Local News
Gray Academy has gone eight months with not one single case of COVID
over 675 cases in other Manitoba schools
By BERNIE BELLAN
While Manitobans can rightfully be said to be in a state of shock over how this province has gone from having one of the best records anywhere at keeping COVID at bay to now having one of the worst in Canada, the focus has very much been on the tragic situations in many personal care homes.
Yet, the situation in schools for the most part is one where there has also been a steady number of COVID cases either having been reported or suspected. Since all available evidence to this point, however, is that COVID simply does not affect young people to the same degree that it does the elderly (among whom I can rightfully count myself), I think it’s fair to say that not much attention has been paid to what’s been happening in schools in this province.
According to the CBC Manitoba website, however, “Manitoba had recorded 675 cases of COVID-19 in schools as of Nov. 17. A total of 513 of those were students and 162 were staff members.
The CBC website goes on to note that “The province has posted dozens of possible exposures at schools across Manitoba on its website – including more than 150 exposures at schools in the Winnipeg health region since Sept. 25.”
Since ours is a newspaper serving the Jewish community I thought it appropriate to take a look at what’s been happening in the only fully JK-12 Jewish day school in the province: Gray Academy.
Luckily, it is fair to report in the case of that school that “no news is good news.”
Since the first lockdown began on March 14 I’ve had occasion to speak with Gray Academy Head of School and CEO Lori Binder twice before: In our May 27 issue, when we took a detailed look at how Gray Academy had made the successful transition to teaching online through what it called its “Gray Away” online program; and in our Sept. 2 issue, when we took a look at plans that were put in place to welcome back students under the highly restrictive protocols that the province had established for all schools in Manitoba.
Now, with almost three full months having gone by since the start of the new school year, I thought it appropriate to speak with Lori again to get her assessment of how things have gone at Gray Academy thus far. Joining in the phone conversation was Andrea Ritter, Director, Marketing and Communications.
No cases of COVID at Gray Academy thus far
I began by asking whether “there have been any incidents of COVID at the school?”
Lori answered: “Thank G-d no, there have not. We’ve been healthy every day.”
I asked: “Are any of your students now taking their schooling online?”
Lori: “Let me give you a general overview. We are fully open. We are able to have our students with two meters distance all the way up to Grade 12. We made that change when schools moved to orange and that was already in place in the elementary. We were able to spread out more, so that for example, our Mac lab that was used for the film class, we’re now using it for other classes and we’ve moved a grade to another corner of the school.
“We are open five days a week for every one of our students unless they fail our health screening.”
Lori went on to explain that if, for any reason, a student is unable to attend classes in person beginning with Grade 5, they are able to “access classes online. They are able to login to ‘Google classroom’ and they are able to participate.” As well, students are beginning to learn to use Google Classroom independently in Grades 3 & 4.
But, she noted, “we don’t have a remote choice option – meaning a student is just choosing to be remote – but if they’re not in the building and they’re still well enough to learn, they can access the classroom from home.”
In terms of how many students have actually been absent from school on any given day, Lori said that the average attendance has been “approximately 90% on a daily basis.”
Enrolment has remained up
I asked how enrolment this year compares with last year?
“Last year it was 494,” Lori answered. “This year it’s 484.”
She noted, however, that the school’s “retention percentage” (meaning “how many students didn’t graduate and were eligible to return”) is at “93%”.
Lori added that, “We only had two families that, before school started, chose to home school.”
In terms of how many new students are at Gray Academy this year, Lori said there are 60 new students (who could be in grades as early as Junior Kindergarten). While there were 80 new students in the 2019-20 academic year, the lower figure, Lori explained, is largely explained by the fact that, “of those 60 new students we’re seeing more local as we’ve seen fewer families arrive from outside of Canada.”
Andrea Ritter noted that “this has been an unusual year when we’ve had to turn people away when we filled our rooms. We had to maintain that distancing between students in rooms – which meant we had to limit our capacity in certain classrooms. We had to cut off our registration for JK and K for sure.”
Lori gave as an example an inquiry the school had from someone wanting to enroll their child in Grade 4. “We had no more room,” she explained, “ so we had to tell them their child was on a wait list.”
I asked whether there was a breakdown of class size by grade. Lori said they had figures for high school and elementary. “Last year our high school (Grades 7-12) was 211 and this year it’s 218. Our elementary (JK-Grade 6), last year was 283; this year it went down a little to 266.”
