Meet Our Affinity Group for Jewish Legal Professionals
Chai@Blakes is a network of Jewish lawyers and students and their allies dedicated to creating a welcoming space for Jewish legal professionals to connect, share experiences, build relationships and engage with diversity issues that impact the Jewish community. Chai@Blakessupports the recruitment, retention, mentorship, professional development and advancement of Jewish legal professionals and ensures they have the tools and support needed to succeed both within the Firm and in the legal profession.
Chai@Blakesregularly meets to exchange ideas, foster a sense of belonging, promote cultural awareness, and engage in outreach activities with the broader Jewish community to promote a more inclusive and diverse legal profession.
Chai, pronounced with the ch as in Chanukah or l’chaim, means “life” in Hebrew and has special significance in Jewish culture.
Chai@Blakes helps to support our younger colleagues, but in addition, it gives myself and many other senior folks at Blakes an opportunity to feel a deeper sense of connection.
Eric Moncik, Capital Markets Partner, Toronto
Having a place of belonging for Jewish professionals at Blakes allows us to share experiences and to build relationships. It has helped me feel more connected to my own identity.
Iris Fischer, Litigation & Dispute Resolution Partner, Toronto
Eric Moncik: We wanted to make sure that Jewish legal professionals feel like they have a home at Blakes, and as part of that, we envision that there will be natural mentors that will arise, and people will feel that sense of belonging.
Iris Fischer: Chai is the Jewish word for life. I have always loved that Judaism puts life first. There’s an optimism there, and it’s a principle that’s helped me at difficult times.
Eric Moncik: Forming Chai@Blakes helps to support our younger colleagues, but in addition, it gives myself and many other senior folks at Blakes an opportunity to be connected to others and to feel that the Firm, in general, is behind all of us.
Iris Fischer: Our group really supports the goal of dedicating a space for Jewish legal professionals in the Firm to connect with each other, to share experiences and to build relationships. We also just want to celebrate Jewish culture. While so many Jewish holidays are solemn, they also have an amazing spirit of resilience, and some are a lot of fun.
Eric Moncik: When we introduced Chai@Blakes to the Firm, the number of responses that Iris and I got from legal professionals, just so happy to see Blakes was supporting their Jewish identity, was overwhelming.
Iris Fischer: There’s something really beautiful about the growth of our affinity groups. And having a group for Jewish professionals really does help me feel not only more connected to my own identity, but also more connected to the other Jewish people in the Firm.
