“…we are very pleased with our ability to continue to bring in speakers of excellence that not only benefit the community at large but families and professionals as well.”

--The Shapiro family

Teaching our children the values of empathy, compassion and self-determination are just some of the topics covered in a brand new public lecture series that is already drawing crowds of parents, educators and social workers from in and around Montreal.

Featuring engaging and insightful conversations with some of today’s top influencers and experts—the first Betty and Bernard S. Shapiro Family Lecture Series kicked off last month at the Shaare Zion Congregation with Dr. Michele Borba, considered today’s “go-to” expert on children, teens, parenting, bullying and moral development. The bestselling author’s engaging talk centred around her latest book, UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World, and Dr. Borba shared personal stories, anecdotes and helpful tips to encourage parents to cultivate empathy in children, from birth to young adulthood.

The second of the three speakers was Julie Lythcott-Haims, who presented this month on the ever troubling phenomenon of “helicopter parenting.” As the former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford University, Lythcott-Haims has developed a reputation as a fierce advocate for students and a strong critic of the growing trend of day-to-day parental involvement. Her talk highlighted the ways in which over-parenting can harm children as well as add stress for parents, and she offered practical strategies that allow children to make their own mistakes and develop the strength, resourcefulness and inner determination necessary for success.

Both these talks were made possible thanks to the generous support of the Shapiro family, who have been longstanding members of the Shaare Zion Congregation as well as loyal supporters of Ometz for several years. In 1998, they established the Betty and Bernard S. Shapiro Family Endowment in an effort to support events that promote family and community.

Now, almost twenty years later, the Shapiro family have again demonstrated their dedication to the Ometz and the greater Montreal community with the Betty and Bernard S. Shapiro Family Lecture Series, which makes it possible to bring world-class experts in the fields of education, human development and the social sciences to Montreal.

Jeffrey Kluger is the last of the three speakers, with his talk scheduled for October 23rd, also at the Shaare Zion. As senior writer at Time Magazine and author of nine books including The Sibling Effect and The Narcissist Next Door, Kluger explores the complex world of siblings, birth order, twins and step kids. His talk will look at the bonds among brothers and sisters and how science’s new ideas about siblings offers insights on our understanding of ourselves and our children.

To learn more about the Betty and Bernard S. Shapiro Family Lecture Series, click here.