All staff returned this year – and have remained
At that point in the conversation I said I wanted to turn attention to the staff of the school. I asked whether everyone had returned?
Lori answered: “Our staff is all here. No one chose not to continue working because of COVID and we’ve welcomed some new staff. They’ve been amazing. Our staff are so committed to who we are as a school community, committed to being able to provide our students purpose, a place to be, and a community where they’re known and cared for by the teachers.
“If you were to say to us, before we knew what COVID was, that we’re going to run a school, and we’re going to keep changing, and as a teacher you’re going to have to start moving around from class to class – and you’re going to have some kids in one classroom and some in another, and you’re going to always be on the alert for changes from the province – our staff have been really incredible.
“From my educational lens, what I see is that our kids really want to be in school; they want to be somewhere. They don’t want to be in isolation. We’re all social beings, teenagers especially – they crave being with others, being in community.
“We’re doing things we’ve never done before. Bernie, if you ever want to come and watch our pick-up and drop-off – it’s a science we’ve created. We’ve got this orderly fashion how kids get out of their cars so we can limit gatherings and have kids go through doorways one at a time. We’re just so grateful for the positivity of our staff and the partnership with our families.”
Could Gray Academy remain open if other schools are forced to shut their doors?
I wondered though about something that doesn’t get discussed much within general conversation. The province has been releasing data about which geographic areas have been hardest hit by COVID (also which schools) and it has been quite evident that the pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on socioeconomic groups that are more disadvantaged. Now, with talk of a possible even more drastic shutdown that would encompass schools this time – but with Gray Academy, among other schools, having fared quite well in terms of avoiding any incidents of COVID, I asked whether the possibility that some schools might be allowed to remain open while others would have to close had ever been brought up in discussions with representatives from the Department of Education?
Lori responded that “What I can share, and has not changed ever since the summer, is they’ve always spoken about what would make schools move into the red pandemic response level. We know that one reason is transmission in a school that is specific to that school. We saw that happen with one of the first schools in the River East School Division (John Pritchard) where a cohort was moved out – and that was specific to that school.
“That same basic message is what we’re still hearing: ‘There would be a change to a school if there’s evidence of transmission within a school….We have to be prepared for anything that might happen., but my belief is there won’t be a decision made based on anything other than what’s happening in specific schools.”
Some classrooms have been able to accommodate fairly large numbers of students
I wondered what the maximum class size is now that each student is required to maintain a distance of 2 metres all around?
“In elementary, believe it or not,” Lori responded, “we’ve taken out furniture; we’ve removed bookshelves that were screwed to the walls for decades – in order to make more room – it would be around 18 or 19; and in high school, we’ve been using some of the larger spaces for classrooms – like the Mac lab – where we can get around 20 or 21 students. Right now, because we’ve always had the availability of the Berney Theatre, there is a group in the foyer and a group utilizing the theatre so that we can really give kids the space.”
“That would mean you’re having university style lectures in the theatre itself,” I suggested.
Further, because there are windows in the foyer the school is able to open the blinds and get some natural light into that space, Lori explained.
Andrea added that students who are taking classes in the theatre have become quite resourceful in adapting to the theatre format. “It’s energized the kids. As soon as they went to the Berney (Theatre) they all started coming up with ideas, like ‘How can I create a lap desk for myself?’ because it’s hard to hold your Chromebook on your lap while you’re taking notes.”
Lori also noted that, until the province ordered the entire city into code red, Shmoozers had been providing hot lunches for kids – brought to them in their rooms. “We’re trying to keep our hot lunch program going – at least for this month,” she noted, “with food from other kosher catering. We don’t have volunteers coming in right now, so we (the staff) are doing that.”
Talking about the staff and lunches, I asked whether staff are still eating their lunches in the Kaufman-Silverberg Library?
“Our high school staff are,” Lori said, “but we still have our staff room. It’s just limited by how many people can be in there at once. There’s enough space for 12. There are other places for staff to go.”
Morale has remained high – and students have shown amazing resillience
I asked whether there are any assessments of morale that are taken on any sort of systematic basis or is it all based on anecdotal evidence? After all, I suggested to Lori, “you’re giving me what would be considered a pretty upbeat report.”
Andrea Ritter said she’d like to jump in at that point, “speaking both as a professional and as a mom” of two students at Gray Academy.
“I was home last year with both my kids (when all schools closed from March on). My older one (who’s 15 – in Grade 10) was fine; she’s very independent, she did her own thing. She didn’t mind being online.
