panhandle, is the northernmost part of Israel, a “finger” of land extending into Syria and Lebanon, with its southeastern border also touching on Jordan. Militarily and geopolitically vulnerable, Etzbah HaGalil is also far removed from any urban centres, rendering it somewhat cut off from Israel’s economic and cultural heartlands, as well as its government infrastructures. For all of these reasons, young people growing up in Kiryat Shmona, one of the Etzbah’s major towns, face particular challenges.

Add to the above the fact that many immigrants are drawn to the Etzbah by cheaper housing. As in any other country, newcomers to Israel have a particular need for social services and community institutions to help them integrate into society and flourish. Yet those are the very things that have been hard to find in the Etzbah. Enter Beit Vancouver, a centre for youth at risk in Kiryat Shmona.

Originally built by the British Jewish community campaign (United Jewish Israel Appeal) in the early 1980s and held by the Israeli Housing Ministry, the youth centre that would eventually become Beit Vancouver was built near a major public high school in Kiryat Shmona. Inadequate operating support left it deserted for many years and the centre was in need of rescue in 2004 when the Partnership2Gether Coast-to-Coast steering committee identified it as a high-priority project in the region. P2G is a partnership between Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and five other Jewish communities across Canada, and the steering committee includes representatives from the Canadian and Israeli communities in the partnership.

In 2005, three Vancouver-based families (the Diamond, Heller and Libin families) visited the region and donated funds for the renovation and renewal of operations at the centre. Beit Vancouver was scheduled to open July 11, 2006, but that day turned out to be the first day of the Second Lebanon War, which delayed the centre’s opening until September 2006.

The initial operating years of Beit Vancouver were strong, with rapid growth. An infusion of funds from the Israel Emergency Campaign beyond the initial commitments from the core funders helped.

Juvenile delinquency dropped dramatically in the region and, in 2008, the centre was singled out for national recognition for excellence in providing services to youth.

Unfortunately, 2009 saw both a reduction in funding and changes in staff that led to a decline in the centre’s effectiveness. A visit by Vancouver Federation staff in 2009 inspired a strong intervention with the city administration to force attention to the state of the program and building. Three core partners – Vancouver Jewish Federation, Kiryat Shmona and the Rashi Foundation – each committed to a revitalization of Beit Vancouver, with ongoing operating funding at a sufficient level.

photo - At the launch of the Friends of Beit Vancouver recognition wall on a mission led by Anita and Arnold Silber, Arnold Silber addresses the audience. He is joined by, left to right, Nissim Malka, mayor of Kiryat Shmona, and Eran David from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s Israel office — At the launch of the Friends of Beit Vancouver recognition wall on a mission led by Anita and Arnold Silber, Arnold Silber addresses the audience. He is joined by, left to right, Nissim Malka, mayor of Kiryat Shmona, and Eran David from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s Israel office. *(photo from Federation)*

The centre reopened in March 2010 and the level and quality of programming has grown steadily. When a financial crisis in Kiryat Shmona caused the closure of all other community centres in the city, Beit Vancouver stayed open, providing full-scale services to hundreds of youth on a daily basis.

“This centre is really essential for the youth of Kiryat Shmona,” said Ezra Shanken, Vancouver Jewish Federation chief executive officer. “The community is lacking many things we take for granted. There is no movie theatre in Kiryat Shmona. It is incredibly important that the youth there have somewhere to go.”

And, not only that, but the Beit Vancouver building has been used for emergency housing and relief for Israeli children in communities under attack. For example, when under fire from Gaza, children from Sderot were bused to Beit Vancouver.

Federation currently funds three programs at Beit Vancouver: Net@, Merkaz Ma’ase and Youth Futures. Krembo’s Wings is under review to be funded for 2017.

Net@ is an education program that helps high school students achieve high-level computer skills. The program has produced 5,000 graduates and is the only one of its kind in the region that integrates Muslim, Jewish and Christian youth in joint activities.

Merkaz Ma’ase is a leadership program for young adults designed to deliver equal opportunities and social mobility. It engages at-risk youth in a year of volunteer service after they graduate high school and before they begin their army service.

Youth Futures is a community-based intervention that aims to help children in junior high who are notably at risk for failure or withdrawal. Children are referred to Youth Futures by teachers, social workers and others who observe their need for help, shown by poor attendance, failing grades and behavioral problems. The child is paired with a trustee who acts as a bridge between the child, the family, the school and the public system.

Lastly, Krembo’s Wings provides weekly social activities for young people living with any type of motor, cognitive or sensory disability. The program helps these children become part of community life.

Shanken encourages Vancouver Jews to make Beit Vancouver part of their Israel trip. “Having a place that bears our name creates a bridge that can connect our communities,” he said.

Vancouverites can designate donations for Beit Vancouver through the Federation’s annual campaign, which was launched last week. For more information, visit jewishvancouver.com.

Matthew Gindin is a Vancouver freelance writer and journalist. He blogs on spirituality and social justice at seeking her voice (hashkata.com) and has been published in the Forward, Tikkun, Elephant Journal and elsewhere.

