Angel of Toronto

Impression of Julia Koschitzky

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Angel of Toronto — Impressions of Julia Koschitzky

Amanta Scott, encaustic on canvas on cradled panel, 36 x 36, Channah’s Fire series. Read more

“You never know what a ‘yes’ can lead to.”
— Julia Koschitzky

Described as “an angel” by all who knew her, Julia Koschitzky was a person with tremendous grace, humility, compassion and wisdom. An activist, philanthropist, and leader of Canadian and world Jewry, she was a prominent member in the Jewish community, both locally in Toronto, and nationally in both Canada and Israel.

Julia Koschitzky was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Max Podolski and Elli (Moses) Podolski. Her parents fled Germany in 1939 for Wales, where they had business interests, and emigrated to Canada in 1949, settling in Toronto in 1956. In 1963 Julia married businessman Henry Koschitzky (b. Kattowice, Poland, 1935), whose family came to Canada having lived in exile in the Soviet Union during World War II.

Over the years, the Koschitzkys became increasingly prominent in philanthropy, community leadership, and Orthodoxy in Canada and Israel. Chief among their interests were Jewish education and social welfare across the communal spectrum, with major benefactions over the years to many causes, such as day schools and yeshivas and the endowment of the Koschitzky Family Chair in Jewish Teacher Education at York University in Toronto. The Koschitzkys were recognized as an extraordinary example of a family that has been reborn from exile and suffering to success in the world of business and generosity in assuming communal responsibility.

“Julia Koschitzky was born in Cardiff, Wales, where she spent the first years of her life before relocating to Canada in 1949 and ultimately settling in Toronto in 1956. Koschitzky was a prominent member in the Jewish community in Toronto, as well as nationally and internationally. She served as President for the Parents’ Association of the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto, where her children attended, and held other executive roles such as chair, trustee, and board member at numerous Jewish organizations around the world. Koschitzky was involved in Operation Exodus, playing a key role in the relationship between Canadian Jewry and Israel in the 1990s. She is decorated with awards for her service to the community and holds an honorary doctorate from Yeshiva University.”
— The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women

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