This past week offered us a rare and meaningful opportunity to step back, reflect, and learn alongside our cohort and scholars from the Shalom Hartman Institute. The experience left us inspired, grounded, and newly equipped to meet the unique challenges and opportunities facing smaller Canadian Jewish communities like ours. We are grateful to the funders who made our participation possible, and to the Hartman scholars—including Donniel Hartman, Yehuda Kurtzer, Tal Becker, Yossi Klein Halevi, Elana Stein Hain, Sara Labaton, and many others—whose wisdom and generosity shaped our learning.

Throughout the week, we explored questions that sit at the heart of our work as Jewish community professionals:

• What defines the Canadian Jewish experience, especially in smaller communities, and how does that shape courageous leadership?
• How is polarization impacting our communities, and how do we show up as leaders in this moment?
• How have our roles and responsibilities shifted since October 7?
• What vision of Jewish community are we striving to build?
• How can we navigate conversations about Israel and the Israeli Palestinian conflict with nuance, care, and honesty?
• And how does antisemitism simultaneously unite us and strain the bonds within our community?

These conversations strengthened our resolve and reminded us why the work we do together matters so deeply.

After the program concluded, we travelled directly to our partnership region in the Upper Galilee. For more than 30 years, our community has invested in educational initiatives, social services, and programs designed to improve quality of life for residents. These investments create ripple effects—supporting families, strengthening communities, and fostering longterm resilience.

The Upper Galilee, which borders Lebanon and Syria, has endured profound challenges. Since the attacks from Hezbollah following October 7—as well as memories of the Second Lebanon War—approximately 60 per cent of homes, schools, businesses, and community spaces have been damaged. Many families were displaced for extended periods, and some have not returned, uncertain whether they will ever feel safe living so close to the border again. Those who have returned face the enormous task of rebuilding their lives, their homes, and their sense of security.

Yet even before the events of this past year, the region struggled with limited economic and educational opportunities. A recent study showed that life expectancy in the Upper Galilee is, on average, two years lower than in central Israel. The needs are significant and ongoing.

This is why our partnership matters. The programs we support help families develop the skills, confidence, and stability they need to rebuild. Our focus on children and teens is especially important—ensuring that they have the tools to reach their full potential. Through collaboration with other federated communities across Canada, we can leverage every donation, attract additional partners, and amplify our collective impact.

We also fund programs that build meaningful connections between our community and the residents of the Upper Galilee. These people to people relationships remind us that their story is part of our story. They are, in many ways, an extension of our local community. One example is the twinning of our Talmud Torah with the Lev Ha’Emek School. During our visit, we delivered a card from our students showing the enormous snowfall this winter—much to the delight of our Israeli partners.

Despite the warmth of these moments, the inequities remain stark. Children and teens in the north simply do not have the same access to opportunities as their peers in central Israel, making it especially hard to break cycles of poverty. Our shared investment looks to change that trajectory—helping young people succeed academically and socially and supporting families as they rebuild stronger futures.

One inspiring highlight of our visit was celebrating Tel Hai College’s transition to full university status. This development marks a significant milestone for the region’s future. The university’s ability to attract new faculty and students—supported in part by decades of investment from Canadian Jewish communities—has the potential to be transformative. We were struck by the diversity on campus, where Druze, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim students learn side by side. For a region that has endured trauma, displacement, and fear, this spirit of shared space and shared purpose was deeply moving. As United Jewish Appeal donors, we hope you feel proud of the role you play in helping this region grow and thrive.

Another memorable moment was visiting the Mevo’ot HaHermon Hydrotherapy Pool, a unique facility that served more than 20,000 individuals annually prior to the war. It provides crucial physical and therapeutic care to people from all walks of life, including IDF veterans coping with PTSD and children with special needs who attend the onsite kindergarten and elementary school. As the largest facility of its kind in northern Israel, it has changed countless lives by eliminating the need for families to travel hours to central Israel. For us, it’s the difference between commuting to St. Albert versus driving all the way to Drumheller—an impact you can truly feel.

On our final day, we visited Metullah, the northernmost town in Israel, sitting right along the Lebanese border. As we stood at an overlook, taking in the view of nearby Lebanese villages, we were joined by Nir Zamir, whose son Oren lives in Edmonton. Nir told us he visits this spot often as an act of resilience—to show himself that he refuses to live in fear of his neighbours. His quiet strength captured the essence of what so many residents feel as they slowly contemplate returning home.

Our two days in the Upper Galilee were only a beginning, but they offered clarity and connection. Seeing firsthand the impact of our longstanding CoasttoCoast partnerships deepened our understanding of the stories we tell and the lives we touch together. We hope this is the first of many opportunities to continue building relationships and strengthening our ties with the region.

Thank you for being part of this important work. Your generosity, your commitment, and your belief in our shared future truly make a difference.

Shabbat shalom,

Becky and Tammy