Toronto’s Premier Community Jewish High School

Board Directory

Shelley Samel, President

Shelley is an advertising and marketing lawyer with over 20 years of experience in private practice and is currently in the role of Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Advertising Standards Canada, the national self-regulatory body for the advertising industry. Shelley’s past volunteer experiences includes serving on the board of directors of the Leo Baeck Day School for six years, leading several committees and ultimately becoming co-President. She also participated as a member of the UJA Joshua Institute leadership accelerator program and has served on committees of UJA Federation. Shelley and her husband Brian Weiner are the proud parents of Jamie ’22 and Talia ’25.

Hart Heller '89, Treasurer

Hart and his wife Gila are the parents of a current student (Class of ’25), two pre-TanenbaumCHAT children, and uncle and aunt to many TanenbaumCHAT students and alumni.   Hart has been involved as a volunteer and board member in various Jewish and community organizations and is the current treasurer of TanenbaumCHAT.  With a background in finance and consulting, he is an Executive Vice President at LynCar, a plumbing and fire sprinkler products distribution company. 

Howard Simkevitz '91, Immediate Past President

Howard Simkevitz is General Counsel and Privacy Officer at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and adjunct faculty at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management where he teaches courses in privacy law, information technology law and business law. Howard is an active member of Beth David B’nai Israel Beth Am synagogue and also serves as the legal member of the Research Ethics Board at SickKids Hospital.  Howard received his BA from the University of Western Ontario, his MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and his law degree from the University of Ottawa. Howard is the proud father of two children (Classes of ’22 and ’24).

Eli Mogil, Secretary of the Board

 Eli Mogil is Partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP with a business litigation practice, with particular emphasis on shareholder, contractual and real estate disputes.  Eli served as a member of the board of directors of The Leo Baeck Day School for six years, chairing several committees as well as a term as president.  Eli obtained is B.A. from Cornell University, worked in New York City, and then returned to Toronto to attend Osgoode Hall Law School.  Eli and his wife Robyn are the proud parents of Sam ’25 as well as a future TanenbaumCHAT student Reese ’28.

 

Shai Altman

Shai is a senior executive and board member with over 25 years of consumer goods industry expertise along with extensive strategic, operational and leadership experience.  He currently serves as the North America President for Remilk, a leader in the global alternative protein industry.  Previously, Shai served as President and CEO of several companies in the Food and Consumer goods space including Zenabis Global, McCain Foods Canada, Wrigley Canada, Wrigley India and Wrigley Israel.  Shai served as board member for several public companies, and not-for-profit organizations as well as a mentor for start-ups in the food-tech space with Ontario Genomics.

A native of Israel, Shai and his wife Naama call Toronto their home since moving here in 2009 and have three children including one alum (‘22) and one current student (‘25). In his spare time, Shai enjoys playing tennis, skiing, kite surfing and spending time with family.

Adam Breslin

Adam is a partner and head of underwriting and portfolio management at Penfund, which is one of Canada’s leading private debt investment firms.  Prior to joining Penfund in 2004 he had diverse experience in private equity, equity research and management consulting and was the co-founder and co-CEO of a venture-capital backed e-learning and corporate training company. 

Adam has a BA from McGill University and an MBA from the Wharton School.  He is a Director of Hillel Ontario, serves on the Budget and Finance Committee of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and is a past chair of the Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education.  He has also volunteered in numerous capacities at the Leo Baeck Day School. Adam is married to Erika Rubin ’90 and has three children, Lauren ‘20, Ethan and Hope ‘28.

Rahn Dodick

Rahn is President of Dodick Landau Inc. He is a Licensed Insolvency Trustee and CPA advising insolvent businesses on matters of financial and operational restructuring for over 24 years.  Rahn is a former board member and treasurer of Fighting Blindness Canada, the Chair of the budget and finance committee of Adath Israel Congregation and is a member of the budget and finance committee of Camp Ramah in Canada.  Rahn attended Hebrew day schools in Montreal where he developed a passion for Jewish education and continuity. 

Rahn has visited Israel 13 times throughout his life and has a deep connection with Israel.  Rahn and Tania are proud parents of three sons. They have one TanenbaumCHAT alum (Class of ’22), one current student  (Class of ’25) and their youngest at Associated Hebrew Day Schools.

