May 12, 2023 | 21 Iyar 5783

On May 2 and 3, Calgary Jewish Federation’s Holocaust and Human

Rights: Remembrance and Education department was pleased to welcome over 1,000 high school students from Calgary and surrounding areas to the Holocaust Education Symposium at Mount Royal University (MRU). This

annual event has been happening in Calgary for over 40 years and was held in person for the first time since 2019. Students and educators had the privilege to hear first-hand from survivors and learn about the Holocaust

from a historian. From May 8 to 12, we were joined by 30 classrooms and 1445 students and educators from across Alberta for our bi-annual Virtual Holocaust Education Symposium in partnership with

MRU, Calgary Public Library, and The Jewish Federation of Edmonton. During the week, classrooms were given access to a lecture on the Holocaust by a historian and a documentary, which they could view at their

own pace. On May 12, participants came together on Zoom for a special presentation featuring Holocaust survivor, Freda Plucer, with a live Q&A from her granddaughter, Marnie Bondar. Thank you to all of our volunteers

and partners who made this important program possible.

A strong delegation of 10 Calgarians joined the 2023 LIFE & LEGACY® Leadership Conference in Springfield, MA from May 7 to 9. A decade of LIFE & LEGACY was celebrated, as was the graduation of Cohort 7 which included Calgary. This four-year program has ensured a future for Jewish Calgary which was noted as having the highest donor overlap (donors who give to more than one organization) in all of North America! From a private meeting with Harold Grinspoon, to learning about adaptive leadership, breakout sessions on marketing, board governance, and stewardship – everyone came home with new tools in their kit. Calgary has been accepted into the LIFE & LEGACY Plus program which will continue for another 4 years. Do you want to learn more and join the 245 donors who have already left a legacy gift to Jewish Calgary? Contact Diana Kalef, Director of Development.

Yasher kochech to our very own Diana Kalef for receiving the Gail Littman z"l Leadership Award at this year's LIFE & LEGACY® Leadership Gathering. As Jewish Calgary's Legacy Coordinator, Diana was distinguished from her 72 other peers as first in class and a dugma (example) for others. She has tirelessly applied her talent and passion for our community to lead Calgary in being an exemplary LIFE & LEGACY community. Under Diana's mentorship, the program's 10 partners have secured 584 after-life gifts worth an estimated $17 million plus, to date. The future of Jewish Calgary is bright – todah rabah and kol hakavod to Diana for all of her efforts! Click here to learn more about this incredible honour.

We have all been watching the most recent escalation of violence in Israel, noting the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israeli civilian neighbourhoods by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). For information and context, we are sharing an important and timely update we received from our partners at Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). This update includes information about the ongoing situation in Israel, specifically related to the recent rocket attacks and the commendable response of the Israeli Defense Forces. Millions of Israelis have been forced into bomb shelters, causing extensive trauma, dozens of injuries, and killing at least one person in the city of Rehovot. In these challenging times, it is paramount that we remain informed and connected. We also wish to acknowledge the Government of Canada’s response to the escalation. The government has condemned the rocket attacks and has expressed support for the right of Israel to protect its citizens.