Marcelle Sabrin Partouche a eu une vie plus dure que la plupart – une vie marquée par le divorce de ses parents, par le décès prématuré de sa mère, par le placement en famille d’accueil et p...

Marcelle Sabrin Partouche a eu une vie plus dure que la plupart – une vie marquée par le divorce de ses parents, par le décès prématuré de sa mère, par le placement en famille d’accueil et par le danger très réel de l’itinérance. Pourtant, quand on parle avec elle, on est frappé par son optimisme, sa résilience et sa détermination. Elle est reconnaissante à sa mère qui, pendant le peu de temps qu’ils ont passé ensemble, a insufflé à ses enfants la nature essentielle d’une bonne éducation. « L’éducation était extrêmement importante pour la famille », dit-elle. « On avait pris pour acquis que je serais première de ma classe ». Tel était l’héritage de sa mère. Aujourd’hui, Marcelle, qui aura 23 ans à la fin du mois d’avril, étudie les sciences politiques et l’anthropologie à l’Université McGill, et elle espère suivre des cours de droit. Elle est reconnaissante à l’Agence Ometz non seulement de l’avoir aidée à poursuivre son éducation, mais aussi du soutien que l’Agence Ometz continue de lui apporter sous de très nombreuses formes.

Née à Montréal en 1991, Marcelle est la plus jeune de trois enfants issus d’une famille mixte d’immigrants : sa mère, qui était juive, est née en Israël et a grandi en France. Son père était mexicain et catholique. Tous deux ont divorcé quand Marcelle avait trois ans. Adolescente, sa mère a été atteinte du lymphome de Hodgkin qui a été traité par chimiothérapie et radiothérapie, ayant pour conséquence l’apparition de problèmes cardiaques et pulmonaires des années plus tard, quand elle avait une quarantaine d’années. Cela a provoqué de nombreux mouvements : Marcelle et sa sœur ont été envoyées à Miami pour y vivre avec des membres de la famille, tandis que son frère et sa mère parcouraient l’Europe puis les alentours de Montréal pour trouver un traitement médical. Il devint évident que le seul traitement disponible était palliatif et ses enfants ont aidé à prendre soin d’elle.

« Plus la maladie gagnait ma mère, plus elle devenait une forte tête », se souvient Marcelle. Pendant les dernières années de sa vie, Nina Partouche s’interrogea sur ses croyances religieuses et adopta le catholicisme qui « mettait une distance entre elle et sa famille ». En février 2003, Nina Partouche est décédée à son domicile. Les enfants restèrent ensemble sous la supervision d’un travailleur social de Batshaw. Après une série de ce que Marcelle appelle des « mouvements instables », les enfants décidèrent qu’ils prendraient soin d’eux-mêmes. Prétendant que leur père les recherchait, ils se sont soutenus mutuellement et ont suivi leur scolarité au Collège International Marie de France où, en tant que citoyens français, ils ont bénéficié de bourses. Marcelle y a fait tout son secondaire et l’équivalent du Cégep.

À l’âge de 16 ans, sa sœur et elle ont été placées d’urgence en famille d’accueil car leur frère aîné ne pouvait plus s’occuper d’elles. À 18 ans, quand elle est devenue trop âgée pour faire partie du système, elle a décidé d’aller à Haïti après le terrible tremblement de terre de 2010 pour y faire du bénévolat. « J’avais besoin d’être ailleurs », dit-elle. « Ma vie avait été un combat tellement difficile que j’avais besoin de me retrouver entourée de gens qui étaient encore plus dans le besoin ». Après avoir séjourné huit mois en Haïti chez des amis, elle est rentrée et s’est retrouvée principalement sans abri. Elle a contacté l’Agence Ometz où elle est devenue cliente du programme FIX qui vise à maximiser le potentiel des enfants et des jeunes à risque. Amanda Keller, une agente de traitement de cas travaillant pour l’équipe des jeunes à l’Agence Ometz a aidé Marcelle qui avait elle-même connu le système de placement familial. Marcelle décrit l’aide d’Amanda comme « empreinte d’une infinie bienveillance, compassion, empathie, générosité et d’une réelle attention. Elle représente par bien des aspects ce qu’incarne l’Agence Ometz ». Amanda a donné envie à Marcelle de s’inscrire à l’Université McGill. L’Agence Ometz l’a aidée elle et sa sœur à signer un bail et leur a procuré de l’argent et de la nourriture pour pouvoir suivre les cours et payer les livres. Marcelle faisait partie d’un programme qui a permis de diagnostiquer son trouble déficitaire de l’attention. Elle s’est inscrite à un atelier de cuisine à l’Agence Ometz, qui réunissait des jeunes ayant peu de soutien familial sain. « On y fait très peu la cuisine, mais on parle énormément » dit Marcelle. « Cela donne un sentiment d’appartenance. »