Reut fills social gaps

Gidi Grinstein (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver)

When Gidi Grinstein finished his army service in Israel in 1995, he wanted to “make a contribution to the most dramatic issues of our time.” And it wasn’t long before he began making tracks in that quest, about which he will talk at Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s annual campaign launch on Sept. 22.

Grinstein, now 44, coordinated Israel’s negotiations with the Palestinians, serving as secretary for the Israeli delegation at the Camp David Summit at the tender age of 29, while serving in the office of prime minister Ehud Barak from 1999 to2001. “They called me on Friday afternoon,” Grinstein recalled. “And they said, ‘The first meeting is tomorrow night. If you come, you have the job.’ It took me about three seconds to think about it.”

Grinstein had a close-up view of the strengths and weaknesses of the inner workings of the government. After the conclusion of the negotiations, he received a Wexner fellowship and spent a year at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, thinking about how to move Israel forward through the many challenges that it faces. As he told Israel21c, “There is a systemic problem deriving from the gap between the complexity of the emerging challenges facing the country and the weakness of the tools of governance to meet those challenges.”

Grinstein concluded that tackling this problem “would have to come from the outside” and, after his year at Harvard, he set out to create a nongovernmental body to address Israel’s most pressing problems.

“Governments in general are weak when it comes to innovation,” Grinstein told the Independent, “so NGOs experiment and explore, try new methods; when there is rightness, the government takes them on.”

Grinstein said Reut (meaning “clear vision”), the organization he founded with two others, aims “to help communities drive their own long-term development and create a vision for the next 10 years.”

Reut does this by mobilizing economic potential, key institutions, the municipal and central government and entrepreneurs. “Reut is a platform for social innovation that aims at what I call ‘inclusive prosperity,’” said Grinstein, “prosperity that includes Jews and Arabs, the wealthy and the poor, everyone. Only inclusive prosperity will bring Israel forward into its future as what it is meant to be.”

Grinstein said Reut exists “to create integrative models to tackle big problems, problems with no market or government solutions, problems where solutions don’t exist or cannot be afforded.”

He pointed out that “the state of Israel does not have a specific unit of people dedicated to long-term well-being of its people, as if that will just take care of itself!”

Grinstein said, in Israel’s early years, it led the world in societal innovation but, in recent decades, it has focused on technological innovation without a corresponding degree of societal innovation, leading to an imbalance. He told Haaretz last year that technological innovation benefits far fewer people than societal innovation. “It creates social gaps,” he said, adding that “Israel has gone from being one of the most egalitarian countries in the world to one of the least.”

Grinstein laid out his vision for Israel in his 2015 book Flexigidity: The Secret of Jewish Adaptability and the Challenge and Opportunity Facing Israel. He views Israel’s role as both a light unto the nations and a key agent of the historical vision and special role of the Jewish people, with concerns that need to transcend a narrow focus on economic and security concerns, as important as those issues are.

Reut’s projects include Firewall Israel, a web platform designed to support every Jewish and pro-Israel community in the world in their local fight against boycott, divestment and sanction challenges; TOM (Tikkun Olam Makers), which addresses neglected societal problems faced by people with disabilities, the elderly and underprivileged, by creating affordable options for them; and the Leapfrog Centre, which offers consulting and training to municipalities, based on knowledge developed through Reut’s efforts in the city of Tzfat (since 2011) and in the Western Galilee (since 2010).

Grinstein will be joined at the Sept. 22 campaign launch, FEDtalks, by Randi Zuckerberg, author, radio host and founder of Zuckerberg Media; Alison Lebovitz, One Clip at a Time co-founder; and journalist Terry Glavin. For tickets and more information, visit jewishvancouver.com/fedtalks2016.

Federation envisions 2020

To read more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s 2020 Strategic Priorities, visit jewishvancouver.com/2020.

An estimated 50% of Metro Vancouver’s Jewish community lives outside of the city of Vancouver. For young families with at least one Jewish parent, the proportion of Jews living outside of Vancouver jumps above 60%. Like other area residents, they are moving to the suburbs in the elusive search for affordable housing – and that search has taken them far away from the organizational centre of the community, at Oak Street and 41st Avenue.

In setting its 2020 Strategic Priorities, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver addresses the challenge of an increasingly dispersed community, as well as that of an aging population. It also considers the fact that, while it is expensive to live in Metro Vancouver, it is even more expensive to be involved Jewishly.

Over the past two years, Federation has surveyed Jews both in Vancouver proper and outside of the city to find out what they consider to be the priorities of the community and where resources should be allocated. The Connect Me In online surveys reached more than 300 people in outlying areas, 200 of whom agreed to further conversations with Federation, according to Federation chief executive officer Ezra Shanken.

“We’ve had hundreds of conversations with groups and individuals,” Shanken told the Independent. “We wanted to know what areas are lacking. We also asked how should Federation feel and how does it feel? We heard that Federation and the Jewish community is not accessible enough.”

