Storm damage forces Edmonton Heritage Festival to cancel last day

by Stacey Leavitt-Wright and Jay Cairns

(Edmonton) – As you may have heard, Heritage Festival had to cancel its last day (yesterday) due to damage caused by Sunday night’s severe thunderstorm. Thankfully, the Israel Pavilion did not incur any damage. Vish Canada is well stocked from food that was not made at the festival so please visit this week.

Our first day at the festival was a success with over 6,000 people visiting the Israel Pavilion. We heard from many how happy they were to see our presence and to learn about our culture and history. Volunteers also shared their gratitude about their positive experiences.

It was wonderful to have Shiru Hashir return to the stage this year and have their volunteer dancers perform for large audiences. Unfortunately, Aviv Israeli Folk Dance Association was scheduled to be on stage yesterday in a combined show with Shiru Hashir but that was not to be. All the dancers worked very hard in their rehearsals to prepare for this event. Thank you to Maya, Sari, and Abby for their planning and preparation.

Speaking of volunteers, this event couldn’t happen without them. Thank you to all those who helped set up the pavilion, took shifts serving food and welcoming visitors, and those who stepped in during a time of need when we had to take down the pavilion after the cancellation. It is amazing to see this strong support from our community. We are one people through this commitment and resilience.

The Heritage Festival is Edmonton’s Food Bank’s largest food drive of the year. Without donations from yesterday, the food bank is asking for help. Please drop off food donations in bins at grocery stores and fire halls.

We look forward to next year’s festival to show our pride and share our heritage. Am Yisrael Chai!

Stacey Leavitt-Wright is CEO, Jewish Federation of Edmonton and Jay Cairns is the Israeli Pavilion Coordinator.