Veronica Ressin
Theatre Student & Art Teacher, Thornhill
Where is your family from, and how long have you live in Ontario?
My parents met on a camping trip in the sunny Astrakhan. They happily found out that both of them are from Moscow, a city where their families could be traced a couple of generations back. In August 2008 our family of six moved from Moscow to Thornhill. I was thirteen.
Why did you choose to live in Thornhill?
After attending a Jewish kindergaren and a Jewish school, called Etz-Chaim, in Moscow, neither I or my parents wanted to give up my Jewish education. We settled in Thornhill because we knew that here we would be welcomed. Throughout these five years I found myself involved in my Jewish community as much as I have never been before. Holiday services, sending gifts to the entire community, events, lectures, volunteering, attending a Jewish school — all of this made my transition into Canada as easy as it could be. Living in Thornhill is like living in Israel, except you still have to check the news every day.
What do you do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?
I have a miraculous opportunity to put an equal sign between my ‘hobbies’ and my ‘work’. I am currently a student at the Theatre Program at University of Toronto. I’ve always liked making people feel and think differently then they usually would. I also teach visual arts, dance and drama for children. I like playing guitar, and of course, it has become our family tradition to go camping every summer, which is an event that I wait for every year.
If you were given the opportunity to meet anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose, and why?
I am interested in psychology of people who fight for change. The first name that comes up in my mind is Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel. He fought for the creation of a Jewish state, which will unify in itself the spiritual and the practical extremes of our nation. As much as it is brave of me to think that I could have a conversation with such a man, I would really be eager to ask him some questions I have and feel his energy and see the light in his eyes. I am sure that would be a life-changing experience.
When did you begin participating in JRCC programs?
The Yom Kippur service in 2008 was my first exposure to this community. Since then, I have been volunteering, attending, participating and loving the feeling of being a part of this big but close family.
What are your future plans?
I am planning to continue working within the arts. I want to become a theatre director because I believe that this way I will be able to influence people and give them an opportunity to feel, think and change for the better.
