Michael Elliot Meyer

I have been involved in the South African Habonim movement since the age of seven. I am a Lawyer by profession and have practiced in South Africa, England, and Israel.

In the mid 1980’s I was sent to Canada by the Histadrut to run the national organization, “The Canadian Society for Labor Israel.” I raised funds for the trade schools, “Reshet Amal”, by helping to build 3 trade schools, and the “Kupat Cholim” clinics. In addition, I was also the Histadrut’s political representative to the Canadian Union movements.

In 2000 I immigrated to Canada and returned to charitable fundraising. I was the National Executive Director of Weizmann Cannada, raising significate funding supporting scientific research for the Weizmann Institute in Israel. I administered the organization and carried out major fundraising initiatives which included four successful fundraising Gala Dinners hosting over one thousand attendees at each dinner. The dinners alone raised over $10 Millon.

I then decided to raise funds locally and joined the Scarborough Hospital Foundation as a Fundraising Director for the next 12 years. I ran two successful gala dinners for them, raising over $ 3 million to support breast cancer and diabetes. I then took on a special project to refurbish and re-equip the Eye Centre at the Birchmount campus, helping purchase the first Lazer Cataract computer in the health system of the Province of Ontario, as well as Electronic Microscope to elevate the quality of eye care at the hospital.

I then returned to my fundraising efforts to Israel joined “Nature Israel” (Haganat Hateva). During my time with them I ran the campaign to raise funds to rewild certain of the fish farms at Kibbutz Kvar Rupin and Maagan Michael, returning them to the wetlands that they were originally meant to be. These two successful projects have returned these wetlands to sanctuaries for all kinds of wildlife including birds that migrate through Israel twice a year. The Sanctuaries are designed to attract worldwide birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts both from Israel and abroad.