I stepped into the office for my first day as CEO on January 4, 2021. Little did I expect that one year later we would have some of the same concerns and conversations around the pandemic and the effect on all of us. However, when I glance back on 2021, I am proud of all that we have accomplished with a small staff and many restrictions in place. It is with tremendous gratitude to you—our donors, supporters, and volunteers—that we continue to show community resilience and support one another. 

Last winter we embarked on an ambitious project—generating a strategic plan to guide our efforts for the next three to five years. The deadline was tight, but we presented it at the annual general meeting in December and will share a full report shortly.  I look forward to sharing more details with you in coming weeks as we begin phase two to generate an implementation plan. In the meantime, our office will work on developing internal capacity to support these priorities, and our values guide our activities. One step taken is to hire an outreach coordinator who will connect community members to programs, advocate about Israel and other issues, and coordinate events such as the Israeli pavilion at Heritage Festival. Please view the posting and let others who have experience in this capability know we are hiring.

Beginning with Yisrael Arevim Zeh L’zeh—the people of Israel care for one another. Through our support of Jewish Family Services, you can access counselling and mental health help, as well as COVID-19 Relief Funds, if you are in urgent need. We have made grocery gift cards available to families who are most vulnerable and continue to be in place for those who are food insecure.

Ahavat Chesed—loving kindness. With schools cancelled for the week, we pivoted around PJ programming for kids (and respite for their parents) and appreciate how the synagogues and the Jewish Senior Citizens’ Centre find innovative ways to combat isolation and endure this new wave of the pandemic. These programs provided around the city engage and connect Jewish Edmontonians to one another.

Tikkun Olam—repair of the world. If you are on social media, you may have noted our assistance of food and supplies for the homeless shelter set up at the Al Rashid Mosque this week. When we offered to help, one of the items requested was Polysporin for frostbitten fingers, proof of how brutal this cold snap has been. We encourage you to consider donations of warm clothing to the Bissell Centre as the demand is great, as is the need for these items.

While we are planning for International Good Deeds Day in April, there are immediate needs if you can help. While in the depths of winter and even another wave of the pandemic, celebrations, events, and unrestricted travel are not yet back to ‘normal’. Our Shine a Light on Antisemtisim art mosaic unveiling scheduled for January 12 at Edmonton City Hall is yet another occasion that had to be cancelled, however, we could spin it around to an engaging online event. Join us for the livestream launch at noon on Wednesday with Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and then take the virtual tour of the art with interactive videos and more. The piece is magnificent, and it overcame me with emotions when I took it in—both in the artistry's beauty and the sentiments expressed by individuals of all ages.

As we enter 2022, I am confident that we can achieve our vision of “a thriving, caring, engaged, and connected Jewish community” together.

Shabbat Shalom,

Stacey