My great grandparents, Hiram Leib and Fanny Weidman arrived in Winnipeg on May 26, 1882. Hiram Leib was a leader of religious and educational life in Winnipeg and a man of great compassion and generosity. He and his brother Mordechai established the first Zionist Society in Winnipeg. Hiram was a founder of the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue and Talmud Torah School. In 1923, Hiram traveled to Israel to visit the graves of his parents who are buried on the Mount of Olives. There he established a home for underprivileged pregnant women in Jerusalem.

My parents, Grace and Neville Winograd, were committed to family life and made a name for themselves in the Winnipeg community. But most important to them was the well being of their four children, ensuring that we were respected as individuals and Jews.

Family commitment, the importance of education and a positive self image were the values my parents encouraged us to emulate. I was blessed to grow up with two loving sets of grandparents, Nicholas and Lillian Maza and Abraham and Eva Winograd. They nourished the awareness of my Jewish background, my heritage and my ancestors.

I was born in Winnipeg in 1946 and lived here most of my life. I graduated from the University of Manitoba and have had a challenging and successful career as an educator for almost 30 years. I have been actively involved in my professional and Jewish community since I was a teenager. I credit the youth groups and my parents for instilling in me the importance of commitment to community.

Paul Shuckett and I were married in 1967. It was a blending of two families whose values of community, Jewish life, family and commitment to the State of Israel, were special role models for both of us. We have two daughters, Nicole and Cara, who have continued to carry out the goals of their ancestors, educationally, socially and spiritually.

Paul and I have been blessed with a life that is rich in strong family values and have had the freedom to be proud and committed to live our life as Jews. We were fortunate to have raised our children in a community where we had the opportunity to send them to Hebrew day school. It enriched their love of Judaism and the positive value system that we began and continue to develop at home. We have encouraged their commitment to Jewish survival and continuity. They have done us proud.

The Winnipeg Jewish community has, thus, provided a very positive environment for our family. We as Winnipeg Jews must ensure that our strength as a Jewish community lives on. We thank the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and its creation of the Endowment Book of Life to help ensure our survival.