BUILDING OUR
A pivotal moment
for Jewish Toronto
A Note from our Leadership
Jewish Toronto stands at a defining moment. Our community is experiencing both extraordinary engagement and unprecedented challenges. The decisions we make in the next five years will shape the trajectory of Jewish life in Toronto for the next generation. These decisions will advance our vision of leading the most vibrant Jewish community in North America—one defined by unity, compassion, generosity, and a commitment to Israel and Jewish values.
We are fortunate to have deeply committed community members, generous donors, engaged volunteers, and a professional team driven by passion, skill, and purpose. These strengths give us confidence as we navigate increasing complexity and rising expectations, and they reinforce the importance of UJA operating with the highest standards of professionalism, co-ordination, and stewardship.
This strategic plan offers a clear vision for how UJA will deliver meaningful and measurable impact for Jewish Toronto. It is rooted in extensive consultation across the community and in a shared conviction that UJA must continue to evolve, innovate, and lead with purpose.
The plan focuses on the enduring priorities that will define and sustain Jewish life in Toronto for years to come. It strengthens the safety and vitality of our community, expands lifelong access to Jewish learning and engagement, ensures care and support for those who need it most, deepens our connection with Israel and the global Jewish people, and reinforces the resilience of our institutions and communal infrastructure. It also outlines how we will measure progress over time, ensuring transparency, accountability, and shared understanding of the impact we are striving to achieve.
We also recognize that delivering on this plan requires more than strong programs and investments. It requires an organization operating at its very best—aligned internally, disciplined in execution, and committed to excellence across all departments. UJA will continue to invest in leadership; fortify our financial resilience; and strengthen the systems, data, and technology that support effective decision making and seamless collaboration.
Success will mean that donors feel confident that their investment is stewarded with rigor and impact. Volunteers feel connected and empowered. Agencies and partners experience UJA as a strategic convener and collaborative leader. Most importantly, Jewish Toronto becomes stronger, safer, more connected, and more resilient.
Ken Tanenbaum
Chair of the Board
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
Adam Minsky
President & CEO
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
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Download The Strategic Plan
UJA’s 5-Year Strategic Plan
BUILDING THE COMMUNITY WE ENVISION
Over the next five years, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto will lead a co-ordinated, community-wide effort to strengthen Jewish life, deepen our connection to Israel, and secure our place in Canadian society. Grounded in data and shaped by the voices of more than 1,600 community members, this plan reflects both the urgency of today and the promise of tomorrow.
A Plan Built on Data and Community Input
Through online surveys, in-person roundtables, stakeholder interviews, and facilitated sessions with agency partners, rabbis, donors, volunteer leaders, and professionals across the GTA, UJA gathered diverse perspectives spanning ages, Jewish affiliations, and geographic areas.
We engaged both long-standing and emerging communities to ensure that every segment of Jewish Toronto was represented. Throughout the process, UJA worked closely with senior leadership, staff, and key stakeholders to test insights, refine priorities, and validate direction. The strategic planning team also reviewed demographic trends, service data, and post-October 7th realities, synthesizing both qualitative and quantitative findings.
This plan is the product of that deep engagement shaped by data, informed by lived experience, and guided by the collective vision of our community.
Our Strategic Framework
This plan is built around two interconnected parts that together define both what we will achieve and how we will make it real.
Together, these strategies ensure not only a compelling vision, but also the organizational strength, co-ordination, and discipline to deliver it with scale, speed, and measurable impact.
View our previous Strategic Plan here.
TORONTO IS HOME TO ONE OF THE STRONGEST JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD.
More than 50,000 Jews and allies participate in the Walk with Israel
70% of young families receive monthly PJ Library books, connecting them with Jewish life from their earliest years
More than 10,000 children attend Jewish day school
More than 20,000 of our most vulnerable are supported by UJA-funded Jewish social services
The Four Pillars
of Our Strategic Plan
Together, these pillars reflect our mission–to enrich Jewish life, care for those in need, and strengthen our community at home and abroad.
1
Welcoming the Surge
& Caring for Every Jew
ENGAGING EVERY JEW WHO RAISES THEIR HAND
We are at a remarkable moment of Jewish engagement. Since October 7th, Jewish Toronto has experienced a powerful surge of people seeking to affiliate, participate, and connect. Our educational programs, including PJ Library, Jewish day schools, Israel experiences, and summer camps, are growing rapidly. We are gathering in numbers never before seen, whether at the Walk with Israel, memorials, or community events celebrating Jewish pride and solidarity. Amid this resurgence, a parallel surge in need has emerged, with growing insecurity driving more people to seek urgent care and support within the Jewish community, particularly in the areas of mental health and poverty relief.
