Last week, the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation held its Annual General Meeting (AGM), during which a much-deserving cohort of grant and scholarship winners were celebrated. Recognizing individuals from within the Jewish Ottawa and beyond, they each are making meaningful impacts in their respective communities.

Read below to hear more about these awards and the recipients’ stories.

George Joseph Cooper Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded each year to support a member of Jewish Ottawa between the ages of 18 and 30 who has shown leadership and academic excellence, as well as having a deep commitment to the Jewish community. The scholarship is awarded across a variety of fields of study, including the arts, humanities, and law.

This year’s winner is Aidan Kaplan, who is currently completing his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Ottawa (uOttawa). He graduated magna cum laude from uOttawa with an honours bachelor’s degree in psychology, and completed a microprogram in Jewish Studies, as well as the Hebrew University Co-Existence in the Middle East program.

Kaplan, who grew up in Ottawa, attended Hillel Academy (now the Ottawa Jewish Community School) and Yitzhak Rabin High School. 

Since entering university in 2017, he has immersed himself in Jewish life on campus, participating in programs at Hillel, serving on the executive team of the Jewish AEPI fraternity, volunteered extensively with Jewish Family Services (JFS) through its Adult Binah program as lead facilitator, and the JCC. Soon, he will be the graduate student representative at Hillel Ottawa. 

He also initiated and developed a program called L’Dor V’Dor: Intergenerational Dialogues, which aimed to bring together Jews from different generations to foster meaningful connection and conversation.

“Receiving this scholarship means a great deal to me,” he said. “I feel fortunate to be a part of a community where such engagement is possible.”

Ilana and Steven Rubin Education Scholarship

This scholarship, valued at $1,800, is awarded to high school students located in Ontario and the Maritimes, as well as landed immigrants of three years or more. Students who wish to attend post-secondary schooling in Canada or Israel are eligible for the award.

Launched by Steven Rubin to honour his late wife Ilana, a beloved teacher, this award helps kickstart students’ post-secondary careers and incentivizes them to keep working hard and giving back to their communities. 

This year’s winners are Alisa Mayot and Abigail Nkusi, and they will receive their awards at their respective convocation ceremonies. 

Women’s Collective Endowment Fund Grant

Designed to harness the power of collective philanthropy to nurture and sustain the betterment of the standing of women and children in our community, the Women’s Collective Philanthropy Program (WCPP) supports initiatives that are innovative and will have a positive impact on the women and children in Jewish Ottawa.

This year’s winner is Dahlia Lesh, who will use the funding to power her play, Strings Attached. The play, which is written, produced, and starred in by Lesh, explores mental illness, which debuted at last year’s Ottawa Fringe Festival.

“I am beyond grateful to be the recipient of this year’s WCPP grant,” she said. “This will help me bring Strings Attached back to the stage and continue raising awareness [about mental health].”

We send our best to all who received awards this year and wish them luck in their future endeavours. To learn more about the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation and this year’s AGM, click here.