13 minute read
Powering TanenbaumCHAT
Powering TanenbaumCHATNow & Always
In March 2020, TanenbaumCHAT was meeting and exceeding fundraising goals. But in an instant, with the onset of the pandemic, everything changed.
At TanenbaumCHAT, we remain steadfast in our fundraising priority of keeping fees as low as possible and providing tuition predictability. However, this past spring, in support of the UJA’s Community Resilience Campaign, all our efforts were put on hold. Events and donor meetings were replaced with Zoom gatherings and telephone check-ins, and in June we facilitated 226 visits to the Class of 2020.
Incredibly, our entire TanenbaumCHAT community stood by us. The exemplary efforts of our faculty and administration to reinvent school for a fully virtual experience, generated immense good will. We closed the 2019-20 school year with a record $1,502,276 fundraising dollars.
TanenbaumCHAT now faces an extraordinary challenge. To allow us to meet our tuitionreduction objectives, our fundraising goal for 2020-21 was originally set at $1.7million.
However, as a result of the pandemic, the school has incurred myriad unforeseen
additional expenses – over $700,000, or roughly $650 per student.
This year, a successful Powering TanenbaumCHAT annual campaign is imperative. I know our community cares deeply and is committed to powering the school – as our tagline says – now and always. But this year, now more than ever, we are counting on your support.
Frances Bigman CFRE, Director of Advancement fbigman@tanenbaumchat.org / 416-636-5984 Ext. 230
Powering up our Annual Appeal to support reduced tuition, educational excellence, and equipping our school for a pandemic.
Hybrid–synchronous learning at TanenbaumCHAT
Hybrid refers to a combination of in-school and at-home learning. Synchronous means that all students – whether in school or at home – learn together in real time.
Using the in-classroom computer, SMARTBoard and camera, and using various educational technology and video-conferencing platforms, teachers and students connect and interact in real time. This ensures an engaging, viable and authentic learning experience for all students every day. Plexiglass screens at all workstations
Quadmesters: The 2020-21 year is divided into four sections. Students take fewer courses, more intensively, during each quad.
Cohorting: All courses are divided into two groups, Cohorts A and B, by alphabet. Cohorts attend school in person or learn from home every other day, and on alternating Fridays, for two morning classes. In order for students to be assigned to a maximum of two inperson cohorts, all students take period 3 remotely.
A wide range of educational technology
platforms are being employed. For example:
STREAMER creates real-time captions – a boon especially for hearing-impaired students and those with auditory processing issues. Kami allows students to upload work of any kind and the teacher to provide feedback digitally. TestWE is a secure testing platform. Teachers can assign test duration on an individual basis – particularly helpful for students with educational accommodations. Through the “exam speaking feature” students can respond orally. The SMARTNotebook SMARTBoard software renders all content fully interactive.
To watch our “Unique Perspectives” video series on pandemic adaptations at TanenbaunCHAT, go to: poweringtanenbaumchat.org/uniqueperspectives
Power TanenbaumCHATingNow & Always
SMARTBoards in all learning spaces Disinfectant wipes and sanitizer in every room
Wide-angle MINRRAY 4K videoconferencing cameras with noise cancelling features and built in speakers serve as a gateway, connecting in-person and at-home groups
Juno microphones, worn around the neck, amplify sound for hearing-impaired students, and help teachers with vocal cord issues
Socially-distanced seating with assigned spots for each cohort
Students and teachers use a screening app daily to verify they are healthy and can attend school
Morris & Sarah Perlis (current grandparents)
The Powering TanenbaumCHAT annual campaign was designed to power our
school into the future by prioritizing financial accessibility, as well as maintaining educational excellence and responding to emerging needs.
A 5-year pilot program to reduce the cost of tuition was launched in 2017. It was made possible through transformational gifts facilitated by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto together with extensive fundraising by TanenbaumCHAT. Combined, these funds bridge the gap between current fees and the actual cost of providing an education to our students. This pilot program has been extremely effective and parents have welcomed the financial relief provided by subsidized tuition. TanenbaumCHAT is thriving! Enrolment has risen consistently; retention from our feeder Jewish day schools is robust – now at 80%, up from 57% prior to tuition reduction; and intake to our New Stream program is strong. The TanenbaumCHAT Tuition Accessibility Program (TTAP), beginning in 2022-23, will sustain lower fees and tuition predictability beyond the initial five-year period.
Our goal is to double our fundraising to $2.5 million annually to support reduced tuition. Your gift will allow more families to choose TanenbaumCHAT for their children, and will secure the future of Toronto’s only community Jewish high school for generations to come.
Power TanenbaumCHATingNow & Always
This year, due to the pandemic, TanenbaumCHAT has incurred in excess of $700,000 in additional unforeseen expenses – approximately $650 per student.
In order to open our school and provide our students and staff with a safe and functional environment, expenditures encompassing a wide range of adaptations and upgrades were necessary.
Increased Scholarship Support
The school has supported families who have experienced pandemic-related financial loss, over and above aid provided through the UJA’s Emergency Campaign for Community Resilience or Tuition Assistance Program.