This surge represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to welcome every person who raises their hand, and to ensure they find their place in Jewish life today and into the future. This includes ensuring that our most vulnerable community members receive timely, expert support, as rising demand in mental health and poverty relief places increased pressure on human services agencies.
Every Jew, wherever they are and however they live, should be able to discover the power of Jewish identity and community
ESCALATING JEWISH ENGAGEMENT
The following data illustrates both the extraordinary opportunities and challenges that define this moment for Jewish Toronto. Each figure highlights why welcoming and sustaining today’s surge of engagement is central to building a stronger, more connected community.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
A STRONGER, PROUDER JEWISH TORONTO
Jewish Toronto will channel today’s unprecedented engagement into long-term connection and care by:
Jewish Toronto will be both a broader and deeper community, where every generation, from young families to seniors, is connected to meaningful Jewish life. Across city centres and emerging suburban regions, Jewish identity will thrive through strong networks of care, affordability, and belonging. Our community will not only grow in numbers but grow closer, more vibrant, more compassionate, and united by a shared purpose.
2
Building a
Resilient Identity
Strengthening Pride, Knowledge,
and the POWER to Act
Being Jewish today requires strength, clarity, unity, and resilience that is built not only in crisis but in confidence. Post-October 7th, Jewish identity has taken on new urgency. Resilience means more than survival; it means pride, knowledge, and the confidence to act with purpose.
We will build a resilient community by giving every person the tools, inspiration, and knowledge to live proudly with a strong Jewish and Zionist identity—a core expression of Jewish peoplehood and the belief in the Jewish people’s religious, cultural, and historic connection to the Land of Israel. In such a community, each of us understands our role in the greatest collective project of our time: the ongoing rebuilding of Israel and the strengthening of Jewish peoplehood worldwide. Resilience also means cohesion, knowing how to engage constructively, even when we disagree, and moving forward together.
Every Jew should be empowered with the skills to stand up for their values
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
The following data shows both the strength of Jewish Toronto’s identity and the urgency to turn this moment of pride into sustained action and learning.
The Opportunity: From Unity in a Time of Crisis to Enduring Resilience
While recent crises have galvanized activism and solidarity, sustained resilience requires knowledge, dialogue, and leadership pathways that strengthen identity in everyday life, not just in moments of urgency. The numbers point to a community eager to engage. We must now provide the infrastructure to keep that momentum alive.
What SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
A Resilient Jewish Toronto
Jewish Toronto will transform today’s pride and solidarity into lasting strength, building a community that is confident in its Jewish and Zionist identity, united in purpose, and ready to lead with knowledge and courage by:
Jewish Toronto will be both proud and prepared: a community rooted in Jewish and Zionist identity, strengthened through knowledge and relationships, and empowered to lead with confidence and unity in any circumstance.
3
Helping to
REBUILD ISRAEL
Investing in Renewal and Connection
In the aftermath of October 7th, our bond with Israel, the ancestral homeland central to Jewish history and faith, has only deepened. The devastation has left lasting scars, but also inspired extraordinary unity and resolve. Over the next five years, UJA will lead Toronto’s community-wide effort to help rebuild and strengthen the people of Israel through investments in education, mental health, and leadership across Israel. We will also help connect Jewish Toronto to Israel through hands-on volunteer experiences and long-term partnerships that rebuild lives and strengthen our shared future.
as israelis walk the road to recovery, we will be with them every step of the way
IMPACT THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS
The following data illustrates how Jewish Toronto’s partnership with the people of Israel has deepened since October 7th and why sustained investment, connection, and shared leadership are essential to rebuilding Israel and strengthening our collective future.
The Opportunity: Rebuilding Together for the Long-Term
The unity, generosity, and activism of the past year mark the beginning of a new era in Toronto–Israel relations. Our challenge now is to sustain this momentum by transforming emergency response into an enduring partnership. Our goal is a future in which Jewish Toronto stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israelis as a partner in recovery, growth, and hope.
What SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
a community defined by an even deeper connection to israel
Jewish Toronto will turn today’s extraordinary generosity and unity into lasting partnership with Israel, its Jewish and Zionist identity, united in purpose, and ready to lead with knowledge and courage by:
Jewish Toronto will continue to be seen as a true partner in Israel’s renewal: a community that rebuilds with compassion, invests with strategy, and stands with Israel not only in times of crisis but in the everyday work of building a stronger, more hopeful Jewish future.
