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Jack Hasen's remarks to Federation CJA Annual General Meeting
Let me begin by offering my heartfelt congratulations to Robert Vineberg, a man who has demonstrated wisdom and courage during a lifetime of devotion to the Jewish Community. I would also like to congratulate all the other award winners this evening. Our community is truly blessed with such wonderful and dedicated people who make a real difference day after day and over a lifetime of service.
This past year has been an extremely eventful one for Federation CJA. I would describe it as another transformative year in our history as we meet the challenges, and seize the opportunities, of the 21st century.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our major pre-occupation is renewal. We need to present a more compelling agenda to our donors and to our community. We cannot be complacent.
We have sharpened our organizational focus around the core-idea of: “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh »; « As Jews, each of us is responsible for one other ».
It is a profound idea with deep roots in our Jewish values and our history as a people. It is what Federation has always been about, and what we will continue to stand for in the future.
“For One Another” is not just our campaign slogan. It is our core value, it is the guiding principal in everything we do.
I wish to commend Mark Sherman and the members of our Marketing Committee for leading the process that gave visual representation and a clear and concise thematic expression to our core idea.
Des progrès ont été réalisés dans le cadre d’Imagine 2020, notre initiative de révision de la communauté. Nous avons organisé des rencontres avec des membres de la communauté afin d’identifier les problèmes qui les préoccupaient et surtout, afin de rejoindre ceux qui vivaient en dehors du secteur traditionnel. Nous avons utilisé au maximum les nouveaux médias et nous avons entrepris la plus vaste étude sur les attitudes jamais effectuée dans une communauté juive au Canada.
Nous avons écouté les voix du Montréal juif. Nous sommes confiants qu’ensemble nous pouvons construire une communauté juive où tous se sentiront les bienvenus. Une communauté juive où nous sommes tous là, les uns pour les autres.
Nous devons maintenant passer à l’action. Cela prendra du temps. Probablement plus de temps que vous et moi l’espérons. Nous avons réellement amélioré nos processus, mais ils ne sont pas aussi simples que nous pourrions le vouloir. Nous devons améliorer nos façons de faire.
We are now a month into our annual Campaign and I really cannot say enough about our extraordinary Campaign chair, with whose myriad qualities I am vaguely familiar. Seriously, I am struck by the incredible positive energy that infuses our community. I really believe that every Jew understands the idea of being for one another. Both to take care of those in need and to build a Jewish future for this city.
This year, our women’s division changed their structure and developed an early version of our logo, creating Women’s Philanthropy. This constitutes a real and substantive re-invention of how we reach out to women and engage them in our communal activities.
We’re really excited about TOV, Tikun Olam Volunteers, which will become a feature across the Federation and its agencies. I want to recognize Gail Adelson Marcovitz, for her leadership in this important and innovative program. TOV provides hands-on opportunities to make a difference, enabling participation in the work of our agencies. It is also a community-building activity that creates a bridge between those who give and those who receive.
Israël est le projet collectif du peuple juif. Il nous rassemble. Notre étude démontre que 75 % des membres de notre communauté ont déjà visité Israël. Ce pourcentage est supérieur à celui que l’on retrouve dans plusieurs autres villes d’Amérique du Nord. De plus, je suis fier de vous annoncer que le Comité des récompenses municipales de Beersheeva a décerné, à la communauté juive de Montréal, le Prix d’excellence pour l’ensemble de ses réalisations. Ce prix nous sera remis le 17 octobre en Israël.
En parlant de notre partenariat qui dure depuis 20 ans, le Comité de Beersheva a fait remarquer - et je cite que « Montréal a énormément contribué à la croissance de notre ville, que ce soit en finançant ou en s’engageant dans de nombreux projets comme le Centre des professeurs, la Maison Cohen, le Centre de la petite enfance et le programme Coup de pouce. Montréal est également un partenaire actif dans de nombreux programmes locaux d’éducation, de services sociaux et de services à la communauté. »
In the past, we had a tendency to underestimate the importance of communicating. I think we assumed that every Jew in Montreal knows who we are and what we do. However, that was a mistake. Even if the Federation name is recognized, that doesn’t mean we have no further need to explain ourselves.
In the past, we spoke with the community only when we were soliciting a gift for the Campaign. This is changing. This year we began to speak to our community in March and we will speak to them year round.
And we are using new technologies more – Twitter, Facebook, and other emerging social networking tools, not just the traditional media.