A look into the near future, the 2020 document highlights a number of key areas that have been identified for strategic investment. The report’s subtitle gives the clear message for the idea behind the plan: “Moving our Jewish Federation from Strength to Excellence,” and excellence requires more resources.

As the main fundraising organization of the Jewish community, Federation directs support not only to large, high-profile institutions like Jewish Family Service Agency and Vancouver Talmud Torah, but also to many smaller organizations for which it would be impossible to adequately fundraise independently. The dollars raised and then allocated by Federation are meant to ensure that its 40 constituent agencies are able to sustain a diverse, well-rounded Jewish community without the worry of constant fundraising.

With such a large number of organizations and a wide range of needs, every year the allocation process requires Federation to make difficult decisions. The 2020 plan is intended to identify current community needs, predict the amount of money needed to meet those needs and then raise the necessary funds. The identified priorities include both local and international obligations.

Locally, engaging the next generation, addressing new and evolving community needs, investing strategically in the community and closing the funding gap to meet ongoing needs are the priorities. Each area has a number of key issues embedded within it and all of the details are available on the Federation website. The breakdown of needs is laid out to include the current level of funding and what it covers, as well as the projected needs with their accompanying cost.

Federation’s international commitments include supporting a variety of projects in Israel and communities around the world. Shanken said he is often asked about the amount of money that leaves the local community.

“It used to be an 80:20 ratio of money going to Israel – UIA [United Israel Appeal] was set up to build Israel,” he explained. “Now, it’s more like 30:70 because the way we engage with Israel is very different. We have an Israel department here, we bring the Shinshin [Year-of-service] program to Vancouver for Israel engagement with our community and we fund the Gesher [Bridge] program that brings young Israelis here.”

He also noted that Federation facilitates the funding of some special projects in Israel, which are separate from Federation’s budget. The way these funds are directed is a result of the donor’s wish to feel a sense of ownership of their gift. However, cautioned Shanken, “The sense of ownership cannot replace the duty to help all agencies.”

Federation plans to continue strategically funding existing organizations, while putting in place some new programs. The Diamond Foundation recently gave seed money to bring in a part-time community developer to reach out to marginalized communities. Jewish education, services for seniors and other Jewish programming are among the ways Federation plans to “get out there,” according to Shanken. He offered as an example Federation’s PJ Library, which provides books with Jewish content to more than 1,000 Jewish children in the Lower Mainland.

To read more about Federation’s 2020 Strategic Priorities, go to jewishvancouver.com/2020 or join the conversion on social media, #ourcommunity2020.

This year’s annual campaign launches on Sept. 22, 7 p.m., at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with FEDtalks, featuring author, radio host and founder of Zuckerberg Media, Randi Zuckerberg; Reut think thank founder Gidi Grinstein; One Clip at a Time co-founder Alison Lebovitz; and journalist Terry Glavin. For tickets and more information, visit jewishvancouver.com/fedtalks2016.

Michelle Dodek is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.

FEDtalks coming soon

Alison Lebovitz (photo from Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver)

The original meaning of tikkun olam, as seen in the Talmud, was to “decorate, beautify or refine” the world. The modern meaning of “repairing” the world came to be emphasized much later, in kabbalistic writings. Alison Lebovitz was taught the importance of this older sense of tikkun olam by her grandmother Mimi, though she had a different way of putting it: “Pretty is as pretty does.” In the Jewish ethical context in which she was raised, “beautiful actions” meant making the world a better place. To this day, that priority shapes Lebovitz’s life.

Lebovitz is among the speakers who will help launch the annual campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver on Sept. 22, with this year’s FEDtalks.

Growing up in Montgomery, Ala., Lebovitz was an active volunteer in the Jewish community. One summer, she worked with refuseniks, who had come to Birmingham as refugees. Seeing them clustered around a shelf offering several different kinds of toothpicks, paralyzed by the alien surfeit of choices, unable to select a brand, Lebovitz had a visceral confrontation with the way people lived outside of her middle-class American bubble, and how much our own over-abundance of resources should inspire us to be givers.

After moving to Chattanooga, Tenn., Lebovitz became involved with the documentary Paper Clips, working to have it shown in more schools. Paper Clips takes place in the rural Tennessee community of Whitwell, where a middle-school class attempts to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust by collecting paper clips, each of which represents a human life lost in the Nazis’ slaughter of six million Jews and millions of others.

For Lebovitz, this work naturally developed into her initiative One Clip at a Time, which is a program for taking kids from the message of Paper Clips further, into personal application and action. Students discover ways to make positive changes in their own classrooms and communities and are encouraged to continually look for ways to make a difference. “For me, growing up,” Lebovitz told the Independent, “the question my family always asked about any idea was, ‘So what?’ What does it mean in the real world? Next was, ‘Now what?’ How are you going to put that into action?”

In addition to her work with One Clip, Lebovitz has been involved in an impressive roster of other activities. For 20-plus years, she has written a column on the trials and tribulations of daily life and lessons learned called “Am I There Yet?”; columns of which were published as a book by the same name. She is host of the PBS talk show The A List with Alison Lebovitz, and is a regular public speaker, including for TED Talks.

