The $10,000 per Couple Fundraiser: Toronto Bukharian Community Comes of Age!

With a minimum couvert of $10,000 per couple, you know the food and evening better be good. No... make that great!

The Bukharian Jewish Community in Toronto is relatively small and unheard of. Numbering only 350 families, this group packs a much larger punch than you might have suspected.

Three weeks ago, in support of the Building Campaign for their community centre and synagogue, a well-respected, philanthropic family hosted a dinner event to help raise funds toward construction. With close to 90 people in attendance, more than $600,000 was raised! The participants were roughly evenly divided between Bukharians who came to support their own community, and others from outside the community who wanted to help bolster their efforts.

And, of course, the food, ambiance, décor and speakers were outstanding. It was truly a magical evening.

How did such a small community accomplish so much so quickly? Hailing mainly from Uzbekistan, this community can trace their ancestry back through a 2500-year unbroken chain in the Uzbek region. This alone earns them the title of being one of the oldest Jewish ethno-religious cultures.

Over the 30 years, the Bukharians started to transplant themselves to Israel, America, Europe and Canada. As the population in Toronto grew, they approached an international organization established to help Bukharians retain their heritage and culture - Shaarei Zion. Shaarei Zion recruited Toronto resident, Rabbi Abraham Kahn, to help them with their work.

Rabbi Kahn, together with the rest of the community members, hired a young Bukharian Rabbi, Rabbi Yaakov Malaib, then living in Israel, to service their needs.

As Rabbis Kahn and Malaib have continued to work with the community, and as it has continued to grow, arrangements were made to build a synagogue facility (see my previous post on Toronto's first fully wheel-chair accessible Mikvah) which would house two congregations in one building.

It was a wonderful experience to be able to develop the fundraising campaign, PR, marketing and dinner event for this community.

Special thanks to Ely's Catering and Lindy Wolff Events for helping pull off a great evening.

Drop me a line for help with your next fundraising campaign or event. Let's see how we can make YOU succeed!

Mordechai (Marc) Bookbinder

marc@simplicityconsultants.com