Amanda dit qu’elle parle aux jeunes qu’elle aide « comme à mes égaux, qui traversent simplement une mauvaise passe ». Elle s’efforce de leur offrir « des choses que j’aurais aimé avoir quand mon âge ne me permettait plus de faire partie du système : une connexion et du soutien. Vous vous retrouvez sur le fil... dans une grande fragilité. C’est difficile de se ressaisir, et le dialogue est essentiel ». Amanda explique qu’en perdant sa mère à un si jeune âge, Marcelle a manqué beaucoup de choses. « Elle doit travailler pour nouer des relations saines et apprendre où sont les limites... Elle doit apprendre à établir un lien émotionnel avec les gens et à gérer la douleur causée par la perte de sa mère. » Marcelle, qui est aujourd’hui en contact avec un oncle et une tante, déclare : « J’ai désormais un meilleur lien avec ma famille et je sais que sans le soutien de l’Agence Ometz, je n’aurais jamais pu assumer mon identité en tant qu’orpheline, juive, étudiante atteinte d’un trouble de l’attention ou tout simplement en tant qu’être humain profondément gentil ». hide

I had heard about Ometz from a girl living in the same residence with me in my first year at McGill. She had originally wanted to get involved with the Ometz mentoring program, and I thought it would ...

I had heard about Ometz from a girl living in the same residence with me in my first year at McGill. She had originally wanted to get involved with the Ometz mentoring program, and I thought it would be a good opportunity for me as well. I came in for a meeting with Janice Heft and loved her right off the bat. She kept me involved from the start.

I was involved in the mentoring program which meant being paired with a person one-on-one, meeting with them every two weeks, and providing general mentoring to them. The type of mentoring was based on the relationship you developed with your mentee and their individual needs. I was working with a young girl and we became friends right away. As it turned out, she just needed a female influence in her life.

I’m not from Montreal so I always go back home for the summers, and when I’m back home my mentoring partner and I stay in touch via phone or email. One of the best moments was when I came back to Montreal after a summer away. I saw her and we just ran to each other, so happy to see one another. It was great because it solidified the bond we had formed, and confirmed that our friendship wasn’t just one that was planned, or put together by Ometz. We genuinely really missed each other. After that session it put things into perspective about how much the mentorship program meant to her, and also how much it meant to me.

I think Ometz is an absolutely crucial component of the community because organizations like this see the big picture, and see that no one is slipping through the cracks. Without Ometz, a lot of young Jewish kids wouldn’t have the opportunity to reach their potential because they might be getting lost in other systems. It’s a great safety net within our community. Everyone using Ometz services is moving forward to achieve their full potential. hide

Lucky me - I love my job! But my path to get here was a little roundabout… My very first contact with Ometz occurred when I was about 10 years old and a student at the Shaare Zion Academy. Jewish Vo...

Lucky me - I love my job! But my path to get here was a little roundabout… My very first contact with Ometz occurred when I was about 10 years old and a student at the Shaare Zion Academy. Jewish Vocational Service/JVS (one of the 3 agencies that merged to become Ometz in 2008) administered a Stanford University evaluation test to all Jewish day school students – my first contact with the agency. My late father was also active on the JVS board and suggested later that as a teenager unsure of a career path, I try the JVS career orientation tests. Somehow JVS was just always lurking there in the background… By sheer coincidence, while at McGill Law School, I once worked at JVS as a student summer placement counsellor. Never did I suspect that I would later return in a professional capacity. While practicing law for more than 25 years, I remained an active volunteer at Federation CJA and many other community organizations. In 2011, my ‘volunteer career’ resulted in my being recruited to sign on as Executive Director of the agency.