Lebovitz views herself as a “curator of stories” and an entrepreneur with a passion for social justice. These two themes will coalesce in her FEDtalks presentation in Vancouver, where she plans to speak on “the power of story and the power of community.” She said the end game, for her, is to light the torch of the next generation and invite them to run along with us, but then to also pass on the flame to the generation that follows them.

FEDtalks takes place at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Sept. 22, 7 p.m. For tickets and information about all the speakers, visit jewishvancouver.com/fedtalks2016.

פסלו של ואן גוך

דאגלס קופלנד מעוניין לפסל יצירה בדמות הצייר ההולנדי המפורסם ,וינסנט ואן גוך. (צילום: coupland.com)

אולי מישהוא ראה את הכפיל של וינסנט ואן גוך? פסל מוונקובר מחפש מחפש ג’ינג’י שדומה לצייר ההולנדי המפורסם

“אולי מישהו מכיר ג’ינגי’ שדומה לווינסט ואן גוך?” השואל הוא פסל וסופר קנדי בשם דאגלס קופלנד, שגר בוונקובר. קופלנד מעוניין לפסל יצירה בדמות הצייר ההולנדי המפורסם, הנחשב לאחד מהגדולים ביותר בכל הזמנים.

קופלנד מנהל בימים אלה קמפיין תקשורתי בינלאומי גדול למציאת כפילו של ואן גוך, באמצעות אמצעי התקשורת השונים ואתר אינטרנטי (שכתובתו: איי אם וינסנט.קום), שמועלות בו תמונות של המועמדים השונים, שמאמינים שהם הם שדומים לוואן גוך. הגולשים בעצמם מדרגים מי לטעמם המתאים ביותר למשימה המכובדת – להיות לא פחות מכפילו של הצייר ההולנדי שחתך את אוזנו ברגע של משבר נפשי קשה. כתשע מאות גברים ג’ינג’ים מכל רחבי העולם העלו תמונות שלהם באתר. במקום הראשון מוביל בהפרש ניכר מהאחרים, נמצא ג’ינגי’ משבדיה שקיבל כ-17,000 קולות. במקום השני והרחק מאחוריו גם כן מועמד משבדיה שקיבל כ-14,000 אלף קולות. ברשימה קנדיים רבים ואפילו אף שני ישראלים שנמצאים הרחק מאחור במקומות האחרונים, וכמעט אף אחד לא חושב שהם יכולים לשמש הכפילים של ואן גוך. הראשון מבין הישראלים הוא פנחס אליהו סדרובסקי והשני הוא אליקו מימרן. הזוכה בקמפיין של קופלנד יקבל פרס מכובד בגובה חמשת אלפים יורו (שהם למעלה משבעת אלפים דולר קנדי) וכן כרטיס נסיעה זוגי לוונקובר ובחזרה מהמקום בו הוא חי.

קופלנד מתכוון ליצור פסל גדול מברונזה שגובהו יגיע לשלושה מטר ורחובו יגיע לשני מטר, נושא פניו של הכפיל. זאת לאחר שיסרוק ויצלם אותו בתלת מימד. פסלו של ואן גוך “החדש” יוצב בחוצות העיר. פסל זה יהיה הראשון בסדרת פסלים של ראשים ג’ינג’ים שקופלנד נערך ליצור בקרוב, שיוצבו ברחבי ונקובר. לדברי קופלנד ג’ינג’ים נחשבים לבני אדם נדירים ויוצאי דופן. הוא חקר ומצא שבין אחוז עד שני אחוזים מאוכלוסיית העולם הם ג’ינג’ים. בקרב מדינות צפון אירופה ומדינות המערב מספר הג’ינג’ים גדול יותר, והם יכולים להגיע אף לכשישה אחוזים. (כל הכנראה שבסקוטלנד יש את מספר הג’ינג’ים הגבוה ביותר עולם). קופלנד מאמין שהקמפיין התקשורתי שלו למציאת כפילו של ואן גוך, יעורר אף שיחות על קשרים חדשים בין המדע, האמנות והגלובליזציה.

קופלנד בן החמישים וארבע יליד גרמניה מוכר בין היתר בעקבות ספרי המדע הבדיוני שכתב, ופסלי חוצות יוצאי דופן שעיצב. הוא השתתף בעבודה במדיומים נוספים בהם קולנוע וטלוויזיה וכתב קרוב לשלושים שספרים . האמן משמש חבר באקדמיה המלכותית של קנדה לאמנות וזכה להכרות ופרסים רבים.

על פי תוכנית עבודה של הפדרציה היהודית ל-2020: מספר היהודים בסרי, וויט רוק ו’הטרי-סיטיס’ גדל משמעותית

בהתאם לתוכנית העבודה ארוכת הטווח עד ל-2020 של הפדרציה היהודית של מטרו ונקובר, מספר היהודים שגרים מחוץ לוונקובר עלה משמעותית בשנים האחרונות. התוכנית הוכנה כדי לקבוע את סדרי העדיפויות והמשאבים הכספיים הדרושים להתמודד עם האתגרים החדשים עומדים בפני חברי הקהילה, כיום ובעתיד הנראה לעין.

