TORONTO — After nearly six years at the helm of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW), national president Marla Dan is ready to pass the torch to a new leader.
The Jewish women’s organization has put together a tribute gala in honour of her dedication to CHW, to be held Nov. 15 at the Sheraton Centre.
“It’s a little overwhelming, I have to be honest with you,” a humble Dan told The CJN, adding that she isn’t one to put herself out there for accolades, but she’s happy to do so for a good cause.
Funds raised by the gala will benefit the Assaf Harofeh Medical Centre in Israel, which is working on reducing the treatment time for stroke patients through a cutting-edge procedure called neurovascular surgery that can potentially shorten recovery times and vastly improve patients’ lives.
“We embarked on a $1-million commitment, and Marla has been a major supporter of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO,” says Alina Ianson, national executive director of CHW, adding that last year, Dan herself pledged $1 million over 10 years in support of the organization.
Dan, who is married to Toronto businessman and philanthropist Aubrey Dan, is allocating half of that pledge to the Assaf Harofeh Medical Centre. CHW hopes to raise the remaining $500,000 through its upcoming initiatives, including the tribute gala.
According to Dr. Benjamin Davidson, who will be addressing the crowd of approximately 200 at the gala, the hospital’s director general, CHW and the medical centre have been working together for more than 60 years.
“The school of physiotherapy was built in Israel in 1953 by the [CHW] organization,” he says, adding that since then, the Canadian arm of Hadassah has contributed to many of the hospital’s wings – including the breast health institute, a one-stop shop where women can find out about their health within 24 hours and start the necessary treatments and procedures.
Ianson describes Dan as a “change agent” who took on the role of president at a very difficult time for the organization. In 2009, CHW’s then-president Terry Schwarzfeld died unexpectedly in Barbados, and Dan had very little time to adapt to her new role.
It was also a time when the government was introducing many changes to the not-for-profit sector, including the introduction of new legislation that meant CHW had to make substantial changes to the way it operated and modify its governance structure to comply with the new law.
“This is what the organization was focused on, and clearly Marla was the one who spearheaded those changes,” Ianson said.
A strong supporter of Israel, Dan said she had great mentors in the organization and looks up to many of the presidents who came before her. However, she admits she never thought she would be the leader of CHW. The Edmonton native, who was a member of United Synagogue Youth (USY) as a teen, joined CHW nearly 30 years ago for one main reason: to meet and connect with other Jewish women.
Back then, she was a young adult who had just moved to Toronto and wanted to feel part of the local Jewish community. Her roommate invited her to check out a CHW meeting and Dan never looked back.
She thinks it’s fitting that her chapter’s name means “forever” in Hebrew, because she’s made lifelong connections with her fellow peers.
“I just feel like our chapter will stay together forever,” she says. “We were single, we watched each other get engaged, get married, have children, go to their bar and bat mitzvahs, and now our kids are heading into university. We grew up together.”
Although Dan will no longer be president, she said she’ll still be involved in her chapter and attend meetings regularly. “I like sitting and listening as the observer,” she laughs. “I ask questions for clarification. But I’m glad to see that there’s a future for the organization. The future is definitely bright.”