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July 6, 2001
Farewell to Drew Staffenberg
Federation head leaves British Columbia to lead Philadelphia agency.
PAT JOHNSON REPORTER AND KYLE BERGER REPORTER
Vancouver's Jewish community will lose one of its foremost leaders
this summer. Drew Staffenberg, executive director of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Vancouver, is leaving Canada to head the Jewish
Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia.
Staffenberg has been with Federation in Vancouver since March 1993
and in Canada for 18 years. The New York City native was head of
the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Centre in Calgary
prior to moving to this province.
Looking back on his time here, Staffenberg takes pride in the greater
cohesion he sees among various Jewish groups and agencies. When
he first arrived, he said, many groups were working independently
of each other, sometimes at cross-purposes. As head of the area's
umbrella agency, Staffenberg attempted throughout his time to build
bridges between agencies. Among just a few successes that he cites
are the ongoing Chicken Soup for the Mind series, the creation of
a unified Talmud Torah elementary and high school, the Poverty Coalition
and the Kehilla, all of which involve agencies working together
on a common project. The citywide celebration of Israel's 50th anniversary
three years ago was one of the most visible examples of a co-operative
venture, he said.
"The Jewish community in Vancouver is a community that probably
has the greatest potential of any Jewish community I know," he said.
It is characterized by youth, innovation, financial resources and
a palpable willingness to work together for a greater sum, he added.
"People are looking to have some kind of Jewish life," he said.
Where individuals see a gap, they are taking it upon themselves
to meet the challenge in the interest of a greater community, he
said.
Staffenberg said he was not intending to leave Vancouver. He was
headhunted by a New York agency and the offer of such a position
in North America's fourth largest Jewish community proved irresistible.
Along with his wife, Kriss, Staffenberg will be joined in their
new home by their 23-year-old daughter, Jennifer. The Staffenbergs'
27-year-old son, Danny, lives in Florida. The proximity to their
son and to other relatives in the Northeastern United States played
a part in the decision, he said.
"We are excited about moving to Philadelphia," he said, adding,
"We are not excited about leaving Vancouver."
Staffenberg was honored by more than 150 of his peers at Temple
Sholom, June 21, an event filled with humorous skits, songs and
speeches about Staffenberg and his family.
Friends and co-workers, representing the many different projects
and organizations that Staffenberg worked with, told stories of
their adventures with the Federation leader. The most common theme
of the night was his obsession with Coca Cola.
Bob Willmot, past-president of Federation, worked closely with
Staffenberg and is effusive about the outgoing executive director's
ability to inspire enthusiasm in his colleagues. The success Vancouver
has seen with co-operation among agencies is not due to Staffenberg
alone, said Willmot, but it is a direct result of Staffenberg's
ability to transmit the need for co-operation to all the people
around him.
"I think that's Drew's vision and I think he's drawn others into
that vision," said Willmot.
Filling Staffenberg's shoes is a task that has been left up to
Willmot, who is chairing the search committee for a replacement.
"The process is going well," he said. Though he would not say precisely
how many applicants replied to Federation's worldwide call, he said
there were many. Of those, a short list has been reduced to two
and he hopes there will be a new executive director by mid-autumn.
For his part, Staffenberg summed up his 18-year experience in Vancouver
succinctly.
"I have been honored to be able to work in this community," he
said. He will continue in his position until the third week of July.
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