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Board of Directors

Board of Directors

The Associated Hebrew Schools Board of Directors is comprised of 20 committed volunteers who are dedicated to upholding Associated’s mission, values and vision and are responsible for overseeing the strategic leadership and effective stewardship of the School. Our dedicated Board is made up of current parents, past parents, alumni and community members who commit their time and resources towards the overall advancement and best interest of the School.

Board Members
More information

Executive Members

Elliot Marer

President

Jono Halpern

Past-President

Hanan Goldfarb

Vice-President:

Mark Siboni

Secretary

Brenda Weitzner

Vice-president

Yonah Krakowsky

Treasurer

Effie Wolle

Member-at-Large

Board Members

Hanan and his wife Debi have two daughters at AHS. He is the president of a commercial real estate firm and spends his spare time traveling.

Hanan Goldfarb

Vice-President

Elliot Marer

President

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Brenda and her husband Barry are the proud parents of 3 AHS graduates and 2 current students. Brenda has served on the Board for several years as well as on the AHS Parents’ Association. Professionally she works as a family physician.

Brenda Weitzner

Vice-President

Rachale Cohen is an alum of AHS as well as a proud parent of three current AHS students. Professionally, Rachale is a Pediatric Dentist as well as an Orthodontist. In her free time, she finds great reward in spending time with her family and serving her community.

Rachale Cohen

Darrell and his wife Anat are the proud parents of three AHS graduates. He has served on the board since 2002. Darrell holds his CIM designation and works as a Wealth Advisor for RBC Dominion Securities.

Darrel Cordes

Rina Gerson is a proud AHS graduate and parent and joined the Board in 2022, serving on the Alumni and Development Committees. She has a background in non-profit consulting, holds an MBA from the U of T Rotman School of Management and currently works in commercial real estate development and investment.

Rina Gerson

Jono and his wife Marni are the proud parents of three AHS graduates.  Jono has served on the board since 2018 and recently completed a term as President.  Professionally, he is a CPA, CA and serves as President of Metropolitan Equities, a privately-held real estate and investment company.

Jonathan Halpern

Tamara and her husband David are the proud parents of 2 current AHS students and one AHS graduate. Professionally, Tamara is a partner in the commercial real estate group at Gardiner Roberts LLP.

Tamara Katz

Henry Koschitzky

Yonah Krakowsky is a proud graduate of AHS and has two - soon to be three - kids in the school. In his spare time he’s a urologist at the University of Toronto with a focus on reconstruction and medical education.

Yonah Krakowsky

Gabi is a proud mom of two current AHS middle school students. After a decade in wealth management with RBC, Gabi now runs her own custom art business. Gabi also serves on the Board of Canadian Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro, an innovative, tech-focused, Israeli charity supporting people with disabilities.

Gabi Krug

Kyle and his wife, Marli, are proud parents of a current AHS student. Kyle has been advising those seeking support on how to deal with antisemitism and built outsmartingantisemitism.com as well as UJA Genesis’ Peer to Peer Support service. When not lending his efforts to the community, Kyle is leading the Lifecycle Marketing Team at CAA.

Kyle Lichtman

Rob Richler is a proud AHS alumnus and parent of three current AHS students. Professionally, Rob leads the employment law team and conducts workplace investigations as a partner at Bernardi Human Resource Law LLP.

Rob Richler

Katie Rochwerg is a dedicated parent of two, soon to be three, AHS students. As the current Chair of the AHS Parents’ Association, she plays a pivotal role in supporting the school community. With extensive experience in organizational change management, Katie also serves as a Business Partner at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

Katie Rochwerg

Daniella is a proud AHS grad, mother of two graduates and two current students and has had more nieces and nephews at the school than she can count. She has served on the board for five years and works as an Anaesthesiologist at Humber River Hospital.

Daniella Samuel

Mark Siboni

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Effie Wolle is a graduate of AHS as are his older two children.  In addition, his youngest is currently in Grade 6 at Danilack.  Effie is the President of GFI Investment Counsel.  Effie and his wife Dana love shlepping the kids on hikes whenever they can.

Effie Wolle

The standing committees of the Board of Directors and their subcommittees oversee specific Board responsibilities described below. If you are interested in learning more about serving on a committee, please email communications@ahschools.com.
 
Committee on Directors The Committee on Directors (COD) coordinates the identification, cultivation, recruitment, and orientation of new directors and oversees the governance and nominations process for both board and sub-committees, and provides ongoing board education.
 
Development The Development Committee develops and coordinates the fundraising initiatives of the Board of Directors, including: annual campaign, endowments and major gifts. It also oversees the identification, cultivation, and stewardship of donors.
 
Finance The Finance Committee monitors all financial information of Associated including budgets, financial statements, and tuition fee recommendations.
 
Head Support and Evaluation The Head Support and Evaluation Committee works collaboratively with the Head of School for yearly planning in accordance with the strategic plans of AHS and the Board of Directors.
 
Parent Association (AHSPA) The Parent Association (AHSPA) raises funds for projects and activities at Associated and fosters relationships between the parent community and AHSPA. The AHSPA coordinates our in-school volunteers.
 
Tuition Assistance Preserving strict confidentiality, the Tuition Assistance Committee oversees the administration of the tuition support program.

