Last week, the two Ottawa-based NIFC Naomi Chazan Fellows, Sarah Broitman and Pauley Tedoff, hosted a Shabbat dinner for a group of 17 young Jews in Ottawa. The large majority of guests were new to NIFC’s work. They reflected on the past month, their experiences within Jewish spaces, and their relationship to Israel-Palestine — and of course, enjoyed a tasty Shabbat meal!

Participants shared that they were relieved and uplifted to find like-minded community in such dark times. They also shared how important it was to have a safe space for difficult conversations, and how promising it was to hear about concrete efforts happening from NIFC’s partners on the ground. The number one question at the end of the evening was “When’s the next event?”

We are excited to be expanding our New Generations community in Ottawa, and to have our wonderful Naomi Chazan fellows representing our work.