“The little one (who’s 9 – in Grade 4),” Andrea continued – “it was really hard for her, especially when we weren’t having a full day of classes, when we would just meet (online) here and there. She really had a tough time emotionally.
“When we switched to full-on Gray Away in April, and she was with her classmates in a structured environment every day, it made an enormous difference for her.
“But for me, seeing the children here on site, I am amazed how they’ve taken everything in stride. Sure, every time there’s a change, they complain like crazy for a day or two, then they just move along and carry on with their day.
“Some of the high school kids especially have gotten a little bit innovative in providing entertainment for themselves. They can’t go anywhere, they’re not allowed to leave Campus – and that’s one of the ways we’re trying to keep control on transmission. (Ed. note: Compare that with kids from Grant Park who had been flocking both to the nearby McDonald’s and Grant Park Shopping Centre.)
Andrea continued: “They’re creating some new clubs at lunch, they’re hanging out in different spaces – but the little ones, in particular, interact when they’re outside – in masks, at recess – it doesn’t matter – it doesn’t make a difference to them. They take it completely in stride. I hear them all day. My window faces the playground. They play like they always have.
“I’ve certainly seen discussions online from different points of view – how terrible it is to have kids in masks all day. Fortunately for us we have the space. Our kids (up to Grade 4 and up) can be out of masks and have a mask break so long as they’re at their desks and when they have to put their masks on for recess (grades 3-6) or for gym (grade 4 and up) – they’re just taking it in stride.”
Lori chimed in: “Every day that we can have this building open and our children are healthy, it means that our kids are getting what they need to develop mentally, developmentally – and the resiliency – I am also proud of our students’ resiliency.… I remember the first day that kids were getting dropped off, who would have thought that three and four-year-olds would be hopping out of the car and walking themselves (with staff) to the early years’ wings door? Usually it would have been the parents holding their hands, walking them to the door of their classroom.
“We’re here to give kids a place to be and, from a mental health and wellness perspective, that’s what contributes to being able to learn.
“So, I’m not saying it’s not hard; it is hard and I’d like to see those vaccines come to light sooner rather than later, but as long as we can keep these kids feeling well, we’re upbeat.”
Local News
Orri clementine oranges from Israel now available in Winnipeg
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted April 3) For years many Winnipeggers made a habit of buying delicious Jaffa oranges from Israel, both because they were so delicious, also to support Israel. Those oranges used to be commonly available in many stores during the winter months, but as the years passed, it became increasingly difficult to find them.
Often groups of individuals would get together and place special orders for Jaffa oranges that could be brought into stores like the former Stewart’s Fruit & Deli on Grant Avenue. I remember asking the owners of Stewart’s – Frida and Aaron Herskovits, whether they could bring in Jaffa oranges, but over the years they told me that they found it was increasingly difficult to find a wholesaler that carried Jaffa oranges.
One of the reasons was that oranges from other countries, including South Africa, Chile, Spain, Morocco, and occasionally Mexico, were much cheaper than Jaffa oranges, so wholesalers simply stopped ordering them.
But last week I was contacted by a friend who told me that he found oranges from Israel in FoodFare on Portage Avenue – of all places. Now, I don’t want to get political, but FoodFare is owned by the Zeid family – and the Zeids haven’t exactly been huge supporters of Israel. So, I was somewhat surprised to learn that Israeli oranges were being sold in FoodFare.
When my friend sent me a picture of the bag containing the oranges, I saw that the name on the bag was “Orri.” I had never heard of Orri oranges, so I asked my friend how they tasted ?
“Absolutely delicious,” came the reply. But I’ve avoided shopping at FoodFare ever since October 7, 2023 when members of the Zeid family established themselves as staunch critics of Israel. And so, I didn’t head down to FoodFare myself to buy a bag of Orri oranges.
Lo and behold, I was in Superstore on Kenaston the other day and what do I see prominently featured right in the front of the store, but bags of Orri oranges – at the very reasonable price of $6.99 for a 907 gram bag. I bought a bag, brought them home, peeled one – and was in heaven! It was the most delicious clementine orange I had ever tasted.
