“I remember feeling totally inspired. I had never felt so good doing anything in my life.”  Dikla (Stanleigh) Weitzner reminisces about her teenage experience volunteering at one of the bone marrow drives that her brother Audey Lior z’l had organized. “When I was in my first year of Ulpana, my brother was in Israel in yeshiva and was diagnosed with leukemia. The majority of my high school years were really about being there for him, the ups and downs of being in the hospital, having a bone marrow transplant  –  it was very hard. Unfortunately, he passed away before my senior year.” Audey left an impact on many people, including organizing a drive that led to a life-saving bone marrow match for Jay Feinberg, the founder of the Gift of Life organization. 

“Audey did so much chesed. When he died, I made a decision: I was going to devote my life and work in non-profit.” Dikla held true to her teenage commitment; she helped start MBT […]

“The school we want to send our children to doesn’t exist. We need to start a school!” 40 years ago a group of friends discovered their shared vision as they stood around Lori and John Ulmer’s kitchen island. Amongst that group was Shauna Tepperman, a driving force in making that vision a reality, who became Netivot’s first president. Remembering the early days, Lori recalls, “We had nothing. I went through my house and filled the classroom with toys. We all did; it was all hands on deck to get the school up and running.” From the discussion in the kitchen came a parlor meeting, then they hired a principal and the rest is history! John remembers a meeting with the founders, “It was Rabbi Diamond who suggested the name Netivot HaTorah!” John reflects on the evolution of the school: “Seeing the school stay true to its values from the beginning of Torah, Israel and Derech Eretz has been meaningful. At the same time, it’s improving year after year and it’s […]

“Growing up, I always knew I was different. My father was older than all my friends’ parents. As a kid, I never understood why, but then I really leaned into it as I got more mature; it’s part of who I am. I am probably one of the youngest children of a Holocaust survivor. From a very young age I knew my father survived the war, but it wasn’t until when I was 14, my sister interviewed my father for a school project and he really started to open up.”

Steve Frenkiel’s father was deprived of his own schooling and so he took his children’s education seriously. In particular, he had tremendous pride in their grades. In fact, when Steve was in college, his father was battling colon cancer, but “he refused to go into the surgery until he heard my first semester science grades.” Sadly, he had a stroke and he never fully recovered from the surgery, and passed away when Steve was 18. Saying kaddish and going to shul […]

DJ, Hatzoloh member and champion ballroom dancer. While it may sound like Jeremy Pertman is playing “2 truths and a lie”, they are all true! Growing up in Edmonton, he developed a love for music at a young age through his mother’s support and encouragement. Studying classical piano, performing as a percussionist in his high school band and jazz ensemble, and then finding a passion for DJing, “music was always very much a part of my life.” Jeremy’s foray into ballroom dancing before he became a ba’al teshuva brought together his love of music with his passion for the performing arts. He competed in the Northern Alberta Dancesport Competition, placing first in seven categories! Jeremy then ventured into acting with the Yiddish Theatre of Montreal and performed for audiences in Canada and Europe. During his first year of university, he bought his first turntables, DJ mixer, and records off of a friend, and so his DJ career truly began!⁣
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Jeremy, aka DJ Frisco, has not stopped learning. He has earned a […]

“One day I will be Jewish” a teenage Rachel Cousineau recalls telling her mother. Growing up in North Bay, Ontario, there weren’t many Jews to connect with; she became intrigued with Judaism through books and her Catholic high school’s World Religions course. Raised in a loving, deeply religious Catholic family, Rachel remembers identifying with the characters from the Bible that her father read nightly.  While pursuing  her Masters degree at Carleton University, she discovered the Oxford Centre of Hebrew and Jewish Studies and spent a year there getting a graduate degree. The Jews among the 13 students in the program lived together on campus and created “unique and memorable experiences of Judaism”  that changed Rachel’s life. By winter break she knew she was committed, and decided to convert.  She dedicated that year and the next to learning to become a Jew.

Concurrent to her unique Jewish journey, Rachel also pursued a career as an Architectural historian, combining her interest in art, people and […]