Shabbat Shalom Edmonton. I hope you have enjoyed reading the Shabbat messages from our summer staff, Almog Mazor and Makhabbat Aitkenova, as much as I have, sharing their impressions about the work that they spearheaded and supported. In case you overlooked them, we hold these in a repository on our website. 

As I reflect on the events in Israel this past weekend, I know you share with me the shock and grief for the murdered hostages whose bodies were retrieved from Gaza. This has been an exceptionally challenging time, and we are all feeling raw from this news, while we remain gravely concerned for the remaining hostages and their plight. The only comfort I can suggest is that we continue to rely on one another, connect with one another, and come together to strengthen our ties as a community.

Last week, we held our United Jewish Appeal (UJA) canvasser appreciation event, during which three local community members recounted their experiences with Federation events, programs, and services. An Ethiopian Israeli newcomer told us how she felt welcomed and supported (along with activities by our beneficiary, Jewish Family Services). Another shared with us about her involvement in the Integrated Bursary Program Committee and how these bursaries have helped fund many children to attend Talmud Torah and Camp BB Riback. In the last story, a member described her journey of being drawn into the community after October 7, facing marginalization and ostracization by the LGBTQ2+ community, and finding her voice through the Jewish Federation.  

This evening was warm and a wonderful reminder to me of the way we touch Jewish life in so many impactful ways. This coming week we are connecting our youth and campus community with two survivors from Kfar Azza and the Gaza Envelope, bearing witness to their strength and resilience despite the hardships they have faced. We are welcoming a class from a Jewish high school in Montreal, and I know that a few years from now we will hear stories from our teens about how they reconnected with these kids who once visited Edmonton once they meet again on March of the Living or Birthright. Connecting with one another, with people across Canada and Israel, is something I am proud that we can support through the UJA campaign.  

Our theme this year is As One. As one, we can make all of this and more possible. I hope to see you this Sunday at UJA Launch, where we will come together “As One” in celebration of our community. There is still time to get a ticket.

Mark your calendar for other campaign events coming up, including an intergenerational Family Fun Day at Fort Edmonton Park on September 15, and a Conversation with Jerusalem Post Journalist Yonah Bobb on October 29.