JULY 28 • 2022 | 15
whatever you want to be involved in,”
he says.
The fact that the border is open and
widely accessible again, which it wasn’t
for parts of the pandemic, makes it
even easier to see friends and relatives
on both sides of the border, he says. “It’s
more active now than it has been in the
past,” he explains. “It’s important that
we maintain those connections with
family and friends in Detroit as well as
they maintain communications with
family here in Windsor.”
Breshgold, who has been on a
committee through the JCC to attract
people to Windsor, says being able to
work remotely, have U.S. citizenship
and Canadian immigration benefits is
very attractive to many, and may be
even more so now. “It’s the best of both
worlds,” he says.
HOME SWEET HOME
Bethe Jarcaig, who is originally from
Southfield, has lived in Windsor for
more than four decades. She met
her husband, Sheldon, who lived in
Windsor as a young man, through
BBYO when she was 18. “There were
a whole bunch of us that moved to
Windsor or moved back to Windsor in
the early ’80s,” she says.
The exchange rate was a primary
driver for their move at first, she
says, but as they became parents, they
discovered Windsor was also a great
place to raise children. Her daughters
went to a public French immersion
school and became bilingual by the age
of 12, she says. “It’s just those types of
small-town facilities we have here that
made our decision stronger to stay
here in Windsor, knowing that we have
this beautiful big brother next door of
Detroit who is available for us at any
time.”
Now in their 30s, her three daughters
also keep close ties with friends from
Camp Tamarack, where they went to
camp as children and developed a sense
of the broader Jewish community from
an early age. Jarcaig works in Canada,
while Sheldon commutes to the U.S.
“My two sisters live in Michigan, so I’m
there all the time,” she adds. “I moved
here a long time ago, and I’ve never
questioned that decision.”
FREE TO FLOURISH
Across these cities in Canada,
opportunities abound, says Hamilton
Federation’s Gustavo Rymberg, who
moved to Canada more than 25
years ago from Argentina and started
working at the JCC as his first job.
“People not only move to Canada
to have a better life but to be part
of the community, to flourish in the
community,” he says. “Maybe they want
to have an adventure and try living in
another country for their own personal
growth.”
He’s hoping to help the Hamilton
Jewish community grow and to
bring new people in to change the
community’s dynamics, he says.
Hamilton has two day schools, two
supplementary Hebrew schools, three
synagogues and a Jewish cultural
center. Hamilton’s had initiatives like
this underway since 2018 and, by the
end of 2019, approximately 22 new
families connected with them, he
says.
“We want Jewish families to know
if there is any kind of Jewish need,
or if they would like to belong to the
Jewish community or have access to
the Jewish community, we are open to
serve them.”
The three Canadian communities
are working together to help people
find the right fit, and the Welcome
Home initiative only strengthens
their offerings, Rymberg says. “This
partnership is allowing us to bring
the best of each one and have a good
product by partnering and sharing.
“If I can inspire someone to have a
better life, I would be happy; and, if at
the same time, I can help my Hamilton
Jewish community grow, to bring in
new people, I would be very happy with
that.”
Jewish Windsorites enjoy
fellowship at this senior
barbecue event.
The Windsor Federation regularly
partners with Metro Detroit Jewish
organizations like The Well, Chabad of
Greater Downtown Detroit and NEXTGen
on events for young professionals, such
as this wine and cheese night.
Youngsters have
fun at Camp
Yomee in Windsor.