COJECO RSJ Symposium
Yelena Gordon
Program Coordinator, J. Academy Camp and J. Projects
yelena@srcentre.ca
Yelena Gordon was born in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. When she was 16 years old, she made Aliyah to Israel where she finished high school, served in the IDF and attended University. After the IDF she worked in Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. overseeing employee professional development (HR Department). In 2011, she moved to Canada with her family where she became involved in the Jewish community. In 2015, she joined the J. Academy Camp and J. Projects team as program coordinator. Within the role, she was able to outreach to community members who were not previously engaged, creating successful programs such as J. Projects women\'s club, Money Works (financial literacy program for kids/teens) and an annual Yom Ha\'Atzmaut event for adults. She volunteering in Limmud FSU Canada as the children\'s programming co-chair in 2014-2017. ) Yelena, together with husband George and sons Nick and Antony enjoy being a part of the Russian-speaking Jewish community and attending events organized by J. Projects, their locals synagoge, Limmud FSU, and the larger Jewish community.
Organization
JCC/Schwartz/Reisman Centre, Toronto
https://srcentre.ca/home/9600 Bathurst Street, Vaughan, ON
Mission:
Schwartz/Reisman Centre's mission is to build and sustain a caring and vibrant community hub, welcoming to all, based on a solid foundation of Jewish values and a strong connection to Israel.
Personal mission:
Learn community needs and initiate new projects and programs to expand the scope of J. Projects.
Consolidate and expand Russian speaking Jewish Canadian community by creating high level J.Projects programs and events.
Develop relationships and work with other institutions that meet the needs of the Russian speaking Jewish Canadian community.
Provide exceptional customer service to make people feel “at home”