4
Confronting
Antisemitism
AND Securing Our Place in
Canadian Society
Since October 7th, antisemitism has risen to levels unseen in generations. Confronting it and securing our rightful place in Canadian society is essential to our survival and dignity as Jews. This requires a coordinated, community-wide approach that draws on a wide range of tools to achieve an impact. Whether it’s community security measures, advocacy, legal action, education, or support for Jewish students, UJA has a comprehensive strategy to safeguard Jewish life and our Jewish way-of-life.
the fight against jew-hatred is the fight to protect our Canadian values
MEET THE CHALLENGE
The following data reveal both the scale of antisemitism’s resurgence and the determination of Jewish Toronto to respond with unity, investment, and strength. Each figure underscores why this pillar securing our community and protecting Jewish life in Canada is essential to our collective future.
These numbers tell a sobering but clear story: antisemitism is entrenched and evolving. Yet they also reveal our community’s resilience and determination to confront hate with unity, strength, and purpose. To secure our place in Canadian society, we must strengthen security, amplify our collective voice, and mobilize allies who share our values. The task ahead is not only to protect Jewish life, but to ensure that Jewish pride and participation flourish openly and confidently across Canadian society.
What SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
Antisemitism is pushed back to the margins
Jewish Toronto will transform determination into action, strengthening security, amplifying advocacy, and restoring confidence and pride in Jewish life across Canada by:
Jewish Toronto will stand as a model of resilience and resolve: a community that protects its people, mobilizes allies, and ensures that Jewish life in Canada remains strong, proud, and secure for generations to come.
HOW WE ARE Planning
FOR THE FUTURE
UJA is designed to think long-term, anticipating what’s coming 5, 10, and 20 years from now to ensure our community is ready for future challenges.
While the priorities in this plan address today’s most urgent needs, our planning is ongoing. As we deepen engagement, strengthen identity, build partnerships, and enhance security, we are also laying the groundwork to ensure Jewish Toronto thrives.
PLANNING FOR OUR FUTURE MEANS ADDRESSING LONG-TERM CHALLENGES
These emerging priorities reflect our enduring mission: to plan boldly, invest wisely, and build a Jewish Toronto that remains strong, inclusive, and connected for generations to come.
Housing
Tackling affordability for low-income renters and middle-income homeowners, so Jewish families can continue to live in the Greater Toronto Area and thrive within strong, connected neighbourhoods.
AGING
Preparing for a rapidly growing senior population by reimagining how we engage and support older adults across all stages of later life, from independence to care.
Summer Camps
Expanding capacity and affordability to meet rising demand, ensuring that immersive Jewish experiences remain accessible to every child and family.
How We Do It
The UJA Advantage
Together, the four pillars chart the course for Jewish Toronto’s renewal. But vision alone is not enough. To deliver at scale, UJA must also strengthen the systems, leadership, and financial foundation that make collective impact possible.
At a time of challenge and possibility, UJA Federation stands at the heart of Jewish Toronto, bringing people together to care, lead, and build. Rooted in unity and driven by purpose, we turn compassion into action and vision into lasting impact. Together, we are building a stronger, prouder, and more connected Jewish future.
Our community’s strength depends not only on bold vision, but also on the ability to deliver it. UJA is uniquely equipped to make this plan happen through scale, co-ordination, and expertise that ensure every dollar, volunteer, and idea achieves maximum impact.
Accountability and Results
We will measure progress annually by tracking participation, engagement, security, and impact across every pillar. Transparent reporting and public impact updates will ensure that every dollar, partnership, and initiative contributes to one shared outcome: a Jewish Toronto that is strong, united, and ready for the future.
CONCLUSION
This is our moment.
Let us build the future together.
We stand at an inflection point. Out of pain has come purpose, and out of urgency has come a renewed determination to build.
With the four pillars to guide our strategy over the next five years, UJA will welcome and connect, teach and strengthen, rebuild and protect. We will measure what matters, scale what works, and invest where it counts, so that our community is broader in its reach, deeper in its belonging, and stronger in its resolve.
The work ahead will require courage, discipline, and partnership. It will ask each of us—donors, volunteers, professionals, and allies—to lead. If we do, we will leave our children with a Jewish Toronto that is prouder, safer, more united, and more connected to Israel than ever before.
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