Community Update: Calgary Jewish Federation

Lisa Libin, President Calgary Jewish Federation

by Lisa Libin

(Calgary) – On behalf of Calgary Jewish Federation (CJF), I hope everyone had a good Rosh HaShanah with family and friends.

Understandably, this year felt different for all of us, with the ongoing sadness of the past year still heavy and further tied into today’s anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack. We hope you will join us for Marking One Year, our community-wide commemoration tonight at 7:00 at Beth Tzedec Congregation. Please register here. (For information about the event that is taking place in Edmonton, click here).

Over the past few weeks, we have been working closely with the Calgary Police Service (CPS) to ensure our community is, and continues to be, safe for the High Holidays and for all of the events leading up to, and including, tonight’s event. I want to thank CPS, particularly District 6, for always checking in on our community and providing updates to ensure we always feel informed and protected.

We have also been working closely with campuses to ensure that our students and staff feel safe. Thankfully, it has been a relatively quiet start to the school year on both campuses – in part due to a strong, open dialogue with administration as needed.

Our annual UJA Campaign is trending well, with many of you digging a little deeper this year to support our community needs including security, access to Jewish education, and the sudden influx of Israelis who arrived in Calgary over the summer to escape the war.

CJF is currently preparing, with Jewish Federation of Edmonton, for our annual CIJA Lobby Day where we will travel to the Legislature to meet with key MLAs and critics to discuss our community needs.

With the war in Israel now intense in both the North and South, we will continue to be in touch with our authority partners at the RCMP, CPS, and CIJA to be aware of any possible increasing threats. However, it is also important that as a community, we remain vigilant. If you see something, say something. Please email Paperny Family JCC Executive Director Rhona Shore – our acting security liaison – or call her at 403-444-3168 to report graffiti or any hate-related incidents. If it is an emergency, please do not hesitate to call 911.

It continues to be a busy time for CJF staff and volunteers, with no sign of slowing down. I want to extend a special thank you to CJF Interim Executive Director Diana Kalef, CJF staff, and Rhona Shore, for all the extra time and hard work they have put in the last few months. Overseeing our UJA Campaign is time consuming during a peaceful time, but Diana and her team are running a fulsome campaign on top of managing the continuous, unexpected needs that have engulfed our community over the last 12 months. Todah Rabah!

Our incoming CEO, Rob Nagus, will be in Calgary for a few days in November in preparation for his end of year move. I hope many of you will get a chance to meet Rob while he is here.

Wishing everyone a Shana Tovah and a Gamar Hatimah Tovah as we continue to pray for the safety of our hostages and an eventual end to Hamas and Hezbollah. I look forward to being with all of you tonight as we join together as a community – in solidarity to mourn those who we have lost and honour those who have survived.

B’Shalom.

Lisa Libin is President of Calgary Jewish Federation. 

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