TORONTO — Hannah Freedman has been a Zionist since birth, which is why she helped found Club Masada 65 years ago.
Tillie Margolis, Club Masada’s president, celebrated the club’s 65th anniversary last week at Beth David Bnai Israel Beth Am Synagogue.
The club, which celebrated its 65th anniversary last week, is part of Na’amat Canada, an organization that raises money for social services that support women and children in Israel.
Masada members, most of whom are more than 60 years old, started Adopt-a-Child, a program that financially supports day cares in Israel, as well as Dollars for David, a Chanukah fundraiser that collects money for needy children in Israel.
“I was a Zionist, raising money for Israel, long before it became [popular],” Freedman said, adding that her mother was part of the Pioneer Women, a Zionist organization that later turned into Na’amat Canada.
For Freedman, supporting a Jewish state was natural.
“As far as I was concerned, it would be an insult to my mother [not to].”
Club Masada originally started with 12 members. They ran fashion shows, teas, garage sales and movie nights, all to raise money to support a Jewish state. Now, 65 years later, the group has more than 50 members.
“Everybody was very enthusiastic and they still are. They’re a lot of old ladies, and they’re doing marvellous work,” Freedman said.
Pamela Goldfarb, a Na’amat Canada Toronto member and chair of Adopt-a-Child, agrees.
“They’re one of the older groups, but they have done so much,” she said at the banquet in Club Masada’s honour, held April 14 at Beth David Bnai Israel Beth Am Synagogue. The banquet, which had about 180 guests, raised $50,000 for Adopt-a-Child.
“[Club Masada] started as a group before Israel was a country. They had such remarkable vision and belief,” Goldfarb added. “They inspire everyone else, and they really mentor them.”
For Tillie Margolis, Club Masada’s president, the group is about more than just fundraising. It’s about building bonds.
“We have so many members, we have meetings every two weeks. We keep in touch – if a member doesn’t come, we call them,” she said.
“It gives you a feeling of closeness. If there’s a death in the family, everyone visits. We’ve known each other for a long time.”
Margolis joined Club Masada 60 years ago, soon after getting married.
“[They] said, ‘You must join.’ It snowballed from there,” she said. “This is a wonderful thing, having reached this point.”
Lorraine Levene, executive director of Toronto’s Na’amat Canada chapter, looks up to Club Masada members.
“They’re our largest group. They raise the most money. Their belief is you have to give before you ask to give,” she said. “There is not a member in their group that does not give something. In their hearts, they feel they have to help.”
