Longtime Montreal emissary Lt. Col. Yaacov Perez shares his new passion

By Mike Cohen, August 22nd, 2012

Israeli Lt. Col. Yaacov Perez is no stranger to Montreal He lived and worked here in the 1980s as an emissary (shaliach) for the Jewish National Fund, serving mostly Eastern Canada. Handsome and charismatic, Perez made many friends here which is why two decades after he left his posting he still remains a frequent visitor.
Perez had a distinguished career with the Israeli military, serving as an officer in the air force and the chief educator of the Central Command during the first war in Lebanon. He was the spokesman as a reservist. In Montreal he had two tours of duty for JNF: 1978 to 1982 and again from 1987 to 1990. His career path then brought him to organizations such as the Friends of Herzog Hospital, the State of Israel Bonds in Southern France, the Disabled Soldiers of Tzahal in the United States, IVOW Canada (Israeli Veterans of Wars) and a central role on the occasion of the year 3000 of the city of David and year 30 of the reunification of Jerusalem. 
When it came time to officially retire a few years ago, Perez's wife Rachel knew that staying at home was not an option. Their three boys, each proud of their service with Israeli Defence Forces, were all grown up and while he had 11 grandchildren to enjoy he needed a challenge.
“I decided to become a full time volunteer,” Perez told The Suburban.
 The lucky organization was the Institute for the Advancement of Education in Jaffa (The Jaffa Institute),   established in 1982 as a private, non-profit, multi-service social agency to create a new reality for thousands of underprivileged Israeli children from Jaffa, South Tel Aviv and Bat Yam.  Perez, now a very youthful looking 73, was appointed as an international fundraising consultant. “I always raised money for various organizations, but this one is from my point of view a 'sacred' mission to save needy children from the dangers of the streets' idleness,” he says. 
The Jaffa Institute works closely with Ministry of Welfare officials to target, provide assistance, and assess the progress of those in need within our service areas.
One of the reasons for Perez's recent Montreal visit was to raise funds and garner support for a new project in the Tel Aviv section of Afula, which will house 200 needy and at risk girls. 
Perez also wants to bring the highly praised Violins of Hope Concert to Montreal and Toronto. It features musicians performing with unique violins that share their destiny with the Jewish people. 
 For more information about the Jaffa Institute go to http://www.jaffainstitute.org.  See our more detailed feature story in The Suburban Magazine, online at thesuburban.com this Friday evening.