Meet Face of London: Rael Wienburg!

Rael came to Canada in 1977 from Cape Town, South Africa and was originally a construction project manager in London. His brother had initially invited him to come to Canada in 1976 to see the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal. After a wonderful experience with his brother and rising tensions in South Africa, Rael and his family decided it would be best to move to Canada. Rael recalls how "I loved what I saw, I enjoyed the Olympics," which encouraged him to make the move.

He arrived with his wife and twin boys to Toronto and was thereafter relocated to the London office of the construction company. He fondly recalls first coming to London and how the city "was just everything in terms of being a university city, a lot of culture here, the colleges, and of course the excellent hospitals". It was during the recession of the early 1980s when Rael chose to leave the construction company and make a career out of his passion for film and photography. Currently, he has his own production company, Raemar Video Productions, which has embraced the slogan of "we shoot anything that moves or looks good".

When talking to Rael, it is easy to tell that he is a man who embraces life! Over that past 30 years, Rael has been involved in numerous volunteer initiatives and participated in several unique and diverse working opportunities throughout London. From his involvement in the London Jewish community as one of the co-founders and first president of the Reform Synagogue, Temple Israel of London to helping create the London Videography Club, Rael avidly gives back to the London community. He has also found time to embrace another passion of his by enrolling in taekwondo and placing 1^st in a regional competition in Brampton. Rael even auditioned for the show Dragon's Den and was one of four London pitches to be filmed for the series. Unfortunately, even though he shook hands on a deal, his episode was never aired.

As a newcomer who has been in London for over 30 years, he encourages other immigrants to get involved in the London community. Rael describes how "London has so much to offer, there's a lot of support in the different fields and I think just making contact with the City of London, there would be all the resources that they would need to make their presence felt in London". He also encourages Londoners to "do something that is going to make a difference in the city" and explains how there are countless ways to get involved and to take on leadership opportunities. Ultimately, Rael firmly believes that "anyone can be a part of making the world a better place," and that we should work together to "make the best of all the opportunities!"