Passing of Benjamin Alexander Sutin

07/07/2020 01:02:50 PM

Jul7

It is with great sadness that we must inform you of the recent passing of:

Benjamin Alexander Sutin

Son of Habonim Members:

Jan and Rick Sutin

Funeral and Shiva- Private

See Obituary and More Information HERE:

We wish the entire family comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

If you wish to send a Habonim Tribute Card to the family to express your condolences, you can do so on our website at
http://www.congregationhabonim.org/payment.php
or by calling the office at 416-782-7125.

Habonim Bulletin now available

06/12/2020 01:22:53 PM

Jun12

The June 2020

Habonim Bulletin

is now available!

To view click HERE

Passing of Gerald Cooper

06/03/2020 03:41:44 PM

Jun3

It is with great sadness that we must inform you of the recent passing of Habonim member:

Gerald Cooper

Husband of

Jocelyn Cooper

Funeral and Shiva- Private

See more information here:

https://steelesmemorialchapel.com/condolence/gerald-lawrence-cooper/

We wish the entire family comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

If you wish to send a Habonim Tribute Card to the family to express your condolences, you can do so on our website at
http://www.congregationhabonim.org/payment.php
or by calling the office at 416-782-7125.

Passing of Patricia Singer

05/20/2020 09:00:56 PM

May20

It is with great sadness that we must inform you of the recent passing of:

Patricia Singer

Wife of the late:

William Singer

Funeral and Shiva- Private

See more information here:

https://www.benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca/ServiceDetails.aspx?snum=136572&fg=0

We wish the entire family comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

If you wish to send a Habonim Tribute Card to the family to express your condolences, you can do so on our website at
http://www.congregationhabonim.org/payment.php
or by calling the office at 416-782-7125.

Passing of Shirley Cadesky

05/17/2020 12:56:34 PM

May17

It is with great sadness that we must inform you of the recent passing of:

Shirley Cadesky

Mother and mother in law of Habonim members:

Ken Cadesky and Hildi Wolfish

Funeral and Shiva- Private

See more information here:

https://www.benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca/ServiceDetails.aspx?snum=136561&fg=0

We wish the entire family comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

If you wish to send a Habonim Tribute Card to the family to express your condolences, you can do so on our website at
http://www.congregationhabonim.org/payment.php
or by calling the office at 416-782-7125.

Remarkable Achievement By One Of Our Younger Habonim Members

05/10/2020 06:45:34 PM

May10

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

We wanted to share with you the remarkable achievement of one of the younger members of our congregation, Raya Treibicz, who is a finalist in both the My Herzl Youth Essay competition, organized by The Israel Forever Foundation and the Simon Wiesenthal Speakers Idol. Please see links below - winners of both competitions will be announced this week.

Raya’s My Herzl Youth Essay reflects some of the ideas that Raya shared with us in her 2019 Rosh Hashanah sermon, and is well worth reading, as are those by the other young finalists. The winner of the My Herzl Youth Essay competition will be decided by an on line popular vote (deadline is Tuesday, May 12th), while the winner of the Speakers Idol is selected by a panel of judges. Best of luck Raya!

Eli Rubenstein

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MY HERZL, MY JUDAISM, MY GENERATION - Raya Treibicz

https://israelforever.org/interact/blog/my_herzl_judaism_generation/

Simon Wiesenthal Speakers Idols - Raya Treibicz

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DNEwzRh5Fl7K_sjFSXoGb1wdN2wSFwfX/view

US Navy Europe & IDF Bands Play Hatikvah for Holocaust Survivor, 75 Years Since Dachau Liberation

04/29/2020 10:00:50 PM

Apr29

As we say goodbye to Yom Ha’atsmaut, please take 3 minutes to view the inspiring video and article below.

Looking forward to seeing you all at our next Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat Service this Friday at 6:00pm.

