Mahla Finkleman

“It was in my blood since I can remember… creative ideas, creative expression… I loved all the
art supplies my parents would buy for me; it didn’t matter what medium”, shares artist Mahla
Finkleman, graduate of the prestigious Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver,
BC. “People say a picture is worth a thousand words. There’s something about art that can
move somebody, have a power over somebody. To be able to look at art from a very young
age, have ideas and bring those ideas from a mental space to fruition and action- art is a very
powerful tool.”

Born in Scotland and raised in Thornhill, Mahla has lived in Ireland, New York, Israel and
Vancouver. She met her husband Jeremy at a Shabbaton in BC and told him she would be
making aliya; he said he’d never move to Toronto! 12 years later, they joined the
Gailcrest/Jenstar street community in Thornhill (across from BAYT) and it is “unlike any
community I’ve seen the world over ”. Before they became parents, Mahla had come across the
Netivot website and told Jeremy, “I want to send our kids (when we have them) to a school like
this one day!”

Beyond the Netivot, Gailcrest/Jenstar, and art communities, Mahla is part of other communities
as well. She works as national manager for Masa Israel. “I love my job through and through.
One of the greatest feelings I have from my work is being part of the global team community for
Masa. My workday is both partnerships and recruitment for Masa in Canada – coast to coast –
people ages 16-40 on long immersive programs to Israel, it’s so meaningful; especially getting
messages from participants.”

Mahla also belongs to a community of educators; she has a BEd from UBC and worked as a
classroom teacher for 8 years. She built and delivered curriculum for grades K-3 for Jsprouts –
Jewish education for families that physically lived outside of the Jewish community in
Vancouver, and did not have amenities that were appropriate for them. They were families who
wanted after school Jewish programming for their kids but would not feel comfortable sending
their kids to a synagogue for that care (interfaith couples, same sex couples).

Her passion for art and Jewish commitments came together in that work; it was a Judaism
through the arts program, culinary, visual arts, and theatrical arts. Creativity shows up at Masa;
Mahla deviates from typical recruitment- challa bakes, art classes, “taking skills and sharing
them”. Personally, Mahla has designed a netilat yadayim cup for her home, and she has
recently exhibited her text based oil paintings at an art show in Toronto.

Mahla and Jeremy are parents of 3 Netivot students.