Barbara Bank
CIJA

Barbara Bank's long career as a leading Jewish community volunteer demonstrates her strong commitment to the community and to projects and programs that mobilize the involvement – and eventual leadership – of young people across Canada.

A member of CIJA’s National Board, Barbara chairs CIJA Toronto’s Local Council, where she provides cohesive leadership in the fight against antisemitism, in support of Israel, and in sustaining our community’s vital social service infrastructure. Barbara also serves on the Advisory Council of the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre.

As the past Chair of National Initiatives for the JFC-UIA’s Next Generation, Barbara was a driving force behind the conception and implementation of the First Canadian Cohort of the Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies, a unique partnership between Spertus Institute of Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago and Jewish Federations of Canada.

From 1994 until today, Barbara has been a leader in the Canadian March of the Living, serving as Toronto Chair, National Chair, Chair of March of Remembrance and Hope (for non-Jewish university students), and the Toronto Adult March of the Living (2014). She has accompanied hundreds of young people and adults to Poland and Israel.

Barbara served as Co-Chair of Toronto's United Jewish Appeal 2012 Annual Campaign, is a past Co-Chair of the Israel and Overseas Committee of the Federation of Greater Toronto and is the most recent former Co-Chair of UJA’s Past Campaign Chairs Committee. She also served as Chair of UJA Women's Campaign (1995), Vice President of the Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary, and on the Boards of the Jewish Foundation and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and of Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS).

Barbara has been honoured with the UJA Federation Young Leadership Award, International Lion of Judah Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award, The Wiesenthal Award for Tolerance, Justice and Human Rights, the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University Person of Distinction Award, and a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from Spertus Institute.

Barbara was born in Boston and came to Toronto to study for a master’s degree in urban and regional planning at the University of Toronto. She is a graduate of the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem.

Dr. Steven Stein
Jewish Family & Child Services

Steven Stein is a clinical psychologist and the Founder and Executive Chair of Multi-Health Systems (MHS), an international psychological assessment, training, and solution provider. In addition to his volunteer work as Board member and President of Jewish Family and Child Services, Dr. Stein has been actively involved on the boards of other non-profits including Aisling Discovery Centre, Ontario Psychological Association, Canadian Psychology Foundation, and Jewish Music Week. He has always had a deep commitment to the psychological health and safety of people from all walks of life. He has previously held teaching positions in the Psychology Department at York University and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He currently teaches at the Directors College, an Executive Program from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University.

He likes to write about topics that integrate the science of psychology with the lives of people. He has written and co-written several books on emotional intelligence including the international best-seller, The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success. He lives in Toronto with his wife Rodeen and has two daughters, a son-in-law and two grandchildren. He is an accomplished musician and photographer.

Jeffrey Goldfarb
JVS Toronto

Jeffrey Goldfarb's commitment to the Jewish and broader Toronto community truly represents the highest level of excellence in volunteer service. Jeff is a recognized lay leader, who is passionate about Jewish community employment and education as well as Israel. Jeff has not only dedicated many years of service to JVS Toronto but has been incredibly successful at bringing others into the organization and helping to ensure we are a responsive mission driven organization. He exemplifies Tikkun Olam, and we are so proud to have him as part of the JVS Toronto family.

Jeffrey Goldfarb is a retired chartered accountant. He and his wife Lydia of 36 years have three sons. Jeff is an avid skier, sailor and proud grandfather. Now that he is retired, he spends time travelling and visiting his children and grandchildren.

Laurie Sheff
Prosserman JCC

Laurie Sheff is a dedicated community leader with a long history of involvement with the Toronto Jewish Community. She is a current board member of both the Prosserman JCC and Schwartz Reisman Centre and the Israel Cancer Research Fund, a past board member of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto, and Hillel Ontario. Laurie chaired the UJA Women’s Philanthropy campaign in 2013 and co-chaired, along with her husband Jonathon Cole, UJA’s Walk With Israel in 2011.

Laurie has held many positions on the UJA executive cabinet and currently is the co-chair of the UJA Community Campaign, she is also a past chair of the Jewish Foundation’s Book of Life and past co-chair of the Prosserman and Schwartz Reisman Fundraising Committee. Laurie is the recipient of the UJA Leadership Development Award, the Phil Granovsky Award for Campaign excellence and the ICRF Myra York Women of Action Community Award.

Laurie and her husband Jonathon Cole are the proud parents of Matthew and Allie, Thomas, and Ezra.

Dr. Alan Berger
Reena Foundation

Dr. Alan Berger is a Vitreoretinal Surgeon at St. Michael's Hospital. He is the Co-Director of the Toronto Retina Institute, and Vice-Chairman of Clinical Services - Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto.

Married with two sons, Alan enjoys spending time with his family at their cottage and on the golf course.

Barry Cracower
Schwartz/Reisman Centre

Barry Cracower is the visionary Chair of the Board of the Schwartz/Reisman Centre and Prosserman JCC. He is the founder and Past Chair of Rexall Drugstores. A graduate of Sir George Williams University, where he earned his Bachelor of Commerce, he then went on to earn his Master of Business Administration at Columbia University and subsequently earned his ICD designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

In addition to being a Director on many for-profit Boards during his career, Barry has extensive experience volunteering and sitting on not-for-profit Boards. Barry was the Chair of the DAREarts Foundation, The Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery. He has also served on the Boards of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation. Barry currently sits on the Board of The Baycrest Hospital and Daycare and Baycrest Senior Care.

Barry is husband to Sandi and a proud father of three: his daughter Wendy in Boston, his son Jeffrey in Sweden, and his daughter Heather, who lives in Toronto. He adores being grandfather to seven grandchildren. In his spare time he enjoys reading, tennis, golf, photography, jazz, cycling and travelling.