Dana Ezer '96

Dana Ezer is an educator at The Toronto Heschel School. For nearly two decades, she has developed and taught curriculum to Grade 6 to 8 students in a meaningful way, in addition to acting as the school’s Junior High Division Head from 2011 to 2013. Within the classroom and beyond, Dana has a reputation for teaching Jewish text and history in a way that is engaging and relevant to students. For example, she was instrumental in developing TOMGIRL, the first-of-its-kind Bat Mitzvah program for teens and their moms focusing on powerful modern women. Dana is also involved in Peace of Mind Canada, an organization dedicated to facilitating the emotional and psychological support of IDF elite combat soldiers.

Dana received her BA from Dalhousie University, BEd from York University and MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. She and her husband are the proud parents of three children, the eldest Class of ’26 and the others at The Toronto Heschel School.

Sara Gottlieb '91

Sara currently serves as Chair of Women’s Philanthropy for UJA of Greater Toronto and is a member of Toronto’s Israel and Overseas Allocations Committee. Sara is a member of the Jewish Agency for Israel Board of Governors.  She also is a JFNA Board member, JFNA Israel and Overseas Committee member, a JFNA Investment Committee member, and on the Women’s Executive of Keren Hayesod. 

A former Co-Chair of the Israel and Overseas Committee, Sara has held many leadership roles within the Federation.  She is a proud JFNA Cabinet alumnus and Fisher Flight participant and has served on the boards of UJA of Greater Toronto and of UIA Canada.  Sara has chaired the Lion, Atarah and Atid and Major Gifts divisions of the annual campaign.  As a graduate of the Joshua Leadership Institute, Sara was the recipient of UJA’s Young Leadership Award. 

In addition to her involvement in Federation, Sara serves as President of Canadian Friends of Duvdevan and sits on the board of TanenbaumCHAT.  She has also held leadership positions at Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University.

When not volunteering, Sara can be found running marathons and planning her travels with her husband Darren and sons Koby ’22 and Cooper ’24.

Cheryl Kaplan '91

If you’re not a lumberjack or a fur trader, you pronounce it “about” not “a boot”, and you believe that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal… then you are familiar with Cheryl’s award-winning work on Molson Canadian. Cheryl has over 20 years of experience creating and developing internationally acclaimed, award-winning campaigns for a vast range of products and services, including automotive, food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, packaged goods, financial institutions and charitable organizations. Currently, she leads a double-life as both an art director and as a visual artist, working from her studio at home and from Open Studio in downtown Toronto as an artist member.

Cheryl has volunteered in numerous capacities. Most recently, she served as Chair of the Board of Open Studio, Canada’s only artist-run printmaking centre in Toronto, providing affordable, comprehensive access to printmaking facilities and related programs to local, national and international artists. Prior to that, she served as Open Studio’s Chair of the Marketing Committee. She has also served as House League Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Forest Hill Hockey Association, Marketing Co-Chair at Robbins Hebrew Academy, and she spent four years as manager of her son’s basketball team.

Cheryl obtained her BFA in Visual Arts from York University. She and her husband, Barry Schwartz, are the proud parents of Abe ’22 and Lee ’25.

Suzy Kauffman ’90

Suzy is a partner at Goodmans LLP, where she serves on the Executive Committee and has a commercial litigation practice. She is currently the Chair of the Parent Ambassador Committee at TanenbaumCHAT, as well as a member of Governance Committee.  Suzy is also on the Board of Directors of Israel Cancer Research Fund, and previously served on the Board of Directors of the Toronto Heschel School and as a member of the Parents Association at the Sterling Hall School. Suzy has volunteered in many capacities with UJA Federation.  She has an Honours BA in Political Science from McGill University and an LLB from the University of Toronto. 

Suzy has completed a Board Governance Course run by the Canadian Board Diversity Counsel and has advised many Boards through her legal practice. Suzy and her husband Steve are the proud parents of Amanda '18, Josh ’20 and Layla ’24.

Howard Krupat

Howard is a partner at the global law firm DLA Piper, where he leads the firm’s Canadian construction law practice.  He advises his clients on all facets of construction and infrastructure projects and the litigation and arbitration of construction disputes. Howard is an active volunteer in the construction industry.  He is a board and executive member of the Toronto Construction Association and the Chair of their Allied Professions Committee.  Howard is a former Chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s Construction and Infrastructure Section and is a Fellow of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers. 

