Toronto’s Premier Community Jewish High School

Jonathan Freeman is a partner at Cassels, serving as national chair of the firm’s Real Estate and Development Group and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Jonathan is also a former member of the firm’s audit and risk management committee. His practice focuses on all aspects of commercial real estate law, including real estate lending transactions and acquisitions and dispositions of commercial properties. Jonathan routinely represents traditional bank and non-bank lenders in complex real estate financing transactions. He also advises issuers and underwriters in capital market offerings, as well as some of Canada’s largest REITs, private equity funds, developers and real estate investment companies on mergers and acquisitions, cross border real estate transactions, joint venture structuring, asset management and insolvency related matters. Jonathan was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has a daughter in Grade 11 at TanenbaumCHAT.

Meny is a Managing Director at Scotiabank - Global Banking and Markets. Prior to that he was a partner at Cormark Securities, and also spent many years at CIBC Capital Markets in both the economics and equity research groups. He knows a lot about the stock market, and a little less about various other topics. He is President of the Albert and Temmy Latner Forest Hill Jewish Centre and is a former board member of Camp Moshava. Meny graduated with an MA in Financial Economics from the University of Toronto. He and his wife Mariam White are proud parents of two current TanenbaumCHAT students Sarah ’26 and Dov ’28.

Hart (’89) and his wife Gila are the parents of two current (Class of ’25 and ’27) students, one pre-TanenbaumCHAT child and uncle and aunt to many TanenbaumCHAT students and alumni. Hart has been involved as a volunteer and board member in various Jewish and community organizations and is a past treasurer of TanenbaumCHAT.  With a background in finance and consulting, he is an Executive Vice President at LynCar, a plumbing and fire sprinkler products distribution company.

If you’re not a lumberjack or a fur trader, you pronounce it “about” not “a boot”, and you believe that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal… then you are familiar with Cheryl’s award-winning work. Cheryl has over 20 years of experience creating and developing internationally acclaimed, award-winning campaigns for a vast range of products and services, including automotive, athletics, food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, packaged goods, financial institutions and charitable organizations. Currently, she leads a double life as both an art director and as a visual artist.

Cheryl is involved in numerous philanthropic ventures with a compulsion towards volunteerism in several capacities, including her four years currently on the Board of Directors at TanenbaumCHAT. Previously, she served as Chair of the Board of Open Studio, Canada’s only artist-run printmaking centre in Toronto, providing affordable, comprehensive access to printmaking facilities and related programs to local, national and international artists. Most notably, in collaboration with members of the provincial and municipal governments, this endeavour resulted in the creation of a new tax class to protect and encourage arts and culture in Ontario. She has also served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Forest Hill Hockey Association and as Marketing Co-Chair at Robbins Hebrew Academy.

Cheryl and her husband, Barry Schwartz, are the proud parents of Abe (’22) and Lee (’25).

Howard is a partner at the global law firm DLA Piper, where he leads the firm’s Canadian construction law practice. He advises his clients on all facets of construction and infrastructure projects and the litigation and arbitration of construction disputes.

Howard has long been an active volunteer both in the construction industry and in the Jewish community. He is a board and executive member of the Toronto Construction Association, the Chair of their Allied Professions Committee and a former Chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s Construction and Infrastructure Section. He is also a Fellow of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers.  Within the Jewish community, Howard has served on the board and several committees of his synagogue and has volunteered with other non-profit, professional, community and Jewish organizations. Howard and his wife Karen are the proud parents of a current student (Class of ’25) and an alum (Class of ’21).

Jordan has more than twenty years of experience in merchant banking, investment banking and law. Jordan is a Partner at Windsor Private Capital, a Toronto-based merchant bank managing private debt and equity investments on behalf of high-net-worth, family office and pension fund investors. He has served as a director on several public and private company boards.

Jordan received his B.A. from York University and his JD/MBA from the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School. Jordan is the proud father of Hayley ’22, Justin ’23, and Ryan ’28.

David is the managing partner and co-founder of Kent Road Capital, an industrials-focused private equity firm. Prior to founding Kent Road Capital, David spent 18 years at Onex Corporation, a Toronto-based global private equity firm.

During 2020 and early 2021, David served as an advisor to Finance Canada, and then as CEO of Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corp., a Federal Crown Corporation charged with providing liquidity to large Canadian companies impacted by COVID-19.

Before joining Onex, David worked for McKinsey & Co. in New York and Toronto. David is qualified as a chartered accountant, has an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a B.Comm. from University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

David has been a board member of various private and public companies based in Canada, the U.S., Germany, and Switzerland.

David and his wife have four children. He is an avid tennis player and rugby fan. David is actively involved in leadership roles at several Jewish community organizations.

