Before Jewish Changemakers, Liora Shafir never envisioned herself as a leader. But through the six-week online program, Liora discovered leaders come in all different forms.
“I’m always the quiet one in the back of the room. You don’t have to be the loudest one. You can be the quiet…
Building a culture of security is essential to the safety of the Jewish community in Edmonton, says Gerry Almendrades.
The national director of community security for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs understands what is essential in creating a safe community. Gerry has been in this …
Avital Apartsev dreamed of going to a sleep-away camp when she was a child. The movies that she saw featured these camps, fueled her desire. Living in Israel, there was not an opportunity for this. Instead, Avital attended youth groups where they would camp outside for a week and had to buil…
Having his high school students attend the annual Dianne and Irving Kipnes Holocaust Education Symposium is a field trip experience like no other for Chris Johnston.
Chris, who teaches social studies at Ross Shepherd High School, has been bringing students to the symposium for over 20 years…
As an ally to the LGBTQ2S+ community, Melany Allen believed it was important to become involved in the Jewish Federation of Edmonton’s Pride Shabbat committee three years ago.
“There’s a role for us to recognize the contributions of LGBTQ2S+ people to the Jewish community and to under…
Before attending the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Holocaust Education Symposium in May, Carter Collier didn’t realize the magnitude of antisemitism that still prevails to this day. Carter, a Grade 11 student from Lillian Osborne High School, was familiar with Jewish holidays but not much more …
There’s never been a time in Valda Levin’s life when she hasn’t been asking someone for money. Valda isn’t asking for money for herself. It’s always been for a good cause in the Jewish community.
When she was growing up in Sydney, Australia, Valda used to go door-to-door with th…
Israel is celebrating its 75th birthday this year and the Jewish Federation of Edmonton is hosting a party! As part of the April 25 festivities, Israeli performers Michael Einav and Rony Goffer will be singing crowd favourites. Michael worked on various theater and TV productions in Tel Aviv…
One of the top issues that arose from consultations for the Jewish Federation of Edmonton’s strategic plan was fighting antisemitism. The Federation released its 2022-2025 strategic plan in the fall of 2021. In October 2021, the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) announced plans fo…
March of the Living is returning this year after being dormant because of the pandemic. Nathan Campbell, 21, was one of the past participants from Edmonton and still carries with him the memories and impact of the trip.
He wanted to go on the program to experience firsthand what his materna…
Funding and supporting Jewish youth programs make a difference in a life like Ellie Vogel’s.
For Ellie, Camp BB and BBYO have strengthened her Jewish roots and connected her to teens in Calgary and Edmonton. The 16-year-old has been going to Camp BB for nine summers. She still remembers…
Will Hatch was one of eight teens from Edmonton and Calgary who had a chance to experience JCC Maccabi in San Diego, California in August 2022. The experience opened his eyes to the Jewish world outside of Alberta.
“I feel like we have a smaller Jewish community than other cities. Outside…
Holocaust education has always been a core focus of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton and, historically, the annual Dianne and Irving Kipnes Holocaust Education Symposium has been a key program to reach high school students from across the city. The pandemic necessitated a shift from an in-p…
Thanks to a PJ Library grant, Amanda Rose had a wonderful experience hosting a small Chanukah get together to introduce her non-Jewish friends to the holiday. The Get Together grant, provided by a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, supports families in organizing a Jewish-related ev…
Andrew Sheedy is very thankful for the help he’s received from the Jewish Federation of Edmonton on his path to becoming a priest. He is the recipient of the $1,000 scholarship given to a University of Alberta student who has completed Jewish Studies courses. They select a student for the …
