Zale Newman
Encyclopedia
Zale Newman is a Jewish community activist and former public official in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
.
, later did graduate work at McGill University
in Montreal
, and holds a Master of Business Administration
degree in Marketing and Corporate Strategy from York University
in Toronto. He has held executive positions at General Mills
, and has been involved with several companies in the financial services industry. Newman was described in 1979 as being affiliated with the Lubavitch movement of Hasidic Judaism
.
and 1980
municipal elections. He called for a "back to basics" approach to education in the latter campaign along with a tougher approach to drugs and vandalism, and was endorsed by the North York branch of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation. He lost both times to Frances Chapkin.
He was elected on his third attempt in 1982
, and re-elected in 1985
. Newman served on a special board committee on drug and alcohol abuse, and was a vocal promoter of The Open Flame, a thirty-minute production on drug use written by Toronto-area students. He also supported free breakfasts for low-income students.
In May 1988, Newman brought forward a motion which would have permitted trustees to reassign teachers with AIDS
out of classroom situations. He argued that these teachers should be reassigned to comparable jobs out of the classroom, rather than provoking what he described as "a moral issue with parents". The motion was rejected. Newman did not seek re-election in the 1988 municipal election
.
. He worked as record producer for Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
on nine albums, and helped create the group Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men
in 1979 to educate children about the Jewish religion. Newman has said that he provided the voice of Uncle Moishy on early albums. He is no longer active with the group.
He was appointed as the National Director of the Orthodox Union's National Conference of Synagogue Youth
in 2003, after thirty-five years of working within the organization. Newman was forty-seven years old at the time of his appointment, and was a partner with Panfinancial in Toronto. He announced that he would use modern marketing techniques to reach out to a teenaged audience, and work against assimilation and intermarriage. He also focused on strengthening ties between Canada's Jewish community and Israel
.
In 2006, Newman raised funds to help former residents of Gush Katif
in Gaza
relocate to a new settlement within Israel.
Currently, Newman teaches classes and occasionally leads services at Aish HaTorah
's southern Toronto
location, the Village Shul synagogue and Jewish education centre.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Early life and career
Newman is a graduate of Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
, later did graduate work at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and holds a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree in Marketing and Corporate Strategy from York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto. He has held executive positions at General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
, and has been involved with several companies in the financial services industry. Newman was described in 1979 as being affiliated with the Lubavitch movement of Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
.
School trustee
Newman ran for election to the North York Board of Education in the 1978Toronto municipal election, 1978
The Toronto municipal election of 1978 held on Monday, November 13, 1978, was the first seriously contested mayoralty race in Toronto, Canada, since David Crombie took office in the 1972 election...
and 1980
Toronto municipal election, 1980
The 1980 Toronto municipal election was held on November 10, 1980 in Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mayors, controllers, city councillors and school board trustees were elected in the municipalities of Toronto, York, East York, North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough.Art Eggleton narrowly...
municipal elections. He called for a "back to basics" approach to education in the latter campaign along with a tougher approach to drugs and vandalism, and was endorsed by the North York branch of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation. He lost both times to Frances Chapkin.
He was elected on his third attempt in 1982
Toronto municipal election, 1982
The 1982 Toronto municipal election was held on November 8, 1982 in Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mayors, controllers, city councillors and school board trustees were elected in the municipalities of Toronto, York, East York, North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough.Art Eggleton was...
, and re-elected in 1985
Toronto municipal election, 1985
The 1985 Toronto municipal election was held to elect members of municipal councils, school boards, and hydro commissions in the six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The election was held on November 12, 1985.-Mayor:...
. Newman served on a special board committee on drug and alcohol abuse, and was a vocal promoter of The Open Flame, a thirty-minute production on drug use written by Toronto-area students. He also supported free breakfasts for low-income students.
In May 1988, Newman brought forward a motion which would have permitted trustees to reassign teachers with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
out of classroom situations. He argued that these teachers should be reassigned to comparable jobs out of the classroom, rather than provoking what he described as "a moral issue with parents". The motion was rejected. Newman did not seek re-election in the 1988 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 1988
The 1988 Toronto municipal election was held to elect members of municipal councils, school boards, and hydro commissions in the six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The election was held November 14, 1988.-Metro:...
.
Community leader
Newman is a prominent figure within Toronto's Jewish community, and has been especially active in producing musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. He worked as record producer for Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach , known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a Jewish rabbi, religious teacher, composer, and singer who was known as "The Singing Rabbi" during his lifetime...
on nine albums, and helped create the group Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men
Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men
Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men is a Jewish American children's edutainment group based in New York City, featured in audio and video releases, as well as appearing live in concert. Their tapes, CDs and videos are sold in most Jewish music and Judaica stores....
in 1979 to educate children about the Jewish religion. Newman has said that he provided the voice of Uncle Moishy on early albums. He is no longer active with the group.
He was appointed as the National Director of the Orthodox Union's National Conference of Synagogue Youth
National Conference of Synagogue Youth
NCSY is an Orthodox Jewish youth group sponsored by the Orthodox Union. Founded in 1954, it has members in the United States, Canada, Israel, Chile, and formerly also in Ukraine. Its slogan is Inspiring the Jewish Future...
in 2003, after thirty-five years of working within the organization. Newman was forty-seven years old at the time of his appointment, and was a partner with Panfinancial in Toronto. He announced that he would use modern marketing techniques to reach out to a teenaged audience, and work against assimilation and intermarriage. He also focused on strengthening ties between Canada's Jewish community and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
In 2006, Newman raised funds to help former residents of Gush Katif
Gush Katif
Gush Katif was a bloc of 17 Israeli settlements in the southern Gaza strip. Gush Katif was specifically mentioned by Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister who fell victim to an assassin in 1995, as essential to Israel's security border. In August 2005, the Israeli army moved the 8,600...
in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
relocate to a new settlement within Israel.
Currently, Newman teaches classes and occasionally leads services at Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah is a Jewish Orthodox organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah is actively pro-Israel and encourages Jewish people to visit Israel and connect to the land and its history. Some consider the organisation to reflect a more Religious Zionist philosophy in its attachment to Israel, promoting...
's southern Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
location, the Village Shul synagogue and Jewish education centre.