A CELEBRATION OF TWO NEW CLASSES OF ENDOWMENT BOOK OF LIFE SIGNERS
On Sunday, November 3, more than 120 community members gathered with us at Congregation Shaarey Zedek for our Endowment Book of Life (EBOL) Signers Brunch honouring signers from 2023 and 2024.
The event honoured ten individuals: Alisa Abrams, Rabbi Allan Finkel, Dr. Sharon Goszer-Tritt, Dr. Steven Tritt, Brenda Honigman, Ellie Kives, Marlene Reiss, Perry Rose, Saul Feldman, and David Wilder. Each honouree, some signing for themselves, and some with loved ones signing on their behalf, chose to make a commitment to the future of Winnipeg's Jewish Community.
"We have three children in our home; they are the next wave of Jewish community members. Who will help maintain strength and vibrancy for them and their peers?" asked John Diamond, JFM CEO, to the guests as he shared why he had chosen to become an EBOL Signer as part of a previous signing class. "We need to continue putting future generations in a similar, positive position to what we find ourselves in now."
His message was one of appreciation for previous generations and hope for future ones, emphasizing that the onus of cultivating forward-thinking community members who will carry the torch in the years to come falls to himself and his peers.
"Our community will keep growing, it will keep changing, and it will keep being what Jewish people in Winnipeg need," he said.
Rabbi Allan Finkel was among the 2024 signer class and shared some words with his fellow signers and attendees.
Rabbi Finkel's story was deeply personal and outlined the importance of the program in his eyes.
"Three weeks ago, I had a stark reminder of why I had decided to set up a legacy gift in my will. I had been asked by JCFS to speak at a lunch at the Gwen Secter Centre for their Holocaust Survivor Group" he explained.
He shared the experience of looking out at those he spoke to that day and seeing fewer tables with fewer familiar faces and the realization set in that the Holocaust is now almost 80 years in the past. As time passes, we lose more of these survivors and, with them, their stories.
“After my mom's passing, we created the Carmela Shragge Finkel Holocaust Education Endowment Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, with its proceeds directed towards the Jewish Heritage Centre for their ongoing use," he explained. As one of her children, it became natural and easy for me to rewrite my will and to create a legacy gift to this Fund that will be administered by the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba far beyond my passing."
One of the beautiful things about the Endowment Book of Life program is the uniqueness of each individual's or family's story and the factors that triggered their participation.
Rabbi Finkel, his fellow honorees, and the more than 800 community members who signed before them decided to leave a gift to the Foundation as a step in their life's journey. Though exceedingly different, each journey converges at the same place: maintaining our Jewish community now and for future generations.
"Standing on the shoulders of those who came before us is a crucial aspect of the life we all enjoy today," says Diamond. "It is our job to ensure that our children and grandchildren have an even greater support system than we've benefited from."
This is the link that connects all signers. Reading their stories inscribed in the Book of Life, we repeatedly see that community members have benefited from those before them, such as parents, grandparents, or even those who remain anonymous.
The torch lit by the role models and forward thinkers in their lives is now passed to them, and by committing to future generations, they are ensuring it remains that way for those to come.
To read the inspirational stories of every Endowment Book of Life signer, please visit https://bookoflife.jewishfoundation.org/.
If you are interested in becoming an Endowment Book of Life signer, don't hesitate to get in touch with Pamela Minuk, Donor Services, by telephone at 204.477.7520 or toll-free from the US/Canada at 1.855.284.1918 or by email at [email protected].