Health & Safety
Including new cleaning protocols, increased sanitation supplies and services, comprehensive building signage, and PPE.
Building & Infrastructure
Including HVAC and plumbing upgrades, classroom and office retrofitting with plexiglass barriers, UV air purification technology in the music room, a tent in the courtyard for additional outdoor space.
Additional Staffing
The school has hired a nurse, in-person instructors for remote teachers, and additional staff for security and Student Support services.
Enhancing the Classroom Experience*
IT upgrades for 60 classrooms have been installed, including wide-angle MINRRAY 4K video-conferencing cameras and additional SMARTBoards.
Online Learning Platforms*
The school has adopted many new digital educational learning platforms, online assessment tools, and a closed-captioning program for students who are hearing impaired
*See pages 18 and 19 for more information. “ Receiving tuition support enabled our son to stay in the
Jewish day school system. The school is a wonderful place to extend tzedakah that will have a real impact on a student's life.”
Elizabeth Katchen (past parent)
Russell Goldman ’87 (current parent)
Your gift will continue to keep tuition as low as possible and mitigate the extraordinary financial burden placed on the school by COVID-19.
TanenbaumCHAT is powered by the generosity of our entire community. And now more than ever, you can make a difference.
Please make your gift today.
1. Hold your phone camera over this QR code 2. When a notification appears, tap to go to our giving page Or visit: poweringtanenbaumchat.org/giving
Celebrating our Donors
“ We are thankful for the sense of community and Jewish identity
TanenbaumCHAT has given our children, and the positive impact a strong and vibrant Jewish high school has on Jewish continuity in our city. ”
The Tanentzap Family
We were thrilled to gather this fall to welcome 15 families whose names were installed on our beautiful donor wall in recognition of their leadership gifts. It was also an opportunity to honour the Jesin-Neuberger Foundation and the Granovsky family for their transformational gifts, and to recognize all the donors who have been inspired to join them.
In lieu of taking our guests to see the donor wall in person, we shared a video-montage of the newly-mounted plaques together with family photographs and reflections from the donors on why they were moved to support the school.
Speakers included Head of School Dr. Jonathan Levy; Outgoing President of the Board, and parent of alumni, Jonathan Zepp; Chair of the Major Gifts Committee, and current parent, David Mansell; and President and CEO of UJA and current parent Adam Minsky. We were also honoured to hear from Paul Bernstein, CEO of Prizmah, the network for Jewish day schools across North America.
There were greetings from our Student Council Co-presidents, Isaac Begun and Alexa Jacoby, and guests were treated to a rendition in Hebrew of the song “Let It Be” by the TanenbaumCHAT Singers.
Power TanenbaumCHATingNow & Always
View the videos that were shown at the event: poweringtanenbaumchat.org/ celebration2020
“ The school has had a profound influence on our family.
The campaign permits us to ensure others can benefit similarly. We are forever grateful for the school’s ability to reinforce Jewish values. ”
The Belzberg Family
Join our growing list of donors and attach your name to TanenbaumCHAT.
For more information, contact Frances Bigman CFRE, Director of Advancement: fbigman@tanenbaumchat.org / 416-636-5984 Ext. 230
We extend heartfelt appreciation to the following donors who have generously committed to supporting the tuition reduction initiative.
Norman Jesin '74 & Edie Neuberger '75
Eric Adelson & Andrea Himel Corey Adler & Melissa Snider Adler Brent & Lynn Belzberg
Rodney & Julie Bergman Paul & Judith Bloom Jeffrey Bly & Janice Feldberg-Bly Chaim Bell & Sharon Chodirker
Theodore Croitoru & Edith Devico
David & Pearl Elman Jay & Vered Feldman Flatt Family
Ab & Phyllis Flatt
Stephen & Ilene Flatt George & Judy Frankfort Dov & Nancy Friedberg DH Gales Family Charitable Foundation of Toronto
Allen Gales & Brenlee Gurvey Gales
Keith Ray & Leslie Gales
Wally Levitt & Beth Gamulka
Howard & Claire Glowinsky Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin
Darren & Sara '91 Gottlieb Eric & Karen Green
Richard Samuel & Marion Greenberg Mark & Irina Gross Allan Guttman & Helen Finder Guttman
Jay & Barbara Hennick
Steve & Suzy '90 Kauffman Stephen Posen & Robyn Kestenberg '83 Mark Rotstein & Melanie Kraft Levy Family
Barry & Cooki Levy
Jonathan & Meredith Levy
David & Karen Levy
Daniel & Debra Levy Cliff Librach & Judy Siblin-Librach David Mansell & Naomi Rifkind Mansell
Joel & Rochelle '89 Monson Barry '68 & Esther Naiberg Morris & Sarah Perlis
Ian & Heather Ringel Lloyd Hoffman & Ray Rubin Jules & Ariella Samson
Aaron '87 & Ettie Schimmer
Mark & Ilana Segal
Edward & Fran Sonshine
Lawrence & Judy Tanenbaum
Eitan & Jodi Tanentzap
Tylman & Maisel Families Matt Cockburn & Sue Valencia '85 David '70 & Bernice Walerstein Aaron & Nina '85 Wine Harold & Carole Wolfe Craig Rimer & Elyse Zelunka Jonathan & Tracy Zepp
Gary Samuel & Paula Zivot Calling TanenbaumCHAT grandparents!
