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Rabbi Elliott Diamond ’73 was appointed the CEO of Aish Toronto, a branch of the international Aish HaTorah organization that provides programs, outreach and resources to help Jews deepen their connection to Judaism. A former teacher at our school, Rabbi Diamond was instrumental in founding Netivot Hatorah Day School which opened its doors in 1984 and where, prior to his new position, he served as Head of Jewish Studies. He is also a rabbi at Shaarei Shomayim.
In honour of Israel’s 75th birthday, David Matlow ’79 wrote 75 Treasures (self-published, 2023), a book that contextualizes how Israel morphed from a concept to a country by exploring different historical and national “treasures.” David is a partner at Goodmans LLP, and is the long-standing author of the Canadian Jewish News’ weekly column “Treasure Trove.” He is also the owner of the world’s largest private collection of Theodor Herzl memorabilia. See: herzlcollection.com
A Partner at Aird & Berlis LLP, Melissa Muskat ’83 has been a dedicated volunteer with UJA Federation of Greater Toronto for over 30 years and is currently serving as Co-chair of the 2023 Annual Campaign alongside David Granovsky. Melissa is in wonderful company, joining several other alumni who have served in this important role: Shoel Silver ’71, David Matlow ’79, Michael Buckstein ’81, and Felicia Posluns ’81.
Do I Know You? From Face Blindness to Super Recognition (John Hopkins University, 2023) is the third book of Dr. Sharrona Pearl ’95. Sharrona previously authored two other books delving into the intersection between medical ethics, physiognomy, perception and identity. Sharrona is an Associate Teaching Professor of Medical Ethics and History at Drexel University.
Steven Salz ’08 was included in Toronto Life’s list of the 50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2022. Steven is the CEO and Co-founder of Rivalry, a public company that provides users with an online platform to gamble on esports and traditional sports.
This summer, Noam Tomaschoff ’09 debuted his original show, Our Little Secret: The 23&Me Musical at the Toronto Fringe Festival. The musical, written and performed by Noam, tells the true story of his discovery (through a 23&Me DNA test) that his father is not his biological parent and, despite being raised as an only child, he in fact has over 35 half-siblings. The show was composed and produced by fellow alumni Ryan Peters ’09 (current staff) and Russell Citron ’09, respectively. The show had a completely sold-out run and tied with two other productions as the most decorated show in the festival, winning the Best of Fringe Festival Award and the Patrons’ Pick Award (Alumnae Theatre).
This fall, Rachel Manson ’13 headlined two stand-up comedy shows and opened for comedian Ariel Elias at Just for Laughs Toronto, one of the largest comedy festivals on the continent. These appearances came on the heels of her performances at the Burbank Comedy Festival in California and the Motor City Comedy Festival in Detroit.
Trajekt Sports CEO and co-founder, Joshua Pope ’14, recently celebrated 500,000 pitches to MLB, Minor League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball teams. Trajekt Sports makes a pitching robot that is capable of utilizing real- time data to replicate human pitches. Since the launch of the company in 2019, the robot has been used by teams such as the Chicago Cubs and the Seattle Mariners.
Along with his University of Toronto dental school classmates, Shawn Zahavi ’16 travelled to Grenada in August 2023 to set up a clinic under the bleachers of the national cricket stadium. The group provided free dental care to the local community, in one week seeing 675 patients for various treatments and procedures.
Ben Shore ’17 secured an impressive second place among 16,000 participants in the Sporting Life 10K 2023. After being named MVP of TanenbaumCHAT’s track and cross-country teams in 2017, Ben’s athletic journey led him to compete on the University of Toronto varsity Track & Field/Cross Country team. There, he not only became captain but also earned recognition as the university’s top distance runner.
In the City of Toronto’s 2023 by-election for mayor, Meir Straus ’23 ran as the youngest candidate at just 18-years- old. His unique and creative campaign captivated audiences with the “Meir for Mayor’’ slogan and humorous, youth- oriented platform. Despite not making it to office, he garnered attention from press outlets such as CP24, CTV News and Bloomberg Business.
Best Lawyers describes the young professionals selected for its “Ones
to Watch in Canada” list as “true trailblazers, carving new paths in an industry that upholds tradition while still pushing toward innovation and discovery.” The publication’s 2024 selection includes eight of our alumni (left to right, top row, bottom row): Toba Cooper ’05, Robert Eisenberg ’06, Sarah Naiman ’06, Jessica Roher ’02, Josh Shneer ’08, Zev Smith ’08, Brittany Sud ’07, and Tamara Winegust ’03.