The Associated Hebrew Schools Board of Governors is comprised of long-standing volunteers and professionals who have made significant contributions to AHS. Many are former Board Members, Committee Members, or staff who have provided and continue to provide extraordinary leadership at AHS. They make valuable contributions to the school community by participating in fundraising activities, committee work, and annual meetings. AHS benefits greatly from their collective knowledge, dedication, and passion. The members of the Board of Governors act in a consultative role, and serve as ambassadors of AHS. We are grateful to this group of leaders who support the mission and vision of Associated.

Past Board Presidents are denoted with an asterisk (*).

  • Mordechai Ben-Dat
  • Mary Bien
  • Jack Brudner
  • Irving Feferman
  • Stephen Freedhoff
  • *Shawn Goldberg
  • Lindy Goodman
  • *Sheldon Goodman
  • Jodi Elen Gottesman
  • Bernard Green
  • Helene Green
  • *Louis Greenbaum
  • Fred Guth
  • Jay Heller
  • James Klei
  • *Henry Koschitzky
  • Saul Koschitzky
  • *Harry Krakowsky
  • Arthur Kruger
  • Arthur Landa
  • Howard Langer
  • Janice Langer
  • Brian Lass
  • Ellen Markin
  • Irving Matlow
  • Michele Michaelov
  • Israel Mida
  • Charles Nagel
  • Barry Naiberg
  • *Elaine Osher
  • Jodi Pasoff
  • *Mayeer Pearl
  • Joanne Perlmutter
  • David Posluns
  • Gerry David Richler
  • Marlene Rochwerg
  • Martin Rochwerg
  • Jack Rotsztain
  • Barry Sacks
  • Judy Scheininger
  • *Les Scheininger
  • Susan Shainhouse
  • Zev Marvin Shainhouse
  • Ora Shulman
  • Beth Singer
  • George Weinberger
  • Ian Zagdanski
  • Mark Zigler
  • *Sally Zigler

By-law No. 4: The General By-law of Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto (passed 27 October 2020 | 9 Cheshvan 5781)

Read document here

AHS Board of Directors Nomination Process

 The AHS Board of Directors is comprised of committed volunteers who are dedicated to upholding the School’s mission and vision, and are responsible for overseeing its strategic leadership and effective stewardship. Our Board is made up of stakeholders including current and past parents, alumni, and community members who commit their time and resources towards the overall advancement and best interests of the School.
The primary role of a Board member is to contribute to defining the School’s mission, governing the fulfillment of that mission, and to carry out the functions of the office of Director as stated in the AHS By Laws. Directors are also responsible for the development of the Board policies that govern the School.

We frequently seek new members to join our group of dedicated lay leaders.  Volunteering on a Board sub-Committee for a minimum period of one year is a prerequisite to being considered for nomination to the Board.

This process allows for both the volunteer and Board to evaluate the goodness of fit before making a commitment to a three-year Board member term.

General Information
  • There are 15-18 elected positions on the Board, and 2 appointed positions – AHS PA President and Chair of the Past President’s Council.
  • The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors is made up of the President, Past-President, 2 Vice-Presidents, Chair of the Committee on Directors, Secretary, and Treasurer. A person may hold more than one position on the executive.
 Term
  • A call for Nomination to the Board will be circulated to current committee members in January. Nominations will be reviewed by the Nominations sub-committee of the Committee of Directors in February and a slate of candidates for Nominations will be finalized in March.
  • The slate of candidates being nominated to the Board will be shared with our membership in April for the election to be held at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June.
  • If elected, a term begins immediately following the AGM, and lasts three years.
  • Directors may be re-elected for one additional consecutive three-year term.

AHS Board of Directors Roles & Responsibilities

 Time Commitment
  • There are approximately eight scheduled board meetings per year (July to June). Special board meetings may also be scheduled as needed.
  • Directors are expected to attend a minimum of 2/3 of the meetings per year; missing three consecutive meetings can be grounds for removal from the Board.
  • In addition, Directors are expected to participate on at least one of the following Board sub-committees: Committee on Directors, Development, Finance, Head Support and Evaluation, AHS PA, or Tuition Assistance.
Expectations and Requirements
  • Prior to the Board’s first meeting following the AGM, a mandatory education session will be held for all new Directors to provide an overview of the School’s structure, background information, priorities, strategic plan, financial position and budget.
 All Directors are expected to:
  • Attend meetings prepared to discuss the issues and business identified on the agenda and any materials circulated prior to the meeting.
  • Remain objective during meetings and act in the best interest of the School.
  • Support all actions taken and decisions made by the Board, and be an ambassador for such decisions.
  • Understand the School’s financial position and its budget well enough to assess the financial impact of the Board’s decisions.
  • Sign a confidentiality agreement and respect the confidentiality of all matters discussed by the Board at all times.
  • Promote the School and participate in its fundraising activities which may include, but are not limited to: attending and/or helping to organize fundraising events, soliciting donations, or making ‘thank you’ calls.
  • Make an annual financial contribution to the School at a level that is personally meaningful.
  • Make an annual financial contribution to the UJA Federation campaign at a level that is personally meaningful
  • Provide a vulnerable sector screening report from a local Police force which must be updated every 5 years as required by government regulations (we will help facilitate this).