Uplifting Lives
JFS supports the social, physical, and emotional wellness of all people. Accepting every individual and embracing all aspects of their identities is crucial to ensuring that every member of our community feels a connection and belonging.
JFS has started a process of improving policy and practice around equity, access, and inclusion. With the help of local consultants from Bakau Consulting and the new JFS Access & Diversity subcommittee consisting of people with different lived experiences, this working group will focus on building a plan around equity education and policies and ensuring that values of inclusion and justice are put into practice.
Madison Slobin has taken on the role of leading this new subcommittee. A 29-year-old Queer Jewish woman who grew up in Vancouver, Madison is the Lifelong Connections Coordinator at Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services.
When she’s not at work, she leads several local initiatives, including HaMakom, Shiva Delivers:
Jews in Solidarity with Black Grief, and YVR Yenta: A Modern Matchmaking Collective. Madison is passionate about building a new Jewish community that reflects her and her peers’ passions and values.
She has been a JFS Board Member since 2021 and sees this committee as an essential next step in JFS’s trajectory.
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jfsvancouver.ca | Winter/Spring 2023 Housing our community, p2 Through the eyes of a volunteer, p3 Remembering the past, p4
BUILDING CONNECTION & BELONGING ”
It is an organization made up of diverse workers serving a diverse clientele with varying needs. Every organization should be looking both inwards and outwards to figure out how they can best meet the needs of their employees and clients and, ideally, both of those groups should be part of pointing JFS in the right direction with regards to how to improve services.
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SHOUT OUTS
Thank you to our generous community.
• Thank you to Shannon Gorski and Belmont Properties for providing four months of temporary housing for the Zubris Family, who arrived from Kherson, a city in Ukraine that was under attack.
• City Beet Farm received a grant to support JFS clients by providing $5,000 worth of local produce to the JFS Grocery Programs. Thank you, Liana and Duncan!
BUILDING CONT’D
Participants in the inaugural committee meeting were vulnerable about their experiences of discrimination within the Jewish community and how they wanted to see things shift. Together, they created a framework for how they want to lead a process for JFS and have their own process of learning and growing together as a committee.
We look forward to hearing their preliminary action steps for moving forward and beginning this process and their aspirations and recommendations for how JFS could affect other large Jewish community organizations by investing in this journey. Stay tuned!
HELPING TO HOUSE THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER
In 2020, JFS and Tikva Housing Society officially launched the first-ever Jewish Housing Registry (JHR) to help address the issues of homelessness in the Jewish Community. Tikva Housing is one of the four housing providers available in this registry, responsible for long-term housing solutions in the community.
Viktoriia Bernard is JFS’ Housing Care Manager, working with those who require immediate assistance as well as providing ongoing support to the clients residing in Tikva-managed buildings. Her current 103 clients are diverse, ranging from seniors to single mothers, and families to young adults.
Viktoriia’s role sees her providing support at every step of the housing journey, from help filling out housing documents, applying for subsidies, and finding a mover, to coordinating programs and JFS services with clients living in Tikva Housing. “It’s rewarding when you can help clients and ensure their tenancy is successful.”
Part of that success comes from connecting residents with each other and their community. Whether through securing subsidized tickets for local events and attractions or helping residents build a community garden, Viktoria empowers her clients to initiate a sense of community with each other.
With six different residences around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, Tikva Housing is a community within a community.
JFS is grateful for partnerships with organizations like the Tikva Housing Society that allow us to tackle critical housing issues by helping people maintain and keep their homes.
JFS Newsletter | Winter/Spring 2023
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: MALCOLM
As a UBC undergrad student originally from Kamloops, Malcolm wanted to give back to his new community and make connections outside of school. So he responded to an online volunteer ad for The Kitchen, not realizing how expansive JFS’ network is.
“I was surprised by how big the network of volunteers is. There are grocery stores that are involved, and there are all sorts of other partnerships that are all connected. It’s a much bigger network than I expected, and it’s really impressive.”
