“The area just seemed so full of life and it was important for us to be in proximity to other Jewish families,” says Laurence Chriqui, 36. She and her husband chose to move to Dollard des Ormeaux three and a half years ago with their three young children because the area struck them as an ideal place to raise a young family and offered better value and newer homes than they could afford in the city of Montreal. In many ways, the family is illustrative of the typical West Island Jewish household.

Along with raising her kids, Gabrielle, 11, Julien 9, and Cydney, 5, Chriqui runs a home-based business, Baby Bundle, a distributor of unique baby accessories.

Even so, she found the community was lacking some unifying structure. Of course, there was the West Island branch of the YM-YWHA, of which she is a long-standing Board member, and the three synagogues. Each of these institutions make a significant contribution to Jewish life in the area. However, the prospect that FEDERATION CJA would establish a presence on the West Island held the promise for building a cohesive Jewish community based on social service and cultural interaction.

“I was so excited when I learned that FEDERATION CJA was opening a branch in Dollard,” she recalls, “I immediately volunteered.”

Laurence sits on the West Island Management Committee and chairs the committee responsible for developing a plan with the Jewish Public Library (JPL) that will see it extend services to the Roger Pilon location.

“The JPL can be a great social outlet, offering something for everyone,” she enthuses. “We are considering parenting classes, discussion groups, guest speakers, book reviews and book clubs. These are all opportunities for Jews to come together and make new friends.”

Though clearly anxious to contribute to the community, she freely admits that she was unlikely to commit her time to FEDERATION CJA if it had not established itself in the West Island. As is the case with so many who live in the area, her family’s life is concentrated on the West Island. It only made sense that she would give her time and energy to a Jewish institution situated in, and serving, the segment of the population with which she most personally identifies.