Micki grew up in Ottawa in a family committed to the Jewish community and continuity. There, she attended the elementary Jewish Day School and a performing arts high school. Micki participated on the MOL in 1990, was Head of Jewish Programming at CBB Ottawa and served on the Holocaust Ed. Committee and BBYO.  She graduated from McGill University with a B.Ed.Jewish Education and an M.A. Culture and Values in Education.  In Montreal, Micki wrote curricula with the BJE and Day and Supplementary schools. She participated in the CJA Young Leadership, ICRF Next Generation and Jewish General Hospital fundraising.  After graduating, she was the instructor of "History of Judaism and the Jewish People" at Carleton University. 

Upon moving to Toronto, Micki worked at USDS, The Toronto Heschel School and The Leo Baeck Day School as a teacher. She was the Director of Education at Temple Emanuel and Shaarei Beth El. She completed her Principal's Certification and was the Vice Principal at the Paul Penna DJDS.  Currently, Micki manages Marketing, Design and Strategy for Mizrahi Developments.

Micki has worked with various committees with Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (Co-Chair of Spirit of Hope 2014), Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum and UJA. Within UJA, Micki was Co-Chair of the Lion of Judah and Atarah divisions, Co-Chair of the 2012 and 2013 Walk with Israel, Israel Engagement Committee (helping lead an initiative with TanenbaumCHAT) and Major and Top Gifts campaign.  She has served on the Board of Directors of the JCCs, The Leo Baeck Day School and Koffler. She was Vice Chair 2014 to 2016 and then Chair of the Board of Hillel Ontario 2016 to 2018.  Currently, she is the JFCS Board Chair of Resource Development and is on the Board of KCJE.

Micki and her husband participated in the Fisher Flight program through JFNA. She is the recipient of the 2014 UJA Leadership Development Award. Micki is married to Sam and they have two children, Eden ’25 and Ethan ’26.

Kevin is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a partner at Doane Grant Thornton LLP. Kevin has had a variety of roles with Doane Grant Thornton LLP since joining in 2021, including assurance and business advisory partner for a wide variety of clients, Managing Partner for Southern Ontario and Regional Managing Partner for Central Canada. In his current role as Strategic Market Partner, Kevin leads the firm’s growth initiatives in Central and Western Canada with a focus on mergers and acquisitions as well as senior talent additions.

Kevin has experience working with owners, presidents, CEOs, CFOs and presenting to boards of directors’ as working with stakeholder groups to achieve their objectives. Kevin moved from South Africa to Canada in 2001.  Kevin’s two daughters graduated from TanenbaumCHAT (Classes of ’22 and ’24), and his son is in Grade 9 at TanenbaumCHAT.

Cara Orzech is a CPA with over 20 years of experience in tax practice and education. Following years of public practice in tax, Cara transitioned to a full-time academic role at CPA Canada leading the strategic direction and development of their tax education courses. Cara currently works as a consultant specializing in curating and delivering education experiences for Canadian tax specialists. Cara is an accomplished lecturer, facilitator, and educator at the University of Toronto, York University, the University of Waterloo, and CPA Canada’s In-Depth Tax Program, and is a regular contributor to various Canadian tax textbooks and tax education conferences. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Economics from Huron University, and Masters of Management and Professional Accounting degree from the Rotman School of Management.

While her children attended Robbins Hebrew Academy, Cara served as treasurer of the parents’ association, vice president of the board of directors, member of the budget and finance committee, and established and led an admissions committee that oversaw the implementation of a preschool program.   

Cara and her husband Jamie have two sons, Classes of ’24 and ’28.

Adina Bloom Somer is a Vice President, Director & Portfolio Manager at Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc. Adina draws upon her over 25 years of experience in the Canadian financial industry, where she has garnered a deep understanding of the investment markets and countless clients’ personal wealth  journeys. She engages in daily active stock and market research to support her portfolio management decisions to help clients protect and grow their wealth.

Before joining Bloom in 2010, Adina worked at TD Securities for 9 years. She was a Vice President, Equity Research Analyst at TD Securities, responsible for providing in-depth fundamental equities analysis. Adina started her full-time career on Bay Street as a Sales & Marketing Coordinator in the Private Client Marketing department of one of the big Canadian banks.

Adina currently serves as Vice Chair Community Campaign for UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. She has held many leadership roles within the Federation including Women’s Philanthropy and the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto. Adina is a proud Jewish Federations of North America National Young Leadership Cabinet Alumnus.

Adina received her Honors BA in Political Science from University of Toronto and her MBA from Schulich School of Business with a specialization in Finance and Marketing and has completed Level 1 of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and attained the Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) Designation.

Adina loves to travel and explore new places with her husband Jeff and their two sons, Evan ’24 and Seth ’26.