I was in place as Executive Director for about 5 years when I became an early champion of the merger of the three agencies that formed Ometz. I understood that we would be able to simplify and enhance the process for many clients who were accessing services at all three agencies. It has been both challenging and rewarding to help lead and solidify the merger.

One of my fondest memories concerns the JEM workshop, an adapted workplace for people with special needs and disabilities. Since its launch in 1950 it has served thousands of our most vulnerable community members. We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase the JEM building when it became available in 2005. Along with a dedicated group of volunteers, we raised $2 million to renovate the building to better respond to the needs of our workers. We are proud of our partnership with Emploi Quebec which allows us to offer work to 80+ intellectually challenged individuals.

There will unfortunately always be people who need our services. For 150 years we’ve been looking after the most vulnerable parts of the community, and most probably, that role will continue. We have to plan today for a community that may become a little smaller in the future but will still be committed to looking after our most needy. In a period of increased funding challenges, I think Ometz is capable of leading by example—we review our services to make sure we maximize our resources, and we strive to ensure excellent and responsive services for those who need them.

It’s a delight and an honor to be able to work everyday with dedicated volunteers and professionals who are passionate about their work. I consider myself very lucky. hide

After completing my University undergraduate degree, I decided to get more involved in the community. At the time, a very good friend was working at Jewish Vocational Services and encouraged me to vo...

After completing my University undergraduate degree, I decided to get more involved in the community. At the time, a very good friend was working at Jewish Vocational Services and encouraged me to volunteer there. They were looking to rejuvenate their volunteer component, and from there, one thing led to another.

A major undertaking that took place during my presidency was a changeover of some of the senior management of the agency. It was a very difficult time. It was time consuming, mind consuming and emotionally consuming. In addition, a large portion of time was spent working to make JVS as relevant and modernized as possible for the Jewish population involved. We specifically focused on youth and youth retention. We also worked on the skills upgrades needed to make sure people were employable.

Since my time at JVS I have been involved as an officer of Hillel and remain on their board, and am also involved on the board of Camp B’nai Brith. I continue to be involved in Combined Jewish Appeal.

I think Ometz, in the format it is today, is more important than ever. It touches a major portion of any element of the community that would be at risk, be it emotionally or financially. Ometz is there for everyone. In today’s reality it is important to know that this type of organization is out there. Ometz is something that will touch many lives directly because its services are needed for those at risk.

Finally, I owe a debt of gratitude to Ometz because, as a volunteer, I was fortunate to work with and get to know a great professional at JVS Workshop. Today, that lovely woman is my wife of 15 years and mother of our 3 beautiful children! Thank you JVS/ Ometz! hide

My late friend Martin Kirsch was on the board of JVS before me and he encouraged me to join the board so I did. One of his sons may have been in the Workshop, and it seemed like a worthwhile agency to...

My late friend Martin Kirsch was on the board of JVS before me and he encouraged me to join the board so I did. One of his sons may have been in the Workshop, and it seemed like a worthwhile agency to volunteer for. I had been involved in different committees before and after my time at JVS.

The main project/happenings that took place during my period at JVS was the change in policy of the government whereby they required that we pay minimum wage to the employees/clients in the Workshop. The government subsidized the wages that we would be paying the clients. That was a major change for the clients; they would be receiving a much higher income. I also remember the move from a 4-5 storey building, to a ground-level building that was much more convenient for everyone. Those are the two things that stand out to me when I look back on my time at JVS.

After JVS, I continued playing my part in the community. I was national chairman of the Canadian Jewish Congress Committee for Ethiopian Jewry. That was very time-consuming and we were involved in the issue of Ethiopian Jews, to the point of creating a Canadian project whereby we managed to get permission to receive approximately 100 Ethiopian Jews, most of whom are currently in Montreal. After that, I was the founding chair of a family-to-family project in the community that matched recent immigrants to a local family in order to help them in their integration to the Canadian way of life.

My hope is that Ometz will continue the current set-up whereby the three agencies are merged into one. It’s working very well and will continue to work well into the future. I encourage anyone interested in donating to the community by donating to Combined Jewish Appeal and to whatever agency interests the donor. hide

Juste avant mon départ de France, ma sœur a recherché sur internet des endroits où je pourrais manger cachère à Montréal et…elle a trouvé le site de l’Agence Ometz! Elle m’a envoyé le l...

