The heart of any community is its safety and security. The Jewish community is no different. If any one community lacks this most basic right, then no community can expect to thrive fully. As a Federation CEO, ensuring community safety and security, now and in the future, is at the core of what we do.
This week, that meant sending a message on Yom HaShoah.
As a community professional, and simply as a Jew, I’ve always taken seriously my responsibility to stand with Holocaust survivors and their descendants on this day and every day. I take equally seriously my responsibility to show those in positions of power that we expect them to do all they can to fight antisemitism.
.@CIJAinfo board members @terryyungyvr, @jaimestein, and @JewishVancouver CEO @eshanken with Ministers @selinarobinson @NikiSharma2 @MurrayRankinNDP at the Yom HaShoah commemoration @BCLegislature pic.twitter.com/qbpRMLT3kz
I usually make a point of attending the local Yom HaShoah commemoration here in Vancouver, and I travel to the provincial capital of Victoria to attend the commemoration. But this year, I made the difficult decision not to join the delegation of Jewish community leaders at the B.C. legislature.
combat that crisis, Ezra, as well as our current and past board chair of Jewish Federation and additional community leaders, chose not to attend today’s commemoration. #cdnPoli #NeverAgain
As my colleague, Richard Marceau the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said so eloquently this Yom HaShoah, “The real test is not whether we cry over dead Jews, it is whether we are standing beside the live ones who are under attack today.”
As the sun sets tonight, we join Jewish communities in BC and around the world in observing Yom HaShoah, a solemn day of remembrance for the six million innocent Jewish victims of the Holocaust, known as the Shoah in Hebrew.
(1/3) pic.twitter.com/0czdbogRF7
On this day, we must renew our efforts in building a world free of racism, hatred & persecution. We must never be complacent in the face of evil. It should be our duty to ensure "never again" is more than a phrase, but a pledge.
My full statement: https://t.co/cBZ5IYgE5R
(3/3)
More than anything, I wanted to stand together with survivors that day and with my many colleagues who did attend the commemorative event at the legislature. However, the attendance of Federation leadership at an event carries some weight. Instead, together with our board chair, Lana Marks Pulver, we chose to use our absence to send a message to government from outside the room, while our advocacy agent CIJA and others delivered a similar message on the inside.
Together, we were able to ensure that survivors were supported while making clear our disappointment and concern.
Our concerns are real:
We have been vocal about the urgent need for action by the B.C. government to address the rampant antisemitism in the province. We appreciate their recent contribution to community security grants, there is much more work to be done.
We have repeatedly asked them to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to address antisemitism in K-12 education, post-secondary institutions, public unions and the B.C. Public Service. Sadly, to date, there has been no real movement on this.
Antisemitism has reached crisis levels and we cannot combat it alone. The time for words is over. We need action. We need help from those around us, starting with government. We need our elected leaders to lead.
Ezra Shanken is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver.
Ezra Shanken, the CEO of Vancouver’s Jewish Federation, explains why he skipped the provincial commemoration of Yom HaShoah
23
0
08.05.2024
The heart of any community is its safety and security. The Jewish community is no different. If any one community lacks this most basic right, then no community can expect to thrive fully. As a Federation CEO, ensuring community safety and security, now and in the future, is at the core of what we do.
This week, that meant sending a message on Yom HaShoah.
As a community professional, and simply as a Jew, I’ve always taken seriously my responsibility to stand with Holocaust survivors and their descendants on this day and every day. I take equally seriously my responsibility to show those in positions of power that we expect them to do all they can to fight antisemitism.
.@CIJAinfo board members @terryyungyvr, @jaimestein, and @JewishVancouver CEO @eshanken with Ministers @selinarobinson @NikiSharma2 @MurrayRankinNDP at the Yom........
© Canadian Jewish News
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Tarik Cyril Amar
Rami G Khouri
Dr Ramzy Baroud
Mort Laitner
