Dorothy Reitman
Dorothy Reitman, CM (born 1932) is a Canadian philanthropist and activist who served as first female president of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) from 1986 to 1989.[1]
Early life
Reitman's parents emigrated from
In 1958, her infant son, Joel, was kidnapped by his nanny who held him for $10,000 ransom resulting in the Reitmans going on the radio pleading for his return. Joel Reitman was found unharmed and the nanny was captured and sentenced to seven years in prison.[4][5]
Philanthropic and advocacy work
She took up a number of philanthropic and social causes and was a founding member of the Portage Program for Drug Dependency, served on the board of the Match International Centre,[6] and through the organization worked on a program to help women in Kenya, the Council of Canadian Unity, and Auberge Shalom for Battered Women. She also helped establish Kosher Meals on Wheels in Montreal.[1]
Among the chairmanships she has held are the honorary chair of the McGill University Centre for Research and Teaching for Women, co-chair of the Canadian Conference of Christians and Jews, chair of the Commonwealth Jewish Foundation of Canada, vice-president of the Commonwealth Jewish Council, and trustee of the Commonwealth Jewish Trust. She also served as president of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada from 1975 to 1977[1] and participated in the United Nations' World Conference on Women, 1985 at Nairobi as a World Jewish Congress delegate.[7]
The Cyril and Dorothy, Joel and Jill Reitman Alzheimer Support Centre at
Canadian Jewish Congress
Reitman defeated
Honours and awards
Reitman won the Montreal Jewish Community Leadership Award in 1965 and received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977.[7]
In 1992, she was awarded the
References
- ^ a b c d e f Dorothy Reitman, (biography), Jewish Women's Archive
- ^ a b "Canadian Jewish Congress elects first woman president", The Globe and Mail, May 12, 1986
- ^ a b "Cyril REITMAN Obituary (2014) - Montreal, QC - the Gazette". Legacy.com.
- ^ "Joel, Parents Reunited; Kidnapper Still Sought", The Gazette (Montreal), June 18, 1958
- ^ "Seven-year term for kidnapping", Canadian Press, Leader-Post (Regina), July 8, 1958
- ^ "Annual Report 2008-2009".
- ^ a b "Canadian Jewish Congress elects first woman president", The Globe and Mail, May 12, 1986
- ^ "The Cyril & Dorothy Joel & Jill Reitman Family Foundation |". Archived from the original on 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ^ "Jews defying custom greeted with hostility", The Globe and Mail, April 24, 1989
- ^ "Soviet policy assailed for not opening doors to enough refuseniks", The Globe and Mail, September 1, 1987
- ^ "Bill to curb refugees fuels week of protests", The Globe and Mail, June 10, 1987
- ^ 1992 Recipients, Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Status of Women Canada website
- ^ Dorothy Reitman, C.M., The Governor General of Canada (website)