Community Activism

For the past 25 years Dr. Nora Gold has been constantly involved in community work and social activism that has reflected her various interests and commitments. In addition to her contributions to professional organizations (such as the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work, and the Council on Social Work Education), she has served on numerous community boards, task forces, and committees. Of particular note, in 1982 Gold (with others) founded the New Israel Fund of Canada (NIFC), the Canadian branch of an international organization committed to furthering pluralism, civil rights, democracy, and social equality in Israel. For most of the following 18 years (until the year 2000), she served as Vice-President of NIFC, and for much of this time also sat on the International Board of the New Israel Fund, and then on its international Executive. Gold also helped to found a second organization, Canadian Friends of Givat Haviva, an educational organization promoting tolerance and mutual understanding between Jewish and Arab youth in Israel, and for five years (until 2003) served as its Vice-President. Other noteworthy contributions: Gold was the first female Chair of the Ritual Committee at the First Narayever Congregation, a founding member of Kehillat Yedidya in Jerusalem, a board member of Autism Society Canada, a national board member of Canadian Jewish Congress, and an expert community resource to the Ontario Hate Crimes Commission. In 1998 Gold was recognized by the Toronto Jewish Community as an outstanding volunteer for her work with the New Israel Fund.

Currently Dr. Gold's community involvements include board or advisory council work with the following organizations:

» The Dafna Izraeli Fund
» The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, Brandeis University
» Jewish Women's Archive (Boston)