Eli Rubenstein

US Navy Europe & IDF Bands Play Hatikvah for Holocaust Survivor, 75 Years Since Dachau Liberation

https://youtu.be/EFBlLi0UgK0

U.S. forces surprise Holocaust survivor, play Israeli national anthem via Zoom

Paul Goldman and Saphora Smith

NBC News•April 29, 2020
TEL AVIV — A U.S. military band surprised a Holocaust survivor this week by playing the Israeli national anthem to him via Zoom to mark the 75th anniversary of his liberation by American forces from a Nazi concentration camp in Germany.
Abba Naor, 92, was the youngest survivor of Dachau concentration camp outside Munich. He was liberated aged 17 after spending four years in the camp.
“Watching the Americans made me feel very good, and it gave me the opportunity to say thank you for liberating me, this was a big honor,” Naor told NBC News after the Zoom call in which United States service members played the Israeli national anthem alongside members of the Israeli Defense Forces.
On April 29, 1945 the U.S. armed forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Dachau and 75 years later Israel is also celebrating Wednesday its 72nd Independence Day. World leaders gathered in Jerusalem in January to take part in a diplomatic meeting to commemorate the Holocaust and battle anti-Semitism, 75 years after the liberation of Auschwitz.
Naor said that in actual fact he was liberated on May 2, 1945. Several days before on April 25, he and other survivors of Dachau were forced to march without food and water for days, while anyone that couldn’t walk was shot dead, he said.
"The Americans gave us a new life and you can’t forget this, we're not forgetting," he added. "They brought us back to life, if they only came one day later no one would be alive and this is something you can't forget."
After he was eventually liberated, Naor, originally from Lithuania, moved to Israel where he fought in the country’s independence in 1948 against Arab states. He later worked for Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency.
For the past 20 years, Naor has worked to try and keep the memory of the Holocaust alive often traveling back to Dachau and giving between 80 to 100 lectures each year to the German army, school children and to universities.
He was supposed to mark the 75th anniversary of the camp's liberation in Dachau along with U.S. army veterans who liberated the camp, but the event was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hence, the call with the U.S. military band via Zoom.
Today, he has two children, five grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
“The most important thing in life is life itself, it’s a gift given only once and you should do the best you can from it,” he told NBC News.

“You can also make something good from bad and I think I’m a bit of an example to that.”

Habonim Sings in Celebration of Yom Ha'atsmaut

04/29/2020 11:14:28 AM

Apr29

As there was no March of the Living this year due to COVID-19, March of the Living musicians and song leaders from around the world - past and present - were asked to record and submit songs in honour of Yom Ha’atsmaut.

Three of our Habonim musical staff were honoured to participate and record three uplifting songs in celebration of Israel’s 72nd anniversary.

Please enjoy these wonderful musical selections:

Aviva Rajsky - Yerushalyim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold)

https://youtu.be/_w0IcrJvsu4

Kim Doron - Shir L’Shalom (Song of Peace)

https://youtu.be/D06W0V7hCKk

Tom Bellman - Gesher Tsar Mo’d (Narrow Bridge)

https://youtu.be/To6lBSfGvnA

Happy Yom Ha’atsmaut/Chag Sameach!

Eli Rubenstein

P.S. To view the entire playlist of musical contributions from other communities, please see:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDjofQRyRwpdOQ247hb5_h2WE9KOdj-yq

2020 Virtual March of the Living Ceremony on Yom Hashoah. Tuesday, April 21, 7pm

04/21/2020 09:17:21 AM

Apr21

This evening, Tuesday, April 21, 7pm, join the 2020 Virtual International March of the Living Ceremony featuring a message from Reuven Rivlin, the President of the State of Israel, and eloquent testimony from Holocaust survivors. USC Shoah Foundation founder Steven Spielberg will greet survivors and speak about how we all work together to carry the survivors’ stories forward. Our own Aviva Rajsky will be appearing, along with Tom Bellman, and members of the March of the Living/Habonim choirs.

