Janice Benatar
Profile
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe (then Salisbury, Rhodesia), Janice has lived in four countries and on three continents. Her first move came in 1983, when she left in order to study and teach dance at the University of Cape Town. There, she became involved in anti-apartheid student groups. In 1986, she graduated and travelled to Israel, where she lived on a kibbutz for six months before joining the Israeli Defense Forces, completing a course in basic training. In 1987, she made aliyah and found work with the 35s, a women’s group that campaigned on behalf of Soviet Jewry.
It was while living in Israel that Janice became engaged to a Canadian who was also living in Israel at the time. On February 4, 1991, she immigrated to Canada, marrying him later that year. The two had a son and a daughter together. They divorced in 1999.
Upon arriving in Canada, Janice initially worked for State of Israel Bonds as executive assistant to the chief executive officer. In 2002, she began working at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, initially in the Jewish Foundation, later also in the Tomorrow Campaign and currently as a major gifts officer for UJA Federation. Today, Janice lives with her husband, Elan Levitan, in Thornhill. Her mother and brother live in Australia.