Dov (Dubi) Shlenger  became the new director of Machon Madrichim, a Jewish leadership development program for students ages 15-17 as of September 2010. (info re Machon madrichim is at the bottom of this article)

He is no stranger to the Winnipeg Jewish Community. He has been connected to our community through Partnership 2000 (P2K) for over ten years, a program that fosters connections between students in Winnipeg and students in Israel.

An educator from Danciger High School in Kiryat Shmona, Dov brings 25 years of experience working with high school students of various backgrounds including students at risk. His leadership experience includes coordinating educational programs, leadership development programs, as well as extra-curricular programming at Danciger. 

Additionally, Dov recently served as the P2K co-chair for the Upper Galilee and has been involved in many of the projects between Canada’s Coast-to-Coast region (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa and the Atlantic region) and Israel. As co-chair of Partnership 2000's Gesher Chai program, Dov visited Winnipeg in the summer of 2009 to meet with local chair, Marty Greenfeld to further develop plans to expand the program.

Dov and Marty worked with our local camps, B’nai Brith and Massad, to develop a program by which post army shlichim (volunteer councilors) from our partner region in Northern Israel would attend our camps as volunteers and run a number of Israeli, educational and cultural programs.

The main purpose of his visit was to better understand each camp environment and culture, so that he can better match the potential shlichim in Israel to the Winnipeg camps.

Dov arrived in Winnipeg from Israel in June 2010. He is married (common law) to Anat and they have five children between them. Anat has come with him to Winnipeg, but their children remain in Israel. Dov and Anat are expecting their first grandchild this summer. Dov spent three years as a combat paratrooper in the Israeli Defense Forces before working at Danciger High. He is excited to be in Winnipeg and is looking forward to the upcoming Machon Madrichim programming with the sixteen madrichim this year, including volunteering at the Sharon Home, the Grade 6 Gray Academy Shabaton, the community Yom Hazikaron ceremony and the community Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration.

Rory Paul (Head of the Gray Academy and CEO of the Board of Jewish Education) had been in contact with Dov in Israel over the last year and a half offering him a position with the Board of Jewish Education. After a lengthy process with the Canadian Embassy to get a work permit, Dov was finally able to come to Winnipeg in June 2010.

Dov is now working for the Board of Jewish Education as Coordinator of Life-Long Learning. In this recently created position, he will work with the synagogues and the Rady Jewish Community Centre to expand Jewish education in the community with an emphasis on teens and younger adults.

He is also currently teaching a monthly Israeli cooking class called the “Lemon, Garlic and Olive Oil Cooking Series”. He designed this program for members of our community to learn how to cook traditional Israeli and Jewish cuisine in a social and engaging atmosphere. The cooking series is organized in partnership with J-PEG, Etz Chayim Synagogue, the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education, Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and The Jewish National Fund.

Cooking has been a life-long hobby for Dov. He says that “teaching this class is the best combination of my hobby and the opportunity to meet new people - new arrivals from Israel and Winnipeggers - where we can all have fun and cook Israeli food together.”

Each session costs $15/person and includes the cooking lesson, the meal and take home samples. If you are interested in participating in the next cooking class on February 17th, 2011 please contact Dov at: [email protected] or 477-7514.

Coming to Winnipeg to work in the Jewish community was once just a dream as part of his connection to our community through P2K. Now, for him, it has become one big exciting reality.

More About Machon Madrichim

Machon Madrichim is a two-year Jewish leadership development program. Grade 10 and 11 students get the opportunity to meet new people, develop their leadership skills, make a difference within the Jewish community, and become active community leaders.

Through classes, workshops, practical experiences and travel, madrichim learn the skills needed to make a difference within our Jewish community enabling them to plan and deliver youth activities to pass on awareness, values and traditions to young members of our community.

Machon Madrichim learn about Judaism, traditions, celebrations, child psychology,  group dynamics, leadership, activity planning techniques, leadership, community and social involvement through observation and research, by planning children’s activities and participating in workshops and field trips.

Machon madrichim is generously sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, the Dorothea Gould Foundation and the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue and works in partnership with several Jewish organizations.

For further information, contact Dov Shlenger at the Machon Madrichim office at 477-7456, email [email protected] or go to www.machonmadrichim.org

More About Partnership 2000 (P2K)

P2K involves a variety of Living Bridge/ Gesher Chai programs developed to strengthen Jewish values and to foster a connection among high school students and teachers in the Upper Galilee Panhandle and in Canada. This is achieved through innovative educational projects, video conferencing and reciprocal visits.

The bridge between Winnipeg and Israel's Galilee is regularly crossed as students from the Gray Academy and Brock Corydon School maintain frequent contact with students in the Galil. Through email, letters, video conferences and visits, the students learn about each other and each another's countries.

Through the generous support of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, since 2002 Gray Academy has sent close to 60 young leaders on the Partnership 2000 delegation to Danciger High School in Kiryat Shmona. This program has had a profound impact on each individual student as it allows them to truly experience what life is like for their same age peer living in Israel. They return to Winnipeg leaving behind close friends whom they consider family, and their second home – the community of Kiryat Shmona.  It is no surprise to learn that almost all students return to Israel within less than two years and always return to visit their family and friends in Kiryat Shmona.  This commitment to strengthening the bond between Jewish teenagers in Israel and the Diaspora is an investment in the future of our community and our continued commitment to the State of Israel. 

Winnipeg's Gesher Chai program is recognized across the country as one of the strongest programs both through the Gray Academy student exchange with Danciger High School in Kiryat Shmona as well as our teacher exchanges with both Brock Corydon and The Gray Academy's partner school in Northern Israel.