Malcolm has been volunteering at The Kitchen since July 2022, and he already sees how important the Food Security program is for individuals, families, and seniors in the community. The links that JFS and The Kitchen have established between grocery stores, farms, bakeries, and other resources are an invaluable part of that.
“It’s nice to feel the impact that places like this have on the community. It’s a really nice network of committed people who care.”
Once a week, Malcom helps out in the warehouse and assists with deliveries. Driving around the Lower Mainland delivering meals and groceries has also helped Malcolm feel comfortable in a new city. “I’ve never lived anywhere as big as Vancouver, and it’s just nice to get a feel for the community. Now I know people here and out in Richmond and Surrey. It feels good to have an anchor to a part of the community that’s been here for a long time.”
To others thinking about volunteering at The Kitchen, he says, “It’s an outstanding, rewarding experience. And if you want to put down roots in the community, it’s a good way to do that.”
Interested in volunteering? Email volunteer@jfsvancouver.ca.
Q&A
Anat Gogo, Executive Director, Tikva Housing
Q: What is unique about the partnership between Tikva Housing and JFS?
A: The most unique aspect of the partnership between Tikva and JFS is collaboration. Since 2007, we have been working closely together to resolve the pressing issues of our community regarding affordability. JFS has steadfastly supported our clients and provides support services, including a food bank and employment and personal counselling.
Q: What is one of the more notable joint initiatives of the partnership?
A: The Jewish Housing Registry began in December 2020 in collaboration with four other housing providers. This registry serves as a vital source for all Tikva’s applicants. In addition, the need for a tenant community liaison position was recognized and created within JFS to support Tikva’s clients. There have also been numerous tenant events at various housing programs; events like this help prevent isolation and encourage community connection.
Q: How does collaboration with JFS support Tikva’s strategic priorities?
A: These initiatives tie directly to Tikva’s strategic priority of Stakeholder satisfaction. We aim to ensure that our tenants feel a sense of community in all buildings and that tenancy issues are quickly and fairly resolved. Continuing to have our Tenant Relations Coordinator work closely with JFS’ Housing Care Manager is vital to this priority, as is the need for collaboration and regular communication. As Tikva continues to grow, our partnership with JFS will continue to be vital to the successful tenancies and well-being of our clients/tenants.
Deepen Your Impact
Consider giving through one of these high-impact opportunities:
• Come Imagine the Future with us: Join us on May 10 for JFS Innovators 2023. Buy your tickets now at JFSInnovators.ca.
REMEMBERING OUR PAST FOR A BETTER TOMORROW
• Honour someone in your life with a tribute card: Send us your personal message and we’ll post a card to them.
“Holocaust survivors will not be with us forever – but the legacy of their survival must live on.”
Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations
Intending to honour their ancestors’ stories and reflect on their experiences as descendants, The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) and JFS provided the community with a safe space to remember and share their stories.
Descendants: Sharing Our Voices was a six-week online program to help participants increase awareness and process the impact of intergenerational trauma caused by the Holocaust. Using Zoom, facilitators Claire Sicherman and Dr. Abby Wener Herlin guided eleven participants through mindfulness exercises, writing prompts, and somatic practices that explored their identities as members of the second and third generation of descendants of Holocaust survivors.
Participants shared stories of their ancestors and family members each week, breaking hidden silences and beginning to address and work through their intergenerational trauma. A chapbook of participants’ collected writings will be created to mark this unique journey.
Stay informed about upcoming programs through our events page: jfsvancouver.ca/events
• DID YOU KNOW? We accept gifts of securities such as stocks and mutual funds.
• Give monthly through our Monthly Mitzvah Giving program: A monthly donation helps provide stable funding for our programs and services.
Questions? Contact the Development Department at 604.257.5151 or email development@jfsvancouver.ca.
jfsvancouver.ca | 604.257.5151 | info@jfsvancouver.ca
