In this week’s CJN, we profile 24 people who are making their mark in the Canadian Jewish community. On the surface, they don’t seem to share much in common: some live in Toronto, others in Montreal. Some work directly in the Jewish community, while others are applying Jewish values beyond the borders of Canadian Jewry. A few are outwardly religious, others not so much. There are experts who have already established themselves in their respective fields and young upstarts just beginning to hit their stride.

There’s Yehuda Azoulay, who is on a mission to bring Sephardi culture to mainstream Judaism, and Maharat Rachel Kohl Finegold, at the forefront of the women’s leadership movement in Orthodox Judaism. There’s Risa Alyson Cooper and Stephan Ouaknine, each in their own unique way fusing Judaism and environmentalism. There’s Sara Angel, who has worked tirelessly to recover Nazi-looted artwork, and Tamara Kramer, who’s bringing the shtetl to your radio. And there are artists such as Eli Batalion, one half of the YidLife Crisis duo, and Zev Moses, who helms the Interactive Jewish Museum of Montreal, both of whom are bringing Jewish culture to entirely new creative platforms.

What unites them all is a commitment to the traditions of Judaism and to exploring new ways to express those traditions. And there’s no better time of year to showcase their achievements than Pesach, when we honour our first steps as a nation and consider the next steps to come. Our future and our past are inextricably linked – that’s the prevailing theme of the Passover seder, and what ultimately connects these 24 trailblazers.

And speaking of the future and new ideas, last week’s cover story exploring shrinking enrolment at Jewish high schools across the country (with the notable exception of Vancouver’s King David High School) underlined the need for creative vision to ensure the future of Jewish education. We know you have your own ideas about what schools, community institutions and individuals must do to strengthen Jewish schools – and we want to hear from you. Send your ideas to [email protected], and we’ll publish the best ones in a future edition.

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This Passover edition marks the first anniversary of the new CJN. Looking back on the last 12 months, I think we have a lot to be proud of. Clearly I’m not alone.

Last week, The CJN took home a major honour at the 2015 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards. We were named the top overall publication in the highest circulation category. It’s a testament to the gargantuan effort that goes into assembling these pages every week. 

From the reporters and editors who bring you the best stories and commentary in our community to the designers and production staff responsible for packaging those words with compelling imagery – not to mention our advertising and marketing departments, who are out in the community strengthening our brand, and the accounting and office staff that help keep everything running smoothly – The CJN is blessed with a uniquely talented staff. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all. I hope this award will be the first of many in recognition of your incredible work.

Chag Samayach.  — YONI