But how come I had never heard the name “Orri” before? I wondered. So, I did some research -and here’s what I came up with, from the Orri website:
“Few people know that the original Jaffa Orri has a long history of nearly 30 years. The project was initiated in 1989 as a collaborative effort at Israel’s world renowned Agricultural Research Organization, the Volcani Center. The extensive research led by leading citrus breeders and botanists managed to develop an exceptional lineup of mandarin cultivars that hit their objectives. The new cultivars were planted in experimental plots across the country, and with results being better than anticipated, the rest is history.
“The later crowned “mandarin king” made its market debut in the early 2000s, quickly taking the Israeli market by storm. Despite accelerated orchards planting efforts, consumers simply couldn’t get enough, and demand kept falling short of supply. Year after year, as yields increased, Orri remained the premium brand of choice.
“Today, Orri’s popularity has been steadily climbing in markets such as France, UK, Holland, Germany, Russia, Canada and the US, and lately also China and Japan. While Israel remains the largest single exporter of Orri mandarins, licensed growers now exist in Spain, South Africa, South America and the US.”
Further research determined that “High sugar levels, low acidity, bright orange color, and a long shelf life, making them excellent for shipping.”
“Late-season harvest runs from January through early summer, ensuring availability when other mandarins are out of season.”
Finally, when it comes to availability in Winnipeg, here’s what I found: “Orri mandarins are available for purchase and delivery at major Canadian retailers like Loblaws (2 lb bags), Real Canadian Superstore, and No Frills. They are also available for delivery through Weee!, Uber Eats, and Instacart. Orri mandarins, known for being seedless, easy to peel, and very sweet, are usually in season from January to May.”
Local News
Jewish community leaders to take to the stage in new Theatre Centre, Manitoba Bar Association fundraising musical
By MYRON LOVE For more than 36 years a staple of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre season has been the RMTC’s annual joint production with the Manitoba Bar Association – featuring a cast composed entirely of Bar Association members. This year’s fundraising production is “Crazy for You” – a delightful romp in the style of 1930s musicals.
I well remember the Rainbow Stage production of the musical in 1999 with many memorable Gershwin Brothers’ songs – tunes such as: “I Got Rhythm,” “Naughty Baby,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” “Embraceable You,” “But Not for Me,” “Nice Work If You Can Get It” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Introduced on Broadway in 1992, “Crazy for You” is based loosely on the Gershwins’ hit 1930 musical “Girl Crazy”.
The plot, typical of 1930s era musicals is about a young New York banker, Bobby Child, who is sent to Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a rundown theatre. In Deadrock, Bobby falls for spunky Polly Baker, the theatre owner’s daughter. But Polly takes an instant dislike to the city slicker, so Bobby vows – through cunning, razzmatazz and a hilarious case of mistaken identity – to win Polly’s heart and save the theatre.
“Crazy for You” is a fantastic musical,” says an enthusiastic Gail Asper, who plays the role of Billy’s mother in the show. “I am very happy that we are putting it on this year. It has great dance numbers. Who would have thought there would be so many terrific dancers in our legal community?”
Asper, a leading patron of the arts (among her many contributions to the community) , has been involved with the annual legal stage production from its inception. “It was Steven Schipper’s idea,” Asper recalls. (Schipper served as RMTC’s artistic director from 1989 to 2019.) “He pitched it to the board who thought it was a great idea. Board member Jean Giguere was tasked with bring the idea to fruition. Jean and I are still great friends.”
Asper reports that “Crazy for You” is the 16th RMTC/MBA show in which she has had the pleasure of performing. “This is one of the best fundraising ventures I have ever been involved with,” she says.
(Her one regret though is that she isn’t a dancer.)
The cast also includes a second prominent member of our Jewish community in the person of Mr. Justice David Kroft (who was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Appeal in 2023). Kroft plays the role of Bela Zangler, the impresario (think Florenz Zeigfield) who is producing the show.
Kroft is a past president of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg (following in the footsteps of his late father, Guy, and older brother, Jonathan). He has been a Combined Jewish Appeal canvasser for more than 25 years. In 2024, he was presented with the Max and Mollie Shore Memorial Award, which is given annually to an individual who has distinguished him or herself through long-standing leadership and dedication to the Combined Jewish Appeal and commitment to the principles and goals of the Federation.
For Kroft, this is his ninth Bar Association show. Last year, he reports, he was in the RMTC/MBA production of the comedy “The Man who Came to Dinner”.
Although, Kroft notes, his theatrical experience previous to the RMTC/MBA productions were high school operettas, he says that he has really enjoyed the opportunity to strut the boards.