Juste avant mon départ de France, ma sœur a recherché sur internet des endroits où je pourrais manger cachère à Montréal et…elle a trouvé le site de l’Agence Ometz! Elle m’a envoyé le lien et c’est comme ça que j’ai contacté Yaël Soussana.

Quand on arrive de France, on se croit fort. Armés de nos diplômes, nous pensons que tout va bien se passer. Nous avons rencontré Yaël et elle nous a proposé diverses ressources, mais nous ne pensions pas en avoir besoin. Et puis, quand les difficultés sont apparues, nous nous sommes souvenus que quelqu’un nous avait proposé de l’aide. Heureusement nous avons retrouvé Yaël dans ces moments difficiles. Elle était toujours chaleureuse et voulait sincèrement nous aider. Lorsque l’on arrive comme nouvel immigrant, on rencontre du monde tous les jours, mais les personnes qui démontrent vraiment un intérêt pour nous aider sont rares. Peu de gens autour de nous nous écoutaient vraiment. On vous pose la question «Ça va?», mais personne ne s’attarde si la réponse est «non, ça ne va pas.». Mais Yaël vérifiait régulièrement si tout allait bien. Elle a toujours était là pour nous, pour toutes les grandes fêtes, pour nous aider. À certains moments, sans le support de l’Agence Ometz on n’aurait pas pu continuer. Elle nous a vraiment aidés. Elle appelait régulièrement. Elle savait détecter quand ça allait mal et nous a soutenus, conseillés et aidés quand on en a eu besoin. Elle a très bien fait son travail. Nous sommes chanceux d’avoir eu Yaël sur notre chemin.

Avec Candice, nous faisions nos démarches d’immigration et elle nous a aidés à faire tous les papiers… Les papiers, on peut s’y noyer ici si on ne connaît pas! Candice nous a aidés pour notre immigration. C’est pour toutes ces choses que, lorsqu’on ne sait plus sur qui compter, l’Agence Ometz est là. Les personnes qui y travaillent sont incroyables et très chaleureuses. Moralement quand on arrive on se sent seul. Petit à petit, on nous a invités aux évènements de l’Agence Ometz. Pendant ces fêtes, même si on ne connaît personne, les conseillers de l’Agence Ometz sont là : Yaël, Ruth, Candice. L’Agence Ometz est comme une famille de remplacement. Une année, Yaël a insisté pour qu’on vienne à la fête de Hanoukka de l’Agence Ometz. Il y a eu un tirage…et mon fils a gagné un vélo! Vous auriez dû voir son sourire! Cette année-là avait été très difficile pour nous, mais ce jour-là j’ai vu des étoiles dans ses yeux. Pour lui c’était vraiment une chose incroyable.

Je trouve que l’Agence Ometz est une bonne porte d’entrée quand on arrive ici au Canada, que l’on est juif et seul. Si certaines personnes ont des amis ici ou de la famille, c’est peut-être plus facile, mais de plus en plus de familles arrivent ici toutes seules. De jeunes familles quittent la France à cause de l’antisémitisme ou parce qu’il n’y a pas de travail, ou quittent Israël parce c’est trop difficile économiquement, ou d’autres pays comme la Russie ou l’Argentine. Quand on arrive seul, le meilleur port d’attache c’est l’Agence Ometz.

J’espère pouvoir à mon tour aider en donnant à Agence Ometz et à la communauté. Espérons que tout le monde pense comme ça, qu’ils trouvent l’Agence Ometz pour les aider lorsqu’ils arrivent et, lorsqu’ils seront installés et stables, qu’ils se souviennent et aident à leur tour l’Agence Ometz. C’est comme cela que je vois le futur de l’Agence Ometz – que tous ceux qui reçoivent aujourd’hui soient ceux qui donnent demain. hide

I first started to work at Jewish Family Services social center in 1976. I graduated with an MSW at McGill with a concentration in child welfare, and I got a job at JFS in the youth protection program...

