Linda Kerzner
Life Time Contribution
Linda Kerzner is a respected community leader, philanthropist, mentor, and volunteer whose decades of service have had a profound impact on Ottawa and the Ottawa Jewish community. Born and raised in Ottawa, Linda has devoted more than 40 years to strengthening community organizations, supporting vulnerable populations, mentoring future leaders, and fostering a spirit of collaboration and compassion that continues to shape the city today.
Widely recognized for her leadership, Linda is the recipient of the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Leadership Award, the highest honour bestowed by the Ottawa Jewish community. Presented every two years, the award recognizes an individual whose lifetime of leadership and service has significantly enriched Jewish life in Ottawa and beyond. Linda’s extraordinary commitment, strategic vision, and ability to unite people around a common purpose have made her one of the community’s most respected and influential volunteers.
Linda has held numerous leadership roles throughout her career of volunteer service. She served as Chair of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa from 2015 to 2017 and previously chaired the Women’s Division Annual Campaigns in 2009 and 2010. She also helped lead the Federation’s first strategic planning process, helping chart a strong and inclusive future for the organization and the broader community. Today, she continues to represent Ottawa nationally as a Canadian representative on the Jewish Federations of North America Board of Trustees and as the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s representative with Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA.
Her volunteer leadership extends across many organizations that support education, health care, social services, seniors, and youth. Linda has served on the boards of the Human Resources Professional Association, the Women’s Business Network, the Ottawa Board of Trade, and the Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation. She has also held key leadership positions with the Soloway Jewish Community Centre, Jewish Family Services, the Jewish National Fund, Hillel Ottawa, and Hillel Lodge.
Among Linda’s most meaningful accomplishments was her leadership with Hillel Ottawa, where she chaired the Board of Directors and played a pivotal role in securing and establishing the new Hillel House, creating a vibrant hub for Jewish student life and engagement on campus. Her dedication to education also included more than a decade of volunteering her professional expertise in accounting and bookkeeping for Hillel Academy, now the Ottawa Jewish Community School, helping strengthen the school’s operations and support future generations of students.
Linda’s compassion and leadership were especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the urgent needs of residents at Hillel Lodge, Ottawa’s Jewish long-term care home, she immediately mobilized support. Linda personally pledged a $36,000 matching gift to launch a fundraising campaign to hire additional personal support workers during the crisis. Through her leadership and outreach efforts, the campaign raised more than $80,000 to provide essential care and comfort to isolated residents. In addition to fundraising, Linda sourced personal protective equipment, arranged meals for frontline workers, and provided hands-on support and encouragement during one of the community’s most difficult periods. For her extraordinary compassion and service, she received the Thelma Steinman Direct Service Award.
Linda has also demonstrated a strong commitment to building bridges and strengthening international relationships through her volunteer work with the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival and Dragon Boat Israel. Contributing hundreds of volunteer hours, she helped organize events, fundraising initiatives, recruitment efforts, and public outreach that raised significant charitable funds while fostering meaningful connections between Ottawa, Israel, and Jewish communities across Canada.
Throughout her lifetime of service, Linda Kerzner has led with integrity, generosity, warmth, and vision. Her dedication to community building, mentorship, philanthropy, and volunteerism has strengthened countless organizations and enriched the lives of many people throughout Ottawa. Her legacy stands as an inspiring example of leadership rooted in compassion, service, and a genuine commitment to making a difference.