Added to the meaning of the production this year is that Kroft is currently RMTC Board Chair. “This is one of our major annual fundraising initiatives,” he says in his role as Board Chair.
One other member of our Jewish community who will be in “Crazy for You” is Benji Greenberg, who will be making her sixth appearance in the annual fundraiser. She says that she has the role of Elaine, one of the show girls.
“I love the Gershwin music,” she says.
I wrote about Greenberg last year in regard to her participation for the first time in the annual Winnipeg Music Festival competitions. In high school (Grant Park) and university (the U of W), she notes, she was involved in performing arts study and productions.
She was called to the Bar in 2015. For the past four years, she has been working as an investigator for the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth.
A couple of years ago, she decided to take proper singing lessons. She credits her teacher, Geneva Halverson, for encouraging her to enter the Music Festival competition,
“Crazy for You” is scheduled to run from May 5 to 9 at the Tom Hendry Warehouse. Tickets can be purchased through RMTC. If you have a friend in the show, on the RMTC board or staff member, you can help them win a prize by buying a ticket linked to their name using the list online.
Sponsorships and advertising would also be welcomed.
Local News
Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada panel highlights contributions of Jewish women in building our community
By MYRON LOVE For much of the Jewish community’s early history in Winnipeg, it was men who were acknowledged as our community leaders – as was common in society in general – while the work of scores of women working diligently behind the scenes was largely overlooked. While women’s organizations such as ORT, Hadassah, National Council of Jewish Women and many others raised money to help the needy in our community and Israel, noted Marsha Cowan, it was usually men who made the decisions.
On Tuesday, March 17, the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada hosted a panel discussion: “Let Her Works Praise: Panel on the role of Women in Jewish Communal Life” (which was pretty well attended considering the wintry conditions) – seeking to show our community’s appreciation for the work of countless women over the years behind the scenes, as well as the growing number of women now working side by side with men in leadership roles.
Marsha Cowan – one of the three panelists, has straddled both worlds – as a leader in National Council of Jewish Women, and later as the first woman to serve as CEO of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
Cowan began her presentation by reminiscing about her time at Peretz School and the old YMHA. Her first vehicle of choice as a volunteer was with the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). The latter’s major project was the Golden Age Club – Canada’s original drop-in centre for (largely) Jewish seniors. For years, the club operated out of a building near Salter and Selkirk in what used to be the heavily Jewish North End.
“After 40 years,” she recalled, “we realized that we needed a new building.”
The site for the newly renamed Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre was a former tire store at Smithfield and Main. Cowan chaired the successful campaign to raise the funds for the transformation of the building into the Gwen Secter Centre.
Cowan subsequently served as Vice-President of the National Council of Jewish Women. She also served as President of Jewish Child and Family Service;, Vice-President of the Women’s Division, Combined Jewish Appeal; and, most recently, as the first woman to be President and CEO of The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
““I remember walking into my first board meeting at the Foundation and finding myself one of only two women among 18 men,” she recalled. “But it was never a problem for me working in male-oriented organizations and institutions.”
One of the first things that she did as a board member though, was to push to establish the Foundation’s Women’s Endowment Fund in order to give women an opportunity to make philanthropic decisions involving the distribution of funding.
The fund, she noted, started with $20,000 contributed by about 150 women. Today, 32 years later, the Women’s Endowment Fund has a capital base of $2.4 million and distributes more than $100,000 a year to women’s charities.
In her presentation, Susan Turner began by recalling growing up in a traditional home in the North End, her early schooling, Shabbats spent with her father, Leible Hershfield, at the Rosh Pina Synagogue, and going to the YMHA, where Leible was the Athletic Director. The family moved south in 1958 so that her maternal grandfather, Lazar Tuberman, who lived with them, could be closer to the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, where he was the shames. In her teen years and then at university, Turner sang in the synagogue choir.
A lifelong professional visual artist in printmaking and in video, Turner has worked in a number of positions – by turn as a school librarian, an editor, a graphic designer, an art instructor, a lecturer at the School of Art, a researcher and curator in the area of multiculturalism, an exhibits curator and designer, a gourmet pastry chef for restaurants, and as a volunteer in the arts community.
She noted that it was her mother, Babe, who got her involved working on projects in the Jewish community. “For many years Babe was Executive Director of the Jewish Historical Society. In the late 1970s, she recruited my husband Myron and me to be on the Programming and the Archives committees, and we remained active in one form or another for close to 40 years.”
