Wednesday, April 2
9 am PST | 12 pm EST | 19:00 Israel time | 17:00 UK time
Monette Malewski, National Chair of Canadian Friends of Hebrew University, grew up in the shadow of World War II and learned the lesson of maintaining a positive approach to life from her parents, who fled from the Nazis to Switzerland. “Life is really a dance between passion and love and fear, because we have all of it,” says Monette Malewski, “but we can’t allow the fear to lead the dance. It has to be the passion and the love.
“The impact that my parents had on me because of the war was probably responsible for who I am today,” Monette says. She carries the spirit of positive thinking into her work for the Hebrew University as well, which this year, is observing its 100th anniversary. “At this stage of my life, when I look back, everything I’ve ever done, including for Hebrew University, is always to help advance progress and to move forward.”
For Monette Malewski, life is about helping people. “Philanthropy means humanity to a degree. So for me, it’s Tikkun Olam – helping to repair the world.”
Meet Monette Malewski in the first episode of the 2025 season of ‘The Philanthropists,’ a video series hosted by Israeli writer and director Maor Zaguri, presented by the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University, delving into the lives of those who give, exploring their sense of purpose and what makes giving meaningful.
This article was written in collaboration with Canadian Friends of Hebrew University.