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OUR DIRECTOR OF JEWISH LEARNING

Nadia Oliveri is thrilled to be the Director of Jewish Learning at City Shul!  A former Montrealer, and the daughter of a teacher, she loved volunteering and working in schools from an early age. She has a Bachelors degree in Jewish Education from McGill University.  After McGill, she spent one year co-creating and implementing a pilot project entitled, “Self- Soi Meme”, with The Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts in conjunction with Jewish Day Schools and afternoon schools in Montreal. Through this innovative arts-based programme Jewish youth ages 6-16 explored their “Jewish Self” through the medium of photography.   Nadia also spent several years working and teaching in Jewish after-school programs in Montreal.  She furthered her academic career at the University of Ottawa where she completed a second Bachelor of Education with a Primary and Junior focus.  Nadia moved to Toronto in 1999 and taught Core French with the TDSB at Humewood Community School for 2 years.  In 2001, Nadia pursued her desire to teach as a core teacher of a classroom and left the public school system to work at Bialik Hebrew Day School.  A child-centred teacher with a focus on the whole child, Nadia was awarded an Excellence in Teaching Award for Jewish Day School Teachers.  Nadia “retired” from classroom teaching after the birth of her first child and took the time to pursue new and exciting opportunities such as becoming an indoor cycling instructor, a yoga enthusiast, and rekindling her childhood love of ballet; she dances in the adult community programme at the National Ballet of Canada.  Living in the Annex, in the heart of the old Jewish neighbourhood, Nadia and her family were looking to be a part of a thriving and current Jewish community that reflected who they were as Downtown Jews. They wanted to meet other families who share a similar identity from their own neighbourhood. It was somewhat serendipitous to have accepted an invitation to a “City Shul Salon event” and meet Rabbi Goldstein in her home. Instantly, Nadia knew that she had found what she had wanted, without even looking for it, a vibrant shul community just ready to take form. Nadia and her family became members of the City Shul and Nadia has been a part of the Education Task Force since its early inception. Nadia is exploding with new and innovative ideas for the City Shul. Her passion is to help our community to live a fulfilling, inspired, and meaningful Jewish life. She has embarked on this career path with much excitement. “Being a part of something from the very beginning is absolutely priceless. You don’t get to build “something from nothing” every day, or to create a brand new community, I feel blessed to be here. Starting from the “Genesis” of City Shul and its school affords us all the opportunity for so much positive growth”.

You can reach Nadia at learning@cityshul.com or 647 799-3598.