May is Jewish Heritage Month, when we celebrate the contributions of Jewish Canadians to our country and honour our heritage.  

Here in Edmonton, we take pride in the Jewish Film Festival, learn from the stories and accomplishments of Jewish Edmontonians through the Jewish Archives and Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Alberta, and recommit to standing up as proud Jews—while safeguarding our collective safety and dignity.  

In that spirit of celebrating who we are as a community, I encourage everyone to stand up and be counted—literally.  

The national census is taking place this month, and Rabbi Ari Drelich and I always tussle over how many Jews we think there are in Edmonton. I think we’ll see a bump from the 2021 census (5,690 people who identify as Jewish); he thinks the number is much higher. Either way, this data matters for policy considerations and advocacy work, and it provides valuable insight as we plan for the future.  

And it’s not just in the census—so many of you are also standing up and being counted in your advocacy against bias and hate.  

Whether it’s writing a letter to your union about an event, requesting to speak at the Edmonton Police Commission, or contacting CBC about a radio segment that was biased and contained falsehoods, we appreciate the time you’re taking—and we appreciate that you’re keeping us informed.  

If you want to make us aware of a hate-motivated incident you have witnessed, please use the reporting tool on our website.  

I had the pleasure of welcoming Vladi Kats to our community this week. Vladi is the incoming regional security director for Alberta, and some of you may have seen him around as we visited community agencies together.  

With Vladi in place, we are strengthening our approach to community security in a comprehensive way and in coordination with national partners. We have been working toward this program for a few years, and we are deeply appreciative to Jewish Federations of North America LiveSecure and other large Canadian foundations that provided initial funding.  

The timing is especially poignant as the Government of Canada has announced more security funding through the Canada Community Security Program. We are incredibly grateful to the team at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs for their advocacy in ensuring the government made this a priority.  

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be working closely with community agencies and their leadership to bring a coordinated, strengthened approach to our security program. This includes supporting agencies as they access grant funding and continue upgrading security hardware.  

Speaking of numbers, the 30th Edmonton Jewish Film Festival (EJFF) opens this Sunday night. We’re bringing award-winning films from around the world to Edmonton, starting with Bella (and our snowbirds can likely attest to having seen some of these films in Phoenix or Miami). 

The EJFF is open to all. You can purchase tickets here or at the door—please bring a friend and share in the power of storytelling.  

On Wednesday night, we’re showing Soul of a Nation, a glimpse into current issues in Israeli society, which I found to be especially insightful.  

A special bonus—and an opportunity we could not pass up—is the Canadian premiere of From October 6 to October 7, a documentary about Doron Almog, chair of The Jewish Agency for Israel. Not only is his personal story compelling, but the film also offers insight into how Israeli society supports its special-needs population.  

I had the honour of meeting Doron in Israel, and we had hoped to welcome him to Edmonton. His travel was cancelled due to the current war; however, we are grateful to welcome back Yaron Deckel for a fireside chat after the film about this film, The Jewish Agency for Israel, and the situation in Israel.  

The proceeds from this year’s festival will help fund the Jewish Agency Shinshin program, made possible through a sizeable grant from the Jewish Agency.  

We look forward to welcoming Alma and Ofri, who will bring programming to our school, synagogues, and more. We are seeking host families starting this fall who can take them in for a few months at a time; if you are interested, please contact Chloe at chloes@edjfed.org.  

And finally, a note many of us are feeling today: the Oilers’ playoff run has come to an end. We’re proud of the excitement they brought to our city, of the efforts and Zach Hyman and Jake Walman and how they conduct themselves both on and off the ice, and we’ll carry that same spirit of resilience and community into the weeks ahead.  

Wishing you a restful weekend and looking forward to seeing you at the festival and around the community.  

Shabbat Shalom, 

Stacey