I first started to work at Jewish Family Services social center in 1976. I graduated with an MSW at McGill with a concentration in child welfare, and I got a job at JFS in the youth protection program. From that point, I became a supervisor in child welfare. I worked from ’76-80 with two short maternity leaves, and then I did a year as a research director on evaluating social services in Jewish hospitals. Then, I went off for a little while to work at McGill University and Université de Montreal as a researcher. As my children grew, I came back in ’84 to be the director of School Social Services, which I did for five years. Then I left from ’89-93 to work at the Y, and eventually came back to be the director of JFS. At the time, the government had withdrawn funding for JFS, so the organization switched to become a community-funded agency. We were in redevelopment mode from ’93 onward, and I stayed until 2002. During those nine years as director of JFS we grew tremendously, from a budget of $1 million to $5 million.

The first two years of my executive directorship were very exciting because we were really growing. We had to change our mindset and become more entrepreneurial, client/community-oriented, and we had to develop new sources of funding. We reintroduced a family counselling program which had fallen by the wayside, we developed a program for mental health clients, we grew the school program from Jewish day schools-only to a much larger system that helped p We also revamped the way we worked with poor families.

I think Ometz is one of the most critical agencies in the Montreal community, both Jewish and general, in that it serves the most vulnerable families; “vulnerability” defined in many ways—in terms of income, capacity, marginalization, affiliation, and identification. Ometz is a lifeline. It enables people to live in the community with dignity and support. It also enables people to become independent and to get a leg up when they need it. It helps those in need move on with their lives.

I have worked almost my entire career in Jewish communal organizations. From Ometz I became the executive director of the Y, where I was for close to five years. I then moved to Toronto where I became the CEO of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA. That being said, I always look back on my years at JFS as being among the most interesting and stimulating. I really believe that the organization made a huge difference in the lives of the people we helped, and as a professional, I grew enormously and had amazing opportunities. hide

I came from Israel in 2007, and from my first days here in Canada, Ometz was helpful for me and my family. I am very happy to say that I was able to find a job with the help of Jonathan Levey. It was ...

I came from Israel in 2007, and from my first days here in Canada, Ometz was helpful for me and my family. I am very happy to say that I was able to find a job with the help of Jonathan Levey. It was with Jonathan’s help, support, and calls to employers that I achieved this. I don’t have enough words to express my gratefulness to Jonathan. I could not have dealt with this without him, and it would have been a very unpleasant process if he was not there to help me.

In having this opportunity, I would also like to give my appreciation to Natasha Sosunov, Olga Davydova, and Judith Mestel for their encouragement. All of them were always very supportive.

The atmosphere at Ometz was always warm and friendly, and the clients always feel welcomed. Definitely, I would recommend Ometz to new immigrants and to people who need help. Thank you to Ometz for your great efforts in helping job seekers. hide

I was president of Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS) from 1991-1993, before it underwent its merger with JVS and JFS to become Ometz as we know it today. I moved onto the JIAS board in 1988, and it...

I was president of Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS) from 1991-1993, before it underwent its merger with JVS and JFS to become Ometz as we know it today. I moved onto the JIAS board in 1988, and it came about because the president at the time, Barry Shapiro, called up Zittrer, Siblin, Stein, Levine, the firm I was working at, and spoke to Boris Levine. He asked Boris if anyone at the firm would be interested in sitting on the JIAS board, and Boris thought I would be a good candidate. Shortly afterward, I joined JIAS, was on the board for a period, and eventually became president.

During my time at JIAS we created a major project in the community called “The Hundred Families Program”. The goal of this program was to reunite Jews from the former Soviet Union with their relatives already here in Montreal. The program served as a way of increasing the Jewish population in Montreal, and thus to help reverse the demographic trends we were undergoing at the time. We made an agreement with the Federal and Quebec immigration departments, and went to Moscow with government representatives to interview prospects.

The community organized itself well and we created welcome baskets, pick-ups at the airport, Jewish Public Library and Y memberships, Le Mercaz, and founded the Family-to-Family Program (pairing local and incoming families). Of course, we ensured the local relatives were very much involved. Perhaps most importantly, we created a job program designed to find work for the immigrants even before they arrived. The Hundred Families Program was, overall, an exciting program that worked out very well. We followed a strategic plan and initiated many new services. We made immigration to Montreal a positive in our community.

Currently, I am the executive director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal and participated in the planning to bring about the new Ometz.

A core value of Jewish people is to alleviate the status of the poor, and to make them independent. That’s the overriding mission of Ometz in Montreal, and I hope it will continue in the future. hide