Montreal’s Danielle (Dany) Pollack and her family recently announced they would be making a generous gift to create a scholarship fund for Ethiopian-Israeli students studying at Hebrew University.
Ms. Pollack, who is the President of Equinoxe LifeCare Solutions, a longtime supporter of Hebrew University, and has sat on advisory committees for CFHU, says the education of underrepresented communities has been an interest of hers for a long time and she recalls a particularly memorable visit to the Ethiopian Community Center in Be’ersheva, Israel, several years ago.
“It was apparent they needed more support integrating into the society, and that their children be supported in that way as well,” says Ms. Pollack, noting most were not able to speak Hebrew.
Ms. Pollack, who started her business in her mid-fifties, says her own path was not always easy and she counted on the strong support of other women who encouraged her along the way.
“We all need to have advocates—people who have faith in us,” she asserts.
The Pollack family gift follows in the footsteps of another gift to support Ethiopian-Israeli students.
It has been less than one year since The Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation funded a series of scholarships aimed at supporting Israeli graduate students of Ethiopian descent, both at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at Tel Aviv University —and it is inspiring a new movement of giving.
When the Foundation first announced their intention to create a fund, they noted the under-representation of Ethiopian-Israelis within academia, and stated the scholarship’s goal was to help the community overcome hurdles presented in their integration into Israeli society.
They also expressed their hope that their giving might inspire other philanthropists.
“It is the family’s fervent wish that these scholarships will have a snowball effect and attract others to support such initiatives aimed at positively influencing the status and perception of Ethiopian Jews in Israel and beyond.”
For both the Pollack and Goodman families, they see these scholarships as a positive step in breaking down barriers, enacting social change and seeing real impact.
The Goodman Foundation has taken this maxim further and is currently organizing a walking mission to Ethiopia for the winter of 2023. Gideon Pollack, Ms. Pollack’s son and a close friend of the Goodman family, is also on the organizing committee.
“To walk in someone’s shoes is to feel empathy,” says Jonathan Goodman, who is leading the initiative. “I am working to gather a coalition of the willing, to put on my sneakers and loosely replicate the walking path taken by thousands of our Ethiopian brothers and sisters during Operation Solomon.”
The objectives of the journey are:
- To raise awareness about the considerable issues still facing Ethiopian Israelis.
- To raise needed funds to support merit scholarships at two of Israel’s best institutions, Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University.
- To have a meaningful and incredibly fun experience on this walk with Ethiopian activists, educators and Israeli opinion leaders.
For more information on The Journey or for supporting Ethiopian Students at the Hebrew University, please contact Debbie Dankoff at ddankoff@cfhu.org or 514-932-2133.