My week began on Sunday morning, catching up on Twitter, when I stumbled upon an article by Bari Weiss called Natan Sharansky: Why Alexei Navalny is Playing With His Life where she interviews Natan Sharansky – noted refusenik and Israeli politician- about the current situation with Alexei Navalny. There is a point in this interview where Sharansky mentions his book, Fear No Evil, where he talks about  “…the inter connection of souls. How what you are doing now can be important for people who are not born yet.” This line stopped me in my tracks. 

While this was expressed in reference to resistance and courage in face of government oppression, the statement, to me, is fundamentally Jewish and speaks to why we do what we do at Federation. 

Our people have endured for centuries and the legacies of our forebearers continue to impact us daily. Our Edmonton Jewish community is the result of efforts and foresight by the founders from a century ago and those who have since continued to build it up. Jewish Federation of Edmonton is the recipient of a significant endowment that will last in perpetuity. It will ensure the connection of souls, that for generations to come we will have a vibrant and secure community. 

Hakol  was sent to your inbox last night. A larger than usual issue, we wanted to inform you of all that has been going on and more to come. Highlighting our board members is a new feature and it was great fun reading their responses to the questions we posed. As our temperatures plummet, I suggest you fix a warm drink and take some time to read through it all!

On a programming note, It is not too late to sign up for the next in our free speaker series this Sunday at noon. Amotz Asa El will be delivering a talk, Israel’s place in the Middle East: From leper to neighbour. 

If you want to travel without the hassle of a quarantine upon return we have a staycation opportunity on February 14 that you will not want to miss! We are thrilled to invite the Calgary Jewish community to join us as we welcome Chef Shawna Goodman-Sone and tour guide Orit Levi into your kitchens to ‘Experience Israel’ for a cooking class and Machane Yehuda market tour. Register so we can send you the Zoom link and recipes at the end of the week. 

There are many people who are answering the call when asked to join committees, represent our community, and generally help out. For risk of forgetting to name someone, I thank you all and look forward to sharing your good work with the community as we move forward and create our own legacies.   

Shabbat Shalom,

Stacey