When  COA started its work in Sydney’s Jewish Community it was supported by donations and bequests, as all charities are, but COA’s founder, Myer Kangan AO OBE, also developed the “Bank of Benefactors” in 1984 to support COA’s work. The bank consisted of prominent businesses, associations and individuals in the community who provided regular donations – weekly, monthly or yearly – to ensure COA Sydney remained in place for future generations of seniors. The founders of the “bank” included Ivan Davies, Myer Kangan, Max and Sasha Freilich, Eugen Kartin, Solomon Trief, Helen and Eugene Mencel, and many more dedicated COA volunteers and supporters, while participants in the “bank” included organisations such as the fellowship of Jewish Doctors.

The “bank” disbanded in the late 1990’s as more traditional methods of funding were sought through the government, but in abandoning this practice COA broke ties with important people in the community and put support from the “bank’s” constituent members for COA services at risk.

In 2023 COA’s new president Allen Rosenberg committed to reinvigorating the COA Bank of Benefactors and has found new participants to support the enterprise. With the encouragement of our community and more innovative ideas of our latest President, COA looks hopefully towards the future.

To join the COA’s Bank of Benefactors, please contact the COA office and feel the joy of helping the frail and aged of our community reach their full potential; live happy lives filled with social connection, mental stimulation, and kosher food services delivered to their homes when needed, and through these services help those individuals remain living in their own homes for as long as they choose.