As a professional couple in our 30’s, we are busy raising our three young sons, Jack, Samuel and Benjamin, while also working hard to achieve success in our careers. I am a Licensed Insolvency Trustee (formerly Trustee in Bankruptcy) and Jennifer is a personal injury lawyer. It is a busy and fulfilling time of life, and although there are many demands on our time and resources, giving back to the community is a key priority for us. It is our responsibility to ensure a vibrant Jewish life for the next generation, and we are committed to making a positive impact through philanthropy and volunteerism.
The values that we share around community are deeply rooted. I have always been very close to my paternal grandparents. Through their influence, I developed a strong sense of Yiddishkeit and Jewish values. While attending Dalhousie University, I became involved with the Jewish Students Association and served on the Board of Beth Israel Synagogue, an Orthodox synagogue in Halifax. Upon graduation, I worked for several years as a campaign associate, fundraising for the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) of Atlantic Canada, and learned first-hand about the impact and importance of charitable giving.
Jennifer’s upbringing was built around Jewish values, customs and traditions. She grew up in Toronto, and attended Bialik Hebrew Day School and TanenbaumCHAT. All of her grandparents were Holocaust survivors and her maternal grandmother brought the family together for Shabbat dinner each week. Growing up, she loved celebrating Jewish holidays with her family. She also enjoyed many summers spent at Jewish summer camp. She attended law school in Ottawa, where she became involved with Chabad and served as President of the Jewish Law Students Association. She later got involved with the UJA Young Professionals group. Jennifer is on the Women’s Philanthropy Executive and is proud to be a Lion of Judah endowment donor.
Currently, we are both a part of UJA’s National Young Leadership Cabinet, which has been a wonderful opportunity for learning and has allowed us to build relationships with other young leaders who share our values and commitment to community.
As parents, we want to give our boys a strong Jewish upbringing, filled with Shabbat and holidays, but also with a sense of responsibility to the larger Jewish community. We are grateful for our good fortune, and feel it is our duty to give back. We hope that our charitable giving sets the example that, even at a young age, we have an obligation to care for and invest in the future of our community.