OUR COMMUNITY

D

an Brotman began 
his new position as 
executive director 
of the Windsor Jewish 
Federation and Community 
Centre at a less than ideal 
time — during the middle of 
the pandemic last year. 
COVID vaccinations 
were not yet available, and 
Windsor was “one of the 
most locked-down places 
in North America,” he says. 
The city’s retail businesses 
were suffering greatly 
from the government’s 
COVID restrictions and a 
lack of customers, due to 
American government travel 
restrictions to Canada which 
have since been lifted. 

Fortunately, Brotman, 
who has American and 
South African citizenship, is 
designated as an “essential 
employee.” That means he can 
travel freely across the border, 
often attending meetings with 
staff of the Jewish Federation 
of Metropolitan Detroit.
He is a board member 
of the Achdut Detroit 
Council, which includes 
representatives from Jewish 
young adult organizations 
in Metro Detroit and Ann 
Arbor, and is involved with 
NEXTGen and The Well — 
also Detroit-area programs 
for young adults. 
Brotman, 34, says Windsor 
has 60 Jewish-affiliated young 

adults and that joint events 
are planned for the future.
So, what inspired him to 
move from South Africa, 
where he had lived and 
worked for almost 10 years, 
to Windsor? Brotman views 
Windsor’s small Jewish 
community as a “startup that 
needed to be reimagined and 
reinvigorated” — a challenge 
with potential that could 
benefit from his experience 
developing nonprofit and for-
profit ventures.
Similar to Detroit, Jewish 
Windsor has lost population 

because some residents 
are attracted to greater job 
opportunities and more 
vibrant lifestyles in bigger 
cities such as Toronto. As 
a result, the community’s 
population is now about 
1,200-1,300, less than half of 
what it once was.

BOOSTING WINDSOR
But Brotman points out 
that Windsor has several 
strengths. It is the second 
least-expensive city in 
Canada and offers the 
advantage of being an 

26 | OCTOBER 7 • 2021 

New Windsor Federation/JCC 
executive director brings 
international experience and 
optimism to the position.

Building 
 Bridges

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

WINDSOR JEWISH FEDERATION

The I.L. Peretz 
House senior apart-
ment tower and 
the Windsor Jewish 
Community Centre 
building.

FACEBOOK.COM

Dan Brotman 
seeks stronger 
links between 
the Detroit and 
Windsor Jewish 
communities.

