“CHAT Calls You Back” Isn’t Just a Slogan—It’s a Fact
With a strong base of close to 10,000 alumni, TanenbaumCHAT graduates are proud of their high school heritage. Many remain actively involved in the school community, highlighting the school’s success in fostering lasting connections well beyond graduation.
Head of School Dr. Jonathan Levy couldn’t be more proud. “We believe that a strong connection with our alumni helps to secure our future,” he says. He notes that many second- and third-generation students return to the school to contribute, continuing a long tradition of excellence that supports Jewish education and helps build the future of the Jewish community in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. “Our alumni are involved in every facet of the community and make their impact locally, nationally, and internationally. We love being in touch with them and we love to see their accomplishments,” he adds. Levy cites a longstanding and meaningful school tradition: “We play a song every Friday, and the last line is ‘CHAT calls us back.’” he says. “That statement couldn’t be more true.”
Gillian Sinclair, Director of Philanthropy at TanenbaumCHAT, emphasizes the vital role alumni play in sustaining the school’s future through philanthropy. “Alumni not only serve as role models and mentors, but their generosity helps ensure that current and future students have the resources they need to succeed,” she says. Their leadership and financial support directly strengthen Jewish education, making Tuition Accessibility and Academic Excellence possible. Sinclair also highlights how a strong alumni network fuels a culture of giving. “By remaining engaged and contributing to TanenbaumCHAT, alumni help secure the future of Jewish education and build a lasting foundation for the next generation,” she adds.
TanenbaumCHAT alumni are engaged and involved in a variety of ways. They return to school as guest speakers, mentors, and competition judges. They participate in reunions, trivia nights, baby music classes, holiday gatherings, music performances, basketball and hockey tournaments, and coffee tastings, to name a few! Newborns of graduates receive a TanenbaumCHAT ‘Future Tigers’ onesie. Graduating students are welcomed into the alumni community at the Grade 12 BBQ. And for the first time this year, an alum will be speaking at the Class of 2025 Graduation ceremony—a meaningful way to show students what life after high school can look like and reinforce the enduring bond they have with their alma mater.
“By remaining engaged and contributing to TanenbaumCHAT, alumni help secure the future of Jewish education and build a lasting foundation for the next generation.” — Gillian Sinclair, Director of Philanthropy
It’s this kind of outreach that called Danya Koplowitz ’08 back. After graduating, she spent time in Israel, went to university, and worked in the Jewish community. “But I always felt a gravitational pull back to the school in different ways,” she says. She returned as a volunteer basketball coach, supported social justice trips with her husband (also a graduate), and stayed connected with teachers. “I always kept my finger on the pulse of what was going on. I maintained relationships with teachers and always felt part of the community. My brother is even a teacher at the school!”
Koplowitz now teaches Grades 9, 10 and 11 in the Jewish Studies Department. “It’s one of the best jobs I’ve had in the Jewish community. I wake up in the morning excited to go to school and think of my wonderful students. I enjoy, love, and have a passion for what I’m teaching, and I’m excited to impart that to students as well.” Koplowitz also proudly serves as a co-head of the Staff Alumni Committee at TanenbaumCHAT, which plans events for staff alums throughout the year.
Evan Goldenthal ’02, Senior Advancement Officer, Alumni Relations, also returned to work at TanenbaumCHAT with the goal of reconnecting and engaging with as many alumni as possible. “There’s a huge range of folks who are alumni of this amazing institution. We have graduates from 1961 to 2024. We need to connect with them in different ways, but the shared love of the school is all the same,” he says. “The brand is incredibly strong. So many of our alums say they would do anything for TanenbaumCHAT. That’s because we all have a very deep connection to this place. We have fond memories and we know how important the school was to our development and Jewish identity. My goal is to keep it going and let others share in the same joy.”
Ray Abramson ’09 shares that goal. “The TanenbaumCHAT community gave me a lot when I was in high school, and hockey was a big part of my experience. I want to make sure that current students have just as positive an experience—and I want it to continue for life.” For several years, Abramson returned to coach the boys’ hockey team and now helps organize the annual Alumni Hockey Classic. “This year was bigger than last year with six teams total, 60 alumni players, and 26 current student players,” says Abramson of the May 4 tournament. “Especially since October 7, participating in the Jewish community has become really important. People want to find more ways to get involved, and this tournament is an easy way to reunite people and bring the community together.”
For thousands of alumni, the connection to TanenbaumCHAT runs deep. Brian Lass ’75 a former school president from 2001-2002 and long-time supporter, has participated in the annual Day of Giving fundraising campaign, and is currently helping to organize his 50-year reunion. “Jewish education has always been very important to me and my wife, Brenda, who was a classmate of mine,” says Lass. All three of their children went to Jewish day schools and graduated from their parents’ alma mater. “It’s very near and dear to us. Without a Jewish education, the chances of drifting away from the Jewish community are greater, which is why TanenbaumCHAT plays a very important role. It’s the reason we feel so inclined to support the school in any way that we can.”
Noah Zatzman ’02 also plays an active role, serving on the Day of Giving Committee and having co-chaired his 10-year reunion in 2012. “It’s important to help raise money and spread the word about the annual campaign,” he says. “We want to make TanenbaumCHAT as accessible and affordable as possible to the Jewish community in Toronto so they can have the experience that I did. My time at TanenbaumCHAT informed every part of my life, from our Jewish values to our love of Israel. I’ve taken that with me in my career and life.”
Recent graduate Kyle Goldenberg ’23 contributed to the Day of Giving as well. “To be an alum is a great thing,” says Goldenberg, whose mother, Heather, also graduated from TanenbaumCHAT in 1995. “It was a very meaningful four years and really equipped me to come to university to succeed academically and even to face antisemitism. My parents and grandparents instilled in me the idea that a Jewish education is the most important cause, and I’m always happy to participate in that.” Next year, Goldenberg and his fellow alum Jacob David ’23, will proudly serve as co-presidents of Chabad at Queen’s University.
Even alumni who live abroad feel a strong pull back to the school. Shai Spetgang ’94, who moved to Israel in 2009, says, “One of the first things I did was reach out to my alumni community.” With over 200 TanenbaumCHAT alumni living in Israel, Spetgang organizes in-person and online events. This spring, he helped arrange a 30-year reunion in Israel that was simulcast over Zoom with the one being held in Toronto. “We spoke with many of our friends online. All grades have alum all over the world, and we used technology to bring everyone together. It was great.” Spetgang and the Israel-based alumni group also support Gap Year programming, connecting with recent TanenbaumCHAT graduates and helping to make them feel like a welcomed part of the alumni community during their time in Israel.
“There is something very special about TanenbaumCHAT, and we all feel it no matter where we are in the world,” says Koplowitz. “It doesn’t stop with us. Once you’re part of this community, you’re part of it forever—we never forget it.”
For more information on alumni programming, events and ways to get involved, contact [email protected].
For more information on alumni programming, events and ways to get involved, contact [email protected]
