Welcome back to Chai Montreal: The Podcast. After a brief hiatus, we’re excited to be back and continue to share important stories from our community.

On this International Women’s Day, we wanted to speak with an inspirational woman who is working hard to make our world, and more specifically, our planet, a better place to live. Our guest on today's episode is Naomi Scherer, an Italian living in France, she recently made some big life changes to live life more ecologically correct. Naomi works in business development at Circouleur, France’s first and only recycling paint company. Circouleur’s business model of saving and recycling paint that other companies send to the incinerator is like what Naomi has done in her own home renovation – saving materials and items that would have been thrown away and giving them a second life. All while reducing the impact on the environment. You can follow Naomi's eco-renovation journey on Instagram at @maison_circulaire.

At Chai Montreal, our aim is to celebrate Jewish stories and we’re glad we can bring attention to stories of strong Jewish women like Naomi who use their passion to make a positive impact. Hearing her talk about how her Jewish grandparents' history of resilience and drive is built into her DNA is truly inspiring.

Do you know the Jewish history behind International Women’s Day? National Women’s Day, the precursor to International Women’s Day, was established in New York City by Theresa Serber Malkiel. Malkiel was the head of the Woman’s National Committee of the Socialist Party of America and created the first day celebrating women in 1909. Born in 1874 into a Jewish family, she and her family fled persecution in the Russian Empire (in what is now Ukraine) to the US. An American labour activist, suffragette and educator, Malkiel dedicated her life to the liberation of women.

In the spirit of Malkiel, and all of us strong Jewish women, Chai Montreal wishes you a happy International Woman’s Day!