Un emploi intelligent des fonds que nous amassons est aussi important que la collecte de ces mêmes fonds. Cette réalité représente un défi considérable en cette période où les besoins sont en croissance et les ressources sont limitées. Les membres de notre communauté doivent comprendre qu’aucun don de charité ne touche autant de vies qu’un don à l’Appel juif unifié. Nous devons leur montrer à quel point ils contribuent à changer des vies. Nous devons aussi être transparents. En effet, les donateurs nous font confiance pour assurer l’avenir de notre communauté.
Part of how Federation adds value is our capacity to bring different parts of our community together. As an umbrella for agencies responding to diverse issues, we are uniquely positioned to get an overview of the community. We are using our position to improve governance and operations across the system.
GEN J, our community-wide Jewish identity-building initiative, has been referred to as the most comprehensive, cutting edge, innovative approach to the development and nurturing of Jewish identity in North America. It was launched as a response to our youth disconnecting from Jewish life as we have known it. This is a major challenge confronting every Diaspora community.
Since its inception, GEN J has raised over $13 million. It has taken flight by launching programs that have put us at the forefront of reaching out to, engaging, and investing in, the next generation of Jewish Montreal.
We are implementing a plan for institutional strengthening that will help schools, camps, synagogues, and other organizations reach their full potential and provide excellent services. It will bring improved economies of scale and best practices that will be genuine value added.
We are enhancing the excellence and accessibility of Jewish day schools, offering incentives for first-time attendance at Jewish summer camp, sending Jewish books to children through the PJ Library, reaching out to and engaging young adults, inviting young families to participate in communal programs, and supporting Jewish culture. Federation is also committed to leadership development for young adults. We are working closely with the Jewish Community Foundation to further this.
Les effets de GEN J se font d’ailleurs déjà ressentir. Son initiative de renforcement institutionnel pour les écoles juives est en train de transformer le réseau scolaire en mettant l’accent sur l’excellence, l’accessibilité et la durabilité. Son projet d’engagement des jeunes, quant à lui, donne naissance à des projets organisés par des jeunes de notre communauté qui n’avaient jamais travaillé avec nous et qui n’avaient jamais créé de liens avec la communauté auparavant.
Pour sa part, le Programme d’encouragement des campeurs a permis de faire bénéficier plus de 400 jeunes d’un premier séjour dans un camp de vacances juif au cours des trois dernières années. Et plus de 80 % de ces enfants sont retournés dans un camp juif par la suite. Grâce au généreux appui d’un donateur local et à des fonds equivalents de la Foundation for Jewish Camp, nous investissons de façon stratégique dans les séjours dans des camps juifs.
Nous travaillons aussi à regrouper des éléments de la communauté qui ne font pas officiellement partie de la Fédération. En respectant la tâche accomplice par d’autres institutions – qu’elles soient formelles ou locales – nous désirons fermement solidifier l’ensemble du Montréal juif.
Our ambitions are lofty. The Federation wants nothing less, than to ensure Jews in Montreal the highest quality of Jewish life in North America. And I am confident that this is the direction in which we are moving.
Am I completely satisfied with where we are at the moment? Frankly, no. I am frustrated that we haven’t moved as far or as fast as I had hoped on many fronts. I would like us to be farther along in implementing greater efficiencies. As a system, we remain too process-heavy and not as nimble as we would prefer. We have to do better in everything we do.
The occasional failure or setback is an inevitable part of innovation. If you never fail, chances are you never tried. Some of our initiatives have failed, but we are determined to try new things in order to make the Federation and our community better. Our track record may not be perfect, but we strive every day to improve.
We are guided, always, by the desire to do the right thing, to fulfill our responsibility to our fellow Jews. We endeavour, in all that we do, to embody the value of “for one another.” This value is an appropriate litmus test for all of our initiatives and a measuring stick for our successes.
I assure you that in the coming year, I, David Cape, and our committed and dedicated Executive will implement what is needed to respond to the issues that confront our community. We will challenge ourselves and we will innovate. And we will keep trying until we get it right. I am confident, that, together, we will all be proud to be part of a stronger and more dynamic community.
And while we are looking forward, I want to turn your attention to the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly in New Orleans on November 7 to 9. This is the largest gathering of Jewish community volunteers and professionals in North America. It is a unique opportunity to learn and to be inspired, and a fabulous excuse to visit New Orleans. I sincerely hope you will attend.
Finally, I want to thank everyone whose involvement drives the achievements of our entire system: executive directors, board members, staff, volunteers, donors. However one participates in Jewish life in our community, be assured, it matters and it makes a difference. Thank you all.
Jack Hasen
President
FEDERATION CJA
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