Message from the President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg : January 2020

Dear Community Members,

As we begin the New Year, we are excited to continue the great work we began in 2019. As we chart our course for 2020 and beyond, some key priorities will help us collectively achieve our goals as a community.

The Federation’s beneficiary agencies and other Jewish community institutions work tirelessly to deliver services and programs to meet the needs of our Jewish community. One of our priorities will be to foster more cohesion through sharing resources and information as we work together for common purpose.

The scourge of antisemitism also continues to be of concern, and we reaffirm our commitment to combating it in our community. Using the IHRA working definition of antisemitism as our guide and by leveraging our relationships with police, government and the community at large, we will continue to push back against antisemitism.

Our 2019-2020 Combined Jewish Appeal (CJA) Campaign continues to build momentum. With $5,690,765 raised as of today, we are well on our way to reaching our goal of $6 million, but we are not there yet. Each contribution, regardless of size, goes directly to supporting the great work of our beneficiary agencies. Click here to donate now.

As our community trends upward in population, it has also become more decentralized. Previously, our Jewish community heavily populated a few key areas in the city, which is no longer the case. We aspire to be welcoming and inclusive to everyone regardless of where they live by supporting Jewish values through programs and initiatives throughout the city.

We continue to receive many inquiries about immigrating to Winnipeg from all over the world. As a result of ongoing promotional efforts including advertising the YES! Winnipeg Economic Development Mission to Argentina in the Jewish online newspaper Iton Gadol, we continue to portray Winnipeg as a favourable destination to live. We are fortunate Carlos Benesdra, our CFO, was in Argentina on vacation and took time away from his family to meet with over 80 people who are in contact and interested in becoming a part of our community.

On behalf of the board, staff and volunteers of the Federation, we would like to wish you and your families a happy and healthy 2020.

Sincerely,

Joel Lazer