renee shore
Twenty-three years ago, Renee Shore was like most other teenagers in the twelfth grade. She enjoyed listening to popular music and hanging around with her friends. Raised in a family with traditional Jewish values, Renee knew about the holidays and Shabbos but being Jewish was not on her mind a lot, or part of her daily life. Today Renee is married, the mother of four children and she manages a Torah home.
The transition to becoming a Torah observant Jew occurred in 1982 while she was attending public high school. Some of her friends urged her to attend a NCSY Torah High class with them, “The classes were great, they really made me think about what it meant to be Jewish. The classes were run by very dynamic people so they were interesting and fun,” says Renee, “They opened up a whole new way of being at a time in my life when I was questioning everything.” These classes meant so much to Renee that she rearranged her whole schedule, including her part-time job, to find the time to attend NCSY Torah High.
On an NCSY Torah High trip to New York over the winter break Renee experienced her first NCSY Shabbaton. Renee found it so inspiring that afterwards she began taking steps to keep kosher and to observe Shabbos. Renee explains, “NCSY helped me to discover that being Jewish and living a Jewish life was so fulfilling and meaningful. I started making changes in my life slowly and after about one year I was Shomer Shabbos and keeping kosher.” As Renee became more and more involved with Jewish life and its observance, her entire family, who at first thought it all a little strange, themselves, slowly became more committed to Jewish living.
After high school Renee attended University of Toronto, followed by a year at Hebrew U. She then attended York University because it had a larger Jewish presence and graduated with a degree in Judaic Studies, followed by a degree in Early Childhood Education. Renee taught in preschools before getting married and now tutors in Hebrew and Jewish studies.
Renee is married to Mitchel Shore, President of the very successful and well-known advertising agency, Shore Creative Services, which has many clients in the Jewish community. Together, Renee and Mitch have created a warm and vibrant Jewish home and are active members of the Toronto Jewish community. Many Jewish organizations benefit from their kindness and generosity. Renee and Mitch have four children, Naomi 12, Benjamin 10, Daniel 8 and Joshua 6. They attend Eitz Chaim Schools.
Twenty three years ago Renee connected with NCSY. Today, she and her family are proud Torah observant Jews. More than this, because of Renee, her parents, brother and sister and all their children are Torah observant as well. The lives of fifteen people across three present generations were changed, a change that will also affect countless generations to come, all because one day Renee went with her friends to an NCSY class!
Side Bar: With locations across North America, NCSY’s Torah High flagship operates out of NCSY Canada with twelve locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area. The school offers Ontario Ministry approved credits to more than 600 public school students in grades 8 to 12 who attend a two-hour weekly class.
Side Bar: Excerpted from “An Assessment of the Jewish Impact of Torah High,” an analysis of Torah High Toronto conducted by Randal F. Schnoor, Ph.D. of the Center for Jewish Studies at York University.
· More than 70% of respondents reported feeling a stronger sense of Jewish identity as a result of their experience at Torah High
· More than 63% of students reported that as a result of their experience in Torah High they exhibit a higher level of morality in their everyday life decisions.
· More than 60% reported that since enrolling in Torah High they are more likely to visit Israel.
· 58% of respondents have a stronger connection with Israel than they did previously.
· More than 50% of the respondents feel stronger about the importance of marrying a Jewish person and providing their future children with a Jewish education.
· 47.9% of the respondents reported a stronger belief in God.
· 37% reported that they now engage in more Jewish study out of personal interest and are more active in Jewish organizations.
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