Rabbi Ahron Hoch - Educational Director for the JFI.
Rabbi Hoch is the Rabbi at The Village Shul and Aish HaTorah Learning Centre, a unique community Shul in Toronto. He leads a dynamic, vibrant institution which has developed a reputation for being a leader in family-oriented programming in the downtown Toronto area. Rabbi Hoch offers The Jewish Family Institute leadership as well as educational direction and insight.

"Yetta and Harold Nashman had a vision. They wanted to create a place where Jewish parents could tap into resources to foster happy and healthy families. The Jewish Family Institute was launched almost six years ago with the help of a committed group of volunteers and program directors, formerly Susan Zehavi and now Bronwyn Shepherd.

The idea was to create a place of learning for families where, using the best of Jewish teaching and modern psychology, positive family relationships could be nurtured. Yetta Nashman z ”l would be proud of the way her dream has become a reality.

Today the JFI is a dynamic institute which people now recognize as a beacon of quality family-focused learning programs in our community. Programs are tremendously varied - we offer learning seminars, large community lectures, warm Friday night Shabbat dinners, Holiday cooking classes, experiential learning through high quality craft-making etc. We also have a wonderful program where our talented teachers go out into the community to a variety of events from book clubs to women's groups to school functions.

We are constantly searching for new topics to adequately deal with the very real issues that our community faces. For this reason we would love to hear from you - what are the issues you are facing; what kind of courses do you think would be beneficial to families who have to deal with all the modern-world stresses that are part of our daily lives? Let us know - we rely on your input to remain a current and relevant organization. In the meantime, I urge you to partake in all the wonderful programs that the JFI continues to offer - looking forward to seeing you at one of our events".

Bronwyn Shepherd is the Director of The Jewish Family Institute. 
She has six years of experience in this capacity and has enjoyed taking the  JFI from a fledgling organization to a well known resource in the community.  ”As well as enjoying the work that I do, The JFI has been an invaluable support in my personal life as a mother of three. I hope I can continue to help families in our community to be the best they can be!”

The Jewish Family Institute is also lucky to have a talented and supportive group of volunteers who meet a couple of times a year in an advisory capacity. It is through their support and direction that we, at The JFI, are able to know what topics & issues are relevant to today’s busy family. This way we can respond to the real issues that families face and thereby remain a dynamic & vibrant organization.