Program can be viewed on line at: www.motl.org/live

See Flyer HERE

Message from UJA & Toronto Board of Rabbis

04/02/2020 10:06:27 AM

Apr2

This week, Kol HaCovid Toronto Jewish Community COVID-19 Task Force issued an urgent statement calling on community members to exercise strict physical distancing to protect lives during Passover.

Kol HaCovid, which consists of dozens of Toronto’s top Jewish medical professionals, warned that community members are putting lives at risk if they fail to follow key guidelines around the safe observance of Passover. While the full guidelines may be read here, the group emphasized three crucial points for community members:

Only members of one’s household should attend one’s seder, without exception. This applies even if all have been self-isolating for 14 days, as COVID-19 is routinely spread by individuals who have absolutely no symptoms. Those who live outside your home – be they extended family, out-of-town guests, nannies, household help, barbers, etc. – should not be invited, without exception.
Public gatherings – be they small or large, indoors or outdoors – are not permitted. This includes for prayer, burning of chametz, and gatherings for the fast of the firstborn. To be clear: spending time with individuals who do not live in your home would pose an unnecessary risk to your health and that of others.
Everyone, regardless of age or health circumstances, should be strictly vigilant when it comes to physical distancing. Younger, healthier patients are also at risk and have died from COVID-19. Others have unknowingly spread the virus to large numbers, tragically causing loved ones to die. No one is immune from this deadly virus.

Kol HaCovid and the Kashruth Council of Canada (COR) also issued important warnings and practical instructions on safe shopping techniques.

We strongly urge community members to closely follow Kol HaCovid’s guidelines to ensure a safe Passover for all. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Kol HaCovid and all medical staff who are working tirelessly to save lives during this crisis, all while enduring constant risk to their own health.

How is this Passover different than all other Passovers?

On all other Passovers there were no pandemics, but on this Passover, COVID-19 plagues the world.

Passover is a time when many gather with friends and family or join together in community seders. Barring a major downgrading of COVID-19 concerns by Public Health Toronto, it is clear that such gatherings should not happen this year.

The best public health advice at this moment is for everyone to stay home as much as possible. This is for your own health and the health of society at large. As such, Passover Seders should only be celebrated with the members of one’s immediate household. To be clear, especially since those over the age of 65 are at increased risk of death from COVID-19, seniors in our community should prioritize taking care of their health over family celebrations for the duration of this crisis, even if that means not spending seder night together with the family. We understand that this will be a heartbreaking reality and a major disruption for many.

There are many wonderful ways to celebrate Passover, even as we limit human contact. Please speak with your local rabbi for guidance.

To paraphrase the Talmud: Better we should have one less-than-ideal Passover, so that we can celebrate many Passovers in the future. (Yoma 85b)

24 Adar 5780

March 20, 2020

Passing of Ruth Levy (Botnick)

03/19/2020 08:12:50 PM

Mar19

It is with great sadness that we must inform you of the recent passing of:

Ruth Levy (Botnick)

Mother and mother in law of Habonim members:

Elaine & John Danson

Anita and Sam Lieberman

Funeral and Shiva- Private

We wish the entire family comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

If you wish to send a Habonim Tribute Card to the family to express your condolences, you can do so on our website at
http://www.congregationhabonim.org/payment.php
or by calling the office at 416-782-7125.

Reminder-Tomorrow SodaStream @ 2 pm

03/11/2020 06:24:06 PM

Mar11

Register Here

Passing of Dr. William Singer

03/10/2020 11:13:23 AM

Mar10

It is with great sadness that we must inform you of the recent passing of long standing Habonim member:

Dr. William Singer

Holocaust survivor

Husband of Patricia Singer

Funeral - Wednesday March 11, at 1:00 pm

Location - Congregation Habonim, 5 Glen Park Ave.

Please see more information here:

https://www.benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca/ServiceDetails.aspx?snum=136357&fg=0

We wish the entire family comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

If you wish to send a Habonim Tribute Card to the family to express your condolences, you can do so on our website at
http://www.congregationhabonim.org/payment.php
or by calling the office at 416-782-7125.