Testimonials

We moved to Ottawa in 2022 and we couldn’t be happier with our decision (previously we lived in Thornhill and Hamilton, Ontario). Ottawa is an amazing city, offering many perks of a big city and yet feels safe, clean, quiet and peaceful (bye bye GTA traffic jams!) It has something for everyone: culture, amazing museums, beautiful nature, trails and parks, which we love!

The folks from Choose Ottawa were instrumental in making our move here easier. They answered our many questions about the community, school, day care, and more! Always grateful to Choose Ottawa for sharing their insights which helped us make informed decisions.

The best part of Ottawa, is certainly the Jewish community, a true gem! Jewish life in Ottawa is surprisingly vibrant, warm and very welcoming! We say surprising because one would expect a smaller community to be a little less exciting! But on the contrary, Jewish life in Ottawa is motivating, inspiring and fun! There is no shortage of events and opportunities to meet and connect with the community. We feel blessed to be a part of it!

- Ana and Ezekiel Barmasch, originally from Toronto/Hamilton

We moved to Ottawa from Toronto in 2010, and we absolutely love our life here. We have a wonderful shul community at Machzikei Hadas, our kids are getting an excellent education at Torah Day school, and we love all the outdoor activities that we can enjoy easily after work and after school.

But truly, it is its diversity and inclusivity that makes the Ottawa Jewish community so special. We are so happy that our kids have friends and classmates from different hashkafic backgrounds, and that our children are growing up with such a strong Jewish identity and, most importantly, a lot of Ahavat Yisrael. We’ve heard some people say that they need to live in a larger Jewish centre for the sake of their children’s chinuch (education), but we view it very differently: it is specifically because of our children’s chinuch that we are so happy to live in Ottawa.

- Stacy (originally from Thornhill) & Michael (originally from Ottawa)

We moved to Ottawa in 2018 when Jason accepted a job at KBI as the new Cantor. Having been overseas or in the US for the previous 15 years, we weren’t sure what to expect. What we found was a warm welcoming community with so much to offer! Our youngest attended OJCS, and our older two boys are highly involved in NCSY including Torah High, and independent learning.

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Outside the Jewish community, we love the outdoor activities available. We live in Centrepointe and can connect with the bike trail in the park and bike or walk along the river for miles. As a family we decided to embrace the Ottawa climate and learn to ski. This has become a favourite winter activity and we try to go every Sunday during the season. We love Ottawa’s proximity to so many mountains.

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We are thrilled that we have made Ottawa our home!

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- Jodi (originally from NY) and Jason (originally from Montreal)

We moved to Ottawa in August 2021, from Mexico City.  In Ottawa, we found the peace and tranquility that we were looking for. 

Ottawa is such a beautiful city full of amazing nature, quietness, little traffic….you can get anywhere in 20 minutes or less. 

We found an amazing Jewish community, warm, inviting, caring and willing to help with everything.  We have felt welcomed and always part of everything. 

We are so thankful and grateful to say that we are part of Ottawa’s Jewish community and with all the people that made this move so much easier. Ottawa is full of mishpacha.❤️

- Ari Jinich & Jana Fainsod, originally from Mexico City

After deciding to move from Chicago in 2015, my husband and I worried that our family would have a hard time fitting into the seemingly close knit Ottawa community. We were shocked and touched at the immense welcome we received. From meal invitations, care packages, playdates, and even offers of babysitting (in order to help us unpack). We truly felt like we hadn't just joined a community, but have been a part of it all along. We have now been here almost 10 years and it feels as if we were never anywhere else. My children love their school, their friends and their community. They are excited to go to shul each week, and from shul the kids all mix and match into different playdates and spend all of Shabbat afternoon hopping from house to house with stops at the park in between… As a parent, there is nothing more important than seeing your children happy and thriving and I believe this city and community has given my children all the love and support to allow them to grow into social, happy, caring, loving and proud kids. 

I couldn’t recommend Ottawa more… it’s not just another community; it's a family.

- Odelia (originally from Paramus, NJ) and Tal (originally from Chicago).

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