Man plans, God laughs—is a Yiddish proverb that is very fitting for us this week.  

Our plan to host Eitan Chitayat for United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Launch had to change, due to a death in the family. And with this change in plans, we will ensure a laugh—as we are very excited to host comedian Ariel Elias, who you may have seen perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live or the set of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 

Our times have felt increasingly uncertain. We are 700 days into the war, and while proof of life of two hostages was just released, their fate and those of the 46 others is precarious. We hold them in our hearts and in our prayers. This is a moment to unite, to be in community—because our strength lies in our collective, as showcased in our UJA theme: As One, Together.  

We are pleased to bring community together this fall through our Countering Antisemitism Speaker Series, featuring Jonny Daniels, Casey Babb, and more. I hope you will join us as we focus on feeling strength and pride in our Jewish identities through each of these events. Countering antisemitism begins with each of us—with our strength and pride in who we are as Jews and with our showing up to community.  

Speaking of showing up for community, at the UJA Launch next Thursday, September 11, we will be presenting the Dianne z”l and Irving Kipnes Kavod award to Karen Farkas and Clyde Hurtig in recognition of their exceptional generosity and commitment to Edmonton Jewish community. Come join us in celebrating this powerhouse couple and find out more about their continued efforts. Purchase your tickets now.  

This week we had poignant reminders of how a gift to the UJA campaign supports our local youth in strengthening their Jewish identities. University students are back on campus, and our Hillel is there to support and welcome them, with a number of programs and events planned throughout the fall. Talmud Torah welcomed over 150 students back to school. I had the privilege of joining our senior leadership to meet with the Talmud Torah board. In addition to bursary support, we discussed additional ways we continue to collaborate to support and strengthen the school community.  We appreciate the efforts of these community volunteers. Yasher Koach to Noga Vaisblat, president and to principal Darin Johnson for leading their teams. 

One of the greatest predictors of future Jewish community strength is strong immersive community experiences. In addition to supporting Camp BB Riback and Talmud Torah tuitions from the UJA campaign, we are keeping an eye on the longer term—developing the leadership of our community. Developing future community leaders has been a pillar of our strategic plan.   

We are delivering on that priority and thrilled to announce that the Wexner Heritage Program is being offered to our community. This elite leadership development program for 30–45-year-olds is the result of a collaboration between The Roadburg Foundation, Azrieli Foundation, and Rosalind and Morris Goodman Family Foundation, who recognize the challenges of fostering and developing leadership in small communities. You can learn more about this program.

In preparation for welcoming Shabbat, we know that many of you are attending synagogue services. We want to give you an update about a situation that you may have heard about at Beth Israel after hours this past weekend, where two vehicles were seen on the grounds and two individuals were seen engaging Muslim prayer on the lawn. Along with synagogue leadership, we worked closely with Edmonton Police Services to ensure reporting and extra drive-bys until this was fully investigated.

While an uncomfortable occurrence, this was not a criminal act and did not meet the high threshold for legal action. We continue to advocate for policy and legislation that ensures that Jewish Edmontonians feel safe to attend all places of worship and community events. This event is a reminder to us all. If you see something suspicious, report it to the police and to our portal. Having this on record is also important. We are reassured and thankful to law enforcement for their prompt and thorough response to this concern, and to ensuring availability of extra duty detail for high holidays. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Stacey