לדברי מנכ”ל הפדרציה היהודית, עזרא שנקן, לפי נתוני 2011 כ-46% מחברי הקהילה היהודית גרים מחוץ לוונקובר וסביר להניח שכיום מספרם גבוה יותר. מספר היהודים שגרים בערים וויט רוק וסרי גדל בהיקף של כ-50%. ואילו מספר היהודים שגרים בערי ‘הטרי-סיטיס’ גדל בהיקף של כ-45%. בערים מייפל רידג’, פיט מדוז ולאנגלי מספר היהודים גדל בהיקף של כ-23%. שנקן מוסיף כי כ-20% מאוכלוסיית היהודים הם ילדים וקרוב ל-900 מהם גרים מחוץ לוונקובר.

Shinshin program’s first year

Shinshiniot, left to right, Ophir Golombek, Tomer Tetro and Lian Swissa. (photo by Michelle Dodek)

Nine months ago, Ophir Golombek, Lian Swissa and Tomer Tetro were just the names of three Israeli 18-year-olds brought to Vancouver by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the Jewish Agency for Israel. Having spent the school year helping at Vancouver Talmud Torah (VTT), Richmond Jewish Day School (RJDS), King David High School (KDHS), the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and the Hebrew schools at congregations Beth Israel, Beth Tikvah and Temple Sholom, these young women are now known and loved by many across the Lower Mainland.

The women have been here for a shnat sherut (year of service, for which the acronym is shinshin) before entering the army, not as an alternative to time in uniform. The program has been running in other cities for more than a decade, but this was the first year for Vancouver. Designed to spread a connection and love for the people and country of Israel, the shinshiniot (female plural for shinshin) engaged the youth of Vancouver’s Jewish community through dance, song, food and educational programming.

The Shinshin program hinges on a series of homestay experiences where families with children in high school or younger host a shinshin for a three-month period. Federation works to match each shinshin with families that are a good fit in order to facilitate a connection between the families and the shinshiniot, sharing the Canadian experience and Israeli culture while bonding as Jewish people.

“The best thing about the year was the host families,” said Swissa. “I made amazing deep connections and was welcomed as part of the family. It’s such a crucial part of the program.”

The Friedman-Leidemann family – parents Diane and Mark and 13-year-old son Isaac – opened their home to Golombek. Living very close to VTT, it was convenient for Golombek to get to and from her daily work at the school and the family was happy to open their home to her.

“Hosting Ophir was a lovely experience,” said Friedman. “We have hosted ‘traditional’ homestays for 10 years, so we have lots of experience to compare this to and it was truly wonderful.”

She added, however, that having the shinshiniot work six days a week made exploring very difficult. “It would be nice if the girls could have a two- to three-day weekend once a month so that they could explore areas near Vancouver not conducive to day trips,” said Friedman.

Lissa Weinberger, manager of Jewish education and identity initiatives at Federation, was tasked with rolling out the Shinshin program in Vancouver. “It has been an amazing first year,” she said. “From the first time I had a child excitedly talk about the visit their class had from the shinshin to the last goodbye hugs, there has not been an experience quite like this in Vancouver. The biggest highlight of the year was having them for Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. Our community and especially our kids had such a positive Israeli experience, one that could only be created by the firsthand experience of Israeli teens.”

The year has not been without its challenges. Federation recognizes that culture shock and homesickness were real issues, and they plan to have a native Hebrew-speaking social worker or psychologist as part of the support team next year. They are currently reaching out for host families, as well. “We are looking for families who have the routine of the school year, of having kids, because hosting a shinshin is bringing a teenager into your family,” said Weinberger.

Tanyss Bugis, who has two teenagers attending KDHS, said, “Hosting Lian was good for our family and my teenaged kids and it was good for Lian. For us, it was a terrific experience.”

The skills and warmth of the shinshiniot were put to a variety of uses over the year. Tetro is an accomplished dancer and she worked with Grade 4s at VTT and RJDS to prepare for Festival Ha’Rikud. At Beth Israel, Swissa used her artistic skills to create props and 3-D games about Israeli customs, culture and holiday celebrations. All three women did Israeli programming at the synagogue Hebrew schools, where they worked alternating Sundays; the weekends they were not at Hebrew school, they provided youth programming on Shabbat mornings.

“The kids we met now have a better understanding of the complexity of being a teen in Israel,” said Swissa. “They have a better idea that Israel is a nuanced, complex country. We were also able to bring a better understanding of really important events like Yom Hazikaron.”

During the school week, RJDS, VTT, KDHS and the JCC had programming provided by one or more of the shinshiniot. Golombek was full-time at VTT, visiting the classes with age-appropriate lessons on everything from women in Israeli society and history to Yom Hazikaron traditions. Jennifer Shecter-Balin, director of admissions and communications at VTT, said, “Having a young Israeli emissary at the school was a logical and natural way to build bridges with – and interest in – Israel.”

