Board of Directors
Sarah Amato
President
Toby Rabinovitz
Past President
Toby has worked as an independent consultant in Ottawa, Calgary and now Edmonton. She brings a breadth of experience working in the nonprofit and public sectors in Alberta and across Canada, with a specialization in nonprofit management, planning and facilitation. Toby recently stepped down as the Executive Director for Compass Centre for Sexual Wellness and will continue to pursue her consulting practice. Volunteerism is integral to her professional and private life and she has served on the Board of Directors for various local and provincial nonprofit organizations and was recently elected to the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) Board.
Peter Silverstone
Vice President
Dr. Peter Silverstone is a Psychiatrist and Professor at the University of Alberta. He trained in the UK before coming to Canada and has served on multiple not-for-profit boards.
George Abrams
Treasurer
Linda Hartum
Secretary
Linda has served on the Board of Directors for Jewish Family Services since June of 2017. It has been her great pleasure, in addition to regular Board duties, to assist with a number of events focused upon the well-being and enjoyment of our seniors.
She has been involved in a volunteer capacity since the age of twelve, mostly in service to disabled individuals and seniors. Her previous Board experience was as an Education Facilitator and then as a Treasurer.
Linda and her husband were entrepreneurs and operated several businesses throughout their working careers. Although retired from business life, they continue to farm and raise cattle at their ranch home west of Edmonton.
Emily Block
Director
Emily is an author and a professor of organizational theory at the University of Alberta who studies the intersection between economic and social impact of non profits. She teaches negotiations and decision making for undergrads, MBAs, executives and boards of directors. Emily is deeply impressed by JFSE’s long-standing commitment to serving the Edmonton community and its vision of economic and social justice. She is honoured to contribute her skills, experience, and passion for social impact to further JFSE’s important work.
Ruth Coppens
Director
Ruth is a retired Human Resources Professional with experience in Government, health care, post secondary education, the not-for-profit sector, and in the oil and gas industry. Since retirement she has continued to provide human resources support on a volunteer basis to a number of organizations.
Ruth has lived in Edmonton for over 40 years and has been an active member of the Jewish community. She is a community volunteer, currently serving on Talmud Torah School Committees, volunteers for the Center for Family Literacy as an Adult Tutor and is a regular casino volunteer. She has served on Boards of Talmud Torah School, Beth Shalom Synagogue, and Jewish Family Services. Both on and off the Board, Ruth has remained passionate and committed to JFSE, and has participated in a number of programs and initiatives. Ruth is particularly passionate about the work done by JFSE to enhance the lives of our seniors.
Judith Friedman
Director
Judith is a third-generation Edmontonian whose family has been involved with the Jewish community since the 1920s. A historian by training, she is currently working as a bookkeeper for her family business. She became aware of the work of Jewish Family Services because of the support they provided her family which allowed her father to age in place. She believes in JFSE’s goals of assisting people and communities and would like to help wherever she is able to.
Tracy Hillier
Director
Tracey is a proud mother of five, a nurse, family physician, and radiologist specializing in breast imaging. She holds a BSc in Nursing, MD, and a master’s in education from the University of Alberta. She has served as Associate Dean for the MD Program and is Vice Dean of the Alberta Institute, an international medical school collaboration between the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at University of Alberta and Wenzhou Medical University in China. A Qalipu First Nation member and Canadian Armed Forces veteran, she champions health equity, curriculum renewal, and learner well-being. Her work advances social accountability, diversity in medical education, and improving care for marginalized populations.
Ron Middleton
Director
Ron has spent the past 30 years working in the health and social services field. For the past 22 years, he has worked with Alberta Health Services as a Home Care Operations Manager in Edmonton and surrounding area. In this role, he worked closely with teams of multidisciplinary health professionals as well as with community agencies and partners. In addition, Ron worked as a Social Worker for the Government of Alberta-Children’s Services program and with non-profit organizations.
Jessica Shifrin
Director
Jessica is born and raised in Edmonton where she currently lives with her husband and dog. After graduation from MacEwan University, she began her career at Romanovsky and Associates where she pursued her CPA designation and has worked her way up to Senior Manager. Throughout her career she has had the opportunity to work with and assist a variety of small businesses and not for profit organizations. She is passionate about helping others achieve their full potential and supporting her local community.
Linda Goody
Casino Chair
Linda was on the JFSE Board of Directors from 2013 until the end of 2022 and is currently a Casino chair. In 2009 she retired from Alberta Children’s Services after serving for 25 years as a registered social worker. She also had a private counselling practice for 24 years. In the past she has served on boards of other non-profit organizations, including Edmonton Musical Theatre, the l’Arche Association of Edmonton, and was treasurer of the Alberta Association of Social Workers.
Linda states “I feel it is important to support JFSE in whatever way is helpful. I feel deeply committed to Tikkun Olam, to healing the world in small ways”.
Adrian Albert
Honorary Board Member
Barry Goldberg
Honorary Board Member
Danny Assh
Honorary Board Member.
Jane Karstaedt
Honorary Board Member
Ruth Nolan
Honorary Officer
Ernie Schlesinger
Honorary Officer
Netta Phillet
Honorary Officer