TORONTO A 24-year-old esthetician, Mindy Pollak, became the first chasidic woman to hold public office in Montreal.
Pollak, a member of the Vishnitzer sect, defeated four candidates to win her race for the municipal council on Sunday, Nov. 3, in the Outremont borough.
She garnered about 35% of the vote in a district that is home to an estimated 5,000 chasidim.
Among the candidates she defeated was Pierre Lacerte, an anti-chasidim blogger in Montreal.
Montreal has had Orthodox Jewish councilors but all have been men.
Pollaks political aspirations were triggered two years ago when controversy erupted in her neighborhood over plans to expand a small Bobover synagogue.
Tensions with non-Jewish neighbors already were running high over zoning, noise and congestion issues.
She teamed with Leila Marshy, a neighbor who is of Palestinian origin, to found Friends of Hutchison named for the street on which the synagogue was to be expanded to promote dialogue between the haredi Orthodox Jews and francophones.
Her advocacy caught the attention of Alex Norris, a Projet Montreal party borough councilor from neighboring Mile-end, which also has a large chasidic community.
A number of us were impressed with her and Leila Marshys initiative, Norris told the Tyee, an online magazine, after which he approached Pollak about running for office for his party.
Pollak is a volunteer for Chai Lifeline, which works with sick children and their families.
