Dina Koncepolski: Cremorne Synagogue

A welcoming hand from kind, calm and generous Dina

The $10,000 Westfield Local Heroes grant has enabled Cremorne Synagogue to fund food for new mothers and people who are sick or elderly and unable to cook for themselves. It has also gone toward educational programs and cultural celebrations aimed at women and young families.

"I was brought up in an environment where I was encouraged to help and include people as much as possible from a very early age,” Dina says.

Dina became a birth coach at 22 and has helped women through childbirth. She has also helped to set up two friendship circles, providing support for families of children with special needs.

She is respected for her strength, kindness and calm manner. But she is also known for commanding attention when she talks.

She is an important catalyst for social inclusion and for providing material and emotional support to people facing hardship. One of her passions is the empowerment of women and she continues to organise discussion groups and educational activities specifically designed for women.

Dina says she is inspired by the acknowledgement of being voted a Westfield Local Hero. “I wasn’t overly keen on being in the public eye but … it makes me want to continue to do more and to become a better person.”

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here.