January 21, 2013: Thank you Mitchell, we will miss you

By Michael Regenstreif

In the middle of the week that passes between this issue of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin going to press and its arrival in your mailbox, Mitchell Bellman will have served his last day as president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa – a job which also entails being publisher of the Bulletin.

Mitchell has spent most of his working life at the Federation’s helm. Following five years as a legislative assistant on Parliament Hill, he joined the Federation – then the Jewish Community Council of Ottawa/Vaad Ha’Ir – in 1995 as director of community relations and public affairs and became executive director two years later.

When the Federation staff gathered for lunch in Mitchell’s honour on January 8, Chief Financial Officer Shelley Crawford, who will serve as interim CEO until Mitchell’s successor, Andrea Freedman, arrives in March, spoke about how far the Federation and Ottawa’s Jewish community have come under his direction.

Using then-and-now comparisons, Shelley spoke about the early days of Mitchell’s tenure when the Vaad and its 16 employees were headquartered in the rundown conditions of the old JCC building on Chapel Street, working with few and primitive computers.

With Mitchell at the helm, the Federation became a modern, professionalized operation and today’s Jewish Community Campus was built, creating a hub of constant activity.

“There was Chapel Street – today there is Ottawa’s vibrant Jewish community. And many, many great memories, and many great friendships,” Shelley said.

“On behalf of your staff, thank you Mitchell! You are turning a page and we will miss you,” Shelley concluded as the staff applauded.

Speaking personally, I was impressed early in my time at the Bulletin that Mitchell was a mensch by observing the compassionate way he handled the circumstances created by the illness that tragically claimed the life of the late Barry Fishman, my predecessor as editor of the Bulletin.

In 2007, when Barry was diagnosed with ALS and it became clear that he would not be able to continue to work in the long-run, Mitchell created the position of assistant editor (for which I was hired), to help Barry in the day-to-day operation of the Bulletin while learning about this newspaper and the community it serves.

This allowed Barry to continue working for as long as he could, which he did with great dignity, until the progression of his illness meant that was no longer possible. And, when I stepped into the editor’s office early in 2008, Mitchell designated Barry as editor emeritus, a role he continued to fill as a valuable adviser until he passed away a year-and-a-half later.

I know how much Mitchell’s support and friendship meant to Barry during the three difficult years of his illness.

As mentioned, part of Mitchell’s job as Federation CEO was being publisher of the Bulletin. As editor, I have appreciated Mitchell’s insights into the community we serve, his advice on approaches we might take in covering certain issues, and his comments on the 19 editions of the newspaper we produce each year.

When she spoke at the staff lunch, Shelley noted it was under Mitchell’s direction that the Federation became the modern organization it is today. It was also under his direction that the Bulletin continued to evolve into the modern community newspaper it has become.

On behalf of the Bulletin staff, I will also say, ‘Thank you Mitchell! We will miss you.