TORONTO — After the death of Canadian Hadassah WIZO (CHW) president Terry Shwarzfeld following a beating in Barbados in March, Marla Dan, Toronto president and first vice-president, stepped up to the plate.
Marla Dan
“We were all shocked and concerned when we heard the news, but when it became apparent that Terry was not going to recover, we reviewed the governance structure, and I took over” as new president, said Dan.
She had just entered the national scene as an officer, “but being Toronto president gave me a lot of skills. One of our thrusts is leadership, and I was given good, solid training.”
As the new national president, she led the organization on its mission to Israel for Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Hazikaron, and has travelled to Montreal and Vancouver for the local installation of officers.
“I represent Canada, and I am chief cheerleader. I give local officers support when they need it, and I make sure everything is running smoothly. We are all part of one organization, but we respect each city’s individuality,” she said.
A native of Edmonton, Dan, who is married and the mother of two teenagers, joined the organization 22 years ago as a newcomer to Toronto. “I wanted to meet other women, and I wanted to get involved in the Jewish community,” she said. “I joined Tamid chapter when most members were single, and we’ve gone through our life cycles together.”
She has held almost every position in her chapter, as well as a position at World WIZO, and has travelled to Israel as a representative of Aviv Women, the organization’s young leadership arm. “About the only job I didn’t take on was chair of Hadassah Bazaar.
“CHW is about fundraising, but it is also about camaraderie. I’ve met women from all over the world,” Dan said.
She acknowledges that women today have less time to volunteer than they did a generation ago, “but there are all kinds of ways to volunteer. If everyone gives a little time or a little money, then it all adds up. As a leader, my job is to say thank you for whatever you can give.”
The organization has found ways to work around women’s schedules, she said. “We have to respect their time, so we make our committees larger, and make sure everyone has lots of help. That is how volunteerism works.”
During her three-year term, she aims to “make sure everyone knows what we do, and make us an organization that people want to support,” she said.