Learn online with incredible TanenbaumCHAT educators!
All classes are Thursdays, 11AM to noon.
Thursday, January 21 Rachel Urowitz ’89
Digging up the past: Using archaeology to understand Jewish practices in the Second Temple period
Thursday, February 18 Ryan Peters ’09
Drama 101 for grandparents
Thursday, March 18 Rabbi Aaron Greenberg
What is Freedom? The deeper meaning and purpose of Passover
Thursday, April 29 Dr. Nicholas Maes
The nature of modernity and its threat to Jewish identity
Thursday, May 27 Dr. Alexandria Silver
Jedwabne and the Jewish History: The town as a lightning rod for the historical and current Jewish-Polish experience
To register, go to: poweringtanenbaumchat.org/ tanenbaumchatteaches
As Deputy Director for International Affairs at El Al, Stanley Morais ’87, was privileged to be on the tarmac to witness the first-ever commercial flight by an Israeli carrier to the United Arab Emirates. On August 31, 2020, El Al Flight 971, carrying high-level Israeli and US delegations, flew southeast down almost the entire length of Saudi Arabia to reach Abu Dhabi. It was the first time an Israeli plane was given permission by the Kingdom to use its airspace. Stanley points out that he has also been “responsible for protocol for the flights... that carried both Pope Benedict and Pope Nicolas when they visited Israel.”
In May, Edward Prutschi ’92 was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice, presiding in Newmarket. He is a current parent, committed member of the Jewish community, and has served as a board member and volunteer for UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. Edward is a former partner at Bytensky Prutschi Shikhman. Over the last few months, we’ve had plenty of time to reflect on our many alumni who work in health care and have been on the frontlines during COVID-19. Here are two examples.
Dr. Ariel (Ari) Lefkowitz ’04 wrote a harrowing firsthand account in Toronto Life entitled “Fourteen Days on the Covid Ward” – a brutally honest overview of his time in charge of all non-ICU Covid patients at Sunnybrook Medical Centre. On Day 1, he writes: “The hospital has only a few confirmed Covid patients right now, but there may be a rapid influx over the next two weeks. I hope we’ll be ready… I’ve never before feared for my life going to work.” After a gruelling two weeks, on Day 14 he notes: “I’ve realized something unimaginable – I got used to being a Covid doctor. What was at first frantic handwashing, fraught clotheslaundering and showering the toxicity off… has become a calm ritual. I did what I had to do.”
Dr. Stephanie Klein ’08 is a Family and Community Medicine physician at North York General Hospital (NYGH). She responded to a plea for health care workers to volunteer assisting staff and providing testing in long-term care homes. “I’ve felt a strong desire to help in the long-term care sector, so… I felt a sense of pride and purpose knowing that we could step in to support our community partners in need,” she said in a NYGH blog post. The post continues: “Seniors… have contributed so much to society throughout their lives, and they are also the group in greatest need of our help now. The most impactful moment for me is the look of relief on the faces of the staff when they see the team from NYGH arriving to provide support.”
Max Gelkopf ’13, a medical student at McMaster University, recently became the recipient of a Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award. The award celebrates outstanding medical students across the country with an established track record of community leadership, superior communication skills and demonstrated interest in advancing knowledge. Max is working towards his residency in ophthalmology.
Jaron Brown ’16 was named Wilfrid Laurier University's 2019-20 Male Athlete of the Year. Jaron's three individual gold medals in four seasonal events helped propel the university’s golf team to their first ever Ontario University Athletics title. In March, three of our alumni were ordained by Yeshiva University. L to R: Rabbi Aaron David Cherniak ’08, Rabbi Adam Friedmann ’08, and Rabbi Jonathan Green ’10.
In April, Global News featured Becca Moss ’13 for the work she does with older people in our community. An accomplished singer, for the last 10 years or so she has visited retirement and long-term care facilities to share her music with residents. During the pandemic, unable to be there in person, Becca took to FaceTime to continue singing with, and for, them.
Rachel Goldfarb ’16 and Laura Goldfarb ’16 both graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with Gold medals. Rachel won a Science medal and is going on to study Medicine at the University of Toronto. Laura won an Arts medal and will also continue at U of T, for Law.
Having found herself without a summer job and a little time on her hands, Talia Bell ’18 banded together with a group of fellow Queen’s University students to create Canadian Face Masks in order to help fulfill the ever-growing need for these items during COVID-19. Talia credits TanenbaumCHAT’s rigorous curriculum with “helping me develop a strong work ethic and drive to succeed,” and also gives a shout out to her former field hockey and soccer coach as well. “Mr. Fabrizi helped me build my patience, determination and allowed me to learn how to work effectively in a team, benefitting both this new endeavour as well as my academic performance in university.”
