TanenbaumCHAT Founders Campaign to secure the school's future

For 65 years, TanenbaumCHAT has been at the heart of that story. Serving families across the spectrum of Jewish practice, it has become the largest community Jewish high school in the Diaspora. Since 2017, enrolment has grown by 65%, with nearly 1,500 students now attending and projections pointing to 1,800 in the years ahead.

To meet this moment, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto has launched the TanenbaumCHAT Founders Campaign, a $65 million initiative that will secure the school’s future while making room for continued growth. Co-chaired by Bram Belzberg and Eric Weisz, the campaign is being led with vision, generosity, and deep gratitude for the generations of students it will help shape.

“At a time when it isn’t easy to be a Jewish teenager, we are very fortunate as a community to have a school like TanenbaumCHAT,” said Weisz. “As a parent, I’ve seen through my child’s experience just how special it is to walk into a school and feel completely at home, no matter who you are. This campaign is about more than a high school. It’s about investing in the generations to come.”

“Jewish education is one of the highest-impact investments we can make as a community—and this is an exciting time for Jewish education,” said Belzberg, who also serves as incoming Board Chair of TanenbaumCHAT. “The surging demand for Jewish day school has created a challenge any community would love to have: How do we ensure TanenbaumCHAT can grow and welcome as many students as possible?”

One of the campaign’s primary goals is to secure a permanent home for the school. For decades, TanenbaumCHAT has leased its property from the Toronto District School Board. With the land now available for purchase, the community has a rare opportunity to acquire the campus, along with adjacent property that would allow the school to expand as enrolment continues to rise.

Working in partnership, UJA and TanenbaumCHAT aim to complete the purchase by January 2028, ensuring the school can build its future on a rent- and mortgage-free campus while creating space for more students for generations to come. Already, the campaign has generated significant momentum, with $15 million committed toward securing the school’s permanent home.

“Demand for Jewish education continues to grow, and with it comes greater need for tuition assistance and additional classroom space,” said Dan Held, UJA’s Chief Program Officer. “Bringing this property into communal ownership protects a vital institution and creates room for future growth. It allows TanenbaumCHAT to focus on what it does so extraordinarily well—giving as many teens as possible the lifelong gift of a Jewish high school education.”

Thanks to the leadership of Belzberg and Weisz, and the generosity of those joining them, the TanenbaumCHAT Founders Campaign is helping to ensure that this extraordinary institution will continue to shape Jewish life in Toronto for generations to come.