Dear Friends,

Prior to last Shabbat and Canadian Thanksgiving, I shared a note with our Jewish Federation of Ottawa Board of Directors that read in part as follows:
"I take great pride in what a truly extraordinary organization we are. Our Federation is united by a common culture of dedication, integrity, respect, teamwork and trust. Even in the face of pandemic adversity and fatigue, the effects of the past 19 months continue to present different challenges and yet with much introspection, it has also provided us with new opportunities as we travel together along our vibrant Jewish Superhighway. I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your support of our work. You set an extraordinary example of commitment, expertise, passion, professionalism and resilience. I am deeply grateful for your gifts of time, talent and treasure. Our community is powered by your generosity and I want you to know that the work you do is valued and makes a vital difference in the Ottawa Jewish community and Jewish communities around us."
During the course of this past week, I also had the opportunity to attend a Federation virtual staff meeting where I offered my thankfulness, and more importantly the gratitude of our community, for the work that they do.

In the course of our incredibly busy year, it’s easy to overlook our daily gifts. I find Thanksgiving to be an opportune time for that important reminder: to take stock of the extraordinary efforts of our leaders, members, partners and stakeholders in the community where we invest, efforts that catalyze opportunity and help our Jewish community realize its fullest potential. This imperative work of being Here for Good, Here for the Vulnerable, Here for Jewish Learning, and Here for Life & Legacy enriches our community.

These are the efforts that drive both me and my Federation team-mates to produce leadership for a new age filled with “old-new” challenges and in doing so, by saying thank you for the past and giving blessings for the future. This includes developing the next generation of lay and professional leaders, something that I am passionate about and a factor that drew me to the blessings of this role as Board chair. While the phrase “Jewish leadership” might sometimes be ambiguous, it not only means leadership by Jews; it also means leadership in a Jewish way, according to Judaic principles and values. 

In the opening words of this week’s Torah reading, Parashat Lech-Lecha, G-d speaks to Abraham commanding him to “Go forth from your homeland, from your birthplace and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you." There, G-d says that “I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. I will bless those who bless you  …  All the families of the Earth shall be blessed through you.” From Abraham, the first Jew, G-d is commanding us to be constantly rising and to work towards a perpetual state of developing and elevating our inner selves and our community.
This week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada will make permanent the role of the Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism. The Office of the Special Envoy, a position currently held by Irwin Cotler, will be housed within the Ministry of Canadian Heritage. This announcement represents the great leadership work of CIJA and Jewish Federations in Canada who identified the permanency and recurrent funding of the Office of the Special Envoy as a key element in a coherent and effective response to the shocking spike in antisemitism being experienced across Canada. This initiative was among the collective priorities identified at the Emergency Summit on Antisemitism that was convened earlier this year.  

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of blessed memory set out several axioms of “leadership done in a Jewish way” and among them is the principle that no one can lead alone. Leadership is teamsmanship. Once again, and this will be a recurring theme of mine, I encourage you to continue to lead with us as we galvanize the opportunities to help our Jewish community realize its fullest potential. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Ian Sherman
P.S. Please join us for our upcoming Annual Campaign virtual event, chaired by community leaders, the Kershman/Wasserlauf family, Raise Your Voice for CommUNITY on Oct. 27 at 7:30 pm. Choir! Choir! Choir! will be entertaining us with singing, comedy, and community-building as we get the opportunity to sing along and be the choir! Register for the free event here.