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All three of us were born and raised in Hamilton. It was
a warm, close Jewish community and a great place to grow up.
Our parents, Zoltan and Yetta Freeman, created a home filled
with love and Jewish values. They had many friends and our
home was always open to anyone who needed a place for Shabbat
or holidays.
Our father is a Holocaust survivor from Hungary. He says
it was love at first sight when he met our mother in her parents’
fruit and vegetable store in her home town of Montreal. They
were married in 1954 and moved to Hamilton. Dad became involved
in the candy business – an appropriate calling for a
very sweet person who was known as "The Candy Man."
Our parents were very involved in the community. They were
instrumental in founding the Jewish day school, which we all
attended, and worked with many different community and Jewish
organizations. Giving to the community and a strong love of
Israel were extremely important to them and they definitely
instilled those values in us.
In 1973, they took us on our first of many family trips to
Israel. It was an amazing experience, but much more than just
sightseeing. On that trip, they took us to hospitals to visit
wounded Israeli soldiers– an experience we never forgot.
They wanted us to understand the sacrifices these young men
and women had made for Israel and for us.
We have all followed in our parents’ footsteps in our
commitment to community. Eventually, the three of us moved
to Toronto, married and are raising our families here. We
all volunteer actively with many different organizations.
It’s part of who we are. Now our children are carrying
on these traditions and our parents are very proud.
When dad retired, he and mom moved to Toronto to be closer
to us. At that time, they wanted to establish a legacy that
would ensure funds would always be available to meet important
needs here and in Israel. Our parents were among of the first
to endow a gift to Jewish Toronto Tomorrow.
They wanted to set an example and are grateful that many
others have followed their lead.
In June 2004, our parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
We decided to share our story as a tribute to them. We look
forward to sharing many more milestones and simchas together.
Most of all, we look forward to handing down our parents’
legacy and a vibrant community to future generations.
Yetta & Zoltan Freeman, Risa Freeman,
Cindy Gordon & Debbie Kimel
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