It is with great pride that we share with you the announcement of Eli’s appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada. We cannot think of anyone more deserving of this huge honour, and more humble to receive it. Please join us in wishing Eli a hearty Mazel Tov on being recognized for his outstanding contributions to Holocaust education and remembrance, and years of service fighting hatred and bigotry. Thank you Eli for your many years of leadership here at Habonim, and the inspirational and important role you play in the Jewish community.
We are lucky to have a number of members of Habonim who are appointees of the Order of Canada, and thrilled to have Eli join their ranks. For more information on today's announcement please see the attached link, and excerpts from Eli’s interview below.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/order-of-canada-appointees-1.6698239
A celebration to honour Eli will be planned in the new year. In the meantime, please feel free to leave him a message of congratulations here:
https://www.congregationhabonim.org/form/mazel-tov-to-eli.html
Excerpt from CBC article- Order of Canada Appointees 2022
'Quite surprised in a beautiful way'
Eli Rubenstein, a Holocaust and anti-hate educator who is also the religious leader Congregation Habonim Toronto synagogue, said he was surprised to be appointed. He cited a Hebrew proverb which states, "the reward of a good deed is the deed itself."
"That's the motivation, and I was not looking, searching or expecting any kind of accolades or reward for this," he said in an interview. "And so I was completely taken aback by shock, not completely feeling I was deserving of it."
Holocaust and anti-hate educator Eli Rubenstein, seen in 2018 in Poland at the March of the Living, said he was surprised at his appointment to the Order of Canada. (Ryan Blau/SUBMITTED)
Rubenstein is the national director of the March of the Living Canada, a program that teaches students about the history of the Holocaust to combat hatred and intolerance.
Rubenstein said throughout his career he's been inspired by Holocaust survivors who've shared their stories and the students who listen and learn from those stories.
"I was so amazed by [the survivors'] resilience, by their courage, by their eloquence and most importantly by their lack of cynicism," he said. "It's the hope in the survivors' eyes when they tell their stories to the students
Rubenstein says the appointment also came with an important lesson.
"Sometimes you toil midnight hours, and burn the candle at both ends, and you don't realize the people around you, how much they appreciate what you're doing," he said.
"Sometimes people just need that extra encouragement, because I was so appreciative … and quite surprised in a beautiful way."
