Embracing and Ensuring Our Future
Holy Blossom Temple is always challenging itself to improve, to achieve, and to lead. Our community – congregants, Rabbis, Cantors and staff – aspire together to shape our shared future.
The extraordinary generosity of Holy Blossom Temple’s members has empowered our congregation. Now with great excitement, we announce the relaunch of the fundraising Foundation of Holy Blossom Temple. Its mandate is to enable the achievement of our shared vision: to secure a future of constant improvement, and to maintain our achievements to date in all aspects of Temple life: in education, in celebration, in worship, in welcome, in tikkun olam, in kindness and support of each other.
The Annual Campaign is just as important as ever, generating critical, unrestricted funds each year to enable the operation of Temple. Temple is now adding to and enhancing the range of ways to support Holy Blossom: donations to Foundation can be directed to specific areas of Temple life that inspire individual donors, and these gifts can be made over several years or through legacy commitments.
Over the past 9 months, the new Board of the Foundation has been meeting, planning, and working hard. Shortly, generous donors who have established funds in Foundation will be receiving updated reporting and we will be sharing a full, new range of donation opportunities for gifts large and small. The opportunities to remember Holy Blossom at times of joys and sorrows and in estate plans will be broadened and publicized.
The Board of the Foundation currently includes 7 elected voting members and the Immediate Past Chair, chaired by Joan Garson. These dedicated volunteers are featured below.
The Board of Foundation also includes members of the Temple Board, and in honorary capacities, all past chairs of the Foundation and presidents of the Temple, as well as Rabbis and Cantors. Staff support is provided by the Director of Development and Donor Engagement, Shira Lester.
We are a community that is always striving to create the finest expression of a Reform Jewish way of life…driven to lead, continually challenging ourselves and questioning accepted ways of thinking. Foundation as reenvisioned becomes a key component in meeting this challenge year by year, with the support and inspiration of our congregation.
Our Holy Blossom Temple Foundation Website is coming soon!
Meet our HBT Foundation Board members
Sara Charney is the 1st Canadian to hold the office of President of Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism. Sara enjoys connecting with Reform Jewish women and our grantees throughout our vast network across North America, in Israel and in Europe. Locally, Sara is active in the Holy Blossom Temple women’s group and the Reform Jewish Community of Canada’s Tikkun Olam Steering Committee. Sara holds a Ph.D. in Italian language and literature from the University of Toronto where she taught for several years.
Nancy Cohen is a lifelong member of Holy Blossom Temple. She has a wealth of volunteer leadership experience in the community. This includes a very active role at Toronto French School including the Board and Foundation Board. Other community volunteer leadership roles over the years include CHW, Brazilian Ball, Koffler Centre of the Arts, UJA Women’s Venture Philanthropy Fund. Nancy is excited to bring this experience to help build our Foundation and to contribute to the continued growth of Temple.
Elliott Jacobson (Immediate Past Chair) has been an HBT Foundation Board member since 1989. Holy Blossom is a truly vital Canadian Jewish institution and I always felt that giving back to my community is important. So I did and always, to the best of my capabilities, answered the call and was pleased, proud, and humbled to serve.
Lesley Offman One of my cherished childhood memories is of standing on a table at the Hadassah Bazar, helping my mother’s Chapter sell used clothing to raise money for Israel. This early experience was just the beginning of my lifelong commitment to the Jewish community and philanthropy. Volunteer leadership has played a central role in my life. Among many other leadership roles, I sat on the Women’s Auxiliaries at Baycrest and Mt. Sinai Hospital. I chaired UJA’s Women’s Philanthropy in 2001 and co-chaired UJA’s Annual Campaign In 2006. I am the Immediate Past Chair of the Past Women’s Chairs Council, also of UJA. I am currently on the Executive Cabinet at UJA. At Holy Blossom Temple, I was a member of the Renewal Committee and I am delighted to currently hold the position of Secretary of the Holy Blossom Temple Foundation. I am deeply committed to Jewish continuity and Holy Blossom Temple exemplifies that for me. It is the place where my children grew up and Temple was pivotal in forming their Jewish identities. Their children are seventh-generation Canadian Jews. I have taken on this role at Foundation because I believe passionately in the strengthening of our Temple home for our Jewish future.
Joan Garson (Chair) Neither my husband David nor I were members of Holy Blossom Temple before we had a family. Our children’s Jewish identity began at Holy Blossom nursery school. We picked the school because it was around the corner from where we lived and we quickly became engaged in Temple life. Our children now live outside Toronto and belong to other shuls so we stay committed to Holy Blossom to make sure we can take care of other people’s children and our Jewish future. I am very lucky to be a fundraiser in such an extraordinary community that cares deeply about making a better world. Together, we are performing a Mitzvah. I also take great pleasure in supporting our outstanding staff who are working so hard to write the next chapter for Holy Blossom Temple. Fundraising is a joyful experience. I have the privilege of working to ensure that our big dreams as a congregation come true.
Sam Sapera Neither I have been a member of Holy Blossom all my life as were my parents and grandparents. I grew up in this shul and I have raised my family at Holy Blossom. I feel very connected to the wonderful clergy and meaningful worship at our Temple and it holds a special place in my heart. I have always been a very active volunteer fundraiser. I have run the Lymphoma Golf Tournament since 2015 and I am currently the Chair of The Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation, and it is my pleasure to bring my experience to Holy Blossom. I am looking forward to being part of the reinvigoration of our Foundation, realizing our collective dream of a new educational wing and continuing to professionalize the development team. Let us continue to go from strength to strength to strength.
Axel Goldenberg Axel and his family moved to Toronto from Istanbul four years ago. Axel has three children aged 15, and 14 and is married to Nazli. Axel has 20 years of experience in Energy markets and in alternative Green fuels. He started his career as the co-founder of and general manager of Dem-al Autogas where he created a new market as Turkey’s first alternative fuels. Later, as a Green Entrepreneur, he founded Naturelgaz A.S., Turkey’s first compressed natural gas distribution and logistics firm where he acted as the CEO for 10 years and fully exited in 2021. Currently, Axel is the Chairman of Canna-pharma Investments based in Toronto. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and a Holy Blossom Temple Foundation board member. It is important for younger generations to understand the collective importance won collaboration and cooperation- making something that is bigger than they are. That’s who we are that’s how we survived and thrived as a Jewish people. I am honoured to sit on the board of the Foundation, working to build something wonderful for future generations.
Ilsa Blidner has extensive experience consulting in the health and social services sectors. She is an experienced facilitator and has lectured and presented workshops on various topics. Prior to developing her independent consulting practice, Ilsa held an academic position at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Medicine; and initiated her career conducting clinical research in Neonatology. She has filled various governance roles and continues to serve on Boards and committees. She has served as Board Chair, Vice Chair and lead of task forces in the health sector and with professional associations. Currently, Ilsa sits on the Baycrest Foundation Board. Ilsa serves on advisory and governance bodies at the provincial level with Ontario Health-CorHealth, and at the regional level with Ontario’s Stroke System. She is currently Chair of the Toronto Stroke Networks Steering Committee and is Chair of the Toronto West Stroke Network.
Ilsa and her husband, Jeff Blidner, have been Holy Blossom Temple members for more than 35 years. Ilsa has been involved with family programming at Holy Blossom Temple, has volunteered with the Out of the Cold Program and has participated in adult learning offerings at Holy Blossom Temple.
