Testimonials

Barmasch Family

We moved to Ottawa in 2022 and we couldn’t be happier with our decision (previously we lived in Thornhill and Hamilton, Ontario). Ottawa is an amazing city, offering many perks of a big city and yet feels safe, clean, quiet and peaceful (bye bye GTA traffic jams!) It has something for everyone: culture, amazing museums, beautiful nature, trails and parks, which we love!

The folks from Choose Ottawa were instrumental in making our move here easier. They answered our many questions about the community, school, day care, and more! Always grateful to Choose Ottawa for sharing their insights which helped us make informed decisions.

The best part of Ottawa, is certainly the Jewish community, a true gem! Jewish life in Ottawa is surprisingly vibrant, warm and very welcoming! We say surprising because one would expect a smaller community to be a little less exciting! But on the contrary, Jewish life in Ottawa is motivating, inspiring and fun! There is no shortage of events and opportunities to meet and connect with the community. We feel blessed to be a part of it!

- Ana and Ezekiel Barmasch, originally from Toronto/Hamilton

Bushewsky Family

I moved to Ottawa to do my Bachelor’s in 2014, and Isaac moved to Ottawa in 2019 to attend law school. Coming from small-town Ontario and Alberta respectively, we both initially loved that Ottawa presented impressive job opportunities, had amazing bike trails and outdoor spaces, and featured an extremely warm and tight-knit Jewish community. But it wasn’t until we individually touched down in the community that we realized the extent to which each of us would feel welcomed and valued. 

Despite that we had a COVID wedding, our simcha was shared widely across the community - with many joining by zoom! And although we had a brief hiatus for Isaac’s articling position in 2022, we were welcomed back home to Ottawa ten months later. When our baby boy was born just a few months later, we received incredible support from community members, including meal trains, babysitting, help with laundry, and so much more. 

Having volunteered previously with on-campus Jewish groups, the Glebe Shul for Young Professionals, and now as active members of Machzikei Hadas and parents of a Jewish pre-schooler, Ottawa has always had so much to offer at every stage of Jewish life. Whether it’s attending cooking events or community meals, taking parent and tot swimming lessons at the JCC, or catching up with friends from Machzikei at shul or during Shabbat in the park, Ottawa offers endless opportunities for our family to grow in our Judaism and connect with the community. 

Ultimately, we love life in Ottawa because of the wonderful friendships we’ve built here, and the growing opportunities the city presents for establishing a solid Jewish home. In our opinion, there is no better place to raise a family, and we feel excited and grateful to be raising ours here. 

- Julia (originally from Alliston, ON) and Isaac (originally from Edmonton, AB)

Elgin Family

In March 2022, we moved to Ottawa and immediately reached out to connect with Jewish life here. We’ve become an active PJ Library parents and Yulia is a Jewish Federation of Ottawa Volunteer Ambassador for Newcomers. Federation welcomed our family with open arms. We were provided with many services and resources upon our arrival in the city, which made us want to do the same for other newcomers so they get connected and feel as special as we felt. It’s only been a year, but we’ve attended events and services at different synagogues, and many various community events, and we are now also members of the Soloway JCC.

-Yulia and Alex Elgin, both originally from the USSR and grew up in Israel. They met while they were both living in Halifax and moved to Ottawa in 2022.

Goldstein Family

We moved to Ottawa from Toronto in 2010, and we absolutely love our life here. We have a wonderful shul community at Machzikei Hadas, our kids are getting an excellent education at Torah Day school, and we love all the outdoor activities that we can enjoy easily after work and after school.

But truly, it is its diversity and inclusivity that makes the Ottawa Jewish community so special. We are so happy that our kids have friends and classmates from different hashkafic backgrounds, and that our children are growing up with such a strong Jewish identity and, most importantly, a lot of Ahavat Yisrael. We’ve heard some people say that they need to live in a larger Jewish centre for the sake of their children’s chinuch (education), but we view it very differently: it is specifically because of our children’s chinuch that we are so happy to live in Ottawa.

- Stacy (originally from Thornhill) & Michael (originally from Ottawa)

Gordon Family

Both my husband and I grew up in Ottawa.

