The Ilana and Steven Rubin Education Scholarship

History:

Steven Rubin established the Ilana and Steven Rubin Educational Endowment Fund as part of a promise to his wife, Ilana. Rubin says the scholarship was created for those wishing to go to university or other institutes of higher learning, but who may not have the “A+” threshold and required financial help to fulfill their academic aspirations. Ilana Rubin, a second generation Holocaust survivor, was a Hebrew teacher at several Ottawa Jewish schools between 1978 and 1990.

After the Rubins moved to Florida, she continued teaching until 2004, even after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2001. When she could no longer teach, she refused to give up, serving as a teacher’s aide until 2006. Ilana was loved by her students as well as fellow faculty members. Ilana Rubin treated her students like family and was known in both Ottawa and Florida for her kindness and generosity. She often helped students learn Hebrew and prepare for their bar and bat mitzvahs without charge.

Past recipients of the Ilana and Steven Rubin Education Scholarship 

2017 - Yaffa Segal and Olivia Vale

2018 - Mackenzie Cook and Alise Gertsenchtein

2019 - Eden Ayele and Matthew Mendonca

2020 - Sharon Liu, Natalie Hale, Ivan Botond

2021 - Ronnie Frenkel, Brianna Spencer, and Taylor Tomasevic

2022 - Maddison deBeaupre and Morgan Shusterman