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February 25, 2005
Youth shop for a good cause
The Jewish Food Bank receives approximately $1,000 worth of supplies.
IRIS TOLEDANO
After Shabbat ended on Jan. 15, nearly 80 teenagers from Greater
Vancouver gathered at Beth Israel Synagogue to prepare for third
annual Shop Till You Drop event. It was snowing and freezing outside,
yet the warmest place in Vancouver was, without any doubt, that
small room full of proud, Jewish youth eager to spend their evening
together fulfilling a compassionate social mission and a mitzvah
(good deed).
This is the third year that local youth groups (including B'nai
B'rith Youth Organization, National Conference of Synagogue Youth,
Temple Sholom Youth and United Synagogue Youth) worked together
to organize a shopping spree at a local supermarket to collect food
for the Jewish Food Bank. A combined initiative of the Vancouver
Jewish Youth Professionals, this event demonstrated new levels of
collaboration between the various teen advisors in Greater Vancouver.
"I am always happy to take part and help out with any event
that suits all of our beliefs," said Rabbi Avi Berman, director
of Vancouver NCSY. "That is the key to the future."
Lisa Pozin, co-ordinator of TAG Hebrew school and TSY director,
related the history behind this event: "Two or three members
of each of the youth groups met at TAG to plan the event. They all
had input into what they wanted to see for the evening. This was
the first time they have met to plan an event together. All the
food we bought was kosher and NCSY led Havdalah.
"I have co-ordinated and planned the event for the last three
years," she continued. "This event is really nice because
it is social and social action at the same time. A past president
of TSY suggested it a couple of years ago and it seemed like a natural
thing to do with the entire community. Someone from the food bank
picked it up and Iris Dayson was a big help with organizing it.
She got us a list of items the food bank needs and, last year, she
spoke to the teens at the event. This year, Iris Toledano, the new
co-ordinator for Yad b'Yad, did the presentation to the kids before
going shopping."
Holding hands and candles, the youth began their evening with Havdalah
blessings and singing. A number of teens read thoughtful and inspiring
Jewish quotes on poverty. One read, "As long as we have the
power to alleviate human suffering, we have an obligation to do
so. Feeding the hungry is one of the simplest and most important
ways of coming to the aid of a fellow human being – a concrete
expression of the Jewish love of life."
The teens also learned about the extent and nature of poverty in
the Jewish and general communities of Greater Vancouver. The unfortunate
reality is that one in every six Jewish teenagers lives below Statistics
Canada's low-income cut-off.
Thanks to donations made by the teenagers themselves and by participating
synagogues and congregations, $1,000 worth of food was purchased,
based on a list of 30 needed items provided by the food bank.
Iris Toledano is co-ordinator of Yad b'Yad – The
Council on Poverty, addressing economic security in the Jewish community
of Greater Vancouver.
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