We’ve had a very productive couple of months and I’d like to share some highlights with you:

• We commemorated the 22^nd anniversary of the AMIA bombing (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1994).
• We welcomed 2 Yazidi families to Winnipeg as part of Operation Ezra. Our community’s action has sparked a lot of press across the continent; we are very proud to be part of this coalition.
• 24 Jewish families have come from Hungary, Brazil, Turkey, Argentina and Israel and made Winnipeg their home.
• Our Community Relations Committee members met with municipal, provincial and federal politicians briefing them on our Jewish community.
• Winnipeg Next, our Birthright-Israel Alumni group, hosted 25 past participants at the Israel Pavilion during Folklorama.

You may be interested to know of a few staff changes in our Federation office:

• Regina Teplitsky has joined our team as Campaign Director, responsible for the Combined Jewish Appeal (CJA) annual campaign
• We welcome back Madeline Lopez Ficher, our Creative Director, who has returned from maternity leave
• Jessica Kerzner, our Event Planner, will be covering for Lesley Smith as Young Leadership Director while Lesley is on maternity leave
• Rhonda Prepes will provide campaign event support while continuing her role as Community Relations Assistant
• Shana Menkis’s additional duties as Stategic Development Director will include Endowments and Corporate Sponsorship, along with the Top Donor, Lion of Judah and Ben-Gurion Society divisions of campaign. This year, Shana will also supervise the Hillel Winnipeg Director, a position we will be filling shortly.

Federation’s Community Planning Committee is also pleased to announce the launch of a new broad-based community planning process. The results of this process will guide community efforts for the next several years, and everyone has a stake in the future of our Jewish community. Every voice counts! Choose from meeting dates in August or September and join the conversation. Limited seating is available at each gathering so confirm your attendance now. More information can be found here.

As we prepare for the fall, we hope to see you at the following Federation events:

• PJ Library’s Scoop of Summer | August 18
• Community Conversations | August & September dates
• SuperSunday & SuperFunday | September 11*
• Mission to Vienna & Israel – watch for details | March 18-30

* If you are interested in volunteering for the SuperSunday CJA Telethon or our community-wide SuperFunday celebration, please let us know.