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The Rabbi Reuven Bulka Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award

Sandra Zagon - 2023

Sandra has been an outstanding volunteer for more than 40 years in the Ottawa Jewish community with many organizations including the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Camp B'nai Brith, the Bess and Moe Greenberg Family Hillel Lodge, the Soloway JCC, Jewish Family Services (JFS), Israel Connect, the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank, the Jewish Youth Library of Ottawa, and Tamir  - to name a few! 
 
Her lifetime of dedicated volunteerism and fundraising activities has impacted hundreds if not thousands of individuals in Ottawa’s Jewish community, in Israel, and in the broader Ottawa community where she has volunteered with the Wheelwomen of Canada, the MS Society, Canadian Blood Services and CHEO.
 
One of the highlights of her current volunteerism is her work with JFS. For over 10 years, Sandra has helped JFS’s Russian-speaking senior clients, teaching them English.  Her work has allowed the participants to build strong friendships and gain a sense of confidence.  
 
Clearly, Sandra exemplifies all the qualities of this special award as stated in her nomination: “Many of us volunteer when we have time. For Sandra, she has made volunteering an integral part of her very being, for her entire life, and Ottawa’s Jewish community has been the fortunate beneficiary.”

This award recognizes an outstanding volunteer for a lifetime of service dedicated to the betterment and enrichment of Jewish life in Ottawa. 

 

“There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship; but the crown of a good name excels them all.”

- Rabbi Shimon


• nominees must be an outstanding and long-serving (minimum 25 years) volunteer in the Ottawa Jewish community, with one or multiple organizations

• must have been active within the past 3 years
• positively impacts Ottawa’s Jewish community
• only volunteer service can be considered
 
 
Nominees must be a member in good standing of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa (minimum gift to the Annual Campaign) and cannot previously have received this award. 
 
To be considered, nominations must include 2 letters of support, including one from a local Jewish organization. The nomination must address the above criteria and describe how the individual’s volunteer work has been sustained and is meaningful.

Questions? Please contact us by email at info@jewishottawa.com

Past Recipients:

2003   Evelyn Greenberg
2004   Naomi Lipsky Cracower
2005   Hy Bloom
2006   Lily and Jerry Penso
2007   Sam Ages z"l
2008   Mayer Alvo
2009   Estelle Gunner
2010   Blanche Osterer
2011   Morris Kimmel z"l
2012   Issie Scarowsky
2013   Ruth Aaron
2014   Henry Molot
2015   Flo Morgan
2016   Merle Haltrecht-Matte
2017   Hyman Reichstein
2018   Michael Landau
2019   Charles Schachnow
2020   Sharon and David Appotive
2021   Barbara Levinson and Joel Diener
2022   Harold Feder