Howard has served on the board and several committees of his synagogue and has volunteered with other non-profit, professional, community and Jewish organizations.  Howard and his wife Karen are the proud parents of a current student (Class of ’25) and an alum (Class of ’21).

Jordan Kupinsky '90

Jordan has more than twenty years of experience in merchant banking, investment banking and law. Jordan is the Managing Partner of Windsor Private Capital, a Toronto-based merchant bank managing private debt and equity investments on behalf of high-net-worth, family office and pension fund investors. He has served on several public and private company boards including Concordia International, Atlas Financial Holdings, Xceed Mortgage Corporation and Perk Inc.

Jordan received his B.A. from York University and his JD/MBA from the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School. Jordan is the proud father of Hayley ’22, Justin ’23, and hopefully a third TanenbaumCHAT student, Ryan (currently in Grade 7).

David Mansell

David is a private equity investor, advisor, and board member, and spent 18 years as a Managing Director at Onex Corporation, a Toronto-based private equity firm.  David spent most of 2020 / 2021 advising the Canadian Federal Government on COVID-related business relief programs, including serving as the inaugural CEO of Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corp.  David currently serves as the school's Development Chair.  Previous community roles include those of board member of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and a member of UJA's strategic planning committee on fund raising, and co-chair of Shaarei Shomayim’s capital campaign. David and his wife, Naomi, have four children, including one alum (Class of ’21) and a current student (Class of ’25). David has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Comm. from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Micki Mizrahi

Micki grew up in Ottawa in a family committed to the Jewish community and continuity. There, she attended the elementary Jewish Day School and a performing arts high school. Micki participated on the MOL in 1990, was Head of Jewish Programming at CBB Ottawa and served on the Holocaust Ed. Committee and BBYO.  She graduated from McGill University with a B.Ed.Jewish Education and an M.A. Culture and Values in Education.  In Montreal, Micki wrote curricula with the BJE and Day and Supplementary schools. She participated in the CJA Young Leadership, ICRF Next Generation and Jewish General Hospital fundraising.  After graduating, she was the instructor of "History of Judaism and the Jewish People" at Carlton University.  

Upon moving to Toronto, Micki worked at USDS, The Toronto Heschel School and The Leo Baeck Day School as a teacher. She was the Director of Education at Temple Emanuel and Shaarei Beth El. She completed her Principal's Certification and was the Vice Principal at the Paul Penna DJDS.  Currently, Micki manages Marketing, Design and Strategy for Mizrahi Developments. 

Micki has worked with various committees with Friends of Simon Weisenthal Center (Co-Chair of Spirit of Hope 2014), Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum and UJA. Within UJA, Micki was Co-Chair of the Lion of Judah and Atarah divisions, Co-Chair of the 2012 and 2013 Walk with Israel, Israel Engagement Committee (helping lead an initiative with CHAT) and Major and Top Gifts campaign.  She has served on the Board of Directors of the JCCs, The Leo Baeck Day School and Koffler. She was Vice Chair 2014 to 2016 and then Chair of the Board of Hillel Ontario 2016 to 2018.  Currently, she is the JFCS Board Chair of Resource Development and is on the Board of KCJE. 

Micki and her husband participated on the Fisher Flight program through JFNA. She is the recipient of the 2014 UJA Leadership Development Award. Micki is married to Sam and they have two children, Eden ’25 and Ethan ’26.

Kevin Moshal

Kevin’s background is as an assurance and business advisory partner with a focus on the financial services and investment management industries. A CPA, Kevin is the Regional Managing Partner of Grant Thornton for Central Canada, where he leads some 750 colleagues across 17 offices in the delivery of advisory, tax and assurance services.  Kevin is also responsible for coaching partners and, as part of Grant Thornton’s growth strategy, onboarding senior talent, and other investment opportunities.

He has experience working with owners, presidents, CEOs, CFOs and presenting at boards of directors’ meetings as well as working with stakeholder groups to achieve their objectives. Kevin moved from South Africa to Toronto in 2001.  He has two daughters (Classes of ’22 and ’24), and a son at Bialik Hebrew Day School.

Craig Rimer, Vice President

Craig is the CEO of Cidel Bank Canada.  Prior to joining Cidel as a co-founder in 1999, he was a managing director in CIBC World Markets’ Financial Products Division. He is a member of the Pension and Endowment Investment Advisory Committee to the President of the University of Toronto, a member of the investment committee at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care’s Foundation, and a Foundation Trustee for the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto. 

