Dec. 1, 2025
Wendy Schneider

The Hamilton Jewish Federation has launched a new fund that is expanding access to enrichment programs for families facing financial barriers. Seeded by a gift from Dr. Sandra Witelson and strengthened by a major contribution from the Sherman Foundation, the Witelson Children’s Enrichment Program is giving local children the chance to develop new talents.

Working closely with Federation CEO Gustavo Rymberg, Witelson envisioned a fund that would help Jewish children from financially limited households participate in cultural, athletic, and artistic activities beyond the school day—experiences that can shape confidence, identity, and a lifelong love of learning.

Her inspiration was deeply personal. “So many middle class families like mine were able to give their children ballet or piano lessons,” she said. “You never know when this could become an important event for a child who suddenly realizes they’re a great swimmer or they just love music. I thought this would be an opportunity for kids who wouldn’t have it otherwise.”

But for Witelson, the fund had a second purpose as well—one rooted in strengthening Jewish belonging in Hamilton. She hoped the program would allow Jewish children to engage with the wider Hamilton community through shared activities in public arts, music, and sports settings. “Inter-group communication is a good thing,” she said. “I liked the possibility that Jewish children would have an opportunity to go out and be part of little communities in the broader Hamilton community.”

In consultation with Witelson, Federation developed a memorandum of agreement that outlined the program’s structure, including access, privacy, logistics, and implementation.

The first year of funding included $12,000 from Witelson, which Rymberg divided into four sessions so that up to 10 children per session could participate. Children aged 4 to 12 were invited to apply, with no requirement to disclose personal finances. Families simply needed to indicate that the activity was financially out of reach.

To Witelson’s delight, interest came immediately. “One child wanted to take martial arts, and another wanted to take violin, and there was swimming and ballet ... Everything was very good,” said Witelson.

As participation grew, Federation staff also began to see the program’s broader communal impact. Parents expressed gratitude for the relief of financial pressure. For Federation, the fund has become a model of how targeted support can strengthen both individual families and the community’s relationship to Jewish life.

The program is still evolving—particularly when it comes to the question of continuing lessons for children who fall in love with their activities—but early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Families have begun submitting testimonials describing how much the experience meant to their children.

For Witelson, this initiative is not only an act of generosity but also a tribute to her late husband, Henry Witelson, whose childhood stands in stark contrast to the opportunities the program now provides.

Henry was born in Łódz, Poland, in 1937 into a small business family. Forced into the Warsaw Ghetto and eventually orphaned, he survived the war largely alone and in hiding. After an arduous journey, he reached Israel around 1942, where he was raised on Kibbutz Kfar Aza—just kilometers from Gaza—by a foster family that became Witelson’s own extended Israeli family.

“Henry grew up with none of this,” she said, “So this has been a way of honouring his memory.”
Early success brought an unexpected but transformative development. Rymberg approached the Sherman Foundation, known to many through its historic ties to the Canadian candy industry, and secured a major new donation to dramatically expand the program.

“That was Gustavo,” Witelson emphasized. “He personally approached them. The new funding will allow many more children to participate. It means the program’s future is strong.”

At the same time she founded the children’s fund, Witelson also created the Orphan Enrichment Program at Shalom Village, designed to bring joy and stimulation to apartment-living residents who often have limited evening activities.
With modest funding, Shalom Village has been able to bring in musicians, host karaoke nights, arrange animal visits, and even hold pizza picnics—small pleasures that mean a great deal to residents.

“So it was the same principle,” Witelson said, “just helping people get a little bit of extra enrichment.”

Reflecting on the program’s first months, Witelson speaks not of numbers but of emotion. “From a personal point of view, this donation has really given me a lot of pleasure thinking of these children who couldn’t have had these little extras who are now getting something.”

A fund born from gratitude, shaped by Jewish values, and rooted in memory has become a program that strengthens Jewish life while connecting children to the broader world around them.

For Sandra Witelson, that is exactly the point.