When Sandy Jesion, 37, got married three years ago, it was natural for him, and his wife Bonnie Leiner, to move back to the West Island, where he had grown up and where his parents still live.

“I had been living in town while I went to university and for my first working years,” the chartered accountant said, “but I knew Dollard was a great place to raise a family and it was always my intention to move back.”

The son of Polish immigrants, he grew up on stories of how the American Joint Distribution Committee had helped his parents and grandparents in the aftermath of World War II. The beneficiary of better circumstances, he was compelled to make an effort to improve the lives of those less fortunate.

“My parents taught me that you always have more than some and less than others,” he explains, “and we have to help those with less than us.”

He got involved with the Young Leadership Division of Federation CJA in Montreal. He currently sits as national co-chair of the Ben Gurion Society, which recognizes younger individuals (aged 25 to 45) who make a gift of $1000 or more to their local Jewish federation. Members of the Society are exposed to educational and motivational opportunities intended to develop their potential as community leaders.

As Chair of the West Island Management Committee, Jesion is moving toward fulfilling his own leadership potential. He agreed to take on the challenge because he wanted to play this key role on behalf of his community.

“With the population shifting to the West Island, the demand for services is increasing. We have poor people and elderly who can’t easily take public transit into the city to get help at the Jewish Community Campus. Someone who is unemployed finds it very difficult to get into Montreal to meet with a Jewish Family Services (JFS) councilor or attend a training session,” he points out. “Our objective is to bring the services directly to these people. The more accessible you make the service, the more people will avail themselves, and the more the community will benefit.”

With the largest population of Jewish teens and young adults in the city, outreach that will engage and connect them with their Jewish identity is crucial. That’s why Camp B’nai Brith and Hillel will be conducting activities at the West Island branch. As well, Federation CJA is bringing Young Leadership and Leadership Development programs to its new Roger Pilon address in order to educate and, ultimately, recruit new leaders for our Jewish community.

“As I see it, the role of Federation CJA is two-fold, to facilitate the delivery of services and to build community,” Jesion said. “The synagogues have done a great job with their congregations, but there is a segment of the Jewish population that is decidedly secular and won’t be reached through religious institutions. That doesn’t make them any less Jewish or less concerned about their fellow Jew. It just means that they have to be engaged differently, and Federation CJA is capable of offering them a different Jewish experience to which they may be more receptive.”

Jesion’s hope, going forward, is that West Islanders will be receptive to Federation CJA as they become better acquainted with what it has to contribute. He is confident that more and more people will be inspired to get involved as they recognize how much the West Island stands to gain.

Federation CJA is a registered charitable organization pursuant to the Canadian Income Tax Act - Registration number: 106702251RR0001.
Federation CJA is a 501c(3) non-profit Community Organization - 98-018 3709.
All donations to Federation CJA are tax-deductible in full.