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Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW)

Passionately supports programs and services for Children, Healthcare and Women in Israel and Canada.

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Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW)

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History

There are many inspirational stories that we can share and on March 14, 2010, both Ottawa chapters, AMIT and Negev, had a joint meeting to hear our Guest Speaker Betsy Rigal, the granddaughter of Lillian Freiman (1885-1940), tell the fascinating story of her grandmother.

Betsy Rigal 1

She captured our undivided attention as she did a wonderful job of describing the life of her late grandmother Lillian of blessed memory, a woman that not only accomplished so much in her lifetime  but was also the founder of Canadian Hadassah.

The presentation was entitled My grandmother, Lillian Freiman, Founder of Canadian Hadassah. To view the presentation, click here.

Unquestionably the most prominent Jewish woman in Canada in the interwar period, philanthropist and Zionist Lillian Freiman served as head of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO for twenty-one years and was the first Canadian Jew to be awarded the Order of the British Empire.

Betsy Rigal 2Lillian Freiman was born in Mattawa, Ontario, one of the eleven children of Moses Bilsky (1829–1923) and his wife, Pauline (née Reich, b. Berlin, 1857, m. 1875). Freiman’s sister, Lucy, married Allan Bronfman (1895–1980), brother of Samuel, and with him a founder of Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, the liquor distiller and marketer.

Like many Canadian Jews, Moses Bilsky, who originated in Russian Lithuania, moved back and forth between Canada and the United States for a number of years. Arriving in Canada as a child in 1845, he became caught up in the western Canadian Gold Rush fever and then headed for California, Panama, and back to California. During the American Civil War, he was a Union soldier. His wife was a homemaker.

Betsy Rigal 3In Canada, the Bilsky’s were pioneers of the Jewish community of Ottawa, where they settled after Moses had achieved financial success in the lumber business in Mattawa. For many years, Moses was Ottawa’s most eminent Jewish citizen.

Did you know that the Canadian Army Officers’ Mess was once the home of Lillian Freiman? The Canadian Government published this article on the subject.

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CHW National Office

Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW)

638A Sheppard Ave W, Suite 209
Toronto ON M3H 2S1 Canada
Tel: 416-477-5964 Toll-free: 1 (855) 477-5964
Fax: 416-477-5965
E-mail: info@chw.ca
CRN: 13550 6483 RR0001

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  • Home
  • About CHW
    • Get Engaged
      • Volunteer
      • Visit a CHW Project
    • CHW Projects in Canada
    • Affiliates
    • Annual Donor Report
    • Board of Directors
    • National President
    • ORAH Magazine
    • National Sponsors
    • Careers
  • Children
    • CHW Daycares
      • Clara Balinsky (Montreal) Daycare
      • Judy Mandleman Vancouver Daycare
      • Nina Cohen Atlantic Daycare
      • Rose Dunkelman (Toronto) Daycare
      • Sandy Martin Alberta Daycare
      • Terry Schwarzfeld Ottawa Daycare
      • WIZ Kids Program
    • CHW Schools
      • Hadassah Academic College (HAC)
      • Hadassim Children and Youth Village
      • Nahalal Children and Youth Village
      • Neri Bloomfield Academy of Design
      • Netanya Technological High School
    • WIZO Youth Clubs
    • Canadian Young Judaea
  • Healthcare
    • Shamir Medical Centre (Assaf Harofeh)
    • Hadassah Medical Centre
    • Hadassah Academic College (HAC)
  • Women
    • Calgary Bat-Yam Women’s Centre
    • WIZO Parental Hotline
    • WIZO Shelters
  • Support Us
    • National Events and Fundraisers
    • Donation Cards Store
    • Monthly Giving
    • Legacy Circle
    • Major Gifts
    • Marketable Securities
    • Sustainers
    • CHW Simchas
  • CHW Centres
    • CHW Coast to Coast
    • Calgary
    • Edmonton
    • Kitchener-Waterloo
    • London
    • Montreal
    • Ottawa
    • Toronto
    • Vancouver
    • Victoria
  • Blog