TORONTO — At Rivka Shaffir’s recent installation as president of Na’amat Canada, she left at each table a picture of a group of women that included her mother and Golda Meir.
Rivka Shaffir toured the the newly renovated Achva Day Care Centre in Israel which was inaugurated at the organization’s convention.
The picture was taken when Meir, the former Israeli prime minister, visited Montreal and met with members of the organization, formerly called Pioneer Women.
“These women attended Jewish functions, stood on street corners collecting small donations and held bazaars in order to raise money for the women and children of Israel.
“I remember them vividly. In a matter of speaking [we were all] part of a large, extended family,” said Shaffir, 60, now the principal of and a teacher at the Hamilton Hebrew Academy.
Growing up, she said, she was active in the Labour Zionist youth movement, and her father was a member and officer of the Farband Labour Zionist organization.
“Now my daughter is an active member of Na’amat in Montreal. The Yiddish expression, dos epelleh falt nisht veit foon baymelle (the apple does not fall far from the tree) [certainly] applies in our family.”
Shaffir said that teaching and Na’amat are her two passions. “They both involve children, and they’re both about creating a better world. I’m taking on this challenge with a full heart.
“It’s not totally up to me, though. My role is to be a leader, and to knit people together. [The organization] does not rest solely on my shoulders.”
Although Na’amat members no longer stand on street corners asking for donations, said Shaffir, “[we do need funds], and we must continue to develop more sophisticated approaches to raising money.
“We need to increase our efforts through small and large donations, and we need to nurture more personal relationships with our grassroot donors.”
The organization must create positive experiences for the donors so they will share in the pride all Na’amat members have in the organization’s work, she said.
Fundraising has also become more specific than in her mother’s time, she said. “While the funds are largely aimed for projects in Israel, the projects target disadvantaged women and their families,which includes non-Jews, Muslims and Christians.
The organization has become sensitive to the needs of Canadian Jewish women as well, she said, and they are researching ways to attract them to Na’amat.
“The social experience must be emphasized. Since my chapter, Nitzan, was founded in Hamilton, we have socialized, participated in one another’s simchahs, and provided support when necessary. There is a bond of friendship that permeates our meetings and activities, and that is rare in today’s fast-paced world.”