Shecter-Balin also acted as a host-mother. “For our family, hosting a shinshinit was a wonderfully positive experience,” she said. “After our time with Ophir, we feel as though we now have another close family member living in Israel and we anticipate maintaining our bond. We would definitely host again!”

Of the challenges, Shecter-Balin said there were inevitable hiccups but that VTT sees the benefits of increasing the scope of the program with two shinshiniot for next year. “We anticipate a smoother transition and integration with two emissaries working together and supporting each other,” she said.

During Shabbat services on June 25, Swissa organized a party with Israeli snacks and games. It turned out to be a surprise farewell party for her, too. It was the second such party for her on a Shabbat morning; the other was for her 19th birthday.

“We love having Lian here. She’s awesome!” said 10-year-old Aria Levitt.

Swissa said it was hard for her to say goodbye to the kids. “As a shinshinit, we develop a deep connection to the kids. It’s sad to say goodbye.”

Not quite finished their service in our community yet, Tetro is off to Camp Hatikvah for the summer and Golombek will be at Camp Miriam. Both will help with programming, adding to the already rich Zionist fabric of the camps. Swissa continues her stay in Vancouver contributing an Israeli flavor to the JCC’s Camp Shalom.

Tetro summed up her experience in a goodbye speech at a party thrown by Federation for the shinshiniot. “The Jewish community here is amazing and I am so grateful to have been part of it,” she said. “I am so thankful to have met all these incredible people, thank you for being my extended family for the year.”

Federation is looking for families to host a shinshinit for a three-month period in the coming school year. The new group of four young women will arrive at the end of August for an orientation. If you are interested in being a host family, contact Federation at [email protected] or call Shelley Rivkin at 604-527-5111.

Michelle Dodek is a mother and a writer in Vancouver whose children benefited greatly from their relationships with the shinshiniot.

Connect yourself in

Are you Jewish and living outside of Vancouver? The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver wants to hear from you. Its Regional Communities Task Force has begun their work with a new survey to determine how best to engage Jews living beyond the borders of Vancouver, and they are asking you to respond.

From Whistler to Chilliwack, Federation wants to hear about the innovative and welcoming Jewish programs and services you – your friends and/or family – need close to your home.

The community is changing, with 46% of the Jewish community living beyond the borders of Vancouver, including many young families. They lack access to many Jewish community programs, services and institutions.

The fastest growing Jewish communities are Surrey/White Rock up 60%, Tri-Cities up 45%, Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows/Langley up 23%.

Almost 25% of Jewish children live outside of Vancouver, and very few attend Jewish schools or camps.

A growing number of young families are intermarried and have limited or no connection to Jewish life.

Our strength as an entire community depends on our ability to embrace our diversity and to be flexible and innovative as we engage Jews in new and increasingly relevant ways. Take a moment to respond and to reach out to your friends, family and acquaintances for them to also take the survey at jewishvancouver.com/survey.

Transit is a Jewish issue

For most Jewish-related services – cultural events, organizational meetings, day schools, high school, camps, Jewish social services – travel is required. (photo by Arnold C via commons.wikimedia.org)

Although there are multiple levels of government in Canada, it is often said, there is only one taxpayer. So it is frustrating to see necessary public policy delayed by intergovernmental squabbling.

This is what’s happening right now with plans for the future of transportation in Metro Vancouver. A year ago, area voters rejected a referendum proposal that would have seen increased taxes to fund better transit. Stagnation has been the status of transit policy since then.

In the budget tabled in March, the federal government ponied up $370 million for transit in the region.

Last week, the provincial government announced $246 million over a three-year period to improve bus and SeaBus service, purchase more SkyTrain cars and launch “initial work towards new major rapid transit in Vancouver and Surrey.”

The provincial minister in charge of TransLink, Peter Fassbender, said he expects Metro Vancouver municipalities to raise $124 million more, for a total of $740 million over three years.

Mayors of Metro municipalities have a grander scheme – to the tune of $7.5 billion over 10 years, which they would see funded through transit fare and property tax hikes, the sale of some TransLink property and more tolls on bridges and roads.

In this space, we are more accustomed to taking on manageable issues like Middle East peace rather than the seemingly intractable difficulties of moving residents of Metro Vancouver from one part of the region to another. But the issue of transportation is having serious ramification for Metro Vancouverites and things will only get worse if something nearly revolutionary doesn’t happen soon.

This has already had and will continue to have specific implications for ethnocultural communities, including the Jewish community. Real estate realities have driven successive generations of Jewish community members out of the erstwhile “Jewish neighborhood” of Oakridge, the heydays of which will be recalled in an upcoming exhibit of the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia.

