Diane Flacks ’84 toured across Canada performing in her one- person play entitled Guilt (A love story). Guilt – Diane’s fifth solo show – is a thought-provoking piece that explores the complex emotions of guilt and the human condition, blending deep introspection with witty humour.
In November 2023, Jamie Golombek ’88, was named a CPA Ontario Fellow – the highest award that can be bestowed upon a CPA. It is given to individuals who bring distinction to themselves and to their profession through leadership and achievement in their professional, community and/or personal lives. Jamie is Managing Director, Tax and Estate Planning with CIBC Private Wealth and writes the weekly Tax Expert column in The National Post.
Josh Heuman ’91 was named Head of Artistic Engagement at Koffler Arts after developing over 40 public programs and hundreds of tours to complement the recent exhibition, “The Synagogue at Babyn Yar: Turning the Nightmare of Evil into a Shared Dream of Good”. In this role, Josh oversees all public programming, coordinates select exhibitions, oversees interns and fellows, and supports the gallery’s fundraising and promotion.
Freidele (Soban) Biniashvili ’93 had her book The Mystery of the Lost Watch (Menucha Publishers, 2020) showcased in the December/January 2024 issue of Our Canada magazine. More recently, Freidele released her newest work, Mystery at Peasant’s Inn (Menucha Publishers, 2023), a children’s adventure novel.
Thriving with Anxiety: 9 tools to make your anxiety work for you (Harper Horizon, 2023), by Dr. David Rosmarin ’97, is “a practical guide to transforming your anxiety from a burden to a benefit.” David is the founder of Center for Anxiety and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. (See p. 28 for more on David).
Dara Benson Moncarz ’98 completed the Ironman Tulsa in May 2023 with a 3rd-place podium finish. She earned a coveted qualifying slot to compete at the Ironman World Championship 2023, which she then went on to finish in 13 hours and 5 minutes.
Rabbi Adam Cutler ’00 competed in the annual Great Canadian Sermon Slam, run by the Canadian Jewish News. This competition features rabbis from across Canada vying for the grand prize: the Kiddush Cup. This event was hosted by fellow TanenbaumCHAT alum, Rabbi Rachael Turkienicz ’77.
Tony Award-winner Brian Lee ’09 is co-producing the Broadway revivals of Cabaret and The Who’s Tommy. In addition, this spring, Brian, alongside his wife Dayna, will be joining forces with New York City’s Tectonic Theater to bring their landmark play Here There Are Blueberries to audiences across the US and around the world.
Zach Hyman ’10 scored an impressive 50 goals this season with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, making him the first Jewish hockey player to hit this milestone.
David Schwartz ’10 was listed in Toronto Life’s “50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2023,” where he was deemed “the city’s most exciting young culinary mind”. David is the owner and executive chef at Sunny’s Chinese and Mimi Chinese, earning him the coveted Michelin Young Chef award.
Eidan Erlich ’22 collaborated with a design team from MIT, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Waterloo to develop a fully autonomous race car, leading him to compete on F1 tracks in Monza and Los Angeles. Recognized for his exceptional contributions, Eidan has been appointed team captain, now leading a group of 40 people.
Matt Katzman ’18 published his debut novel Oy Vey: The Hilarious Pocket Guide to Yiddish Slang (Langley Press, 2023). The book weaves Matthew’s personal family stories with hilarious and whimsical Yiddish expressions creating a tapestry of humour and cultural reverence.
Alumni in Israel
Galia (Tylman) Kut ’83 earned an MA in Computational Linguistics (with a focus on AI and Natural Language Processing) at Stanford in 1988. She made aliyah in 1996 and, for more than 12 years, has been working as an early-stage startup investor, general partner, board member and mentor for numerous Israeli funds and start-up companies, many of which focus on projects related to tech and AI and are run by women. Among these, with particularly topical relevance, is MindTension. Despite its location on the Gazan border, after October 7, it pressed on, continuing to develop its groundbreaking technology to assess attention across a variety of neurodevelopmental, behavioural and trauma-associated conditions.
In this last new item, we highlight the contributions that our alums in Israel are making to Israeli society. If you are currently living in Israel and would like to share your accomplishments with us, please contact Evan Goldenthal ’02, Senior Advancement Officer, Alumni Relations at [email protected].
