Dear friends,

As I sit down to write my final community Shabbat message as Chair of the Board of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, I find myself reflecting upon the word shalom and its three meanings — hello, goodbye, and peace.

The word shalom resonates profoundly with the journey we have experienced during the past two years, both as individuals and together as a community.

In June 2023, I said shalom, hello to the tremendous opportunity and responsibility that lay ahead. I felt privileged to take on my leadership role, working alongside a team of dedicated professionals, strong partner organizations, passionate volunteers and engaged community members — each individual committed to enhancing Jewish life in Ottawa.

As a community, we have said shalom, welcoming our wonderful CEO Adam Silver and his family. While change can be unsettling, it also creates opportunities to bring in new perspectives, positive energy and creative ideas as we work towards completing a new strategic plan for the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

Shalom also means goodbye. We have said our goodbyes to outstanding individuals on our leadership team who have had tremendous impact on the Ottawa Jewish community. While they have moved on to new opportunities, they all remain dear, supportive friends.

And since October 7 we have also said a painful goodbye, for now, to our sense of safety and security. This was already feeling tenuous, but took on an entirely different meaning after October 7. The dramatic rise in antisemitism, the hatred and incitement of violence, and the actual violence in our community is a painful reminder of our vulnerability. This speaks to the importance of standing together, united and resilient, building allyship and speaking out as we face the challenges in our day-to-day lives.

And finally, and most importantly, shalom means peace. October 7 and the ensuing war clearly reverberate in the diaspora. We experience the anguish of lives lost, of the hostages who remain in captivity and their families. Israel faces an existential threat, against an enemy that is embedded within civilian populations and seeks annihilation of the Jewish state.

While I fully understand the objective and necessity of eliminating a terrorist threat, at the same time, I cannot look away from the reality of lost innocent human lives caught in the crossfire of this war. With full honesty, it is a personal, internal struggle — one that I imagine others may feel as well.

We read in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 2:4 —

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks:

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

Neither shall they learn war anymore.

And in this space, we yearn for shalom, peace... we can never give up on our hope for peace.

So today, as I approach the end of my term as Chair of the Board, I say shalom — hello to new leadership, new challenges and new opportunities to further strengthen the Ottawa Jewish community. We are in exceptionally good hands with professional and lay leaders who are deeply committed to our core Jewish values, while working to carry us forward into the future with renewed energy, creative initiatives and ongoing resilience.

I say shalom — goodbye to a challenging yet meaningful, fulfilling and productive two years. And I say goodbye with gratitude for the time I have served as Chair, and for the overwhelming support from a remarkable group of individuals.

And most importantly, I say shalom, with the deepest prayers for peace — for Eretz Yisrael, for our community, for Jewish people throughout the world, and for all of mankind.

With thanks to our wonderful community, wishing you and your loved ones a Shabbat Shalom.

Karen

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa warmly invites you to our Annual General Meeting

Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 7 pm

Together, we will welcome incoming Board Chair, Danya Vered and celebrate the recipients of the 2025 Community Service Awards.