Reflecting trends that transcend cultural boundaries, home buyers have moved in concentric circles in recent decades, outward from the city proper, first across the bridges to Richmond and the North Shore, then further east and south. Nearly half – 46% – of Metro Vancouver’s Jews now live outside the city limits, with recent years having seen notable increases in the Jewish populations of Surrey/White Rock, the Tri-Cities and the areas of Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Langley. While there are nodes of Jewish life in each of these locations, there is no doubt that, for most Jewish-related services – cultural events, organizational meetings, day schools, high school, camps, Jewish social services – travel is required.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has long recognized the particular challenges of providing services to and maintaining cohesion among a community spread across a large geographic space. A recent effort, Connect Me In, is surveying Jewish British Columbians who live outside Vancouver and asking how the communal umbrella agency can serve their needs.

Federation is trying to provide services to people where they live so that it is less necessary to come “into the city.” Yet even the best laid plans well executed cannot erase the barriers of time and space between, say, Squamish and 41st and Oak. Moreover, the delivery of services where Jewish people live will still require some movement … from the core outward.

Maintaining cohesion within our community in such a situation depends both on the ability of our community agencies to respond to the needs, as well as the desire of suburbanites to maintain connection to the Jewish community. It also depends, in ways we should not underestimate, on the simple ability to move from Point A to Point B in the Lower Mainland. Transit is a Jewish issue.

Noa concert sells out

Achinoam Nini performs for a full house at the Chan Centre on Yom Ha’atzmaut, May 11. (photo from cjnews.com)

Despite the controversy in the months leading up to her Yom Ha’atzmaut performance at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on May 11, Noa’s concert attracted a full house and every one of the 1,185 seats was sold.

“After all the harrowing events leading up to this concert, I am so thrilled to be here and truly grateful to the Jewish Federation [of Greater Vancouver] for not folding and the Israeli ambassador for supporting!” the Israeli singer, whose full name is Achinoam Nini, posted on her Facebook page soon after she touched down in the city.

Performing barefoot throughout, the singer thanked the audience, Federation staff and the Vancouver Jewish community repeatedly during her show “for sticking up for me.”

In February, the Jewish National Fund of Canada, an annual sponsor of Vancouver’s community Yom Ha’atzmaut concerts, withdrew its support, saying it would take a one-year hiatus “due to the views of the entertainment booked for this year’s celebration.”

The organization’s chief executive officer, Josh Cooper, said “the entertainer that has been hired does not reflect nor correspond to the mandate and values of JNF of Canada.” Its decision followed an article in the Jerusalem Post, later retracted, that claimed Vancouver Jews were “outraged” over Nini’s performance and alleged that she supports the boycott, divest and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. She has repeatedly denied the allegation.

After JNF Canada withdrew, the Israeli embassy and the Consulate General of Israel in Toronto stepped in as sponsors. Irit Stopper, deputy consul general in Toronto, represented the state of Israel at the event. It was also attended by Linda Kislowicz, president and CEO of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, Vancouver City Councilor Geoff Meggs and Burnaby-Lougheed NDP MLA Jane Shin.

Outside the Chan Centre, Michael Brosgart, president of the Jewish Defence League in British Columbia, stood with a handful of supporters and a few placards declaring “Terrorists are obstacles to peace; Biblical Zionists are not.”

A folding table held pictures of an Israeli couple murdered by Palestinian terrorists, and Brosgart distributed material to bystanders. The pages contained excerpts from letters expressing objections to Nini’s performance from community member Frances Belzberg and Israel Defence Forces Lt.-Col. Eyal Platek, as well as links to articles about the singer.

“Noa is supporting the most divisive groups in Israel – B’tselem, Breaking the Silence, BDS and JStreet,” Brosgart said. “Unfortunately, Jewish Federation and the Israeli embassy, because they’re funding this, are supporting her. We think this is rotting the Jewish community.”

On JDL’s Facebook page Brosgart elaborated. “This performance will be extremely divisive, distasteful, disrespectful and does not represent the views and interests of the community. Especially at the time we need unity the most. This is not about free speech. Nini can sing her sh—y songs anywhere she wants. However, this is Israel’s Independence Day. To bring an anti-Israel, terror-sympathizing, enemy-strengthening performer on this day is to spit in the face of all who have lost loved ones defending the nation of Israel.”

One Israeli who attended the concert but asked not to be named said she disliked that Nini “does not separate her political views from her artistry. I’m sorry the selection committee didn’t do more research before they chose her, but I think they learned a lesson,” the woman said.

After seeing the Facebook responses of Israelis in Vancouver opposed to the performance, she decided to attend nevertheless. She added that, once Nini was invited to Vancouver, “I think it was the best thing to keep her here instead of canceling the performance.”

The kosher restaurant Shuk Eat & Play hosted an alternative Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration dinner for 110 attendees the same night.

“I heard Noa’s political sayings and I didn’t appreciate it,” said Shuk owner Alon Volodarsky. “So, some people who didn’t like her suggested we hold this dinner for those community members who still wanted to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut but didn’t want to attend the concert.”

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond. To read her work online, visit laurenkramer.net. This article was originally published in the Canadian Jewish News.