“From 1999 to 2004,” Turner said, “I was the Coordinator of Volunteers at the Sharon Home, where I learned so much about ageing, dementia, and respectful elder-care.”
In 2005, at the behest of Stan Carbone, JHC Programs and Exhibitions Director, she began working as curator and exhibitions designer at the Jewish Heritage Centre. Some of the major exhibits she worked on were “The Jewish Wedding”, “Manitoba Synagogues”, “Jews in Manitoba’s Garment Industry”, and “Chief Justice Samuel Freedman.”
In addition to her work with the JHC, Turner noted that she and Myron volunteered through Jewish Child and Family Service with newcomers from Argentina and with Yazidi refugees. “However much Myron and I were able to assist them, our own lives were enriched by the experience,” she added.
Turner also showed images of her current art as well as a poetic video she produced using voice, music, image, and Yiddish about the final days of her mother Babe’s life.
Leah Craven, the third member of the panel, is representative of a younger generation of women who have assumed leadership roles in our community. A lawyer by training, she currently serves as President of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, Winnipeg Section. She is also a Board member of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba – serving on their Governance and Grants Committees. She has previously been actively involved with Shalom Square, Gray Academy of Jewish Education, Congregation Etz Chayim, and Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University.
“I was raised in a traditional Jewish home where volunteering was simply part of life,” she recalled. “My (late) father, Mel Craven, was deeply involved in community work, and my mother, Reva, continues to volunteer actively. In our home, contributing wasn’t an ‘extra.’ It was just… part of being Jewish.
“As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I grew up with a strong awareness of how vital community support systems are,” she continued. “I understood early that people struggle — and that communal care matters. I also understood I was fortunate, and that being able to give comes with responsibility.”
Craven recounted her first independent volunteer experience. While still in elementary school (Ramah), her father asked if she would teach basic Hebrew to a colleague’s church youth group.
“I took it very seriously,” she said. I made a Hebrew alphabet chart with transliterations and created name cards in Hebrew letters for each participant. It was my first time in a church and it was a welcoming experience, genuinely enjoyable. Looking back, I learned an early lesson. I stepped forward because someone asked me. Someone opened a door and trusted me.”
That pattern, Craven noted, has occurred repeatedly throughout her life.
In her university years, she was active in Jewish student organizations, Craven said. She was involved in advocacy for Soviet Jewry and spoke out against antisemitism.
“At university, I learned that community life isn’t only programming and events,” she observed. “It’s visibility, engagement, and standing up when it matters.”
As a working mother, she has continued to show up for our community – volunteering over the years at Folklorama (Shalom Square) and synagogue. “Helping to set up, clean up and greeting people (at shul) may not be glamorous, but it is foundational,” she noted. “Community is sustained by everyday acts of showing up.”
Craveb pointed out that formal barriers for women have changed over generations. “Many women are now invited to leadership tables,” she noted. “We are asked to chair, lead, speak and make decisions. That progress is real and important.
“At the same time, many women still carry the day‑to‑day responsibility for home and family,” Craven added. “As well, single mothers and women without job flexibility often face additional challenges in participating in volunteer roles.”
Craven said the biggest challenge for women volunteering in community is “capacity”. “In my experience that looks different at each stage of life”, she observed. “As a student, I had to balance community involvement with academics. As a young professional, there weere early career demands. As a parent, I sought involvement that fits naturally into family life – such as children’s programming at synagogue or volunteering at school.”
It was during that time – when her kids were babies – that Craven joined National Council. “I welcomed the opportunity to be part of a Jewish women’s organization dedicated to service, education,and social action,” she said.
Crave also noted the help her own children have given her. She would bring them to meetings and on deliveries. When they were a little older, they helped sorting ribbons and wrapping paper, stuffing envelopes and assembling mishloach manot.
“These small tasks mattered,” Craven said. “It allowed me to stay engaged and my children learned that community involvement isn’t separate from daily life,” she added. “It’s part of how we live — for me, it’s part of being Jewish.”
The balance between work, family and community is never fully resolved, Craven observed. “Involvement looks different at different times,” she noted. “Sometimes it’s leading. It can be making a phone call, delivering a meal, sitting beside somebody and saying – there is a place for you here – or just showing up.
“It often just begins because someone asks, invites or makes room.”
In conclusion, Craven expressed gratitude to ” the women who paved the way” and to “a community that values women’s leadership”.