We were living in Brooklyn when I was expecting our first child and as we got closer and closer to having our baby, it became clear to us that we would be heading home to Ottawa. While New York was a lot of fun, the day to day living could be difficult. Things like buying groceries, commuting to work, driving a car, buying a house etc were so much more challenging. We were used to a much higher quality of life in Ottawa and we wanted to return to that and raise our children in an affordable city with lots of beautiful green spaces, parks and family friendly activities.

We also love that the school is small and diverse, every staff member knows all of our children and they are cherished and their needs accommodated. We have lived in Ottawa now for over 10 years and could not be happier.

- Sarah and Sender Gordon (originally from Ottawa)

Green Family

We moved to Ottawa in 2018 when Jason accepted a job at KBI as the new Cantor. Having been overseas or in the US for the previous 15 years, we weren’t sure what to expect. What we found was a warm welcoming community with so much to offer! Our youngest attended OJCS, and our older two boys are highly involved in NCSY including Torah High, and independent learning.

Outside the Jewish community, we love the outdoor activities available. We live in Centrepointe and can connect with the bike trail in the park and bike or walk along the river for miles. As a family we decided to embrace the Ottawa climate and learn to ski. This has become a favourite winter activity and we try to go every Sunday during the season. We love Ottawa’s proximity to so many mountains.

We are thrilled that we have made Ottawa our home!

- Jodi (originally from NY) and Jason (originally from Montreal)

Green Family

We love living in Ottawa because it is a quiet, safe, clean, active and affordable place to raise a Jewish family and where we enjoy many big city amenities but in a smaller town community, feel and environment. We live in Barrhaven and go to Ottawa Torah Centre (OTC), 2 of our kids attend Torah Day School of Ottawa and the other two graduated from TDSO.

- Evan & Alicia (originally from Montreal)

Jinich Family

We moved to Ottawa in August 2021, from Mexico City.  In Ottawa, we found the peace and tranquility that we were looking for.

Ottawa is such a beautiful city full of amazing nature, quietness, little traffic….you can get anywhere in 20 minutes or less.

We found an amazing Jewish community, warm, inviting, caring and willing to help with everything.  We have felt welcomed and always part of everything.

We are so thankful and grateful to say that we are part of Ottawa’s Jewish community and with all the people that made this move so much easier. Ottawa is full of mishpacha.❤️

- Ari Jinich & Jana Fainsod, originally from Mexico City

Marantz Family

Originally from Mazkeret Batia, near Rehovot in Israel, we moved to Ottawa last summer (after a year in Montreal) and we love it. We looked for a community that'll fit us and we found the community of Machzikei Hadas in Alta Vista. It really feels like family. People are warm, welcoming and very positive and active. The atmosphere in Ottawa is relaxed and very family oriented with great parks and beautiful scenery very close by. Our kids learn in Torah Day School of Ottawa and enjoy high quality education with very dedicated staff and PTA. We are very happy we chose Ottawa.

- Chovav & Revital (originally from Israel)

Milech Family

After living our whole lives in Montreal, we moved to Ottawa in the fall of 2021. We moved to be closer to our children and grandchildren and had no expectations other than enjoying closeness to family. However, we were so comfortable here from the moment we arrived. Ottowans are so friendly, whether it be the cashier at the grocery stores or the person walking by you on the street, everyone always says hello with a smile on their face. The pace is so calm; one rarely hears honking horns from impatient drivers and we marvel at how cars stop for pedestrians. Despite lack of sidewalks in many residential areas, drivers always move over for pedestrians and cyclists.

Ottawa has so much to offer with its many green spaces, many bicycle paths and ski trails. There are also well kept beaches within the city which we really enjoy. Ottawa offers a rich and substantial diversity of cultural venues and events.

The Jewish community has been wonderful. The Machzikei Hadas community, in particular, has been so welcoming and through its many diverse programs, we have gotten to know many people and feel very comfortable.

Watching our children raise their family, we can truly attest to how wonderful a city it is to raise children and as seniors, we are enjoying all the city has to offer for our demographic as well!