המציאות הקשה של פורט מקמורי

עלות נזקי השריפה הענקית בפורט מקמורי מוערכת כבר בתשעה מיליארד דולר. (צילום: YouTube)

העלות הגבוהה של נזקי השריפה הענקית שהפכה את פורט מקמורי לעיר רפאים, מוערכת כבר בתשעה מיליארד דולר. אין ספק שמדובר באסון הגדול ביותר בתולדות קנדה. נזקים גדולים נגרמו לרכוש, בתים, דירות, עסקים, חנויות, מוסדות, רכבים, ציוד, קווי חשמל, קווי מים, קווי ביוב ותשתיות אחרות. הליך השיקום הארוך ימשך חודשים ארוכים ואולי אף שנים.

השריפה שהחלה ביום שבת שעבר (ה-30 באפריל) והפכה תוך יומיים-שלושה לשריפה מפלצתית, גרמה לכך שממשלת מחוז אלברטה הכריזה על מצב חירום כולל וכ-90 אלף תושבים מאזור פורט מקמורי והסביבה, נאלצו לעזוב את בתיהם ולעבור למקומות בטוחים יותר. הליך פינוי התושבים נמשר מספר ימים והוא הגיע לסיומו בסוף השבוע האחרון. טורים טורים ארוכים של אלפי תושבים שממתינים בסבלנות במכוניותיהם לצאת את האזור הפגוע, הפכו לתמונת היום באמצעי החדשות, שברקע נראית השריפה הענקית שכאילו לקוחה מסרט אימה נוראי. ומצד שני התמונות הקשות של אזורים נרחבים שנחרבו לחלוטין לאחר שהשריפה עברה בהם והפכה כל דבר לאפר, מזכירים אזורי מלחמה קשים. מתברר שהמציאות הקשה של פורט מקמורי קשורה בה עולה על כל דימיון פרוע.

בשלב זה אין הערכה מתי יצליחו מאות הכבאים שהגיעו מכל רכבי קנדה, עשרות כלי הטיס (מטוסים והליקופטרים), בליווי ציוד כבד, להשתלט על השריפה שרק הולכת וגדלה. שטח השריפה נאמד כבר ביותר ממיליון וחצי דונם והיד הקשה שלה עוד נטויה. מזג האוויר החם מאוד והרוחות החזקות מנפיקים אנרגיה נוספת לשריפה, שעברה כבר את פורט מקמורי והיא נעה עתה לכיוון צפון מזרח – אל עבר מחוז ססקצ’ואן. תחזית מזג האוויר מצביעה על התקררות מה בחום אך זה לא יספיק להשתלט על השריפה. גם הגשם שצפוי לרדת באזור לא בטוח שיעזור בהרבה, כיוון שלא נראה שהוא יהיה חזק במיוחד. הליך השתלטות והכנעת השריפה הקשה הזו ימשך בוודאי עוד מספר ימים. בינתיים איכות האוויר באזור הפגוע גרועה מאוד ואפילו באזור נברסקה שבצד האמריקני של הגבול, מדווחים כבר על איכות אוויר גרועה.

פורט מקמורי היא העיר המרכזית הסמוכה לחולות הזפט בהם נמצא מאגר הנפט הגדול ביותר בקנדה, שנחשב לשני בגודלו בעולם אחרי ערב הסעודית. מרבית חברות האנרגיה באזור נאלצו להפסיק את פעילותן ולהשבית את קווי הנפט לאור החשש שהאש תגיע גם אליהם. הירידה בתפוקת הנפט מעלה את מחירו בשוק העולמי, אם כי לא נראה שזה יואיל לענף האנרגיה של אלברטה שסובל קשות בשנתיים האחרונות, מירידה דרסטית של מחירי הנפט בשוק העולמי.

גופים רבים נתרמים לעזור לעשרות אלפים התושבים שהפכו כל כך מהר להומלסים. לרבים מהם לא היה לאן לחזור והם יאלצו להתסגל למציאות קשה זו. הצלב האדום של קנדה מרכז את מרבית מאמצי העזרה לתושבים. הארגון הצליח בתוך ימים ספורים לרכז תרומות בהיקף של יותר מארבעים ושישה מיליון דולר. הממשלה הפדרלית הבטיחה לתרום למען התושבים סכום זהה לסכום שיגוייס על ידי הצלב האדום. ממשלת אלברטה מפעילה קרן חרום מיוחדת לנזקקים שהיקפה יותר מ-200 מיליון דולר.

הקהילות היהודיות ברחבי קנדה נתרמות אף הן לאזור לנפגעי פורט מקמורי והסביבה, והן מפעילות קרנות מיוחדות לגיוס כספים עבורם. מנכ”ל הפדרציה היהודית של אזור מטרו ונקובר, עזרא שנקן: “ביחד עם כל הפדרציות היהודיות בקנדה אנו מגייסים כספים לעזור לנפגעי אלברטה. מאה אחוז מהתרומות יוקצה לטובת הנפגעים באמצעות הפדרציה היהודית של אזור אדמונטון”.