There's No Such Thing as a Former Winnipegger - Monte Nathanson, Boca Raton, Florida
by
Stu Slayen | Mar 02, 2018
He moved to Boca Raton 25 years ago, but for Monte Nathanson, Winnipeg will always be home.
“Winnipeg is my heritage,” says Nathanson, Founder of MPN Holdings. “I follow what happens in the community and I am very proud of what I see.”
Nathanson was raised on O’Meara Street in the North End and attended I.L. Peretz School, St. John’s High School, and the University of Manitoba. He was inspired from a young age to live a life of community service, following the example set by his father, Max.
At only 19, Monte Nathanson became active with the Jewish Welfare Fund, serving as Chair of the Budget and Allocations Committee. He served as President of the Welfare Fund in 1972, and then served for two years as President when the Welfare Fund was reconstituted as the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council. He was also a leading volunteer with the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Manitoba Medical Research Foundation, the United Way, and Manitoba Centennial Corporation.
One of the key accomplishments in his esteemed community service career is having been one of the 119 Founders of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba in 1964. He was also the first supporter to name the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy.
“I was active in fundraising for the community and for Israel, and we didn’t know if our children and grandchildren were going to be active in the same way. Our thinking was that the best way to perpetuate our values and keep the community strong was to establish a foundation,” says Nathanson of the JFM’s origins. “We started with a piece of land and a few thousand dollars. When I hear that the Foundation now holds assets of nearly $120 million, it makes me proud beyond words.”