Over 600 people attended the Gala evening organized by The Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in honour of prominent community leaders Hope and Howard Morry on Wednesday, October 23rd, at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
Over $600,000 was raised by the event, and the funds will go towards the new Hope and Howard Morry Global Leadership Initiative at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva.
Larry Vickar, who is a member of the BGU World Board of Governors and was one of the co-chairs of the event told the Winnipeg Jewish Review that "It [the Gala] was an unqualified success in both the number of attendees as well as the funds raised for a good cause due in large part to the deserved honourees Hope and Howard Morry. And as well it didn't hurt to have the renowned legal mind of Alan Dershowitz as the keynote speaker."
Mitchell Oelbaum, CABGU National President indicated that Hope and Howard personified "the Jewish tenet of Tikkun Olam.” In an honouree tribute video, Gail Asper noted that the Morrys’ are committed Zionists, who know how to get things done.
Chuck La Flèche of Global Philanthropic and master of ceremonies of the evening praised the Morrys’ commitment to philanthropy, and noted that he admired Howard’s work with First Nations communities.
In his gracious remarks at the event, Howard Morry (a lawyer with Pitblado law who specializes in Aboriginal law, business law, and tax and estates law) spoke about the importance of family and leadership. He indicated that “life is a family affair,” and said that “Everything we have we owe to our parents and our families. And not just what they gave us, but what they taught us, especially by how they lived their own lives. How to work hard, how to sacrifice, how to treat others- That’s our real inheritance.”
Howard then added, “We also stand on the shoulders of giants who showed us the meaning of community. Izzy Asper, Harold Buchwald, Marjorie Blankstein and so many others.”
He continued, “We will never do anything better than raising [our children] Josh and Samantha, who make us proud every day. Josh and Sam really gave us the idea of supporting young leadership.”
“We need to encourage our youth to become leaders - to dream big, to be strategic, to inspire others,” he added.
He continued by saying “Hope and I have done that by supporting leadership initiatives. One area we have worked on for over a quarter of a century is supporting young indigenous leadership. Taking the lead from aboriginal elders, we have provided support, especially to young indigenous professionals and entrepreneurs.
“Another initiative close to our heart is HMLC [Howard Morry Leadership Confernece], the annual Leadership conference put on by the Asper school of Business at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, where some of the country's top leaders share their stories of success and failure with budding leaders.”
Howard then stated, “Every one of you here tonight is supporting leadership training through the global leadership initiative being established at Ben-Gurion University with your contributions and sponsorships. We have great hopes for this Initiative, not only to develop leaders in Israel but worldwide and right here in Manitoba. There is already an exchange program between the U of M and BGU in the name of Arni Thorsteinson and supported by Gerry Schwartz. We will build on this bridge to share best practices between Israel and Canada. And what better place to do that than at Ben-Gurion University, named after the legendary founder of Israel, whose vision and perseverance created nothing less than a modern miracle.”
Professor Daniel Chamovitz, president of Ben-Gurion University, (who brought greetings at the event), wrote in a program booklet for the event that “The Hope and Howard Global Leadership Initiative comes at a perfect time in BGU’s development and fits perfectly with my strategic plan. A holistic concept, the Initiative will become a driving force in seeding, nurturing, and inspiring needed leadership skills among the partners in the development of Israel’s southern region, the Negev. It will involve students and researchers, faculty and staff, graduates, industry and politics-the impact of this initiative will impact not only the Negev, but Israel and the world.”
It should be noted that both Howard and Hope Morry have a distinguished record of community service. Howard was the youngest president in the history of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, a founding member of the Arab-Jewish Dialogue, and a two-time co-chair of the Combined Jewish Appeal’s annual campaign. Additionally, he has been recognized or held leadership roles with State of Israel Bonds, the Jewish National Fund, Hadassah, Shaarey-Zedek Congregation, UIA Federations Canada, and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. He also served for 25 years on the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, and was the Manitoba Chair of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Hope has served on the boards of The Jewish Federation, Canadian Friends of Hebrew University (Wpg Chapter), Hadassah-WIZO, The Manitoba Opera, and The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. She has chaired many very successful events in the community, and has been honoured by a number of organizations.
At the event it was noted that Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in the spring of 2020. As Galit Baram, Consul General wrote in the program booklet for the event, “BGU today continues to embody the Zionist spirit of its founders. With campuses form Be’er Sheva to Eilat, BGU has brought excellence in many academic fields to the South of Israel, including its remarkable work in environmental studies. The university has also had a significant impact on social mobility and the integration of minorities in the region.”
Professor Alan Dershowitz was the keynote speaker at the event. His remarks will be the subject of an additional article.
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