Thank you to everyone who joined us in honouring Eugene Levy on May 17, 2018. Proceeds from the Negev Dinner will support ALEH Jerusalem, part of Israel’s premier network serving children and young adults with severe multiple disabilities.

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Hollywood Comes to Hamilton

The Negev Dinner was created by JNF Canada to honour outstanding communal leaders, distinguished citizens, and significant events in Canadian Jewish life. This year the JNF Hamilton Negev Dinner will glitter with a touch of theatrical magic!

JNF Hamilton is proud to be honouring the gifted comic actor, producer, and writer Eugene Levy, who was born and raised in Hamilton.

After attending Central and Westdale Secondary Schools, Levy attended McMaster University, where his friends included fellow students Martin Short (also from Hamilton), Ivan Reitman, and Dave Thomas. Life-long friendships resulted, as they all pursued what became successful careers, first in Toronto, then in Hollywood.

Levy has won countless entertainment awards, including a New York Film Critics Circle Award, a Grammy Award®, two Emmys® for his writing on SCTV, and a Golden Globe® nomination.

Levy’s early work in Toronto also solidified lifetime friendships with fellow Canadians Paul Schaefer, Andrea Martin, and long-time collaborator Catherine O’Hara. In 2013, after appearing in more than 60 films, Levy formed Not A Real Company Productions with his son Daniel Levy and brother Fred Levy, to produce Schitt’s Creek, a TV series filmed in Toronto and Goodwood, ON. He co-created, co-executive produces, and co-stars in the multiple award-winning show with son Daniel, daughter Sarah Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy and Chris Elliott. The popular program is broadcast on CBC in Canada and PopTV and Netflix in the United States. The show has received numerous Canadian Screen Awards, and Eugene was given the prestigious Legacy Award (along with co-star and long-time collaborator, Catherine O’Hara) from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Eugene Levy is a member of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, the foremost Canadian honour presented for excellence in the performing arts.

The Jewish National Fund, known for its environmental projects like reforestation, innovative water management, and agricultural research and development, is also involved with NGOs in Israel that are providing care and services to the disabled, youth-at-risk, victims of domestic abuse, and special needs populations without regard to religious, ethnic, or cultural background.

A small sample of partner organizations includes the Aleh Network of Care for Children with Severe Mental Disabilities, the Jaffa Institute assisting disadvantaged children, Save a Child’s Heart, which brings children from Arab and African countries to Israel for life saving heart surgery, Herzog Hospital’s PTSD Centre, and No to Violence Against Women, which builds shelters for women and their children who have been victims of domestic abuse. These projects help JNF expand its support to people in vulnerable populations.

In 1982, ALEH established its first facility to provide therapeutic services in a warm and loving environment for children with complex disabilities. ALEH is now Israel’s largest network of care for children with multiple severe disabilities. Over 750 children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and medical conditions receive advanced medical, educational and rehabilitative care in ALEH’s four residential facilities: Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Gedera, and near Ofakim in the Negev. In addition, ALEH provides over 45,000 outpatient treatments annually. Services are available to all, regardless of ethnic, racial, or religious background.

ALEH’s facilities are unique in that they meet all of the children’s needs – residential, supportive, educational, therapeutic, rehabilitative, and social – within a medically safe environment 24 hours a day and usually at a ratio of one caregiver to one child. A multidisciplinary approach ensures that an individualized therapy plan is implemented consistently across the various frameworks.

The Jerusalem ALEH facility was established in 1998, and currently provides 82 children and young adults with comprehensive residential care. In addition, each month there are 250 outpatients who receive treatment and participate in recreational programs. More than 300 trained volunteers supplement the 200+ staff members to ensure the highest level of therapy and care.

ALEH Jerusalem includes unique features like:

• High-Dependency Hospital Wing;
• Assisted-Living Residential Units;
• Integrated Special Education School;
• Paramedical Community Clinic;
• Strong Community Involvement; and
• Lending Library for Specialized Games

ALEH looks beyond the disability to the child within. Its guiding principle is that every individual is special and deserving of love, respect, and the opportunity to develop to full potential while enjoying a high quality of life. By nurturing development and enriching quality of life, ALEH enables each child to reach his or her potential.

 
For more information on ALEH, watch the short clip below.