Message from Gail Gould, Executive Director
I am honoured to work with Elen Steinberg, Chair of this years’ annual Tribute Event honouring Dr. Anna Shternshis in support of the Bernard Betel Centre’s Meals on Wheels program for the most vulnerable seniors in our community. For those who might not know her, I wanted to introduce her and the work that she has done.
In addition to being a philanthropist and great supporter of the Bernard Betel Centre, Elen is an award winning entrepreneur and accomplished businesswoman. She has been twice recognized by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) as one of Top 100 Most Influential Women in Canada, was one of 20 finalists in RBC’s Women Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards, and selected by Profit, Chatelaine and Canadian Business journal as one of Canada’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs for many years.
I have had the privilege of knowing Elen since 2015, when she first became involved as a Betel donor supporting Russian-speaking Jewish seniors and Holocaust survivors living in poverty and struggling to eat and stay alive. In recognition of Elen’s commitment and generosity, the centre was honoured to name the Betel Library after her mother Anna Steinberg z’l in 2016. In 2017, Elen Steinberg’s vision and advocacy resulted in the development of a community-wide program addressing the needs of Jewish seniors living in poverty. This initiative helped numerous community programs, as well as the Betel centre, to meet our goals of supporting the seniors.
In addition to her volunteer work with the Bernard Betel Centre, Elen has been instrumental in supporting Holy Blossom Temple with creating and funding the Synagogue’s Bereavement Group and Dorot Seniors’ Club. Her philanthropy also supports UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, numerous projects in Israel including building the Orr Shalom Children’s Centre near Jerusalem, Sick Kids Hospital, Cancer Alliance and numerous other charities. She is also the founder of www.sovietjewishveterans.com, a history video project created to capture the testimonials of Jewish war veterans from FSU who fought on the eastern front. The interviews and information on the website have been accepted to the permanent collections of Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Memorial in Washington DC, and the Shoah Project.
Working with Elen is inspirational, as she puts her heart and soul into everything she does.
Please join us at the Tribute Event on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 7:00 pm in support of our Meals on Wheels program. To purchase tickets click HERE or call 416-225-2112, ext. 0.
Respectfully,
Gail Gould, Executive Director
Bernard Betel Centre
