We sense the close of the summer (despite this heat wave) and are thinking about the return to school and campus. If you have school-aged children, I hope you attended the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) webinar. The webinar prepared families for dealing with antisemitism in schools. Please watch out for our emails and socials informing you of events like these.  

 It is now the month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year as we lead up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is a time for spiritual and physical preparation, including connecting deeply with G-d, reflecting, blowing the shofar daily, and fulfilling the mitzvah of contributing to charity. And here at the Jewish Federation offices, we have dusted off the proverbial shofar as we are working hand in hand with a chorus of volunteers to prepare for the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Campaign.

While the call of the shofar is a spiritual reminder, you will probably receive an actual phone call—the one from your canvasser. UJA canvassers are volunteers who believe in the strength of collective giving to ensure a strong and vibrant community. They give of their time to do the holy work in order to help you fulfill the mitzvah of tzedakah. Take a moment and have a conversation with them about your hopes and dreams for our community, and what is of utmost concern to you at the moment.  

This week we could hold a canvasser appreciation, recognizing the contributions of our longstanding canvassers and welcoming new canvassers to our midst. We had an intimate event with a presentation from Jacqui Vital, who will share the story of her beautiful and brave daughter, Adi Vital Kaploun z”l, tonight at Beth Shalom. Adi was a fierce young woman who ensured her children survived October 7, and her experience is one we can draw many lessons from. I was fortunate enough to hear Jacqui when I was in Israel, and we are honoured to welcome her into our community.  

We also have the privilege of hosting Eitan Chitayat on Thursday, September 11 for an evening that will inspire and engage you to be ‘that Jew’. Fresh from his tour in Australia, Eitan will speak to us about what matters most right now. His inclusive movement of Jewish expression is critical to Jewish people now and into the future. His vision is “to help every Jew feel more confident and comfortable being openly Jewish in the physical, real world.” This unifying message will be one you don’t want to miss. I look forward to seeing you, your children, grandchildren and friends. Join us by purchasing tickets now. We will observe Kashrut.  

Shabbat shalom,

Stacey