![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marathon-mom-777x437-1.png\")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
by Maxine Fischbein, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/p>\n
(AJNews) \u2013 An out-of-the-box documentary about Beatie Deutsch \u2013 a marathon-running American Israeli ultra-Orthodox wife and mother of five \u2013 and her efforts to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was screened by Na\u2019amat Canada Calgary at the Cardel Theatre to raise funds for School Supplies for Kids. <\/p>\n
The film documents Deutsch\u2019s journey as she travels the world, competing in high-profile marathons to achieve the required time that will allow her to compete on behalf of Israel.<\/p>\n
There are more than the usual challenges along the way. In accordance with Jewish laws pertaining to modesty, Deutsch \u2013 a three-time Israeli national champion \u2013 runs with her head and arms fully covered and her knees obscured by a long skirt. She cannot compete on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays.<\/p>\n
How can Deutsch find a balance between an ultra-Orthodox world where marathon-running women are, at the very least, an anomaly, and her fierce will to win? With every step she takes toward her goal, Deutsch \u2013 who began running marathon races only four years before the Tokyo Olympics \u2013 becomes a bit of a folk hero for young observant women.<\/p>\n
A trigger warning: There lurks in the background of Deutsch\u2019s story an eating disorder. And the COVID-19 pandemic creates significant roadblocks for her as various races are cancelled or postponed.<\/p>\n
Through it all, Deutsch keeps her eye on the prize.<\/p>\n
Stephanie Sacks \u2013 the current Na\u2019amat Canada Calgary president \u2013 learned about the\u00a0Marathon Mom\u00a0documentary during a Na\u2019amat national board meeting and contacted the film distributor so that she and her Calgary executive could preview the film.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was totally enamoured with the movie,\u201d recalled Sacks, adding that her\u00a0chaverot\u00a0on the executive also found the film compelling.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was inspiring to see this woman being so motivated and committed to her religion, her family, and her running,\u201d said Sacks \u2013 founder and long-serving chair of Na\u2019amat Canada Calgary\u2019s School Supplies for Kids Program (SSFK) \u2013 adding that the Calgary Na\u2019amat leadership found the film ideal for screening at this year\u2019s SSFK fundraiser.<\/p>\n
\u201cNa\u2019amat is devoted to advocating for equality of opportunity for women. While we are not a religious organization, we support all Israeli women, and it is just wonderful to share a film about a strong woman who comes from an Orthodox community and is motivated to succeed at her sport even though some within her community might frown at her efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 90-minute documentary was followed by refreshments and plenty of spirited conversation as Na\u2019amat members, friends and sponsors gathered to raise funds for SSFK, a program that, for nearly 29 years, has provided backpacks filled with school supplies to thousands of kids temporarily residing with their mothers in Calgary and area domestic violence and homeless shelters.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/backpacks-300x169.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Na\u2019amat Canada Calgary School Supplies for Kids program provides the Calgary area domestic violence shelters with backpacks filled with school supplies for school-aged children in their care.<\/p>\n
Over the years, SSFK has been adopted by Na\u2019amat chapters in other Canadian centres, helping even more Canadian children to resume their education and achieve desperately needed normalcy during the darkest of times.<\/p>\n
According to Sacks, an estimated $40,000 must be raised this year to meet the demand for backpacks at Calgary and area shelters.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome very generous sponsors have supported us since day one, with many more joining in over the years,\u201d said Sacks, who will be succeeded by Aviva Lifshitz as Na\u2019amat Canada Calgary president this summer.<\/p>\n
Sacks plans to continue chairing SSFK through to its 30th\u00a0anniversary in 2027.<\/p>\n
One Calgary philanthropist who has supported School Supplies for Kids since close to its inception is a non-Jewish man \u2013 unnamed here because he prefers to remain anonymous \u2013 who saw a sign about the initiative at an Office Depot location and contacted Sacks because he felt moved to become involved.<\/p>\n
Decades later, this stalwart friend to the organization not only gives generously but often shows up in person, working shoulder to shoulder with Na\u2019amat faithful and other volunteers from within and beyond the Calgary Jewish community, Sacks told\u00a0AJNews.<\/p>\n
Sacks \u2013 who expressed gratitude for the many sponsors who have supported SSFK through the years \u2013 hopes that others will feel inspired to go the extra mile in supporting a program that brings much comfort and hope to women and children experiencing the trauma of domestic violence.<\/p>\n
For decades, Sacks has received letters from Calgary and area shelters thanking Na\u2019amat for their support through SSFK.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen children and their moms arrive at Discovery House, they are moving to a safe and healing space, where they can reimagine and rebuild their futures,\u201d says one such letter, adding, \u201cWhen the children in our care get to choose a new backpack that is filled with all the supplies they need, they just light up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beatie Deutsch\u2019s story seems a good fit for Na\u2019amat, which has harnessed girl power on a massive scale since it was established in Israel in 1921, with Golda Meyerson \u2013 soon to be known as Golda Meir \u2013 as inaugural director general of the organization.<\/p>\n
Meir went on to become Israel\u2019s first \u2013 and only \u2013 female Prime Minister.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Backpacks-for-kids--300x155.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Each year Na\u2019amat Canada Calgary chapter members and volunteers pack school supplies for kids fleeing domestic violence in shelters in Calgary and .across Southern Alberta<\/p>\n
Established in Canada in 1925, Pioneer Women \u2013 as it was known until the organization rebranded worldwide as Na\u2019amat in 1976 \u2013 quickly spread across the country. A chapter was established in Edmonton in 1931 and another in Calgary in 1934. A 1936 visit to Edmonton by Golda is well-documented, and she is believed to have also met with her Pioneer Women\u00a0chaverot\u00a0in Calgary around the same time.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s largest social service organization, Na\u2019amat serves Israelis of all faiths through their large network of social services, including schools, daycares, a domestic violence shelter, counseling programs, and the like.<\/p>\n
Calgary and Edmonton Na\u2019amat chapters mirror locally the work they do in Israel. In addition to School Supplies for Kids, Na\u2019amat Canada Calgary granted annual scholarships to women studying in local post-secondary institutions for many years.<\/p>\n
Close to a year-and-a-half ago, Na\u2019amat Canada Calgary established the \u201cProviding the Essentials\u201d program, which supplies personal care and hygiene items to Jewish Family Service Calgary clients supported by that organization\u2019s food bank.<\/p>\n
It was a source of pride for Na\u2019amat and Jewish Calgary when Stephanie Sacks was honoured with a 2007 Global Calgary Woman of Vision Award recognizing the positive impact she had made in Calgary through the SSFK program.<\/p>\n
In Calgary, Na\u2019amat reached another pinnacle close to three years ago, when Susan Inhaber became the first woman west of Winnipeg to ascend to the presidency of Na\u2019amat Canada. As she completes her term, Inhaber will be feted by members from across the country at the Na\u2019amat Canada Triennial Convention, slated to take place in Montreal October 30-November 1, 2026.<\/p>\n