Craig was previously a director of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, director and treasurer of Baycrest, co-chair of the Baycrest investment committee and President of Robbins Hebrew Academy. Craig graduated with a BSc in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton Business School.  He and his wife Elyse Zelunka are proud parents of Sarah ’18, Evan ’20, Daniel ’23 and Sophie, a future TanenbaumCHAT student.

Jordan Rodney

 Jordan Rodney is President of MaxPeople and founder of Rodney Employment Law, an HR Consulting and Employment Law firm. Prior to working in his own firm, Jordan worked in the corporate world in the beverage, broadcasting, distribution and manufacturing industries. Jordan is an employment lawyer who regularly advises employers, including boards and businesses in the educational field, on a wide variety of workplace issues. Jordan obtained a B.A. in Political Science from York University, a Masters of Industrial Relations from Queens’ University and an LL.B from the University of Western Ontario. Jordan was previously an instructor teaching labour relations at the Schulich School of Business. Jordan and his wife Julie Ruben Rodney are the proud parents of Hallie ’17, Mitchell ’20 and Layla ’24.  Jordan’s family is deeply connected to Young Judaea, particularly Camp Kadimah, where all three kids attended. Jordan is also passionate about the New Stream program, given how it has been transformational for his family, and looks forward to continuing to contribute to an active and engaged board.

Cara Orzech

Cara Orzech is a CPA with over 20 years of experience in tax practice and education. Following years of public practice in tax, Cara transitioned to a full-time academic role at CPA Canada leading the strategic direction and development of their tax education courses. Cara currently works as a consultant specializing in curating and delivering education experiences for Canadian tax specialists. Cara is an accomplished lecturer, facilitator, and educator at the University of Toronto, York University, the University of Waterloo, and CPA Canada’s In-Depth Tax Program, and is a regular contributor to various Canadian tax textbooks and tax education conferences. She earned her Bachelors degree in Economics from Huron University, and Masters of Management and Professional Accounting degree from the Rotman School of Management.

While her children attended Robbins Hebrew Academy, Cara served as treasurer of the parents’ association, vice president of the board of directors, member of the budget and finance committee, and established and led an admissions committee that oversaw the implementation of a pre-school program.    

Cara and her husband Jamie have two sons, Classes of ’24 and ’28.

Mayeer Pearl '92

 A partner at the accounting firm Crowe Soberman LLP, Mayeer is a board member and the treasurer at Neshama Hospice, a hospice residence based on Jewish values. He sits on UJA’s Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education and the Board of Governors for The Abraham Global Peace Initiative. He is also former director at the Jewish National Fund. Mayeer is a Governor and was a director at Associated Hebrew Schools for 15 years, chairing numerous committees as well as serving as the school’s president. He and his wife Stacey Shein are proud parents of Reese ’25 as well as two future TanenbaumCHAT students, Harley ’28 and Nathaniel ’28.

Shawn Sigesmund

Shawn is a partner with Ernst & Young, serving in their Information Technology Advisory practice. He has over 25 years of experience in consulting, with a focus on leading large-scale business and IT transformation engagements. Shawn attended the University of Western Ontario and earned his HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Shawn and his wife Debbie are proud parents of Ava  ’23, and Leah, currently at Crestwood. Shawn recently spent time volunteering in Rwanda, providing pro bono consulting to local startup companies as part of a global social sabbatical program. In his spare time, Shawn enjoys running, travel and playing hockey.

Stephen Turk

​A litigator since 1990 with a wide-ranging commercial and estates practice, Stephen is a long time, and present, Board member at the Beth Torah Congregation where he has held a number of officer positions including that of Treasurer, Vice President, and President. During his time as President at Beth Torah, the Congregation initiated both its membership and physical building expansion and commenced a successful multi-million dollar fundraising campaign.  In addition, Stephen acted for over two decades as General Counsel to a private academy in Toronto that taught children with learning disabilities and he continues to be active in assisting in that regard. In 2016 Stephen was a chaperone on the Toronto contingent of the March of the Living.  Having joined the Board in 2015, Stephen and his wife, Maura, are the proud parents of Drew ’15 and Goldie ’17.

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